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ASPartOfMe
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24 Dec 2017, 1:50 pm

Top Miss America Leadership Resign Following Report Of Derogatory Emails

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Three officials at the Miss America Organization are stepping down after having been implicated in emails published by HuffPost on Thursday that contained crude language disparaging former pageant winners.

The organization says it's accepted the resignations of its chief executive Sam Haskell and board chair Lynn Weidner, just a day after announcing it would suspend Haskell as it conducts an investigation into the matter. President Josh Randle also says he's stepping down. Haskell is "effective immediately," while Weidner and Randle will be kept on for several weeks to help with the leadership transition.

The scandal unfolded on Thursday after HuffPost broke the story that published correspondence from the Haskell, Randle, former lead telecast writer Lewis Friedman, and board members Tammy Haddad and Weidner. Haddad resigned on Friday. In their exchanges, the top leaders ridiculed the intellect, physical appearance and sex lives of past Miss Americas. Huffpost says it reviewed almost three years of internal Miss America Organization emails provided by two unnamed sources.

Following his suspension, Haskell apologized for "a mistake of words" in a statement Friday night, but said, "Much of what was reported is dishonest, deceptive, and despicable."

Saying he was under stress "from a full year of attacks by two Miss Americas, Haskell wrote, "This was not the CEO of an Organization laughing at inappropriate jokes and speaking about a former Miss America in email conversations. This was a father whose family was being attacked, and a man whose character was being assassinated daily, which impaired my judgment when responding to the inappropriate emails sent to me about them. For that, I deeply apologize. "

Randle tells The Associated Press his resignation was voluntary. He says the comments he made deriding the body weight of 2013 winner Mallory Hagan came months before he started working for the organization, but that his behavior was wrong.

"I apologize to Mallory for my lapse in judgment," Randle told the AP on Saturday. "It does not reflect my values or the values I worked to promote at the Miss America Organization. Although this terrible situation was not caused or driven by me, in light of recent events and new developments, I am no longer willing to continue in my capacity as president and earlier today offered my resignation to the MAO Board of Directors."

Betty Cantrell, Miss America 2016, tells the AP she "lived under this misogynistic leadership for a year of my life, and I'm definitely glad to see all of this evidence come into the light."


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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27 Dec 2017, 4:21 pm

Inspector general says mishandling of sexual harassment complaints at Justice Department is a ‘systemic’ problem

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he Justice Department has “systemic” problems in how it handles sexual harassment complaints, with those found to have acted improperly often not receiving appropriate punishment, and the issue requires “high level action,” according to the department’s inspector general.

Justice supervisors have mishandled complaints, the IG said, and some perpetrators were given little discipline or even later rewarded with bonuses or performance awards. At the same time, the number of allegations of sexual misconduct has been increasing over the past five years and the complaints have involved senior Justice Department officials across the country.

The cases examined by the IG’s office include a U.S. attorney who had a sexual relationship with a subordinate and sent harassing texts and emails when it ended; a Civil Division lawyer who groped the breasts and buttocks of two female trial attorneys; and a chief deputy U.S. marshal who had sex with “approximately” nine women on multiple occasions in his U.S. Marshals Service office, according to investigative reports obtained by The Washington Post under a Freedom of Information Act request.


When contacted by The Post, Justice Department spokesman Ian Prior said Rosenstein has convened a working group to consider the issues raised by Horowitz and will soon respond to the IG with recommendations.

In August, a group of 17 Justice Department employees also wrote Rosenstein, saying that some of them had experienced or witnessed sexual harassment at the department.

In his report, the IG wrote that a senior, supervisory attorney in the Office of Immigration Litigation, Victor Lawrence, groped the breasts and buttocks of two female trial attorneys and made sexually charged comments to them at an office happy hour. Lawrence, whose name was redacted from the report but who was identified by people familiar with the incidents, had previously received a reprimand and diminution of title for sending emails of a sexual nature to co-workers.

After the second incident with the two women, Lawrence began a scheduled detail to another division “apparently with no notice to the component of the misconduct allegations,” the inspector general wrote. After the groping allegations were investigated, Lawrence received a written reprimand for inappropriate touching, a further change in title and relief from supervisory duties.

