Feminist Monday, February 27

Hello, y'all. Hope you're having a good Monday and things are moving smoothly. I watched the Oscars last night and it was more than a bit interesting. I used to not care so much about the Oscars, but ever since being nominated for the Campbell (thank you!) I've had a change of heart. I make a point of watching. I understand it now. I get what it's like to sit in one of those chairs and hope. I get why it hurts so much to lose. I get why it's also such an honor to be nominated at all--to see yourself on a list of folks that you look up to. I enjoy it now. I'm genuinely happy for the nominees. This year seemed like the year that Hollywood woke up. A number of folks made political statements about diversity which was great to see. Kimmell lost as many points as he gained. (The comment about names was racist. Then he turned around and trolled Trump for everyone to see.) All in all, things went well--that is, until La La Land was announced as the winner for Best Picture rather than Moonlight the actual winner. See, what happened was that Warren Beatty noticed he'd been given the envelope for an award that had already been given (Best Actress) and confused, he showed it to Faye Dunaway. Faye was the one that mis-spoke the winning title because she was guessing instead of telling everyone they had the wrong envelope. It wasn't the only snafu, apparently. A photo of an Australian producer was used in the slide show featuring greats who died over the past year. The name of the deceased was correct, Janet Patterson (a costume designer) but the photo was of Jan Chapman, and she's very much alive. Somebody really wasn't doing their job, it seems. What  a nightmare. Mind you, everyone else on the stage handled the situation like professionals--as expected. But trust me, when you're up for something that huge having the award snatched away like that is your worst nightmare. Well, that and tripping and falling in front of everyone. Anyway, I'm thrilled that Moonlight took the Oscar. I just wish the snafu hadn't marred the celebration.

​And now, todays video:

Entertainment/Literary: Why Do We Allow LGB Celebrities to Act Transphobic? And I'm an Arab actor who's been asked to audition for the role of terrorist more than 30 times. If La La Land cleans up at the Oscars, I'm done. The good news is: it didn't. Next: Following in Le Guin's Footsteps: Female Fantasy Writers. Also, Queen Of Katwe's Mira Nair Shows People Caught Between Cultures: 52 Weeks Of Directors. Lastly, I felt this one was of particular interest given the current political climate: High Noon’s Secret Backstory.

General: How the French Mathematician Sophie Germain Paved the Way for Women in Science and Almost Saved Gauss’s Life. In case you're unaware of some of the history of protest marches: 'Community Justice' exhibit at FAU revisits political activism of the '60s and '70s. Also, Institute Professor Emerita Mildred Dresselhaus, a pioneer in the electronic properties of materials, dies at 86. And Our journey to the front lines in the fight against ISIS. And for the final link: The Resistance Is the Majority of Americans — Not a New Tea Party.