Friday!

[shadesong]

Administration
Happy birthday to fmh!

Happy early birthday to ivymcallister and my birthday buddies ladyseaand shugenja, who advance a year over the weekend!

*moves her token to 34*

Medical
The bulk of the snot goblins' occupation has shifted to my head. There are some holdouts clogging and rattling around and harrumphing in my lungs, still. But I am functional.

Party!
One amendment: As felisdemenswon't be doing the scavenger hunt, Elayna and I will split up and each join one of the other teams. I'll let her choose.

Shayara
Wrote what could be a decent intro and am getting feedback. Artists, please get me stuff as soon as you can - I want to launch on Sunday, and my weekend will be busy as hell, so I'd love to put up as much as I can in advance!

WisCon
I will be attending my first WisCon this year! Who here's going?

More on Rape Culture
Just have to draw your attention to one more thing - David & Goliath t-shirt that says "NO MEANS NO (well maybe if I'm drunk)". Bloody hell, y'all.Check it out here,and I urge you to write to David & Goliath telling that this is not freakin' funny.

Link Soup
* Oooh.More Evangelion?
* Strange phenomena.
* Elegant skyscrapers.

Daily Science
NIDCD researchers believe that they have identified the cognitive neural substrate of jazz improvisation...It was found that the improvised condition was characterized by reduced activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain thought to be involved in the planning, organization and execution of behaviours. The implication is that deactivation activity in this area underlies the spontaneity required for the musicians' improvisation.

Friday memage!
Wearing: Am half asleep in Tigger pajamas.
Reading: Metrophage, by Richard Kadrey; Overdo$ed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine by John Abramson
Elayna is Reading:Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Writing: essay, "Flying Lessons" (the March WTD - outlining it), Shayara. February has been mega crunch time so far as writing goes. March will be significantly less crazymaking.
Plans
Oh, crap, dude. Writing stuff. Finishing the tidying. Getting whoever shows up here first to take me food shopping. Bacchanalia, scavenger hunt, et cetera

Note: If you want custom Wyrding Studios work, e-mail kythryne AT wyrdingstudios.com so she'll bring the right stuff! She's not bringing the whole inventory.

ZOMG birthday.

Comments

[mizarchivist]

Good lord, girl- you are up *early!* :)
Hope your weekend is awessome covered aweseome with an awesome center.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

I woke up at 5 - congestion.:(

*hugs*

[redfishie.livejournal.com]

okay, that t-shirt just made me naseous. Shame on them.

email written.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[thisdaydreamer.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!

I hope that writing an email to those t-shirt people is enough of a present, because I am a bit broke at the moment....

And, yes, that t-shirt pisses me off no end.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

'Tis. Thank you for writing!

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

Let's hold off on divvying up the teams until tomorrow; I'm planning on doing some evangelizing tonight, in hopes of getting more warm bodies involved. That said, do you think I should prize-shop for four rather than three? (One of the things I have to do before bailing town today.)

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

Medical: Get well soon.

Wiscon: Possible I could be there this year. I've been once and really really liked it. I consider trying to time a Boston visit to permit a side trip.

[fmh.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

T-shirt: Holy crap.

---

Dear David & Goliath Customer Service Team,

Your company seems like it's generally pretty cool and funny, so I'm struggling to understand how exactly the "No means No - well maybe if I'm drunk" t-shirt made it to release.

Given some statistics for the USA say 25% of women will *report* rape or sexual assault at some point in their lives - and we can probably assume more aren't reporting it - I wonder how many of your staff have themselves been raped, or have a daughter or sister or wife or girlfriend or mother (or son or brother or husband or boyfriend since of course it isn't just women that it happens to) who have been?

And of that subset of your staff who have had rape in their life, and of the subset of *them* who reported it to the police and went through the legal system, how many of *them* do you think might have been accused in court of wanting it, asking for it, causing their own rape? How many rape cases do you think get at least partially decided because juries and judges still seem to somehow think that alcohol reduces a woman's right to not be raped? How many rapes do you think occur because the rapists somehow picked up this idea?

How many more do you think might happen with your t-shirt telling people that maybe a woman's just joking when she says no, that with every drink a woman has she is voluntarily and knowingly signing away her right to not be raped?

I really wonder what answers you might get if you did an anonymous poll of all your staff about how many of them have had rape in their lives where alcohol was used to excuse or defend the rape.

I really hope you change your mind on this t-shirt. It isn't cool. It isn't funny. I hope you're a bit chilled to think this t-shirt might, just possibly, conceivably, ever, result in a rape that might not otherwise have happened. Even one more would be too many. Please don't be part of the problem.

Regards,

[australian_joe]

[jennifer.livejournal.com]

May I use your wording in my own complaint letter? I'm so angry about that shirt I can't phrase a coherent complaint letter that doesn't contain vast amounts of profanity. It's okay if you'd rather I wait till I'm calm enough to compose my own words, though.

