Saturday 9: The Happy Labor Day Meme

Crazy Sam's Saturday 9: The Happy Labor Day Meme

1. What are you doing special this weekend for Labor Day?
On Labor Day, I am going to a party, but right now I am up at the cottage.

2. What was your best vacation this past summer?
The summer…

3. Did you do anything special for the 4th of July?
We were up at the cottage and had a fireworks display of our own (It is legal in New Hampshire)


4. What did you do special for Memorial Day?
Worked up at the cottage.

5. How was the weather? Tell us where you live and how the weather was as compared to summers past.
We were lucky and had good weather most of the time both in Connecticut and New Hampshire. A number of rainy weekends, but when you are retired, weekend are no different the weekdays.

6. Did you discover a new favorite summer drink?
The same old, same old lemonade

7. Did you enjoy this summer’s Olympics?
I didn’t watch them, I was having too much fun up at cottage

8. I am from New England (Rhode Island). Lobster rules supreme in the summer. Is lobster part of your summer ritual?
Why limit lobster to only the summer? We just had some lobster in cream sauce last night. But I like not just lobster but also steamed clams, fried clams, New England Clam Chowder and corn on the cob

9. What was the best single day of your summer?
It is hard to limit it to just one day, but last weekend was on the top ten.


Updated: 12:38
Changed Janet to Crazy Sam's... Sorry Samantha

McCain Picks Running Mate

McCain chooses Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as running mate, campaign officials say

By LIZ SIDOTI | Associated Press Writer
11:20 AM EDT, August 29, 2008

DENVER (AP) _ John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate on Friday in a startling selection on the eve of the Republican National Convention.
…
She is a former mayor of Wasilla who became governor of her state in December, 2006 after ousting a governor of her own party in a primary and then dispatching a former governor in the general election.

McCain Picks Palin

The Fix
Chris Cillizza

Palin's political career began a decade later when she was elected to the Wasilla City Council and, four years after that, in 1996, she won the mayorship -- knocking off the incumbent by just a handful of votes.

So a 71 year old McCain picked a 44 year old with almost not political experience who will be only a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
Why did he pick her? Let us count the ways…

• To trump the Democrats by having a woman as the Vice President candidate
• She is a Christian Conservative
• She is anti-abortion, pro-life
• She is anti-gun control (A lifetime member of the NRA)
• She is pro-oil and she supports the drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

McCain criticizes Obama for his lack of experiences well McCain will have a total neophyte as a running mate. If McCain is elected he would be the oldest president inaugurated, older than President Regan and we all remember how his health became an issues towards the end of his presidency.

Is There Something Wrong With This Picture?

Unclear on the Concept

In a July ceremony, Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan honored SWAT officers for their bravery and professionalism during a December middle-of-the-night raid of a house that supposedly contained a gang's guns. However, it was the wrong house, and the bewildered, frightened resident started shooting back. Said Dolan, "The easy decision would have been to retreat (but the) team did not take the easy way out." The house got riddled with bullets, but no one was hit, and the chief later apologized but still felt that it was "a perfect example of a situation that could have gone horribly wrong, but did not because of the (team's) professionalism." [WCCO-TV (Minneapolis), 7-29-08]

Friday Fill-Ins #87

Janet's Friday Fill-Ins #87

1. When I'm sick I'm _I am the worlds worst patient_.

2. When I take a walk, I think about _if anything might make a good photograph_.

3. Money can't buy happiness but it can _help you drown you sorrows _.

4. Cotton makes me _cool_ and leather makes me _hot_.

5. The strangest person/character I've had lewd thoughts about was _actually no one_.

6. My favorite color these days is _green_ because _it is calming to me_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _heading back up to the cottage in New Hampshire_, tomorrow my plans include _finish painting_ , and Sunday, I want to _paint_ and Labor Day _come back to Connecticut for a friends party_!

