Eep!

Columnist and human rights attorney Joanne Mariner of FindLaw reports on what she calls A Guantanamo Index.

The FindLaw teaser says the following about the article:

[She] offers an index, much like the famous Harper’s Magazine “Harper’s Index,” that provides a quantitative perspective on the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and the fates of the detainees there. The figures she compiles range from the shocking (the total days of the longest detentions without charge; the age of the youngest prisoner), to the deeply upsetting (number of apparent and attempted suicides; estimated number of detentions of farmers, aid workers, missionaries, and refugees totally unconnected to terrorism), to the appalling (hours for which, according to an FBI agent, two detainees were left chained in a fetal position). 

The article is worth the read.

Yeah, the Bush Administration doesn’t torture … it also believes we spread freedom, provide an example of the rule of law … *sigh*

~~~~~

From the Los Angeles Times comes the story China Bans Exports of Drug-Tainted Toy:

China’s government has suspended exports of toys covered with a toxic chemical that have been subject to recalls from Australia to the United States after sickening children, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

China’s move came as seven more U.S. children were reported ailing after ingesting Chinese-made toy beads because of the toxic chemical coating, bringing the total of U.S. children sickened to nine, according to a spokeswoman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Chinese government’s quality control administration issued the export ban, sealed the toys at the sites where they were produced and ordered an investigation, Xinhua said in a brief report.

Millions of units of the popular toys, which are sold as Aqua Dots in the United States and as Bindeez in Australia, were recalled in those countries as well as in Britain, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere this past week after children began falling sick from swallowing the toy’s bead-like parts.

Tests showed they were coated with the industrial chemical 1,4-butanediol. When ingested the chemical metabolizes into the “date-rape” drug gamma hydroxy butyrate, and may cause breathing problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death. In addition to the nine in the U.S., three children in Australia have taken sick.

Wow.

Thank goodness our Consumer Product Safety Commission has been keeping us safe from dangerous, cheap Chinese toys! … Well, not really, but we can engage in playing pretend and wish it were so.

~~~~~

Montgomery County Council acts to quell protests over transgender bill;
Protests prompt committee to remove public accommodations section of the antidiscrimination bill; a vote is set for Tuesday:

After a vigorous e-mail campaign attacking the public accommodations section of a bill designed to protect transgender people from discrimination, a Montgomery County Council committee has decided to remove that portion of the bill.

Critics have inundated the council and local news media for weeks over their concerns that women and girls would have be confronted by male nakedness in locker rooms and bathrooms if the bill is passed. They argue that the bill would put girls and women at risk.

The committee’s decision came late Thursday evening and was not announced publicly. The Gazette learned of the change on Friday.

The bill as amended would prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, cable television service and taxi service.

A vote on the bill, which is expected to pass, is set for Tuesday.

‘‘The committee decided it was simpler not to include the public accommodations part. At this point, the purpose is to provide equal rights for transgender individuals,” said Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, who proposed the bill in September and wrote it with the help of an aide who is a transgender woman. ‘‘I think it’s unfortunate that a small group of individuals sought to create a campaign of fear about the legislation.”

Activism works. The religious right scare tactics involved over the nonexistent threat of cross-dressing rapists won the day.