The IG noted that Lawrence received no suspension or loss in pay or grade. The deciding official in the Civil Division said a suspension “would unnecessarily deprive the government of [his] litigating services,” according to the report.

“I was terrified I was going to get in the elevator and he would be in there,” said a woman who was involved in one of the groping incidents.” The Post does not identify victims of sexual misconduct without their agreement.

Another senior attorney in the Office of Immigration Litigation admitted stalking a female attorney by hacking into her personal email account and conducting “a catfishing operation,” by creating a “fictitious online profile to entice her,” the inspector general found.

The attorney, Theodore Atkinson, who received a written reprimand and reduction in title, was restricted for one year from entering the building in which the attorney he had stalked worked and was moved to a different section in the Civil Division. But he received no suspension or loss in pay or grade.

The IG said this case also “raises potential criminal concerns, yet we found no evidence that a referral was made to [the Inspector General] or any other law enforcement entity,” the report said. Atkinson’s name was redacted from the report, but he was also identified by people familiar with the matter.

Atkinson was recently given a “Special Commendation Award from the Civil Division.”

A third attorney, even after being counseled about inappropriate behavior toward female co-workers and interns, allegedly “peered” through high windows into the offices of two different women who had closed their doors while they were pumping breast milk, according to an IG report. The attorney caught peeping told his supervisor that it was “an honest mistake,” an explanation the supervisor accepted, the IG report said. The matter was not fully investigated, the inspector general found, and the attorney was verbally counseled. He is still working in the Office of Immigration Litigation. His alleged behavior became such an issue that some women at the Justice Department have taped wrapping paper over the windows outside their offices.

All three Civil Division attorneys received performance awards after their misconduct, the report said.

Another IG investigation found that the No. 2 official in the U.S. Marshals Service in Massachusetts, Chief Deputy Marshal Jon Murray, had sex in his Boston office with “approximately nine” women. The IG’s office redacted his name, but people with knowledge of the investigation confirmed that Murray was the subject of the 13-page report. The IG concluded the official violated several policies, including those regarding conduct unbecoming of a Marshals Service employee and unprofessional or inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature.

During the investigation, Murray initially lied under oath to investigators and told some of the women not to disclose their sexual relationships with him, according to the report.

“I handled this horribly from the get-go,” Murray said, according to the report. “And I just, I understand that there’s serious ramifications for my actions that . . . I chose to take.”

Murray, who has been with the Marshals Service for more than 20 years, was transferred during the investigation two years ago to the agency’s international training division in Rhode Island. He did not respond to requests for comment.

At least one of the high-profile sexual harassment cases in the Justice Department was brought against a female official. Amanda Marshall, then the top prosecutor in Oregon, had an “intimate personal relationship” with a subordinate for more than a year and then harassed him in texts and emails after the relationship ended, according to the investigative reports.

The victim told IG investigators that he reported Marshall’s harassing text messages and emails because he wanted her to stop sending them. He said he “had difficulty sleeping and eating, was distracted and unfocused at work, and was concerned about losing his job.”

The Oregon State Bar is now considering ethics charges against Marshall.

In one case, an assistant special agent in charge was accused of asking female employees if they “wanted to see his balls,” and asked one, “are you looking at my balls?” when she was in his office, which included a collection of baseballs. He also touched female employees in ways that made them feel uncomfortable and allegedly made sexual innuendos while talking to female employees, telling one employee she had a “nice hard body” and telling another that he and his wife called certain footwear like the woman was wearing “come f--- me boots,” according to an investigative report.

The FBI official, whose name was redacted from the IG report and could not be learned, denied most of the allegations. But investigators concluded he engaged in multiple instances of inappropriate touching, sexual harassment and inappropriate comments of a sexual nature with several female FBI employees. He was demoted, transferred to a different division and subsequently fired by the FBI.


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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28 Dec 2017, 3:44 pm

Twins star accused of sexual attack in photographer’s disturbing story

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A sports photographer has joined the #metoo movement with a harrowing tale in which she alleges Twins star Miguel Sano assaulted her in an attempt at a sexual advance.

Betsy Bissen, a freelancer who shoots photos for Twins Daily, said the Minnesota third baseman and DH tried repeatedly to kiss her and attempted to forcibly take her into a room after an autograph signing in 2015. Bissen said she successfully resisted his physical coercions but was left “sore all over” from having to fight him off.

