reading.writing.revolution

Jun 01

(via vrbw)

Photo by Ren-Hang on flickr. Ren’s photostream is short and sweet; loaded with striking portraits that make your jaw drop.

The Photography of Ren Hang

Here's a Chance to Take On Republican Hate-Talk Radio -- Please Read -

There is a little known regulation at the FCC called the Zapple Doctrine, which is an offshoot of the Fairness Doctrine and of Section 315(a) of the Communications Act, which says that, in the 60 days prior to an election, if a broadcaster offers free airtime to one major party candidate, it must offer free airtime to the other major party candidate. Zapple expands this definition to include supporters of candidates.

The only programs which are exempt from this definition must qualify as “Bonafide News.” To qualify as “bonafide news,” programs must be non-political and not support any candidates.

[…]

So we found five monitors and had them count how many minutes each program was specifically supporting Scott Walker or bashing his Democratic opponent Tom Barrett, or supporting the GOP and bashing Democrats, and vice versa, how many minutes they were supporting Democrats in the race.

We discovered that each Right Wing Talk radio station in Milwaukee is giving about 80 minutes every day to the GOP side. Out of fifteen hours of programming, that doesn’t sound like much, but it would cost between $34,000 and $68,000 for supporters of Tom Barrett and the Democrats to buy that time. That’s $34,000 -68,000 - every single day.

[…]

But the FCC needs to hear from people all over the country who want this narrow rule, that in the 60 days prior to an election, stations must provide comparable airtime to BOTH major political parties, to survive.

Please sign the Media Action Center’s petition to help this once in a lifetime effort to change the Talk Radio dynamic for once - and for ALL.

(Source: sarahlee310, via inothernews)

(via vrbw)

kinkycasey:

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

— Buddhist Proverb

(Source: beyondx)

(Source: thehottestinhere, via simplespace)

Orioles: We Have Enough Talent To Win 5 More Games This Season | The Onion - America's Finest News Source -

BALTIMORE—Despite well over a decade of futility before their hot start this season, the Baltimore Orioles, currently tied for first in the AL East, told reporters Thursday they trust in one another and believe they have enough talent this year to win five more games. “This is a special Orioles team,” said manager Buck Showalter, confirming he believes fans can pencil in the Orioles to carry a .045 winning percentage the rest of the season. “With a few more fluke home runs from Adam [Jones], some bad umpiring calls going our way, and the kind of random chance we’ve come to depend on, I have no problem at all saying we can take five of our next 111 games.” Team members however were quick to caution that their chances of winning five games could be jeopardized by unforeseen circumstances, such as injuries or the franchise getting demoted to AAA.

theatlantic:

A Modest Proposal: New York Should Outlaw Bloomberg Terminals

Look at Mayor Michael Bloomberg, standing behind a podium, as he so often does in his job. It’s in that upright posture that he’s spoken about bans on smoking, trans-fats, and now large containers of sweetened liquid. Perhaps it is all an elaborate attempt to distract us from something even less healthy. For elsewhere in New York, countless workers toil at the machine that helped their namesake become a billionaire — the Bloomberg terminal, ubiquitous in finance. And get this: almost all of them are sitting down.

Yes, they are seated.

And “over a lifetime, the unhealthful effects of sitting add up,” The New York Times Magazine reported last April in a story titled, “Is Sitting a Lethal Activity.” […]

Read more. [Image: Reuters]

Weekend plans

shortformblog:

In case you were wondering, here’s how infamous Iran-infrastructure-damaging bug Stuxnet worked. And to answer your question, the U.S. was involved in what was intended as an act of cyberwar … but the virus (which only got its name after it broke out online) was never intended it to break out onto the larger Internet. But Stuxnet, which broke out in 2010, is old news. A newer virus, Flame, is currently causing major online trauma in the Middle East.

(via ilovecharts)

The Week: How marriage has changed over centuries -

theweekmagazine:

Critics of gay marriage see it as an affront to sacred, time-tested traditions. In actuality, the institution has been in a process of constant evolution.

The ancient Hebrews, for instance, engaged in polygamy — according to the Bible, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines — and…

Genevieve by Bernadette Carstensen

(Source: fer1972)

(Source: think-progress, via motherjones)

"Of course, anyone who's ever served in the military knows there's no such thing as a nonsexual zone—there's not really any privacy to speak of. What there is, instead, is a baseline level of tolerable close contact and sexual tension—a level that's traditionally been set by the mostly straight, mostly male majority of service members. As the composition of the service changes, so does that level of tolerability. And it's that change that scares traditionalists." -

motherjones:

Realkeeping on the military’s right-left culture wars.