Wanna see the new Dr. Who before anyone else in the US? You know you do.
Wednesday - 3/1/06
7:15pm - Dr. Who
8:00pm - Oldboy
As always, go here for the details.
I’m giving up guilt for Lent.
Your state has just passed a bill to completely ban abortion in nearly all forms, including in cases of rape and incest. The provision to save the mother’s life is woefully inadequate, too.
You can write to Governor Rounds and tell him not to sign the legislation. Otherwise, you’ll have to travel to more enlightened places to get access to a procedure which is - for the time being - 100% legal in this country.
Against abortion? Don’t have one.
Bill O’Reilly, FOX News Channel’s leading man, doesn’t like Keith Olbermann’s show over on MSNBC.
Why? I mean Countdown with Keith Olberman doesn’t exactly have great ratings and, based on that alone, isn’t even close to being in competition with The O’Reilly Factor. But those of us who watch Keith know why: It’s because Keith watches Bill and reports on his shenanigans. Most of those shenanigans are negative enough to place Bill on Keith’s “Worst Person of the Week” list - and usually smack in first place.
This, as you may imagine, does not sit well with Bill. So what does he do, rather than take the high road and ignore the gnat flying around his head? He starts an online petition to MSNBC requesting that Keith’s show be cancelled.
Ain’t that mature?
The full text of the petition is below or you can see it for yourself on Bill’s website here.
February 22, 2006
Chairman Robert Wright
National Broadcasting Company
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112
Dear Chairman Wright:
We, the undersigned, are becoming increasingly concerned about the well-being of MSNBC and, in particular, note the continuing ratings failure of the program currently airing weeknights on that network at 8:00 PM EST.
It is now apparent to everyone that a grave injustice has been done to the previous host for that time slot, Phil Donahue, whose ratings, at the time of his show’s cancellation three years ago, were demonstrably stronger than those of the current host.
Therefore, in an effort to rescue MSNBC from the ratings basement and to restore the honor and dignity of Mr. Donahue, who was ignobly removed as host three years ago, we ask that you immediately bring Phil Donahue’s show back at 8:00 PM EST before any more damage is done.
See, kids? Life is exactly like high school. Happy graduation!
And I thought people in the Goth scene were drama queens.
Right now the blog world has the feel of the punk rock scene in the late ’70’s, and for much the same reasons. The music business in the ’70’s had become disconnected from its audience. Record execs, busy getting Rolexes from REO Speedwagon, were horrified at kids paying $3 to see the Clash play a benefit for Marxist youth. Punk rock became a beacon for creative people of all walks. We thought that energetic counterculture would last forever, but it didn’t. So enjoy the blogs while you can.
[Jane Hamsher, author and film producer (Natural Born Killers); originally posted on firedoglake.blogspot.com and reprinted in the March edition of Wired magazine]
So, Sanctuary Radio has a quota of $300 for February. It’s the 24th and they’ve received $100, according to the count on the homepage.
I talked to at least three people this past week who say they love the station and listen to it regularly. I’ll just bet they haven’t donated to the cause.
Diva: Putting her money where her mouth is since 1988.
I really, Really, REALLY wanted Stromkern for my birthday, but their travel budget alone is more than all the other plans combined. *sigh* I’ve booked Machinegun Symphony and nearly firmed up The Strand and The Last Dance.
But now I’m having second thoughts about it all.
I’ve produced enough shows in my time to know that if we do one, I’ll end up working all weekend to ensure it comes off without too many hitches. Not exactly what this birthday girl had in mind. I’d rather take it easy and visit with everyone who’s coming to Vegas for the weekend, some of whom I haven’t seen in years.
So I did some research last night and the Penthouse Suite at [insert hotel / casino name here] is just $750-$900. That would leave $4K left over for food and booze. Maybe even airline tickets for a couple of people who really want to be there but can’t due to lack of funds …
I feel an essay contest idea coming on.
Feh. Maybe there’s still time to book Richard Cheese.
Have ya ever tried to get a bank to loan for a party?
Doesn’t that sound dirty? Like it’s the name for an A/V geek fetish … tech rider.
Okay, I’m working too hard. Time for a porn break.
Tech rider … mmmmmmmm.
