Beyond the Gender Binary

 Beyond the Gender Binary: Yee Won Chong at TEDxRainier

Peace On Earth

I don’t usually write about religion because it is too personal for many people and I respect their beliefs… but I feel that I have to speak out when their comments affect me.

The Pope in his Christmas speech called LGBT the Pope said “the profound falsehood of this theory [Gender Theory] and of the anthropological revolution contained within it is obvious...” The Catholic Online said,

Pope Benedict XVI Exposes the Profound Falsehood of the Philosophy of the Gender Identity Movement
By Deacon Keith Fournier
12/28/2012

VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) - In an insightful address to the Roman Curia on Thursday, December 21, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the inherent falsity and social danger of what is being called "gender theory" in many circles these days. The following excerpt from his address sets the context for considering what is being called the gender identity or gender expression movement:

"The Chief Rabbi of France, Gilles Bernheim, has shown in a very detailed and profoundly moving study that the attack we are currently experiencing on the true structure of the family, made up of father, mother, and child, goes much deeper. While up to now we regarded a false understanding of the nature of human freedom as one cause of the crisis of the family, it is now becoming clear that the very notion of being - of what being human really means - is being called into question."
[…]
"The profound falsehood of this theory and of the anthropological revolution contained within it is obvious. People dispute the idea that they have a nature, given by their bodily identity, which serves as a defining element of the human being. They deny their nature and decide that it is not something previously given to them, but that they make it for themselves. According to the biblical creation account, being created by God as male and female pertains to the essence of the human creature. This duality is an essential aspect of what being human is all about, as ordained by God."

This rejects what we see with our own eyes! He totally discounts people who are intersex; he rejects what science has learned for the last 200 years. This rejects all medical and scientific evidence about gender identity and goes against what the APA, AMA and WPATH says about gender identity. The Pope ignores intersex genetic disorders like Klinefelter’s (XXY) and Turner’s (XO) syndromes, Congenital adrenal hyperplasia and Alpha-5-reductase deficiency. They ignore research that found ovarian cystic may affect as many as 25% of trans-men compared to 5–10% of women in the general population. Or research that found the brain of trans-men closely resembles that of men and the brains of trans-women resembles neither brains of men or women but more a blend of the male/female brains. This is like Galileo’s theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun reborn; it took the Church 400 years to admit that they were wrong, let’s hope that it doesn’t take another 400 years for to admit that they are wrong here.

The Pope can believe anything he was to believe, but they should not try to deny me the right to be the person I am. We are not attacking their family structure or marriage, they are not being forced to marry someone who does not follow the Catholic teachings and we are not forcing any family to accept any family member that they don’t want to accept. They still have the right to throw their son or daughter out on the street to fend for themselves.

There has been some backlash from Catholics around the world to the Pope’s letter. In the Netherlands there are a growing number of Catholics seeking to leave the church.

Dutch Catholics 'De-Baptize' Themselves Over Gay Marriage Via Website
Huffington Post
Reporting by Sara Webb; Editing by Robin Pomeroy
December 27, 2012

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Thousands of Dutch Catholics are researching how they can leave the church in protest at its opposition to gay marriage, according to the creator of a website aimed at helping them find the information.

Tom Roes, whose website allows people to download the documents needed to leave the church, said traffic on ontdopen.nl - "de-baptise.nl" - had soared from about 10 visits a day to more than 10,000 after Pope Benedict's latest denunciation of gay marriage this month.
[…]
In a Christmas address to Vatican officials, the pope signaled the he was ready to forge alliances with other religions against gay marriage, saying the family was threatened "to its foundations" by attempts to change its "true structure".

Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson: A fascinatingly disturbing thought

Saturday Six #455

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six #455

1. Q is for QUACK: What’s the worst medical advice you ever received?
I don’t think that I (that I know of) had bad advice from a doctor. I ignored warning signs but I didn’t know they were warning signs.

2. Q is for QUEEN: What do you think you’d most enjoy about living the life of royalty?
The money! Here is a little known fact about me; I worked for the Queen for about 5 years. She owned the company that owned the company where I worked until it was sold to Toshiba.

3. Q is for QUICK: What household chores are you lease likely to procrastinate about doing?
Emptying the trash and cleaning the toilet.

4. Q is for QUIET: Where do you go when you feel like you need quiet time alone with no distractions?
I go up to the lake, but since I live alone I have more “alone time” than I want.

5. Q is for QUIT: What would you most like to quit doing in 2013?
Eating unhealthy foods, I cut way back already but I still have some thing in my diet that I should cut out.

6. Q is for QUIZ: What subject in school did you most dread a pop quiz in?
Spelling and grammar, I bet that was no surprise.

Saturday 9: Same Old Lang Syne

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Same Old Lang Syne

1) This week's song is the tale of an accidental holiday encounter between former lovers. (Hear it here.) They sit in her car and spend hours catching up, then she gives him a chaste kiss and they never see one another again. Is there a past love who still has a special spot in your heart, despite the years or the miles since your relationship?
Yes, but she is on the other coast and married.

2) This week's song includes a play on the traditional Scottish song, "Auld Lang Syne." Have you ever visited Scotland?
Nope, but would like to some time.

3) Mother Winters has long told Sam that if she has a glass of water for every glass of champagne she drinks on New Year's Eve, she'll feel better on New Year's Day. Do you have a favorite hangover prevention tip or cure?
Mine is sure fired, guaranteed to prevent a hangover… I don’t drink more than one drink.

4) Do you like champagne?
Na, too sweet.

6) This year at midnight, Crazy Sam will kiss the nose of her puppy, Chico. Will you be kissing anyone when the clock strikes 12?
Nope, I’ll probably be asleep. Last year up at the cottage with the family I don’t think anyone made it to midnight.

6) The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy was the runaway publishing phenomenon of 2012. It was so successful that the publisher, Random House, was able to give its employees massive bonuses this year. Have you read it?
I never read it, I usually only read something if it is set a thousand years in the future.

7) Year-end is a time for newspapers, magazines and websites to run lists. According to Askmen.com, Jennifer Lawrence of The Hunger Games is the at the of the year's "Most Desirable Woman" list. People magazine has declared Channing Tatum "The Sexiest Man Alive -- 2012." Do either of these two set your pulse racing? If not, who is your celebrity crush?
I don’t even know who they are and I don’t think I watched anything with them in it. I have a crush on Lauren Graham

8) Pasadena, California, is known for hosting the traditional Rose Parade. It begins at 8:00 AM on January 1, so the people who watch it live must be there very early. Does the thought of getting up and dressed to sit in the California sun, bright and early on New Year's morning appeal, to you?
Nope, I don’t even watch it on TV or go to local parades.

