How Many People Use ... ?

Twitter: How Many People Actually Use Twitter?
Facebook: A Look At Facebook’s Reach Worldwide
The internet: World Internet Users and Population Stats

If we’re not careful, we’re going to develop the psychological equivalent of obesity. We’ll find ourselves consuming content that is least beneficial for ourselves or society as a whole.
— Danah Boyd

We don't plan to go mob rules any more than a single transistor on your computer intends to download porn. We participate in localized stimulus and response. Macro digital collectivism from local interaction. ... Anyway, maybe Twitter is just God's way of making sure we never manage to finish creating our future oppressor.
— Jim Stogdill

Eli Pariser's Super Great Blog

http://elip.tumblr.com

"the hacienda must be built"

Ivan Vladimirovitch Chtcheglov (in Russian: Иван Владимирович Щеглов)

16 January 1933–April 21 1998

political theorist, activist and poet, born in Paris of Russian parents.

He wrote Formulaire pour un urbanisme nouveau (Formulary for a New Urbanism) in 1953, at age nineteen under the name Gilles Ivain. The text was an inspiration to the Lettrist International and Situationist International. It included the phrase "the hacienda must be built", which influenced Tony Wilson of Factory Records in naming his Manchester night-club, The Hacienda.

He tried to deconstruct the Eiffel Tower and was arrested and committed to a mental hospital by his wife, where he was subdued with insulin and shock therapy, and remained for 5 years. He died in 1998.

About Haiti earthquake relief...

If you are able to donate some money towards relief efforts in Haiti, here is an alphabetized list of organizations and a brief description of the humanitarian work that they do, with specific information about their focus in Haiti. These groups have been vetted by CNN and CharityNavigator.org, an independent nonprofit that evaluates charity groups based on effectiveness and financial stability. Follow this link What will your Haiti relief donation go toward? or read below.

No time to read? You can simply text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the International Response Fund. The money will go directly to relief efforts in Haiti. Or call 1-800-Red-Cross.

American Jewish World Service
The agency supports grass-roots, community-based organizations in remote locations whose needs are not always met by larger organizations. To donate to its Haiti relief efforts, go to ajws.org/haitiearthquake/ or mail a check to 45 W. 36th St., 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Make checks out to American Jewish World Service, and in the memo section write "Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund." You may also call 1-800-889-7146 or 212-792-2900. The group will use the funds for immediate needs, such as psychological and social support; health services and education on hygiene and disease prevention; mobilizing volunteers in Haiti to help with rescue and aid distribution; and aiding the Haitian Dominican community, who can coordinate with the Dominican government for greater support; in addition to long-term rebuilding plans.

American Red Cross
The American Red Cross' primary focus during the initial response of an emergency is food, shelter and meeting other basic needs. To donate: Go to RedCross.org, hit "donate now" button at top and then choose International Response Fund. You also can text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the International Response Fund. The money will go directly to relief efforts in Haiti. Or call 1-800-Red-Cross.

AmeriCares
This nonprofit disaster relief organization delivers medicine, medical supplies and aid to people in crisis around the world. To donate, call 1-800-486-HELP or go to AmeriCares.org. Donations will go toward medicine and medical supplies and for expenses for providing that medical aid.

CARE
This humanitarian organization's focus is fighting global poverty, specifically by empowering women and girls. To donate to the Haiti relief fund, go to Care.org or call 1-800-521-CARE. Money will go toward food, water and sanitation, shelter and emergency health response.

Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services is an aid agency that works with emergency relief, micro-finance, AIDS/HIV relief, agriculture, water and sanitation, among other projects in countries around the world. To donate, go to crs.org, or call 1-877-HELP-CRS. You also can text RELIEF to 30644. You will receive a text message back with instructions on how to donate. You can send a check to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090. Write "Haiti earthquake" in memo area. The money will go toward immediate needs, including water, food, hygiene kits, bedding and basic cooking utensils.

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
Presidents Clinton and Bush teamed up to spearhead efforts to rebuild Haiti. To make a donation to the Clinton Bush Haiti fund, text "HAITI" to "90999," and $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross. To donate online, go toclintonbushhaitifund.org. Money will go to basic needs -- such as food, water, shelter, and first-aid supplies -- as well as long-term support.

