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Archive for the 'Health & Well Being' Category

A Tragedy Births Inspiration

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 4th March 2013

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Good morning!

I realize that they anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s horrific death was last week, but I thought this write from the Think Progress was well worth posting today.

8 Inspiring Things That Happened Since Trayvon Martin Was Tragically Killed One Year Ago Today

By Judd Legum on Feb 26, 2013 at 3:07 pm

One year ago today, Trayvon Martin — an unarmed 17-year-old boy on his way home from 7-11 — was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. The murder trial is scheduled to begin this June. A separate hearing may be held in April to determine whether Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law gives Zimmerman immunity.

While nothing can make up for the events of February 26, 2012, many people have responded to the tragedy with compassion, courage and strength. Here are some of the most inspiring things that have happened over the last year.

1. 192 colleagues of Trayvon Martin’s mother donated 1,362 hours of their vacation time so she could grieve.

“Sybrina Fulton, who has worked at the Miami-Dade County housing authority for 23 years, collected $40,825 worth of donated vacation time, county records show… the Miami-Dade County Commission passed a resolution sponsored by Bruno Barreiro, Barbara Jordan and Jose “Pepe” Diaz to allow county employees to donate vacation time to Fulton…Records show 192 county employees gave Fulton some of their hours” [Miami Herald, 5/12/2012]

2. Sanford, Florida has a new police chief who has pledged to finally address “long-standing racial tensions between the police department and the African-American community.”

The police chief who decided not to charge George Zimmerman was fired. [ABC7,2/18/2013]

3. Dozens of major companies ended their support for ALEC, the right-wing group who championed “Stand Your Ground” laws.

The companies that ended their support for the American Legislative Exchange Council include “Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft, McDonalds, Wendy’s, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Procter & Gamble, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Johnson & Johnson, Dell Computers, Best Buy, General Motors and Walgreens.” ALEC was also forced to end it’s “Public Safety and Election Task Force,” which advocated for “Stand Your Ground” laws around the country. At least 39 lawmakers have also ended their association with ALEC.[ThinkProgress, 4/17/2012; ThinkProgress, 8/7/2012; ThinkProgress, 5/18/2012]

4. Thousands of people peacefully gathered in Sanford, Florida to demand justice for Trayvon Martin.

[News 10, 3/22/2012]

5. A United States Congressman went on the floor of the House of Representatives in a hoodie to show solidarity with Trayvon.

Illionis Rep. Bobby Rush said, “Racial profiling has to stop Mr. Speaker. Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum.” After delivering a rousing speech, he was escorted from the floor for violating decorum. [NBC News, 3/28/2012]

6. Legislation to repeal “Stand Your Ground” laws was introduced in four states.

The law was cited by the police as the reason Zimmerman was not arrested for weeks after Martin was killed. [Yahoo, 1/26/2013]

7. Students at Howard University produced this video to highlight the racial profiling of young black men.

 

 

“All young black men are not suspicious. We don’t deserve to be harassed, murdered, prosecuted or denied the protections of the justice system all because America believes that we are suspicious… Some of us have already and will eventually change the world. All are not suspicious.”

8. President Obama spoke out about Trayvon Martin in the Rose Garden.

 

 

“My main message is to the parents: If I had a son he’d look like Trayvon. I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves.” [3/23/2012]

♥♥♥♥♥

Monica: Friend of Gloria – welcome! What a complimentary comment about Gloria and even more inspiring to hear that you wish this blog to change you as well.  Although my focus is on women’s issues worldwide (This is a women’s blog, don’t ya know:), I also zero in on my passions which includes worldly concerns.

And yes, it is a place to discuss politics if you want – there are plenty here who do just that. But it is also a place to discuss whatever is on your mind, and whenever it is on your mind. There is no agenda although there is always a topic du jour that I choose depending on what I am feeling that day. Readers decide to comment on my posted topic or take the conversation on a different path – whatever suits their needs for the day. So what’s on your mind? Blog me, and we’ll see where it goes.

Al: As I mentioned, “Take your meds…stay off of drugs…I don’t know.”  Like I said, “I don’t know”….meaning I don’t know what it is you need to do, but evidently you are going to read into it how you want to read into it. That is your choice.  It seems your true colors broke through again, and are shining brightly. Was it too good to be true to think that you were a man of a different color? Some may call me crazy but I was HOPEful and still am that the kind, funny, supportive Al we experience here is who you truly are. As always, I wish you the best.

