Another Quick Link

Here's another editorial written by my dear friend Adrienne! While it specifically pertains to the Asheville, North Carolina region, the topic of supporting your local economy is relevant to us all.

Supporting tailgate markets makes more sense than ever now

Quick Link: The Double Standard Revealed

(x-posted to Women@Brown)

Via The Washington Post:

When a vaccine designed to protect girls against a sexually transmitted virus arrived three years ago, the debate centered on one question: Would the shots make young girls more likely to have sex?

Now the vaccine's maker is trying to get approval to sell the vaccine for boys, and the debate is focusing on something else entirely: Is it worth the money, and is it safe and effective enough?

Read the full article here.

March Madness - what about the women?

(x-posted to Women@Brown)

March Madness is upon us. The drama, the rivalries, the brackets, the sheer passion of college basketball (which, if you ask me, is much more fun to watch than pro basketball for this very reason). And yet, at risk of pointing out the obvious, the brackets we fill out with such enthusiasm on ESPN.com are for men's basketball. The majority of the publicized and televised games? Men's basketball.

The other night I went home for a UConn women's game - though the team is undefeated and has a hugely loyal fan base, they haven't been selling out, which I'll chalk up to the economy. In any case, I was riveted. I'm no sports expert, but these women were spectacular to watch - the way they interacted both on and off the court, the intensity of play, their speed and ball-handling skills - beautiful. Equally impressively, everyone on the team performs well academically - sophomore Maya Moore (pictured), arguably the best player in the league, boasts a 3.74 GPA. Based on the team camaraderie - one player is designated to high-five everyone on the bench whenever someone scores - they seem like people I'd like to hang out with in my spare time. Suffice it to say: I'm in love with the UConn women.

So after the game, with all that adrenaline going through me, I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that the NCAA basketball tournament is essentially the only time when women's sports are given a significant amount of attention in the mainstream media - and even then, there isn't nearly the same degree of excitement about them as there is about the men's tournament. What's up with that? I'm sick of hearing comments like, "Well, men's basketball is just better and more exciting than women's." That seems like a cop-out to me. For one thing, "better" is purely subjective. If women's games and brackets were hyped up as much as the men's, would we find them equally exciting? Probably. Women's basketball definitely brings the passion and the drama - the UConn/Tennessee rivalry is one of the fiercest rivalries in sports. And even as a UConn fan, I can easily admit that Tennessee coach Pat Summitt's 1,000 victories is an unparalleled feat - by any coach, male or female. The Lady Vols' athletic director was quoted as saying, "I can’t imagine anyone doing what she has done ever again." Programs like these, with a relatively long history and a strong alumni network, draw crowds. This is the same reason why men's tournament games are played on a neutral court, while women's games are played at stadiums (like UConn's) where there will surely be a wide enough local fan base to sell tickets.

And then there's another problem: where do they go from here? The WNBA has had a decent amount of success compared to other professional women's sports. But with the Houston Comets - "the most important franchise in the history of women's professional sports" - having folded this winter, one wonders about the future of the league's popularity and subsequent success. Do players like Candace Parker and Maya Moore (who can totally dunk, by the way) get frustrated by the fact that their sport's popularity peaks in college?

Bringing it back to women's sports at Brown...Speaking personally, I hear a lot about how undeniably awesome the women's crew and rugby teams are - but at Brown, as at most schools, nothing in women's sports is even comparable to the amount of money and hype spent on men's football. I know that, "objectively" speaking, this all has to do with money. It's a tried-and-true fact that men's games sell tickets. Fine, I understand that. But is there anything we can do about it? Other than resorting to, say, something like this? Most relevantly, do we have a feminist obligation to support women's athletics?

TGIF

This picture represents...maybe half of the tea supply in my suite. We live by the stuff.

Friday Fill-Ins has a first-sentence-of-books theme this week. The first one is the only real answer I know; the rest are made up.

1. "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit!!!!"

2. "My tonsils are huge but that ain't no matter."

3. "After dark the rain began to fall again, as per usual in Providence."

4. "Pirates, looking suspiciously Johnny Depp-esque, streamed out from the hold of the Spanish galleon."

5. "There was a hand in the darkness, and suddenly my chicken parm was gone."

6. "Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, so always wear a helmet when riding a bike."

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping, tomorrow my plans include sleeping and Sunday, I want to sleep!

If you haven't before, check out The Low Anthem, an interesting band from good ol' Providence. Rolling Stone calls them "a trio of neo-hippie rockers...the Low Anthem craft homemade, warm-hearted Americana populated by train workers and road trippers on their second album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin." I particularly love their gorgeous, often chill-inducing, harmonies. They're probably the biggest band to come out of Prov in recent times - while they've been popular around here for a while, they seem to have had a sudden rush of fame and have been playing at some of the biggest music festivals in the country. The fun part - not only did they all go to Brown at some point, but I played with Jocie (the trio's only female member, and youngest) in the pit for "Merrily We Roll Along" freshman year! She's such a nice person - I really enjoyed getting to know her - and I'm thrilled that she's making it big, doing what she loves. Brown music concentrators, you too can go far.