Concern Worldwide
The aid agency focuses on extreme poverty. It targets the root causes of poverty through programs in education, health, water needs, HIV/AIDS, microfinance and emergency responses. To donate, go to concernusa.org or call 212-557-8000. You can also mail a check or money order to Concern Worldwide U.S. Inc., 104 E. 40th St., Suite 903, New York, NY 10016. Indicate that it is for Haiti, or write "Concern Haiti Appeal" on the memo line. Money will go into a specific Haiti emergency fund, which includes supplying water, food, shelter, medical supplies and lasting reconstruction.

Direct Relief International
Direct Relief provides medical attention to those in need on an ongoing basis and in emergencies. Monetary donations go toward medical aid, supplies and equipment in Haiti. To donate, go to directrelief.org or call 805-964-4767 and 800-676-1638, or go through Google Checkout.

Episcopal Relief & Development
A humanitarian agency that helps communities rebuild after disasters and empowers people by offering lasting solutions that fight poverty and disease worldwide. To donate, go to er-d.org or mail a check to Episcopal Relief & Development, P.O. Box 7058 Merrifield, VA 22116-7058 and write "Haiti" on the memo line. To donate by phone, call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. The agency is working with partners in Port-au-Prince and other affected areas to meet immediate needs such as food, water, shelter and medical care. It is also assessing needs and developing plans for a long-term recovery program.

Food For the Poor
The agency delivers food, medical supplies and other goods to the poor. To donate to its Haiti relief efforts, go to foodforthepoor.org, or call 1-800-487-1158. For those living in South Florida, bring donated items to the Food for the Poor headquarters office at 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. The charity will accept canned fish, canned meat, canned milk, canned baby formula and bottled water. Monetary donations will go toward purchasing food and supplies as well as shipping costs.

Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity provides affordable, safe shelter for low-income families and people in need. Money donated for Haiti relief efforts will go toward recovery and rebuilding. To donate, go to habitat.org or call 1-800-Habitat.

International Medical Corps
This emergency response agency focuses on health in emergency situations. Monetary donations go toward purchasing medical supplies, medicine and emergency kits and transporting these supplies. Call 1-800-481-4462 or go to imcworldwide.org.

International Rescue Committee
The agency is a global network of first-responders, humanitarian relief workers, health care providers, educators, community leaders, activists and volunteers. To donate to its Haiti relief efforts, go to theIRC.org, or call 1-877-REFUGEE. You can also mail a check to International Rescue Committee, 122 E. 42nd St., New York, NY 10168. Or text HAITI to 25282 to donate $5 to the IRC. Money will be used for repairing and supplying health clinics, providing clean water and sanitation, and implementing programs for traumatized children and youth; helping manage a database to register orphans and separated children and trace their relatives; and protecting women and girls who may be exposed to sexual violence.

International Relief Teams
The nonprofit organizes volunteer teams to provide medical and non-medical assistance to victims of disasters and poverty. To donate, go to irteams.org, or call 619-284-7979. Checks can be made out to International Relief Teams, 4560 Alvarado Canyon Road, Suite 2G, San Diego, CA 92120-4309. The money will be used for medical supplies, medicine and other relief supplies, and to support volunteers heading to Haiti for relief efforts.

Love a Child
The Christian-based humanitarian relief agency focuses on giving aid to children and their families in Haiti. To donate, go to loveachild.com, or call 1-800-645-4868. You can mail a check to P.O. Box 30744 Tampa, FL 33630-3744. Write "Haiti Earthquake" or "where most needed" on the memo line. Monetary donations will be used for food, clothing, shelter, schools and medical needs, among other services.

Medical Teams International
The Christian global health organization sends volunteer medical teams and supplies to those in the midst of disaster or poverty. Monetary donations will go to supporting the medical teams being sent to Haiti and to the cost of shipping the medical supplies donated by corporations. Donate by going to medicalteams.org and clicking on the "Donate Now" button, call 1-800-959-HEAL (4325), or send a check to Medical Teams International, P.O. Box 10, Portland, OR 97207.

Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)
The humanitarian organization delivers medical care to people caught in crisis. Donations to its Haiti relief efforts will go toward repairing the obstetrics and trauma hospitals in Haiti that were damaged in the earthquake. They also will go to transporting an additional 70 doctors and medical supplies to the island in an effort to set up makeshift emergency medical response centers. To donate, go to doctorswithoutborders.org, or call 1-888-392-0392.

Mercy Corps
The organization provides humanitarian assistance and economic opportunities in the world's toughest places, specifically those dealing with poverty, conflict and instability. To donate, go to MercyCorps.org. Money will go toward immediate humanitarian needs in Haiti, which may include food, water and temporary shelter.

Operation USA
The international relief agency provides funding for reconstruction and development aid to communities that have experienced disasters, disease and poverty. For its Haiti relief efforts, the agency plans to use donations for health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements. To donate, go to opusa.org, call 1-800-678-7255, or mail a check to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave., Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.

Oxfam America
Oxfam America works to fight poverty and injustice by helping people in struggling areas earn a living, teaching them to save money and offering disaster risk-protection programs. Money donated to Oxfam's Haiti Earthquake Recovery Fund will go to water delivery and sanitation projects. To donate, visit OxfamAmerica.org, or call 1-800-77-Oxfam. If you would like to mail a check, send it to P.O. Box 1211, Albert Lea, MN 56007.

Partners In Health
The organization works to bring modern medical care to poor communities around the world. To donate, go to pih.org, or text GIVE to 25383 to donate $10. You can also mail a check to Partners in Health, P.O. Box 845578, Boston, MA 02284-5578; write "Haiti" in memo line. If want to donate supplies, the agency is in need of orthopedic supplies, surgical consumables (sutures, bandages, non-powdered sterile gloves, syringes, etc.) and large unopened boxes of medications. Small quantities, unused personal medications or expired supplies will not be accepted. Please fill out a form on the Web site for supply donations. The agency also needs blankets, tents and satellite phones with minutes. People with private planes willing to fly medical personnel and/or large quantities of supplies are needed. For information, call 617-432-5256.

Project Hope
Project Hope responds to crises with medical supplies and medical volunteers, and it is committed to long-term sustainable health care. To donate, go to projecthope.org, or mail a check to 255 Carter Hall Lane, Millwood, VA 22646. Monetary donations will be used for shipments of medicine and medical supplies and for deployment of volunteer doctors and nurses to Haiti.

Project MediShare
The agency's sole purpose is to improve the health and well-being of Haitian people. To donate, go to ProjectMediShare.org, or you can send a check, cash or in-kind donation (including medicines and medical supplies) to Project MediShare, 8260 NE Second Ave., Miami, FL 33138. Money will go toward medical care in Haiti and to send medical teams there.

Samaritan's Purse
The nondenominational evangelical Christian organization works through local churches and partners on the ground. The aid agency provides spiritual and physical aid to the poor, sick and suffering. To donate, go to Samaritanspurse.org, or call 1-800-528-1980. To give by mail, send donations to Samaritan's Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607-3000. Money will go toward temporary shelter, water purification, hygiene kits, blankets, medicine and medical teams.

Save the Children
The independent organization focuses on children in need in the U.S. and globally through programs for health and nutrition, child protection and education. To donate, go to savethechildren.org, or call 1-800-728-3843 or 203-221-4030. Donations will go toward purchasing relief items, such as hygiene kits, family kits (pots, pans, food preparation items) and tarps.

The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army's mission is to provide food, shelter, clothing and spiritual comfort during disasters. To donate money, go to salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Make sure you designate the donation for "Haiti Earthquake." Money will go to the Salvation Army in Haiti, which will determine the country's immediate needs, including water, food, medicine and transportation.

Shelterbox
The nonprofit delivers boxes of supplies to families of up to 10 people. The boxes contain a tent and essential equipment to use while individuals are displaced or homeless. To donate, call 941-907-6036, or go to shelterboxusa.org.

