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2023 Link Roundup

Posted in Editorials on December 31st, 2023
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Here’s some stories you might have missed:

Ta-Nehisi Coates attends school board meeting to back teacher told to stop using his book on racism

Colm Meaney: A Union Man I wanted to find a picture of Colm Meaney on the SAG AFTRA picket line and make a “more than a hero, a union man” meme but I guess I didn’t know he lives in Ireland. Anyway. This article is fascinating.

Court Officers Told Jurors Not To Discuss Cases During Deliberations, Says Grand Jury Foreman An article about my comrade, Aaron Narraph Fernando who received illegal instructions as a jury foreman.

The crazy plan to explode a nuclear bomb on the Moon Weird but true history.

Afroman Isn’t Worried About a Police Lawsuit Over His Music Videos

Parents push back on allegations against St. Louis transgender center. ‘I’m baffled.’ Possibly the most important correction you will read this year.

The Christian home-schooler who made ‘parental rights’ a GOP rallying cry – “Our goal is to take down the education system as we know it today”

NLRB paves way for workers to unionize without formal elections One of my favorite “good news” stories of the year!

Dril and other Twitter power users begin campaign to ‘Block the Blue’ paid checkmarks Funniest story of the year

Television
This is where I start the shameless promotion by linking my husband’s column a lot. 🙂

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets – Check out Adam’s review series starting Here

Good Omens 2

Books

My whole list of books read this year is here, but my two favorites of the year are:

Doppleganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein

Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson

My Favorite YouTube Video

Please, Kill Your Lawn by Mexie

More Daylight Atheism Links

New York makes the Green New Deal a reality

Our Son’s Teacher showed a PragerU video in NYC Public School. Here’s What Happened Next.

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Previous Year End Posts

2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2011

2022 Link Roundup

Posted in Editorials on December 31st, 2022
by

Of course the biggest stories of the year in the USA have been the overturning of Roe vs Wade and Elon Musk’s absolute disaster takeover of Twitter. Here’s some stories you might have missed:

How the far-right is turning feminists into fascists by Jude Doyle
The “TERF to fascist pipeline” is real and dangerous. The far right is using transphobia to radicalize and recruit.

Watch the Air
Adam’s essay about how we can do more to prevent respiratory viruses. We don’t have to accept either total lockdown or hundreds of deaths per week

The Hidden Fees Making Your Bananas, and Everything Else, Cost More
Pro Publica investigation into the supply chain. Shipping containers matter more than you’d think.

Inside the Powerful Anti-Abortion Campaign to Convince You That Everything Is Just Fine
As we continue into an America without Roe, more and more women and pregnant people will die of miscarriage and other pregnancy complications.

Television

This year I had the delight of watching the first season of Strange New Worlds on Paramount Plus which I believe had the best first season of any Star Trek show. It was near perfect if not perfect. The show combines the best parts of the TOS aesthetic with an updated sensibility and while you don’t have to have seen Star Trek before to enjoy it, if you are a Trekkie there are a million Easter eggs. The framing is brilliant and Pike is quickly becoming my favorite Captain (I said it!)

The Hulu original Welcome to Chippendales starring Kumail Nanjiani is just fantastic television. There was a lot more sleaze going on behind the scenes of the 80’s male revue than I ever knew. The 80’s fashion and decor is a fun, and the acting is superb. Ultimately the show is about the idea of “The American Dream” and how it succeeds and fails to live up to expectations. (Technically the series finale is next week but even not having seen it I still strongly recommend it.)

Movies
Of course I loved Glass Onion and join the rest of the internet in being smitten with Benoit Blanc. It’s the kind of fun popcorn movie I wish they’d make more of, and now that it’s a franchise I may get my wish.

I am still thinking about Don’t Worry Darling as an updated version of The Stepford Wives and the movie has a lot to say about feminism and misogyny, suburban capitalism, the façade of gender and online radicalization. I’m still chuckling over the fact that when asked about how he felt about being the inspiration for the movie’s villain/cult leader, Jordan Peterson was like “Well Chris Pine is hot so…” Adam wrote a review here.

The Lost City was a cute comedy and I will watch anything where Daniel Radcliffe chews the scenery (Including the Weird Al Movie) but together with Don’t Worry Darling I think there’s a trend of “non remake remakes.” As The Lost City is so much like Romancing The Stone without being a remake in name. It’s an interesting way to revisit the magic of a past story without all the fan pressure that comes with an announced remake.

I had to watch Clerks 3 and I would recommend it to anyone who was a Kevin Smith fan in their youth. The trilogy wraps in a touching story about facing mortality in midlife. There were a few laughs that came with the many references to previous movies (and the Clerks cartoon show!)

Books
My whole list of books read this year is here, but three books I’d recommend that came out in 2022 are:

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry
My UU congregation read this one and there was a lot to discuss. Perry looks at the American South and its various meanings and definitions. Race and history are intertwined with geography and culture.

Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor by Kim Kelly
I grew up in a union household and this subject is near and dear to my heart. Organizers and workers who were women, queer or people of color have been in the United States since its founding. Although sometimes these groups allowed themselves to be pitted against each other – there are also inspiring stories of solidarity and courage. This is the stuff they didn’t teach you in school and its easy to see why.

Ways of Being: Beyond Human Intelligence. Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for Planetary Intelligence by James Bridle
This book is trippy and I wouldn’t have picked it up if I’d never heard Contrapoints explain the gist of Ways of Seeing in order to understand the reference. And while I thought this was a scientific exploration of intelligence artificial and “natural” it’s more a book about philosophy and challenges the reader to think about these concepts in different ways. It reminds me a lot of How To Do Nothing and I will be rereading it again very soon to get more out of it.

Podcasts

Sold A Story This is a must listen to for parents and anyone who cares about children and education. About 20 years ago the way we started to teach reading in America changed for the worse. The deficits of the pandemic are nothing compared to the injustice we have done by ignoring everything we knew about reading.

Ghost Church I will listen to anything by Jamie Loftus and while I am not a believer in ghosts even after listing to this entire thing I think it’s worth a listen to understand the history of American spiritualism, a fascinating subject. If you only have time for one, listen to episode 8, which explains Ectoplasm. Trust me.

Feminist Coffee Hour If you missed it, check out our three part series about QAnon:
Part 1: How QAnon targets parents
Part 2: The truth about human trafficking
Part 3: How the 80’s “stranger danger” panic is still with us today.

Videos
The Weird World of Tucker Carlson Originals by Jose

Lee Zeldin supporters on election night

H.P. Lovecraft and the Reactionary Mind | Chill Goblin

Politics
This year I became involved with Comrades with Kids a group of NYC DSA parents and caregivers. We’d love for you to join us!

CHAT GPT
Everyone is posting their experiments with the chatbot that will change the world. And I need you to see this. I was literally screaming as I watch it type this. I’m impressed.

Most Brilliant comedy of the year

Not Knowing What Else To Do, Woman Bakes Try Guys Cake

IYKYK

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Previous Year End Posts

2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2011

Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 76: Paul Renfro and Stranger Danger

Posted in Podcast Episodes on December 22nd, 2022
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Listen to episode in browser/Right click to download file

Elizabeth and Karen interview History Professor Paul Renfro about his book “Stranger Danger: Family Values, Childhood, and the American Carceral State.”

This episode continues our discussion into the panic over child trafficking stirred up by QAnon and how it relates to the Satanic Panic of the 80’s.

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Feminist Coffee Hour is now on Patreon.

Our theme song is composed by Bridget Ellsworth, check out her sound cloud page!

We’ve joined the Apple affiliate program. If you’re going to sign up for Apple Music, please do so by using this link.

Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 75: The Pence Rule

Posted in Podcast Episodes on September 22nd, 2022
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Listen to episode in browser/Right click to download file

Friend of the show Alexis Soterakis joins Elizabeth and Karen to discuss The Pence Rule, and sexual harassment and gender dynamics in the workplace.

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Feminist Coffee Hour is now on Patreon.

Our theme song is composed by Bridget Ellsworth, check out her sound cloud page!

We’ve joined the Apple affiliate program. If you’re going to sign up for Apple Music, please do so by using this link.

Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 74: Lara Powers and the facts about human trafficking

Posted in Editorials on June 9th, 2022
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Feminist Coffee Hour on Stitcher

Listen to episode in browser/Right click to download file

We interviewed Lara Powers from the Polaris Project to discuss the truth about human trafficking in the United States.

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Feminist Coffee Hour is now on Patreon.

Our theme song is composed by Bridget Ellsworth, check out her sound cloud page!

We’ve joined the Apple affiliate program. If you’re going to sign up for Apple Music, please do so by using this link.

Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 73: Kiera Butler and QAnon

Posted in Editorials on May 5th, 2022
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Feminist Coffee Hour on Stitcher

Listen to episode in browser/Right click to download file

Karen and Elizabeth interview Kiera Butler, Senior editor and public health reporter at Mother Jones magazine about how QAnon targets women, especially mothers of small children. Is this a repeat of Stranger Danger and 80’s style Satanic Panic?

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Feminist Coffee Hour is now on Patreon.

This episode was edited by Brianna Ansaldo.

Our theme song is composed by Bridget Ellsworth, check out her sound cloud page!

We’ve joined the Apple affiliate program. If you’re going to sign up for Apple Music, please do so by using this link.

Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 72: Fundathon 2022

Posted in Editorials, Podcast Episodes on April 29th, 2022
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Listen to episode in browser/Right click to download file

Karen and Elizabeth discuss raising money for abortion funds, and announce a May 17, 2022 livestream.

DONATE HERE!

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Feminist Coffee Hour is now on Patreon.

