This was the single best piece of parenting and life advice I have ever received and my continuous reminder to take care of myself. Navigating multiple polyamorous partnerships requires a lot of time and effort but those relationships continuously fill my cup. It was thru one of those relationships that I was introduced to rope bondage, and with it a whole new world in the BDSM community.
Rope spoke to me in a way nothing had previously. The artistry, the physical challenge, the emotional connection it can foster. Being restrained was the first time in my life I could turn my brain off and just be in the moment, in my body. Learning to tie others was the most fantastic puzzle that continues to challenge me physically and mentally years later. It is a rare situation where I have never gotten bored, and boredom is ever present in my life as a human with ADHD. Balancing my kink life with my vanilla life as a working mother of two kids has me literally and figuratively pulled in multiple directions every day. Yet it is thru rope that I keep my cup full for the rest of the things in my life. Rope bondage has provided a unique emotionally connective experience with friends and partners alike. It is an expression of my creativity and an artistic outlet unlike any other.
Sculpture with the human body, a transient dynamic living piece of art. Expanding access to rope bondage for those who are traditionally not included due to body size and ability is this intersection between my professional life as a physical therapist and my personal life as a rigger that allows me to share my love of learning and teaching with other marginalized groups. Tying others, and being tied, has been a source of joy that has kept me happy and grounded and better able to show up in all other aspects of my life; as a parent, as a partner, and as a physical therapist.
I first learned about Lileet and her modeling interests when she started following me on Instagram. After looking over her IG @lileet_miriam I followed her back. Not long after the initial contact I decided to invite her to be photographed for The Vixen’s Series. Her response was brimming with enthusiasm and eager to set up a shoot date. She mentioned that she was going to be in Philadelphia for a party with her husband on 2-24-24. I thought that was a lucky number and suggested that we figure a way to shoot on that day before she went to the party. We settled on “the lucky date” and that she would be arriving at around 10:30am for hair & Makeup and to meet with KVaughn, creative director to discuss the photographic styling and flow of the two hour shoot.
The husband and wife of 12 years (impressive by most standards these days) took the 2 hour ride from their home in New York only to arrive a little early. I already had the coffee on and some snacks, but I didn’t expect a request for champagne. I guess Lileet and her husband knew this would be day worth celebrating. So I ran off to the nearby state store for a couple of bottles of Corbel. Bottles were popped and the mood was set. The champagne was finished by the end of the shoot. Everybody was in a good mood. KVaughn directed Tara through a medley of costume changes including personal items from her wardrobe like the corsets she loves to wear mixed in with some of KVaughn most eye popping fabrics. For the grand crescendo, KV would paste on blue costume jewels over her Tara’s spectacular naked torso! That was a tough shot to frame, just kidding!!
The sudden death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny while imprisoned in a penal colony has sent shockwaves around the world. Navalny’s wife has accused the Russian government of murdering the prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin. While the details are still emerging, there are several plausible reasons why the Kremlin may have wanted Navalny dead.
First and foremost, Navalny posed a political threat to Putin’s autocratic rule. As Russia’s most prominent opposition activist, Navalny uncovered high-level corruption and mobilized mass protests against the Putin regime. His imprisonment on trumped-up charges last year was widely seen as an attempt to silence him. But even from behind bars, Navalny remained a vocal critic, accusing Putin of amassing illicit wealth and calling for free and fair elections. His very existence challenged the authoritarian status quo.
Second, Navalny’s murder eliminates a potential future challenger to Putin. Recent constitutional changes allow Putin to stay in power until 2036, but Navalny made no secret of his own presidential ambitions. As a charismatic, anti-corruption campaigner with a large youth following, Navalny was seen by many as the one figure capable of ending Putin’s decades-long dominance. Taking him off the political chessboard removes a significant obstacle to Putin clinging to power indefinitely.
Additionally, Navalny’s death sends an ominous warning to other opposition voices inside Russia. The brazen killing of the country’s top dissident in state custody demonstrates the extremes to which Putin will go to maintain control and crush dissent. Other activists may now think twice before speaking out, wary of meeting a similar fate. The silencing of Navalny is aimed at consolidating the Kremlin’s authoritarian grip on power.
