Wednesday, November 28, 2012

5+ Holiday Cards

It’s that time of year again! Time to string lights, hang bells, and boughs. For those with friends who celebrate different holiday traditions, here are a few holiday cards to send to all your pals.
~~~~~~





From Minted














Also from Minted








































From Donda Lee
















From the Paper Source

Avoiding Commodifying Hurricane Sandy in 2012 Holiday Gift Guides: Some Tips

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, there have been many responses to the natural disaster. Some have made too-soon (but funny) cocktails, others have donated generously, a select few are obsessively preparing for the next natural disaster, and some have moved on to holiday shopping. Then there are some who have combined a few of these responses: namely, the trend of holiday shopping for survival gear. Numerous websites and blogs have posted gift guides for disaster gear (“disaster preparedness is all the rage right now”) and while some of them are well-intended others risk capitalizing on a tragedy that many people are still experiencing. Where is the line between smart, informed, if not a little paranoid, gift guides and the commodification of a natural disaster?

Here are some helpful tips for those flirting with the idea of creating a survival gift guide to help them avoid the slippery slope of taboo:

-Avoid bombarding your guide with pet-saving gear, such as doggie life vests, portable purifying cat water fountains, etc. #RichPeopleProblems.
-Items such as water wicking pants, rain resistant jackets, and water-proof matches are not helpful when half of Manhattan has flooded. Having water bead instantly on one’s pants cannot help them when their home is destroyed.
-Do not give people compasses. Only Eagle Scouts know how to read them properly and unless you think your friends and family will find themselves in a natural disaster in the Yukon, consider an iTunes gift card as a stocking stuffer instead.
-Those flashlights that you have to crank to turn on are just not useful so stop putting them in your gift guides.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving, Althusser Style!


A year ago, a wonderful professor at the University of Chicago taught some master’s students about Althusser’s theory of ideology in “Ideology and the State” using the Thanksgiving hand turkey. In short—to try to write an analytical piece months after graduate school—Althusser’s ideology is a social, political, and economic structure in which individuals self-identify in relation to their labor. In other words, we self-identify through the work we repeatedly do within the social, economic, and political environment we live in, which ultimately reinforces these systems. The hand turkey can be understood as a representation of Althusser’s ideology because Americans recognize the bizarre image of an outlined hand with red and orange crayon as the representation of a turkey, which in turn represents Thanksgiving. We can only recognize this image, which looks nothing like a turkey and could represent many other things beside Thanksgiving, because we are within a system that taught us to make the hand turkey as children for Thanksgiving. In making the hand turkey repeatedly every year in grade school (our labor), we self-identify (those who celebrate Thanksgiving) through our work within an economic, political, and social structure (America), thus reinforcing the system (we know that hand turkeys mean Thanksgiving).

So, happy Thanksgiving from Snaps!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Marriage Equality in Maine and Maryland!

Huzzah!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Elegy for Newsweek Magazine



The beginning of the end—
Or the panic that it may be the beginning of the end—
Either way we seep into melancholia over your passing into the eworld.

Eighty years young, your glossy pages never looked so youthful
Keeping yourself hip all the way to the end
With May’s Gay Obama cover that spited Time
And July’s iCrazy that foreshadowed your own demise.

But to no avail!
“We did everything we could,”
Said all the people who like the idea of print media
But read all their news online.

We will miss the good humor of Periscope
The wise words of Fareed Zakaria pre-hiccup
And the annual Year in Review.
Farewell, dear print Newsweek, we bid you adieu.

Monday, October 22, 2012

What is the Future of Lifestrong?: Livestrong in Crisis After Armstrong is Stripped of Medals and Is Banned for Life From the International Cycling Union Today



The Livestrong bracelet was a staple of the 2000s as a symbol of solidarity, support, passion for a cure, and American patriotism. Now, 15 years after the charity’s inception, its founder, board member, and face, Lance Armstrong, is stripped of his medals and banned from the International Cycling Union for life today. Armstrong is still very much the face of Livestrong, as much as the foundation has created a legacy for itself, and the new association between the athlete and his cheating spills over into an association between his cheating the American public’s faith in Livestrong and Livestrong itself. This leaves the inevitable question: what is the future of Livestrong?