In a statement, Sano “unequivocally” denied the allegations, which he said “never happened.”

Bissen, in a tweet Thursday, said it was difficult to share the story, “but I feel I need to share it.” She had known Sano from shooting games at Target Field when the Twins cornerstone did a signing at a local store in a mall she volunteered at. She said he flirted with her throughout the event, advances that were not reciprocated.

After the signing, Sano, now 24 and from the Dominican Republic, wanted to go to a nearby Apple store. She said he grabbed her wrist and brought her, flanked by Sano’s agent and Bissen’s boss. Bissen did not want “to cause a scene,” so she followed.

Later, the group went outside because Sano was leaving, but Bissen said Sano asked where the bathroom was. Bissen pointed the way, at which point Sano tried to force her to join him, she said.

“I pulled back as he held onto my wrist,” Bissen wrote about the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Sano. “It hurt, how badly he was grasping at my wrist, but he wouldn’t let go. I wasn’t going to give up my fight though. He then leaned down and tried to kiss me, more than once. Every time he did, I said no and kept pulling back. I was in a squatted position with my wrist throbbing. I screamed, no one came to help me. He finally gave up after a solid ten mins of fighting to pull me thru that door. No, he didn’t rape me, but he sure did assault me. When I said no, it should have been the end of it. He should have respected that and stopped. Instead, he hurt me and kept going.”

Sano was not named until the concluding sentence.


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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29 Dec 2017, 6:05 pm

Academia faces #MeToo movement over sexual harassment

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Academia — like Hollywood, the media and Congress — is facing its own #MeToo movement over allegations of sexual misconduct. Brett Sokolow, who heads an association of sexual harassment investigators on campuses, estimates that the number of reported complaints has risen by about 10 percent since the accusations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein surfaced in early October, spurring more women to speak out against harassment in various fields. The increase is mostly from women complaining of harassment by faculty members who are their superiors.

But the Trump administration has viewed the issue of sexual harassment on campus in a different light. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has scrapped Obama-era regulations on investigating sexual assault, arguing that they were skewed in favor of the accuser. New instructions allow universities to require higher standards of evidence when handling such complaints.

A forthcoming study of nearly 300 such cases in the Utah Law Review found that one in 10 female graduate students at major research universities reports being sexually harassed by a faculty member. And in more than half of those cases, the alleged perpetrator is a repeat offender, according to the study.

"Often schools might turn a blind eye toward sexual harassment that they know about or have heard about because a professor is bringing in a big grant or is adding to the stature of the university," said Neena Chaudhry, senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center.

Activists say young women pursuing graduate studies are especially vulnerable to sexual misconduct because they depend heavily on their academic adviser to complete their degrees, pursue research in their field of study and get recommendations for future jobs. Reporting misconduct could endanger an academic career. And besides damaging the women's mental health and well-being, sexual harassment can chase some of them out of academia altogether.

"Often professors who are advising graduate students are the students' gateway to their degree attainment and their career prospects," said Anne Hedgepeth with the American Association of University Women. "That's an immense amount of power that professors hold. It's also an immense amount of risk that students take when coming forward when future prospects are on the line.

As universities face pressure to rethink their sexual misconduct policies, activists suggest various possible remedies: spelling out what interaction is appropriate between faculty and students; more transparency in reporting and investigating complaints; more women in senior leadership positions in academia; and making a student's career less dependent on just one professor.

"There is really no excuse for not addressing this," Chaudhry at the National Women's Law Center said.


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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29 Dec 2017, 6:07 pm

we live in a world of predators and prey, and only the types of predation change, and not the basic predation tendencies themselves. in this respect, mankind hasn't really evolved much in any ethical or spiritual direction.



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07 Jan 2018, 12:38 am

Dan Harmon is Called out for Abusive Behavior as Showrunner

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Dan Harmon is the man behind NBC’s Community and the Adult Swim series Rick and Morty.

However, he recently made entertainment news when he posted on Twitter on New Year’s Eve. In the post, he admitted that he had been a terrible boss (in more brash terms). This caught the attention of Megan Ganz, a former writer for Community.

