6/30/2009
still kinda sad
This is one of the few reasonable (albeit fairly angry) tributes I've seen to MJ that didn't strictly consist of clips of his videos and performances. (Which do speak a lot for themselves, I must admit.)
6/25/2009
MJ
update (9:06 pm): For the record I had never seen this video until just now. No cable in our house in the 1990s, no MTV. This is one of the most WHAT. things I have ever seen.
Wiki-FuckingWithia
6/19/2009
more borrowing of other people's writing
from one of the respectable writers for The Daily Illini
(I'm freaking out about these proposed budget cuts.)
Ill. institutionalization should be abolished
Imagine that your home is an old brick building that houses 300 people. You've grown accustomed to the stark white hallways and dull living spaces, but you'll never get used to that stench of urine. Meal times are scheduled, rules are posted, and dissent is not tolerated. During the most intimate activities of daily life - showering, using the bathroom, having sex - you are supervised by a complete stranger, and there is nothing you can do about it. Imagine your life without a voice.
There are thousands of citizens in Illinois that don't have to imagine; this is their reality. They are not prisoners. They committed no crimes. They were simply born with developmental disabilities.
In 2004, the state of Illinois spent nearly $350 million (about $120,000 per person) operating public institutions for people with DD. Most residents did not choose this living arrangement and do not need 24-hour care. Many could live in the community with appropriate support and services for less than $40,000 per year.
But Illinois refuses to progress. It refuses to do what makes sense, both economically and ethically. It refuses to close large, state-operated facilities, as many other states have done. Instead, Illinois relies entirely on institutionalization, which leaves us ranked 51st in the nation for providing community living arrangements for people with disabilities (out of 50 states and Washington, D.C.). Providing humane and dignified services is simply not a priority. Legislative victories are far more important.
In 2004, Gov. Blagojevich agreed to reopen Lincoln Developmental Center, which had been closed for poor treatment of its residents, in exchange for votes on his pension plan in the General Assembly.
Lincoln, which was described by the Chicago Tribune as a "monstrous, money-chomping, isolated institution," is a gem compared to Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park, Ill. Between September 2004 and July 2008, 23 people died at Howe, and autopsies were never conducted. The institution remained open.
The neglect and abuse continued. One resident at Howe was sent to the hospital with a mouthful of cigarette butts and treated for nicotine poisoning.
The federal government soon got involved, federal funding was pulled, and the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation of human rights abuses. Finally, three weeks ago, the state declared its intention to close the facility. Twenty-three deaths we can handle, but we'll do whatever it takes to avoid bad press.
In Illinois, people with disabilities are treated as second-class citizens. They are herded into institutions and given remedial jobs in "workshops" that are often far below their ability levels. They are paid less than minimum wage, often less than one dollar a day, which is completely legal based on the Fair Labor Standards Act. (Ironic name, huh?)
So what can we do to change?
The state of Illinois must end its policy of segregation. The ultimate goal of the state should be closure of publicly operated institutions in favor of community-based living options, which are more cost efficient and provide a better quality of life for people with disabilities.
In addition, the state should comply with national standards for care and services. If we follow the federal government's rules, we can maximize federal funding.
"Money Follows the Person," a federal funding program, should be implemented in Illinois. Today, if an individual chose to move out of an institution, he would lose his state funding. If money followed the person, he could use his funding to pay for an apartment, transportation, and a personal assistant. A "Money Follows the Person" program would give individuals more options and allow for greater independence.
Many people with disabilities imagine achieving this independence. They imagine living on their own, working in the community, hiring their direct support staff, and leading a fulfilling life. They imagine having a voice.
The state of Illinois can make this a reality if it reexamines its priorities and makes a commitment to systemic change. Let's stop imagining and give people with disabilities the rights they deserve.
6/18/2009
perspective
One in four South African men questioned in a survey said they had raped someone and nearly half admitted having attacked more than one victim.
The study, by the country's Medical Research Council, also found three out of four who admitted rape attacked for the first time while in their teens.
It said practices such as gang rape were common because they were considered a form of male bonding.
The MRC spoke to 1,738 men in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.
The research was conducted in both rural and urban areas and included all racial groups.
