The Communist Parties in the Indian governing coalition have withdrawn their support for the government over the civilian nuclear deal the government negotiated with the United States. The deal basically states that the Indian Government will get access to US civilian nuclear technology in exchange for opening up civilian nuclear sites to inspection (Indian military sites will be left alone.)
The Communists (pop quiz: the longest ruling elected Communist government in the world is where? If you said: 'the Indian State of West Bengal' then you're a WINNER!) want out because they don't want the US gaining too much influence in Indian affairs. This is kind of a common, sometimes returned to theme when it comes to Leftist Parties in India. The Indian Foreign policy establishment (and India itself) still remembers when Nixon sent the USS Enterprise into the Bay of Bengal during the 1971 Bangladeshi War of Independence, so relations with the US (never exactly warm until recently) can be a touchy subject.
Will this move threaten the ruling coalition? People don't seem to think so. It might be possible, but it appears the Government has struck deals with the Samajwadi Party and other smaller regional parties to ensure their majority holds over the deal. I'm betting it will- Singh seems to be a solid operator for India and there hasn't been tension (at least none that's reached the international media that I can find) him and Congress Party boss Sonia Gandhi (a sort of split leadership that could have, in other situations caused all kinds of trouble) so I'm not worried about it.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Gender Stereotypes
Via Feministing, some comment on gender stereotypes from Dave Hill in the Guardian. Hill's point is basically that gender stereotypes hurt men as well as women. Pretty self-evident point and quite frankly, there's nothing super-special about the article. I think that's reflective of my own personal frustration with the issue when it comes to feminism.
Do gender stereotypes cut both ways? Sure- but that's due to the social construction of gender. Men are supposed to be tough, never cry, blah de blah de blah- you know the litany as well as everyone can, but a mere recognition of that fact, while important, obscures, to me, the real issue: what are men supposed to do?
In one very real sense, feminism shouldn't care what men think or what men do. There's a large part of the theory and praxis of feminism that's concerned with the struggle for definition and what it means to be a woman, woman's sexuality- things that, if you are lacking a vagina, you're really not qualified to talk about. I can offer opinions on such things, as a man, but I can't really get the full comprehension on what they mean.
But I don't appreciate gross oppression either. And there's not exactly a wealth of readily available pointers on what men can do about it. I know, I know, there's Jackson Katz and all his merry men. I've been to the website, I've seen it. !0 Things I can Do To Prevent Gender Violence. A list. Wonderful- but as a guy who's taken Women's Studies classes, I'm the exception, not the rule. Stop ten people on the street, regardless of gender and ask them who Gloria Steinem is and most people would probably know. Ask them who Jackson Katz is... eh, not so known, I'm willing to bet. And therein lies the problem. Feminism is incredibly empowering (probably the epitomy of empowerment) for women. That idea has embedded itself in our culture and society. Until the corollary is equally as embedded, feminism and feminists will find themselves frustrated and all too willing to dismiss the 'nice guys' and rail against patriarchy in general.
Hmmm... I'll wrestle with this for ages. Maybe I'll try and put something more complex together at some point.
Do gender stereotypes cut both ways? Sure- but that's due to the social construction of gender. Men are supposed to be tough, never cry, blah de blah de blah- you know the litany as well as everyone can, but a mere recognition of that fact, while important, obscures, to me, the real issue: what are men supposed to do?
In one very real sense, feminism shouldn't care what men think or what men do. There's a large part of the theory and praxis of feminism that's concerned with the struggle for definition and what it means to be a woman, woman's sexuality- things that, if you are lacking a vagina, you're really not qualified to talk about. I can offer opinions on such things, as a man, but I can't really get the full comprehension on what they mean.
But I don't appreciate gross oppression either. And there's not exactly a wealth of readily available pointers on what men can do about it. I know, I know, there's Jackson Katz and all his merry men. I've been to the website, I've seen it. !0 Things I can Do To Prevent Gender Violence. A list. Wonderful- but as a guy who's taken Women's Studies classes, I'm the exception, not the rule. Stop ten people on the street, regardless of gender and ask them who Gloria Steinem is and most people would probably know. Ask them who Jackson Katz is... eh, not so known, I'm willing to bet. And therein lies the problem. Feminism is incredibly empowering (probably the epitomy of empowerment) for women. That idea has embedded itself in our culture and society. Until the corollary is equally as embedded, feminism and feminists will find themselves frustrated and all too willing to dismiss the 'nice guys' and rail against patriarchy in general.
