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December 29, 2011

Breastfeed at Target

Breastfeeding child uploaded by Aexrefous under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 and Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.In Texas they said a woman couldn't breastfeed at Target even though the law said they could. So women protested Wednesday by having "nurse-ins" at 250 of Target stores.

Breastfeeding is natural and not something that has to be hidden. Before people invented baby bottles every human being breastfed.

Some people make breasts sex objects. Who decided women's chests are sexy and not men's? Not me! If you believe in God would he make something a sex object that he wanted babies to suck on?

I believe in God and Goddess and the human body is a beautiful thing. We should not force people to hide it.

http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/29/target-nurse-in-did-it-change-perceptions-of-public-breast-feeding/

Photo uploaded by Aexrefous under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 and Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breastfeeding_child.jpg

The opinions expressed by an individual member of The Loveshade Family do not necessarily reflect the views of the whole family.

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November 02, 2011

Hungur Magazine and Blood Lust and Innocence

Hungur Magazine Issue 13"Blood Lust and Innocence" is a "poem in prose form" I wrote simply because I was inspired to write it.  Fortunately, it found a publisher.

As far as I know the story appears in Issue 13 of Hungur Magazine which just came out.  The issue also features ''"Luftgeist" by David Lee Summers of Tales of the Talisman; "Against The Fall Of Night" by Tyree Campbell; "Drifters In The Void" by Jay MacLeod; a poem and art combo called "Bad Alice" by the Marge Simon/Sandy DeLuca consortium; and interviews with Brian Lumley and the a4mentioned David Lee Summers.'  It's available at Sam's Dot Bookstore at http://sdpbookstore.com/hungur.htm.

Much of the magazine deals with vampires on other worlds, but also features some of the home-grown variety.

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Update: I received my copy of the issue and my story does appear as flash fiction.

The use of a small, low resolution of the cover of the magazine is intended to promote the publication and in no way its use be considered a threat to its copyright.

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July 08, 2011

U. S. Army Ends Don't Ask, Don't Tell--Accepts Gays

Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy explained (As a product of the U. S. Government, this is public domain)The U. S. Army will stop removing openly gay and lesbian recruits.  It will no longer go by, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ordered an immediate end to the military's "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy.  Congress voted to repeal the law in December 2010, but the Pentagon said it needed more time to review it.

The military did a survey of military personnel, and found general support for homosexuals in the military.

For those who don't remember, the policy was a compromise.  President Bill Clinton wanted to end discrimination in the military based on sexual-orientation, but the Congress resisted.

The question now is, will the military stop discriminating against women?  Will they have to register for service (there is no draft, but registration is required of young men).  Will they have to accept the same duties as men?

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/army-suspend-dadt-discharges-accept-gay-recruits-184811496.html

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June 25, 2011

New York Approves Gay Marriage

Gay marriage image is copyright by G.dallorto who allows it to be used for any purpose with attribution.America's third largest state by population, New York, approved same sex marriage.  The vote was close, but included Democrats and Republicans voting in favor of the legislation.

California, the most populous state, allowed gay and lesbian marriage for five month by a decision of the state supreme court.  But voters voted against it in a measure that is still being debated by the courts.

This could directly affect citizens of other states as New York does not require residency for a marriage license.  Same-sex marriage is now legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and in Washington, D.C.

Maybe someday love will be legally accepted in all of America.

LINKS AND CREDIT

See more at http://beta.news.yahoo.com/ny-becomes-largest-state-approve-gay-marriage-032640563.html.

To see all our entries on same-sex marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same+sex+marriage

Gay marriage image is copyright by G.dallorto who allows it to be used for any purpose with attribution.

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June 11, 2011

It's a Baby!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Breastfeeding_a_baby.JPG/800px-Breastfeeding_a_baby.JPGYes, Olivia aka Miss Monkey Candy aka Ms. Candy Money pushed out a baby girl at 05:28 local time on 11 June 2011.  The baby weighed in at 3676 grams (8.1 lbs), and was 51.4 cm long (20.23 in).

Labor took 12 hours, which I'm told is short for a first vaginal birth.  That's counting from the first "I think that was a labor pain maybe."  For some reason she didn't want to watch Knocked Up.  So we watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Confessions of a Shopaholic.  You can guess which one I chose.

Hard labor, the 10 cm mark, was much shorter.  Seemed like forever to me.  Now it's about a week before I, Reverend Loveshade, have my first Father's Day.  Unbelievable.

I don't know how I feel.  Happy, nervous, overjoyed, and scared as hell.  And newborn babies?  Talk about wet and messy.  How can something be so ugly and so beautiful at the same time?  Face red and scrunched up with a cone head.  That was me.  Seriously, I know that's natural for a newborn, but damn, birth is messy.  But it's a life, a human being that grew from almost nothing.  Amazing.

Continue reading "It's a Baby!" »

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June 10, 2011

Reverend Loveshade's and Olivia's Baby Coming Now

I should be with Olivia right now but I had to leave the room and do something else. She's been in labor for two hours. She's handling it fine and I'm a wreck. It's our first baby.  Will keep you posted.

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March 22, 2011

To Hug, To Pinch, To Pat: Or Not?

Zuchtlose Liebe (heinous love), oil on canvas, 55,5 x 51 cm (from a cycle of eight paintings "Schlechte und gute Erziehung", shown 1800 at the Berlin Academy) bySusanne Henry (née Chodowiecki) Much of the world just celebrated St. Patrick's Day, which in America means a tradition of wearing green and of pinching those who don't.  It can be a lot of fun.

But it can also be a problem.  I just saw an opinion on Develle Dish that linked pinching on St. Patrick's Day to rape culture.  The author didn't equate pinching with rape, but wrote that she has the right for her body not to be touched whether it's a pinch or intercourse.

The issue of allowable touching is a very thorny and tricky one, and mixes societal norms with biological needs.

Certainly I would agree that when a playful pinch devolves into continued physical harassment there's a problem.  One commentor on the opinion piece said her daughter forgot to wear green and got pinched all day long and consequently didn't want to go to school the next day.  But where exactly is the line?

Continue reading "To Hug, To Pinch, To Pat: Or Not?" »

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March 04, 2011

God Bless Westboro Baptist Church

Reverend Loveshade
First Baptist Church of Janustown
Janustown, Texas  

God Hates FagsWestboro Baptist Church
3701 West 12th Street
Topeka, Kansas 66604-1730

2 March 2011

Dear Pastor Fred Phelps and members of Westboro Baptist Church,

I offer my heartfelt thanks and blessings to the members of Westboro Baptist Church.  You've won your God-given right to freedom of speech as delivered by the U. S. Supreme Court.  The fact that someone is grief-stricken and mourning the death of their son, brother or father is no reason their family shouldn't be legally harassed.  America is God's nation, and in God's nation no one has the right to deal with their grief or any other pain when homosexuals are allowed to live.

Jesus did not say, "I bring peace;" HE said HE brought a sword.  HE overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple because HE knew the Jews were gay.  And the unnatural closeness of boy-men to their Jewish mothers is a sure sign of incest, which is absolutely forbidden in the Bible.

Now that your church has won this victory, you can expand.  Why not start protests at schools, including elementary schools?  You could march outside classrooms, and tell children they're going to burn in Hell forever.  Another idea is to march outside orphanages with signs saying, "Thank God your Mommy and Daddy are Dead."

Continue reading "God Bless Westboro Baptist Church" »

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January 21, 2011

Happy Hug Day 2011

Photo from Apenheul Zoo, Antwerpen, Belgium (frank wouters)This entry's a little different than the usual as it doesn't deal directly with political or social issues.  Nor is it about a member of our family.  But it shows how cats and other animals can hug each other, and we think it's appropriate for Hug Day.

Here's the entry on Hug Day from the work in progress Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: The Tales of Shamlicht:

"January 21 (21 Chaos): Hug Day (O).  Hug your friends.  Hug your loved ones.  Confound your enemies by offering them a hug.  Hugs are free, hugs are healthy, hugs are good.  Which is why they may be illegal in some jurisdictions."

Hug Day is both 4 December and 21 January.  So Happy Hug Day!

See a video with two cats hugging each other at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF2y8znRDBg

Photo is from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Berberaapje.jpg  It's by frank wouters and was taken at the Apenheul Zoo, Antwerpen, Belgium.  It's licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

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January 18, 2011

Are We Pregnant?

Goldilocks Tensic-Monét walking while pregnantThis month on The Loveshade Family Blog, TawTew the Naturally Perfumed had a question.  'I have a question.'  See, I told you.  'I see two pictures of pregnant girls in a row on this blog and one on the loveshade.org home page.  I have to be curious why? Something going on? ;)'

Well...all right.  Discordian Division of the Ek-sen-triks CluborGuild member Olivia aka Ms. Candy Monkey aka Miss Monkey Candy is, according to a doctor and thesaurus.com, abundant, anticipating, carrying a child, enceinte, expectant, fecund, fertile, fraught, fruitful, gestating, gravid, heavy, hopeful, in family way, parous, parturient, preggers, productive, prolific, replete, teeming, with child.  That's right, the lad is harboring a growing parasite, probably of human origin.  In short, pregnant.

Of course that leaves the obvious question for the developing fetus, 'Who's your Daddy?'  No amniocentesis or CVS test has been performed, so I can't rule out the possibility of ALIEN IMPREGNATION.  Hey, I've seen it happen on The Sims.  And on X-Files.  And the founding vice-president and first Order of the Pineapple honoree is named Alien (hmm).  But there's an 85.37 percent chance the father is...well, let me put it this way.  I am currently known as Reverend Loveshade but am considering changing my name to Father Loveshade.

Goddess help us all.

Opinions expressed by a member of The Loveshade Family do not necessarily reflect the views or fecund state of the entire family.

The image of Goldilocks Tensic-Monét, which is a trademark of The Loveshade Family, was produced by The Loveshade Family using The Sims 2. No challenge to any copyright of Electronic Arts that produces The Sims franchise is intended.

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January 11, 2011

Pornography on YouTube

Mommy where do babies come from?A group of anonymous types flooded YouTube with pornographic videos. It was bound to happen sooner or later.  In this case, many of them were hidden. A video might start out as a kid vid, then in the middle switch to porn.

What interests me the most is the debate this started. People said kids can find porn anyway, parents are responsible if they let their kids visit YouTube, and 'welcome to the internet'.  Others strongly disagreed. One said everyone who posted should get 25 years and be a registered sex offender (this one is rather odd as it came from the UK which doesn't publicly register sex offenders).

A few people said why are parents trying to protect their children from sex in the first place?  It goes back to the "keep the kids ignorant and they won't do it" argument that continually falls on its face.

