It's a big week for good humanity

It's National Volunteer week.

I've signed up for an extra shifts on the RAINN Online Hotline. You can celebrate by going to idealist.org and finding something to do.

Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.

Tomorrow is the National Day of Reason, which I will be celebrating. It's also the National Day of Prayer, which I will not. What about you?

Tomorrow I'm also going to be switching to the new blog name. The winner, with 61% of the votes is Hop To It. I'm not entirely sure how to do it, so things may get a little wonky around here until I figure it out. Thanks to everyone who voted on the new name!

Good Humanity Sunday - 4/27/08

Happy Earth Week! Did you plant a tree on the 25th? Did you turn off your TV?

This week's Good Humanity Sunday is a collection of some excellent Earth Week-related posts that I've found.

Why BPA is bad and how you can avoid it.

Earth Day photos in Oakland.

Enough with the plastic bags already!

Recycling also applies to kitchen appliances, y'know.

And finally, stay educated about the dirty greenwashing schemes meant to fool consumers like you and me.

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

58th Carnival of Feminists

Welcome to the 58th edition of the Carnival of Feminists! I'm seriously, seriously thrilled to have you here. If you missed the 57th edition, go check it out at Pandemian.

(And while I have your attention, please take a quick sec and vote for my new blog name over to the right. Thanks! Thanks for voting everyone! Check out my new home at Hop To It!)

So I'm going to break down these excellent submissions based on things my 13 year old sister has said to me. (Translations in parentheses.)

OMG that's sick nasty! (My top picks)

OHH MYYYY GODD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by Unitari from Antidrown
"When dealing with issues of women in Muslim countries, even the compassion that comes from some women in the US sometimes takes the form of "Oh my god!" I know, stoning is a savage idea and it's appalling. But when you say "Oh My God!" to make yourself feel better, it shows."

This is How Much a Woman is Worth in America by Cara from The Curvature
"This man raped and killed a woman, a woman who he had only met that night. More than just being a horrible person, he’s a menace to society. This could have been anyone. And for that, he will spend 5 years in jail. Maybe. He’s eligible for parole in four years."

Porn Part 4: Half of the Big Picture by Nine Deuce from Rage Against the Man-Chine

"Men often tell me that they can make a distinction between porn and real women, but I find that a little hard to believe. I would like any dude who uses porn who reads this to do me a favor and think about something: what exactly is the difference between the woman you date, or work with, or know from school, and the woman you last jerked off to?"

Sex Criminal Fashions by Holly from Menstrual Poetry
"Rape is not a funny word, action or mindset and it should most definitely not be used in a comedy bit; the same goes for the word pedophile."

He called me a bitch so I said he was just mad 'cause I wouldn't go out with him. (Misogyny & Sexual Assault)

Last post on rape! (This week) from Advancing the sum total of human knowledge and endeavour!
"I no longer call myself a 'rape victim'. I don't use that term at all, any more. I don't define myself by what's happened to me, I define myself by what I've done."

Self-harm in prisons on the increase from Socialist Unity
"Why couldn’t the staff intervene every time she came back from her therapist by talking to her rather than leaving her alone in her cell where feelings of worthlessness and powerlessness were festering?"

Pictures at Work John Philips from The Word on Employment Law
"What if someone just brings the magazine to work and shows it around the office? Is it ok if a woman does it? Not ok if a man does it?"

You're never too young for implants by Nine Deuce from Rage Against the Man-Chine
"[I]f you want to live up to today’s model of femininity, get ready to starve, cut yourself up, and eschew having a personality that goes beyond being a snottie hottie."

Mothers are best friends and fathers are... by Unmana from Unmana's Words
"So if the mother becoming a friend leaves the child parentless, what is the father doing?"

My new boyfriend is like, really nice. He gave me his cookies at lunch today! (Relationships)

Recognizing Verbal Abuse in Relationships from The Eclectic Female
"Verbal abuse often stems from inadequacies in one’s self, not from perceived negative characteristics in another. This type of behavior is often observed among pre-teen girls who use verbally abusive comments to establish dominance and social hierarchy over one another."

