Via The Philip DeFranco Show:
Will you still medal in the morning?
“Home to more than 10,000 athletes at the Summer Games and 2,700 at the Winter, the Olympic Village is one of the world’s most exclusive clubs. To join, prospective members need only have spectacular talent and — we long assumed — a chaste devotion to the most intense competition of their lives. But the image of a celibate Games began to flicker in ‘92 when it was reported that the Games’ organizers had ordered in prophylactics like pizza. Then, at the 2000 Sydney Games, 70,000 condoms wasn’t enough, prompting a second order of 20,000 and a new standing order of 100,000 condoms per Olympics.
(snip)
The challenge athletes face is what to do with their urges and when. “If you don’t have discipline, the village can be a huge distraction,” Solo admits. Some swear off sex until their events are done; others make it part of their pre-event routine. American shot-putter and silver and bronze medalist John Godina thought he’d seen it all in Atlanta: late-night hookups, friends disappearing for days at a time. But he hadn’t seen anything like the dorm room in Sydney he shared with a javelin thrower, which had instantly become a revolving door of women without backstories. “It’s like Vegas,” Godina explains. “You learn not to ask a lot of questions.” ”
There’s no real news to this story. It’s all just fun, juicy gossip about Olympians having sex. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
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From Common Dreams:
Pussy Riot Prosecutor Calls for 3-Year Jail Term: ‘Feminism Is a Mortal Sin’
“Russian prosecutors on Tuesday called for a three year jail term for three members of punk band Pussy Riot. Prosecutors accused the band members of insulting Russian Orthodoxy and posing a danger to society, after performing one of their songs in a Moscow cathedral. The defendants, however, argue that their song titled, “Virgin Mary, Chase Putin Out”, was not an act of religious hatred, but an act of political protest.
(snip)
“All the defendants talked about being feminists and said that is allowed in the Russian Orthodox church,” said Yelena Pavlova, a lawyer for several of the nine victims who said they were insulted by Pussy Riot’s performance. “This does not correspond with reality. Feminism is a mortal sin,” she said.”
I’m glad to see this story getting so much press. Three years in prison for singing a political song in a church? Damn. Let’s hope they’re found not guilty. As a proud feminist I find it offensive to call feminism a “mortal sin”. What an idiot.
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From Laughing Squid:
Half-Drag, Men’s Faces Half Made up as Their Female Alter Egos
“Half-Drag is a wonderful ongoing series by New York City-based photographer Leland Bobbé where men’s faces are half made up as their glamorous female alter egos. You can check out all of the images and make a donation to this non-commercial project at Bobbé’s website. ”
This is a great gallery. I’d love it if there was some day an accompanying drag king series as well.
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From Neatorama:
Penis Snake
“Biologist Juliano Tupan discovered a rare species of wee animal in the Amazon that looks quite happy to see him.
It’s an exciting discovery for science … and an arousing news for the Interweb who couldn’t stop giggling because the animal, named Atretochoana eiselti, looks just like a … ehm, penis.”
And it does look like a penis. Funny.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:05 PM CDT
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From Out.com:
Meet Chaz the Intolerant Chick-fil-A Chicken
“Oh, Conan. How do we love you? Let us count the ways. Always ready to introduce some bizarre idea into a sketch on his show, the TV host has now introduced Chaz, the Intolerant Chick-fil-A Chicken as a response to all the hullabaloo over the faith-based fast food chain’s open intolerance toward marriage equality and homosexuality; and the Jim Henson Company’s decision to take its Muppet characters out of its kids’ meals.
As Coco explains in jest: “This has not stopped Chick-fil-A. They have just come out with a new puppet to spread the word about their delicious chicken sandwiches—and homophobia.”"
As a huge Muppet fan I couldn’t be happier about the Henson company ending it’s business relationship with Chick-fil-A. I like how the Conan show made the chicken look very Muppet like. The “eat up you godless sodomites” was my favorite line.
—
From CBS:
Running mate revealed: Green Party running mate, that is
“On the day before the Green Party’s presidential nominating convention, presidential candidate Jill Stein revealed her running mate to CBS News exclusively: homeless activist Cheri Honkala.
