Yea Anorexia?

Thinner Than Air - A Pro-Anorexia Movement in Cyberspace

At a time when American obesity is in the headlines, a pro-anorexia movement flourishes in cyberspace. Young women are starving themselves and supporting one another while doing it on the Internet, writes PNS commentator Shadi Rahimi. The websites known as “pro-anas? are run for weight-obsessed fans of anorexia and bulimia.

On how many levels is this wrong? I’ll let you count the ways.

So, two months ago you have a baby. And you’re all happy. Then he gets a letter in the mail. Yeah, it’s addressed to your kid. And you’re happy to find out he’s chlamydia free and should probably wear a condom next time. They’re just so cute at that age.

Where did this come from?

Mandela: U.S. wants holocaust

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has slammed the U.S. stance on Iraq, saying that “one power with a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust.”

Speaking at the International Women’s Forum, Mandela said “if there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America.”

Mandela said U.S. President George W. Bush covets the oil in Iraq “because Iraq produces 64 percent of the oil in the world. What Bush wants is to get hold of that oil.” In fact Iraq contributes to only 5 percent of world oil exports.

I think he’s still bitter about Cheney voting against freeing him. But, really, do what?!?!!! Mister Mandela, I respect you and the work you’ve done not only for the South African people but for all of Africa, but what’s with this? Holocaust? Huh?

New biz on the blog

If recent rumours are to be believed, AOL is getting ready to add blogging to the homepage services it offers users in the next month or so. It’s a sign of how far these regularly updated pages of web links with personal comment have come in the past five years.

When they first got started, these real-time online diaries were the preserve of the techno-literate. The advent of easy-to-use publishing services such as Blogger, launched in August 1999, began to bring it into the mainstream. In the past year or so, blogging has bloomed, becoming one of the most interesting and popular online phenomena. It’s mass market enough for AOL, but still innovative, thanks to software such as Moveable Type, which adds feedback and networking to the basic formula, turning weblogs into places where ideas can be developed by groups of like-minded friends and colleagues.

Weblogs are one of the few things online still capable of generating both media buzz and bucks. The libertarian blogger Glenn Reynolds turned himself into a marketable political pundit via his hugely popular blog and now appears on the news cable channel MSNBC. And the US-based, right-wing British blogger Andrew Sullivan recently netted around $79,000 in donations from his readers during a “pledge week” in which he appealed for funds to keep his site running.

You know, I still don’t think blogging is this huge new thing. Everyone’s always been able to have a website and update it as much as they want. All blogging software has done is modified the journal system and allowed people to update websites easier by just typing and clicking a button instead of programming and reuploading a page. So why is the media so amazed by all of this?

Is Iraq spying on us?

Iraq sent spies from Canada to New York and Washington this month to snoop and stir up anti-war demonstrations, according to a government report obtained by the Daily News.

The classified document also reveals a plot by Al Qaeda-linked militants in Zimbabwe to attack American targets in that country and elsewhere if the U.S. declares war on Iraq.

It suggests the group, Tablik Ja’maat, could be a “conduit for communication” between Osama Bin Laden’s terror network and Iraqi leaders.

Um… Well, most of these anti-war demonstrations seem American or European in origin. Or so the Iraqi’s would have us believe! And the Al Qaeda attacks if we hit Iraq? Well, that’s a no brainer. And Iraqi’s snooping? On what? American women? Cause, hell, the government’s not going to let any Arab, let alone an Iraqi near anything important, and, really, anything they need to know is broadcast on CNN and they didn’t have to come here to get that.

Satire or anti-Semitism?

By the way, that’s supposed to be Ariel Sharon eating a baby while hellicopters scream “Vote Sharon, Vote Sharon.” I’m thinking no on the satire…

Sneaky Toolbar Hijacks Browsers

It’s the most evil thing on the Internet, according to some of its victims. But it’s not a virus, a scam or a raunchy porn site.

It’s a browser toolbar that some swear is doing “drive-by downloads” — installing itself without users’ permission — then taking over their systems and making it impossible to uninstall.

Haven’t hit this yet myself, but I’m sure I’ll hate it when I do. If I do. Sons of bitches…

Home Despot

Kurt Vonnegut vs. the !&#*!@

Based on what you?ve read and seen in the media, what is not being said in the mainstream press about President Bush?s policies and the impending war in Iraq?

That they are nonsense.

How’s that for an update?

Update? I’m just not feeling it lately. Combination of lack of motivation and being busy as hell. Maybe I’ll get to it tonight.

