I’ve always humored myself by putting fake names on my Safeway card, or at least names that humor me. Or, i use the names and addresses of people who annoy me so that they have to process all of my junk food habits. But, i really like this idea that appeared on Politech this morning: trade those cards. Every once in a while, trade with a friend or acquaintance and pass it on. Thus, the databases get entirely destroyed because they don’t even track one person, real or otherwise…
Here’s a great little piece on the social implications of TIPS and other surveillance projects based on a personal story of life in Prague…
Norway has put a law into place that requires at least 40% of all boardroom members must be women. Of course, meritocracy folks are outrage and i was temporarily on their side, until i read the responses by the government. Apparently, they’ve been demanding higher equality for a while, but the old boys network hires the old boys network and the only way that they see that change is going to happen is if the old boys network is forced to seek out, educate and hire women that they value. It’ll be rough at first, but it seems to be worth it…
Typorganism: More fun work on kinetic typography. Quite related to the type of work Hyun does (Socio-Kinetics and Alternate Autobiographies).
::bounce::bounce::bounce:: someone is actually taking up the project of writing genderqueer monologues for their senior thesis! i’m sooo psyched!
I consider myself a feminist. I work for an organization working to end violence against women. Yet, this does not mean that i am opposed to prostitution, stripping, phone sex or pornography. I do not see them as one and the same. Certainly, some of this is violent and atrocious, but to say that the sex industry as a whole is is problematic. What is violent is the abuse that women who choose these professions receive, often because they are required to take on pimps for protection. Often, these pimps are police officers who are abuse these women terribly under the guise of “protection.” I have a problem with this. I have a problem with how the sex industry, by being underground, creates a systemic mechanism for putting women at risk.
Every person sells their body. They sell their hands, their minds, their smile, whatever. Often, in marriages, women trade their bodies in return for protection. Labor is involved and labor is about the sale of bodies, and labor brings money. If we must sell our bodies, women should have a right to choose what part of their bodies they sell. If a woman chooses to sell her vagina for hard-earned cash rather than protection, that is her right. She should be protected; her choice of profession should be honored and she should be given the rights and protections afforded all laborers under the law. Making sex work illegal does not eliminate it; it eliminates the protections that women have for safety and protection. Thus, i continue to be appalled by organizations, working under the notion of feminism, to end sex work; they are asking for increased abuse of women. End violence, yes. Control and ostracize women to do so, no thank you.
This is old, but always important. By going to the breast cancer site and seeing the ads for their sponsors, you help fund a free mamogram for underprivileged women. The more clicks that they get per day, the more that they can fund free mamograms. Consider paying a visit whenever you can.
There are four different site that you can support this way:
the breast cancer site
the rainforest site
the hunger site
the animal rescue site
Psychedelic culture constantly reflects on the meaning of reality, the questioning of other dimensions and the notion that we are not alone in this universe. It’s one of the reasons that i am fascinated by the culture and the conversations embedded in it; i think that they challenge normative values in a meaningful way.
Unfortunately, these interests are not purely philosophical and in altering the realities in which their brain operates, some people seem determined to project themselves into another reality and live in an alternate dimension, regardless of the impact on others. 
In constructing their own realities, they accept that their reality will not mesh with those around them and thus the idea of reality loses its truth-value. It is not surprising that two people leave a situation with entirely different impressions as to its impact, but when the order and structure of events is constantly altered, this eliminates any shared ground and all activities turn into a personal hallucination. More than anything, this creates separation between people, anger, frustration and other negative consequences, simply because people need to maintain their own reality. Rather than developing cohesiveness, this creates ultimate loneliness, separation and despair.
Thus, i see psychedelic culture as constantly in conflict with itself. Rather than mind-expanding, people seem content to mind-deviate, avoid and ignore. This frustrates me to no end because i cannot accept a value system that accepts intentional deception in order to promote alternate realities or dimensions. Nor can i accept people who embrace such values in the name of mind-expansion.
Yay! The CBA and its definition of community standards is being challenged! What does it mean to define a community online? What is a community standard? For example, if something is A-OK in San Francisco, but not in Missouri, is it OK for the Internet community? Are we going to go with a least common denominator standard? Of course, adding the sexuality component into the mix should be quite interesting.
[Details: National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and Barbara Nitke vs. John Ashcroft over the Communications Decency Act]
seeing no justice, a rape victim chooses death.
violence must end. criminals must be punished. punishment serves to socially acknowledge that certain behavior is unacceptable. punishment can happen legally or socially. to end violence, we must overcome both.