“She leads one of the country’s largest multiracial, intergenerational movements led by people in poverty, fighting poverty, homelessness and foreclosures,” Stein told CBS news. Honkala, a mother of two, and the national coordinator for the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, spent some of her days homeless. She ran for sheriff of Philadelphia on the Green Party line in 2011 and based her campaign on a platform of halting evictions.”
I had planned to vote Green last presidential election but once McCain picked Palin I decided to vote for Obama. With Obama signing the NDAA into law I’m not voting for him again. I’ve decided to vote third party and am thinking of going Green this year. Two female candidates…wouldn’t that be amazing if they actually won? A girl can dream.
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From Common Dreams:
Unrest in Anaheim Continues: Riot Police Arrest Protesters Outside of Disneyland
“Protesters continued to express outrage in Anaheim, Calif. on Sunday in the ninth consecutive day of protests following two fatal police shootings last week. Police once again exhibited a heavy handed response to the protests, arriving in paramilitary riot gear and blocking protesters outside the gates of Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort, leading to nine arrests.
Unrest in Orange County’s largest city erupted last week following the killing of unarmed Manuel Diaz, 25, on July 21, and the killing of Joel Acevedo, 21, the following night, both by Anaheim police.”
The pics and video coming out of Anaheim are intense. It looks more like a war zone than a community right now. Signs of the impending police state? Eek.
—
And finally here’s some conspiracy theories on the Colorado Batman shooter. Now I hesitated to post about it at first because not everything has a sinister conspiracy behind it. But two interesting facts really make me suspect all is not as it seems in the Holmes case.
First up is the eyewitness testimony contradicts the official story. You can watch that account here. And second Holmes’ father is a senior citizen at FICO and is supposed set to testify at the LIBOR banking scandal hearings. Isn’t that interesting? You can watch more about that here. Of course Alex Jones has a lot to say about this. You can watch a video of him talking about it here.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:05 PM CDT
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From the Wild Hunt:
I Have No Plans to Kidnap Your Man
“The Epping Forest Guardian reports that someone has been stuffing leaflets in local homes accusing Pagans of wanting “to abduct a male member of the public for use as part of their rituals” this Lammas. Pagan Federation representative Mani Navasothy is not amused by this local smear campaign.”
Part of me just laughs off this kind of news. Really? People believe that I’m on a manhunt and will kidnap some hunk to use for my heathen rituals? And for Lammas? Of all the Pagan holidays they’re choosing Lammas for this rubbish? At least pick May Day where some Pagans celebrate the holiday sexually. (having sex in the May field for example) But what would I do with a kidnapped man for a harvest ceremony? Make him cut the turkey? Or set the table? Oh the inhumanity!
But then the other part of me thinks about how some people take this seriously. I remember wearing my pentacle in the Midwest. It felt like an act of rebellion back then. I would have to be on guard when wearing it because often I’d get offensive questions thrown my way. I’d have to debunk tiresome stereotypes-no I’m not a Satanist, no I don’t sacrifice children, etc. The scariest encounter I had happened in college. I was walking across campus and a campus preacher came up to me screaming. He stood in front of me, inches in front of my face, and screamed that I was going to burn in hell. I want to say I held my ground and stood up to him. But I was young and naive and it scared me shitless. I said nothing and ran off as soon as I could get away.
Slowly but surely we’re breaking down these stereotypes. I am still amazed at what crazy things people think we Pagans do. Like the Pagan Federation spokesman said, “If anything we just go for walks in the wood.” Yeah that may sound boring but it’s pretty spot on. My most spiritually enlightening moments often occur while I’m taking a solo walk in the woods while meditating. The bad stereotypes about Pagans are way more over the top than the reality.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:56 AM CDT
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From NPR:
Supreme Court Has A Term To Remember
“The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court have fled Washington, leaving in their wake a storm of historic headlines. In the last 10 days alone, the high court upheld the Obama health care law, struck down much of the Arizona immigration law and ruled unconstitutional mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles convicted of murder.
Chief Justice John Roberts is in Malta, a place that, as he pointed out, is “an impregnable island fortress.” He puckishly observed that it “seemed like a good idea” to go there after the tumultuous end of the Supreme Court term.”
