Ben heads to UC Santa Barbara to talk to the professors behind a study on Sequoia Voting Systems, a voting machine used in seventeen states as well as Washington DC. The study led to the machine being decommissioned in the
state of California. This is serious investigative journalism, which means a clip of a farting baby was used only twice.
The infoMania Tech Report is a weekly segment where technology guru Ben Hoffman takes a look at the newest tech products, gadgets and video games. It has been called “the funniest tech show on the web.” (No source for that quote is available at this time. In fact, there’s a good chance it was made up.)
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at current.com/infomania. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at infomaniafacebook.com.
Ben heads to UC Santa Barbara to talk to the professors behind a study on Sequoia... more
A team of researchers at University of California Santa Barbara have released a video that shows an attack where a virus-like software spreads across the Sequoia electronic voting system. It's part of a security review carried out by the California Secretary of State in July 2007, but wasn't released until now. It shows voting terminals can change votes, even when a paper audit trail is used -- "proof" that e-voting vulnerability is not just a conspiracy theory?A team of researchers at University of California Santa Barbara have released a video... more
One woman's struggle in a career dominated by men. Her story touches on issues such as: lower salaries and juggling family and career that women in science have to face. One woman's struggle in a career dominated by men. Her story touches on issues such... more
bike ed and the beach.
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sounds like a good set up to me.
Bicycle Empowerment
Bici Centro Builds Santa Barbara’s Bicycle Culture
SANTA BARBARA, CA. Ed France, a 2005 graduate of UCSB’s Environmental Studies program who is Bici Centro’s lead mechanic, and essentially the program’s director.
France started Bici Centro as a once-a-month open bike repair shop in a back room at La Casa de la Raza, but this past December, he signed an agreement with the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition to bolster the program’s educational outreach capabilities. Now, adult and youth bicycle repair classes are open to the public, as well as volunteer-assisted open shop hours on Thursdays and Saturdays. By reaching out to the community, Bici Centro attempts to get people more interested and involved in cycling by offering bicycle resources to those who might not otherwise have them, giving those folks the empowerment to fix their own bicycles.
With a huge and growing collection of donated scrap bikes, new and used parts, and tools, Bici Centro has the resources of any bike shop, but with the option for the shop’s users to work off use of shop space with small donations or volunteer hours. A dedicated corps of volunteers made the opening of the collective possible by donating time and money to the events and educational programs before there was any official funding available.
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bike ed and the beach.
-
sounds like a good set up to me.
Bicycle Empowerment... more
A short documentary capturing the atmosphere and lifestyle of UCSB students living in Isla Vista by visiting popular hangouts where students go to study, socialize, and most importantly eat!A short documentary capturing the atmosphere and lifestyle of UCSB students living in... more
Step by step... word for palabra. The power to enter oneself and transform the meaning of social identities. The sound of music along with the
use of gender come to make sense of my experience.
The images and wording in my video come out of my experience within multi-natinality, gender roles, immigration, family and understanding.
The attempt to find answers within my social status shaped as a transgender female and the challenge to integrate the immigrant student.
This is a call to see priviledge from multiple struggles.
Finally, I seek to create space for social-polical awareness, an area that we could participate through forums, community organizing and so forth.
The end of a story means the begining of breaking silence regardless of what the problem represents.So, I invite you to support my story through comments and votes that
advance my video to the mainstreaming at current.tv, and continue to read along my lines.Step by step... word for palabra. The power to enter oneself and transform the meaning... more
How stereotypes perpetuate racism as well as where it comes from and who elevates the problem. How stereotypes perpetuate racism as well as where it comes from and who elevates the... more
Through Chican@ experiences one can visisibly see the language barrier one faces through out the day. One does not feel at "home" within their language because what is acceptable to them may not be acceptable by the public. Most people when faced with such difficulties will ultimately erase their native tongue by just speaking the dominant language. However Taming the Wild Tongue goes against this. To tame a wild tongue is to resist to such pressures. The more languages one knows the better, for that can create change in our future. We must resist and keep our native tongue for that is our identity.Through Chican@ experiences one can visisibly see the language barrier one faces... more
Our video is an outlook of one of the views by Gloria Anzaldua , Rebellion. Her chapter in The Borderlands is about fighting for women’s rights, it also addresses race and ethnic issues and other ways in which people can rebel against what is thought to be normal. Our video gives examples of personal rebellion by people like Dolores Huerta, who was a spokesperson for Chicanas during the Chicano movement and also rebelled against what was thought to be a typical mother figure. Our video also gives personal examples from students in our group dealing with personal stories of their rebellions within themselves, society and their families. In our discussion, topics such as a woman’s place in the home, education, homosexuality, and different issues when dealing with race and ethnicity were covered. The video includes personal stories accompanied by photographs of rebellion from both the past and present. Our video is intended to show others the ways in which rebellion has changed people’s perspective of what is normal and expected in today’s society. Our video is an outlook of one of the views by Gloria Anzaldua , Rebellion. Her... more
In Gloria Anzaldua's "borderlands" she speaks of a formation of a new identity known as Mestiza Consciousness. She speaks of this new third identity as a crossing over or mixture between two different groups in order to form a new creation out of Nepantla. From this racial, ideological, cultural and biological mix, an alien concious is made; a new mestiza consciousness, the consciousness of the borderlands.
