On BDS

Aug. 11th, 2015 06:57 pm
To [Commentor on a friend's feed regarding their disappointment the letter from the Vancouver Queer Film Festival on the subject of BDS, where this commentor was claiming that BDS was anti-Semitic and unethical]

I do not agree with your analysis. Here is my take on it.

Historically, embargoes, sanctions and boycotts have been not been effective at reversing abusive policies, but of stopping bad policies from getting worse thru explicit governmental acts. Hence the attempt to choke Russian international business - it wasn't to get Russia out of Crimea - that was a lost cause. The sanctions were to make sure that Russia didn't invade more turf. So far it's worked. By contrast the US boycott of Cuba to get them to... totally capitulate or whatever just made the economy worse (although how much is the USA and how much is the failure of Castro's policies is up for debate).

It's also easier to put a boycott or sanctions on someone who doesn't make all your stuff. This is part of why the South Africa boycott stuck and was ultimately effective.

Given this, the BDS is sound political strategy insofar as:
- The Israeli government is actively making Palestinians' lives worse by destroying buildings and constructing the means to separate the very infrastructure according to citizenship-class. If this merely holds in place in stasis, Palestinians will still be in a better position than if the current downward spiral continues
- Looking around my house, to participate in BDS, the range of products I would need to boycott include Sodastream, some baked goods, and the VQFF

A very solid middle ground is to only boycott goods and services that are made in in the areas that have recently been occupied. How one tells which is which, I don't know - barring voluntary labelling of products from places that aren't in the present or recent process of occupation. This was something I was behind myself until I saw the Israeli government try to get Canada to ban people from advocating even that, and then trying to classify the United Church of Canada as a hate group. This tells me (1) the Israeli government is willing to wrap itself in the flag (and more importantly and by extension to equivocate their policy with a marginalized religious/cultural/racial group, te tmost common symbol of whom they have chosen to use as the main design element on that that flag) to advance political argumetns that don't hold up without a fallacious emotional appeal and (2) that the boycott is working.

So with that, I'm now all for a comprehensive boycott - unless the product or service in question *somehow* distances itself from governmental policy. I'm not aware of any such product or service but if an Israeli film just had the line "This whole occupation is a fucked up situation, eh? Hope you watch anyways." in the credits, I'd pay money to go see it.

This said, if someone wanted to boycott (P.R.) Chinese goods to stop the range of human rights abuses, or boycott American (on top of the existing boycott on Indiana - speaking of the counter-intuitive but effective tactic of singling out one offender among many) to stop mass incarceration and global imperialism, or if someone refused to buy Canadian to get our government to put a stop to fouling the land and water of Indigenous people, I'd say "more power to them." However, for people living in Vancouver trying to stick to these boycotts would prove impractical.

Moreover, as an entrepreneur, if I was to repeatedly do something grossly morally wrong and refuse to stop, and then were people to choose to boycott my business, I hope I would have the decency not to claim that by singling me out (over say, Monsanto or Chick-fil-a, Shell or whatever) they were somehow enabling whatever form of sometimes-lethal discrimination my demographic cohort has disproportionately experienced. Those people are being smart in taking on someone small enough to feel the sting, and for me to equate that with historical injustice would be disingenuous.

Further, I'm not sure what the mutual desire for neighbourly peace between Israelis and Palestians has to do with downplaying BDS. Some of those people might be very much in favour of international support for their beliefs, even if it hurts.

Regarding the Vatican, I think I'm already *most* of the way to boycotting them, insofar as I will never give money to (non-radical) Roman Catholic churches, charities or non-profits. But I'd be interested in taking it further and should really go look up which companies funnel money into screwing with reproductive autonomy, marginalizing indiginous religion, and only hiring men for top leadership positions. While I don't know how effective this would be, but I don't think it would be anti-catholic. 
 Holy smokes this whole "running a start-up" thing costs a lot of money. I can't think of another way to do it though. I just hope there's not some cheaper alternative that will seem glaringly obvious in hindsight.

