And here it is at last: all the coarse roof work is done, and I’ve moved on to the finish work. If you look closely at the northwest leaf (running from center to center left in this picture), you can see that I had to put in several extra braces and supports to get the design to work without letting any rainwater through. But the work paid off, because the next time it rained the only places that got wet were the areas between the sections, and once the ridgecaps were in place (which I accomplished in two days last week), there was an immediate and dramatic reduction in leaking. I spent last Friday caulking the spots where water was still getting through, and at last it’s possible to walk around the entire area without getting wet unless the wind blows it in from the sides. As I said last week, that work really doesn’t show up well in pictures, but I’m going to try to get a good shot showing the ridgecaps for next Friday’s column, by which point I should be finished installing the gutters if the weather cooperates.
Archive for June, 2022
Annex 69
Posted in Diary, tagged Sunset on June 10, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Customer Disservice
Posted in Diary, Miscellaneous, tagged psychology on June 9, 2022| 8 Comments »
I understand that big companies believe that they can save money by deflecting as many customer service questions as possible to the FAQs and moron-bots; I also recognize that there are fewer supervisors than regular phone drones, and since they probably get paid more it behooves a company to instruct its employees to try not to pass a problem up the chain of command unless it’s pretty clear they really can’t do anything for the caller. But once that has become obvious, why in the world do these employees continue to obfuscate, misdirect, pretend it’s the customer’s responsibility to solve a problem on the company’s end, and even lie, rather than just connect the caller to a supervisor? As you’ve probably noticed, I’m not exactly stupid; by the time I call customer service, I’ve already tried everything obvious that would be listed in the FAQs, and the few times I got tricked into trying the bots I quickly discovered that they’re basically a slower, more time-wasting version of those same FAQs. So I get pretty annoyed pretty quickly when it become clear that a human operator is reading from that same damned list. And when they claim they’re unable to do something I need done, I immediately ask for the supervisor (whom decades of experience has demonstrated time and again will nearly always be able to do that which the front-line operator claimed was impossible). But you’d be amazed how tenaciously they resist granting that simple request, even when I start growing increasingly angry at their insistence that the hundred-dollar billing error was somehow my fault, and even when I point out that they aren’t being paid enough to deal with a demanding, infuriated crazy lady. I mean, do they get demerits for calling in a supervisor? Does the company actually want to pay an extra hour’s wages to the operator to not solve the issue, on top of whatever they pay the supervisor for the five or ten minutes it takes to actually solve my problem once I finally get the first operator to grasp that I’m not going to go away and eat the extra charge, accept the wrong item instead of the one I ordered, or otherwise let myself be screwed over? Why must I always be put in a position where yelling at some poor working stiff who absolutely isn’t being paid enough to deal with me is the only way to actually get my problem solved? Of all the asinine shit modern companies do, I think this is probably the most incomprehensible and least forgiveable; unfortunately, it also seems to be almost universally unavoidable.
In the News (#1243)
Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged agency denial, Canada, censorship, cops, Damned If You Don't, drugs, Georgia, harm reduction, If Men Were Angels, language, LGBT rights, masturbation, Michigan, New York, Ohio, prisons, propaganda, Pyrrhic Victory, surveillance, Texas, The Punitive Mindset, Tissue of Lies, To Molest and Rape, underage, Washington (state), Winding Down on June 8, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Prison officials like to censor anything…to do with minority anything. – Paul Wright
“Youth pastors” are as bad as cops:
A…youth pastor who [claimed] he began sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl [because] he mistook her for his wife, [yet] continued abusing her for more than two years, was sentenced…to…more than four years in prison. David Walker…gasped as…Judge Ashley Kilbane announced the sentence. Walker also must register as a sex offender…Walker was also a math teacher, baseball and basketball coach at Cleveland Christian Academy at the time…Investigators spoke to several women who were teenagers in the church around the same time as the abuse, and four of them said that David Walker also committed sexually inappropriate behavior with them…
I view shocked reactions in these cases as evidence of severe sociopathy; they really can’t believe they’re actually suffering consequences for their actions.