So how do you keep kids safe from unwanted pregnancy?

Continue reading "Pornography on YouTube" »

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January 04, 2011

Low Teen Pregnancy Rate Challenges Common Sense

Image of reproductive girl provided by the U.S. government.

 

Some things are just common sense.

Teenage girls who wear skimpy clothing are tempting teenage boys. Teen boys who see photos of naked females will be tempted even more, especially if those females are posing or behaving erotically.

The more teenagers and children learn about how to do something, the more likely they are to do it. Protecting our precious children from things they aren’t ready to handle makes them less likely to get in trouble.

But common sense also says the earth is flat, people can't fly in the air or breathe underwater, and a living thing that's too small to see can't possibly make you sick. In the modern world, common sense is often wrong.

So it is when it comes to teen pregnancy. According to a recent U. S. Government report, the teenage birth rate is at an all time low. This is for teens in a day when "girls dress like sluts and whores;" scantily dressed, hip-swinging and bosom-bouncing pop starlets singing songs are "giving the wrong message to our kids"; and the average teenager has ready access to incredibly explicit pornography that their parents only dreamed of seeing and their grandparents never imagined.

Continue reading "Low Teen Pregnancy Rate Challenges Common Sense" »

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December 31, 2010

Reverend Loveshade's Predictions for 2011

 

Reverend Loveshade's Predictions for 2011
Once again, the future-seeing I, Reverend Loveshade, have amazng predictions for 2011.  The rest of the gang had nothing to do with this.  So they claim, but don't believe them.  These are our my predictions for 2011:

 

* The AMERICAN CONGRESS will work very hard to get very little done.

* Something long-lost by a MAJOR ARTIST will be revealed.

* A scandal will rock the BRITISH GOVERNMENT.  The color purple will be involved.

* The AMERICAN ECONOMY will show significant improvement; Democrats will claim it's because of their fine work, while Republicans will claim it's because of improvements made while George W. Bush was still president.

* BARACK OBAMA will once again be shown to qualify to be U. S. President.  Many people, especially those who watch Fox News, won't believe it.

* The BBC will have a major, career-destroying scandal.

* A male BRITISH ICON of purity and wholesomeness will be caught with his hand somewhere people don't think it belongs; i.e., in someone else's pocket.

* A female AMERICAN ICON of purity and wholesomeness will be caught exposing a portion of her anatomy that the prudish will not think should be exposed.

* Former American President BILL CLINTON will receive an award nobody in their right mind would have expected him to receive when e was president.

* The Law that DEATHS ALWAYS HAPPEN IN FIVES will once again be proven this year.  At least of those deaths will be unexpected, a famous singer, and a famous actor.

* A major figure in the MIDDLE EAST will be violently killed.

* A WORLD-KNOWN FIGURE will admit a Discordian connection.

* A long-awaited for DISCORDIAN TOME will finally be published.  There will be much rejoicing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR,

THE LOVESHADE FAMILY

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December 03, 2010

High School Gay-Straight Alliance

Several schools have Gay Lesbian Transgendered groups. This one has a group to bring them and Straights together.

Called Gay-Straight Alliance, the group at Tahquitz High School joins other similar groups in the San Jacinto Valley of California.  Part of their motivation was concern over the bullying-related deaths of teenagers in California, Texas, and Indiana.

Many years ago, bulllying in school for whatever reason wasn't taken all that seriously, and was put in the "boys will be boys" category.  Hopefully we are moving into an area where the lives of middle school and high school students are considered as important as those of adults.

LINKS

See the GSA network at http://gsanetwork.org/

Read more about the group at Taquitz at http://www.thevalleychronicle.com/articles/2010/11/24/news/schools/doc4ceda5f35e94f417577171.txt

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October 14, 2010

Don't Ask, Don't Tell the Judge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_1stCavDiv_Fallujah,_Nov_12,_2004.jpg U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said a judge suddenly stopping the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy could have dire consequences.

But another question is what consequences has the law had? Thousands of people in America's military were removed from their positions when their sexual orientation was discovered; at least 750 of them had "mission critical" training, meaning the mission would not succeed without it.

The primary concern that's been expressed is that heterosexual men could be housed in the same barracks and use the same showers as homosexual men. And yet the government has not made a law barring homosexual teenagers from attending junior high or high school with heterosexuals. The military is not a den of purity; in fact with the low rates of enlistment it's been giving waivers to hundreds of convicted felons. Their crimes include assault and making terrorist threats. But a faithful or even celibate gay or lesbian is kicked out.

Continue reading "Don't Ask, Don't Tell the Judge" »

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August 05, 2010

Judge Striked Down California's Proposition 8 Against Gay Marriage

Photo of lesbian couple is from Queereaster Media Working Group (2006)A federal judge not only struck down California's Proposition 8 (2008), which disallowed same-sex marriage.  But the ruling not only said that homosexual marriage should be allowed, it challenged the very concept of gay marriage.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker essentially said that marriage is an established institution.  The genders of each member of the couple are no longer a legal issue.

"The evidence shows that the movement of marriage away from a gendered institution and toward an institution free from state-mandated gender roles reflects an evolution in the understanding of gender rather than a change in marriage. The exclusion exists as an artifact of a time when the genders were seen as having distinct roles in society and in marriage. That time has passed."

The decision is already being challenged in court, and will not have an immediate affect on same-sex marriages in California.  Because a previous decision had allowed same-sex marriage in California, some gay and lesbian couples were married before Proposition 8 passed.

You can see more at http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2008771,00.html

To see our entries on same-sex marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same+sex+marriage

Photo of lesbian couple is from Queereaster Media Working Group (2006) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Lesbian_Couple_love_in_bed_02.jpg

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May 25, 2010

Myths about Men

A line drawing of a human male. Taken from an image of the w:Pioneer plaque as created by NASA.  (vectorised by OldakQuill for wikicommons).For every 100 people who say they don't believe in stereotypes, probably 98 of them actually do.

10 MYTHS ABOUT MEN

Brendan Tapley explores 10 myths about men. Two of Tapley's points have gotten a lot of negative feedback: "Myth #2: Sex Is What Matters the Most" and "Myth #7: A Woman's Looks Are Everything."  Posters claim these aren't myths, and that men care more about sex and a woman's looks that anything else.

Are current gender stereotypes so pervasive that even men believe the stereotypes about themselves?  Sadly, this appears to be true, even though it's not surprising.  Some blondes really do think blondes are dumber than brunettes, and many American blacks in the 1940s believed blacks (or negros) were inferior to whites.  This type of self-stereotyping often begins in childhood.  Children who are taught to feel inferior, or who are raised to believe they "want" to behave a certain way, will usually fall into the role laid out for them.

But these stereotypes, like all stereotypes, aren't true--they don't apply to everyone.

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER

I remember many years ago I knew two women who lived in the same complex.  One of them I found drop-dead gorgeous; the other I must admit I found a little homely.  I got to know both of them.  They were both very nice people.

Continue reading "Myths about Men" »

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Senator Al Franken Introduces The Student Non-Discrimination Act

The photo is Al Franken's official senate portraitSenator Al Franken (D-MN). introduced The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) in the U. S. Senate.  If approved, the bill would require schools that receive federal funding to not discriminate against students on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

A version of the bill was previously been introduced into the House of Representatives by Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) in January.  The Senate bill has 22 co-sponsors, and sponsorship of the House bill has increased to over 100.

This bill would not only help prevent discrimination against gay and lesbian students, but also those who are transgendered.

LINKS

To see all our entries dealing with the Student Non-Discrimination Act (including our first entry on Constance McMillen), click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=student non-discrimination act

To see all our entries dealing with homosexual issues, click on http://loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=homosexual

To read the House version of the bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.4530.IH:

It sometimes takes a few days for a version of a bill to be available online.  We will include a link to the official Senate version when available.

 

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May 13, 2010

Teacher Found Not Guilty of Sexual Child Molestation--And Loses

Edith, Lorina and Alice Liddell (photo by Charles Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll)"

Paranoia strikes deep / Into your life it will creep / It starts when you're always afraid / You step out of line, the man come and take you away."

-- Neil Young and Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield, 'For What It's Worth,' 1966.

In certain times and certain places, being pinned with a certain label can destroy you.  The label pinned on you could be Communist, or Jew, or Nazi, or Gypsy, or Witch, or Homosexual, or Pedophile, or Christian.  The label doesn't matter, as long as fear and ignorance and their offspring hate go along with it.  When fear and ignorance are in control, "presumed innocent until proven guilty" doesn't matter.  If you're accused, you're guilty.

Former Georgia kindergarten teacher Tonya Craft, who lived with two years of accusations, hate and death threats, was cleared of all 22 counts of molestation and sexual abuse.  It began--and ended--with three young girls.  But her real-life trial is far from over.  There are still threats against her.  And her case cost Craft her job, her reputation and her home.

The charges came from when she was a kindergarten teacher at the American Chickamauga Elementary School, and one of her accusers was her own daughter.  The girl claimed her mother had put medicine on her.  But in a country obsessed with tracking down and destroying child molesters/pedophiles, that, and the testimony of two girls, was enough.

Two young girls were found touching each other. According to history and psychology, that is normal human behavior.  But not in this time of paranoia.  A monstrous, depraved, perverted adult must have done something awful and against the girls' will, so that person must be found and punished.

Fortunately for Craft, the girls were not very skilled at being consistent in telling their stories.  After five weeks of trial, the court and the jury discovered the youngsters were telling the tales they had been taught by their parents.  In cases like this, that sort of coaching by parents and prosecutors is commonplace.  And so are the angry mobs.

Continue reading "Teacher Found Not Guilty of Sexual Child Molestation--And Loses" »

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April 09, 2010

The Student Non-Discrimination Act

Preprom taken by Ken Stokes on May 20, 2005You may have read our entry about the discrimination against high school student Constance McMillen who wanted to attend her high school prom. Her situation got even worse.

Constance wanted to go to her Mississippi high school prom with her girlfriend, but the school refused to allow it. After the ACLU filed a lawsuit on her behalf, a federal judge said the The Itawamba County Agricultural High School could not discriminate against her attending a school-sponsored prom as that violated her First Amendment rights. The school board's response? Rather that let her attend with a female, they cancelled the prom for everyone.

But the fight against Constance and personal freedom got even worse. The judge was assured that she would be allowed to attend a private dance that would serve as the school prom. But the only students who showed up were Constance, her date, and five other students. Two of those students had disabilities. The "real" prom was held somewhere else.

We will respect the wishes of Constance and the ACLU and not focus all of our outrage on the cruelty here. James Esseks, director of the LGBT Project, said "there's nothing she wants more than for these kind of hurtful actions to end for students all across the country." We cannot change what happened to Constance, but we can support the Student Non-Discrimination Act to prevent this happening to future prom-goers.

