sadecedeliyim

[beau-gar]

DONALD

www.beau-gar.tumblr.com

[jhal3n]

👠

on my tippies!

[rhudeboydrew]

[kiddforshort]

[ciegeinc]

Been looking through some old shoots, picking some images that didn't make the final cut and practicing some retouching...

MODEL | JULIENNE EDWARDS @ WEST/10MM

[magazinewankersworld]

Melissa Wolf

Sometimes credited under the alternate spelling of Melissa Wolfe, she was born in 1964 in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. Melissa was raised in Vancouver and educated in all girl Catholic schools. She began modeling and dancing at gentleman's clubs at age 18 when her job at McDonalds didn't pay the bills. She became Penthouse Pet of the Month for the June 1985 issue of the magazine, and continued her dancing and nude modeling career well into the 1990's, dabbling in hardcore shoots with male adult stars and some softcore lesbian shoots. In the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s, she appeared in around half a dozen B-movies. In January 2007 she was arrested at her suburban home near Atlanta, Georgia on charges of prostitution, keeping a place of prostitution and conspiracy to possess cocaine under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. In October 2007, she pleaded guilty to prostitution, holding a place of prostitution and possession of cocaine and was fined $US150,000.

[nerdygaymormon]

Happy Pride

I want to wish a happy Pride to:

Vests

The vest is an iconic lesbian wardrobe staple. For a long time, lesbian fashion has incorporated staples of working-class men's clothing because they are practical and unpolished, which is not typical of women's fashions, and therefore it challenges gender norms. Vests can be formal or casual, they are familiar yet subversive when worn by women, thus making them a lesbian standard.

Frog and Toad

These cottagecore gays are good role models of a loving queer relationship. The first Frog and Toad book was published in 1970. In 1974, the author Arnold Lobel came out as gay to his family. Arnold's daughter has said, “I think ‘Frog and Toad’ really was the beginning of him coming out” because they're “of the same sex and they love each other.” So yes, Frog & Toad are a gay couple.

Cake

In the 1990's and early 2000's, a popular dessert was the Better Than Sex Cake, which was a rich chocolate cake. Well, when you're asexual, the name of that cake hits a little different. In 2004, asexuality.org (AVEN) started using cake as a symbol of asexualness since they believe cake IS better than sex. Asexuals may not have much of an appetite for sex, but that does not mean they have no appetites, thus the popular phrase "I'd rather have cake."

Limp Wrists

Why do we associate a limp wrist with male homosexuality? The ancient Romans viewed limp wrists as effeminate, and the association was further strengthened in the 17th & 18th centuries as one hand with a limp wrist and the other hand placed on the hip in an "I'm a Little Teapot" pose was seen as something men in the royal courts would do, and that sort of leisurely life was considered unmanly. In the modern era queer men have been seen as effeminate, so the limp wrist became associated with them. This association was embraced and reclaimed by queer men, and the wider queer community as a whole.

Unicorns

Unicorns have been used in art since the 4th century BCE and it was the Victorians who firmly linked unicorns with rainbows. In 1978, Gilbert Baker created the rainbow flag as a joyous symbol of the queer community. Given that rainbows and unicorns are so intrinsically linked, it’s unsurprising that the mythical creature started to also be used as a symbol for LGBTQ+ people.

Pansies

“Daisy,” “buttercup,” and especially “pansy,” are flowers which have been used to mean a “flamboyant gay man.” Sometimes the word "pansy" has been positive, sometimes definitely not. In the 1920's & 1930's, the underground clubs of the Prohibition era became a hotspot for queer nightlife with drag queens becoming hugely popular entertainment even among the straight clientelle, and this became known as the "Pansy Craze" in reference to the colorful clothing the performers wore. In 2013, because of the association the pansy has to queer people, a group of people in Atlanta used them to block out hatred by putting cardboard pansies on poles tall enough to block the protesters’ signs, and voila, the Pansy Patrol was born.

Queer Sitting

Improperly sitting is one of many seemingly arbitrary traits (like walking fast and being unable to drive) that the online queer community has claimed as part of queer culture, but it's deeper than it seems. Girls are often taught to sit like a lady, such as keeping their knees pressed together, therefore an act of rebellion can be a woman sitting incorrectly. By not sitting properly, it's a rejection of rules about what we can do with our bodies. In movies & television, for decades censorship codes worked to silence queer voices, and creators developed sophisticated ways of coding queerness through body language, such as the way a character sits. Queer sitting resists the process of assimilation and instead says: do what feels right, do with your body what you would like, not what you are told is proper.

