Michael Hanscom

Enthusiastic ambivert. Geeky, liberal, friendly, curious, hopepunk; trying to be a good person. (he/him)

The Topfree 10

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Realistically, there’s likely no real chance that they’ll win this case, but I’m definitely in support of equal rights for breasts (and not just because I’m a big fan of breasts in general — there’s definitely an element of sexual discrimination in here).

Athela “Beaner” Frandsen is like many 15-year-old girls — she loves science, computer games and her pet rat, Luna. But just beneath the surface of the quiet-voiced, well-mannered Melbourne teenager exists a passionate women’s rights activist who has been battling the court system since the age of 9.

Her struggle began a few weeks before her 10th birthday, when Athela got bad news from her mother, Jan.

“When I was playing at the park as a young girl, I would get hot, so I would just take my shirt off like the other boys my age did to cool down,” says Athela. “But one day, my mother informed me that once I turned 10, I would no longer be able to take my shirt off to cool down because the law doesn’t allow girls over the age of 10 to do so. I didn’t think this was very fair.”

Her parents, Melbourne naturists Jan and Marvin Frandsen, agreed.

“It broke my heart to have to explain to her that she was considered different than the boys her age,” says Jan. “I didn’t want to tell her because she was just about to turn 10, and that’s an age when a lot of little girls have a drop in self-esteem.”

Frustrated, Jan says she began calling old friends to see if they were interested in joining a lawsuit against Brevard County. Eight other women, ages 38 to 75, said yes, including a school teacher, a co-founder of a Fort Pierce nudist community and an ex-NASA worker who pled guilty to sprinkling white powder in an envelope with her water bill during the nation’s anthrax scare. Together, the women have been nicknamed the Topfree 10.

“I just began calling anyone I could think of to see if they’d be interested in coming together to fight the law,” says Jan, “Two of the women I knew from church, and the rest were from different walks of life.”

Once she garnered support for their cause, Jan approached married Merritt Island attorneys Mark and Lisa Tietig. Mark Tietig emphasizes that the case has less to do with a women wanting to go topless, and more to do with equal rights.

“This case is about changing a law that actually criminalizes and punishes women for doing something men can do,” says Mark Tietig. “It’s essentially one of the last laws on the books that works that way.”

I’m pretty sure that the societal taboos are a little to ingrained in our culture for this to go much of anywhere. Still, the group makes some really good points:

“Basically this type of law labels a woman as being genetically inferior,” she says. “The law then becomes government-sponsored discrimination … . Once you place a woman in an inferior position automatically from birth, it becomes a small step to other unequal treatment.”

[…]

In the lawsuit, the Topfree 10 points out that the only legal means to expose female breasts is for the gratification of others, not for a woman’s comfort.

“Only by baring breasts in a commercially sexual context; e.g., for strip-show spectators, commercial marketers, or others with interests apparently deemed more compelling and/or immediate than the woman’s own interests, heath, or comfort; may women legally bare their breasts in public at times other than those when their breasts are allowed to be exposed for breastfeeding children.”

Jan says people who view breasts in an uncomfortable manner because of their sexual connotation need to “grow up.”

“It’s ridiculous to define women by their gender. It’s like saying that black people by their color or Indian people by their heritage are dangerous [and should be criminalized],” says Jan, “when they should be judging people by who they are and what they do.”

Topfree member Shirley Mason thinks this lawsuit isn’t about exposing breasts; it’s about exposing discriminatory laws. […] “If it’s not the color of skin, the age of skin, the covering and uncovering of skin, then it’s the gender of the person’s skin that people find a reason for irrational prejudice and discrimination,” says Mason.

You go, girls.

iTunes “Remember (Mood II Swing)” by BT from the album Remember (1997, 7:36).