There’s been a lot of Supreme Court news. This NPR article gives a nice roundup.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:42 PM CDT
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I’ve had several emails asking me to review 50 Shades of Grey. I looked into it and wow does it look bad. But I had no idea how bad until I stumbled upon Bizzybiz Blog’s hilarious review. She is reviewing a handful of chapters at a time. Not only does she rip the Grey book a new one she throws in hilarious comments on top of it. Here’s a few fun ones:
“”CHRISTIAN GREY: MASTER PIANIST. He is probably also secretly the Pope, the head of the IMF…no scratch that. He’s Jesus. Sexy Jesus.”
“So here is what Christian Grey comes to the hardware store to buy: cable ties, masking tape, rope. It’s a goddamn BDSM shopping list. STOP FORESHADOWING EVERYTHING. STOP IT. STOP.”
“I AM GOING TO STAB THIS BOOK UNTIL IT’S SO DEAD IT NEVER EXISTED.”
You can find all the 50 Shades posts here. I’m really hoping she reviews the entire trilogy because I’m having a blast reading her so far.
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From the Santa Fe New Mexican:
Governor: New Mexico anti-prostitution laws need updating
“New Mexico state laws aimed at fighting prostitution are outdated and need to be fixed to help authorities go after online sites that promote prostitution, Gov. Susan Martinez said Monday.
Martinez told The Associated Press that she will ask state lawmakers during the next session to pass new legislation making online sites linked to prostitution illegal.”
When I first saw this headline I thought-yeah I agree, the laws do need updating. That’s as far as Gov. Marinez and I agree. She of course wants tougher laws to make more things illegal. I of course want prostitution decriminalized. The SWC case makes a handy example to justify more laws against the sex trade.
—
Found via Tits and Sass:
Hey Ho! Backpage Protesters Hit Village Voice on the Hottest Day of the Year
“Backpage.com, owned by the Village Voice, is one of the more controversial web enterprises: according to some reports, it hosts 70 percent of the web’s sex ads. On Wednesday night, there were two protests outside the Voice’s offices in Cooper Square. One was led by radical feminists and evangelical Christians who compare Backpage to a pimp, hoping to shut it down the way Craigslist’s “adult services section” was shut down. The other protest was led by Backpage users: escorts, dommes, and rent boys, who say shutting down the site will run them out of business or onto the streets.
(snip)
One of those Attorneys General, Rob McKenna of Washington state, is the architect of policy that threatens not just Backpage, but free speech online. In an amendment to Washington State Senate Bill 6251, Mr. McKenna aimed to make Backpage illegal by criminalizing any individual or company who “knowingly publishes, disseminates, or displays, or causes directly or indirectly, to be published, disseminated, or displayed, any advertisement for a commercial sex act, which is to take place in the state of Washington and that includes the depiction of a minor.””
Melissa Gira gives a nice account of the protest and then makes an excellent transition to the bigger picture. I also like her comment-”It wouldn’t be a protest without a drum circle”. I totally agree.
Posted by Vixen as News, Reviews, Sex Workers at 10:19 PM CDT
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There’s been an update in the Southwest Companions bust. From MSNBC:
Judge: Former college president’s website isn’t ‘house of prostitution’
“A state district judge has ruled that a website on which a former University of New Mexico president is accused of helping run an online prostitution ring is not illegal, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
(snip)
The case was scheduled to be heard by a grand jury Monday, but the Journal reported that State District Judge Stan Whitaker said in a ruling that a website, online message board and a computer of Garcia’s didn’t constitute a “house of prostitution.” He added that the website wasn’t a place where prostitution was practiced, encouraged or allowed, the Journal reported.
(snip)
Drebing told the Journal that the state’s options are to abide by Whitaker’s order, come up with different charges or appeal the judge’s order to the state Supreme Court.”
Interesting turn of events. I’m curious how the grand jury will rule. I’ve done grand jury duty and felt my fellows jurors were more interested in rubber stamping everything just to get out early than actually reviewing the cases. Even if Garcia and Flory manage to escape jail time their reputations are still wrecked as are the escorts’ businesses. And for what? This bust didn’t “save” anyone.