RuPaul's Drag Race

Many of us in the queer community take RuPaul's Drag Race for granted with its 15+ seasons, multiple Emmy wins, spin-offs like All Stars & Secret Celebrity, 15 different international versions, a successful Las Vegas show, and the many memes and catchphrases that have come from the show. It’s easy to forget in the 2000's things were very different. There were gay characters on TV and reality shows like Survivor had openly gay contestants, but until RuPaul’s Drag Race premiered in 2009 there wasn’t a truly successful series made by queer creators, starring queer cast members, and made specifically for a queer audience.

RuPaul's Drag Race brought drag performance to a large audience and presents topics traditionally considered taboo on television, such as that it's okay to not conform to societal expectations around gender and sexuality. The show has spread awareness and acceptance as it provides positive representation of queer people and humanizes us as it showcases the struggles of gay, lesbian, gender-nonconforming and transgender people and as the contestants tell stories of coming out, being affected by HIV/AIDS, being rejected by their families and attacked in the streets.

Quiche

in Anglo-American culture, French cuisine is not viewed as "manly" food, which is the first mark against quiche. During the 1970s, quiche was served at brunch spots frequented by gay men which led to it being seen as a quintessentially queer dish, another mark against this food. Quiche became seen as so effeminate that a 1982 best-selling book satirizing masculine stereotypes was titled Real Men Don't Eat Quiche. Instead of the French name "quiche," if it had been called "scrambled egg pie" it likely wouldn't be considered a food for women and the gays, which just goes to show how lame it is to think of food as gendered in some way, but as long as they keep serving it for brunch, we'll keep eating it

Tumblr

Tumblr is known as "queerest place on the internet" and as a platform that "queer[ed] an entire generation." According to Tumblr, the people who use its site are 193% more likely to be LGBTQ compared to those on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Twitter, and Pinterest. Tumblr estimates that 1 in 4 of its users identifies as LGBTQ. An important reason for this is that Tumblr does not require identity cues to be featured, such age, gender, location, relationship status or legal name, which allows users control over their self-presentation and makes it far less likely family and friends may discover their Tumblr account. This privacy allows queer people on Tumblr to feel more comfortable exploring and expressing their queerness.

Tumblr has been a place of important contributions to queer culture. One example is the large number of queer Pride flags which were first introduced and adopted on Tumblr:

In 2010 Jasper V. introduced his design for a Pansexual flag on Tumblr.

The Polysexual flag was created in 2012 by a Tumblr user named Tomlin. 

The Genderfluid flag was created by agender Tumblr user JJ Poole in 2014.

The Agender pride flag was designed by Salem X in 2014 on Tumblr.

The Aromantic flag was created and posted by Tumblr user cameronwhimsy in 2014.

The omnisexual flag was designed in 2015 by Tumbler user pastelmemer.

Tumblr user 2Sanon posted a 2 Spirit flag in 2016.

In 2018 a nonbinary lesbian Tumblr blogger named Emily Gwen introduced the Sunset Lesbian flag to be inclusive of butch, trans, and enby lesbians.

[dcaiv072793]

no one

1. The Longest Masturbation Session

In 2009, Masanobu Sato won the endurance competition at the annual Masturbate-a-thon fundraiser hosted by San Francisco’s Center for Sex & Culture, an event that first surfaced in the ‘90s to destigmatize solo sex and self-pleasure. What was Sato’s time, you ask? A whopping nine hours and 33 minutes.

Today, however, Sato faces some stiff competition. According to Mel Magazine, 43-year-old Drake Hardy, a “bisexual man with a master’s degree in physical sciences,” is gearing up to break the world record, which has since increased to 10 hours and 10 minutes. Workin’ hard or hardly workin’, eh Drake?

2. The Most Orgasms In One Hour

According to a blog post from sex toy manufacturer Lelo, doctors from the Center for Marital and Sexual Studies in California once observed 134 orgasms from a single woman in one hour — the most ever documented. By contrast, the record for men stands at a measly 16 orgasms in the same length of time.

Similarly, in 1966, a woman experienced the longest orgasm on record. It reportedly lasted for 45 seconds and resulted in 25 individual contractions. Sounds like she came for a good time and a long time.

3. The Oldest Pair Of Twin Sex Workers

In 2012, Martine and Louise Fokken, then 70-year-old identical twin sisters and long-time sex workers in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, released their memoirs and a documentary film about their lives entitled Meet The Fokkens, according to the BBC. The Fokken sisters are widely considered to be the oldest twin sex workers in the business, not only in Amsterdam, where prostitution is legal, but anywhere in the world. BRB, buying tickets for Sister Act 2: Fokken Me Up, coming to a theater near you.

Additional elderly escorts include a Taipei woman in her 80’s nicknamed “Grandma” and Sheila Vogel-Coupe, considered to be Britain’s oldest prostitute, who is now in her early 90’s.

