haiti - Jezebel

posts about #haiti more →
Weight And See
Dead Alive
Danticat & Diaz On Writing, Justice, And Being A "Nerd Of Color"
The Hottest New Beauty Technique
Obama: Secret Service Will Make My Daughters' Future Suitors Scared
Hillary Clinton: Factory Direct
Consumers Are Just Crackers About Wensleydale • Drew Peterson's Stepbrother Doubts His Innocence
Haiti's Slums Are Hotbeds Of Sexual Assault

Sexual Abuse By Aid Workers Is Underreported In Developing, Struggling Nations

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phantom lady
11/13/09

In reply to Weight And See
Holy Crap! that's the town where my hubby did his Peace Corp time. #haitiunitednations
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CurtCole
11/13/09

In reply to Weight And See
...and, POOF, all of my problems now seem petty. #haitiunitednations
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Plum-Pie
11/13/09

@CurtCole: This post really opened my eyes to the situation in Haiti: [jezebel.com]
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Edited by Plum-Pie at 11/13/09 4:26 PM Plum-Pie was starred Plum-Pie was unstarred

msAnthrope
11/13/09

@CurtCole:

i know. for me, what these snap judgements have shown is that no matter how big a deal i think are my problems, in fact i'm a very lucky person with an incredible availability of creature comforts that i take for granted. #haitiunitednations
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fluxus flucker
11/13/09

@Plum-Pie: NPR aired a very good interview with Wycleff Jean recently. It was mostly about him. But, he's dedicated so much time and energy to his home-country, Haiti that I learned a lot about the country. And from a different perspective than usual: That of someone who grew up impoverished in that country, who has great love for his native home, and who is now able to do really good things for Haiti, economically, sociologically, ecologically. And he has been an amazing presence for quite a few individuals. It was his stories about his time with a few people, who are his friends now, that were esp. insightful. #haitiunitednations
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CurtCole
11/02/09

In reply to Dead Alive
This whole antiquing prank has really got to stop. #dayofthedead
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Anna
11/02/09

@CurtCole: [www.youtube.com]
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Edited by Anna at 11/02/09 3:27 PM Anna was starred Anna was unstarred

CurtCole
11/02/09

@Anna: It's all fun and games until someone's eyes water, then it's eye barnacle city.
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Anna
11/02/09

@CurtCole: Antiquing is one of my favorite Jackass segments ever. It's simple, funny, and does not involve male reproductive organs being abused. #dayofthedead
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CurtCole
11/02/09

@Anna: Agreed. Though, 'Party Boy' is a close second. #dayofthedead
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thesciencegirl
10/19/09

In reply to Danticat & Diaz On Writing, Justice, And Being A "Nerd Of Color"
My name is thesciencegirl, and I am a nerd of color. It's interesting... the ways in which being a nerd in communities of color can be alienating, and the ways in which being a person of color can be alienating in communities of nerds.

I have heard many POCs in the scifi world lament the opposition to moving away from the prototype of the white male as protagonist observing the alien other. Google RaceFail for blog post upon blog post of discussion on that very topic. #edwidgedanticat
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wealhtheow
10/19/09

@thesciencegirl: Yeah, it's a double-whammy. And what's incredible is not just the opposition to anything but generic McEurope, but the constant claims that we can't have anything but Tolkein rip-offs and Asimov!light because there's no market for it. Because, you see, there is no such thing as a non-white, non-male nerd. Which--WHAT? It must be amazing to be able to completely ignore everyone that doesn't fit with your preconcieved notions of reality. #edwidgedanticat
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Eriu
10/19/09

In reply to Danticat & Diaz On Writing, Justice, And Being A "Nerd Of Color"
I would feel remiss if I didn't mention that Danticat's Brother, I'm Dying is absolutely amazing. Easily one of the best books I've read in years. I highly recommend it, as if her excerpt above doesn't already speak volumes.
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hortense promoted this comment Edited by Eriu at 10/19/09 3:07 PM Eriu was starred Eriu was unstarred

Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
10/19/09

In reply to Danticat & Diaz On Writing, Justice, And Being A "Nerd Of Color"
'Despite his experience with the nerd police, Diaz also advanced the somewhat debatable point that reading teaches compassion. He said reading a book was "one of the clearest ways to come into communion with another subjectivity.'

