India: Restricted Internet Speech

India's Department of Information and Technology has placed new harsh restrictions on Internet content. The list of objectionable content includes anything that “threatens the unity, integrity, defense, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign states or public order.”

This is a frightening thing that could lead to blind nationalism of a whole new sort. People must be able to openly criticize and discuss issues without being regulated and watched.

Even worse, Sunil Abraham, the executive director for the Center for Internet and Society, states that; “whenever there are limits of freedom of expression, in order for those limits to be considered constitutionally valid, those limits have to be clear and not be very vague. Many of these rules that seek to place limits are very, very vague.”

RISE at Warren Wilson

My wonderful beautiful friend, Evan works at her school in a program called RISE. They work on issues such as sexual violence and dating violence, progressing through activism, dialogue, and education to a safer, consensual community. She recently posted some free zines and publications that they have created to spread the word and help people know how to help others. So view them online or print them out and spread them around!

An Article from Mother Jones: Why Do We Keep Falling for O'Keefe's Smear Jobs?

Mother Jones is a smart investigative journalism non-profit that recently has been writing some of the only articles that (to me) seem to actually explain what is going on in our government today. They have also published one recently about this man, James O'Keefe, who calls himself an investigative reporter but seems to be twisting and editing the words of people that have been called his "sting" operations. He basically is fabricating media content that is getting opinions expressed inaccurately and leading to consequences such as executives of NPR losing their jobs. This article by Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery seems to start to dissect these occurrences and put into question why this man is being listened to and taken seriously time and time again.

"Why was this? Simple: A good lie is by definition a hot story—crafted and timed to hit an urgent issue at just the right moment—and in a 24/7 news cycle, that presents a compelling incentive to reporters: "Let's be brutally honest," Weigel told NPR when it finally got around to forensics six days later. "The rush is to get traffic and to get the people of your organization booked on shows to talk about it. [That] leads you to not do the rigor and fact-checking that you do in other situations." And by the time you do, everyone's moved on."

Sustainability Exhibition Project

I am in a show at Trois gallery here at SCAD in Atlanta pretty soon and I made a zine creation station/installation for the show. I want all of those who won't be able to go to the show to still get a chance to see and have a zine so I am posting the images. They are all 8.5 x 11 B&W so anyone can print one out. If you are unable to do so, email me and I can mail you one the old fashion way.

audible sensibilities

Hey!
I have a new blog about music where I will be posting and holding a discussion about music.

I have always wondered why we don't more often treat our contemporary music scene in the same way that we do fine art or literature. It does not often get a constructive critique or get further analyzed by the general populace. So if you enjoy music and thinking deeper about what is entering into your ears then come check it out and join in on the discussion.

Rabindranath Tagore

"The tendency of the mind is economical: it loves to form habits and move in grooves which save it the trouble of thinking anew at each of its steps. Ideals once formed make the mind lazy. It becomes afraid to risk its acquisitions in fresh endeavors. It tries to enjoy complete security by shutting up its belongings behind fortifications of habits... Their real freedom is not within the boundaries of security, but on the high road of adventures, full of the risk of new experiences."