(no subject)

[cblj_backup]

I was going to be all "Oh man prepare for EPIC Radio Free Monday!" but it turned out a lot of the links in my files were TSA-backscatter related stuff. Because this is more on the informative-activist side of things than it is on the Peeps Need A Hand side, I've put the links at the bottom and under a cut.

And then it turned out I had a lot of other links I didn't know I had, so it's kind of epic anyway. Away we go!

Ways To Give:

Izzy notified me that there was a mine collapse in New Zealand recently, the Pike River disaster, which I otherwise had heard nothing about. 29 miners were killed, most of them with young families living in Greymouth, NZ. The mine has, of course, been closed while the collapse is investigated, which means the rest of the (predominantly mining-based) town is a bit SOL as well. She recommends that if people want to help or read more about the disaster, you can do so at the Pike River Donations website.

Marisa told me about mandaadventures who is raising money to move to New Orleans. She's offering small gifts for $20 donations, and you can find out more about it at the journal.

This isn't really charitable giving but as it is unavoidably the holiday season and I always have trouble with this, have a list of Cheap, Neutral Gifts For Coworkers (Cheap Neutral falls somewhere between True Neutral and Chaotic Neutral, I think.)

Help Find Things!

sporky_rat's godmother has kittens in Knoxville, TN, that need a home! You can PM Sporky Rat for more info. (Sporky, if you want to repost the infolink, it was busted when I tried to load it, sorry!)

sairaali/phi has a friend doing a research project on transgender issues for her gender studies PhD program. She's looking for a copy of Jill Mann's translation of Ysengrimus, which her university library doesn't own and which costs $141 to buy. She'd return the book to its owner when she finishes the project. If anyone has it, they can pm sairaali/phi or email freshgreenpepper at gmail dot com for more info. (I have tipped her that ILL may be able to help, but ILL can also take a long, long time.)

denise has made a post for Dreamwidth users to link their creative writing and photography available for purchase; you can both check out what DW users are up to and share your own work here.

Learn New Stuff!

For those of you working in fundraising, interested in philanthropy, or fond of snark, Claire at Nonprofity has posted The Big List of Online Popularity Contests for Charities.

Steampunk, while fun, often runs into problems of racism and colonialism because of the era from which the philosophical and aesthetic ideals for it are drawn. Racialicious this week has an article about "Native Steampunk" which discusses the issues surrounding steampunking as a Native American, including avoiding stereotypes and incorporating Native technology.

Okay, this is sneaking in some fannishness, but the White Collar kids are doing PSAs for Characters Unite which you may like to see. Sharif Atkins's is powerful awesome, Tim DeKay's is a little tiny bit heartbreaking, and Matt Bomer's is heartfelt, if vague and confusing. Aw, boys.

aunty_marion let me know that Dawn, from last week, has posted an update and thank you to those who donated, which is lovely.

Say It With Me: Fuck The Backscatter

compilerbitch has a long and very informative post about backscatter devices and how they function, including examples of the kind of images they show.

angelcarrot linked to EPIC, one of the organizations currently challenging the TSA's measures in court, who have requested an injunction on the use of ATIs and advanced pat-downs until the issues are resolved. Angelcarrot also links to some good news from NY and Orlando, and a site that tells you whether your member of congress is a member of the TSA oversight committee.

lavenderspark linked to articles about The TSA handling the military badly and how these delays can actually create potential targets for terrorism.

jadey linked to an article about a TSA pat down that humiliated a cancer survivor and left him covered in urine. Aside from being an account of ill-treatment, this points up serious issues with the way the TSA (and admittedly airlines in general) handle people with disabilities.

florahart links to a story about a man who was told to put his pants on so he could be patted down.

mcgonagalls_cat linked to an article about how if you get in a security line, you could be fined for wanting to get out again.

