by Laurelin

Disappointment is a part of life, there’s no doubt about that. It takes many forms; it can be predicable, it can surprise you, it can be laughable, and other times it can be enough to bring you to your knees. In some form or another I think we feel at least a little twinge of disappointment every day. Maybe not the kind that catches your breath like a lump in your throat, but the kind that’s just enough to make you crinkle your nose. Like when the coffee shop on the corner of Harvard and Brighton Ave is closed by the time I walk home from work on Sunday and I have to get an iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts instead of a loose leaf iced green tea.

Disappointment goes hand in hand with people letting you down and you yourself letting down others. The look in that boys’ eyes as I told him I didn’t want to be with him, having to shout it because we were in a crowded bar and there was a band playing. His brown eyes usually danced, turned up at the corners with his big smile. But as I shouted they crinkled and the weight of my words changed him. Part of me screamed, “You’re making a mistake, this boy would love you.” The other part told that part to shut up even though I was so sad: I knew I was making the right choice. But still, I was disappointed for letting the nice boy go. I always let the nice boys go.

I was disappointed in the one I did choose, a disaster of a human being who intrigued me more than anything. I willingly walked into some strange dark forest, the trees so thick they blocked out the sun, and I know I will willingly stumble through this darkness until I’m so broken I have no choice but to fight to get out in one piece. I can’t bring myself to smile as I type this even thinking about the mess I’ve gotten myself into, but I know I will continue to wait for his name to pop up on my cell phone, and when it does I will see just that one ray of light through the trees, and I will think it’s enough. It won’t be.

Disappointment can crush a person or inspire them to do better next time. Long term it can break your spirit, short term it can ruin your day. Either way, it’s a part of life, and sadly, a part that people come to expect even when they shouldn’t. Right now I’m disappointed in my job; I am sitting behind an empty bar at 12:30 PM on a Sunday afternoon in the city. While it’s nice to be able to get some work done I would much rather be at the beach or down by the waterfront drinking sangria. Over in the corner my cell phone buzzes and I run over to see if it’s him. It’s not, and all alone I don’t have to hide my disappointment.

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by Blogbot

Video streaming by Ustream

This past Thursday, July 27th, our show was devoted to the topic of Bradley Manning. Host Nicole Powers and guest co-host Dell Cameron (VICE) were joined via Skype by independent journalist Alexa O’Brien, artist and activist Clark Stoeckley (Wikileaks Truck), and RT America reporter Andrew Panda Blake, who have all spent quality time on the Fort Meade base observing the trial.

Alexa O’Brien has been called “a national treasure” by Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project for her work chronicling the Manning proceedings. Though working outside of the mainstream media, she has provided by far the most extensive coverage of the trial. During our 45 minute conversation, O’Brien talked about the unprecedented treatment Manning is receiving and the alarming precedents with regards to whistleblowers and the freedom of the press that the US government is trying to set with this case:

“Manning is being tried in a court martial, so it’s a military court…But what makes it unusual is here we have a whistleblower, or even if you want to call him a leaker, we have somebody who is a soldier who is being tried for aiding the enemy – without the intent to actually aid the enemy. He gave the information to a media organization, or he published it on the internet, and they’re charging him with aiding the enemy, even though he didn’t have that bad faith motive.

“The other thing that I think is really important about this trial, and unprecedented, is that he has charges against him that have never been used in either a federal court or in a military court. One of them is called “Wanton Publication” – this is where the government is trying to also control large data sets being published…

“It has co-aspects to it…It’s the fact that he leaked it to Wikileaks and the government’s trying to [frame] Wikileaks [as] this evil organization, and not a journalistic one, but it also has to do with the size of the leaks. You and I know that in this day and age, with data modeling and the like, large leaks are completely appropriate for the age this young man grew up in, which is basically the information age.

“But people always talk about aiding the enemy, and they should, but when we even take away the aiding the enemy charge, Manning is charged with 21 other charges that total 149 years if he’s convicted. So here we also see the government using the Espionage Act, which should be used for spies, is addition to aiding the enemy and everything else.”