My Class Syllabuses Are Posted On-line

They just posted the syllabuses for both of my classes on-line today and I looked up the textbooks, they cost about $300 for both classes. Ugh!
In the “Micro Foundation Practices” class, I will have to write two papers, one take home exam and one in class exam. In addition, it requires something called a “Force Field Analysis Exercise” which I have no idea what it is.
The “Micro Foundation Practices” class requires a Case Assessment report, a Group Assessment report and a Family Assessment report, where I have to write about the different clients that I am assigned to work with by the agency where I am interning.
There is going to be a lot of read and writing, in addition working twenty hours a week for the agency where I am doing my internship.

This Weekend At The Cottage

I got back from the cottage in New Hampshire this afternoon; I went up there last Tuesday and did some painting before my friends came up on Thursday. One couple came up Thursday around noon to help me get ready for the weekend, two couples came up on Friday and another friend came up Saturday morning.

The weather was beautiful, you couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was in the upper seventies, with scattered clouds and the water temperature was in the mid-seventies. There was a light wind on Friday that was just right for my small Sunfish like sailboat, but most of the time we just floated around in inner tubes. In the morning, a couple of friends kayaked around the lake and then they tried waterskiing in the afternoon (they never made it out of the water).

We ate breakfast and dinner out on the deck over looking the lake. I made dinner both nights; Friday night we had Shish Kabob and Saturday night we had Pork Tender Loin. Here I am bringing out the wine glasses. At night we had oil lanterns around the deck and two of my friends played guitars, they play a number of songs by the Eagles, including “Desperado”, “Take It Easy” and “Lying Eyes”

Good friends, good food and good wine… a perfect weekend.

Photo credits: Top - Mine , Middle - Ethan's, Bottom - Deja's

Manic Monday

Lisa’s Manic Monday #131

If you could take more control of one aspect of your life, what would it be?
My weight, I have to must start a dieting.

If you were to name the difference between the male soul and the female soul, what would it be?
I think that much of what we think as differences are caused by hormones. That men are more willing to take chances and macho because of testosterone. Women are more nurturing and emotional because of estrogen. When you take cross-gender hormones, you can really feel and see the difference.

If you had to admit the most selfish thing you do on a regular basis, what would you say it is?
Taking the last piece of desert.

Saturday 9: Just I Our Choices in Music

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Just I Our Choices in Music

1. What was your first favorite song?
Wow, that goes back so long ago, that I don’t rmember. If I had to guess, I would say the “Monster Mash” because it drove my brother crazy.

2. Who was your first favorite female singer?
Linda Ronstadt

3. Who was your first favorite male singer?
Once again, this goes so far back that I can’t remember.

4. Who was your first favorite band?
Beatles

5. Who is your all time favorite band?
Grateful Dead. Yup, I was a “Deadhead “

6. Who is your all time favorite male singer?
Don Henley

7. Who is your all time favorite female singer?
Linda Ronstadt

8. What is your all time favorite LP/CD album?
The Eagles, One of These Nights

9. What was your first favorite radio station?
WDRC AM because “back in those days…” they didn’t have FM and my first FM station was WHCN

Friday Fill-Ins #86

Janet’s Friday Fill-Ins #86

1. Dancing to the _to the music_ while _the sunsets__ makes me romantic_.

2. The last time I _had friends up at the cottage_ I nearly _gained three pound from eating too much_.

3. When I drive I _am paranoid after my accident last week _.

4. I saw _a loon_ standing _on the water flapping its wing__.

5. Give me _good friends_, give me _good food_, give me _good wine_.

6. Next week I am looking forward to _to Labor Day weekend_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _ just lounging around with my friends up at the cottage_, tomorrow my plans include _just lounging around with my friends up at the cottage_ and Sunday, I want to am _just lounging around with my friends up at the cottage_!

Asylum Granted To Indonesian Transsexual

I first found this article on the Jakarta Post but the newspaper changed the article to an article on recycling waste (I wonder if the new topic was suppose to be a comment on the original article).
However, it took awhile but I found it was reprint by another web-site “beta Current”

Asylum for transgender individuals? US say 'yes' to Indonesian case
For the first time, The United States have granted asylum to an Indonesian transsexual as Michelle Saraswati, 42, formerly known as Michael Setiabudi, won her case at the San Francisco Immigration Court in July.