This video highlights the internal struggle a mestiza faces. We tell the story of a mestiza and her journey to try and find her cultural identity. She is torn in different ways and is confused about what to take from each culture. Eventually the girl realizes that it is up to her to find and define her own identity. She takes aspects from the different cultures to create her identity and her mestiza consciousness. In Gloria Anzaldua's "borderlands" she speaks of a formation of a new identity known... more
This video is our Section's interpretation of the Chicana/o consciousness: Rebellion and the Cultures of Betrayal. This video reflects on the history of Rebellion and focuses on why there always seems to be Rebellion in the world. We realized that a Rebellion is caused by a group of people who feel that they have been betrayed by the people they interact with. The examples in the video demonstrate how throughout history rebellion has been a constant because betrayal is a constant. This video also conveys that rebellion and cultures of betrayal are mainly due to power and assignment of race. This consciousness is significant because it has been repeated time and time again as we see in this video. This video is our Section's interpretation of the Chicana/o consciousness: Rebellion... more
This video demonstrates one of Gloria Anzaldua’s seven consciousnesses—the Coatlicue State. The Coatlicue State represents the idea that there is a “third space” between life and death that results from a trauma of some sort. It is the idea that, rather than letting a trauma defeat you, you can take what you have learned from the experience and do something unique with it to shape your life in a different way. Rejecting defeat and rising up is the third space, or the Coatlicue state. In this video, Santos experiences the trauma of being a victim of a racial slur. He battles over which path to take inside his head “Do I run? Or do I stay and prove that I am above this?” This is the idea of flight or fight. As Santos envisions what it would be like to succumb to the trauma and admit failure, his third consciousness speaks to him and leads him to his own Coatlicue state, and ultimately, he bounces back from his trauma.
This video demonstrates one of Gloria Anzaldua’s seven consciousnesses—the... more
This video aims to portray one of the three mothers to the Chicano/a community and talk about the culture she embodies. This video is focused on “Entering Into the Serpent” and follows the main character as she undergoes life-changing transformations. The main character is symbolic of, La Chingada (Malinche), who is he raped mother whom the Chicano/a community abandoned. The main character of our video is Malin Che. She experiences a similar feeling of abandonment when her friends place her in a tough position where she is forced to decide who she is, who she looks to become, and what community she will be a part of.
As Malin finds herself about to leave for college, her friends from home confront her with concerns they have about the “scene” she will be exposed to in Santa Barbara. Malin leaves for school and after a few months is encouraged by her roommate to go out with her one night and try out the sorority life. As Malin displaces her former identity and begins to develop new friendships, she experiences true acceptance for the first time. As Malin adjusts to her new surroundings, she embarks upon a life transformation where she no longer feels the pressure to conform and belong to one identity. This transitional state is reminiscent of nepantla, the constantly shifting realities and identities of our lives. Malin’s friends from home feel that she has sold out and become a traitor, yet this year she has grown and experienced only beneficial life lessons. Malin has matured and is now able to look past the outward and immediate appearances of those around her to see and better understand the deeper realities of life. These experiences are only one aspect of the issues that the Chicano/a community has had to deal with throughout the many years of oppression. Today the Chicano/a identity is more than just boundaries or limitations, it is the opportunity to live a proud life and be a Chicano/a.
This video aims to portray one of the three mothers to the Chicano/a community and... more
Tllili Tlapalli is a Nahuatl term meaning red and black that connects the ancient homeland with contemporary artists, writers, and scholars. Tllili Tlapalli is associated with teaching, awareness, and learning through the art forms of theater and literature. Muralists such as Consuelo Mendez and Patricia Rodriguez are two prominent figures in the Mujeres Muralistas movement, whose primary goal is to educate through community artwork. The images used in the murals teach contemporary Chicano(a)s about their history, thus forming a new and stronger sense of identity.Tllili Tlapalli is a Nahuatl term meaning red and black that connects the ancient... more
The theme “Entering into the Serpent” conveys a search for a deeper meaning; the creation of a meaning toward emancipation out of oppression. Anzaldua introduces the idea of a sixth sense, referred to as La Facultad, which is the ability to identify oppression and seek a way to protect oneself from its negative effects. Due to consumerism the following scenario occurred.
