I warn you, most of these videos are graphic. Very, very disturbing.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Censored by Current TV
Today Current TV journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling were sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp in North Korea.
More on their story here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105092425&sc=fb&cc=fp
I attempted to call this to the attention of Current.com users - who are supposedly the source of the news that is available on their website. My submissions were immediately removed, and my comment in an article about North Korea which included a link to the story was removed within ten minutes.
Below are screenshots of the ongoing censorship:
The original article I posted, with the "Under review" (and thus hidden from general view) banner
The comments that I posted on an article about US-North Korean relations
The "This comment is under review, so it is temporarily hidden" banners which came shortly after my post
Other articles about the same issue:
More on their story here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105092425&sc=fb&cc=fp
I attempted to call this to the attention of Current.com users - who are supposedly the source of the news that is available on their website. My submissions were immediately removed, and my comment in an article about North Korea which included a link to the story was removed within ten minutes.
Below are screenshots of the ongoing censorship:
The original article I posted, with the "Under review" (and thus hidden from general view) banner
The comments that I posted on an article about US-North Korean relations
The "This comment is under review, so it is temporarily hidden" banners which came shortly after my post
Other articles about the same issue:
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Book meme
1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest?
The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams
2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next?
I'm currently reading Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
3. What book did everyone like and you hated?
The Harry Potter books! Please don't kill me.
4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?
I'm kind of afraid to dive into Slaughterhouse by Gail Eisnitz. I know it'll upset me, and I simply haven't had the emotional energy to get into it.
5. Which book are you saving for “retirement?”
Haha any romance novel, I suppose.
6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?
I've never been one of those people, and I can't quite understand it. For me the pleasure of reading a book has nothing to do with the end, and everything to do with the process of reading the book. So, unless the end is blatantly bad, I'll be happy with it.
7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?
I find them interesting. I think it's a nice place for the author to thank people - and I know those people enjoy seeing their names in print! Why begrudge them that small pleasure?
8. Which book character would you switch places with?
Buddha, in Buddha by Deepak Chopra!
9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?
The Velveteen Rabbit will always remind me of my father. He used to read it to me every night, and even now when I read it myself I head his voice in my head with his particular emphasis and intonation.
10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.
I took books as payment for mowing lawns for awhile...
11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?
I'd only give a book of my own collection to a very special person for a very special reason. Otherwise, I'll lend but I always expect them back. And yes, I have.
12. Which book has been with you to the most places?
Allen Ginsberg's Howl or Aleister Crowley's The Book of Lies
13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later?
Most of it. I resisted instruction in English, because I didn't want to be told what to read. Most of the selections, though, were truly worth reading.
14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book?
No strange "item", but lots of strange writing. I had a book once that seemed to have been written in from cover to cover, in every margin, with what seemed to be gibberish.
15. Used or brand new?
Both...they have their own wonderful smells :)
16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?
A bit of both...doesn't it take a genius of sorts to write books that appeal to so many people? Just because it's pop culture doesn't mean it lacks merit. I must admit that I couldn't stand the man until I read his book On Writing, which really opened my eyes.
17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
Nope. Not once. Seriously.
18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?
Er, most of them! But in particular...Farenheit 451. Does no one get the significance of reading a BOOK about that particular scenario???
19. Have you ever read a book that's made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this question?
Oh my, yes. A lot of historical novels describe these lavish feasts, and when they start talking about compotes and pastries I salivate.
20. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?
No one's! I don't have much faith in a book until I've read it.
The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams
2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next?
I'm currently reading Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
3. What book did everyone like and you hated?
The Harry Potter books! Please don't kill me.
4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?
I'm kind of afraid to dive into Slaughterhouse by Gail Eisnitz. I know it'll upset me, and I simply haven't had the emotional energy to get into it.
5. Which book are you saving for “retirement?”
Haha any romance novel, I suppose.
6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?
I've never been one of those people, and I can't quite understand it. For me the pleasure of reading a book has nothing to do with the end, and everything to do with the process of reading the book. So, unless the end is blatantly bad, I'll be happy with it.
7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?
I find them interesting. I think it's a nice place for the author to thank people - and I know those people enjoy seeing their names in print! Why begrudge them that small pleasure?
8. Which book character would you switch places with?
Buddha, in Buddha by Deepak Chopra!
9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?
The Velveteen Rabbit will always remind me of my father. He used to read it to me every night, and even now when I read it myself I head his voice in my head with his particular emphasis and intonation.
10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.
I took books as payment for mowing lawns for awhile...
11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?
I'd only give a book of my own collection to a very special person for a very special reason. Otherwise, I'll lend but I always expect them back. And yes, I have.
