Web Log Archives: February 23, 2003 - March 01, 2003
Saturday, March 1, 2003
jhames has launched Autoerotic, "created to present a healthy and positive view of erotica, body image and self-expression through photography." Readers can submit erotic photos of themselves (nothing too explicit) along with some personal text. Very cool idea.
A Florida judge has granted custody of two children to a female-to-male transsexual engaged in a bitter divorce.
Lawyers for the former wife of Michael Kantaras had argued Kantaras was not legally a man when they married in 1989 so the marriage was invalid. Florida bans same-sex marriages and homosexuals from adopting children.
But in his 809-page ruling and divorce decree Friday, Circuit Judge Gerard O'Brien said that under Florida law "there is no statutory requirement that the (marriage license) applicants shall prove their gender." [...]
"This is an amazing decision, because the judge has overlooked the fact that he's a transsexual and looked at the best interests of the children," said Lynne Gold-Bikin, former chairwoman of the American Bar Association's family law section.
(Thanks, Kythryne.)
Noted asshole Fred Durst kisses and tells about his fling with Britney. Meanwhile, Britney sets the record straight on her own blog.
Don't you hate it when you take your car to the dealership for service, and some employees take it for a joyride and have sex in the back seat? (Link snagged from Fark, where else?)
Friday, February 28, 2003
In the New York Times: Young brides stir new outcry on Utah polygamy. "The State Legislature is considering a bill that would impose stiff new penalties against any polygamist convicted of marrying a girl under 18 and any religious leader who orchestrates such a union. . . . Ron Barton, an investigator in the state attorney general's office, said some fundamentalist [Mormon] groups believe that a girl's first menstruation is a sign that she is old enough for marriage. Officials say some girls are believed to be married as young as 11. But in a state where 70 percent of the population is Mormon, many of polygamist ancestry, prosecutors have only rarely filed charges against members of plural families, saying they had more serious crimes to prosecute."
Family Business, Showtime's new reality series about porno filmmaker Adam Glasser, aka Seymore Butts, debuts tonight. Glasser's mom handles the company's bookkeeping, while his cousin Stevie handles distribution — thus the "family" in the title. Showtime's official series site has a "Meet the Butts" page and more. And Nerve runs an interview with Glasser yesterday.
Photo Tim writes in to set the historical record straight about pornstars in advertising: "I did a campaign with Fresh Jive in 95/96 featuring Adult stars. The campaign was my idea, the first girl we used was Shane. The second was Dominique Simone. After that the owner of the company, Rick Klotz took over and used Vivid girls in other ads. The campaign was very sucessful."
This snow sculpture photo has apparently been circulating on the funny-forwarded-email circuit for some time, source unknown. (Thanks, Brian!)
This giant snow penis at University of Toronto predated the Harvard giant snow penis by one month and caused no uproar. (Thanks, Lily!)
Another piece from Mustang Daily, the Cal Poly student newspaper: Shallon Lester encourages frequent J-ing off for her fellow female students. "This school doesn’t lend itself much to glamour or sexual exploration; let’s just admit that right now. But does that mean we as individuals should give in to the stifling pressure of being a 'Nice Girl?' Hell no!"
Thursday, February 27, 2003
On the evening of February 10, a group of Harvard students created a giant snow penis in Harvard Yard. Within hours, another group destroyed it. A Harvard Crimson photographer captured the sculpture for posterity, and the newspaper ran the photo the following day. The whole giant snow penis affair — creation, photo, destruction — has spawned weeks of debate in the student newspaper and beyond.
Photo of Snow Phallus Inappropriate. Angry letter to the editor complains about photo in the student newspaper, and wonders why the Crimson opted not to display the photo on its web edition.
The Broken Phallus of Harvard Yard. Editor criticizes "cowardly act of vandalism" and ruminates on phallus imagery in art history.
Destruction of Ice 'Sculpture' Warranted. One of the vandals defends her actions: "The unwanted image of an erect penis is an implied threat; it means that we, as women, must be subject to erect penises whether we like it or not."
Ruined Snow Penis Stimulates Debate. "Smart kids overanalyze things."
Women's Group Debates Snow Penis. Report on a public forum sponsored by the Radcliffe Union of Students.
