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| Man and Nature | October 6, 2007, 10:44AM |
 by: King.of.Damned.Souls |
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You know, I was sitting outside this morning, smoking a cigarette, listening to the wind rustle through the trees, as my dog was pooping, and I thought to myself that man has really gotten out of touch with nature. How so, you may ask. Well, look at it in these aspects: We rely on: central air conditioning and heating, man made structures to give us shelter, and electronics to give us communications and entertainment. Looking back to the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon days, they were the true definition of survivors. Their central air was the wind, they built their own fires, or waited for lightning to strike a tree, their shelter was most of the time not man made, but was usually a cave for them to live in. They didn't have "fast food", as it is called, no. They hunted for their own food, and made use of everything. From the meat and skin down to the very bones. And the biggest issue today, pun excluded, is our weight issue, especially here in the United States. During those times, nobody was fat, nobody was overtly skinny. Everyone did their part, there were no lazy people. Anyone that was lazy was either kicked out of the "tribe", or killed and put to better usage. So I guess my point is this: We have become so dependent on man made technology and items, that we don't ever stop to appreciate the beauty of nature. | |
topic: Life | |
[reply] [4 comments] |
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| Everything happens for a reason. | October 5, 2007, 6:53AM |
 by: Murderous_Breeze |
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I have been on this website for 3 years almost now, i have read alot of articles and contributed alot of my own thoughts and ideas. In the last 6 months i have done some searching, experimenting with different occupations and jobs, seeking whats right for me, and i have finally found it. This year has been a large turning point in my life, i have finished school and my course in Multimedia, but a last minute change of mind focused me on trying out to be a Chef, so i did. I applied for a job at a cafe, with a oppurtunity for a apprenticeship, i quickly was accepted. This cafe is located in the centre of the city, very busy and very hard paced, i was basically the slave. When a spill happened or a order went wrong i was the first to be called. I mopped floors, washed grubby dishes and put up with 2 head chefs who didnt know the first thing about respect to fellow employees. Knowing that all this would ultimatley lead to me acquiring a apprenticeship, i stuck it out and did everything i was told. But it was just getting to much. I eventually got fed up with being the only washer in the kitchen, and also the only one doing everyone elses dirty work, so i gave my boss a 2 weeks notice. Now i was back to square one, i have my certificate and advanced diploma in multimedia, but still i was confused about where i wanted to go in life. The media and design industry in Australia is only starting to take off, with very few chances and oppurtinities to make it in, unless you own your own design studio. So now i was jobless and still confused about what my true aspiration was, a diploma in Multimedia does not count for anything if you dont know anyone who can get you in the industry. So i did what 45% of other Australians do on a yearly basis, i went online to find the "dream job". I looked up all areas of my interest, from my main field, design, to other arts, science and even went as far as to contacting book producers for the book i was doing. Nothing was going good, 2 out of about the 20 places i applied for called me, the first was a kitchen hand assitant, and not ever wanting to do that again i didnt even go to the interview, even though i agreed. But the second call was very interesting, it was a call from the voluntary department at the Melbourne Museum. I applied for that for 2 reasons, the first being i love history and studying it as a side hobby, the second, was that it would look very impressive on my resume that i did voluntary work at the museum, so i accepted it. I went to the interview with 12 other older and more scientifically educated people, and i sadly did not get to be one of the 4 who made it. Where was my life going? Why couldnt i find anything for me? I was always the kid at high school who used to inspire people to make it far in life, to be better people and haver better lives, yet now i was in the situation where my life was reaching a dead end, i had no support from family, friends or anyone. Well i thought no one supported me, but one person did, the same person who was there for me since i was born, my older brother. My brother finished his diploma in multimedia to, his getting married soon and he also was planning to open up a business for video editing, design, and concept work. My brother saw that i was not satisfied with the way things were working out, so he sat me down one night with his fiance there and said to me this "Look, me and melanie are renovating a building not to far from here, soon it will be done, and that will be my studio, you want to be in the business with me?". I couldnt believe it, me in partnership with my brother? Well i said yes ofcourse, as it was my only option, and since i was involving myself in the industry i have qualifications in, it was a simple answer. I helped him renovate the building, hang up a green screen and add floor boards and plasma TV's in there, and also placing our computers in there. 4 and a half months later, im here talking to you, with already 4 clients, and we have only been open for a month. The point of this article isnt to get people involved in this website, but to realise that no matter how much you want something, its always possible to achieve it, everything does happen for a reason, whether you believe in fate or god or whatever. Im happy where i am now, and i hope this topic atleast inspires one other person out there to pursue there dream. Thanks DarkStarlings. | |
topic: Life | |
[reply] [1 comment] |
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| Revolutionary Nominalism | September 30, 2007, 9:04PM |
 by: nothingmoves |