She asked him to be more specific, and the two exchanged a few words. Dan Harmon was seeking forgiveness, apologizing frequently. However, Megan Ganz refuses to accept his apologies. She appreciates the gestures, but stands strong in her refusal to forgive.

But what exactly happened between the two? In the conversation, Ganz alludes to feeling unsafe at work. It seems that Ganz had been complimented by Harmon at one point, and later he asked for her number. The writer alluded to some sort of altercation, saying that if Harmon didn’t put up his walls “with male coworkers” he would be “falling into the Mike Pence School of Gender Relations that says men can’t be trusted with women’s phone numbers”.

It is important to note that Dan Harmon suffers from mental illness, as he has spoken about it on Twitter and in his podcast Hermantown in the past. He has actually given some very solid advice to his fans on this topic before, helping to soothe their emotional pain and empathize with them.


This is a 2011 article
How Dan Harmon Drives Himself Crazy Making Community
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Most Community fans assume Abed has Asperger’s syndrome. Many of the signs are there: His inability to pick up on others’ feelings, his tendency to relate more to film and TV than to actual people, his obsessive analyzing and categorizing of events. From the beginning, Harmon didn’t want to specify the character’s pathology, but out of curiosity he eventually started looking into Asperger’s.

“So, in a very naive way—and I’ve never told anybody this before—I started researching the disorder,” Harmon says. “I started looking up these symptoms, just to know what they are. And the more I looked them up, the more familiar they started to seem. Then I started taking these Internet tests.” The tests came up positive.

But the more online tests for Asperger’s he took, the more he began to wonder if he was just as similar to Abed. It had never occurred to him before, he says, because he has always been so oversensitive.

Eventually, Harmon met with a doctor and came to understand that symptoms of the disorder lie on a spectrum, and that in fact there is a place on it for people with inappropriate emotional reactions and deep empathy. Harmon now sees that he may fit somewhere on that spectrum, though figuring out exactly where could take years.


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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10 Jan 2018, 3:46 pm

Michael Douglas fends off sexual harassment claim with preemptive interview

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Michael Douglas has denied what he says is a forthcoming claim of sexual harassment against him in a new interview with Hollywood trade publication Deadline.

The veteran actor says The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline's competitor, is pursuing a story about him in which a former employee claims Douglas masturbated in front of her, used improper language in her company, and prevented her from getting other work in the entertainment industry.
Douglas denies the allegation of a sexual nature and the claim of retaliation. But, he added, "I will fess up to colorful language."



James Franco Denies Sexual Harassment Allegations, Says Has No Idea Why Ally Sheedy 'Was Upset
Quote:
James Franco has addressed sexual harassment allegations leveled at him recently on Twitter.

During his appearance on Tuesday’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Franco was asked to speak about the accusations after he received criticism for wearing a Time’s Up pin in support of sexual harassment and assault awareness at the Golden Globe Awards, during which he won best movie actor for The Disaster Artist.

“I haven’t read them. I’ve heard about them,” the actor, 39, said.

During Sunday’s telecast, several women, including The Breakfast Club actress Ally Sheedy, called out Franco with the #MeToo hashtag. In now-deleted tweets, Sheedy wrote: “Why is James Franco allowed in? Said too much.” and “James Franco just won. Please never ever ask me why I left the film/tv business.”

Franco named Sheedy during his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert saying, “Okay, first of all, I have no idea what I did to Ally Sheedy, I directed her in a play Off-Broadway. I had nothing but a great time with her, total respect for her. I have no idea why she was upset.



Top Fox News D.C. Reporter James Rosen Left Network After Harassment Claim
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On the Friday before Christmas, Fox News confirmed that its chief Washington correspondent, James Rosen, had left the network. He had worked there for 18 years and had become something of a legend. The U.S. Justice Department under the Obama administration was so frustrated by his reporting on U.S. intelligence about North Korea that it conducted a leak investigation into his sources.

The network cited no reason for Rosen's exit and did not announce it on the air. According to Rosen's former colleagues, however, he had an established pattern of flirting aggressively with many peers and had made sexual advances toward three female Fox News journalists, including two reporters and a producer. And his departure followed increased scrutiny of his behavior at the network, according to colleagues.

