Alex Steed

Recent Activity

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  Alex commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Are TV Ads for the HPV Vaccine Too Good?

  Further, I'm not justifying the proliferation one way or another - merely noting another factor which helps to further contextualize said proliferation.
  

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  Alex commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Are TV Ads for the HPV Vaccine Too Good?

  Dorothee - For a company like this, everything they do is going to be profit-driven, yes. Further, your concerns are valid. However, I think Merck finds itself faced with something we are all very familiar with - they've got to create an all-permeating propaganda machine that can compete with, on various local levels, a Christian Right response to vaccination:
  
  http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/06/the_hpv_vaccine.html
  
  

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  Alex commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Newt Gingrich's Gay Fascism

  Michael - good catch. This is a great example of a time-honored, people-in-power approach to crushing populist solidarity. The creation of a spectre of this violent, oppositional enemy that doesn't even exist is an old favorite of Rush, Bill O, and now in Newt 2.0. Way to keep an eye out and keep people informed.
  
  As if, somehow, most times gays or those in the queer community use violence against this invented "other," it hasn't been in self-defence from all of the times when the other (he who Newt is suggesting is speaking for) have chained us to fences, made us felt like shit in school and at work, beaten us to death in barracks.
  

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  Alex commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Support Women Artists Now!

  My two favorites are Dorothee Royal-Hedinger (no shit - really!), Sarah Ramey (author/singer), and the insanely talented Kyle Durrie:
  
  http://afonline.artistsspace.org/view_artist.php?aid=2729

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  Alex commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  The Extraordinaries and txteagle: Micro Tasks to Change the World?

  Hi Nathaniel. Remember when we were Internet friends whe we were 15? That was neat.
  
  Anywho...
  
  Over at NetSquared, we have three related posts. The first is the most comprehensive, and it's a rundown of the Change The Web conversation Ben and Jacob were involved in. The second is about a Net Tuesday event they'll be at in DC. The third is about a $25k award they just won. Check 'em:
  
  http://www.netsquared.org/blog/alexsteed/revisiting-iphones-good-social-actions-change-web-chat
  
  http://www.netsquared.org/blog/amy-sample-ward/dc-area-event-beer-bites-and-brainstorms-extraordinaries
  
  http://www.netsquared.org/blog/alexsteed/extraordinary-extraordinaries-win-25000-wemedia-pitch-it-competition

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  Alex commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Sweet, Sweet Mercury

  I saw this yesterday, and I'm happy to see it posted here. 
  Terrifying. 
  Thanks for posting this. I'm happy to see the word getting out there more and more every day.
  (And thanks to Josh Levy for sharing this on GoogleReader)

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  Alex commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  NY’s Soda Tax: Party On, Dr. Daines

  Isn't there an initiative, though, or was there one passed, to reward permits for bodegas and food markets that provide more fruits and vegetables than average?
  
  Further, I'm all for taxing, pooling the money, then giving each family that qualifies (by way of income) coupons for free water filters, filter replacements, and re-fillable bottles. It shouldn't be seen as "punishing" if there's a clear path for redistribution.

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  Alex commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  NY’s Soda Tax: Party On, Dr. Daines

  I don't think I fully understand this - Regular soda will cost more than diet soda (due to tax)? So the intake of cornsyrup (bad) will be discouraged while the intake of artificial sweeteners (potentially worse) will remain unaddressed? Or have I missed something entirely?

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  Alex commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Entrepreneurial Careerism in 2009?

  In addition to collective workspaces, while the economy is down, ehtrepreneurial careerists should invest in collective living-spaces as well so that we can work inexpensively. I'm 25, living off grants, gifts, loans, and small profits, and it would be nice to live in Boston and NOT pay a little over a quarter of my salary for shelter.

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  Alex commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Can Millennials Turn around the Housing Bust?

  Haha. This is fair, Alex (and Carol - I'll be responding shortly). I'm not so much a partisan as I am someone interested in looking at the positive treands/potential/capabilities provided by a tightly-networked generation (and, of course, as previously mentioned: those who are Millennials in spirit and action). There are documentaries like Frontline's Growing Up Online which take a view of the negative elements of Internet exposure, and there is this image of the generation being painted by corporate advertisers - my intention is to look at what we're capable of and to advocate for that.
  
  Where does this impulse come from? There's so much talk about the generation's sense of entitlement and exceptionalism that comes from our parents' endless coddling, etc. That's not at all where it comes from for me. I remember growing up while Generation X was being eldlessly reported on and I though, well, fuck, I hope I am not a part of this generation, because it seems horrible. And in retrospect, that's largely because the generation was in a position where the news-media had a tighter grip on representing them than they could for themselves. Frustrated by that, I find it important to speak up.
  
  How, though, does this post suggest my generational partisanship? Further, I am not against Gen-X or the Boomers, or whatever. They are free to write on their own behalf, and they do. I'm just speaking about what I'm seeing re: our potential.
  
  I should also note that I went on this tour because there was a lot of negative AND positive commentary being written about the potential for this generation, and I wasn't buying either one until I could meet more people and make a better assessment for myself. Is my perception biased by idealism? In part, sure.