“If you look at it right, even Hell can be pretty…”

This Is Water [#geekgirl]

[Whenever I hear/read/am-exposed-to the genius of David Foster Wallace, I always feel that awful gut-twist of sadness when realising, again, that he took himself away from the world. RIP DFW.]

“In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College. However, the resulting speech didn’t become widely known until 3 years later, after his tragic death. It is, without a doubt, some of the best life advice we’ve ever come across, and perhaps the most simple and elegant explanation of the real value of education.”

“Only For #Children” [#geekgirl]

“[The] ANAR Foundation…attend[s] children and teenagers [in] a risk situation…they can find the help they need in a totally anonymous and confidential way. But, how can we get our message to a child abuse victim, even when they are accompanied by their aggressor?

Knowing the average height for adults and children under 10,GREY has created two different messages. Using an outdoor lenticular we show adults an awareness message, while children see a message where we offer them our help and show them the telephone number. A message only for children.”

“Ag-Gag” Gagged: the First Ever Prosecution Attempt = Dismissed [#geekgirl]

Gag The Ag-Gag (Click and Sign!)

Back in March I wrote here about the travesty that is “Ag-Gag” – unbelievable USA legislation that allows agriculturalists to legally prosecute citizens who video instances of animal abuse:

“Only in ‘Murica would potential advocates of animal torture certain sectors of the agricultural and farming community seek to stop the *documentation* of animal abuse, not the abuse itself…”

Luckily, the first case that has been enacted under the Bill has been dismissed without prejudice, as is reported here by “Green Is The New Red”:

Just 24 hours after I broke the story about Amy Meyer’s arrest under Utah’s ag-gag bill, the Draper City prosecutor’s office has dropped all charges!

The charges were dismissed without prejudice, which means there’s a possibility of them being filed again, but her attorney says this is highly, highly unlikely — especially after the massive outpouring of outraged after yesterday’s article. To give you an idea: the article made it on the front page of reddit.com today, and in a few hours hundreds of thousands of people visited this website (crashing it for about an hour as we scrambled to adjust the servers).

Yay say the Ag-Gag Gaggers!

Save the Rat! [#NSFW] [#geekgirl]

SAVE THE RAT from Red Rattler Theatre.

Help this independent, not-for-profit, performance space buy 40% of the building it lives in.

Watch the evolution of the Rat from empty warehouse to creative playground as one of the 5 founders, Teresa Avila, shares the story of the Red Rattler and why it needs your help at pozible.com/savetherat.

The Red Rattler Theatre is a community-based venue and artists’ studios. The Theatre operates on a not-for-profit basis.

The Red Rattler Theatre is a creative playground for performers, musicians, artists, designers, multi-media makers, experimentalists, film-makers, theorists, activists, collective organisers, and local punters. It is fitted with a full PA, stage, LED lighting rig, projector and screen, licensed bar, three non-residential artist studios, and a rooftop garden.

Save the Rat!

Patti Smith Advises the #Young [#geekgirl]

Patti Smith: Advice to the young from Louisiana Channel on Vimeo.

“Build a good name”, rock poet Patti Smith advises the young. “Life is like a roller coaster, it is going to have beautiful moments but it is going to be real fucked up, too”, she says.

The American singer, poet and photographer Patti Smith (b. 1946) is a living punk rock legend. In this video she gives advice to the young:

“Build a good name. Keep your name clean. Don’t make compromises, don’t worry about making a bunch of money or being successful. Be concerned about doing good work. Protect your work and if you build a good name, eventually that name will be its own currency. Life is like a roller coaster ride, it is never going to be perfect. It is going to have perfect moments and rough spots, but it’s all worth it”, Patti Smith says.

Interview by Christian Lund, the Louisiana Literature festival August 24, 2012, at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Produced by Honey Biba Beckerlee and Kamilla Bruus.

Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Meet more artists at channel.louisiana.dk

Louisiana Channel is a non-profit video channel for the Internet launched by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in November 2012. Each week Louisiana Channel will publish videos about and with artists in visual art, literature, architecture, design etc.