This story is based on interviews with eight of Rosen's former colleagues at the Fox News bureau in Washington, D.C., just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Rosen declined to comment to NPR after it set out in detail what it intended to report.

The accusations against Rosen, who is married with young children, are more severe than that. He developed a reputation as a talented and ambitious journalist called "the professor" by former political anchor Brit Hume on the air for his interest in Watergate (Rosen wrote a book focusing on the life of former Attorney General John Mitchell that argued for a kinder re-assessment of his role in that Nixon-era scandal). Rosen has sent such messages, according to his former female co-workers. But in three instances he made overt physical and sexual overtures, according to the accounts of numerous former Fox News colleagues who heard about the incidents contemporaneously.

In the winter following the September 2001 terror attacks, a female Fox News reporter joined the bureau from New York. In a shared cab ride back from a meal, Rosen groped her, grabbing her breast. After she rebuffed his advance, Rosen sought to steal away her sources and stories related to his interests in diplomacy and national security. That's according to four colleagues who say she relayed the episode as a warning about Rosen's behavior. The reporter declined to comment for this story. (NPR has decided not to name the women in this article as they have not granted permission to do so.)

In a subsequent episode several years later, a female producer covering the State Department alleged that Rosen had directly sexually harassed her. A foreign national, she subsequently accepted a deal from Fox that enabled her to extend her stay in the U.S. in exchange for not making her complaint public, according to several of her former colleagues. The producer, who now works for a foreign-based news organization, is abroad with family and did not respond to several detailed messages left by email and phone seeking comment.

Late last spring, Rosen turned his attention to a younger female reporter, according to two colleagues who say she told them of the incident shortly after. Returning from a lunch together, Rosen physically tried to kiss her in the elevator ride back to the office, and once refused, attempted forcibly to kiss her again. According to a colleague, he then asked the reporter to keep the approach quiet and offered her unsolicited help in getting more time on Bret Baier's nightly political newscast, Special Report. The female reporter declined to comment for this story.


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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15 Jan 2018, 11:41 am

Aziz Ansari responds to allegations of sexual misconduct

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Actor Aziz Ansari has responded to allegations of sexual misconduct published this weekend on the website Babe.

In the report, a 23-year-old woman recounts a 2017 date with Ansari that she says turned sour when they went back to his apartment after dinner. She says Ansari was persistent in trying to undress her and initiate sex, even after she told him she was uncomfortable. The Babe report includes a text screenshot from the following day in which the woman tells Ansari, “It’s like nothing changed even after I expressed that I’d like to slow it down.”

In a statement released by his rep last night, Ansari says he was “surprised and concerned” to find out their evening wasn’t consensual, The Hollywood Reporter reports. “I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said,” he writes.

Ansari, the creator of Netflix’s Master of None, has recently seen a decent amount of success from his work on the series. Last week, he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Comedy, and he won a writing Emmy back in September.


Vogue publisher drops Bruce Weber and Mario Testino over misconduct allegations
Quote:
Conde Nast is cutting ties with two famous fashion photographers, Bruce Weber and Mario Testino, after The New York Times published disturbing allegations about both men.
"Male Models Say Mario Testino and Bruce Weber Sexually Exploited Them" read the banner headline in Sunday's Times.
Both men were regulars in the pages of Vogue and other Conde Nast publications. The Times' investigation into alleged sexual misconduct prompted immediate action.

Weber is alleged to have asked models to take their clothes off and then touched them inappropriately during breathing and "energy" exercises.
"I have used common breathing exercises and professionally photographed thousands of nude models over my career, but never touched anyone inappropriately. Given my life's work, these twisted and untrue allegations are truly disheartening. I've been taking pictures for over 40 years and have the utmost respect for everyone I've ever photographed. I would never, ever, try to hurt anyone or prevent someone from succeeding — it's just not in my character," Weber said in the statement provided to The Times

Testino is also accused of making sexual advances to male assistants and models that included groping and masturbation.

Vogue's editor in chief, Anna Wintour, who doubles as Conde's artistic director, acknowledged in a separate letter that both men "are personal friends of mine."
"I believe strongly in the value of remorse and forgiveness," she wrote, "but I take the allegations very seriously, and we at Conde Nast have decided to put our working relationship with both photographers on hold for the foreseeable future."

