May 17, 2016

Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia! (and my birthday!)

From the United Nations:

United Nations release fantastic IDAHOT fight song!

The video, titled ‘Why We Fight”, has been produced as part of the ongoing OHCHR-led UN Free & Equal campaign. Conceived as a tribute to activism, the video brings together footage shot by activists and allies in more than 20 countries as well as at UNHQ in New York and reflects the diversity of organizations and causes that people are fighting for in different countries around the world. Singer-songwriter Rachel Platten is supporting the campaign and lent her hit “Fight Song” as the soundtrack. Please share widely!

http://dayagainsthomophobia.org/united-nations-release-fantastic-idahot-fight-song/

Hatred against the GLBT persists around the world, even in the US it is rearing its ugly head in the forms of anti-gay legislation, anti-transgender "bathroom bills", and all around rancid hate-filled acts!

Celebrate by speaking out against hate, fear, intimidation, and lies leveled against the LGBT community! Celebrate by letting that special LGBT person(s) in your life, know you love them!

April 19, 2016

The Warsaw Ghetto: Uprising

April 19, 1943, the eve of Passover, seventy-three years ago, today, the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto rose up against the Nazi regime. Though it wouldn't last a month, and most were killed, the rest deported to be killed later, it was a crucial moment in Jewish history. After learning that the Ghetto was to be "liquidated" on orders from SS chief Heinrich Himmler, the Jewish populace did what they could to liberate themselves.

Approximately 7000 Jews were killed in the month long fighting, another 7000 were immediately transferred to Treblinka for immediate death.

The Germans deported almost all of the remaining Jews, approximately 42,000, to the Lublin/Majdanek concentration camp, and to the Poniatowa, Trawniki, Budzyn, and Krasnik forced-labor camps. With the exception of a few thousand forced laborers at Budzyn and Krasnik, German SS and police units later murdered almost all of the Warsaw Jews deported to Lublin/Majdanek, Poniatowa, and Trawniki in November 1943 in “Operation Harvest Festival” (Unternehmen Erntefest(see below)). (source)

Remembering Archivist and Warsaw Ghetto Survivor Rose Klepfisz

The archivist Rose Klepfisz died in her apartment in the Bronx on March 23rd at the age of 102. She is survived by her daughter, Irena Klepfisz, a writer and professor at Barnard College, as well as by relatives in Australia and admirers in Bundist circles and in the field of Jewish Studies around the world. She is predeceased by her husband Michal Klepfisz, who died fighting in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Rose Klepfisz was born on July 22nd 1914 in Warsaw as Shoshana Perczykow. At the insistence of her older sisters, she attended Polish public schools rather than private Jewish schools. The perfect Polish that she learned in school would greatly aid her during WWII. The death of her father, a clockmaker, when she was 12 forced her to leave school prematurely as her family needed the money her sewing could bring. A lifelong lover of literature she continued her studies by taking night classes at a local library. During her teenage years, she was an active member of the Zionist movement Hashomer Hatzair’s youth group and learned to plant tobacco in preparation for a new life in British-Mandate Palestine.

Her politics would change, however, after she met her husband Michal Klepfisz during a skiing trip. Michal spotted her from a distance and chased her down a hill. The two dated for four years before marrying in July of 1937. The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in Paris and soon moved into the home of Michal’s parents, the Bundist activists and teachers Miriam and Jakob Klepfisz. The Klepfiszes were more well-off than Rose’s family and she enjoyed the relative luxuries that their home provided such as a bathtub. In the years before WWII Michal worked as a chemical engineer and was rising in the ranks of the Bund, helping to run the movement’s sports club Morgenstern.

Rose Klepfisz was already pregnant when she was confined to the Warsaw Ghetto alongside nearly half a million of her fellow Jews. She gave birth to her daughter Irena on April 17th, 1941, her husband’s 28th birthday. The young family continued living with Michal’s parents and older sister until they were all lined up in a courtyard during a selection. At the last possible moment, Michal recognized a Jewish policeman he knew and managed to create a diversion, sneaking himself, his wife and his daughter out of harm’s way. The couple soon learned that Michal’s parents had been brought to the umschlagplatz, from which they were put on a transport to Treblinka and murdered.


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April 4, 2016

It has been two years...two long years, but I did it. Today is my 2 year Smokefree Anniversary!

I smoked for almost 30 years. By the time I quit, I was smoking at least two packs a day, sometimes, 2.5 packs. It was not easy for me at all, but eventually, more time passed and the cravings became less extreme. Sure, there are some days I want to punch someone in the throat just to have a couple of puffs, but usually it passes quickly. I also still have dreams where I am smoking, but they are more rare now; usually, when I am really stressed.

