Category Archives: Rock on-Peace Out

Video of the Day: 100 Years of Hijab as Political Defiance

It surprises me how in the most liberal of feminist American spaces, there remains incredible discomfort — if not outright bigotry and discrimination — towards women who choose to wear a headscarf. As a Muslim woman who does not wear a headscarf and is often read as racially (and religiously) ambiguous, I’ve been around far too many self-proclaimed liberals and feminists who feel comfortable indulging their racism around me—commenting on how Muslim women are oppressed, naive, brainwashed, being beaten by scary brown and black men, and/or suffering from intense mind control by choosing to cover their hair. Other times, parents of white friends (or white friends themselves) will connect my lack of a headscarf to progressivism, labeling me as a “good” Muslim woman who is politically sharp enough not to adorn the hijab.Well I do adorn hijab. Almost every day. I cover most of my legs, arms, and try to wear loose clothing. The Qur’an requires men and women to wear hijab—or dress modestly—but does not specify exactly what covering up looks like. Muslims are not a monolith (surprise!) and therefore differ on what modesty requires, meaning that there are a variety of practices in different cultures and countries: for some, including my family, hijab means a headscarf, for others like myself, it means wanting to wear a headscarf but not feeling safe enough to do so in their home country. For others it means a style of dress that includes a niqab (face covering), abaya (loose black gown), or none of the above.

Source: Video of the Day: 100 Years of Hijab as Political Defiance

OpenFlights: FAQ

What can I do with OpenFlights? Quite a few things: Track exactly how far you’ve flown and how much time you’ve spent sitting on a plane. (Quite a few of our members have been to the Moon and back, but nobody has yet reached Mars.) See at a glance where you’ve been and where you’re going. Rapidly search your flight history: now when did I go to the Bahamas, and on what airline? Share your flights and trips with friends. Check where you can fly to from any airport, or any pair of airports. (Learn more) Check where you can fly to with any airline. (Learn more) Coordinate flights for conferences and other events. (Learn more) View your flights in gorgeous 3D with Google Earth and other visualization apps. (Learn more)

Source: OpenFlights: FAQ

#MemorialDay was started by former slaves on May 1, 1865 | 3CHICSPOLITICO

Following the solemn dedication the crowd dispersed into the infield and did what many of us do on Memorial Day: they enjoyed picnics, listened to speeches, and watched soldiers drill. Among the full brigade of Union infantry participating was the famous 54th Massachusetts and the 34th and 104th U.S. Colored Troops, who performed a special double-columned march around the gravesite. The war was over, and Decoration Day had been founded by African Americans in a ritual of remembrance and consecration. The war, they had boldly announced, had been all about the triumph of their emancipation over a slaveholders’ republic, and not about state rights, defense of home, nor merely soldiers’ valor and sacrifice.

Source: #MemorialDay was started by former slaves on May 1, 1865 | 3CHICSPOLITICO

A Girl from a Nairobi Slum Issues a Resonant Call for Post-Tribal Unity in Kenya – The New York Times

Shanize’s poem of unity: It is very sad what’s happening to our country. Imagine. A nation that is known to be safe – no violence – now turned into a nation living in fear. No security. Why does it have to come down to this? Religions. You have grown up together. The Kikuyu, M’Kamba, Luo, Abalughya and others. Why do you want to fight each other? As Kenyans, youth – Christian and Muslim – we should stand up as one and say no to violence, no to terrorism, no to instability and live as one. Let no one convince you to pick up a panga, a gun, grenades, bombs, and harm one another. No one has the right to take anyone’s life. Stand up. Get up. Show up. And say no to violence, no to terrorism, no to instability, and live as one.

Source: A Girl from a Nairobi Slum Issues a Resonant Call for Post-Tribal Unity in Kenya – The New York Times

Pope says migrants are ′not dangerous, but in danger′ | News | DW.COM | 28.05.2016

Holding a life jacket from a young migrant girl who perished at sea, Pope Francis on Saturday told hundreds of children at the Vatican that migrants “are not dangerous, but in danger.” The pontiff told the Italian children and migrants that a rescue worker in the Mediterranean had given him the life jacket after he failed to save the young girl’s life. “He brought me this life jacket and, crying a little bit, he said: ‘Father, I failed. There was a little girl in the sea and I wasn’t able to save her. All I could reach was her life jacket,'” Pope Francis said. “I don’t want to upset you, but you are brave and you know the truth. They are in danger: many children… they are in danger,” the pontiff told the children. “Think about this girl. What was her name? I don’t know: a child without a name. Each of you must give her the name you want to. She is in heaven, she is watching over us,” he added.