As Loren Steffy of the Houston Chronicle observes, “It's tempting to compare Armstrong's departure with that of a business losing a CEO who personifies the company.” While some argue Livestrong is not necessarily synonymous with Armstrong anymore, it is not terribly convincing. Aside from the obvious that the name of the charity is a play on the name of the disgraced athlete, the trend of sporting a yellow wristband was not only a symbol of a pledge to cancer research but also an image of solidarity with Armstrong and other cancer survivors. How can we move beyond that empathy the wristband evokes for a failed icon and toward supporting a worthy cause?

In some ways, it doesn’t matter who the name is on the flier. Yoko Ono, one of the most disliked celebrities of all time, is a longtime supporter of the Spirit Foundation and has successfully elevated the foundation’s net worth and status. Even if the name is in the charity, sometimes no one cares. David Copperfield’s David Copperfield’s Project Magic Fund is one of the top celebrity charities according to USA Today, which is no small feat considering how, apparently, easily mockable he is.

In the case of Livestrong, it is not clear how much Armstrong’s demise will affect the charity, the name, or the cause. The charity raised $2.5 million last week, suggesting that the folks behind the charity are not wasting time in asserting a message of progress instead of defeat. Armstrong, meanwhile, has sent mixed messages. The day after the USADA report was released, he Tweeted, “"What am I doing tonight? Hanging with my family, unaffected, and thinking about this.” Inspiring stuff.

Here’s to Livestrong reinventing itself beyond Lance. Clink.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

A Solution to the Debate Over Whether or Not Bond Girls Are Positive Representations of Women: Make Olivia Benson the Next Bond Girl



Skyfall is coming. The 50th anniversary of James Bond is upon us. And Adele wrote an awesome theme song that topped iTunes charts within ten hours of its release.

The new film and the coinciding anniversary has inspired some debate over the figure of the Bond Girl and whether or not she is an image of women’s empowerment. In one camp, we witness that Ian Fleming was considered “more sexist than some,” the damsel-in-distress narrative in the series too-often repeated, and the over-played association between Bond Girls and their appearance. Just the term “Bond Girl” leaves a funky taste, inspiring some to ponder “why not Bond Woman?” Yet some argue that the Bond Girl also evokes an image of strength, sexual freedom, and independence, particularly in modern incarnations like the “masculine” clothes-wearing Vesper Lynd of Casino Royale and the physically powerful Camille Montes of Quantum of Solace. The choice to cast M as a woman—Dame Judi Dench, no less—is a major achievement for representations of women.

So on the one hand, Bond Girls are dated, moving picture Barbies. On the other hand, Bond Girls are globe-trotting, sexually satisfied ladies. What to do, what to do…

On the proverbial third hand, there is another solution to the current disagreement over the feminist or anti-feminist role Bond Girls have: make Olivia Benson the next Bond Girl.

Let us illustrate this using some word association:

Olivia Benson—Law & Order SVU—Stabler—love plot—no, just professional coworkers!—back to coworkers—Ice-T—knows what “sex on the downlow is”—Olivia is sexy—but not too sexy that we forget she’s a cop—back to sexy—chooses work appropriate shoes over implausible heels—heels—goes on dates all dressed up but often ends them early for work—work—single working woman—sounds familiar to many ladies—familiar—caring—she genuinely cares about her cases—heroic—heroine.

Let’s put this in a Bond-speak analogy:

Old Bond Girl: “My name is [insert ridiculous vagina slang name]” :: Olivia Benson: “let’s nail this sonofabitch.”

Benson is the heroine of her story. There is no debate over whether or not she is the sexual conquest who fires a shot or two or the smart, empowered woman of the world who gets to sleep with Daniel Craig. Debate settled.

