giant gay repellent umbrella

A Gaythering Storm from Jane Lynch

giantgayrepellentumbrella.com

This is a satire on a real advertisement running on US TV that tries to convince people that somehow something bad will happen to the quality of their marriages if other people marry -- which doesn't make any sense.

Because being gay is innate, rather than a "lifestyle choice," it makes no sense to fight against it. No change is possible except whether to pretend or not and whether to be prejudiced or not. Pretending and prejudice are not good lifestyle choices, no matter who is doing it. If people want to get married that's their problem, their business, who cares.

As a species, we really need to get over this and deal with reality.

New legal wall in Greensboro, NC.

"The triangular wall, located on the edge of the lake behind the old tennis courts, is the brainchild of senior Sam Sklover, a sculpture major." [at Guilford College]

Congratulations, Sam!

12 tips for managing your information footprint

What can people find out about you online? How can you try to control it? This list is a good place to start. The article it links to, "What the Web knows about you," is excellent further reading.

Diar is getting better, blogging too!

After a horrendous car accident in 2008 that left him paralyzed, Diar's recovery continues. He's selling t-shirts and paintings to help pay the bills. The site has more info.

He could sure use some moral support and good wishes, so please check out his blog and leave a comment if you have time.

Manifest Hope Art Contest for President Obama's Inauguration

Hurry.

Photographers' rights, UK, US

BTP rail enthusiasts guidelines (UK)

A Downloadable Flyer Explaining Your Rights When Stopped or Confronted for Photography (US)

Holiday humor break

Robin Williams, performing in the UK recently, riffing on politics and celebrities. Laugh, it's free.

The Wholesale Sedation of America's Youth

Common population estimates include at least eight million children, ages two to eighteen, receiving prescriptions for ADD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, autism, simple depression, schizophrenia, and the dozens of other disorders now included in psychiatric classification manuals. Yet sixty years ago, it was virtually impossible for a child to be considered mentally ill.

[...]

In 1980, hyperactivity, which had been imprudently named “minimal brain dysfunction” in the 1960s, was renamed Attention Deficit Disorder in order to be more politic, but there was an unintended consequence of the move. Parents and teachers, familiar with the name but not always with the symptoms, frequently misidentified children who were shy, slow, or sad (introverted rather than inattentive) as suffering from ADD. Rather than correct the mistake, though, some enterprising physicians responded by prescribing the same drug for the opposite symptoms. This was justified on the grounds that stimulants, which were being offered because they slowed down hyperactive children, might very well have the predicted effect of speeding up under-active kids. In this way, a whole new population of children became eligible for medication. Later, the authors of DSM-III memorialized this practice by renaming ADD again, this time as ADHD, and redefining ADD as inattention. Psychiatry had reached a new level: they were now willing to invent an illness to justify a treatment. It would not be the last time this was done.

[...]

Once a medical illness has been identified, all unwanted behavior becomes fruit of the same tree. Even the children themselves are often at first relieved that their asocial or antisocial impulses reflect an underlying disease and not some flaw in their characters or personalities.

USA: Opt out of phone books and yellow pages

I sure hope this works! I get 6 of these tree-murdering useless things per year, some from phone companies I don't even use. It's past time to be able to opt out. Some companies are cutting old-growth forest for phone books, which is obscene.

"Don't Talk to the Police" by Professor James Duane

Even if you're innocent and not under suspicion, you can be jailed for things you say to police. Just don't talk to them without a lawyer by your side. Even when you're just a witness, even when you are the one who called the cops, you can be arrested or prosecuted later for things you say.

Don't talk to the police without a lawyer, because [paraphrased]:

1. It can't help you. They can arrest you no matter what you say -- and probably will. What you tell police can't be used to help you at trial. Save it for court. Don't try to talk your way out of something after the police show up.

2. It's possible to admit you're guilty or say something incriminating, even by accident. Save it for court.

[It also doesn't help to admit guilt when the cops insist that they will go easier on you if you confess. So many kids fall for this one! It's just a lie they tell you in order to get you to self-incriminate so they won't have to prove anything. Cops can lie to you, but it's easy to get thrown in jail merely for lying to them (ask Martha Stewart). This is particularly true for the Feds. Some people would also get off on bad busts except for the fact that they admitted they were guilty to the police.]

3. Even if you are innocent, if you make a mistake when telling your story -- even by accident -- you could get convicted later as a result.

4. Even if you are innocent and tell the truth and only the truth, you might still give the cops information that could get you convicted in court. Prosecutors need to convict someone, so they look hard for someone no matter how far fetched the case may be. The 5th Amendment protects you from incriminating yourself, but only if you don't do it. Keeping your mouth shut is the only way to be sure. Innocent or guilty, the 5th protects you. Don't waste what little protection you have by talking.

