Fellow Takepart blogger Katie Halper recently talked about the annoying, backwards notion expressed last year in Vanity Fair that women aren’t funny and then the follow up piece in 2008 basically saying “woopsies! We meant to say to say that women are funny.” The while Vanity Fair discussion for lots of folks talking as bloggers continue to write about this absurd and annoying topic.

Can we just drop the lame debate that women are somehow comically inferior to men? Enough already. Yes some female comedians, as Christopher Hitchens says “often talk about things that women can relate to–relationships with men, babies, periods, shopping, love. As a man, I can’t relate to all that.” Well guess what? Some male comedians often talk about things that men can relate to-relationships with women, babies, their dicks, sports, love. And as a woman, I can relate to all that. I may not have the exact same experiences with some “men” topics but I can relate to the emotions behind those topics the same way an intelligent audience member should be able to relate to “women” topics. Our experiences may differ but most feelings are universal.

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Things don’t seem to be getting any better in China as a deadly riot broke out on Saturday In Beijing.

A peaceful monk-dominated demonstration gave way to angry looting/arson/chaos/etc. over the past few days, and now the streets of Lhasa are full of tanks and teargas and fires. [Jezebel]

The chaos is being blamed on many including followers of the Dalai Lama which China accused of “masterminding the uprising, which shatters its carefully-cultivated image of national harmony in the build-up to the Beijing Olympic Games.”

One of those “followers” is Bjork who, last month shouted ‘Tibet, Tibet’ after singing her song “Declare Independence” at a concert in Shanghai. The Chinese Culture Ministry said her actions “broke Chinese law and hurt Chinese people’s feelings.”

 

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. This week we celebrated some of our own favorite top 10 bloggers who work night and day to provide us up-to-date info on films, literature, and feminist news. Don’t miss these exciting and informative blogs, as well as some of our most popular stories of the week.

Katie:

“La Misma Luna Under the Same Moon,” Not the Same Old Movie

Top 5 Eco-Friendly Gadgets for Under $50

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Nicole:

Top 10 Literary and Book Blogs

NBC11 First Wind Powered TV Station

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Giulia:

Top 10 Feminist Blogs

Horton: The New Mascot for Pro-Life

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Gina:

Top 10 Film Blogs

Top 10 Films I Would See If I Was At SXSW

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Kerry:

Our Pharmaceutically Fouled Water Supply

Top 7 New Sins Against God’s Green Earth

Written by women for women, these top 10 blogs focus on issues, news, and gossip geared toward educating, entertaining and empowering girls. While I’m sure there are plenty of men who enjoy the writings of these well-spoken gals, these blogs are predominately speaking to their sisters.

1. Feministing believes that young women are rarely given the opportunity to speak on their own behalf on issues that affect their lives and futures.Feministing provides a platform for us to comment, analyze and influence.
2. Feministe is one of the oldest feminist blogs designed by and run by women from the ground up.
3. Our Bodies Our Blog is your your daily dose of women’s health news and analysis.
4. Jezebel is a blog for women that will attempt to take all the essentially

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Here’s something to chew on.

Jezebel reports that global food prices are so high Haitians are feeding themselves dirt — or more specifically, mud cookies made with salt and vegetable shortening. AP reporter Jonathan Katz sampled one: it had “a smooth consistency and sucked all the moisture out of the mouth as soon as it touched the tongue. For hours, an unpleasant taste of dirt lingered.” To be sure, this isn’t some innovation borne simply of the desperation of the time; Haiti has long been the poorest country in the Western hemisphere (Here’s a decent primer as to why), and the immune system strengthening power of dirt cookies, or “pica” have long made them such a staple of the impoverished woman’s prenatal diet in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean that some women actually get cravings for them during pregnancy.

I’m sorry but no one deserves to eat dirt.

For ways to help hunger in Haiti visit http://www.worldhungerrelief.org/haiti/index.html

 Apparently the first working Monday after the New Year is the biggest day to file for divorce.

According to The Guardian a survey of 2,000 troubled couples indicated that 42% were splitting due to discovering (over Christmas) that their partner was having an affair. 29% blamed boredom.

Lawyers have even nicknamed today, D-day aka “divorce day.”

Derek Bedlow of InsideDivorce.com says “Unfortunately, there are just so many opportunities for things to go badly at Christmas.”

Yikes! Thank God my hubby got me a good Christmas gift this year.

For more on divorce and support during this often difficult process, visit http://www.divorcesupport.com/

 Jezebel had some interesting commentary on this NY Magazine article about 45 sex offenders living in one small Long Island town, saying “What do you do with sex offenders? If normal straight dudes in prison go gay — and rapey — almost immediately upon entering prison, why do we foist isolation among all sex offenders without regard to the nature of their offense? Or more to the point, why don’t we spend more time investigating the nature of sex offenses?”Both pieces are worth a read especially since the question of what to do with sex offenders remains unanswered. For more on registered sex offenders, including lists of offenders in your area visit http://www.familywatchdog.us/

Jezebel directed readers to perhaps the lamest and pompous personal ad listed ever. Apparently the 28-year-old banker has so much money and so little love and is hoping the promise of designer bags and “get(ting) each other off fabulously.”Click here to read his pathetic Craigslist post, see how far you can get before vomiting.I have an idea, instead of letting your 772k bonus burn a hole in your pocket, why not donate to someone really in need of a home this year? Oh wait, but they may not sleep with you so why bother giving without receiving, right?Gross.If you’d like to help the homeless, unlike this dude, visit www.helpthehomelessdc.org

According to The New York Times morning shows are for the Miss’s saying “the fourth hour of “Today” feels less like an extension of the three-hour show than a cozy Tupperware party that never ends.”Filled with fashion reports, homemaker tips, and weight loss 101’s, early day programming has become geared toward women and rarely toward anything less than frivolous. Is it such a bad thing? I mean the common viewer of such shows is female and as a gal I can say that I am interested in makeup tips and style reports. However are these shows perpetuating the stereo-type that women have only lofty interests at heart by just reporting on handbags and halter tops and not healthcare reform and hostage situations? And according to viewers, women are bored with the rotation of boring topics.I think the gals at Jezebel best summed it up when saying What do women really want out of morning television, anyway, if not handbags, diet tips and Whoopi Goldberg? News and weather?

By Giulia Rozzi

Katherine Heigl, star of the comedy hit “Knocked Up” says she found the film to be sexist.

According to the NY Post Heigl explains “it paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys,” she says. “It was hard for me to love the movie.”

Of course this truth was revealed after Katherine received payment and accolades from the film.

Was the film really sexist or was it simply poking fun at one type of male/female dynamic? Truth is, there are women who are humorless and uptight just like there are men who are humorless and uptight but this film decided not to show those men. So does character choice equate to sexism?

For feminist new, issues and campaigns visit feminist.org.