Our theme song is composed by Bridget Ellsworth, check out her sound cloud page!

We’ve joined the Apple affiliate program. If you’re going to sign up for Apple Music, please do so by using this link.

Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 71: Lobster Emeritus

Posted in Podcast Episodes on February 10th, 2022
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Listen to episode in browser/Right click to download file

Elizabeth and Karen read Jordan Peterson’s resignation latter from the University of Toronto and discuss his ideology, implicit bias, post modernism, and the philosophy of Vladamir Putin.

Some links:

Jordan Peterson: Why I am no longer a tenured professor at the University of Toronto

Contrapoints – Jordan Peterson

Philosophy Tube – Jordan Peterson’s Ideology

Thought Slime – Conservative Comedy Always Sucks Too

The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder

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Feminist Coffee Hour is now on Patreon.

This episode was edited by Brianna Ansaldo.

Our theme song is composed by Bridget Ellsworth, check out her sound cloud page!

We’ve joined the Apple affiliate program. If you’re going to sign up for Apple Music, please do so by using this link.

2021 Link Roundup

Posted in Editorials on December 31st, 2021
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Here we are – another year older and hopefully wiser and vaccinated. I’m continuting my year end tradition of a wrap up post.

Stories You Might Have Missed

‘Magic dirt’: How the internet fueled, and defeated, the pandemic’s weirdest MLM

Who’s Making All Those Scam Calls?

How Twitter can ruin a life

Larry David ‘screamed’ at Alan Dershowitz at grocery store over Trump ties

I’m a Parkland Shooting Survivor. QAnon Convinced My Dad It Was All a Hoax.

The Fisherwomen, Chevron, and the Leaking Pipe

The Star Trek Communist Hopes Star Trek Can Inspire A Real Revolution

The Great (FAKE) Child-Sex-Trafficking Epidemic

Some Videos You Should Watch

Best moments of Olympic Spirit from the Tokyo Games

Richard Spencer gets owned by fake Patriot Show

We Proved Royal Experts Lie About Harry and Meghan

Tumblr’s FAKEST Story: The Tale of Oppa Homeless Style

Perseverance Rover’s Descent and Touchdown on Mars

Some Pop Culture Recommendations

Video Games

Pikmin Bloom – a walking app that has gotten me moving even when the weather is terrible.

Growbot – new game about robots in a garden under attack on an abandoned space station. The art is exquisite and combined with the relaxing soundtrack and challenging puzzle games make this just a joy to play.

Television

Masters of the Universe Revelation on Netflix – Kevin Smith created a real treat here, especially for 70’s and 80’s babies and I wouldn’t have checked it out if misogynists hadn’t lost their minds over it on the internet. Engagting story, beautiful animation and Mark Hamill is hilarious as Skeletor.

If you like Doctor Who but haven’t caught up on Fluxx, I highly recommend it. It’s not like anything they’ve done before (even if it might seem like you’re about to be Moffatted.) There’s a million story lines and I won’t spoil them except to say they do resolve satisfactorily and I loved it.

Hitmen Season 2 – Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins return as, well Hitmen in this hilarious show avilable on Peacock in the USA. To be honest I thought season one was somewhat better, but both are worth a watch.

Movies

Haven’t seen many current films this year, but I can recommend The Suicide Squad and Renon 911!: The Hunt for QAnon. Let me know what you think if you’ve seen them. 😉

Books

You can see all the books I’ve read this year and my ratings here.

I have to recommend “Truth of The Divine” by Lindsay Ellis, the second book in her Noumena series. It’s an alternate history about ailens landing on earth during the mid ’00s and the havoc that is wrecks on their interpreter, the early 20’s estranged daughter of a Julian Assange like figure. The first book (Axiom’s End) is a fun sci-fi adventure book and the second absolutley destroyed me. It’s a good story but I am also amazed at how deeply it made me feel.

Also highly recommended is the graphic novel “The Secret to Super-Human Strength” by Alison Bechdel. This book is often marketed as “one woman’s lifelong journey with fitness” but it is so much more than that. It’s a deeply spiritual book that looks at the mind/body connection from both a pratical and philosophical level.

Previous Year End Posts
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2019
2018
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2016
2015
2014
2013
2011

Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 70: Jaslin Kaur and Taxi Worker Victory

Posted in Editorials, Podcast Episodes on December 2nd, 2021
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Feminist Coffee Hour on Stitcher

Listen to episode in browser/Right click to download file

Elizabeth welcomed Jaslin Kaur back to the show to talk about the Taxi Workers Alliance hunger strike and victory, NYC politics and organizing for the future.

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Feminist Coffee Hour is now on Patreon.

This episode was edited by Brianna Ansaldo.

Our theme song is composed by Bridget Ellsworth, check out her sound cloud page!

We’ve joined the Apple affiliate program. If you’re going to sign up for Apple Music, please do so by using this link.