While Putin denies any involvement in Navalny’s death, it fits with a long history of political murders under his watch. From high-profile defectors to investigative journalists, many of the president’s ardent critics have turned up dead under suspicious circumstances. Navalny himself was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020 in an assassination attempt he blames on Putin. A state-sanctioned killing is certainly within the Russian security apparatus’s capabilities.
The full truth likely won’t emerge anytime soon, as the Kremlin moves swiftly to suppress an independent investigation. But the timing and circumstances of Navalny’s sudden demise raise serious questions about the Russian government’s culpability. By lethally silencing an opponent, Putin snuffs out a force for reform – and democracy itself becomes the next casualty.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has made headlines since her election to Congress in 2020 for her controversial and often extreme political stances. As a vocal supporter of former President Trump and his “Make America Great Again” movement, Greene has propagated disproven conspiracy theories, expressed racist and anti-Semitic views, and supported overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.
While Greene’s blond hair and brash speaking style may appeal to some of her supporters, her political positions and statements are deeply troubling. She has endorsed dangerous QAnon conspiracy theories, including the false claim that Democratic leaders are part of a satanic pedophile ring. Greene has also denied school shootings like the Sandy Hook massacre, harassed teenage survivors of school shootings, and trafficked in anti-Semitic tropes.
As an elected leader, Marjorie Taylor Greene has a responsibility to serve all her constituents, not just those who share her extreme ideological views. Her hateful rhetoric and endorsement of disinformation have no place in Congress. While she is entitled to her opinions, her false and discriminatory statements make her unfit for public office.
Rather than judging Greene’s questionable sex appeal, the media and public should focus on holding her accountable for her harmful words and actions. She was rightly stripped of her House committee assignments due to her past incendiary comments. Now her colleagues must continue to denounce her extremist stances and work to counteract her spread of misinformation.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s loyal followers may find her blond hair and aggressive tone appealing on a superficial level. But true leadership requires integrity, compassion and a commitment to facts – qualities sorely lacking in Greene. Her presence in Congress is a danger to vulnerable groups, democratic norms and the institution itself. We must look beyond the surface and examine the real harm Greene’s views have caused. Her place is not in making policy for the American people.
The notion that blonds have more fun is a longstanding stereotype in popular culture, but does this idea actually hold up under scrutiny? A deeper examination reveals the flawed assumptions and prejudices behind this superficial belief.
The idea propagates regressive gender norms by reducing women, especially blonds, to objects rather than whole persons. It implies fun is predicated on appearance and grants white blonds an elevated social status. However, people’s capacity for joy comes from within, not their hair color. Perpetuating this stereotype diminishes the diversity and depth of all women.
Additionally, blond hair has long been associated with whiteness, lightness and purity. The “fun” ascribed to blondness is intertwined with notions of privilege and racial bias. Positioning blondness as ideal excludes and marginalizes women of color. It also reduces blond women to a narrow, sexualized stereotype rather than acknowledging their full humanity.
The notion that blonds have more fun provides a useful illustration of how even playful stereotypes normalize prejudice. Taking a critical lens to this cultural trope reveals the need to challenge assumptions, reject biological essentialism and embrace the spectrum of human diversity. While hair color provides aesthetic variety, it gives no indication about a person’s character or capacity for joy.
This is an opinion piece so I will go easy. To understand my perspective you will have to learn a few things that are just truths within the black community. Colorism exists. Since we were enslaved individuals we were told and we watched as the Plantation master would treat the lighter skinned enslaved blacks better than the darker skinned enslaved blacks (in some cases they were his own children after he would rape his enslaved girls and women). This unfortunate “benefit” has been a mental barrier within our community although it does seem in some situations that companies and even ad agencies find lighter skinned blacks more palatable.