4. The Largest Natural Breasts

Annie Hawkins-Turner, better known as Norma Stitz (aka enormous t*ts), is the Atlanta-based fetish model and entrepreneur who’s held the Guinness world record for largest breasts since 1999. Now in her 60’s, Hawkins-Turner’s bra size is a 102ZZZ and it’s speculated that each breast weighs anywhere between 55 and 85 pounds. In 2011, Hawkins-Turner appeared on the UK’s This Morning to speak about her experience growing up with such a prominent chest, for which she’s been the victim of relentless bullying and teasing from strangers practically all her life. Of her work in the fetish industry, she told the show’s hosts, “I've shown people that big is beautiful and you can be sexy in your own way.” Team Norma forever.

5. Most Sexual Partners In A 24-Hour Period

The holder of this record is widely considered to be porn star Lisa Sparks (also known as Lisa Sparxxx), who — at an event in Warsaw, Poland — reportedly had sex with 919 individual men back-to-back within a period of 24 hours. No one seems to have been able to out-bang Sparxxx since that fateful day in 2004, so she remains the reigning champ. And frankly, it’s a tall order — there’s not enough lube in the entire solar system to keep the chafing from 900+ partners at bay. We salute you and your steel vagina, Ms. Sparxxx.

6. The Oldest Male Pornstar

At 60, Tokyo-born Shigeo Tokuda retired from his desk job as a travel agent and took up something a little more stimulating: Porn. Now well into his 80’s, Tokuda has starred in more than 350 adult films and is widely considered the “undisputed king of Japanese mature porn.” Flex, king.

7. The Oldest Virgin

In 2011, UK-born secretary Clara Meadmore died a proud virgin just before turning 108. During a public celebration of her 107th birthday, Meadmore reportedly told the press that the key to her longevity was her abstinence. To Meadmore, sex and intimate relationships seemed like “a lot of hassle.” Maybe she was onto something… *texts ex*.

8. The Biggest Collection of Penises

If you’ve got a yen for general erotic art, The World Erotic Art Museum, located in Miami Beach, has thousands of works for you to browse. But if you’re looking specifically for a collection of more than 200 penises, you’re going to need to head to the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik, Iceland. You’ll see whale penises, you’ll see fox penises, you’ll see penises belonging to characters from Icelandic folklore. This is your one-stop phallus shop. Bring your own condoms.

9. The Largest Orgy

The world record for the largest orgy was broken back in 2006 when 500 naked, writhing bodies came together (in more ways than one) for a sex session in Japan. Since then, the record-holders have proven difficult to de-throne. According to Men’s Health, “Menage Life's Sin City 8 sex festival endeavored to hold the world's largest orgy” in 2018, but logistical difficulties resulted in a sub-par total of 375 people. Better luck next time.

10. The Longest Marriage

Warning: Painfully sweet content ahead! Zelmyra Fisher, born in 1907, and her husband Herbert Fisher, born in 1905, sealed the deal on May 13, 1924 in North Carolina and remained married until Fisher’s death in 2015. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the two had been married 86 years, 9 months, and 16 days as of February 27, 2011. Mawwiage indeed!

11. Most Queefs In 30 Seconds

For those who are less literate in yonic expulsions, a queef is a form of vaginal flatulence, usually accompanied by a fart sound, that escapes the vagina when built-up air pressure is released, especially after or during sex.

In 2009, Howard Stern held a queefing championship, and the results seem to defy all logic and scientific principles. Abby, the winner, reportedly let 93 queefs rip in just one minute for an average of three per second. Truly, an amazing feat. All hail Chief Queef.

12. The Strongest Vagina

13. The Largest Penis

There’s a bit of a dispute about who is the true holder of this coveted record. For many years, New Yorker Jonah Falcon was considered to have the world’s largest penis, clocking in at 9.5 inches flaccid and 13.5 inches when erect. However, in recent years, a challenger from Mexico has come forth named Roberto Esquivel Cabrera, who claims to be the proud owner of a 19-incher. Go long, boys.

14. World’s Longest Kiss

According to Guinness, the longest kiss on record lasted a staggering 58 hours, 35 minutes, and 58 seconds. The love birds in question? Thailand’s own Ekkachai Tiranarat and Laksana Tiranarat. They completed the smooch at an event organized by Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Pattaya, Thailand in 2013. Talk about a marathon makeout sesh.

15. Longest Ejaculation By Distance

The official number on record is 18 feet, 9 inches, reportedly spewed from an American man by the name of Horst Schultz. However, according to a recent Mel Magazine article, these numbers are completely unsubstantiated. It’s not even clear if this Horst Schultz character is a real person or just an urban legend — an Abominable Sperm-man, if you will.

