This week in The Slacktiverse, April 16/17 2011

 

The Blogaround

hapax has compiled a preliminary booklist for "M/M romance -- a core collection", complete with librarian geekiness, moderate levels of snark, and sincere fondness for the genre.

Ruby writes: This week at Heathen Critique, Paul Stepola, like his Biblical counterpart, loses his sight, in Soon: Chapter 10: Poor Tick, Poor Jae.

Laiima writes: This week I was actively writing. I have three blog posts addressing that I've passed into cronehood/old age, and exploring various aspects of that (musing on mothers, power, and influence; permission to heal; and women's stories.) I have a feeling this will be an ongoing series.

Twilight: Beautiful People and Hairless Cats
Ana Mardoll writes:

This week we introduce the youngest members of the Cullen family – the only people on earth capable of sending Bella’s self-esteem into a veritable nose-dive. They are beautiful in the extreme, openly disdain the existence of food, and are so aloof that they don’t even talk to each other. Come join us as we try to determine whether or not emotional unavailability equals attractiveness in the Twilight-verse!

This week the former conservative blogger wrote 2 entries mocking the various conspiracy theories invented to discredit President Obama as well as some of the silly things Fox News has decided to get outraged about (really, really this is worthy of outrage and just when I think they can't get more stupid) in addition to another deconstruction of a fundamentalist Christian blog.

This week mmy posted about her memories of the death of her mother.

In case you missed this

Lorien encourages Canadians to read this article (The Conservatives Commitment to Internet Surveillance) about the implications of promises in/elements of the Conservative election platform dealing with access to and security and privacy while using the Internet before going to the polls on election day.

TW for birth trauma and maternal health:

mmy writes: The Washington Post published an article about substandard health care for women Global stillbirths: 2.6 million a year, overlooked and often preventable

 

Things you can do

Kit Whitfield asks blog readers to click on this link to learn about Russians who are being beaten, brutalized and arrested for their efforts to protect and preserve Moscow's last old growth forest.

Froborr will be on three panels at Anime Boston (at the Hynes) which runs from April 21st to 24.

Tengen Toppa Evangelion: Friday, 6 P.M., Panel A. Viga "The Otagal" Gadson and I will be discussing Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and Rebuild of Evangelion as essentially a multi-decade conversation about questions of human nature and our place in the universe.

Villains and Virgins: Friday, 8:30 P.M., Panel 107. Viga and I will be discussing the madonna-whore complex in anime, both in terms of character archetypes and fan reactions. (The schedule says "madonna-heathen complex" because they wouldn't allow us to use the word "whore." No, seriously. Apologies to any pagans offended by the use of the term, wasn't my choice.)

Chu-Chu Died for Your Sins: Saturday, 5 P.M., Panel 206. Charles Dunbar, the Anime Anthropologist, and I will be discussing religious and philosophical themes in Xenogears and Xenosaga, mostly gnosticism, qabalah, and Nietzsche.

Frobor writes: Most of that time I will be at Anime Boston at the Hynes. If you're in Boston and want to meet up, e-mail me at froborr SPLAT gmail.com. I can easily do lunch one of the three days as long as it's within walking distance from the Hynes. Otherwise, I'll be around the con most of the time. I'll be the short, overweight guy with the pony tail. No, not that one, the other one. No, the other one. No, not that one either. (I'll be the one whose badge says Froborr.)

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

The Board Administration Team
(hapax, Kit Whitfield and mmy)



Comments

[Choir of Shades]

I really wish I could attend that Con. That Madonna-Whore complex panel sounds fascinating (I know I've certainly seen it in some really weird ways over the years, especially when Word of God declares that a character has a boyfriend...not even "slept with more than one person in a 10 year period," just "has a boyfriend" [facepalm /]). Too bad I'm on the opposite side of the country. And have no money to speak of.

[Inquisitiveravn]

I'd love to go too, but I get to Boston about twice/year, usually sometime in late summer and either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I might manage three times this year since I've already been up on Arisia weekend. Sadly, I can't make it up there this weekend, but since my mom actually lives just off the Prudential Center, maybe a get together in the Pru Center might be possible later in the year.

[Nenya]

Can I just say I adore these blogaround posts? I've got hapax and Ana Mardoll's links open as we speak, and may click through to more of them. I feel all...community-minded, and gleeful about having more awesome things to read. (But after I sleep. And work. And write that essay I keep putting off--nah, I'm sure Twilight and slash are capable of sucking me in before the latter. :D)

[Kristin]

Trigger: Deaths, devastation in North Carolina.

