It seems now that a woman of color health clinic is now not serving anyone. Many women fear that there will be no help after the latest controversy.

Queen Emily posts the whole email exchange that started it all.

There's a rumor on the internet that some humanitarian workers, including a former congresswoman have been kidnapped on the way to Israel.

Porn affected by downturn.

People are stupid about the swine flu.

Is Memphis truly crime ridden? People debate it a lot.

Apparently there's something important about community health clinics and transwomen going on. There's apparently dialogue and disagreement, connection and confusion. I guess they are all marching towards a greater understanding. I have no idea.

Community organizers decide to live in the neighborhoods they have decided to help. Trust is gained, children are hugged, and there are color pictures in the newspaper. I think there's a limit to how far you can move- you bring your problems with you. And the people you have left behind, they make up society too. You can't ignore them.

In other news, a dyke pride parade post with pictures.

A bunch of important stuff is apparently happening, but since I spend all my time being a nerd, I have no idea what is going on.

But I do understand that I like the book Health Food Junkies. My favorite bits are the parts where he breaks through his woo googles and starts looking at evidence. He realizes that if people's colons were REALLY caked with goo, that would show up on colonoscopies, and that if a treatment only works for three percent of people, but you get a thousands of people to try it, you'll end up with many testimonials, even though the treatment might not be very effective. He also describes his wacky diet days ruining dinner parties with his obsession with avocados, etc, and stories of people who have gone overboard on their quest for a healthy diet.

Terrorist group murders family to finance operations.

Here's another sex post. On thequestionclub, a lady learns about the importance of boundaries. Personally, I say, don't strain to be 'liberal' or 'cool with strippers'[unless you mean as people, not sex objects]. Ladies, your feelings are valid. If you're not comfortable with something, it's OK. Your partner should be able to discuss this with you, about why exactly you don't want certain things going on in front of your family.

Mamita Mala wants to make sure no one is left behind.

Club owner sues teen that was kidnapped and forced to work at strip club. I have no hard evidence, but in Atlanta and Memphis, I think there may be a problem with underage girls working at strip clubs, and I also believe that folks need to stop with the whole 'well, she LOOKED older' thing. What a dumb excuse. You can't just allow anyone to work there.

Found on raven's eye. I'm shocked at the idea that paid rape is considered 'sexual liberation' by some.

BfP deals with the worst acupuncturist ever. Personally, I think it's the resting that does more than the needles. I wish they had 'community massages'. I so want one.

From stupidfree, some guy doesn't have the sense to say 'Oh! I guess ms slave lady can take her collar off for the metal detector.

A long time ago, kactus posted that she had a lump in her breast.

I was reading For Her Own Good, which annoys me sometimes with overromanticizing women's healing, etc. I was interested in the bit on neurasthenia, because I wondered if that connected with the common problem of chronic fatigue in modern America. The thesis of that section seems to be that women adopted illness roles as a reaction to domestic expectations, and only upper class women became ill in such a way. I felt a tug at my memory- something about neurasthenia and China. I couldn't find the book that I was looking for, so you'll have to do with this interesting, but poorly formatted article on how neurasthenia is distinct from depression as a diagnostic category.

Checking around, it seems that ethnic minorities seem to have equal prevalence of chronic fatigue syndromes[warning, pdf link, and one study[although you can't depend on just one study for the whole picture of a disease] notes that among different races and socioeconomic classes they do not find any significant differences in prevalence.

What an interesting puzzle! But I probably should go and lay down now.

Related: heh, special healing hat.

Due to loophole that allows homeopathic remedies to slip into the marketplace with no oversight, dangerous remedy Zicam causes people to lose their sense of smell. People complain about big pharma, but what about big alta? They've made billions on a nonworking, dangerous remedy.

Muslim woman: let us speak out!


I have no idea why there is so much safe space wank at Pandagon. Personally, I avoid using 'lame'. I use 'so not rad' instead.

I personally don't think it's the blacks here who are against consolidation. But this stuff is really irrational. I could wander a few blocks around and end up in the county. So people who think consolidating the governments will somehow cause criminals to magically appear in the county are crazy. Criminals can use cars, you know.

Also, county schools have desegregation order lifted. I certainly don't feel positively about that.

Homeopaths try to be western imperialist. Shame on them. I think that if people in Africa want to use non science based medicine, they have their own indigenous systems embedded in their various cultures. Importing western forms of woo isn't going to do anyone any good.

Some say that there should be more coverage of this stuff going on in Peru and less coverage about whatever David Letterman said.

Critisms of the adoption system are made through sarcasm. Also, a post about patterns of exploitation in the adoption system is made straight.

Creating a glossary of terms on race.

'Islam is a Feminist religion.'

I don't like this headline on this digg article 'she's dirty'. AIDs doesn't make you dirty, folks. Let's stop the stigma and start with common sense efforts. For example, having people do porn shoots without condoms is just asking for trouble.

Woomeisters rip off the government.

The Prime Minister of Italy apparently has hot European women lounging around his villa.