5. If you talk to the police, regardless of what you say, they could easily remember what you said badly, exposing you to the possibility of being wrongfully convicted in court.

6. Even if you are videotaped.

7. Especially if the authorities then turn up someone with even mistaken or unreliable evidence that contradicts your statements.

[Tip: Television has nothing to do with real life and it may be entirely misleading about police and court procedures.]

[And last but not least, the big lie that will not die: Undercover police and informants can lie when you ask them if they are the police. There is no magic police deactivation phrase!]

: Thank you very much officer, but I can't talk to you without my lawyer here.

BBC - Election night in Chicago USA

This video is the best one I've seen so far from that hopeful night.

President-elect Obama's first YouTube address

It's a new day in American leadership, and what a difference. Let's hope Congress gets behind him and that his economic interventions work.

Of course, the idiots are freaking out too. So now is the time to step up our intolerance for hate speech and racist attitudes. It's not something we just have to put up with, it's a tiny cowardly minority with big mouths.

Election night photos in Chicago

My photos of the election night rally in Chicago didn't turn out as well as these did, but this slide show shows the crowd and the new first family, and it gives you a real sense of what it was like on the ground. It is being reported that 250,000 people were there at the rally in Chicago with us, although most of those folks would have been outside the park itself where you can't see them. This wave of humanity you can see is the first 40,000 or so who made it inside.

It was a trip leaving the park. Everyone was especially polite -- in a state of shock really. Optimistic shock, but definitely stunned. We walked for a dozen blocks in a crowd as far as you could see of quiet happy people. No cars. Every once in a while a wave of happy shouting would pass over us. I've never seen so many happy, relaxed, well-behaved cops in my life. I've never felt safer in a big crowd.

Now, perhaps, a change for the better is in the wind. Let's all hope so.

President elect, Barack Obama

Yes We Did.

Here are some excellent photos from the campaign.

I participated in the election-night rally in Chicago (thanks, Killian!), and I'll post a few photos from it in a day or two.

Refa One: Obama train

A Brand New Illustration by Oakland Artist "Refa One" Depicting Obama. This is the Latest Subway Car illustration from the popular Series "Train of Thought".

Title: "The Winds of Change" (ObAmA)
Medium: Permanent Ink, Pigment Pens and Marker Illustration
Size: 8 X17 inches (framed)
Price: $350.

Signed Prints:
8 X 17 inches $50
5 X 11 inches $25

contact: refa1@hotmail.com

Video the Vote

A great idea: Put an army of citizen reporters out there with video cameras and thus monitor the voting irregularities online. It might not protect against the ballot boxes that get dropped in Florida swamps, but at least we'd get that license plate number.

Tim O'Reilly: Why I support Barack Obama

(via BoingBoing)
This is great info with very interesting links to other stuff. My favorite reason here:

9/11, The War in Iraq, and the Growth of Authoritarian Government

Perhaps the most frightening thing about 9/11 is how easily we, as a nation, forgot who we are and what we stand for. We threw away the sympathy of the world by acting as though the threat of terrorism justifies the abandonment of human rights. The false intelligence and the lies that linked Iraq with the terrorists of 9/11, the abuses in Guantanamo, the drumbeat of fear that was used for political gain, all lost us the respect and moral leadership we once enjoyed. Meanwhile, Americans gave up freely the liberties that were the very foundation of our nation and made us a model for the rest of the world.

We need a clear break with that sordid epoch. John McCain is as outraged by Guantanamo as Barack Obama, but he continues the misplaced focus of American foreign policy on Iraq. And he seems to share the Bush administration's idea that terrorism is the greatest threat facing this country.

Barack Obama has outlined a commitment to extricate ourselves from a colossal foreign policy mistake. This plan, derided as naive by the Republicans, is in line with the wishes of the Iraqis, and will allow us to realign our foreign policy priorities to deal with far more substantial threats to our national interest.

But more importantly, it is itself a strategic move in "the war on terror. " By invading Iraq, we created a haven for terrorism that didn't previously exist. Even worse, we gave them exactly what they wanted, an enemy that could serve as a recruiting tool.

And we played completely into their hands here in America as well! What, after all, is the goal of terrorism? To disrupt the society of an enemy by creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.

Al Quaeda no longer needs to do anything to create that atmosphere of fear. Our government does that for them! From the horrific -- abuses of civil rights that undermine fundamental constitutional freedoms -- to the ridiculous -- what Bruce Schneier has so ably criticized as security theater that has increased the costs and inconvenience of travel while providing no added security, the Bush administration has acted the puppet to Osama bin Laden's game plan.

