the feminist librarian reads

May 31

OH SNAP

Hardcore, hard-wired: How the prevalence of porn is changing our everyday lives.

I’m quoted in the Independent today. “Has spent the past three years travelling to three continents, interviewing more than 150 young people to see how realistic our current views of sex and porn actually are” sounds so much more glamorous than “spends her days writing magazine articles from her couch”. Although both are technically correct.

browndresswithwhitedots:

dawndh

Defense Of Marriage Act Is Unconstitutional, Federal Court Rules | Mark Memmot @ NPR.org

In its decision, the First Circuit Court writes that “many Americans believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and most Americans live in states where that is the law today. One virtue of federalism is that it permits this diversity of governance based on local choice, but this applies as well to the states that have chosen to legalize same-sex marriage. Under current Supreme Court authority, Congress’ denial of federal benefits to same-sex couples lawfully married in Massachusetts has not been adequately supported by any permissible federal interest.”

“Sometimes skipping a yoga class to rest on the couch and read a book is exactly what you need, and self-care is the ultimate form of yoga.” A Lazy Gal’s Guide to Yoga (via jedicrow)

(via jedicrow)

Librarianship --> Supernatural --> Spivak [WAGN #4]

This morning on the way to work, a conversation about my job title which is under revision ...
A: ... I suppose I could suggest something along the lines of the "Hortense E. Lillianfeld Librarian of ..."
H: Well, what you'd really want is something like "The Harkness Memorial Chair ..." or "The Winchester Family Chair ..."
A: Mmm. Yes. Obviously.
H: The problem being, of course, that those aren't local names.
A: Yeah, well Winchester ...
H: West and West Coast, not New England.
A: Right.
(pause)
H: I suppose you could -- what's that word they use? ... In Orientalism?
A: Uh ...
H: About the British Army ...
A: Um ... adjutant?
H: Mmm. Not quite. But close.
A: Auxillary?
H: About, like, a branch of ...
A: Auxillary?
H: No. (pause) In that big article. By Spivak.
A: Subaltern!
H: Yes! That. There's a term like that in genealogy. For dead-end branches of the family. You could argue there was an East Coast one of those. For the Winchesters. And name your chair after them.
A: Perfect.

May 30

wickedknickers:

inneroptics: Belloc

Gateway Sexual Activities | Alyssa @ Not So Secret

this post originally got sent to my partner’s tumblr instead of my own (sorry @jedicrow!), so here it is at the correct tumblr this time around …

Here’s the thing about sex: Everything about us is sexual. Our sexuality isn’t this little thing that is neatly partitioned in one little aspect of our beings that can be brought out just now and then like a holiday elf that you stick on the mantle. Our sexuality lives in our heart, our soul, our brain, our muscles, our fears, our dreams, the way we use our bodies. It has its salty little fingers in every area of our saucy selves. Everything we do is a “gateway sexual activity.”

(via glisseos)

Chat with Naomi Wolf is educational….. | Amanda Marcotte @ Pandagon

Never mind all the people who don’t think that coupledom means the end of being a singular erotic being, and who in fact find that having a fantasy life and a sense of erotic possibility keep things from going stale with their partners. Which I suspect is more common than people who say, “Well as long as I avoid masturbating, I’ll get pent up enough to get aroused enough for a bout of unimaginative sex with my partner.” But it gets better.