Esseks said, "The Student Non-Discrimination Act would be the first comprehensive federal prohibition against discrimination in public schools based on a student's sexual orientation or gender identity."

You can help by sending an email in support of the act by going to https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2207&s_src=UNW100001ACT&s_subsrc=100409_const_CAN&JServSessionIdr004=8jp5gu9q75.app224a

Read more at http://www.yppo.com/2010/04/09/constance-mcmillen-fake-prom/

Preprom photo taken by Ken Stokes on May 20, 2005 and is released under the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 license as found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Preprom.jpg

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To see all our entries dealing with the ACLU, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=aclu

To see all our entries dealing with the Student Non-Discrimination Act (including our first entry on Constance McMillen), click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=student non-discrimination act

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April 01, 2010

Zoey Zane Declared Discordian Saint; Killer Gets Life

Israel Mireles (photo from http://blogs.kansascity.com/.a/6a00d83451b1b869e2012877966705970c-320wi)Israel Mireles, 26, the man convicted of killing and raping the 18-year-old Emily Sander, got life in prison without the possibility of parole.  Had Mexico not refused to deport him unless the United States of "We like to kill people in" America promised not to kill him, he probably would have gotten the death penalty.  Then he would have sat on Death Row for 20 years at a cost of millions of dollars.

Synchronistically, on the same day, 31 March 2010, Zoey Zane (the modeling name of Sander) was declared a Discordian Saint.  Emily Sander had already been named a Discordian American PriEmily Sander (image from family)ncess.

As this may be our last entry on Emily Sander/Zoey Zane, I'll let you know we were the first website (other than that of the local Kansas paper) to report that Emily was missing before it was revealed she posed nude as Zoey Zane.  Our friend Perlie the Pony Girl was friends with Emily and knew about the double identity, but didn't want to hurt the family.  But the organized media called Emily a "porn star" and still insists on calling her a "pornography model," even though almost all her poses were relatively tame.

Had she not posed, almost everyone who's read the story would not have heard of her.  And that's a shame.

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LINKS

Emily Sander tribute: http://discordia.loveshade.org/xtra/emily.html

Israel Mireles' sentence: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20001552-504083.html

Discordian American Princesses: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Discordian+American+Princess and http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Discordian_American_Princesses

To see all our entries on Emily Sander, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=emily+sander

Entries by persons who are members or associates of The Loveshade Family do not necessarily represent the views of the whole family.

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March 11, 2010

To Stop Gay Couples, Mississippi School Cancels Prom

Image is at http://www.pinknews.co.uk/images/prom2.jpgConstance McMillen wanted to go to her high school prom with her girlfriend.  She wanted to wear a tuxedo.  The Itawamba County Agricultural High School faced a dilemma.  Their policy said no same-sex couples, and no cross dressing.

The American Civil Liberties Union, however, said that policy was a violation of civil rights.  The ACLU's point had already been decided in Fricke v. Lynch, 491 f. Supp. 381, way back in 1980.  So the school district made a decision: rather than let one girl wear a tuxedo, they cancelled the prom for everyone.

The report didn't actually say it was because of that, but "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events."

Apparently, in that county in Mississippi, learning about civil rights is a distraction to what they consider a proper education. 

Read the story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_lesbian_prom_date

Image used is at http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13517.html/ and appears at http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13517.html/ No threat to its copyright is intended.

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To see all our entries dealing with the ACLU, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=aclu

To see all our entries dealing with the Student Non-Discrimination Act, http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=student non-discrimination act

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Klee Brasserie Serves Breast Milk Cheese

Breast cheese image from http://www.dvorak.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/cheese.jpgYou may remember when pushing for breast-milk foods for people was a publicity gimmick done by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals--see below).  Well, this time it's real.

"Iron Chef" Daniel Angerer said necessity is the mother of invention--and in this case the source of milk.  He had and wife Lori Mason had a freezer full of her breast milk, and were running out of room.  Rather than waste it, he decided to serve cheese made from it with figs and Hungarian pepper at Klee Brasserie.

Of course some people are shocked.  Even the New York City Health Department advised him to stop serving it.  They didn't have a law against it, but you know if they work hard enough they can make up--I mean find--something.

It's actually odd that it would seem odd.  People think nothing of swallowing bodily fluid from a fat, four footed creature that regurgitates matter from its stomach, then chews it and swallows it and regurgitates it again.  But humans drinking a drink that's specifically designed to fill the nutritional needs of humans?  Horrors!

And if it starts with getting adults to consume breast milk, it won't end there!  Before you know it, they'll be having teenagers, preteens and young children doing it.  Can you imagine the atrocity of having babies breast feeding?

Read more: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35778477/ns/today-today_food_and_wine/

For all our entries that touch on breast feeding, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=breast+feed  The PETA story is at http://loveshade.org/blog/2008/09/will_ice_cream_made_from_breas.html

The cheese breast image is at http://www.dvorak.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/cheese.jpg and appears in the article http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2008/04/10/human-breast-milk-cheese/.  No threat to its copyright is intended.

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March 09, 2010

Same-Sex Couples Start Marrying in Washington, D.C.

A triumphant couple outside San Francisco city hall after getting married. (Alex Handy)The United States' capital now accepts same sex couples.  Starting today (Tuesday, 9 March 2010), the District of Columbia joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont as the sixth place in America that allows lesbian and gay marriage.  (California did briefly until a court decision was rendered moot by an amendment to the state constitution).

The same-sex marriage ceremonies don't conclude with being pronounced "husband and wife;" instead the happy couples are now pronounced "legally married."

See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35776970/ns/us_news-life for more info.

Photo from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triumphant_newlyweds.jpg

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For all our entries on same-sex marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same-sex+marriage

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January 11, 2010

Ban on Same-Sex Marriage Now in Court

Image is from http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-cvr-100111-marriage1-9a.hmedium.jpg. No threat to its copyright is intended.California's gay marriage ban is now on trial.  Beginning today, Monday, 11 January, the court is examing the ban.  Currently, five U.S. states and the District of Columbia approve gay marriage. 

California approved it after a court decision there, but it changed after Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage passed in November 2008.  It left California in the odd position of having legally approved same-sex marriages that were now against the constitution, which also didn't allow the state to force divorces on those already married.

Regardless of how this case of two same-sex couples is decided, the decision is likely to be appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court.  America's final court may then well make a decision that will greatly affect marriage through all of America.

In a fundamental question in the current case, District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker asked lawyer Ted Olson about state-controlled marriage.  Olson, who is arguing in favor of same-sex marriage, was key to getting George W. Bush elected president by, essentially, one vote in the U. S. Supreme Court after a recounting of the inaccurate Florida voting was denied.  Walker asked if the goverment could get out of the marriage business.  Olson responded, Yes, I believe it could."

Here, we largely agree with Olson.  Why can't marriage be returned to being a social and/or religious institution, and not something completely controlled by big government?  Participants could sign a contract on how their assets and child custody could be handled, and would have a choice of contracts.  Now, the government tells you who you can marry and how.  Couldn't that be a decision guided by your own conscience?

For more information, see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34801259/ns/us_news-life/.

To see all our entries on gay marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=gay+marriage

Image is from http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-cvr-100111-marriage1-9a.hmedium.jpg. No threat to its copyright is intended.

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World Wide Pants Less

No Pants Subway Ride (photo from http://improveverywhere.com/images/nopants7_17.jpg. No  threat to its copyright is intended.)

Why can't you ride the subway without pants?

That's the question asked for the ninth annual No Pants Subway Ride on Sunday, 10 January. Begun by Improv Everywhere in New York, this year it was also held in various parts of the United States and the world, with participants in a reported 16 countries. A few thousand people took off their pants in New York, and others dropped them in Baltimore, Washington D.C., and, of course, San Francisco. Other places included Lisbon, Portugal, and Buenos Aires.

But it's actually related to an earlier tradition called No Pants Day celebrated by The Knighthood of BUH at the University of Texas, Austin, since 1997. And some claim it began even earlier, around 1985 or 1986. It's often celebrated on the first Friday in May.

In both No Pants Day and No Pants Subway Ride, particpants may act like nothing unusual's going on. If questioned, act as if they forgot to wear their pants, but that's no big deal. Other celebrants make a point of being pantsless, even wearing T-shirts celebrating wearing no pants. How you celebrate is up to you (but for most areas, you're safer if your nether regions are covered by underwear. "Pants" in the United Kingdom means underwear, but in America it means trousers).

 

See Links:

Check out the No Pants Day site at http://www.nopantsday.com/wp/

Read a report at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34799796/?GT1=43001

Watch the ZeitGeist version at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26852192/vp/34805765#34805765

The photo above is from http://improveverywhere.com/images/nopants7_17.jpg. No  threat to its copyright is intended.

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January 04, 2010

People with HIV Can Now Come to America

Photo of 24-year-old man with LeprosyIt may seem difficult to believe, but until today, people who were HIV-positive could not come to the United States of America.

The blocking law was passed in 1987, back when ignorant Americans (and apparently their elected officials) thought HIV/AIDS could be passed by handshakes and hugs.  It became the late 20th century equivalent of an earlier America's "C-word" (cancer), or America's equivalent of the biblical leprosy.

But Americans, unlike the enlightened bibical writers of a few thousand years ago, were ignorant of current medical knowledge.  Even in the late 1980s, the evidence was that HIV/AIDS could not be spread by casual contact.

And even if it was justified in the panicked 1980s, how could it have taken 22 years for HIV to be moved out of the category of highly contagious diseases spread by casual contact?  The United States was one of only about 12 countries to have such a ban.  Others include Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Libya.

It's another example of how American politics are often rooted in superstition, and how many years it can take to correct a misguided law that those in the know, in this case the medical community, had long said was not helpful and was, in fact, harmful.

Finally, after 22 years, familes who have been separated have a chance to come together again.  Assuming members have not died from legally-sanctioned second-hand smoke.

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/dec/01/travel/chi-hiv-travel-ban-01-dec01

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December 31, 2009

Predictions for 2010

 

Loveshade Predictions for 2010

 

I know you've all been waiting for this all year, so here it is.

Here are my predictions for 2010 (actually, other members of The Loveshade Family contributed to this; they just don't want to admit it):

* The HEALTH CARE REFORM so praised by Americans (that is, those who don't have health care), will pass, but will not work as planned.  Detractors will say it's a huge waste of money, and will put America in the toilet.  However, supporters will say it's at least better than it was, and it will continue to get better.  Rush Limbaugh will say at least I'm still alive.

ELVIS PRESLEY will be spotted in a shopping mall in New Jersey.