Peter: Love the story! Thanks for sharing. May they all be safe and strong and return home to their loved ones. Hafa Adai.

Clemente: Nicely stated.

Vivian: Did you see my post yesterday? A perfect example.

Social Butterfly: And the Oscars is seen by millions of people and all over the world. Just what do you think they are thinking? And there was barely any mention of it. MSNBC didn’t talk about it did they? Like you said and I read, “many of the actors were portraying rape victims.” How insensitive and just disgusting. Not funny at all.

MacFarlane should’ve been booed by the audience for his tasteless boob song. The fact they didn’t says a lot to me. Maybe they were in shock. I was. And it was somewhat trickery because of how they promoted the song knowing that if the show really did that song, his ratings would be low. Basically saying that if he did it “live” the audience would not have approved, as if it didn’t really happen “live”. But it did.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Posted in Health & Well Being, Human Rights and Equality | 19 Comments »

Who Is More Important, Women & Children Or ?

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 28th February 2013

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Good morning!

I don’t think enough can be said about the “Sequester”. As I mentioned on Monday, tomorrow, Friday is “D” Day…”D” for “Decision” and possibly “Disaster”, if the republicans don’t do the right thing.

Is Your Kid More Important Than a Submarine?

Feb 27, 2013 | By ThinkProgress War Room

How the Sequester Will Hit Women & Children

The damaging across the board cuts set to go into effect in just two days will harm the economy, kill 750,000 jobs, and cause pain to people in communities across the country. Worse yet, it will disproportionately impact women and children.

“…the reality of the sequester cuts, which will begin taking effect this Friday unless Congress acts, is that they will actually have devastating effects on all Americans. Sequestration would have a disproportionate effect on some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, while still retaining wasteful military spending on some outdated projects.

Take a look at this ThinkProgress infographic to see how much we’re going to have to cut from programs that benefit women.

 

Once again, men and their phallic looking war toys are more important than the care needed for women and children. When will we be put first? When? When we vote out the ones who are keeping us in second place, as second class citizens. C’mon girls, together we have the power to change the world and get what we want for all women, and children. Don’t you think it is time? It is really up to us.*

 

Zen Lill: Girl, what would we do without you? :) FYI: The docu was on PBS the night I blogged it. It was amazing. So many Wonderful Women Of The World. A must see. If you want to catch it with your “dude” click here.

Readers: I don’t know how many of you watched the documentary “Makers…”, but it was really interesting to see history and the beginning of Feminism or at least feminism in the forefront. It was inspiring to watch women come together, marching and fighting for women’s liberation…equal rights…creating a revolution, and being loud and proud about their feelings of wanting more from life, than what was expected of them.

Where has that passion gone? Where is that energy and commitment to our sisters? It certainly showed up in this film (Part 1)…

well…sort of.

Even back then, when women were coming together fighting for their rights, what they were fighting for didn’t include all issues for all women  - They were mostly issues related to white women – Lesbians and OTW women were left out…their issues and concerns were not being addressed. The womens’ issues needed to be broader, more encompassing of the many issues that many different women were experiencing at the present time. Women’s liberation wasn’t just about gender oppression, it was about “racial” oppression, and “class” oppression.

And that was just Part 1. *Once again, c’mon girls, together we have the power to change the world and address our needs and the needs that are important to us. It is obvious we can’t count on anyone else to put our needs first, but ourselves collectively. Support all your sisters! Blog me your thoughts.

Gloria: Well…what did you do? I couldn’t help but ask.

Chris: Horrific story but oh what a sister you’ve got. Happy she was there to defend you. And delighted that you support women’s causes. Thank you.

Vic: You are definitely a Newbie. When did you start reading? As Howie stated, “…I think ‘friends’ fits better”…and he has been here for years, since almost the very beginning, a little after the TAO showed up. Howie shares the most amazing alien tales, and as Clark and many others refer to Howie: “our resident Man ON-ALL-THINGS- ALIEN.”  Well worth sticking around just for that.

Howie: You’re very welcome. I HOPE you enjoyed yourself. Did you do anything special to celebrate? Please share.