Wednesday, February 22nd
Doors at 6pm
Cartoon & GREG THE BUNNY (FOX and IFC episodes) at 7pm
Main film at 8pm
Plenty of time to go to The Shelter after the screening!
Feel free to post this information to MySpace and LiveJournal. The more the merrier and all that.
Gunkata is sooooo hot.
It’s taking nearly all my time to plan the birthday thing these days. That’s what I get for wanting to host it in Las Vegas. Getting a block of rooms at a hotel which has the facilities to host a concert shouldn’t be difficult, but getting people in their event sales departments to answer the phone or otherwise contact me is proving nearly impossible. Don’t these people want to make money? Freakin’ slackers … they’re everywhere.
The good news is that I’ve confirmed at least one band and I’m in full negotiations with another two. Announcements will be made as soon as everything is confirmed. All I need is confirmation on the venue and voila! all will be in place.
If you want an invitation to this one - and I only throw a party like this every 5 years - post a comment with your e-mail address in it here. I will send you the E-vite. Remember, you can attend without the E-vite information, but you will have to pay full price for everything (room and concert cover) AND you won’t get access to the really cool VIP goings-on.
Nyeah.
I’m unfamiliar with his case, so the guy might actually be a “sicko,” but I think the contract here reads an awful lot like a basic BDSM slavery contract. In fact, I’ve written such things before.
I’m not into the 24/7 slave thing myself; it’s too much of a full-time job, like taking care of a child or a pet. So my contract writing was mainly for friends who were in such relationships. As an English major and accomplished reader of legal contracts, I developed a reputation for being able to put into words what people wanted in their BDSM relationship contracts.
My own written contracts - and there have only been two - involved much more mundane tasks and requirements than are included in a 24/7 contract. One paragraph in my contract with my boy in Albuquerque, who was also a drag queen, was for him to give me instruction on makeup and fashion as he deemed necessary. Like I said, it was kind of mundane, but written into the contract because both of us thought the task important enough to mention it.
I cannot stress this enough: BDSM contracts, like everything else involved in BDSM, are CONSENSUAL. I don’t know if the contract in the above case was, especially with a segment which reads, “You are also non-compliant if you start something and can not or will not finish, even if you state that you are in pain or something hurts.”
Let me play devil’s advocate here for a moment and say that something that doesn’t sound consensual could be part of the play for them. Yes, if something hurts or causes pain, the scene should stop. However, consensual play takes on many forms and levels, so perhaps it was this woman’s fantasy for him not to stop … or to just say he would not stop … ?
I have my own fantasies which involve a certain level of pain and fear (given and taken, which is what I love about being a “switch”), from simple mindfuck to actual pain. Who is to say what is acceptable and what is not? Do we know that the alleged kidnapping wasn’t a consensual scene? I’ve been involved in at least one such experience involving a car load of Dom/mes, one sub girl, duct tape, a very large trunk, and a seedy hotel room. (She was exhausted but very pleased afterward.)
Only the consenting adults involved in a scene or relationship know what is right and wrong for them. What I mean is that none of us can judge this. Yeah, the guy was arrested on charges of downloading child pornography and, if what he has done with his wife is not consensual, he should rot in hell. But you have to think about the idea that maybe - just maybe - wifey decided she wanted to leave and is using the download and the contract as evidence that he’s a “sicko.”
I’m just sayin’. Mainly because I know the evil that women are capable of. Hell, given the right circumstances, I might do the same thing myself. The difference between me and other women is that I admit my capabilities outright so that no one can say they weren’t warned about the consequences of dating an evil bitch like me.
In conclusion, here’s a bit of advice for you BDSM players out there: Don’t ever leave a contract like this hanging around without the proper signatures on it AND the stamp of a kink-friendly notary. It needs to be perfectly clear the document was signed under no duress and that you are both living a lifestyle of consent. It’s much harder to make a case later if it’s not well-known that you’re both into kink.
Also, no recordings of your play. No audio, no video, no pictures. This is especially important if you have high-profile jobs or kids at home. If someone takes a dislike to you, it would be very easy for them to use such things against you. You could even end up in jail for 224 years.
His defense team included a well-known, local, professional Dominatrix.