* The AMERICAN ECONOMY will show significant improvement; Democrats will claim it's because of their fine work, while Republicans will claim it's because of improvements made while George W. Bush was still president.

* An American group will work very hard to prove that BARACK OBAMA DOESN'T QUALIFY AS PRESIDENT.  The group will be suspected of having ties to a dissident group overseas.

* The supposedly dim-witted PARIS HILTON will still maintain the facade of being dim-witted, but will none-the-less cleverly manage to get herself in the news for yet another scandal.

* A male AMERICAN ICON of purity and wholesomeness will be caught with his hand somewhere people don't think it belongs; i.e., in someone else's pocket.

* A female BRITISH ICON of purity and wholesomeness will be caught exposing a portion of her anatomy that the prudish will not think should be exposed.

* The Law that DEATHS ALWAYS HAPPEN IN FIVES will once again be proven this year.  At least of those deaths will be unexpected, a famous singer, and a famous actor.

QUEEN ELIZABETH I will not die, but will have a significant medical problem.  (Sorry, your Majesty).

* A major figure in the MIDDLE EAST will be violently killed.

* In the United Kingdom, there will be renewed interest in an ANCIENT ACTIVITY.  It will be something that's been popular in North America for years.

HIP HOP will still be popular with many, and still hated by many others.

* I will perform a legally-recognized DISCORDIAN WEDDING, and there will be much rejoicing.

HAPPY NEW YEAR,

THE LOVESHADE FAMILY

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December 14, 2009

Gay Woman Democratic Mayor--in Texas

Annise Parker (photo by Zblume)Among the factors that go against a candidate for public office in the American state of Texas are these: being a Democrat, being a woman, and being gay.  Somehow, Annise Parker managed to beat the odds and get elected mayor of Houston.  She will become the first openly gay mayor of one of the United States' biggest cities.

Her primary opponent, Gene Locke, is male, but is also a Democrat in the non-partisan race.  Also, he's black.

Admittedly, things are changing in America.  A year ago, the top president-vice president candidates were a black and white man running for office with a white man, and a white man running with a white women.  And Texas has had two woman governors, the most recent being Anne Richards, who was elected to office for 1991 to 1995 as a Democrat.

But the image of the typical conservative southern Democrat was already fading then, and she was replaced as governor by none other than relatively conservative turned ultra conservative Republican George W. Bush.

Right now, Texas is a state where it's very difficult in most areas to get elected as a Democrat, even as a judge.  Travel through a small Texas town when elections are nearing, and you'll see many campaign signs proclaiming Republican in big letters, and maybe a few whispering Democrat in much smaller letters (many Democrats don't even put their party affliation on their signs).

Woman; maybe have a chance in a small Texas town.  But gay?  Highly unlikely.

But Houston is a big city, the fourth largest in the United States.  And large cities draw people from all over the country, and even from other countries.  Large U.S. cities are almost by definition cosmopolitan, more open to accepting people who don't fit the stereotypical "proper type."  Even though it was a city, there was a lot of anti-homosexual rhetoric.

But still, this is a very significant election.  Let's hope things go well for Annise Parker, the city of Houston, and ultimately for Texas.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34399468/?GT1=43001

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December 07, 2009

Uganda May Hang Gays--Supported by The Family?

There is a bill being proposed in Uganda that would make homosexuality a capital crime; violators would be hung.  Anyone who failed to report a homosexual in Uganda could be imprisoned for three years.

Apparently, some of the people behind the bill (possibly the author) are associated with The Family, a conservative Christian organization.

See the video at www.loveshade.org/blog/uganda_hang_gays.html

Thanks to Vernon Avaritt for pointing this out to us.

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December 04, 2009

Sexting--Fun or Dangerous?

SextingParents, moralists and media are curently attacking Sexting, or sending nude, semi-nude or sexually-explicit images and videos of yourself over phone and the Internet.  They're even going after cybersex, or sexually-explicit conversations in chat rooms.  Naturally, the biggest concern is when it's done by "young people."

After all, didn't some 13-year-old girl commit suicide over it?

No.  She wasn't a victim of sending nude photos of herself, she was a victim of vicious cyberbullying.  People who could be helped with counseling for self-esteem issues brought on by hormonal changes and, often, non-supportive parents, need help.  But they can get an easy release by harassing people online.  After all, it takes no courage attacking someone who can't really attack you back (plant your attacks, then log off).

The old "sticks and stones may break my bones, but your dirty words can't hurt me" is a great philosophy to live by, but it doesn't reflect the reality that human beings are a social species.

But can't you get arrested?  Yes.  As we've reported here before, young people have been arrested and charged with promoting child pornography for sending pictures of themselves.  The criminal and the victim become the same person.

Continue reading "Sexting--Fun or Dangerous?" »

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October 26, 2009

No Naked Boys in Australia--Even If It's Art

A sculpture in the sand … Little Boy Lost by Sydney's Paul Trefry is one of 114 works along a two-kilometre stretch of coast from Bondi to Tamarama. Photo: Dean SewellRemember Australia, which used to be such a cool place to visit and live?  Well, censors and social prudes are continuing to wage their glorious battle to make the country sterile and oppressed for visitors and natives alike.

When Sculpture by the Sea opens on Thursday, a statue of a lost little boy will be wearing swimmers.  This is not the wishes of the artist Paul Trefry.  Little Boy Lost showed a young boy lost on the beach, naked and vulnerable.  But apparently censors were so worried about people in Australia seeing the sculpture, that they insisted the boys' "naughty bits' be covered.

You really have to watch those Australians, as their uncontrollable urges force them to molest anything they see that's not wearing clothes.  Where do you think satyrs and wolfmen and mermaids come from?  There are so many naked goats and wolves and fish there.

To see the article, go to http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/10/26/1256405349832.html

Photo credit: A sculpture in the sand … Little Boy Lost by Sydney's Paul Trefry is one of 114 works along a two-kilometre stretch of coast from Bondi to Tamarama. Photo: Dean Sewell

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August 20, 2009

Hearing on Emily Sander Murder Suspect Israel Mireles Continues

Emily Irene SanderThe preliminary hearing for suspect Israel Mireles, who is the prime suspect in the killing of Emily Sander, is continuing. After hearing the preliminary evidence, a judge will decide if there is sufficient evidence to go to trial. At that point, Mireles will enter a plea.

Today (Tuesday, August 18, 2009), Aurelia Resa, college friend of the Kansas Sander, testified that she saw Sander leave a bar with Mireles the night she disappeared.

The case has drawn national attention because it was discovered Sander had posed nude online under the name of Zoey Zane. Sander had said that access to the website was blocked so that people in her hometown of El Dorado couldn't access it.

Also see http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1389997.html

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To see all our entries on Emily Sander, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=emily+sander

See Perlie the Pony Girl's tribute to her friend Emily at http://discordia.loveshade.org/xtra/emily.html

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Update: After a judge determined there was enough evidence for trial, the attorney for Mireles entered a "not guilty" plea to the charges. The trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 2.

Read more at http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/08/19/2009-08-19_israel_mireles_suspect_in_murder_of_internet_model_emily_sander_aka_zoey_zane_pl.html#ixzz0R90OXMt1

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August 15, 2009

Emily Sander aka Zoey Zane Murder Suspect Faces Hearing August 18

Emily Irene SanderThe preliminary hearing for suspect Israel Mireles has been rescheduled for August 18, 2009. Mireles has been charged with the capital murder, rape and aggravated sodomy of Emily Sander.

Sander, who was a friend of our friend Perlie the Pony Girl, gained national attention when it was discovered she was a nude model who posed online under the name Zoey Zane. (Some have called her a "pornography model" or even "porn star," but most of her poses were relatively tame). Emily was only 18 when she died. The Kansas girl was a college student and secretary.

The case had previously been delayed when officials in Mexico refused to extradite Mireles until the U. S. agreed that, even if convicted, he would not be executed. Mexico does not accept the death penalty.

Now for a little editoralizing. Mexico, like most of the civilized world, doesn't believe in executions. If you lock an innocent person up, you've taken away their freedom and some of their life, but at least they can be released. If you kill them, you've taken away everything.

(See our report below on Troy Anthony Davis.)

Killing doesn't give "closure." Closure happens within the individual person and is not somehow magically created by outside events, as psychological studies have shown. And it's not always just. In America, "justice" usually means punishment, and punishment usually means revenge.

Perlie was torn apart by what happened to her friend. But she doesn't want to see the killing continue.

You can see Perlie's tribute to her friend at http://discordia.loveshade.org/xtra/emily.html.

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To see all our entries on Emily Sander, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=emily+sander

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July 31, 2009

Online Porn Reduces Rape

http://www.tradevv.com/TradevvImage/productimages/Classical-nude-oil-painting-on-canvas-A2eb43.jpg'According to the study by Todd Kendall, an economics professor at Clemson University, “the arrival of the internet was associated with a reduction in rape incidence.”'

Columnist Bob Dyer said that forcible rape in America declined 30 percent in the past 15 years, which corresponds to the time the Internet--and online pornography--became popular.

This is reflected in Japan, which has probably more violent porn per capita than any other nation, yet has one of the world's lowest reported rates of sexual violence.

Of course some have and will continue to disagree by using the old "rape has nothing to do with sex it's about power and control" bit. Well, if you don't think rape has anything to do with sex, you need to get that talk from Dad. Sex and rape both mean certain body parts connecting with other certain body parts, whether those parts are willing or not, you know? But let's face it, if a man gives it up over a photo, drawing or video, he's given it up.

And if it is true that viewing images and videos, whether of real people or not, leads to a decrease in sexual violence? Let's hope to God or Goddess or Allah or Whoever You Worship that the United States doesn't outlaw fictional depictions of sexual acts involving fictional people who fit the same categories of those very real and vulnerable people they want to keep protected from sexual violence.

See the story we got this from, which came out a while ago but we missed it, at http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/online-porn-linked-to-reduced-incidence-of-rape_100150446.html

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June 04, 2009

New Hampshire Approves Same-Sex Marriage

Lesbian couple in Taiwan (One of four newly wedded couple of the public wedding of Taiwan Pride 2006, released into the public domain by User:Atinncnu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wedded_couple_on_Taiwan_Pride_2006.jpg)New Hampshire is now the sixth American state (if you don't count California) to recognize same-sex marriage.

Legislators approved a law that lets the state join gay-marriage-accepting states Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont and Iowa.  California had briefly allowed same-sex marriage, but voters changed the law.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, who opposes gay marriage and had threatened to veto a previous version, none-the-less signed the law.  This was after the legislature added a provision that religious organizations would not be forced to officiate or participate in same-sex marriage.