Also, there will be massive wank in this thread. Pleasureseeker, I'm totally disappointed in you. Even if you take vitamins and herbs, you can still be a carrier of the flu virus. The problem nowadays is that people don't know what is a reliable source of knowledge. Internet forwards, people who have gotten famous by having nice boobs, and livejournal posts are almost always not as valuable as knowledge gained by years of study and practice.

I understand the temptation. I certainly wish that one could become a competent therapist by reading manga and stupidfree, but life is harsh.

In the comments of this rage inducing news story, my pet peeve has appeared. Actually, I don't think someone would have 8 kids thinking "Oh man! I can get $900!" You know why? The cost of an infant is more than $900 a year. Not to mention lost sleep.

In lighter news, chocolate covered bacon exists.

Man uses the power of cell phones to help Africans verify drugs. In Virus Hunters of the CDC, one major theme was that one can not just port the Western medical system over without the underlying technology and stability needed.

*Shakes head* I've got nothing. If only we could have a cockpunching line. An important reminder for everyone.

Mainstream press attacks cancer scams.

Man, I'm soo bummed. For example, I can't give an objective review of the Speak! CD. I mostly thought things like 'this is awesome' 'this should be given out to college students everywhere!' and 'I'm really sorry for being a dick to that one chick'. Which isn't very useful to you, is it? but my commute certainly was improved.

PhD in Parenting showed this on twitter. It's about how treatment for families can ward off anxiety disorders.

In this Knoxville case, I'd like to reiterate that I don't care if some woman is a stripper, has weird fetishes or mental illness, you can't just do what you like. If she's calling 911, there's certainly something wrong there. Once someone withdraws consent, which they can do at any time, it is not consenting adults anymore.

Heroic transwoman profiled in Commercial Appeal.

Alternative medicine is unregulated, and can be risky if underlying causes aren't treated.

I also prefer gun free dining.

I found this comment interesting. I do agree that people do overextend the idea of 'alternative medicine'. I'm all for eating healthy and getting some sunshine eventually, but my biggest pet peeve is the idea that doctors are out to kill you. I think sure, there are terrible doctors out there, but can't people just be bad at their jobs without all doctors trying to kill you? I mean, some post office workers are terrible, but I don't posit they go to the postal academy of death where their only goal is to misdirect my mail by not understanding online postage.

Not to mention, alternative healers annoy me on a very basic level. Why would you pay to get the same sort of dubious medical 'advice' that you can get from your mom? I'm confused that years of medical school can be replaced by the internet, but some guy who took an hour course in 'Make money by peddling woo' can't be replaced by the net? Wut?

I have the same problem. I understand the basics of social interaction, but it's the advanced bits that get me. My IQ is also average, despite appearances. Really!

Now I want to go to the beach. Now only to conquer my fear of driving and my crippling social anxiety!

You know what? How come there aren't more calls for pussy eating? it's steak and blowjob day, it's let's give our dudes a blowjob randomly day. Way to exclude lesbians or us weirdos who can't get off by giving blowjobs.

BTW white folks: You buy you a pronto pup, you put your kid on the whirly whirl. You're at an 'urban fair!' Really!

Maybe I'm just a terrible person, but I can see the usefulness of the good enough parenting model. I'm the sort of person who gets all worried when I see say, the neighbor's child climbing on the back of their truck. Now, I'm sure their toddler has done this hundreds of times without me looking, but it makes me so anxious! Combine that sort of thing with my general perfectionism, and I can see the mental breakdown coming from here.

I can see why parents with my personality style- type A, perfectionist- need to be told 'Ok, just because you didn't do it perfectly this time, doesn't mean your kid is going to be ruined for life. Children are resilient.' I mean...making parenting into some sort of evaluative thing sounds pretty stressful, but I'm just a big meanie. I even think it's OK to formula feed.

Hello My name is

...

My gender is

andro, androgyne, androgynous, bisexual, bitch, celibate, cisgender, female guy, female-bodied, female-born, female-identified, gender neutral, hairy, heteroflexible, hypo-sexual, monogamist, no thank you, queer, woman-loving, XX ma'am

What's yours?

This is my gender today.

Apparently you can help transwomen suffering from the pain of foreclosure.

I'm annoyed at the fact that people make everything into a moral issue. A kid notes that he would rather be a girl, and all the sudden, he's a 'freak' and not moral or whatever. Dude, the kid's five. You're mocking a little kid over a radio station. How can one judge manliness when such actions show a lack of humanity?

Pester is santimonious because she's so much better than us losers who would have abortions.

Heck, you know, this isn't just about abortion, although that's important. Yea, we all know that you are amazing. But you know what? stfu, because we're not you. Man, I feel fucking terrible today. I'm all hot and achy and I feel like shit. For no reason! Now, imagine someone has an actual illness! Do you think we should make them go through pregnancy just because someone else could? Not to mention the mentally ill. It should be up to them whether they want to bear with the stress of pregnancy and child rearing or not.

You know, I didn't see this story about this transwoman being shot here because it was buried at the bottom of the crime report today. There's probably some larger message about how we value the lives of women there.

Did you know that Nezua needs your cash? He needs it for a trip to get an award, the rent, and some of it might make its way to children! Who are adorable! So give! for the children!