Using an electronic device to keep the results anonymous, the study found that 73% of respondents said they had carried out their first assault before the age of 20.
Almost half who said they had carried out a rape admitted they had done so more than once.
One in 20 men surveyed said they had raped a woman or girl in the last year.
Professor Rachel Jewkes of the MRC, who carried out the research, told the BBC's World Today programme: "The absolute imperative is we have to change the underlying social attitudes that in a way have created a norm that coercing women into sex is on some level acceptable.
"We know that we have a higher prevalence of rape in South Africa than there is in other countries.
"And it's partly rooted in our incredibly disturbed past and the way that South African men over the centuries have been socialised into forms of masculinity that are predicated on the idea of being strong and tough and the use of force to assert dominance and control over women, as well as other men."
She added that all the victims in the main survey were said to be women, but participants were also interviewed about male rape.
'Sad state of affairs'
The study found that one in 10 men said they had been raped by other men.
Mbuyiselo Botha South African Men's Forum
Some 3% of the men interviewed said they had coerced a man or a boy into sex.
The participants were also tested for HIV and the authors of the survey were surprised that men who had raped were not more likely to test positive for the virus.
Mbuyiselo Botha, from the South African Men's Forum, which campaigns for women's rights, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that any view of women as "fair game" had to be challenged.
Mr Botha, a father of two girls himself, said: "I think that yes, the figures are that high and for us, for me in particular, that is a very sad state of affairs.
"It means that we continue in South Africa to be one of the highest capitals of rape in the world.
"I don't think it's cultural per se; I think it has to do with how a lot of us men worldwide were raised. The issues of dominance against women, issues of inequality, are pervasive and you find them throughout the world."
South Africa's government has been repeatedly criticised for failing to address the country's rape epidemic.
A recent trade union report said a child was being raped in South Africa every three minutes with the vast majority of those cases going unreported.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8107039.stm
Published: 2009/06/18 17:06:27 GMT
© BBC MMIX
6/15/2009
love/hate
I know that I should despise these two, and I do despise the inclination I have towards this kind of media, but inclination I do have. It's like, we've now hit rock bottom or something. And I can't stop watching. The 21st century shit that we take in cannot get worse than this. It just can't. That's why I'm getting while it's hot.
6/11/2009
Good morning!
6/08/2009
I miss Alabama.
on (I think) my 21st birthday6/04/2009
a second year teacher! (almost)
We're not required to completely clean out our classrooms for the summer, but I'm going to because I want to try something new with my setup for next year.
In fact, I can't wait to do lots of things differently next year.
Some suggestions from a book I just read about how to "change radically the nature of the existing school environment":
1. Declare a five-year moratorium on the use of all textbooks.The Subversive in the book title mostly refers to thinking about education as a way to work towards more just social systems of power rather than reproducing the current systems of power. That said, I rather like thinking subversively about some of the walking-power-trip, I'm-a-teacher-because-of-the-summers-off type dirty rats at work.
2. Have "English" teachers "teach" Math, Math teachers English, Social Studies teachers Science, Science teachers Art, and so on.
3. Transfer all the elementary-school teachers to high school and vice versa.
4. Require every teacher who thinks he knows his "subject" to write a book on it.
5. Dissolve all "subjects," "courses," "and especially "course requirements."
6. Limit each teacher to three declarative sentences per class, and 15 interrogatives.
7. Prohibit teachers from asking any questions they already know the answers to.
8. Declare a moratorium on all tests and grades.
9. Require all teachers to undergo some form of psychotherapy as part of their in-service training.
10. Classify teachers according to their ability and make the lists public.
11. Require all teachers to take a test prepared by students on what students know.
12. Make every class elective and withhold a teacher's monthly check if his students do now show any interest in going to next month's classes.
13. Require every teacher to take a one-year leave of absence every fourth year to work in some "field" other than education.
14. Require each teacher to provide some sort of evidence that he or she has had a loving relationship with at least one other human being.
15. Require that all graffiti accumulated in the school toilets be reproduced on large paper and be hung in the school halls.
Hey, by the way, did you know that teaching is a low-stress occupation? What kind of sick joke is that.