Over on the Google newsite, I noted the juxtaposition of two stories. One involved a report that the Taliban attacked both an airport and a foreign military base in Afghanistan. The other was a backlack against the new body scanners in use in some airports in the United States and invasive patdowns.
Afghanistan OnLine ( http://www.afghan-web.com/woman/ ) admits to the burning down of girls' schools and RAWA ( http://www.rawa.org/women.php )reports that the most recent burning down of a girls' school took place this past Monday. Things are not good in Afghanistan, not at all.
Meanwhile, back in the United States, some folks are afraid of radiation leakage from the body scanners that a few airports are currently using. ( http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/12/travel.screening/?hpt=Sbin ). And a few folks are calling patdowns invasive and humiliating
( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/12/AR2010111206580.html ). The issue cuts a bit deeper than todays' news stories cover.
At this year's Autreat, there was a presentation about airport security. The full-body scanner that folks are having fits over may actually be beneficial to people who are sensitive to touch who don't use wheelchairs or have prostheses. ( http://autisticcats.blogspot.com/2010/07/autreat-2010-presentations.html ). Another blogger talks about the experience that a female amputee went through ( http://www.thebredafallacy.com/2010/06/on-being-modular-iii.html ). Peggy-- the woman amputee-- took down her initial blogpost about her experience but has left up a post explaining the fallout she experienced from trolls ( http://amputeemommy.blogspot.com/2010/06/lost-message.html ). Peggy's story attracted a bit of attention from the T.S.A. I hope that she will continue to be a catalyst for change. ( http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=12700154 ). It is noted that she was not allowed to reassure her four year old son as he sat next to her crying because someone yelled at him for holding her hand! One worker insisted that Peggy give him both her prothesis and the cloth that covers it-- which must be kept sanitary-- rather than wanding the artificial limb. ( http://www.swisswuff.ch/tech/?p=325 )
There are some able-bodied Americans who don't care for body scanners and others who refuse to fly. It remains the concerns of folks with disabilities that I find most compelling as a woman with brain damage. We the disabled among you cannot be lumped into one population. The concerns of amputees about airport security procedures and possible ameliorative measures are different from those of folks on the autistic spectrum.
So yes, there are problems, severe problems with national security. I maintain that our train stations remain severely lacking in security measures. If I were a terrorist, American train stations would be on my target list. I went halfway across the country on trains. At no time did anyone express the slightest concern over what I may have been carrying in my baggage or on my person. Security wasn't lax on the trains. It was non-existent. And in these times, that is as scarey as the knowledge that any one of us can be detained for an undefined period of time because of the National Patriot Act.
I am obligated to point out that in the United States, we get to choose how we wish to travel. There is no one telling me that I have to take the airplane or the train or that I am restricted to the female only bus, no one dictating that I must be accompanied in public by a male relative, no one demanding that I see the world through a burqa. And there are a bunch of loved ones who now wish that our airport security was tighter on September 11th.
radical sapphoq
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
George and Lucien
*kudos to the mate for pointing this one out to me*
CAUGHT
Baptist minister George Rekers with rentboy dot com Lucien on a ten day trip in Europe. For seventy five bucks a day, Lucien carried George's luggage-- and shared a hotel room, a couple of meals, eight hours, and possibly a daily hour of what has been called sexual massage albeit without the sex.
George Rekers is a co-founder of Family Research Council and was-- until after this particular story broke-- a board member of NARTH-- those folks that offer therapy to those gays who want to change over to the straight side of the streets. He also is "against" gay adoption. He maintains that he himself is not now or ever has been gay.
Lucien, the gay male escort, maintains that he only advertises his services on the rent boy site and that George did feel the heat when Lucien administered his sexual without the sex massages.
radical sapphoq maintains that if one is against gay adoption, then don't adopt a gay. Furthermore, George Rekers may indeed "not be gay." Some gay folks refer to this particular condition that George may have as "straight appearing and straight acting." Others prefer the phrase, "Bisexual perhaps."
CAUGHT
Baptist minister George Rekers with rentboy dot com Lucien on a ten day trip in Europe. For seventy five bucks a day, Lucien carried George's luggage-- and shared a hotel room, a couple of meals, eight hours, and possibly a daily hour of what has been called sexual massage albeit without the sex.
George Rekers is a co-founder of Family Research Council and was-- until after this particular story broke-- a board member of NARTH-- those folks that offer therapy to those gays who want to change over to the straight side of the streets. He also is "against" gay adoption. He maintains that he himself is not now or ever has been gay.
Lucien, the gay male escort, maintains that he only advertises his services on the rent boy site and that George did feel the heat when Lucien administered his sexual without the sex massages.
radical sapphoq maintains that if one is against gay adoption, then don't adopt a gay. Furthermore, George Rekers may indeed "not be gay." Some gay folks refer to this particular condition that George may have as "straight appearing and straight acting." Others prefer the phrase, "Bisexual perhaps."
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Now Read This Linden Labs
A few weeks ago, I reported the presence of an eight year old child and her fourteen year old real-life sister on the Main Grid over at Linden Labs' virtual world Second Life (no infringement of their copyright intended...). The fourteen year old has not presented a problem as far as I can tell. The eight year old is entirely a different story.
This particular alleged eight year old appears to live in the state of Florida. It is reported that her real-life mother allows her to "play Second Life." This particular alleged eight year old told her "second life mother" (yes folks can have virtual families on Second Life... no infringement of their copyright intended...) that she is eight years old in real life. She would only admit to me that she "is fourteen" but since the age of sixteen is now the cut-off age, I dutifully reported her in-world utilizing the handy dandy abuse report form. I am a big meanie I know and probably a snitch as well but-- too bad. The virtual mom continues to want to give the alleged eight year old yet another chance to clean up the profile and quit joining groups that are not fit for any eight year old to be exposed to.
