Of prostitution and carnivals in Rhode Island

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Thursday June 25, 2009 · 1:56 PM PDT

2009/06/25 · 13:56

For those of you not tuned into the politics of the biggest little state in the nation, let me let you in on our dirty little secret: Prostitution is legal in RI.

No, I'm not joking. Go ahead and look into it if you don't believe me. Go-on, I'll be right here waiting...
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Back yet? See, I told you so! Well it seems that our little legal loophole may soon be closing.

Thanks to scare tactics and the intentional conflation of sex-trafficking with sex-work, a few of RI's more conservative politicians have made prostitution into the hot issue to vote on. But would it interest anyone to learn how one of our local and noted University of RI professors has made a mockery of a little thing called ethics? Poll to freep and more after the break!

3rdeye

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday November 30, 2006 · 6:52 PM PST

2006/11/30 · 18:52

New in the news: The journal of science this week has an article dealing with a novel new treatment for Breast Cancer, namely "the abortion pill" RU-486 (Known in this country as mifepristone, or "mifi" as it's called by all the hip OB-GYNs).

To summarize as best as I can, some forms of familial breast cancer have a mutated gene known as BRCA-1 (pronounced "Braca one"). In this type of breast cancer, the tumor cells have more than the average number of receptors for the female hormone progesterone. It is believed that this leads the tumor cells to be more sensitive to progesterone, and thus grow at a higher rate than normal. Mifepristone is what's known as a progesterone agonist, which means that it binds to the BRCA-1 tumor cell's receptors and prevent progesterone from acting there. In short, mifepristone could help to delay or prevent breast cancer.

But the benefits of this article go beyond the science and the hope for cures. Oh no, this discovery could help on the literal front lines of the abortion debate, i.e. the protest lines. Read on to hear how I plan to one-up a particularly cantankerous anti-choicer.

Poll

42 votes Show Results

What's the best way to deal with right-wing zealots?

42 votes Vote Now!

What's the best way to deal with right-wing zealots?

The ostrich plan: Ignore them

1 vote

The android approach: Reasoned logic

2 votes

The Bill Hicks plan of attack: Ridicule them to their face

6 votes

The Howard Dean method: Organize against them everywhere you can

31 votes

other

2 votes

Abstinence education backfiring in Uganda?

3rdeye

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday May 25, 2006 · 7:42 PM PDT

2006/05/25 · 19:42

Last week, at the ninth International Aids Vaccine Awareness Day, Dr Kihumuro Apuuli, the Uganda Aids Commission (UAC) Director General, gave what appeared to be the standard HIV/AIDS-call-to-action speach. In the middle of it though, he dropped a bombshell of a statistic:

"In 2005, 130,000 Ugandans got infected compared to 70,000 in 2003."
"Ugandans should know that the issue of HIV/Aids is still alarming in the country," he said.

What makes this near doubling of the incidence rate so particularly shocking is that Uganda has been one of the only countries who has seen it's HIV rates decreasing over the last decade or so. In fact, it has been repeatedly used as a model for the global fight against HIV. You may ask "What has changed in the past few years to cause this deadly resurgance?" ...

That's right Timmy, the answer is Abstinence only education. Read More

Should RI liberals vote conservative?

3rdeye

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday June 30, 2005 · 9:00 PM PDT

2005/06/30 · 21:00

I've had a crazy idea brewing in my head for a while now, and I thought that I'd get some opinions on it from the dkos community.

Let me preface this diary by saying that I'm a liberal, not a democrat. In RI terms I, like more than half of the state, am registered as unaffiliated. According to RI election laws, unaffiliated voters choose which primary they vote in:

You may choose to register as "unaffiliated" which means you will not be considered a member of any political party - unless and until you vote in a political party primary.

In this bluer than blue state, the bulk of the nominees are in the Dem column, while some red primaries can't even scrounge up a single sacrificial challenger, let alone two from which to choose. It's common knowledge around here that if you want to vote in the only election that matters, you vote in the dem. primary.

But I've been wondering, what if there's another way to make my voice heard...

(more after the break) Read More

Bible thumping CHOICE

3rdeye

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday January 21, 2005 · 8:11 PM PST

2005/01/21 · 20:11

As a Pro-Choice Christian, I'm angered at how the evangelical right has twisted the bible's teachings in re Abortion. Tommorrow is the thirty-second anniversary of Roe V Wade and 'round these parts the local wingnuts will be giving Jesus a bad name yet again. They hurl scripture like it's made of sticks and stones. As I know a good number of you will be facing off toe to toe with these faux Christians, I thought it might help if I gave you some "biblical ammunition" to throw back at them.

Lock and load: Read More

Does the record trade deficit mark start of a foreign boycott of US Goods

3rdeye

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday January 12, 2005 · 6:17 PM PST

2005/01/12 · 18:17

I'm not an economist. So I don't have a very good idea of what to think when I see headlines like U.S. Trade Deficit Hit Highest Figure Ever in November. But two specific points in this NY Times article played to my deep fears of a major economic backlash against the US:

The jump in the trade deficit showed a surprising weakening in American exports across the board, from agricultural products to capital goods like aircraft and semiconductors. The figures released by the Commerce Department showed that the trade deficit is on pace to exceed $600 billion for 2004, up from $496.5 billion last year.

and this

(Treasury Secretary John W. Snow) blamed the United States' wealthy trading partners for growing too slowly and failing to buying enough American goods and services. He said that Europeans and the Japanese needed to expand their economies and buy more American products to improve the United States' trading picture, an issue he said would be discussed in two weeks at the meeting in London of Group of 7 wealthy industrial nations.

RSS

Of prostitution and carnivals in Rhode Island

Bringing abortion and breast cancer closer together

Abstinence education backfiring in Uganda?

Should RI liberals vote conservative?

Bible thumping CHOICE

Does the record trade deficit mark start of a foreign boycott of US Goods