Whether or not he and his record are legit, the lore of Schultz’s ejaculate has inspired one anonymous 35-year-old North Hollywood man to shoot for the stars — or at least the other side of the room. The man, whom Mel Magazine called “Matthew,” is nothing if not dedicated to his craft. His training has whipped his pelvic floor into “prime shape,” through “various exercises.” He’s also employed “electrical muscle stimulation machines that work via anal probe.” To date, Matthew has passed the 5-foot mark with his sperm. When he reaches six, he reportedly plans to contact the Guinness Book of World Records to finally set the record straight. Far out, dude.

16. Greatest Speed Of Ejaculation

This is another record reportedly held by Mr. Schultz, of ejaculation legend. If the numbers are correct, Schultz is responsible for a jet stream of semen traveling at 42.7 miles per hour. Sir, we’re gonna need to see some license and registration, please.

From octogenarian prostitutes to heavy-lifting vaginas, there’s no shortage of amazing things we can do with our bodies. Clearly, that old saying is true: Everybody really is good at something — even if your special talent is rocketing your semen into space.

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This article was originally published on 03.26.17

HEALTH & WELLNESS

How Much Do You Really Know About Birth Control? Take This Quiz To Find Out

Written by ERIN KELLY

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

HARUKO HAYAKAWA

We get it: Talking about birth control can be awkward. But it’s incredibly important to have those conversations with a healthcare professional, especially if it’s your first time exploring your birth control options.

So, how do you prep for a conversation about your birth control options? Having a list of questions and concerns can be helpful.

Test your knowledge about combination oral contraceptives (COCs) as a first step to learning more. Birth control pills are one of the most commonly prescribed methods to prevent pregnancy, especially COCs, which contain 2 hormone components — an estrogen and progestin. COCs include low-dose birth control pills. We created this quiz below in partnership with the maker of Lo Loestrin® Fe (norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol tablets, ethinyl estradiol tablets and ferrous fumarate tablets), a low-dose birth control pill that provides pregnancy prevention with the lowest daily dose of estrogen available. Take this quiz to see how much you already know about low-dose birth control options, like Lo Loestrin Fe.

Remember, birth control pills may not be right for everyone. In fact, birth control pills increase the risk of serious side effects, such as blood clots, stroke, and heart attack, which can be fatal. Smoking increases these risks, especially if you are over the age of 35. Therefore, women who smoke and are over age 35 should not use birth control pills, like Lo Loestrin Fe. See below for additional Important Risk Information, including Boxed Warning, for Lo Loestrin Fe.

Once you’re finished, schedule an appointment with your OB/GYN to discuss your new findings and ask if low-dose birth control pills may be right for you.

Question 1

All birth control pills have the same amount of daily estrogen.

True

False

Question 2

Low-dose birth control pills work differently than birth control pills that contain larger amounts of estrogen.

True

False

Question 3

Low-dose birth control pills are less effective when it comes to preventing pregnancy.

True

False

Question 4

Taking Lo Loestrin Fe for pregnancy prevention may result in short, lighter periods.

True

False

Question 5

Lo Loestrin Fe is the only available birth control pill with 10 micrograms of daily estrogen.

True

False

There is a lot to love about Lo Loestrin Fe. Learn more about Lo Loestrin Fe before talking to your doctor by clicking here.

What is Lo Loestrin® Fe (norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol tablets, ethinyl estradiol tablets and ferrous fumarate tablets)?

Lo Loestrin® Fe is a prescription birth control pill used for the prevention of pregnancy. If you are moderately obese, discuss with your healthcare provider whether Lo Loestrin Fe is appropriate for you.

IMPORTANT RISK INFORMATION

Please see the full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, and Patient Information.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Brought to you by AbbVie, maker of Lo Loestrin® Fe

US-LOL-230150

[bpod-bpod]

Former Trauma

The effects of early exposure to very mild repetitive head trauma studied in a fruit fly model – females found to be more susceptible than males to neurodegeneration later in life, and a link to the fly reproductive molecule Sex Peptide is revealed

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Changtian Ye and colleagues

Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in eLife (reviewed preprint), June 2024

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Thomas Chatterton Williams

Published: Feb 1, 2023

On Friday, Memphis police released body- and street-cam video of five officers beating Tyre Nichols, an unarmed civilian who later died of his injuries. Unlike many recent notorious examples of police brutality, in this instance the victim and perpetrators were all Black, leading to confusion and distress. The basketball star LeBron James tweeted, “WE ARE OUR OWN WORSE ENEMY!” This kind of self-directed criticism is familiar to anyone who has had their hair trimmed in a Black barbershop. What is novel today is the amount of anger and the specific form of critique that James’s tweet, for one prominent example, engendered. One of the more polite and re-printable responses: “i’d say white supremacy was our worse enemy but okay lebron.”

