One Girl Revolution

Don't you hate it when your overdeveloped sense of vengeance (or maybe it's justice) keeps you up way too late? Me too.

Anyway, in continuation of the Rental Refugee post, I wanted to post links to more places I have contacted. If you want to send them stuff too, that's cool - I'm just odd and like keeping lists of things I've done.

Again, please feel free to contact media outlets not just in California, but everywhere. This sort of thing could be happening in other cities, even yours. That means it could happen to your friends, your family or yourself. I'd rather not have that be the reality.

Anyway, here's a continuation of The List:

KCRW
KABC (Meant to contact the TV station, ended up here, figured what the hell.)
KABC-TV (There we go!)
KCBS ("Wha? Another radio station...no where near LA? God dammit!")
KCAL ("Damn Californians, with their damn radio station and TV station call letters that are frickin' identical...")
KNBC
KTLA

I'll see about getting more contacts as time goes on. I'd love to do more, but it's late, I'm tired, and it's been a hell of a week. There will be more, though. This is an outrage, and it needs to be known.

I know it's late, but I'd like to ask my friends across the pond to get involved, if possible. You'll be awake while I'm still in bed, so feel free to Google LA news outlets or contact your own. Any action is better than none.

Ok - seriously. That's all for tonight. They'll find me passed out at the keys in the morning at this rate.

Edit: God dammit, I forgot to contact Boing Boing again. I swear, if my head wasn't attached to my body...

Oh, and unless one of you gets to it first, I'll be writing up a story for IndyMedia. So tell me if you've submitted already. And if you have, send a link so I don't cover the same ground. Thanks much.

Quick, kids! Guess where the following quote comes from!

“This has been a litmus test of our constitutional values. It forced us to consider: What does equality really mean? What does it look like? Equality does not exist on a sliding scale.”

Go on, guess. Guess! Time for a shocker - it's not from an American!

Then again, maybe that's not so much of a shocker, what with America's current trend of reinstating second class citizen status on whoever it doesn't like (minorities, immigrants, the GLBT community, free thinkers, the less-than-fanatically religious Christian, etc.). But what's really fun is that this quote comes from a politician in a country that recently legalized same-sex unions.

That country? South Africa.

Yes, South Africa. That same fun country that brought the world apartheid and jailed Nelson Mandela has performed a magnificent turnaround and legalized same-sex unions, becoming the fifth nation in the world to do so. I must give the country serious props, especially since the rest of the countries in Africa seem to have a...we'll say "less than favorable view" of its GLBT citizens. So bravo to South Africa for taking a stand for equality.

But all of this makes me a bit ashamed that my country, which has a long history of boasting to the world about how "free" it is. And I suppose that's true, if you're a straight white male like this guy. As for the rest of us (you know, the ones that Jerry Falwell said were responsible for 9/11 - and the liberals and intellectuals), we have to cope with a country where we are "free" only if we shut up, stop thinking, and start conforming. And if we can't manage that, we're supposed to go away.

I think it's time that America takes a good, long look at itself and asks some tough questions. I think it's time that America cleaned house and started taking steps to ensure that all of its citizens - every single one - was truly given an honest, equal standing in the eyes of both the law and society. I think it's time that America dedicated itself to breaking the cycles of poverty, injustice and hatred both in and out of its borders.

But I know what America will do. It'll beach itself on the nearest couch, grab the remote, and watch William Shatner host another asinine game show. Because that's easier than taking a stand.

It's enough to make a girl wonder why on earth she's here.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled broadcast.

I'm sure there are some of you who are wondering where onceupon came from, or more accurately, where I met her. Well, I first heard about her via a post by zarq, who once again is on top of happenings and is cool for posting about them.

So what's the happening? A calendar. But not just any calendar - a calendar to help someone afford the cancer medication that their insurance won't pay for. Rather than rephrase his very eloquent post, I'll just link to it here.

Sadly, not everyone in the world can be so awesome, which is how we end up with news stories like this. Though money isn't everything, you'd think that they would welcome the boost to the economy that tourism provides.

( Article text here. )

But moving on to cooler, better things...

When I was in fourth grade, I started an environmental club at my elementary school. Apparently it's still going strong, but I can't help but wonder if someone was spying on us. Because this next (fucking brilliant) idea is similar to one that I had way back then. Of course, I wasn't aiming for such high numbers, but the principle was the same: I wanted all my classmates to plant a tree somewhere to help fight global warming way back in the early 1990s. So why not up the stakes and make it a class of one billion?

