In case you are bored, you can seek out today’s worthless word of the day. My favorite so far:
the worthless word for the day is: hesternal
pertaining to yesterday (from L. hesternus, of yesterday)
“In enervating slumbers from the hesternal dissipation or debauch.”
– Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Pelham; or the adventures of a gentlemanbonus word: hesternopothia – a pathological yearning for the good ol’ days
(from L. hesternus, of yesterday + pother, mental tumult) :^)
In case you missed it, The Atlantic Monthly ran an article explaining why the conservative anti-gay-marriage stance is actually working against their goals. Because of the strides that gay couples have made towards acquiring domestic partner rights in lieu of being allowed to marry, the rest of the population is benefiting from the ability to co-habitate without the social stigma and the meaning of marriage is being degraded by these heterosexual liberals. Basically, it’s a great little article explaining some of the benefits of the right wing’s hatred being turned around to be helpful.
So, i went to see Bowling for Columbine last nite, for opening night. As it is the latest antic for indie filmmaker and troublemaker Michael Moore, i was psyched to support it and the general liberal agenda. And, all and all, i was quite glad that i did. While some of it was a bit over the edge and the thesis of the film seemed to change midway through, Moore had quite a few really good (even if sensationalist) points, pulled together some interesting perspectives, captured NRA President Charlton Heston at his racist worst and K-Mart at its PR best, plus a Trey Parker/Matt Stone (South Park) history lesson. Certainly, the film was a bit sporadic and sensational, and even i recognized the lack of attention span involved in constructing the story. But i had to give it props for making me think and allowing me to get into fun discussions with others – that inevitably makes for a good movie. Plus, it’s a topic that just must be considered at a larger spectrum… And one thing’s for certain: i really do believe that we live in a culture of fear.
Not only is my hometown of Lancaster PA going to run a worldwide V-Day event, but the organizer even put up a blog for V-Day Lancaster!!
Also, in surfing through her site, i found another site which has lots of connections to feminist information and links and whatnot, including V-Day. And from there, there’s a neat little daily feminist news site.
So.. this surfing is because i’m trying to get a sense of all feminist and anti-violence sites out there. When the new dynamic V-Day site launches down the road, along with the various campaigns, we want to be able to encourage traffic and get people working with us towards the goal of ending violence towards women and girls… So, if you know of a good site, let me know!
Drunk driving has always been one of those things that has peeved me, not because i’m annoyed at drunk drivers (which is an obvious given), but because i’m annoyed at those who have the power to stop it: the government. In Europe and most other places, drunk driving is barely a problem, simply because people have transportation options. Drinking? Cool.. i’ll take the subway/bus home! Here, that’s not an option, or at least not in Boston.. cabs cost a fortune and the T stops running, as if it were easily accessible to most places anyhow… So, all too often, i get to see folks drink & drive and pray that they’ll not hurt themselves or others.
I’m truly happy that the government is creating advertisements to persuade folks to not drink & drive, even if they’re disturbing as hell. But i really do wish that they would spend money providing alternatives, not just educating.. The former is definitely needed before the latter will be meaningful.
October 15 — Verizon Wireless launched its #HOPE program. By dialing #HOPE from a Verizon Wireless phone on the carrier’s nationwide network, a person in need of information and resources regarding domestic violence will get an immediate connection to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) and a step towards safety and independence. The call is toll and airtime free. For more information about Verizon Wireless’ domestic violence awareness efforts or to find out how to donate phones, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.
Someone at Metafilter posted a collection of various peculilar laws around the world. For example, “An 18th century French prostitute could be spared punishment if she were willing to join the opera.” This is what i love about the web: someone is always motivated to put strange things up just to humor the rest of us. And digital word of mouth is so much fun!
i used to believe is a collection of ideas that adults thought were true when they were children.
this is so great! i had the craziest notions as a child… many of them fit on this site, like thinking that you could protect yourself from having sex by wearing underwear… or that i could become black by spending lots of time in the sun.
of course, my favorite were always those that were about notions of power and people. the premise of them was always that people were inherently brilliant and good, with good intentions and equality in mind… those with power were there to help people and were rewarded for their services. all politicians, doctors and lawyers were brilliant and helping the public. my craziest notions were always about the construction of a utopia in my head.
Hmm.. i don’t know if i’m going to make it to New York between November 13 & December 6, but if i do, i’ll have to go check out Illegal Art: Freedom of Expression in the Corporate Age (brought to you by a gang of folks including Natalie Jeremijenko).