[This includes content regarding sexual assault of a child and links to articles that include details of aforementioned sexual abuse.]
Author: Zahra Tahirah
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Hearty Winter Soup
Here’s my recipe for Hearty Winter soup (named after this episode of Frasier). I use no-salt added or low sodium canned products to control the sodium content. I like making this soup because there’s not much preparation involved and I can smell it cooking while I watch TV or read a book. It’s good for […]
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5 Songs That Irritate the Activism In Me
When you spend a lot of time discussing and reading about social issues, entertainment is no longer viewed through the same lens. Sometimes overhearing the most seemingly benign pop song will irritate me, and I’m off on a rant…
This post contains spoilers for last week’s episode of Scandal and includes discussion of rape.
I’m filling in for Moretta this week! This week’s episode opens with Jake going back to his apartment (at Olivia’s suggestion). He asks if Fitz knows who her father is. It’s obvious that Fitz does not. He asks how Fitz could protect her, and she says that her father wouldn’t hurt her. He reminds her […]
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Deconstructing Hugo: Revisited
Nearly a year ago, I researched and interviewed Hugo Schwyzer. After the interview was published, I kept up the occasional email communication with Schwyzer and continued to peruse some of his work.
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An Open Letter to Miley Cyrus
Dear Miley, You’ve received your fair share of criticism in recent years. I confess, I liked your show, and I’ve danced to “See You Again” in my living room. I thought you were okay. Like the rest of America, I’ve seen your progression to movies and a solo career. When you started with the twerk and ratchet […]
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Shuffle: The Soundtrack of Grief
“Think of Me” I remember coming home from school when I was seven. My mother would be at work by then. She would leave the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack playing on repeat and it would always be playing when I came home and walked into the living room. It felt as if she was […]
After gender studies writer Hugo Schywzer “quit” the Internet and had a mental breakdown (on which I believe everything that has to be said has been said on various media outlets), Blogger Mikki Kendall started the Twitter hashtag #solidarityisforwhitewomen. It has opened up a long-overdue discussion on the inherent racism in mainstream feminism. Jezebel (former home […]
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No Justice for Trayvon
“Only in America can a dead black boy go on trial for his own murder.” – Syreeta McFadden
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(Not So) Accidental Racist
Country singer Brad Paisley has co-written a song, “Accidental Racist” about the reaction he gets when wearing a Confederate flag. My reaction when I heard it: What exactly is accidental about it?
I turned thirteen in 1994. I started eight grade, I reluctantly stopped playing with my Barbie dolls because I decided that thirteen was way too grown-up for dolls, and I spent a lot of time in the library (sadly, my card catalogue knowledge is useless these days).
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Comfort Movies
When the Winter blues inevitably strike, there’s a stack of movies that always make me feel a little better. Over the years, these same movies have become my cinematic version of comfort food. These are a few of my favorites:
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I’m So OCD
Recently, it has become common for people to refer to their quirks as OCD. It strikes me as absurd. (I won’t even go into the grammatical problems with that phrase. You can’t be a disorder!)
February is American Heart Month (also known as Heart Health Month). Most of the information we hear about heart disease is geared towards men, despite the fact that one in three women suffer from some type of heart disease.