White supremacy used to refer to the belief, encoded in both custom and law, that white people sit at the top of a biological racial hierarchy and that they must remain there. But in the past decade or so, it has become a much vaguer and more totalizing concept, denoting invisible structures, latent beliefs, and even innocuous practices, such as punctuality, that supposedly maintain the comparative advantage of white people at the expense of everyone else. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the period of racial reckoning that followed, all manner of experience was probed for evidence of “white supremacy.” Some on the left have adopted the term as a sort of shorthand for the the invisible hand of all American social and political life.

This understanding of white supremacy has led progressive journalists and activists to bring attention to (some might say obsess over) racial background in lethal encounters involving white and nonwhite people. George Zimmerman, who killed Trayvon Martin, was a white Hispanic. Darren Wilson, who killed Michael Brown, was not merely an agent of the state but specifically a white police officer. Derek Chauvin, a white man in a multiracial group of officers responding to the scene, was the one to kneel on George Floyd. When Robert Aaron Long, a white man, murdered eight mostly Asian workers in three massage parlors in Atlanta in 2021, he said he was a sex addict and suggested he was driven by shame. But some community leaders insisted that anti-Asian animus was the X factor. According to one media narrative, repeating Long’s professed motive amounted to making “excuses” for “white male murderers.”

For some on the left, whiteness and white supremacy retain their explanatory power even when white people are nowhere to be seen. The same year as the spa shootings, when Americans were bristling against school and business shutdowns and crime rates were spiking, nationwide hate crimes against Asian Americans surged by 339 percent. Anti-Asian violence in America has always been “a diverse and majority-minority affair,” as Wilfred Reilly wrote in 2021. “The 2019 Bureau of Justice Statistics report [found] that 27.5 percent of violent criminals targeting an Asian victim are black and only 24.1 percent are white.” Yet as video and anecdotal evidence emerged of vicious Black-on-Asian assaults and homicides, progressives wouldn’t let go of their hobbyhorse.

“Ultimately, there is a failure to remember what got America to this place of racial hierarchies and lingering Black-Asian tensions: white supremacy,” a 2021 Vox article explains. “White supremacy is what created segregation, policing, and scarcity of resources in low-income neighborhoods, as well as the creation of the ‘model minority’ myth—all of which has driven a wedge between Black and Asian communities. In fact, it is white Christian nationalism, more than any other ideology, that has shaped xenophobic and racist views around Covid-19.”

* * *

Like everyone I have spoken with, I was sickened and saddened by the killing of Tyre Nichols. When the videos were released, I was visiting my parents, and the footage was all any of us could talk about. Any attempt to make sense of the atrocity felt insufficient. My mother, an observant Christian, pointed to the existence of evil. My father, a sociologist by training, noted how power dynamics can affect, or corrupt, encounters between strangers. I stressed the role of ego and general incompetence—these officers were young, granted far too much authority, and grossly inexperienced.

Writing at CNN on Friday, Van Jones offered another explanation under the headline “The police who killed Tyre Nichols were Black. But they might still have been driven by racism.” It is certainly possible that the five young, dark-skinned men who beat Nichols so mercilessly had each internalized a poisonous self-hatred. (On Monday, the Memphis police department revealed that two other officers had been disciplined as part of the investigation, at least one of whom is white.) And there is also a serious argument to be made that racism does not require interpersonal malice but may be understood as the limited and limiting system in which individuals make free but constrained decisions. In the latter telling, the institution of American policing is foundationally derived from southern slave patrols and now operates as a disciplining force to protect capital and hold the poor and marginalized in place—all of which makes it an inherently anti-Black enterprise, regardless of the racial or ethnic makeup of the individual officers in its employ.

I am, to a degree, sympathetic to these views. I will never forget the day my brother had his front teeth separated from his mouth by the cold flashlight of a cop whose skin was darker than his own. But I am deeply skeptical of the reflex to attribute all violence and misconduct to structural racism, to impose that smooth framework on every atrocity no matter its jagged grain. I tweeted in response to Jones’s headline that we ought to at least consider the possibility that these five officers’ reprehensible actions fall on them alone.

By the next morning, that tweet had gone viral. I attempted to extend the thought further, writing, “Twitter is an amazing prism because you can watch fringe epistemologies congeal into orthodoxy in real time. A view that still strikes most as an enormous stretch—that white supremacist racism explains bad actions of non-whites even where no whites are present—is one example.”

