Ashley's Corner

visual-poetry:

“here’s looking at you, kid” by anatol knotek

futurejournalismproject:

The Internet Defense League

The Internet can always use more heroes and Alexis Ohanian, founder of Reddit, and Fight for the Future have formed the Internet Defense League to make it so.

Public enemy number one: ACTA and CISPA style legislation that seems to sprout like mushrooms these days.

Via Forbes:

Ohanian describes the project, which they plan to officially launch next month, as a “Bat-Signal for the Internet.” Any website owner can sign up on the group’s website to add a bit of code to his or her site–or receive that code by email at the time of a certain campaign–that can be triggered in the case of a political crisis like SOPA, adding an activist call-to-action to all the sites involved, such as a widget or banner asking users to sign petitions, call lawmakers, or boycott companies.

“People who wish to be tapped can see, oh look, the Bat-Signal is up. Time to do something,” says Ohanian. “Whatever website you own, this is a way for you to be notified if something comes up and take some basic actions…If we aggregate everyone that’s doing it, the numbers start exploding.”

Developers are encouraged to join the League. GitHub is here, a Google Group here and Tracker is here.

float-on-okay:

pantslessprogressive:

Awesome:

Trent Franks, the Arizona Republican who proposed a 20-week abortion ban in Washington, DC and then barred DC’s pro-choice female delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton from speaking out against the measure has a new problem on his hands: a flood of DC residents who are bringing their municipal complaints directly to the Congressman, who they’re calling “Mayor.” From potholes to rodent problems to public transportation complaints, DC residents have followed Franks’ lead and begun funneling their problems to him rather than the city’s own government. […]

The protest was a cooperative effort between Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington DC and a group called DC Vote, which aims to secure representation for DC in Congress.

Today, about 50 DC residents eagerly waited outside of Rep. Franks’ door, ready to let “Mayor Franks” know how he could make his newly claimed city better. According to the Huffington Post’s Laura Bassett, some carried plastic rats, some toted pictures of the potholes they wanted Mayor Franks to fill, and some brought disputed parking tickets.

Do not mess with the uteri of DC.

fuck yeah DC.

life:

On what would have been Harvey Milk’s 82nd birthday, LIFE.com offers a series of photographs by Grey Villet chronicling the early days of the modern gay rights movement in America.

Titled “Homosexuals in Revolt” and touted as “a major essay on America’s newest militants,” the piece elicited strong reactions from readers — many of whom, of course, were less than happy that their beloved LIFE would devote a dozen pages to people whom one letter writer characterized as “psychic cripples.” Other responses from peeved readers that were printed in the January 28, 1972, issue of LIFE included:

From Telford, Penn. — There was plenty to lament in your year-end issue, but the thing that struck me as most sad was the fact that LIFE felt compelled to devote 11 pages to “Homosexuals in Revolt.”

From Chicago — Essentially, it is absurd to accept as a mere “variant lifestyle” a practice which, if universal, would mean the end of the human race.

And, from Glendale, California, the standard (as well as reductionist and selective) biblical critique — “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22).

Read more about this essay here.

finally-free-from-it-all:

So little written, yet so powerful…..

newsweek:

Union Square is PACKED right now. Or shall we say, occupied.

nickturse:

An Afghan woman holds up a poster during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 14, 2012. A group of Afghan women protested against domestic violence. The poster reads: “Where is justice”. (Musadeq Sadeq)

(Source: listen-itseverywhere)

magnolius:

A Tale Of Two Hoodies - a controversial painting by artist/activist Michael D’Antuono. 

Inspired by the Trayvon Martin case, this painting symbolizes the travesty of racially profiling innocent children and how present day prejudices affect policy.

Wow. Controversial contemporary political art.

guardian:

Photograph: happyplace.com

Ahead of the Guardian Weekend magazine gay issue, out 21 April, we pay tribute to the best gay rights protesting placards - you can see more on artanddesign.tumblr.com

futurejournalismproject:

Anonymous Hacks Hundreds of Chinese Government Sites

Via International Business Times:

The Anonymous hacking collective has landed in China, home of some of the most tightly controlled internet access in the world, and defaced hundreds of government websites in what appears to be a massive online operation against Beijing…

…The defaced homepages carry a statement against the Chinese government along with the traditional Anonymous banner and the generational anthem Baba O’Riley by The Who played in background.

“All these years, the Chinese communist government has subjected its people to unfair laws and unhealthy processes,” reads the statement. “Dear Chinese government, you are not infallible, today websites are hacked, tomorrow it will be your vile regime that will fall.”

It contains also a message directed at the Chinese people: “Each of you suffers from the tyranny of that regime which knows nothing about you,” reads the message. “We are with you. […]The silence of all other countries highlights the lack of democracy and justice in China. It’s unbearable.”

The defacements also provide a link with tips on how to bypass state censorship.

On Pastebin, Anonymous lists the sites they’ve claimed to have hacked. And yes, Baba O’Riley does play if/when you go to them.