HELLO BEAUTIFUL

AlterNet / Ellen Friedrichs

In the land of the free, the freedom to express your sexuality can land you in prison.

The older I get, the luckier I feel not to have been busted for breaking a sex law. It’s not that I have been doing anything particularly scandalous. Public sex sure isn’t my thing, and I’m not in the habit of spamming my friends and colleagues with XXX emails. But in a world where a teen can get arrested for texting a boyfriend her own nudie shots, I don’t want to take anything for granted.

Really though, my clean record probably has as much to do with where I’ve lived, as with what I’ve done. Growing up in Canada, meant that I didn’t worry about the legal ramifications of losing my virginity to my high school boyfriend. Had I spent those angst-ridden years in Texas, or even Maine, I could have been charged with the crime of underage sex.
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Just cus I said I don’t got to call nobody anymore don’t mean I don’t got nobody to call if I need to. Right now I need to. Crossing the border never used to be a big deal. Still isn’t most of the time, but Rita doesn’t even have ID and that could jam us up if somebody decides they’re gonna do their job that day. I don’t expect nothing to happen but I didn’t live this long by being stupid.
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AlterNet

By Carmen D. Siering, Ms. Magazine. Posted May 19, 2009.

Adults have an obligation to start a conversation concerning the darker themes and anti-feminist rhetoric in the extremely popular Twilight series.

In Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga, a wildly popular four-book series of young adult novels, the protagonist Bella Swan — by all accounts a very average human girl — has two suitors. One is the unimaginably beautiful vampire, Edward, the other a loyal and devoted werewolf, Jacob. Fans of the books, and now a movie version, often break into “teams,” aligning themselves with the swain they hope Bella will choose in the end: Team Edward or Team Jacob.
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They’re going to need those blood pressure pills after the razzing they take, getting chased off with a broom and some chili…Fear The Bean!
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Woman fought robbers with chili, broom – UPI.com

TAZEWELL, Tenn., May 19 (UPI) — Authorities in Tennessee said a woman whose home was invaded by two men “fought them off” with a bowl of chili and a broom.

Capt. David Honeycutt of the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department said Wanda Bray, 58, discovered the two men in her home at 6 p.m. Tuesday and the pair demanded she hand over medication, the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel reported Tuesday.

“They probably got away with some blood pressure pills,” Honeycutt said.

However, he said Bray did not react peacefully to being robbed.

“The woman fought them off,” he said. “She threw a bowl of homemade chili and got after them with a broom.”

Claiborne County Sheriff David Ray said authorities found a vehicle near the scene that had been used last week during a robbery at a Tiger Mart convenience store.

Fabian Moore, 32, and Tommy Wayne Garrett, 24, were charged in the home invasion as well as aggravated robbery for the Tiger Mart incident. Samuel Partin, 30, was arrested for allegedly serving as the getaway driver for the home invasion incident.

The wacky navigation issue with “Lies” has been fixed *crosses fingers*.
If you see any other missing tables for completed stories, give me a shout
E.

::OUTING::
Chapter 11
**Present Time**
Gabriel’s POV

“Stop doing that shit, you’re gonna give yourself a stiff neck.”

I frown at Vin but keep craning my neck in all directions at once. “Where are they? I can’t see them.” I’ve been trying to spot Vin’s parents among the people that crowd the terminal but to no avail. There’s no sign of them. “Their flight arrived almost an hour ago! What’s taking them so long?”
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::OUTING::
Chapter 10
**Present Time**
Vin’s POV

As I close the door of the house I see Gabe talking with Lorna, our neighbor. I still don’t know how old she is, anywhere from 50 to 80 is my guess. She won’t tell us, anyway. Lorna doesn’t believe in ages, she says that knowing how old a person is limits your ability to judge them on their own merits. I have to agree with her on that.
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AlterNet By Jessica Valenti, Seal Press.

Boys are taught that the things that make them good are universally accepted ethical ideals; women are told our worth lies between our legs.

Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from The Purity Myth: How America’s Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women by Jessica Valenti, published by Seal Press, 2009.

There is a moral panic in America over young women’s sexuality — and it’s entirely misplaced. Girls “going wild” aren’t damaging a generation of women, the myth of sexual purity is. The lie of virginity — the idea that such a thing even exists — is ensuring that young women’s perception of themselves is inextricable from their bodies, and that their ability to be moral actors is absolutely dependent on their sexuality. It’s time to teach our daughters that their ability to be good people depends on their being good people, not on whether or not they’re sexually active.
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::OUTING::
Chapter 9
**Present Time**
Gabriel’s POV

As usual, I’m dressed and ready to go before Vin found his underwear.

It’s a constant source of amazement to me that anybody can take as long as he does to get dressed. And it’s not like he spends an extraordinary amount of time primping in front of the mirror or anything, it’s just that he gets distracted. Read more…