But picket-fence gays say cops aren’t our enemies:
The [cop shop] that [harasses people in] New York City’s main bus terminal has agreed to stop sending [disguised cops]…to [lurk in] its public bathrooms to [frame] people [for supposedly] propositioning strangers for sex, a [creepy] type of sting…aimed at gay men. Under a legal settlement…the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will…only reinstate the so-called public lewdness patrols…if approved at the highest levels…the charges were [nearly always]…brought by [cops] who targeted men…they perceived…as gay, largely to inflate their arrest statistics. The two named plaintiffs, Cornell Holden and Miguel Mejia, [were both victimized by cops] at the bus terminal in 2014…Both [were]…arrested…[for] public…masturbati[on because they were holding their penises in order to urinate]…
As a NY Times reporter phrased it at the time, “the Port Authority’s interpretation of the law [seems] to criminalize the use of public urinals“.
I guess cops are never too old to rape:
An 81-year-old Walker County [Georgia cop named Jerry Glover]…has been arrested and charged with rap[ing a woman while wearing his magical clown suit]…
[Prison] officials in…Michigan…ha[ve] banned dictionaries in Spanish and Swahili under claims that books’ contents are a threat to the state’s [cage stacks]. “If certain prisoners all decided to learn a very obscure language, they would be able to then speak freely in front of s[crews]”…said Chris Gautz, the spokes[mor]on for the Michigan Department of [Torturing]…prisoners …If staff is unable to find a translation [of any] book…[it] is placed under the list of banned books – even when these are in Spanish…A 1989 Supreme Court ruling allows prisons to ban any book – as long as [the censors belch out the magic word “]safety[” first]…
Gautz’s moronic definition of “obscure” includes languages spoken by roughly 592 million and 90 million people, respectively.
I don’t think petitions like this do any good, but they don’t hurt:
We, the Tech Equity Coalition, including members of the former Port of Seattle Biometrics External Advisory Group…write to urge you to post clear and accessible signage in both visual and auditory forms in the new International Arrivals Facility (IAF) regarding the collection of biometric data from travelers and the rights available to travelers. Such signage should be present and discernible prior to an individual’s biometric data being collected. Since Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has not posted such signage themselves, then the Port of Seattle must step up to do so…the…lack of clear and accurate signage violates all seven of the Port of Seattle’s Principles for Public-Facing Biometric Technology, which were adopted in Motion 2019-13.[2] The Port of Seattle can and should post signage making it clear that CBP intends to collect biometric data from travelers and that U.S. citizens have the right to opt out…
ICE…[crowed]…that 70 missing children were recovered following a three-week long operation in Texas. [In reality, the lugubriously-named] “Operation Lost Souls” [was largely a review of records which dis]covered 70 [legal minors who had been reported] missing…[most of whom had already returned home. The others were] victims of…physical…and sexual abuse…[whom police captured and returned to their abusers, under the direction of] Homeland Security…El Paso…
British Columbia is better on prohibition issues than its neighbor to the south:
British Columbia will become the first jurisdiction in North America to decriminalize possession of “hard” drugs such as…heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Effective Jan. 31, 2023, British Columbians 18 and older will be able to carry up to a cumulative total of 2.5 grams of these [state-stigmatized] substances without the risk of arrest or criminal charges. Police are not to [steal] the drugs, and there is no requirement that people found to be in possession seek treatment. The production, [sale] and exportation of these drugs will remain illegal…The change comes six years after B.C. declared a public health emergency in response to skyrocketing overdose deaths [due directly to the drug war]…Close to 10,000 people have died since 2016 in B.C. alone, and advocates have put pressure on governments to re-examine drug laws [politicians pretend] were intended to minimize harms but have [always] had the opposite effect…
Judging by the number of dysphemisms I needed to edit, the Globe and Mail does not approve.
