The Oscars and the Bechdel Test

Feminist Frequency is awesome.

Guess which *1* movie passes the Bechdel test?  And whether any pass the Johnson test?

http://www.feministfrequency.com/2012/02/the-2012-oscars-and-the-bechdel-test/

Beginning of her blog post:

It’s been a few years since I’ve checked in with The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies so I thought it would be a good time to look in on Hollywood and see if there’s been any substantial improvement in women’s representations on the big screen.  In this updated video, I go through the 2011 films nominated for Best Picture at the 84th annual Academy Awards and see how they measure up to the Bechdel Test. Keep watching because I also propose a small addendum to help clarify the spirit of the test and provide a solution on how Hollywood can fix the glaring problem that the Bechdel Test exposes. I’ll also address the question, “What about the reverse test?” and I’ll show an alternative test that has been adapted by critics to identify the presence of people of colour in films.  Sprinkled throughout this video I offer a few movie recommendations.

a (fake) Encyclopedia of Feminism According to Harry Potter

I saw this on Ekaterina Sedia's twitter feed.  I have one of Ms. Sedia's steampunk novels, The Alchemy of Stone.  I give it a B.  The story, plot, and world building was interesting, but emotionally it didn't grab me.

Anyway, she found a (fake) table of contents for a this encyclopedia, written in Russian.  She's translated it.

The link is here: http://squirrel-monkey.livejournal.com/180067.html

and I've reposted the whole thing here.

If this was a real book, in English, I'd love to read it.

Russian Language Harry Potter Fandom is Awesome

• Feb. 20th, 2012 at 9:27 PM

So blades_of_grass linked to this amazing Table of Contents, posted here, and authored by (c) sadcrixivan, frau_derrida, _palka. This is meant to be a ToC for ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FEMINISM ACCORDING TO HARRY POTTER. Of course, as it’s third wave, there are quite a few intersectional articles. What I want to know is why is this not real!

Anyway, blades_of_grass kindly asked for permission to translate this gem on my behalf, because I feel everyone should see this. With many thanks to the talented authors, here’s my translation:

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FEMINISM ACCORDING TO HARRY POTTER.

The Practice of Female Separatism in Daily Life of Luna Lovegood

Hermione Granger on Liberal Feminism

Female Empowerment in Academia Through the Eyes of Minerva McGonagall

Women in Politics: The Dilemma of Dolores Umbridge

Women in the Military and Psychological Violence: The Case of Bellatrix Lestrange

Consequences of Limiting Abortion Rights: The Tragedy of Lily Potter

The Death Toll of Unpaid Labor: The Duel of Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange

Replication of Violent Family Practices: Family Strategies of Nymphadora Tonks

The Duality of Economic Strategies for Women: Narcissa Malfoy

The Internalized Misogyny Among Successful Women: Rita Skeeter

Woman as a Scapegoat in Political Processes: Marietta Edgecombe

Forced Marriage as a Conduit of Classism: Pansy Parkinson

Fatphobia: Millicent Bulstrode

Ridicule of Victims of Violence as a Form of Demonization: Moaning Myrtle

The Founders of Hogwarts, or Men are Always in Charge: False Equality

Hufflepuff and the "Virtue of the Working Class": The Silent Majority

Cho Chang: The Relations with Racial and Ethnic Minorities as a Casual Entertainment

The Marriage of Ginny Weasley: "Woman Exchange"

Good Homosexual is a Well-Educated White Men with No Sexual Liaisons: Albus Dumbledore

Polyamory and Childfree Lifestyle -- Self-Positioning of Bellatrix Lestrange

Ariana Dumbledore: Murder of a Disabled Person as a Social Necessity

Argus Filch: Even Harry and Ron Can Laugh at the Handicapped

Goblins: The Apotheosis of the British Antisemitic Tradition

Flitwick and Hagrid: Ethnic Minorities Will Always Clean Up After You, or Uncle Tom in Hogwarts

