I cannot think of a more comprehensive indictment of government policy in the democratic era :( :(
>>><<<
:D
"The crew travelled in a Soyuz craft designed in the 60s. Once there, contact with Earth was limited to a few hours a day. Most disconcertingly, perhaps, the morning alarm was the same as the emergency siren. “You’d wake up unsure if it was time to get up or if you were leaking oxygen. It got us out of our sleeping bags pretty quick.”" Guardian
>>><<<
If only multinational companies were so susceptible to shame...
"For five years, real-estate developer Prahul Sawant ignored government orders to pay his taxes. Then the drummers showed up, beating their instruments and demanding he cough up the cash. Neighbors leaned out windows and gawked. Within hours, a red-faced Mr. Sawant had written a $945 check to settle his long-standing arrears."
>>><<<
*rant*
I get very annoyed at the way the terms "addict" and "addiction" are thrown around. These are *not* simply synonyms for dependency. We are ALL dependent on various things, for various reasons. If you live in a city without public transport infrastructure, you are dependent on access to car. Probably most of the people I know are, to a greater or lesser degree, dependent on alcohol to have a good time in certain sorts of social situations. If you are a human being (or a guinea pig) you are, uniquely among the mammals, dependent on a dietary source of vitamin C. Dependency, in itself, is neither good nor bad.
"Addiction" refers to a dependency that is, for one or another reason, socially stigmatised and possibly criminalised. To be labelled an "addict" is to be singled out for abuse, often at the hands of the state. But, just to reiterate, dependence on any given substance is, in itself, neither good nor bad.
So, while it does suck that you find yourself eating more sugar or playing more video games than you would like, you are not an "addict" because of this. And it's actually kind of offensive to appropriate a bit of terminology that is implicated in the oppression of incredibly marginalised people to describe your utterly different experience.
*end rant*
>>><<<
Slapping my forehead so hard right now
>>><<<
I predicted something much like this happen, playing with my toy bulldozers as a child
>>><<<
Google Books gets the legal go-ahead to resume scanning!
>>><<<
"He said [Robert] Moses didn’t want poor people, particularly poor people of color, to use Jones Beach, so they had legislation passed forbidding the use of buses on parkways.
Then he had this quote, and I can still hear him saying it to me. “Legislation can always be changed. It’s very hard to tear down a bridge once it’s up.” So he built 180 or 170 bridges too low for buses." Gothamist
>>><<<
Good piece on the connections between feminism and vegetarianism, and how the vegetarian movement has increasingly succumbed to patriarchal ideas and messaging.
>>><<<
>>><<<
"In fact, the consistent demand for products like soap on the illicit market can make it as good as stealing cash. Tide laundry detergent has widely been reported as a favorite target of drug gangs." Priceonomics
>>><<<
>>><<<
"The state has capitulated. Ruling elites in rural areas have captured the state in their own ways, often working in tandem with capital and representatives of political parties at local, regional and national levels. The consequences are devastating for ordinary citizens: crumbling houses due to mining on their doorsteps to which they have never consented, revenue that should be going into community development funding lavish lifestyles for a few, and much more. Those who call for accountability pay the price." Groundup
>>><<<
"You have to wonder, what was the reason for creating a new permit, when these people were already in possession of a permit in the first place. Well, join the dots and the picture becomes clearer. The Minister makes new regulations for new permits, VFS rakes in the cash, the Gupta’s and the Zuma’s laugh their way to the bank." Tourism Update
>>><<<
So good :)
"Women’s politics should not – and, in my opinion, does not – revolve around defending the snaps women take of themselves on nights out. Yes, as a black woman, it can feel political to love my appearance in a world that constantly tells me to hate the way I look. However, the implication that my politics end there perpetuates the sexist idea that my appearance, and how much I care about it, can be a basis for dismissing the rest of what I have to say."
>>><<<
So important
"The pour creates trust: here is a system that understands residents’ needs. This system loosens them from their drinking friends. It keeps them away from Listerine. Without the pour, they would stay outdoors, begging or stealing, in danger of losing their feet to frostbite. Indoors, they take their medicine, see their doctors and mental health workers, eat actual food, re-establish contact with their families. Giving free booze to homeless alcoholics sounds crazy. But it may be the key to helping them live a stable life." Guardian
>>><<<
"Technology is a thing that men do. And as bodyhacking has become technology (which it wasn’t always) it’s become the realm of men." Fusion
No comments:
Post a Comment