Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Tristan Taormino: "I am coming back."   I just spoke to her on the phone. Greensboro is on her calendar for April 21 or 20. She says UNCG students are raising the money, that matching funds may be available from companies in the "adult" industry, and that she will speak on-campus as a guest of the UNCG newspaper.   Her talk on feminism and porn deals with, she says, "my life as feminist pornographer."   "I want to offer an opinion and set of experiences that challenge the view that porn is always degrading and abusive of women. I disagree that porn can never be a tool for women, empowering for women." There will be no pornography included in her Greensboro talk, she says, although she does draw on her own experience in making two porn movies.   Taormino says that porn produced by women, reflecting women's sensibilities and enjoyed by women and couples, makes up a growing part of the product line for all the major porn producers. Pornography and sex toys are seen as part of a normal, healthy sex life by many people these days, she says, and they need to be discussed in those terms. "It's a myth that porn is only good for people without partners, jerking off in a dark room. But it's good for that too."   Taormino (below) says she has been told that campus groups and academic departments at UNCG were afraid to support her upcoming appearance, but that students have driven it forward. "These kids have tenacity."   3:01:52 PM    comment []

Liberal talk radio launches. Franken makes fun of O'Reilly, says satire is protected speech even if the object of the satire doesn't get it. Makes fun of Rush for being a dope fiend. Then my connection with the server bonks. They only got the streaming link up a few minutes before noon, no suprise they are ovewhelmed. Best feed seems to be at the Portland affiliate. 2:32:42 PM    comment []

Glenn Reynolds, one of the marksmen who has tried to shoot the messenger instead of discussing what it is that Richard Clarke actually has to say, now wants to ignore him. This morning's InstaPrediction: "Now that it's obvious that this story isn't moving the polls against Bush, it will fade from the radar screen." Yeah, nobody is going to pay attention to Condi Rice's testimony. Or Bush and Cheney talking to the commission. The White House preoccupation with Iraq prior to 9/11, the lessons to be learned from pre-9/11 terror policy...all just a partisan game. That's the ticket. Keep whistling, Glenn, you'll be past that graveyard soon. 9:04:09 AM    comment []

Steve MacLaughlin has a too-kind review of the crappy show that replaced Tony Kornheiser on ESPN radio. 8:52:48 AM    comment []

Liberal talk radio, available on the Internet, starting at noon today. Previous efforts hosted by Mario Cuomo and Alan Dershowitz flopped. This time, the libs at least have a clue and are going with entertainers behind the mic. 8:42:04 AM    comment []

Some students at UNCG want to bring Tristan Taormino back to town, and they're raising money for her fee with a "Free Tristan" benefit party, Saturday night from 8-12, at Phases Restaurant and Bar, 329 S. Tate St. Taormino's likely topic, according to the N&R: the feminization of porn. UPDATE: I just spoke to Taormino. The talk is on feminism and porn, as noted in the comments below. 8:27:17 AM    comment []