Columbia U Loses the Land!

NY court blocks Columbia University expansion
12.03.09

By Joan Gralla

[suggested by Caroline]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York state court ruled on Thursday that the state cannot seize land Columbia University wants for a $6.3 billion expansion of its campus in northern Manhattan.

The Appellate Division rebuked the Ivy League university for partly creating the blight in West Harlem that was then used to justify the state's use of the power of eminent domain to wrest 17 acres, located in one of New York City's poorest neighborhoods, from the property owners.

A copy of the decision by the mid-level appeals court was posted by The New York Times on its website.

The decision contrasts with a ruling by the state's highest court last month that found the state could take land for the $4 billion Atlantic Yards development project in Brooklyn.

"The time has come to categorically reject eminent domain takings solely based on underutilization," the court said. The doctrine of "underutilization" would wrongly subject all properties to "the ultimate commercial development" even if that clashed with a neighborhood's character, it said.

A university spokeswoman was not available to comment.

The appeals court said the state failed to show that Columbia's expansion had a public purpose, a requirement that must be met to seize land. Eminent domain in the past has been used to make room for projects including hospitals and turnpikes.

"Empire State Development Corporation's determination that the project has a public use, benefit or purpose is wholly unsupported by the record and precedent," said the court.

"The blight designation in the instant case is mere sophistry."

From 2002 to 2006, Columbia bought and gained control of most of the land it needed to expand, and forced out at least half of the tenants, the court said.

Columbia failed to fix water leaks in these properties, "even when minor and economically rational repairs could arrest deterioration," the court wrote.

Further, the court said: "Columbia left building code violations open, let tenants use premises in violation of local codes and ordinances by parking cars on sidewalks and obstructing fire exits, and maintaining garbage and debris in certain buildings over a period of years."

The court faulted several blight studies, saying of one: "Even a cursory examination of the study reveals the idiocy of considering things like unpainted block walls or loose awning supports as evidence of a blighted neighborhood." Similar conditions could be found throughout the city, it said.

[re-edited by Forbes]

BS Charges Dropped Against G-20 Twitter Activists

"Twitter" charges dropped; secret affidavit to be made public Nov. 23rd

"You can beat the rap, but not the ride."
- Miami cop discussing preemptive FTAA arrests in 2003

Not surprisingly, the charges against Elliot Madison and Michael Wallschlager have been droppedAllegheny County District Attorney's office. Generally, individuals employed by law enforcement agencies tend to pad the charges of the people they arrest with offenses of a much more serious nature, as a means of accumulating the "arrest points" to raise their efficiency rating, a key factor in career advancement, as well as an effort to get the unfortunate soul who has been arrested to plead guilty to lesser charges.

The arrests and detentions that precede the mass protests which are organized as a response to a gathering of the elites, such as a trade summit, like the recent G-20 in Pittsburgh, or a political convention, usually have no merit according to the laws of the US, but are a deliberate effort to remove select individuals or groups from the field, for the duration of the demonstrations. The strategy behind these kinds of detentions seems to have evolved in the past decade or so. What was once a fishing expedition to ascribe sinister purposes to common household items, such as the raids on the warehouse used to construct puppets before the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, had morphed into the provocation and entrapment of the 2008 RNC. A reflection of the increasing militarization of US law enforcement, the preemptive raids against the temporary logistical infrastructure used to resist the G-20 in Pittsburgh seemed to adhere to orthodox military doctrine.

Since Pittsburgh SWAT was nearly disbanded for incompetence, it may be a hard sell to characterize whoever was in charge of "security" (does anyone know?) as some kind of brilliant tactician, especially after their choice to launch their indiscriminate gas and LRAD/megaphone attack from the bottom of a hill, a position that has traditionally spelled defeat. The attacks on mobile kitchens, community farms, independent media, and communications betray a mindset that views any opposition to the status quo as a bona fide insurgency. Aside from the thrill of playing "operator," (to use their unfortunate appropriation of military jargon) with none of the risks associated with attacking armed, fortified positions, why else would dozens of cops armed with automatic weapons launch paramilitary raids on pacifists, widely known to be unarmed, if not to disrupt "supply lines" and "enemy communication?"

Whether these products of the centralized, top-down command structure and culture of bureaucratic agencies, armed or otherwise, simply lack the ability to understand the decentralized and horizontal nature of anarchist organizing, or they and their hand puppets in the media choose to designate certain individuals as "leaders," for their own purposes, namely more compelling storytelling. This also reflects an adherence, as well as an appeal to a basic component of the right-wing worldview, one that has long been taught in schools and forms the basis of most conspiracy theories, namely that the individual is the primary agent of historical change. 'Founding fathers' and '9/11 truth' both spring forth from the same part of the imagination that occasionally gives rise to visions of 'anarchist leaders.' A comment on the website of the NY Daily News, who were the first mainstream media outlet to report on the raid of their home is typical of this kind of "George Soros pays protesters" mindset:

The pimply faced teens can be manipulated by these jerks! Asyou can see, the scumbags are safely in the motel and running the show! They are not out fromt with the idealists who are not old enough or wise enough to realize that they are being manipulated by these despots who want to control them! If your cause is so important to you, why the masks? If you think the government has spyware to look thru the clearisil you are mistaken! Perhaps if your parents were made to pay for your fun, you wouldn't be so destructive! Why do your ilk smash the property of hard working people? Your dogma says that "the man " is bad, The only ones I see are detrimental(read bad) is you! Scumbags!

The Commonwealth formally dropped the fictitious criminal charges which safe money says they never intended to pursue, but were simply a means of preventing two people the State had designated as ringleaders from doing what many people had been doing for days before the summit; listening to an online police scanner and sharing that information via Twitter. Was their possession of physical police scanners somehow more threatening than the virtual ones? Much like their willingness to believe that graduates of Pittsburgh's psychic police program, used their x-ray vision to identify an individual as every one of the masked people (and flying rubber bullets, grenades, and beanbags) that may have damaged private property, one of the local papers, even entitled one of their articles about the charges being dropped against these members of the Tin Can Comms Collective "Case against alleged G-20 protest coordinators dropped," although the article itself lacked any details of how these two people "coordinated" the G-20 protests, which miraculously continued while they were in State custody.

The residents of Tortuga House can use whatever help you can spare. Although like most recent examples of efforts to transmute dissent into "terrorism," it is likely another attempt for the FBI to justify its budget, and therefore its existence, there is a federal investigation pending, which based on the vague warrant and items seized during the 16 hour raid, it is likely another fishing expedition. There is also the matter of the grand jury and the sealed affidavit:

At a hearing today, instead of oral arguments regarding a defense motion to unseal the secret 18-page affidavit authorizing the arrests of Elliott Madison and Michael Wallschlager at a motel just outside of Pittsburgh, the prosecution immediately moved to withdraw all charges against the two before the defense had a chance to argue its case. Although clear from the beginning that these charges were absurd based on the State’s very own laws, our housemates were incarcerated for 36 hours, had their van towed and belongings confiscated, and one house member was given $30,000 in straight bail.