Related:
* We Have A Weiner — I mean A “Winner”
* Latest Attacks Of Teh HomoSEXual Agenda’s Transgenderededs’s Bullet Points

~~~~~

My City Councilwoman, Toni Atkins, sent out her monthly Toni Times. As you can imagine, as a local e-blast it has a lot of boring stuff in it about renaming parks, street lighting wiring, and community thank you’s. This week’s letter had water saving tips — California is also experiencing serious drought:

WATER CONSERVATION TIPS
Water is our most valuable resource. California’s main water sources have been severely impacted by dry record dry conditions. In San Diego, we need to be prepared should these weather conditions continue. As part of a region-wide effort to step up voluntary water conservation, the City of San Diego Water Department, in conjunction with the San Diego County Water Authority, is issuing a 20-Gallon Challenge. San Diegans are each being asked to conserve 20-gallons of water a day.

There are many ways that businesses and residents can voluntarily conserve water. Here are a few of the some simple things you can do to conserve 20 gallons per day:

INDOOR
* Save 2.5 gallons per minute by shortening showers
* Save 2 gallons per minute by turning off water when brushing teeth
* Save 15-50 gallons per load by washing only full loads of clothes
* Save 100 gallons per week by hand washing dishes at least once a day, using less detergent to cut down on rinsing

LANDSCAPE IIRRIGATION
* Save 20-25 gallons per day by watering before 6 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
* Save 15-25 gallons per minute by not over watering—cut irrigation cycles by 1-3 minutes
* Save 15-25 per day gallons by adjusting sprinklers to prevent overspray

OTHER OUTDOOR
* Save 8-18 gallons per minute by using a broom instead of a hose to clean driveway & sidewalks
* Save 15-20 gallons per day per leak by repairing leaking hose bibs
* Save 30 gallons per day by installing covers on pools and spas

~~~~~

HOLY COW! A bovine falls 200 feet off a cliff and lands on a minivan in Manson, Wash.

Charles and Linda Everson were driving back to their hotel when their minivan was struck by a falling object — a 600-pound cow. The Eversons were unhurt but the cow, which had fallen off a cliff, had to be euthanized.

The year-old cow fell about 200 feet from the cliff and landed on the hood of the couple’s minivan, causing heavy damage.

A Chelan County fire chief, Arnold Baker, said the couple missed being killed by a matter of inches in the accident Sunday on a highway near Manson.

The Eversons, visiting the area from their home in Westland, Mich., to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, were checked at Lake Chelan Community Hospital as a precaution.

Everson, 49, said he didn’t see the cow falling and didn’t know what happened until afterward.

He said he kept repeating: “I don’t believe this. I don’t believe this.”

I don’t know about you, but one of my big gripes with the airlines is that they just don’t take the time to dispense fashion advice any more.

So, sardonically says Gerry Braun in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Apparently, Kyla Ebbert attemped to get on a plane in San Diego to Tuson a couple of months ago, and was promptly escorted off a Southwest Airlines flight for wearing the outfit shown in the pic to the upper right (click on it to see the full size pic).

She had a doctor’s appointment that afternoon in Tucson, where temperatures had topped 106 all week. She arrived at Lindbergh Field wearing a white denim miniskirt, high-heel sandals, and a turquoise summer sweater over a tank top over a bra.

After the plane filled, and the flight attendants began their safety spiel, Ebbert was asked to step off the plane by a customer service supervisor, identified by the airline only as “Keith.”

They walked out onto the jet bridge, where Keith told Ebbert her clothing was inappropriate and asked her to change. She explained she was flying to Tucson for only a few hours and had brought no luggage.

“I asked him what part of my outfit was offensive,” she said. “The shirt? The skirt? And he said, ‘The whole thing.’ ”

Keith asked her to go home, change and take a later flight. She refused, citing her appointment. The plane was ready to leave, so Keith relented. He had her pull up her tank top a bit, pull down her skirt a bit, and return to her seat.

Egads.

I’m leaving for Southern Comfort from San Diego’s Lindbergh Field next Tuesday.  What would they say about “appropriate clothing” if they knew I was going to a transgender conference?  Eek!

