I was aware the US police regularly and violently arrest peaceful protesters for fallacious reasons, but I did not realize the extent to which the US police force is being used to brutally intimidate and suppress the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Caught on Camera: 10 Shockingly Violent Police Assaults on Occupy Protesters
Originally published at rusty-halo.com. You can comment here or there.
I don’t normally talk about current events here–I try to keep this blog as my shiny escapism place. But the world seems extra insane right now, so here’s an attempt to exorcise some of the thoughts that have been disturbing my sleep lately.
( First, something good: is evolutionary psychology finally getting discredited? )
stressed & stressedOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. You can comment here or there.
http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2771
My Political Views
I am a far-left social libertarian
Left: 7.54, Libertarian: 5.52
Political Spectrum Quiz
amusedOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.
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http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2748
* This just made me choke on my coffee. I think I enjoy The Meathead Perspective far more than I enjoy the actual band Nine Inch Nails.
* I’m not an Avatar fan, but I’m still upset by the blatantly racist movie casting. Just… what the hell? I’m glad to see that the fandom has already launched a letter writing campaign.
* This xkcd comic is awesome and totally nails the “nice guy” phenomenon. The wank it’s generated is severely depressing, though. “Women have nearly exclusive control over the nation’s sex supply, and that will never, ever change“???? *headdesk*
* ![[info]](https://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
jaydk and kalichan came over to my place on Saturday night for a very fun evening of wine and television. We watched the first episode of The Devil’s Whore, after which jaydk declared that she couldn’t stand to continue watching history be raped in such a blatant manner, so we switched to the first episode of Life on Mars (which kalichan had never seen!) to get the bad taste out of our mouths.
To be honest, I didn’t mind The Devil’s Whore–probably because I’m woefully ignorant about that period of English history, and because I was only watching for John Simm. He had his shirt off for a whole scene, so I got what I wanted out of the deal. :P
* This panel description has me dreading Gallifrey One. I think it might be best if I spend this convention drinking and chatting and avoiding most of the actual programming. >:( Still looking forward to seeing Phil Collinson, though. And hopefully to hearing interesting insights from the various new series writers who are attending.
* I’ve kind of reluctantly gotten into Spooks–I actually went out of my way to watch the season finale as soon as possible. I don’t love the show by any means. It’s pure genre, which makes it incredibly predictable; it never does anything that a spy drama wouldn’t do. But it’s quite a good example of a spy show, which makes it entertaining for what it is. Well, okay, mainly the entertaining thing is the lovely contrasts between Richard Armitage’s pale skin, black hair, and blue eyes. But occasionally he even gets to do some actual acting! And I kind of love the character of Ros–her competence and snark make her one of the more appealing female characters I’ve seen in quite a while.
* I’m re-reading Pawn in Frankincense despite myself. I forgot how funny this one is as it starts off! In fact, I think I forgot almost everything that happens except for the ending, which kind of blew the rest of it out of the water. It’s a totally different experience to read this series for a second time; everything makes so much more sense when you already know what’s going to happen. Dunnett’s style of keeping the reader completely in the dark for 90% of each book (and the series as a whole) is incredibly frustrating, but definitely rewarding if you’re able to put up with it. It also makes re-reading a whole new experience–you can actually appreciate the subtleties instead of just wondering what the hell is going on. It also helps that I’ve got a book of translations with me this time around, so I can figure out what the hell they’re saying when the characters suddenly switch to French or Latin.
* I’m resisting the urge to write a long song-by-song analysis of “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.” I know that no one cares about my interpretation of a 35-year-old classic album that I’ve only been listening to for two weeks. Still. It’s all I’ve been thinking about. I haven’t even turned it off at night, because it’ll play in my head if I don’t have it actually playing from my speakers.
* 5years.com is an incredibly helpful website if you suddenly decide to get obsessed with “Ziggy Stardust” 35 years too late. Plus I’m learning all this stuff about glam rock–now I totally get that scene in Life on Mars where Sam meets Marc Bolan!
* I bought this Best of Bowie DVD. It’s all so totally totally awesome for about the first 50 minutes, and then… 1974 happens. Good god. I think maybe I’m a fan of Ziggy Stardust, not of David Bowie?
* I wish I’d gone to the Bowie Ball last weekend. I totally want to go see this all-female Ziggy Stardust cover band in January. And I want to go see this thing at MOMA even though I doubt 1) I can get tickets, 2) that it’s anything I haven’t already seen on the Best of Bowie DVD.
* I finally figured out how to connect my computer to my TV wirelessly. It’s a combination of this and this and it totally works! My TV is a second monitor and I can just drag video files over to it and play them. Now I should probably cancel my cable TV, but I’ve gotten addicted to The Rachel Maddow Show and now I kind of don’t want to give it up. I suppose I could just watch that online too. And I might actually continue catching up on more of those old Doctor/Master episodes now that I don’t have to waste CDs on burning them.
Although I might just watch lots of YouTube clips of young David Bowie instead.
boredOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.
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http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2734
I’m still floating on a high from Obama’s election. I know he won’t be perfect and a few months from now I’ll probably be bitching about mistakes he’s made, but right now I am just going to enjoy the incredible thrill of his election for as long as possible. I honestly didn’t think America would progress this far within my lifetime. And, speaking as a New Yorker, it’s so good to count as a “real American” again.