Al Fresco: Thanks for posting. I appreciate it, because I am only posting once a day and there are always so many topics that are important to blog on a daily basis. Your action is a big help.

Peace out everyone!

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Posted in Health & Well Being, Human Rights and Equality, Political Powwow | 51 Comments »

Makers: Women Who Make America

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 26th February 2013

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Good morning!

Making of MAKERS: Stories of Women That Changed America

Gloria Steinem debuts new doc Makers: The Women Who Make America

She had to do it! Kathrine Switzer is a marathon runner. In 1967, she joined hundreds of men in the 26-mile Boston marathon, proudly displaying number #261 on her chest. Participating in the marathon was her dream and she didn’t even give a second thought about what that would mean to the thousands of American women. She just wanted to run. And she did. But a simple act of running turned into something larger when a marathon host caught up with her, grabbed her arm and tried to yank her out of the race. “Get the hell out of my marathon,” he screamed, shocked and ashamed to see a woman in the runners’ midst. She kept running. And it dawned on her — this is more than just a marathon now, this is a statement. She remembers thinking: “I’m going to finish this race on my hands and knees if I have to… If I don’t, then everyone will think that women can’t do it.”

She finished the race in 4 hours and 20 minutes. “I started the Boston marathon as a girl and I finished Boston marathon as a woman,” Switzer says.

That is the opening story of MAKERS: Women That Made America, a three-part documentary about courageous women like Switzer who redefined the image and the purpose of an American woman from a homemaker into a decision-maker of her own life, tracking 50 years of change and celebrating that change. Narrated by three-time Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep, Makers: Women Who Make America takes its cue from the movement’s motto, “The personal is political,” delving into the personal lives of its subjects.

For the first time ever, the documentary will air on PBS at 8 p.m. on February 26 (check local listings).

I was a fan of the online video experience MAKERS for a long time, religiously following their tweets from @MAKERSwomen and the watching new episodes of women (both known and unknown) who influenced the way women are viewed in the American society. The film, and online experience, is built from first-person, intimate accounts of women who experienced this time of change, including movement leaders such as author and feminist activist Gloria Steinem and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; opponents such as conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly; celebrities including media leader Oprah Winfrey and journalist Katie Couric; political figures such as former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; business leaders such as Linda Alvarado, president and CEO of Alvarado Construction, Inc., and a co-owner of The Colorado Rockies; and many “ordinary” women who confronted the dramatic social upheaval in their own lives.

These are stories never before told. When I found out about the premiere, I was so excited I reached out to the two brilliant women who founded MAKERS, Dyllan McGee and Betsy West, to talk to them about the story behind the initiative. They were kind enough to send me the documentary prior to the interview and I watched it with my breath held.

I watched the story of women who got higher education just to stay at home and raise kids. A noble role. I am a mother myself, and I know how important that role is. But a lot of women wanted more, they wanted a voice. Author Judy Bloom remembers: “When I started to write [women in my neighborhood] laughed at me. ‘What makes you think you can do this?’ they said.”

“Career woman” was a dirty word. And as women rose around America to speak the truth and to ask for more, “freedom trash cans” started to fill up with the “objects of women’s oppression”: high-heel shoes, brooms, dust pans, curlers, bras, girdles. “Women, use your brains, not your bodies!” the feminist movement asked. Diane Nash, the Civil Rights activist, says with a smile: “I remember the day that I realized that I could be the principle in my own life. And that was really a revolutionary thought.”

I watched in awe the footage of women across the country marching for their rights. The women’s movement was like a tsunami, there was no stopping it. Gloria Steinem was in the center of the movement when she started her own magazine, Ms. Magazine. Male news anchors laughed, they didn’t expect it to survive. But the women across the country were starved to know that they were not alone in their secret desires of wanting to be something more than just a wife and a mother. They devoured the brutally honest content and felt its power. “It is comforting to know one is not alone” one of the letters to Ms. Magazine said.

Patricia Schroeder, a former congresswoman and the 14th woman to become one, remembers people asking her this question: “How can you be a mother and a congresswoman?” Her answer: “I have a brain and I have a uterus and they both work.”