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Let D be an arbitrary discourse, such as scientific, mathematical, or moral discourse, and let D' be the (canonical) translation of D into the predicate calculus. So, for example, if D = mathematical discourse, which contains "there is a perfect number greater than 20", then D' contains "(Ex)(Px & 20 < x)", where "Ex" indicates the existential quantifier, the relevant domain is numbers, "P" expresses the property of being prime, and "<" expresses the relation of being less than. Define PLATONISM with respect to D to be the view that the objects which are quantified over in translations of apparently true sentences from D exist. For example, PLATONISM with respect to mathematical discourse is the view that numbers, spaces, points, tensors, groups, and so on exist. And let NOMINALISM with respect to D be the negation of PLATONISM with respect to D. Then here is a prima facie plausible argument against PLATONISM with respect to mathematical discourse: (1) Every object is spatiotemporal. (2) Numbers, spaces, points, etc. would not be spatiotemporal were they to exist. (3) Hence, numbers, spaces, points, etc. do not exist. (4) Hence, (by the definition of platonism with respect to mathematical discourse) platonism with respect to mathematical discourse is false. I say that (1) -- (4) is *prima facie* plausible. Obviously it can be challenged. But suppose that one endorses (1) -- (4), and, thus, NOMINALISM with respect to mathematical discourse. Then, here is a prima facie plausible counterargument against NOMINALISM with respect to mathematical discourse: (1)' If there do not exist any numbers, then the canonical translation of "there is a perfect number greater than 20" into the predicate calculus cannot be true. (2)' If the canonical translation of a proposition, p, into the predicate calculus cannot be true, then p cannot be true. (3)' NOMINALSIM with respect to mathematical discourse entails that there do not exist any numbers. (4)' Hence, NOMINALISM with respect to mathematical discourse entails that "there is a perfect number greater than 20" is not true (and similarly for other mathematical theorems). (5)' But "there is a perfect number greater than 20" *is* true (and similarly for other mathematical theorems). (6)' Hence, NOMINALISM with respect to mathematical discourse is false. As with (1) -- (4), I merely claim that (1)' -- (6)' is prima facie plausible. There are various ways of contesting it. What I’d like to do in what follows, however, is to introduce and briefly motivate one strategy for contesting (1)’ – (6)’ in particular. It is the following: *grant* (1)' -- (4)', but deny (5)' (and, thus, (6)'). I can only sketch the motivation that I imagine for the negation of (5)'. But the intuitive idea is to construct a "nominalistically palatable" *analog* to the canonical translation of ordinary mathematical discourse into the predicate calculus. That is, roughly, that we build a *new* discourse which suits our purposes as well as the original, but which requires no commitment to the existence of mathematical objects. If we could do this, then, arguably, at least, the motivation for (5)' would largely disappear. For example, perhaps we map every theorem, 'q', of arithemtic into the the sentence, '@q' -- where '@' is an operator acting on sentences which we understand, roughly, as "according to the Peano axioms". Then, any theorem of Peano arithemtic would come out true in our system, whether or not there were any numbers. Let me briefly discuss one of a number of technical difficulties that might be raised for the proposal. Arguably, we will wish to allow that there can be truths expressible in the language of arithmetic (say) which are *undecidable* with respect to the Peano axioms. After all, if those axioms are consistent then there are *truths* that are expressible in the language of arithemtic that are not decided by those axioms, by Godel's First Incompleteness Theorem. How might we do so? We have a number of options, I think, but the following seems to me the most promising. We understand undecidables on the same basic model as the one just suggested, but index them to ever-richer axiom sets. Hence, an undecidable with respect to axiom set A, will be interpreted by us as indexed to a new, stronger, axiom set B. And similarly with an undecidable with respect to B. One question that this approach raises is that of the significance of “semantic appearances” (e.g. that “2 is prime” seems true) in philosophical discussions of the foundations of mathematics. Another is that of the expressive resources of nominalistically-palatable “mathematics”. | |
topic: Philosophy | |
[reply] [1 comment] |
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September 10, 2007, 1:46PM |
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 by: hezekiah |
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In response when posed this question: "Many say that consciousness is a by-product of our physical existence; as insignificant as any random trait that comes with evolution. Many say that our consciousness is the source of a powerful energy, that can literally -form- multiple aspects of our reality. Others even believe that consciousness can, and does, ascend beyond our physical form, and exists in a seperate realm. What is your philosophy on consciousness? How do you percieve this trait within a living being? Discuss. " - sub.trash I think there is also a massive assumption that consciousness is some how linked to something greater, and almost divine. Like that the ability to be conscious (in a human sense) is of great superiority to any other characteristic of known life. This tends to lead to Anthropocentrism, as we are only really aware of our perception, and take on the Universe, and assume all other to be erroneous due to our seeming Physical dominance, what we don't take into account is the varying degrees, and relative experiences that any other living sentient organism may have. In this sense it is greatly linked into our morality, and creates an illusionary sense of ontological existence, leading to what could be serious immortality, based upon assumptions of superiority similar to that of those in German in the 1940s. Another, more Philosophical, aspect to this is the ramifications of consciousness upon how we perceive the Universe. Consciousness being our most glorified evolutionary achievement bears great impact upon the way we think, and process the Universe. For example, the idea of another, great conscious "being" is