Hmmm... I'll wrestle with this for ages. Maybe I'll try and put something more complex together at some point.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sex In Space Inevitable
I sure as heck hope so. That'd be a very interesting physics problem plus fun for everyone!
Party Like A Rock Star
So, the Obama Campaign is moving his acceptance speech from the site of the Democratic National Convention to Invesco Field, which seats more than 75,000 people. Hmmm... well, there's no denying that the guy can draw a crowd. And it's the anniversary of Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech, which, given the fact that Obama will be the first major African-American Presidential Candidate making his acceptance speech coinciding with the anniversary of the 'I Have A Dream' speech makes this kind of a big deal. Kind of a very big deal.
Buuuuuut... what if he doesn't sell out the venue? That's the only downside to this- you don't want to bill this awesome, fantastic event of titanic proportions only not to be able to put butts in the seats.
So beware. Or get really clever camera angles.
Buuuuuut... what if he doesn't sell out the venue? That's the only downside to this- you don't want to bill this awesome, fantastic event of titanic proportions only not to be able to put butts in the seats.
So beware. Or get really clever camera angles.
Bruno is Coming!
Remember Borat? Well, Sascha Baron Cohen has another character, Bruno, coming soon to a theater near you in 2009. But: he's filming now and apparently lead a retired Mossad agent on a merry dance in an interview. Details: here.
Animal Lovers!
Hey, if you're in the Iowa City area and have some connections, help out the Animal Shelter! They need new digs by Friday! Volunteer, help out- or if you have 6,000 sq. feet, electricity, heat, the potential for AC, water and one bathroom to spare, let them know. They've been camped out at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, but they need to move by Friday.
News from Abkhazia
The first question on everyone's minds probably being: Where the heck is Abkhazia? Well, it's a breakaway region in the northwest area of the Republic of Georgia and I think I wrote a paper on it once for a class I took on post-Soviet politics. (Yes, it's a real place, too!)
Anyway, the news in question: they've decided to cut all ties with the Republic of Georgia following a series of bomb blasts throughout the territory in recent days. This will undoubtedly provoke another escalation in the already troubled region- Georgia accuses Russia of meddling in its internal affairs (it probably is) and the Abkhazians, Ossetians and other separatists want independence and keep spurning offers for increased autonomy from the Georgian government.
All in all, there's a lot of potential for a big mess (war or other conflict) in the region at some time in the future. (There's already precedent for this given the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, not to mention Chechnya.)
Anyway, the news in question: they've decided to cut all ties with the Republic of Georgia following a series of bomb blasts throughout the territory in recent days. This will undoubtedly provoke another escalation in the already troubled region- Georgia accuses Russia of meddling in its internal affairs (it probably is) and the Abkhazians, Ossetians and other separatists want independence and keep spurning offers for increased autonomy from the Georgian government.
All in all, there's a lot of potential for a big mess (war or other conflict) in the region at some time in the future. (There's already precedent for this given the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, not to mention Chechnya.)
Cross Webb Off
From the NashvillePost, Virginia Senator Jim Webb has officially taken himself out of contention for the Vice-Presidency. Thank Goodness. I've always thought Webb would be better off staying exactly where he is. Tim Kaine would be a better choice if Obama is looking to put Virginia into play.
I Worry For The Motherland
Because of things like this:
Personally, I think that toddlers who say 'yuck' when given flavorful foreign food are being toddlers. Really and truly I can't think of anything more ridiculous than this- and have to wonder if the British government has completely lost its mind. Gordon Brown is telling people not to waste food- and then goes on to have a six course lunch and an eight course dinner at the G8 Summit.
The Tories aren't exactly looking appealing either. Newly Minted London Mayor Boris Johnson has already had two resignations and is on the back foot. Everyone just seems to be flailing- but please, throw these bums out or something. When Labour is releasing reports accusing toddlers of racism when they say 'yuck' to what I'm sure the average toddler considers pretty strange food, they are well past the expiration date.
Throw the bums out.