DUN DUN.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Hip Hip Hooray: 3 Cheers for Balpreet Kaur’s Graceful Response to Reddit’s Insensitive Post



Reddit user “european_douchebag” (hold your comments) recently posted a photograph of Sikh woman and Ohio State University student, Balpreet Kaur, in the “Funny” section of the website with the caption, “I’m not sure what to conclude from this,” because of her visible facial hair. Kaur, president of the Sikh Student Association as a sophomore at OSU and aspiring neurosurgeon, responded with the most eloquent and graceful statement to the post, explaining that she is “not embarrassed or even humiliated by the attention [negative and positive] that this picture is getting because it’s who I am.” She writes:

“Yes, I’m a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair. Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women. However, baptized Sikhs believe in the sacredness of this body - it is a gift that has been given to us by the Divine Being [which is genderless, actually] and, must keep it intact as a submission to the divine will. Just as a child doesn’t reject the gift of his/her parents, Sikhs do not reject the body that has been given to us.”

Kaur’s eloquence and confidence is a breath of fresh air that responds to intolerance by cultivating understanding and dialogue, not debate, across difference. Her statement even provoked “european_douchebag” to issue an apology, in which they conclude:

“So reddit I'm sorry for being an asshole and for giving you negative publicity.
Balpreet, I'm sorry for being a closed minded individual. You are a much better person than I am.
Sikhs, I'm sorry for insulting your culture and way of life.
Balpreet's faith in what she believes is astounding.”

3 cheers for Balpreet Kaur’s response to the Reddit post!

Hip: Kaur’s response creates religious and cultural tolerance by explaining some of the teachings of her faith that inform who she is and are different from Western culture. She uses this moment of ignorance as an opportunity for discussion and education, writing, “Just as a child doesn’t reject the gift of his/her parents, Sikhs do not reject the body that has been given to us.”

Hip: Kaur’s statement also affirms an acceptance of different standards of beauty by both being proud of her own and by providing a “transcendent” view of the body that is accepting of aesthetics, not judgmental of appearance. Kaur explains, “By crying ‘mine, mine’ and changing this body-tool, we are essentially living in ego and creating a separateness between ourselves and the divinity within us. By transcending societal views of beauty, I believe that I can focus more on my actions.”

Hooray: Kaur uses her words not as sticks and stones but as a tool for social awareness and tolerance. She uses the Internet as an opportunity to voice productive dialogue, not to continue anonymous cruel remarks. “So, if anyone sees me at OSU, please come up and say hello. I appreciate all of the comments here, both positive and less positive because I’ve gotten a better understanding of myself and others from this.”

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

5 Reasons Why Lady Gaga’s “Body Revolution 2013” Matters


Today Lady Gaga launched a response to the fuss over her recent weight gain. She recently acknowledged she gained around 25 lbs. but has made some conflicting comments about her attitude about her body in the past few months, sending mixed signals about body image acceptance for those who follow the mantra “Born This Way.” In April, she Tweeted: “Just killed back to back spin classes. Eating a salad dreaming of a cheeseburger #PopSingersDontEat #IWasBornThisWay” while this month she responded to the commentary about her weight gain with, “I really don’t feel bad about it, not even for a second.”

But today Lady Gaga set the record straight by announcing a “Body Revolution 2013” on LittleMonsters.com. She revealed her personal battle with anorexia and bulimia since 15 in a caption to a series of unretouched photographs of herself in underwear. She wrote:

“But today I join the BODY REVOLUTION.
To Inspire Bravery.
and BREED some m$therf*cking COMPASSION”

Lady Gaga also Tweeted naked photo of herself today, honoring her body in spite of the recent press about her weight gain, and announced call to action on Facebook.

Here are 5 reasons why Lady Gaga’s “Body Revolution 2013” matters:

1.     Lady Gaga is actively confronting the prevalence of fat-shaming prejudices in our culture as represented by the media. Her photographs on Twitter and LittleMonsters.com provoke rethinking of “fat,” “fat shaming,” and ultimately body image in general. Lady Gaga is using her celebrity to not only reveal a prejudice but to create a call to action.
2.     “Body Revolution 2013” reiterates the affirmation, “Born This Way,” in the context of body image and self-love. As Dodai Stewart observes in Jezebel’s breakdown of Gaga’s “embodying bravery”, “By posting these homemade, raw, here-I-am-with-all-my-flaws (not that we see any) images, she shows that her struggle is the same struggle millions of other men and women have everyday: Learning to love yourself just the way you are, finding and believing you are beautiful when the media is hellbent on making you think you're fat and ugly (and that fat is the same as ugly).”
