Ripe for satire:

An artist in India is challenging sexist drawings of women in comic books by parodying them using male heroes in poses typically associated with women.

She-Hulk has superhuman strength and speed and is one of the most formidable hand-to-hand combatants in the Marvel world.

Like Hulk, not only does she have physical power, she’s also completely green.

Yet, on a 1991 comic book cover, she is shown in a seductive pose, wearing a G-string bikini, with her curves sharply accentuated.

Because power shmower, getcher tits out.

SHREYA ARORA

The Indian artist Shreya Arora finds this annoying.

Her artwork draws inspiration from comic book covers but parodies the male superheroes using body language typically associated with women.

We live in strange times.

Just wait until they read my book on periods where I refer to folks who menstruate as menstruators, people who menstruate, folks with uteruses, etc, but rarely (and only when it definitely applies) "women."

— Dr. Kate Clancy (@KateClancy) August 15, 2018

A woman, bragging about writing a book on menstruation that rarely mentions women, as if that’s something to be proud of.… Read the rest

I knew about this but PBS gives a very entertaining explanation and illustration of it.

… Read the rest

Paul Krugman takes a look at the Horrors of Socialism in Denmark.

Last weekend, Trish Regan, a Fox Business host, created a bit of an international incident by describing Denmark as an example of the horrors of socialism, right along with Venezuela. Denmark’s finance minister suggested that she visit his country and learn some facts.

That’s silly; she can’t visit Denmark, lest she be thrown in the gulag.

Denmark has indeed taken a very different path from the United States over the past few decades, veering (modestly) to the left where we’ve veered right. And it has done just fine.

American politics has been dominated by a crusade against big government; Denmark has embraced an expansive government role,

Screechy Monkey alerted us to a story that began with an origins of life conference featuring 14 men and 0 that’s zero women.

0/14 women speakers at FfAME Origins of Life Conference+Workshop in ATL.
I made this slide for the precise purpose of preventing this from happening. #smh #YAAMM #YAMMM #manel #STEMDiversity https://t.co/MQ9iQ2ZYXL pic.twitter.com/0MEwFdLj0S

— Dr. Jennifer Glass (immigrated 1904) (@methanoJen) August 7, 2018

She emailed the organizer to object, so he…announced a panel to discuss “biases and disparities in origins research” including her name without ever asking her.

The latest on #FfAME fiasco. Without ever agreeing to do this, nor ever even being asked, my name was added to OoL program.Unbelievable. Here’s a screenshot of the new program

We need a place for alerts about news items and whatever else needs sharing, so this can be that place.

… Read the rest

Ever wonder how the youngest lambs get down the hill? Wonder no more.

Donkey & mule nannies are used in Italy when grazing animals are moved from high pastures down to the plains. Newborn lambs are unable to make the journey on their own.
They ride in pouches of a specially made saddle on the back of a nanny.
At rest stops lambs are returned to their mothers for a meal & some nuzzling.

James Kirkup is not impressed by the BBC’s reporting on trans issues.

For one example, it sought to correct a claim by Fair Play for Women that “41 per cent of trans women in jail are sex offenders.”

The BBC seeks to test the FPFW figure of 41 per cent mainly by way of official Ministry of Justice figures, released following a BBC request under the Freedom of Information Act. Those figures show that 60 of 125 transgender inmates were serving sentences for sexual offences. That’s 48 per cent.

So what does the BBC do? It comes up with strained reasons to ignore the figures.

And then there’s its reporting on our friend Councillor Gregor Murray.

Cllr Murray of

Via Slate, the statement:

August 16, 2018

STATEMENT FROM FORMER SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS

As former senior intelligence officials, we feel compelled to respond in the wake of the ill-considered and unprecedented remarks and actions by the White House regarding the removal of John Brennan’s security clearances. We know John to be an enormously talented, capable, and patriotic individual who devoted his adult life to the service of this nation. Insinuations and allegations of wrongdoing on the part of Brennan while in office are baseless. Since leaving government service John has chosen to speak out sharply regarding what he sees as threats to our national security. Some of the undersigned have done so as well. Others among us have elected … Read the rest

Jonathan Best wrote a piece the other day.

In 2005 I became the artistic director of Manchester’s Queer Up North Festival. QUN took place annually in Manchester between 1992 and 2011 and had a tradition of disruptive, provocative performance work centred around sexuality and gender, alongside literature, film, music and debate. Artists and performers such as Lea DeLaria, Ursula Martinez, Mojisola Adebayo, Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Taylor Mac and Sandra Bernhard appeared. Scores of writers spoke, including Edmund White, Patrick Gale, Armistead Maupin, Sarah Waters and Val MacDiarmid. We invited a wide range of speakers, including Linda Bellos, Julie Bindel, B Ruby Rich and Billy Bragg. It was an irreverent and stimulating mix of events. Most importantly, it was

More like mobsters every day.

Trump’s legal team said Wednesday it may fight all the way to the Supreme Court to quash a possible subpoena from Robert Mueller for an interview with the president. Trump has so far refused to be questioned by Mueller; his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, is saying Mueller should submit his report before September 7, threatening, “If he doesn’t get it done in the next two or three weeks we will just unload on him like a ton of bricks.”

Mimi Rocah made the mobster connection.

Giuliani’s latest “we’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks” threat to Mueller sounds a lot more like the mobsters he (and I) used to prosecute than a

Filthy pigs.

Civil rights advocates are objecting to a proposal to close about 75 percent of polling locations in a predominantly black south Georgia county.

The Randolph County elections board is scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss a proposal that would eliminate seven of nine polling locations in the county, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. Included in the proposed closures is Cuthbert Middle School where nearly 97 percent of voters are black.

What does that do? It makes polling places farther away for a lot of people, and it makes the lines longer. Much longer. In short, it suppresses the vote. It does what the Voting Rights Act was meant to prevent, and did prevent, … Read the rest

A better day in a better time:

 … Read the rest