28 December 2006

my stuff, your stuff

Buy my stuff!

Grad school is really tough on the wallet, so I've decided to start selling some things on Amazon.com. My seller nickname is my_stuff_your_stuff, so go and check it out.

Here are some items I posted today:


Raw: The Best of Lady Saw [Audio CD] Lady Saw Used from $11.00

Broken Silence [Explicit Lyrics] [Audio CD] Brown, Foxy Buy New $12.00

Take a Joke America [Explicit Lyrics] [Audio CD] Mencia, Carlos Buy New $12.00


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22 December 2006

ban on "natural" hair

(picture from http://www.howtodread.com/dreadlocks.html)


January 1st "extreme" and "fad" hairstyles like cornrows, twists, locs, mohawks and afros are banned from the police dept. People with locs are forced to cut their hair off and women with natural hair are forced to either straighten or shave their heads. I find this to be extremely racist against black people considering locs, cornrows, twists and fros are worn by mostly Blacks. The sad thing is this was set in place by a BLACK mayor and BLACK police commissioner.

Their excuse: The police would "blend in" with the criminals.

Now if you all care about equal rights (despite of how you wear your hair) I suggest you sign this petition. We cannot allow these kinds of regulations to perpetuate internalized racism. There is nothing that dictates that "straight" hair is more "normal" or less offensive than natural hair, except our socialization process.

Please help by signing the petition at the site below.


http://www.petitiononline.com/baltpd/petition.html



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19 December 2006

protecting equality

LANSING VOTES TO PROTECT GLBT PEOPLE

(Lansing-MI) - Tonight the Lansing City Council voted unanimously to pass a human rights ordinance that bans discrimination within the city, including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Today, Michigan's Capital City, became the 14th municipality in the state to outlaw discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people when the city council voted unanimously to support a human rights ordinance. The ordinance bans anti-gay discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. It also includes local protections based on race, religion, sex, weight, and other characteristics.

"Today is a great day for everyone who lives or works or even passes through, Lansing," said Sean Kosofsky, Director of Policy for Triangle Foundation, Michigan's leading civil rights organization for GLBT people and their allies. "The unanimous vote by city council, should send a loud message that discrimination has no place in Lansing."

Anti-gay discrimination is still legal in the State of Michigan, because the State's civil rights law, The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, does not prohibit discrimination based on "sexual orientation" or "gender identity or expression." Fourteen cities have gone the extra step of banning such discrimination, within their borders.

Anti-gay activists from the American Family Association - based in Midland - have threatened to repeal the protections for GLBT tax-payers and residents of Lansing.

"This ordinance is like a holiday gift to the entire Lansing community. It is a shame anti-gay extremists from outside Lansing want to divisive and mean-spirited agenda to Lansing," continued Kosofsky.

The other Michigan cities with protections for GLBT people are: Detroit, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Douglas, Birmingham, Oak Park, East Lansing, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Flint, Huntington Woods, Ferndale and Grand Ledge.


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12 December 2006

gift ideas




While trying to finish up exams and prepare for the numerous holiday parties just around the corner, I have found myself in a quandary over holiday gifts. I came upon this website/store uncommon goods. They have really cute stuff, and an abundance which fits into my price range of under $25.

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08 December 2006

Role of Arts in a Time of Crisis

(click post title to link to video and text)

Mary Schmidt Campbell, Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, presented this keynote address at a conference last year in Brazil, called "Performing Heritage." In this keynote speech, she addresses the role of arts, the public intellectual and response to government and political policy. There is a full text and video of her address, available at the link above.

Ayanna turned me on to this series of conferences called Encuentros, which are really a mix of academics and arts. The next one is taking place in Argentina, and focuses on body politics. The deadline for proposals is January 15, 2007, and you can access info at this website.

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07 December 2006

Scratch and Sniff Art Exhibit


(click post title to read entire story)

My partner sent me this article about a really inventive idea for an art piece. I only wish I had thought of it first. Read on . . .

Exhibit captures the 'smell of fear'

RODRIQUE NGOWI,
Associated Press Writer
Wed Dec 6, 6:17 PM ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Masahiro Sugiyama walked up to the gallery wall, gently scratched the paint and cautiously moved closer to capture the smell that many would try to avoid or mask with deodorants under normal circumstances.

A potent odor similar to that of an unwashed male armpit wafted from the wall, a scratch-and-sniff exhibit that captures the "smell of fear" as part of a show at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology exploring how artists use modern technology in creative work.

"This is not the kind of place where you you'd want to stay for long," MIT graduate student Sugiyama, 28, said of the artwork created by Norwegian artist and researcher Sissel Tolaas.

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