Remember my last post back in August 2010 about the cover of Women’s Running Magazine? I did wind up canceling that subscription and oddly, my Runner’s World subscription stopped coming to me at the same time. That was no skin off my nose, as I wasn’t interested in reading it anyway.
Or so I thought.
I found that a lot of my motivation to run, to try new trails wasn’t because I enjoy it (I don’t), it was because Runner’s World magazine offered me helpful tips on many things, that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Sure, I could go to the website and find articles, but the problem is two-fold: 1) I’d wind up searching for the same items or 2) I find myself getting bored with technical speak or stories on athletes, I don’t care about.
When I signed up for last month’s Firecracker race, I got a subscription to Runner’s World. Last Friday, I received my first copy and…
When I saw it, I just laughed, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I recently received the Sept/Oct 2010 Women’s Running magazine and there’s a strong chance I may cancel the subscription. The magazine itself has some almost-useful-to-me information, but each time it comes in the mail, I’m reminded that the magazine is really not geared to me as a black female.
Women's Running magazine
Just a glance at recent covers can tell you that. In the two years this magazine has been coming to my house, I don’t ever remember a woman of color on the front of the magazine. Inside the magazine, not one of the articles features a woman of color. Three ads contain a woman of color: One Latina near the beginning of the magazine, then on page 76 (this issue is 80 pages) in the lower left corner and again on the back of the magazine. The only time you see females of color accompanying an article is when they are children. Of course! It’s so uplifting to see young black and brown girls interested in fitness. *eyeroll*
Of course, this is nothing new. Women of color are be used to the dearth of useful information in magazines geared to (white) women. Self, Shape, Women’s Fitness, Prevention, and Fitness Magazine have never pretended to cater to me. That’s why I will never subscribe or read these magazines. But when I saw “Women’s Running” (previously Her Running), I had wrongly assumed that meant all women. If anything, this is extremely clear in the beauty sections, which mainly focus on products geared to those with fair skin and non-kinky hair. In other words, I’m not going to hold my breath expecting an article on which hair care products are best for black women who swim. Which is okay. I don’t need Women’s Running to change to fit me.
I think what astounds me most, is that when you consider the make up of the US Woman’s Track & Field team, it is mostly black women. I do not recall seeing them interviewed in this magazine. However, I do see many interviews from past white Olympians, including those who have never won a medal. When I go running in my neighborhood the young Latinas and older Asian women put rest to the belief that only white women run. When I join a race and see so many black women of various ages, I refuse to believe the image these magazines give me. There is a reason that I follow @blackgirlsrun on Twitter.
Sadly, there’s not many options for me out there. Heart & Soul magazine has a very, very limited fitness section. I used to subscribe to this magazine for years, but figured it was time to let go when I only wanted to read one article from it. Instead, I’ll continue what I’ve been doing; sending out tweets and blog posts asking black female athletes for tips. Word of mouth is strong among black women. We have that going for us.
We had a Ford Focus for 4 days and it came with SiriusXM Radio. It was an interesting time, but I’m still not sure that service is worth $10 – $20 a month. Here’s a handful of things I’ve discovered about the service and myself:
There really is no need for a Grateful Dead station or a Bruce Springsteen station for that matter.
Chris Matthews sounds even more insane when you’re listening to him and not watching him.
Soul Town is possibly the best radio station ever created.
The comedy stations are truly not funny.
There are too many commericials, considering you’re paying for the service.
Classical music while driving is dangerous for me.
The reggae station, The Joint, is nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be, but they do need to kick back on the Marley.
The Latin stations are infinitely better than what’s played on broadcast.
That’s about it…for my listening choices. I thought it pretty neat there was a station that played Showtunes, but the ones I listened to I own already. I wonder though, what others get out of the service.
A few months ago, I read an article about people who only play Xbox to get achievements. I thought it was rather sad and depressing. From my point of view, life is too short to play bad games just because you can get points that mean and do nothing. Never in a million years did I think I’d be raising two kids addicted to achievements.
