(12-09) 18:34 PST SAN FRANCISCO — A few days after Amber Yust visited the Department of Motor Vehicles in San Francisco to register her sex change from male to female, she got a letter at home from the DMV employee who had handled her application.
Homosexual acts, he informed her, were “an abomination that leads to hell.”
The same day, Yust said, a DVD arrived from a fundamentalist church warning of eternal damnation for anyone “possessed by demons” of homosexuality. The DMV employee’s letter had referred her to the church’s website as a source of “critical information for your salvation.”
What’s more, the DMV had kept the employee on in 2009 even after he refused to process another transgender woman’s name-change application, Yust said in a damage claim filed with the state, the precursor to a lawsuit.
I took these shots last night. I wanted to share them with you.
Last night, Tina and I set up a small table at a local “Pop-up” store. That’s to say that there’s a vacant store front that rented out a space for people to have a little one-night only shopping event.
We didn’t have to pay to be a part of it. So we framed some shots and strung up some others on a line like in a dark room. Tina also makes handmade cards from my photography. We didn’t sell anything, but we gave out some cards and made some contacts.
Regular reader Xina is on the table in a shot from her wedding. It got a lot of comments, as did the shot of the twins and the pregnancy. Here’s a shot of our little table.
My goal is to shoot all my readers at some point. So start scheduling your sitting today.
This joint is next door to where we had our table. It’s a little Italian joint.
I loved this shot of the train passing over head.
These last two are of Talulah. I love the hipstamatic features. The first shot is a crazy. It’s The Ina’s 1969 film with the RedEye Gel flash.
I can hear you thinking, “What the hell did you watch the 2010 ‘The Karate Kid‘ for?”
Because I wanted to, dammit.
The movie wasn’t awful. The Smith boy did okay. The woman who played his mom was a good reprise to the original quirky mom. Jackie Chan was his usual mumbly self. Some of the fight choreography was pretty good. They did a good job redoing the scene where Chan beats up the kids beating up the Smith boy. They made sure it wasn’t all pedophile-y.
There is a point in the movie when you ask yourself, “At what point during the filming did Jaden turn to his co-stars and ask, ‘Did you know my dad played the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?”
There were some REALLY dumb parts of the plot. For instance, instead of moving to California, the Smith boy and his mother move to China, because mom can’t find work in the car factories of Detroit. So she gets a job in a factory in China. China. A down-on-her-luck black widow moves herself and her son to China to work. There are a thousand racist jokes here, and if I were a professional standup comedian, I would have a hayday.
Because only professional standup comedians can make racist jokes and get away with it.
At least in the original, they took the New Jersey tough kid and threw him in the plausible pretty-boy California setting. A black family moving to China? There’s a larger disconnect than evangelicals to evolution.
They practically stole the scene from The Matrix when Neo learns he’s magic. When the Smith boy learns he can fight, it’s as if he’s magically gone from idiot weakling to a kick-ass, magical martial artist.
Another dumb part: There’s a kiss scene between the Smith boy and the object of his affection. I don’t know about you, but when I was 12, if I kissed a girl, I would have mucked it up. I wouldn’t have handled it like a practiced adult.
And the fight scenes at the finale competition (you know the movie so this isn’t a spoiler), kids are breaking legs. Kids! Kids are breaking legs. And then they’re saying, “No, mom, I can go on. Now give me my binky and go sit down!”
I don’t care what country you live in, if you’re 12, and you have a broken leg, you’re going to the goddamn hospital. There’s no sassing — especially a black mother — fo real!. There’s no fighting standing on one foot. You’re going to the fucking hospital and that’s that!
I’m going to assume we’re all familiar with the show “All in the Family.”
The other night, I caught the tail-end of an episode of “All in the Family.” I tuned in while Archie was telling Edith how proud he was for having saved a woman’s life in a cab that day using mouth to mouth. He tells Edith that he learned CPR thanks to a rescue poster hanging on the door in the toilet stall at work (laugh line), and he memorized it after going so often (laugh line).
He wanted Edith to call the local newspaper so they could write a story how he saved a damsel in distress.
There’s only shit on TV
All that poop talk inspires Archie to take a crap — which he practically says. He walks to the john upstairs while Edith dials the operator for the newspaper’s number.
The doorbell rings and it’s the woman who Archie saved. She’s come to thank him. Edith says Archie is busy (laugh line) and he’ll be around shortly. The woman says she’ll wait, and in the meantime explains to Edith that she is a transvestite (big laugh line).
The formula that we know something the protagonist doesn’t is a great one and needs to be used as often as possible.
Insert the sound effect of a commode flushing (huge laugh line) and Archie groans (bigger laugh line) and returns downstairs.
Yesterday I posted this clip from a Christian YouTuber who gave advice to Christian men on how to meet women. It was a great video with helpful tips.
I mean, how can you go wrong with, “Hey, those boots are great. They make you look like a motorcycle rider. Do you drive a motor cycle?”
PZ Myers picked it up at some point. Maybe even at the same time! Eeeeeeeeeeee! This is where you imagine I waved my clinched fists and squealed like a school girl.
And between PZ and me, we got Pure Attraction to pull his videos. All of them. How awesome is that? I feel so POWERFUL!
Honk.
I’ve criticized Christians in the past for censorship, and I’ll do it again. Personally, I think the best thing a Christian can do is keep comments and videos like that active. It may sting when the criticism comes, but that’s your cause. That’s part of your bag. What happened to the biblical expectation of disbelief and horrendous ridicule?
This is 2010. Get out there and show yourselves. Show your true colors. Doesn’t Paul advise believers to expect scoffing?
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church”
20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
One of the comments from a guy named KPEACH on Pure Attraction’s YouTube page is:
Hey, Greg. Don’t listen to the trolls. Seriously, I’m sure there are plenty of guys out there that need a little push in the right direction. You’re providing a valuable service to our shy Christian brothers.
Jesus, Paul, Kpeach and I couldn’t agree more. Put the videos back up!
Greg, your brothers need a push in the right direction. They are looking to you to be their Oprah.
We need you, too, Greg. You’re part of the fabric that makes up our need for something to poke fun at.
In case you’re unaware, Biodork is running a great Close Up Contest right now. The photo this week is particularly evil, and you should go guess what it is.
Is everyone ready for another round of the Close Up Photo (CUP) Contest? You all made me your bitch in CUP #7 (three correct guesses within three minutes of the post going up. *sigh* I hang my head in shame), so I've been a little indecisive about what to post next. You guys are so good at guessing these… But…no guts, no glory! CUP #8 – What is this? All guesses submitted via the comments or by Facebook will be accepted. The first person t … Read More
Le Café Wittypoots 