very common amongst Humans, given it's strong link to ourselves, where as we don't take into account the limitations of consciousness, and what we actually process, and what we don't. I definitely think that our consciousness is vastly limited, and I definitely think as a result our ability to understand the Universe is often drawn back to silly fallacies which centralise around consciousness. We can't anthropomorphise everything guys! Finally, I think that the very nature of consciousness leads to an assumption that it's independent, and under our control, and even exists. There is definitely some level of assumption that consciousness exists, in the sense that we have control over it, when in fact it could quite easily just be an ability to perceive ones own "mind" and then, as a result, a conclusion is drawn that we are "conscious". Our brain will react to physical situations, and will react complexly, hence why we have got so far (we have heightened brain power), except we assume an almost limitless control of this, but in fact it could be quite the opposite. There is definitely, how ever, some sort of ability we have (that we can only assume other Earthlings don't, or at least not to the same degree) have a direct method of perceiving our thoughts, and mind, and that is, obviously, what we call consciousness. I think a final point is that, again, we take consciousness as a final stage in evolution, when in fact we are not really capable of surviving on the Earth, as you might see looking around; animals that are truly capable of surviving on the Earth do so with precision, and sustainability that we can only dream of. In some ways, we are the Evolutionary fuck ups, and the rest of the Animals are perfect examples of complete Evolution. We are soon to wipe ourselves out (drastically) and take a large part of the rest of the population of the Earth with us. Is consciousness really a virtue in the long run? | |
topic: Life | |
[reply] [5 comments] |
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| My actual story | September 10, 2007, 1:08AM |
 by: The_Sandman |
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As I sat here, yearning to find the inspiration for the topic of this paper, I was struck with a vivid and almost painful memory. It was January two-thousand three that came to mind. The night prior to the worst day ever, it was the Super bowl, and I went to a party. The following morning, I was almost shocked awake with news I never could have been prepared for, my grandfather had died in his sleep. The world stopped for what seemed to be forever. He was a healthy man, who had seen almost everything to see and knew all there was to know, and no one could believe he had expired. We, my family and I, rushed to my grandmother’s side and proceeded to help her cope with the death. This meant performing his duties around the house, consoling her, and preparing for the rest of his children to fly in. Nothing would ever be the same. We all have heroes, whether we admit it or not, who we emulate depends on what we wanted to be, and I wanted to be like him. I had always looked up to him, I am sure he knew this, and I would spend weeks with him and my grandmother soaking in all their knowledge, glowing with pride. To lose not only your relative but also your childhood hero is the hardest blow and the most painful memory for a young man. People were surprised with how well we all seemed to be coping with the loss, we all would gather around the table and recount old stories of his life, never forgetting to tell one of his old jokes, but that definitely strayed from my real feelings of the subject. I was devastated. There is no way I can fathom now how upset I truly was, no way to demonstrate how incomplete my world suddenly seemed. All I can do is remember everything as though watching the week of the funeral pass as though I was a spectator instead of a participant. Walking through a fog is a hard way to be passing through the days, especially when your mother is looking for moral support as my father had to return to work. It was her father who had died, and we were stuck in a fairly unfamiliar place without the person who had the best handle on the situation. We could only pretend to continue our days in the fashions we had to. Needless to say, It would have done nothing for me to have acted the way I felt, It would have only caused my mother more frustration to have anything else on her already over-filled plate. Planning a funeral is not easy. I hold great respect for her, since she had to keep her cool and take care of everything, and accomplished it with such grace. I never once saw her upset, and I believe that is what we all used as an anchor for our coping. Things change when someone dies, nothing seems or feels the same for such a long time, you never know how to really cope with the loss. This, although seemingly indifferent to any other loss, was too different for words to capture with the real meaning, After gaining this knowledge is from experience. Having sat for several hours trying to explain it in terms of the English language. Words fall short, meanings aren’t accurate. Nothing can explain the sadness I felt seeing my sister crying over the thought that she had let him down mother trying to gracefully say something to the effect of she had something in her eye after a short bout of crying. As a young man, never before feeling the pains of loss or any other great turmoil other than possibly a pet dying, all this sadness was far to much to bare. My grandfather was a great man, he had done many things without a college diploma, and beyond the insignificant greatness and the trivial heroism he was my best and closest friend. Heroes come and go, great men are lost to history’s crushing tides, but friends are never lost, as long as they are remembered. I lost my grandfather and friend, and that changed my life so massively, in fact, I doubt it could ever be the same. I have long since come to grips with the fact that I doubtfully will return to the place where he had lived to his final breath, for my grandmother has passed away to join him this February past. Having lost my taste for fishing, there is little doubt that I will pass it up at any future time. Barely is the correct word to describe the appeal of the various tasks he and I would pursue together. A childishly simple reasoning drives this, it is that I did all of those with him, why