This statement drew support as well as ire. The writer Joyce Carol Oates quoted it with a rebuttal: “yours is a somewhat disingenuous interpretation of a simple theory: that the race of the victim may determine the punishment, regardless of the race of the perpetrators. (in which case, if the victim had been white, the Black officers might have treated him less brutally.)” That tweet went viral, too, generating millions of views. Soon, my notifications were flooded with responses making a similar point, many of them quoting a specific passage from James Baldwin’s 1985 book, The Evidence of Things Not Seen:

Black policemen were another matter. We used to say, “If you just must call a policeman”—for we hardly ever did—“for God’s sake, try to make sure it’s a White one.” A Black policeman could completely demolish you. He knew far more about you than a White policeman could and you were without defenses before this Black brother in uniform whose entire reason for breathing seemed to be his hope to offer proof that, though he was Black, he was not Black like you.

Baldwin made this point with psychological acuity throughout his career. In his 1955 debut, Notes of a Native Son, he writes—eerily, in light of Memphis—“There were, incidentally, according to my brother, five Negro policemen in Atlanta at this time, who, though they were not allowed to arrest whites, would, of course, be willing, indeed, in their position, anxious, to arrest any Negro who seemed to need it. In Harlem, Negro policemen are feared even more than whites, for they have more to prove and fewer ways to prove it.”

Those were Baldwin’s insights some 40 and nearly 80 years ago, respectively, and they say something historically true with ramifications for the present. I erred on Twitter in dismissing as merely “fringe” this position—that even nonwhite actors can buy into notions of their own personal or group inferiority, and also contribute to their own structural disadvantage. And yet, is even Baldwin’s exquisite articulation really the last or even the most compelling word on what is happening between and within groups in 2023?

Americans hardly have a monopoly on brutality, or state-sanctioned brutality, such that only peculiarities of American history can explain violence in the present. We have spent the past year observing groups of white-skinned Russian men do unspeakable things to the white-skinned Ukrainians at their mercy—things most of these same men would never do by themselves—simply because they were together and they could. Strength is provocative; weakness is too. I believe that this is what my father means when he invokes power dynamics (it may also be what my mother means by evil), and it cuts across every ethnic line.

In the case of Tyre Nichols, in particular, the offending officers are Black, but so is the city’s chief of police, the majority of the force she oversees, and the community at large. The notion that the most likely explanation for this specific horror in this specific locality at this specific time ought to be reduced to a permanent, invisible, and unfalsifiable force called white supremacy veers dangerously close to determinism. Perversely, this infantilizing logic can’t help but absolve the five officers of responsibility for a heinous crime that most people and most police officers of any background do not commit.

Such moral reasoning has become conventional wisdom, embraced vocally by white liberals, among others. But white and nonwhite people alike should be wary of forfeiting their agency so easily. We should always remain skeptical of systems-level thinking that reduces the complexity and unpredictability of human action to a simple formula.

Why did those officers kill Tyre Nichols? I don’t know, and I’m wary of anyone who says they do.

[ Via: https://archive.vn/eVOYu ]

==

Presupposing the motivation for a social phenomenon is no better than academics starting with their conclusion and working backwards, or Xians and Muslims scouring their scripture for verses they can interpret as scientific "proof" of their god.

"Faith is pretending to know things you don't know."

-- Peter Boghossian

[jhal3n]

i’m one of one…

i’m number one…

i’m the only ONE.

[xltribe]

XL’s Featured Tribesmen’s Of The Week Rod Hardge   1. To be honest, I never really had a fashion obstacle besides having self-confidence. When I say confidence, I mean, there would be times I would be out shopping or designing an outfit for myself for an event, party or whatever, when I'm done I'll look at it like, " Can I pull that off? Am I doing too much with this outfit?" Since I've gain confidence in myself, fashion has been my outlet. I'm learning to step out side my comfort zone to Be Dope and to Be Me! 2. I'm from a small town outside of Atlanta called Social Circle, Ga. What I love about Atlanta is that they style trend is endless; so many different varieties but the one that sticks out to me is color! This summer has been vibrant, fun, and inviting with everyone exploring with color. 3. My Biggest fashion nightmare is walking into an event big or small and seeing someone wearing the exact same outfit or same sneakers As me. 4. My biggest style inspirations have been the rapper Fabulous. I think it's dope how he brings back that 80s-90s look. Also, 2Chainz and Pharrell just to name few. 5. In the next 5 year, I see my brand, Fly Status (Forever Leading Youth) in every major fashion store. I want to be in the position to help build up the youth and show them it's more than just the streets to turn to. I want to be able to show the youth that you can make it without selling drugs or robbing. I plan on being a male model for big men fashion etc. The way only way I know I'm going to achieve these goals it to stay Consistent as well as keep my faith in God because without him I wouldn't have made it this far. 6. I've had bothers inbox me on Instagram and even come up to me asking for advice on how to dress well as a larger man of style; I say first you have to have Confidence. In my opinion, men of larger size lack confidence in fashion. You have to trust the fashion, and if you don't, CREATE YOUR OWN!You Instagram: Flyindividual_ Clothing Brand: {Instagram: FlyStatusApparel

[gregceephoto1]

Get to Know About Professional Photography

Professional photography and video services collaborate with customers to create movies and images for a wide range of objectives, including advertising, training, documentation, and employee communication. They also offer entertainment photography in Atlanta covering stage shows, concerts, fashion events, etc.

