Media Democracy Day! November 6th.

Hello Everyone. I am presenting at a conference this Saturday, 8:30am-4:30pm, we will be talking about the importance of media and how media can be used to effectively combat social justice issues. There will be two panel discussions in the morning + LUNCH and then I am presenting Beyondmedia Education's Anti-Violence Project, Chain of Change, and facilitating two break out discussions after our presentation.
It's $5 for students and you don't have to come for the entire day to participate!
300 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607


This project is sponsored by Community Media Workshop: Bringing the community and media together to combat violence in our neighborhoods through the creation and distribution of local and progressive media.

http://chicagoistheworld.org/2010/10/we-are-not-alone-no-estamos-solos/

Condoms that Bite

After doing a little more research I thought I'd follow up on the rape-deterring condom that came up in class this week. The condom's inventor, Sonette Ehlers, is a doctor in South Africa, which has the highest rape rates in the world, acording to Human Rights Watch: one in every two women will be raped in her lifetime. This fact gives the device some important context, as the probability and circumstances of rape are rather different than those here in the US.

According to Ehlers, women there have resorted to DIY versions of the Rape-Axe (as this condom is called) for years, inserting sponge-wrapped blades into their vaginas before going out. Yikes. While certainly not without its problems, the Rape-Axe Condom is still a step up in safety for both parties, at least on one level. Here's a fairly in-depth article on the condom from Mother Jones: Anti-Rape World Cup Condoms... With Teeth?