VT (for all of my design-obsessed peeps)

imagecourtesyindigenousdialogues Peeps, Perhaps because of a heavy demand, or a shortage of that particular DVD, I waited quite a long time for it to arrive, and if at risk of sounding almost cliched, it was worth the wait.   The Stoning of Soraya M. , director Cyrus Nowrasteh's drama based on a true story about the stoning of an innocent woman/wife/cousin/niece/neighbor/friend in the rural village of Kuhpayeh, is shocking for its realistic portrayal of a marriage where a husband plots with the local mullah to have his wife falsely accused of adultery in order to divorce her and marry a young girl.   Rather than have to bear the financial burden of maintaining two households, Ali (the husband) fabricates an alleged affair.  Soraya, her aunt, (and I believe that most of the Western world) are surprised (and shocked) once it is explained that in this particular system of law, if a man is accused of infidelity by his wife, she must prove his guilt, but if a woman is ...

photokacperkasprzyk fordazedandconfusedmag courtesyarch/dez/art Peeps, In response to numerous inquiries today, this week's blog series is inspired by the book entitled The Second Sex written by French existentialist Simone de Beauvoir, and released to critical acclaim in 1949.  It is a work in two volumes (the first entitled Facts and Myths , and the second, Lived Experience ) about the treatment of women throughout history, and is regarded as a major treatise on feminist philosophy, and considered by many as the starting point of 2nd-wave feminism.  Having studied this particular book under the guidance of Dr Debra Bergoffen, I've kept my copy, and frequently turn to individual passages when I try to understand the justifications given by some politicians regarding their attempts to limit the autonomy of women, especially in the area of reproductive rights, and wage equality.   In part two of the first volume, "History," Beauvoir states that two factors wh...