The movie closes with this: “The women’s movement is the biggest social movement in the history of the planet earth, because it affected everybody: women, men and children.” The stories of courage, confidence and empowerment deeply touched me and reminded me of why I have the privileges I now have. I finished the movie, gently tucked it into its cover and put it into the stack of my favorite movies promising myself that when my 4-year-old daughter becomes a teenager, I will take it back out and watch it again, together with her, start to finish.

In 2005, Dyllan McGee went to Gloria Steinem and asked her to tell the story of her life. Steinem, in her typical Gloria egoless way, said no. She suggested there was a bigger story that needed to be told and she wanted to tell collective stories, not just one. And so McGee went back to the drawing board and what she shockingly discovered was that the story of the women’s movement has never been told before. She saw the opportunity, but wanted to do it right. And to do it right, she knew that the film wasn’t going to be enough and that she needed a robust digital platform and pivotal partners in this. McGee and Betsy West joined a cast of partners: PBS, AOL and Simple ® facial skincare. Both McGee and West hope that MAKERS serve as an educational platform for girls and women out there.

“I am inspired by watching the underdogs succeed and I love telling those amazing stories,” says McGee. “MAKERS is a perfect example, it is a story of how trailblazing women transformed American society. My passion is connecting the next generation to these stories we are telling in MAKERS so we can have 50 more years of change.”

And you think that this platform is for women only, think again. 48% of the traffic to the MAKERS.com is male. This is the story that touches everyone. McGee says: “When my boys and I are watching a TV, they say ‘Why isn’t there a woman there, mom? You got to get a Maker up there.’ I think it’s equally important for boys to know the story as it is for girls.”

When I asked what women featured in MAKERS videos have in common, McGee said: “These women are all driven by passion. Money is never the biggest driver; it’s doing something with their lives.” Betsy West, a winner of multiple Emmy awards, elaborates: “”Will back bone and a passion for what they do, they pushed forward to pursue their dreams.”

West talks about the times when she was at ABC news and that many women worked as associate producers on the night time news. These women were in their late twenties and worked so much that that didn’t leave much time for anything else in their lives and they started calling themselves the News Nuns. She fondly remembers how women supported each other and worked together to help each other succeed.

For Kathrine Switzer, those 26 miles of Boston marathon was a defining moment. I asked Dyllan McGee what is her defining moment. “If MAKERS can inspire the next generation to be makers in their own right, I’ll call that a victory. I will feel like I’ve completed my marathon.” West’s 18-year old daughter is a young generation maker in her own right. She has applied for an all-men program. “I want to be a pioneer, do something challenging, and make a difference,” she told her mother.

The advice the producers would give to women?

Dyllan McGee: “Go for your dreams! You can do it! You don’t have to be famous to achieve your dreams.”

Betsy West:

“Find what inspires and excites you and go after what you are passionate about. Don’t be discouraged by failure. Everybody stumbles, especially when you are starting out. It’s hard to recognize. You see all those accomplished women who seem so confident and then you hear about the struggles that they had in the beginning. The lesson here is: don’t be discouraged.”

Letty Cottin Pogrebin, co-founder of Ms. Magazine, said: “I read my way into feminism.” Well, the next generation will watch and listen their way into the movement. And that is what MAKERS is trying to accomplish with the robust video platform that they’ve built: they want to give courage and inspiration to the generations of women that follow.

Here’s a clip:

Watch MAKERS: Women Who Make America Trailer on PBS. See more from Makers: Women Who Make America.

I’m looking forward to watching this. You?

Lea: I remember blogging about the brown tree snake problem in Guam years ago. This is just way out of control. I HOPE that whatever is done to resolve it works, and ends this long nightmare.  Hafa Adai.

Howie:  Happy Birthday!!  I HOPE your day is whatever you wish it to be. Have fun!

Blog me. Peace & Love…

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Posted in Good Reads and Good See'ds, Health & Well Being, Human Rights and Equality, Journeys within | 32 Comments »

Cuts Across America

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 25th February 2013


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Good morning.

Budgets are statements of values and priorities. What the GOP is preparing to do in less than a week says a lot about their priorities. Instead of closing tax loopholes and making smart spending cuts, the GOP is going to let damaging across the board spending cuts kick in next Friday. These cuts will not only damage the economy, they’ll hurt individual families and communities across the country.