When Saraswati, a graduate from Trisakti University school of architecture, first came to the United States in 1998, she did so as a gay man. She stayed illegally after her work visa expired in 2001 and after her asylum claim as a gay man was rejected in 2005. In August 2006 she was arrested for violation of immigration rules. She appealed and her case was re-opened as a transgender.

Indonesian LGBT activist King Oey acted as an expert trial witness, describing the quality of life of transgender people in Indonesia. He supported Saraswati's case due to the lack of laws and legal recourse for transgender discrimination and limited employment opportunities for transvestites.

Paul Amro Yuwono, a gay Indonesian residing in San Francisco, who helped Saraswati, said that the case could be a wake up call for the Indonesian government to eliminate discrimination and do more to protect sexual minorities: "They are loosing their own talented people. Michelle is an architect and soon she will take up a great job in a design and architecture company. Michelle is only one example There are many Indonesians including GBLT and other minorities that have bailed out from Indonesia and are building a good life here in the United States."

Breaking News – APA Comes Out With A Statement On Transgender Rights

The American Psychological Association (APA) yesterday issues resolutions supporting transgender right and the “Medical Necessity” of treatment for transgender individuals.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT APA opposes all public and private discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived gender identity and expression and urges the repeal of discriminatory laws and policies;
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT APA supports the passage of laws and policies protecting the rights, legal benefits, and privileges of people of all gender identities and expressions;
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT APA supports full access to employment, housing, and education regardless of gender identity and expression;
…
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT APA supports the provision of adequate and medically necessary mental and medical health care treatment for transgender and gender variant individuals;
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT APA recognizes the efficacy, benefit and medical necessity of gender transition treatments for appropriately evaluated individuals and calls upon public and private insurers to cover these medically necessary treatments;
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT APA supports access to appropriate treatment in institutional settings for people of all gender identities and expressions; including access to appropriate health care services including gender transition therapies;

The APA now joins the American Medical Association (AMA) and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) in stating the “medical necessity” of the treatment for transgender individuals.
However, the APA as in their Task Force on Gender Identity and Gender Variance report stated…

Access to Sex-Segregated Facilities

…
There are many variations on the dilemmas posed by sex-segregated facilities, including whether to allow abused transgender women to use shelters for abused biological women, given that many of the residents of the shelter will have been abused by biological males and may be upset by their presence. Solutions to this issue include providing individual placement in alternate facilities (such as hotels) and providing training to shelter personal on how to address these issues such as directly addressing the concerns of other shelter clients and establishing a norm that all women are welcome. Access to facilities becomes a particularly challenging issue for persons transitioning on the job (for example, at what point in the transition should individuals use the restrooms consistent with their gender identity) or attending university (for example, what is the appropriate housing situation, locker room or sports team affiliation?)

These examples illustrate a number of dilemmas facing transgender people using gender-segregated facilities. While not every transgender individual will face the issue of prisons or shelters, most transgender people do face the issue of which restroom facilities to use. The situation is particularly difficult for those who have not fully transitioned or may never transition fully. Given the expense, risks, and technological limitations of genital surgery, many transgender men who fully transition may not have genital surgery. There are very real concerns about which restrooms transgender should use, in which dormitories they should reside, and in which gender they should compete in sports. The list of difficult situations is daunting.

Truth be told, many of these situations can be resolved with a combination of compassion, justice, accurate information, and common sense—ingredients that are sometimes lacking in decision-making processes.While these usually are not situations that APA can affect directly, APA can adopt resolutions—publicly supporting the rights of transgender people to appropriately gendered treatment—and can file amicus briefs in relevant court cases on behalf of transgender people. Additionally, APA can provide guidance to therapists who are working with transgender clients to advocate on their client’s behalf and to help them navigate these situations.

Manic Monday

Lisa’s Manic Monday #130

Is there something you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?
Yes, taking a windjammer trip up the Maine coast, but I don’t want to go alone and I haven’t been able to talk anyone into going with me.

If you could make any fictional character come to life, which one would it be?
Past or future character? I would pick someone from Marion Bradley Zimmer Darkover series.

If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be and how long would it take you to spend the $10,000?
One store… Hmm, it would be a toss-up between a clothing store or an electronics store. I guess I would pick an electronics store.