Well, at least I’m not taking Southwest Airlines. 

~~~~~Update~~~~~
Nexy provided a link to feministing.com, which provided links for Southwest Airlines uniforms from around 50 years ago (select photos to enlarge):

The National Public Radio caption for the color picture is:

Bright orange hot pants and go-go boots were essential for flight attendants at Southwest Airlines years ago. Collectors Press, Inc.

First came the intersexed, seven-legged deer. Next came the four-legged duck. Then came the baryard of multi-legged animals. Then came the intersexed, seven-legged lamb.

Now, we have the Tootsie — formerly Amy — the intersex pony. The story is that the owner thought the pony was a mare for twelve years, but now Tootsie has made friends with a donkey named Derek. And…

The Shetland, who lived with a family for all his life, was only found to be different when he was taken in by the RSPCA. Vets are now carrying out blood tests to check Tootsie’s chromosome levels and determine his exact sex.

Despite his upbringing as a mare, Tootsie still has an eye for the ladies.

Could there be a story more important than this? 

The best headline I’ve seen this week was over at YourHub.com, with this title:

Broomfield gal shows ladies how to pee like a man

The article begins:

When I was seeking out a list of all the woman-owned businesses involved in the Boulder Farmers’ Market (which by the way — who knew there were nearly 30 of them?), Katie Bauer, Boulder Market Manager, wrote back. She suggested I also get in touch with the BCFM’s accounts receivable lady, Karen Diamond, who owns her own business called Go Your Way.

Of course, I immediately sought her out to learn more. When I clicked on her Web site, goyourway.net, it hit me: This Broomfield gal promotes a device that allows women to pee standing up. Not sure if you caught my blog on the Magic Cone, but my perceptions of this kind of device are forever changed, thanks to this lengthy yet eye-opening interview with Diamond.

From there, interviewer Brit Horvat talks to the product distributer Karen Diamond about how her business is growing.  She says in the interview:

On a serious note, they are useful for transgendered people.

So, even after the funny headline, there is a serious side to this story.  I can imagine at least a few of her customers are transmen, and I can imagine a post-op transwoman or two would find the product useful as well — it’s not just bio-women who may find this device useful. 

Jeebus came again — this time in the stained wood grain of a kitchen cabinet door:

A cabinet door inside the Manchester, Connecticut home of Malynda and Eric Smith shows an image of Jesus, according to the couple.

The Smiths say they have lived in the house for about a year, and never noticed anything different about the cabinet.

But, most people who look at it see the image of Jesus.

The Smiths say they have no plans to sell the cabinet for profit…they claim that would be bad luck.

Add this one to appearances of Jeebus or the Blessed Virgin Mary sightings in pasta dishes, burnt toast, grilled cheese, water stains, tree trunks (1. ; 2.), an x/ray, and dripped chocolate…

First came the intersexed, seven-legged deer. Next came the four-legged duck. Then came the baryard of multi-legged animals. Now, the Ashburton Guardian is reporting that an intersexed, seven-legged lamb has recently been born in Canterbury, New Zealand.

The poor lamb, though…

[Veterinarian Steve] Williams said the lamb was also hermaphrodite, and was missing a portion of its bowel so was unable to pass faeces and so would have to be destroyed.

“To keep it alive is probably inhumane really,” Williams said.

~~~~~Update~~~~~
Seven-legged lamb put down

Stephanie, I love that you’re here blogging in this blog. You have so many of the same sensibilities I do, and so many of the things that catch your eye catch mine too. The Couple of snippets… post picked out most of the same TG articles that caught my eye this morning for the exact same reasons — especially the “forced transgenderism” phrase from the movie review of Day Watch. (The phrase sounds like it came right out of a short story category at Fictionmania.)

But I digress. Advice columnist Dear Abby (Jeanne Phillips) gave out some advice to this question that Stephanie didn’t include in her snippet post, but that I thought was a snippet worth commenting on:

My husband, “Sean,” died suddenly last year. He was a wonderful husband and father in every way. I knew about Sean’s cross-dressing from the beginning and accepted it unconditionally.

Our 11-year-old son, “Brad,” knows nothing about this part of his father’s life. Sean and I discussed it many times, and it was his wish that Brad not be told until he was older.

My concern is, I receive mail, credit card applications, personal letters, etc. addressed to “Serena.” Only one member of Sean’s family knows about Serena, although most of his friends do. I am unsure what to do if and when Brad asks questions, as we all know he will.

There are also clothes to get rid of and other personal items of Serena’s.

I want to honor the memory of my husband and his other self without hurting his family or our son. It is hard sharing this information with banks, credit card companies, and other places where “her” name appears. I try to explain that Serena was Sean’s alterego and that when he died, so did she, but I do not want to go into detail.