U.S. Fund for UNICEF
The national committee for UNICEF is responsible for the organization's fundraising. UNICEF uses the money for health care, clean water, nutrition, education and emergency relief. To donate, go to Unicefusa.org, or call 1-800-4-UNICEF.

World Concern
The organization lifts people out of poverty, beginning with disaster response and ending when families can live sustainable lives. To donate to its relief effort, go to Worldconcern.org, or call 1-866-530-5433. You can also mail checks to 19303 Fremont Ave. North, Seattle, WA 98133. Please specify that the check is for "Haiti Disaster Response." Money will go toward water supplies, shelter, blankets, distribution of food and long-term needs, such as job training, education, loans and home construction.

World Food Programme
The food assistance agency's main focus is to fight hunger worldwide. The organization is working to bring food to Haiti. To donate, go to wfp.org.

World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is leading the health care group in Haiti, managing both the United Nations and the nonprofit groups who are trying to bring medical care to the devastated country. Its medical distribution center is giving out vaccines, medicines and other supplies that are going to systems like water sanitation, disease surveillance and hospital assessments. To donate, visit the PAHEF Web site, or call 202-974-3727.

World Neighbors
The agency trains and educates communities to solve hunger, poverty and disease. To donate, go to wn.org or call 405-752-9700, or mail a check to World Neighbors, 4127 NW 122nd St., Oklahoma City, OK, 73120; write "Haiti Fund" on the memo line. Monetary donations will be used to support short-term needs (i.e. food, water and supplies) and long-term development programs.

World Water Relief
The agency's main focus is bringing clean water to developing countries. To donate, go to worldwaterrelief.org, mail checks to 8343 Roswell Road, Suite 455 Atlanta, GA 30350-2810, or call 404-242-1601 or 214-500-9417. Money will go directly to water filtration systems that will be installed in Haiti.

Yele Haiti
This organization, founded by Wyclef Jean, creates projects to improve the quality of education, health, environment and community development in Haiti. To donate to to its Haiti relief efforts, go to yele.org, or text YELE to 501501 to donate $5.

For additional resources, go to Impact Your World

Long Arm Farm - our dear friends!

We love these people!

Micaela, Cullen, Thurman, Oota, and Lugh: Long Arm Farm in Wisconsin

Thurman's blog: Permaculture for Kids

Diaper free for you and me

I have been meaning and meaning to figure out how to transition my babe from diapers and towards going diaper-free, and generally, doing what 75% of the world does with their babies (i.e. not using disposables and training them to have an awareness of their bodies, and not sitting in their excrement). But, lots of work, travel, ignorance, fatigue, and stress have slowed down my self-education, confidence, and abilities... But, now I have had some time to do some research and am so excited about all the good info out there about infant potty training. No, this is not some crazy, punitive system where you try to control your babies and give them horrible complexes that would make Freud giddy, but rather a gentle and natural approach to helping them learn how to potty naturally, out of diapers... the same way we support babies developing other skills like eating and walking and talking. It has meant a lot of rearranging, re-education, and mopping up the kitchen floor (but, really, that floor needs to be mopped all the time anyway). Most of all, I am excited to have another way to bond and communicate with my little one and to not have his infancy be more of a burden on the environment (disposables in landfills and cloth eating up water, etc). As an infant, I was potty trained back in Russia at around 4 months old and it worked really well until we started traveling (which threw everyone's cycles
off), so I know it is a real and positive thing that is possible even in cold, urban areas and in small apartments.

