From CNN:
Topless coffee shop a hit in small Maine town
“It’s a tough time for businesses, but one entrepreneur may have found the recipe for success.
On Monday, Donald Crabtree opened Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro, Maine, where the waiters and waitresses serve their customers topless.
In a town with fewer than 4,500 residents, the topless coffee shop is booming with business. Paul Crabtree, the owner’s brother, describes business so far as “fantastic.”
“It’s just been crowds mobbing in,” he said.
Donald Crabtree faced initial opposition to his plan, but he won the right to go ahead in a planning board hearing last week. Many local residents were irate over the idea of combining coffee and nudity. Crabtree, however, saw a profitable business venture.
“I know what people want,” he said. “People like nudity, and coffee is profitable. Sure, I’d start a coffee shop, but I’d be out of work in a week.”"
—
From The Consumerist:
Identifying Yourself As A Lesbian Gets You Banned On XBOX Live
“Teresa says that she was harassed by other players and later suspended from XBOX Live because she identified herself as a lesbian in her profile. When she appealed to Microsoft, she says they told her that other gamers found her sexual orientation “offensive.”"
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Also from CNN:
Two Arizona teens accused of pimping other girls
“The grandmother of a 16-year-old Arizona girl accused of prostitution — and recruiting and pimping other teen girls — said Wednesday she hopes to fight the charges in court.
“I really want to take it to trial,” Linda Tye, grandmother of Tatiana Tye told CNN Radio. “She needs to meet her accusers.”
Tatiana Tye and a second 16-year-old girl, Jazmine Finley, were indicted earlier this week by a grand jury, Maricopa County, Arizona, prosecutors said in a statement. Although the girls are juveniles, prosecutors released their names and said they will be tried as adults.”
—
From the Star Tribune:
Detectives again turn to public in frustrating hunt for notorious Los Angeles serial killer
“They have a sample of his DNA, a description from a survivor and a $500,000 reward, but detectives investigating the city’s most notorious serial killer have hit a wall.
On Wednesday, they plan to release a recording of a 1987 emergency call in hopes of tracking down the man dubbed the “Grim Sleeper,” who has killed at least 11 times in nearly a quarter century.”
(snip)
The suspect kills by gunshot or strangulation, in some cases both, usually after some kind of sexual contact. Ten victims were women, all were black and several were prostitutes. The bodies were all found outside, usually in dirty alleyways a few miles south of downtown.”
—
From CBS13:
13 Bodies Recovered In N.M. Desert
“Police said Friday that the remains of two more people have been found during the month-long excavation at a construction site on Albuquerque’s West Mesa, bringing the total to 13, including a fetus.
(snip)
Only two sets of remains have been identified.
Authorities say 22-year-old Michelle Gina Valdez and 28-year-old Victoria Chavez of Albuquerque both suffered from drug addiction and worked as prostitutes when they were reported missing in 2004. Linking both women now gives investigators a solid lead to follow, they said.”
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:03 PM CST
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Babeland sent me a roll of bondage tape to review. A close up of a piece of tape:
I put this roll through some rigorous tests.
Yes, it does entertain me greatly to sneak knitting into a sex blog. heehee
Seriously though- I wrapped a section of tape pretty tightly around two wooden needles. Then I twisted the needles in opposite directions to see if I could make the tape break.
It didn’t break. So I took the end of a needle and tried to stretch the tape into breaking. It still didn’t break:
The point of the needle made it break but that’s not surprising. I also managed to tear it with my teeth and after a tear was made it was easy to rip.
I like this tape. Granted, I still think rope is better for bondage. It’s prettier and more versatile. And thick, heavy leather cuffs are still sexier.
That said, this tape is some groovy stuff. It doesn’t stick to your skin and doesn’t leave any gunky residue like duct tape. Plus a roll of tape is more compact and can be used in a pinch. It’s quick to put on and quick to take off.
One downside is Babeland only sells it in black and red. Personally, I’d like to see more colors. That way a person could get it in his vanilla lover’s favorite color. This could be a good way to introduce newbies into bondage. Another downside is you hold one roll of tape and think this was twenty bucks?! But a roll of this tape could easily get you through several play sessions. A little goes a long way which is cool.
I’ve had clients that wanted to experiment with bondage that got a little freaked when I pulled out a hunk of rope from the toy bag. Next time I’m going to tie them up with some bondage tape and see how that goes.
Posted by Vixen as Reviews at 10:53 PM CST
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From time to time I get a little carpal tunnel flareup. When that happens I stop knitting and try to stay offline as much as possible. This week my wrists hurt so Sugasm #160 will be delayed.
I’ll still be blogging but I’m putting off the Sugasm until this weekend. Also, if you’ve sent me an email and I haven’t responded, don’t worry I will soon.
Posted by Vixen as Sugasm at 11:10 PM CST
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From AVN:
Appeals Court Rules 2257 Constitutional in 6th Circuit
“In a disappointing decision for the adult industry, the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has overturned a landmark ruling that struck down the federal 2257 record-keeping and labeling law.