( Article text here. )

You can bet that this is going up in itslittlethings, and even those who don't have room to plant a tree can get in on the act by buying trees over at Heifer International. If anyone knows of other charities that allow you to buy trees, let me know. I'll post the list here and in the community.

This last link is something I told mykeamend that I would help him with. It's an upcoming awareness week, but I can see myself getting into this campaign year round.

Punks and metalheads have probably already heard of the West Memphis Three, but for those who haven't here's a brief recap: three young boys get murdered down South. The police carry out a questionable investigation, interrogate three scared teen boys (one of whom is mentally handicapped), incite a little Satanic panic, and get the kids tossed in jail. There's a Wiki article about the case here, and mykeamend talks about events and how to get involved here. He's selling paintings to raise money for the WM3 Legal Defense Fund, so be sure to check out and publicize that sale.

Ok - best get back to work. Spread the word!

I would like to take a minute to officially declare John Scalzi the recipient of the kiji_kat "Hero Of The Day" Award for his beautiful summation of the whole sordid Ted Haggard saga. He pretty much nailed my feelings and opinions on the subject, and did so in a manner that was far more eloquent than anything I could have come up with.

So stop on by and give him a shout. We salute you, John Scalzi. We salute you.

Even if you don't live in South Dakota, you'll probably want to check out mcmillan's latest post. In it, she provides information about the campaign of Theresa Spry, a woman who is running against the infamous Bill "women can't make decisions for themselves" Napoli. Spry's campaign needs donations, and Senator Stanford Adelstein, South Dakota District 32, is working to help Spry get elected.

mcmillan's full post can be found here, so read it for background.

If you care to learn more about Theresa Spry, visit this website.

There are two ways to donate, depending on how much you can give. From Senator Adelstein's letter to mcmillan:

If you can send $250 or less please send it to me – payable to Spry for Senate. If, as I hope, you can send more please send me a check payable to “Western Moderates for Change.” Under South Dakota law the maximum to a candidate is $250 – this PAC has no limitation amounts, all funds from this letter will go to Theresa Spry. The PAC is supporting Theresa and three other Democrats hoping to change the entire energy of our Senate. Please send to me at PO Box 2624, Rapid City, SD, 57709-2624.

(x-posted to itslittlethings)

mcmillan brings us bisexual trees and political cartoonery.

Britain does good by pardoning soldiers who were executed for "offences" such as cowardice and desertion.

In accordance with my being the Worst Girl Ever, I've never been terribly interested in interior decorating or furniture style or anything like that. However, I would be totally, totally down with having a bed like this in my home.

When I was a kid, I was often jealous of my friends whose parents let them have unrestricted access to soft drinks (known in this area of the country as "pop"). Now that I'm older and wiser, I'm kind of glad that she didn't. While pop/soft drinks/soda isn't the only thing contributing to American obesity, it appears that it could well be a pretty big factor. Looks like I'll just have to ride out those occasional cravings, and that's a real shame - I'll admit to being a fan of cherry Coke.

The more you read, the more it becomes obvious that we're sowing the seeds of our own destruction. However, I refuse to give up, and I would encourage none of you to throw in the towel, either. I'm busy these days, but hopefully I can dedicate some time to explore web sites about conservation, carbon trading, and environmentally and socially sound products, services, and just plain living. If any of you happen to come across something like that, please pass it along to me - I want to start posting more of that sort of thing in itslittlethings, as well as Rhetoric, which has been too long neglected. And in the meantime, do something - anything - that could have a positive impact. Plant a tree, or if you don't have the space, plant a house plant or two. Walk or bike to the nearest store the next time you need to go on a milk run. Consider going for a day (or even just a meal) without eating meat. The next time a bulb burns out at home, replace it with a flourescent bulb. Donate what you can, no matter how much or little, to a reputable charity. Buy organic and fair trade goods when possible, even if you can only afford to buy one product that meets that criteria. What's the payoff? Better health, lower energy bills, good karma, and the possibility of having a world you're proud to pass on.

Ok, and after your lecture, you get a treat. How about an article regarding the popularity of Gibson guitars in Japan? (And really, who can blame them?)

Finally, the UN officially proclaims what's been obvious all along: Dubya and the Bible Beaters's insistence on abstinence has not and will not do anything to stem the spread of AIDS throughout Africa. A new, effective plan is needed if we're going to stop people from dying. (And for the conservatives in the audience, I offer "Dubya and the Bible Beaters" as a counter band name to my "Bleeding Heart Liberal".)