Maria’s parents lost their jobs; they know monetary hardships are soon to follow. However, their sixth sense, La Facultad, pushes them to leave Mexico in order to provide their daughter with a better future. Following the family’s immigration to the United States, a twist of fate brings Maria and Britney together as college roommates. Although they know nothing of each other’s family history, irony takes place as Britney’s father played a major role in Maria’s parents’ immigration to the United States. The theme “Entering into the Serpent” conveys a search for a deeper meaning; the... more
Our group concentrated on the Tlilli Tlapalli Consciousness as explained by Gloria Anzaldua’s Boderlands/La Frontera book. She portrays art as a communal activity that educates and inspires people. She criticizes the Western art tradition by stating: “Western art is always whole and always ‘in power.’ It is individual (not communal). It is ‘psychological’ in that it spins its energies between it self and its witness” (Anzaldua 90). Tlilli Tlapalli is a Nahuatl word for black and red ink, which represent writing and wisdom. This video was made by Chican@ Studies students at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). In our video, we portray different ways art is perceived in Western culture versus non-Western cultures. In the movie, the actress (Melissa) who plays Anzaldua falls asleep and has a dream about how her ancestors perceived art. They believe that art is meant to be alive, meaningful, and not enclosed in a museum. This dream frightens her at first, but then inspires her to continue her artistic work.
Our group concentrated on the Tlilli Tlapalli Consciousness as explained by Gloria... more
Our section was assigned to film on the chapter of Entering into the serpent, and our
main focus in the video is on la llorona and la facultad. There are many
misconceptions that we have on la llorona and she is seen as a monster
but in reality she is someone who has gone though a lot of suffering
and is just misunderstood. We believe that our film displays the way
that things change throughout history, and how these changes are not
always consistent with the actual story. Our film shows that through la
facultad one is able to look underneath the surface and read power. The significance of la facultad is that one is able to use it to look at things in greater depth and it
makes one question the truth behind the power. This can be changed into something else or metaideologized.Our section was assigned to film on the chapter of Entering into the serpent, and our... more
The first chapter of Gloria Anzaldua's book Borderlands La Frontera is entitled "The Homeland, Aztlan El Otro Mexico." "The US-Mexican border," Anzaldua states, "is where the third world grates against the first and bleeds." A homeland consciousness is about remembering origins and not defining oneself based on a reaction to the legitimized subject.
The anglo inhabitants of the United States illegally invaded and annexed Mexican territory. The new border was officially created February 2, 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. The new borderline left 100,000 Mexican citizens without a homeland. The promise to reimburse these people with their land was never kept. Our video mirrors the effect of the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty with the eviction of the Isla Vista residents to Conquest Housing. Just as the Mexican Citizens were left without a home, so were the former Isla Vista residents. The first chapter of Gloria Anzaldua's book Borderlands La Frontera is entitled "The... more
This video includes some footage of “El Centro”, the home of many Chicano’s attending the University of California Santa Barbara. This building is not only symbolic because of the history behind it, but also because it has given many students a place to feel like they have a home away from their own home. It also includes some interviews of undergraduate as well as graduate students giving their input on why this place is so important to them and what this place means to them. “El Centro” means a lot to many Chicano’s, including professors, because it is where the Chicano Studies department got started and has helped it grow. This video reflects “The Homeland” by Gloria Anzaldua. This video includes some footage of “El Centro”, the home of many Chicano’s... more
Tilli Tlapalli represents a way of expressing Chican@ consciousnesses. The idea of Tilli Tlapalli goes back to ancient times when indigeneous peoples used black and red in their writing and art. Tilli Tlapalli can be described as simply Chicano art in the form of murals, paintings, writing, poetry, drawings, grafitti, etc. Unlike some art that is made simply for aesthetically pleasing purposes, Tilli Tlapalli art is made for a purpose. Tilli Tlapalli is art that educates about one’s culture, background, world issues, and many more things as well. This video’s purpose is to show how the main character comes to realize his Chicano identity through Tilli Tlapalli.
When the student, Geraldo, falls asleep in class as his teacher begins lecturing about Chican@ identity, he wakes up in a neighborhood and next to him is a Chicana girl creating a mural on a wall. The girl explains to him that what she is creating is art that represents who she is, her background, and culture as a Chicana. What she is expressing is a form of Tilli Tlapalli, expression through her artwork. Geraldo then wakes up in a library next to Gloria Anzaldua, a famous Chicana writer. She explains to Geraldo that she became a writer in order to connect to her roots, share with others, and to express wisdom. Through her writing, Gloria is using the idea of Tilli Tlapalli in a creative way to express herself. Geraldo is then transported to a place where he meets his future self who happens to be a Chicano comedian. Geraldo, in his future self, finds a way to express himself and his identity through his work as a comedian. As he wakes up in class to his teacher calling his name, the teacher asks if he has anything to say about the topic. Geraldo goes to the front of the classroom to explain the revelation of his identity. The video shows how Geraldo came to realize his identity through Tilli Tlapalli.Tilli Tlapalli represents a way of expressing Chican@ consciousnesses. The idea of... more