O’Brien not only talked about the legal and moral aspects of the case, but gave an incredible insight into the character of the key players inside the Fort Meade military courtroom:

“The military prosecutors, they come into court, they talk about Al Qaeda and the enemy, and they talk about harming US soldiers – and there is no actual evidence of any harm, and that will come up later in the sentencing phase. They talk about the US and patriotism, and they’re very aggressive.

“And then you have the defense…

“David Coombs is an amazing defense attorney and he plays this case like a poker player, everything is very close to his chest. He’s not very vocal in the press, in fact Manning has never really talked to the media. He also has shielded his own defense tactics…And here we have him come into court and when David Coombs is actually cross examining he’s really likeable – immediately likeable – so he’s very disarming, but boy, he can really just cut apart witnesses, and he’ll do it with a smile and in a really respectful way. It’s really amazing to watch him.

“And then you have this judge, who is probably two generations older than Manning, and the questions that we have are ‘does she really understand the environment that Manning grew up in and his upbringing in the information age.’”

Our next guest was Clark Stoeckley, who is familiar to many activists as the man responsible for the art installation on wheels that is the Wikileaks Truck. Stoeckley, who comes from a military family, has been supporting Manning – and the truth – by sporting a “truth” T-shirt in court and serving as a courtroom sketch artist:

“I’ve sat in the courtroom in more seats than any other person ever, both in the courtroom, in the press room, in the theater, and the overflow trailer. I’ve tried to get as many different angles of this trial as possible. It’s a trial that I believe should be televised for the world to see…

“We’re going after the sources, and we’re going after those that report this information, rather than focusing on the misdeeds and the corruption of our governments and corporations.”

The illustrations featured in this blog post are all by Stoeckley, and will be collected together into a graphic book, The United States vs. PFC Bradley Manning, featuring quotes from the court transcripts.

In depth coverage of the trial has been noticeable by its absence in the mainstream media, which is why independent journalists like O’Brien and citizen journalists like Stoeckley have been so invaluable. One of the few outlets that has provided consistent coverage of the trial, somewhat ironically for such a historic US case, has been RT a.k.a. Russian Television. Andrew Panda Blake, a reporter for RT, has been covering the Manning beat and joined us for the final half hour of the show. Among other things, he gave us an insight into the incredibly harsh treatment an as-yet-to-be-convicted Manning received at the hands of the US government:

“He was arrested on 8/26 2010 and he was transferred to an 8 by 8 by 8 wire mesh cage in Kuwait, and the only things in the cage were a shelf and a toilet…When he testified a few month ago, he said, ‘I just thought I was going to die in that cage…’

“‪Manning said he thought he was being treated like an animal. He was there for almost two months, and then they flew him into BWI, that’s the Baltimore Airport, then brought him to Quantico in Northern Virginia. He was held in a Marine brig there in a cell that was 6 foot by 8 foot. He was only allowed out for 20 minutes per day while still in shackles…So he was in there for twenty-three and a half hours a day. He was forced to sleep from 1 PM to 11 PM – naked – and was only allowed to do so when facing his lamp. This was at the most extreme of his conditions, it wasn’t always this terrible. Pretty much the only thing he had in there was a mirror and he would make faces into it – that’s how he’d keep himself entertained…

Blake also gave us the run down of the possible outcomes for the trial, and the worrying precedents it might set:

“The trial is supposed to be all done by the end of the summer. Bradley has already admitted guilt to a handful of lesser crimes that would get him perhaps 20 years in prison. The prosecution said that that wasn’t good enough for them and they want to keep charging forth. They’re still trying to convict him on aiding the enemy, and if he gets convicted on aiding the enemy that could potentially be a life sentence…

“What really infuriates me more tha anything else about this case – aside from the terrible treatment that Private Manning had to endure – people aren’t responding to this case, and they are picking up on it to the degree that they should, but the repercussions that could happen if he’s convicted of aiding the enemy will seriously destroy freedom of the press, and potentially Western democracy. It’s such a blow to journalism and press freedom that the publication and the distribution of this documentation of war crimes warrants a potential death penalty. And it’s not even hyperbole because they have been trying to convict so many people for espionage that have only been exposing really terrible truths that the US government is guilty of and never would have admitted to.