This particular alleged to be eight year old girl in real life uses her avatars plural (as she keeps signing up for more and more avatars) to sign up for some groups which no eight year old should be exposed to period, such as a "pony girls high school" group where attendees are "taught" or "trained" to be obedient submissive "pony girls." Folks, that particular group may be fine for adults who are into that sort of thing but NOT for an alleged eight year old child. In fairness, I believe that the owner of that group does not realize that the alleged eight year old child is only allegedly eight years old in real life. This child has belonged to other groups involving avatar virtual pregnancies in the past as well.
Her virtual mom reassures me that the eight year old has cleaned up [one of her many] profile[s] however the group that promises to train pony girls in the proper ways and thrills of b.d.s.m. is still present-- as is another group that promises personalized "care" for a fee.
I am absolutely horrified that the alleged eight year old's mother [who does not play Second Life herself] apparently allows her child access to Second Life...no infringement of their copyright intended... and horrified that Linden Labs has not BANNED her I.S.P. Clearly this is a case where I.S.P. bannation should occur [in my unhumble opinion].
The bottom life is that Second Life...no infringement of their copyright intended... is an adult or near-adult (drat the presence of 16 and 17 year olds now) party to which those alleged to be under the age of 16 have not been invited. Mark Linden, or any of you other Linden employees, I hope you are reading this. And I hope you do the right thing by following up on the original abuse report that I filed, investigate traffic originating from the I.S.P. of the alleged eight year old child, and then bring on the bannation hammer.
And real-life Florida mom of eight year old child who you allow to "play Second Life," you can also do the right thing by contacting Linden Labs yourself and asking for your I.S.P. to be banned. You might also consider locking up your computer and only allowing your fourteen year old, eight year old, and five year old (alleged ages) access to said computer when you are parked in a chair next to them watching every action they are taking on said computer.
radical sapphoq
Short summary of Linden Labs' Second Life sex scandals back in 2007:
http://www.safernet.org.br/site/noticias/second-life-virtual-child-sex-scandal
This particular alleged eight year old appears to live in the state of Florida. It is reported that her real-life mother allows her to "play Second Life." This particular alleged eight year old told her "second life mother" (yes folks can have virtual families on Second Life... no infringement of their copyright intended...) that she is eight years old in real life. She would only admit to me that she "is fourteen" but since the age of sixteen is now the cut-off age, I dutifully reported her in-world utilizing the handy dandy abuse report form. I am a big meanie I know and probably a snitch as well but-- too bad. The virtual mom continues to want to give the alleged eight year old yet another chance to clean up the profile and quit joining groups that are not fit for any eight year old to be exposed to.
This particular alleged to be eight year old girl in real life uses her avatars plural (as she keeps signing up for more and more avatars) to sign up for some groups which no eight year old should be exposed to period, such as a "pony girls high school" group where attendees are "taught" or "trained" to be obedient submissive "pony girls." Folks, that particular group may be fine for adults who are into that sort of thing but NOT for an alleged eight year old child. In fairness, I believe that the owner of that group does not realize that the alleged eight year old child is only allegedly eight years old in real life. This child has belonged to other groups involving avatar virtual pregnancies in the past as well.
Her virtual mom reassures me that the eight year old has cleaned up [one of her many] profile[s] however the group that promises to train pony girls in the proper ways and thrills of b.d.s.m. is still present-- as is another group that promises personalized "care" for a fee.
I am absolutely horrified that the alleged eight year old's mother [who does not play Second Life herself] apparently allows her child access to Second Life...no infringement of their copyright intended... and horrified that Linden Labs has not BANNED her I.S.P. Clearly this is a case where I.S.P. bannation should occur [in my unhumble opinion].
The bottom life is that Second Life...no infringement of their copyright intended... is an adult or near-adult (drat the presence of 16 and 17 year olds now) party to which those alleged to be under the age of 16 have not been invited. Mark Linden, or any of you other Linden employees, I hope you are reading this. And I hope you do the right thing by following up on the original abuse report that I filed, investigate traffic originating from the I.S.P. of the alleged eight year old child, and then bring on the bannation hammer.
And real-life Florida mom of eight year old child who you allow to "play Second Life," you can also do the right thing by contacting Linden Labs yourself and asking for your I.S.P. to be banned. You might also consider locking up your computer and only allowing your fourteen year old, eight year old, and five year old (alleged ages) access to said computer when you are parked in a chair next to them watching every action they are taking on said computer.
radical sapphoq
Short summary of Linden Labs' Second Life sex scandals back in 2007:
http://www.safernet.org.br/site/noticias/second-life-virtual-child-sex-scandal
This blog has moved
This blog is now located at http://radicalsapphoq.blogspot.com/
because google is dumping the ability to ftp to anything other than
a custom google domain subdomain.
My buddy Jeremy Crow says to just go with it and so I have.
Sometime soon I will move my pictures here rather than keep them
on the domain site and I will be reverting the domain site to the
freebie version where I will just have a page of where all my stuff is
located on the web or something.
Well, whatever.
I will be make some posts during the week.
Cheerio, but not like the cereal.
radical sapphoq
For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://radical.sapphoq.com/atom.xml.
because google is dumping the ability to ftp to anything other than
a custom google domain subdomain.
My buddy Jeremy Crow says to just go with it and so I have.
Sometime soon I will move my pictures here rather than keep them
on the domain site and I will be reverting the domain site to the
freebie version where I will just have a page of where all my stuff is
located on the web or something.
Well, whatever.
I will be make some posts during the week.
Cheerio, but not like the cereal.
radical sapphoq
For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://radical.sapphoq.com/atom.xml.
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