facebook's culture of like

Is Facebook only for *liking?* What if you genuinely dislike something that is posted by a *friend* on facebook? Does the culture of the site discourage negative commenting? I recall a campaign a few months back for a *dislike* button, as an alternative to the *like* button, but nothing ever came of it. *Liking* goes beyond how you feel about a person's comment or photo- it's a large part of Facebook's marketing and integration with other sites. It's hard to find a major blog or news website that doesn't include FB *like* buttons as a feature for sharing posts.

What if you genuinely dislike something someone has posted on fb, or find it disturbing or distasteful? Do you feel comfortable expressing your opinion, or are you more apt to say nothing? I guess it depends on how well you know the person, how well they accept criticism, and how you deliver your message. But all of this is tricky and subjective. You can write something with the best of intentions and still fail to get your point across, have your words be misinterpreted, or even worse, have the comments be deleted.

I ran into a problem this past weekend involving some photos of girls in their junior prom dresses. I had a visceral reaction to some of the dresses and typed exactly what I thought- "too sexy, too mature, inappropriate." I made no personal attacks on the girls, said nothing mean or offensive, and tried to get my point across in the most direct way I know how. And yet, my comments were met with disbelief and horror. After some conversation back and forth, my comments were deleted- by my brother.

After he notified me of what he had done, I started a new thread, letting people know that my brother had censored my comments. The thread went on, with a few of my friends- these are actual friends, defending my point that prom dresses today are in fact too mature and too sexy. And yet, my brother refused to acknowledge my initial point, instead evading the question, claiming that I criticized the girls and not the dresses, bringing up irrelevant points and generally making an ass of himself. After a very frustrating few days, B pointed out that since my brother had deleted my comments, it had been pointless to engage him in conversation. Because in fact, he was now free to rewrite history to suit his own needs.

In a new post I wrote precisely what B had pointed out- that deleting comments allows you to rewrite history. And still, my brother continues to make false claims, commenting on the very post where I am trying to explain the problem with censorship. I say, whether you agree with what's been written or not, let the record stand. If the comments offend someone (which was my brother's alleged reason for deleting the comments- he said it hurt the feelings of a certain girl whose dress I singled out) then so be it. The girl already read the comments, so why bother deleting them? If you think I'm being offensive, then where's your proof?

I have written to Facebook, suggesting that if a comment is deleted, a flag should be put in its place to let people know. As it stands now, people are able to delete comments made by themselves and others, leaving gaps in conversations. Most reputable websites and forums indicate to the reader when a comment has been deleted, and whether it was by the commenter or the moderator.

My brother claims that the photos were posted for peoples' enjoyment and that commenting on them failed because my comments were unsolicited. I wasn't aware that one was able to post a photo with intention. I wouldn't assume that everyone would only *like* what I post on FB. There are those who don't like everything I do or say, and I accept that. It's life. If my brother's wife only wanted people to *enjoy* the prom photos, she could have invited people to her house to view the photos in private. FB blurs the line between what is public and what is private. It's private in the sense that you can choose your *friends* and set your own privacy settings. But it's public in that there are so many people with the ability to view your content- many more than you would invite to your living room to look at a photo album.

PRISM index

Jeffrey Bowers, who works at Fort Defiance, (one of the fine eating establishments on Van Brunt Street) stopped by recently with copies of PRISM index. PRISM index is like a grown-up zine. It's a collection of art and writing, offset printed, hand bound, and finished with a silkscreened cover done up on hand made paper. Inside the book are a compilation music cd and a dvd of short films. All of this is curated by Jeffrey, and Volume I contains work by 60 artists. We have a few copies for sale in the store, and at $25 it's a bargain indeed.


Cover art by Jeffrey Bowers


Luke Ramsay


Lisa Hanawalt

purim

andrew's ambrosia

propolis, buckwheat honey, bee pollen.


home made ambrosia

some time during the winter I found the Andrew's Honey booth at the Union Square Green Market. I looked through the products- honey made from various flowers, honey with the comb, bee pollen, etc. and asked (I think it was Andrew himself) which was the best for immune system support. I've heard for years that eating local honey and related products is especially good for allergies. It's like taking homeopathics or allergy shots- introducing a small amount of the allergen into the system to work as an antibody. The difference with bee products is that you're eating a whole food, filled with complex nutrients.

