Links for Monday, 2/6/2012 February 6, 2012
This morning, H&M contacted my attorney to extend the olive branch and work towards an agreement that I am truly pleased to be a part of. In a gesture of kindness, H&M has offered not only to settle this matter with me, but also with the public at large, by donating $3,000 towards animal rescue organizations in the East Atlanta Village.
Additionally, H&M has offered to donate the remainder of the “You Look Nice Today” stock to charitable organizations. I am especially pleased that this agreement respectfully honors the true intent behind the original artwork, offering a message of love, compassion and community.
Comment: Reference point.
Chicago Tribune – Kock brothers driving anti-Obama hate machine:
But it's because of their political activity that the brothers Koch have recently gained notoriety. Together, they're probably the nation's biggest political donors. Nobody else -- not George Soros, not Bill Gates, not even Sheldon Adelson -- comes close. And their influence is everywhere. They're major funders of two conservative think tanks, the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute. They've created pseudo-scientific research centers on many college campuses, like the Mercatus Center of George Mason University. They're the sugar daddies behind two powerful political organizations, FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity -- which is currently running anti-Obama TV ads in 10 states. They were the money bags behind the tea party. They put up the funds to oppose new mining safety regulations in West Virginia, overturn tough mileage standards in California, and elect Scott Walker in Wisconsin. And, by my count, they're principal sources of funding for at least 57 conservative political action groups.
On Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit is expected to rule on the questions of Walker's recusal and the proponents' standing. The court, if it holds that recusal was not necessary and that the proponents do have standing, will address the constitutionality of Proposition 8. As the public information office is not the court's judges, its words are not law, but today's notice does gloss over the standing question, which would make it appear that the court is likely to find that the proponents do have standing -- which was to be expected in light of the California Supreme Court's decision on that matter. At that point, any party dissatisfied with the ruling could seek en banc review, which would require all the active Ninth Circuit judges to vote whether en banc consideration will be given. If a majority supports en banc consideration, then the chief judge of the circuit, Judge Alex Kozinski, and 10 randomly selected appellate judges from the circuit will hear the en banc appeal. Then further review by the full Ninth Circuit -- referred to as "super en banc" consideration -- or a request to the Supreme Court to hear the case could follow.
BoingBoing – Zapping the brain into “expert” mode:
If your brain isn't just naturally inclined toward the flow, though, there is the option of zapping it into line. This is called transcranial direct current stimulation—basically running a very small electric current through specific parts of the brain. In some studies, and for some tasks, it's been shown to induce a feeling very much like a flow state, and possibly make it easier for people to get to a high level of skill faster. Last spring, Pesco wrote about some of the research that's being conducted on this intriguing but still-not-proven technique. Recently, New Scientist reporter Sally Adee tried it out, and saw a significant short-term improvement in her ability to spot and hit targets in a video shooter game.
The Onion - Intelligent, Condescending Life Discovered In Distant Galaxy:
"We were extremely excited to have made contact with this highly advanced form of life, but it quickly became clear they're pretty big jerks," said NASA scientist Raymond Morrison, referring frequently to a 24-page transcript of the interstellar transmission filled with patronizing language and backhanded compliments. "After telling us they hadn't exactly been holding their breath waiting for us to figure out how to make contact with our 'charmingly simplistic devices,' they informed us they had studied our planet millennia ago but decided it was 'too hopelessly primitive to be worthwhile.'"
BoingBoing - Sex is Fun podcast: How sexism affects your sex life:
In particular, we focused on a study from last fall that surveyed students at the University of Kansas to find out how men's and women's internalized sexism affect their relationships with each other. If you've ever watched one of those shows about so-called "pick up artists" and wondered, "Who the hell are the women falling for this crap!?", then this is the show to listen to.
Laughing Squid – My First Blaster:
A Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fan has paid the ultimate tribute to her favourite film - by having the entire cast of characters etched on her skin.
Annfaye Kao, 27, from Taichung, Taiwan, had the intricate art work inked across her whole back in a marathon three month tattoo session.
The colourful patchwork of cartoons was inspired by a dream she once had about the fairy tale.
Violet Blue – The Apple fanboy problem:
Apple “fanboys” have gained a negative reputation as a hostile entity. The vitriolic fanboy mob mentality has made online discussions about Apple difficult to keep civil, and has created an environment of increasingly shocking and disturbing hostility. In my opinion, it’s damaging Apple’s reputation.
This week, “king of the fanboys” John Gruber and Apple evangelist Shawn King were instrumental to an online witch hunt that eventually included threats of violence toward a female blogger. The witch hunt was based on inaccurate information about Macworld exhibitors that the men had provided to the public.