9) Sometimes aches and pains that aren't serious can still really hurt. For example, Sam just dropped a can of tomato paste on her foot and the little red mark it left is making her crazy! Are you suffering through a bump or bruise or cut right now?
Not right now (Knock on wood).

Happy New Years!

Friday Fill-ins

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins

1. They've _here_.
2. _What’s_ going _on here_?
3. What is _the new year going to bring_?
4. _Too many stupid_ tv shows.
5. Eyes _never lie_.
6. _What’s that smell,_ ut oh _it looks like we are going out for dinner_.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _sitting by the fire reading_, tomorrow my plans include _watching the snow come down_ and Sunday, I want to _visit some friends_!

My Story Part 147 – Staycation: Mystic Seaport

On Sunday I went down to Mystic Seaport in Connecticut with four other friends, the seaport is a living history museum that recreates a 1870s whaling village and it was a great photogenic location. Admission was free with a donation of non-perishable food items, normally admission is $24.

There was a cold wind blowing off the water when we got there around 11:30AM and the sky was overcast, not the best weather for taking pictures (It was 34^oF with a 15mph coming from Long Island Sound). However, the seaport was deserted we practically had the place to ourselves.

When we arrived we meet at the green by the Schaefer’s Spouter Tavern…

We then walked down along the docks and visited the building along the water and the ships.

And then we went aboard the fishing schooner L.A. Dunton, you cannot believe how the crew was crammed into their bunks for weeks at a time while they were fishing the Grand Banks. These are their bunks, mess and galley.

This picture is from the deck of the L.A. Dunton looking toward the whaling ship the Charles W. Morgan.

This picture is also from the deck of the L.A. Dunton and is of the whale boat building.

We then walked along the wharf until we came to the Charles W. Morgan and we went aboard…

After we left the Morgan we came to the lighthouse,

As we followed the wharf around we came to the Emma C. Berry a Noank Smack that was built in 1886.

And this is the lobster shack…

You know that I had to work lobsters in this narrative somehow.

We turned away from the wharf and headed toward the village and we came to the general store,

And we went inside and found the shelves stocked with goods from the 1800s

A village wouldn’t be complete without a druggist and the town doctor.

And the doctor’s office is located with the druggist…

On the way to the planetarium we saw singing carolers come down the road…



After we saw the planetarium show on the Star of Bethlehem was went to the Carol Sing



We left there and went to eat at the restaurant next to the seaport. Our next staycation is going to be to Newport RI to see the mansion with their Christmas lights on Monday.

Thought it would be nice to make some of the photos have a sepia effect to make them look like photographs from the 1800s…

Also all the interior photos were taken without a flash using existing lighting.
 
My Story is a weekly series of blog posts about my transition and observation of life as a trans-person.

Cops

Most of us never have any contact with police unless we need them and as trans-persons we worry about how we will be treated when we do meet them. I had three encounters with the police, the first encounter was what I called “The Squirrel, the Cop and Me” and you can read about it here. My next meeting with the police was in Kittery Maine when I was in an accident back in 2008 and my last time in needed the police was earlier this month during another accident.

In the Albany Times Union there is an article about the training that the police are now getting,

Police, transgender groups building trust
Albany's law enforcement officials to rewrite protocol and procedures, create new training
By Paul Grondahl
Monday, December 24, 2012

ALBANY — A group of transgender people and crime victim advocates have been meeting monthly with Albany police and law enforcement officials to rewrite protocol and procedures and devise training for officers intended to preserve the dignity of transgender people who are arrested.

The group has been discussing thorny issues surrounding the arrests of transgender people, including how body- and strip-searches should be conducted, how to handle confinement in police lockup and how to identify transgender individuals if they present and define themselves as female but their driver's license categorizes them as male.

The group is working against a backdrop of pervasive fear and mistrust of police on the part of transgender people. A recent national survey found that 29 percent of transgender people said they had been verbally harassed by cops.
[…]
"It's all about building a new and positive relationship between the transgender community and law enforcement," Romero said.

"We have a diverse community in Albany and our job is to make sure we recognize and respond to that," Cox said. "It's our duty to treat everybody fairly and equally, with respect and dignity as human beings."

I have to say that all my encounters with the police have been very positive. They have always used the proper pronouns and have treated me with respect. I can only hope that others have the same experience that I had with the police. But I know some haven’t, that their encounters were anything but positive. I also know that I am lucky to live here in the Northeast because in other parts of the country trans-people do not have it as good as we have it here.

Merry Christmas.

It this time of year that we reflect on all that has happened this past year and to give thanks. However, for many it is not a time to rejoice, it is a time of loneliness, their families may have moved and left them behind, their family or spouse might have pasted away leaving them without any close relatives or their children might be at their in-laws for this holiday. However, for whatever the reason, it is a lonely time.

For many in the LGBT community it is an especially lonely time, they might not have seen their family since they came out to them. Their families and children have disowned them. Sometimes when we do attend the gathering, we feel like outcasts, like the square peg in the round hole, we just don’t fit in, we are tolerated when we bring our partners or ourselves to the table.

So let us open our hearts and doors to them and invite them to the table. 

I leave you with this Christmas song by the Carpenters...
Merry Christmas Darling

Clip art from "Free Cute Clipart"

Christmas Eve

I hope you all have your shopping done and can settle down by the tree and the fire to relax on this Christmas Eve.

I'm heading up to the family cottage in New Hampshire to be with my brother and his family.

Are We Becoming Obsolete - Part2?

Last Wednesday I wrote about a commentary by Riki Wilchins about children today coming out earlier now than when I was young. I didn’t mean that no one would come out later in life but that there was a shift towards coming out in early childhood. “In my day” we never had any positive role models we never even heard of trans-people except as adults and never in a positive light.

We would never have seen an article like this,

Don We Now Our Gay Apparel: My Son’s Christmas Dress
Queerty
J.C. Mother
December 20, 2012

It was the most sincere display of appreciation that my 5-year-old son has ever shown. He looked me straight in the eyes and said a very mature “thank you.”  The words were full of honesty, relief, happiness and a little bit of anguish.

“You’re welcome, baby,” I said looking at him with a smile and masking the pain I was feeling.  “You look so pretty.”

My gender-creative son was thanking me for buying him a dress to wear to Christmas Eve dinner.
[…]
My husband and I changed the way we were parenting. There was something unique about our son that we could choose to support or destroy.  We had to follow his lead.  He led us to the pink aisles at Target; and, that’s not a dangerous, harmful, unhealthy place for a boy to be.

