Listen to the first NINJATRON episode or get Machine Gun separately, or purchase the album

published on ninjatronicslab.com at http://ninjatronics.blogspot.com/2008/11/portishead-machine-gun.html

A ringtone that repeats the word “condom” sung in different melodies to spread the word of safe sex in India. According to Yvonne MacPherson, this is the “first time a mobile ring-tone had been used to communicate a social or public health message.” So far, the ringtone has been downloaded over 270,000 times and is helping to spark conversations about safe sex and to break condoms out of being a taboo subject (no pun intended).

Digital Tools Being Used: mobile cell phones (more info at MobileActive and ICT4Peace)

published on DigiActive.org at http://www.digiactive.org/2008/09/19/sex-education-from-a-mobile-ringtone/

PLAY THE GAME NOW!

published on digiactive.org at http://www.digiactive.org/2008/09/01/tempest-in-cresent-city-an-online-game-about-hurricane-katrina/

Joan Osborne
Little Wild One (2008)
http://www.joanosborne.com/
ON SALE NOW: Joan Osborne’s Little Wild One

Joan Osborne’s seventh studio album and latest release, Little Wild One, came out in September. This album is sure to receive a lot of attention as it’s the first time Osborne has re-united with Rick Chertoff, Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian since her album, Relish, which launched her into the spotlight with her controversial what-would-Jesus-do song “One of Us”. The songs on this album have a poppy Americana and alt-country feel.

On Little Wild One, Osborne continues her religious theme by opening with “Hallelujah in the City” which contains a chorus of “hallelujah’s”, and again with references to angels in the piano-driven “Cathedrals.” Despite her religious lyrics, Osborne is a strong advocate for reproductive, LGBT and women’s rights, among other issues. She’s also had quite a few intimate encounters with women which she openly speaks about in an interview with Velvet Park.

In the first single off the album, “Sweeter Than the Rest” Osborne sings: “I am crossing Brooklyn ferry with the clouds to my west and I know what I’m missing, some are sweet but you are sweeter….than the rest”. Osborne pays homage to her New York City home multiple times on this album. She turns the tempo down a bit with one song written soley by herself, “Meet You in the Middle” and then turns that tempo back up with the exotic world sounds of “Can’t Say No.”

Little Wild One’s atmosphere is a great sound to accommodate those family gatherings during the Holidays.

published on outimpact.com at http://www.outimpact.com/album-reviews/joan-osborne-little-wild-one

The Dishonor Roll names these 12 contributors along with hundreds of other individuals, businesses, organizations and churches that funded hatred and discrimination to stay alive in our Country. The Knights of Columbus made it to the top of the list with donations amounting to $1,425,000. Among the top contributors include the National Organization for Marriage ($1,041,134.80), Focus on the Family($539,643.66), American Family Association ($500,000) and Concerned Women for America ($409,000).

William Bolthouse of the Bolthouse Foundation gave $100,000 towards pro-Proposition 8 campaigns. Their website makes it a point to state that The Bolthouse Foundation is separate from Bolthouse Farms and that all financial contributions made by each are based on the decisions of each entity and do not reflect on the other. So not only do the new owners of Bolthouse Farms disagree with the The Bolthouse Foundation on Proposition 8, but they also give medical benefits to employees with same sex partners and have donated a generous amount of money to LGBTQ organizations. With that said, I can drink my Bolthouse Green Goodness drinks guilt-free!

One thing that seemed to be common among the people who made it onto the Dishonor Roll is that a lot of them are alumna of Brigham Young University. If the sanctity of marriage is so important, why are there not stricter rules for getting a divorce? Or a stricter process to get married? Getting married should be just as hard as getting U.S. Citizenship.

The Dishonor Roll has been a great resources for queer activists who are boycotting and have staged demonstrations against companies such as Hoehn Motors ($25,000), Cinemark Cinemas ($9,999), and A-1 Storage ($693,000) to name a few of the larger contributors. Queer activists are also boycotting many Mormon owned businesses as well. We can still vote with our wallets to show these bigots that we are not backing down on our rights. Hopefully in the next 4 years all of the bigotry will reverse itself. With the leadership of a President who really cares about equality for every human being I believe it can happen.

William Control
Hate Culture
Official Website: http://www.williamcontrol.com

William Control is the side project of Wil Francis of the Seattle based post-hardcore band, Aiden. The album, Hate Culture, is a collection of Francis’ techno-industrial, new wave, Depeche Mode-influenced songs. The album serves as Francis’ form of self medication as it’s packed with dark songs full of suicide references. Desperation and depression are just a few of the reoccurring themes to be found on Hate Culture.

The songs on this album are a reflection of Francis’ past. In his teenage years he felt very lonely and was not opposed to seeking violence as an outlet. In 1999, he went to jail for planning a mass shooting in Seattle. Upon being released, he decided to turn his life around and get back into playing music. In a Suicide Girls’ interview he claimed that “once again, music saved life, like it’s done over and over again.”

The first track opens with Francis stating “I am William Control… and I do NOT want you to like me” and then launches into the danceable “Beautiful Loser.” The album’s title track, “Hate Culture”, opens with futuristic, new wave synths and a slowly evolving drum track. The album is a nonstop gothic saga that tragically ends with an acoustic guitar accompanied by a sad violin waging the war between hate and love in William Control’s world.

published on outimpact.com at http://www.outimpact.com/album-reviews/william-control-hate-culture

Witness, an organization dedicated to creating exposure of human rights violations all over the globe through the use of video, has launched a beta version of The Hub. The Hub is a collection of videos that focus on human rights issues. Anyone can create an account and upload a video as long as it relates to human rights. Each video page has information and resources about the issue and links to the campaigns where you can take action.

Activists in China have been uploading videos to The Hub to show instances of police violence upon civilian protesters. The videos were originally uploaded to Chinese video hosting sites, but were quickly taken down. There is also a heavy focus on the 2008 Olympics and how bringing the Olympics to China has only made their human rights worse.

If you or your organization have a video already made, the ease of use is simple. Just follow these steps to create an account and upload your video.

published on DigiActive.org at http://www.digiactive.org/2008/07/11/tools-the-hub/

When doing a search to see exactly which organizations were doing this type of protest, information could not be found. This may be because of the anonymity that organizers wish to keep so they are not held accountable for costing these businesses money.
The purpose of the action is to cost businesses money by clicking on ads with no intent to purchase their project. This costs the company money and also tells them that people are boycotting the purchase of their product for certain reasons.

The tactic sounds great in theory, but just like in most cases, most things are in favor of big business. There was an instance where Google was sued due to click fraud and ended up refunding the businesses that were affected.

This would be a fairly easy tactic for any organizer and can be used for many different issues

published on DigiActive.org at http://www.digiactive.org/2008/07/02/tactic-using-ad-clicks-to-protest-corporations/