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The internet's a-buzzin' with talk of Obama's "first 100 days." I myself have been wondering what exactly is so significant about the first 100 days, until I saw Jon Stewart ask historian Doris Kearns Goodwin the same question. Apparently, since FDR did so much in his first 100 days as president, every president thereafter has been measured in the same way, using FDR's accomplishments as a yardstick. Watch Goodwin's opinion on the first 100 days:


So far, I'm pleased with what I'm seeing. Obama is behaving in the way I hoped he would - he's remaining personable and connected to the public, open-minded yet firm in his decisions, and I see a conscious effort on his part to keep his promises. And because we're facing urgent issues that need quick action, like the recession, I know that women's issues are in danger of taking the back seat. However, I have seen Obama do more for women in his first 100 days than I ever could have imagined any president doing. There is a breakdown in The Huffington Post of everything he has done so far, from overturning the global gag rule to signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

The rest of America seems to agree. A poll by NBC and the Wall Street Journal showed that "more than six in 10 approve of Obama's job, nearly two-thirds view him favorably, and a majority believe he has gotten off to a solid start during his first three months on the job."

Overall, he's more popular than George W. and Clinton were in their first 100 days. I can't wait to see what Obama has in store for the next 100 days.

Hi lovely readers. Just a quick reminder that my online radio show at BlogTalkRadio.com is today at 5PM EST. You can listen to it live here, and you can call in using the number provided. If you miss it, it will be recorded and kept in my archive, so you can give it a listen whenever. Please call in and offer your two cents! I'll be talking about sexism, so I'm sure all of you will have plenty to say.

Watch this POS and you won't believe it. It's a trailer for a new movie "Dance Flick," which not only looks horrendous, but also loves milking the black stereotypes. Watch as Pregnant Black Girl with an Afro gives birth on a dance floor and puts her baby in her locker. Another trailer for the movie apparently shows they also make fun of the stereotypical absent "baby daddy."



Classy.

Today is Equal Pay Day. Just some stats (from pay-equity.org) to remind everyone how far from pay equity we actually are:



But we are making progress. Feminists were thrilled to see the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act signed by Obama in January.

The National Committee on Pay Equity has a list of activities you can do today, including wearing red to show that women are kept "in the red." Also, take a few minutes to contact your representatives and let them know how important pay equity is to you. Changes in law won't solve wage gaps, but it helps.

I feel the need to call some attention to Tony Tomazic's blog post on crumpleitup.com, which is causing quite the outrage. Here's his main point: the fatter we are, the harder we are on the environment. Unfortunately, society has come to "accept" and "normalize" obesity, and now more than ever, we need to shame fat people into getting thin for the sake of our planet. Tomazic speculates:

So, if that's the problem, then what's the answer? Fundamentally, we need to depreciate the perceived social value for this kind of habit. What about taxing excessive indulgence? I'm not talking about US Federal Income Tax, I'm talking about inter-personal "social" taxes. Taxes that diminish that false perception in the social value of overdoing it. How would society react if obese people were required to stand in a different line at the bank? Only be allowed to see movies at certain times? Only be able to order certain foods in restaurants? What would happen if society fought back the disastrous perception that it's OK to eat yourself (and the planet) to death?

First of all, I'm not entirely sure where he's getting this preposterous belief that our society is just oh so accepting of fat people, because I'm really not seeing it.

Second of all, standing in different lines? Only able to go to certain restaurants? So... I guess it's just not enough that most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women. Or that about half of all American women are currently dieting. That fat people are seeing as disgusting, unhealthy, unsexy beings. Or that overweight people have to pay more for a plane ticket or for clothing that fits. What about the fact that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder? In his blog post, Tomazic mentions "eating ourselves to death", but what in the hell does he think would happen if fat people were quarantined like diseased animals? I think we'd all be starving ourselves right to the grave.

But it's OK. At least our carbon footprint would be smaller.

Jill at Feministe really summed it up when she said, "With swine flu now hitting the United States, I figured it was only a matter of time before someone started to blame Mexicans."

Check out radio host and ignoramus Neal Boortz as he proclaims, "What better way to sneak a virus into this country than to give it to Mexicans?"



And all the bullshit about this being a terrorist attack through Mexico? *Rolls eyes* Give me a break.

Once again, efforts to allow gays and lesbians to serve as clergy in the U.S.A. Presbyterian Church have failed. From MSNBC:

Last summer, the 2.3 million-member denomination's General Assembly voted to drop a constitutional requirement that would-be ministers, deacons and elders live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between and a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness."

Any such change requires approval by a majority of the nation's 173 presbyteries, or regional church bodies. Those votes have been trickling in for months, and on Saturday enough "no" votes had been recorded to clinch the measure's defeat.

The good news? The vote was extremely close - much closer than it was in previous years, showing that support for openly gay clergy is growing. I suppose more and more people are realizing that the point of religion is not to exclude people because they're different, but to accept with open arms anyone and everyone who wants to worship. Such a simple concept... so why is it so hard for people to grasp?

If you enjoy my blog, you'll just LOVE my new online radio show. Don't miss my first show, which is this week, in which the topic is: the subtle sexism that plagues our culture, and why it's bad that we've come to accept it. The show will be:

Thursday, April 30th @ 5PM EST

My show can be listened to live at that date and time at this URL. If you miss it, it will be recorded, so you can listen to the episode whenever. But if you listen live, you can call in (using the number provided on the website) to chat with me, debate me, call me a moron, whatever you like. It's so exciting! I hope I can count on a few readers to become listeners :)

Saw this posted in Womanist Musings and I was utterly appalled. This is a "news" story on how a Popeye's restaurant ran out of chicken one day, causing customers to be outraged. Do you see a pattern amongst the people who were interviewed? What a racist piece of crap this is.