A story like this would never have been published not even in a “Gay” magazine; it would have been thought to be child abuse. Or a show like Barbara Walter’s 20/20 would never have ever explored gender diversity. An example of the types of show that was broadcast back then just look at the Mike Wallace show on homosexuals and how he portrayed them.

Many trans-people my age have said that they knew at a very early age that they were trans but that they were afraid to come out, now I feel that a lot of that stigma is going away. That does not mean that trans-people will not come out later in life but what I feel it means there may be less come-out later in life. If we look at the gay and lesbian communities we still see people coming out in their 30s, 40s and later in life.

Staycation

I'm heading down to Mystic Seaport this morning on a staycation, i meeting four friends and we are going to walk around the seaport and attend the carol sing.

The seaport is a recreation of a typical 1800s whaling port and it has a number of wooden sailing ship some of which still are in use. There is also a recreated 1800s village with shipwrights where they are restoring old sailing ships.

I have always wanted to visit and today you can get in free when you bring non-perishable food. I plan on taking a lot of pictures that I will post on Thursday.

Saturday Six #545

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six #545

1. P is for PAIN: What’s your pain tolerance: do you handle pain well or are you a baby when it comes to discomfort?
Yes, I a baby when it comes to pain. I have a very low threshold for pain.

2. P is for PARTY: Are you the type that’s in the center of the action at a party, or do you wind up in a corner with a few folks you know well?
Believe it or not, I'm not a social animal, I’m the quite one sitting in the corner. I don’t socialize well.

3. P is for PAYMENT: How often do you write a check instead of paying cash or using a debit card?
It depends on where you mean, at stores I use debit card but paying bills I write checks.

4. P is for PENCIL: On the desk where your computer normally is, are there more pens or pencils?
I would be hard pressed to find a pencil anywhere in the house.

5. P is for PINTO: What is your favorite kind of bean?
When I make chili I use pinto and kidney beans and when I make baked beans I use navy beans.

6. P is for POT: Copper, Non-stick, Stainless Steel: What are most of your cooking pots made of?
Neither, I use glass pots and non-stick frying pans

Saturday 9: Happy Holidays

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Happy Holidays

1. As you can see, Sam loved giving her annual wish list to Santa. Yet some children are reluctant to climb into Jolly Old St. Nick's lap. Did you enjoy the tradition or were you shy? Or did you by pass it altogether -- either because you wrote him a letter or because your family didn't celebrate Christmas?
I was shy but a trip to St. Nick with visions of presents under the tree usually cured my shyness.

2. Are you currently on the Naughty or Nice list? How did you get there?
Naughty from not eating the right foods

3. Did you ship any gifts to friends and family this year? If so, which one traveled the farthest?
Nope they are all going to be hand carried.

4. Did you buy yourself a gift this year?
Yes, a new car, a Prius Plug-in (it is better than the wind-up one they had). It was kind of hard to gift wrap and fit under the tree.

5. What's your favorite holiday-themed movie?
I don’t have a favorite holiday-themed movie, TV repeats them all so much that they become boaring.

6. Thinking of movies, Christmas is lucrative for Hollywood. Have you ever gone to a movie theater on Christmas Day?
Nope, I’m one of the lucky ones, I always been with family.

7. Have you ever suffered an embarrassing moment at the company Christmas party?
No, but I watched many others make a fool of themselves.

8. What's your favorite beverage in cold weather?
It used to be hot mulled cider but not anymore now I have to stick to peppermint tea.

9. What will you remember most about 2012?
Doctors’ visits.

I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas.

Friday Fill-ins

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins
 

1. Ahhhh _finally all the Christmas cards are sent out_.

2. _I’m going to start_ preparing _quiches that I’m going to bring up to the cottage for Christmas morning breakfast _!

3. Creating an _assortment of quiches, one ham & Swiss, one peppers, onions & sausage, one peppers, onions, bacon & cheese and one with a kick… jalapenos & cheese__.

4. _Tonight I plan on reading in front of the fire for_ relaxation.

5. Kick start _the holidays_.

6. _If you are reading this then_ end of the world _didn’t come today_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _relaxing_, tomorrow my plans include _making the quiches_ and Sunday, I want to _go down to Mystic Seaport for see the carol sing_!

My Story Part 147 – The Holidays

In 2007 I transitioned and for the first time I went to family holiday functions as Diana and also for the first I finally got Christmas presents that I really want and enjoyed. All my life I sat there always wishing for present that my mother, niece, sister-in-law and aunts received for Christmas, but that year I didn’t have to wish anymore.

That year I got a pocketbook from my niece, and a matching necklace and earrings from my sister-in-law. No more ties! No more plaid flannel shirts! No more… “Oh just what I wanted!”

One of my best Christmas presents were a pair of homemade Christmas tree earrings, the wife of a friend of my brother and sister-in-law made them and what made them so special was that she made them for women in our family. She gave a pair to my sister-in-law, to my niece, to the wife of my nephew and to me.

Yes, the holidays are special and now even more so than ever. Merry Christmas!

My Story is a weekly series of blog posts about my transition and observation of life as a trans-person.

Are We Becoming Obsolete?

Is coming out in your 40s, 50s and 60s becoming outmoded?

I came across a commentary (Op-ed: Transgender Dinosaurs and the Rise of the Genderqueers) in the Advocate by Riki Wilchins asking that question, now children who questioning their gender can take androgen blockers to prevent puberty and never develop secondary sexual characteristics. Riki asks a valid question will trans-people who do not pass becoming like the dinosaur?

When I was little there was never any question about transitioning, there were never any positive role models. If you said that you felt that you should have been born the other gender they probably have giving you electroconvulsive shock therapy and zapped your brain a couple of dozen times. Now I know of over a dozen trans-kids who have transitioned in schools here in Connecticut and some of them even in elementary school.

In the article Riki asks are we going to be the last of the activists?  That it is the trans-people who went through puberty in their birth gender that are having the hardest time passing and it is because of us not passing that we became activists to stop the discrimination. In a way Riki is right, we never had the option when we were kids to transition before puberty and that is why we have such a hard time transitioning as adults. Trans-kids now pass so much easier; it is unbelievable how much better it is to transition when you are so young.

In another way Riki was wrong, kids still face discrimination, harassment and bullying and in a way it is worst for them. As adults we have developed coping skill but the kids have not had time to develop those skills. Also they will still need the laws we have worked to pass, not only in school but throughout their lives. They will always run the risk of someone finding out their past and I feel they will have a harder time passing laws to protect them when there are less “out” trans-people.

Yes we are going the way of the dinosaurs but in our path we have smoothed the ground for those who follow.