Posted by Vixen as Sexy Sensations, News at 11:12 PM CDT
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From RT:
One death-a-day: Military suicides reach terrifying rate
“More US soldiers are losing their lives to suicide than from enemy forces, the Pentagon reports this week.
According to findings released on Thursday by the US Department of Defense, the suicide rate for active duty soldiers so far in 2012 is around one per day. In just the first 155 days of the year, 154 soldiers have committed suicide, a statistic only made more ghastly by comparing it to the number of American troops killed by insurgency this year — the website iCasualties.org reports that only 139 US soldiers died in battle this year.
“We are very concerned at this point that we are seeing a high number of suicides at a point in time where we were expecting to see a lower number of suicide,” Jackie Garrick, head of the Pentagon’s newly established Defense Suicide Prevention Office, tells the Associated Press.”
Disturbing news indeed. More attention needs to be put on these suicides. What’s the answer? I’m not sure but it’s obvious that the standard today isn’t working.
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From the Daily What:
Congressional Testimony of the Day
“Kylar Broadus became the first ever transgender person to testify before the U.S. Senate when he spoke today during a committee hearing on the Employment Non Discrimination Act, a bill that would prohibit nonreligious employers with at least 15 employees from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
How inspiring! It’s such a joy to read such positive transgender news.
—
From Prison Planet:
Eyewitnesses: Mitt Romney Attended Bilderberg 2012
“Four separate eyewitnesses inside the Westfields Marriott hotel in Chantilly Virginia told London Guardian writer Charlie Skelton that Mitt Romney was in attendance at Bilderberg 2012, suggesting the Republican candidate could be the elite’s pick for the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
“Four eyewitnesses on the hotel staff told me Willard Mitt Romney was here at Bilderberg 2012. My four eyewitnesses place him inside. That’s one more than Woodward and Bernstein used. Romney’s office initially refused to confirm or deny his attendance as Bilderberg is “not public”. They later said it was not him,” writes Skelton.”
Yeah yeah I know, this is tin foil hat news. But back in 2008 Obama and Hillary Clinton both went to the Bilderberg meeting and McCain did not.
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From the Huffington Post:
Penn Jillette Accuses Obama Of Class Warfare For Drug Policy, States’ Rights (VIDEO)
“What troubles me about this… I think it’s beyond hypocrisy. I think it’s something to do with class. A lot of people have accused Obama of class warfare, but in the wrong direction. I believe this is Obama chortling with Jimmy Fallon about lower class people. Do we believe, even for a second, that if Obama had been busted for marijuana — under the laws that he condones — would his life have been better? If Obama had been caught with the marijuana that he says he uses, and ‘maybe a little blow’… if he had been busted under his laws, he would have done hard f*cking time. And if he had done time in prison, time in federal prison, time for his ‘weed’ and ‘a little blow,’ he would not be President of the United States of America. He would not have gone to his fancy-a** college, he would not have sold books that sold millions and millions of copies and made millions and millions of dollars, he would not have a beautiful, smart wife, he would not have a great job. He would have been in f*cking prison, and it’s not a god damn joke. People who smoke marijuana must be set free. It is insane to lock people up.”
This is from last month but it’s so spot on I had to include it. I agree wholeheartedly with Jillette here.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:09 PM CDT
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The above is from MoveOn.org’s image they call “7 Facts About Our Veterans That Will Shock The Hell Out Of You”. I didn’t find them shocking but I did find it upsetting. If everyone who put a yellow sticker on their car instead donated to veterans charities would these statistics be so bad? I don’t think so.
Want to support the troops? There is a list of organizations that support vets here. I would also add Food Not Bombs because they provide free meals to the homeless.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:29 PM CDT
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Wow are the protests in Chicago against the police state are going strong. Yes, yes it’s officially against NATO but really the protests are much bigger than that. Protest news sometimes pours in so fast it’s hard to keep up. Here’s what I’ve been reading.
An article on the lead up to this weekend is a good place to start. From What Really Happened:
Chicago Militarized for NATO
“Ready or not, NATO arrived on May 19 and 20. Chicago’s in virtual lockdown. Residents feel occupied. Building occupants got special instructions.
This writer’s residence advised “leaving town between May 18 - 22.” Otherwise limit city travel. Have essentials on hand, including food and water. Consider working at home. Avoid certain parts of the city. Observe curfew and other mandates.”