Name three things you wanted as a child but never got.
That was a long, long time ago to remember that far back. I think I wanted a pony, a BB gun and a go-cart.

Saturday Six - Episode 227

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six - Episode 227

1. Who is your favorite artist? If you could have any of this person’s artwork in your home, which piece would you choose?
Salvador Dali, I love all his work but my to favorites are The Persistence of Memory (Which I saw at the Wadsworth Atheneum), Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach (Which is part of the Wadsworth Atheneum permanent collection ) and Panoramic Visage

2. What is the most artistic thing you have ever attempted to create?
I think my photographs.

3. Did you keep the “attempt” or did it get tossed?
I keep them all.

4. Take the quiz: How good are you at spotting real art?
I will skip the quiz because you have to log-in in order to get your answers.

5. Which museum would you most like to visit and why?
The next museum on my list is the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington CT. Why? Because it is a local museum, it is small but very well known and they have several major artists in their collection: Degas, Manet, Monet and Whistler (No, they do not have a portrait of his mother).

6. If you had both the artistic talent and a beautiful body, would you be more likely to create a piece of artwork based on a nude model, or to pose as a nude model yourself?
No, I have no desire to pose nude for any artist nor would I like to paint any.

Saturday 9

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Children and and Ages of Bloggers

1. Do you worry about your next birthday?
No and it’s a biggy.

2. Have you ever lied about your age in the recent past? If yes why?
No, I just don’t see a reason to lie about your age.

3. Have you ever lied about your age when you were young? If yes why?
Not that I can remember.

4. How much older have you been to a person that you were romantically involved?
Five years.

5. How much younger have you been to a person that you were romantically involved?
They were all younger

6. Have you ever been consider a sibling, rather than parent of your child?
I do not have any children

7. If you have had children, did you factor in age when deciding to have a sibling?
Does Not Apply

8. If you have not had children, are you happy with your choice and/or fate?
I have mixed feelings, when I see my brother’s kids, I miss having kids. However, by not having kids it allowed me to retire at 58.

9. Do your siblings have kids? Are you close to them? Their ages?
Yes, four kids, their ages are from forty to late twenties and their grand kids from seven to two.

Hate Speech On The Radio

Talk show jocks and hate speech, why do talk show DJ’s feel that it is OK to use bigotry on their shows?

I found this on Donna Rose’s blog, “The DonnaBlog” about the murder of Angie Zapata and the comments made on the “Rover’s Morning Glory” show where he used derogatory language describing Angie Zapata (She was murdered on July 17 in her Greeley, Colorado apartment.) and Rover said that her murder was justified. As Donna Rose said,

“most disgusting, vile way possible - making sure to refer to Angie as a “man”, a “he”, a “he/she”, a “thing”, and an “it”. They explained that her murderer was justified in being angry and in killing Angie. In fact, Rover said, if he were on the jury he’d vote to acquit. They implied that others would be justified in similar actions, and that Angie deserved it. It was disgusting, irresponsible, and crossed any boundary of decency.”

Over and over again we hear these morning radio talk shows “Shock Jocks” use vile and bigoted language and get away with it use. However, it is not limited to the morning “Shock Jocks” shows, shows like the Rush Limbaugh use foul language also. Here is a press release from Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) about a what Rush said on one of his shows, “

Limbaugh used the vulgar slurs "add-a-dick-to-me" and "chop-a-dick-off-a-me" in discussing an article about the medical and psychological outcomes of sex reassignment surgery, part of the transition process for some transgender people.”

In a Newsday article “Does shock jock hate speech lead to violence?” they write about Jim D. Adkisson, the shooter at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, they said…

Might the shooter have heard talk-show host Rush Limbaugh say that “liberalism is the greatest threat this country faces” and “the Islamofascists are actually campaigning for the election of Democrats” and that riots at the Democratic Convention would be “the best damn thing that can happen to this country.”
…
Worth dying for? Adkisson did tell police he never expected to leave the church alive. Books found in his home included Hannity's "Let Freedom Ring," as well as "Liberalism Is a Mental Health Disorder" by Michael Savage, and "The O'Reilly Factor" by Bill O'Reilly - both outspoken right-wing talk show hosts.

