FreeThinker
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Franz Kafka wrote that in every revolution, the oppressed become the oppressors. For decades, girls were put down and marginalized in school, segregated into home ec and never encouraged to take traditionally male oriented courses. They have been discriminated against in the workplace, have been the victims of domestic violence, and have been thought of as emotional and unable to make coherent decisions based on logic and reason.
Their response to this is to emasculate little boys and turn them into girls.
I'm as socially liberal as anyone, but this is one of the areas where my fellow liberals drive me crazy. I'm as feminist a man as you can find, but you don't right a wrong by brainwashing boys, by assuming that any playful "aggression" makes the boy a future predator, by putting "boys in their place."
Let boys be boys.
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Time magazine publishied this article by Christina Hoff Sommers that states that schools have become hostile to young boys and are trying to mold their personalities and characters in ways that harm their self-image and leave them feeling unwanted and alienated.
http://ideas.time.com/2013/08/19/school-has-become-too-hostile-to-boys/
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I remember watching my parents do the Limbo in our living room with friends of their's, which could probably go a long way in explaining a lot of my problems later in life!
"How low can you goooooo!" -
If this doesn't convince people not to give this idiot money, nothing will-- unless you're a right-winger who believes this insanity.
OSC now says that President Obama wants to create a National Police in which he hires "unemployed urban youth," conservative-speak for black gangs, to wage war on the President's enemies. Do these people have NO shame? Is there NOTHING these people won't say or claim? Is this really what the movement fostered by William F. Buckley, Jr. and Barry Goldwater has degenerated into?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/orson-scott-card-racist-obama_n_3762891.html?ir=Politics
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This has nothing to do with GLBT issues, but it's really cool. This is a video of Mars' moons, Diemos and Phobos, eclipsing each other as seen from the rover Curiosity. The actual eclipse took 50 seconds, but the video takes 30 seconds. It is the first time this has been seen from the Martian surface!
http://www.space.com/22392-curiosity-sees-martian-moon-s-phobos-and-deimos-time-lapse-video.html
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He is an interesting blog about parents and their attitudes concerning teenage sleepovers. She brings up two interesting facts, the first of which is that Tennessee, that bastion of progressive thinking, has prevented teachers from discussing hand-holding in class because, get this, it's a "gateway sexual activity." The second is that while more and more school districts are choosing "abstinence-only" sex-ed, the United States now has a teenage pregnancy rate four times that of the Netherlands. Interesting blog.
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Thank you, Colin! I appreciate the link. The essay is very helpful. In fact, I used "Dry September" in a college tern-paper about the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 which started with a false claim of a sexual assault on a white woman by a black man. The resulting riot ended in 300 dead and the entire black district of Tulsa burned to the ground. I am ashamed to say I haven't read Faulkner since college, but the essay is wonderful for reminding me of things I had forgotten. I am going back now to rewrite several passages in the story in light of this. Thank you!
However, I now have to change the name of the despicable character. His first name WAS Colin!
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I have a villain in my current story who is thoroughly despicable. I want to present him in such a way that the reader is revolted by him, but not so much that he is unrealistic or that goes over the line. I have an abuse scene which does not actually present the abuse, but skirts it closely enough that the reader knows what is going to happen, but isn't subjected to reading a graphic description of it.
Have any of you created a revolting character who committed atrocious acts? How do you create him? What do you do to avoid crossing the line, yet still present him in a way that will disgust the reader as they should be? Do you hope the context of the situation will be enough to convince the reader that you're not being gratuitous?
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J.J Cale, a musician who originated the "Tulsa Sound" and wrote and performed with Eric Clapton has passed away. He was 78. He wrote Clapton's hits "After Midnight" and "Cocaine." Along with Jamie Oldaker, Carl Radle, and Dick Sims, all also from Tulsa, they worked with Eric Clapton for more than ten years. He developed the Tulsa Sound along with Leon Russell, Elvin Bishop, Dwight Twilley, David Gates and The Gap Band.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/jul/27/jj-cale-singer-songwriter-dies
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More information on the Russian crackdown on gay rights.
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A group of Russian Neo-Nazis has been luring gay teens to meet them, where they torture them and humiliate them, often outing them to their schools and parents, leading to suicide or serious trauma. Often the abuse takes place in public and is met with the approval of passers-by. This occurs as the Putin government has made it a crime to disseminate gay propaganda-- i.e. calls for gay rights.
