femfreq:

My TEDxWomen talk is online and sharable! I spoke about sexist online harassment and internet cyber mobs in Washington DC on December 1st.

Note: The TEDx YouTube channel does not moderated comments so do yourself a favor and skip them.

UPDATE: Looks like TEDx had to disable the comments on the video of my talk about online misogyny because of online misogyny.

astringofpearls:

electrodaggers:

theeducatedfieldnegro:

More on this can be found here

I work with someone who used to work at Wells Fargo, and to hear him tell it a lot racist bullshit went on there.

Remember folks: Racism doesn’t just include slurs and burning crosses.

projectqueer:

While most transgender and gender non-conforming people get through airport security without any incidents, the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) urges travelers to understand their rights before going through airport security with our new resource Airport Security and Transgender People.

The seasonal Holiday travel uptick can mean things are more hectic and potentially confusing for travelers and for Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) than usual. Airport security practices do not allow transgender travelers to completely avoid invasive screenings or pat-downs. However, all travelers have a right to safety, privacy, and respect.

Transgender travelers should be familiar with specific protections they have at airport security including:

1. You can opt out of body scanning machines at any time. However, travelers who opt-out of body scanning machines will be required to undergo a thorough pat-down.
2. Transgender travelers have a right to a pat-down by an agent of the same gender as the traveler. This is based on your gender presentation. The gender on your identification documents and boarding passes should not matter for pat-downs.
3. Travelers have a right to request that a pat-down be held in a private screening area, and with a witness or companion of the traveler’s choosing.
4. You should not any time be subjected to personal questions about your gender, or be forced to lift, remove or raise an article of clothing to reveal a prosthetic item. Prosthetic items include binding garments and breast forms.
5. All children under age thirteen have a right to modified screening procedures.

NCTE recommends that individuals take simple steps to ensure a smooth experience at airport security including:

1. Ensuring that the name and gender on your ticket reservation match the government-issued ID you bring to the airport with you. The gender on your identification and on your ticket reservation does not need to match your current gender presentation.
2. Downloading the Fly Rights iPhone and Android application before your travel, which makes it easy to report complaints directly with the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
3. For frequent travelers, exploring the TSA Pre-Check program which offers “expedited screening.”

Download the resource here to learn more about airport security procedures, your rights at the airport, and how to file complaints with the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security.

NCTE also encourages transgender travelers who do experience problems at airport security to email us at NCTE@transequality.org to help us advocate for improvements.

fyeahblackhistory:

paxamericana:

The 21st century African land rush

If you don’t understand that the new scramble for Africa is underway, it’s probably because you never studied the history of the first scramble.

youranonnews:

Introduction

This guide will help you to determine whether a certain course of action is the best option for the operation you are working on, or whether it may not be as effective as you thought it would be. It is important that you take the time to read this guide prior to deciding whether to pursue an operation - don’t rush it - in many situations, there’s no hurry at all in organising an operation. It is better to be thoroughly prepared than to jump into a mess headfirst and regret it later. 

1. Tips for setting up an operation 

• You will likely have started an operation because you disagree with something. Rather than trying to fight the people that caused this, try to focus on what the thing is that you disagree with, and preventing that from happening (or, if that is your goal, spreading awareness). Revenge seldom has the intended result. Clearly think of what the issue is, and how it can be resolved.
   
• Even if you think you’ve read carefully, read everything on this form twice, and think about it a second time. The human brain has a habit of ‘caching’ answers to questions, and that may not always give you the best answer to a question. By thinking about it again, you force your brain to give a ‘real’ answer.
   
• Have clear communication channels. Even though Anonymous as a whole is a decentralised entity, it’s typically a good idea to centralise the main organisational aspects of an operation, even if there is no set hierarchy. This makes it easier for people that are unfamiliar with how Anonymous works, to participate and learn more about both your operation, and Anonymous as a whole. An IRC channel is usually a good start, as is a Twitter feed. Try to stay away from websites that offer you free blogs, web hosting, or forums, unless you really know what you’re doing - these websites tend to freeze your account at the first hint of controversy.
   
• Take the time to set up an operation. Most causes do not require you to respond in one or two days, so it’s perfectly fine to spend a few days on organisation and planning, before you actually do anything.
   
• Don’t just mentally answer these questions! You should actually write down or type out the answers, to make sure you’re not overlooking something.

2. Defining the main goals of your operation

Important: When defining the goal or goals of your operation, you should not take into account the ideas you have to carry out the operation! Doing so anyway will result in the common human habit of putting the cart before the horse (also known as ‘reversed reasoning’), which will cause your operation to be less efficient than it could have been. In short: start from a blank canvas.