(x-posted to Women@Brown)

Via Feministing:

Deborah Siegel, over at Girl w/Pen, is trying to start a little infectious blog quiz. If you've got one, paste these questions and add one of your own, then post it up at your blog so we can spread the knowledge.

1. In 2009, women make up what percent of the U.S. Senate?
A. 3%
B. 17%
C. 33%
D. 50%

2. How many CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are female?
A. 15
B. 28
C. 59
D. 84

3. Who was the first First Lady to create her own media presence (i.e. hold regular press conferences, write a daily newspaper column and a monthly magazine column, and host a weekly radio show)?
A. Eleanor Roosevelt
B. Jacqueline Kennedy
C. Pat Nixon
D. Hillary Clinton

4. The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced to Congress in:
A. 1923
B. 1942
C. 1969
D. 1971

5. Who was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature?
A. Phyllis Wheatley
B. Alice Walker
C. Toni Morrison
D. Maya Angelou

6. What percentage of union members are women today?
A. 10%
B. 25%
C. 35%
D. 45%

7. What year did the Griswold v. Connecticut decision guarantee married women the right to birth control?
A. 1960
B. 1965
C. 1969
D. 1950

8. What was the first coeducational college in the United States?
A. Oberlin Collegiate Institute
B. Andover Newton College
C. Radcliffe College
D. College of William and Mary

Scroll down for answers...













ANSWERS: 1:B, 2:A, 3:A, 4:A, 5:C, 6:D, 7:B 8:A

TGIF

Happy (belated) St. Joseph's Day! Hope everyone ate lots of delicious zeppole (see above). I know I did. In related news, if you are ever in need of an Italian bakery in Providence, Scialo Bros (on Federal Hill, of course) is pretty fantastic. Nice people, great pastries, frequented by locals.

1. Why do we have to push ourselves so hard, constantly on the move?

2. Tweeting and checking Google Reader are now habits.

3. I have not yet secured a summer internship and it's freaking me out.

4. I had never heard the phrase "Moustache March" and it is not a tradition in which I think many people should participate.
5. I'm staying up late when I shouldn't, the way I always do.

6. How was I to know that I'd get so attached to my spider plants, Aragog and baby Charlotte?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping?, tomorrow my plans include heading up to Boston to visit my brother, and Sunday, I want to see Bill Nye the Science Guy give a lecture at Northeastern!

This music video is great. I feel like these guys are just having a ton of fun. And I can't pretend I don't appreciate the night/knight pun in their name, given my Ellington roots.

This song's for the people who count.

The Saturday Knights - "Count It Off" from Lincoln Leopard Films on Vimeo.

Two links and a rant.

(x-posted to Women@Brown)

Here are two great articles debunking some of the myths and accusations being hurled around in the wake of the Chris Brown/Rihanna incident (the first gives a brief summary, if you haven't heard about this awful story).

Five Mistakes We Make When We Talk About Rihanna (Newsweek)

What It Doesn't Mean (Yes Means Yes Blog)

I'm going to come right out and say that it infuriates and upsets me when I hear ignorant comments and jokes about domestic violence - on this very campus. We're supposed to be this bastion of social justice, and yet the day after the story came out in the news I actually heard a friend say, "Chris Brown is my hero because he smacked up Rihanna." I wish I could walk around and hear people talking about about how incidents like this are indications of a global social illness that is tied up in questions of gender, race, and power - not petty gossip and jokes that only perpetuate the problem.

New blog alert! And the Brown Band does the Time Warp (again).

Okay, I'm changing my font size to the default. I'm sick of making it smaller every time, even though I prefer smaller font. This is more bad-eyesight-friendly, I guess.

Anywho, the point: If for some reason you've clicked on my profile lately, you'll notice that there are not one, but two blogs listed there. Gasp! That's because I'm going to be contributing to a brand-spanking-new blog called Women@Brown.

From the first post:

We envision this blog becoming a community of Brown students discussing political issues, campus events, pop culture, and anything and everything relating to women or women issues. We hope to spark discussions, help people stay informed, and even be a starting point for campus activism.

There have only been a few posts so far (like I said, it's brand new) but as they get more contributors (and as we start to, y'know, contribute), it should get some interesting discussions going. Go check it out!

Also, if you're like me and love old photographs, take a look at this Flickr album from Rosie Perera '85. Vintage Brown Band!

The Gross National Parade - Washington, D.C. (1984)

An early incarnation of Bruno. (1984)

I like the fuzzy ears. (1983)

The band bus! Awesome. (1984)

A young Matt (our faculty advisor, right) and the lookalike student conductor. (1984)

Fun Fact: This year will be the 40th anniversary of the band on skates! (1984)

Man, I wish I got to wear a white suit... (1983)