If the Protagonist is Fed, Slavery is Awesome: House Elves

Only Stupid Girls Fight Slavery

Hermione Granger: A Good Woman Defends Others' Rights and Provides Others' Lessons

Alcoholism and the Esoteric: Coping Mechanisms under Conditions of Discrimination

House Elves: Just Like Women, Only Ugly and Invisible

Pomona Sprout: Good Girls are Liked but not Noticed

Professor Vector, or Anonymity of Women in Mathematics

Poppy Pomfrey: a Subservient Suffragette, or the Outcome of Courses of Higher Women's Studies in St Petersburg

Bellatrix Lestrange and Luna Lovegood: Psychiatric Disabilities and Ableism in Hogwarts

Luna Lovegood, Tom Riddle, Harry Potter" Good Children Don't Get PTSD

Luna Lovegood: Forced Acceptance into the Family Strategies of Psychological Repression

Conventional Man is Allowed Anger but not Grief. Harry Potter: The Masculinity Trap

Remus Lupin and the "Good Cripple" Archetype

Rolanda Hooch: Professional Women's Athletics as Deviation

Molly Weasley and Fleur Delacourt: Differentiation Between Women as a Tool of Oppression

Momo

This is Momo. I used the pattern Owl Puffs by Jenna Krupar.  It's supposed to be stuffed in a way that makes the corners stick up like ears.  But I rolled up some left over quilt batting and there wasn't enough for the ears.  So they droop.  Hence I made it into a dog.

Details:
Yarn:  Lamb's Pride Bulky, leftover from a sweater I made for my sister years ago.  The photo is off, since the yarn is turquoise, not blue blue.
Needle: US 10, one metal circular, one bamboo circular

Method:
~ Used Turkish cast on at the top of the head and 2 circulars to knit downwards.  It was really easy and resulted in a pouch that I could keep the yarn and needles in when not knitting on it.
~ Then I stuffed it and knitted the bottom closed in a flat hexagon so it would sit up.
~ I threw it in the wash to felt it a bit.  I have front loading washing and drying machines, so it didn't felt very much.
~ Embroidered on face with worsted weight wool.  I'll wash it again to felt it in place.  I hope.

Started Jan 12, 2012, finished Jan 19.  It really could be done in a just a few days but I've been sticking to my project rotation, so have worked on this only every 4 days.

I made it for Husband's secretary who is expecting her first kid in February.  I really love Momo.

I'm going to make a baby sweater or toy a month so I'll have something ready to give when I hear about an impending baby.

I forsee making several more Momos or stuffies.  I have so much feltable wool that needs to be used!

About Us

Went to California for Xmas instead of Wisconsin to see the in-laws.  Started in San Francisco for a few days and drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to Los Angeles, with a stop in Cambria half way on Christmas Eve.  Lovely trip with lots of knitting time.  I took my topdown raglan sweater to work on.  I started with a pattern, then modified it to add stitches in the bust but went too far and now it's all wonky. I modified the neckline too.

So, I have downloaded the Raglanify app onto my iPhone, entered my gauge from the non-wonky part of the sweater and will cast on sometime in the new year.

Currently my knitting rotation is:
Sister and Brother-in-Law's blanket.
Husband's blanket.
Baby Sweater for Husband's secretary (instead of the blanket).
My sweater or new baby blanket.  Not sure yet but that will be the project for Jan 1, 2012

Also my project for the new year is getting the adoption going.  We met with the consulting agency last week and they gave us feedback on the profile booklet we're putting together for birthmothers.

We've nearly finished the homestudy part where a social worker assesses our suitability as prospective parents, in an "objective" way.  This included criminal background checks, assessing our financial situation, visiting our home, getting letters of recommendation, and medical exam.  I understand wanting some minimum level of suitability, and am sure we meet or exceed all of them, but wonder how much leeway would be given to a poor couple, or a couple with health problems.