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

No problem at all! I think the letters/emails have more impact if they're not just a straight copy & paste, but I certainly don't put any conditions on it. Use as much or as little as helps you.

I wanted to reach them without being dismissed as an angry crank. Maybe it worked. Good luck with your one.

[jennifer.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I've edited it as such, adding my own touches:

Dear Customer Service Team:

Your company makes funny shirts, most of the time, and I've bought several of them in the past. However, I'm struggling to understand how exactly the "No means No - well maybe if I'm drunk" t-shirt made it to release.

Given some statistics for the USA say 25% of women will *report* rape or sexual assault at some point in their lives - and we can probably assume more aren't reporting it. I'm one of those women - I was sexually assaulted at age 16, by someone who slipped a drug into the Coca-Cola I was drinking when I wasn't looking. I can only imagine that members of your own staff have had this happen.

And of that subset of your staff who have had rape in their life, and of the subset of those women - or men - who reported it to the police and went through the legal system, how many of those people do you think might have been accused in court of wanting it, asking for it, causing their own rape?

How many rape cases do you think get at least partially decided because juries and judges still seem to somehow think that alcohol reduces a woman's right to not be raped? How many rapes do you think occur because the rapists somehow picked up this idea?

How many more do you think might happen with your t-shirt telling people that maybe a woman's just joking when she says no, that with every drink a woman has she is voluntarily and knowingly signing away her right to not be raped? I can only imagine.

I really hope you change your mind on this t-shirt. It isn't cool. It isn't funny, and because of it, I will no longer be buying any products from your company, and will encourage others to do the same. Please don't contribute to the rape culture in this country.

Regards,
jennifer

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

I wonder if they'll try to brazen it out. I wonder how much more trouble they'll bring down on themselves if they try to claim "but it was just a joke".

Thank you for writing to them!

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Excellent letter. And - they've taken down the shirt!

[ron_newman]

Cool! You've done good.

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

If you get a response, I'd be happy to see it...

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

Not a bad idea. I'll either post it here, or in my own LJ unlocked with a link here, as shadesong prefers. Assuming I get one.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Update: They took it down!

(And: Excellent letter!)

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

Woo! (And thank you.)

[angryvixen.livejournal.com]

I do believe we now need to write them and THANK them for being speedy about doing the right thing. I was coming here to get the link to write my own angry letter when I saw your update. Letting a company know we appreciate their taking the proper action is just as important as letting them know we are not pleased!

My letter after the fact...

[angryvixen.livejournal.com]

I came home from work, fully intending to write a letter of complaint about the t-shirt your site was selling that read "No Means No - well, maybe if I'm drunk". I went to the site I originally saw the link on and was pleased to see an update stating you had already pulled the t-shirt off your site. Knowing full well that companies do not often take the high road and do the right thing, I thought it was still important to e-mail you and thank you for your speedy remedy of the situation.

I hope that in the future you will not release that shirt again, after all the dust has settled from this instance. I hope you will be more conscientious of the items you place for sale through your company.

Thank you again for taking such quick action in this matter. You are a company that I now have a higher regard for, despite the initial lack in judgment you showed by selling the t-shirt in the first place.

Thank you for your time,
(my name here)

[cislyn.livejournal.com]

You're going to be in Madison? I think I might just squee! I don't know if I'll be attending Wiscon, but, um, I live here. I would love to finally meet you!

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Dude! That would be awesome.

[cislyn.livejournal.com]

Madison is made of nifty and topped with awesome sauce, so you + this place should go very well together indeed! There are loads of great places to just hang out, or we could go wander the arboretum or the gardens or or or... yeah. And it'll be SPRING which is also good (ready for warmth now, seriously). When it gets closer to then, let's make plans. :)

[hughcasey.livejournal.com]

Birthday - YAY!

T-Shirt - WTF!?!?

Here's my response to those who find this funny:

(http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v168/hughborg/message%20pics/?action=view&current=unimpressed.jpg)

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Daily Science: Holy shit. I mean, wow, cool, chop-worthy, space-filling, kitten-on-the-keys, holy shit. I mean, every jazz musician and serious jazz fan sort-of knew this already, but now it's mapped.

forget the misguided Wynton Marsalis thing, the idea that Straight Ahead needs to be played THAT Straight Ahead. You gotta LET GO of that Four Beats to the Bar thing and just GO FOR IT
-- Shelley Rusten

[jennifer.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!

OK, on to memeage:

Wearing: Lots of purple! Purple long-sleeved tee with plum-colored short-sleeved tee over it, a purple pendant from kittenbitten, and purple-and-pearl earrings from KaLea Anne, with Crypt Queen in honor of Wear-Your-Rares Leap Year day!

Reading: I'm inbetween books at the moment; I think I'll start Francesca Lia Block's Guarding the Moon next.

Writing: Not much. :/

Plans: Hitting Petco and the Galleria after work and doctor's appointment, attending the WS festivities from home tonight, and the scavenger hunt tomorrow!