3.     It made Terry Richardson, who isn’t always the poster child of positive portrayals of women, speak up. Richardson defended Gaga and, whether he meant to or not, defended the acceptance of bodies by posting “Lady Gaga Unretouched #1” on his online diary.
4.     The portraits from LittleMonsters.com acknowledge the body beyond its aesthetics by celebrating physical ability. In one photo, Lady Gaga is in the yoga pose, Anyvittasana, or Standing Backbend, honoring her body in physical practice.
5.     Today’s announcement creates awareness about eating disorders because Gaga gives voice to the realities of anorexia and bulimia. Lady Gaga gives a face to this often typified reality with her self-portraits in her underwear, and the juxtaposition between the distorted, unflattering photos of her in Amsterdam and her personal photos suggest that society’s warped perceptions of beauty have in part been caused and perpetrated by the media that recently fat-shamed the singer.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Protagonist & Praxis: Moonstruck

Cher’s 1987 Moonstruck won 3 Oscars for its portrayal of Loretta (Cher) and Ronny’s (Nicolas Cage) unconventional, inconvenient, and quirky love story. The interwoven stories, from the relationship between Loretta and Ronny, her fiancé’s brother, to the rekindled romance between Loretta’s uncle and aunt to the challenges within her parents’ marriage, reveal the interconnectedness of family bonds, the changing faces of love across generations, and the timelessness of “snap out of it!”.






Grandpa Castorini loves his dogs: he feeds them at the dining room table, sings opera to them, and loyally walks them around New York City throughout the film. Support no-kill shelters like the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago through donation or adoption.

In homage to Ronnie’s job at a bakery, try the Bay Area’s famous Acme Bread Company. Co-founded by Chez Panisse’s Steve Sullivan and voted one of the top 20 bread companies in the country by Saveur in the spring of 2012, Acme has been the staple of California organic bread for nearly 30 years. 

Enjoy the music of Puccine’s La Boheme, the opera Ronnie takes Loretta to see on their date with the famous box set with Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni, Elizabeth Harwood, Rolando Panerai, and Nicolai Ghiaurov.

Perhaps the best scene is when Raymond and Rita Cappomaggi, Loretta’s uncle and aunt, see Cosmo’s Moon, inspiring the film’s title. SkyView is a free app that reveals constellations, planets, and stars when you aim your iPhone and iPad anywhere, any time of day.



Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Nina Simone’s Upcoming Biopic: Negotiating Between the Representation and the Legacy

 
Nina Simone, the Jazz singer, songwriter, pianist, civil rights activist, and High Priestess of Soul is about to be honored in a biopic staring Zoe Saldana. Not everyone is happy about it.

The biopic is unauthorized by Simone’s estate and is heavily criticized by the singer’s daughter Lisa Celeste Stroud, who goes by the stage name, Simone, for biographical and casting reasons. The choice to cast Saldana has caused the most controversy around the film because of Saldana’s lack of resemblance to Simone, which is significant because the singer was discriminated against and told she would not be successful because of her appearance. According to the singer’s daughter “As a child, my mother was told her nose was too big and she was too dark.” Saldana does not share those physical attributes, thus she would not illustrate the aesthetic that Simone was prejudiced against for, and Stroud would prefer “women with beautiful, luscious lips and wide noses and who know their craft” to portray her mother accurately.

More criticism of the film arose around the portrayal of a love plot between Nina Simone and her manager, Clifton Henderson, in the film. According to Stroud, “Clifton Henderson was gay. He was not attracted to women. So, the truth is…Nina Simone and Clifton Henderson NEVER had a relationship other than a business one.” Further criticism of Simone’s dark side has arisen over the concern that it will be either glossed over as a mere lapse in judgment or as an incriminating part of Simone’s character. Either way, it could oversimplify what Stroud doesn’t want compressed: that “the whole arc of her life which is inspirational, educational, entertaining and downright shocking at times is what needs to be told THE RIGHT WAY.”