How do I honor the man and woman I loved, and at the same time, protect our son? This is the only subject we never had a chance to talk about.

- ALONE WITH THE SECRET IN WISCONSIN

Dear Abby responded as one might expect. She advised the woman to dispose of items she wishes to give away when her son isn’t home, call the banks and tell them Sean has passed away and that she doesn’t wish to receive any more mail for Sean or Serena, blah blah blah. (Same flavor of common sense stuff one reads in Dear Abby all the time.)

The interesting “snippet” in Dear Abby’s answer was found in her answer at when the best time to tell a child about cross-dressing or transgenderism:

As to discussing your husband’s other self with your son, my experts advise that the best time to let children know about the cross-dressing is when they are very young (3 or 4), and can accept it naturally as “the way things are.” Eleven years old is too advanced an age for the subject to be introduced now. You would be better to wait until the boy has matured into his late teens or adulthood to discuss it with him.

That is an interesting, informational snippet. I actually am wondering who the experts she asked were, although I imagine by the sound of it that the information is sound and the experts were first rate.  Age 3 or 4…Who’d have thought that was the “right” age to tell a child?

It’s a “factual information snippet” that’s going to stay in my brain as as something useful for the future.

Transadvocate: A Week of Direct Advocacy

National Transgender Information Center: Vermont Governor Signs Non-Discrimination Bill Into Law

Christian Post: Media Bias on Transgenders Raising Concerns
Excerpt: “They’re (media) trying to normalize transgender existence. There’s no question about that,” said Dr. Robert Gagnon, associate professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. . . . .Not only are some Christians concerned about the normalizing of the transgendered life, but one pro-family activist noted mainstream media bias on the controversial issue. (Opposition piece)

Gay & Lesbian Times: ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ – intolerable or intolerant? and Ensign Joe: Gay servicemembers face ‘intolerable risk’

AEBrain: A Reply from a guy I used to know 

Wired News – USA: Marvel Comics’ Ultron is World’s First Transsexual Cyborg
Excerpt: Ultron is a totally awesome android supervillain, and two months ago she became the first male-to-female transsexual cyborg supervillain. Though Ultron has had many forms — my favorite being the giant robot one he had in Runaways — this is the first time Ultron has gone girly. And she’s quite the girl. She’s some kind of kinky outgrowth of Iron Man’s armor…

SFGate: Panties In A Pile, Needles In A Haystack
Owners of 1,300 stolen female undergarments sought near Colorado St. campus.

Los Angeles Times: Reggie, the alligator, captured
Excerpt: The 7-foot alligator was taken to the Los Angeles Zoo, where he will be quarantined for up to 60 days to make sure he isn’t carrying any diseases. . .The capture came as experts from Australia were meeting with Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and her aides on how to capture the alligator, which had been spotted recently in the lake near the Harbor Freeway in Harbor City.

SFGate: Prison For Potty Bomber
Notorious Net pirate gets five years for blowing up a portable toilet.

From the National Center for Transgender Equality:

(Washington, DC) – Today America made an historic stride forward in protecting the civil rights of transgender people.  Members of Congress Barney Frank (D-MA), Deborah Pryce (R-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Christopher Shays (R-CT) introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit workplace discrimination based on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” 

It remains legal in 33 states to fire or refuse to hire someone based on sexual orientation, and it is legal in 42 states to do so based on a person’s gender identity.  Today’s introduction of ENDA demonstrates that Congress recognizes the need for workplace protections on the federal level. 

“The introduction of this legislation represents a tremendous civil rights advancement for transgender communities,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). “I am proud of the work that the National Center for Transgender Equality has accomplished to insure that the language of this bill protects all LGBT people.” 

Since our inception in 2003, the National Center for Transgender Equality has worked tirelessly to educate Congress about the need for federal employment protections for transgender workers.  NCTE has also worked closely with national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations to grow broader community support for transgender-inclusive legislation.  Through the years, much of NCTE’s programmatic and policy work has aimed to educate both the public and policymakers on the critical importance of making employment protections for transgender people explicit in federal law.  