Let's finish off on an upnote: monkeypuzzle linked me to this gorgeous shot of Chicago this morning. I replied with "LOL I EVEN KNOW WHERE THAT WAS TAKEN" and totally failed to notice that the blurb below it tells you where it was taken. In some ways it's like a perfect microcosm of my life, that story.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. :) You can always post items for my attention in comments here (or on any post) or email me at copperbadge at gmail dot com (PMs are kind of a bad way to reach me; email or comments are much preferable). If you're not sure how best to proceed, here is a little more about what I do and how you can help.

(Pee Ess: if you're in the US and looking to buy from Lulu, say a certain blogger's new novel, for the rest of the day coupon code CYBER305 will get you 25% off any order at checkout!)

Comments

[dramaturgca.livejournal.com]

Because I care (ha ha), gems from my students' papers:
http://dramaturgca.livejournal.com/1002524.html#cutid1
http://dramaturgca.livejournal.com/1003070.html
http://dramaturgca.livejournal.com/1003329.html
http://dramaturgca.livejournal.com/1003957.html
http://dramaturgca.livejournal.com/1004496.html

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

YAY GEMS *runs off to read*

[annemjw.livejournal.com]

♥

[ruisseau.livejournal.com]

I am usually Lawful Neutral, myself.

/d&d geek

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

True Neutral here, and paladin at that.

[scarletscarlet.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Pike River has pretty much been the only story here since last Friday. Basically there was an explosion which, in theory, trapped the miners, though now it seems likely they may not have survived the first blast. Rescuers were all geared up to go, but waiting for reports on the safety of the mine - there was a combination of volatile gases and an ongoing fire which made it impossible to send anyone else in - and then there was another, larger explosion mid last week which removed all hope. The hope now is that they'll be able to recover the bodies and maybe eventually reopen the mine, given how important it is to the local economy, but it seems there've been another couple of explosions so it's all very up in the air.

Stuff (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pike-river-mine-disaster/4403659/Pike-River-relatives-look-for-answers) has been covering it (as well as everyone else) - I've been largely listening to radio coverage.

On a far lighter note - I wish TV-FBI could do facial hair, because Sharif Atkins = a billion times hotter with that stubble. And he's not bad to start with, so, yes. Nom :).

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

He actually had facial hair in the pilot, so I don't think it's that they can't, exactly, but I think they're trying to keep Jones looking like a bb on the show, because he's the junior agent.

[scarletscarlet.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a reason to re-watch the pilot :).

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

The NZ mine story was all over the BBC, and I think I heard news of the second blast on NPR ...

[aige09.livejournal.com]

I think Pike River is going to become one of those "I was at _______ when the first/second/third etc. explosion happened at Pike River." At least it probably will for us Kiwis.
For the record, I was at work.

[scarletscarlet.livejournal.com]

I think you might be right. Given the tight control over images, I don't think we're going to get that same iconic visual that so many news stories have had in the last half century - maybe that recent picture with the jet of flame?

I'd been away from my desk all afternoon for the first time in ages, but was online in the evening. I saw a FB status update from a non-Kiwi acquaintance about it with a note about remembrances and condolences and got annoyed, because I was all, "no-one knows yet!", then had to go verify that. And found, yeah, the news of the 2nd explosion.

And had a wee cry. Which is crazy, because I don't know anyone involved (like, a friend's co-worker's cousin was only not down there that day because of a string of coincidences, but that's got nothing to do with me), but there had been hope, and then there wasn't.

[patu-paiarehe.livejournal.com]

So was I. I work at a cafe just north of Greymouth, so my coworkers were some of the first to be told via friends and family. I'm not a part of the community, but it's still shocking to see how many people know those who've died, and it's been really tough for us all.

[ladyphoenixia.livejournal.com]

Can't sairaali access it through an inter-library loan? At least down here in Australia, if any other Aussie library has it (e.g. a different university or the National library) your university library can put in a request to have it sent over. Library staff are helpful!

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's why I suggested ILL :) But it can take time.