A bunch of goals. In no particular order. With externally-imposed deadlines noted

1. Finance The Switch (March 31st 2014)

2. Finance The Vegan Roadshow (April 30th 2014)

3. Finance Monsterhearts (January 2015)

4. Actualize Project Basilisk (August 2014)

5. Run for city council (September 20th-November 20th ish 2014)

6. File for court with Greg Hughes (December 15th, 2013)

7. Find stable LTR (October 15th, 2014)

8. Prep Elchis Network (...???)

9. Exchange "Studio" for "Roommate," "Shed" for "Studio" (January 1st)

10. Develop Art Plan (...???)

11. Get up at 7-8:30 with a full night's rest. (...???)

12. Investigate investing (...??? - but the sooner, the more effective)

13. Employ skin-care regimen  (...??? - but the sooner, the more effective)

14. Take  multi-vitamin  (...??? - but the sooner, the more effective)

15. Meditate (...??? - but the sooner, the more effective)


 

Top Goals

1. Finance The Switch (March 31st)

2. Move studio to shed, find roommate

3. Meditate

4. Finance The Vegan Roadshow

5. Recoup money for robbery of phone


 

Obstacles to #1

A. Trans people are marginalized, broke and small in number.

B. Executives don't get trans people or geek content.

C. We want to be The First Series With A Trans Lead and the CW and BBC and who knows what else are coming up on us.

D. We're a little green.


 

Knowledge and Skills Needed

1. See financing plan.

Specifically:
- bridge and gap financing
- tax credits
- merch strategy,
- solicitation



Whose help I will need.

Co-workers
- JF
- HG

Community

Family

Government agencies

Finance people.

- SP

 

The plan is to do something every day to get this to happen. Failure is not an option.

This dream synthesized:

- years of lucid practice,
- a progression on gender
-an overdue return to the sci-fi elements common to my dreams.
- some issues that have been turning over in my mind

It occurred in a late morning that followed a night of stress-related insomnia.
    I feel proud to have had it. 

     Dreamer's commentary in red.
          Waking in blue
               Dream in green.




Battlestar. CnC.

Adama says something about love to the crew. "Love can bring you up; love can bring you down," or something; cliche but nuanced, complicated, contradictory.
    To most of the crew anyway. 

Starbuck is around, isn't she? I need to talk to her.
    Steel-eyed viper jockey with a death wish and all that.


Lucidity starts...

A-shaped halls and desatch'd lighting. I must be dreaming.

                        ...
around here?
    

I think about it. Maybe she's so damn cranky because she's MtF. I mean. Seriously

 

And I have proof )

 


Yes, yes. That makes sense.

That's why she's elated sometimes and cranky others.

    "I remember it. It never stops hurting," she'll mutter into a bottle


Plus it's a war and trans medicine is kinda near the bottom of Dr. Cottle's priority list.

    Cylons, water shortages, we can handle. Getting vag-blocked, not so much.
Why the fixation? )

I search. A hallway begins, but ends in mirror.

 

Read more... )

But it's in the way. And reflecting everything except me.
    There is someone in there.

I might as well fun with it.
   I submerge my my face in the quicksilver of the mirror into the big black behind it.
     I feel it stretch and ripple over my mouth, and I blow bubbles.
 

 

Is there someone in there now?

 

Read more... )

 

There she is. Or maybe she's cissexed. And she's cranky because the series is done. In the past, thank you.
    She's a perfectly happy fiction that's had her run, her death, and is now being ressurrected, purposed by some wacky lucid narrator.

      "Look, let's make this work"

 

Read more... )
 
We talk. She stonewalls.

"Look: Kara get me information; I'll get you... drugs? You want drugs? Fine."

 

I leave. I get it. I return. She wants more.

Frazzled, I encounter another crewmember in the hall. She likes that I'm here. I think she knows that I am a stranger here. A smiling rough quickie follows.

 

Read more... )

 

Moving on.

Finding Starbuck again.

She's messed up again. Hurting.

   I don't know what I can get her so she'll talk,

      to get her to move over to my side of the story.
                                           And once there, open

 

Thorough Analysis )

 


Dear Canada Revenue Agency,

When businesses are trying to pay their outstanding GST/HST amounts, it would be much faster if you didn't erroneously tell them they (1) require form RC158 when, in fact, they do not, especially (2) when they try to download this form, the link is broken.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/esrvc-srvce/tx/bsnss/gsthst-tpstch-ntfl/htp-eng.html

Additionally, when business representatives phone you with questions (and *get through,* rather than receive a busy signal) and, after some confusion, point out that your webpage is both wrong and busted, perhaps you should have some mechanism by which your web staff can be informed of this, that they may correct it.

If you need some help running your affairs, I know several first-year business students, juggling buskers and children selling lemonade who are familiar with the maxim "when someone is trying to pay you, don't stop them." I think they would make excellent upper-tier management candidates.


   Sincerely,

   Amy Fox
   Proprietor of Tricky Vixen Metal and More
My last attempt to sleep on a piece of wedding cake for three nights (in the hopes of divining my future in romance and/or marriage) resulted in a vivid dream of joining a five-person/four-gendered hub-mind.