would I want to do these void of his company? Even in his passing, a burning desire to live up to his expectations lives in my heart, like a wound that won’t heal, and that you don’t want to lose. The town he lived in was a magnificent place, but after it lost him, it was no more than a ghost town to me. The place where I would escape for a small chunk of summer, where I was void of most of my responsibilities was gone to me, for the core of excitement was gone, and could never, like me now, come back. After writing out all of my memories, my thoughts, and my beliefs, I can personally, upon rereading this, see why I choose this as the most important moment defining my life. I can never really be the same worriless child, bent on having exciting adventures and never worrying about a problem or fear. I can never have the greatest friend I’d ever had back, but I do earn my secret treasure, My memories. I loved my grandfather very much, and I cherish the exciting summers and all the holidays we had. I can remember all the fun and I can hold on to those memories. I thought that all life was about to end when I was woken up to the words “your grandfather died in his sleep.” And in it’s own little way, it did. Little from the day I was born to that moment had survived the crushing effects of change. | |
topic: Life | |
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| Should the use of underweight models be banned in the media? | September 7, 2007, 12:34PM |
 by: cxnt |
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For many years, the fashion industry has set the international standard of beauty; however the pressure is now on the fashion industry to ban super-thin models to ensure the health of models in the future (Wilson, 2007). The international Academy for Eating Disorders has called for a ban on underweight models on the basis of their weight-to-height ratio (Finney, 2006). The majority of the fashion world has resisted such bans on the grounds of potential discrimination and freedom of design. In contrast, organisations such as the Australian Medical Association support the call to remove dangerously slim models from local catwalks, as they believe that underweight models contribute to the number of Australians suffering from eating disorders (Bolger, 2007). This essay will critically evaluate the literature for and against banning underweight models, and examine whether such a ban could be useful in reducing the occurrence of eating disorders. It is generally thought that the media’s use of slim models is a potential cause of eating disorders. One of the most common eating disorders is anorexia nervosa, which leads an individual to starve themselves and over-exercise until they are at least 15 percent below their ideal weight (Westen, Burton & Kowalski, 2006). During 2006, anorexia nervosa contributed to the deaths of three international models (Bolger, 2007). Following the deaths, the organisers of the Madrid Fashion Week were the first to ban underweight models from strutting the runways. Body Mass Index (BMI) was a deciding factor in the selection for inclusion in the event, where models with a BMI of less than 18 were excluded from participating (Wilson, 2007). Wadden, Brownell & Foster (2002, as cited in Westen, Burton & Kowalski, 2006) defined the calculation of BMI as ‘weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared: kg/m²’, where a BMI between 18.5 and 25.9 is considered healthy (Bolger, 2007). However, the use of this scale as a means of judging whether or not a model should take to the catwalk has received some criticism, namely that the BMI does not take into account muscle mass or body type (Bolger, 2007). Some fashion officials, such as Cathy Gould of Elite Modelling Agency which is based in New York, have criticised the move to ban underweight models as discriminatory and fears that the careers of naturally ‘gazelle-like’ models will be put in jeopardy if the bans are enforced internationally (CNN, 2006). In another criticism, Elle magazine editor, Roberta Myles, likened the proposed certification of models based on health and psychological assessments to qualifying for the CIA (Wilson, 2007). Furthermore, others are criticising the anticipated ban solely on the basis of salvaging freedom of design (CNN, 2006), but is this a reason to put young girls at risk of developing eating disorders? Although the reasons for the fashion industry’s condemnation of an international ban on underweight women in the media are to be considered, the validity of their arguments are easily challenged. While many opinions from fashion officials have been released on the debate, there is no outstanding psychological evidence to warrant such opinions. On the other hand, the concerns of medical and psychological experts of the negative affects of exposure to sickly-thin women as an ideal has been widely reported and suggests that a ban on underweight models would be useful in reducing the occurrence of eating disorders. In order to actually enforce an international ban on underweight models in magazines and on the runway, the imposing parties must be of sufficient justification to cause such a change in the big-wide-world of fashion. While the portrayal of a thin ideal in the media is not a direct cause of eating disorders, a culture’s idea of beauty is formed by this representation (Finney, 2006). The Eating Disorders Foundation of Victoria identified the pressure of individuals to live up to cultural ideas of beauty to be a major influence in the development of an eating disorder. Body dissatisfaction is another identified cause of eating disorders. According to Willinge, Touyz & Charles (2006), individuals suffering from body dissatisfaction are more likely consider thinner bodies to be ideal than individuals who are satisfied with their bodies. This is particularly alarming when Stice & Whitenton (2002) reported a quarter of girls in their study suffered body dissatisfaction. However, does the portrayal of a thin ideal in the media influence body satisfaction? This was examined when Bell, Lawton and Dittmarr (2007) studied the extent thin models in the music videos affect levels of body satisfaction and found that there was a significant decline in body satisfaction prior to watching music videos containing images of thin models (Bell, Lawton & Dittmar, 2007). Therefore, this study provides evidence to suggest that thin models have a negative effect