Check out what eliminating just two giveaways to the wealthy and corporation could pay for. For example, we could avoid painful cuts to investments in jobs and education just by ending a giveaway to corporate jet owners”

And we could stop harmful cuts to children and families with disabilities if we just stopped letting the wealthiest Americans get tax breaks for the vacation homes and yachts:

Instead of asking the wealthiest Americans and special interests like Big Oil and Wall Street to pay their fair share, Republicans are insisting that families, including the most vulnerable among us, shoulder the burden of reducing our deficit and debt.

BOTTOM LINE: There’s still a week left to avert the damaging and painful sequester cuts. All Republicans have to do is agree to a balanced approach that replaces the indiscriminate cuts with both new revenues and smarter, targeted spending cuts.

**********

It’s been awhile since I posted Obama’s Weekly Address. This past Saturday, the address was based on the coming Sequester. If you haven’t seen it, here it is:

And if you’re still unclear about exactly what is the Sequester, click here.

Readers: Friday is decision day. What will the republicans do?

Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Posted in Health & Well Being, Human Rights and Equality, Political Powwow | 11 Comments »

“Revenge Porn’” – Shame For Cruelty And Profit

Posted by Michelle Moquin on 20th February 2013

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Good morning.

As if women don’t have enough to be concerned about when it comes to men. Now women have to consider whether the man they were intimately involved with, a man they were possibly in love with, might become a disgruntled ex for whatever reason and take revenge by posting intimate pictures of them…pictures that they never intended anyone to see,  on websites that support this kind of thing.

Yes, there are websites that not only allow naked photos to be posted, but intimate details of the women as well as their resident addresses. Basically a resource for rapists to check out their prey before they hunt them down at their own home to rape them, and possibly kill them.

Here’s the write:

revenge porn- shame for cruelty and profit

Women are fighting back against sites that allow ex-boyfriends to post naked photos of them

By the time Hollie Toups, Marianna Taschinger and dozens more women from small towns in Texas have settled their lawsuit against Web host GoDaddy.com and website Texxxan.com, their names will be permanently associated with images they never intended anyone to see.

Whether they win or lose their case — and there is a very good chance they will lose — they will have to live with the fact that employers, family members and friends will always link them with private photographs and public humiliation. For years, they will be harassed and distressed.

But at least they can say they fought back. If nothing else, their battle represents a new front in the war against the ways the Internet is used to reinforce discrimination against women. And their story offers lessons for the rest of us about the role we have in changing destructive online behavior.

Toups, Taschinger and the others are plaintiffs in a groundbreaking classaction lawsuit against a “revengeporn” website. Texxxan.com is a typical example of these sites in that it allowed users, often disgruntled ex-boyfriends, to post nude photos of women, along with detailed personal information, without the women’s permission. For the last several years, these sites have been sprouting up like mushrooms, often being shut down not for their vile content but for violating web hosts’ terms of service or running afoul of child pornography laws. Perhaps the best-known predecessor to Texxxxan.com was IsAnyoneUp.com, which launched in 2010 and at its peak brought in around $13,000 a month in advertising revenue, according to founder Hunter Moore. (Moore was later investigated by the FBI for posting pictures of underage girls.)

Texxxxan.com may be the first “revenge porn” site to face a lawsuit from those who have been wronged. The site’s former Web host, GoDaddy.com, also is named in the suit, along with its members who paid for subscriptions.

The lawsuit states that Texxxan.com “is significantly designed to cause severe embarrassment, humiliation, and emotional distress” to the plaintiffs.

If anything, that’s understating the case.

Taschinger, 22, said she doesn’t always feel safe leaving her house. “There have been times when I wanted to go out, to get my cat, and I had to wait for my brother-in-law to get home,” she said. “I don’t want to go out alone, because I don’t know what might happen.”

In December, Texxxan.com published nude photos of an 18-year-old Taschinger, submitted by an ex-boyfriend (now in his mid-30s), along with her address. She lives in Groves, Texas — population 14,393.

Taschinger said she hasn’t even been able to think about how the photos will affect her prospects for education and employment — right now she’s still worried about her safety. “Normal people don’t subscribe to sites like this,” she said. “Only creeps. Knowing that those are the kinds of people who know where I live, and (the harassment) is only going to get worse before it gets better, I never feel safe.”