(To deliberately bring about a dream is a practice known as "incubation")

Read more... )
Ordering things in Nelson makes me cranky. Of an on over the last two weeks, I have looked everywhere for a Dremel rotary tool and attachments. This is the dominant brand of basic, basic hobbyist device. One clerk realized he didn't have any, then tried searching online, without knowing how to use a search engine. In the end, only Wal-Mart has them, and then only has a few. (Home hardware has a couple attachments and can order in tools I don't want). So, I have not patronized local businesses. Instead I have bought online.

I feel slightly dirty.

But also impressed by the excellent online shopping options. For example http://www.omnimodels.com/
Vending, and everything to do with it, is a pain in the ass.
Following up on /last/ year's resolution, I've been tracking my expenses. Save for electrolysis (I can undo the effects of the wrong puberty for only two painful hours per week, plus swelling) and running a fledgling metal business (buy infrastructure now, make a profit after 2.5-3 years of operations), I would be well under the poverty line. But /with/ them, no.
...not all of which will be accomplished in 87.5 hours of time per week (plus 59.5  hours of sleep, 14 hours of basic personal care and cooking, and 7 hours of what-happened-to-the-time? for total of 168 hours in a week)
  • Work - 54 hrs/week
    • Sculpt metal through KSA studio - 46 hrs/week
      • Prep Pride-related merchandise
    • Ankors documetary - 5 hrs/week (until studio winds down, then increase time)
      • Shoot silly shorts
        • Get a copy of FCS 4 when it comes out and learn it
    • Coordinate sales of Pride merch - 3 hrs/week
  • Work-Related Skills - 9.5 + hrs/week
    • Character acting skills - 4.5 hrs/week
      • Attend co-op meetings - 0.5 hrs/week
      • Learn to use a crossbow - 1.5 hrs/week
      • Coordinate an improv meetup - 2.5 hrs/week
      • Climbing - 1.5 hrs/week (hours included in "cardio," below)
      • How do you learn to sneak?
    • Playtest Streamlined - 3.5 hrs/week
    • Study Microeconomics - 1.5 hrs/week
    • Acquire Rosetta Stone for Mandarin or Swedish and practice - as time permits
    • Hang out with intentional community types -  as time permits
  • Fun
    • Date
      • Look to something long-term
      • Also consider hooking up
    • Play
    • Install Windows boot program on Mac laptop
    • Study Dance
    • Play roleplaying and storygames
    • Play roleplaying and storygames more
    • Karate? (After wrist heals)
    • Hunting?
  • Health/Spirituality - 8 hours/week
    • Physio
      • For arm - 1 hr/day (can coincide with conversation or passive entertainment)
      • For knee
    • Listen to body re: sunlight and sleep
    • Time frivolous/unrewarding computer-use (max 100 minutes/day)
    • Always take one day off per week.
      • No work (other than ceramic dips).
      • No book-study
    • Meditate - 1/2 hour 2/week = 1hr/week
    • Lucid dreaming?
    • ASC work?
    • Eat better
      • Veggies and protein for breakfast
      • Fewer carbs at lunch
      • More calcium (enriched orange juice, cereals)
      • Remember: I'm lactose-intolerant
      • Analyze diet, consider supplementing
    • Develop a gym routine - 3 hrs/week
      • Cardio
      • Complete 200 Sit-Ups program, add sit-up regimen to routine
      • After physio returns arm to norm-spectrum function, complete 100 push-ups program, add push-up regimen to routine
      • See trainer re: other fitness exercises
    • Transitiony things - 4+ hrs/week
      • Electrolysis - 3hrs/week with commute
      • Blood test, hormones - 1.5hrs, 1/3 months
      • Dilate - 1hr/week
  • Other
    • Arrange housing
      • for later in Nelson
      • and in Vancouver
    • Pack a lunch or go home for it
At last, the site is up!

Tricky Vixen Metal and More

This is what I have been up to while away from Vancouver
Internal dialogue:

I should be outside making plinths for bronzework, instead I'm inside, screwing around.

By "screwing around," you mean "designing display cards for a gallery showing
?"

Yeah... but I was talking on the phone earlier


To a photographer. Who you're hiring. To take product shots for your wesite.

Okay. Fair point.
A bronze mask and a bronze bell sit in the shower. On them is a mixture of table salt, concetrated vinegar (10% - table vinegar is 5%), ammonia and flour to make it into a paste. One sits halfway in a compostable deli container sans flour.

This patina is the faster and more salable equivalent of the traditionaly "save your urine in a bucket" technique.

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August 2017

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