The District Attorney and his spokesperson were at pains to explain why the State would drop all charges against these dangerous twitterists and of course, refused to admit that these charges were unconstitutional and a heavy-handed attempt to scare anarchists and others from protesting in ways unsanctioned by the government. Instead, the prosecution says they decided that pursuing the charges “would be unwise” after consulting other law enforcement agencies and because of other pending investigations. The secret affidavit authorizing the arrests in Pennsylvania is set to become public on Nov. 23rd. We imagine the Pennsylvania State Police will seek an extension to keep this document sealed—perhaps in order to hide the flimsiness of their secret evidence? However, no matter the reason, we will fight to unseal this document and we will not let the State hide behind sealed evidence, obscure innuendo, and other traditional tactics used by secret police.

[NYC] More Glamdalizing: Queers bash back against NYPD

suggestion by Elliott, re-posted from Bash Back News

New York Queers Bash Back Against NYPD

Listen up bitches!

The 77th Precinct is fucked up, and here’s why:

-officers of the 77th are responsible for consistent harassment of transpeople, sex workers and queers

-the assault of two lesbians outside of the Ife Lounge on May 16th

-like all police officers, they colonize poor neighborhoods and threaten the safety of everyone

We act in solidarity with Duanna Johnson, the patrons of Fort Worth’s Rainbow Lounge, Ariel Attack, Bash Back! Lansing, New Jersey 4 and countless other fabulous queers and trannies bound by the prison-industrial complex—with no safe words. We want not just accountability for these specific cops but the complete abolition of police and prisons.

In a fabulous act of resistance and exterior design, we have beautified the squad and personal cars of the 77th Precinct with a simple, yet classy, application of spray paint, stencils and glitter everywhere. (We’re still queefing glitter.) Fine images of cops on fire and such fierce phrases like: “This is what happens to transphobic cops,” “A change I can believe in” and “A very simple solution…” are proudly displayed on the windows and doors of New York’s Finest.

Just as a reminder to them and all of us: these pigs are vulnerable, and they’re only as powerful as we let them be. They can and will be challenged and held accountable.

That’s some real shit.
Yours queerly,

Farosha Shakure

Press Secretary of Homoexplosion, Aries, and licensed switch blade carrier.

Homoexplosion is a radical queer/trans group of fly fatherfuckers. We advocate people fucking in the street and burning shit—especially cops.

[SF] Communique from the Forgotton: HRC Glamdalized By Queers Against Assimilation

The article is at the top, the communique is at the bottom. --Ianna.

suggested by Macio, re-posted from Lez Get Real

HRC BUILDING VANDALIZED

Early this morning the Human Rights Campaign building was vandalized. Early police reports say that around 4am this morning the building was defaced. According to police the vandals used either paintball guns or balloons filled with paint. It appears to have been a drive by and the police have no suspects.

The vandalism occurred after HRC’s Annual National Dinner fundraiser where President Obama spoke. This was the most publicized dinner HRC has held because of the President’s appearance. Obama’s speech was televised live on Cspan and also covered by CNN.

Today is also the National Equality March where thousands of LGBT people will be marching for equal rights.

LGR will be following this story and will provide updates from the police as they come in.

At 4:30om EST today a group claimed responsibility by leaving a comment here on this post. Calling the act “glamdalism” the group states in their message that “a crew of radical queer and allied folks armed with pink and black paint and glitter grenades. Beside the front entrance and the inscribed mission statement (of the HRC building) now reads a tag, "Quit leaving queers behind."

Here is the full message:

Communique from the Forgotton:

Human Rights Campaign HQ Glamdalized By Queers Against Assimilation

HRC headquarters was rocked by an act of glamdalism last night by a crew of radical queer and allied folks armed with pink and black paint and glitter grenades. Beside the front entrance and the inscribed mission statement now reads a tag, "Quit leaving queers behind."

The HRC is not a democratic or inclusive institution, especially for the people who they claim to represent. Just like society today, the HRC is run by a few wealthy elites who are in bed with corporate sponsors who proliferate militarism, heteronormativity, and capitalist exploitation. The sweatshops (Nike), war crimes (Lockheed Martin), assaults on working class people (Bank of America, Deloitte, Chase Bank, Citi Group, Wachovia Bank) and patriarchy (American Apparel) caused by their sponsors is a hypocrisy for an organization with "human rights" in their name.

The queer liberation movement has been misrepresented and co-opted by the HRC. The HRC marginalizes us into a limited struggle for aspiring homosexual elites to regain the privilege that they've lost and climb the social ladder towards becoming bourgeoisie.

Last night, Obama spoke at the HRC fundraising gala and currently the HRC website declares, "President Obama underlines his unwavering support for LGBT Americans." The vast amount of organizing resources the HRC wastes on their false alliance with the Democratic party leaves radical queers on the margins to fend for themselves. Our struggle has always had to resist the repression of conservative tendencies in government and society to gain liberation in our lives.

The gourmet affair was sponsored by 48 corporations including giants Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, and Wachovia Bank. At $250 dollars a plate the HRC served our movement a rich, white, heternormative atmosphere that purposefully excludes working class queer folks.

REMEMBER THE STONEWALL RIOTS! On the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, pigs raided a queer bar in Texas, arrested and beat our friends, and we looked towards politicians and lawyers to protect us. This mentality is what keeps the money flowing to the HRC and their pet Democrats, and keeps our fists in our pockets.

Most of all we disagree that collective liberation will be granted by the state or its institutions like prisons, marriage, and the military. We need to escalate our struggle, or it will collapse.

~~Love and Solidarity~~

[London] 30 pianos scattered across city to encourage impromptu singalongs

suggested by Jeffrey, re-posted from Huffingtonpost

30 Pianos Scattered Across London to Encourage Impromptu Singalongs, 07/12/09

One project aims to make London a more cheery place through the use of song. A group has scattered 30 pianos throughout the city in order to encourage impromptu singalongs. Despite the mountain of paperwork it required to get the project up and running, the group succeeded and more music has begun to fill the air of the city.

See video here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/12/30-pianos-scattered-acros_n_230189.html

[Philly] Internet for Everyone[

suggested by Bryan, re-posted from MediaMobilizing.org

The Internet for Everyone: Digital Philadelphia
by Todd Wolfson and Hannah Sassaman, 07/08/09

PHILADELPHIA is lining up for a race with a big prize - tens of millions in stimulus money to expand Internet access. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has authorized $7.2 billion for broadband programs, with everything from tricking out community centers with high-speed lines to mapping broadband availability already on the table as fundable programs.

The other day in Erie, Vice President Biden announced the guidelines, and set a 45-day window for the first round of applications, closing Aug. 14. That's especially exciting for us, since only about 50 percent of Philadelphians have daily Internet access and even fewer have access at home.

With all the economic problems the city and the country face, why has the administration prioritized the Internet? As Biden said, these grants are "a first step toward realizing President Obama's vision of a nationwide 21st century communications infrastructure - one that encourages economic growth, enhances America's global competitiveness and helps address many of America's most pressing challenges."

With Internet access, low-income families can access jobs, young people can create media about their lives and neighborhoods, small businesses can innovate and develop, and communities can take greater part in government. Access to broadband communication gives poor people power that they need more than ever.

It's great that we have a chance at money to build a communications system that serves everyone. But the feds are being very careful about how that money gets used. "Service" can't just mean that Verizon will come to your home and install a line for a monthly fee many can't afford. It will mean training, hardware and the leadership to get people online in real ways.

