Today and yesterday has seen a lot of stretching, flapping, and scratching happening within the nest. The birds are getting larger at a prodigious rate and their feathers are almost completely grown now. There are still bits of baby down still sticking out here and there making them look faintly ridiculous, but I've been watching them scratch and pluck themselves as much as they can. They're still wobbly when they stand, but far stronger than they were even a couple of days ago. Won't be long now until they fly away : (

I have an interview for a job I don't really want in a little over an hour. Which means I'll probably get it.

Oh, and last weekend (the masquerade) was super fun.  We almost got arrested for indecent exposure at the Metro stop. 

I'll try to post more pictures later.

I caught a picture of Mrs Bird at feeding time. It's fairly washed out because I was shooting into the sunlight, but Mrs Bird can be seen, and one of the babies is getting into the picture as well.
After Mrs Bird left on another groceries trip, I stood on the watering chair and took a picture of the nest. The babies are growing like weeds, getting bolder and stronger every day.

This is the cutest thing in the ENTIRE WORLD. A man sings a basketful of puppies to sleep. About 1.5 minutes long.

http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/1216223865/Sing_Pups_To_Sleep

Bint Alshamsa has an excellent post on why "differently abled" is bad terminology here which articulates far, far better than I ever could why I dislike that terminology and far prefer person with disabilities. Go read it.

• 15:28 Apparently my left side is starting to come back. #

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• 03:18 Work should not be this exhausting. #

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7508120.stm

[Stephen Price talks to BBC Wales Today after his £35,000 compensation award - see 4-minute video at the above link.]

Gay man's £37,000 sex case award

A gay man who suffered "grotesquely discriminatory conduct" from the Presbyterian Church in Wales has been awarded £37,000.

Stephen Price, 25, of Clydach near Abergavenny, was bullied out of his job at Coleg Trefeca in Brecon by his manager Mair Jones, aged 40.

A Cardiff tribunal heard Mrs Jones called him a "stupid poof" and gave him pink fairy toilet paper as a gift.

The money was awarded for constructive dismissal and injury to feelings.

The church had denied Mr Price's claim for sexual harassment, constructive dismissal and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

The tribunal's panel ruled the church's internal investigation into Mr Price's claims of harassment was unfair, unbalanced, confused and contradictory.

Employment judge Dr Rachel Davies said the church's final recommendation that Mr Price should go back to work with Mrs Jones amounted to constructive dismissal.

He was awarded £11,924 for constructive dismissal and £25,000 for injury to his feelings.
( Read more... )

TAS is working to collect signatures on a petition that asks the BC Government to add "gender identity and gender expression" into the BC Human Rights Code. We started collecting signatures last weekend at Surrey Pride and we'll continue to collect them all summer. We intend to introduce the petition in the fall sitting of the Legislature. The petition form is available at the TAS website. Any British Columbian who wishes may download the form, print it out and start collecting signatures. A few simple rules:
Please use blue ink;
Please ensure that people enter their full address and postal code;
Names may not be crossed out, this voids the entire sheet;
Duplicate names void the sheet, please ensure that the person signing has not signed before.
Print out as many sheets as you wish. Once sheets are filled out, they may be delivered to the address on the bottom of the sheet

• 16:50 The word objectification is hard to sing. As is colonization. #

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Come check out a film that's follows the transition of an FTM starting in NYC and then moving home to the family farm in Western PA.

Wednesday 16 July 2008
Gender Redesigner
At Brattle Theater:
40 Brattle Street
Harvard Square
Cambridge, MA
9:30pm all ages $10

Ever thought of becoming a police officer?

The Boston Police are working with MTPC to recruit Transgender applicants for the upcoming police exam in May 2009. If you are interested, please e-mail info@masstpc.org to be put on an alert list when more information is released.

Exam Process Information:

Qualifications
- You must be no less than 18 nor more than 24 years of age;
- You must be a US citizen;
- You must reside in the City of Boston;
- You must have graduated (or are about to graduate) from high school or possess an equivalency certificate;
- You must be licensed to drive by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and
- You must meet the physical fitness standards required of Boston Police recruits.

Benefits
Along with the distinct cadet training, benefits of the program include vacation, holiday and sick leave provisions. Police cadets who have completed at least 2 years of service and meet the civil service requirements are eligible for appointment to the Boston Police Department, as a police officer, under M.G.L. c.147, 21A. Retirement credit is available for cadet service following appointment as a permanent Police Officer.