Weighing the government’s appeal in the case of Connections Distributing Co., et al. v. Keisler, the en banc panel voted 11-6 to uphold Section 18 U.S.C. §2257. An en banc (”full bench”) review involves the entire membership of an appellate court, rather than a smaller panel of judges.
A three-judge panel for the Sixth Circuit had declared section 2257 unconstitutional in October 2007, agreeing with the plaintiffs that the law is overly broad and a violation of free-speech rights. Soon after that ruling was handed down, the FBI stopped inspecting the records of adult producers; some fear that this week’s reversal of that decision could open the door to more raids and prosecutions.”
Even if you don’t work in the adult industry 2257 is an important issue. AVN offers an analysis of this decision here.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:43 PM CST
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“You’re better than any .com I could talk to.”
-new client
I’m guessing that he was thinking of a web cam girl when he said this.
Posted by Vixen as Quote Book at 10:44 PM CST
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From Channel News Asia:
China tycoon’s mistress contest ends in tragedy
“A married Chinese tycoon who could no longer afford to support his five mistresses during the economic slowdown held a contest to decide which one to keep, local media reported Tuesday.
The contest took a tragic turn when one of the mistresses, who was eliminated based on her looks, drove her former lover and the four other women off a mountain road in an apparent fit of anger, the Shanghai Daily reported.
The driver died in the December 6 crash while the man and four other women were hospitalised, the report said.
Initially, it was thought to be an accident, but then details of the bizarre contest emerged in a letter left by the dead woman, a 29-year-old former waitress surnamed Yu, the newspaper said. ”
(snip)
“Fan hired an instructor from a modelling agency to judge a private contest he held at a hotel in May, but he did not tell the women about his intentions.
Yu was eliminated in the first-round beauty competition and a woman surnamed Liu eventually won after dominating the drinking round, the report said.
When Fan told Yu she was dismissed and that he was selling her apartment, she decided to exact revenge during a group outing.”
—
Too bad the mistresses didn’t band together and dump him.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:48 PM CST
2 Comments »
From Raw Story:
Former RNC director convicted in phone jamming case gets off without penalty
“The Republican National Committee employee convicted of a plot to jam the phone banks of Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts in New Hampshire in 2002 has escaped penalty in his case, after a federal judge ruled that new charges against him could not be brought.
The latest charges against James Tobin, whose at least $722,000 dollars in legal fees were paid for by the Republican National Committee, were nixed by a federal judge on Thursday.”
(snip)
“But after his 2005 conviction, Tobin found himself legally absolved after the First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling in his case, finding that the telephone harassment statute under he was convicted “was not a good fit for what [he] had been convicted of doing.”"
—
Wow. I can’t help but wonder if this judge had his palms greased when he made this decision.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:46 PM CST
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Looking through my archives today I was surprised I hadn’t written about my first caller. I wrote about him in passing here but haven’t given him a post of his own.
First Caller was a great client. When I think back to that first day on the phone I remember how nervous I was. Logically I knew I shouldn’t be. I’m kinky in my personal life, have been part of kink groups, am open minded about sex, I’ve studied sexuality in college and I’m naturally a talkative person. My nerves leading up to that first day were fine. But for whatever reason when I sat down in my work space and turned on my phone I became a nervous wreck. Could I really do this? What if I didn’t know what to say? What if my voice didn’t sound sexy? A seemingly endless list of “what ifs” ran through my head.
Before too long I was on my first real pso call. When nervous I often blurt out inappropriate things. “This is my first call!” I squeaked to FC in the first few minutes of our call. There was silence on the other end. Oh no, I had blown it! But FC was a sweet guy. He told me he’d been doing phone sex for awhile and that he was new once too.
FC was a crossdresser, a bit of a sissy and had a mistress. He told me all about his kinks. Back then I didn’t have much experience with crossdressers or sissies so I asked him a lot of questions. FC didn’t seem to mind my naivete and gave me very detailed answers. I learned a lot about the sissy lifestyle from him that day.
There were a lot of awkward silences on that call. He’d finish a thought and I would just sit there silent, not having a clue as to what I should say. FC would then prompt me, mentioning something else about his kinks. That would then trigger a comment or question from me and the call would get some momentum again.
The call was great for me. It got me over my nervousness and taught me about fetishes I knew little about. I can’t say the same for FC. At the end of his time I asked if he wanted to keep talking. With a disappointed sigh he told me no. Yet another silence fell between us. He quickly assured me “but I’m sure you’ll do fine”. I thanked him and he hung up.
He was right. After that call I was fine. My second and third call were fantastic. I just needed to get over my nerves. FC has never called me back. Which is a shame because now I’m sure I’d give him a great call.
Sex Work And Compassion Series
Sex Work And Compassion: Panty Tree
Sex Work and Compassion: Self Hating Client
Sex Work And Compassion: I Show No Compassion
Sex Work And Compassion: Death In A Client’s Family
Sex Work And Compassion: A Call From Baghdad
Posted by Vixen as PSO Confessions at 9:09 PM CST
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There’s a joke about pearl necklaces in this photo (from this gallery), I can sense it.