Erin O'Connor reviews and comments on the Harvard giant snow penis affair on her blog, and more debate follows in the comments section.
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Browsing through the letters pages of Mustang Daily, I came across this gem. An earlier issue had included an anti-abortion, pro-abstinence letter entitled "Pro-choice proponents should learn more self-control." A freshman responds:
Sex is a part of our lives, as Americans and as animals. Yes, animals. I know you like to claim that we are not animals, but get over yourself; we are. As far as considering “having some control over oneself an amazingly liberating experience,” I agree completely. I have enough control over myself to make a rational decision that I want to have sex. You should try it some time; it’s amazingly liberating.
Bravo!
Mustang Daily, the Cal Poly student newspaper, reported on the proposed campus ban on internet porn two weeks ago. The professor proposing the ban explains why the First Amendment doesn't apply: "The issue is that the computers on campus are state owned. The First Amendment refers to one’s own property." Glad we got that cleared up. She titled her antiporn resolution "Enhance Civility and Promote a Diversity Friendly Campus Climate." Mustang Daily later ran two letters to the editor critical of the proposed ban.
Sportswear company Pony is launching a new advertising campaign featuring pornstars. A Pony VP explains, "When I grew up in the ’80s in Paris, models were the ultimate feminine ideal. For the 20-year-old kid, porn stars have kind of replaced what models used to represent." Pony collaborated with porn studio Vivid on the campaign, and the featured pornstars will be the studio's contracted "Vivid Girls." (Article reprinted here with no registration required.)
Unbelievable. "Crystal Lynn went for realism when she built her snow woman - celery for the eyes, a carrot for the nose and two blobs of snow for the breasts. The last turned out to be a no-no, as someone complained to Kent police about what he called an indecent snow figure. And a police officer showed up at her apartment door minutes after she completed her work."
At Nerve, Neal Pollack confesses his fetish for Wonder Woman. "Nothing, and I mean nothing, gets me hotter than when a so-called 'ordinary' woman changes into a superheroine."
A professor at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo (aka, Cal Poly) is proposing a campus ban on internet pornography. "Linda Vanasupa, the chairwoman of the materials-engineering department, plans to file a resolution with the Academic Senate to prohibit using the university's computers or its Internet connection for viewing pornographic material. Academics and students would need permission from the university president to look at pornography online." The resolution would also cover online hate literature. The campus provost says the resolution "is fundamentally in opposition to the spirit of inquiry that is critical to the academy. You're basically looking at a judgment of prior restraint that would have a chilling effect on inquiry and discourse on campus." Not to mention the chilling effect on looking at naked pictures, though I imagine horny engineering students could probably figure a way around the ban.
OK, this is a couple weeks late but still very funny: "Love in the Time of Smallpox" by Dennis Mahoney. "On a Valentine’s Day when even Hallmark is selling plastic sheets and duct tape, it’s hard to find the perfect balance between romance and civilian preparation for a biological, chemical, or radiological terror attack. Here’s a list of tips from TMN and FEMA on how to keep this holiday memorable – and safe – for you and your sweetheart."
Remember that awful Florida law that required women putting children up for adoption to publish their sexual histories in newspaper ads? It appears to be dead. The state Attorney General's office has opted not to defend a constitutional challenge. The office didn't even bother sending a representative to a December court date.
A Democrat state legislator in Utah has proposed a 10% tax on strip clubs and escort services, with the proceeds earmarked to fund sexual abuse therapy at the state Department of Corrections and reinstate the "porn czar" office. By coincidence, that legislator also heads a non-profit organization that contracts to provide sexual abuse therapy for the state Department of Corrections. More.
Monday, February 24, 2003
Wyyrd at Hoot Island counts down his top ten sensual Simpsons episodes. "The reason I love The Simpsons? Not just the hilarity, not just the even-handed way they skewer everybody. What gets me is that alone of all the shows in the history of television, let alone animated programs, they've managed to present both an amazing amount of sexual habits and preferences, and a married couple who have never strayed."
Sunday, February 23, 2003
AccordionGuy posts five pictures of a supposed new goofy Japanese fashion craze. "No, it's not a see-through skirt. Rather, it's a regular skirt with an pretty realistic image of panties and legs silk-screened onto it." But in a later post, he comes to the conclusion that the photos are photoshopped fakes.