Thirty-two-year-old Hollie Toups of Nederland, Texas — population 17,547 — is the original plaintiff in the case. She has no idea who posted her photos on the site, some of which were taken to track her weight loss progress and never left her possession. She says she may never know who sent her photos six months ago to Texxxan.com. What she does know is that when she contacted the site, the owner offered to take down her photos for a fee — and that was when she decided to stand up for herself.

“It had to stop somewhere,” Toups said. “I have my family to think about, my future to think about. And the fact that there were so many other girls on that site — I mean, there were about 50 of us just from this little area alone, some of them were underage — at some point, someone had to say that this can be fought. We had to take back control of our lives.”

If it doesn’t seem fair that these young women could have their lives and futures compromised simply because an old boyfriend or a stranger wanted to humiliate them, that’s because it’s not. It’s completely unfair — but it might not be completely illegal.

“I think it’s a bit of a legal reach,” said Erica Johnstone, a partner with the San Francisco law firm Ridder, Costa, and Johnstone LLP who specializes in online harassment. Johnstone said that both the Web host, GoDaddy.com, and the website’s owner are likely to claim immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which offers websites broad protections against legal liability for content created by other people. (GoDaddy.com has taken down Texxxan.com for violation of its terms of service — the website’s owner used a fake name and address to register it.)

Texxxan.com’s owner, who used the name James Smith to answer questions, said he is completely confident of his ability to fight the lawsuit.

“It’s completely bogus,” he wrote in an e-mail regarding the lawsuit, citing Section 230. “The site is legal, the pictures won’t go away, and (this lawyer) has only made it worse for the girls.”

Smith told some of the plaintiffs that he has multiple websites and has kept their pictures. He blames them for their predicament, not himself: “When you take a nude photograph of yourself and you send it to this other person, or when you allow someone to take a nude photograph of you, by your very actions you have reduced your expectation of privacy.”

Smith still cares about his own privacy, though. When asked why he wouldn’t reveal his real name, he said, “Because I choose to keep my private life private. I don’t need the headaches that publicity brings.” How convenient for him. And how indicative of the larger problems that revenge porn points to — that some people are allowed to maintain their privacy online, no matter how reprehensible their actions might be, and others are denied the opportunity to have any privacy at all.

“Essentially what’s being said with a case like this is that (Smith) has been allowed to participate in a public forum and destroy other people’s lives without suffering any consequences,” said Professor Mary Anne Franks, an associate professor of law at the University of Miami. “It’s an incredibly ugly statement about society when you put that in a larger context of discrimination and power.”

By allowing anonymity for those who would seek to shame and humiliate others — usually people who already suffer from powerlessness within society — the Internet can actually be used to reinforce our offline status quo of discrimination.

“It’s very easy to say, ‘Oh, no one should take naked pictures,’ ” Franks said. “It’s very easy to say that the best way to avoid this kind of suffering for yourself is to limit your own freedom. But if you look at who suffers the online consequence of, say, taking naked pictures, or even just suffering sexual harassment for no reason at all, it’s not men. It’s women, and it’s girls. It’s another way of saying that women and girls don’t have the right to be in a public space.”

Adrian Chen knows all about that. Chen, a 28-year-old senior staff writer for the media gossip site Gawker, has developed a reputation for revealing the personalities behind some of the darker, more misogynist corners of the Internet. In 2010, after he explained that a group of users on the enormous Internet message board 4chan were publicly humiliating and bullying Jessi Slaughter, an 11-year-old girl, 4chan users attacked Gawker’s website, released the passwords of its staff writers, and published Chen’s personal information.

“If you push against this sort of thing with an online community, they’ll swarm you, send you thousands of emails, threaten you, and try to hack you,” Chen said. “It can be disastrous.”

Still, he stepped back into the fray in October when he discovered the identity of a 49-year-old Texas man who ran some of the worst and most popular forums on the enormous Internet site Reddit — ones full of pictures taken covertly of women in public, pictures of undressed teenage girls that have been posted without their consent, and all manner of racist and gory imagery.

Chen contacted the man, programmer Michael Brutsch, and then posted his name on Gawker. When his employer discovered what Brutsch had been doing, he decided that Brutsch was not someone who should be in his workplace — and so Brutsch lost his job. No criminal charges have been filed against him.