Other brands followed Conde's lead. One of Testino's longtime clients, Michael Kors, said that "in light of the seriousness of these accusations, we will not be working with Mr. Testino on future advertising campaigns."

A number of fashion industry executives weighed in over the weekend, expressing concern about the allegations and hopes for change.

"The industry needs to take these accounts seriously, and we want to ensure that the fashion industry is one we are all proud to work in, that there is zero tolerance on sexual harassment and that everyone treats those they work with, with respect," the British Fashion Council said in a statement.

The company provided The Times with further details about its plans over the weekend, including a new "code of conduct."

Among the changes: The guidelines will prohibit underage models and the presence of alcohol on photo sets.

Wintour described some of the other changes: "Photographers will no longer be permitted to use a Conde Nast set for any work that is not commissioned or approved by the company." And "any shoot involving nudity, sheer clothing, lingerie, swimwear, simulated drug or alcohol use, or sexually suggestive poses must be approved in advance by the subject


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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16 Jan 2018, 5:47 pm

Catherine Deneuve Signs Open Letter Denouncing 'Me Too' Movement as 'Witch-Hunt'

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Celebrated French actress Catherine Deneuve has signed an open letter denouncing the #MeToo anti-harassment movement as a "witch-hunt" that is unfairly punishing men.

"Rape is a crime," the letter, published in French newspaper Le Monde Tuesday, reads. "But flirting insistently or clumsily isn't a crime, and chivalry is not a machismo aggression." The letter further claims that men should have the "indispensable freedom to offend and bother" women as they please.

The letter, which was signed by a total of 100 female French writers, performers and academics, also accuses the #MeToo movement of creating an environment that is unfair to men, "who are sanctioned in their work, pushed to resign, etc., when their only wrongdoing was to touch a knee, try to steal a kiss, speak about intimate things during a professional dinner or send messages that are sexually loaded to a woman who wasn't attracted to them."

In addition to #MeToo, the letter also claims its French equivalent, #BalanceTonPorc (call out your pig), for pushing society toward a more "puritanical" climate.

"What began as freeing women up to speak has today turned into the opposite – we intimidate people into speaking 'correctly,' shout down those who don't fall into line, and those women who refused to bend [to the new realities] are regarded as complicit and traitors," the letter states, adding that men should be "free to hit on" women.


Seal under investigation after neighbor claims he forcefully kissed, groped her
Quote:
Seal is reportedly under investigation for sexual battery after his former neighbor, actress Tracey Birdsall, accused him of forcefully kissing and groping her in 2016.

Birdsall told TMZ she was neighbors with the singer in Los Angeles and they became friends, but one day in the fall of 2016 when she went to retrieve her salad spinner, Seal, 54, forced himself on her.

What are you doing!?" Birdsall recalled shouting, to which the "Fly Like an Eagle" singer responded: "I'm kissing you!"

Birdsall, 54, alleged Seal then belittled her about her outfit and said she was asking for it because she was wearing a tank top and shorts.

he then claimed he began groping her breasts until she demanded he stop. Birdsall told the gossip site she agreed to sit on the couch with Seal after that because she was in shock, but then he continued to grope her breasts and poke fun at her outfit

A source with the L.A. County Sheriffs' Department told TMZ that a report was taken on Saturday concerning Seal for sexual battery. The incident is under investigation.

A rep for the singer said in a statement to TMZ that he "vehemently denies the recent allegations made against him by a former neighbor for alleged misconduct more than a year ago."


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman


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16 Jan 2018, 5:53 pm

people like Cathy Deneuve warp my mind. I don't know what to make of them. what if it was her blinking daughter for Christ's sake? :o



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16 Jan 2018, 6:50 pm

auntblabby wrote:
people like Cathy Deneuve warp my mind. I don't know what to make of them. what if it was her blinking daughter for Christ's sake? :o


She is from a different time and different thinking.
Chrissie Hynde criticised over rape remarks
Quote:
Singer Chrissie Hynde has been criticised for saying it can be a woman’s fault if she is raped.

The Pretenders star, 63, said she blamed herself for being forced to perform sexual acts under the threat of violence.