The profile booklet is much more subjective.  This is where we introduce ourselves to the birthmothers, describe where we live, what we do, how we live, our families and friends.  We spend the vacation taking pictures of ourselves as a happy couple, being careful to crop out any beer or wine glasses, and not cutting up like we usually do.

Putting this profile booklet is like posting on this blog or on Facebook.  Which sides of ourselves do we show?  We want to present ourselves as competent people, a happy couple, and fun-loving but not outrageous.

These booklets are given to the birthmoms and from these 15 to 20 pages of words and pictures, she decides whether or not we are the people she wants raising her child.

No pressure.

Managing projects

Not a great picture, but these are the knitting projects I'm focusing on now.

Three of them are gifts and are getting varying degrees of attention. So I decided to rotate them.  Everyday, I will work on one and then the next, work on another, and then the next day another, etc.  Some days I get more knitting in than others, so this should ensure that they all get some progress.  Especially the sloggy projects. 

I started this weekend and this is how it's shaking out so far.

Sat: started the Baby Blanket for Husband's secretary, who's due in February.  (Lower right)
Yarn:  Various worsted weight cotton and superwash wool yarns, held double.
Needle:  US 10 (6mm)
Construction:  Center out, stockingnette and garter stitches.

Sun:  Husband's Blanket (lower left)
Yarn: various worsted weight wool (not superwash, I don't know what I was thinking), black and pastel colors, held double.
Needle: US 10 (6mm)
Construction:  Using the Chinese Coin quilt pattern, but in stockingnette stitch

Mon: Sister and Brother-in-Law's Blanket (upper left)
Yarn: Various worsted weight superwash wool yarns in shades of blue and natural, held double.
Needle: US 10 (6mm)
Construction:  Cast on 200 stitches, random stockingnette stripes

Tue:  Sweater for me (upper right)
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed, DK weight
Needle: US 6 (4mm)
Construction:  Top down, funnel neck, raglan sleeves, stockingnette stitch.

Wed: back to the Baby Blanket
Thur: Husband's Blanket

and so on.

I just started this on Saturday, so we'll see how long I manage this. 

One snafu already: what will be my portable knitting?  So far, the DK weight sweater is still at a size and stage that is portable, and I'm going to a reading tonight, a lunch with a friend tomorrow, and an HOA meeting Wed night.  So I'll probably take the sweater for those days, and thus wrecking my knitting schedule already.

Option: Take the sweater out of the rotation, use it only as portable knitting.  Then add it to the rotation when it gets too big to be portable.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is Awesome

I recently saw the 80 minute video of Stephen Colbert, as himself, interviewing Neil deGrasse Tyson.  The talk was wide-ranging, funny, thoughtful, touching, and just really enjoyable. 

If you like or care about science, science fiction, pop culture, education, exploration, history, and eloquence, definitely go watch it at http://t.co/jewrEpJf

The part where he talked about how we are part of the universe, just like the planets and stars are, means that we, too, are made of star-stuff, brought tears to me eyes. 

Neil deGrasse Tyson is awesome.

Japanese and Taiwanese Craft Books

The crochet books are from Japan, the Katchwork book is from Taiwan.  The book at the lower left is from Japan but I bought the Chinese language translated version in Taiwan.

My favorite book is the lower left, by the collective Knot.  Below are the 2 pieces that made me want to buy the book:

And this picture makes me want to dress like this:

The pieces are simple crocheted bits made with DMC embroidery thread, combined in ways I hadn't thought of.

The book with the red flower is full of crocheted flowers.  And I got it for the red flower on the cover.

Below is the hat that I got the pale crocheting book for:

Here's the pattern for it:

It is highly, highly unlikely that I'll make this hat.

Below is the Avril yarn company retail section at the Handicrafts department of a department store in the Shinsaibashi shopping area of Osaka, Japan.  The yarn is sold by the gram off the cones. 

Here's the wool yarn I bought there:

The Katchwork book is written by a woman named Kat who was inspired by American quilts of the 1930s (really, 1920 to 1950s).  There are instructions for making American scrap quilts as well at items like these below.