Andrew handed me a small jar of what he called Ambrosia. It was a mix of honey, royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis. I ate a small spoon of the ambrosia every morning until it was gone.

Last Wednesday I went back by the market looking for the ambrosia. A different guy was working the booth- he said they were sold out. At the same time a little old lady was asking him a million questions and kind of driving the guy crazy. I had to kind of poke and prod to get him to supply me with what I needed! but finally he produced the goods- the components of ambrosia, minus the royal jelly. (thus the reason why they were sold out) The honey and bee pollen were right on the table- he suggested buckwheat honey as being the most nutritious. And you can tell- it's dark and not nearly as sugary as other honeys- similar to molasses. The propolis he produced from behind the table, handing me a ratty plastic bag sealed with blue painter's tape.

I brought the ingredients home and first off researched propolis, the bagful of waxy chunks with a sweet, perfumey smell. Propolis is a resinous material that bees collect from conifers. It has antiseptic properties, and bees use it to keep the hive hygenic, encasing foreign bodies in it and using it to line the hive when the queen gives birth.

Before mixing the ambrosia together I decided to try the propolis by itself. It's quite sticky and waxy, and on first try I took too much. I chewed it like gum- it releases an herbal, medicinal flavor. Propolis is known for keeping gums healthy- it is an ingredient in some toothpastes- and for soothing sore throats. Since the mouth is an entryway to the respiratory system, I can see how chewing the propolis is probably good for allergies as well.

what blew in

the garden!

I was so pleased to come back to nice weather in ny. I got to go into the garden today and clean up a bit. things grew under the snow! the lamb's ear expanded, and a crop of new succulants placed themselves in between the dried stems of the sedums. the lavender is purplish green and huge.

neesha zollinger talks about the opposites of expansion and contraction, as they work in the body, and as they relate to the changing seasons. summer is a time of expansion, as winter is a time of focusing inward and reserving energy. I could see how the plants reserved energy under the snow blanket, in preparation for the coming warm weather.

fresh picked oranges

they taste as good as they look.

in L.A.

ha!

thought I'd give a quick update. we've left the store in the girls' capable hands and came out to La-La for a few weeks. b and I have amassed a great pile of vintage goods for the store- razors, tooled leather accessories, coffee cups, cameras, mechanical pencils, and of course more lighters. we've also been visiting some of our wholesale vendors and now have a great stash of new Poketo goods. some of them have already hit the website for your shopping pleasure.

okay, off to take a shower and then work on the site some more. I'm not one to miss being at home- I usually love getting away. but this time I really miss Brooklyn. (if you've been reading my blog for a while you might be aware of my issues with Los Angeles) bleh! it seems to keep getting worse- with the exception of downtown. we'll be visiting the great and mighty Greg Barnett (who is launching an art show at ebmerc in April) tonite in K-town- I can handle being in a massive Korean neighborhood.

what's new

vintage reworked jewelry and richard balls.

black box key necklace by emily rothschild.

vintage japanese beaded purse, $45.

ninja magnets with yee-haw industries cards. jenna kole origami forms.

in-between season shirt dresses from the 70's and 80's. some have shoulder pads.

I don't know.

dude section, near the bowling game. lighter necklace, $16.

knit and crochet beanies by purldrop.

metal wall hook

vintage silk and rayon scarves

at old hollywood

double wing necklace.
vintage trifari brooch transformed into a pendant. brass chain, copper wire, waxed cotton cord.



op art necklace.
hand made enamel pendant, multiple copper and brass chains, sterling silver clasp.



blue lake necklace.
someone's art project, (ceramic) antiqued copper chain, copper wire.



jaw braker necklace.
glossy vintage japanese faceted plastic beads, copper wire, brass chain.

old hollywood.