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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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2022 Link Roundup

Posted in Editorials on December 31st, 2022
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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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Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 74: Lara Powers and the facts about human trafficking

Posted in Editorials on June 9th, 2022
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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!

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Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 73: Kiera Butler and QAnon

Posted in Editorials on May 5th, 2022
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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.

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.

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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.

Feminist Coffee Hour Episode 68: D’Arrigo 2022

Posted in Editorials on October 28th, 2021
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Feminist Coffee Hour on Stitcher

Listen to episode in browser/Right click to download file

Elizabeth and Karen welcomed Melanie D’Arrigo back to the show to talk about her Congressional campaign, why she can beat Tom Suozzi and George Santos where she stands on healthcare, clean water and native plants.

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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 62: March Coffee

Posted in Editorials, Podcast Episodes on March 29th, 2021
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Feminist Coffee Hour on Stitcher

Listen to episode in browser/Right click to download file

Elizabeth and Karen discuss book recommendations, allegations against Andrew Cuomo, Meghan & Harry’s interview with Oprah, our perspective on cis perspectives on trans experiences…listen in!

In the post script of today’s episode, Karen recommends reading the work of Ky Schevers who has written on the political world of the women’s detransition community.

For further reading:
Substack Is Not a Neutral Platform by Jude Ellison Sady Doyle

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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.

Happy New Year: Can’t Wait For Midnight (2020 Link Roundup)

Posted in Editorials on December 31st, 2020
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Despite my sorrow and anger I do believe there are reasons to be optimistic, that we have multiple COVID-19 vaccines, and that Donald Trump lost are the two biggest. The love of my friends and family keep me going. Goodbye 2020.

In Case You Missed It:

McCloskeys sue UPI, photographer over iconic image confronting protesters

Kentucky State Police training slideshow quotes Hitler, advocates ‘ruthless’ violence
A high school newspaper uncovered this story! The kids are alright.

An Idaho official left a meeting in tears as anti-maskers swarmed her home

U.S. deports migrant women who alleged abuse by Georgia doctor

How Dangerous Conspiracy Theories Like QAnon Find a Home in Anti-Choice Politics

New York City

What Bloomberg Did to Protesters

Two Queens City Council Candidates Endorsed by NYC-DSA

NY’s Automatic Voter Registration Law Hailed As “Profound Reform” To Elections

City Council Staff Union Becomes First Legislative Union In NY State

Sports

WNBA Players—Again—Show the Meaning of Radical Dissent

42-year-old Zamboni driver plays 28 minutes as Hurricanes’ emergency goalie, makes eight saves in historic win

Books

My Year In Books

Definitely check out Flowers in the Gutter by K. R. Gaddy, which is the true story of teenage antifascists trying to build a resistance from within Nazi Germany.

I also recommend Cry Havoc, the memoir of Mayor Michael Signer about “Unite The Right” in Charlottesville. I’ve read criticisms this book that it’s all “white tears” and trying to absolve himself before history. That might partially be true, although sympathetic he is a but self indulgent at times. But the true value of this book is the subtext. When you between lines, you learn how white supremacy works, even if unintentionally. At best it’s like Macbeth.

In Memoriam

Michael Brooks, Political Commentator and Podcast Host, Dies at 36

Remembering Rev. Dr. Hope Johnson

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