12. Which book has been with you to the most places?
Allen Ginsberg's Howl or Aleister Crowley's The Book of Lies
13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later?
Most of it. I resisted instruction in English, because I didn't want to be told what to read. Most of the selections, though, were truly worth reading.
14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book?
No strange "item", but lots of strange writing. I had a book once that seemed to have been written in from cover to cover, in every margin, with what seemed to be gibberish.
15. Used or brand new?
Both...they have their own wonderful smells :)
16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?
A bit of both...doesn't it take a genius of sorts to write books that appeal to so many people? Just because it's pop culture doesn't mean it lacks merit. I must admit that I couldn't stand the man until I read his book On Writing, which really opened my eyes.
17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
Nope. Not once. Seriously.
18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?
Er, most of them! But in particular...Farenheit 451. Does no one get the significance of reading a BOOK about that particular scenario???
19. Have you ever read a book that's made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this question?
Oh my, yes. A lot of historical novels describe these lavish feasts, and when they start talking about compotes and pastries I salivate.
20. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?
No one's! I don't have much faith in a book until I've read it.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Animal testing news
WASHINGTON, June 1 (UPI) -- Twenty-six U.S. research labs were accused of fraud in a complaint filed Monday by an independent animal research watchdog.
Stop Animal Exploitation Now filed the complaint with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging a probe of 50 U.S. researchers for allegedly filing fraudulent documents and performing nearly identical experimentation in violation of federal regulations, the organization said in a news release.
"The animal research industry is just as unregulated as Wall Street was before the current economic crisis," said Michael A. Budkie, SAEN executive director. "If this system is not overhauled, the next meltdown will be in research laboratories."
The non-profit group based in Ohio said it filed the complaint following a study
of 57 taxpayer-funded research grants valued at more than $110 million during a five-year period. The study concluded the projects have a redundancy index of 5.4 out of a possible 6.
The projects are funded at 26 separate U.S. labs, including Harvard, Stanford, Emory, University of Alabama, University of California campuses at Berkeley, Davis and San Francisco, as well as Johns Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rutgers and Duke. Other labs named in the complaint are Wake Forest, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Vanderbilt, University of Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas, Brown University, Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, Salk Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, City College of New York, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Chicago and University of Washington.
Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/01/Watchdog-seeks-probe-of-leading-US-labs/UPI-55871243899814/
Stop Animal Exploitation Now filed the complaint with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging a probe of 50 U.S. researchers for allegedly filing fraudulent documents and performing nearly identical experimentation in violation of federal regulations, the organization said in a news release.
"The animal research industry is just as unregulated as Wall Street was before the current economic crisis," said Michael A. Budkie, SAEN executive director. "If this system is not overhauled, the next meltdown will be in research laboratories."
The non-profit group based in Ohio said it filed the complaint following a study
of 57 taxpayer-funded research grants valued at more than $110 million during a five-year period. The study concluded the projects have a redundancy index of 5.4 out of a possible 6.
The projects are funded at 26 separate U.S. labs, including Harvard, Stanford, Emory, University of Alabama, University of California campuses at Berkeley, Davis and San Francisco, as well as Johns Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rutgers and Duke. Other labs named in the complaint are Wake Forest, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Vanderbilt, University of Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas, Brown University, Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, Salk Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, City College of New York, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Chicago and University of Washington.
Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/01/Watchdog-seeks-probe-of-leading-US-labs/UPI-55871243899814/
Tuesday Linkage
A collection of worthwhile links:
Book Autopsies (artwork by Brian Dettmer)
Data Visualization (from Web Design Depot, really a collection of links that I'm linking to)
Sarah Haskins on Current (a witty look at marketing towards women...she makes me laugh every time)
Petition to save California's state parks (The Governator has plans to close 220 of them, including the Redwood parks that Michael and I want to visit on our honeymoon!)
The Cool Hunter (always a diverting site)
Best visual illusions of the year (from New Scientist)
Book Autopsies (artwork by Brian Dettmer)
Data Visualization (from Web Design Depot, really a collection of links that I'm linking to)
Sarah Haskins on Current (a witty look at marketing towards women...she makes me laugh every time)
Petition to save California's state parks (The Governator has plans to close 220 of them, including the Redwood parks that Michael and I want to visit on our honeymoon!)
The Cool Hunter (always a diverting site)
Best visual illusions of the year (from New Scientist)
Monday, May 18, 2009
Arrgh!
"Dear Lauren,
There is a problem as that date has been taken. I am very sorry as it is the only one reserved in May, 2010. Let me know how to proceed. I am sorry as the client had made a couple changes and that was where they ended up and it was booked so long ago, I couldn't remember.