This is something I want to read later, but I thought some of you might be interested as well. BBC News: How 60s beat stirred baby boom youth.

And now, more news from the You Just Can't Win Department: Apparently, dieting can actually make cellulite worse. What the hell is a girl supposed to do?

Here there be monsters: It looks like some ancient whales related to today's baleen whales weren't exactly docile.

Bigotry loses out in Cincinnati, Ohio! To make a long story short: Twink has problem with equal rights. Twink attempts to gather signatures so people can vote on whether equal rights are for all or just straight white fundamentalists. Twink's campaign goes under when it is discovered that 1,300 signatures are either forged, faked, or have been improperly altered by paid signature gatherers. Read all about it over at Pam's House Blend.

Everyone should really go and read this entry in dark_christian, but most especially women. She gives her thoughts on this article over at AlterNet which pretty much points out that for conservative/evangelical Christians, it isn't about saving babies - it's about destroying the autonomy and freedom of women. From the article:

No matter how many people have been duped into joining the anti-abortion movement on the basis of "saving babies," as Bob Avakian has pointed out in his book "Preaching From a Pulpit of Bones," "The essence of the anti-abortion 'movement' has been to assert patriarchal control over women, including to insist on the defining role of women as breeders of children. The fundamentalist foot-soldiers of this 'movement' make this very clear. The following prayer offered at an Operation Rescue rally, cited in Life magazine (July 1992), typifies this: "Oh please, Lord, break the curse on women's hearts that says we don't need our men. Break that independence.'"

Now, I love the men in my life - my dad, my stepdad, and the dear male friends that I affectionately call, "my boys." Most of my rock and roll heroes are men by coincidence (and because I prefer male voices). I'm hesitant to call myself a feminist because I never really understood the concept of "grrl power" or the belief that as a feminist, you're supposed to have either an overt or an internal loathing of men. Even as a woman, I've always felt like a bit of an outsider when it comes to women's issues. I've often thought of myself as having a decidedly androgynous mind; I can't wrap my head around "grrl power" or things of that nature because I don't internally see people as "male" and "female." I see them as people. (That androgyny is only on an intellectual level, however - on matters of desire, attraction and sexual preference, I'm attracted to men. I'm just one huge conundrum, aren't I?)

So we've established that I love and respect the men in my life. Therefore, it would logically follow that I listen to their suggestions and advice. I trust these people; I would hope that they would look out for my best interests, as I do for them. However, I do this because I see my male friends as equals. We help each other out, take care of each other, occasionally chide each other for doing things that could be potentially damamging to our well-being - but we do these things because that's what friends do. It's not a power play, it's not a bid for superiority, it's not an attempt at subjugation. It's love and respect for each other as people.

The apparent classism within Christian dogma as mentioned above is yet another thing that keeps me wary of Christianity, The Organized Religion. I feel sorry for the women who live under the delusion that they are inferior to or dependent upon men, because they've been duped. Women can be whatever they want, do whatever they please, and needn't be dependent on anyone. Anyone who would tell them otherwise is, to put it lightly, a jackass.

I'm sure the men in my life would agree. After all, they're the ones who taught me that in the first place. Why on earth would they tell their friend and equal otherwise?

Are there any rugby fans out there who can explain this to me?

Keith Richards has been given the go-ahead to tour. All the best, sir!

The next bit is bolded, because it's important.

Tell your Congressional representatives that you don't believe in legalizing bigotry via the "Federal Marriage Amendment." Visit this website and fill out your information. According to the website:

...a postcard with your name and address will automatically print out at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters. The HRC staff and volunteers will hand-deliver each postcard to congressional offices on June 5 — the week of the Senate vote.

The website then asks you to spread the word to 10 friends, but I think we can do a bit better than that. ;)

And for those who are wondering, no, you don't have to be an American citizen to sign a card. Everyone can help! (x-posted to itslittlethings)

Women, say goodbye to your rights.

Brought to you by conservative Republicans, ladies and gentlemen. Because change is bad, and anyone who isn't a straight white male is a second class citizen.

I cannot tell you how pissed I am right now.

Short but sweet, as work has been busy.

Again with the Pavlovian effect - just because the headline contains the names "Doherty" and "Hawkins" does not mean that it has anything to do with music!

Eeeeewwww. Just...eeeewwwww.

