Friday Fill-ins #135

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins #135



1. It's time for _us to have a party_.

2. _Jitters_; it's not a bad place for _folk music_.

3. I must be _getting old because I just wrote in a comment on a blog "I remember when"_

4. _Censored_ is the best thing I have ever known.

5. My _life_ is simply _hectic now_.

6. The last time I laughed really loudly was _at a book reading at Real Art Ways_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _going to a going away party for an acquaintance who just got a new job in NYC _, tomorrow my plans include _working on a lecture that I’m giving in September_ and Sunday, I want to _work on the Power Point presentation_!

I Am On Part One Of A Four Part Test

For the last two hours, I have been taking an on-line training and test at the National Institute of Health web-site. It is “The Human Subject Protection Training” and is required for working with NIH funded research programs; it is needed in ordered to be certified to 45CFR46 (This will be the second time I was certified to a CFR. The last time it was to 10CFR21 – you just can’t get away from those CFR’s). I will be working on a grant dealing with AIDS/HIV in the transgender community and I must take the training and pass the test in order to be eligible work on the study as one of the investigators. We will be studying the transgender population in the greater Hartford area. At least I am able to save the results and resume the training later and not have to do the whole 4 – 6 hours program in one sitting.

Ahh....I Got My Computer Back

I just got my laptop back, it had a Master Boot Record virus.

I was up at the cottage since Sunday without a computer and I had about 150 emails since Sunday by the time I got home today. Now I have to work my way through them to sort out the junk email.

The Episcopal Church Becomes An Affirming Church

I will be up at the cottage for the next several days and since my laptop is in for repair, I will be off the net. However, I leave you with this press release from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force about the Episcopal Church and their vote to become an affirming church.





Article of Faith: The Episcopal Church makes room for all of us

July 23, 2009

MEDIA CONTACT:
Pedro Julio Serrano, Communications Coordinator

WASHINGTON, July 23 — At the recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church, the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people was at the forefront of the debates and decisions. The general convention decided to overturn the 2006 moratorium on electing lesbian and gay bishops, recognized a local option for developing liturgical rites to bless same-sex unions and called for transgender civil rights at the local, state and federal levels. What follows is an Article of Faith addressing the growing acceptance and inclusion of LGBT people in the Episcopal Church.

Article of Faith by the Rev. Jay Emerson Johnson, Ph.D.
National Religious Leadership Roundtable

The 2009 triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church delivered some good news to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Episcopalians, which everyone committed to the extravagant welcome of the Gospel can celebrate. A strong majority voted to overturn the 2006 moratorium on electing lesbian and gay bishops, keeping the ordination process open to all, and recognized a local option for developing liturgical rites to bless same-sex unions.
...
Still more good news emerged from Anaheim, Calif., where the convention delegates met. Less trumpeted in the media but even more significant, in my view, were three other resolutions passed by this general convention: supporting a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA); calling for transgender civil rights at the local, state and federal levels; and urging nondiscrimination practices for the laity employed by the church (which is usually exempt from such civil mandates). The explicit inclusion of transgender people in these resolutions signals what has been at the heart of the controversy in the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion and many other Christian communities for some time — the issue of gender.
...
My own church certainly has not resolved those struggles or settled the debates. But it has taken a significant step forward by insisting that any progress for “LGB” people necessarily depends on taking the “T” much more seriously than most faith communities have been willing to consider. For that alone — which is quite a lot — I’m grateful for the courage and witness of the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.

Saturday Six – Episode 276

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six – Episode 276

1. Take the quiz: What Does Your Address Say About You?

Your Address Says You're Thoughtful

Right now, you are spending a lot of time by yourself. Reflection is important to you. You are a thoughtful, philosophical person... and becoming more so every day. At your best, you have enough space and quiet to figure things out. At your worst, you are overwhelmed and even a bit alienated.

What Does Your Address Say About You?

2. How seriously are have you worked in the past month to change your life for the better, rather than living with the status quo?
Well in the last month, not too much, but if you look at the last 12 months, it is a lot.
I went back to college to get my Master’s in Social Work, I am a member of the Student Government and I lobby for a anti-discrimination law.

