Pole Dance: Jorja Smith - The One

Choreography: Miglena (@ThePoleDancer)

via The Pole Dancer

Cosplay is an Art: YETICON YETI TORONTO CANADA COMIC CON 2024

via mineralblu

Fashion is DEFINITELY Art: Isis Fashion Awards 2024

Isis Fashion Awards, the first Dutch show for accessories, highlights "underdog" designers, offering a platform for shoes, bags, jewelry, and more.

via Isis Fashion Awards  

Trump-tastic: His Never-Ending Reality Show

Pardon the Interruption

I've been following Donald Trump, and trust me, it's been a never-ending ride. Picture this: little me, boarding the Trump Shuttle from New York to Washington, DC with my dad. He'd use Trump's entrepreneurial spirit as a classroom lesson. Fast forward, I was a die-hard fan of The Apprentice, watching contestants tackle business challenges. Then came Celebrity Apprentice, where B and C-list celebs duked it out for Trump’s amusement.

In 2011, Comedy Central roasted Trump. I chuckled a bit, cringed a lot, especially thanks to The Situation from Jersey Shore. It subtly revealed Trump's disdain for being the butt of jokes. Leading up to the 2016 election, Comedy Central re-aired the roast on repeat, perhaps trying to humanize him. And it worked. A chunk of America fell for his unfiltered style. His presidency saw a loyal base, though many moderate Republicans secretly rolled their eyes.

When Trump lost the 2020 election, you'd think he’d bow out gracefully. Nope. He relished controlling the narrative, almost pulling off a government coup on January 6th. Like a snake charmer, he spewed words that kept his followers hooked. The far-right fringe loves this because if Trump returns, their extreme policies might see the light of day. Forget about blowing up the Constitution for one political ideology; there's a better way to make changes, through elections.

Tonight, two old-timers will debate. Both have held the presidency, both are old. Pundits have picked sides. The Trump camp, with right-wing media’s help, is setting up Biden as a drug-fueled debate wizard, while Trump plays the “common man” card. Fun fact: the so-called billionaire still begs for donations from your eccentric aunts and uncles to fund his legal and campaign bills. Why people send money to a billionaire, I'll never understand. One thing is definitely, he is no "common man."

So, grab your debate bingo cards, popcorn, and drink of choice, and enjoy the sh*t-show.

by Graeme MacKay

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/06/25/presidential-debate-bingo-card-2024-trump-biden/74171418007/

Barbara Edwards

Acting Appreciation

Born on June 26, 1960 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Barbara Edwards was Playboy's Playmate of the Month in the September 1983. She was then named Playmate of the Year in 1984. 

As in the title of her pictorial, Portrait of the Artist, Barbara was discovered as an artist by a high school teacher. The 1978 graduate of University High School in Irvine won an art scholarship to Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. She then transferred to Saddleback Community College.  

As stated in her playmate data sheet, her ambitions was, "To fulfill my dreams as a promising artist and actress and to contribute my share of help to the starving children of the world." Interestingly, she listed The Bible as her favorite book, and her ideal man to be an old-fashioned romance.

The 5'5" brunette went on to appear in a bunch of Playboy videos and special edition publications. She appeared in several low-budget films as well as TV series.

by Arny Freytag

Sources:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0249816/bio

https://www.ocweekly.com/girls-gone-not-so-wild-6425633/

https://www.babepedia.com/babe/Barbara_Edwards

https://babesrater.com/gallery/12507/vintage-playboy-playmate-barbara-edwards

SCOTUS' Bump Stock Ruling and the Looming Battle Over Gender-Affirming Care

Pardon the Interruption

Recently, the conservative U.S. Supreme Court sided with a gun shop owner who surrendered two bump stocks to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Federal law, enacted during a Republican administration, prohibits the transfer or possession of machine guns. Following a deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, the Trump administration reclassified bump stocks as machine guns.

For those unfamiliar with bump stocks, these devices, when attached to a semi-automatic firearm, enable it to fire hundreds of rounds rapidly by bumping the trigger against one's finger, eliminating the need to pull the trigger multiple times.

While I support gun rights, this decision, particularly Justice Thomas' explanation, concerns me. Thomas stated in the majority opinion, as reported by The Texas Tribune, that "a bump stock is not a machine gun because it cannot fire more than one shot 'by a single function of the trigger.'" Thomas elaborated on how the shooter can manage bump firing, asserting that a bump stock isn't a machine gun. However, the notion that individuals are developing "devised techniques for firing semiautomatic firearms at rates approaching those of some machine guns," as mentioned in Thomas' opinion, should prompt caution. This ruling implies that technology enabling rapid firing can be considered "approaching those of some machine guns," but not a machine gun.

Gun rights advocates praised the Supreme Court's decision, particularly the far-right fringe of the GOP, viewing it as a significant achievement. Now, the court is set to address the constitutionality of state bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

This decision will have a profound impact on LGBTQ+ individuals, both minors and adults. As a parent of a transgender daughter, I worry about the broader implications for healthcare, particularly for adults who rely on medications to manage their gender dysphoria. In Texas, we are already seeing this with Texas Medicaid's decision to no longer cover gender-affirming care for transgender adults.

This issue extends beyond the transgender community. States are increasingly controlling individuals' reproductive healthcare. While the MAGA wing of the GOP focuses on creating chaos to "own the libs," their shortsighted actions risk infringing on everyone's liberties, including their own or their family's access to essential healthcare.

by Kevin Necessary

Body Art: Roustan - Aeon Flux

Model: Amber Carter-Laflamme

via Roustan