A Soft Quiet Deadly Secret

What Does Women's Suffrage Have to do with Modern Liberal Feminism?

In contrast to the modern definition of Liberal Feminism, it is understandably difficult to associate it with the traditionally held understanding of women’s suffrage movement of the early Twentieth century. The goals that were introduced at that time were arguably less prodigious than those of modern day feminists. However, those goals were the beginning of a concept of equality under the law that persists as the basis for the modern day Liberal Feminist Movement. Many feminists at that time were hoping merely to add their voice to the democratic process without the need to be married and vote vicariously through their husbands. Yet, as that voice gained courage and momentum feminists sought, not only influence the government, but to be considered equals under its jurisdiction.


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What's So "New" About the New Atheist Movement?

It Began with a Telephone Call

In 2003 a study was conducted by the American Mosaic Project, which was to be the first in a series of national studies of race, religion and diversity. In a random telephone sampling of 2,081 households nationwide, 90% of those polled thought that those of Caucasian descent and those of African descent could share their vision of society. Approximately 80% responded with the inclusion of Hispanics, Jews and conservative Christians. Over 70% felt the same way about immigrants in general. 64% even believed the same of Muslims, in spite of the study taking place in the wake of the attacks on 9/11/01.

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Women's Empowerment in the Workplace: Why Equality Doesn't Cut It

When Peggy McIntosh wrote her ground-breaking treatise on white privilege her beginning statements outlined that the impetus for her ability to notice these privileges was born out of her research on male privilege in general. It was this inception which allowed her to extend her understanding of a hierarchical society to include white privilege as a whole. Meaning that, while men in general have intrinsic privileges that women do not, white women are also intrinsically over-privileged, with relation to black women and men because of their color.

Her premise in “Unpacking the Invisible Backpack” mentions a school-mate and colleague, who puts it quite succinctly,

“Whites are taught to think of their lives as a morally neutral, normative, and average, also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work which will allow “them” to be more like ‘us’.”

While she was referring to the on-going problem of racial privilege, it also quite aptly describes the innate problem with the emergence of women’s rights with in a man’s world.

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Female Genital Mutilation: The Facts

Female Genital Mutilation sometimes called Female Genital Cutting, is a practice where reconstructive surgery is performed on various parts of the vagina tissue with the intent to reduce sensation to the area. It has been suggested that Female Genital Mutilation could also be a significant factor in the acceleration of the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and full-blown Aquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) through numerous mechanisms. There are many variants of this procedure and as many goals. The World Health Organization has divided the most common types into Four Basic Types.

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Title IX Coordinators: What Every Woman Needs to Know

In 1972 Congress passed a groundbreaking piece of legislation which required gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding. In order to ensure compliance, each recipient of Federal Funding must designate a coordinator which oversees and regulates compliance. These coordinators provide, not only a lifeline for gender equality, they are the backbone which gives substance to the legislation by ensuring that the Title’s intentions are carried out to the letter of the law.

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How Racial Profiling Makes Justice Harder On Everyone

Racial profiling is an exceptionally sloppy method of detective work for any crime, including those that have a racially identifiable suspect. The officer is in effect using a process of elimination technique as a means of uncovering evidence and subconsciously begins avoiding other avenues of investigation. A detective cannot afford to be ignoring vital clues at any period in his search, but especially not so early on when the situation is at its most sensitive period.

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Do PBS Budget Cuts Affect Preschooler Science Education?

Many adults with children of preschool ages have vivid memories of watching Saturday morning cartoons. Unfortunately, their educational substance amounted to little more than leaving children with the impression that using explosives was the preferred way of resolving feuds amongst sarcastic anthropomorphic woodland creatures. When their parents insisted that too television would “rot the brain” there may have been a lot of protesting, however, there was little a kid could say to counter the accusation. As the years progressed the producers of TV programing seemed to have appreciated that entertainment need not be incompatible with education. Understandably, parents have been skeptical that the television could be a helpful tool in teaching and development; however, the shows and their writers have been difficult to ignore. However, with threats from Washington lawmakers that subsidies for Public Broadcasting Stations could be significantly reduced or cut off altogether, the timing has never been more urgent to spread the word regarding their efforts to provide the nation’s youngest citizens with quality academic tools right inside their living rooms.

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New Bill Leaves EPA Powerless Over Big Business Polluters

Two related bills were just voted down in the House that would have far reaching ramifications throughout the legislature and the United States. The wording of the Bill would have declared the existence of Climate Change. It may come as no surprise to some then that the next Bill on the agenda was also voted down;as it was to declare Climate Change anthropogenic;or in lay-men's terms, "caused by humans". These weren’t just simple amendments being put forth by Democrats in the House of Representatives. They were attempting to thwart the advancement of the impending Upton-Inhofe Bill which is to be presented before the House. In short, this Bill will effectively strip the EPA of it's ability to regulate large corporations who dump these gases into the atmosphere.