Yes, let's bring democracy to Iraq. Bush-style democracy. The kind where religious conservatives, bigots and fanatics are in charge. After all, if LGBT people are considered second-class citizens by conservatives in the US, why should we be concerned with the fate of gays in Iraq?

Ok, guess what - It's a bad idea to piss off Brian May. I'll be curious to see what happens next.

This is scary, scary shit: There's a good possibility that up to 22 states could ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Attention all thinking women - your days are numbered. The people in power obviously regard us as dangerous murderers.

Ok, so maybe New York/the East Coast will merely be a jumping point for Europe...

This pissed me off. Here's what I'm going to do about it.

x-posted (with a more coherent explanation) to itslittlethings

Sign this petition and urge your representative to reject Judge Alito.

"Drugs take pain away so I would be very surprised if there weren't other mitigating factors, which have prompted this little girl to take heroin."

An 11-year old girl in the UK is hospitalized after an apparent heroin overdose. I'm hoping they figure out what prompted her to do this.

Can a virus make you fat?

I don't know how to feel about this, really. On one hand, this might help to explain why some people are overweight, no matter what they do to try to maintain their health. However, I get the feeling that people will use this as an excuse to shrug and say, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it! Might as well just forget it and have more pie." People always look for the easy way out. (Not that I'm any exception, but I at least try to take responsibility for what happens to me.) Maybe I just need more faith in humanity or something.

This is why I never understood the allure of a sport that involved taunting a large, powerful and potentially dangerous animal.

I need this CD. Badly. My life will continue to be incomplete until I add it to my growing collection.


Oh, and this one, too. Incomplete, I tell you.

"It's not surprising that the right would be against it," Chrisler said. "They are very clear about wanting to make our families invisible." -Gay and lesbian families want to bring their kids to the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Predictably, conservatives see this as an abhorrent affront to the current American cultural standard (also known as state-sanctioned bigotry), and plan to take countermeasures.

OH. MY. GOD. Amazon.com sells matcha (i.e. powdered green tea).

I got to participate in a demonstration of the tea ceremony while I was in Japan, so I got to drink the stuff. Trust me, after you have this, you will never want to go back to bagged green tea ever again. (With the exception of the Yamamotoyama brand, which is actually pretty good.) I am currently salivating over this and trying to convince myself not to buy it. It's a hard battle, though. Ceremonial green tea is, to use the Japanese, "suge!" "Suge" generally translates to "cool" or "awesome," but for my purposes in this little tangent, it shall be loosely translated to, "the shizzle." As in, ceremonial-grade green tea is the shizzle.

Now I'm craving it. Somehow I need to justify spending $30 on tea. Any ideas?

ATTENTION: If you have any interest in participating in the International Superzine project, please e-mail me no later that January 31. I need to know what sort of turnout I'm looking at, so I can either panic about the lack of authors or panic about the amount of proofreading I will have to do on top of work and freelancing.

Heh. I'm so much of a workaholic that I attempt to schedule my own panic attacks over the lack of time I have brought upon myself. Methinks it may be time to make the leap from caffeine to amphetamines. I won't be able to keep up with the workload otherwise.

That's all as of now. Sorry about the recent lack of updates. Hopefully my normal schedule will resume soon.

Well, I'm calling for a boycott against Orson Scott Card. (The fact that no one will listen to me is inconsequential - I'm still calling for it.) I don't own any of his books, but this little rant of his has guaranteed that he will never get any of my money.

You know what? Someone should arrange for Orson Scott Card to go up against Neil Gaiman in an intellectual cage match, just so I can have the pleasure of seeing Gaiman utterly trounce Card. And then beat him to death with whatever's handy, including Card's own dismembered limbs.

So let this be a lesson to you all: Do not be an asshole, especially not right after I wake up. You will piss me off, and I will call for your destruction. I may be a wise and benevolent ruler, but not in the morning.

Right. I'm going to go play with the puppy now. Maybe his utter cuteness will temper my rage a little.

P.S.- Here's isilrandir's excellent, point-by-point take down of Card's bigoted asshattery essay. Be sure to read it.

It's the first post of 2006! Guess I should make it a good one.

May anyone who stumbles across this message have a wonderful New Year, filled with all the hope and possibility in the cosmos. And let's not forget those who suffered during the many tragedies of 2005 - let's work together to help them recover and make 2006 a year for positive change on every front.

I'm going to sit down at some point and draw up some New Year's resolutions, concentrating on the areas of my life that are of greatest importance to me. Don't worry, I won't bore you all with them. (Unless you want me to.)

