Recent news round-up, Part 1

Good News

• Court strikes down "discriminatory" North Carolina voter ID law
• Kansas: Kobach will not appeal ruling on voting rights
• U.S. judge strikes down parts of Wisconsin voter ID law: report
• The creator of the viral pro-Trump act ‘USA Freedom Kids’ now plans to sue the campaign This guy is a total amateur. He gets nothing in writing, and falls for the "great exposure" crap. As performers I know say, "People die from exposure." But this is straight from the Trump playbook: Stiff the little people. See below:
• Judge orders Trump to pay nearly $300,000 in attorney’s fees in Doral painter’s lawsuit
• Congresswoman Trolls Melania Trump By Wearing Her Dress To DNC Hilarious!
• With Degree Debunked, Melania Trump Website Is Taken Down
• Former St. Louis police officer gets 52 months in prison for punching handcuffed man
• 6 public workers charged in Flint water crisis
• Russian weightlifters banned from Rio Olympics for doping

Slightly Good News

• Turkey's Erdogan dropping lawsuits for insults against him I'm guessing most of the people he's suing have already been dismissed from their jobs. They wouldn't have any money to pay him even if he won. "Insulting" a politician should not be illegal. But as I keep saying, Turkey is not a democracy.

Recent news round-up, Part 2

Good News

• Judge: No evidence of crimes in recordings of abortion group
• University of California drops prison investments amid student demands Divestments like this don't really hurt the companies, but the symbolism is good. There should be no private prisons.
• France passes bill banning 'excessively thin' models
• American Commandos Hit the Ground in Syria

Bad News

• Transgender Arkansas inmate denied right to sue prison-court
• Virginia county closes schools as Islam assignment prompts backlash It was a stupid thing for the teacher to do, but the reaction was way out of proportion.

Recent news round-up, Part 1

Good News

• 31-state deal should make credit report errors easier to fix
• Cannes apologises over high-heel furore
• Los Angeles gives preliminary approval to $15 minimum wage
• Belfast bakery discriminated by refusing gay cake order, court rules

Bad News

• Gay-Marriage Opponents Get Legal Protection From Louisiana Governor
• Islamic State seizes ancient town of Palmyra in Syria
• Game over looms for Budapest pinball museum
• Tennessee governor signs law setting 48-hour abortion wait period

Besides their being ugly, here's another reason not to wear Crocs.

Crocs shoe tracks help link Alaska man to burglaries

Recent news round-up

Good News

• Turkey detains 3 male teens from UK on their way to Syria
• Elton John calls for Dolce and Gabbana boycott over IVF comments

Bad News

• Iraqi offensive on Tikrit stalls, Kurds say Islamists used chlorine
• U.S. Senate leader says he will put Obama attorney general on hold

Today's news round-up, Part 2

Good News

• Florida city reverses ban on saggy pants that threatened jail time I can't say I like the style, but there's no need for the real police to be fashion police.
• Iraqi army launches offensive on Islamic State in three cities
• Kansas court: Remove Democrat from Senate ballot Strangely, this is good for the Democrats.
• Web Filter Lifts Block on Gay Sites

Today's news round-up

Good News

• Reclassify Internet providers for 'net neutrality': NY Times
• U.S. Military Eases Hairstyle Rules After Outcry From Black Recruits
• U.S. sovereign group's leader convicted of selling fake IDs
• US reporter vows to 'keep fighting' to protect source
• Museums team up to digitize Warhol films
• Man faces sentencing for beating girlfriend's son
• Final pair convicted in Aryan Brotherhood of Texas case: prosecutors
• Oregon Health Authority To Cover Hormones, Surgery for Transgender People
• NY State fines upstate farm that rebuffed same-sex wedding

Bad News

• Apple Store insults customer with awful anti-gay slur printed on receipt I hope the employee is fired.
• Chattanooga Voters Repeal LGBT Protections, Domestic Partner Benefits For City Workers

Today's news round-up

Good News

• NBC adding Weir, Lipinski to Derby I really enjoyed their work at the Olympics.
• JetBlue pilots vote to unionize, shares dip
• Silver wants [NBA] age limit change, no rush on others I really dislike the one and done system. I'd prefer what they have for football, where they have to wait 3 years to turn pro.

Bad News

• The American Middle Class Is No Longer the World’s Richest
• Russian social network founder says he has been fired Russia is not a democracy.
• Russia opposition leader Alexei Navalny fined for libel Russia is not a democracy.
• Saudi watchdog to regulate homegrown YouTube shows: newspaper
• Boy Scouts of America Shuts Down Seattle Troop Over Gay Scoutmaster

Compare and contrast

Germany's Olympic uniform:

One small step for LGBT equality.

U.S. Olympic uniform:

One small step from ignominy.