She told the Sunday Times magazine that when she was 21 an Ohio motorcycle gang member promised to take her to a party but instead took her to an empty house, yet she claimed to take “full responsibility” for what happened.

She said: “Technically speaking, however you want to look at it, this was all my doing and I take full responsibility. You can’t f*** about with people, especially people who wear ‘I Heart Rape’ and ‘On Your Knees’ badges ... those motorcycle gangs, that’s what they do.

“You can’t paint yourself into a corner and then say whose brush is this? You have to take responsibility. I mean, I was naive.”

When asked whether the gang took advantage of her vulnerability, she replied: “If you play with fire you get burnt. It’s not any secret, is it?”

Hynde went on to say that women who dress provocatively while walking down the street drunk were also to blame if they were attacked. “If I’m walking around in my underwear and I’m drunk? Who else’s fault can it be?” she said.

“If I’m walking around and I’m very modestly dressed and I’m keeping to myself and someone attacks me, then I’d say that’s his fault. But if I’m being very lairy and putting it about and being provocative, then you are enticing someone who’s already unhinged – don’t do that. Come on! That’s just common sense. You know, if you don’t want to entice a rapist, don’t wear high heels so you can’t run from him.

“If you’re wearing something that says ‘Come and f*** me’, you’d better be good on your feet ... I don’t think I’m saying anything controversial am I?”


Deal with it or if something bad happened to you it was probably your fault was the dominant mentality back then among females too.

Wives and Lovers 1964 hit record by Jack Jones wrote:
Hey, little girl
Comb your hair, fix your make-up
Soon he will open the door
Don't think because
There's a ring on your finger
You needn't try any more

For wives should always be lovers, too
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you
I'm warning you

Day after day
There are girls at the office
And men will always be men
Don't send him off
With your hair still in curlers
You may not see him again


For wives should always be lovers, too
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you
He's almost here

Hey, little girl
Better wear something pretty
Something you'd wear to go to the city
And dim all the lights
Pour the wine, start the music
Time to get ready for love

Oh, time to get ready
Time to get ready
Time to get ready
For love


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16 Jan 2018, 6:59 pm

it seems 90% of men give the other 10% a bad rep. :oops:



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18 Jan 2018, 3:14 pm

Darmok wrote:
More on the Democratic icon (that's what Nancy Pelosi called him the other day) Rep. John Conyers:

Image

In case you've forgotten, Chandra Levy was a D.C. intern who disappeared about 20 years ago, and whose decomposed body was found months later in a D.C. park.


I suspect he was just being an a$$hole, but that's still scarry. :pale:


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18 Jan 2018, 3:30 pm

we should not be surprised, in light of what Lord Acton said about great men and bad men, that the various state and federal capitals should be packed full of sociopathic bullies who are not above murder.



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19 Jan 2018, 8:38 pm

French Actress Brigitte Bardot Slams #MeToo Movement as 'Hypocritical, Ridiculous and Uninteresting'

Quote:
In an interview with French magazine Paris Match, Bardot said women are only harming themselves by speaking out against sexual harassment.

“Many actresses flirt with producers to get a role. Then when they tell the story afterward, they say they have been harassed,” she said, according to The Guardian. “In actual fact, rather than benefit them, it only harms them.”

“The vast majority are being hypocritical and ridiculous,” Bardot, 83, added.

Bardot said she’s never been a victim of sexual harassment and that she liked the attention she was given by her male colleagues.

“I thought it was nice to be told that I was beautiful or that I had a pretty little ass,” she said. “This kind of compliment is nice.”



Actress Catherine Deneuve Apologizes for Calling #MeToo Movement a 'Witch Hunt'
Quote:
A week after signing an open letter which characterized the #MeToo movement as a “witch hunt,” Catherine Deneuve has issued an explanation — and apology, but only to “victims who may have been shocked.”

In an interview and open letter appearing on the front page of the French newspaper Liberation, Deneuve, 74, said she signed the original text because she found it “vigorous,” though not perfect.

She issued an apology “to all the victims of these hideous acts who might have felt assaulted by the letter published in Le Monde.”

The actress went on to explain her reasoning behind signing the controversial letter, asserting that there was nothing” that stated, “anything good about harassment, otherwise I wouldn’t have signed it.”