Keep us in your prayers if you're someone who prays. Yesterday was terrifying; I was home alone cowering in a walk-in closet as tornadoes ripped through the areas less than half a mile away. The worst storm here since 1988. I have electricity, but tens of thousands right around me do not. As usual, the poor died first. People living in mobile homes that were turned over. MSNBC says the death toll for North Carolina is 24, and counting. It's rising because so many are still missing, and so many in critical condition in the hospitals.

Local newschannel, WRAL, has hundreds of viewer-snapped photos of the damage. Pieces of land as tall as houses uprooted with trees. Photo #390 from Part 2: The one of the three year old boy helping his family clean up their yard... That's where I live:

http://www.wral.com/weather/image_gallery/9454493/
http://www.wral.com/weather/image_gallery/9455695/

And Raleigh's main newspaper, The News and Observer, has very good professional photos up:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/17/1134982/storms-rip-central-north-carolina.html

Today, the sky is clear, and the sun is out, and in some neighborhoods, it's hard to believe anything like this just happened.

And the poor, poor towns of Sanford and Dunn. It's no accident that our poor towns, and the poorer areas of Raleigh, suffered the most. Weaker building foundations, more mobile homes... In some ways, I'm having a lot of trouble with the phrase, "acts of God." This kind of devastation is just as much a product of socioeconomic status as anything else. Last night was awful. I have family members scattered throughout the South. The worst of it was over where I live by about 4:30, but my college-age cousin was in a basement last night in the Eastern part of the South. It's true that central NC was the worst hit... But I've never seen a storm barrel through the whole state this way. It was the kind of weather you'd expect in Kansas or West Texas, the local meteorologists told us. But so many people here don't have basements. So many.

[Kristin]

More North Carolina trigger.

Meanwhile, the national news networks can't stop talking about royal wedding prep or Nicholas Cage's DWI arrest. The Washington Post and New York Times did not even have lead stories up about any of this late last night. Now 45 are confirmed dead across the South. Last night, I was so angry at the lack of national coverage that I said this on Facebook: "Nothing on front pages of NYT or the Post. "It's just poor dead people in the South.""

[Mmy]

@Kristin: {{{{{sympathy}}}}}

Just wow. I agree with you that there are some socio-economic elements to the impact of these storms just as there was a socio-economic element to suffering and devastation during and after Katrina. It is amazing how little coverage of it there is in major "national" American newspapers. Both The New York Times and The Washington Post are playing it low on the front page and just using the AP wire story.

[Brin (not Meir)]

Meanwhile, the national news networks can't stop talking about royal wedding prep or Nicholas Cage's DWI arrest.

I watched a couple minutes of CNN last night while Mom was looking for something else to watch. Maybe I happened to come in at just the right moment, but the NC tornadoes and the Cage DWI were the two things they didn't relegate to the crawl.
I know there wasn't anything about the wedding because I remember thinking that every single piece of news they had was negative. None of the optimism of Daily Planet (the only show I watch regularly that could be classified as "news").

{{{{Kristin et al}}}}

[Lila]

For those of you who've never spent any time in a mobile home: the National Weather Service says you are safer lying on the ground outdoors than inside a mobile home in a tornado. Basically they are bandaid boxes. Highly flammable bandaid boxes.

More hugs to Kristin. We escaped any major damage here, but there's an 8-foot-long, four-inch-thick tree branch stuck upright in the soil of our yard.

[Choir of Shades]

Well, the tornadoes are now the top story on Google News.
And if I were the praying sort, my prayers would be with you. Either way, my thoughts and sympathy are with everyone there.

[Lila]

Anyone who needs a picker-upper: here is Peter Jackson's video log; filming begins on The Hobbit.

[Kit Whitfield]

Sympathy, Kristin! Is there anything we can do?

[hapax]

Kristin, that's awful. I hadn't had a chance to catch the news this morning, so I didn't realize that North Carolina had been so hard hit.

Tornadoes are devastating even where people expect them (like where I live) -- they are nightmarish in regions that aren't accustomed to them. And yes, you are absolutely correct, there is definitely a class issue in terms of the impact.

But dear me, what is UP with the national news? How many days of coverage did they give that silly snowstorm in DC?

[MercuryBlue]

hapax: Important people spend time in DC. I think the same storm got no coverage when it caused a state of emergency in...hell, I don't even remember, just it was north end of midwest. Minnesota?

Kit: I'm betting the best thing to do would be donate money to the American Red Cross or similar. I defer to Kristin's judgment, however; she's the one most likely to know who's actually on the ground helping.