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Neuron Discovery Possible New Link in Autism Mystery

About 30 years before the term even came into use in the medical community defining what today is known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, a unique neuron was discovered for the first time. In 1926 it was eventually detailed by Viennese Anatomist, Constantin von Economo. Sadly, after the identification of this neurological structure, it was overlooked for nearly a century. The rediscovery was finally made by a team of Neuroscientists at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine who couldn’t help but notice the unusual size of these cells in an area of the brain that is only active when the person is experiencing emotion. These scientists would go on to find that only certain types of animal brains seem to even possess these cells at all.

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Full Frontal Feminism Leaves Few Options for Teen Girls

Jessica Valenti is a popular, outspoken blogger from the feminist website Feministing.com who has taken her column to print in her new book, “Full Frontal Feminism”. The book touts itself as a wake-up call for a generation of young women who have grown up in a world spurred on by feminists but where the actual word “feminist”, carries for them a negative social connotation of pushy, angry, self-absorbed, man haters. While some view her book as an excellent primer for a group of girls not yet versed on the basics of feminist theory, others see it as an immature hodgepodge of dumbed down, self-help sound bites that neither educates nor adequately portrays neither the feminist struggle nor the ideals to which the fore-mothers of the women’s suffrage and feminist portions of the civil rights movement gave their passion, sweat and blood.

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Religion Not Necessary for Human Morality

It was once said that one’s concept of God is modeled after one’s experience with one’s father. A rather Freudian assessment; it certainly sheds a different and rather interesting light on the various religions of the world. Perhaps it causes one to wonder what the world would be like ecumenically, and even politically, had the founders of those religions only had different dads. Regardless of this little thought experiment, there does seem to be an inherent tendency to assume a correlative relationship between organizations with rules and the ability to follow them. However, the mere existence of rules, does not necessarily assume that the rules were formed in the best interests of those that are to follow them; or that even if they were formed with that intention, that they accomplished that goal. There are many kinds of religion and not all of them organized as such. Some individuals and smaller communities create spiritual guidelines to grant a sense of ethereal meaning. However, what are the natural morals that must then be adopted if there is no ethereal plane? What, then, if there is no religion at all? Let us take the time to really imagine.

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Immigration Laws Cause Breakthrough.tv to Change Campaign Message

Breakthrough.tv is a non-profit multi-media organization that is based out of India and the United States whose mission is focused primarily on raising awareness for social justice issues such as: violence against women, HIV/AIDS, immigration and racial issues. Fundraising galas take place annually and are frequented by many high profile guests such as John Sykes, President of Network Development at MTV Networks, legendary soul and funk star Asha Puthli, and Emmy-, Tony- and Grammy Award-winner, Cynthia Nixon. In 2006 the organization was recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative for their work in raising awareness of unjust immigration laws in the U.S. called, “Value Families”.

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Obama's Internet "Kill Switch" Bill: Protection or Propaganda?

Before the new session of Congress was in session, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs had already passed a temporary bill granting the President the right to shut down sensitive parts of the Internet’s infrastructure. This was put in place in the event of a terrorist cyber-attack against the country.

Before the Riots
In lieu of recent events in Egypt; there have been many in Congress who have been pushing behind the scenes to renew the bill permanently. These proponents, however, have been scrutinized by civil rights activists who feel the Federal government has no place being in the position to shut down the communication abilities of so many.
President Obama was highly critical when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak shut down internet access his own people when riots protesting the legitimacy of his administration broke out. However, in spite of his opposition, talks in the US have already begun that, on the surface seem to give the Obama administration this exact authority.

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What You Don't Know About Being Homeless- But Need To.

Close your eyes if you are afraid, if it scares you. You feel an uncomfortable emptiness in the pit of your stomach and a catch in your throat because you don't know what to say. Try to think of something else; anything.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath. This is far too uncomfortable and the answers that exist are not going to make you feel worse. The sights, the smells, the uncontrolled madness.

It doesn’t wait for you; but continues whether you choose to open your eyes or not, if you walk down the wrong street, at the wrong time at the right time, all the time.

Don’t breathe, because they can tell when they can look at you; they're about to corner you; they can smell you; you're not one of them. And you are so afraid.

They touch you just to watch you squirm. They must be mentally ill. They must be alcoholics, lazy or on drugs. Why don't they go to a shelter? Why won't they just get a job?

Close your eyes. You're home now. Lock the door. Check it. You're safe; for now.

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