The controversy over Nina Simone’s upcoming biopic illuminates more than the importance of biographic accuracy and the casting of lead roles: it also highlights the importance of not wrapping up a person’s life in a pretty little bow within the biopic genre. As Landon Palmer writes on the limitations of biopics, “the biopic traditionally, in a strange way, positions itself as ‘the last word’ on its subject’s life, as the final negotiation between the public and private persona.” The biopic must negotiate between representation and oversimplification, which is a hard balance to maintain especially for legendary figures that tempt directors to either live up to the figure’s hype or deconstruct the perfection of celebrity, both resulting in typifying the real person.

Solvej Schou writes in Entertainment Weekly, “How do you recreate or reinterpret that, the breath of a musician’s life, their art, as a biopic, on film?” The answer is, clearly, with difficulty.

In the case of Simone, her biographical history is important insofar as it tells a story of race, from the issue of her aesthetics to her rejection from the Curtis Institute for what she believed was racism, and of musical influence, from Simone’s popularization of “I Loves You Porgy” to her reappopriation of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released,” to name a few landmarks. Simone’s legend is equally important to keep in tact, perhaps best in memory instead of representation, as what she called the “mass hypnosis” of her audience was famously commanding, consuming, and mystical in a way unique to Simone.

What is important for Simone’s biopic, like any other, is to not typify her life or categorize her legacy. A biopic should represent a person’s life without glamorizing or simplifying the biography, and it should illuminate what makes the central figure revolutionary. Perhaps most important for the biopic, however, it that it should maintain some of the mystery—the allure—of the legend. As Stroud notes, “Nina Simone was a voice for her people and she spoke out HONESTLY, sang to us FROM HER SOUL, shared her joy, pain, anger and intelligence poetically in a style all her own.” 

Saturday, September 1, 2012

5 Monogrammed Stationary Sets

 Sign off your note from the start with monogrammed stationary. Vive le snail mail!


 










 From naomilynn at her Etsy shop























 






 From MeandWee at her Etsy shop











From JoyInspiration at her Etsy shop










From Minted

Monday, August 27, 2012

“Legitimate Rape” and Our Culture’s Confusing Messages About Rape and Sexual Violence


The most recent “oops” from men on women’s biology and reproductive rights comes to us from Todd Akin, Republican Congressman from Missouri. He told a St. Louis television station that there is, apparently, such a thing as “legitimate rape” and that when it happens, women do not get pregnant because, evidently, their lady bits turn off in order to prevent conception. Akin explains, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.” Apparently, abortion can be regulated based on “legitimacy” of the sexual act that led to conception. This made some people angry.

Aside from Akin’s horrifyingly inaccurate biology knowledge, which Democratic Senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill, called “ beyond comprehension that someone can be so ignorant about the emotional and physical trauma brought on by rape,” his innuendos about legitimacy and validity in rape is destructive and, unfortunately, not an uncommon offense in the past few months.

Akin is one of many contemporary male politicians who have made problematic public remarks about rape and sexual abuse that misinform the public on social norms, legality, and gender relations and also reinforces a culture of victim blaming. On August 20th, former Republican governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee used the phrase, “forcible” rape, suggesting that rape is not always forced on women as violations or abuse. In the UK, Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke claimed “date rape” was less “serious” than other attacks and George Galloway, the Respect MP, played down the sex crime allegations against Julian Assange. In 2011, Roger Helmer made a distinction between “classic stranger rape” and “date rape,” writing on his blog, “rape is always wrong, but not always equally culpable.” As Louise Mensch of The Telegraph writes, “Rape is having a moment. And not in a good way… from the Left and the Right, male politicians and two-bit “public figures” have made common cause on rape. Not to condemn it, or to pledge tougher action in policing it; but to minimize and dismiss it as a crime.”