Disillusionment with Love and Marriage from Quest for The One
"So, for over 150 years, individuals have come to personal realizations that love is not what they thought it was when they were 15 years old."

I don't even know why you like Miley Cyrus so much. (Badass chicks)

Firefly and Serenity from Heroine Content
"Firefly/Serenity is a new take on the western frontier adventure story, which is certainly another area of traditional film misogyny."

No Trespassing, My First Short Film by Holly from Menstrual Poetry
"I usually keep my creative endeavors pretty secret until there is something super exciting to say about it and this is most definitely super exciting!"

Art Nouveau - Where Pinups Got Their Start from Tali at The Pinup Blog
"The Women in Mucha’s painings are natural, beautiful and surrounded by beauty. Their sexiness is an inherit trait. Some are classical, some are modern, all are regal and most look you straight in the eye."

Blog for Fair Pay for Women from Womenstake.org
A list of all the bloggers that posted in support of the Lilly Ledbetter Act.

Wait, who is the president again? (Politics)

A glass ceiling for women? by Nick from Understand Media Blog
"Hillary Clinton constantly receives jabs because of her gender but has no opportunity to respond to those comments. This is because the comments directed towards her are subtle, perhaps even subconscious."

Biased Journalists and Bloggers, Heal Thyselves!from Mad Kane's Political Madness
"And that brings me to my latest limerick" (You gotta click through for it!)

Was Jesus a Jew or a Muslim? (Religion)

Dissecting the Burqa from Kejda Gjermani's My Piece of Mind
"Not only does wearing the burqa imply an overly sexualized sense of self, but it also silently spells out a moral condemnation of all women who do not abide by such anal and self-demeaning standards of 'modesty.'"

A True Measure of a Man by Janak Patel from Crude Bliss
"She is for compassion - never letting go, always giving it time She is for believing - it will one day, be all okay She is for loving unconditionally - and if it takes sacrifice, so be She is for understanding - the truth yet respecting others viewpoints She is for wisdom - gathered from the beginning of time till the end of space"

I was late for my Spanish class because I was talking to my friends in the hallway and I almost got detention! (Last-minute submissions)

Part-time smartschmuck-time and Finished! and Of course! It's teh girleez' fault! from Deborah at In a Strange Land.

Thoughts on the Tyranny of Marriage at Tax Time and What's Wrong with this Article? Marriage and Taxes, part 2 and Thesaurus.com Says 'Female' is Equivalent to 'Weaker' from don't ya wish your girlfriend was smart like me?

Thanks again for reading! Check out the long-awaited 59th Edition over at Philobiblon!

Sorry!

Please put your pitchforks down, townfolk! The Carnival of Feminists is on its way!

Lame excuse: My gmail has decided not to let me in. This is what I get for waiting until the last minute.

What are you grateful for right now?

I've got a lot going on right now, but I'm taking a cue from Well-Heeled: I'm grateful for iTunes free song Tuesdays and the beautiful sunny weather.

And the new solid shampoo that I bought that magically turned my hair into a lush, pretty-smelling mane. Rawr.

And the Carnival of Feminists is tomorrow! The carnival submission form appears to be down, so send in your last-minute submissions to me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com! (BTW, I'm going to post the carnival at around 9-10pm EST. I know it's late. I'm busy!)

What are you grateful for right now?

Good Humanity Sunday - 4/20/08

This week's Good Humanity Sunday is just a reminder that I'm hosting the 58th edition of the Carnival of Feminists. (Check out the 57th edition at Pandemian!)

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, April 22nd at 6pm EST.

Submit your post here or email them to me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

(All these great submissions have been keeping me busy! I'll have a more uhh... topical Good Humanity Sunday next week.)

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

The times, they are a-changin'

Those of us with common, easy-to-pronounce names are doomed to be unoriginal. And I have to admit, I came up with this blog idea on a whim after staying up late one night, freaking out after watching too many news programs. I wanted to write about how we're treating each other and the impact we're having on the world.