It is so fascinating that "elimination communication" (EC), "infant potty training" (IPT) or "diaper-free" is something so rarely mentioned in American baby/parenting books. But, Americans were, in fact, using early infant potty training until fairly recently. Perhaps the move away from EC can be traced back to the sweeping changes that the 1950's brought for women and families (e.g. mothers working outside the home more and much earlier; more use of baby formula instead of breastfeeding; more consumption and material wealth in homes - such as wall to wall carpeting and laundry machines; disposable diapers and plastics; new chemicals for diapers and laundry, etc, along with a whole host of other new technologies) - all of which lead to many shifts in parenting, including a move away from early potty training. At the same time, childhood expert T. Berry Brazelton convinced a nation of parents that early potty training was simply wrong and destructive. Interestingly, he was supported by the diaper company Pampers! While he might have been right to warn parents against forcing children to use the potty and using punitive tactics, he also dismissed the idea that babies can be aware of and control their bodies and its processes. While babies do not have perfect control of their bladder or sphincter (or any other muscle!), they are able to learn causal relationships and can be helped to make the connection and achieve control, though it does take a while. The result of all this has been a long delay in potty training in the US, with many toddlers still in diapers at the age of 3 or 4 - creating mountains of disposables and wipes, frequent diaper rash, contests of will at the potty, and nighttime ordeals.

All of this is strange when you consider that most everywhere else in the world, parents do not have (and cannot afford) diapers and have come up with other tactics to use all these hundreds of years. Millions of mothers across China, India, Africa, Russia can't be all wrong. Of course, as a working mom in an American urban setting, there are modifications and difficulties, but the concept just seems so right to me, so we're going to try. Fingers crossed.

So if you are interested and already diapering - don't worry because, yes, you can start late (though I have read - and it makes sense - that it is easier for all if you start right away). And yes, you can do it part-time (i.e. use diapers for travel or overnight, etc).

Here's some info to start off with... there is plenty more out there...
Diaper Free by Ingrid Bauer
Infant Potty Training by Laurie Boucke (and here is one of her articles at kellymom.com)
Diaper Free Baby
New York Times article
Inhabitots

Art Project, Not An Art Project

A local free-cycle listserv consistently surprises and confuses me. The list of things people want and offer read like demented and mysterious poems, creating a strange contour drawing of our consumption patterns as well as the tedium of daily life, the planned obsolescence of gadgets and the dashed hopes of technological utopias.

The photo above (as well as the rest - to be found here) are one very organized man's collection of things to give away, marked thoughtfully with blunt and comedic post-it notes - an art project for education aliens who are not used to our wasteful material culture of old cords, unwanted fax machines, and retired parts and pieces.

Cornbread with masa harina (instead of corn grits)

Only had masa and wanted cornbread. Found this recipe and it was very delicious.
Here is to provisional cooking, magical substitutions, and the power of corn.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 c masa harina

• 1/2 c flour,

• two eggs

• two t of baking powder

• 1 t. salt

• 1 scant T sugar (brown, turbinado, white, honey, whatever)

• 1.5 (approx) c of milk

• 1/2 stick of butter, softened

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Rub half of butter (2 T) into dry ingr., Put the other half in a cast iron skillet in a 425 oven.
3. Add eggs and enough milk to dry ingr to make a batter (takes more than regular cornmeal bread), around 1.5 c.
4. When butter in skillet is melted, spread out batter and bake until brown around edges and light brown areas on top (about 20 min). Cool out of the pan if you want to keep the bottom crust crisp.

Old post-it note reads thusly:

A reflection on a scattered, excited, and curious mind...

Can Experimental Cultural Centers Replace MFA Programs?: http://www.areachicago.org/p/issues/how-we-learn/can-experimental-cultural-centers-replace-mfa-prog/
The Longest Walk 1978-2008: http://longestwalk.org/
Wings of America (running program for Native American youth)
http://www.brownielocks.com/notes.html#Thank%20You%20How%20To
"anti-civilization" + Derrick Jensen
"citizen advice bureau"
Tiny Human Fossils: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/03/hobbit
VOICES FROM THE GATHERING STORM: The Web of Ecological-Societal Crisis
Passer domesticus, Latin for "House Sparrow"
"The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks." - Tennessee Williams

News from Flux Factory

Flux Factory is moving into its new space and is inviting artists to help design its digs.

From their website:

Calling designers, interior decorators, architects, builders, performers, and artists of all media!