Media Matters for America writes about radio shock jock Michael Savage,

“As Media Matters for America has documented” … “Savage has a history of hateful attacks on gays and lesbians. He has repeatedly referred to "the homosexual mafia," claimed that "the homosexual dance of death" is the "seminal issue of our time," and compared gays to "drug addicts."

When “Shock Jock” Don Imus used derogatory language to describe the Rutgers University women's basketball team, he was fired because of the public outcry.
When "Big John," a radio host on WELE-AM in Daytona Beach, called the Daytona Beach Commissioner Dwayne Taylor a monkey, there was a huge public out cry to fire him.
Where is the public outcry about what was said about Angie Zapata? Is it OK to use bigoted and hate speech because it is only against the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender community?
When you hear DJ use bigoted, vulgar and defamatory language against minorities, turn off the show and listen to someone else and let the station know that you are not going to listen to that junk.

STOP THE HATE!

Friday Fill-Ins #85

Janet’s Friday Fill-Ins #85

1. The last meal I had at a restaurant was _turkey club sandwich at little sidewalk café on Shore Rd. Ogunquit_.

2. _Asian food_ is something I intensely dislike.

3. The full moon _is lovely to photograph_.

4. _Package store_ is one of my favorite local expressions.

5. Sometimes it's best to _keep your mouth shut and just listen_.

6. _Ma’am Mia_ is the best movie I've seen so far this year!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _doing nothing_, tomorrow my plans include _going to a cook-out_ and Sunday, I want to _read_!

Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma’am

I got into an accident today on the way home from Maine – I am all right, there were no injuries.

I was pulling up to the tollbooth on the Maine Turnpike in Kittery, I was going about 5 mph and I was about 5 – 10 feet from the booth getting ready to hand my money to the toll collector when WHAM! BAM! A blue Honda goes between my car and the tollbooth, travel about 30 – 40 mph (even though it seemed to me like ninety), hits the front of my car and continues going for about another quarter mile before he pulls over. It was something like one of those TV police chase show, at first I thought he was being chased by the police. His excuse… he stepped on the gas instead of the brake, the state police gave him a couple of tickets.
Here are the gory pictures of my car. (sniff, sniff)


I was going to write a separate blog entry about my gas mileage on this trip tomorrow but since I am talking about my car, I will show you this…
This is my mileage on one tank of gas; I went 432 miles and averaged 50.4 mpg. Each yellow bar on the graph represents the average mpg for five minutes and the little greens cars are the amount of electricity the car regenerated for five minutes (I believe each car equals the amount of energy in one gallon of gas)

Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Or AIS, Have You Ever Hear Of It?

Chances are you have not, it is one of the secret little medical conditions that no one likes to talk about. However, this morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America” they had a segment about it and this evening they are having a long segment on "Medical Mysteries," 10 p.m. ET.

Women With Male DNA All Female
Women with Rare Syndrome Learn to Live with Male Chromosomes
By MARY HANAN
Aug. 11, 2008

For musician Eden Atwood, there have been few signs of the dark secret concealed within her body. A secret so seemingly monstrous, Eden wasn't supposed to know.
Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome is a rare genetic condition.

"If my mother didn't think I should know, and my father didn't think I should know, and the doctors didn't think I should know," Atwood said, "I shouldn't let anybody else know."

What could possibly be so wrong? Throughout her life, Atwood appeared to be the picture of health. She blossomed from an adorable young girl into a striking beauty. She even became a model, an actress and an accomplished jazz singer.
…
True Diagnosis

Atwood is not a freak -- nor is she half-man, half-woman. But her DNA says she's a man. That's because she has male chromosomes, an X and a Y, instead of two Xs, like most females. It's a disorder of sexual development in the womb called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, or AIS. It can be passed down through the mother or occur as a spontaneous mutation.

"There are probably about seven-and-a-half thousand people, women, in the U.S. with the condition," said Dr. Charmian Quigley, a pediatric endocrinologist.