We support both the law and the exception.  We believe that consensual marriage should not be illegal, but also believe in the right of a religious group to stand by its beliefs.

See the story at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/03/national/a120055D33.DTL

See all our entries dealing with same-sex marriage by going to http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same-sex+marriage

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Gay Marriage in California--Not Over Yet

Two women get married in California (Getty image at http://media.nbcwashington.com/images/300*200/101008+gay+marriage+ct.jpg)Gay Marriage in California has been a merry-go-round in just the last year.

On May 15 2008, the California Supreme Court said prohibitions against same-sex marriage violated the law.  Soon after, gay and lesbian couples began getting married.

On November 4, 2008, Californians approved Proposition 8, which changed the law, so that same-sex marriages would once again be considered illegal--if the law held up.

On May 26, 2009, the California Supreme Court upheld the new law, meaning gay marriages would be banned--unless they occurred during the short time in 2008 when they were considered legal.  Those marriages would stand.

On May 26, 2009, about 175 peaceful protesters were arrested in San Francisco for protesting the decision.

Already, the law is facing lawsuits.

And already pro-same-sex marriage groups are planning to get another proposition on the ballot to make same-sex marriage legal again in 2010.  Perhaps not coincidentally, the tree front runners to become the Democratic front-runner for governor all support gay marriage.

California politics hasn't been this much of a circus since several dozen people simultaneously ran for governor.

To learn about the San Francisco arrests, see http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090527/lf_afp/usvotegaymarriage_20090527010456

For information on lawsuits, see http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=6194048&page=1

To read about pro-same-sex marriage plans for the ballot in 2010, see http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=7502090&page=1

To see all our entries dealing with same-sex marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same-sex+marriage

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May 20, 2009

13-year-old Alfie is Not the Father

Cover of The Sun showing Alfie (http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/090216/n_hall_13dad_090216.vsmall.jpg)13-year-old Alfie Patten, who got front-page recognition as the father of his 15-year-old girlfriend's baby, is not the father.

While mother Chantelle did apparently did have sex with Alfie when he was 12, she was impregnated when 14 by someone else.  DNA tests that were released today, Tuesday, May 19, said the father isn't Alfie.  It's apparently a youth who is now 15 years old.

This case has opened a big debate about the virtual lack of sex education in England.  The nation has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Europe.  It seems that kids can learn to do things they aren't taught in a classroom.  Who would have thought it?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30819938/?GT1=43001

For our blog entries on Alfie Patten, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=alfie+patten

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May 11, 2009

Texas Sheriff Escapes Sex Offender Registration by Dying

Bill Keating photo from http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/assets_c/2009/01/NMC_26Keating-thumb-200x209-33225.jpgTexans love five things: barbecues, football, guns, executions, and registering sex offenders.  It's a good-old-boy state where you can get lifetime registration as a sex offender and 20 years in prison for downloading photos that have appeared in several art museums.  But leaving a loaded gun where a kid gets it and shoots and kills his cousin can get you a fine.

But every once in a while, a good old boy get caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  Or in this case, the nookie jar.

William E. "Bill" Keating was sheriff of Montague County from 2005 to 2008.  He'd moved up in law enforcement over many years, then took a break to run a barbecue place before returning.  The widely respected lawman was doing what good old boy Texas lawmen do--until someone turned him in.  That someone was, ironically, a convicted felon.

Longtime felon Luke Bolton blew the whistle in September 2008.  W. E. Keating was arrested and, in January, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman after telling her it was the only way to avoid a drug charge.  He faced a likely 10-year sentence in federal prison.  In addition, in February the state of Texas indicted him on official oppression and having sex with female inmates.

Continue reading "Texas Sheriff Escapes Sex Offender Registration by Dying" »

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April 28, 2009

Same-Sex Marriage in Connecticut and Iowa

Gay marriage image from the state of California Connecticut is set to become the fourth U. S. state (if you don't count California) to legally recognize same-sex marriage.

A spokesperson for Gov. M. Jodi Rell said she will sign it into law.  The state house and senate already approved the proposed law, which came after the state supreme court voted 4-3 that marriage could not be restricted by gender.

The state will join Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa as the fourth state to recognize same-sex or gay marriage.  The gender discrimination had been rejected by the court in California, only to be overruled by the voters who changed the state constitution.

Same sex couples in Iowa have begun tying the knot.  Some of these lesbians and gay men have been couples for years, but not recognized as married.  But if relatively open-minded California reversed same-sex marriage, how long will it take voters to outlaw it in heartland Iowa?

Marriage is still defined in the United States as being between one person and another, usually restricted to one man and one woman.  But the changing definition leaves another question.  How long will it be before biblical fundamentalists push for biblical marriage, that between one man and multiple wives?

See the Iowa story at http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6395280.html and the Connecticut story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090423/ap_on_re_us/xgr_gay_marriage_connecticut.

For all our blog entries dealing with same-sex marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same-sex+marriage.  For entries on other terms, such as "gay" or "lesbian," use our search box.

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March 31, 2009

14-Year-Old Girl Arrested for Child Pornography of Herself

Wait, didn't we see this already? No, it's happening yet again.This picture, including the orange block-outs as shown, was the subject of an unrelated child pornography investigation in Canada. (see http://www.canadiancrc.com/Manitoba_Child_Sexual_Exploitation.aspx)

This time, it's a 14-year-old New Jersey girl who's facing child pornography charges, and possible lifetime registration as a sex offender, for posting photos of herself on Myspace.com.

If convicted as a sex offender, she'll be restricted on how close she can get to a school. This is to punish her--or is it to protect her? Is she the perpetrator or the victim?

According to a late 2008 study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, this kind of thing is commonplace. "Sex and Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young Adults" was conducted between September 25, 2008 and October 3, 2008. According to the study, 20% of teens overall, 22% of teen girls, 18% of teen boys, and 11% of young teen girls (ages 13 to 16) said they sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves.

Continue reading "14-Year-Old Girl Arrested for Child Pornography of Herself" »

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March 29, 2009

Dora The Explorer Growing Up? Horrors!

Five-year-old Dora and Preteen Dora the ExplorerIn case you aren't an American who has or works with young children, you may not know what all the fuss is about.

Dora the Explorer is a popular cartoon character on the Nickelodeon cable television network. She was introduced at the end of the 20th century, and became extremely popular with the pre-tween or pre-preteen set. The very young girl (age about 5), goes on little adventures to find things or help people, and is nice to everybody.

But now Nickelodeon and Mattel, the toy company, have unveiled a version that shows Dora in her tween/preteen years. Parents are horrified.

Part of this is because they first hinted at the new version's look with a silhouette.

Continue reading "Dora The Explorer Growing Up? Horrors!" »

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February 28, 2009

Teach Your Kids To Break The Rules

Yes, it may sound like a bit of strange advice, but it's true.

Children who always follow the rules, who do what they're told, can grow up sadly unprepared for the realities of life. Not all rules are good, and not all good rules are good all the time.

And those who continue to follow the rules are the same people who support oppressive and unfair regimes. They are also the people who are oppressed by such regimes.

While we don't necessarily agree with everything in Craig Playstead's article, you might want to check it out at http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/family-parenting/article.aspx?cp-documentid=16949831.

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February 16, 2009

Teens Arrested for Child Pornography--For Photos of Themselves

Image of babysitter and three young kids from http://blog.usa.gov/roller/govgab/resource/images/daycare.jpgTwo girls, age 14 and 15, have been arrested and charged with disseminating child porn--for sending pictures of themselves.

The teen girls from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, were arrested along with two teen boys, ages 16 and 17, who are accused of having received the photos over their cell phones.

Ironically, the law could also classify the "criminals" as victims.  The underage girls could be classifed as victims of sex crimes because two teenagers possessed their nude photos.  And the underage boys could be classified as victims of sex crimes because they were sent "child pornography."  So if the law punishes the "criminals," it also punishes the "victims."

Some American laws are just too stupid to believe.

And these teens aren't the only ones. Others have been prosecuted under the same kind of laws.  In fact, millions of teens could be arrested for disseminating child pornography. According to a survey released in December 2008 by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 20 percent of teens have sent nude photos of themselves to someone electronically.  And many more have possessed such photos.

In other words, the biggest producers, and probably consumers, of kiddie porn are kids.

These laws are supposedly written to protect the victims. But who is victimizing them? Themselves, or the government?

Am I the only one who thinks there needs to be some changes to these laws?

I learned about this at http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/01/teens-send-nude-pics-to-one-other-face-kiddie-porn-charges.ars For more info, see http://www.wpxi.com/news/18469160/detail.html (about the arrest) and the survey results in pdf form at http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/sextech/PDF/SexTech_Summary.pdf

 

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February 14, 2009

13 Year Old Father to be Taught about Birds and the Bees

Cover of The Sun showing the new dad (Stringer / AFP - Getty Images)The father of a United Kingdom boy who impregnated a girl when he was age 12 plans to have a talk with his son about sex. 

Dennis Patten, father of new father Alfie Patten, now age 13, decided it's time for an education. '"I will talk to him again and it will be the birds and bees talk. Some may say it's too late but he needs to understand so there is not another baby."'

The new mother is Chantelle, who was 14 when impregnated and is now 15.

Just another example of how effective it is to try to keep children ignorant about sex.

See more at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29184929/?gt1=43001

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November 05, 2008

Will California's Gay Marriage Ban Force Divorce?

No marriage symbol (as it appears at http://thornsandnails.com/pics/not_marriage2_sm.gif)Proposition 8, a California initiative that defines marriage as being between one man and one woman, has passed.  Because the measure amends the state constitution, it would effectively overrule the decision of the California Supreme Court that banning same-sex marriage is discriminatory.

But this leaves a convoluted side effect which will have a major impact on many Californians and others.

Thousands of same-sex couples married between the court decision in May and the vote on November 4.  What will happen to those couples?

The law will either be interpreted as:

1) Those same-sex couples who are already married can stay married.  But that would leave the dilemma of the state both approving same-sex marriage, and saying it's unconstitutional.

2) The marriages of those already married same-sex couples would be forcibly ended by the government.  That would essentially mean the state would force married couples to divorce.

Neither one of these options is something that conservatives or liberals would fully support.  The effects of the court decision and the vote cannot be ignored, and it will force this issue to stay in the public arena.  Either way, this controversy is far from over.

And is also begs the question: does this mean that the state of California would define the polygamous marriages of most Biblical patriarchs as illegal?

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September 26, 2008

Will Ice Cream Made From Breast Milk Be Served in Two Scoops?

CREDIT: Siegel, Arthur S., "Detroit, Michigan. Little girl with ice cream cone in the zoological park." "America from the Great Depression to World War II: Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945," Library of Congress. "This morning, PETA dispatched a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of ice cream icon Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace the cow's milk in their products with human breast milk."

That's from the official website of PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  It's apparently in the wake of news reports that a restaurant owner in Switzerland plans to buy breast milk to use in soups, stews and sauces.

Their site claims it's cruel to keep cattle locked up, forcibly impregnating cows every nine months just to keep up milk production.Woman breastfeeding a girl (photo from the U. S. Government apparently taken in Paraguay)

Would their solution mean milk-supplying women would have to be impregnated every nine months?

Apparently not.  It appears that woman will continue producing breast milk as long as they're nursing, as the Veronika Robinson case points out (she breastfed her daughters until they voluntarily stopped breast feeding at age 7, one of them almost 8 years old who asked for it again on her 9th birthday.)  PETA claims breast milk is not only better for the animals, but for people.

If this becomes a trend, it leaves us with a very large question: what about yogurt, or milk itself?  A cow can produce many times the milk that a human woman can.  Where would all that milk come from?

Read the PETA letter and comments at http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=11993

See a short video about Veronika Robinson at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHRyRCHuQ7g and Robinson's corrections to some of the video at http://www.themothermagazine.co.uk/extraordinarybreastfeeding.html (thanks to Einley for pointing these out at http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=844263 )

 

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July 27, 2008

Don't Ask, Don't Tell--Gays in the Military

The photograph of Paul Tibbets with his ground crew in front of the Enola Gay is reproduced from Vincent C. Jones, Manhattan: The Army and the Atomic Bomb, United States Army in World War II (Washington: Center of Military History, United States Army, 1988), 535.Allowing homosexuals and bisexuals in the United States military is being examined by Congress for the first time in 15 years.

When Bill Clinton became U.S. president about 16 years ago, one of the first things he wanted to do was to stop the military from discriminating against bisexuals, gays and lesbians.  Under policy at that time, the Pentagon could and did ask recruits their sexual orientation.  This was due to what would now be called homophobia--people were afraid that gays would proposition, sexually molest or even rape them.  (Two or three decades ago, many Americans believed that most sexual molesters were homosexual).

Congress wouldn't go along with Clinton's proposal, but instead made a compromise.  This became known as the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.  If you were lesbian, bisexual or gay, you were supposed to keep your mouth shut about it.  In turn, the Pentagon wouldn't ask you what genitalia you preferred.

It was an odd policy to begin with--it was against the rules for you to have a "non-normal" sexual preference, but it was OK as long as no one found out about it.  Something of an "It's OK as long as you don't get caught" policy.

But the military establishment caught people anyway.  While the Pentagon stopped asking directly, they still investigated.  The number of people kicked out due to their sexual orientation only lessened by about 10 percent, according to Randy Shilts' 1993 book Conduct Unbecoming: Gays & Lesbians in the U.S. Military.

But Congress is now holding a hearing on the policy with what is ironic timing.  Senator Sam Nunn, who was a co-creator of the policy, is being seriously considered as the vice presidential running mate for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who’s had a lot of support from homosexuals.

So what think?  What affect could having Nunn as a running mate have on Obama's campaign?  And should the military be allowed to keep people out due to their sexual orientation?  Is a policy that makes those who want to serve in the military hide their homosexuality or bisexuality fair?

(Alden Loveshade contributed to this)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080723/us_time/revisitingdontaskdonttell
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July 15, 2008

JonBenét Ramsey Parents Cleared--Again. Who's Next?

JonBenét Ramsey(Alden Loveshade is a freelance writer who became involved in a political protest while vacationing in Boulder, Colorado, some time before JonBenét Ramsey (sometimes spelled JonBenet Ramsey) was reported missing.  Alden has been following the Ramsey case ever since.)

Yes, the story about the parents of JonBenét Ramsey being cleared--again--came out a few days ago.  This time, it was "touch" evidence, DNA that was left on the girl's panties that didn't fit anyone in the family.  Sadly, mother Patsy Ramsey didn't live to see this, but her husband John and much of the rest of the family did--after living under the horror of suspicion for almost 12 years.

So why am I writing about it now and not a few days ago?

 I hesitated doing an entry at all, as I largely said what I wanted to say in a previous post (http://loveshade.org/blog/2006/08/jon_benet_ramsey_murder_case_h.html)

The reason I posted is this:

Continue reading "JonBenét Ramsey Parents Cleared--Again. Who's Next?" »

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June 17, 2008

Same Sex Marriage Now Legal in California

I heard from Lorien that same-sex couples can now get legally married in California.  I knew the California Supreme Court had ruled that restricting marriage to the opposite sex was unconstitutional on the state level on May 15, but it took until 5:01 p.m. today (June 16) for that decision to stand.  (for a discussion of the May 15 decision, see http://loveshade.org/blog/2008/05/california_may_accept_marriage.html)

California is the second state to do this, and several couples have gotten married there already.

Of course there's protests, calls for changing the law, etc.  There's a California measure coming up for vote in a few months that would specifically ban same-sex marriage.  And because U. S. states recognize marriage as defined by other U. S. states, it puts anti-gay-marriage states in something of a bind.  This will probably beef up the idea of amending the U. S. Constitution to a "one-man, one-woman" marriage amendment.  My friend Alden claims that marriage in the U. S. has never been controlled by the federal government, and this would put even more power in the hands of big wigs in Washington.

So what think?  Should same-sex marriage be legal?  Should the federal government be able to control marriage?  For that matter, should the state government be able to control marriage?  And what about governments of other countries?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080617/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage

(members of The Loveshade Family contributed to this report)

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May 25, 2008

California May Accept Marriage Based on Love

Lesbian couple (from Queereaster Media Working Group 2006)Marriage has always been the state-recognized union of one man and one woman.  Or such is the assumption some would have us make, even though a look through Christian, Jewish and Muslim scripture would show otherwise.

Now the California Supreme Court has challenged that assumption.  A case was fought on behalf of 14 same-sex couples and by Equality California and our Family Coalition.  They had legal help from several individuals and groups including the ACLU and the National Center for Lesbian Rights in support of same sex marriage.

The result? The court overturned California's ban on same-sex marriage.  Because this case applied to state and not federal law, it can't be appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court.

Where will it go from here?  As Bob Dylan sang, "the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind."  And as Dylan also sang, "the times they are a changin'."

To learn more, go to http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/relationships/12141res20050314.html

To see our entries on same-sex marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same+sex+marriage

(Lorien Loveshade contributed to this).

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March 29, 2008

Nipple Rings Pose Threat to National Security

Mandi Hamlin shows how to remove nipple ring using a bra, with attorney Gloria Allred watching (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Mandi Hamlin was handed a pair of pliers and told to remove her nipple rings before boarding a plane, according to attorney Gloria Allred.  In a news conference on 27 March 2008, Allred said Hamlin was forced by the Transportation Security Administration on 24 February 2008 in Texas.  (For those who don't know, Texas is a part of the United States, although some Texans insist it's the other way round.)

We didn't realize nipple rings posed such a threat.  We can't imagine any way you could hurt someone with nipple rings, unless you made them swallow.

But if nipple rings are such a threat, surely false teeth are.  You could bite someone with false teeth!  Maybe we should make every passenger remove anything that could be potentially dangerous before boarding a plane.

If nipple rings are dangerous, surely wedding rings are.  What about a watch?  A terrorist could use a watch band to strangle a child, or a little person.  And what about a false leg?  You know terrorists would willingly cut off their own leg so they could replace it with a false one, and then hit people over the head with it.

Come to think of it, if false teeth are dangerous, what about real ones?  Maybe everyone should be given a pair of pliers to pull out their real teeth, not to mention fingernails and toenails.  And it false legs are dangerous, what about real legs and arms?  And speaking of dangerous body parts, if we want to be certain a man can't rape a woman....

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March 24, 2008

Arthur C. Clarke Cleared of Child Sex Allegations

Arthur C. Clarke (released to public domain by photographer Amy Marash)Arthur C. Clarke, the 90-year-old icon of science and science fiction who passed away on March 19, 2008, has been cleared of having sex with boys.

Clarke served as host and commentator of the television program Mysterious World, and was the creator with Stanley Kubrick of the immortal 2001: A Space Odyssey.  The movie (it was also a book) was honored at the 2001 Academy Awards.  He came up with the idea of the communications satellite, and was a close friend of fellow science and science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who in turn was known by our own Alden Loveshade.

But even Clarke could not escape the rampant international pedophile hunt that's ravaging the modern world. The Sunday Mirror had published its story of the allegations 10 years ago when Clarke was 80, ironically (or purposely) a few days before he was to be knighted by the Prince of Wales on a visit to Sri Lanka.  The British-born author had made his home there for many years (he was knighted in 1998).

While no evidence came forth, the allegations haunted Clarke, and resurfaced after his death.  But authorities in Sri Lanka announced Sunday, 2008 March 23, that the investigation had been dropped, and that Clarke had been cleared before his death.

See http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1998/08/13/fhead.htm and look for the most current article at http://www.citizen.co.za/ (sorry, we don't have the exact URL)

 

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February 18, 2008

Sex Toy Sales Now Legal in Texas

Picture found at dl3.glitter-graphics.netUntil now, if you sold "marital aids" in Texas, you could be prosecuted for obscenity.  A federal appeals court has finally overturned that law.

Under the law, you couldn't sell sexually-oriented devices.  Ironically, some businesses got around this by selling dildos as "novelty items" with notes specifying that they weren't intended to be used for sexual purposes.  Right.

Even weirder, you were automatically considered a sex toy dealer if you possessed six vibrators.  They needed no evidence whatsoever that you were actually trying to sell them--possession meant promotion.  Strangely, you weren't considered a garment dealer if you had six pair of blue jeans, and possessing six pair of shoes didn't make you a shoe store.

Those of us who are involved in the Discordian Division of the Ek-sen-triks CluborGuild have a personal interest in this, as one of our friends was prosecuted for obscenity in Texas.  Fortunately, that case was finally dismissed.

The government continues to want to spy on you in your bedroom.  Hopefully laws like this will continue to get thrown out, especially as obscenity, like beauty, is only in the eye of the beholder.  Robert Anton Wilson called obscenity the modern form of black magic--there is no test to measure how much "obscenity" or "black magic" is in an item or image.  But a tremendous number of innocent lives were ripped away from the fear of witchcraft a few centuries ago, and a tremendous amount of personal freedom is being stripped away today.

These anti-freedom laws have already been tossed into the trash can of history in Louisiana, Kansas, Colorado and Georgia. Mississippi and Alabama continue to live in the past. Let's hope that laws against not just sex toys, but all forms of so-called obscenity, are throw into the garbage.