SuicideGirls would like to thank all of our amazing guests for participating in our show – and for contributing to the public record of this historic trial.

by Nicole Powers

Back in the early ’80s, Adam Ant was the king of the wild post-punk frontier. Mentored by former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and his fashion designer partner Vivienne Westwood, the London born art school dropout created a visually vivid world of pirates and dandies which brought color back to the palate of a culturally monotone and economically depressed UK.

Having amassed an avid US fanbase with his music, and after starring in a critically acclaimed West End production of the Joe Orton play Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Ant moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. However the price of fame took its toll. Alongside film and TV roles, he also aquired a stalker, which severely impacted his already fragile peace of mind.

Taking a break from the public eye, Ant moved to Tennessee before returning to London, where an altercation outside a pub thrust him back into the headlines again. Following the incident, Ant pled guilty to a single count of causing an affray. Having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 21, Ant received a suspended sentence and court ordered psychiatric care. Unfortunately, due to the relentless nature of the British press, he was forced to pull his life back together under the tabloid glare.

Though his recovery was very public and far from linear – with every setback being exacerbated by its salacious documentation by the less savory contingent of the UK press – Ant is clearly in a much better place these days. He completed a string of dates in the US and Europe in 2012, before releasing his first studio album in 17 years. The intriguingly titled Adam Ant Is The Blueblack Hussar in Marrying The Gunner’s Daughter was released on both side of the Atlantic in January of this year.

SuicideGirls caught up with Ant by phone after a rehearsal with his new band The Good, The Mad & The Lovely Posse to talk about his new album and his upcoming US tour, which kicks off in San Diego on July 17th.

Read our exclusive interview with Adam Ant on SuicideGirls.com.

by Blogbot

This Thursday June 27th on SuicideGirls Radio hosts Nicole Powers and Juturna Suicide will be joined by activist Kevin M. Gallagher (Free Barrett Brown), academic and author Gabriella Coleman, and journalist Dell Cameron (VICE). We’ll be talking about the strange case of writer and security researcher Barrett Brown and the connections between his “ProjectPM” research and the more recent NSA surveillance revelations exposed by Edward Snowden.

You can listen – and watch – the world’s leading naked radio show live on Thursday nights from 6 til 8 PM at our new state-of-the-art all digital home: TradioV.com/LA.

You’ll also be able to listen to our podcasts via Stitcher – download the app now!

If you have questions for the SG Radio crew or our guests, you can call in during the live broadcast at: 1-855-TRV-inLA (1-855-878-4652)

For updates on all things SG Radio-related, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Dell Cameron (@DellCam)

Dell Cameron contributes articles to VICE.com on national security, human rights and online activism. He is also project manager of the upcoming news website Muckraker.com. Some of his recent articles have followed the rise and expansion of the U.S. government’s surveillance programs, such as PRISM and CALEA (the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act).

About Kevin M. Gallagher (@FreeBarrett_ & @ageis)

Kevin M. Gallagher is a writer, musician and systems administrator based in western Massachusetts. He graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He’s currently pursuing activism on issues related to digital rights: freedom of information, privacy, and copyright; while also taking an interest in information security. He is the director of Free Barrett Brown, which is a support network, non-profit advocacy organization and legal defense fund formed for the purpose of assisting a prominent journalist and internet activist, for which he is in charge of all fundraising, public relations, social media and outreach.You can contribute to Barrett Brown’s defense fund here.