Also: david_grana and I have both a digital camera and a laptop, and we can bring either or both. :) (We'd still like to be on the same team, though, so can you let slipjig know?)

[tlatzomia.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Looks like you got a birthday gift: apparently the No Means No shirt has been taken down.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Yay!

I think they aren't offering that shirt any more

[valancy17.livejournal.com]

I went to the D&G site to complain, but I wanted to find the shirt on there first so I could link to it, and

that shirt isn't on their site. anywhere.

Hopefully that means they caved to pressure from complaints and not only took it off the site but will stop making it or anything else like it, in which case yay!

I googled it and found one place selling it online here (http://elegance-arts.blogspot.com/) so it might be useful to complain to them to get them to stop advertising and selling it.

Re: I think they aren't offering that shirt any more

[ron_newman]

nothing 'elegant' or 'artistic' about a shirt like that!

Re: I think they aren't offering that shirt any more

[angryvixen.livejournal.com]

I commented to them telling them D&G took it down themselves, so they should too.

[nycorson.livejournal.com]

On the T-shirt, honestly it should say this:

No means NO - unless I am drunk, then anything I say means NO!

A huge amount of states, California especially the rape laws boil down to this: If you can not give informed consent, it is rape. If you are under the influence of anything that might affect your judgment (alcohol, drugs, cold medicine, etc.. ) it is legally rape.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

My jaw genuinely dropped at the proposed Siberian skyscraper. I've even imagined a building like that, also in a wooded environment (but on a coast).

More beauty in the world is always a good goal. Wow.

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

Wearing: green long sleeved t-shirt, black leggings, pink slippers
Reading: In the Night Garden: The Cities of Coin and Spice (by yuki_onna.
Writing: nothing yet. Have a few things on tap.
Plans: brunch on Sunday. Other than that, nothing. I like it that way.

[katster.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday, 'song! Sounds like it's going to be fun!

My answers to the traditional Friday memage:

Wearing: My work uniform -- black long sleeved shirt, blue jeans, white socks, Birks. Okay, I don't actually have a uniform, but it's generally what I wear in the office. On fridays, I clip my B5 button to the shirt. ('Our thoughts form the universe. They always matter.')

Reading: Two books: Death in Yosemite, which is basically all the ways people have managed to lose their life in said national park, which is oddly fascinating; and Proust and the Squid, which is about how our ability to read forms. Both are utterly fascinating.

Writing: Nothing at the moment, but tonight I need to produce my fanzine (it's the end of another month, eek!) and write the story that's been bugging me.

Plans: Today is working. Meh. This weekend, other than producing said fanzine, I'll be trying to up myself another level on pmog (http://pmog.com). It's going to be a boring weekend.

[Edit: LJ's 'oh hai let me pick a random icon for you' feature picked a lousy choice.]

[whitecrow0.livejournal.com]

HEY 'SONG!!! I AM SHOUTING SO YOU'LL HEAR ME!!!

Saw this in my feed today; it came to me through al_daily:
http://city-journal.org/2008/18_1_campus_rape.html

Some unhappy snippets:

None of this crisis response occurs, of course—because the crisis doesn’t exist. During the 1980s, feminist researchers committed to the rape-culture theory had discovered that asking women directly if they had been raped yielded disappointing results—very few women said that they had been. So Ms. commissioned University of Arizona public health professor Mary Koss to develop a different way of measuring the prevalence of rape. Rather than asking female students about rape per se, Koss asked them if they had experienced actions that she then classified as rape. Koss’s method produced the 25 percent rate, which Ms. then published...

Campus rape researchers may feel that they know better than female students themselves about the students’ sexual experiences, but the students are voting with their feet and staying away in droves from the massive rape apparatus built up since the Ms. article. Referring to rape hotlines, rape consultant Brett Sokolow laments: “The problem is, on so many of our campuses, very few people ever call. And mostly, we’ve resigned ourselves to the under-utilization of these resources.”

...College girls drink themselves into near or actual oblivion before and during parties. That drinking is often goal-oriented, suggests University of Virginia graduate Karin Agness: it frees the drinker from responsibility and “provides an excuse for engaging in behavior that she ordinarily wouldn’t.” A Columbia University security official marvels at the scene at homecomings: “The women are shit-faced, saying, ‘Let’s get as drunk as we can,’ while the men are hovering over them.” As anticipated, the night can include a meaningless sexual encounter with a guy whom the girl may not even know. This less-than-romantic denouement produces the “roll and scream: you roll over the next morning so horrified at what you find next to you that you scream,” a Duke coed reports in Laura Sessions Stepp’s recent book Unhooked. To the extent that they’re remembered at all, these are the couplings that are occasionally transformed into “rape”—though far less often than the campus rape industry wishes.

[tenshikurai9.livejournal.com]

No go for WisCon. Not into most sci-fi cons when I should be concentrating on other things.

[purplefrog26.livejournal.com]

Hey I'm going to be at Wiscon for the first time this year too! Yeah maybe we will meet.