Sam"
There is a problem as that date has been taken. I am very sorry as it is the only one reserved in May, 2010. Let me know how to proceed. I am sorry as the client had made a couple changes and that was where they ended up and it was booked so long ago, I couldn't remember.
Sam"
Friday, May 15, 2009
IAMS cruelty letter
I just sent another email to IAMS about their policy of testing on animals (to the address customer.service@iams.com). Feel free to use this text or add to it, and send one as well.
"Mr. Ansell,
I’m writing a letter to you to explain why I’m boycotting IAMS products. As someone who loves animals, and has several companion animals, I naturally want the best food for my pets. While I believe that IAMS is a high-quality pet food, I cannot in good conscience purchase it. Your practice of animal testing goes against the very idea of loving animals, and I cannot support a company that continues these archaic tests merely to help prevent potential lawsuits. I understand that having product tested on dogs and cats (or rats and mice – it’s equally wrong) makes it less “risky” because you can point to proven results if a consumer has a problem with your product. This reasoning, however, is quite frankly irresponsible. There are proven formulas that are safe and healthy for dogs and cats – not to mention that one way to ensure food safety is to use food that’s safe for human consumption. It is only greed that motivates these animal tests.
There are numerous dog and cat food manufacturers that do NOT conduct animal testing (such as Bone Vivant, Inc., Holistic Blend, Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc., Newman’s Own Organics, or Veterinary Nutritional Formula, to name just a few). If these companies can do it, why can’t you?
Until your animal testing policy changes I will continue to boycott your company, and to encourage every pet owner I meet to do the same. Please consider making a compassionate and humane choice. Just consider the marketing benefits of having a cruelty-free policy!
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Lauren"
Letters can also be written to any of the following:
Dan Rajczak, General Manager
Iams Company
7250 Poe Ave.
Dayton, OH 45414-5801
1-800-675-3849
937-898-7387
customer.service@iams.com
A.G. Lafley, CEO
Procter & Gamble Co.
1 Procter & Gamble Plz.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
1-800-525-4267
Bill Miller, Director of Sales
Iams Canada
920 Gana Ct.
Mississauga, ON L5S 1Z4
1-800-658-5657 (press 5 for the name directory)
905-565-4711 (fax)
Gianni Ciserani
General Manager
Procter & Gamble
The Heights
Brooklands, Weybridge
Surrey KT13 0XP
+44 (0)1932 896000
For more information, visit www.iamscruelty.com (a site run by PETA) or http://www.uncaged.co.uk/iams.htm.
"Mr. Ansell,
I’m writing a letter to you to explain why I’m boycotting IAMS products. As someone who loves animals, and has several companion animals, I naturally want the best food for my pets. While I believe that IAMS is a high-quality pet food, I cannot in good conscience purchase it. Your practice of animal testing goes against the very idea of loving animals, and I cannot support a company that continues these archaic tests merely to help prevent potential lawsuits. I understand that having product tested on dogs and cats (or rats and mice – it’s equally wrong) makes it less “risky” because you can point to proven results if a consumer has a problem with your product. This reasoning, however, is quite frankly irresponsible. There are proven formulas that are safe and healthy for dogs and cats – not to mention that one way to ensure food safety is to use food that’s safe for human consumption. It is only greed that motivates these animal tests.
There are numerous dog and cat food manufacturers that do NOT conduct animal testing (such as Bone Vivant, Inc., Holistic Blend, Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc., Newman’s Own Organics, or Veterinary Nutritional Formula, to name just a few). If these companies can do it, why can’t you?
Until your animal testing policy changes I will continue to boycott your company, and to encourage every pet owner I meet to do the same. Please consider making a compassionate and humane choice. Just consider the marketing benefits of having a cruelty-free policy!
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Lauren"
Letters can also be written to any of the following:
Dan Rajczak, General Manager
Iams Company
7250 Poe Ave.
Dayton, OH 45414-5801
1-800-675-3849
937-898-7387
customer.service@iams.com
A.G. Lafley, CEO
Procter & Gamble Co.
1 Procter & Gamble Plz.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
1-800-525-4267
Bill Miller, Director of Sales
Iams Canada
920 Gana Ct.
Mississauga, ON L5S 1Z4
1-800-658-5657 (press 5 for the name directory)
905-565-4711 (fax)
Gianni Ciserani
General Manager
Procter & Gamble
The Heights
Brooklands, Weybridge
Surrey KT13 0XP
+44 (0)1932 896000
For more information, visit www.iamscruelty.com (a site run by PETA) or http://www.uncaged.co.uk/iams.htm.
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