thedailywhat:

Nostalgia Overload of the Day: Cartoon Network is ripping a page from the Nickelodeon playbook and bringing back a bunch of old shows with a Friday night block of programming featuring such fan favorites as Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, Powerpuff Girls, and others. Cartoon Planet starts this Friday, March 30th, at 8 PM. [ontd.]

(via popculturebrain)

Raye Croghan

I cannot find enough words to express the gratitude, respect, love, trust, and joy I have experienced with you. You were one of the strongest women I know, the silliest, the most caring and concerned and protective best friend, fairy godmother, and nutty other half. Your death has left a large void in my heart and I can’t imagine what I will do without you.

I love you and miss you already.

November 8, 1955 - March 17, 2012

Rest in peace, my dear best friend.

During the first week of September, I found myself being flown in to Amsterdam by a television company for a televised interview with Holland’s famous host, Bridget Maasland. During those three days that I was in Amsterdam, I roamed the straaten, or streets, the canals, spent a good deal of time drinking in pubs that acted as time machines into the past, visited the Anne Frank Huis, traveled to Utrecht where I was interviewed on the canal that passed Utrecht’s old prison, visited sex shops, a condomerie, among other things. Nothing too special, or at least nothing that sticks out as being terribly interesting as I only spent three days there and was pretty low on money. All in all, I didn’t learn much—but that was before I went to visit the Red Light District that was only a few blocks away from my hotel on the Warmoesstraat.

The first thing you notice are the glowing red lights that draw your attention to all of these windows. Suddenly, you notice women advertising themselves for sex, albeit openly and, on occasion, with unabashed pride. I’m no prude, conservative, or even afraid of sex by any means, but having just been in a country where this kind of activity or entertainment is shunned, illegal, and taboo, it was—for me—a short-lived moment of surprise, not shock. I would like to emphasize the briefness of this surprise because this was not a world that foreign to me. On the contrary, it was personal and familiar.

There was a certain admiration that I had for the Dutch perception of sex and moreover, the fact that the police did not rape or take advantage of these sex workers, but that the women in the Red Light District were actually provided with their own security, such as Prostitution Information Centres, access to medical care, and better working conditions. Contrary to popular belief, the Red Light District is the safest district in Amsterdam as bodyguards and policemen patrol the streets.

Of course, this is not to say that I encourage women to work in the sex industry, but it all seemed to work better when the government was there to protect these women. The fact is, there will always be sex workers. There will always be a black market. There will always be drugs. Anyone who believes that we can rid society of these things is foolish. So what can we do to change America’s dangerous dilemma?

We have all been teenagers or maybe you have a teenager of your own. Defiance, the beginning of experimenting with drugs, sex and sexuality, personal image, and so on. For the most part, anything that we are forbidden to use or do makes us only want to do it more.

It is beyond unlikely that the Puritanical America we live in today that politicians would even consider fighting for the legalization of prostitution. I think one has to look at this differently: sex workers are not out there for the “fun” or “thrill” of being a sex worker; it is a matter of desperation or lack of other, more proper and safer options. Wouldn’t it be better to give sex workers civil rights thatprotect them? They should not be treated as criminals but as victims. Perhaps more programs would do something as well. So, instead of turning our heads, shaming women who see prostitution as their only option, and contributing to the dilemma that so many people look down upon, we should do the best we can to find solutions to problems that are in our control.

Please do not ignore the plight of sex workers in America. From the streetwalkers to the VIP escorts—help them find self-confidence, better options, and the dignity that they so deserve. If we cannot do that, than we can at least try to keep them safe.

Fascinator!

The famous London soul and R&B singer, Amy Winehouse, 27, was found dead in her Camden home by her security guard on July 23, 2011. The first realization everybody had was that she was now, unfortunately, part of the 27 Club. The 27 Club is a “club” for legendary musicians and singers who have died at the precarious age of 27. Winehouse, being the newest member, will find herself among legends such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain. 

Amy Winehouse came on to the music scene with her first album, Frank, in 2003 which ended up being critically acclaimed in the United Kingdom. 

Winehouse was exactly what the post-9/11 music world needed. Our culture had been saturated with groomed, marketed, and unreal pop singers to the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, etc… In other words, Winehouse broke away from the “musicians” who had ticking metronomes in their heads. Furthermore, Winehouse gave us this amazingly rich, deep, soulful, and husky voice that no one else had been able to achieve. Her music is clearly influenced by 1960’s girl groups, jazz (but not Billie Holiday. When asked if she was inspired by Holiday, Winehouse replied: No, fuck her.”), R&B, and sometimes even raggae. 

Although Winehouse only produced two albums until her death and those two albums, Frank and Back to Black, go to show how impressive and strong and steadfast her talent was. 

When her fame began to rise, it didn’t seem as though Winehouse could really handle the pressure of being famous. Thanks to her louse of an ex-boyfriend/ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, Amy was introduced to heavy drugs such as heroin, crack cocaine, etc. Running around Camden without shoes (or bloodied flats sometimes), cuts, scratches, horribly disheveled and filthy appearance, severe stumbling, and constant incoherence became an everyday story in the rags. The media’s attitude was that “we’ll pay attention to you as long as you give us something to pay attention to.” 

The people who genuinely cared for the singer had long hoped for a recovery from drink and drugs. 

Once asked if she had any unfulfilled ambitions, Winehouse said: “If I died tomorrow, I’d be a happy girl.”

In the end, we have lost the genius singer and musician we have come to know as Amy. My hope is, and I believe many others share the same hope, is that Amy Winehouse’s legend and memory lives on in a positive way—for all the contributions she made to the music industry. I have noticed a number of people expressing their sadness over Amy’s death, which is something I have no problem with, but it’s when you suddenly jump to praise a singer in death when you didn’t know or like them in life. I wish all those people to return to what they were doing and let the real fans mourn.

Hide in the woods and let the real fans mourn.

Amy, I hope your soul finds the peace you never found in life, in death. You will be very, very missed. 

“We only said goodbye with words. I died a hundred times…”

Firstly, Judaism and Islam don’t believe marriage to be a sacrament but a legal contract that must be held up by both parties. Divorce is considered to be a mitzvah, a good deed rather than an awful failure because it means that two parties must recognize their differences and their shortcomings and therefore make the mature, responsible decision to get divorced. It’s a matter of equality in both religions, and certainly not one of “till death do us part.” One cannot be the best person they can be in a marriage that is not going well and it certainly doesn’t make any sense to live unhappily for the rest of one’s life. So divorce is encouraged in a way, a healthy way that is, but it’s followed by a “trial” period that’s extremely interesting in several ways.

Friends don’t let friends vote Republican. Irrelephant!

Once a week, Daily Intel takes a peek behind doors left slightly ajar. This week, the Sorority Girl With Breast Implants Making the Most of Her Open Relationship: female, college student/”sorority princess,” Morningside Heights, 22, straight, in an open relationship.