This And That In The News – Trans Issues

"This And That In The News" is about articles in the news that have caught my eye and I want to share or comment about. These are the articles that caught my attention last week.

There is a battle going on to the north of us over human rights, there are a couple of bills that are being debated in Canada about gender identity and expression. The Canadian Parliament has bill C-279 before it and is now being debated…

Conservatives accused of sabotaging transgender rights bill
 The Province
 THE CANADIAN PRESS
By Jennifer Ditchburn
December 11, 2012

OTTAWA — The New Democrat MP behind a bill to protect transgender Canadians from discrimination is accusing a group of Conservatives of trying to sabotage the legislation through procedural stalling tactics.

Randall Garrison’s private member’s bill was sent back to the Commons from the Justice committee this week unamended and without an official report, despite efforts by the NDP, the Liberals and Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay to strike a compromise.

Garrison accused the other Conservatives on the committee of running out the clock in order to ensure the compromise did not get reported back to the Commons.
[…]
The legislation would change the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression.

Garrison brought forward changes to the bill so that more Conservatives would support it, removing the term “gender expression” and providing a definition for gender identity. Those amendments passed with the help of Findlay.

Then out in Nova Scotia they are trying to pass their own gender identity legislation…

N.S. bill would give transgender people legal footing
CBC News
Posted: Nov 20, 2012

Nova Scotia has tabled amendments to its Human Rights Act to clarify the rights of transgender people.

Justice Minister Ross Landry said the proposed amendment would protect gender expression and identity.

The changes would allow transgender people to file human rights complaints in cases where they believe they have been discriminated against on the job or in the community.
[…]
If the legislation passes, Nova Scotia would join Ontario, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories in specifically recognizing transgender people in its human rights legislation.

Unfortunately, the bill wasn’t voted on in this session. It seems like the conservative north of the boarder are just like our conservatives, they both like the right to discriminate against us.

Also in Nova Scotia…

LOWE: Transgender students long for more change at school
The Chronicle Herald
December 14, 2012
By LEZLIE LOWE

Simple things.

That’s what would make it easier for Josh to feel comfortable at school — gender-neutral bathrooms and teachers using his preferred name.

“It’s kind of hard sometimes,” the soft-spoken Grade 12 student says, over the din of the Spring Garden Starbucks.

Josh is a transgender student. It’s not common knowledge. He identifies as male, so I’m using his first name. He’ll get a legal name change once he graduates.
[…]
Simple things.

That’s what would make it easier for Josh to feel comfortable at school — gender-neutral bathrooms and teachers using his preferred name.

“It’s kind of hard sometimes,” the soft-spoken Grade 12 student says, over the din of the Spring Garden Starbucks.

Josh is a transgender student. It’s not common knowledge. He identifies as male, so I’m using his first name. He’ll get a legal name change once he graduates.
[…]
“Where we are with transgender individuals is kind of where we were 10 or 15 years ago with gay, lesbian and bisexual students,” he says. “There’s still, probably among some, discomfort. We obviously need to work hard to overcome that.”

But all is not grim; we did have a couple of victories. Over in Scotland the National Health Service did come out with a policy on Gender Reassignment Protocol,

Summary
This letter is to provide Boards with the Gender Reassignment Protocol for Scotland. The protocol incorporates recommendations from the 7th edition of The World Professional Association for
Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care, September 2011. The protocol sets out those procedures which may be provided on the NHS; procedures exclusive to gender reassignment should be accessed via this protocol.

Back in the states the University of Iowa has added questions on sexual orientation and gender identity to its undergraduate application.

University Of Iowa Adds Sexual Orientation Question, Transgender Identity Option To Application
The Huffington Post
Posted: 12/12/2012

In an apparent effort to send a welcoming signal to all incoming students, the University of Iowa has announced the addition of questions on sexual orientation and gender identity to its undergraduate application.

As Inside Higher Ed reports, a dropdown menu on the University of Iowa's online application now includes transgender as an option alongside with male and female, while a second, nonobligatory question now asks, "Do you identify with the LGBTQ community?”

The university's move follows Illinois's Elmhurst College, which added similar questions to the undergraduate application forms for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Among the organizations to praise the decision was Campus Pride, a national advocacy group working to foster more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusive college and university settings. Campus Pride officials had been working with university administrators on the application changes for several years, according to a press release.

What do you think, a good or a bad move? Would you check the box or list yourself as trans?

I know I wouldn’t have checked off the trans box, I would have checked Female and then contacted them to tell them that I was trans. I would not want on my official record that I’m trans.

This Is Ridicules…

Can you imagine a solider being able to pick their officers and harass other soldiers? Well that is what the Republicans want to happen…

ALERT: Defense budget may include anti-gay provision
Washington Blade
By Chris Johnson
December 14, 2012

Some House Republicans are pushing for inclusion of a “conscience protection” clause in the final version of Pentagon budget legislation that could enable discrimination against gay service members, according to LGBT advocates familiar with conference committee negotiations.

The measure could be made final as soon as today.

Two LGBT advocates, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said House Republican conferees working on the final version of the fiscal year 2013 defense authorization bill are pushing for language along the lines of the “conscience protections” in the House version of the legislation under Section 536. One source said this language is “very much in play” for being in the final version of the bill and is one of the final issues yet to be resolved as conferees wrap up the legislation.

Under the language, the U.S. military would have to “accommodate the conscience and sincerely held moral principles and religious beliefs of the members of the Armed Forces concerning the appropriate and inappropriate expression of human sexuality” and may not use these beliefs as the basis of any adverse personnel action or discrimination. Additionally, it would prohibit the U.S. military from taking action against military chaplains who decline to serve a particular service member based on religious beliefs.

This language has been understood to mean service members could actively harass their fellow comrades for their perceived or actual sexual orientation without fear of reprisal. Additionally, it has been understood to mean that chaplains would have free rein to discriminate against service members on any basis — including religion, gender, sexual orientation, race or any other characteristic — simply by saying serving them is contrary to their beliefs.

This issue has been settled already, get over it! The military had no problems whatsoever integrating gays and lesbian into military service. But the Republicans what to hold up the military budget over this, we are on the face of a financial disaster and what do the Republicans think is the most important issue in the country… gays and lesbians in the armed forces.

Trans-Woman Denied Public Assistance.

I found this article on Planetransgender about a trans-woman who is being discriminated and harassed in Long Island City by the Human Resources Administration East River Job Center.

They reported on an article in the Queens Chronicle on how she was treated,

Queens Transgender woman files lawsuit against city
Queens Chronicle
December 13, 2012
By Josey Bartlett

A Long Island City woman filed the city’s second transgender discrimination case this year against the New York City agency that handles food stamps and other benefits on Nov. 20.