Professional photography and video services employ digital or film cameras to help stage and light the subject being photographed. These images and films are utilized for corporate publications, instruction manuals, newsletters, and public relations. Professional photography and video services may be digital or digitally improved, and they are similarly designed or filmed. The resulting video footage is utilized for a variety of reasons, including training and marketing.

Professional photography and video services often retain data on film or digital media. Digital storage technology allows for the easy storage, access, and administration of images and movies.

Professional photography and video services make a significant contribution to the advertising sector. They can be used to attract the attention of a buyer. Professional photography may provide eye-catching images for advertisements and websites to get better outcomes. Scientists also employ photographic and video services to document and analyze movements. Artists are equally interested in these qualities, but they also seek to explore possibilities beyond the photomechanical reproduction of reality. Military, police, and security agencies employ professional photography and video services for surveillance, identification, and data storage. Amateurs utilize professional photography and video services to preserve memories of cherished times, record memorable moments, tell tales, send messages, and for enjoyment.

Areas Used

Fashion shows, product showcases, portfolios, photography for male, female, or character models, advertising campaigns, celebrity photography services, entertainment photography in Atlanta service, commercial photography services, wedding party photography services, architecture photography services, and photography for other important events are all examples of how professional photography and video services are used. Professional photography and videography services are also useful for advertising, handbooks, wall decorations, employee appreciation, marketing, and product brochures. Professional photography and videography services are sometimes employed to communicate instructions.

Professional photography and video services are one of the service businesses that provide images in the form of pictures and movies. Professional photography and videography services contribute to new developments in the recording and documenting areas.

Gregceephoto is a reliable provider of photography and videography services, with a devoted staff of skilled photographers and videographers who are enthusiastic about their work. We recognize the importance of capturing the spirit and feelings of each occasion. Our photography services span a variety of events, including weddings, business gatherings, and family photos. We work with expert photographers to generate spectacular photos that represent the uniqueness and distinctiveness of each event. Their entertainment photography in Atlanta covers stage shows, concerts, fashion events, etc. Our staff works closely with customers to understand their vision and preferences, ensuring that every aspect is recorded precisely and artistically. From candid photos to staged portraits, Gregceephoto's photographers have the skill to provide high-quality images that capture the genuine essence of the event.

[drmicrochp]

RIP, Dorian Edwards, my cuz from Castro

In 1975 we paused in that space between adolescence and adulthood. We lived in the moment with the freedom to explore. Dorian, our cousin from the Edwards-Ranlett family, the eldest son of Jessie Ranlett, my mother’s sister, was the older male cousin that I most looked up to, someone who wasn’t afraid to walk on the wild side and introduced me and my brother, David, to so much music and to the joy of living. Living closer to the Bay, Dorian was much closer to everything that made the 70’s so special -music, places, and people.

Dorian played in his own band and had many concerts at the Mabuhay Gardens and other venues. His brand of rock music and his oversize personality made him a natural front man. I wish I had spent more time listening to his music or seen him perform. He was interested in my older sister Stephanie’s career as a musician and knew it was possible. I remember Stephanie singing Carole King’s “You´ve Got a Friend” once to him and he knew that we all treasured him.

His trouble with the law provided a silver lining and while incarcerated he learned to program in SQL, providing him with a living and a second chance to do things over. I sent him books while he was in the San Mateo lockup, and he devoured copies of Solzhenitsyn and Tom Wolfe. He had a humorous story of how he became “Enrique” there because, well, you have to pick a side. He also had the nickname of “Pencil” because of a spontaneous defense technique he once employed during an altercation with one of the residents. Using a pencil to defend himself, he proved that the pen is mightier than the sword.

He became a faithful member of a Nar-Anon group and lived up to the 12 steps that were required of him. I was so surprised when he sent me $20 for a loan I had given him many years ago. He was loyal to his friends and family and loved everyone without reservation. Growing up tough, though, left many scars and the life lesson that you have to defend yourself in all situations, and danger was sometimes perceived and sometimes misperceived. He wasn´t somebody to push around and was as competitive playing chess as in anything else that he did.