—
From Alexander Higgins:
Martial Law In Effect – Preemptive NATO Raids Jailing Activists Without Charge
“The National Lawyer’s Guild reports that activists planning to protest the NATO summit in Chicago this weekend, where a martial law red-zone has officially been declared around the Chicago loop, have simply disappeared without a warrant or charges.
(snip)
After locating the activists, the Illinois States Attorney at the station were the activists are being detained refused to meet with NLG or even discuss the reason for the arrests.
More than 24 hours later 4 of the activists were released without charge while the other 5 arrested during that raid are still being held without charge.
Despite President Obama’s promises that NDAA powers to detain U.S. citizens without charge would not be used the government is doing just that and setting a dangerous precedent of throwing activists in jail just for planning to engage in constitutionally protected free speech activities.”
After Obama signed the NDAA I had people laughingly dismiss my rants of “this means Americans can just be rounded up and disappear”. “That will never happen” they said. It is happening right now and is why I won’t be voting for Obama again or anyone that voted in favor of this fascist legislation.
The National Lawyer’s Guild is an important part of protests. I’ve seen NLG at protests I’ve been part of and encourage you to donate to them. You can do that here.
—
From Raw Story:
Nato protesters arrested in Chicago raid held on terrorism conspiracy charges
“Police claim the charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism, providing material support for terrorism and possession of an explosive or incendiary device, are the result of a month-long investigation into a group they believe was making Molotov cocktails. They had already been pulled over by police last week and asked about their protest plans in a stop they posted on YouTube.
Attorneys representing the men say the charges are fabricated and aimed at intimidating activists. “We cannot say enough that we believe that these charges are absolutely … very trumped up charges,” said Sarah Gelsomino of the Peoples Law Office. “Clearly in an attempt to continue this intimidation campaign on activists. Charging these people who are here to peacefully protest against Nato for terrorism, when in reality the police have been terrorising activists in Chicago, is absolutely outrageous.”
Surely the police wouldn’t arrest people on trumped up charges would they? Harumph!
Again from Raw Story:
Anti-war protesters falsely arrested in Chicago get $6.2 million settlement
“Some 800 people are to receive payments between $500 and $15,000 for false arrests carried out by the city of Chicago during a 2003 anti-war demonstration, according to the terms of a settlement offered by city attorneys on Thursday.
(snip)
The settlement comes after years of litigation during which attorneys for the plaintiffs brought two class-action lawsuits that showed police allowed the demonstration to take place even without a permit, but later decided to begin making mass arrests without properly warning the crowd to disperse.
Some of the people arrested and charged spent more than two days behind bars. Over 10,000 reportedly took part in the march, and more than 500 were arrested, many for no reason at all.”
—
Why are people protesting NATO? Here’s a good list.
NATO: Just why are people protesting?
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As usual Twitter is the best place to find up to the minute news of the protest activity. Not all tweets are true or even make sense but there’s so many lives streams posted that you can watch what is happening in real time.
#chicago2012
#ChicagoSpring
@Occupy Chicago
@OccupyWallSt
#protestnato
Posted by Vixen as News, Activism at 10:43 PM CDT
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When SOPA was defeated the Internet cheered the victory. But our legislators, always fond of stripping liberties instead of giving them, went back to work on another censorship bill. This version is called CISPA and is another nasty bit of legislation.
From the EFF:
Don’t Let Congress Use “Cybersecurity” Fears to Trample on Civil Liberties
“Congress is considering legislation that would create backdoor wiretaps into our daily communications. These “cybersecurity” bills would give companies a free pass to monitor and collect communications, including huge amounts of personal data like your text messages and emails. Companies could ship that data wholesale to the government or anyone else provided they claim it was for “cybersecurity purposes.” Tell Congress that they can’t use vaguely defined “cybersecurity threats” as a shortcut to shredding the Constitution.
Under Rep. Mike Rogers’ Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA),and Sen. John McCain’s SECURE IT Act, there are almost no restrictions on what information can be spied upon and how it can be used. That means a company like Google, Facebook, Twitter, or AT&T could intercept your emails and text messages, send copies to one another and to the government, and modify those communications or prevent them from reaching their destination if it fits into their plan to stop “cybersecurity” threats.”