The current trend of misinformed and judgmental conversation about rape and sexual abuse in politics is complicated by the mixed signals about healthy sexual relationships in pop culture because both risk misinforming people about sexual violence. The rise of S&M literature that romanticizes sexual dominance, vampire fantasies with violent sexual themes, and music that glamorizes aggressive sexuality only feeds the flame of considering some acts of sexual violence more acceptable than others. The Fifty Shades of Grey series is empowering for many men and women, but it also sends confusing signals about healthy relationship dynamics and power hegemonies between couples. The vampire craze offers a mystical love plot but also confusingly mingles sexual and violent interactions, and recent Top 40 songs have popularized themes of rape and sexual dominance, notably Rihanna’s “S&M” (“Now the pain is my pleasure”) and Katy Perry and Kanye West’s “E.T.” (“Take me, take me / Wanna be a victim / Ready for abduction”). While these trends have promoted acceptance of diverse sexualities, they also risk blurring the line between consent and rape. Clearly there should not be a prescribed “normal” sexuality, but our society needs to make it clear that rape is never “illegitimate,” regardless of sexual preferences.

Without dismissing diversity in sexuality, politicians and the media need to send a clearer message about what sexual violence is, how to recognize it, and how to react to it. Establishing a clear definition of rape and abuse does not conflict with acknowledging sexual diversity and these public spheres need to be responsible for communicating that distinction so that our culture does not become complacent or ignorant of violence.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Southern Knuckledraggers Admit Women to the Augusta National Golf Club in 2012



The gentlemen from the Augusta National Golf Club, host of the Masters Golf Tournament, finally admitted its first women members, Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore, in its 80-year history on August 20th, just 22 years after first admitting black men members. This landmark event inspires a memory from a scene from the sagacious film, Caddyshack, when Al Czervik tells his Asian American golf buddy, “I hear this place is restricted, Wang, so don't tell 'em you're Jewish, okay?”

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News calls the landmark event the “end of a Neanderthal policy.” Even Obama "thinks it was too long in coming, but obviously thinks it's the right thing to do," according to White House spokesman, Jay Carney. So this was “a long time coming.” But why did it take so long? How did Augusta National manage to remain current—hosting the Masters Tournament and maintaining members like Bill Gates, Pete Coors, and Warren Buffett–when it had such archaic and offensive traditions? More importantly, even if this was a long time coming, what is most problematic is that it took so long to happen and American women had to wait for the Good Ol’ Boys Club at Augusta to take their time inviting women to tee off.

Augusta National was not upholding any honorable traditions when they excluded women until Monday and African Americans until 1992: they upheld racism and sexism. Until 1983, Augusta National’s caddies were exclusively African American, a relic of Jim Crow that ignored the social revolution since the end of the laws in 1965. Augusta National also struggled to keep up with women’s issues, as evident by former Masters Tournament Chairman, Hootie Johnson’s, 2002 remark, “There may well come a day when women will be invited to join our membership, but that timetable will be ours and not at the point of a bayonet.” Why was 2002 not on his “timetable” for gender equality?

Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times opened her story the day of the announcement with, “Condoleezza Rice has lived a life of firsts: first black woman to be Secretary of State, first black woman to be national security adviser and the first African-American, first woman and youngest person to be provost of Stanford University. On Monday, she added another first when she became one of the first two female members admitted to Augusta National Golf Club.” Bumiler brings up an important point: Condoleezza Rice is a trailblazer for 20th and 21st century women of color. Yet why is Augusta National even on the list her of unprecedented accomplishments? Isn’t it problematic that her membership is significant enough to add? Moreover, shouldn’t someone else have broken that barrier a long time ago?

In Ms. Magazine Blog contributor, Rebecca Nelson’s, piece on Rice and Moore’s recent membership, she highlights the elitist, sexist, and racist ideology implicit in the club’s requirements for membership. She recalls sociologist Jessica Holden Sherwood’s 2010 article for Ms. that examines how the exclusive club mentality creates “breeding grounds for a toxic mentality” and affirms the homogenization of the privileged class. Holden Sherwood observes, “symbolic boundaries like these feed and legitimate all class, race and gender inequalities.” Augusta National’s tradition of exclusion is an intolerance of difference and, as a result, reinforces problematic hierarchies among race, class, and gender spheres. With luck, the inclusion of Rice and Moore will point the club’s community toward inclusion of diversity without inequality and will inspire and reflect an ideal for our current society.

While Monday’s announcement is an accomplishment for American women, it is also a testimony to how far we have to go in achieving equality in the 21st century. One consolation walking away from this is that “golf” is finally no longer synonymous with “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.”