on body satisfaction in adolescent girls; thus reinforcing concerns on the effects of underweight models in the media. Although the previous study may be criticised for only examining the affects on 16 to 19 year old girls to the exposure of thin models in music videos, the results support a previous study conducted by Tiggerman and Slater where college aged women were assessed on the same variables (2004; as cited in Bell, Lawton and Dittmar, 2007). Even though the emphasis on thinness in the media does not directly affect the development of eating disorders, Stice & Whitenton (2002) examined the extent to which thin media images had an effect on developing eating disorders in comparison to other factors. It was observed that the girls who reported pressure to be thin were four times more likely to be dissatisfied with their bodies. Furthermore, the biggest influence of this was found to be social pressure to be thin (Stice & Whitenton, 2002). There is an overwhelming body of support in the psychological community that exposure to images of thin models has a negative affect on women, with a meta-analysis of 25 experimental studies concluding that such exposure leads women to feel worse about themselves than exposure to other types of images in advertising (Halliwell & Dittmar, 2005). Since the negative affects of the use of thin models in media is widely reported, why does the fashion industry continue to endorse ultra-thinness as the epitome of beauty? Fashion designers are reported to select models that best show off their clothes by attracting attention, and defend the use of stick-like models as a means to achieving this attention. Designers apparently do not perceive the “heroin-chic” look as natural, however they continue to employ emaciated models as human coat-hangers (Bolger, 2007). While there is surmounting evidence based on psychological experiments to suggest that a ban on underweight models in the media would be useful in salvaging an attainable cultural ideal of beauty, the fashion industry tends to deny such advice in order to sell their products. And even though the industry has been warned on the potential dangers of their skeleton-worship by psychological professionals, there is enough evidence that regulations on the fashion industry are needed after the deaths of three models from excessive dieting in 2006 alone. While the fashion industry have outlined a few guidelines to designers in an attempt to set a healthy example, such as recommendations that models get more sleep and have nutritious backstage catering, these guidelines are merely superficial and act only as a way to avoid the proposed international regulations (Wilson, 2007). After the examination of literature on the effects of thin models in the media, it is clear that that arguments of fashion officials detailing the proposed international ban of underweight models as unethical are bias and unfounded. This view is bias because the aim of the industry is to generate wealth, which in turn discredits the views of the fashion industry. In contrast, support of such a regulation can be backed up by results and conclusions of numerous experimental reports which were obtained by psychologists. These results are a consequence of methodological processes which measure relationships in an objective way, as it leaves room for falsification of the hypotheses. In summation, this essay outlined the arguments for and against the ban of underweight models in the media. Literature on both sides of the debate was critically evaluated. While the views of prominent fashion industry representatives were taken into account, the lack of psychological or scientific evidence to back up their resistance to the proposed bans leaves it obvious that their opinions are based on the desire to sell their product. In contrast to this, there was overwhelming psychological evidence to suggest such a ban would have a positive affect on the body satisfaction of society, and in particular adolescent females. While the proposed bans to exclude potential models on the basis of their Body Mass Index may at first appear to be discriminatory and a limitation to freedom of design, the potential benefits of enforcing these regulations of the international fashion industry would greatly outweigh this. In a time when anorexia nervosa is the third largest cause of illness in the women of Australia, regulations for the fashion industry to set a healthy and attainable ideal can only be a positive move. | |
topic: Essays | |
[reply] [16 comments] |
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| SAVE CAMDEN MARKET!! | September 7, 2007, 6:51AM |
 by: Spike-Faery |
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Camden Council have given the go ahead for the wrecking balls to go in and destroy Stables Market in Camden. This means the end of the many unique Galleries and stores found in the stables that provide the foundations of alternative styles and living know around the world as one of the best things in all of London. What could be put in its place? Boots, H&M and Topshop etc, Like as if there isnt enough of the mainstream shops in London or the rest of the Uk for that instance. PLEASE help us stop them from doing this by signing the Goverment petition http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/camdenmarket/ Petition Details: I object to the current planning proposals (ref: 2006/3182/P) and all associated proposals, on the grounds that The Stables Market is a unique architectural site and a pivotal part of London's heritage. The proposed building plans will leave the original architecture of the Arches obscured & unrecognisable. The diverse & quirky appeal of the market has endured for generations, to Londoners & tourists alike, all of whom flock to Camden to soak up the vibrant and inimitable atmosphere, which is now being eroded by modernistic re-developments. Small innovative traders, unable to afford higher rents, are already being forced out of the market, making way for the more well known stores to slip in. Camden's Markets are an essential part of the Alternative World & ain't there enough shopping malls across the country - there is only ONE Camden..