We
should be loud and clear in the coming weeks like we’ve been before: net
neutrality is crucial to helping everyone, regardless of where they
live or how much money they make, get online.
But there’s another way we can fight for an open internet.
Last week, 19 towns across Colorado voted to allow the exploration of creating a local, public alternative to expensive private providers.
Fort
Collins voters went the furthest, passing a measure to finance an
assessment of starting a city-owned broadband utility, which would aim
to provide faster service at a cheaper price. That means residents could
have a say in whether a new public network maintains the principle of
net neutrality, whatever the FCC decides in the future.
“People
who don’t normally get excited or vote actually turned out this time
and actually got energized,” said one resident who had campaigned for
the measure.
Not everyone was excited. Industry groups spent more than $450,000
campaigning against the measure. In fact, the very reason Colorado
towns had to vote “yes” before even exploring public broadband is
because of an industry-backed state law requiring municipalities to jump
through hoops to take control of their internet infrastructure. (The
industry has successfully pushed similar legislation in over 20 states.)
Comcast
and the like are quaking in their boots about a public option, and they
should be. Cities like Chattanooga, Tennessee, which became the first
U.S. city to offer gigabit internet speed after going public, are
outperforming private providers and even forcing them to innovate to
play catch up.
Why
shouldn’t internet access be a public good? The web should be like the
Postal Service, which, because it’s public, provides affordable mail
service to everyone, rich or poor, in all areas of the country.
And why
should a handful of corporate executives and investors get rich while
providing expensive, slow access and unbearable customer service?
Comcast’s CEO, billionaire Brian Roberts, pocketed $33 million last year alone while running America’s most hated corporation.
People
need the internet for life in the 21st century, to communicate, apply
for jobs, and access crucial resources. Everyone should have affordable
access.
aikido and bojutsu and some kung fu does jumps with bo staff!
Didn’t find matching video results from those key words but I do agree it was either a bo staff or a bamboo stake (at least that’s what it looked like) being used in said martial arts I’ve been trying to recall. I just remember the users basically doing a fullbody jump and swing/spin in the air and striking down with the stake/staff when using whatever technique they were using.
So whenever i would watch movies and see The Badass Female Character fighting in various ways, something about it always bugged me. I just assumed it was internalized misogyny that made me dislike characters like black widow and Tauriel and tried to make myself like them.
Then I was rewatching Mad Max Fury Road the other day and I noticed that nothing bothered me about watching Furiosa fight and I realized the problem wasn’t watching women fight in movies that got on my nerves.
Watching the stereotypical Badass Female Character she always has these effortless moves and a cocky, sexy smirk on her face as everything is easy. Watching Furiosa, she grunted and bared her teeth. Her fighting was hard and it took effort and it hurt like fighting is supposed to. For once her fighting style wasn’t supposed to seduce the audience it was to be effective.
I wasn’t disliking these characters because they were women I was disliking that their fighting was meant to remind me they were women. High heels and shapely outfits and not showing effort or discomfort because it’s more attractive to effortlessly lift a long leather clad leg over your head rather than rugby tackle someone.
It’s the same with the Wonder Woman movie too. Fighting is hard and it takes effort, blocking bombs and bullets with a shield makes her grimace and bare her teeth with the effort it takes. She’s not flip kicking bombs she’s yelling and straining, not because she’s weak or bad at fighting but because that’s what it would be like.
I really hope we’re moving into an era of women having fighting styles designed for realism and not how hot it looks for the men in the audience.
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