Posted by Vixen as Sexy Sensations at 10:24 PM CST
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The best of this week’s blogs by the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasm participants. Want in Sugasm #160? Submit a link to your best post of the week by emailing me directly at radicalvixenatgmaildotcom Participants, repost the link list within a week and you’re all set.
This Week’s Picks
The Annual Anti-Valentine’s Day Posting: 2009 Edition
“Ahh, Valentine’s Day. Sigh.”
Exposed
“We talk a lot about putting me on display, and it was even more intense in reality as it has been in fantasy.”
Yes
“At the edge of the precipice, my nerves rippling with electricity, i tumbled down into you”
Sugasm Editor
Sex Work And Compassion: A Call From Baghdad
Editor’s Choice
Stairwell
More Sugasm
Join the Sugasm
See also: Fleshbot’s Sex Blog Roundup each Tuesday and Friday.
Kiki courtesy of Viviane’s Sex Carnival.
Posted by Vixen as Sugasm at 1:59 PM CST
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“You’re basically a fictional character in my head since I only talk to you over the phone.”
-a regular client who calls every few months
Posted by Vixen as Quote Book at 9:17 PM CST
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From TV News Lies:
Final Economic Stimulus Bill Permits Americans’ Personal Health Information to Be Sold for Research and Public Health Purposes WITHOUT Patients’ Consent
“The final economic stimulus bill permits Americans’ personal health information to be exchanged and sold — without patients’ consent — for research and public-health purposes, warns the Institute for Health Freedom (Washington, DC) and Citizens’ Council on Health Care (Saint Paul, MN).
The bill also mandates the plan for each American to have a single electronic health record by 2014, without opt-out or patient consent provisions.
“This bill is very misleading because while it promises to outlaw the selling of data, the exceptions to the rule are huge and allow Americans’ personal health data to be exchanged and sold for research and public-health purposes without patients’ consent,” says Sue Blevins, president of the Institute for Health Freedom.”
(snip)
“Blevins adds, “Most Americans have no idea that the so-called HIPAA privacy rule doesn’t give patients the freedom to give or withhold consent before their personal health information can be shared with others for many purposes. Digitizing people’s health records combined with allowing researchers and public-health officials to buy their data from doctors and health plans is going to pave the way for unconsented research on millions of Americans.”"
—
The more I read about this stimulus bill the less I like it. Mind you I didn’t like the idea the first time we threw money onto the fire so it’s not surprising I’m still leary.
And for more fun reading check this out-
From World Sociatlist Web Site:
With US infrastructure in tatters, stimulus plan offers paltry sum
“The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its 2009 Report Card on the state of infrastructure in the US late last month. The report is a stinging indictment of the state of the nation’s infrastructure, assigning it an overall grade of “D”.
The report card evaluates the categories of Aviation, Bridges, Dams, Drinking Water, Energy, Hazardous Waste, Solid Waste, Inland Waterways and Levees, Public Parks and Recreation, Roads, Railroads, Schools, Mass Transit and Wastewater.
The ASCE estimates that it would take an investment of $2.2 trillion over the next five years to update the nation’s infrastructure. By the most generous calculations, the funds allocated in the final version of the Obama stimulus package would provide less than 5 percent of what is required.”
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:44 PM CST
2 Comments »
I’ve never believed Friday the 13th was an unlucky day. But I have had a couple clients mention they were freaked out by the day. They’re not the only ones. The last hotel I was in didn’t have a 13th floor. Isn’t it odd that in 2009 there are still buildings without floor 13?
Where does this fear come from? National Geographic News has an article on the matter. It’s a few years old but still worth a read:
Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History
“This Friday some people will be so paralyzed with fear they simply won’t get out of bed. Others will steadfastly refuse to fly on an airplane, buy a house, or act on a hot stock tip. It’s Friday the 13th, and they’re freaked out.”
Posted by Vixen as Musings at 11:32 PM CST
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From the Denver Post:
Molestation allegations against well-regarded Puebloan
“A wide-ranging investigation has been launched into allegations that a well-known Pueblo resident has molested many boys over the years, including most recently when he was the manager for Sen. John McCain’s presidential-campaign office in Pueblo.
Under investigation is Jeffrey Claude Bartleson, 52, who was arrested Jan. 29 and then re-arrested Wednesday after a campaign worker in the McCain office told police she believed Bartleson molested one of her sons.”
(snip)
“The latest arrest stemmed from a report by a woman who worked with Bartleson in the McCain campaign office.
According to the woman, she and a co-worker were planning in October to attend a Sarah Palin rally in Colorado Springs but wanted to travel to the Springs the night before.
She told police that she mentioned the planned trip to Bartleson. He offered to keep her 5-year-old son overnight in Pueblo and then drive up to Colorado Springs the next day and meet them there.”
—
Can you believe there’s another one of these? It’s like a punchline to an awkward joke that just keeps getting repeated over and over because no one’s laughing.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:59 PM CST
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