& if we lose it to the main stream, where will we turn??? Camden Lock History Starting around 1791 Earl Camden and others began to develop land on both sides of the southern part of what is now Camden High Street, but which was then an old coaching route to Hampstead and the north. Before this time there were only a couple of inns (including the Mother Red Cap where the World's End pub now stands), and a few other isolated buildings in this area of open countryside outside London. Certainly the area around Camden Lock was agricultural land right up until the time the Regent's Canal was built to link the Grand Junction Canal at Paddington with the River Thames at Limehouse.This enabled goods to be moved by barge more easily from the industrial Midlands to the London docks. (The canal was first suggested by Thomas Homer in 1802; the necessary Act of Parliament was passed in 1812, and the canal was opened in 1820.) When the canal was being built an experimental 'hydro-pneumatic lock' was proposed in order to save water which was not readily available to top up the canal. The new invention failed to work and so conventional double locks were installed, and are still functioning today. The barges carrying goods on the canal were originally pulled by horses along the towpath. A bridge, used by these horses to cross the canal still survives, and is one route visitors may take into the market. Warehouses and other businesses were constructed along the canal banks in the following few years, and were operated successfully until the end of the first canal era around the beginning of the 1950s when road transport killed off most of the waterway traffic, and the canals fell into decline. In 1971 some of these unwanted industrial buildings and land, including T.E.Dingwall's timber yard, were leased from British Waterways Board by three young men with new ideas, and in 1972 they sub-let some of the old buildings on short leases as craft workshops, and soon afterwards a weekend market was started on cobbled open yards nearby. The market's accent was on traditional crafts, but soon broadened to include a wide variety of goods including antiques, and clothing with a scattering of food stalls. The old railway bridge over Chalk Farm Road next to the site was painted with a 'trompe d'oeuil' image which has since become the icon for Camden Lock. This market soon began to attract large numbers of Londoners and tourists because of the character and quality of the goods on sale, and because of the uniqueness of the location. Boat trips and walks along the canal, or just watching the barges pass through the lock gates from the Dingwall's beer garden, became, and are still important parts of the attraction of Camden Lock. Sunday trading was permitted on this private site when it was not allowed in many places elsewhere and this also contributed to its success. By 1985, so popular had the area become that three other markets had opened on or near Chalk Farm Road, and most of the businesses between Camden Town and Chalk Farm Underground stations had changed hands and become shops and restaurants catering mainly for visitors rather than locals. The building of new studios, with its famous giant eggs and cups on the roof, for Britain's first Breakfast TV station (TV-am), and now the London home of MTV, set a pattern for the arrival of an increasing number of international media companies which have changed the business face of Camden Town over the past 10 years. In 1990 many of the old buildings at the Lock were renovated and a new Market Hall with three floors of small shops and other businesses, was built over one of the previous open market areas of stalls next to the main road. The East, Middle and West Yards and the newly named Camden Lock Place remained open air areas for stalls, lined with interesting small shops and workshops. The design for this fine building was based on a classic Victorian trading hall with wrought iron railings and tiled floors, so well done that few visitors realise it is relatively new. One building used for stabling canal work horses has been carefully preserved and is now known as Dingwall's Gallery, next to the Market Hall. Most of the shop units created in the rebuilding were taken on by previous stall holders to preserve continuity. There are no chain stores here. Over the past few years the main change has been the development of seven-day trading at Camden Lock Market and other markets in Camden are following suit with many stalls to be found any day of the week, 52 weeks a year. In addition most Camden shops are now staying open seven days a week. In 1997 the approach to the market from Camden Town Underground was much improved for pedestrians by widening of the pavements, and the introduction of seating and other landscaping features. This has been done in a most skilful and attractive way which has made the area a pleasanter place for traders and visitors alike. Help to save the last remaining Alternative & Gothic Culture in London. Get down to Camden & save it from becoming a Mainstream Location similar to that of everywhere else in London. | |
topic: Rants | |
[reply] [1 comment] |
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| Don't be a Girly Man | September 3, 2007, 3:31PM |
 by: Drain-The-Blood |
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Masculinity in Modern America is proving its self more than a problem. Each year there are countless deaths from fraternities, sororities, concerts, alcohol posioning, basic rituals and traditions that should be consedered taboo. In-grained with American society for countless years masculinity and its stereotypes are ruining the youth, are ruining society, ruining the ways of men and women. Researching Fraternities and Sororities, writting about them before, it shows how masculinity has taken a role in the lives of the "brothers" and "little sisters" of these special college groups. Brutal traditions get worse and worse each year. Because of what the older members had to go through to prove their worth for the group, they make pledges go through things twice as worse. Making them drink until they throw up and then eat the throw up while getting more alcohol. Taking beatings to prove toughness, taking mental and pyhscial abuse to gain approval of the older members of the fraternities. Despite the college life its come to my attention that Americas culture and sub-cultures are in-grained with masculinity stereotypes as well. Clearly it should of been obvious until a personal experiance. Hip hop, rap, Punk, rock, metal, in every culture and sub-culture of America, masculinity is in-twined in each of these cultures. Youth flock to each different