I think it all started this past week. My daughter, who has had her XBL login since ’08, had 65 gamer points. My son, who got his login in December, had 150 points. Naturally, she thought that unfair. Somehow, in all of this, it became my responsibility to pass levels for them. Why? Not just because of the achievements, but because they want to play many characters at once. They can’t do that in Story Mode.
So, now my days are spent passing or “helping” them pass levels to unlock Free Play. High-fives all around once a level is complete. There is dancing if more than 3 canisters are collected in a round. It’s a good thing these Lego games are fun and pretty easy to play. I’ve played some levels 6 times now and I still find new rooms.
I got an email from Telecom TV with the screaming headline:
Oh dear! 52 per cent of consumers don’t want an iPad
I know, right? So I click the link and start reading. Keep in mind that Martyn Warwick will never be called a fan of Apple or Steve Jobs.
?Last month, before the new device was launched, an earlier survey showed that 26 per cent of consumers who were aware of the hype surrounding the imminent arrival of the iPad had no interest in buying one.
Now a follow-up study indicates that, as the Retrevo blog puts it, Apple has suffered “a failure to convince any new buyers to consider the iPad.” It adds, “Not only did Apple fail to convince new buyers, it may have lost many potential buyers who now say they don’t think they need an Apple tablet computer.”
That’s because, to quote Retrevo again, “Consumers lost interest after the [iPad] announcement. Retrevo’s study asked consumers whether or not they had heard about the tablet before the tablet was introduced and again after the announcement. The word definitely got out as the number of respondents saying they had heard about the tablet rose from 48% shortly before the announcement to over 80% after the media frenzy on January 27th.”
Wow, right? But guess what? I’m not a tech person and I’ve never heard of Retrevo before this article. I’m not going to just take this at face value. I want to know the polling size, how the people were selected, the questions…in other words, the details. So, I searched for “Retrevo ipad survey” (without the quotes) and noticed a link to MacDailyNews at the top of the search results touting the same exact survey.
On FriendFeed, I was alerted to the fact that the New York Time’s Gift Guide for 2009, included a whole section for the people of color in your life.
Yep.
I freely admit to being slightly amused by it. At first I thought it was a joke, but seeing articles and tweets about it, made me realize that it was an actual part of their guide. In 2009.
Naturally, I had to look it up myself. And…uh…well, read:
>>Of Color | Stylish Gifts
By SIMONE S. OLIVER
Somali fashion, do-it-yourself henna kits, children’s books that draw inspiration from the lives of Barack Obama and Sonia Sotomayor: it’s not hard to find gifts created for and by people of color this holiday season. Here are some possibilities.
There are some defensive people out there who think this is positively acceptable. They point out that the author of the section is black, so that makes it okay. Get it?
Now, I read some of the different suggestions on NYTPicker and kept thinking, “This has to be a joke.”, but uh…well…
Thanks to Jandy’s pretty charts and my boredom, I caved and took the test even though I knew what it would say:
Their breakdown of what these mean:
Organized
You like to think a task through before you embark on it. If it’s the slightest bit complicated, you make a list (even if it’s only in your mind) and methodically work your way through it. When you have a goal in mind, you’re not satisfied until you reach it.You are not one of those people who ignore the details, and you don’t understand how anyone can get anything accomplished without thoughtful planning ahead of time.
Introspective
You like your own company; you’re a very interesting person. Tracking your own mental processes, knowing what you’re thinking and why you do what you do, is important to you. Often, what’s going on in your mind is more compelling than what’s going on outside. For the most part, those with a high score on the “introspective” trait enjoy reading, taking long walks, learning new things, and other solitary activities.You are not someone who is constantly looking to be among a group of friends; you never feel bored when you are by yourself.
