May 2013
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After Being Failed by My College's Administration,... →
The story of my rape is full of those “How-could-you-be-so-stupid?” moments that enable outsiders –– often police, district attorneys and academic staff –– to dismiss a victim’s claims. As if a woman’s “stupidity” can magically transmute rape into not-rape. As if naïveté is a rapeable offense[…]
I was told by two attorneys — I could post my...
April 2013
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Creating Allies among Active Transportation Users
Now that spring is finally (finally) rolling around, my Twitter feed has been slowly filling up with caution to cyclists to “ride safe” and educate them on how to cycle in a legal manner.
Naturally, I sent out my own tweet along the lines of: “Cyclist safety tip: don’t hit cyclists with your car.” Naturally, someone responded, annoyed that I wasn’t thinking of...
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What Facebook Continues To Tell Us About Violence... →
There is a photograph being shared in Facebook of a woman cowering in a corner, eyes downcast, as large man standing in the foreground swings his fist at her head. The caption reads, “Women deserve equal rights. And lefts.”
As I wrote last week, a common retort to all of this is, “This is the Internet. It’s offensive. If you don’t like it, leave.” But, Facebook is NOT “the Internet.” That’s why...
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Rehtaeh Parsons shows how Facebook's connectedness... →
“I can never get that photo back, it’s out there forever.” That’s one of the notes that B.C. teenager Amanda Todd held up in a video she made before she died by suicide. She, too, had been harassed online by someone she’d flashed her breasts at; the picture outlived her. In that case, too, Canadians were outraged, at least for a little while.
We need Susan Sontag to return and explain to us the...
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Third Rail is a Game That Lets You Redesign the...
thirdrailgame:
Here’s how it works: Each turn, you build some track and add a new station. And so do your opponents. Because you’re not the only line in town, you have competition. Your goal is to serve as many desirable blocks as possible, while keeping your opponents at bay. How? Well, every piece of track you lay down cannot be crossed. So every turn, you are building walls. The only way...
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Met with some safety representatives today!
Thanks to everyone who recommended me those bike light/ reflector companies! I had a meeting with my university’s campus safety and our city’s safety division. We’ve got a lot of ideas rolling around. Woohoo!
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Photos of Children From Around the World With... →
Shot over a period of 18 months, Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti’s project Toy Stories compiles photos of children from around the world with their prized possesions—their toys. Galimberti explores the universality of being a kid amidst the diversity of the countless corners of the world; saying, “at their age, they are pretty all much the same; they just want to play.”
But it’s how...
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Un-Memorizing the “Silence is Sexy” Date Script →
A woman once told me pointedly something that has stayed with me to this day. We were kissing. Lying on the cold wood floor, my hand traveled across her stomach and she whispered, “I think we should take it slow.” I agreed immediately. Before moving in to kiss her again, I said, “Just tell me when to stop.”
This, I thought, was considerate. Respectful. Sexy. But she quickly corrected my...
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Hating on Feminism? I get that. →
I believe in equality, but I’m not a feminist. I’m an empowered woman, but not a feminist. Women and men should both have rights, but seriously? Feminism is stupid and antiquated. The goals of feminism have been accomplished, what’s the big deal? Feminism is causing high divorce rates. It’s depressing women and de-motivating men. Why can’t we just get along?? I’m so mad! I hate...
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Pretending You’re Oppressed: The New Internet Fad →
On top blogging sites like Tumblr and Livejournal, the biggest new fandom is no longer anime or evening fantasy drama, but that of “SJ,” a nickname for “social justice,” which refers to discourse on equal rights and how to, essentially, be kind and respectful to all people. As a trans person of color, I have used these platforms as a means of communication, of activism, and a way to maintain my...
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“Cities need to redefine their relationship with the car – shaping cars and...”
– Bruce McVean on reallocating urban space away from cars (via thisbigcity)
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If you read one thing today: What to do after a...
highheelsandtwowheels:
I hadn’t read this until after the accident, so please review and remember. From S.C. Bike Law.
Ride with a cell phone, personal identification, emergency contact, and something to write with.
Dial 911: call the police or an ambulance immediately. If you are unable to do so, ask someone to help.
Always wait for the police to arrive and file an official accident report. A...
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When you find out someone from your own...
It’s like excuse me do you not even care that a girl was killed along that road last year?
I can’t even believe we’re from the same part of town sigh.
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“I’m an English major. It is a language of conquest.
What does it say that I’m...”
– Monica Torres, “Majoring In English,” The Feminist Wire 3/29/13 (via racialicious)
March 2013
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Cheap Bike Reflectors and Bike Lights
Hi Tumblr,
I’m a Co-Founder of a cycling group at my university in Ontario, Canada. We’re hoping to get over 2000 reflectors for incoming undergraduate students and also hold a bike repair stand and free bike light give away for students who need it.
I was wondering if anyone might know of any groups that might be able to give us a discount on a bulk order?
I’ve already...
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Google maps a Japanese Nuclear Ghost Town →
Image © Google, Inc.
Two years after the the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, and the following tsunami and nuclear disaster, a large area around the failed Fukushima nuclear plant is still considered an exclusion zone. Namie, a small city just north of the nuclear power plant, was evacuated shortly after the quake, and its 21,000 townspeople have been unable to return since,...
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The Arrogance of Space →
I tire of hearing the incessant “we don’t have space for bicycles” whine, especially in North American cities. The space is right there if you want it to be there. Removing car lanes to create cycle tracks is, of course, doable. So many cities are doing it. Not making cycle tracks for those who cycle now, but for the many who COULD be cycling if it was made safe.
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Ed Levy's Case for a Regional Relief Line
neptis:
Toronto’s current subway system cannot be called a “network” thanks to fifty years of deferring a downtown distributor subway line. Today four packed lines converge on two cramped interchanges to access only one downtown loop, limiting peak-period ridership. Operating in parallel but largely independently, the GO system is also constrained by limited capacity particularly at Union...
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