Diary #623
Posted in Diary, tagged politicians, psychology, Sunset on June 7, 2022| 1 Comment »
I’ve had tankless water heaters for over a decade now, and I’ll never go back. Since all this hair takes a long time to wash, my showers tend to run about 30 minutes; that means I deplete all but the largest tanks by the time I’m done, and there are very few things I hate more than having to rush a shower to avoid getting hit by cold water while I’m trying to rinse the conditioner out. I’m not generally fussy about most things, but I view long, hot, high-volume showers as a basic necessity, not an indulgence; this also means any new shower head must be modified to remove the government’s mandated “improvements” before it can be installed, because I’m not gonna try to wet my hair under a fucking trickle because too many Americans choose to live in deserts while I prefer to live in places where the issue is too much water rather than too little, and politicians think I should suffer in solidarity or something. Anyhow, we recently started having weird little problems with the heater: strange noises, temperature fluctuations, that sort of thing. Since it was installed in the autumn of ’17 I figured it needed some kind of maintenance, so I asked Dr. Quest if he knew what the problem was since A) I know he also has a tankless heater; and B) he’s good at figuring out such things. He told me that the flow sensor (that tells the unit when to turn the heat on and off) was dirty and needed cleaning, so Grace did some research and bought this kit (endorsed by the heater’s manufacturer) to add a couple of valve assemblies into the inflow and outflow lines. Once the valves are in place, all one need do is close the water valves, turn off the breakers to the unit, and attach the hoses visible in this picture to a pump immersed in two gallons of plain white vinegar, then let it run for 90 minutes (if you’ve ever had to clean a coffee maker you already know about vinegar dissolving sediment deposits). After that, one detaches the pump, switches the valves back to let water through, and flushes the system with clean water by opening a hot water tap for about ten minutes (and don’t forget to turn the breakers back on when done). The noises are gone, and the temperature seems much steadier; I figure we’ll probably set up a schedule to clean it annually so it doesn’t build up as much. And given that there was nothing about this in the heater’s manual, I figured those with tankless heaters (which I highly recommend if you’re replacing your old heater) might want to get one of these kits, especially if you have your own well or the pipes carrying your city water are old.
The Trek Connection
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged imaginative fiction, nostalgia, psychology on June 6, 2022| 2 Comments »
As I’ve mentioned before, Star Trek was my first love. It was the first TV show I appreciated on a level beyond merely watching, the first one that really made me think about things, the first one I cared about enough to actually learn about. It was also the first one I “collected”; what that meant to me in those pre-home video days was, I asked for a copy of Bjo Trimble’s Star Trek Concordance (yes, the picture is of my copy, which I of course still own) and read it cover to cover, noting which episodes I’d seen and which I hadn’t. I also collected James Blish’s episode adaptations, and came to know some of the stories in print years before I ever got to see them on the tube. I knew the show backwards and forwards, and by the time I bought the DVD collections in the Oughts I had probably already seen every episode over a dozen times (and that doesn’t even count the ones I listened to on my TV band radio). So as you might expect, I tend to recognize actors who were on Star Trek when they appear in other 1960s and ’70s TV shows. In fact, it’s part of what I enjoy about watching those shows. I don’t just mean the regular cast, though of course it’s always fun to catch a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits with a pre-Trek Shatner, Nimoy, or Doohan. No, I mean that when we recently re-watched The Wild, Wild West, at least half of the episodes had an actor or actress who prompted me to say to Grace, “Hey, that’s the girl who played __________ in [episode X].” And now that we’ve moved on to Mission: Impossible (Trek‘s sister show, produced by Desilu on the next soundstage over), it’s even more so; there are few episodes that don’t have a guest star who appeared on Trek (and I’m not even counting Nimoy’s appearance as a regular in later seasons). Sometimes it’s more than one, and we recently watched one in which there were no fewer than five. I don’t really understand why it pleases me so to recognize the faces (or voices); I reckon it’s just the pleasure of familiarity, like going back to one’s home town. But just in case there was any doubt in your mind about my level of nerdiness, I hope this post has rectified that.