Read about this case in the relunctantly and slowly forward-moving state of Texas at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_re_us/sex_toys_ban

(Danacasso pointed this tidbit out to us)

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December 01, 2007

Emily Sander's Death is Confirmed

Tragically, authorities have verified that the body found was that of Emily Sander.

 And yes, we know Emily posed nude with other women and in solo shots under the name Zoey Zane. She just turned 18 years old this year and apparently saw it as a way to gain publicity in order to futher her career.

We, or at least her friend Perlie the Pony Girl, knew about her posing before we posted our first entry about Emily here.  But at that point, it wasn't publicly known, which is why we didn't mention it.

We know that some people don't approve of nude or sexually-oriented modeling.  But whether you approve or not, please don't let that get in the way of your seeing the tragedy of the death of someone described by a friend, Perlie, as a friendly, sweet and very lovable young woman.

Look for more updates on this blog, or see previous entries for more details.

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November 30, 2007

Emily Sander's Body May Have Been Found

Emily Sander, 18, is at left; Israel Mireles, 24, is at top right; Victoria Martens, 16, is at bottom right.Tragically, authorities believe they've found the body of Emily Sander.  The body was found about 50 miles from El Dorado, Kansas, where Emily attended school and was last seen.

Police are still looking for Israel Mireles, 24.  Emily was apparently last seen leaving a bar with Israel, who is described as being 5 foot 6 inches and weighing 130 lbs.  He may be traveling with his apparently pregnant 16-year-old girlfriend Victoria Martens.  A car rented by Mireles was found in Vernon, Texas, and Mireles and Martens are believed to be heading to Mexico, if they haven't already arrived there.

In the photos, Emily Sander, 18, is to the left; Israel Mireles, 24, is at top right; and Victoria Martens, 16, is at bottom right.

Emily is--or, tragically, was--a friend of our own friend Perlie the Pony Girl.

If you have any information about Emily Sander, Israel Mireles or Victoria Martens that could apply to this case, please contact Detective Captain Justin Phillips at the El Dorado Police Department by calling (316) 321-9120 or faxing (316) 321-1456.  If you are uncomfortable contacting him by phone, you can email at jphillip @ eldoks.com (ignore the spaces in the email address--it's posted that way to reduce spam).

See another and possibly more current photo of Mireles at http://loveshade.org/blog/2007/11/please_help_us_find_missing_em.html

Look for updates in more current postings to this blog.

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November 27, 2007

Please Help Us Find Missing Emily Sander

Emily Sander, 18, is missing (family photo)Emily Sander, an 18-year-old student at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, is missing.  She was last seen  leaving a bar there with a man who may have been Israel Mireles, 24.  El Dorado is about 30 miles from Wichita.

Sander's car was found at the bar. Mireles was driving a grey or green Ford Taurus rental car with the license plate XUJ 487. He and his 16-year-old pregnant girlfriend Victoria Martens may be traveling to Texas or Mexico as Mireles has family and friends in those areas.

Emily is a friend of our own Perlie the Pony Girl, and we are very concerned about her.  She is 5 foot 3 inches tall, weights 105 lbs., has blue eyes, long brown hair, tattoos and body piercings.  She was last seen wearing low-rider jeans, a "Don't Mess with Texas" T-shirt, and skateboard-style tennis shoes.  Mireles is described as being about 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighing 130 lbs.

Police are looking for a white bedspread with a floral design that may be a clue. Unfortunately, foul play is suspected.Israel Mireles, 24 (image provided by El Dorado Police Department)

If you have any information about Emily Sander or Israel Mireles that could apply to this investigation, please contact Detective Captain Justin Phillips at the El Dorado Police Department by calling (316) 321-9120 or faxing (316) 321-1456.  If you are uncomfortable contacting him by phone, you can email at jphillip @ eldoks.com (ignore the spaces in the email address--it's posted that way to reduce spam).

A recent photo of Israel Mireles is to the right.

Look for updated postings on this blog as this case continues.

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November 21, 2007

Religious Polygamy and Preteen Rapists

Warrent Jetts, left, with his attorney Richard Wright (AP Photo, Judd Burkett, Pool)The Holy Bible says nothing against polygamy--in fact, many of the greatest spiritual leaders and men of God were polygamists.  Even King David, the man after God's own heart in Christian and Jewish faith, practiced it.

Warren Jeffs, head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, promoted it.  And was sentenced to two consecutive five-year to life sentences as a result.  This in the United States of America, which prides itself on following biblical principles.

The Holy Bible also doesn't give a minimum age for consenting to have sex.  And many United States laws insist that the older partner in a sexual encounter is automatically the perpetrator--if the "victim" is under the legal age of consent.

But now, an 8-year-old and two 9-year-old boys are charged with the rape of an 11-year-old girl.  Was this preteen rape by preteen rapists?  If all the participants were 7 years older, a 15-year-old boy and two 16-year-old boys with an 18-year-old female, she might be the suspect.   Certainly she would be, if "she" were the "he."

So why do so many American laws claim that it's impossible for a 13-year-old to consent to sex, when they claim some preteens, or even pre-tens, can not only consent, but force it on another?

In both these cases, America might want to question its current version of reality.

See the polygamy story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071120/ap_on_re_us/polygamist_leader and the preteen sex story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071120/ap_on_re_us/boys_rape;_ylt=Aj3SaSuhfmz37xFV8fkOfI5H2ocA

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November 06, 2007

Does Abstinence-Only Education Stop Teen Pregnancy?

Pregnant teen (from www.parentsbehavingbadly.com)Once again, Texas has the highest teen birth rate of any state in the United States.  Interestingly, Texas has a policy of denying contraceptives without parental consent and strongly promotes abstinence-only sex education in public schools.

By contrast, California, which promotes both teaching abstinence and birth control, and which makes contraception available to teens without parental consent, has a much lower teen birth rate.

From 1991 to 2004, the nation's teen birth rate dropped by a third.  Texas only dropped by 19 percent, while California dropped by 47 percent, according to the non-profit group Child Trends.  (California and Texas are respectively the first and second most populous U. S. states).

Certainly there are other factors involved--micro or sub cultures, wealth vs. poverty, etc.  But the numbers certainly don't support the idea that abstinence-only education stops teenagers from having sex.

See a Dallas Morning News article about this at http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/110507dnmetteenbirths.35daddb.html

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October 31, 2007

Teenagers: Your Sex Lives May be Illegal

Shot of teen lovers from Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Media Asia Distribution)Many teenagers may be shocked to learn that the intimacy that they and many of their classmates share could land them in prison.  In fact, the senior who's dating a junior could be in danger of becoming a lifetime registered sex offender, and considered a sexual predator of children.

One of our family personally knows of a 16-year-old male who had a 14-year-old girlfriend.  That was legal in the state of Texas, and he was known for being gentle and caring.  But as soon as he turned 17, he was arrested and was considered a sexual predator and a child molester for being intimate with her.  The actual difference in their ages hadn't changed, but his birthday made all the difference.

Genarlow Wilson was convicted and sentenced to serve 10 years in prison by the state of Georgia.  His crime?  As a 17-year-old, he engaged in consensual oral sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend.  He served for almost three years before the state supreme court released him--barely.

Learn more about these laws, which 19-year-old teenager Lorien Loveshade calls "laws against love," at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071030/ap_on_re_us/teen_sex_laws

Learn more about Wilson at http://loveshade.org/blog/2007/10/man_released_after_imprisonmen.html

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October 26, 2007

Man released after imprisonment for consensual teenaged oral sex

Photo Genarlow Wilson from the Wilson familyShould a 17-year-old teenager get 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend? The state of Georgia said yes; but now, after two years, the court said no. But just barely.

The court ruled 4-3 that Genarlow Wilson was subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. His conviction was ordered to be reversed, and he has been released. But this is after he paid two years of his young life for "aggravated child molestation."

This is another example of the absurdity of so many U. S. laws. How many people reading this engaged in consensual sexual activity with another teenager where the age difference was two years or greater?

They've finally released a man who, in my opinion, should never have been imprisoned for something that, in my opinion, should not be a crime. The act has been reduced in Georgia to a misdemeanor, but still leaves the question: should this be illegal?

In a religious state that believes in maintaining strict control over its citizens in support of that society's official religion, perhaps yes, for them. In a totalitarian state that forces strict controls over its citizens, it might be bad for the people, but is at least consistent with the government of the country. But in a nation like the United States that supposedly is in favor of personal freedom?

See the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071026/ap_on_re_us/teen_sex_case

See more info:

Continue reading "Man released after imprisonment for consensual teenaged oral sex" »

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October 20, 2007

Teen and Preteen Birth Control in Portland Maine

Lucie Husband photo at http://images.scotsman.com/2006/05/16/en1605pregnantb.jpgKing Middle School in Portland, Maine will let students get birth control pills. The Portland School Committee voted 7 to 2 in favor.

This has caused tremendous controversy. But why? Most of the students there are age 11 to 13 but some are from 10 to 15. Do you think 15 and 14 year olds aren't having sex? Most teens in America have sex by the time they're 16. And a lot of them start younger.

One of my friends had her second baby right after she turned 16. She had her first at 14 but she got pregnant at 13. Her middle school didn't give birth control. Do you think that stopped her?

Continue reading "Teen and Preteen Birth Control in Portland Maine" »

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October 06, 2007

Adam Newton Interviews Ek-sen-trik Discordians

Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: The Tales of ShamlichtAdam Newton, an educator and freelance professional writer who's done work for magazines, newspapers, radio and television, interviewed us! Why we don't know.

As of this posting, we're getting ready to start submitting Ek-sen-trik-kuh Discordia: The Tales of Shamlicht in an ignoble attempt to get it published. Learn about our book, animal sex, nudism/naturism, Shamlicht Kids Club, The Cloved Lemon Kissing Game, and how we were investigated for alleged possession of illegal drugs, promotion of child pornography, consorting with terrorists, and lots of other fun stuff.

The interview is unique: where else would you find people of various species being interviewed naked in a naturally formed hot tub on planet Eta Mu Pi?

To see the interview, go to Ek-sen-trik Discordian Interview

Also see our September-October 2007 Snooze Letter

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September 28, 2007

Support American Breastfeeding Rights with H. R. 2236

Beautiful breast feeding photo from www.sxc.huDo you want to support breast feeding? There's a bill in the United States Congress called H.R. 2236 to do just that!

The bill's purpose is "To amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding by new mothers; to provide for a performance standard for breast pumps; and to provide tax incentives to encourage breastfeeding."

Breast feeding is the most natural and beautiful thing in the world. But some people want to stop it! There is nothing wrong with the breast and using it for what it was created for.