Flux Factory’s first major show at our new building, opening Friday, February 19, will consecrate the space as a social structure, a conceptual place, a workshop for craft and ideas, and a space of art conception, production and consumption. Most importantly, it will inaugurate the space as a complex, ever-evolving, multimedia, radical work of art: an installation to the scale of a full building. It will be an exercise in architecture, interior design, social practice, and general aesthetics covering every room, every surface, and every object of the building and affecting every physical and conceptual space.

Comparable in scope to Georges Perec’s ambitious novel, Life, A User’s Manual, in which he meticulously describes in a second, or ninety nine chapters, every room in a modern Parisian building. Each room, object, or resident contains multiple stories that expand the narration to create a multi-dimensional oeuvre.

This construction will embody multiple paradoxes, possibly our most accomplished work to date, but also one never to be finished. In other words, we’re putting the flux back in the factory. A project tightly curated in places and running wild in others, it will be the manifestation of many aesthetics that shape Flux Factory’s style: junk yard, curiosity cabinet, gentlemen’s club, post industrial, psychedelic. A unique signature best described by Holland Cotter in the New York Times as “a cross between a youth hostel and a space station.”

Artists will intervene throughout the building in the largest collaboration in Flux Factory’s 15 year-long history. We are taking proposals for various artist-made fixtures such as wallpaper, wall paintings, floors, lights, doors, windows, drapes, along with an eclectic collection of furniture, art objects, artifacts, and time-based or conceptual work. Proposals are also being accepted for performances during our opening gala on Feb. 19th.

We are looking for proposals from designs for all types of art, housewares, furniture, and fixtures for all of our spaces, including:

-Kitchen/dinning room/living room
-Library/lounge/winter garden
-Office
-Hallways and stairwells
-Bathrooms
-Roof Deck/Garden

Potential participants will be invited to visit and explore our new digs on Saturday, January 9th and Sunday, January 10th, 2010 from 12 – 6pm [Tentative additional viewing dates are Saturday, January 16th or Sunday, January 17th]. Proposals are due on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 5pm.

Interested parties should submit:

-One paragraph explaining your project. (300 words maximum. Please title your document in this format LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_LETTER.DOC or .RTF)

-Documentation of previous work, maximum 2 pages, or 5 images in JPEG of PDF format. Maximum 72 dpi. (Please title your document in this format: LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_IMAGE#) or 5 minutes of video. Please do send movie files, instead, include a link to your work online.

-Resumé or bio (Maximum 2 pages. Titled LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_BIO.DOC or .RTF)

Please put “Call Home Proposal” as the subject of your email. And for goodness’ sake, put your name and email on everything.

Submissions should be sent to jean@fluxfactory.org. If you have any questions, please send him an email with “Call Home Question” as the subject of your message.

Please do not send original material. Nothing will be mailed back to you (aside from gratitude).

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!!!

Harvest

This photograph was taken on a walk not far from San Qing Mountain (a historic Taoist site in Jiangxi Province, located in southeastern China). I think the tiny blue eggs are Robin eggs; I couldn't help but be drawn to them - so small and precious, lying in a plastic colander, still in the very nest in which they were laid, now forever frozen, never to hatch. The woman selling cucumbers and peppers gave them to me for some reason; my Chinese still rudimentary, I could only repeat, "Thank you, thank you", though what I really felt most was a confused, vacuous sadness rather than gratitude. I ended up traveling with the nest for weeks, packing it carefully in paper inside of a bamboo hat like some strange spoils. Perhaps I had some ridiculous sense that these eggs were precious and alive and were just waiting for the opportune moment and place to hatch. Eventually, one by one, all the eggs got little bruises, but otherwise survived the journey. By the time they arrived in the USA, they were practically hollow - strangely light for the concentrated potential they once housed, now just air surrounded by a thin dry membrane and a beautiful turquoise shell with tiny fissures that could be hidden if the eggs were placed just so.

Forbidden City / Construction

Desicated Purple Potato Friend (#458)

My new favorite song to sing over and over...

16mm film support!

The 16mm Directory is a technical resource directory for supplies and services related to 16mm exhibition. The directory is by no means exhaustive, rather it’s an attempt to collect a large portion of the information available on the internet and catalog it on one site as an information hub.
http://www.16mmdirectory.org/