@jumpingpiglet: Shirley Jackson
@pmarble: You've clearly never dealt with an addict before. You can't make someone want to be healthy or clean by loving them, and the misconception that you can "fix" someone is not how it works in reality. I was married to an addict, and believe me, I did everything i could to try to love him back to health, and it was ultimately completely ineffective and only served to break my own heart. Sometimes what addicts really need is to be completely left alone.
@Erda: It's strangely similar to what happens when artists are addicted to drugs and don't feel their creative output will be the same if they pursue sobriety. Someone once told me that artists or musicians who are addicts frequently produce work IN SPITE of their addictions rather than because of them.
@GeorgeFayne: My mom read it last Christmas and would not stop complaining about how attrociously and impossibly untrue it sounded. She read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn immediately after as an intellectual antidote.
@itsonreserve: Actually, Tracie herself says it was a joke in this thread.
@schweppes: That's exactly what I thought, and it's just not really funny at the end of the day; in fact, i think it is treading on cruelty territory to tease this child about something she clearly can't help, especially if it's a medical or developemental issue. Adults are fair play; they've all given their consent to be chastised simply by signing reality show paperwork, but their children are a differnet story.
@little_librarian: "I would think that by the age of 6, one should not only be well on his/her way to reading, but also should have mastered speaking simple sentences."
You don't think that's mean or derogatory?
These things usually make me laugh. This one did not. It's nasty, and a lot of the nastiness is aimed at A SIX YEAR OLD LITTLE GIRL, which kind of disolves the humor for me. A kid's speech impediment and hair cut are not fair fucking play. Ever.
@Zombie Ms. Skittles: I don't know. I read Justine on the treadmill, haha.
@Zombie Ms. Skittles: I think you are misconstruing the definition of "romantic novel." There is no inherent promise of "sweetness" in romantic literature. It doesn't even necessarily have to be about "Love." The term is more closely aligned with issues of passion, be they tragic or charming. WH is about as romantic as a novel can get. It is about romantic destitution, impossibility, torture, and death stemming from the inability to unite. I don't understand why this is so difficult to classify or understand.
No no no no no. These are women that have to keep up with whomever they are entertaining, frequently drinking until they vomit or are vomited on. The entire purpose of the hostess is to get clients to consume as much alcohol as possible with the goal of driving up the tab for the bar's over-priced drinks. What do you think happens when these young women accept drunkeness as an aspect of the job description??? They are also many times expected to develop private relationships with their top clients outside of the bar. It is dangerous, especially for those hostesses who are not Japanese and do not speak the language. These are not only the American women who go to Japan with the intention of modeling, but also women from other Asian countries who are brought in essentially under the basic tenants of indentured servitude. No. Not good.
I'm confused- is this about journalism, or is this about poetry/literature?? Because there is a difference that should be recognized. Much of Plath's work is "confessional," not the least of which being The Bell Jar. The interesting thing about comparing biography with literature is that it gives the reader a chance to look through a writer's window, to see how truth is invariably translated into fantasm by vehicle of distance and memory. It makes me think of Jean Rhys, whose work, aside from Wide Sargasso Sea, is almost inarguably "confessional." Does her recognition of her own misery and "doormat" status negate the value of her work? I personally don't think so- her work is art of the highest order. There are certain readers of both genders in the world who like crap. I don't want to read about someone's Bad Mommy anxiety in the newspaper, but I also don't want to read Brigette Jones' Diary...
@BabyJane: Whooooooooo? Whooooooooooooo?
@clevernamehere: In the last 20 years, there have been under 20 instances of HIV infection within the porn industry. An accurate result can be obtained within 30 days. The majority of the infections that occur are in what are referred to as "crossover" performers- men that engage in both gay and straight sex.For the amount of unprotected industry fucking that has gone on in 20 years, I would say that AIM is doing a pretty decent job. It is not perfect, obviously, but it is not as dire and unregulated as people here seem to think.
@Hana Maru: Actually it IS mandatory. You have to present a paper that lists your test results as being negative for the last 30 days, and you have to show an id so that they can name match because performers rarely use their own names. This was all instituted via AIM during the first wave AIDS crisis. AIM has a more comprehensive data base than any other in existance, and there is an industry wide understanding that if you don't show your results, you don't work. Those with questionable status are put on a quaranteen list and are unable to work until a test proves that they are negative.
@Cole23: Actually, the porn industry does somewhat vigorously monitor for CERTAIN diseases, I believe that AIM (started by ex-porn actress Sharon Mitchell) tests every 30 days for HIV, clamydia, and gonnerea. Certain infections, however, are absolutely rampant, one figure I have read stated that 4 out of 5 performers test positive for Herpes.
The problem that the industry is currently facing is that there was an unscrupulous director who allowed a woman to work although her HIV test was 6 days overdue. Testing is pretty precise now, and HIV can be detected much sooner than the 3-6 month time perios that used to be considered standard.
The problem with pornography at this point is that it has escalated to UNREAL levels of violence against the women who earn their livings as adult actresses. When women are being throat fucked until they vomit, triple penetrated, asked to drink piss (both their own and others), their safety is on the lowest rung of concern. Wicked video specilizes in what;s called "couples" videos- they are not made for typical consumers of pornography. At the moment, gonzo porn is what's really profitable, and it usually involves bukake, creampies, cum in the face or mouth...
The problem that the industry is currently facing is that there was an unscrupulous director who allowed a woman to work although her HIV test was 6 days overdue. Testing is pretty precise now, and HIV can be detected much sooner than the 3-6 month time perios that used to be considered standard.
The problem with pornography at this point is that it has escalated to UNREAL levels of violence against the women who earn their livings as adult actresses. When women are being throat fucked until they vomit, triple penetrated, asked to drink piss (both their own and others), their safety is on the lowest rung of concern. Wicked video specilizes in what;s called "couples" videos- they are not made for typical consumers of pornography. At the moment, gonzo porn is what's really profitable, and it usually involves bukake, creampies, cum in the face or mouth...
She most likely does not set foot into any of these stores she owes money to. I'm sure she has someone running around getting garments on approval for her, in which case whoever is doing her shopping is probably asking for one of EVERYTHING to bring back to her. It sounds like she just didn't return the things she wasnt going to use. Sales people get all googlie eyed at the prospect of a Saudi client and will generally do anything in order to try to get a huge sale...
I know a guy who just sold a piece of computer equipment on Craigslist and ended up getting a money order in the mail. The money order was for $3000, but the part was only $300. My friend called the buyer, who dismissed the issue as an assistant's administrative error and requested that my friend deposit the money order in his account and wire the balance back to the seller. The bank confirmed that the money order was legitimate, and my friend returned the extra $2,700 to the buyer. Fast forward 3 weeks, the money order was fraudulent, and my friend owes the bank 3 grand. Sneaky!
@nessalicious: yeah, i met him with renzo rossi a few years ago. definitely him.
@nessalicious: Sorry, it is him. I have met him.