culture in hopes of rebelling agaisn't American norms. However its redundant because masculinity is so in-grained with in America, that its even in the other cultures technically making "rebelling" useless. Men still have to fuck as many women as possible with out emotion, drink as much as they can afford, and take brutal beatings, basically the heiarchy of these cultures are no different than that of Fraternities. Every man in America must have a "shelf of masculinity" to prove his worth amongst peers with fear of being ridicueled, beaten, or called a "pussy" which in its self is a derogitory term towards women making them seem weak and helpless. Having a need to fill the shelf of masculinity, peer pressure and norms of Masculinity cause idiotic ways of proof, taking a beating while moshing, drinking a bottle of vodka and chasing it with everclear, any thing that will give one the approval of those peers to be accepted amongst them and the group. Honestly such rituals are disguisting to f*%k as many women as you can before recieving an STD with out feeling an ounce of emotion. Sex is supposed to be a bonding between two people that feel love for each other, there are even specefic chemicals in the brain that help create this bond. Masculinity is practiced as such and always will be. Espcially in a Capitialistic society that practices advertising masculinity to sell products. Basically using insecurities to make profit, as every company does in America. Advertisments like "You're a queer if you do not drink our beer!" showing pictures of half naked women crowding around a man. Making "rebelling" irrevalent if one does not know about such problems through out society in America. Most likely you'll keep filling that shelf of masculinity with trophies and badges of man-hood. In some Southern Pacific Island culture including Japanese culture and tradition, women were looked upon as sacred people. Its looked well upon families who have sons that are raised as women and house keepers that dress in drag, for boys who lose their virginity to such it isn't looked down upon either. In fact back in the day of the geisha there were males houses just like the geisha houses where japanese men could goto and it wasn't looked as "homosexual" it was actually more preferred in some Japanese men to be with men, same as the Greek cultures. America is ruining its self with stereotypes of masculinity. | |
topic: Various | |
[reply] [17 comments] |
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| Homophobic men are really closet queers | September 1, 2007, 2:01AM |
 by: WhoWantsToBeMe |
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and the American Psychological Association can prove it: August 1996 Press Release WASHINGTON -- Psychoanalytic theory holds that homophobia -- the fear, anxiety, anger, discomfort and aversion that some ostensibly heterosexual people hold for gay individuals -- is the result of repressed homosexual urges that the person is either unaware of or denies. A study appearing in the August 1996 issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), provides new empirical evidence that is consistent with that theory. Researchers at the University of Georgia conducted an experiment involving 35 homophobic men and 29 nonhomophobic men as measured by the Index of Homophobia scale. All the participants selected for the study described themselves as exclusively heterosexual both in terms of sexual arousal and experience. Each participant was exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual and lesbian videotapes (but not necessarily in that order). Their degree of sexual arousal was measured by penile plethysmography, which precisely measures and records male tumescence. Men in both groups were aroused by about the same degree by the video depicting heterosexual sexual behavior and by the video showing two women engaged in sexual behavior. The only significant difference in degree of arousal between the two groups occurred when they viewed the video depicting male homosexual sex: 'The homophobic men showed a significant increase in penile circumference to the male homosexual video, but the control [nonhomophobic] men did not.' Broken down further, the measurements showed that while 66% of the nonhomophobic group showed no significant tumescence while watching the male homosexual video, only 20% of the homophobic men showed little or no evidence of arousal. Similarly, while 24% of the nonhomophobic men showed definite tumescence while watching the homosexual video, 54% of the homophobic men did. When asked to give their own subjective assessment of the degree to which they were aroused by watching each of the three videos, men in both groups gave answers that tracked fairly closely with the results of the objective physiological measurement, with one exception: the homophobic men significantly underestimated their degree of arousal by the male homosexual video. Do these findings mean, then, that homophobia in men is a reaction to repressed homosexual urges, as psychoanalysis theorizes? While their findings are consistent with that theory, the authors note that there is another, competing theoretical explanation: anxiety. According to this theory, viewing the male homosexual videotape may have caused negative emotions (such as anxiety) in the homophobic men, but not in the nonhomophobic men. As the authors note, 'anxiety has been shown to enhance arousal and erection,' and so it is also possible that 'a response to homosexual stimuli [in these men] is a function of the threat condition rather than sexual arousal per se. These competing notions can and should be evaluated by future research.' Article: 'Is Homophobia Associated With Homosexual Arousal?' by Henry E. Adams, Ph.D., Lester W. Wright, Jr., Ph.D. and Bethany A. Lohr, University of Georgia, in Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol. 105, No. 3, pp 440-445. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington,DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 142,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 49 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 58 state and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare. | |
topic: Various | |
[reply] [3 comments] |
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| Ode to the victim. | August 29, 2007, 12:42AM |
 by: Juiceboxes |