Links #622
Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Tyranny, tagged animals, Arizona, cops, Florida, imaginative fiction, Michigan, New Orleans, politicians, teachers, United Kingdom, video on June 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »
That was stupid. – Chase Bebak-Miller, to his victim
Last week, on my way back from Seattle, I listened to the Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack. That may have been a mistake because I had a tooth pulled the next day, and I kept giggling because this song kept going through my head. The links above the video were provided by Mike Siegel, Franklin Harris, Cop Crisis (x3), and Radley Balko, in that order.
- I’m pretty sure I’ve already seen this one.
- Talk about “saying the quiet part out loud”.
- Cops shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near dogs.
- Violent adult bully chokes, then tortures little boy.
- Cop murders teenager for using “street language”.
- “Crime”: no reflectors on bike. Penalty: summary execution.
From the Archives
- “Selling bodies” rhetoric says more about the speaker than about whores.
- Cops, history, sensationalism, Rube Goldberg machines, and much more.
- It’s good to see a government hoist with its own “sex trafficking” petard.
- They make this sound like the bureaucrat was doing his victims a favor.
- Cops are responsible for more violence than any other US social group.
- I’m extensively quoted in this article about everyone joining OnlyFans.
- Violet Blue on protecting yourself from phone surveillance at protests.
- German sex workers answer the ugly lies of prohibitionist politicians.
- Like the Netherlands, Belgium only pretends to respect sex workers.
- The same thing Biden wants, but please tell me more about “wings”.
- Compare to the contrived prohibition in Australia & the Netherlands.
- The best way to accomplish prohibitionist goals is to buy politicians.
- The 5th Circuit sucked Louisiana politicians’ dicks on this in 2018.
- June 2nd is a day for sexual outlaws, not well-behaved “workers”.
- If this doesn’t horrify you, you haven’t been paying attention.
- Government never, ever blames itself for the harm it causes.
- Just another of those nonexistent false rape accusations.
- One of the greatest legal abominations ever conceived.
- The days of my never saying “I told you so” are over.
- Cops, prohibition, lizards, Dr. John, and much more.
- Cops, kinks, robots, Eric Carle, and much more.
- Me in Reason on sex work, money and consent.
- A retrospective of my blogging from May 2011.
- The end of being handicapped by broken nails.
- Fake client texts from an unscrupulous ad site.
- “These cops were nothing but video voyeurs.“
- Sophie Ladder on “restricted content”.
- For every weapon, there is a defense.
- Fixing the wiring problems at Sunset.
- In which Scotland out-Herods Herod.
- “I don’t know where the justice is.“
- Sows hoist with their own petard.
- Whores are as eternal as the sea.
- Rapist/murderer cop of the week.
- Setting posts for my bathhouse.
- A pig comes to live at Sunset.
- It’s just to keep people SAFE!
- Far too little, far too late.
- Rapist cop of the week.
- Stop faking!
In the News (#1242)
Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged agency denial, Arkansas, censorship, cops, Germany, I Spy, If Men Were Angels, India, Israel, law, Legalization a Good Idea?, Neither Addiction nor Epidemic, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Policing for Profit, politicians, porn, rape, sex work is work, surveillance, The Last Shall Be First, The Mob Rules, The Next Target, transgender on June 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Prostitution is a profession and sex workers are entitled to dignity and equal protection under the law. – The Supreme Court of India
A [Missouri] man [named Scott F. Burow]…who spent more than 30 years working as a deputy juvenile officer in Missouri state court has been indicted in United States District Court on a felony charge of sex trafficking of a minor…[for paying a] 15 year…old…ward of the state of Illinois…[for sex] and…secretly videotaping her…
Cops will never stop doing this as long as the state keeps giving them pretexts:
A [gang] of [cops] conducted illegal searches and arrests in New Jersey as a pretext to rob residents out of cash…On May 26, a federal jury convicted Michael Cheff on…conspiracy…and…falsification of a police report…Cheff supervised a [gang] of [thugs who] worked together…between 2016 and 2018, [the gang regularly]…conducted illegal stops and searches of individuals in their vehicles, on the streets or in their homes and [robbed] them…Cheff…[got] a cut [in exchange for]…approving false reports…that…lied about…the…[armed robber]ies…
The problem isn’t Catholicism, Christianity or even religion; it’s blind submission to authority:
A community rabbi from Jerusalem w[as]…indicted…for repeated sexual crimes against newly religious women. Rabbi Moshe Yazdi…rap[ed], sexually assault[ed] and sodomiz[ed]…women while fraudulently obtaining their “consent” by telling them these were religious acts and therefore they had to submit to his demands. He is also suspected of exploiting them financially. So far, 10 women…have filed complaints against him…[revealing that] he presented himself to them as one of the 36 righteous people who, according to Jewish tradition, ensure the world’s continued existence at any given moment…Some of the crimes were committed against brides on their wedding day…