3. How much has your life felt like it is “brimming with opportunities” in the past month, and have you seriously considered taking any of them?
The same can be said about this question, not much in the past month, but a whole lot in the last year. I have met so many new people, I have been exposed to many new ideas, that some times I am even amazes.

4. How important is becoming wealthy and successful, and has its level of importance changed at all in the past year?
Done that and been there, now is the time to do what I want. To do things that I feel will make a change in other people lives.

5. If your life could be placed on a scale that would balance between “work hard” and “play hard,” which side would be heaviest?
Since I am retired and going back to school is because that is what I want to do, not something that I have to do; it is all play.

6. How much do you feel right now that you’re at some kind of crossroads?
Chuckle, chuckle... yeah, I thing I am at a crossroads in my life right now. In the past three years I only retired, changed genders and went back to school!

Saturday 9

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Fast Car



1. What’s the furthest trip you’ve taken by automobile?
To Colorado from Connecticut. The year I graduated from college ('74) a group of us drove out to there. We stopped in Bismarck ND, then down through the Black Hills to Fort Collins CO. My father was teaching a summer course at Colorado State and we bummed off them for a week. While we were there, one of my friends got drafted and had to fly back to Connecticut to report for the army. A friend and I hiked up one of the peaks in the Rocky Mountain National Park and camped out over night at 11,000ft.

2. What’s the worst pick up line you've ever received?
Never got one.

3. What’s the best pick up line you’ve gotten?
Ditto

4. What was the last gift that you received?
A going away present from where I did my internship last semester, it was the book “Annie Leibovitz At Work”

5. What was the last gift that you gave someone?
They were the gifts that I gave my brother and sister-in-law at Christmas.

6. Tell us about the last time you cried.
Do you mean like at the movies? Then it was Tuesday when we were up at the cottage watching movies while it was raining.
Or do you mean, crying your heart out? Then it was very common while I was coming out to the family and I didn’t know how they would react. I use to curl my self up in to a ball and just cry for hours until I fell asleep.

7. Tell us about the last time you laughed uncontrollably.
It was at a book reading at Real Art Ways.

8. Do you suffer road rage? What are your thoughts on it?
No, I get mad at drives, but I never act out my rage. It is awful hard not to get road rage with some of those crazy drivers out there, but you must keep it under control.

9. What’s one of your favorite movie quotes?
I don’t have any. I remember the Pythagorean Theorem, but don’t ask me to quote a line from a movie.

Friday Fill-in’s #134

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins #134



1. _Having my laptop infected with a virus and in the repair shop_ is not the end of the world.

2. Sitting here, listening to the sound of rain falling, I _keep falling asleep_.

3. _Homemade pizza_ tastes so good!

4. Sometimes, putting others first is _the right thing to do_.

5. _The sunsets up at the cottage_ is are breathtaking, really.

6. Well, maybe there is _a sun up there behind all the clouds_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _going to the coffee shop_, tomorrow my plans include _going to a picnic_ and Sunday, I want to _go back up to my cottage in New Hampshire_!

Update: The coffee shop wasn't that good tonight, they had a 5 piece band with drums and it was just too loud for my tastes.

Up At The Cottage

I have been up at the cottage in New Hampshire since Friday and my laptop computer caught a virus, which caused it to lock-up after a short time. So I had a lot of time to relax and reflect upon life.

It is interesting the different character the lake has on weekends vs. the weekdays. I arrived at the cottage on Friday around noon and the lake was already hopping with boat traffic. There was a couple of water skiers, a few kids were zipping around the lake in speed boats, two fisherman were trolling around the edge of the lake, a couple of kayakers paddling, there was a woman on a sunfish sail boat cursing about and two kids on a jet ski (which should have not been there because they are banned from the lake). You could hear laughter and screams as kids play in the water. The lake is teeming with human activity.

But come Monday, the lake was calm and peaceful; the cry of loons could be heard echoing off the mountains and the birds singing in the trees. It was so peaceful and relaxing. Nature had reclaimed the lake.

Then the rains came. It poured Tuesday while two friends from Connecticut were there with me and we watched movies all day. On the deck, I grilled chicken on the charcoal grill in the rain. However, they enjoyed being there, they said it was a great change of pace, it was relaxing.

I had to come home for a meeting and I will be going back up there Sunday and with a little luck my laptop will be repaired and I can work on my lecture.