Jolie Estrella, 25, who wished to keep her born name anonymous, brought an official change of name form in November 2011 to the Human Resources Administration East River Job Center.

The document, issued by the state the previous May, must be brought to the HRA for Estrella to change her name in their database. She also had with her the correct documents needed to change her gender marker, according to her lawyer Richard Saenz, staff attorney with LGBT Advocacy Project at Queens Legal Services. Legal sex designations, also called gender markers, are the M for male and F for female found on many government- issued identification cards.

Without the correct name she could not access government-issued benefits.

“They were bewildered,” Estrella said of her visit. “One of the girls was confused and didn’t know what to do. She went to a supervisor, or a coworker, someone who she respected. He accused me of having fraudulent documents.”

She them came back wearing androgynous clothes hopping that they would process her name change then. But the clerk said…

But she said she received no better treatment. One man said it’s OK if you’re gay, “as long as you aren’t a transgender,” Estrella s

She demanded to see a supervisor and told to leave the building, when she complained further a guard issued her a citation in her formal name. As a result of not being able to change her name she could not use her Electronic Benefit Transfer card because the name on the card did not match her legal name and she had to beg for food from her friends.

She sued to get her documents changed to her legal name and then in April the court ordered the HRA to change her documents to her legal name and gender. In addition, they also have to pay the back benefits she was supposed to have receive.

However, the discrimination and harassment by the HRA has not ended…

In June a transgender woman filed a suit against HRA through Manhattan Legal Services and South Brooklyn Legal Services seeking damages when, as in Estrella’s case, her change of pronoun and name documents were denied.

This was in a city that has a policy for trans-individuals that states,

… HRA policy No. P-09-22, “Serving Transgender, Transsexual, and Gender Nonconforming Individuals,” which was issued in December 2009 after years of advocacy. Under the directive, staff should ask clients what their preferred names, titles, and gender pronoun are, and it states that not using that information is a form of harassment.

Can you imagine what it is like for trans-people who do not live where there are policies? Also shelters that do not receive public funding like the Salvation Army do not have to follow the anti-discrimination laws. A trans-woman was denied access to a shelter down in Austin Texas and died that night sleeping out in the open.

"There was really nowhere for Jennifer Gale to go to protect herself from the cold last night," said Bier. "The Salvation Army (the only shelter in town that takes in women) would not let her in there unless she was grouped with the men (which includes sleeping with, and showering with, other homeless men). They would make her use her male birth name and completely disregard, and disrespect, her identity as a trans-woman. There is so much to be learned from Jennifer Gale, and so much to be worked on in our community."

I have heard of trans-people being turned away from shelters and aid here in Connecticut and we have a law that should prevent that from happening. But the shelters and agencies either do not know about the law or are ignoring it.

We don’t ask for special treatment, we just are asking for equal treatment.

UPDATE:
As friend just posted this on his Facebook page...

Why Homeless People Sleep in the Cold - and Die
Truth-Out
Sunday, 16 December 2012
By Piper Hoffman, Care2

9. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people often face discrimination and “physical risk” in homeless shelters. For instance, transgender “women (born with male genitalia but identify and live as women) forced to take shelter with heterosexual men are frequently subjected to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse.” Some shelters simply deny entry to transgender people.

Saturday Six #453

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six #453

1. O is for OATMEAL: What does your ideal breakfast meal look like?
Western omelet, sausage and coffee

2. O is for OBESITY: How achievable do you believe your “ideal” weight actually is?
Nope, 20lbs overweight, I was 75lbs overweight last year.

3. O is for ODOR: Which odor do you enjoy the most in a kitchen?
Spiced cider

4. O is for OIL: How much did you last pay per gallon for gasoline?
$4.61 and when I go up to New Hampshire it will be about $0.20 less.

5. O is for OVEN: Which food is your particular specialty?
Lobster! Especially lobster Newburg.

6. O is for OZ: Which character from The Wizard of Oz movie is your favorite?
Dorothy. But if you see “Wicked” you will really see that the “Wicked Witch of the West” was just misunderstood.

Saturday 9: Christmas Carols

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Christmas Carols



1) What's the first holiday song that comes to mind?
The Waitresses “Christmas Wrapping”


2) Are you sending cards (either by postal service or email) this year? If so, have they gone out yet?
Yes and no they haven’t gone out this year. I’m late, I usually send them out last weekend but I was preoccupied

3) Can you see any holiday decorations from where you're answering these questions?
Yes, my neighbor’s house as usual is lit up like a Hollywood production.

4) Do you wrap gifts in paper or take the gift bag route?
Both, it depends on the size and shape of the gift.

5) The holidays are an important fundraising time for charities. Here's an opportunity to do a shameless plug for your favorite. What organization or cause do you wish got more support at the holidays, and all year around?
True Colors, it is a family & youth service agency that is for children or parents of children that are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. It is where I did my internship for my master’s.

6) Andy Williams was famous for his family holiday specials. What TV family would most like to spend Christmas with?
Ozzy and Harriet, can you imagine me being with the classic all America family?

7) The holidays are a big time for travel. Where did you go on your first airplane flight?
Way back in 12th grade, I went down to Florida with my parents to see Cape Kennedy Space Center. My father had a conference there and the families got to tour the center during the conference.

8)  Does the weather have an impact on your mood?
Oh yes, very much so and also the holidays.

9) Snack time! You're about to make yourself your favorite sandwich. What ingredients do you need?
I used to make pizza or some other high carbohydrate food, but now I limit myself to low carb foods like yogurt with only 10 carbs… um.

Friday Fill-ins

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins
 
1. Oh, my _I should have put more money in the parking meter_.
2. _I better start my Christmas shopping_ sooner, rather than later!
3. Buy one, _get one free. I hate it because it means that I get one that I don’t want, why don’t they just give 50%_. Do you know how much cantaloupe I have to eat if I get one free?
4. _Spring will be here in three months_ positively!
5. Soon, I'm _going to start dieting_.
6. _Last night was there any_ shooting stars?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _doing some shopping_, tomorrow my plans include _reading_ and Sunday, I want to _watch the yucky weather from the warmth by the fire_!

My Story Part 146 – I’m Addicted…

To plays, I love plays, I am fascinated by plays.

In October I went to see "A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder" at the Hartford Stage with some friends, it was the fourth musical that I saw, the first was down in Stratford at the Shakespeare Theater when I was a senior in high school and it was “As You Like It” that was set to music and in modern times (instead of horses they rode around on dirt bikes). The next play that I saw was also a musical, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and it was at the Hartford Stage but it was over forty years later and it was the first play that “Diana” saw.