Read more: channel.louisiana.dk/about

Supported by Nordea-fonden.

Information and Emergency Resources For #BostonMarathon [#geekgirl]

As the horrifically tragic events are unfolding in Boston, for those who need immediate resources to find loved ones or to ensure their safety, here's a brief list:

1. Google has set up a "Person Finder" resource similar to one used for the 2010 Haitian Earthquake Disaster.
2. Reddit user _supernovasky_ is compiling live and as-accurate-as-can-be information here.
3. For Boston locals, Boston.com News has updates via its Twitter feed.

Stay safe, friends.

[UPDATE: The above reddit link is now read-only. Please go here for a more updated version.]

[UPDATE 2: I've pulled the Google docs Resources and Accommodation link due to concerns regarding phishing dangers. There's been talk about the relevant Google docs being now cleared for official use by Google: for now, visit the Reddit link above and you can access the document from there. There's also many good-hearted Boston based Redditors offering free transport, food and other resources through the updated link.]

City Talks 2013 – What Creative Life do You Want for #Sydney? [#geekgirl]

[Via @AliaK]

What creative life do you want for Sydney?

Great cities’ reputations are built on their cultural life and Sydney is no exception.

From the museums, galleries, theatres and concert halls to street art, small bars, shops and hole-in-the-wall venues – some of the best things about Sydney are bound up in its cultural life.

How can we inspire an even richer creative culture? How do we support creative people to live and work here? And how can we encourage people to go out to shows or invest in local work?

Hear from Carol Coletta, CEO, Artplace America, about how Artplace changed culture and creative communities across the US and what Sydney could learn from the experience.

A panel of creative leaders and innovators will debate the opportunities and practical steps we could take to inspire a more creative Sydney.

Tell us what creative life you want for Sydney.
sydneyyoursay.com.au/creativecity
#creativecitysyd

MC: Adam Spencer
SMH INTRODUCTION: Sherrill Nixon, Director, Sydney Newsroom Operations, Fairfax Media
GUEST INTRODUCTION: Richard Roxburgh
WELCOME: Lord Mayor Clover Moore
KEYNOTE: Carol Coletta, CEO, ArtPlace America

DISCUSSION PANEL
Marcus Westbury, Founder and Director, Renew Australia
Nicole Durling, Senior Curator, Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)
Katherine Hough, Director, Arts Tasmania
Louise O’Donnell, Digital Director, Seed Production
Charles Firth, CEO, Manic Studios and co-founder,The Roast

Wednesday, 10 April 2013
6.30-8pm
State Theatre, 49 Market Street, Sydney

Transport
Rail: Town Hall Station or St James Station
Bus: George, Druitt and York Streets
Bike: Valet bike parking located on Pitt Street near the corner of Market Street from 5.30–9pm

Accessibility
Auslan interpreter services and live captioning for this event can be arranged on request. For these or other access enquiries please contact the City of Sydney on 9265 9333. This venue is wheelchair accessible.

Podcast
You can also watch a podcast of the event soon after here.

Visit sydney2030.com.au for information on our sustainability projects.

“We cannot ignore this #corruption anymore…” [#geekgirl]

“There is a corruption at the heart of American politics, caused by the dependence of Congressional candidates on funding from the tiniest percentage of citizens. That’s the argument at the core of this blistering talk by legal scholar Lawrence Lessig. With rapid-fire visuals, he shows how the funding process weakens the Republic in the most fundamental way, and issues a rallying bipartisan cry that will resonate with many in the U.S. and beyond.

Lawrence Lessig has already transformed intellectual-property law with his Creative Commons innovation. Now he’s focused on an even bigger problem: The US’ broken political system.”

Shattering the #Stereotypes of America’s Homeless [#geekgirl]

Invisible People goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages can understand, and can’t ignore. The vlog puts into context one of our nation’s most troubling and prevalent issues through personal stories captured by the lens of Mark Horvath – its founder – and brings into focus the pain, hardship and hopelessness that millions face each day.