Love him for this, and I totally agree. Kids can't sit back and not react to a book the same way you can a movie, TV show or videogame. #edwidgedanticat
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Anna N.
10/19/09

@HeatherNumber1: I don't know -- I like books more than movies, TV, or videogames, in general, but I'm not sure they're actually any less passive. Videogames require actual physical interaction, for instance, and I think can improve some types of coordination and cognition. I do think that Diaz's point about "subjectivity" is smart, because it's possible to be closer to a character's mind in a book than it usually is in a movie or TV show -- you can actually read their thoughts, which usually isn't possible onscreen. #edwidgedanticat
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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
10/19/09

@Anna N.: Oh, I don't think books are less passive (especially not after reading Everything Bad is Good for You), but as you say, kids who red books are almost forced to empathize, even if it's against their will. Maybe it's because I didn't have cable growing up, but reading was the first time I felt 'Somebody out there *gets* me.' #edwidgedanticat
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lilbobbytables
10/19/09

In reply to Danticat & Diaz On Writing, Justice, And Being A "Nerd Of Color"
Reading has, I firmly believe, made me a better person. It has given me the opportunity to crawl into someone else's headspace and see 1) how that character/person responds to the world, and 2) how the world responds to the character/person. It has helped me, to paraphrase Atticus Finch, to walk in another's shoes. While inhabiting a world only of fiction or books can be isolating, for me it has helped tear down some walls, and allows me to more easily empathize with others.

Such as. #edwidgedanticat
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thelastsara
10/19/09

@lilbobbytables is a la-di-da feminist: I feel this way too. There are many things I've read in books that I would not know or even think about otherwise. I think this is what all art is supposed to do, but books have a particular way of becoming a part of you. I definitely see things differently after a really good read. #edwidgedanticat
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Grim Reaper of the Forest
10/19/09

@lilbobbytables is a la-di-da feminist: Not to pat myself on the back, but I also feel like I am weirdly empathetic and I have always been a huge fiction reader. I love stories that can transport me into the mind of someone in other country or time. I'm not sure which came first, my nature or my reading. #edwidgedanticat
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
10/19/09

In reply to Danticat & Diaz On Writing, Justice, And Being A "Nerd Of Color"
Probably a dumb question, but why was he "pilloried."

What were his sci-fi reference crimes? What didn't they like? #edwidgedanticat
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wealhtheow
10/19/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: "What didn't they like?"
The constant objectification of women. #edwidgedanticat
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
10/19/09

@wealhtheow: No, I mean in this part:
"Diaz said he'd been pilloried in the mainstream nerd press (only sort of an oxymoron) in a way that smacked of racism."

What's that referring to? #edwidgedanticat
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ucelluccia
10/19/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: *shrug* I haven't read it, but I am a pre-service teacher and know that several of my friends already working are using Oscar Wao in their classrooms. Apparently it's highly teachable -- a Pulitzer Prize winner, after all.

From what I know about it, the main character is a comic book nerd -- maybe they just didn't care for the comics he liked? #edwidgedanticat
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LaComtesse
10/19/09

@wealhtheow: ?! But women are some of the greatest characters in Oscar Wao and any objectification of them was done in a very character specific way that was in their voice(s), not the authors. #edwidgedanticat
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amy_b
10/19/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: Oscar Wao is a beautiful book. Highly recommended.

What I don' t think they liked? Maybe they didn't care for the fact that Oscar was fat and a loser with the ladies. He was the stereotypical sci-fi dork, only with more melanin. #edwidgedanticat
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wealhtheow
10/19/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: I spend a lot of time on sf/f book sites (like Diaz, I am a huge nerd), and the only criticism I've seen has been the sexism thang. It's possible he's gotten some flack because his work got recognized as literature. Generally, sf/f is very much NOT considered lit, which a lot of people, myself included, think a bit unfair. So there are numerous authors (Margaret Atwood springs to mind) who insist their work isn't science fiction or fantasy, even when it involves magic and post-apocalyptic scenarios. There's a brief mention of it here.