Book Meme

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Hardback or Paperback?
Generally paperback — cheaper, smaller, and more convenient to schlep around with me. However, when I can afford it, there’s something quite satisfying about the heft of a good hardback edition. I’ve been picking up Neal Stephenson‘s latest books in hardback — something about a work of that length almost demands the hardback edition. Something of a measure of respect.
Highlight or Underline?
Neither, most of the time — I tend to be picky to the point of being anal about taking care of my books — but I have been known to scribble in the margins of a select few. My dad’s horrid about marking up his books, and there have been times when I’ve borrowed a book from him and then had to get my own copy just to be able to get through it.
Lewis or Tolkien?
Tolkien, though it’s close. Dad turned me on to C.S. Lewis‘ Space Trilogy series when I was much younger, and I tend to pick it up and re-read it about as often as I re-read The Lord of the Rings.
E.B. White or A.A. Milne?
In other words, Charlotte or Pooh? I’d definitely have to go with Pooh.
T.S. Eliot or e.e. cummings?
e.e. cummings, definitely — no offense to T.S. Eliot at all (as a long-time lover of musicals and having been in a professional children’s choir for ten years when I was younger, I do have all of Cats permanently embedded in my head, after all), but cummings has long been the only poetry I’ve ever really been able to get into.
Stephen King or Dean Koontz?
In the past, I definitely preferred Koontz — I felt that King tended to over-describe, while Koontz left more to the imagination, which always ends up scarier for me, as it let my brain choose things that would really get under my skin. However, the more I read of Koontz, the more apparent it became that he often just wrote the same story over and over and over again, and he lost some of his luster. Lately, Prairie’s been tossing a ton of King at me, and I’ve been enjoying it more than I initially thought I would. Call it a draw for the moment, leaning towards King.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Both are within easy walking distance of me, but B&N is just a touch closer than Borders (right across the street from where I work, in fact). Other than that, no real preference.
Waldenbooks or B. Dalton?
I haven’t seen either in years — no preference here.
Fantasy or Science Fiction?
Science Fiction, definitely, and then I go more for “hard” Sci-Fi rather than “pulp” Sci-Fi. Asimov is a long-time favorite, for instance, and I just turned Prairie on to Orson Scott Card‘s Ender’s Game. Fantasy often seems too restrictive of a genre to me — no matter how good the author is, there are always the same basic elements (swords and sorcery, wizards, trolls, goblins, etc.) (and yes, that’s a gross oversimplification, but in my view, not an entirely untrue one). Science Fiction by its very nature has the entire universe (or universes) to play with, and is limited only by the imagination of the author — and at times can even incorporate fantastic elements into it (such as Tad Williams‘ Otherland series, or Anne McCafferey‘s Pern books), giving you the best of both worlds.
Horror or Suspense?
When well written, both can be a lot of fun (and they’re not really all that seperate, are they?). No real preference here.
Bookmark or Dogear?
Bookmark, definitely — as I said above, I’m anal about the condition of my books.
Hemingway or Faulkner?
And here I start showing my ignorance of many of the “classics” of literature — I haven’t really read enough of either to have a preference.
Fitzgerald or Steinbeck?
Again, I haven’t really read enough of either to have a preference.
John Irving or John Updike?
Once more, I haven’t really read enough of either to have a preference.
Homer or Plato?
This is just starting to look bad now (I haven’t really read enough of either to have a preference).
Geoffrey Chaucer or Edmund Spenser?\
Whan that Aprille, with its shures sotes… (spelling mangled, I’m sure). I actually don’t know that I’ve read any Spenser, so it’d be Chaucer (after having to memorize the opening few stanzas of The Canterbury Tales in High School) by default.
Pen or Pencil?
On the off chance I do mark up a book…probably pen, for no reason other than that it’s what’s most likely to be close at hand. I’m honestly not sure if I even have a pencil in my apartment.
Looseleaf or Notebook?
Notebook, definitely. Helps keep things contained — I’m bad enough at cluttering things up without more loose sheets of paper fluttering around my apartment.
Alphabetize: By Author or By Title?
By author, of course. Last name, then first name. Multi-author collected works sorted by the primary editor’s name. I’ve occasionally toyed with the idea of sorting by genre also, but never got around to it. Heck, right now, I’d be happy to find a way to put up bookshelves just to get my books out of the boxes in my closet!
Dustjacket: On or Off?
Off, and and in the trash. They rarely do much good except as advertising while in the bookstore — once bought, they just slip around, make it slightly more difficult to hold on to the book, and are generally annoying. Besides, some hardbound books have some very nice binding, and it’s a shame to hide that.
Novella or Epic?
Either. I do have a fondness for big books, and often epics will catch my eye as I’m browsing bookshelves, but as long as the story’s good, I’m happy.
John Grisham or Scott Turow?
Does not having read either of these modern popular authors make up at all for all the classic authors listed above that I haven’t read?
J.K. Rowling or Lemony Snicket?
Not having read Snicket, Rowling gets this one by default (and I do really enjoy the Harry Potter series).
Fiction or Non-fiction?
Generally fiction, but I’m not averse to non-fiction — in fact, one of my favorite Asimov collections is a mix of short fiction and non-fiction scientific essays.
Historical Biography or Historical Romance?
Biography, of the two. Historical Fiction is a very fun genre, though, and can incorporate elements of both.
A Few Pages per Sitting or Finish at Least a Chapter?
Usually depends on how much time I have. If I’m settling down for an evening with a book, it’s not uncommon for me to finish the entire thing off. If I’m on the bus or on my lunch break, I’ll just get through as much as I can (though I do try to aim for chapter or section breaks).
Short Story or Creative Non-fiction Essay?
Short story. I’m a sucker for short story collections.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Once upon a time (especially if the Brothers Grimm are involved).
Buy or borrow?
Buy. I love the concept of libraries, and they have their uses for research, but when it comes to reading for pleasure…well, they have this silly idea that they want their books back, which I have issues with. Reading a book once is rarely enough.
Book Reviews or Word of Mouth?
Of the two, word of mouth, though I often stumble upon stuff just by browsing (the old adage about judging a book by its cover notwithstanding, that’s often how I go about finding new things). Lately it’s definitely been word of mouth, as Prairie and I have been trading books back and forth.