Before I transitioned no one that I knew went to plays or movies or dinners, back then a night out on the town meant hanging out at the local bar. I think it was a guy thing, we don’t want to be seen hanging out with other guys at a play or at an up-scale restaurant… people might get the wrong idea. But sitting around a bar staring into your beer was okay. You just went to plays when your date dragged you along and you could blame it on her and have plausible denial, not admitting that you enjoyed.

I think what attract me to plays is one that it is live, that you are watching with a hundred of other people, that I am attracted to the technical aspect of the play (lights, moving the scenery around on stage and special effects) and most of all I am amazed at how they can remember all those lines. I have been to large theaters (The Bushnell – Wicked) to small intimate theaters (Theater Works – Doubt) and each theater has its own unique of set design and stage for the play. At the Bushnell you can see the tracks in the floor where they move the sets and large overhead bays where they have the backdrops hanging, while a small stage like Theater Works they just move a few props around to create different rooms. At the Hartford Stage “Rent” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” they used different levels to create different scenes.

Anyway, yesterday afternoon, four of us went to see a play at the Long Wharf Theater (it was the first time that I have been there and it is a nice theater in the warehouse district of New Haven) to see “The Killing of Sister George”

By day June Buckridge, played by Kathleen Turner, plays Sister George on the hit BBC radio show Applehurst, tending to the sick and poor.  By night, she chews on cigars, swills gin and lets nothing and no one stand in her way, including her long suffering “secretary” Childie. When Applehurst’s ratings plummet, the show's producers decide to kill off Sister George in the hope of recapturing the audience.  In real life, June refuses to go quietly from her starring perch in this bawdy and witty comedy.

The play was so-so and the second half was better than the first half which rather bland. I didn’t like the performance that Kathleen Turner gave but I liked the supporting characters (Clea Alsip & Betsy Aidem) better, I think they gave a much better performance than Ms. Turner (The Hartford Courant review is here).

After the play we went to dinner at Brazi's Italian Restaurant (right next door to the theater) and I thought it was very good, I had the Pork Chops Scarpariello (Center cut chop broiled and topped with hot cherry peppers, garlic, roasted potatoes in a brown sauce); however, the waiter was paying more attention to the four young ladies at the booth behind us than to the four old folks.

This Should Not Happen Here In America

As many of you know, I have Type 2 Diabetes and I read this on a diabetes website...

Ugh i am so frustrated dealing with trying to get/buy insulin. I have no insurance and can barely afford insulin, i get lantus free from the manufacturer but that will end come august when i will make just a wee bit too much $ to qualify.
[...]
My credit cards which pre D were all paid off, are all now maxed out. I dont pay them because i cant afford to and be able to pay for insulin and supplies. My credit is ruined now.

And here the Republicans are fighting to avoid taxing the rich and instead they want to raise the age of Medicare.

This makes me SO mad!!!!!
HELL. I got a billion dollars and I want to keep every penny of it and screw the rest of you!
I will never vote for a Republican.

Why Do We…

Seem to focus on technical or artistic jobs. It seems to me that we as a community have a higher percentage of creative jobs, that we seem to be in engineering, science, computers and also into the arts more than the general population.

The latest creative trans-person is…

Apple Hires Hacker Who Helped Save Windows From Security Hell
Wired News
By Robert McMillan
12.05.12

Apple has hired a noted computer security researcher who helped Microsoft lock down its Windows operating system.

Kristin Paget — formerly known as Chris Paget — now works on Apple’s security team. Just over five years ago, she was part of a small team of elite hackers brought in by Microsoft to lock down Windows Vista.

Criminals have long preferred to focus their attacks on Microsoft’s operating system — still the world’s most popular — but lately, there have been signs that they’re eying Apple’s Mac OS X too. And Apple, slowly, has been trying to make inroads into the security community. This summer, an Apple engineer spoke at the Black Hat security conference for the first time.

Reached via e-mail, Paget confirmed that she is now an Apple employee, but referred all questions to Apple’s public relations group. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on Paget.

Paget’s work at Microsoft had been similarly secretive. She’d been forbidden from speaking about it for five years after her work there ended.

But in 2011, the NDA expired, and she spilled the beans on her Vista hacking at the Black Hat Las Vegas conference. In short: Microsoft’s security team had expected Vista to be pretty clean when Paget got her hands on it, but they were wrong.

I know of so many trans-engineers and scientist that I lost track, the same is true with trans-artist and musicians, just look at the latest trans-person to come out, Lana Wachowski the director of the Matrix movies. I don’t not know why we seem more creative, is it in our brains or the fact that we are driven to prove to ourselves we are not like the stereotypical trans-person.

Morning “Shock Jocks” Shows…

I don’t listen to them because I believe they cater to the lowest common denominator. A few weeks back on a morning radio talk show on WPLR the hosts had a story out of Belgium about a man divorcing his wife because she's transgender and show hosts were very, very negative about her. What happen to them, nothing at all. But down in Washington DC the hosts of a ESPN station got suspended for their rant about trans-athletes. In a post on “Outpost” Cyd Zeigler Jr. call for them to be suspended because of what they said,

ESPN 980 has suspended radio hosts Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin for their heinous attack on Gabrielle Ludwig and other transgender athletes on their Dec. 6 show. The station has released this statement:

    We strongly believe two of our employees crossed the line when discussing a tanssexual person on their program last Thursday. Such intolerance and insensitivity will never be tolerated by this company. Due to the nature of their conversation, the pair have been temporarily removed from ESPN980′s Sports Reporter program.

Outsports called for their suspension yesterday after hearing their three-minute anti-trans rant. My guess is that someone at ESPN told the station they had to do something concrete, it had to include a suspension, and they had to do it fast. And we know GLAAD has been working with the station on a proper response. ESPN released a statement to Outsports earlier today rejecting the comments made by the two hosts.

It is not that they are against trans-athletes but it is what they said, they made it a personal attack using derogatory and hateful speech. In an earlier post Cyd Zeigler Jr. wrote that…

Last Thursday, 980AM ESPN Radio in Washington DC featured one of the nastiest, most anti-transgender rants I’ve ever heard. Along with their guest, they lashed out at trans college basketball player Gabrielle Ludwig. Among their horrific comments:

•     They said transgender people should not be allowed to play sports. ”Whatever you’ve got to do to scratch that inner itch and quell those inner demons, that’s fine. But don’t go playing sports then. And don’t go playing sports saying, ‘but I’ve go the rights of everyone else.’”
•     They make fun of Ludwig’s appearance, including her biceps and tattoos. Clearly reacting to photographs, they expressed deep-seated disgust at her appearance. “That could be a Russian chick,” they said as they cackled.
•     They referred to her as “he/she” and as “it.” “I think ‘it’ is the politically correct term.”