Toddlers who say "yuck" when given flavorful foreign food may be exhibiting racist behavior, a British government-sponsored organization says.
Personally, I think that toddlers who say 'yuck' when given flavorful foreign food are being toddlers. Really and truly I can't think of anything more ridiculous than this- and have to wonder if the British government has completely lost its mind. Gordon Brown is telling people not to waste food- and then goes on to have a six course lunch and an eight course dinner at the G8 Summit.
The Tories aren't exactly looking appealing either. Newly Minted London Mayor Boris Johnson has already had two resignations and is on the back foot. Everyone just seems to be flailing- but please, throw these bums out or something. When Labour is releasing reports accusing toddlers of racism when they say 'yuck' to what I'm sure the average toddler considers pretty strange food, they are well past the expiration date.
Throw the bums out.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Someone British Did Win
Wimbledon wraps up today and, once again, British hopes are dashed. The Williams Sister stormed to the Women's Final and Federer and Nadal go at it in the Men's Final today- as we speak, I think. But, I stumbled across a surprising article in the Independent which spoke of a little sliver of history slipping through that should give hope to British tennis fans everywhere.
Laura Robson, 14 won the junior championships- becoming the first Brit to win anything at Wimbledon since Annabel Croft won the junior title in 1984- and Virginia Wade won the Women's Title in 1977.
For those of you who haven't had the luck of being in the UK over the summer months, just know that the British are more tennis-mad than they seem. Sure, you hear about soccer riots, rugby and cricket, but Wimbledon is the highlight of the summer. Literally all the matches you could possibly want to see are broadcast all over the BBC and in the case of a rain delay, they actually went back into stock footage and showed one of the classic Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe matches while they waited. People remember the good matches at Wimbledon. They remember the personalities and, if you're a British tennis fan, you always hope that someone will break through and take the title. In recent years, Henman and Murray have been the twin British hopes on the Men's Side- and although Murray stormed into the quarterfinals with a fantastic match, he crashed against Nadal and that was that.
British luck has been on the side of women's tennis in recent decades: Virginia Wade actually won in 1977 and with Croft in 1984 and now Robson in 2008, little shards of hope spring up- being 14, we'll have to wait and see with Robson, but it's a bit of good news for the tennis fan in the UK in a typically disappointing year.
On the Men's Side, the situation is even worse: no British man has won since Fred Perry in 1936 and no British man has made the final since Bunny Austin in 1938. Quite honestly, it'd be something to see (like a Triple Crown) but I'm not holding my breath. I'll confine my tennis hopes to watching Wimbledon with Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany, since that's probably the only way I'll see a British man win Wimbledon any time soon.
But someone British won something at Wimbledon. An event worth noting, since it happens so rarely.
Laura Robson, 14 won the junior championships- becoming the first Brit to win anything at Wimbledon since Annabel Croft won the junior title in 1984- and Virginia Wade won the Women's Title in 1977.
For those of you who haven't had the luck of being in the UK over the summer months, just know that the British are more tennis-mad than they seem. Sure, you hear about soccer riots, rugby and cricket, but Wimbledon is the highlight of the summer. Literally all the matches you could possibly want to see are broadcast all over the BBC and in the case of a rain delay, they actually went back into stock footage and showed one of the classic Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe matches while they waited. People remember the good matches at Wimbledon. They remember the personalities and, if you're a British tennis fan, you always hope that someone will break through and take the title. In recent years, Henman and Murray have been the twin British hopes on the Men's Side- and although Murray stormed into the quarterfinals with a fantastic match, he crashed against Nadal and that was that.
British luck has been on the side of women's tennis in recent decades: Virginia Wade actually won in 1977 and with Croft in 1984 and now Robson in 2008, little shards of hope spring up- being 14, we'll have to wait and see with Robson, but it's a bit of good news for the tennis fan in the UK in a typically disappointing year.
On the Men's Side, the situation is even worse: no British man has won since Fred Perry in 1936 and no British man has made the final since Bunny Austin in 1938. Quite honestly, it'd be something to see (like a Triple Crown) but I'm not holding my breath. I'll confine my tennis hopes to watching Wimbledon with Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany, since that's probably the only way I'll see a British man win Wimbledon any time soon.
But someone British won something at Wimbledon. An event worth noting, since it happens so rarely.
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