Today's news round-up

Good News

• Judge declines to halt 'Obamacare' insurance subsidies
• Shutdown Helping Build a 2014 Wave While this is encouraging, I'm not terribly optimistic the Democrats can retake the House. First, people have short memories--though if the Tea Idiots continue their obstruction as they say they will this would be taken care of. Second, so many of the Republicans are in safe, gerrymandered districts.
• Medicaid Expansion Is Set for Ohioans
• New Technique Holds Promise for Hair Growth
• As Gays Wed in New Jersey, Christie Ends Court Fight
• New York Sets Work Rules for Young Models
• Gay couple uses tribal law to marry in Oklahoma

Bad News

• Major League Baseball teams under fire from anti-gay fans for taking a stand on LGBT bullying
• Texas dad alleges bullying in 91-0 football game I don't think this guy understands what bullying means.

Today's news round-up

Good News

• Hollywood-style sting nabs alleged pirate kingpin
• Louboutin women's shoes banned in anti-Islam advert
• A High School Is Actually Not Manhattan's Saddest Spot, a Researcher Says It's good that he admitted his mistake.

Bad News

• Vegas nightclub closes after battle over sex shows A couple of my burlesque performer friends worked there occasionally. I saw them perform there last summer, and one of their acts certainly ran afoul of these rules. 

Better for the company image, I guess

Sweden's Arriva lifts shorts ban for skirt-wearing drivers

Plat du jour

Purple with blue accents is quite fashionable in the City.

Today's news round-up

Good News

• Galliano stripped of French Legion d'Honneur award What really angered me about Galliano's statements were the people who said it's OK because he's an artist.
• Russian court acquits Kasparov regarding rally While I'd like to think this is an indication Russia is not as repressive as it seems, I think it might only be having a judge who's a chess fan. 

Bad News

• Court strikes down graphic warnings for cigarettes 

Overspecialization

So what do you do about the other eight nails?

My new hair

This is my new hair. Everyone seems to love it. I was afraid it might not be businessy enough for my bar association board, but people raved about it there.

These are also my new glasses. At least they're new since June.

The picture is pretty good. It's not quite as good as the old one, which I think was taken at the absolutely perfect angle (and showed me with a very nice, non-posed smile), but it's close.

Official announcement

I am no longer a blonde.

I have switched to raven black. I tried black hair many years ago, and I didn't like it. I stayed away from it ever since, going from brown, to brown with auburn highlights, to medium blond with highlights and lowlights. I got the black wig for a costume last spring. People liked it. I started wearing it occasionally. People kept liking it. I began to like it, especially after I got my haircutter to trim the bangs. Now I've decided it's my regular look.

I'll post a picture when I get a decent one.

Semi-random thoughts

• I bought a couple of cute skirts at Forever 21. But I wondered why the waistbands were so tall. Then I noticed the tags. They're not skirts, they're tunic tops. I'm still going to use them as skirts, though.
• UPDATE: After trying them on, I found that I could actually wear one of them as a top. I never thought I could do a strapless look, but this worked. I don't wear a bra or my cleavage enhancer. I just keep my corset a little loose at the top, and then slide the bottoms of my breastforms under it. The stretchy bodice of the tunic holds everything in place!
• As I was walking down St. Marks Pl., a guy (black, no surprise) eyed me. As he passed he said, "You look like a man." There was a woman behind me, who had seen me at the previous corner, and she immediately responded, "A sexy man." I love the East Village. 
• I was saddened to hear of the death of Elisabeth Sladen, who played Doctor Who's companion, Sarah Jane Smith, when I first started watching the show. As the first, she will always be special for me.
  
  

Semi-random thoughts

• I hate it when catalogues and online sites show models wearing other items over the item they're selling, like a cardigan over a dress. Also, I want a picture of the back of the dress.
• I'm going to see Pat Benatar at BB King's next summer. It's great seeing her in a small venue.
• The fees Ticketmaster tacks on are horrible. For each $75 ticket they added on a $2.00 "Facility Charge" and a $12.25 "Convenience Charge." Then they they added a $3.50 "Order Processing Fee" at the end. Since they are mailing the tickets to me, delivery is free. But if I wanted to print the tickets at home, that would have cost an additional $2.50--which I really think is nuts. It's got to cost them a lot more to mail them.

Semi-random thoughts

• I renewed my subscription to the NY Philharmonic for next season (and added some extra concerts). They will be playing a larger than normal number of my favorite pieces. This will be my 38th year as a subscriber.
• I wonder how much less outrage there would be over Wall Street "bonuses" if they were just called "discretionary incentive compensation."
• I just dropped the Patricia Field blog from my blogroll, due to her stupid defense of designer John Galliano, who has been accused of making racist and anti-Semitic statements to fellow patrons of a Paris café. He has been fired by Christian Dior. And you won't find me shopping at her store, either.