About Gabriella Coleman (@biellaColeman)

Gabriella (Biella) Coleman is the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy in the Art History and Communication Studies Department at McGill University. Trained as an anthropologist, she researches, writes, and teaches on hackers and digital activism. Her first book on Free Software, Coding Freedom: The Aesthetics and the Ethics of Hacking has been published with Princeton University Press. She is currently working on a new book on Anonymous and digital media under contract with Verso. She has given numerous talks on hackers, digital activism, open source production and intellectual property law. For more info visit gabriellacoleman.org/.

**UPDATE**

ICYMI: This week’s show on the surveillance state and the criminalization of those who report on it featuring activist Kevin M. Gallagher (Free Barrett Brown), academic and author Gabriella Coleman, and journalist Dell Cameron (VICE).

Video streaming by Ustream

by Laurelin

There comes a time in everyone’s life when there has just been too much work and not enough play. This is usually not a problem in my life, no matter how many places I’m working I always seem to find the perfect thing to do on a night off. In that one night, it’s all been worth it: every last long hour and late night is wonderfully and sometimes painfully perfect. Some nights are relaxing and help you recharge your drained batteries, and other nights are not like that at all. Some nights you just know that a storm is brewing; the perfect storm.

I don’t know what it is about Faneuil Hall in Boston that just makes you wild. I think it’s just that foreign concept of having weekends off. I don’t usually have them, so when I do it’s like this whole other world can be seen, a world I usually only see from behind the bar. This Friday was like that. We could be those people, the ones who go out with no abandon, who rack up a hundred dollar tab that’s just a couple beers and a million Washington apple shots. We could be the loud ones, the crazy ones, the dancers, the wild.

The cover band might as well have been Guns n’ Roses in the flesh and the friendly faces behind the bar telling me this round was on the house soon led to things starting to blur. The guys I was with all started looking like dinner and then dessert, and with a wink and a smile we gallivanted off to the bar next door for one more shot and then to yet another bar where I realized that I was in trouble. Things were happening in slow motion. I pulled down my friend’s dress while she danced against her guy with her underwear hanging out, watching a conversation between two people I don’t know. Not being able to shift my gaze, I came to an all too slow realization that my roommate has gone home in a cab by herself and it was my own voice that told her I wasn’t going with her.

The next morning, as I am frantically searching for very new and very lost earrings in a sea of wrinkled sheets and bad, bad decisions, I can’t help but think that none of this is really my fault. Faneuil Hall and having a weekend night off is what’s to blame here. I just get too excited, too thirsty, and at the time nothing seems as bad as it is as that first sliver of light is hitting your face through the shades. It all starts coming back, like a giant wave cresting and crashing against my lifeless hungover body, and I close my eyes as the waves of nausea roll over me, just another repercussion of last night’s perfect storm.

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by Blogbot

This Thursday June 20th on SuicideGirls Radio hosts Nicole Powers and Juturna Suicide will be joined in studio by producers DJ Muggs and Andrew Kline, and uber geek and Safecast co-founder Sean Bonner, who with vocalist Brevi comprise the avant-garde band Cross My Heart Hope to Die. Journalist, podcaster, and SG Blog contributor David Seaman will also be in-studio to give us his take on the recent NSA surveillance revelations.

You can listen – and watch – the world’s leading naked radio show live on Thursday nights from 6 til 8 PM at our new state-of-the-art all digital home: TradioV.com/LA.

You’ll also be able to listen to our podcasts via Stitcher – download the app now!

If you have questions for the SG Radio crew or our guests, you can call in during the live broadcast at: 1-855-TRV-inLA (1-855-878-4652)

For updates on all things SG Radio-related, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Cross My Heart Hope to Die

Cross My Heart Hope to Die (@cmhxhtd) will change your perceptions of art and challenge your expectations of music. CMHHTD transcends musical boundaries – the music exists as just one part of a larger project, ever evolving. At its foundation, this collective balances tangible art with striking visuals and an all encompassing soundtrack to create a total experience – each element as important as the other.