 2.1 The cause of your operation

1. What ‘undesired circumstance’ caused you to set up this operation? Examples: the extradition of someone, the closing down of a website, arrests of activists, etc.
    
2. Who is responsible for this undesired circumstance? This can be a person or an organisation.
1. If an organisation was responsible, were there any specific employees or members of that organisation that coordinated the decision? If yes, are they responsible for it or were they in a situation where they had no real choice?
    
3. Are there any further consequences of this undesired circumstance that will not go away, even if the undesired circumstance itself is gone?

2.2 The solution for your cause

1. What has to happen for the undesired circumstance to go away? Examples: the dismissal of a court case, the denying of an extradition request, etc.
1. If there were any further consequences that would not go away, even if the undesired circumstance itself would be gone, what would have to happen for these consequences to go away?

3. Defining possible solutions and courses of action

Take some time to think of ways to achieve what you mentioned in question 2.2.1. You should answer the following questions for each of the possible solutions you came up with. Try to avoid all solutions that have been attempted before by other operations, and only use those solutions as a last resort. Ideally, your solution should be original and tailor-made for this operation. 

3.1 Basic details for the solution

1. What does the solution consist of?
2. Who can take part in the activities for this solution?
3. How long does it take to carry out this solution? A rough estimate is good enough.
4. What organisational structure is needed to carry out this solution? Examples: no hierarchy, a central leader, democratic voting, etc.
5. What communication channels do you need for this solution? Examples: a forum, a Twitter feed, an IRC channel, etc.

3.2 Consequences of the solution

1. What will happen if you carry out this solution successfully?
2. What will happen if the solution is attempted, but fails in some way?
3. What are the risks for participants? Be honest here, don’t try to romanticise your solution.
4. Compare the answer to 3.2.1 with the answer you gave to 2.2.1. Do the answers match?
1. If the answers do not match, this solution will not be optimal and it is likely you’ve put the cart before the horse, which is likely to make your operation fail. Try again with a different solution.

4. Summary of your operation

You can fill in this part to make it clear to participants what they are getting involved in, what the goals are, how they can help, and what they should watch out for.

1. What will participants be doing?
2. What are the risks of participating?
3. What is the intended goal?
4. How does your solution reach the goal?
5. Is there a backup plan?
6. Where can participants go to communicate? Examples: the IRC channel, Twitter feed, forum, etc.
7. How will you spread the word about your operation? What resources do you have at your disposal?

Good luck with your operation!

Guide courtesy of our friends at the Cryto Coding Collective

generalbriefing:

think-progress:

Oil contamination at the mouth of the Mississippi River that’s supposedly been “cleaned” since the 2010 BP oil spill. 

Photo credit

“Drill baby drill!!”  Fucking iggits!

hairypitsclub:

I have shaved my pits 3 times since 2004.   The last time was about 4 months ago.

I love my hair (ALL) and I don’t worry about other people think when I’m sporting a tank top, which is most of the time.

socialismartnature:

(Photo) Children As Young As Six Harvest 25 Percent of U.S. Crops.

Knowing the farmer who grows your food has become an important tenet of the modern food movement, but precious little attention is paid to the people who actually pick the crops or “process” the chickens or fillet the fish. U Roberto Romano’s poignant film, The Harvest/La Cosecha (2011), being screened across the country for Farmworker Awareness Week (March 24-29), informs us that nearly 500,000 children as young as six harvest up to 25 percent of all crops in the United States.

What’s illegal in most countries is permitted here. Child migrant labor has been documented in the 48 contiguous states. Seasonal work originates in the southernmost states in late winter where it is warm and migrates north as the weather changes. Every few weeks as families move, children leave school and friends behind. If you’ve had onions (Texas), cucumbers (Ohio or Michigan), peppers (Tennessee), grapes (California), mushrooms (Pennsylvania), beets (Minnesota), or cherries (Washington), you’ve probably eaten food harvested by children.

This isn’t a slavery issue, or an immigration issue per se. What’s remarkable is that most of the migrant child farmworkers are American citizens trying to help their families. This is a poverty issue and it gets to the heart of what we, as consumers, see as the “right price” to pay for food.

Children earn about $1,000 per year for working an average of 30 hours a week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. When you consider that the average annual pay for a migrant family of four is $12,500-$14,500, it’s apparent why some families feel they have no choice but to bring their children into the fields with them. Half of these kids will not graduate from high school because they’re always moving around, perpetuating the cycle of poverty that caused them to be day laborers in the first place.

Read More

jazzygangsta:

Hello everyone.

My name is Jasmine.

This is my sister Anais “Ana” Plant.

She was a mother, sister, daughter, cousin, sister “n” law, friend, a wonderful person. Her life was taken away from her November 7, 2010. A day I WILL HATE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. The man who…