(via Mike)

iTunes “Sinister Exaggerator” by Primus from the album Miscellaneous Debris (1992, 3:37).

I just don’t get it.

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I came across something that surprised me this morning — one of the more frequent commenters on this site, who (from what I’ve been able to tell in the past) shares my disgust with Bush and what his administration has done to this country, won’t be voting.

Lisa came over to me with a somewhat excited yet serious look on her face, insisting that I turn down the TV. “It’s the Gallup Poll,” she explained. As much as we both wanted her to be the one to do it, their attempt at randomness pegged me (whoever had the most recent birthday). Why her? Well, I knew that in the end they would be asking whether or not you are likely to vote and I would have to say “No,” which could effect the way my answers would be used. And don’t bother asking why somewhat who despises Bush as much as I do won’t be voting – just accept it, or be prepared for a full-on lecture regarding my beliefs.

Well, it looks like I need to be prepping myself for that full-on lecture, because I just do not get it. I can almost understand the people who don’t bother to vote because they don’t bother to pay attention to anything beyond the latest reality television programming — it saddens me, but I can (almost) understand.

But what I don’t understand is how someone who actually pays attention and has at least two brain cells to rub together (qualities I’d ascribe to most, if not all, of the people who I’ve noticed stop by here regularly) — especially someone who openly admits that they consider Bush to be “possibly the worst President ever” and that “if I were voting it would be for Kerry” — wouldn’t vote.

Not only do I not understand, but I have to admit, I find it very hard to respect the opinion of someone who won’t excercise their right to do what they can to influence the direction and government of the country.

As I’ve said in the past, as far as I’m concerned, if you don’t vote, than you have no right to bitch if you don’t like where things are going. From a letter to a friend in Alaska in April 2003:

I know that a lot of people I know have historically not paid much attention to politics, especially in Alaska. Heck, by the time most people in Alaska are voting, we usually have a good idea who’s going to win in a national election, and a lot of people use that as a point in the “why bother?” argument. However, I think if we paid attention to the 2000 elections enough to actually learn something, it might have been that individual votes, no matter how inconsequential they might seem, do count. What if just a few thousand — or even a few hundred — of the people who usually say “why bother?” had shown up at the polls in Florida? Bush didn’t win the popular vote, and he only got the Electoral College vote by a narrow margin. If there were a bit less apathy, and a bit more action behind the grumbling I hear so often, we might have a very different country today.