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In life, everyone experiences traumatic events. Death, accidents, abuse, discrimination. More people than one would think walk away with the same feeling. "This is my fault." No victim is to blame for the event that befalls her. I was inspired to write this article by an event from my past, with which I am just recently coming to terms. In 2002, I was a happy, bright junior high student. I was in gifted classes with a lot going for me. I was in love with music. In band, I played four instruments—the flute, the saxophone, the drums, and the clarinet. The clarinet was the first instrument I ever played, so it was my first musical love. I was up for audition for the Texas All-State band. It was an amazing thing for me. I would practice the 55 minutes I had during class, and then stay 2-3 hours after school and practice more. I was going in as a clarinet player. My parents were proud, my teachers were proud, my friends were proud. I was proud; this was a big thing for me. My band director had become like a second father to me. He was always there to help me, support me, calm me down when I messed up, and answer all of my questions. For a full month I practiced non-stop, without problem. Slowly, things started to get awkward. My band director would hug me more than he did the other kids. He'd give me more attention. My boyfriend was in my section in band, and we would sit together and hold hands. For the longest time, this was okay. The director snapped at us suddenly one day, saying he "didn't want any of that lovey dovey shit" in his class. We were separated. He started writing me poems, and showing them to me after school. He'd sit me down on his knee in his office and read them to me. He'd touch my butt and rub my hips. I didn't know what to do. More than once, I went home and broke down into tears. Twice, I went home and threw my stuff around. I broke my flute once and my saxophone the other time. I was afraid to practice alone anymore. My best friend at the time played the clarinet as well, and I asked her to practice with me. She was too busy to audition for All-State, but when I practically begged her not to make me go alone. She agreed. He avoided us for a while, until about two weeks before my Audition. He said he needed to hear my audition before allowing me to sign the confirmation sheet. My best friend was in the room when he stood behind me as I played. He grabbed my butt twice and put his hands on my hips. She stopped playing and looked at me. I was crying, and I just shook my head no. I didn't want her to say anything. If I did, he might not let me go. After that day, I skipped band everyday for over a week. I missed my practices and avoiding my director at all cost. He called my house and left a message that he had to see me again before Thursday to make sure I was ready. When the day came, I couldn't do it. Instead of going to band, I beat down my counselor's door. I had just planned to ask for a schedule change, but I broke down. Shaking, tearful, and with my voice cracking, I told Miss Jumper everything. Her eyes went wide when I finished and she hugged me. And you know what happens when someone hugs you when you're upset. You get more upset, and you cry harder. I had to retell my story twice more. To my principal and assistant principal, then to the police. I had to listen to the police tell my mother, and I watched her face as the fact of what had happened to me registered. I didn't press charges; I just never wanted to see him again. He was fired from his job, and a personal restraining order was put on him. The school district placed one as well. He was never supposed to be near me, or any school in my district, ever again. Slowly, I was recovering. I had a few choice people who knew what happened, and my family knew. I was pretty sure I was going to be okay. I missed my Audition, but it was for a good reason. I started working hard again, and it was to make the Jazz band. I threw myself into my music and my school work, to move on from the tragic event that had befallen me. That Christmas, he showed up at my concert. He told all of the students that he had a heart attack and resigned seeking time to recover. When I heard that, I started falling apart. I didn't perform in my Christmas concert, I was in the bathroom, panicking. He wasn't supposed to be there, I wasn't supposed to have to see him. After that, I wasn't okay again. He made me feel like a bad person—a liar. I suddenly started looking from his view. He was just an older, lonely man looking for affection, and some little bitch ruined his chance. Some little whore took away his life and his job. This was a man that loved working with kids and I ruined it. I took away everything he had, and his pain, was my fault. I suffered with severe depression until finally admitting I needed help in April of '03. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. I had to see a therapist and got put on Anti-Depressants and a sleep aid. I was in therapy for just sort of two years, and on medication for just short of one. The medicine helped me return from that empty feeling the guilt had given me, but it stifled my creativity. I asked to be taken off of it early, but as a precaution I was to stay in therapy. My therapist helped me realize that I was not a bad person for what I had done. My director had taken advantage of me and used my own weakness against me, I was a victim. I've lived for 5 years, with the shadow of that horrible act looming over me. It’s hurt my ability to trust people and damaged my self-image as a person. Even now, I don't believe I'll ever be pretty enough, smart enough, or good enough. But I have gotten stronger. Never again will I let people take advantage of me, and I stay very voiced about my beliefs and the kind of person I am. If this has happened to you, or if you are in a situation like this now, just remember, you are the victim. You don't deserve what has, or is, happening to you. If this has happened to you and you've moved on to live a productive and healthy life, kudos to you. I mean that with all of my heart. And if you are in one of these situations, please seek help. The longer you wait, the worse it will get. Nobody deserves it when things like this happen to them. No one deserves to suffer like that. I've finally recovered, and after 5 years. I can finally start moving on. | |
topic: Life | |
[reply] [11 comments] |
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