[happi-feet.livejournal.com]

And have limited loan limits. I got "A Story Like the Wind" on ILL once, and only had a week to read and return it.

[ninquelosse.livejournal.com]

A great deal of it is up on Google Books:
http://books.google.com/books?id=cfi6BDAO3XQC&source=gbs_navlinks_s

I haven't scrolled through the whole thing, but usually I come across a 'this page not available' icon fairly quickly, and I haven't yet.

[eponymousanon.livejournal.com]

I hereby name your 9 yo BEST 9yo EVER, MONARCH OF CHILDHOOD.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

LOL! I hope he's having fun :D

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

He sounds like me :D Though I never got into D&D, too many numbers...

[opheliastorn.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the piece about the piece about the Pike River Miners. What I've seen of the attitudes of international journalists about the tragedy has been thoughtless at best, so it's encouraging to be reminded that not everyone sees this as a full-caps STORY WITH DRAMA POTENTIAL.

[roguewords.livejournal.com]

Another crazy TSA thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XhnZlmLGK8

The woman didn't want her breast milk, which is qualified as a medical liquid, sent through the x-ray machine. Because it's a medical liquid, it doesn't have to be x-rayed. There are other procedures that it can go through.

It's eleven minutes of the most insane thing I've ever heard of. I'm sure it's not the first time it's happened, but I feel like we need to share the craziness.

[supergreak.livejournal.com]

CHAPSTICK: THE BEST NEUTRAL GIFT EVER. Especially for musicians, IMO. The horn players will love you forever because their lips get chapped singing and the singers all have cracked lips this time of year.

Tim DeKay's was heartbreaking. And then half of me has trouble dividing fiction and reality, and thought Peter got bullied as a kid. Someone has to write that fic.

Over Thanksgiving, I had some interesting discussions on the TSA. My mother brought up the point that the Supreme Court has repeatedly granted women the right to privacy of their own bodies with abortion rights. Why, then, should women not have privacy from having their naked bodies viewed on screens? And honestly, the TSA argument that the image is viewed by a single officer in a locked room doesn't instill confidence. In my mind, lock on the door=jerking off to porn. I'm sure 99% of TSA agents aren't perverts, but for that 1% that could be, well, I don't want them seeing me naked.

The next time I travel, I'll wear some painfully bright leggings and a skintight tank, and pack a change of clothes in my carry-on. Because yeah, I'm kind of built, so most shirts I wear are baggy and could hide something. But there's no way I'm letting a stranger get to second base, so Imma wear the spandex and sing Keep Your Hands To Yourself (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Ur45vTtw0) if they try anything. And I will get someone to film it. At my airport, two people have already been charged with misdemeanors and had their iPhones confiscated for filming the TSA. Even so, my friends would take a misdemeanor charge for my sake, and send the footage straight to the ACLU and the media and everyone else.

And okay, I have to say it. Go Ron Paul. This is what you get, TSA, when you mess with Texas. Some other Senators have spoken up against the TSA, but he supported the Opt-Out Day and, more importantly, is introducing the American Travel Dignity Act. (http://www.ronpaul.com/legislation/american-traveler-dignity-act-of-2010/) It's, like, two sentences long, and it just says NO IMMUNITY. It means there are consequences for the TSA doing things that, in any other circumstance, would be sexual assault. I shouldn't be afraid to fly, and I shouldn't have to give up my rights to do so. I'm just surprised it's Ron Paul doing this instead of Barbara Boxer or someone like that who's supposed to stand for women's rights.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Aww, Peter is a bright guy, I bet he was a mouthy little smartass who did get bullied. I should write that. *makes a note*

I think it takes a lot of guts to admit that kind of thing, as an adult. Not least because people tend to call you a whiner if you do.

[jonaht.livejournal.com]

I hesitated to link this but...I leave it to you.

http://dvice.com/archives/2010/11/fig-leaf-underw.php

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

AHAHAHA OH MAN.