Don't think this can't happen in the US. It can.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/26/russian-nazi-torture-gay-teens_n_3658636.html
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I'm afraid I pushed this discussion away from the original topic, which was how Tim Horton's was blocking certain gay web sites on their free wi-fi. it seems they have now backtracked and the spokesperson for the company says the gay news site should never have been blocked and that it was a mistake. One has to ask, did they do so because they genuinely feel they made a mistake or because of the bad publicity? Having seen far too many cases of corporate backtracking, I have become quite cynical of professed reasons for corporations changing course. I spent too many years in the corporate world, lying to customers on orders of managers who were concerned only with quarterly results to get their personal performance bonuses. I have no faith in the honesty and integrity of almost any corporation. Adam Smith's invisible hand of the free market is more an up-raised middle finger to consumers. Tim Horton's responded to the pressure of the market, which was good and that is what is supposed to happen. Its their professed reason for doing so that makes me ask why they instituted the policy in the first place and simply adds to my cynicism.
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I've just checked and Panera Bread, a delightful chain of bakeries with wonderful pastries, breads, sandwiches and coffee, has locations not only across the US, but in Canada as well. And, Panera has free Wi-Fi which I use quite frequently as I enjoy a chocolate pastry and the relaxing jazz or classical music. Plus, they don't block Awesome Dude and are VERY liberal! They donate all their left over baked goods to local food banks. So, screw Timmy! Go to Panera!
And, of course, there is the ubiquitous Starbucks. Harrumph.
This is an unpaid endorsement for Panera Bread. I get nothing from this but the joy of spreading the word.
For the location nearest you,.. click HERE!(posted using Internet Explorer 10 because Chrome sucks and my Firefox doesn't like AD)
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Interesting video with a surprise ending. English group Autoheart is protesting the Putin government's crackdown on homosexuality and any attempt to public call for gay rights or tolerance. Nice song, good message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KIRgN6xTjnA
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Congratulations to England and Wales. A bill to permit same-sex marriage has passed the House of Commons and is awaiting the approval of Her Majesty, a formality. The bill was supported by the Labour Party and the junior partner in the Government coalition, the Liberal Democrats, but needed some support from within the Conservative Party to pass. Prime Minister David Cameron gave it the support it needed to pass, so I suppose he's not a total prat. There is division within the Conservatives over the issue and the law does not apply to Scotland or Northern Ireland, the two other countries within the United Kingdom, but this is still good news.
BTW, a poll in The Telegraph, a Tory newspaper, show Labour on track to win a 100 seat majority in the next election.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/16/england-gay-marriage-law-_n_3606916.html
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I think this says a great deal, and not much good, about the literary world. The book was well-received by critics, respected, admired... and sold 1,500 copies. Now, simply and for no other reason than because J.K. Rowling wrote it, sales will go through the roof.
I grieve for the gifted writers who struggle each day, but are ignored by the great conglomerates because their last name isn't King or Brown or Patterson. I grieve for the independent film maker whose creations never see the light of day because their last name isn't Spielberg or Weinstein. I grieve for the boy who blows everyone away in a television talent show, but is ignored because he isn't Justin Bieber.
Superficiality rules. There is a story, possibly an urban myth, that someone had a monkey throw paint at a canvas and the glitterati of the New York art word acclaimed it as genius until they learned the truth. In the meantime, how many great and brilliant artists languish in nothing-jobs because someone else is better able to kiss-ass.
I'm not critical of Ms Rowling. I admire her. It is, however, a sad commentary on the superficiality of society.
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I know there are some very talented people in Mississippi, particular on one certain ranch! Artists, dancers, writers, a future doctor...
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Groovy! Thank you, Colin and Pecman!
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:-P
In frustration, I copied 159 pages and pasted them into a new document and it now works. I hated doing that because I am one of those anal-retentive people who keeps track of the time I spend on a document and now the new document is starting over. Oh, well. But, I am curious what I did and how to stop it in the future, just in case my fingers do something I don't want them to again!
I'd rather not cut off my fingers if they offend me.
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I don't know what I've done, but all of a sudden, I have a red vertical line on the left side of my text as I write my story. I don't know why or what I've done to cause it. I've tried hitting <Delete>, <ESC>, Undo. Nothing works. I've gone through all the drop down menus, I've gone through Microsoft's misnamed "Help" function and I can find nothing about it or how to stop it.
Help me! Make it stop! What have I done? What do I do?
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Thank you! I had never heard of the movie before and the I thought the video looked rather seventies-era. I will look for it!
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Too late. :-( Besides, doesn't evil Microsoft require a product key? If they come with the old versions on eBay, have they expired? Just curious, since I already have 2013, at least until my subscription runs out in Jan or Feb.
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There once was a man from Australia,
Who danced at a wild bacchanalia.
His penis was big as he danced a good jig
But the fuzz nabbed him for his paraphernalia.
Well, there's at least one bad poet in Oklahoma.
"How low can you goooooo!"
For the location nearest you,.. click Scan to donate
Here's Looking At You, Kid by Douglas
in Readers Rule!
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I've read this twice and loved it both times. Excellent story!