Only a Game

"Human Hungry Hippos" is a fantastically fun game, but before rolling it out (pun intended), ask yourself: 

• Does the hidden curriculum here align with my values? 

• If not, how can I be more intentional in my messaging?  

With one minor tweak, the game can promote community and care, as opposed to competition and greed. Here's how: Each group has to obtain an equal number of balls before time is up, or else everyone loses. To accomplish this, groups that have collected all of their colors before time's up, have to work with other groups to ensure no one is left behind. This variation could be called Humane Hungry Hippos. What other variations might work? 

Dialogue Circles

This makes so much sense!

P is for Power. B is for Burge. A is for Action.

photo by Kevin Kaempf

If you have never heard of Chicago police commander Jon Burge before, or have no idea about the systematic torture that took place in Chicago police stations for over 20 years, then please check out this recent article and info graphic compiled by In These Times.

In response to the police torture of over 100 African American men on the South side of Chicago, and the continued failure of the criminal justice system to repair that damage, The Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Project "put out a call for speculative memorials to recall and honor the two-decades long struggle for justice waged by torture survivors and their families, attorneys, community organizers, and people from every neighborhood and walk of life in Chicago."  My collaborators and I at Lucky Pierre responded to this call by creating Actions for Chicago Torture Justice, an accumulating archive of actions created by both Lucky Pierre and the public in response to the Chicago police torture cases.

Iterating this work  has been a multi-faceted endeavor. There is the original list of the first 100 actions that were written by Lucky Pierre, and published in a booklet by Half Letter Press (a project of Temporary Services). We cast five of these actions in bronze so that they can be installed as—yes, commemorative bronze plaques. To continue to build this archive, and to encourage visitors to participate in a process of reflection and action, we invited them to add to our list, by writing their own actions into a ledger that we installed vis a vis the five bronze plaques.  We have also added a feature to our website that enables anyone in the world to send us their action and have it added to the list.

Additionally, we have designed curriculum in response to the piece and have been holding writing and performance workshops that question the nature of power, its abuse, and what we can do to respond to abuses of power. The next workshop is on October 18th, as part of 96 Acres' "P is for Power" series.  96 Acres is "a series of community-engaged, site-responsive art projects that address the impact of the Cook County Jail on Chicago’s West Side... [which aims] to generate alternative narratives reflecting on power, and to present creative projects that reflect the community’s vision of transformation." You can stay informed about upcoming workshops being presented by 96 Acres, by liking their Facebook page.  

Yes, there have been abuses of power. Yes, the abuses continue. Yes, you can take action in response to it. SO MANY ACTIONS. Read some examples here, and by all means, add your own. Heck, don't stop there! Perform one of these actions, or even several of them, and document what happens! We'd love to hear from you.

Learning to Walk Again

As someone who reached adulthood prior to the proliferation of cell phone use, I have many clear and fond memories of going for long walks alone, with no digital distractions or help, no set destination, and no way for anyone to reach me. But it has been a very long time since I practiced this mode of being alone with myself. This article claims a connection between this kind of long-form, free walking, and creative thinking. I met a writer once who spoke of how integral to her practice walking is. She "writes" while walking, and only while walking. Sometimes talking into a recorder, sometimes waiting to get home to put it all on paper (or perhaps screen).

I think I need to learn how to walk again. 

http://m.bbc.com/news/magazine-27186709

What we're up against

Yet another example of why the United States of America could be more acurately referred to as the United Corporations of America. 

Death to the oligarchy!!

We petition the Obama administration to maintain true net neutrality to protect the freedom of information in the United States.

Please sign this petition and share widely. The "death of net neutrality" is an assault on our ability to access broad audiences, and on our ability to hear perspectives that run counter to that of Big Business. If you are in favor of an internet that supports a multiplicity of voices, please sign.

Government hoarding of lord-only-knows-what

While going through all of my old things in preparation for a move, I have become acutely aware of the difference between hoarding impulses, and purging impulses. The United States Government needs to sit down and go through some old piles of odds-n-ends that have been languishing. After TWO years, they are still sitting on all of those Mega-upload files they confiscated. The government's refusal to sort out the good from the bad and the ugly negatively impacts the lives (and livelihood) of untold numbers of innocent mega-uploaders.

Hear the story on NPR, All Tech Considered.