Source: Pope says migrants are ′not dangerous, but in danger′ | News | DW.COM | 28.05.2016

Race Report: Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga | Fit and Feminist

This was definitely a tough race, and while I would have liked to have gone into it with better training, I still can’t complain about it too much.  I mean, for one, I PRed.  It would be completely obnoxious for me to be upset about that. I also managed to finally have an OK run during a half-ironman. I think that’s because I finally have a bit of experience at this distance to draw on, so I knew when to pull back and when to push and how to manage my nutrition. That said, I still have a LOT to learn.  Which is great!  It makes for a fun adventure. And then of course there’s the fitness side of things.  I’ve noticed over the years that my level of base fitness has gradually increased to the point where races I used to have to train my ass off for – like, say, half-marathons or Olympic distance triathlons – are now things where I can go out and race pretty hard without a ton of preparation, and I’m apparently starting to reach that level with even longer events. I have to say I’m pretty pleased by this.  I enjoy feeling strong and fit and healthy. I like being capable of doing hard physical shit. I particularly like seeing how my body and my mind continue to develop into a person who would have been unrecognizable to previous versions of myself.

Source: Race Report: Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga | Fit and Feminist

Mario Torero: The ‘Artivist’ Who Changed the Face of Chicano Park | La Prensa San Diego

1970 marked a turning point in San Diego’s Chicano movement. Mere days after his near-death experience, Mario Torero met Salvador Torres, another artist and muralist with whom a few months later he would co-found – along with other artists – the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park. On April 22 of that same year, Torero was among the Chicano activists who occupied Barrio Logan’s Chicano Park in order to keep it from being turned into a California Highway Patrol (CHP) station. They won the fight, and today the park has become an icon for Chicano, Latin American and Mexican-American culture in the United States. Once the community took over the space, the effort began to turn it into a place where art could converge. Mario Torero recalls how difficult it was in the beginning to find Latinos or other minority groups in museums, galleries, or any other art centers in San Diego. So, he decided to bring art closer to these communities through murals. Three years after Chicano Park was founded, he painted the first of what is today dozens of murals. From there, the Congreso de Artistas Chicanos en Aztlán, an art collective whose membership includes Torero, took on the mission of covering the rest of the park in murals that showcased Latin American culture and history. For the Peruvian painter, the murals are a reflection of  Barrio Logan’s essence, which has slowly morphed into an arts district, as evidenced by the new galleries opening their doors in the neighborhood. “The hood needed to heal, and it was the artists who brought the healing,” shared Torero, who is also an activist. “That’s the way it was when we started the movement, and that’s the way it is to this day.”

Source: Mario Torero: The ‘Artivist’ Who Changed the Face of Chicano Park | La Prensa San Diego

50 Years Ago Today, The Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’ Brought Love To The World: LAist

Fifty years ago today, the Beach Boys released their masterpiece Pet Sounds. Declared the second-best album of all-time by Rolling Stone, it’s the clearest marker of Brian Wilson’s genius, and many believe it’s essentially his first solo album in all but name. Sonically, Pet Sounds is an audiophile’s dream. Lyrically, the themes of Pet Sounds—depression, alienation, heartbreak, nostalgia—at times feel incongruous with the beautiful harmonies, melodies, and upbeat, almost manic orchestration. But these arrangements illuminate the truth that you could be just as unhappy and tormented under the warm California sun as anywhere else; an enormous departure from the Beach Boys’ previous identity as cheery surfer boys just looking to have fun, fun, fun.

Source: 50 Years Ago Today, The Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’ Brought Love To The World: LAist

A Mother Goose Seeks Police For Help | 3CHICSPOLITICO

The goose led him 100 yards away to a grassy area near a creek. Sitting there was one of her babies, tangled up in a balloon string. He was kicking his feet, desperate for help. He was wary of helping the baby on his own, worried that the goose might attack him, so he called for help from the SPCA, but no wildlife rescuers were available at the moment.

Source: A Mother Goose Seeks Police For Help | 3CHICSPOLITICO

Luckily, Given’s colleague, Officer Cecilia Charron, came to help. She began to untangle the baby, and the mother goose just stood there and watched, quacking. She didn’t become aggressive, and just let Officer Charron do what she had to do to set the baby free. It’s like the mother goose knew they were helping. Once she untangled the baby, she put her down and she ran right to her mom and they went back to swimming in the creek. Charron teared up and said it was the highlight of her 24 years on the force.