Hundreds of Reddit forums blocked Gawker’s links after Chen’s action, claiming that Chen had somehow violated Brutsch’s “free speech rights.” The CEO of Reddit, Yishan Wong, wrote in a memo leaked to Gawker that his site stands “for free speech” and bemoaned “the problem of irresponsible release of personal information to the general public.”

The free speech and the rights of those who were violated by Brutsch’s activities were not considered in their discussion.

They need to be considered in the broader discussion. “I just don’t think that anonymity is a value that we should try to protect above and beyond other people’s rights,” Chen said. “There are definitely legitimate reasons for anonymity online. But ganging up on people isn’t one of them.”

It’s sort of incredible that this sentiment still needs to be stated in 2013, but our laws — and apparently, our morality — haven’t caught up with our technology.

“Once you’ve reached that level of being able to destroy someone’s life completely, the law gets very difficult because the Internet’s one step ahead of our legal framework,” Franks said. “There could be a very specific legal fix for the revenge porn problem through federal legislation. For others, it might be a question of changing the social norms.”

“Changing the social norms” is, always has been and always will be a long, risky and challenging process. But there is some evidence that it’s already starting to happen.

One of the more interesting aspects of the horrific rape case in Steubenville, Ohio, last year (wherein high school football players were accused of documenting their rape of a drunken 16-yearold girl) was the role played by hackers in publicly shaming those who taunted the victim or documented her rape.

By releasing a slew of offensive tweets, e-mails and videos from residents of the town — of which the best known was a disgusting 12-minute diatribe from Michael Nodianos, an Ohio State University student who has since dropped out of school, citing threats — the hackers (known only as Batcat and KYAnonymous) drew a lot of attention to the case. The publicity also caused those who were humiliating the victim to stop and apologize publicly.

Was the hackers’ behavior extralegal? Sure.

Was it the only response we have to combat the use of the Internet to ritually shame and humiliate women and girls? At the moment, yes.

That represents a failure of the law to protect women and a failure of Internet users to create spaces where the rights of all people are considered and respected.

 *******

Readers: This just goes to show you how much men care more about their needs, including a need for revenge, and how little these men care about the safety and livelihood of the women they were once in an intimate relationship with. This is so sickening to me. What are these men thinking?

First of all, shame on GoDaddy and other sites that supported this. And shame on the men who have become members of these sites.  Would you ever date a man who you found out was a member of a website that promoted this sort of thing? This should be added to the list that I blogged about awhile ago, of website you don’t want to find your significant other perusing.  If you ask me, something drastic should be done to the men posting this porn, and especially if any woman is harmed from these “revenge porn” sites.

Thanks to my mother for bringing this to my attention.

Thoughts? Blog me.

Zen Lill: Love the RAK  story. I can’t wait to hear how you pass it on.

Social Butterfly: What a cool story. Thanks for sharing. Happy to hear you are feeling better.

Alycedale: I looked up the word “hubris” when I discovered the write. The first thought that came to my mind was “Wha’at? – Where are they going with this?” Did I examine it as you so brilliantly did? Nope. I gave Maddow deference and just decided to watch it. And watch it I did.

And throughout the show my mother kept asking, “Why wasn’t Bush impeached? Why aren’t these people going to jail for this?” I couldn’t answer her. All I could say is they should be in jail – It was all a lie so they could make money at the expense of lives. At the very end my mother said, “Bush still doesn’t get it – He still believes he was right to make that decision.” I said “Mom, he is a LSOS – he’s not about to admit he made the wrong decision because he knew there were no WMD’s..he knew exactly what he was doing, and it was all for the money.

I thought everyone would get that. But you are so correct, in your analysis. The word “Hubris” takes greed right off the table. My mother was buying his BS. How many others thought the same? Your commentary increases reader awareness and enhances the reader experience. Thank you for taking the time.

Al: Happy you enjoyed it. I thought it was kinda cool too.

Cynthia: Thanks for posting the link. Interesting looking reads. It sounds like this is a good resource for those having trouble such as yourself. I HOPE you and your husband are hanging in thee. Good luck.

Peace Out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Posted in Health & Well Being, Love, Sex & Relationships | 3 Comments »