JESUS F***ING CHRIST! Did you miss those wonderful ads from theantidrug.com during the Super Bowl? Fear not, I’ll tell ya all about them.

One was a guy on the train and dead people telling him his drug money killed them. Fair enough.

Another was a delightful number entitled “Super Bowl Pregnancy” about how this couple was going to find out soon that they were going to have a new addition to the family. They were going to be the youngest grandparents in the neighborhood. Then they show the teenager with the voice over “Drugs impare your judgement”.

So, if you’re a woman and you smoke pot and then get RAPED it is your fault.

And why were you walking down that dark street wearing those clothes at that time of night?

Legally, a woman can not consent to sex if she is intoxicated. That’s the law. But theantidrug.com is ignoring that and saying if you get raped on account of drugs, well, what were you doing smoking up? How dare you! I mean, come on, everyone knows that any guy given the chance would try and force sex outta a woman. You should have known better. Tut-tut.

Oh, wait, it gets better.

There’s one that missed the big game but you can be sure it’ll get a few spots somewhere on your television. Watch for it.

Entitled “Couple” you find a delightful scene of a happy teenage “couple” at a party. The lovely lady is smoking pot. Bad, lovely lady. The teenage boy next to her decides she’s had enough (JUST enough) and moves in for the kill.

The commercial ends with the lovely lady saying “no” but the guy giving a gentle “shhhh….” and another “smoking pot impairs your judgement.”

Might as well have put the girls parents shaking their heads with their hands on their hips.

And a jury screaming not guilty at the boy’s rape trial.

Cause, you know, it’s her fault she was raped, even though she said no and a guy who was NOT seen smoking pot heard her say no and kept right on going.

Dandy, ain’t it?

So, to scare kids from using pot, they’re going to say it will get you raped. Wait, sorry, to scare GIRLS from using pot. Cause, you know, the guy’s gonna rape you whether or not he’s high, and, hey, it was imparing his judgement, how was he to know she didn’t want sex even though she said no and probably tried to push him away or didn’t say a damn thing cause she was unconscious?

Wow, rape is excused if you use pot! But how dare you leave yourself open like that, girls? Will you ever learn?

Man, I have never seen such bullshit. This is worse than saying buying pot will crash another plane into New York City (cause, you know, the guy who grows the pot in his closet to sell it to you funds terror).

Jenn (my girlfriend and one really pissed off feminist) begs, and I do as well, that you and every damn person you know hit this theantidrug.com website and maybe kinda forcefully kick them in the nuts and scream:

“HOW DARE YOU DOWN PLAY RAPE JUST TO FUCKING GET A ‘POINT’ ACROSS ABOUT POT?!?!?!!!!!!!” shame…

Stopping rape is a hell of a lot more important than teenage drug use (a woman is forcefully raped every five minutes in this country. Note, FORCEFULLY, not including impaired consent or unconsciousness). Nevermind the lesson you’re teaching some guys that, hell, not your fault, men, she shouldn’t have smoked that wacky weed!

Blaming the victim is the worst thing you can do because you’re teaching an entire generation of women that they can not (and should not) come forward with rape charges from impaired ‘consent’ or even without consent (as a “no” clearly states). Wasn’t this a hurdle that took decades to jump over? That impaired ‘consent’ is RAPE?

Christ.

Kill theantidrug.com with e-mails demanding a retraction of the ads, a full apology, a few commercials about the evil that rape is (in an attempt to counteract the damage they’ve done), and maybe to cut their funding because, hell, this is money HORRIBLY spent.

Thanks, government!

You can get the advertisements here Watch “Super Bowl Pregnancy” and “Couple” to feel the fury.

And ladies should check out RAD (Rape Aggression Defense ) or some similar program in their area. They’re free and it’s good stuff to know.

Is Anti-War Movement Emerging As Anti-Israel?

The rally is being organized by ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), which was responsible for several anti-war rallies last year that turned into anti-Israel extravaganzas. According to ANSWER, the Rev. Al Sharpton ? the presumed presidential candidate who has been reaching out to Jews ? will be a speaker.

In a recent call to arms sent out by the group, a Palestinian activist made it clear that slamming Israel would be just as important as criticizing the U.S. rush to war in Iraq at the Saturday rally.

Elias Rashmawi, an ANSWER steering committee member and leader of the Free Palestine Alliance, said that the Iraq war will provide a pretext for Israel?s expulsion of Palestinians. ?Unless challenged globally, Palestinian mass transfer is imminent,? he said. ?Palestine, a primary hurdle to global domination is indeed in the crosshairs of imperial designs.?