—
From Security Watch:
House Poised to Debate CISPA: Where Are We Now?
“The House of Representatives is expected to begin debate on cyber-security legislation today, despite claims from privacy groups and technology experts that there are serious problems with the bill.
Introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) in November, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) defines a new framework that would allow companies and governments to share information collected online with one another in order to fight cyber-attacks. CISPA is just one of several pieces of cyber-security legislation currently making its way through Congress.”
—
But Obama will surely veto this right? Sigh. I’m not sure what’s more depressing. The fact that Obama yet again betrays the people who voted for the candidate of change and transparency or the fact that people still believe he’s any different that the other puppets selected for the role of president. Remember when he was going to veto the National Defense Authorization Act? Yeah me too. But he signed that “lovely” little piece of fascist legislation into law. I don’t have hope for a CISPA veto.
From Security Watch again:
Obama May Back Down From CISPA Veto
“The House of Representatives is expected to begin debate on a controversial piece of cyber-security legislation today. The White House has weighed in, promising to veto the bill in its current form, but there are plenty who doubt that will happen.
(snip)
Many observers were skeptical over the possibility of a presidential veto.
“Obama threatened to veto NDAA, too. How’d that turn out?” Kendall Clark, CEO of startup Clark Stardog.com, wrote on Twitter.”
—
From the ACLU:
Tell Congress: No Cyber Spying! No CISPA!
“The House of Representatives is preparing to vote on legislation that would give the government, including military spy agencies like the National Security Agency, unprecedented powers to snoop through people’s personal information — medical records, private emails, financial information — all without a warrant, proper oversight or limits.
(snip)
Tell your Representative today to reject legislation that will make it easier for internet companies to share your personal information with military spy agencies.”
Posted by Vixen as News, Activism at 9:55 AM CDT
1 Comment »
From BoingBoing:
Two years after BP oil spill, a health crisis continues in the Gulf
“This Nation investigation into health problems caused by the BP oil disaster two years ago is a must-read. Reporter Antonia Juhasz chronicles the personal stories of families affected by lingering toxic crap—the oil, but also substances like Corexit, used to clean up the oil. Get ready to be newly outraged at our government, BP, and all the lawyers defending this disgrace while working-class Americans suffer and die from corporate recklessness and greed.”
Prepared to be outraged again indeed. The picture BoingBoing used for their post is just perfect. The sheet irony of sunbathers and oil spill clean up crew meeting up on the beach is a classic laugh or cry situation.
—
From the Washington Post:
More Secret Service resignations in scandal; Obama gets Oval Office update from director
“A week after a Secret Service prostitution scandal began unfolding in the hallway of a Colombian hotel, six agents have lost their jobs and hundreds of people have been interviewed.
(snip)
It all started when an argument over payment between a Secret Service agent and a Colombian prostitute spilled into the hallway of the Hotel Caribe, where a contingent of agents and military personnel were staying as part of a security detail in advance of the president’s arrival for last weekend’s the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia.”
It’s not a surprise at all that Secret Service agents hired prostitutes. I think the real lesson here is don’t argue about a prostitute’s fees. If you do the session then you pay her price.
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From the Guardian:
Occupy promises upsurge as activists prepare for ’summer of discontent’
“But Occupy Wall Street, whose occupation of Zuccotti inspired hundreds of other Occupy groups across the US, is determined to revive itself after a winter of reduced activities and the often violent police removal of its protest encampments in city centres across America.
Activists and organisers have vowed to carry out a massive upsurge in activities on a broad range of issues in a bid to revitalise a movement whose “We are the 99%” slogan triggered a national debate on income inequality.”
I’m very curious how the Occupy spring will turn out. The tent protests were inspiring and the police crackdown brutal. But even if the crackdowns hadn’t happened the movement needed to move beyond urban camping. In my neck of the woods the Occupy movement has turned it’s focus to local and state issues. While that’s great in many regards I think we need another wave of nationwide protests to spark up the movement again.
