Kafka's America
Submitted by gjohnsit on Wed, 10/21/2015 - 12:31pmThe terms of Obama’s proposed TPP ‘trade’ treaty with Asian countries won’t be made public until the treaty has already been in force for at least four years.
"We are all leaders"
Submitted by gjohnsit on Tue, 10/20/2015 - 3:05pmBy any standard measure the suicide of Wesley Everest should be considered unusual.
Everest had only recently returned from the front lines of WWI France, so a suicide isn't all that shocking. However, the circumstances of his death on Veterans Day 1919, should have raised questions with the coroner. That is, if the coroner had bothered to examine the body before declaring it a suicide.
The Evening Blues - 10-20-15
Submitted by joe shikspack on Tue, 10/20/2015 - 2:14pm
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features jump blues singer from Atlanta Billy Wright. Enjoy!
Billy Wright - Live The Life
International Advances in Transgender Rights
Submitted by Robyn on Tue, 10/20/2015 - 1:44pmThe World Medical Association held is annual Assembly this past weekend in Moscow.
If you are like me, you've barely heard of the WMA, if at all. Established in 1947, the WMA's purpose is "to serve humanity by endeavoring to achieve the highest international standards in Medical Education, Medical Science, Medical Art and Medical Ethics, and Health Care for all people in the world." The organization had 106 constituent members and 1013 Associate members as of 2014.
Delegates from 60 national medical associations voted on Sunday to adopt new guidelines for physicians to increase their knowledge about, respect to and sensitivity towards "transgender people and the unique health issues they face."
The delegates from nearly 60 national medical associations adopted guidelines saying that being transgender is “not a disorder”, that “everyone has the right to determine their own gender, and that the WMA rejects “coercive treatment or forced behavior modification.”
Furthermore the WMA agreed that "every effort" should be undertaken to make available "individualized, multi-professional, interdisciplinary and affordable transgender healthcare."
The guidelines were proposed by the German Medical Association, which said they acknowledged the inequities faced by the transgender community and the crucial role played by physicians in advising transgender people and their families about treatment.
Delegates said they were aware of the cultural sensitivities in some parts of the world about this issue, but also said it was important for the WMA to stress that cultural, political or religious considerations must not take precedence over the rights, health and well-being of transgender people.
The Evening Blues - 10-19-15
Submitted by joe shikspack on Mon, 10/19/2015 - 2:40pm
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features blues singer Lee "Shot" Williams. Enjoy!
Lee Shot Williams - You're welcome to the club
Where we stand
Submitted by Robyn on Mon, 10/19/2015 - 2:05pmVanessa Baird, co-editor of the New Internationalist. has created a video intended to promote that magazine's October issue. I decided to bogart it for my own purposes, because the video provides a fairly good summary of where the transgender community stands at this particular time.
War is not the solution. War is the problem
Submitted by gjohnsit on Sun, 10/18/2015 - 4:22pmOf the many missed opportunities during the first Democratic Presidential debate, none were larger than the failure to challenge Hillary Clinton's description of her record regarding Libya.
The President (No, not the American one) speaks out against murder of transgender woman
Submitted by Robyn on Sun, 10/18/2015 - 2:16pmArgentina President Cristina Fernandez has asked for the full involvement of of federal and Buenos Aires police in finding the person who killed transgender and LGBT activist Diana Sacayan.
Sacayan's body was found in an apartment in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. It is believed she had been stabbed to death.
Fernandez spoke from the city of Garin. She personally presented Sacayan with the first identification document in Argentina to indicate a gender change.
What, me worry, no WMD? Just watched the "The Green Zone" (2010)
Submitted by divineorder on Sun, 10/18/2015 - 12:25pmWe have been pretty much movie free except for airline movies since we began our current Africa trip back in early August, so tonight we took advantage of the free wifi here at the guesthouse and watched someone's copy of "The Green Zone" posted up on YouTube. I won't provide the link to the youtube posting we watched but here's some info from the wikipedia entry in case you, like me, are unfamiliar with the flick.
Her Name was Zella
Submitted by Robyn on Sat, 10/17/2015 - 2:23pm
It has been ten whole days since I wrote about the murder of a trans woman of color.
In the early evening on Thursday Zella Ziona, 21, was walking in an alleyway between two shopping centers in Montgomery Village, Maryland when she was surrounded by four or five teenagers. According to a witness, one of the youths pulled out a gun and shot Ziona in the head.
Zella was rushed to a hospital, where she died.
Police initially identified the victim as a woman, but by later in the evening insisted on misgendering and dead-naming her. As usual, the media followed suit.
An impromptu vigil took place last night.