And I spent last night grouching that the storm was bad enough I actually had to turn off my computer. *privilege check*

[Amaryllis]

Sympathies to Kristin and anyone in the affected area.

We just caught the edge of it here, impressive high winds, scattered power outages, some minor flooding but no major damage.

I spent the night sneezing, and hoping that the person who gave me the cold would drive home safely in spite of flying tree branches and disabled traffic lights and all that other storm stuff. (She did.)

[The Old Maid]

@Kristin: Glad you're okay. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your neighbors.

[hapax]

Adding a last minute In Case You Missed This:

An astonishing and beautiful Sermon for Passion Week that I think many people here would find deeply moving, whether or not they observe the liturgical season or accept any form of Christianity.

Warning: Triggers for self-harm and sexual violence.

[cross-posting to Patheos]

[Amaryllis]

Astonishing is right. Also moving: I'm sitting here in tears, although you warned me.

As so often, my first response is to quote somebody else:
Charlie Howard’s Descent

[Deird, who loves auntiedom]

OT, but exciting:

Nephew number five made an appearance this morning. He is a few weeks early and being humidicribbed, but is just gorgeous.

*is thrilled*

[Deird, who is on a train]

hapax, that was beautiful.

{{{Kristin}}}

[Lila]

hapax, thank you.

[Kristin]

Thanks, everyone. I drove around Raleigh taking pictures today. I'm putting the best ones up on Facebook, so if anyone wants to friend me: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001659709860

I have over 100 up, I think. Most are from the Shaw University area and surrounding neighborhoods (first historically black college in NC, predominantly black surrounding areas--and they're getting fewer road crews than even some of the less-affected wealthy areas.).

Yes, give to the American Red Cross. They have storm shelters up throughout the state.

If you're in Raleigh/Durham, I put this on Facebook:

URGENT: Displaced, predominantly Latin@ neighborhood of hundreds at Stony Brook North (3000 Stony Brook Dr.; Raleigh). This is the mobile home park in which people were killed yesterday. None of them know what happened to their homes. An aid worker there told me that they'd just been hanging out by Stony Brook Dr. since this happened. Bring water, food, anything you can.

There is a church there on the corner that is helping to organize relief efforts. You'll see a large crowd there. Take goods to the church so that they can organize distribution. If you get there once the church closes, just hand things out. Anything is helpful. For obvious reasons, DO NOT bring a camera and start taking photographs of people. There are lots of police officers guarding the area, and there's palpable fear of ICE using this as a chance to crack down. Organize a few people, and load your car with water, food and blankets. Do it now, during the night or early in the morning. Take as much as you can.

Other things you can do: 1. Go to the Shaw University neighborhood. Everyone is still cleaning up. Very few road crews were seen earlier today. Help the clean up.
2. Give money to the Shaw University endowment. They've been struggling with budget concerns this year already. They're going to need an influx of cash, I think.

(You could actually donate to Shaw's endowment remotely, I think.)

[Kristin]

Oh, and if you do send me a Facebook request, please tell me who you are here just so I know.

[Kristin]

May also be worth noting that, while these photos look pretty bad, the very worst neighborhoods have not been opened up to homeowners or civilians yet. These are the places with leveled buildings.

@hapax: You mentioned how horrible tornadoes are in places that expect them. I wouldn't say they're...uncommon here per se. They are uncommon on this kind of scale, and it's true we're not like Kansas. But we do have several tornadoes every spring and summer. Widespread damage like this, though, is usually from hurricanes. Even in the central part of the state where I grew up, the scariest storms I remember involved hurricanes and the small tornadoes they spawned.

But we are not like the midwest or West Texas... So, many of us do not have basements. I'd say the majority do not, most likely. They'd flood badly in hurricane weather, for one thing, and we rarely need them. So, I think people feel more vulnerable than we might if we all did have basements. I went into an interior closet--I was home alone.

[Lunch Meat]

Yay Auntieuntie Deird!

{{{Kristin}}} and {{{anyone else affected}}}

I don't know If anyone else has heard, but tomorrow is the so-called "Day of Dialogue", a response to the Day of Silence in which Christian students "exercise their right to free speech" by passing out cards that proclaim "the biblical truth about homosexuality." I think this will not be well-executed at all, and the idea misses the point of both the Day of Silence and the word dialogue. But I'm not sure what I can do about it. I wasn't able to participate in the day of silence because I'm not in school anymore. I'm considering either inviting people to dialogue with me on facebook, but people are already annoyed by how much I post about this on facebook. I also might just post a note explaining why I think the day of dialogue is a poor idea, including my own experiences trying to dialogue with people who had already heard everything I had to say, and without being trained how to listen and empathize with others. Of course, I'm not sure that anyone would even listen to that.