That's why the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is looking hard at the applications. It isn't just big corporations or shiny ideas that will walk away with these dollars - the more community engagement the NTIA sees, the better the chances of getting the cash.

But Philly is ready. Our chief information officer, Allan Frank, deserves credit for leading the most open process in the country when it comes to designing the city's application for broadband stimulus. A series of conversations with community groups and institutional leaders, launched with an all-day meeting on June 23, will lead to an application designed by everyone from high school students to shelter managers and community organizers.

The results from that meeting will be used by the city and a partner coalition of digital-inclusion specialists to design a winning bid. The communities who need the broadband connectivity are working with the city to design the plan to get it - this is bold thinking Mayor Nutter should fully support.

Only a few things can trip up the city now. Philly is standing at the starting line with other national competitors for this money: city and county governments, tech companies, community groups. The city will win big if it keeps its plan to solve the problem of the digital divide for low-income and disenfranchised communities.

To do that, the city must keep community groups at the table in a real way and the grantwriting process transparent. Other cities (San Francisco, Seattle, Boston) are building networks to conduct major city services and business, to provide public safety and help poor people get online. Now it's our turn.

We have a chance to build a city where everyone has Internet access. If we keep communities at the table and support our CIO, we can change how Philadelphians communicate, for good.

Todd Wolfson represents the Media Mobilizing Project and Hannah Sassaman the Digital Justice Coalition.

[sweet] Iconic Woodstock lovers, 40 years later

re-posted from NY Daily News

Woodstock concert's undercover lovers, Nick and Bobbi Ercoline, 40 years after summer of love
By Jim Farber, 06/07/09



Of all the images snapped during the original Woodstock weekend, one stands above all: a young couple huddled together in a blanket, standing alone in a sea of people lying on wet ground.

It's an enduring image of love, care and protection that earned iconic status through its placement on the cover of the original "Woodstock" album in 1970, as well as on the movie poster.

Forty years later, the couple in the photo - Nick and Bobbi Ercoline, both 60 - remain together. They married two summers after the fabled weekend, and they still live less than an hour's drive from the original concert site of Bethel, N.Y., and within spitting distance of where they both grew up.

Nick Ercoline works for the Orange County, N.Y., Department of Housing. Bobbi is a resident nurse at the elementary school in their hometown of Pine Bush.

The 40th anniversary of the ultimate hippie be-in, this Aug. 15-17, has thrown the Ercolines into the spotlight again - something they never expected or sought.

They say they remember nothing of the original shot, taken by Burk Uzzle. "We weren't striking a pose," Nick says. "We were as surprised as everybody to see that photo on the album cover."

They discovered it while at a friend's house listening to the album and passing around the gatefold jacket. First, Nick recognized the famous yellow butterfly staff in the left corner. "It belonged to this guy Herbie," Nick says. "We latched on to him that day because he was having a very bad experience. He was tripping pretty heavily and he had lost his friends. After I saw that staff I said, 'Hey that's our blanket.' Then I said, 'Hey, that's us.'"

Bobbi, then 20, wasn't overly impressed. "Woodstock was over and done with at that time," she says. "It didn't seem like a big deal. The only thing was that then I had to tell my mother I had gone. She didn't know. But by then, she didn't mind."

The two had arrived in the middle of the weekend, a rare feat given that all main roads were closed by then. "We were local kids, so we knew the back roads," Nick says. "About 5 miles away we abandoned this big white 1965 Chevrolet Impala station wagon."

The two didn't realize the impact their photo had until Woodstock's 20th anniversary, when the world's media began seeking them out. In fact, their memories of the original event have more to do with the scene than the music, because they were too far away to hear or see much.

"I remember the rain, the lack of toilets and the body odor," Bobbi says.

"I also remember an orange haze from the glowing lights of the stage. It was everywhere, lighting up the sky."

The pair had met only three months earlier, over Memorial Day weekend, at the bar where Nick worked. "This waiter brought this beautiful blond in one day and said, 'This is my girlfriend; keep an eye on her,'" Nick explains. "Every night she stood in front of me and we got friendlier and friendlier. Then one weekend he made the mistake of leaving her home while he went to the shore with the guys and he never told her. That was the end of that. And the beginning of this."

Despite all the time gone by, Nick says they still get recognized. "We were in Germany, and right when we walked into the hotel they knew who we were."

As to why their photo was chosen, Nick has a theory. "It's peaceful, which is what the event was about," he says. "And it's an honest representation of a generation. When we look at that photo I don't see Bobbi and me. I see our generation."

[NYC] Con Ed staff protest's company's poor wages/health benefits

suggested by Allen, re-posted from NY Daily News

Con Edison staff protests power company's poor wages and health benefits plan, 06/03/09

Con Edison CEO Kevin Burke's annual wages are, without a doubt, extremely generous. But the wages of workers who clean his luxurious Manhattan office every day are not.

Burke makes a whopping $7.3 million a year, but the men and women who maintain his office and power plants are paid a meager $8.50 an hour and get no benefits. Talk about disparity.

One of those workers is Fernando Cruz, a Dominican immigrant and 15-year Harlem resident. Cruz has been a maintenance worker at the Con Ed power plant at 14th St. and Avenue C for about a year. He works five days a week from 7a.m. to 3 p.m. His take-home pay is about $300 per week.

"I work at Con Ed, but need food stamps to get by," said Cruz, 31, the father of a 5-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl. "Now that even the subway has gone up, my weekly take-home pay is barely enough to pay for transportation.

"And with a monthly electricity bill of some $200," he added with some bitterness, "I feel that Con Ed is taking back whatever little I get paid,"

Cruz's predicament is not at all unusual among the maintenance workers who are members of Local 32BJ, the largest property service union in the country.

To dramatize their plight, hundreds of workers and their supporters rallied Tuesday at Union Square, a block from the Con Ed headquarters.

The workers, although not on Con Ed's payroll, were demanding that Burke hire contractors that pay decent wages.

"Although the cleaners are not direct employees of Con Edison, as a publicly regulated utility, your company has an obligation to ensure that it hires responsible contractors that employ workers at reasonable, livable wages with health benefits," state Sen. Thomas Duane wrote to Burke.

He was one of several state and city elected officials, including Assembly members Linda Rosenthal and Adriano Espaillat, and City Council members Miguel Martínez, Letitia James and Rosie Méndez, who have written to Burke urging him to hire responsible contractors. The utility is regulated by the state Public Service Commission.

Right now, the cleaning contractors Con Ed uses at its power plants, offices and electrical substations across the city are Nelson Services, Apple Maintenance, T&T Cleaning and Janitorial, Accent Maintenance and Martinez Cleaning.

Héctor Figueroa, secretary treasurer of Local 32BJ, said the union has met with a Con Ed vice president to discuss this issue.

"He told us that he was 'very sorry,' but that because these workers were not their employees, he didn't think this was Con Ed's problem," said Figueroa.

"But it isn't just a matter of legal obligation; there is also a moral obligation. What Con Ed is doing by not assuming responsibility is promoting hunger wages."

A BIG PART of the problem, Figueroa said, is that contrary to what happens in other states, in New York utilities are exempt from any prevailing wage laws. The union, he said, is asking legislators to reconsider.