Posted by Vixen as News, Sex Workers at 8:15 PM CDT
1 Comment »
From the Daily Beast:
Governor Jan Brewer Signs Arizona’s Extreme New Abortion Law
“Life starts earliest in Arizona, which now defines gestational age as beginning on the first day of a woman’s last period, rather than at fertilization. In practice, that means the state has banned abortions after about 18 weeks (20 weeks from the last menstruation) except in the case of medical emergencies. While that provision has been much discussed, abortions after that point account for only about 1 percent of the procedures currently performed.
(snip)
Other parts of the law includes education in public schools prioritizing birth and adoption, signs throughout health-care facilities warning against abortion “coercion,” and an order for the state health department to create and maintain a website touting alternatives to abortion and displaying images of fetuses. Also required is abortion counseling for women aiming to abort pregnancies due to fetal abnormalities, and if the abnormality is certain to be fatal, the counseling incorporates perinatal hospice information before ending the pregnancy. It reaffirms existing barriers to access, like the requirement of a notarized parental consent form for minors and a mandatory ultrasound screening within 24 hours of having an abortion.”
I can’t believe this is law now. What the fuck?!?! The day after my period stops does not make me a pregnant woman!
Further down on the side column there’s this story from Detroit-”To Catch a Predator and Solve 11,000 Rapes Why are rape kits such a ‘low priority’ for police?” That’s certainly ironic. Maybe if legislators weren’t so obsessed with regulating women’s vaginas they could try to fund some rape kits.
Make sure you vote people. I’m sick of the two party system and am taking the vote against the incumbent if the incumbent sucks ass position. The people making these laws need to get voted out of office regardless of political party.
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Project Unbreakable is an art project that shoes survivors of sexual abuse holding up a quote from their abusers. From the FAQ:
“What started Project Unbreakable?
I’ve always been surrounded by survivors of sexual assault. One night in October, I was out with a friend and she chose to share her story with me. Though I had heard about a dozen stories prior, this story particularly affected me and forced me to realize how common this tragedy was. I woke up the next day with the idea for Project Unbreakable.
How do I participate?
You can email us at [email protected]. They will appear at olapic.com/photos/projectunbreakable.
If you are submitting an image, please make sure of the following:
-the image is clear and easy to read
-the words are in quotations”
This is a moving project. So infuriating though that our legislatures are more concerned about regulating something the size of a mustard seed in our wombs than trying to prevent sexual abuse.
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From Jezebel:
This Is How Much It Costs to Own a Vagina: An Itemized List
“Given the national debate regarding birth control coverage, it’s increasingly clear that many people have no idea how much it costs it to own a vagina — folks are getting up in arms about the idea that the pill could set uninsured women back about $1000 a year, but in the grand scheme of things, that’s nothing. Do you even know just how much you’re shelling out for your clam? Were you aware of the fact that in your 20s alone, you will spend over $26,000 on vaginal maintenance? Herewith, we do the math on just how much that cooter is costing you.”
Interesting list. Some of these things are certainly optional-women don’t need to trim/shave their pubic hair. Although maybe they do. A stripper friend had to have a landing strip for work.
I would suggest US women stockpile some abortion money. Keep in hidden in case this war on reproductive rights heightens and you need to high tail it to Mexico for an abortion.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:08 AM CDT
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The Rush Limbaugh scandal. Wow, this one has been fascinating to watch. When I first heard his slut/prostitute comments towards Sandra Fluke it didn’t shock me. This is standard vitriol from him. Personally, I think his “feminazi” term is one of his worst.
I love how social media is fueling this backlash against Rush. From Think Progress:
EXCLUSIVE: 140 Companies Drop Advertising From Rush Limbaugh [Update: 142]
“ThinkProgress has obtained an internal memo from Premiere Radio Networks listing 96 national companies that have “specifically asked” their advertisments not be played during the Rush Limbaugh Show. Premiere is the distributor of Limbaugh’s program. The advertisers have also requested to be excluded from other right-wing hosts including Michael Savage, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. According to the memo, the listed companies’ advertisements should be excluded from these programs because they have been “deemed to be offensive.”
(snip)
Previously, ThinkProgress has reported that 50 companies requested their advertising be pulled from the Rush Limbaugh show following his sexist attacks on Sandra Fluke. The publication of the memo adds an additional 90 companies to the list of companies that have dropped Limbaugh”
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Have you heard about the KONY2012 video? I saw a ton of posts about it on Facebook. If you haven’t Jezebel has a somewhat snarky article. (I do love snark.)
Think Twice Before Donating to Kony 2012, the Charitable Meme du Jour
“I admit that I instinctively hated the Kony 2012 Campaign as soon as I watched 15 seconds of the effort’s new viral video, produced by non-profit Invisible Children, which pledges to make extremely evil Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony famous, “not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.”
Okay, to be perfectly honest, I was skeptical before I even pressed play, since no less than 15 of my Facebook friends had posted about the video, beseeching everyone to “stop tweeting” and pay attention to the video’s 30 minute message. Fine, I thought, clicking on the video and wondering why the people who usually bombarded me with cat memes and status updates about getting high and eating McDonalds were suddenly fervent supporters of Ugandan children.”
Erm, I’m one of those people who posts cat memes… Anyway. I wasn’t going to post about Kony2012 because it’s been reported all over. But then I read this:
From Huffington Post:
Jason Russell Arrested? Co-Founder Of Invisible Children, ‘Kony 2012′ Creator, Not Charged In San Diego
“Jason Russell, the co-founder of Invisible Children, the advocacy group behind the “Kony 2012″ viral video, was detained and taken by police to a medical facility for evaluation on Thursday morning after he was reported to be in his underwear, yelling incoherently and disrupting traffic in a San Diego neighborhood.
Law enforcement officials say there are no charges pending against Russell.
Lt. Andra Brown of the San Diego Police Department told The Huffington Post that a 33-year-old white male was not arrested but “transported to a local medical facility for evaluation and treatment.” She would not confirm the identity of the man involved in the incident, but various media outlets report that it was the 33-year-old Russell.”
HP has a video allegedly of Russell naked outside having what looks to be some kind of fit. I certainly didn’t see any underwear. This is strangely compelling. If true what is going on here? This KONY2012 story just keeps getting weirder.
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From Salon:
NSA whistle-blower: Obama “worse than Bush”
“Thomas Drake, the whistle-blower whom the Obama administration tried and failed to prosecute for leaking information about waste, fraud and abuse at the National Security Agency, now works at an Apple store in Maryland. In an interview with Salon, Drake laughed about the time he confronted Attorney General Eric Holder at his store while Holder perused the gadgetry on display with his security detail around him. When Drake started asking Holder questions about his case, America’s chief law enforcement officer turned and fled the store.”
This is a good article on the hardship whisteblowers face. Drake talks about his disillusionment in Obama. I can relate to that. But don’t think I’m letting Bush off the hook here. I just think Obama is picking up where Bush left off in many areas including prosecuting whistleblowers.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:23 PM CDT
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From The Telegraph:
Edna Milton Chadwell
“The Chicken Ranch served the men of La Grange — a town of several thousand people between the Texan cities of Houston and Austin — from 1915 to 1973. The establishment had got its name during the Depression, when clients who had no money paid for the girls’ services in farm produce, notably with chickens which were then used for egg production. It was said to be the oldest operating brothel in America when, in August 1973, it was closed down as a result of an exposé on Houston’s KTRK-TV by the investigative journalist Marvin Zindler.
(snip)
The brothel apparently enjoyed a roaring trade among local businessmen and students from the University of Texas and Texas A and M; it is even said that a nearby military base laid on a helicopter to ferry soldiers to and from their trysts. “We weren’t ostracised one bit,” Edna Milton claimed. “It was just as if I had a grocery store or an office or a restaurant.””
My mother loved musicals and Dolly Parton so I grew up singing the songs from “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”. Looking back I don’t think I fully grasped what a whorehouse was. To me it seemed more just like a house of women roommates. I loved the songs and the pretty dresses and how the women lived communally.
Years ago I found one of the Chicken Ranch tip boxes on Ebay. Determined to win it I bid a large amount but ended up winning it for a bargain. I use it as my jewelry box and it’s one of my prized possessions.
I particularly like Chadwell’s quote about the casual acceptance of the Chicken Ranch in the community. I’d like to see a future where sex work businesses are seen as just that-businesses.
Posted by Vixen as News, Sex Workers at 11:53 AM CST
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