Interesting Links for 10-01-2015

[andrewducker]

• This is the unofficial brothel of CES
  (tags: sexwork LasVegas computers technology socialmedia USA )
• Russia bans transgender/transsexual people from driving
  (tags: lgbt Russia driving )
• What Happens to a Woman's Brain When She Becomes a Mother
  (tags: parenting brains hormones oxytocin )
• Clydebank man charged over drive-by potato attacks
  (tags:

Comments

[ext_2864067]

That thing with Russia is...deranged. Is Putin just deliberately trolling Western liberalism now?

[andrewducker]

I know!

It seems to come from "people with mental illnesses shouldn't be driving" + "gender dysphoria is a mental illness".

And is just plain ridiculous and awful.

[toothycat]

So, this is interesting.

If you read the actual piece of legislation here you will see on page 2 the list of conditions which are proscribed for driving.

Yeah, it's in Russian, but see those F01, F09 etc codes? Those refer to this WHO document

[steepholm]

One thing is that the problems with the WHO document, as with the DSM, are of long standing, and have been well known and campaigned against by trans people for years. This Russian law is new, and therefore news.

To be fair to the BBC the report doesn't say anything about gay people not being able to drive, though it does link the ban on trans people with the wider measures against homosexuality in Russia. Looking at the documents you mention, however (thanks for the links), you're right that the net does seem to be cast much more widely. The real intent behind the measures will probably only become apparent when we see who actually gets denied a licence: if trans people are denied but arachnaphobes or depressives are not, that'll be a clue.

There's already a pretty big clue that this has little to do with driving in that one group not covered are those with an addiction to alcohol or psychoactive substances.

[bart_calendar]

I've never understood the enduring popularity of Friends. Not only does it whitewash New York, every single episode has a homophobic joke in it. And then there is the Fat Monica bullshit.

[andrewducker]

Having rewatched it recently I really don't remember there being a homophobic joke in every single episode.

[bart_calendar]

Oh, there is. usually involving chandler, but also commonly involving ross and his lesbian ex.

Google are forcing people to have their contacts' birthdays in their calendar.

[drdoug]

Luckily I got in an disabled this when it was possible. Very annoying - I have shedloads of people in G+ Circles so there were birthdays most days from people I barely know but wanted to track professionally.

I have a rant brewing about how rubbish Hangouts is as an SMS app - part of which is it insisting the G+ contacts are more real than ones that have only phone numbers. Which means it suggests people I barely know (see above) in long lists ahead of people I text daily.

I am very close to deleting most of my G+ contacts to deal with this.

Re: Google are forcing people to have their contacts' birthdays in their calendar.

[andrewducker]

My simple answer to that was to use a different SMS app. Go SMS works well for me.

Oh, and it turns out that I can turn off the "Birthday" calendar from the calendar list on the left! Which I'm sure I couldn't last time I checked, so might be a reaction by Google to the criticism.

Re: Google are forcing people to have their contacts' birthdays in their calendar.

[threegoldfish]

I checked a half hour ago when I first read this article and I can't turn it of. >:(

Re: Google are forcing people to have their contacts' birthdays in their calendar.

[andrewducker]

On the left I have my calendar list - and I could turn it off there: