Katie Halper

It’s pretty funny to see the headline “Wealthy More Likely to Lie, Cheat: Researchers” on a news site owned by and named after the very wealthy Mike Bloomberg. Who knew Bloomberg was so self-critical and introspective?

New research, written up in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, attempts to answer the question “are society’s most noble actors found within society’s nobility?” And the answer found is no. The pursuit of self-interest is a “fundamental motive among society’s elite, and the increased want associated with greater wealth and status can promote wrongdoing,” The Bloomberg article reports that the study found the “wealthy were more likely to break the law while driving, take candy from children, lie in negotiation, cheat to increase their odds of winning a prize and endorse unethical behavior at work.”

[...]

Read more at Feministing

Whenever I’m arguing with global warming skeptics, I disclaim that  I don’t claim to be an expert in any of the sciences that could prove or disprove global warming. I do, however, have enough common sense to realize that, quite frequently,  global warming deniers are or represent people or interests with potential ulterior motives (money), while global warming believers tend not to have ulterior motives (unless you but buy the Al Gore wants to create mass hysteria thesis, which I don’t) but do tend to have the support of most of the scientific community. So which side is more likely to be telling the truth? If you read what I just wrote, how was it for you? Was it as awkward for you to read as it was for me to write? I’m feeling kind of embarrassed and inadequate right now. You better just take a look at this infographic, posted by  Jess Zimmerman at Grist, which makes the point I’m trying to make.

[...]

Read more at Feministing

Why is it that the same people who want to get all up into women’s vaginas shudder at the mention of the word vagina and are unable to actually say it?

I guess the answer is obvious; the same people who are sadistic enough to make a woman undergo an invasive medically unnecessary procedure whose only goal is to punish a woman for using her vagina for anything but procreation, are probably a little bit uncomfortable with sexuality. But some of these guys wear their vaginaphobia on their… sleeves.

First, Virginia delegate David Albo, who treated the House of Delegates to a musical theater reenactment of his attempt to seduce his wife, complains that just as he was about to seal the deal,

“All of a sudden on my big-screen TV comes this big thing, a picture of a bill that has “Albo” on it. I’m, like, “Wow! Holy smokes! My name, as big as a wall!” And the very next scene was the gentleman from Alexandria’s face, as big as my wall, going “Trans-V blahblahblah, and this. Trans-V this, and trans-V that, and they hate women, and we’re gonna–and that bill–…. And this goes on and on and on…. And the show’s over, and she goes, “I gotta go to bed.”

[...]

Read more at Feministing

The vaginal probing bill should scare everyone and anyone who opposes, well, rape. Sadly, there are some out there, at least in Virginia, who vote for rape. And there are some politicians, at least in Virginia, who say they will actually implement rape. The extreme right likes to pretend that it isn’t extreme, that it represents the mainstream, and that the only people who are against personhood, vaginal probing, and putting aspirin between your knees as a contraceptive are Marxist Feminazis.

Of course, my being against personhood, vaginal probing and aspirin as birth control may actually strengthen their point.

But  ”pro life” Republican Meghan McCain’s  fear of the current misogynist trend among Republicans reminds us that the invasive vaginaphobes are the real extremists.

Yesterday, McCain went on the Maddow show and said:

“I’m pro-life. I’m not pro-vaginal probing. I feel like I have to go on television and delineate between the two things. I’m horrified by the bill as a woman, as a Republican woman, I’m horrified. It scares me that this can go on, it scares me that a woman can be vaginally probed without consent or a doctor’s consent…. Vaginal probing is something that I’ve had friends text me about ‘What does this mean. I’m not into politics but what does this say?’ This is something that will penetrate [no pun intended, I assume] beyond politics….”

[...]

Read more at Feministing

As many predicted, implementing the rape of women with ultrasounds and probes is not politically savvy. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, who had initially promised to sign the bill requiring women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound before terminating a pregnancy has had a change of heart. Today, in a statement, The Governor asks the General Assembly to amend the bill, so that only a transabdominal, or external, ultrasound would be required.

“For this reason, I have recommended to the General Assembly a series of amendments to this bill. I am requesting that the General Assembly amend this bill to explicitly state that no woman in Virginia will have to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound involuntarily. I am asking the General Assembly to state in this legislation that only a transabdominal, or external, ultrasound will be required to satisfy the requirements to determine gestational age.”

[...]

Read more at Feministing

You gotta hand it to the Republicans. They’re committed and consistent when it comes to making life miserable for women. Today’s all male panel on contraceptives was the cherry on the layered cake of misogyny comprised of opposing the Violence Against Women Act, and insisting on vaginally penetrating women against their will. See, the Republicans can’t support a bill that’s against violence against women, when they themselves are perpetuating violence against women by technically raping them with an instrument.

Digby has a great take on the Virginia Bill:

No Virginia, it’s not really about the fetus. It’s all about the probe.Democrats had sought to allow doctors to use other imaging methods but Republicans insisted that doctors put an instrument inside the woman’s vagina. Why? Well, since there’s no medical reason for it, the only possible explanation is that they want to “send a message.” You know. About who’s boss:

Read more at Feministing

House Oversight Committee Chairman, master car thief and general criminal, Darrell Issa held a hearing today on the Obama administration’s new regulation requiring employers and insurers to provide contraception coverage to their employees. Claiming that it was “not about reproductive rights and contraception but instead about the administration’s actions as they relate to freedom of religion and conscience,” Issa barred a progressive woman from testifying, as that would have ruined the all male conservative religious anti-Obama motif he was going for. This led three Democrats to walk out of the House (which must have been extra hard, because their panties were all up in a bunch). But I watched the hearing. And here are some thoughts.

1. I guess I should give the GOP props for voting against the Violence Against Women Act, since it would be hypocritical to condemn violence against women, while at the same time advocating ultrasound rape.
2. This is a really beautiful image of small government and big family values.
3. I’m really glad women aren’t allowed to testify at this hearing, which is about their bodies. It’s a dangerously slippery slope and I think we all know what comes next: box turtles are allowed to testify. It’s also really hard to be objective and have a vagina at the same time.

[...]

Read more at Huffington Post

Saying someone is a hero and a lifesaver, lauding their invaluable and extraordinary contributions to the world, can often be hyperbole. But in the case of Dr. Stephen Levin (Oct. 16, 1941- February 8, 2012) who fought for his patients’ lives as a physician and activist, and fought for change on both a cellular and a political level, it’s simply a statement of fact.

I first met Steve Levin at the New York City office of Kinderland, a progressive summer camp focused on social justice. I grew up going to Kinderland, and was there for my interview to be a Counselor in Training (CIT). Steve was there, waiting for his own daughter—who had never been to Kinderland—to finish her own CIT interview. In a way, Steve’s bringing his daughter Kate to that interview and that camp is a metaphor for what he did for so many people in his life; introducing them to interesting and important ideas, places and values. Steve brought his daughter to what turned out to be a healthy and happy place for her, just as he brought so many people, friends and patients to happier and healthier states. We started talking, and I liked him immediately; he was warm, engaged and engaging. He had a soothing, animated, deep voice and bright, sad brown eyes. He was excited and nervous about his daughter’s first time in camp and when she came out of the interview, his face lit up—Kate has this effect on him—and he enthusiastically introduced us, eager for his newbie daughter to meet an experienced Kinderlander. When they left I hoped and suspected that I’d see them again. And I did; Kate and I became CITs that summer and, more importantly, good friends. I was 15 when I met Steve. And that was 15 years ago. I’ve known Steve for half of my life.

Read more at The Nation

No, this video is not satire. It is real, as the couple explain in a follow up video. The video supports the Day of Purity, “a project of Liberty Counsel and is designed for students of all ages who commit to remain sexually pure until marriage.”  [...]

Read more at Feministing

In a very meta way, the Romantic-Industrial Complex is putting a lot of time, money and energy into cutesey infographics demonstrating how much time, money and energy we put into cutesy commercial and materialistic expressions of Valentine’s Day. I should do an infographic on it, but I don’t have the time, money or energy to do so. So, I’ll just show you them.

Overstock.com presents

Read more at Feministing