Friday Fill-in’s #133

Janet’s Friday Fill-in’s #133



1. _Spaghetti_ and _meatballs_ make a quick and easy dinner.

2. _Stone Butch Blues_ is the book I'm reading right now.

3. July brings back memories of _summers up at North Truro on Cape Cod_

4. _The answer is 42 and it_ was obvious.

5. They say if you tell your dreams _bad things will happen to you_.

6. _You don’t have the time_ to think it over.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _driving up to the cottage in New Hampshire_, tomorrow my plans include _lounging on the beach (if it doesn't rain)_ and Sunday, I want to _lounge some more and take life easy for a while_!

Since I will be up at the cottage for the next few days, I will be using dial-up Internet and my laptop that I am still having problems with locking up. So I do not know if I will be able to answer all your comments.

The Questioning Of Judge Sonia Sotomayor

I have been listening to the news and reading about the Senate hearings on Judge Sonia Sotomayor. On the blog the “Boomer Chronicles” Rhea make some very good observations about the tone of the hearings and the questions that they are asking her. I think that they reek of “White Male Privilege.” Can you imaging them asking a man if he thought he could decide a case based on its merits and not because he is a man? Then why is it OK to ask her?

The opposition has jumped all over the comment that Judge Sonia Sotomayor made, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.” Well folks we all bring our culture, social economic class and our environment to the table. That is what makes us, us. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said this about the topic in a New York Times interview, “I’m sure she meant no more than what I mean when I say: Yes, women bring a different life experience to the table. All of our differences make the conference better. That I’m a woman, that’s part of it, that I’m Jewish, that’s part of it, that I grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and I went to summer camp in the Adirondacks, all these things are part of me.”

The thing is that the senators do not even see how this line of questions is so biased. They are so ingrained with male thinking and up bring that they don’t see that it is oppressive, the oppressor never believes that they are oppressing. I have seen the results of “male privilege” from both sides. I have a friend who has her bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering; her master’s in Business Administration and is a project manager. Before her transition when she went to a client for a meeting they treated her like an equal, now they talk over her and dismiss her ideas. This is from clients who do not know of her past and that she is a trans-woman. I have trans-men friends who have seen the opposite, all of a sudden they automatically know what they are talking about and are listened to what they have to say. In addition, they received higher salary offers.

In the end Judge Sonia Sotomayor will be appointed, because she will bow to their questions.

Hate In The News

Yesterday, I wrote about the murderer who was found not guilty after admitting to stabbing a man 61 times. Now there is a trial that began yesterday in the death of a trans-woman in Syracuse NY and in another the case there were arrest made in the beating of a trans-woman in New York City. Earlier in the month a woman was attacked in Jackson Heights NY by two men. Let’s hope that these trials have a better outcome then the Chicago case.

NY to use hate crime law in transgender case

By WILLIAM KATES – 1 day ago

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — It was no secret to friends and family that Lateisha Green was born a boy. She had been living mostly as a female since age 16.

On a Friday night last November, Green — this time dressed as a man — and her brother, Mark Cannon, went to a party. Several guests objected because they thought the two were gay. Several started yelling "profane and vulgar comments," police reports said.

As Green and Cannon were sitting in their car a few minutes later, one of the partygoers emerged from the house with a .22-caliber rifle. Without a word, police say Dwight DeLee fired a single shot. The bullet grazed Cannon's arm, and with a deadly thud hit Green, 22, in the chest.
...
Prosecutors agreed and charged DeLee, 20, with second-degree murder as a hate crime under the state's nine-year-old law. The hate crime label could add years of additional time to DeLee's prison term if he's convicted.

In the second incident...

2 arrested in Queens bias attack on transgender female

BY Irving Dejohn
and Brendan Brosh
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Updated Friday, July 10th 2009, 1:57 AM

A transgender female walking down a Queens street was attacked by a pair of bigoted thugs who pelted her with rocks and beer bottles, prosecutors said.

"I was being attacked because of who I am," said victim Carmella Etienne, 22.

"I'm pretty traumatized."

Nathaniel Mims, 25, and Rasheed Thomas, 22, allegedly screamed anti-gay slurs and threatened to cut the woman's throat Wednesday night in St. Albans.
...
"They were yelling homophobic slurs at me. They threatened to kill me. Chunky rocks and empty beer bottles they were throwing at me," said the aspiring fashion designer. "Don't ever walk that block anymore or we will slash your throat," one of the defendants said, according to cops.

Etienne is now afraid to leave her home.

In the incident from last week...

Beating was hate crime: LGBT groups
Activists push DA Brown to prosecute Woodside men in transgender attack

By Jeremy Walsh
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 6:04 PM EDT

Elected officials and nonprofits are rallying behind a transgender Jackson Heights woman who was severely beaten by a pair of men in Woodside last month after the Queens district attorney’s office did not initially categorize the attack as a hate crime.

Leslie Mora was walking home around 4:20 a.m. near Roosevelt Avenue and 72nd Street June 19 when she was accosted by two men, Gilberto Ortiz, 32, and Trinidad Tapia, 19, according to a criminal complaint filed by the DA’s office.

The two Woodside men beat Mora with a metal belt buckle before fleeing the scene, the complaint said. Mora suffered bruises all over her body and a cut to her head.

Michael Silverman, Mora’s attorney, said the men repeatedly called Mora “faggot” and did not stop beating her until a passing motorist threatened to call police. The criminal complaint does not mention gay slurs.

Both men were arrested and charged with assault and weapons possession, the DA said. They were released on their own recognizance and scheduled to return to court July 13.

STOP THE HATE

A Man Stabbed A Man 61 Times And Found Not Guilty Of Murder

Do you believe this! It sounds like something out of the fifties, not 2009, how could a jury buy the “Gay Panic” defense. Do you think if a man was murdered by a woman because he made unwanted sexual advances the woman would have been found not guilty? Then why is it OK to murder a gay man if he makes a pass at another man?

He stabbed man 61 times, but acquitted of murder

July 12, 2009

BY KARA SPAK Staff Reporter/kspak@suntimes.com

Joseph Biedermann fatally stabbed his Hoffman Estates neighbor 61 times last year.

On Friday, a Cook County jury acquitted him of first-degree murder, buying his claim that he was defending himself against an unwanted sexual advance, his mother confirmed Saturday.

Still Computer Problems

I am still having computer problems. I uninstalled Firefox and then reinstalled it and I also went back June 30 in the system restore. I think the problem has something to do with Norton.

I have been using my desktop on the second floor, but it is hot up there and it is not as flexible as a laptop.

So keep your fingers crossed.

Computer Problems

I am having computer problems.

My computer locks up after a few minutes on the internet, so

Friday Fill-ins #132

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins #132



1. The last thing I ate was _Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich_ and _a glass of ice tea_.

2. _A book from Amazon.com_ is something I recently bought.

3. When it rains, it _never ends_

4. _A friend_ was the first person I talked to today.

5. Hugs are _great_.

6. _An extra blanket on this cool summer night will bring_ extra comfort.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _going to the same ‘ol coffeeshop_, tomorrow my plans include _going to a campout in Jacksonville, VT_ and Sunday, I want to _come home_!

Indonesia’s Five Genders

I found this on Helen Boyd's blog, en|Gender...



I sometimes wonder if our western culture is really that much more advanced than the eastern cultures.

Hop River State Park - Rails To Trails

Yesterday, I went walking with a couple of friends on the Bolton Notch section of the rails to trails. This was the first time that I walked since I went to New York City for the Pride parade, there I walked about 10 miles over 5 hours, but yesterday we walked 4.2 mils in about an hour and fifteen minutes. It was a lot faster pace and I felt it this morning, I was stiff getting out of bed. We walked from the parking lot just off of I-384 to Steeles Crossing and the trail goes under I-384 and trough several rock cuts as it winds it’s way to Steeles Crossing.

It is a multiuse trail system that uses old railroad right-of-ways and it is a fantastic use of the right-of-way. I love walking on them because it is level, no hills to climb and no valleys to descend, just flat and smooth. My only comment is that I wish the horse riders would pick up the little deposits that their horses leave behind.

Manic Monday #175

Lisa’s Manic Monday #175



Name two things you consider yourself to be very good at:
Backgammon and a sense of direction.

Name two things you consider yourself to be bad at:
Spelling and grammar

Name one thing not many people know about you:
I broke my right wrist when I was only a couple of months old. I rolled off of my grandmother's bed.

West Side Story Updated

I found this over on Bilerico, it is a video made by CollegeHumor and it is very expertly made. It is an update of West Side Story called Web Site Story...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Saturday Six - Episode 273

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six - Episode 273

1. What was the very first pet you ever had? How close were you to that pet?
A parakeet, unfortunately I killed it… accidentally. I closed the hall door behind me and I heard a thud and when I opened the door there was Petie lying on the floor. Do you know how traumatic that was for a six year old?

2. What is the most unusual pet you’ve had?
I didn’t have any.

3. How many different kinds of animals have you owned and which type do you think acted the closest to you?
All I had were a parakeet and dogs. The dogs were the closest to me.


4. Take the quiz: What Pet Are You Like?

You Are Like a Dog

You are a natural best friend. You are very loyal and faithful. In your eyes, your friends can do no wrong. You will stick with them no matter what. You have a protective streak, and you can be downright nasty if you're being threatened. More than anything else, you are playful and laid back. You truly live in the moment.

What Pet Are You Like?

5. Do you have any desire to have an “exotic” pet? If so, what exotic pet would you most likely choose?
I have no desire to own any exotic pets.

6. Which exotic pet would you least likely own?
A python or a boa constrictor. A kid had one in the dorm, at first he was feeding it mice but as it got bigger he was going around getting free kittens and puppies to feed it.

Tip On Leaving Comments

In the last couple of days, I had a problem where I could not leave comments on blogs. They would not publish, I write the comment, enter the verification letters and click Publish" and nothing happen. What I wrote stayed in the box and wasn't posted.

The problem started when I tried to use a HTML tag for superscript for July 4^th and there was an error message saying that the tag was not allowed. From then on I could not posted any comments on any blogs (that is why I have not left comments on the blogs of people who posted on my blog).

I found how to correct the problem, you have to clear the cache but pressing "Shift" + reload page, How to Refresh your Blog Page in Browser.

Saturday 9: Yankee Doodle Dandy

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Yankee Doodle Dandy



1. What is your favorite 4th of July memory? (If you aren't in the U.S., then use your own national holiday.)
When I was little I use to go over to a friends house on the 3rd and sleep over so we could start shooting off fireworks the first thing in the morning.

2. Do you consider yourself patriotic?
Yes, but how do you define patriotic?

3. Do you like fireworks?
Love them.

4. What are your plans for this weekend?
I am up at the family lake cottage in New Hampshire until Saturday and driving down to New London CT for a party on the 4th to shoot off fireworks

5. Are you optimistic about the future?
Yes, we go through cycles and we are in a down cycle right now.

6. Do you think everyone should serve in the military?
Yes, I think there should be mandatory government service for both men and women. I think wee are less likely to go to war if it is your sons or daughters in the trenches.

7. Would you support a constitutional ban on flag burning?
No. I believe that it is a political statement made by idiots. Any group that burns the flag, I do not want to be associated with, but it is covered by the First Amendment.

8. What end of the political spectrum are you?
Left, no farther, no even farther left.

9. Where do you get your news?
Television, cable, newspapers, Internet newspapers and blogs.

Friday Fill-ins

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins #131



1. When I heard _President Kennedy was shot, _ I _cried and cried _.

2. _TLC, Tender Loving Care is the_ best medicine.

3. It's late, but _it is worth waiting for_

4. _The chocolate ice cream gets finished first, _ always.

5. My eyes have seen _some things that will remain private _.

6. _I feel everyone should be treated equally very_ strongly.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _being up at our cottage in New Hampshire with my brother’s family_, tomorrow my plans include _driving down to New London, CT for a party at a friend’s house_ and Sunday, I want to _walk to burn off all of the calories that I consumed over the weekend_!

Manic Monday

Lisa’s Manic Monday #174



What is the longest love relationship (partner) you have had, and if it has ended, why?
I think all my relationships ended because the women could sense that I was holding back a part of myself. I always had my gender issues there in the background.

What is on your bedside table?
Lamp, flashlight, fingernail file, body lotion and an alarm clock.

How many pillows do you have on your bed? Do you make your bed every day?
Three pillows and I straighten out my bed each day.