The list of endorsing organizations for Saturday?s march is full of Arab and Muslim groups, but there are no Jewish organizations listed.

After the fact, yeah, but more weird stuff with ANSWER. All these articles and the rants about them represent are simply points of interest and reasons to not like ANSWER beyond them protesting against the war and the administration. At first folks just didn’t like them, now they have reasons!

Huh, weird, but something’s up with my site where time to time you won’t see any of the posts from the weekend, but you’ll see the rest of the page just fine. Refresh and it’s all there. Have no idea what it is, but oh well.

Invincible

I’m not normally one to play promotional whore for a comic book (because they do that well enough themselves) but I have to say something about Invincible #1 from Image Comics. Churned out by Robert Kirkman of Funkotron Studios (the friendly folks who brought you Battle Pope) doing the writing, Cory Walker supplying pencils (SuperPatriot), and Bill Crabtree coloring between the lines (Firebreather), Invincible is a sharp book off the bat and really something worth reading.

It’s the riveting tale of Mark, son of superhero Omni-Man, finally discovering his powers and using them for good. And while that’s about it, it’s really all that’s needed for a first issue and an origin. I mean, how many other series can you think of that came out in one issue and told you everything you need to know about an origin without you feeling left behind? And, on top of that, you still have enough action to keep you reading. I mean, none of this taking four issues to tell you who the character is, you’re set after #1, now onto the ass kicking!

The story’s sharp as Kirkman tells a great tale without giving us too much at once. He paces it perfectly, and Walker’s pencil’s do a great job bringing the story out. And, truthfully, the guy’s style is amazing compared to 60% of the crap out there. He’s got people down perfectly, and keeping them looking real, not overly muscled or hideously proportioned. And the colors fit to a T. Not overly stylish, Crabtree give the issue a Silver Age feel in its colors, mixing the brights in perfectly to bring out the character but not creating any unnecessary contrasts to highten the colors of the character. They stand for themselves.

Overall, the book tries hard to keep it as real as possible. Well, real for a superhero book. And that’s what’s needed, especially for a new series to grab on. It’s easier for a reader to get into something if it feels like their neighborhood in their world.

A damn solid read and well worth the $2.95 cover price. An even better deal through Khepri.com where you can get it for $2.05. Not convinced? Try some preview pages and see for yourself.

Old news is that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Germany will not support a war in Iraq. New news is that Schroeder’s Social Democrats party’s popularity is at 25%, it’s lowest in 26 years of polling. Now, many folks are jumping on this as a “see what the German people really want” kinda thing (warbloggers mainly) but the German people seem to be more angry about their sagging economy and Schroeder’s inability to do anything about it than the war with Iraq.

Wait, just dug this up. According to Rutgers, the Chancellor’s personal ratings are as low as 41% in some polls, but 70% of Germans OPPOSE a war in Iraq. Ah, it’s good to do a little research.

Iraqi scientists refuse private U.N. talks

Blah, blah, blah, been there, done that, but what’s that buried in the article?

Earlier Saturday, two Iraqi men breached security near the Baghdad hotel that serves as the U.N. monitors’ headquarters.

According to the United Nations, one man approached the hotel’s security gate with a metal instrument before Iraqi guards wrestled him to the ground. He was found to have three knives, the United Nations said.

About 40 minutes later, another Iraqi man stopped a U.N. vehicle outside the headquarters, pleading “Save me! Save me!” in Arabic, according to the United Nations.

The man, apparently unarmed, forced his way into the driver’s seat of the stopped vehicle. As an Iraqi guard struggled to pull him out, a U.N. inspector watched from the passenger seat.

Iraqi officials took both men into custody.

Okay, the knife guy, gone, good bye, the guy screaming “Save me! Save me!” Isn’t the UN supposed to offer some sort of shelter or aid instead of turning this guy over to a government documented for its human rights abuses of its own prisoners? Especially people who speak out against Saddam? Congrats, UN, might as well have hung the guy yourselves.

The New York Times has caught onto ANSWER

Answer, whose name stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, was formed a few days after Sept. 11, 2001, by activists who had already begun coming together to protest policies of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Some of the group’s chief organizers are active in the Workers World Party, a radical Socialist group with roots in the Stalin-era Soviet Union. The party has taken positions that include defense of the Iraqi and North Korean governments and support for Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugolav president being tried on war crimes charges.