I can't wait to see what 2006 has in store for us. Actually, no. I'm excited to see what we, the citizens of this planet, have in store for 2006. I'm hoping it's all good!

Well, that's one way to get a date.

It's sort of amazing that more rock stars don't have osteoperosis...

How homophobia can cross cultures and destroy lives within an already oppressed minority.

***
I've decided that the worst part about this cold/infection/ZDV/whatever the hell it is isn't the coughing. It isn't the coughing, the sneezing, the goo I keep hacking up...no. The worst part of it is that it's severely irritating my lungs. And that doesn't sound like much until you consider what comes next.

I have a lovely condition called exercise-induced asthma. Basically, under the right conditions and with a high rate of physical activity, my lungs decide that they no longer like me and shut down. It's gotten better over the years (most likely a combination of more physical activity and a little less weight on my frame), but it still flares up from time to time. The onset can be pretty sudden; there's usually a split second between normal windedness and a full-blown attack where breathing is a struggle. This is sometimes accompanied by coughing and goo.

Basically, living with this...malady has been like living in that split second for about two days. And it SUCKS.

I'll be very happy when this goes away.

There's a line from the movie Braveheart that has stuck with me since the first time I saw it way back in high school. When discussing the problem of rebellious Scots, the king of England tells his advisors, "The trouble with Scotland is that it's full of Scots."

It appears that certain Christian fundamentalists have taken a similar attitudes toward those who don't follow their ways. The problem with America is that it's full of, well, average Americans. People who just want to go about their business, live their lives, and not have to worry about people ripping up their prescriptions and telling them that God is punishing them for their sin.

The frustrating part of all this is that medicines such as birth control and Valtrex are often used for more than just one purpose. (Birth control pills, for example, are also widely used for women with hormonal imbalances/deficiencies that can cause reproductive and other health problems if left untreated.) The fact that these medicines can also be used to prevent/keep in check potentially life-threatening illnesses doesn't seem to matter to these people. After all, this is God's punishment.

The most aggravating part is that many states have laws in place protecting the rights...of the pharmacists! Why should it be any of their business why you're coming to them for a medicine? If they don't like the thought of distributing birth control or Valtrex or anti-viral drugs for those with HIV, then maybe, just maybe, they shouldn't be pharmacists.

It may also interest you to know that "Target does not support a policy to have valid prescriptions for birth control, including emergency contraception, filled in-store without discrimination or delay," according to the Planned Parenthood website. Sadly, it would be pretty much impossible for me to boycott Target (around here, it's either shop there or shop at Wal Mart), but I will be sure to send some letters to their corporate headquarters. This is...beyond ludicrous.

Since when did people in this country turn into members of the Taliban?

This is absolutely deplorable.

The population of the Boston metro area is 5.8 million. Imagine every resident of that area, plus 200,000 more from surrounding cities and suburbs dying. Imagine New York City losing 3/4 of its residents. Imagine every major American city losing 6 million people. Imagine it happening every year, and imagine that as the numbers in the cities dwindle, death seeps out into the suburbs, then small towns, villages, isolated communities.

At 6 million per year, the current population of the United States of America would be wiped out in about 50 years.

And yet, the industrialized world is content to let 6 million innocent children die yearly for lack of proper nutrition.

If there's anyone who doesn't understand now why it is so damn vital to get off your ass and do something, raise your hand. Aunt Kiji will be around to offer some private instruction and, if merited, a smack upside the head.

There are no excuses. If you have money to spare, donate it. If you have no money, hold a fund raiser or lobby those who do have cash. Educate yourself. Jam the mailboxes and voice mail of politicians with letters, e-mails and phone messages. Tell them that this needs to be taken care of, and taken care of now. It takes five minutes tops. I know; I've done it before. And if you don't think that politicians will take you seriously because you're under 18, just remind them that you're a constituent - and a future voter. Make sure you mention the year that you're eligible to vote, and tell them that you plan to.

Our generation needs to stand for something. Let's make it something good.

( Political alert for Ohio residents! )

For non-Ohio residents: It probably wouldn't hurt to contact your senators and representatives, either. And before any of you try to play the "But I don't know who my representatives are!" card, click here.

Let's not go down without one hell of a fight, eh?

1. Go here.

2. Sign petition, pay attention to "goal bar" on right side of screen

3. Keep window open

4. After a few minutes, refresh window

5. Watch signature number climb

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5

7. Feel proud for standing up for your beliefs