Fuck y’all.
Amen
Raising Money for Wash & Tashi -
This is the Fundly page for Wash and Tashi, dear friends who are in need of our support. We are raising money to support Wash, who has terminal brain cancer, and Tashi, his wife and full-time caregiver. Donations of any size are appreciated immensely. Funds will be used for things like rent, general expenses, end-of-life care, medical bills, and memorial costs.
Additional information and a pdf are available at the link. I know that requests for donations go out on the web all the time and sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s legitimate. I, Slay Belle, am putting my name to this post as someone who can vouch for the legitimacy of this fundraising and am happy to answer questions about it. I can be contacted through my tumblr.
PLEASE REBLOG.
I will also vouch for the legitimacy of this fundraising, and there’s more info at the link. Pass it on!
I have a feeling I’ll be having this conversation at some future date…
(Source: nsfwhumor, via weirdette)
Takedown: Jezebel.com’s Editor’s Note -
From the article:
So Jezebel got one thing right: the posting of the video is the story — a story that Jezebel became a part of. Instead of being reporters, though, they are on the same team as the rapist. They are complicit in the crime.
Jezebel’s post opens with a few questions; who raped her, who posted it on the Internet, and will she ever get justice? The first question remains unanswered. As to “who posted it on the Internet,” that award goes to Jezebel.com, and “will she ever get justice” — I sure hope so, and I sure hope that Jezebel feels some of the wrath. The post itself is disgusting, but the editor’s note, the non-apology justification, makes my stomach turn.
Read more at Persephone Magazine.
(Source: persephonemagazine.com)
#noJezebel: Celebrity, Sex, Forced Re-victimization for Women -
From the article:
To repost images of a victim’s rape without her permission — the last two images in the post are graphic, if blurred-out, screencaps that specifically depict the attack — is to deprive her of her dignity and her right to preserve her privacy. It victimizes her all over again. Her blurred-out body does not get to be sacrificed on the altar of “raising awareness of rape” or even “seeking justice for a rape victim”; to make it bait for pageviews under the guise of awareness-raising and seeking justice is disingenuous at best, a reification of rape culture at its worst — and, I suspect, at its heart. There is a difference between torture-porn and explicitly tying images to narratives detailing systemic abuses of power: the former seeks to shock for its own sake, the latter shocks in the service of exposing institutional corruption and large-scale moral failure. Further, as feminists, we all know how wrong it is to demand that oppressed or victimized people tell their stories in the service of our education; how, then, is it right to demand that a rape victim be victimized all over again for purposes about which neither the Jez author nor editor seem clear?
That the entire post sensationalizes rape for the sake of controversy, rather than for the sake of justice, is fairly clear from its structure and the justifications offered for its existence.
Read more at Persephone Magazine.
Hey, this is a thing that I wrote!
(I was very angry when I wrote it, and trigger warnings for rape/rape culture at the link.)
(Source: persephonemagazine.com)
Science News Roundup: 2/8/12 -
From the article:
Several interesting new scientific studies have been released in the last two weeks. Standards for science education in the United States have been examined and were largely found to be woefully inadequate, the mother of modern racehorses has been found, and the biggest mammal on earth shows no sign of stopping its growth. In addition, Russian researchers in Antarctica are on the brink of examining a subglacial lake that’s been sealed off from the outside world for 14 million years. Cool!
Read more at Persephone Magazine.
Update: They did break through to the subglacial lake!
(Source: persephonemagazine.com)
Lego Friends and the Problem of Gendered Toys -
Lego has been making waves with its new “Friends” collection for girls. While some have praised the move for trying to encourage girls to play with building toys they might otherwise shun, others see it as unnecessary and pandering. The more I look at the issue, the more I realize I can see both sides of the argument. I have no problem with making more feminine toys available; a lot of girls, and a fair number of boys, like girly stuff and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m absolutely in favor of toys that encourage kids to look outside the pursuits typically approved for their gender. However, Lego really dropped the ball on execution.
From Persephone Magazine.