The bill is at

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2236:   

You can find your representive and write them in support at

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Also see a lawsuit about it at http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-12-breast-feeding-lawsuit_N.htmThis is from Women's Health Action Trust

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September 12, 2007

Make a Baby Day

This may not be a generally recognized holyday (yet), but it sounds like a good one.

Russia's population has been dropping since the Soviet Union aborted in 1991.  Now there's an effort to swell the population.  This isn't through immigration, but through conception.

According to the article this links to, "Ulyanovsk Gov. Sergei Morozov has decreed Sept. 12 a Day of Conception and is giving couples time off from work to procreate. Couples who give birth nine months later on Russia's national day — June 12 — will receive money, cars, refrigerators and other prizes."

This isn't strictly Discordian, but damn, wish we'd thought of it!

See the ARTICLE at <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070911/ap_on_re_eu/russia_making_babies_day;_ylt=Aj3sJkWMdU4sr9thYeq6TOsUewgF" target="_blank">Make a Baby Day</a>

BONUS: to see a cute educational book that shows German children how babies are made (a book we can't link to from this blog) go to the link at http://www.23ae.com/index.asp?post=381.

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May 25, 2007

Transgendered Children

Riley Grant, 10-year-old trangender girlAccording to the mother of the 10-year-old girl Riley, she has a birth defect--a penis.  The preteen transgender girl, who is biologically a boy, finds self-identity as the opposite sex.  Even as a toddler, Riley wanted "girl" toys and clothes.

On the flip side, 14-year-old girl Rebecca wrote Mom a letter saying "she" wanted to be a "he."  Rebecca, now known as Jeremy, was "a boy in a girl's body."

Most modern societies, and many historical ones, force people to be identified as either "male" or "female."  This dictates what clothes, activities, professions and people they can marry.  But this division into two boxes reflects neither psychological nor biological reality.  People range from a wide spectrum of "feminine" to "masculine" thoughts, feelings and behaviors that doesn't always fit biological gender.  And genetics don't produce only the "female" XX and the male "XY," but also XXY, XXX, X, XXXY, XYY and other combinations.

Read about Riley at http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3072518&page=1

And learn about Jeremy at http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3077906&page=1

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May 17, 2007

Sex and Google

Do search engines such as Google violate copyright laws?  Is the display of a low-pixel image in a search engine illegal?  The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco just said no.

It's fascinating how technology changes law and our very concepts of our world.  Before printing became commonplace, and even for quite a while after, there was no such thing as "copyright," nor even a clear concept of how a piece of work could belong to its creator.

Now we're questioning whether a computer-interpreted phone line or satellite link that displays a lower pixel version of an electronic image that's computer code interpreted by a personal computer and electronically put together on a visual monitor is a copyright offense.  Weird.

 Read about the decision at http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2007/05/sex_and_google.html#comment-69784414

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April 07, 2007

Sex Offenders Required to Live Under Bridge in Miami

Sex offenders live under Miami bridge (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter) Here's another twist on the sex offender laws that have been popping up in the last few years and are growing bigger and bigger throughout America.

In Miami, Florida, the ordinances have gotten so strict that five offenders are living under a bridge with the state's approval.  The reason?  It's virtually impossible for them to get housing.

So they've been forced to live outside all day and all night near where children play and teenagers hang out rather than live within 2,500 feet of a school.

Not all offenders were convicted of anything violent.  Some were arrested for having willing relations with their boyfriend/girlfriend, or of downloading photos off the Internet that are considered legal in some parts of the country, but not in others.  So does forcing them, and those who were convicted of violent crimes, to live on the streets make them and everyone else safer?

See the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070407/ap_on_re_us/sex_offenders_bridge and feel free to make comments and reports on what's happening in your area/country below.

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January 30, 2007

Sexism in Schools: Separate but Equal?

All girls classroom at Arrowhead High School (Yahoo! News Photo)In 1892, Horner Plessy, a "colored" shoemaker, was locked up in jail for sitting in the "White" car of the East Louisiana Railroad.  With a series of failed appeals, the Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896 established that the principle "separate but equal" was legally valid in the United States of America.

It wasn't until 1952, over half a century later in Brown v. Board of Education, that the court finally decided that separate but equal was inheritantly inequal.

Now, with a twist it's happening all over again, only this time in reverse.  It's been decided that "separate but equal" is fair, only this time it's not "white" v. "colored," it's "boys" vs. "girls."  Public schools can now receive federal funding for same-sex classes, and even same-sex schools.  It's not just for physical and sexual education anymore.

Is this a wise policy decision, or just sexism?

You can read the story, which Danacasso pointed out to us, at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070125/ap_on_re_us/same_sex_schools

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November 01, 2006

School Boots 3 Girls in 'Underpants'

A high school principal in Long Beach New York banned three girls because they dressed as Captain Underpants on Superhero Day. Captain Underpants is a children's book. So is it too sexy for high school?Captain Underpants

And the girls were completely covered. They wore beige leotards and nude stockings under their white briefs.

But Principal Nicholas Restivo didn't like it.  "Yes, I know they weren't naked," Restivo said. "But the appearance was that they were naked."

If he thinks wearing briefs over a leotard looks like being naked, he needs to go to a nude beach. I guess he just doesn't like briefs.  Maybe he wouldn't have a problem if the girls just took their underwear off.

You can read the whole story at http://news.lycos.com/dynamic/stories/C/CAPTAIN_UNDERPANTS?SITE=LYCOS&SECTION=home&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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October 28, 2006

12 Reasons Gay Marriage is Bad

Do you want to know 12 reasons why gays shouldn't be allowed to marry? Well you won't find them here!

This is a funny article that makes fun of the arguments against gay marriage. Check it out and make your own copy at http://grove.ufl.edu/~ggsa/gaymarriage.html

To see our entries on same-sex marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same+sex+marriage

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October 14, 2006

Birds and Bees May Be Gay!

Kakkak (Ixobrychus sinensis)"OSLO (Reuters) - The birds and the bees may be gay, according to the world's first museum exhibition about homosexuality among animals.

With documentation of gay or lesbian behavior among giraffes, penguins, parrots, beetles, whales and dozens of other creatures, the Oslo Natural History Museum concludes human homosexuality cannot be viewed as 'unnatural.'"

The court in California said bans against gay marriage are legal. How can they do that when being gay is natural? There's about 1,500 species that practice gay and lesbian sex. Many of them are bisexual. So how can they make laws against love?

You can read the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061012/sc_nm/environment_homosexuality_dc_4;_ylt=AtOxzwI_H3kQIPNq0TW26OpH2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTA2ZGZwam4yBHNlYwNmYw

--

Read about California banning gay marriage but they're going to appeal! at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061005/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage

--

Rhode Island Lesbians can Marry in Massachusetts http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=2&u=/ap/gay_marriage

To see our entries on same-sex marriage, click on http://www.loveshade.org/blog-mt/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=same+sex+marriage

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September 07, 2006

Naked teens in Vermont

Naturist Teens"This summer, a group of teenagers has disrobed near restaurants, bookstores and galleries, igniting a debate about whether this bohemian southern Vermont town should ban a practice that has been tolerated until now." That's from an article called "Nude teens raising eyebrows in Vermont."

In Vermont, public nudity is legal! But towns and cities can make laws against it. But why? What is wrong with the human body? Should we be ashamed of how we were created?

You can read the article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060905/ap_on_fe_st/naked_town and read my opinion about being an adult, teen, preteen, and child nudist at http://lorien.loveshade.org/opinions/nudism.html

(One of our correspondents pointed out that the original link to the article is no longer valid.  As of today, 10 January 2007, you can read a version of this story at http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2006/08/23/law_of_nature_prevails_in_vermont/)

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August 17, 2006

JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case: Here We Go Again

JonBenet Ramsey (CNN)(Alden Loveshade is a freelance writer who became involved in a political protest while vacationing in Boulder, Colorado, some time before JonBenet Ramsey was reported missing.  Alden has been following the Ramsey case ever since.  Here, Alden looks at the problem of false accusation, like what happened in the Ramsey murder case and to a small town mayor).

The tabloids, whether in print or local TV news form, are having a field day: a suspect has been arrested in the murder case of JonBenet Ramsey.  If you don't know, Ramsey was a 6-year-old beauty queen who was found, dead and beaten, in her family's basement in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996.  The parents, John and the recently late Patsy Ramsey, were named by the pop media as possible suspects, but were never charged.

Ironically, the number of parents who signed up their preschool and other young girls to run for beauty queen shot up after the case.  It's an odd example of how sometimes publicity, any publicity, can help.

Continue reading "JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case: Here We Go Again" »

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August 16, 2006

Lorien Loveshade's Secret Teen Diary: Age 13 to 18

Lorien Loveshade's Crib

 

 

Please read the Warning at the bottom of this entry before clicking on any links.

On August 23, 2001, a 13-year-old California teenage girl, later known as Lorien Loveshade, started posting her online diary.  It was more in the intimate style of "The Diary of Ann Frank," or even "The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer," than a typical 21st Century teen blog.  Lorien, who then wrote under her real name, shared her feelings and thoughts and the personal life of a young teenaged girl.

But things changed.  Fear seized America, and the paranoia that infected America and much of the world reached Lorien as well. She stopped posting her diary online. But she continued writing it on computer privately, and this secrecy enabled her to write even more openly about her personal life and her feelings as a young teen girl.  Later, she began posting it again, but this time only on a private site for members only.

Continue reading "Lorien Loveshade's Secret Teen Diary: Age 13 to 18" »

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August 10, 2006

How old should you be to be an adult in America?

We don't believe in Ageism, which is deciding what you can do and can't do based on an arbitary age. (Read The Myth of the Adulthood Fairy for a humorous story about ageism).

But this ACLU survey is fun. How old should you be to do adult things in America? Check it out and fill it out at http://www.aclu.tv/youthsurvey

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August 05, 2006

Breast-fed Babies are Less Stressed

Breast feeding baby

I think a mother nursing her baby is one of the most beautiful things in the world. It's best to breast-feed at least a year and really as long as you and your child want to. And here's more evidence that's true!

Scientists learned that breast-fed babies handle stress better when they're older than babies who were bottle-fed. They studied 9,000 children at birth, age 5 and age 10. One thing they found was that breast-fed babies whose parents divorced or separated were twice as likely to be highly anxious as babies whose parents didn't. But bottle-fed babies of divorce or separation were nine times more likely to be highly stressed!

You can read the article "Breast-Fed Babies Handle Stress Better Later in Life" at http://health.msn.com/pregnancykids/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100142172&GT1=8404 and learn more about breast-feeding at http://womenshealth.gov/Breastfeeding/index.cfm?page=home

(the photo is in the public domain)

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