But really, I don't know what criticism Diaz is talking about if he's not referring to the claims of sexism. #edwidgedanticat
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Anna N.
10/19/09

@wealhtheow: There's a specific review in the New York Review of Science Fiction that he was referring to, which I wasn't able to find on their site. It sounded like the review said he was misusing the scifi references in some way, or didn't know enough about scifi to talk about it. I'll look again for the link though, my curiosity is re-piqued. #edwidgedanticat
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susanstohelit
10/19/09

@LaComtesse: Yeah, Feministing posted about this too, and I felt like the misogyny in the book was meant to be a critique of the culture, rather than Diaz's opinion of women. The female characters are strong, but in a culture that deeply devalues them, they have to cope anyway they can. #edwidgedanticat
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whynotshesaid
10/19/09

@LaComtesse: I am glad to know I am not the only feminist woman who was not down with the criticisms of Oscar Wao as sexist. It was written from the POV of sexist dudes! The way it was written told me that Diaz was more than aware of the fact that they were sexist dudes and not because that's how he thought the world actually was. #edwidgedanticat
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LaComtesse
10/19/09

@whynotshesaid: @susanstohelit: Oh no, we can definitely form a club. If one cannot see the difference between a sexist narrator and a sexist book then they're not in a position to be critiquing in the first place. #edwidgedanticat
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Rooo sez BISH PLZ
10/19/09

@wealhtheow: A lot of people miss this. Thank you for raising it. #edwidgedanticat
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Rooo sez BISH PLZ
10/19/09

@wealhtheow: It may well also have been the Spanglish thing. The book uses a lot of it, and as ridiculous as it is, I wouldn't have been surprised if some critics branded it 'alienating' on the way to heralding him as a 'new voice'.
*eyeroll* #edwidgedanticat
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TildeMarks
06/02/09

In reply to The Hottest New Beauty Technique
Honey, Haiti is a DREAM. I really wish I had the cajones to rock the pink-fringed do, and the eyebrows. But I might request pink eyebrow fringe too, cause I'm matchy-matchy like that.
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EKane
06/02/09

In reply to The Hottest New Beauty Technique
I'm really enthralled by the beauticiandude "Seaborn" who is responsible for that monstrosity. He is also the creator of this mess...

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the_decider
06/02/09

In reply to The Hottest New Beauty Technique
Soon there will be eyelash weaves, and Mr. Snuffleupagus eyes will be all the rage!
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MizJenkins
06/02/09

@the_decider: I mean technically this already exists. You can get semi-permanent false lashes glued in...
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DinaRonson : Elizabeth Cady Stanton
06/02/09

@the_decider: There already are - well, extensions. Those, when done well, look amazing.

Fail - see Jennifer Lopez with her fox fur ones.

Good - Quick Google search renders: [kent.gumtree.com]
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ronniedobbs
06/02/09

In reply to The Hottest New Beauty Technique
WHY THE HELL DOES SHE KEEP SAYING "CELEBRITY STATUS"? Is that the show she was on? The name of the salon where you can get the broweave? I am too old to parse this.
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EKane
06/02/09

@ronniedobbs: Celebrity Status is the salon... the "designer" is a dude named... wait for it... SEABORN!
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save jinger
06/02/09

In reply to The Hottest New Beauty Technique
Chicken Cutlets should get some weave brows. It might get her some of the attention she so desperately craves. Maybe brows made of fur clippings from Spaghetti Cat and Stains!
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SweetIo
06/02/09

In reply to The Hottest New Beauty Technique
If there were a way to do it that didn't look completely ridiculous, I might consider it - I'm missing part of an eyebrow because I have a scar along it. When I was a teenager I would pluck the other one to match so I had two fucked up looking eyebrows instead of just one. Now I just leave it be unless I'm feeling super fancy and fill it in with an eyebrow pencil.
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tscheese
06/02/09

In reply to The Hottest New Beauty Technique
I don't care what any of you say. If I can't do THIS with my new eyebrows, I'm not interested.

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MizJenkins
06/02/09

@tscheese: GENIUS!!
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