[video]
This is the last entry from Tashi, @redtapelass, ex-jezzie. She lives in Arizona, sadly her husband is dying of brain cancer and Arizona is denying care. Please reblog
6 Feb 2012
To Whom it May Concern,
I am writing to you about two of your constituents in Arizona; S Tashi Pratt-King and Kevin “Wash” Pratt-King. The live in Tempe, Arizona and they need your help- today.
Kevin and Tashi married in the spring of 2009- and within weeks Kevin was sick from an un-diagnosed brain tumor. Tashi had applied for AHCCCS medical coverage throughout the summer and fall of 2009, denied every time. On Tashi’s 23rd birthday Kevin had a grand-mal seizure and his tumor was finally discovered at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, AZ.
His tumor was 9cm- almost as large as a newborn’s head. It took two surgeries to remove the tumor and shortly after the couple found out it was malignant and terminal. Kevin was just 25 years old.
After the surgeries they were both approved for AHCCCS coverage, but that would be the start of the insurance issues.
For the past two plus years Tashi has been working full-time as Kevin’s non-compensated caregiver. He is not able to be independent anymore and from the start needed full-time care. AHCCCS does not cover the costs of full-time care, so Tashi has been working literally a 24 hour, 7 day a week job caring for him. She does not bring in any income. Kevin receives a small monthly stipend from Disability, it does not begin to cover his real medical costs.
The “Life expectancy” for Kevin’s cancer (Glioblastoma Multiforme) is 9-12 months-with treatment. He’s at month 27 now.
Brain cancer has several predictable side effects; seizures are common, depression, memory loss, aphasia, blindness, weakness, and severe fatigue. Kevin has all of them. As hard as he has been fighting to live the last two years, he is degrading. The level of care he needs is more than one person can take on around the clock.
In January of 2012 Kevin applied for Hospice Care. This was to go hand-in-hand with his coverage by ALTCS; the Arizona Long Term Care Services, through AHCCCS. Kevin’s ALTCS approval letter came in Dec of 2011. This would allow for Respite Care to be provided to Tashi, who has spent the last two years doing nothing but caring for her dying husband. ALTCS covers the long-term-care that his primary insurance, AHCCCS does not.
In January of 2012 Kevin and Tashi were notified through Hospice (never a direct contact from AHCCCS to the couple) that Kevin in fact was NOT covered for ALTCS care, and even with his continued mental and physical degradation, Tashi would still be left to bear all the care.
Kevin’s Social Worker (through Hospice) spent more than 2 straight weeks in January trying to get in contact with William “Bob” Jaegers - the caseworker assigned to Kevin’s ALTCS case. Bob did not respond until today, Feb 6th.
Two weeks to contact a Social Worker for Hospice (End of Life) is not acceptable for ANY level of healthcare work- unless ALTCS hoped by delaying Kevin’s case, he would die before any monies would have to be spent on his care.
Bob confirmed to Tashi that it would be 45 days from “start of application” to have ALTCS approval. When Tashi responded she had proof of Kevin’s acceptance as of Dec 2011, Bob flatly denied such ‘evidence’ could exist and their records showed Kevin applying in Jan 2012.Please help take immediate action on behalf of Kevin and Tashi. They have evidence (see attached) showing approval of Kevin into the ALTCS program as of Dec 9th, 2011.
Kevin is dying. He is only 27, but with a very virulent brain cancer. Tashi is 25 now. She has not had a “day off” or “weekend” in more than 2 years.
I write to ask you to investigate this matter; or shall we be left with the assumption that in Arizona if you are young, poor, or terminally ill that the State will leave you to die without medical coverage?Thank you,
S Tashi Pratt-King
(The last paragraph of the letter? “Approved for ALTCS”)
http://washandtashi.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/RedTapeLass
Super Bowl Math: Football by the Numbers -
From the article:
You may be asking yourself, what does math have to do with the Super Bowl? Lots, actually! Even if you just watch for the commercials, it’s more fun if you also understand what’s going on in the game. If nothing else, you can impress the bar with some truly random trivia. Obviously this isn’t a comprehensive guide to all things related to American football, but hopefully it’ll make the game a bit more fun.
Read more at Persephone Magazine.
(Source: persephonemagazine.com)