On the internet, we know how to deal with people who try to disrupt our activities. While griefers are not the same as terrorists, the same principle applies. We say, "Don't feed the trolls!"

Even without any overt action, an Obama presidency will undermine the aims of terror by providing a clear break with the past, a break with the policies that have made America more of a target for terrorism than we were before 9/11.

My hope -- and I'll admit that it's only a hope -- is that Obama is smart enough to know, like Roosevelt, that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," and will use the power of the presidency to reverse the fear-driven policies of the past seven years.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of what has happened in those years is the way that fear has been used to claim extraordinary power for the Presidency. Those of you who know my background know that my degree is in Greek and Latin Classics. So it's perhaps forgivable that historical parallels with ancient Rome are quick to come to my mind. The claims of the Bush administration to be above the law, its claims that the threat of terrorism demand the suspension of civil liberties, are eerily reminiscent of the events that led to the end of the Roman Republic. Faced with an invasion by pirates (the terrorists of 68 BC), Pompey the Great was given extraordinary powers. Within a decade, Rome was a dictatorship, led by the one Senator who had supported Pompey's exaggerated claims, Julius Caesar.

Of course, we are a long way from that point, but the drift of our country towards authoritarianism is alarming. John McCain has been trying to paint Obama as the candidate of big government. Yet it is the Right, not the Left, that is bringing us the biggest, most powerful, most centralized, and most intrusive government that America has ever seen. Many members of the technical community have libertarian leanings; you should vote for Obama for this reason alone!

I don't see evidence in Obama's platform that he has come to explicit grips with this issue. But it is seems far more likely to me that any Supreme Court justices he appoints will be more inclined to stop this mad slide towards an authoritarian society than the candidates who might be proposed by John McCain. I do know that the technological sophistication and political predilections of Obama's advisors will be to warn of the slippery slope that awaits us if we continue down the path of fear, with the tools of technology applied to end freedom rather than to increase it.

Election maps, USA

Here are a bunch of election maps from various sources shown on one page from Yahoo. You can see that things are looking good for Obama, but that there are a bunch of battleground states that could go either way. Your vote will matter more this year than ever, especially if you're in a state where the count is close. It isn't over until it's over. In lots of districts the race will probably be decided by a few hundreds or thousands of votes.

Some reports are coming in about the touch screen voting machines changing votes. This seems to be a calibration problem. Be careful to check your results on those before you finalize your vote. If you're more than 5 feet tall, it's easy to hit the wrong candidate with your finger, just like on ATMs. Report any problems at the polls and to reportvotingproblems.org.

Expect long lines in some places and take something to entertain yourself. Expect idiots to try to discourage you and fool you into not voting by trying to get you out of line somehow. Expect to get lies on flyers and mailings. Whenever the vote is tight this kind of discouragement happens to try to get people to give up. Most of that stuff is illegal, so report it as best you can.

NY Times - Obama endorsement

They do an excellent job pointing out why they think Barack Obama, and not John McCain, should be the next US president. It's a very interesting read. Here's my favorite reason from the article:

The Constitution and the Rule of Law

Under Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the justice system and the separation of powers have come under relentless attack. Mr. Bush chose to exploit the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, the moment in which he looked like the president of a unified nation, to try to place himself above the law.

Mr. Bush has arrogated the power to imprison men without charges and browbeat Congress into granting an unfettered authority to spy on Americans. He has created untold numbers of ?black? programs, including secret prisons and outsourced torture. The president has issued hundreds, if not thousands, of secret orders. We fear it will take years of forensic research to discover how many basic rights have been violated.

Both candidates have renounced torture and are committed to closing the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

But Mr. Obama has gone beyond that, promising to identify and correct Mr. Bush?s attacks on the democratic system. Mr. McCain has been silent on the subject.

Mr. McCain improved protections for detainees. But then he helped the White House push through the appalling Military Commissions Act of 2006, which denied detainees the right to a hearing in a real court and put Washington in conflict with the Geneva Conventions, greatly increasing the risk to American troops.

The next president will have the chance to appoint one or more justices to a Supreme Court that is on the brink of being dominated by a radical right wing. Mr. Obama may appoint less liberal judges than some of his followers might like, but Mr. McCain is certain to pick rigid ideologues. He has said he would never appoint a judge who believes in women?s reproductive rights.

