I was going to work on a snappy title for this post, but what the heck.
Christian Science Monitor: US Gov’t broke Padilla through intense isolation, say experts
Despite warnings, officials used 43 months of severe isolation to force Jose Padilla to tell all he knew about Al Qaeda.
After 43 months, was what he knew of any value? Just asking.
CNN.com: No-kill shelters hurtful to animals?
No-kill shelters that have worked elsewhere in the country have succeeded because they partner with other local facilities. But many no-kill shelters have no backup plan and hang onto animals for months, sometimes years, until they are adopted, causing crowding and health problems for the animals.
So no-kill shelters are hurtful to animals… when the people who run them are stupid? How does that make the concept of no-kill the problem? This AP story could be one of the worst pieces of reporting I’ve ever seen.
The Angry Black Woman: Doing Something About Racism
When considering what people can do about racism, the first thing that comes to my mind is disseminating information. Educate people who have no clue about privilege, disadvantages, oppression, and subtle racism. Point out their blind spots. Explain your particular experience and views so that others can begin to understand. That, to me, is the place to start from. And if talking qua writing qua educating is not doing something, then what exactly is there to be done?
I really appreciated that post because of the writing that Grace and I have done over at Heroine Content. Do I think we’re ending racism next week by analyzing action movies on a blog? No. Do I think that we’re practicing our own racism-spotting skills, and hopefully helping remind others about how much of a problem racism is in our society by examining pop culture? Yes. And I also hope that it’s a springboard for me to do more anti-racist work in the future. (If I weren’t having a baby next month, I would so be joining Carmen Van Kerckhove’s Anti-Racism Action Group as my next step.)
Resist Racism: Mr. Wrong
But the founder of the Mister Wong website didn’t respond in a textbook racist way…. “The right thing to do”? When was the last time you heard this in response to a charge of racism?
Refreshing to see someone get called on a mistake, own up to it, and fix it.
Austin-American Statesman: Men of few words? That’s a myth, study finds
University of Texas Psychology Department Chairman James Pennebaker, one of four authors of the study, said the idea of measuring the relative verbosity of the sexes came from a magazine article that claimed that women use 20,000 words per day, compared with 7,000 words for men.
But of course, they had to interview some people on the street who don’t think science is worth a damn. You want to make sure you’re fair and balanced.