Neither Addiction Nor Epidemic (#568)
Looks like the judge didn’t buy his “porn addiction” excuse:
Josh Duggar, former director of the lobbying arm of the…anti-porn Family Research Council, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for downloading child sexual abuse material…Duggar was known as a reality TV figure for his role on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, a show highlighting his extended family…[which] TLC canceled…in 2015 after it was revealed that Duggar had molested members of his family and a babysitter…The Arkansas trial also exposed the failure of…”porn filter” Covenant Eyes, a business highly ballyhooed by anti-porn crusaders…federal investigators found that Covenant Eyes had been installed on Duggar’s computer so that it could monitor and report his internet use to his wife, Anna…however, an investigator reported that “Covenant Eyes was unable to detect Duggar’s internet usage after a password-protected network was installed on his computer”…
For Those Who Think Legalization is a Good Idea (#737)
Indian sex workers have awaited this ruling for years:
The Supreme Court…told police that they should refrain from interfering and taking criminal action against…sex workers…[who] should not be arrested, penalised, harassed, or victimised through raids on brothels because…sex work is not illegal and only running the brothel is unlawful. A sex worker’s child should not be deprived of her mother’s care “on the ground that she is in the sex trade”…The court also instructed cops not to discriminate against sex workers who lodge a complaint, if the offence against them is of sexual nature…The bench observed that use of condoms “should not be construed by the police as evidence of offence by sex workers”…[but unfortunately will still allow cops to abduct] sex workers [under the pretext of “]rescue[“] and [lock them in cages] “for not less than two-three years”…The apex court also ad[monished media to take] “utmost care not to reveal the identities of sex workers, during arrest, raid and rescue operations, whether as victims or accused and not to publish or telecast any photos that would result in disclosure of such identities”…[pointing out that] voyeurism is a criminal offence…
The Last Shall Be First (#1151)
Laws like this have already been declared unconstitutional by the 4th Circuit:
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt…signed into law a bill that requires students at public schools…[including] charter schools to use restrooms and locker rooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificates…Transgender students who decline to use the restroom required under the measure would have to use “a single-occupancy restroom or changing room” provided by the school. The measure, which cleared the state Legislature last week, will take effect immediately because it was passed with an emergency clause. School districts that [refuse] to comply…could be sued by school parents…
Prohibitionists’ real goal is to completely ban online sex work:
[Tobias Schmid, ] the local official behind the crusade for Germany to require age verification for viewing sexual content…is now seeking to expand to all of Europe the use of his new [surveillance] tool, KIVI, which automatically scans all online content to determine which images are not compliant with the law…KIVI was developed by Berlin-based Condat under…Schmid’s supervision and is now reportedly being used by all 14 state media authorities in Germany…to detect [images in] categories like “extremism, hate speech, swastikas or the glorification of drugs,” Schmid also included “pornography” as a target for the new surveillance engine…
Annex 68
Posted in Diary, tagged Sunset on June 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I’m now done with all the coarse work on the roof, and by the time you read this I’ll have been doing the finish work all week. But as I’ve pointed out before, a lot of that won’t show up well in pictures, and besides I’d rather document the process step by step. The new section in this picture went very smoothly; it only took me three days to do, and though it has rained several times since then there isn’t a drop under that section, so I guess I did it correctly! As you can see if you look closely, the main roof deck of this leaf is rectangular, with two wedge-shaped sections to carry water from the edges down onto that rectangular deck. Now, the next section (which is still open in this picture) was much more difficult, because the bathroom area extends much farther along the wall of the cottage than the other side. So, I had to come up with a design and build it on the fly as it were, because Grace couldn’t really see from below what had to be done. But done it is, and you’ll see it next week; by the time the following week rolls around, I hope to be able to show you the finished roof!
