I have returned from my visit to Graham and because he has shared some goodies with me, that means I will in due course be sharing them with you.

Revisionist History? I was informed that for some unknown reason, archive.org (The Wayback Machine) is no longer allowing Pigtails’ posts to be archived. Without more information from that organization, the assumption here is that archive.org has bowed to political pressure to censor us at this point. Those wishing to protest and demand an intelligible explanation are encouraged to do so by emailing to  [email protected]. I have so far not even received a perfunctory response to my request for more information.

Absolutely Mortifying: When someone offers a lead on an artist, especially one who is living, I like to support these artists with a little publicity. I also assume that the person making the recommendation has some personal knowledge of the artist and can vouch for his legitimacy. On February 6, 2015, I produced a short post on Kye Tanson, a photographer featured in an Australia exhibition—an event that suggested that he was above board. I am mortified to learn that Mr. Tanson was in fact a confidence man who repeatedly took advantage of children. I am inclined in this environment of witch-hunting to question such charges. However, in this case, Mr. Tanson plead guilty to 60 counts of various sex offenses against children. Given these circumstances, I find it unlikely that this was a show trial as Mr. Tanson was not a well-known figure so politicians would not have made any political hay out of making an example of him. Under these conditions, I have decided to remove the Tanson post from public view. Although he does seem a competent photographer, I do not want Pigtails in Paint contributing to any further trauma of the subjects who may have modeled because of undue coercion. You can read more about Kye Tanson’s case here.

Conservative Extremists Are All Alike: This is bit of an older item but still worthy of note. An ultra-orthodox Jewish leader has reportedly banned girls aged five and up from riding bicycles, claiming it is ‘immodest’. The rabbi in question, of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Nahloat, issued the stringent decree to his followers in synagogues in the area. Read more here. This hearkens back to a time when bicycle-riding first became popular among women in the Unites States. Due to concerns about modesty, they were required to wear special bloomers or similar leggings to avoid accidentally showing a naked shin!

A Brave New World for Girls: In a recent commentary discussion, climber Selah Schneiter was mentioned. It is heartening to learn that very young girls continue to  make great strides in the arts and athletics. You can read more about Miss Schneiter here and here. Of particular interest in the commentary was the fact that however amazing a child’s accomplishments may be, the active presence and support of parents is an important contribution.