Okay, then, so what about all you in Alaska? I could easily imagine a lot of Alaskans returning to the same old argument of how Alaskan votes don’t really count, because of the way the Electoral College is set up. That may be so, but…I’ve never been one to let that stop me from voting. Whether or not it “matters” in the grand scheme of things, I’ve always thought that if you don’t even make the attempt to voice your opinion, than you really don’t have much grounds to stand on when you start to complain. A democracy — our democracy — can only work if ‘we the people’ actually care enough to pay attention to it, to get involved, and to shake off the apathy that all too often keeps people away from the polls. Put most simply, in my (not necessarily) humble opinion, if you don’t vote, you’ve got absolutely no right to bitch. Do you believe that one candidate is better than another? Stand behind that belief, express it, and I’ll be a lot more likely to listen to you than if you just sit at home and abdicate your right to any say.

On top of that, even if you refuse to vote in the Presidential election, that’s hardly the only thing on the ballot. Local races, initiatives, Gubernatorial and Senatorial choices, all of these can make a difference not just in the quality of life for where you live, but in the direction our country takes in the long run (we actually stand a chance, slim as it might be, of getting a Democratic majority in DC again).

How anyone can claim to care about the state of affairs in the country, but not care enough to vote, is beyond me.

Martin Luther’s Toilet

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An important, if amusing, find in Wittenberg recently: Martin Luther’s toilet.

German archeologists say they have discovered the toilet on which Martin Luther wrote the 95 Theses that launched the Protestant Reformation.

Luther frequently alluded to the fact that he suffered from chronic constipation and spent much of his time in contemplation on the toilet.

Experts say they have been certain for years that the 16th century religious leader wrote the groundbreaking Theses while on das klo, as the Germans call it. But they did not know where the object was until they discovered the stone construction after recently stumbling across the remains of an annex of his house in Wittenberg, southwest of Berlin, during plans to plant a garden.

Something tells me dad will get a kick out of this.

iTunes “Blisters on My Brain” by Lo-Fidelity Allstars from the album Y2K: Beat the Clock (1998, 6:45).

The Gamesters of Triskelion

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This is jaw-droppingly cool — a simple ‘brain in a jar’ that can learn how to play a flight simulator.

A University of Florida scientist has grown a living “brain” that can fly a simulated plane, giving scientists a novel way to observe how brain cells function as a network.

The “brain” – a collection of 25,000 living neurons, or nerve cells, taken from a rat’s brain and cultured inside a glass dish – gives scientists a unique real-time window into the brain at the cellular level.

[…]

“Initially when we hook up this brain to a flight simulator, it doesn’t know how to control the aircraft,” DeMarse said. “So you hook it up and the aircraft simply drifts randomly. And as the data comes in, it slowly modifies the (neural) network so over time, the network gradually learns to fly the aircraft.”

Sure, today they’re flying a flight simulator. Tomorrow, they’ll be betting Quatloos on how well we fight. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

(via Ben Hammersley)

Because it matters.

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Some excellent comments from Doc Searls’ sister:

The story has changed. It is not about the candidates anymore. That is just cursory coverage of their bus-embedded reporters, and equal-time sound bites. He said ying/he said yang.

The story now IS the election. The election process. Not only the dangers of chaos, early-voting, registration mess-ups, the stolen signs, the various scenarios of a challenge to the results, the legalities and the larcenies.

The real story is the engagement of the people. The passion to recall. The fear of change or the unknown. The push to get the youth out. The lack of the population’s ennui amidst their fatigue from the rancor.

The recognition that, whomever you’re voting for, the stakes are too high.

And that the prime lesson learned from 2000 is that every vote CAN count.

I put on a bumper sticker for the first time (A Veteran for Kerry) this election. The one I would like to put on would read:

We can blame the last four years on Bush, but we can only blame the next four on ourselves.