Whores’ Day 2022
Posted in History, Perception, tagged activism, holidays on June 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Today is a day to shamelessly celebrate our shameless history, not a day to cater to the precious fee-fees of amateurs by neutering our terminology so as not to offend their delicate sensibilities. – “Unsanitized”
Last year, I observed every one of the days I usually observe with polemics by instead providing quotes from and links to all the previous essays for that day. I did this “lest I grow irrelevant due to repetition. Besides, I’ve already written plenty“…but I did make one exception: this one, International Whores’ Day, because for the past few years I’ve noticed some sex worker organizations and social media accounts trying to sanitize our struggle by eliminating the “nasty” word “whore” rather than celebrating our long history as sexual outlaws. I already explained last year why this is misguided and counterproductive; this year I’m going to bring this observance into line with the others by quoting previous years’ essays.
Yes, things are very damned bad right now…and it will pass, as everything does. And when it does we will still be here, just as we always have been. – “Eternal as the Sea”
Politicians who up until recently coudn’t even be bothered to accept that sex workers have basic civil rights are now actively calling for decriminalization. – “Galvanized”
It is the intrinsic nature of government to continue growing ever more tyrannous until a revolution becomes inevitable. – “Cornered Animals”
Every day, sex workers of all backgrounds, all around the world, work to debunk prohibitionist lies and expose the ugly truth about government persecution of individuals for the “crime” of consensual sex. – “Whores’ Day 2017”
We are winning at last. And there’s not a damn thing the prohibitionists can do about it. – “Whores’ Day 2016”
Most feminists of 1975 still actually supported women’s choices. – “The Revolt of the Prostitutes”
Prohibitionists…have…in[vaded] the public’s imagination with…lurid masturbatory fantasies of gypsy whores, weeping teenage “sex slaves” and leering “pimps” with magical powers. – “A Day for Whores”
Though the crusade was rooted in American Protestant notions of “pure and pious womanhood”…it is the poorer countries of the developing world which have borne the brunt. – “International Whores’ Day”
The tide of history is toward greater individual and sexual rights, and those who would restrict others’ sexuality, no matter what propaganda they employ, will eventually be swept away. – “The Birth of a Movement“
In the News (#1241)
Posted in Biography, Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged Amsterdam, California, Catholicism, censorship, drugs, Dutch Threat, Facebook, France, Guinea Pigs, India, internet, law, Netherlands, Opting Out, porn, Pyrrhic Victory, red-light districts, Rhode Island, The Mob Rules, The Notorious Badge, The Prudish Giant, video, weaponry, Whatever They Need To Say, Winding Down on June 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The nuisance comes from drinking and drunkenness, but no one is saying close the bars. – Brenda, Dutch sex worker
I wonder when Hollywood will catch up?