I have noticed a number of things since I quit, the first was I can now laugh, a good belly laugh, without breaking out into a coughing fit. I don't cough throughout the day, except when my damn allergies kick in full gear. My sense of smell is extremely heightened, which can be good sometimes and other times...ewwww . I could always smell quite well, even as a smoker, but when I quit, I could really smell things! I don't get winded when I am working or playing. My clothes don't smell!! My breath doesn't curdle wallpaper, except when I eat certain foods, which I can now taste! I also don't use as much salt as I used to use. Then there is the money I have saved...I have been putting what I would have spent on cigarettes into a savings account and used it to buy holiday gifts; made for some very expensive gifts!

I am not going to preach. I am not going to chastise. I am not going to lord my quitting over others. I will simply say, if I can do it, anyone can! If you are ready to quit, do it YOUR way! Make it YOUR experience! Celebrate your wins, and move past any setbacks. You can do it! I DID!


TWO SMOKEFREE YEARS!



ETA: Thanks for all the "Kudos!", it is really appreciated. I am really glad others who have quit are also sharing.

ETA: Again, THANKS for all the positive comments! What a thread! Also, thank you to all the other former/ex-smokers for coming forward as an example to me and to others. If you are trying to quit, just read this thread. So many "quitters" have been that way for YEARS and YEARS! You can do it too! Look at all the people just waiting to cheer you on!

March 30, 2016

Navy bean and ham soup. HELP! Need advice. (Update)

OK, I actually know how to make this recipe. I keep really odd hours and this recipe calls for 8-10 hours in the crock pot. I never found a recipe that said I could go the 'fast' route and turn it on high, so I stick to the rules, as it were. I am not a great cook, so I am usually afraid to veer off of recipes until I make them many times. Anyway, I had everything ready to go, but because I have an odd sleeping schedule, and I wanted it for dinner, I asked my husband if he would put everything in the crock pot before going to work. He did. He followed my list to a "T" until the last line, PLUG IT IN! That's right, he put all the ingredients in and didn't turn the fucking crock pot on! Oh, the switch was set to low, but it wasn't plugged into the wall! I even thought he might be offended that I added that line, "plug it in", to the list. Seriously,

So, here's my question: Do I just throw it out? It was sitting, for almost 5 hours, covered by the crock pot lid, everything immersed in chicken stock, except a small top part of the hambone.

For now, I have turned it on (yes, I plugged it in). I searched the internet and most places say 2-3 hours left out is OK, after that toss it. But this was in a broth and covered, which according to some sites, gives it an extra few hours.

So, do I...

(ETA: When I took off the lid, the broth was ice cold, as if it had just come out of the fridge. It wasn't even room temp, which actually made me madder, but may be a good thing.)

(UPDATE: I did go ahead and make the soup. It will be dinner for tomorrow night. I tasted it and it came out pretty good. Thank you to everyone who responded!!)

March 25, 2016

Late Filipino President Honored for Role in Saving Jews

On Monday, the Anti-Defamation League will posthumously award Filipino President Manuel Luis Quezon the Jan Karski Courage to Care Award. Named for the Polish diplomat who visited the Nazi death camps and sought to warn the rest of the world about atrocities taking place, the award will be conferred on Quezon for welcoming 1,200 Jewish refugees into the Philippines during WWII.

In a letter to Quezon’s daughter, Maria Zeneida Quezon Avanceña, the ADL was quoted by globalnation.inquirer.net as saying it would be “very proud to posthumously present this award to your father… for his heroic efforts to save Jews during the Holocaust.”

The ADL learned of Quezon’s heroic efforts through the work of Filipino-American professor Sharon Delmendo, who is currently working on a book about the Filipino role in saving Jews during the Holocaust. Quezon’s role came to the ADL’s attention through a presentation Delmendo delivered in 2013.

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March 25, 2016

ADL redirecting $56,000 in Trump donations to anti-bias programs

The Anti-Defamation League has redirected $56,000 in donations from Donald Trump — his total contributions over the past decade — to fund new anti-bias and anti-bullying education programs.

The announcement in a statement released Sunday came a day before Trump, the front-runner in the Republican presidential race, is scheduled to address the largest gathering of American supporters of Israel at the AIPAC annual policy conference in Washington, D.C.

“These undoubtedly were sincere gifts,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL’s CEO. “But in light of the recent campaign, we have decided to redirect the total amount of funds that he contributed to ADL over the years specifically into anti-bias education programs that address exactly the kind of stereotyping and scapegoating that have been injected into this political season.”

ADL also called on other groups, philanthropies and nonprofits to consider redirecting charitable funds given to them by Trump into similar initiatives “to combat hate, promote tolerance, and build a stronger American community,” the statement said.

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The donations are being redirected to "No Place for Hate".

March 24, 2016

Oberlin College professor's anti-Semitic Facebook posts are protected by the First Amendment, but vi

THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP!

Oberlin College professor's anti-Semitic Facebook posts are protected by the First Amendment, but vile

Oberlin College Assistant Professor Joy Karega-Mason has made quite a name for herself recently. Echoing tropes common to the Nazi rag, Der Stürmer, her vitriolic anti-Semitic screeds have appeared on her Facebook page and been described in Oberlin's own newsletter, as well as in both national and international media.