The positions of some of Answer’s members have caused rifts in past antiwar movements as well. In January 1991, at the onset of the Persian Gulf war, two coalitions of protesters marched separately, on consecutive weekends, because one refused to align itself with the other, whose members included current Answer officers who would not criticize the Iraqi government or support economic sanctions against it.

…

At the rally in Washington, the group’s speakers advocated causes like better treatment of American Indians and release of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the radical activist long imprisoned for killing a Philadelphia police officer.

Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of the Jewish magazine Tikkun, which sent protesters to the rally despite concerns about pro-Palestinian speeches planned there, said: “There are good reasons to oppose the war, and Saddam. Still, it feels that we are being manipulated when subjected to mindless speeches and slogans whose knee-jerk anti-imperialism rarely articulates the deep reasons we should oppose corporate globalization.”

Karen Guberman helped organize a small protest in her neighborhood in Northwest Washington last weekend, in part to provide an outlet for those who felt uncomfortable attending the Answer-sponsored rally.

“I felt like it was important just to go and be counted,” Ms. Guberman said, “but many of my friends felt they couldn’t count on what was going to be said, and so we did this very specific thing.”

And, coming next month, National Geographic’s SWIMSUIT ISSUE!

Economics Quiz #1 - 9 out of 10 questions right (well above the class average of 6.88). Sigh. One down, however many to go. That’s a 90 on the year so far, then. Not as good as my Sociology grade, but still an A. Whew.

So, yeah, I’m taking Econ 202 - Microeconomics and Sociology 201 on the internet this semester and both of them I have issues with. The problem with Sociology simply comes from the lack of teacher interaction. We have a discussion board and everyone hits it and posts, but all they talk about is personal opinion without actually taking into consideration what the book proposes, let alone APPLYING it to anything. Ever post is “race sucks” or “class is an issue” but no analysis as to why or solutions or even attempts to see things another way. I’m the only person so far to even reference outside articles in an arguement, and what was the response? One “I agree!” and that was it, nothing more. The teacher doesn’t look at the site much, let alone comment, so there’s no guidence or recomendations as to whether or not folks are learning anything. Okay, fine, they’re doing okay on the quizzes, but that’s just reading and clicking a couple multiple choice answers (on a test you can keep taking until you like your score). But you have to APPLY what you’re learning if you’re really going to learn it.

Econ has no interaction at all. Not between the teacher, students, nothing. And, on top of that, the book sucks. You know how text books will put important words in bold and then follow it up with a definition? Ha, I thought so too. Until Econ. No, they’ll put a word in bold and then spend the next three paragraphs with an example, but no real definition, no, you have to pull it out yourself. Not a problem when you have a teacher dictating things every day in class, BIG problem if you’re on your own. And I was told in the orientation that there’d be a board for discussion of current topics and stuff like that, a place for students to apply what they’ve learned. I JUST found a board of some sort and it’s been used twice this semester. And it seems only twice every previous semester as well. Sigh.

Oh well, I just have to keep this up for the next few months and as long as I eek out with B’s I’ll be happy, but I’d like to keep the A’s I have so far.

Note to self: here is the Econ discussion board. Nice of the teacher to NOT tell us…

I’m getting ready to take my first Economics quiz online. Damn, it’s been a long time since I’ve been nervous for a quiz…

USABidet

To Bill Brasky!

“Did I ever tell you about the time Brasky took me out to go get a drink with him? We go off looking for a bar and we can’t find one. Finally Brasky takes me to a vacant lot and says, ‘Here we are.’ We sat there for a year and a half and sure enough someone constructs a bar around us. The day they opened we ordered a shot, drank it, and then burned the place to the ground. Brasky yelled over the roar of the flames, ‘Always leave things the way you found em!’”

Hated.com

This site offers links to sites that are set up to defend and promote democracy, liberty, freedom and human rights. Most of the sites are therefore about media-whores, politicians and conservatives who are members of, or who whore themselves to the heartless muilti-national corporations and the racist, spend-and-borrow, big government, money-stealing, cancer-causing corporate Republican party of racists.

Funny, no sites about Henry Byrd or ANSWER…

I’ve been listening the hell out of some Gomez lately. Great band out of the UK. If you haven’t heard any of their stuff, you’re missing out. Their first album is their best, Bring it On, very well done and an excellent starting point.

And they have a lot more than that singles wise, but I still need to get them so I can’t very well recomend them.

The freaky cat returns with Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues