Hmm

I wanted to share these links:

This one is about police line-ups, but very relevant if you, like me, are addicted to SVU:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/us/29witness.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all%3Fsrc%3Dtp&smid=fb-share

I am a big fan of legalizing and regulating prostitution. As with abortion, outlawing it will not prevent it from happening. Legalizing it however, a) allows the government to tax it b) allows the government to regulate it. This means a) testing for prostitutes b) perhaps even allowing certain prostitutes or brothels to refuse customers who do not present valid proof of being STD free c) maybe an age minimum for customers d) ensuring all brothels practice safe sex. This also prevents customers from taking advantage of, physically abusing, or raping prostitutes, since they can turn to the police. Currently, a prostitute whose client stiffs her or even rapes her may be afraid of going to the police, since technically she was engaged in a criminal activity when the client committed a crime against her (or him. There are male prostitutes. There are also female clients. There is also homosexual prostitution.) A friend pointed out, that in the US, prostitutes are put in jail, but the customers get off scott free, when in fact, they should be penalized for engaging in an illegal transaction. The current system is the equivalent of criminalizing the drug dealer but letting the drug user get off scott free. This definitely has a sexist component, since most prostitutes in the US are women and most clients are men.

That being said, I think this town might be going about things the wrong way:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/world/europe/01germany.html?src=tp&smid=fb-share

This article's about religious Jews writing poetry in Israel - I couldn't resist sharing:

http://www.haaretz.com/culture/arts-leisure/my-source-is-the-heart-1.381902

This article is about a movie by an Iranian woman that explores gender and sexuality:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/08/in-movies-by-iranians-a-feminist-streak/244307/

10 Mistresses Who Changed History: http://www.slate.com/slideshow/doublex/ten-mistresses-who-changed-history#slide_1

I would like to thank the following article for: a) covering male-victim rape b) covering female-agressor rape, which can happen to men and women (men can also be raped by men, which is why a does not equal b) c) saying that "If Bucher's telling the truth, and frankly his story sounds plausible, especially with the corroborating evidence, then it sounds like he's butting up against another dangerous rape myth, which is that the presence of physical arousal or even orgasm during a sexual encounter means that the victim is consenting. This assumption has been held against many rape victims, both male and female, but it underestimates how much the combination of fear, biological stimulus, and confusion can work together to create physical response in people who are otherwise non-consenting."

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2011/08/03/an_accusation_of_female_on_male_rape_shows_how_much_it_resembles.html?wpisrc=obinsite

An article about an influential woman in the Christian right who spent a year following the laws of the Bible literally: http://www.slate.com/id/2302892/

An inspiring article about the lives of people in Israel with HIV:

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/proof-positive-1.382187