Strangechord

Loads of Furling lately:

• Defining Our Own Sexual Liberation: I loved reading this on Valentine’s Day:

  To us, non-monogamy is political because it strives to break from social constructions of what it means to be in any kind of relationship. It aims to break from the mentality of “I own you,” which we believe comes from a capitalist idea of ownership and property.

• The Guardian: A genius explains: “Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant. He can perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can describe how he does it. He speaks seven languages and is even devising his own language…” Reading this made my day.
  
• Just a simple list of books I want to read in 2005.
  
• Crooked Timber: How Economists Kill People: Like another ex-World Bank/IMF consultant turned expose author, John Perkins, Peter Griffiths writes of how the Bretton Woods institutions are now tools for Western corporate profiteering, at the expense of lives in poor regions.
  
• The Boom Shelter: Obssessive dedication to apocalyptic news.
  
• Death Tolls for the Man-made Megadeaths of the Twentieth Century (and earlier): indispensable reference site.
  
• Jesus & Alinsky: This article explores the true translation and contextual history behind Jesus’ instruction, “Turn the other cheek,” and reveals fascinating points for activists.
  
• Ran Prieur: I discovered Ran’s work online just a few days ago and can’t wait to dive into his collection of radical essays.
  
• Bonobo Sex and Society: Bonobos share more than 98% of our genetic profile (more than chimps). This article discusses how peaceful, egalitarian, matriarchal, and sex-loving they are, and asks us to, “Just imagine that we had never heard of chimpanzees or baboons and had known bonobos first. We would at present most likely believe that early hominids lived in female-centered societies, in which sex served important social functions and in which warfare was rare or absent.”
  
• The Politics of Victimization: This short essay fairly effectively sums up American politics.
  
• In the year 2045…: Dave Pollard (no relation) throws in his two cents re: impending crashes.
  
• U.S. Scientists Say They Are Told to Alter Findings: “For biologists who do endangered species analysis, my experience is that the majority of them are ordered to reverse their conclusions [if they favor listing]. There are other biologists who will do it if you won’t,” said a biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
  
• I rarely watch TV, but the four-part “Slavery and the Making of America” on PBS was well worth watching.