Anarchists raise $1000 for MFone defense in PA

The state claims [MFone] caused over $600,000 in damage in a years-long stretch of writing. We know this ridiculous claim was made to demonize Danny and further the career of certain politicians like city councilman Bill Peduto (the fake hipster). We intend to work hard to make sure that Danny gets an appeal and is out of prison as soon as possible. We also want to stand in solidarity with all graffiti writers and other marginalized people in our city and all over the world. We want a world where the sanctity of property is not more important than the life of a young artist.

-Greater Pittsburgh Anarchist Collective
Member of the Anti-Racist Action Network
GPAC412 AT gmail.com

For more information on the case of Daniel Montano visit FREEMFONE.org

"In our city, a neo-nazi who killed an unarmed woman served less time than a young man is presently facing for a graffiti conviction."

MFone is currently serving a 2.5 to 5 year sentence after the media made him out to be public enemy number one in Pennsylvania.

Obama graffiti

PinkSmith, NYC


Cre, L.A.

I can probably show a few more between now and election day, so if you've got them, send them to yo@graffiti.org soon.

100,000 turn out for Obama in Missouri

NSA Spying, Winter Soldier, Impeachment, ACLU, IVAW

A good 10 minutes. You are not alone.

Where to get those cool Obama artist stickers

El Mac, Shepard Fairey, Ron English, David Choe, and more! These stickers are big, vinyl, nice collectibles and the proceeds go to making more stickers. Limited to 5000 by each artist.

John McCain's Rage is a National Security Concern

Scary stories.

Good news: Data driftnets rejected as both bad and wrong

In an astounding feat of intelligent analysis and courage, a privacy and terrorism commission composed of technical experts funded by Homeland Security (USA) has reported that sifting through everyone's information about everything will not be an effective way to detect terrorists. Plus it would cause a lot of innocent people's doors to be kicked in, which is "un-American." They recommend revamping privacy laws to make them more coherent and protective and using traditional methods to look for terrorists.

Truly a triumph of mathematics and civil rights over fear.

Next let's elect people who will prevent the government from collecting and purchasing and seizing data on everyone. Because that's un-American too. And un-British, and un-Australian.

Anyway, a little good news in our handbasket to hell this week. Check the comments on the article too. Some intelligent life is out there.

Olbermann: Palin's own anti-American associates (her husband, for one)

In case the mainstream media forgets to mention it ... here's a little concrete. This woman who would be president is looking scarier (and more desperate and out of control) by the minute.

US Voter registration is ending in days - are you ready?

Check your deadline to see if your state has closed registration yet for the presidential election. You can register online at the same site and get questions answered in their FAQ.

Oakland graffiti - on KPFA radio

Meeting of Styles in Oakland last month was covered by KPFA community radio, who interviewed members of the TDK crew on graffiti art and its role in society and politics. You can listen to it in MP3.

Dream.TDK RIP. The legacy lives on.

Crayone's Obama T-shirt fundraiser

Proceeds go to the campaign.

Vote 411

Everything you need to know about getting registered to vote, local deadlines and polling places. Don't wait till the last minute, because many deadlines are in October to register for the November election.

Against the System - trailer

Banksy in New Orleans

via BoingBoing

Ron English: Take America back, Obama

Houston writer who was wrongfully arrested wins lawsuit!

"Article" was arrested for allegedly resisting arrest (WTF?) while painting during a legal workshop he was giving at an arts festival, in 2006. He stood up for his rights and finally won the case against the city of Houston, Texas. He and his lawyer will get nearly $20,000 in the settlement.

Seattle's new train

Reportedly they chose to park the brand new train in a highly visible spot so that highway drivers could help with train security. And we all know about those highly visible spots.

A time to look back at how far we've come

"Racism and sexism have not taken their leave. But
the fact that Barack Obama is the presumptive
nominee of the Democratic Party, and that the two
finalists for that prize were a black man and a
white woman, are historical events of the highest
importance. We should not allow ourselves to
overlook the wonder of this moment."

[...]

"This election year has been a testament to the
many long decades of work and sacrifice by men
and women - some famous, most not; some still
alive, many gone - to build a more equitable and
just American society.

"When the night riders were fitted for their
robes, when Wallace stood in the schoolhouse
door, when lowlifes mocked and humiliated those
who were fighting for women’s rights, they were
trying to forestall the realization of this type
of moment in history.

"We’ll see whether Senator Obama gets elected
president. But whether he does or not, this is a
moment of which Americans can be proud, a moment
the society can build upon.

"So a victory lap is in order. Not for Senator
Obama (he still has a way to go), but for all
those in every station in life who ever refused
to submit quietly to hatred and oppression. They
led us to a better place."


Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

There's more. Go read it for yourself.