Aesthetic
You appreciate art, beauty, and design; you know that they are not superficial but absolutely crucial to living the good life. You have good taste, and you’re proud of it. Those with a high score on the “aesthetic” trait are often employed in literary or artistic professions, enjoy domestic activities — doing things around the house — and are enthusiastic about the arts, reading, and travel.You don’t think it’s pretentious to be moved by art and beauty. You’re not one of those who believe it doesn’t matter what something looks like as long as it does its job.
Intellectual
You are thoughtful, rational, and comfortable in the world of ideas. People find you interesting to talk to. You’re the living embodiment of the saying “You learn something new every day.” In general, those with a high score on the “intellectual” trait are employed in such fields as teaching and research, and are enthusiastic about reading, foreign films, and classical music.You do not avoid abstract conversation, experimenting with new ideas, or studying new things. It bores you to stick to the straight and narrow of what you already know.
Original
You are constantly coming up with new ideas. For you, the world as it exists is just a jumping-off place; what’s going on inside your mind is often more interesting than what’s going on outside.You don’t feel that the road to success is to be a realist and stick to the program; you never stop yourself from coming up with new ideas or telling the world what you’re thinking about.
Impassioned
You have strong opinions and high standards. When others let you down, you’re not opposed to giving them a piece of your mind, even if it sometimes mean hurting their feelings.You are not necessarily a “live and let live” kind of person. You don’t always make allowances for others’ incompetence or allow annoyances to wash over you. You don’t feel it’s your job to make everyone feel relaxed and comfortable regardless of whether they’ve earned it.
Innovative
You come up with a lot of ideas; if one doesn’t work out, there’s always another waiting in the wings. You often have interesting solutions to difficult problems. You’re practically a one-person brainstorming session.You are less interested changing the world than in dealing with things as they are. Unlike those who spend all their time trying to solve problems, you prefer to zero in on things that work and stick with them.
Creative
You are good at solving problems, coming up with original ideas, and seeing connections between things, connections that most other people miss. People with a high score on the “creative” trait often are employed in such fields as finance and scientific research, and enjoy avant garde and classical music as well as literary fiction and scholarly non-fiction.You do not shun abstractions and concepts in favor of the concrete and tangible.
Competent
You strive to master everything you undertake. You tend to learn quickly and do not shy away from challenges.You are not a “que sera sera” type of person, nor do you go easy on yourself when attempting to master a new skill or get a job done.
Astute
You are a quick study. You generally don’t need to have things explained to you more than once. When presented with a problem, you will often have an instant understanding of where to look for the solution.You do not take your sweet time when presented with a new task to complete or problem to solve. You don’t avoid assignments that require you to learn new skills.
Did you know that there is an NHRA Museum on site at the Fairplex in Pomona? I didn’t. All these years and I had no idea. When we went to the LA County Fair on Saturday, we stumbled upon this place. It’s packed full of racing history. Admission was $1 for adults and frankly, should be more. The place is detailed in racing history, complete with roadsters, motorcycles and drag racers from the beginning of racing history on down to today.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I like the movie Contact. True, it’s simplistic, but it’s a fun watch. I realized that we owned the book all this time, yet I had never read it. It’s *amazing* how different, yet similar the book is to the movie. I sort of understand why changes were made, but I do believe the book gave us a more dynamic, yet less sympathetic Dr. Arroway.
One thing I liked was how we followed Ellie Arroway from childhood through the entire message part. Getting a lot more about Ellie’s background made it easier to understand why she was so hollow. Another think I liked in the book was that the religious debates were toned down. To me, the movie kind of hit you over the head with trite arguments.
If you like the movie, I suggest you read the book. If you haven’t watched the movie, I still suggest this book as a good read.
I am a political junkie and gadget freak. My time in Los Angeles is spent taking photos of gardens or plodding in mine. I enjoy good food, good conversation and writing biographies like I'm looking for a date. I have a lot of passions that manage to spill out on these pages. Just don't ever call me a 'mommy blogger'.
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