News Bits (Thursday)

The caffeinated edition, and I'm in a mood too.

One of those "it had to happen" things: US government listens to phone sex via wiretapping, all in the name of fighting terrorism, of course.

Community campaign to shame the men who seek commercial sex. Notice this bit: "prostitution gradually wears down a neighborhood over time, bringing down property values and bringing in a criminal element." Might it not be the criminal status of prostitution that harms the neighborhood and the women involved? Just a thought. Otherwise, it appears sexually-available women are responsible for the decline and fall of just about everything.

Whale-watching is like prostitution because...maybe I missed the connection. I don't think the writer clearly closes the gap. I found this amusing, which is why it's here. (I kept waiting for her to mention local streets where people can watch prostitutes at work and play. Or maybe tours to the birthing grounds of prostitutes.)

Someone else who can't make the mental leap into consensua sex work. They compare prostitution with call-center work. Most girls I know would rather have sex for a living. It's not as demeaning as working at a call-center.

Ukrainian banknotes may contain hidden prostitutes! Counterfeiters can now hide a whole human on a bill! Actually, it's only images of women naturally assumed to be prostitutes (what other kind of woman would go on a bill?). I want to collect the whole set.

Another blogger thinks the majority of Canadian sex workers are victims of one sort of another. Sigh. I can't understand why people like to sky-dive, but it doesn't mean I think they're all forced out of airplanes.

Former madam of Sheri's Ranch writes a book. I saw her speak and had a lot of anger about many of the things she said. Like prostitution "needs to be controlled" or the phrase "choosey Suzies". Excuse me, it's my body -- I can be as choosey I want to be. This is the shit that makes me mad.

Once again, shooting/harming sex workers is funny to men.

Interesting musings on class among sex workers, female sexuality, work and legal issues. All-around a good read.

Porn store built on the iTunes concept. It was just a matter of time. I'm actually surprised by how long it took someone to do this.