I know because that blogger is me. And I’m not the first person to have a troubling story like this about these people.
Comment: I want to say this really carefully, because I don’t want to even get near blame-the-victim mentality. Violet’s used previous columns in the past to name/event-drop in a way that’s almost tailor-made to make people feel like they’re on the other side of the velvet rope, and having their nose rubbed in it to boot. Once you learn to ignore that attitude, her columns have been fun, if fluffy reads. But unfortunately, a lot of people haven’t been able to put that aside, and I can’t blame them. However, instead of calling her out on it, people will gleefully dogpile on when anyone takes objection to her. No one deserves to be treated like that – public persona or not. If you have an issue with someone, then engage on just that: the issues. I really get the feeling that that’s part of what’s happening here, and that’s not okay. If you don’t like her, then for fuck’s sake, DON’T READ HER COLUMNS. Beyond that, this is a good read on why fanboy attitudes really do suck the air out of any conversation, and I can relate: There are many actions that people can take that make me lose respect for them, and fanboyism is one of them. A brand is not a proxy for you, and if it is, for fuck’s sake, I think you really need to examine what’s going on with you that that’s acceptable. And really? Witch hunts? No mob, THAT’S A BAD MOB.
McSweeney’s – Dendrophilia and other social taboos:
What’s worse than acknowledging this history, is admitting to yourself and the loved ones nearby, that some level of mental illness has quite possibly set up shop inside of us as well. Some insist that we’re just not trying enough alternative remedies to cure whatever ails us. Something’s wrong? Fix it! Immediately! Buy something! Or let go of attachments! Change your outlook on life! Manifest the happiness that resides within! You need a detox diet! Smudge your bedroom with sage! You create your own reality! We’re all supposed to be happy! Everything is so good! We can manifest joy! Try harder! Sure, some people are “cured” with didgeridoo sound healings, 5-HTP supplements and tapping all over their faces while chanting positive affirmations. That is super great for them, as they are likely not suffering from the gnarly chronic depression and anxiety I’m referring to. For some of us, color therapy and yoga don’t make it go away.
Not that we don’t try. Some of us try everything because we’re afraid of being judged by our “liberal, do-good” communities if we take medication. We undergo hypnotherapy, past life regression, tarot readings. We visit shamans and get acupuncture treatments. We’ll become cyclists, participating in every 100-mile ride we can find, attempting to out-ride whatever keeps grasping at us with it’s viscous claws. We do eight million sun salutations. We drive two days through the desert to see the Dalai Lama. We borrow our friends’ light therapy boxes, eat mounds of Omega-3 fatty acid-rich food. Sometimes we give up and eat two pounds of bacon in a weekend. We’ll churn our own butter and stand alone in the kitchen devouring it by the spoonful before smearing it onto chocolate cake that we often consume while soaking in the bathtub, reading Pema Chödrön, listening to Iron and Wine. Crying. Defeated. Our ulcers hurt.
Salon - Catholics need to preach what we practice:
I was disappointed to see the progressive Catholic E.J. Dionne, whom I really admire, accuse President Obama of throwing his Catholic allies “under the bus” by insisting that federal health insurance regulations requiring contraceptive coverage apply to Catholic institutions, if they employ non-Catholics. Note that the administration is OK with church-run institutions that only employ Catholics prohibiting contraception coverage. It simply won’t let the church impose its teachings on non-Catholics. This shouldn’t be a controversial decision. Let’s make a couple of things clear here. Obviously, the law won’t force Catholics to use contraception. And 98 percent of Catholics already practice birth control (and not the “natural family planning” kind), according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute. It’s not as though Catholics are an endangered minority of true believers being forced to transgress a fervently held and widely practiced church rule. This battle is over a Catholic Church teaching that even Catholics ignore almost unanimously.
Comment: Ninety-eight percent. Ninety-fucking-eight percent. This is why dogmatic religion makes me grind my gears, instead of just adhering to spirituality. You can’t use it to dictate day to day life because that’s always in flux, and quickly becomes no longer relevant as it can often only apply to the era in which it was written. And not to mention that dogma and scripture are parsed through that mortal ball of fallibility: the human brain. I want to make it clear that I’m not ragging on anyone’s spirituality here, but the interpretation of how it applies to your life is up to you. So much of the very existence of the Catholic church as a large organized body is at odds of that through its very existence, and people get ground up in between the two. Very real, very human people who are undeserving of such turmoil.