My Auntie Jay and my Uncle Chuck were models of patience and loyalty, sticking with him throughout all travails. Sometimes this involved the tough love of cutting off support, but I knew that they were always waiting for him to come home again. We all pass through phases in life and Dorian was no exception. He found permanent employment as a programmer, married, and raised children. His wife, Leila, originally from Russia, had the constitution of a “ride or die” partner and weathered all of his ups and downs. Two of his children, Maia and Eden, live in North Carolina where I hope to visit one day. Another son and daughter, Connor Edwards and Niki Zaldivar live in Atlanta, Georgia. They are his enduring legacy. Inheriting his intelligence, his indefatigable spirit, his competitive nature, or any of his resilience will mark them as exceptional children.

As we mark the years, losing one friend or family member after another, we come to the conclusion that they have all contributed to who we are. I wouldn’t trade any of those memories for anything. And there is always that longing for one last trip, one last party, one last meeting that will cap off the ending to all that we mean to one another. Sometimes we are blessed with that final encounter and sometimes we are not. Dorian’s long-awaited trips to Europe and to South America never arrived. I was never able to show him the “Torres de Paine” in Patagonia or treat him to a “Pisco Sour,” but I can envision him from above, watching while I pour one out onto the ground for a fallen brother.

[americanthrift7]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Three John Van Handford Red Coat Foxes Elizabeth Dole Christmas Fox.

[vitos-ordination-song]

I never realized how gender oppressed I was raised bc sexism was so normalized I didn’t notice it, I believed in my mom’s right wing “girl power” rhetoric, and my brothers were actually treated worse than I was bc they were male. I now understand that that last point was also a part of the larger gender assumptions of my parents/my father’s childhood trauma, it fits in just fine with misogyny and it is sexist. “Benevolent sexism” is when women are assumed to need special treatment when men aren’t. In my family this played out through my dad not beating me or my sister (my mom handled our punishments) and the boys having to do hard manual labor and sadistic endurance challenges.

A lot of the misogyny I dealt with I just took as fact I think. Like, from the time I was 2 years old, I had already been convinced my older brother was smarter than me and always would be. It was in like 2018 when my dad just said that to my face—“you’re smart, but of course Zach is smarter”—and I was like “are you fucking serious? Of course he’s not smarter than me.” It was this built in hierarchy, and my compensation was getting to feel smarter than my adopted sister and brother (my family is extremely sick, that’s a whole other issue but I can’t get too off topic). Anyway I believed my older brother was inherently smarter than me, because he was male and I was female, for most of my childhood; I let his judgment rule me until I reached the age of 16 or so.

Even though I eventually rejected the way I was belittled, it’s still true that it shaped my life. I grew up constantly being told my brother was a genius, but as we entered adulthood, I realized I didn’t respect him as a person which set me free. But when I was just tiny, under three years old, I was constantly told how good he was at math and directions. “He’s already got Atlanta memorized and he’s only four!” He was so impressive, and I was flat out told I would never be good at math or directions because I was a girl and women don’t have “calculating minds” or something. How much did that limit me? Is that why it took me until age 22 to start trying to figure out where the fuck anything was in relation to me?

My mom had a couple talks with me growing up where she imparted some sort of girl power values on to me. She also is quite a dominant woman and was the true power in my parents’ marriage. Because of my naivety, it took me a long time to realize just how backwards she is on gender issues. I mean, there’s her conservative Christian values, but I always thought she had respect for women’s abilities. She was my role model as a little girl, competent and strong. So imagine my shock on becoming a teenager and actually listening to the shit that would come out of her mouth. Not just pushing anti-feminist garbage and rape culture, but acting like women are men’s natural inferiors.

Years ago we were listening to one of the family’s favorite bands, a husband and wife duo. A song came on and she went “this one isn’t very good, must have been written by the wife.” I sat there speechless and then went “what??” She replied “well women just aren’t as good at writing music, their minds aren’t equipped for it.” (She was wrong btw because both the husband and wife are credited on almost all their songs.)

When she came and visited recently, she spewed a lot of crazy right wing stuff, but the one that got under my skin the most was when she started ranting about how women’s economic freedom is a bad thing because it made labor less valuable. She also implied that it’s women’s duty to raise children at home. Mom. Please. First of all, the reason your childhood was marked by terrorism and horrific abuse is that your mother was financially dependent on your father. You told me that yourself when I was a little girl. Your father beat your mother, your siblings and you. He inflicted psychological torment on everyone around him, and he was a child rapist. Your mother was stuck under his thumb because she had no money. How can you believe all these lies about perfect god fearing American families when that was your childhood and your father was a preacher?

And she HATED being a stay-at-home mom. She pretends otherwise now but she used to fantasize openly about abandoning us, she complained that I ruined her body, she talked about how much more fun she had before she had kids, and how much she missed her career. Please tell me more about how a woman’s place is at home and not in the workforce.