Restating opposition to “the pack” mentality she feels the initial open letter addressed, she cited several examples of high profile celebrities who have been accused of sexual misconduct saying she disagrees with the way the allegations have been handled in the media. Deneuve said it was unfair to presume guilt without formal court proceedings.

“It’s media lynching,” she wrote.

The Le Monde letter has caused considerable uproar in France in the past week as other signatories have attempted to explain or redefine its apparent acceptance of certain degrees of traditional male behavior. None, however, has inflamed sensitivities more as when one signatory — a former porn actress turned radio personality — stated in a televised debate during the week that it was “possible for women to enjoy rape.”

Deneuve described those comments as “spitting in the face of all those who have suffered this crime.”

And while Deneuve apologized to her opposers, she also warned against those who supported her for the wrong reasons. Calling out the “conservative, racists and traditionalists,” she said she “is not fooled. They haven’t my gratitude nor my friendship.”

Deneuve concluded the letter with an apology to sexual assault victims.

“It is to them and them alone that I offer my apologies,” she wrote.


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25 Jan 2018, 3:43 pm

Presidents Club scandal offers glimpse of London’s macho business culture

Quote:
If 2018 was supposed to be the year that the #MeToo campaign finally changed women’s experiences for the better, it got off to a bad start in Britain.

Only days after Oprah Winfrey declared that the “time is up” for men who abuse their power, hundreds of millionaires and corporate executives sat down to a boozy, all-male charity dinner at which female hostesses say they were objectified and groped.

The event was organized by a panel of business leaders called the Presidents Club, and the 130 hostesses were required to wear short skirts, high heels and black panties.

But some of the women were undercover reporters for The Financial Times, and they later described how they were subjected to harassment, lewd comments and sexual propositions. One elderly attendee asked a hostess if she was a prostitute.

The Presidents Club Charitable Trust was shut down within hours of the FT story being published amid widespread dismay, but its anachronistic existence has shone a light on a pervasive culture of workplace sexism in London’s macho financial district, known as “the City.”

London still has some historic men-only club rooms — venues such as the Garrick Club and the Travellers Club, which is popular with diplomats — whose members have repeatedly vetoed attempts to admit women.

Britain’s elite education system has also produced some unofficial all-male gatherings, such as the Bullingdon Club for Oxford University undergraduates whose past members including Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, and ex-Prime Minister David Cameron. Its boorish antics, such as trashing restaurants, were depicted in the 2014 film “Riot Club.”

The annual Presidents Club dinner was something else.

Billed as being from an “esteemed” group from the world of business, sports and entertainment, attendees bid on a charity auction whose lots included a trip to Soho’s Windmill strip club and free plastic surgery at a private clinic with the promise to "take years off your life or add spice to your wife."

"Welcome to the most un-P.C. event of the year," the host announced at the start of the charity auction.

Names on the guest list included Tim Steiner, a former Goldman Sachs banker; Makram Azar, a vice chairman of investment banking at Barclays; Richard Caring, a restaurant tycoon; and junior government minister Nadhim Zahawi. All denied seeing anything untoward, although a government spokesman said Zahawi attended “briefly” and “felt uncomfortable.”

Most of the attendees were business owners or self-made entrepreneurs, particularly in property investment, but one table was registered in the name of advertising giant WPP.

Madison Marriage, one of the undercover reporters, said she and "numerous other hostesses" supplied by a recruitment agency were groped. She said the women were told to wear skimpy black outfits with matching underwear and high heels, and that they could drink alcohol while working.

They were asked to sign a five-page nondisclosure agreement upon arriving at the Dorchester Hotel, where the event was held, and also had to handover their cellphones.

Although lavish corporate parties were reined in after the 2008 credit crunch, there are still reports of a sleazy after-hours environment even in companies where women have broken the glass ceiling.

An account manager at Standard Chartered, a major City bank, told an employment tribunal in 2009 that she was passed over for promotion because of a culture where business meetings ended up in strip clubs; despite describing “late-night drinking and cigar smoking" from which women were excluded, she lost her case.

A $100,000-a-year City trader at BNP Paribas — one of Europe’s biggest banks — told another tribunal that a manager had told her to wash the dishes after a company dinner.


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“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman