Tesserae's Weblog


(98.75% as good as Dreama's 7 brothers and sisters,
two parents, and a small smattering
of other friends -- all put together!)







Feh.

A week before christmas and it's 84 degrees outside. And it's barely 11:30 am.

Monday, December 18, 2000 | 11:26 a.m.

Earth in the Balance, Indeed

I liked this so much and I lost it for awhile, and I wanted to keep it here so that I could find it again.

taken from an email:

Yeah. At the same time, the Gore of about '89ish was a pretty wonderful man. I really liked his dedication to the environment and his thoughtfulness. I miss that man, and I think if he would return to that, he could do great things for both himself and this country.

I liked the Gore who said his concession speech last night. I wish he'd been around more in the past and hope to see more of him in the future.

Thursday, December 14, 2000 | 04:46 p.m.

Urban Legends : Al Gore's lies

An interesting article which gives the origins of current mythology about Al Gore (yes, it's not all mythology, but it is all quite informative). (I -am- voting for Nader, so I'm not picky, really. I just think it's interesting. Thanks, Thom, for pointing it out!)

Monday, October 16, 2000 | 08:08 a.m.

On the web, price tags blur

great article, from my friends the Brethren.

And I have lots of thoughts on this, just no currently coherent ones.

Friday, September 29, 2000 | 05:43 p.m.

Junkbusters Home Page

Actually, now that I think about it, this whole site is excellent.

Thursday, September 21, 2000 | 11:23 a.m.

U.S. Laws on Telemarketing

I was telemarketed again today by a company that just phoned a few days ago.

It made me angry. I told them I didn't want them to call me ever again, and that if they did, I would be liable for money from their company for refusing my 'do not-call request.'

The sad thing was that there was -so much- manipulation on the part of the telemarketer. It really (really, REALLY!) annoyed me.

You need this url - you need to print out the anti-telemarketing script & keep it by your phone.

Amazing. We just changed our number a week ago, and already we're getting blasted. I hate the telephone, indeed.

Thursday, September 21, 2000 | 11:20 a.m.

A repugnant TV ad

Part of the reason for pulling the ad was this:

"But it's not a funny subject, surely not to women who have been or are frightened of becoming victims... "

and

"  The ad had no redeeming features. To sell tennis shoes, it converted a subject that for many women is a source of genuine fear . . .

I was thinking about the feminist angle to this, and here is my reply:

As a (self-defined) feminist and sexual assault survivor, I would say the thought of the woman as being healthy, strong, and in-control enough is much more empowering than the worry of offense.

(In 1991, I was forced into a car in Salt Lake City, UT and taken to a house where 2 men raped me for several hours. The only reason I got away was because I kicked one of the guys as hard as I could in the balls, and while he was doubled over, howling, I ran. The -other- guy had a metallic house arrest ankle cuff on; I knew he couldn't leave the house w/o notifying the police. I felt strong as I ran onto the streets - even with my shirt torn up the back and my underwear down around my ankles. And when I look back on it, I'm proud of what I did. It empowers me.)

My problem with it (though I never saw it) was the aspect of -children- seeing it. I know that my daughter's fears are very irrational, largely image-based, and that she has a hard time differentiating between reality and fantasty.

I'm glad it has been pulled for the sake of kids, but the feminist aspect is warped. The whole idea of feminism is to give women themselves back; to be strong, capable, independent people who don't need a man.

(however, as someone who gets a little weak-kneed at hockey masks, I can say there is a stereotypical fear -- but it's simply that, stereotypical. It's not based on most people's reality.)

Tuesday, September 19, 2000 | 09:24 p.m.

worthy (?) news

Oy vey.

This site terrifies me. I recently spent about 45 minutes cruising it, my mouth open, my hackles raised.

The sad thing is that a beloved member of my family considers the news that comes from here ...um... reliable. He picks and chooses, though - sifts through the dredge (though I think he'd support even that) and finds articles that fit his agenda.

It's easy to find support for nearly every delusion, every paranoia, every point of view.

Tuesday, September 19, 2000 | 09:19 p.m.