“Too often transgender people face harassment and discrimination on the job or when applying for employment,” said Keisling.  “Our office receives calls every week from transgender individuals who have been harassed at work or have lost their jobs simply for being who they are.  Prohibiting discrimination based on a person’s gender identity is common-sense given the level of workplace prejudice we face.  Elected officials increasingly recognize the need for civil rights protections for all of their constituents.” 

On May 15, 2007, NCTE’s annual Lobby Day will bring over 100 transgender and ally advocates from more than 25 states to the Capitol to meet with members of Congress.  This year’s Lobby Day will be the largest federal transgender lobby effort in history.

Participants will be sharing their stories of employment discrimination and asking their members of Congress to support ENDA. 

“I am so pleased to stand here today and watch the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community move forward together,” said Keisling.

Recognizing the need to curb rampant discrimination against transgender people, currently eight states (California, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Washington), the District of Columbia and over 80 cities and counties across the country have already passed explicitly transgender-inclusive anti-discrimination laws. These laws currently cover approximately one-third of the US population.  Passage of ENDA would provide much needed workplace protections nationwide.

What YOU Can Do: Join NCTE Lobby Day — infomation on NCTE Lobby Day can be found on the NCTE website.

From Autumn: This bill includes transgender people — gender identity and expression are included in the Employment Non-Descrimination Act.  If you can’t lobby in person, ask NCTE or other organization what you can do to support this bill.

“The universe is full of mysteries, and some have been foreshadowed by comics. We look forward to scientists figuring this one out.”
–Paul Levitz, DC Comics President and Publisher

I remember Mr. Anderson, my Junior High School science class teacher, telling us students in 8th Grade Science that the elements that needed to combine to make kryptonite just wouldn’t combine in nature.

Show’s what you knew Mr. Anderson! Comic Book Resources (and well, a mainstream news publication or two) has given us the news: Kryptonite existis in nature!

Well, I’m sure this is bad news for Truth, Justice, and the American Way — Oh yeah, and Superman too.

So let’s here it here instead for Superwoman! Go Superwoman!

Listening to NPR’s Marketplace today (April 19, 1007) on the way home from the market, I learned McDonald’s is the eatery that the French love to hate — but those darn French eat there anyway.

And yet, McDonald’s wants more market share.  So, to compete against the native French Cafes, McDonald’s is planning to open up two-hundred-fifty McCafes in France.  (No, I’m not making this up!)

Well, I guess we’ll be getting back at those darn French for their delicious french fries (although Belguim  claims to be the actual originator of those delectable deep-fried potato batons) — getting back at the French via the very emblem of American Capitalism!  Hooray. . . ?

Mmmm. French Fries.

Tiny mites rediscover the joy of sex
Spider relatives regained mating ability after arachnid ancestors lost it

Tiny spider relatives have rediscovered the joy of sex, regaining the ability to mate after their arachnid ancestors lost it, marking a reproductive first in the annals of animal evolution.

(Photo by Georgia Erdmann)

Egads! Tell Exodus International the news! Nature — through evolutionary processes —  can restore heterosexuality!

Remember Focus On The Family‘s John Paulk — famously confronted in a gay bar by Wayne Besen?  Paulk is now the “executive chef of Mezzaluna-Portland, Oregon’s premier personal chef and catering service.”

 

My, he’s turned into quite the metrosexual, eh?

FindLaw Writ: Why the New Department of Homeland Security REAL ID Act Regulations are Unrealistic

PlanetOut: Army recruiter suspended over bigoted emails

OneNewsNow: Homosexual sues doctors who refused to artifically inseminate her
[Opposition piece -- compare OneNewsNow piece to California's Unruh Act (public accomadation law) change (Bill: AB 1400), which became law January 1, 2006]

Reuters: Transgender Navy vet protests war in Congress

Associated Press: CBS Radio, MSNBC say they will suspend Imus for two weeks after inappropriate comment

Pam’s House Blend: Fundie: peanut butter proves evolution is a fraud