Clearly, the unions and the workers are not asking for anything out of the ordinary. They just want to be fairly compensated for their work, to have sick days and health insurance for themselves and their families, as well as paid vacations.

They also are asking Con Edison, a company that makes millions every year, to use its considerable leverage with the contractors it hires.

"We are only asking for what should be rightly ours," Cruz said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/07/02/2009-07-02_con_edison_works_say_.html#ixzz0KalJUkOJ&C

[workshop] How To Eat Pussy

This is the 100th post on Good News & the Practice of Freedom! Enjoy. --ianna.

How To Eat Pussy, a workshop for GLOBE & Make the Road NY
Author unknown

Icebreaker (10 minutes) What are all the words you know for vagina?
pussy vulva snatch choach vagina choca chomi vajayjay

Lets agree on something to call it for the purpose of this workshop that doesn’t offend or turn anybody off.


Part I - Communication + Attentiveness

These are probably the two most crucial deciding factors in whether or not you eat good pussy. You must communicate with your partner, get the conversation about STDs out of the way, and maybe even some testing if you or her have never don so before. You can use dental dams and finger cots, but communication is also an amazing tool to protect yourself. Get checked yearly for STDs, if you smell something strong emanating from your pussy or you have smelly or white, yellow, or green secretions, extreme itchiness or any other general discomfort I strongly encourage you to visit a gynecologist. Infections (i.e. yeast, bacterial, fungus, vaginosis) fade in and out but they don’t go away on their own and if left untreated can be very harmful to your health. This isn’t a session about that so I will stop here. But I really want to encourage you to talk to your partner about STDs and if you make a decision to not use dental dams it will be very important to have established meaningful trust with your partner before you eat her out. Eating pussy is not something you do to a woman, its something you do with her.

Good communication also means being able to communicate when you are enjoying something. Communication means you will know how to be attentive to what turns her on. I have some information for you regarding anatomy, but women vary incredibly in what feels good. Some women like anal play others get grossed out. Some women like it rough others, not so. So all I tell you will be useless if you don’t know how to pay attention to your partner. Ask her if it feels good. Ask her if she likes it (what your doing)? You can make this a very sexy interaction. Ask her what she wants you to do to her. Not while you’re making out with her… but when you are eating her out.


Part II – Hygiene

1. Pull back hair – I ain’t got nothing against hair but it gets in the way.
2. Clean Hands – Dirty hands cause infections. Think about it. You’ve been drinking you went to that dirty bathroom at the bar. You put your hand on the subway rail, who wants all that in their pussy? Wash your hands, you may not give her an STD but a girl ain’t gona like you if you give her a yeast infection.
3. Cut nails short and filed down – long nails cause cuts that can also lead to yeast infections or vaginosis.
4. Don’t bite your nails – biting your nails causes sharpness witch can also lead to infections–AND because it causes cuts on your fingers which puts you at risk of STDs.
5. Washing – Some people prefer to take a wash to clean themselves before getting eaten out. If you enjoy anal licking you are encouraged to take these washes as bacteria from your poop can grow in your stomach and cause lots of trouble. Some people do not recommend using soap as it disrupts the natural flora of the vagina witch regulates itself against infections… its up to you girls.
6. Shaving – This is really just a matter of preference, you can eat pussy with our without hair. I will suggest against shaving continuosly as this can cause razor burn, ingrown hairs and other skin irritations that make it easier for you to contract an STD.


Part III - Hand masturbation

The clit is bigger than you think – it runs all the way thru the vagina. As seen on Oprah (display the area of the clit). As women become excited the clit area (including the tip) begins to swell with blood and the vagina lubricates, so you can massage around and on that area. You can squeeze and stretch the outer labia. If you stretch the labia the woman can squeeze and make her clit jump. All of this is very pleasurable and is quite safe for both you and her with regards to STDs. The outer labia can withstand quite a bit of pulling and tugging, so you can get rowdy. Likewise, humping with your clothes on and general rubbing can easily lead to rowdiness (and even orgasms) without risk of contracting an STD or cause any other infection.


Part IV – Misconceptions

Many people have misconceptions about what is pleasurable for women. You don’t want to rub the clit really fast or jab your fingers into the vagina. You can use dildos for deep penetration and vibrators for the clit for that kind of intensity, but I want to talk to you about what you can do with just your hands and mouth.


Part V – Getting Started

I like to start by just licking it. I think a lot of girls get nervous about how they taste so I like to get right in there and lick the entrance of the vagina first, and moan to signal my enjoyment. If you ever have any trouble finding the clit you can always stick your tongue in the entrance of the vagina and move up. You can lick all around and just generally make out with her pussy. If choose to make direct contact with the clit, after teasing it, then you suck and lick the clit like so (display method). As you are doing this it is a very good idea to moan gently as this causes a slight vibration in her clit that is very pleasurable. Also it generally turns women on to think that you are enjoying yourself while eating her out. I would suggest against flicking with your tongue and fingers because the tip of the clit is very sensitive and you may over stimulate it, but again, all girls are different and different moods may strike in one girl. I can’t say I’ve never enjoyed it. So again this is a circumstance where you have to be attentive.


Part VI – Finger Fucking

Some girls like to get finger fucked while you are eating them out. This is another great place for attentiveness and communication because others women definitely do not like to get finer fucked when you are eating them out. If you enter your finger like so you can stimulate her Gspot, which is here (display method) also pressing over this area outside can be pleasurable. You can use your middle finger, index finger, ring finger, whichever finger feels most comfortable for you. Start with one finger, the pussy will get wet and start to open, when you notice this then you can lick your fingers and the entrance of her vagina (or use lubricant) put two fingers closely together and very slowly and gently enter it to the pussy. This is a good time to moan again.

If you enter the finger like this (display other method) then your finger/s will reach the tip of her cevix, by your nails. This is the deepest part of the vagina. If you want her to have the sensation that she is getting a deep fuck then you point your fingers in this direction. This will be a crucial place to pay attention. DO NOT JAB INTO THE PUSSY. When the pussy opens up you push down and in. If she squeezes her pussy then stop moving your fingers. This is the pussy sending you a signal to be still. Get into to it, but don’t over do it. Suck on the clit but don’t suck too hard. Think like you are gently making out with her pussy, start your fingers slowly and if she is wet enough, open, and into it then you can start to deeply penetrate her with your fingers. For starters, I would recommend to only use with two fingers, but again, it’s up to you. I like using my ring and middle finger (display method) because it frees up my index and pinky finger. If I finger fuck a woman with my index and middle finger I feel like my ring and pinky finger get crunch in her ass. I think that women enjoy anal play a lot, but I don’t like feeling like my fingers are there just because there is nowhere else to go. So I use my middle finger and my ring finger and this means that if I want to tickle or finger her ass I can do so with my index or pinky finger.


Part VII - Anal Play

Many women enjoy anal play. This has a lot to do with the fact that the clit ends around the area of the anus. They like to get licked tickled and fingered in their ass. If you are licking your partner’s ass then she can use her hand to rub her clit. You can use a finger to fuck her, but I would avoid using two because it is a very sensitive area and you may cause her discomfort. If you do try to go for more than one finger at a time be sure to go slow. If you are feeling a little icky about using your fingers then you can always use anal beads or a dildo. Remember, it is strongly encouraged that your partner wash her butt with soap and water before you lick, fuck, tickle or do anything else to her ass. Also it’s a good idea to wash your hands and face afterwards.