Among Dr. Karega-Mason's asinine calumnies: Jews were responsible for 9/11, while the murders at the satirical French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, and the subsequent murders of Jews in a kosher deli in Paris were false-flag operations undertaken not by the people caught and killed but by unnamed Jews.

Those attuned to 9/11 conspiracy theories will note that Karega-Mason is parroting Nation of Islam leader Rev. Louis Farrakhan, who challenges Jews to prove that they were not agents of Osama bin Laden.

I would neither call on Karega-Mason to take down her postings nor call for her dismissal. The president of Oberlin College, Marvin Krislov, himself an observant Jew, did the right thing in defending her right to her opinions.

In contrast to President Krislov's quick defense of Karega-Mason's constitutional right, he was slow to address the substance of her postings. President Krislov said he is pained by Karega-Mason's vitriol. But the more apt response would have been embarrassment.


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Always interesting to see the level of anti-Semitism out there and the almost complete unwillingness to discuss it, except when claiming Jews are "playing the anti-Semite card".

March 17, 2016

Religious liberty bill passes Georgia state legislature (Another win for homophobia!)

A religious freedom bill described by opponents as being discriminatory against same-sex couples passed the Georgia state legislature on Wednesday night in an 11th hour vote ahead of the session's close.

The legislation, dubbed the Religious Liberty Bill, still has to be signed by Georgia's Republican Governor Nathan Deal to become law. Deal has made clear that he will not sign a bill that allows discrimination, but his office did not immediately respond to request for comment on Wednesday night.

Similar bills in states like Indiana and Arkansas sparked storms of criticism last year, forcing many lawmakers to retreat from the provisions.

The Georgia bill, reworked several times by lawmakers amid criticism that earlier versions went too far, declares that no pastor can be forced to perform a same-sex wedding.

The bill also grants faith-based organizations – churches, religious schools or associations - the right to reject holding events for people or groups of whom they object. Faith-based groups also could not be forced to hire or retain an employee whose beliefs run counter to the organization's.

Opponents say the bill could be used to deny services and discriminate against same-sex couples.

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Yet one more reminder, gay people are "fair" game. Thought the Supreme Court decision declaring marriage equality was the "end"?

IT WASN'T!

Incidentally, Georgia also does not...again...DOES NOT protect GBLT in housing or employment. It is legal to deny housing or employment based on sexual orientation. The state also is NOT inclusive of sexual orientation or gender identity in state hate crimes law.

March 17, 2016

Ellen Page's Big Queer Trip Around The World Is Finally Here

The first episode of "GAYCATION," one of VICE's new shows on their television network VICELAND, dropped today. The project that follows out actress Ellen Page and best friend Ian Daniel on a queer trip around the world. The official release date is March 2.

"GAYCATION" will allow viewers to tag along as Page and Daniel visit locations as varied as Brazil, Jamaica and The United States to learn more about queer life and culture around the world.

This first episode, which you can watch above, focuses specifically on queer culture in Japan, where same-sex marriage is still illegal and identifying as queer can still carry a heavy social stigma.

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I highly recommend this program. So far, I have only seen Japan and Brazil, (Jamaica was tonight, but didn't get to it yet). I thought it was just a "gay oriented travel program" but it is so much more! They discuss the climate for LGBT people, including homophobia, transphobia, and some of the interviews are very, very disturbing, some are really uplifting.

March 17, 2016

'When You're Accustomed to Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression'

I've never been punched in the face. Not in an actual fight, at least. I'm not much of a fighter, I suppose... more of an "arguer." I don't think I'm "scared" to get into a fight, necessarily -- there have been many times I have put myself in situations where a physical fight could easily have happened.

I just can't see myself ever being the guy who throws the first punch, and I'm usually the kind of guy who DE-escalates things with logic or humor. And one of the things about being that sort of person, is that the other sort of guy -- the sort who jumps into fights quickly -- tends to not really be a big fan of me. Not when he first meets me, at least. They usually like me later. Not always. You can't win 'em all...

---snip---

And things started making a little more sense to me. All this anger we see from people screaming "All Lives Matter" in response to black protesters at rallies. All this anger we see from people insisting that their "religious freedom" is being infringed because a gay couple wants to get married. All these people angry about immigrants, angry about Muslims, angry about "Happy Holidays," angry about not being able to say bigoted things without being called a bigot...

They all basically boil down to people who have grown accustomed to walking straight at other folks, and expecting them to move. So when "those people" in their path don't move -- when those people start wondering, "Why am I always moving out of this guy's way?"; when those people start asking themselves, "What if I didn't move? What if I just kept walking too?"; when those people start believing that they have every bit as much right to that aisle as anyone else -- it can seem like their rights are being taken away.

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