Another truth that you must know about some black men who grew up by a single black mother – I repeat “SOME” – become resentful towards their black mothers if their lives were troublesome when they were children. These men sometimes even turn against their entire community they didn’t have pleasant experience’s growing up in due to poverty, teasing, bullying etc.
Ok this one may be a bit controversial. Some of our black men who have experienced at least one of the aforementioned situations seem to be easily indoctrinated into the thinking differently then they may have been raised to think while attending black churches or by their low income earning black mothers. This seems to ring true if the black man has witnessed people who looked differently, acted differently as high income earners equating their value to their earring potential. With this way of thinking, that would mean that a disabled wise man with strong values who had dozens of children at his feet as he taught them life lessons, as worthless unless he found a way to monetize this simple kind act. While those of us who were taught that the value of a person is based on the content of his character.
All of these words are a prerequisite for you to understand how a man like Tim Scott (A Black Republican Senator From South Carolina) can “become”.
THE MENTOR
When Tim Scott was growing up he was raised by a single mother who was a nursing aide (under paid which is a proven and common issue within the black community) who had to work long hours So Tim was left alone often. He moved around a lot as a kid. When he was a teen he worked at a theatre. When he became hungry he would go to the local Chic- Filet and purchase fries to eat. The owner of the restaurant took notice of Tim and asked him why he would only buy fries and Tim told him “because they are cheaper”. One day after a few encounters the man went to the theater where Tim Scott worked and gave him a chicken sandwich.
Tim appreciated the generosity shown by the man and chose to accept the life lessons that this man would teach (the man passed away from a sudden heart attack while Tim was still in his teens)
Tim’s mentors name was John Moniz. He went on to teach Tim about Christian conservative values strongly expressing the importance of giving.
THE INDOCTRINATION
By teaching Tim that giving leads to receiving, Tim started to question his life. Maybe the reason that the people in his life didn’t have as much as his wealthy mentor was because they didn’t give enough. The mentor never mentioned to Tim how his mother was under paid for her job as a nurses aide which was a systemic problem. He also failed to mention that the hundreds of years that Blacks gave to the country free labor was what caused the country to be the super power that is today and most “conservatives” vote to make sure that their conservatism is mostly aimed towards restricting funds towards urban schools, unequal lending practices and so much more.
Although Tim was born to married parents who were together for the first 7 years of his life it is described that Tims parents were of the working class impoverished (Btw – there should be no such thing Tim Scott. If you work you should be able to live).
TIM SCOTT’S SOCIAL LIFE
I hate to say this is typical of a black man who has experienced the situations that I have discussed in paragraphs one and two because I hate implying that any group is a monolith- but it is walks like a duck…..
When these two factors meet up I have witnessed the black man tends to avoid dating black women. Maybe he tried and was shot down, maybe he feels “inadequate” (I’ve heard that one before). But as so many in the community have guessed, Tim Scott is now engaged to a woman who is not black. She is white like his mentor was.
So maybe a white woman will understand all that he has learned and will be a better partner because he now knows the secret to being successful in America? Well, no because just as much as I don’t like putting black men in a box I don’t like to with black women. You can find a black woman from all walks of life right here in America. To each their own I say.
Why am I writing about the ONLY black republican Senator, failed presidential candidate and seemingly a new pin cushion for Trump. I was posed the question- what does the black community think of Tim Scott.
I asked a prominent DJ of New York City his opinion on this matter and he simply said – he’s a sell out.
I’m not so sure it’s that simple. I believe there are several factors at play which I have listed.
But here is my overall opinion of Senator Tim Scott:
Come home Tim Scott – Come back to the love of your minority community. We know you may not have been treated well. We all have been bullied a little but we dusted ourselves off and “became”. Ok so you may not have the Barack Obama swagger, or the Denzel Essence nor the Edris Finesse. That doesn’t mean you are not loved. You are no longer that little poor boy who didn’t have money for a chic filet sandwich. We watched as you stood on stage behind Trump as he called you out just to humiliate you in New Hampshire. It will never stop. You deserve better my brother. Come home. We love you!
Sent from my iPhone