Turns out, someone beat me to it. The Good Human is all about how to live more sustainably and respectfully and be, well, a good human. If you haven't checked it out yet, go there right now. RIGHT NOW.

So in an effort to stop the confusion, I'm going to make some changes. And I need your help! If you have any ideas for a new blog name, please, by all means, leave them in the comments or email them to me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I will post a poll with the ones I like the best in a few days and expect to go live with the new site on May 1st.


And now, Bob Dylan:

Good Humanity Sunday - 4/13/08

I love old people. Seriously. They have seen and done so much. Even if you spent hours with them every day, you still wouldn't be able to take in the breadth of their life experiences. Woah.

But the way they represent the inevitable end of life never fails to make me feel all introspective and sad. Take this guy that I found via Boing Boing, for example. He's 80 years old and calls his late wife's voicemail every day just to hear her voice.

Until, of course, Verizon changed their voicemail system and the voicemail message was lost.

But Verizon made it right by retrieving another message that she left, so he can continue to call it, hear her voice, and feel a little closer to her even though she's gone.

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I love to read them!

Call for submissions

I'm hosting the 58th edition of the Carnival of Feminists! (Check out the 57th edition at Pandemian! Go right now!)

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, April 22nd at 6pm EST.

Submit your post here or email them to me at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com.

Perspective

In the patchwork group of people that I call my family, Jim Joseph fills the role of a grandfather perfectly. He is unfailingly practical and not one to waste words. An extremely skilled mechanic, he made sure I didn’t drive my first car into the junk yard with my teenage irresponsibility. When he tried to retire from volunteering with Habitat for Humanity a few years ago at the age of like 72, they convinced him to stay on one more year because they couldn't manage without him.

Over the years, he and his wife Florence have taken in people whose own families are lacking and made them a part of theirs. They opened up their home to so many and showed them nothing but love and support, regardless of their lifestyle or background. They’ve lived in that same home for probably 50 years and their phone number was one of the first I committed to memory.

If there is anyone who embodies the proof of good humanity that I’m so desperately trying to find and emulate, it would be my Grandpa Joseph.

Yesterday, I found he has been battling prostate cancer for several months. He didn’t want to tell me because, as it was explained to me, I had “enough to worry about” with the job search.

I guess I get worked up pretty easily over comparatively silly things. Stupid shit republicans do, for example. And my boyfriend’s inability to remember what night to put the recycling out. And my 13 year old sister’s insistence on telling her boyfriend that she loves him when, in fact, she only like-likes him. I’m not sure where I’m going with this other than I guess I cry wolf a lot.

And then a real wolf comes along and I’m left speechless.

Good Humanity Sunday - 4/6/08

Guys, I'm not sure if you know this, but Wal-Mart is a Hellmouth. Seriously. They do bad things.

So it feels so strange and wrong and alternate universe-y to be writing about them for Good Humanity Sunday. But whatev. Watch my tv crush Keith Olbermann tell us what they did. (Skip to 1:28.)



That's right. Brain damaged and unable to care for herself, with memory so spotty that she must be reminded that her son is dead every single day and Wal-Mart tried to rob her of everything she has.

But they finally conceded (thanks mostly to all the press that Countdown got for continuing to run this story every night until Wal-Mart backed down) and stopped seeking the money Shank needs to live on:



I'm thrilled that Wal-Mart was finally shamed into doing the right thing here. This is proof, albeit maddeningly slow and only after they couldn't stand all the negative press, that somewhere in the dark bowels of their corporate office/hell on earth in Bentonville, AR, there is good humanity. Now if only they'd start paying a decent wage, stop discriminating against women in their promotion policies, quit selling products made from Chinese slave labor, start offering an affordable health care plan so their employees wouldn't need medicaid, stop bullying their way into small town America and closing down all the local businesses that can't compete with their prices, and LET THEIR WORKERS UNIONIZE, then we'd really be getting somewhere.

Send me your proofs of good humanity! If you've found some on the interwebs, or would like me to post your good humanity story (maybe like my Subway Hero!) drop me an email at beagoodhuman11 at gmail dot com. I love to read them!