The sound system is the spark caused by the collision of producers DJ Muggs (@DJ_Muggs) and Andrew Kline. DJ Muggs is best known as a founding member of the multi platinum rap group, Cypress Hill, as well as the producer of such hits as Ice Cube’s “Check Yo Self” and House of Pain’s “Jump Around.” The Grammy nominated producer has created remixes for U2 and Depeche Mode, and collaborated with UK trip hop artist, Tricky, on the album Juxtapose. Andrew Kline is a founding member and main songwriter of the Los Angeles based hardcore band, Strife. With a career spanning more than 20 years, Strife is heralded to be one of the most influential and defining hardcore bands of the 90’s. As a music producer, Andrew has worked with artists over a wide range of genres and has recently added video directing to his repertoire. Muggs and Kline, though from different musical backgrounds, share a love of a dark, cinematic music and the fusion of their talents creates something you would not expect.

This sound is complemented by the ethereal songstress, Brevi, who elevates the tracks with her sexy and hauntingly beautiful vocals. The attentive listener may recognize her from tracks with such musical veterans as 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Xzibit, Raekwon from the Wu Tang Clan, and more – though CMHHTD puts her in a spotlight like never before.

Sean Bonner (@seanbonner) adds an additional, indefinable piece to what is already a bit of an enigma. Sean is a hacker and curator who commands a noteworthy online network. With a history in both fine art and music, he helps to shape the public face and feel of this project, and his involvement is sure to blur the lines between fans and collaborators, audience and participant.

The first traditional release from Cross My Heart Hope To Die, a self titled EP, was released on April 2nd on Alpha Pup Records. The interactive art side of this collective, however, has been prolific and manifesting itself on the streets for close to a year. Unsuspecting pedestrians around the world have been enjoying and participating in this project – sometimes without even knowing it. Inconspicuous art installations and street music boxes have been hidden in such cities as Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo, Rome, Belfast, Prague, and Vienna. CMHHTD wants to manipulate the way people find music; to bring back the thrill of discovery. Something sorely needed in a digital age where we are constantly bombarded with aural stimulation.

Upcoming gallery exhibitions and a series of videos shot all over the world make it obvious that Cross My Heart Hope To Die is much more than just another musical project. Their actual scope escapes clear definition.

For more visit cmhhtd.com and Soundcloud.

About David Seaman

David Seaman (@d_seaman) is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.


**UPDATE**
ICYMI: Here’s the video-pod of last night’s show. We explore the intersection of music, art and technology with Andrew Kline and Sean Bonner of the innovative LA band Cross My Heart Hope to Die. Sean also measures our radiation levels with a Geiger gadget he made earlier and explains how his crowd-sourced Safecast project helps empower people with critical data about their environments. Plus SG’s Political Correspondent David Seaman explains to someone who gets naked on the internet – ie SG Radio co-host Juturna Suicide – why she should care about the fact that the NSA is spying on her.

Video streaming by Ustream

by Nicole Powers

Artist/SG Member Name: Timothy Skinner a.k.a. TimmyGee

Mission Statement: Everything is about balance – of imagery and material. Paint has the ability to both mimic and exist as its own entity. As an artist I sit between the two trying to react to each and create a harmony of sorts. The imagery I collect and use is often of human rituals but the imagery is essentially a place to start, the paintings themselves then lead to a place that you don’t expect.

Medium: Paint – mostly oils but some printing inks and spraypaints also find their way in.

Aesthetic: I guess you would say I err on the shadier side of life.

Notable Achievements: I think the first piece you sell is a landmark, especially in how you view yourself coming out of art school. There is a watershed moment when you start to understand that what you create is really an extension of you that you are putting out in to the world.

Why We Should Care: Why should you care about me? Maybe you shouldn’t. I’m really not the person to make that decision. But you should care about creative integrity and embrace it whenever you find it.

I Want Me Some: The best way is to speak to me directly. Work is often in shows around the UK and I try to keep my blog and website updated with current exhibitions. There are a few shows coming up late summer which I’m working on now so that will be the next chance to see the work in the flesh. You can also follow me on Twitter @TimSkin.

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