Despite the male chromosomes, Quigley said, women with AIS are just that -- women.
…
Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome

All of us, men and women, have a mix of male and female hormones running through our systems. And as you might expect, the testes of women with AIS produce huge amounts of the typically male hormone testosterone. But here's the hitch: their bodies can't process any of it. And amazingly, they turn it into the typically female hormone estrogen, giving them much more estrogen than the average woman.

These women don't get acne, and have no body odor and minimal sweating. In essence, they are the furthest thing from a male that there could be.

So, why keep it a secret from them? Quigley explained that there was a concept that "if you told them that they had a Y chromosome, or a testicle inside them, but they were externally female, they would completely meltdown."

She even showed ABC News a 1970s medical textbook that says, "It is of no benefit to disclose that the gonads were testes instead of ovaries."

It's a lie doctors have been telling since about 1953, when the syndrome was formally identified. For Atwood, it was the discovery of that lie that shattered her self-image and drove her to sleep with many men in an effort to prove her femininity.

And as for the act of sex, it's pretty much the same. Women with AIS can have orgasms just like the rest of us. But they say the lies about their conditions can interfere with intimacy and become far more toxic than the actual diagnosis.
…
Finally Healing

It's taken more than 20 years, but Atwood is finally more comfortable talking about her long-kept secret. She shared it with Bruce Anderson, who eventually married her. But Atwood says the lies told to her about her AIS gave her intimacy issues; she and Bruce eventually divorced.

They have, however, remained close. In fact, Anderson is still often found in the kitchen, making meals with Ben, the 4-year-old son they adopted as an infant.

Thanks to hormone therapy, this woman -- with male chromosomes and no womb -- was actually able to breast-feed. Atwood said it was an incredible act that "sewed up some of the Swiss cheese of [her] soul.

"I check the box every time it comes up: Male or Female? Female, " she said confidently. "But only because the box is there."

This story is about Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS) but there is also Partial or Incomplete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome where the effects are not a pronounced as CAIS, where some of the over four hundred androgen receptors in body are insensitive to androgens. When this occurs in the BSTc region of the brain it is thought to cause transsexualism (for a technical discussion read “Male-to-Female Transsexuals Have Female Neuron Numbers in a Limbic Nucleus”), this is now being called Harry Benjamin Syndrome in Europe and is considered a medical condition and a form of Intersex.

Nature is not just black and white, but all the shades of grey. Gender does not just come in male and female, but a whole multitude of blends male and female.

Manic Monday

Lisa’s Manic Monday

How would your friend describe you to someone who has never seen you?
As a tall blonde outspoken trans-woman.

Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why?
Yes, my family and friends.

If you died or went missing, who would miss you?
That is a too dark of a question for me to answer today.

Saturday Six - Episode 225

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six - Episode 225

1. Do you prefer a hotter climate or a colder climate?
A cooler climate

2. If you could live anywhere on the planet and money wasn’t an object, which area would you choose?
Probably not far from where I live now, I am not far from New York or Boston and I am not far from the ocean and I the montains.

3. Do you prefer walking, riding a bike, driving or flying when you are going somewhere?
Walking, driving, train and flying, in that order.

4. Take the quiz: What planet do you come from?







What Planet Are You From?


this quiz was made by The Autist Formerly Known As Tim

5. What is the biggest change you have made to help the environment?
I live in a passive solar house and drive a Prius

6. If scientists discovered signs of life on another planet, would you worry about your safety if that material was brought to Earth for study?
Yes

Harassment In The Work Place

It is one thing to have a diversity policy in the workplace, it is another thing to have a culture of diversity.

Transgender city worker dismayed by intolerance
By Brian Meyer
Updated: 08/10/08 12:06 PM

Camille S. Hopkins, who was the first person in city government to openly transition from male to female, is moving out of state.

The person who made history six years ago by becoming the first city employee to openly transition from male to female in the workplace has never found a burning cross outside her home.

The acts of bigotry and intolerance have been more subtle — but every bit as disheartening, said Camille Stephanie Hopkins.

Crude notes have been slipped under her office door. She hears giggles — sometimes sarcastic whistles — as she walks the halls. When elevator doors open, friendly chatter often turns into an icy hush.

“It hurts, because in some people’s eyes, I’m a freak,” she said.
…
Mayor Byron W. Brown and Community Services Commissioner Tanya Perrin-Johnson — Hopkins’ boss — both dispute Hopkins’ claims.
“We set the tone around here that discrimination in any form will not be tolerated,” Brown said. “We respected the diversity of this community, and we have reflected that diversity in how our government is being managed.”
…
Perrin-Johnson also disputed Hopkins’ claim that the city has not provided sensitivity training. A nationally known expert from Michigan was brought in a year-and-a-half ago and held sessions for 600 city employees.
The city’s chief advocate against bigotry and prejudice said the city must continue to offer diversity training.
“But it’s hard to overcome individuals’ ignorance,” said Crystal J. Rodriguez, executive director of Buffalo’s Commission on Citizens’ Rights and Community Relations. “Sometimes, no amount of training can change that.”

All that training is nice, but you have to adopt a culture of tolerance. Let me ask this question; if it was a woman who was getting the notes and the comments behind her back, what would you call it? Or if an African-American went to get in the elevator and when the doors open, friendly chatter often turns into an icy hush; what would be done? All the training in the world will not stop it unless the managers and supervisors create a climate were everyone knows that that type of behavior will not be tolerated.

Lunch

I had lunch at the Cape Pier Chowder House in Cape Porpoise this afternoon, I figured I would go around 2:00pm because I thought it wouldn’t be as crowded then…wrong, it was mobbed as usual! It is a little seafood place at the end of the road right next to the town pier and on the way down to the peninsula I passed by this small pier and shed. It has that classic Maine look to it so I stopped to take some pictures of it. The restaurant has picnic tables out on a deck on the water; I ordered whole fried clams and then found an empty picnic table. While I was eating, this family came up and in a thick southern accent, the father asked if they could share the table with me and I said yes. The father asked me if I knew how to get to the Cape Porpoise lighthouse across the foggy bay and when I answered in my deep voice, I thought the mother was going to gag. She turn several shade of red while she had her hand over her mouth, it was almost comical to watch her as she realized that I was trans.

From their conversation, it sounded like that this was going to be their first lobster dinner. I was temped to stick around and watch the fun as they tried to figure out how to eat lobster. I glanced at their van on the way out and it had North Carolina plates.

Dog Sitting In Maine

This weekend I am up at my brother and sister-in-law’s condo dog sitting their dog Mattie…
Isn’t she dainty? I just love the way she crosses her legs.

Today I went up to East Point Sanctuary in Biddeford Pool ME and walked over to the other side of the point. I didn’t know that there was a lighthouse there, my brother just said that there was a nice walking path there along the coast, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Wood Island Lighthouse.

I think this is the best picture of the lighthouse series, it was taken at F9.0 1/250 using a 300mm zoom lens and a polarizing filter, the camera was set at Aperture Priority so that I could control the speed. Since I was using a 300mm lens, I wanted to take the picture at a fast enough speed would not blur.
(The little dots in the water are lobster pot buoys)

Along the trail there were these bushes, I have no idea what they are, my guess is maybe wild cranberries.
Dinner, it looks like the seagulls had a crab dinner.
Heathcliff pauses to have his picture taken…

Saturday 9: Working in the Coalmines

Crazy Sam's Saturday 9: Working in the Coalmines

1. What is your job and do you like it?
I am retired, but I start my internship in September and what I am looking forward to is helping others.

2. What to you do to unwind after work?
Doing memes

3. Who have you known the longest of your friends?
I friend I have known since first grade

4. Who do you go to for advice?
My brother and friends.

5. Not counting your current relationship, how many times have you been in love?
I can count them on one hand.

6. What is you favorite snack food?
Pizza

7. What is the best meal you ate this week?
The meal that my brother cooked, seafood in a cream sauce

8. What to you is the most important factor in romantic attraction?
Honesty

9. What do you think is your worst habit?
Over eating.

Friday Fill-Ins #84

Janet’s Friday Fill-Ins #84

1. You know you're old when _when you can’t remember that what you were about to write for an answer_.

2. My heart is divided between _school work_ and __playing hooky_.

3. _A good friend to talk to_ is what I need RIGHT NOW!

4. I have felt the _agony of despair_, I have known the depths of _the blackest night_.

5. Gah, won't these people _stop calling about whom I am going to vote for this November_.

6. _Call_ as soon as you can!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _relaxing_, tomorrow my plans include _taking the dog for a walk_ and Sunday, I want to _go out to dinner at the restaurant at the end of the pier in Cape Porpoise _!

When Two Is Just One Too Many

I was up at our cottage in New Hampshire over the weekend and the loons swam by, the mama, poppa and the two baby loons. Usually loons on the lake only have one baby but this year there are two babies.
As I watched one of the adults bring a fish over to baby loons, the larger of the baby loons took the fish from the adult loon. This happened over and over, the larger loon always took the food. I can help but wonder what will happen to the smaller loon chick, will the mother eventually feed it? Or will it get slowly weaker and weaker until it can’t survive?
Anyone who has been to a northern lake has probably has heard the cry of the loons, they are so unique

I found this on YouTube... A Mother and Two Chicks

Manic Monday

Lisa’s Manic Monday #128

Using no more than 10 nouns, and ONLY nouns, describe yourself.
Trans-woman
Sister
Aunt
Niece
Activist
Liberal

If you owned your own store, what would you sell?
I would sell happiness.

If you were to name the most comforting thing for you to hold in your hands, what would it be?
Whew, that is a hard question to answer. I could say something flippant like a million bucks or a baby or kitten or maybe a puppy, but I will say a term paper that I am handing in (well my classes do start next month and school work is on my mnd).

Saturday Six - Episode 224

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six - Episode 224

1. Which superhero is your least favorite?
The Incredible Hulk, because he has to get angry in order to be come a superhero.

2. Which famous villain is your favorite?
Since I am not really in to the superhero thing, I don’t have a favorite villain but if I had to pick, I would have to say the Joker.

3. Which two superheros would you most like to see in a big fight, and which do you think would win?
I have no idea.

4. Take the quiz: Which superhero are you?
Your results:You are Supergirl

Supergirl 62% Superman 60% Spider-Man 60% Wonder Woman 57% Robin 42% Green Lantern 35% The Flash 30% Hulk 30% Iron Man 30% Batman 25% Catwoman 15%

Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

5. Which superhero do you most identify with?
Wonder Woman, I love her boots ands tights.

6. Which of that superhero’s talents would you think you’d be least likely to use?
As I said, I am not really in to the superhero thing. I would have to say X-ray vision, since I am not familiar with their super powers.

Saturday 9

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: The Lazy Days of Summer

1. What is your favorite summer drink?
Lemonade

2. What is the best summer sport to play?
I am not a big sports fan, so I am going to skip these two questions.

3. What’s the best summer sport to watch?
See question #2

4. Do you like the ocean, the pool or the lake?
All three, but we have a cottage on a lake in New Hampshire

5. Some folks drink whiskey in the winter and gin, tequila (margaritas) or rum drinks in the summer. Does you alcohol of choice change?
When I do drink I like a Cape Coder (Vodka, cranberry juice and a lime).

6. What is your favorite summer song?
I don’t have a summer song. However, a song that I think reminds of summer is Crosby Stills Nash’s Southern Cross.

7. What was your best summer growing up? How old were you and why was it best?
Too many to count, we use to travel a lot when I was growing up going to the Civil War battlefields, to the lake regions in New Hampshire and later to North Truro Cape Cod.
This is the view out my window right now…



8. Have you ever had a summer romance that you knew would end?
No.

9. How old were you when you first went skinny-dipping? Who were you with?
I never have going skinny-dipping.

Friday Fill-Ins #83

Janet’s Friday Fill-Ins #83

1. If I could travel back in time, I'd go to _back to the forties and invest in the stock market and bet on the World Series. _.

2. Give me _gold_ or give me _diamonds_.

3. I am listening to _the Today show_.

4. Somewhere, someone is thinking _make a car that doesn’t run on gasoline_.

5. I'll always be _trans_.

6. My idea of a good time includes _good friends, good food, good wine and good conversation_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _being up at our cottage in New Hampshire_, tomorrow my plans include _laying out on the beach at the cottage_ and Sunday, I don’t want to _come home_!