I watched the whole Indecision ‘08 special at home last night, and… you guys… Stephen Colbert was crying. Have I mentioned how much I adore him?
I’m also really enjoying all these articles about how the GOP is falling apart. My entire life has been dominated by the rise of the Republican party; Reagan was elected two years before I was born. I’ve dreamed of watching them crumble, and now–HA! FINALLY.
I’m also so pleased that several animal rights initiatives passed. California’s Proposition 2 was a huge victory; it requires that farm animals be confined in pens that enable them to turn around and stretch their limbs. While it’s only a small reduction in the horrors of the factory farming industry, this is still a huge step in raising awareness and reducing animal suffering. Massachusetts also voted yes on Question 3, which ends the exploitative greyhound racing industry in that state.
And I’m pleased that several anti-choice initiatives were rejected. Colorado defeated Amendment 48, which would have defined a fertilized egg as a person; South Dakota rejected anti-abortion Measure 11, which was a set-up to a Roe v Wade challenge; and California rejected Proposition 4, which required parental notifications and waiting periods.
Unfortunately my squee at all this good news is severely tempered by the passage of hateful anti-gay measures in California (Proposition 8 to ban gay marriage), Arizona (Proposition 102 to ban gay marriage), Florida (Amendment 2 to ban gay marriage), and Arkansas (Measure 1 to ban gay couples from adopting and being foster parents).
California is the biggest disappointment, since so much effort went into defeating that stupid ban, and the vote was so close. On the plus side, the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights are already challenging it in court. And the one thing that really makes me feel better is that the vote was clearly divided by age–younger people voted against it while older people voted for it. Not to be too crude, but at least it’s only a matter of time before the bigots die out. :P
disappointed & 
impressedOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.
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http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2733
That was just… incredible. It was like New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July times ten.
( Read more... )
giddyOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.
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http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2732
Well, I voted. The nice thing about living in the middle of nowhere: only one person was in line ahead of me. It was nice to get out of there quickly, but I’d kind of been hoping for one of those long lines so I that I could impress my grandnieces and nephews with stories of how long I waited in line to vote for Barack Obama. ;)
I’ll be at the SuperVegan Election Night Party at Red Bamboo Brooklyn tonight, hopefully drinking to celebrate and not to drown the pain. *crosses fingers*
hopeful & 
scaredOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.
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SuperVegan’s having an election night party. If you’re in the NYC area and you want to celebrate/commiserate with a bunch of Obama-loving vegetarians, this would be the event for you. Here are the details:
***
Join SuperVegan in Fort Greene, Brooklyn for our Election Night Party as we keep a watchful eye on the results while downing discounted drink specials like Vegan White Russians, Chocolate Hawaiians, and Joe The Plumber Cocktails and munching on yummy vegan grub at Red Bamboo Brooklyn on Tue, November 4th from 8pm on.
If you are on Facebook, RSVP here.
To accommodate more peeps and after lessons learned from our awesome debate watch party, Red Bamboo Brooklyn’s first floor will serve dinner from 8pm through midnight and the second floor and patio will be cleared of tables for folks to drink and hang out until the wee hours. We’ll also have DJs on the second floor throughout the night!!!
***
This is where I’ll be tomorrow night, hopefully cheering instead of crying.
nervousOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.
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http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2707
* Hillary Rodham Clinton and Cecile Richards (president of Planned Parenthood) on the Bush Administration blocking health care for women. This stuff scares the hell out of me. I mean, I feel pretty safe in NYC because I have so many options, but what if I’m traveling in a more isolated area and something bad happens? What about the women who live in those isolated areas? What if the only clinic they can afford to get to won’t sell birth control pills? What if they get raped and refused emergency contraception to protect a doctor’s “conscience”? What about the woman’s right to make her own medical choices? What about if you don’t want to provide health care, don’t choose a job in the medical profession? (*headdesk*)
* penknife on the direct effect of Obama and McCain’s policies on LGBT people and families.
Please forward these to anyone you know who thinks that politics doesn’t matter because it doesn’t affect their daily lives or because both parties are “exactly the same.” :P
frustratedOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.
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http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2698
Palin’s Wasilla To Rape Victims: Bring Your Checkbook. This article has been making the blog rounds, and actually gave me nightmares last night. People, please, vote against this woman. Feminism isn’t about putting one woman in power regardless of how anti-woman her policies are; it’s about making the world a better place for all women.
And, via cluegirl: Lose Your House, Lose Your Vote. Just sickening.
sad & 
frustratedOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.
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http://rusty-halo.com/wordpress/?p=2642
Big surprise: the Bush administration is pulling more evil anti-women bullshit.
Planned Parenthood has a summary and links, NARAL has a form so you can easily write to your congresspeople, and here’s the New York Times article.
From NARAL:
“Federal law already allows doctors and even health-care corporations (hospitals, HMOs, and health plans) to refuse to provide services or make referrals for abortion. The new rule, which deliberately confuses the definitions of contraception and abortion, would cause disarray in law, regulations, and policy, and make it more difficult for women to obtain birth control.”
pissed-offOriginally published at rusty-halo.com. Please click here to comment.
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10zlaine! :) We're off to Boston this weekend on a random last-minute trip to see Common Rotation and to hang out since we haven't seen each other since, erm, was it DragonCon? Anyway, should be fun. jaydk into seeing Common Rotation with me! They're playing in my neighborhood tonight. Yay! :)![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