We hear it over and over again how talk show hosts cross the boundary from joking to hurting. We saw it in the death of the nurse on Britain. Some talk show hosts will do anything for ratings and a laugh at other innocent people expense; they try out do the other “Shock Jocks” in being the most outrageous radio host.

If you listen in the morning to the “Shock Jocks” ask yourself at whose expense are they getting their laughs and rating points?

Once Upon A Time...

An animated fairy tale that is narrated by Ed Asner

Rolling The Dice

You all probably have heard by now that the Supreme Court is going to hear a couple of cases on marriage equality, I always dread when courts decide on human rights because it is a crap shoot. It can go either way and no one can say how it will turn out.

It might turn out in a way that most people don’t expect, they can copout and side step the issues and still leave marriage equality in limbo. That is where I’m placing my bets.

Supreme Court Takes Marriage Cases, But Leaves Itself an Out
Gay City News
Dec. 7, 2012

BY ARTHUR S. LEONARD | The Supreme Court announced on December 7 that it would review the Ninth Circuit’s Proposition 8 ruling and the New York-based Second Circuit’s ruling on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), but in both cases it indicated it would hear argument about whether the petitioners had standing to seek review of the decisions.
 […]
But the high court will revisit the question whether the Proponents have standing to represent the State of California in defending Prop 8. If the Court rules that they did not have standing to appeal Walker’s ruling as a matter of federal law, that would mean that neither the Supreme Court nor the Ninth Circuit would have jurisdiction to decide their appeal. In that event, Walker’s ruling, which was not appealed by any of the named defendants in the case –– such as the governor or attorney general –– would be the final ruling, binding in the state of California. Same-sex couples would once again have a right to marry there.

The other case they are hearing is the case that challenges the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and in that case the Department of Justice found that the law could not be defended and would not appeal the lower court’s decision. The House of Representatives controlled by the Republicans picked up the baton to appeal the lower court decision.

In both the DOMA and Prop cases, then, the Supreme Court added questions to those posed by the petitioners, signaling the possibility it could find it does not have jurisdiction to rule on the merits in either. Under the Constitution, the Court is limited to deciding actual “cases and controversies,” which it has construed to mean that only a party with a distinct personal stake in the outcome of a case has “standing” to bring their case to federal court. Plaintiffs must have standing to initiate a lawsuit, and appellants must have standing to appeal a trial court’s ruling. If the petitioners in one or both of these cases don’t have standing, then that case is not a real “case or controversy” for constitutional purposes and so is outside the court’s jurisdiction.

As a result, the court’s December 7 actions raise all sorts of interesting questions that will probably keep scholars and commentators busy speculating from now until whenever the cases are disposed of. If the court finds that none of the petitioners have standing, it will dismiss these appeals. And, a ruling on standing also affects the jurisdiction of the courts of appeals. Presumably, a party that does not have standing to appeal to the Supreme Court also lacks standing to appeal a trial court’s ruling to a circuit court of appeals.

This means that instead of hearing the cases the Supreme Court will first hear arguments on whether they have a right to appeal the cases. In the California case the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) will have to show that they have a legal right to appeal the lower court decision and in the DOMA case the House of Representatives has a right to appeal the case if the DOJ doesn’t appeal the case.

So we have two chances to win, the first is if the court finds that they don’t have a legal standing to appeal the cases, we win, the lower court rulings stand. If the Supreme Court rules that they do having standing to appeal the cases then cases will be heard by the Supreme Court and we will be back to the “crap shoot.”

This is what I think will happen; the Supreme Court will find that the American Foundation for Equal Rights does not have legal standing and marriage equality is legal in California and the court will hear the case on DOMA. That the Supreme Court will strike down DOMA ruling that it is a “State’s Right” to determine who can marry in their state and the federal government must abide by the state decisions. The Supreme Court will not make marriage equality the law of the land, neatly coping out of making a landmark civil rights ruling.

This & That in The News - Trans Issues From Around The World

"This And That In The News" is about articles in the news that have caught my eye and I want to share or comment about. These are the articles that caught my attention last week.

This week is all about trans-issues in other countries and start in Asia…

Transgender groups fear violent protests
Indonesia's transgender community fears rising intimidation from the Islam Defenders Front after the religious group closed down a transgender festival in Jakarta.
UPI
Published: Dec. 10, 2012

JAKARTA, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Indonesia's transgender community said its members fear rising intimidation from the Islam Defenders Front after the religious group closed a transgender festival in Jakarta.

Their fear is heightened by the belief that police are reluctant to protect them in general should verbal intimidation turn into violence, a report by The Jakarta Post said.

Merlyn Sofyan, a transgender activist, told the Post that transgender groups throughout Indonesia have reluctantly curtailed social events and educational classes in the past two years over such fears.

Also this article about Indonesia was in the Jakarta Globe…

FPI Shuts Down Transgender Festival in Jakarta
Jakarta Globe
By Abdul Qowi Bastian
December 04,

A transgender festival in Jakarta was cancelled on Monday night, after the Islamic Defenders Front turned up to the event and demanded the organizers shut it down.

Salim Alatas, chief patron of the Jakarta chapter of the organization, known as the FPI, told the Jakarta Globe that the festival organizer for the Miss Waria contest in Pasar Festival, South Jakarta, did not have a permit from the police.

“The local community did not want the contest to be held in their area. They asked the police if there is a permit for the contest, but there is not,” said Salim, who discovered the event from a newspaper. “We will deny if there is such thing as a transgender contest in our country. It’s morally destructive and not educating.”

Here is a blog about the unrest in Asia caused by religious extremists but this time in Malaysia…

Mak Nyahs: Transgendered Muslims in Malaysia
Patheos: Muslin Media Watch
December 10, 2012
By nurulsyahirah

Mak nyah is the term that transgendered women in Malaysia use to identify themselves. Mak means ‘mother’, and nyah is derived from the literal meaning of ‘running away’ to refer to ‘transition’…
[…]
The justification for this violence towards mak nyahs mainly comes from their race and class. All the four women interviewed explained how it was difficult for them to rent a house, continue their education (the stress of having to room with a male student) or find jobs other than low-paying and precarious ones in the field of administration, food and beverages, or as a last resort, sex work. Even if they looked female (which even the ERT report also tried to emphasise with one of their accompanying images), their identity card revealed their masculine gender and names, as given at birth, resulting in discrimination and ridicule.

As they identify as Malay and (automatically) Muslim, they are subject to a section in the Seremban syariah code that makes it an offence for a “man to act like a woman”. Specifically, “wearing women’s attire” or “posing as a woman” is reason for being arrested, having their breasts groped (on the pretext of checking for bras), and being asked to undress in front of other men. The women also state that they do not wear bras because this could be used as evidence of their “cross-dressing”, but sometimes even when they are wearing masculine clothing like football jerseys, they are still arrested for having a “physical appearance [...] of a woman.”

Heading over to Africa, there is an article about trans-women working the streets being attacked by the military…

Transgender sex workers face abuse by military in Ivory Coast
Fox News
Associated Press
Published December 10, 2012

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast –  Transgender sex workers in Ivory Coast have been subjected to horrific abuses by the country's armed forces, including being sodomized with rifles, according to interviews with victims.

In interviews with The Associated Press, victims and local activists say transgender sex workers were regularly stripped and beaten. In the most extreme case, those dressed as women who were discovered to be men during the strip search, were held overnight at military camps and raped with Kalashnikov rifles. Others' heads were shaved with broken beer bottles.

Moving down to south of our boarder to Dominican Republic…

Transsexuals demand equal treatment, respect
Dominican Today
By Jhonatan Liriano
December 10, 2012

Santo Domingo.-  Dominican Republic’s Transsexual Community (Cotrave) on Monday demanded treatment without discrimination and equal access to basic services.

In a press conference, the heads of Cotrave noted that today marks the day of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, for which the group’s coordinator, Nairovi Castillo, revealed that despite that 18 transsexuals and sexual workers have been killed in just one year, no indictments have been made.

He said fully into the 21st century, the country lags further and further behind in discrimination in education, health and freedom of movement for that sector.

We here in the U.S. sometimes forget or are not aware of the treatment of our brothers and sisters around the world. They face religious persecution and transphobia every day, for them just going out the door is an act courage. We also face violence every day when we go out in public, but it is nowhere on the scale that they face.

Today is Human Rights Day and let us take a moment to think about what it means to us and to other trans-people around the world.

Human Rights Day, 10 December

Human Rights Day presents an opportunity, every year, to celebrate human rights, highlight a specific issue, and advocate for the full enjoyment of all human rights by everyone everywhere.

This year, the spotlight is on the rights of all people — women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, the poor and marginalized — to make their voices heard in public life and be included in political decision-making.

These human rights — the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, to peaceful assembly and association, and to take part in government (articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) have been at the centre of the historic changes in the Arab world over the past two years, in which millions have taken to the streets to demand change. In other parts of the world, the “99%” made their voices heard through the global Occupy movement protesting economic, political and social inequality.

Crunch!

I had all planned what I was going to write this morning, but as usual life gets in the way.

I was at a support group meeting last night when two friends who just left came back in and told me that someone had hit my brand new car that is only a week old and had 197 miles on it.

I told them that the joke wasn't funny and didn't want to leave the meeting; they finally talked me into going out and looking at my car. The side of had a big dent from a hit and run driver. When the police came and after all the paperwork was done the officer told me that there was another hit and run accident reported just one block north of where my car was hit. Tis the season of office parties and there are a lot of drunks out on the road.

Here is the damage that was done…

 I had just bought the car last Friday and picked it up on Saturday, it is a 2012 Prius Plug-in and I love it! What makes it different from the other Prii before (I own two other Prii before this Prius) it is that you can also charge up the battery by plugging it in. All this week when I was running earns around town I didn’t use any gas, it was only my trips to Springfield and to Pomfret (about 100 miles round trip for each trip) that I used gas this week so as a result my gas mileage this week was 61mpg.

Saturday Six #452

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six #452

1. N is for NAME: Were you ever tempted to change your name, and if so, which name would you rather have had?
Well I think you all know that I have changed my name.

2. N is for NATURE: What do you enjoy most about being in the great outdoors?
It is my way of seeing the beauty of God. How can you not stand on the top of a mountain and not wonder about God.

3. N is for NEWSSTAND: If you had to purchase a magazine at a newsstand, which title would you be most likely to buy?
Either PC Photo or National Geographic

4. N is for NICKEL: If a president were to replace one of the current presidents on our coins, which one would you like to see immortalized on our currency next?
I think all the presidents that I would like to see immortalized on currency have been, presidents like Kennedy and Lincoln. I don’t think we should immortalized any presidents until 50 years after their death, otherwise history has had time to judge time and instead it becomes a popularity contest.

5. N is for NOSE: Which aroma from the kitchen is your favorite?
Cinnamon and nutmeg, the aroma of spiced cider.

6. N is for NUT: When you’re ready for a snack, which variety of nut is your favorite?
It would be easier to say what nuts that I don’t like, walnuts and pecans, like all the other types of nuts.

Saturday 9: Blue Christmas

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Blue Christmas
 
1) Do you ever suffer the blues during the holidays?
Yes.

2) More than 18 million visitors have toured Elvis' home, Graceland. Have you ever been there?
 No.

3) Elvis dyed his naturally light brown locks black. Do you dye your hair?
No.

4) He also insisted his young girlfriend, Priscilla, dye her hair jet black. If your lover asked you to change your hair, would you?
No.

5) Elvis served his country at an Army base in Friedberg, Germany. Have you ever been to Germany?
No.

6) Elvis famously had an affair with Ann-Margret during the filming of Viva Las Vegas. Have you ever indulged in a dalliance with a coworker?
No.

7) Thinking of his movies ... Elvis was, by and large, unhappy with his film career and once said, "The only thing worse than watching a bad movie is being in one." Are you happy with the way your career is going/has gone?
Yes.

8) Elvis lost "the battle of the bulge" toward end of his life. Are you happy with your weight?
No.

9) As a teenager, Elvis worked as an usher at a movie theater. What was your first job?
Counting the number of chairs in schools (WOW! She gave more than a one word answer). I went around the state counting the number of chairs, typewriters, laths, etc. of school equipment that was purchased grants from the state for schools (In other words, I took inventory) and we were even given a state car to do it.

Friday Fill-ins

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins

 

1. I saw _putty cat_.

2. _I have no idea_...just a hint, please!

3. Once _, just once I wouldn’t like to be the last one to find out_.

4. _You wouldn’t believe how I looked_ in times past.

5. The road led _to new place where I have never been before_.

6. _I love taking photos_ in the morning light.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _reading or watching a movie_, tomorrow my plans include _going to a support group_ and Sunday, I want to _go and watch the silent film Different From the Others (1919 German) at Trinity College _!