I'm not sure if I'm asking for advice or what, but I just wanted to express some frustration and also bring attention to this.

[Lunch Meat]

That first line is supposed to say "Auntie"... This is why I hate typing on my iPod.

[Ross]

Anyone who needs a picker-upper: here is Peter Jackson's video log; filming begins on The Hobbit.

Non-trigger Warning: Doctor Who

Of possible interest to Doctor Who fans ios the fact that Sylvester McCoy has been cast in The Hobbit as Radagast the Brown. Radagast is mentioned but does not appear in the book, and was written into the film as a small part. Allegedly, Jackson was so impressed by McCoy that he increased the size of the role

[Lonespark]

Anyone who needs a picker-upper: here is Peter Jackson's video log; filming begins on The Hobbit.

I AM MADE OF SQUEEEE!!!

[Lonespark]

I am offended by the use of the word "heathen." Not because I'm Heathen, but because it's a crime against using language to mean things. Grah!

[alienbooknose]

Lunch Meat: Good thing my school is closed for spring break today! (although I didn't have any kids that were doing Day of Silence. Our school needs it too, ugh. I write kids up for calling each other "faggot" and then the parents act like I was being so extreme and don't get why it's a problem. *sigh*)

er... should that word be rot13ed? I am still unclear on custom around that here.

[Froborr]

@Lonespark: I know. It burns.

[Choir of Shades]

@alienbooknose, I don't think you need to ROT13 it, but you should put TW: homophobia at the top.

[MercuryBlue]

alienbooknose, what CoS said, and also good on you for fighting the good fight.

[Kristin]

Local news channel, WRAL, has been updating information about how to help out here:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9453792/

I would not be excited about giving to some of the evangelical Christian groups listed here, but I will say... The state has been doing a shameful job of providing services, especially to poor communities. These faith groups have picked up in the slack in an impressive way--right now, they seem more impartial and full of goodwill than the local government. If I were to give to them, I'd specify that the money be used only for relief efforts here, not evangelism or anything else.

[Kristin]

More about the North Carolina relief effort: The St. Raphael Catholic Church is accepting donations for residents of the Stony Brook Dr. Mobile Home Park in Raleigh. Again, this is a very poor, very vulnerable community. Donations are needed for funeral costs for the children, as well as for replacing basic goods. Many do not have renters' insurance or access to basic social services. Many of the mobile homes were flattened. If you can only give to one place in NC, please give to this community. The storm displaced the hundreds of low wage predominantly-Mexican workers who lived there, along with their children. I saw a lot of toddlers running around who'd lost their homes yesterday. This is the community that will overwhelmingly be excluded from the kinds of insurance payouts that the rest of us expect.

http://www.saintraphael.org/Contact%20Us.htm

[Timothy (TRiG)]

That Sermon for Passion Week had me in tears too. And then the comments following were ... interesting. I think I find myself agreeing with Action Kate.

TRiG.

[Mime Paradox (formerly The Other Ian)]

On the "news guaranteed to make you feel sick" front, the Michigan state government wasted no time in using its new "eliminate whichever elected officials we want" powers. On a town in which the average annual income is less than $11,000, more than 90% of the population is black, and where some developers just happen to want to use some public land to create high-class golf resorts.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/04/18/6489195-whats-at-stake-in-benton-harbor

Words. Fail. I want to cry. I want to do something--like, start a new party something. Any ideas?

[kisekileia]

*hugs Kristin* I can't donate, but thank you for letting us all know about the situation in North Carolina.

[Leum]

O/T: Facebook removed a photo of two men kissing, saying it violated the Statement of Responsiblities or somesuch. I posted the link and photo to my profile, so far they're still up.

[Choir of Shades]

@Mime Paradox, I'm always partial to the Bull Moose Party. Or maybe the "Workers and Workseekers Party." Or how about the "Get Evil Bastards Out of Government Party."

And yeah, just more proof of what I've been saying all along: Facebook is evil.

[hapax]

Totally OT, but I know we have many Dr Who fans around here:

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) has just died.

[Karen, who has written and published a new blog post]

Ahem. This is my longest blog post in something like five years. Please be gentle. I tried to explain how liberals can support abortion rights and laws mandating building codes requiring handicapped access.

[The Board Administration Team]

@Karen: Does TBAT have your permission to add this to the upcoming "This Week" post?

[Karen, who has written and published a new blog post]

Absolutely you have my permission! Woo Hoo!