Access to the City of Boston Credit Union
Employees are able to take advantage of low rates on mortgages and car loans as well as set up a checking or savings account, a vacation or Christmas Club account or a CD.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1250393820080714

Man wins damages over gay driving test retake
Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:56am EDT

ROME (Reuters) - An Italian court has ruled the government must pay 100,000 euros ($157,700) in damages to a man who was told to retake a driving test because he was homosexual.

When 26 year old Danilo Giuffrida told doctors he was gay at his medical examination for military service, they passed the information to the transport ministry, who told him he must repeat his driving test or have his license withdrawn due to his "sexual identity disturbance."

Giuffrida agreed to re-take his test, passed it for a second time, but the ministry renewed his license for just one year rather than the usual 10 years because of his homosexuality.

The judge ruling on the case in Catania, on the southern island of Sicily, said the actions of the defense and transport ministries showed "evident sexual discrimination" against Giuffrida and ran counter to his constitutional rights.

The behaviour of the ministries led Giuffrida to have "a grave sense of mistrust towards the state," added the judge, who ordered them to pay him 100,000 euros of damages in his verdict issued on Saturday.

Giuffrida's lawyer said the case marked the first time the state had been punished for sexual discrimination, and he hoped Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would "summon Giuffrida and apologise to him on behalf of the state and all Italians."

Giuffrida said the sentence was "a step forwards for civil rights because from now on what happened to me can't happen again."

(Reporting by Gavin Jones and Roberto Landucci; Editing by Matthew Jones)

Copyright Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved.

• 14:40 Yay Food Not Bombs, boo random transphobia from passing cars. #
• 21:17 At Bishop's. I'll be damned if I'm scared out of going out. #

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Less problematic than "Butch/Femme"! Still fun!

And yes, those are guitar hero/rock band controllers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7504019.stm

Archbishop's gay ordination offer

The Archbishop of Wales says he would be willing to consecrate a gay bishop.

Barry Morgan spoke as the world's first openly gay bishop, whose ordination has caused a split in the Anglican church, is to preach at a church in London.

Bishop of New Hampshire Gene Robinson has been excluded from the Lambeth Conference of church leaders.
( Read more... )


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7503968.stm

Archbishop's position 'untenable'

An openly gay US bishop has said the Archbishop of Canterbury is in an "almost untenable" position as he tries to retain unity in the Church.

The Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, said Dr Rowan Williams was trying to overcome deep divisions over the ordination of women and gay people.

But he told the BBC: "No matter what he does he makes someone mad."


Bishop Gene Robinson was not invited to the Lambeth Conference

Bishop Robinson is due to preach in London as the Anglican communion gathers for the Lambeth Conference.

The American preacher has been excluded from the event, held every 10 years, but has said he will be in Canterbury, where it is taking place, at the same time.

He is also due to speak at St Mary's Church in Putney, south-west London, on Sunday.

He said "a mistake was made" in not inviting him to the conference, but he would do whatever he could to raise the issue of gay rights "from the fringe".

He said he would not stage any kind of protest, but would simply "preach the word of God".
( Read more... )

'When I'm not doing something that comes deeply from me, I get bored. When I get bored I get distracted and when I get distracted, I become depressed. It's a natural resistance, and it insures your integrity."' --Maria Irene Fornes

• 20:15 I have this deja vu feeling about work. #

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Crossposted with permission.


The bisexualdatingnow.com story gets even better. If you haven't seen the original article, here it is: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc3=&id=76889

Now the CEO of Tangowire has written a letter, which, I have to say, I laughed through: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=columnists&sc=letters&sc2=&sc3=&id=77233 (scroll down past the first 3 letters)

Curious to hear people's comments. I certainly have mine.

Please post this far and wide on the net.
-Nick (kmt0215)

• 12:12 Smith construction, how I didn't miss you. #
• 22:21 So I've picked up four shifts of work through next weekend. And, wow the WW2 is DEAD! #
• 22:37 If the dudemanbro thirty feet from me doesn't calm himself, I may forget I'm little and not exactly able. #
• 23:25 Dudemanbros do not get to bro me. #
• 00:05 So dudemanbro thinks I'm a feminine fag. And this is why I don't pass as a man while I travel. #

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