IIX - Toys

So we are just about wrapping up but I wanted to talk briefly about toys. Its pretty easy to incorporate toys into eating pussy. You can use a dildo instead of your fingers. This comes with pros and cons. On the one hand you have a smooth surface that is much less like to cause scratches in the vagina and on the other you loose the ability to feel her pussy as it squeeze and shakes and gets wet and all that. Here is a little advice on toys. Do not bust out the toys the first time you eat her out. Fucking a girl with a strap on or a dildo is on another level of trust. Make sure to talk abut sex toys before trying to bring them into your bed. I recommend that if you have a girlfriend you buy a toy for each other, maybe two or three. But I would suggest against using the same toys with multiple partners. Keep your toys clean or put a condom on dildos before you use them. I cannot emphasize this enough. Dirty toys cause infections. For clitoral stimulation there is a wide range of toys you can buy. I have the Magic Wand, which is no joke. You can use a vibrator for her clit and finger fuck her at the same time. I would suggest to not try to eat her out if she has a vibrator on her clit.


IX – 69 ing

Eating each other out is great. You should definitely try to 69 with your partner. I suggest you try out being on top and being on the bottom. Experiment, be a versatile lover. If you are on the top then you will be able to finger fuck her while you are eating her out, although the anal play will be more difficult. You can hook her legs with her elbows, this will lift her pussy towards you and give you a lot of space to finger fuck her. Sometimes, I like to just do that while the girl eats me out. If you are on the bottom it will be difficult for you to finger fuck. What I would recommend when you are on the bottom is that you concentrate on sucking and stimulating the clit. That way she can kind of ride your face. Moaning is great here and is even sexier because you can be pretty sure it’s a genuine pleasure moan and the vibration will feel nice.

So… What did I miss? What else do you enjoy that I did not mention?


X – STDs are real

STD risk. Does anybody know what some of the most common STDs are for women who have sex with other women? What are the risks involved in eating pussy?
What about eating a girl out when she is on her period?

Thanks I had a great time you guys. I hope you all have great sex.

[India] Gay sex decriminalised in India

suggested by Nia, re-posted from BBC News

Gay sex decriminalised in India, 07/01/09

A court in the Indian capital, Delhi, has ruled that homosexual intercourse between consenting adults is not a criminal act.

The ruling overturns a 148-year-old colonial law which describes a same-sex relationship as an "unnatural offence".

Homosexual acts were punishable by a 10-year prison sentence.

Many people in India regard same-sex relationships as illegitimate. Rights groups have long argued that the law contravened human rights.

Delhi's High Court ruled that the law outlawing homosexual acts was discriminatory and a "violation of fundamental rights".

The court said that a statute in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which defines homosexual acts as "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" and made them illegal, was an "antithesis of the right to equality".

'India's Stonewall'

The ruling is historic in a country where homosexuals face discrimination and persecution on a daily basis but it is likely to be challenged, says the BBC's Soutik Biswas in Delhi.

It also promises to change the discourse on sexuality in a largely conservative country, where even talking about sex is largely taboo, our correspondent says.

Gay rights activists all over the country welcomed the ruling and said it was "India's Stonewall".

New York's Stonewall riot in 1969 is credited with launching the gay rights movement.

"It [the ruling] is India's Stonewall. We are elated. I think what now happens is that a lot of our fundamental rights and civic rights which were denied to us can now be reclaimed by us," activist and lawyer Aditya Bandopadhyay told the BBC.

"It is a fabulously written judgement, and it restores our faith in the judiciary," he said.

Leading gay rights activist and the editor of India's first gay magazine Ashok Row Kavi welcomed the judgement but said the stigma against homosexuals will persist.

"The social stigma will remain. It is [still] a long struggle. But the ruling will help in HIV prevention. Gay men can now visit doctors and talk about their problems. It will help in preventing harassment at police stations," Mr Kavi told the BBC.

But the decision was greeted with unease by other groups.

Father Dominic Emanuel of India's Catholic Bishop Council said the church did not "approve" of homosexual behaviour.

"Our stand has always been very clear. The church has no serious objection to decriminalising homosexuality between consenting adults, the church has never considered homosexuals as criminals," said Father Emanuel.

"But the church does not approve of this behaviour. It doesn't consider it natural, ethical, or moral," he said.

The head cleric of Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque, criticised the ruling.

"This is absolutely wrong. We will not accept any such law," Ahmed Bukhari told the AFP news agency.

In 2004, the Indian government opposed a legal petition that sought to legalise homosexuality - a petition the high court in Delhi dismissed.

But rights groups and the Indian government's HIV/Aids control body have demanded that homosexuality be legalised.

The National Aids Control Organisation (Naco) has said that infected people were being driven underground and efforts to curb the virus were being hampered.

According to one estimate, more than 8% of homosexual men in India were infected with HIV, compared to fewer than 1% in the general population.

[SF Bay Area] Activists de-shelve Israeli products at Trader Joe's

re-posted form BigCampaign.org

US activists de-shelve Israeli products from national grocer, 06/25/09

Press release, Don't Buy Into Apartheid, QUIT (Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism), South Bay Mobilization and BDS BayArea

On Saturday, 20 June, activists gathered at Trader Joe's in Oakland and San Francisco, US to demand that the company stop carrying Israeli goods.

Protesters removed Israeli products from the shelves in order to show customers which products they should not buy. They also met with the store managers and asked them to notify their headquarters that they no longer wanted to carry Israeli herbs, couscous and cheese. Similar actions were held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Seattle, Washington; and Sacramento, California. The activists were inspired by campaigns to de-shelve Israeli products in Wales and France.

"Trader Joe's is a company with an excellent reputation for bringing a diverse array of high-quality foods from around the world to US consumers. As Trader Joe's consumers, we are part of a growing movement of people globally who are calling on businesses to be consistent in following ethical business practices," said Yasmin Qureshi, an organizer of the Don't Buy Into Apartheid national network.

The group chose 20 June for its kickoff action because it is World Refugee Day, a day recognized worldwide to spotlight refugees displaced by war and persecution. Of the 11 million refugees in the world today, over seven million are Palestinian refugees displaced as a direct result of the founding of the State of Israel, many displaced for more than 60 years. It is for this reason that Don't Buy Into Apartheid calls on to Trader Joe's to discontinue the sales of Israeli Couscous, Dorot frozen herbs, as well as Pastures of Eden Feta cheese.

"Consumer boycotts played an important role in bringing about the end of apartheid in South Africa," said Sunaina Maira, Associate Professor of Asian American Studies at University of California-Davis. "Corporations with ethical business practices can stop funding injustice and occupation by refusing to sell products made in states that enact racial discrimination and violations of human rights law, such as Israel. The State of Israel was created in 1948 through policies of ethnic cleansing and apartheid, and still continues to violate countless United Nations resolutions. Consumer boycotts are an effective, nonviolent strategy to pressure states to comply with international law."

The manager at one Trader Joe's told the activists, "If you convince our customers to stop buying these products, we will stop carrying them." The group handed out coupons for customers to give to the cashiers asking the store to stop carrying Israeli products.

In 2005, a broad coalition of Palestinian groups issued a call for the international community to place boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel based on its illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and discriminatory laws.

Don't Buy Into Apartheid's letter to Trader Joe's was signed by more than 35 organizations and 135 individuals. The campaign has gained more than 600 members in one month. Trader Joe's will join them in supporting social justice and racial equality by removing Israeli products from its shelves until Israel agrees to cooperate fully with international law.

[Melbourne] 2,000 Indians' 20 hr protest number of hate crimes against Indians in past year

Please forgive the quietness on the site for awhile. I was in finals and now I'm traveling. Special thanks to Gaurav for forwarding me this link below and keeping the Good News alive. Home soon. --ianna.

suggested by Gaurav, re-posted from SepiaMutiny.com

Good on you, mate... 06/03/09

Australia is a country with strong cultural pressures to conform; Aussies are rewarded for fitting in rather than standing out in all areas except for athletics. It’s known as the tall poppy syndrome, as in the tall poppy gets mowed down. In the USA, there’s a different saying, one about squeaky wheels, and I’m glad to say that desis in Australia seem to be following the American model.

This weekend, at least 2,000 Indians protested in Melbourne, blocking traffic on a busy street for almost 20 hours to protest the large number of crimes and assaults against Indians in the last year and the lack of police interest or response. The demonstrations started at Royal Melbourne Hospital where Sravan Kumar Theerthala was lying comotose after having been stabbed with a screwdriver at a party.

Latest available police figures say 1,447 people of Indian origin were robbed or assaulted in Victoria state in 2007-2008, although students from the country say they have risen since then. Many of the most serious cases occurred in the western suburbs of the state capital Melbourne, where police estimate Indians account for about 30 percent of all robbery and assault victims. [link]

Police have denied any racial motivation, saying the students were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They have said the crimes were “opportunistic”, with Indian students seen as “soft targets”. [link]

In addition to the protests in Melbourne, there was a strong diplomatic response. Manmohan Singh has called the Australian PM, and the Indian and Australian Foreign Ministers are holding talks on the matter. The diplomatic engagement was accompanied by a vigorous thapad by BigB who turned down a honorary doctorate offered by the Queensland University of Technology, saying “Under the prevailing circumstances I find it inappropriate at this juncture, to accept this decoration.”

This is a serious issue for Australia because it makes $15 billion (AU) from foreign students, 40% of whom come from India and China (90,000 Indian students and 130,000 Chinese students). Foreign students are the third largest export earner behind coal and iron ore.

Right now, news of these attacks has widespread coverage in India and both governments are threatening to discourage future students from coming to Australia. This is a credible threat, a few years ago the New Zealand government failed to take racist violence against Chinese students seriously and they lost all their Chinese students as a consequence.

As a result of this escalation the Australian authorities have changed their tune considerably, and they are now bringing in the PM’s national security advisor to formulate policy:

Australia said Tuesday the former head of its elite Special Air Service (SAS) regiment will lead a task force examining attacks on Indian students … Duncan Lewis, now the government’s national security adviser, chaired the task force’s first meeting Tuesday and would coordinate Australia’s response to the assaults. [link]

The government is also considering enacting hate crime legislation that would consider prejudicial motivation as a factor in sentencing.

I think it’s pretty sad that it took this much diplomatic pressure, and some outright hysteria by the Indian media, before the Australian authorities would take the issue seriously. That said, based on my experience with hate crimes in the USA, the copycat attacks (including vandalism of a Gurdwara on Monday and a slashing yesterday) should die down as soon as perpetrators realize that the government will be enforcing the law vigorously. I’ve got family in Australia, I’d like to feel that they’re safe.

Original link here: http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/005804.html#more

[Wales] Teen Rescues 6 from Fire

re-posted from BBC Wales

Teenager helps save six from fire, 05/04/09

A teenage boy has been praised for helping to save six children aged from five to 15 from their burning house.

Leighton Griffiths, 15, from Cwmbran, heard the youngsters screaming for help after the fire broke out in the Greenmeadow area early on Saturday.

The mother of five of the children rescued from the fire said her young neighbour had saved their lives.

South Wales Fire Service praised the "swift actions of the public", firefighters and fire control staff.

Fire crews were called to The Twinings at 0220 BST on Saturday, with the fire at an end-of-terrace house.

Leighton said he used a hosepipe to try to douse the flames while his stepfather Alan Probert and a neighbour put a ladder up to a window and got out three of the youngsters.

Meanwhile, unbeknown to Mr Probert, Leighton said he had gone into the property and rescued the three other children trapped in the burning house.

He collapsed and had to be taken to hospital afterwards with minor burns and a suspected broken rib.

Leighton said: "No matter how scared you might be, you've got to be brave enough to go in and get them. They could have died and I could not have lived my life knowing I could have done something.

"I class everyone who gave a hand at the time a hero because we all played a part in it."

The fire is believed to have started in the electrical fuse box at the house.

They are the third family to have survived a blaze in the property in recent years.

Tracy Evans and her husband had been on their first evening out in 18 months when the fire started.

Mrs Evans said: "He's absolutely fantastic. He saved my children's lives. If it wasn't for him, my kids wouldn't be here now, and there's nothing I can ever do (for) that boy or repay him for what he's done."

The children have also made a thank you card for Leighton who celebrates his 16th birthday on Tuesday.

South Wales Fire Service said the blaze was being treated as accidental. Further investigations are being carried out with the police.

Richie Prendergast, the officer in charge of the incident, said due to the swift actions of the public, the fire crews at the scene and fire control staff, a great tragedy had been avoided.

[TX] Detainees on Hunger Strike at Port Isabel

suggested by Toussaint, re-posted from Texas Observer

Hunger Strike at Port Isabel, 04/28/09

To listen to interview:
http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ramaedit.mp3

Anywhere from 50 to 100 detainees at the sprawling Port Isabel Processing Center near Brownsville stopped eating last Wednesday in an effort to draw attention to extended detention that they say violates their right to due process.

One of the detainees on hunger strike - Rama Carty - spoke to the Observer by phone on Friday about how he has been detained by ICE for more than 13 months.

“It’s unconstitutional. It’s unjust,” Carty said. “We’re held well past any reasonable time under the law, or just any reasonable time, period.”

Carty fell under the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2008 after he served two years in prison for what he says is a wrongful drug conviction. He spent time in detention centers in Maine and New Hampshire before being sent to Texas in December. In March, he came across an article in USA Today about a new Amnesty International report on how thousands of immigrants are detained for months or years without any meaningful judicial review of whether they should be released.

“If immigration removal is not reasonably foreseeable at all, then detention, in essence, shouldn’t exist,” Carty said, citing a Supreme Court precedent for cases like his.

Carty turns 39 next week and has lived in the United States since he was a year old. His parents are Haitian, but he was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo while they were working there. Neither country will accept him, so he languishes in detention in the country he calls home.

“I am a U.S. citizen from a cultural standpoint,” Carty told the Observer.

He wants a chance to argue he is a citizen from a legal standpoint as well. He said ICE mishandled his mother’s application for naturalization, and he should be given an opportunity to be considered a citizen. But, like many in the 1,200-bed facility, he said he lacks access to legal assistance.

“We are told we have lawyers available thru pro-bono associations but that’s not the truth,” Carty said of the overwhelmed legal aid offices that mostly focus on political asylum cases. “The amount of effective assistance of counsel is grossly insufficient,” he said.

Carty says he thinks the hunger strike will continue to grow. The strikers’ demands include a meeting with Dora Schriro, the newly appointed special advisor on detention and removal for the Department of Homeland Security.

For more info, see: http://www.businessofdetention.com/

[resource] Barnivore Vegan Alcohol Directory

suggested by Lewis, re-posted from Barnivore.com

Is Your Booze Vegan?

It might seem weird at first, but your favourite drink might have more than just alcohol in it.

Brewmasters, winemakers, and distillers may include animal ingredients in their products directly, or they might use them in the processing and filtration.

These ingredients don't usually show up on the label, so the only way to find out is to ask.

The Barnivore Vegan Alcohol Directory is here to help.

Our 680 entries have been checked and double checked by the Barnivore community and are gathered here for you to enjoy, and maybe submit a check of your own.

VISIT: http://www.barnivore.com/

[Cornwall] Youtube Helps Man Deliver Baby

suggested by Lewis, re-posted from BBC News

Youtube Helps Man Deliver Baby, 05/01/09

An engineer in Cornwall delivered his baby son after watching a instructional video on YouTube.

Marc Stephens watched the videos as a precaution when his wife Jo started to feel some discomfort.

Four hours later, his wife went into labour and started giving birth before an ambulance could arrive at their home in Redruth.

"I Googled how to deliver a baby, watched a few videos and basically swotted up," Mr Stephens told the BBC.

Jo Stephens said they had planned a home birth, but not quite in this manner.

"I woke up and realised I was having contractions every five minutes," Mrs Stephens said.

"I woke Marc up and we phoned the midwife, but they were all so busy they couldn't come round to our house and told us to call an ambulance. But before it arrived, it all started."

A few hours earlier, Mr Stephens has been reading up on home births and how to cope with anything unexpected.

"The videos gave me peace of mind. I think I would have coped, but watching videos made things much easier."

Mr Stephens said his wife was on all fours when he saw the head starting to come out.

"This is our fourth child now and while for our first I spent most of the time at my wife's head, now I'm not afraid to go down to the business end.

"I was still on the phone to the midwife and told her that 'this is it'," he said.

Mr Stephens said he felt no panic, putting his ability to stay calm down to his Royal Navy training.

After delivering the 5lbs 5oz boy, Gabriel, the Stephens went to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, where both mother and baby got a clean bill of health.

[NYC] Over 120 Unregistered Billboards Taken/Painted By Artists

suggested by Lewis, re-posted from Consumerist.com

Art Vigilantes Paint Over 120 Illegal Billboards in NYC
by Chris Walters, 05/01/09

Last Saturday, ads-in-public-spaces activist Jordan Seiler spearheaded NYSAT, or New York Street Advertising Takeover, where teams of artists, videographers and activists replaced 120 unregistered billboard advertisements throughout the city with original art installations. There's a lot of coverage of the event available online, as well as pics and videos of the various installations. Here are a few good places to check out the results of the event. Some of the art is quite nice.

VIEW PHOTOS HERE:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37774782@N05/

[SF] Pranksters Install Swings on BART

suggested by Eli, re-posted from Laughing Squid

Pranksters Install Swings on BART Public Transit System in San Francisco
by Burnstein, 04/28/09

Some brilliant pranksters installed beautiful swings on BART last night. What apparently happened, according to witnesses, was a team of six or so people hopped on to a north-bound train from 24th Street station in San Francisco around 8:30 p.m. last night, installed three matching red swings, and then exited at 16th Street leaving their swings behind for public consumption.

I personally love this prank because of the joy that it inspires in the innocent by-standers. Look at the photos. Even the dudes that are not swinging are smiling (except for one woman - that is just how some people roll, I guess). I declare this to be an epic victory for joy and whimsy over the mundane!

VIEW PHOTOS HERE:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/audreypenven/sets/72157617328268331/

[NYC] Mystery Donor Gives $5M to Hunter College and other colleges run by women

suggested by Brittany, re-posted from NY Post

So kick ass! Now I only hope they use the designated scholarship money for students who really need it (versus as a recruitment tool for Ivy Leaguers)... --ianna.

Mystery Donor Gives $5M to Hunter College
Associated Press

A mystery donor has given millions to at least 14 colleges run by women.

Hunter College said Monday it received $5 million in the fall and realized only recently that more than a dozen other colleges nationwide had received similar donations.

Hunter College President Jennifer Raab says the money "couldn't have come at a better time."

The City University of New York school says the donor earmarked $4 million for scholarships. The school will use the rest to update its library and give students more group study space.

The gift is Hunter College's largest-ever donation.

At least 13 other schools with women presidents have received anonymous donations ranging from $1 million to $10 million in the last two months. The gifts total at least $74.5 million so far.

[Fresno] C.A.F.E. Fresno Infoshop Opening in May

re-posted from AnarchistNews.org

CAFE Fresno Infoshop Opening
submitted by mikerobe, 04/25/09

C.A.F.E. (Collective for Arts, Freedom, and Ecology) infoshop is holding a grand opening during May Day weekend. Party Friday; Lecture and discussion Saturday; Vegan potluck and film Sunday. 935 F St in downtown Fresno. Doors open at 6 pm each night.

For three years we've been dealing with cops, city inspectors and the fire marshal during which time we've thrown dozens of shows, held lectures (John Ross, Dennis Banks, Rob los Ricos, and others), shown films, had parties, hosted community groups, planned and plotted. We still haven't dealt with the various state assholes, but we thought we may as well have a grand opening. Come on out if you happen to be in the neighborhood. FNB, community grocery, bike clinic, library, zines, rad film library, sierra nevada earth first! and many other community groups using the space.

The trolls and flame throwers out there will talk their shit. Whatever. This infoshop is opening in the spirit of Emma Goldman's insights about the Spanish as opposed to the Russian revolution:

"The reality was that despite the evident readiness of the masses for the social revolution in the fall of 1917, they were not fully prepared to undertake the enormous reconstructive tasks that confronted them or to resist the Bolshevik assumption of dictatorial powers. In contrast, Goldman found both kinds of preparation in Spain. The accomplishments and endurance of the collectives that she described with such admiration were grounded in the long history of the anarchist movement in Spain, dating back to at least 1845. Goldman spoke repeatedly of the libertarian spirit of the Spanish people.... In August 1938 she reiterated, 'it will interest you to know that I found in some villages four generations steeped in Libertarian Communism. To them the idea was not merely on paper or in books, but a living force.'"

May the force be living within you and expressing itself with others.

mikerobe

[internet] Day Zero: Home of the 1001 Day Project

This website, Day Zero, encourages people to make a list of 101 things that they want to accomplish in 1001 days (roughly 2.75 years). The mission statement of Day Zero is "A unique meme that challenges and inspires you to set and complete realistic goals in life." The project encourages you to ask yourself:

"1. Who do I love, and what am I doing about it?
2. Am I pursuing my dream, or is fear* stopping me?
3. Am I doing something that matters?
4. What am I doing to help others?
5. Am I as good a person as I want to be?
6. What am I doing to live life with passion, health and energy?"

*We could problematize this question. Regardless, I think the project is quite worthwhile. I hope you check it out and maybe even give it a whirl.

Visit Day Zero here: www.dayzeroproject.com

[Amy Tan] Saying Thanks To My Ghosts

re-posted from NPR: "This I Believe"

Saying Thanks To My Ghosts, 04/26/09
By Amy Tan

I didn't used to believe in ghosts, but I was trained to talk to them. My mother reminded me many times that I had the gift. It all stemmed from a lie I told when I was 4. The way my mother remembered it, I refused to get ready for bed one night, claiming there was a ghost in the bathroom. She was delighted to learn I was a spirit medium.

Thereafter, she questioned anything unusual — a sudden gust of wind, a vase that fell and shattered. She would ask me, "She here?" She meant my grandmother.

When I was a child, my mother told me that my grandmother died in great agony after she accidentally ate too much opium. My mother was 9 years old when she watched this happen.

When I was 14, my older brother was stricken with a brain tumor. My mother begged me to ask my grandmother to save him. When he died, she asked me to talk to him as well. "I don't know how," I protested. When my father died of a brain tumor six months after my brother, she made me use a Ouija board. She wanted to know if they still loved her. I spelled out the answer I knew she wanted to hear: Yes. Always.

When I became a fiction writer in my 30s, I wrote a story about a woman who killed herself eating too much opium. After my mother read a draft of that story, she had tears in her eyes. Now she had proof: My grandmother had talked to me and told me her true story. How else could I have known my grandmother had not died by accident but with the fury of suicide? She asked me, "She here now?" I answered honestly, "I don't know."

Over the years, I have included other details in my writing I could not possibly have known on my own: a place, a character, a song. I have come to feel differently about my ghostwriters. Sometimes their clues have come so plentifully, they've made me laugh like a child who can't open birthday presents fast enough. I must say thanks, not to blind luck but to my ghosts.

Ten years ago, I clearly saw a ghost, and she talked to me. It was my mother. She had died just 24 hours before. Her face was 10 times larger than life, in the form of a moving, pulsing hologram of sparkling lights. My mother was laughing at my surprise. She drew closer, and when she reached me, I felt as if I had been physically punched in the chest. It took my breath away and filled me with something absolute: love, but also joy and peace — and with that, understanding that love and joy and peace are all the same thing. Joy comes from love. Peace comes from love. "Now you know," my mother said.

I believe in ghosts. Whenever I want, they will always be there: my mother, my grandmother, my ghosts.

[LA] Revolutionary Autonomous Communities' Food Program going strong after a year and five months

reposted from APOC Conference list

Revolutionary Autonomous Communities' Food Program

The Revolutionary Autonomous Communities has created a food program where we are empowering ourselves and others to become self-sustainable.

The Food Program is a mutual-aid project where people themselves are organizing and distributing food in their own neighborhoods. This is not charity, we do not believe that change will happen this way. This is self-empowerment, where working class neo-colonies are feeding themselves, and organizing to feed themselves.

Since the first week of November, 2007, RAC has distibuted much needed grocieries to the needy workers of the area. Last week 200 people standing in line received food packages.

You can join us every Sunday at 1:30 PM. Meet at the SE Corner of Wilshire and Parkview in MacArthur Park.

RAC Mission Statement:

We feel that this system is killing our people by what the corporations feed us or don't feed us. At the same time there is an abundance of healthy food that goes to waste. They would rather let food go to waste than allow the prices of food in the market to drop. Then they disconnect people (all indigenous and colonized people) from the land, which a free and independent people need to survive. They centralize power and resources in the hands of the few, this is how they keep oppressed people dependent on a white-supremacist, patriarchal, capitalist-imperialist system.

RAC's Food Program is a way that we can work with supporters and other organizations to feed healthy food to our communities. We want people to connect with each other, to pick up and distribute the food amongst themselves. We will support, help connect people and to supply whatever resources we can. Through this process our goal is to connect our communities and to take them back. Our overall goal is to regain our necessary connection to the land. We need land to survive, and the land belongs to us, not the colonizer. We want to relearn how to live off the land and how to truly be self-sustainable.

We're Still Here, We Never Left

Support our Food Program.

Help Pick Up Food.

Help Distribute Food in Your Neighborhood.

Donate to our Community Mutual-Aid Program.

Get Organized!

Take Back Our Communities and Take Back the Land!

All Power THROUGH the People!

-Revolutionary Autonomous Communities


E-mail RAC:
rac@lists.riseup.net

To donate to the RAC Food Program:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3639082

RAC Blog:
http://revolutionaryautonomouscommunities.blogspot.com/

Radio RAC LA
Tuesdays 9PM-12AM
http://killradio.org/

[NC] Small town of Wilson tells Time Warner to Suck It

re-posted from Consumerist.com

Time Warner Cable Cannot Possibly Compete With the Small City of Wilson, NC
By Meg Macro, 04/23/09

The city of Wilson, NC was tired of high internet, cable, and telephone prices, so they decided to do something about it. They started their own, city-owned, ISP. Now Time Warner Cable and Embarq have teamed up to convince North Carolina's legislature to propose bills outlawing community owned ISPs because the big guys cannot possibly compete.

We can see why they are worried. Wilson's ISP sounds great. It's an all fiber optic network that has 81 basic cable channels, 10 Mbps (download and upload), and a digital phone plan with unlimited long distance to the U.S. and Canada, all for $99.95, says Daily Tech. A comparable TWC package would cost $137.95, for an introductory rate.

Now Wilson's ISP, which calls itself "Greenlight" has started a blog to protest the legislation. Here's an excerpt:

"My name is Brian Bowman. I'm the Public Affairs Manager for the City of Wilson, NC, and I'll bet my broadband is faster than yours. I have a 10Mbps up/down connection at my house. Can't get half that from the cable company. I buy it directly from the City of Wilson. After less than a year of residential service, almost 3,000 Wilson citizens are subscribing to Wilson's fiber optic network. Local businesses can get up to one Gbps. Local homes get up to 100 Mbps. We call it Greenlight. NC Senate Bill 1004 and House Bill 1252 would change the law to stop cities from providing broadband. The bills say they "Level the Playing Field" but they are designed to protect cable monopolies in our state. The cable company told me Wilson would be exempt, but it's still wrong for NC."

[Senegal] Nine Gay Convinctions Overturned & Released

re-posted from BBC.co.uk

Gay Convictions Quashed, 04/20/09

Senegal's court of appeal has quashed January's convictions of nine men for homosexuality and ordered their immediate release.

They were sentenced to eight years in jail after being found guilty of "indecent conduct and unnatural acts".

The men - who part of an anti-HIV/Aids group - were arrested in December at a flat in a suburb of the capital, Dakar.

Homosexual acts are illegal in Senegal, a predominantly Muslim country where gay people remain marginalised.

The defence team argued at the beginning of the appeal last week that the case against the men was based mainly on anonymous tip-offs, reported AFP news agency.

The accused were not caught in the act as the prosecution had suggested during the trial, argued the defence.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy had expressed his concern at the original verdict.

The sentences were the highest ever handed down in Senegal for a homosexuality conviction and sparked outrage from international gay rights groups.

In sentencing the nine, the judge added three years to a five-year sentence, saying the men were also members of a criminal group.

In February 2008, the editor of a magazine in Senegal received death threats after publishing pictures claiming to depict a wedding ceremony between two men.