The brothels look brighter, the alleyways are cleaner, and a stirring soundtrack accompanies the protagonists, but a new Bollywood film set in Mumbai’s red-light district has struck a chord with India’s roughly one million sex workers. Gangubai Kathiawadi is a biopic telling the story of a sex worker of the same name who went from being a [coerced underage sexworker] to fight[ing] for the rights of women working in the trade in the 1950s, a battle still being fought today…Many sex workers in Kamathipura…and across India say the film starring celebrated actress Alia Bhatt shows rare understanding of their everyday struggles…“There have been so many films on women like us, but none that raised these issues,” said Kiran Deshmukh, president of National Network of Sex Workers. “People believe what they see in Bollywood films. And this film has shown that sex work is work…that…helps us live our lives and feed and raise our children”…
And it can find you just as easily:
Cher Scarlett, a software engineer…uploaded some images of her[self]…to PimEyes, a facial-recognition website meant to be used to find pictures of yourself from around the web — ostensibly to help stamp out issues such as revenge porn and identity theft…the results [included]…porn…[she was coerced into making as a 19-year-old] addict…in New York in 2005…She has since tried and failed to get all of the explicit photos removed from PimEyes’ search results, despite the site saying it would scrub images of Scarlett from results…Giorgi Gobronidze…the current owner and director of PimEyes…[deflected blame by saying] “The problem isn’t that there is a search engine that can find these photos; the problem is…people who actually uploaded [the photos] on purpose”…Scarlett’s saga starkly shows how easily facial-recognition technology, which is now available to anyone with internet access, can lead to unexpected harms that may be impossible to undo…
Instagram and TikTok users, take note:
Digital studies and sexuality researcher Dr. Carolina Are is asking sex workers, adult performers and others who have experienced discrimination to participate in a study investigating Instagram and TikTok’s approach to malicious flagging or reporting of “gray area” content, including nudity. Are is seeking participants over 18 years of age who have received negative comments and simultaneously had their accounts and/or content removed…Are plans to circulate an anonymous survey and then interview specific case studies. Those wishing to share their experience with social media discrimination can fill out the survey here…
The Dutch scheme to Disnify De Wallen is no longer merely a scheme:
In November 2020, Mayor Femke Halsema announced plans to [forcibly] relocate sex workers to a purpose built “Erotic Center” on the city’s outskirts in hopes of luring bands of drunk men and general carnality away from residents to make space for new cafés, art galleries, and designer boutiques…according to the mayor’s office…“We want less dominance of cheap nightlife”…if built, it will be the most extreme measure taken to “clean up” De Wallen, which has, in recent years, already been subject to a raft of new regulations and s[urveillance]…Amsterdam’s sex workers are ambivalent about the city’s plans to relocate them. Brenda, a sex worker…[who] met me at the Prostitution Information Center…said sex workers were soft targets in the city’s gentrification push…Iris, a coordinator at the center, said the “so-called nuisance and antisocial behavior” was just another excuse to get rid of sex workers and free up lucrative real estate in the sought-after inner city…
Over half of Americans now live in states with legal cannabis:
Rhode Island…became the 19th state to legalize marijuana for recreational use…[the] bill…immediately allows adults 21 or older to possess up to an ounce of cannabis in public and grow up to three plants at home. State-licensed recreational sales are supposed to start on December 1, beginning with the state’s three existing medical marijuana dispensaries. The law also requires automatic expungement of marijuana possession convictions…public consumption…will be legal in any place where cigarette smoking is allowed…The law caps the number of retailers at 33, which amounts to about one store per 32,000 people…Rhode Islanders may find it easier to buy pot from black-market dealers or from stores in Massachusetts or Connecticut, both of which have legalized recreational use. Like California, Rhode Island will allow local governments to ban pot shops, but only through referendums and not in the three cities (Providence, Warwick, and Portsmouth) where medical marijuana is already being sold…
French law provides some defense vs religious activism:
A Paris court of appeals rejected…the attempt by local War on Porn groups, led by an extremist Catholic organization, to use France’s media authority and the courts to block the most popular adult tube sites in the country…following months of…threats pressuring tube sites to implement vaguely defined age verification schemes, French media regulator ARCOM went to court…to demand that French ISPs block Pornhub…and [a number of similar sites, but]…the Council of State…issued a ruling rendering null all the activities taken up by…ARCOM in connection with the…block…the Council…specifically pointed out the role played by extremist Catholic organization Civitas in orchestrating the campaign…
Civitas is associated with the Society of Saint Pius X, the reactionary organization founded by Archbishop Lefebvre to fight modernization efforts such as performing the Mass in the vernacular rather than Latin.
Shortly after the nation’s latest mass shooting…at an elementary school in Texas, the California Senate passed a bill…to allow private citizens to file suit for at least $10,000 — a bounty-hunter provision modeled on a Texas abortion law — against makers or sellers of [3-D printed firearms] or [rifles banned under California law]…
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