Also another thought this morning as one of the morning shows were talking about a poll re the youth vote and how historically young voters vote like their parents.

I think those “historical” statistics are about to be broken. This election is divisional. It is being fought out daily between husbands and wives, between lovers, between generations in the same house, friends, at the workplace, on teams, everywhere. And I think that is because everyone realizes how important this election is for America. How we chose our next president may be about what what we are as a country, as a democracy. But who we chose is about who we are as a people. And that is very personal.

There is a lot being said about the “uncommitted” but that is the wrong word. They are not uncommitted, they are torn. They cannot make up their minds because IT MATTERS.

It is not just about being passionate over our choice, it is about trying to convince others. There might be loud, vicious political rhetoric in the medias, but there is also intense, heartfelt dialog in the homes, at work, in restaurants, in chat rooms, on the campus, in gyms, on the golf course, in the flu shot lines, at the soccer game, in the car on the way to the mall.

My favorite bit: “We can blame the last four years on Bush, but we can only blame the next four on ourselves.” So very true.

You’re never too old to die for your country

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Though, I certainly hope this gentleman doesn’t end up dying for his country — he’s a 70-year old retired doctor who’s been called into service.

Dr. John J. Caulfield was incredulous about the Army’s “unsolicited communication” inviting his return to active duty toward easing increasing wartime demands on military medical treatment facilities.

He disregarded the first postcard last December and the second and subsequent phone messages on the answering machine, not from any unwillingness to serve — “My government has never asked me to do anything I ever refused” — but figuring they used the wrong mailing list, it’s not really me they want.

The Army persisted. Would Dr. Caulfield, oral surgeon and Vietnam veteran, retired from military service in 1980 and civilian practice Jan. 1, be willing to return to active duty in, say, Iraq or Afghanistan? The negotiations began with Dr. Caulfield asking, “Do you know how old I am?” They did, and age doesn’t matter, “We want you.”

Dr. Caulfield, who turned 70 Aug. 7, reports to Fort Benning, Ga., Oct. 17 for what he and the military describe as “voluntary deployment” with the 325th Combat Support Hospital in Bagram, Afghanistan.

At least it’s good to know that Bush has assured us that our military isn’t overstretched and that there won’t be a draft. After all, why in the world would we need a draft when we can just re-enlist 70-year old retirees?

(via Terrance)

[Update:]{.underline}

It’s all a hoax.

So there was Wallace on television Thursday night, telling KNTV (Ch. 11) how excited he was at the prospect of serving his country. A friend of his had called the television station.

The only problem is that the whole thing was a joke — a big one that got out of hand.

It went a little bit farther than I'd planned,'' said Wallace's son-in-law, Mark Flaa of San Jose.It was supposed to have been a family thing, one of those things you get ribbed about for the next 10 Christmases or something.”

Flaa had gone to great lengths to make the joke work — getting copies of a friend’s orders to serve in Iraq and mailing what he wrote to his brother in Seattle, so the letter could be mailed from Fort Lewis in Washington.

And he knew his father-in-law would call him, which he did. What he didn’t count on was Wallace going on TV. Flaa didn’t find out until a few minutes before Wallace’s interview with KNTV aired on the 11 o’clock news Thursday night.

Thanks to Mike for the update!

iTunes “You’ll Be Under My Wheels ” by Prodigy, The from the album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004, 3:56).

Comments working again

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It appears that last night when I was adding the latest batch of spam URLs to MT-Blacklist’s blacklist, I inadvertently added one entry that was just the string “tp:“. Now, I have no idea what that string is, or where it pops up in adding comments, but apparently Because that string pops up in any URL (http://…) that ended up blocking all comments that included a URL, including in the author info fields, across all of the sites on my server.

Oops.

This has been corrected, and comments now appear to be functioning correctly again. Thanks to Kirsten for pointing this out when she mentioned that comments with curse words were being blocked.

Curse words?

My goodness — just what kind of foul-mouthed people do I associate with, anyway? Shocking, I tell you!

Little fuckers.

;)

iTunes “Chao-wera” by ¡TchKunG! from the album Post World Handbook (1996, 12:03).