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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011803177_pf.html
Author's Brand Of Christianity Strikes a Chord With Young Adults
By Kelli Kennedy
Associated Press
Saturday, January 19, 2008; B08
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Donald Miller still loves God and Jesus. Don'tmisunderstand him.
His problem is with Christianity, at least how it's often practiced.
"It's a dangerous term, so I try to avoid it," said Miller, who consideredgiving up his career as a Christian writer and leaving the church in 2003because he couldn't attend services without getting angry.
For him, the word conjured up conservative politics, suburban consumerismand an "insensitivity to people who aren't like us."
To quell his rage, he banged out a memoir of his experiences with God,stripped of the trappings of religion.
"Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality" sold justenough to pay a few months' rent. Then
more . . . . .
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washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/16/AR2008011603127_pf.html
Date Lab
Your Date Chatting Up A Gaggle Of Girls? Not A Good Sign.
Sunday, January 20, 2008; W06
7:30 p.m., Rice, Logan Circle
Bob: I drove to the restaurant, and a server took me over to a table whereMichael was already sitting. In the gay world, everybody knows everybody. Helooked familiar. I've seen him around. He's attractive, but [he has] thiswhole aura [of] your basic white guy. I go for a more ethnic or foreignlook.
Michael: He was a nice-looking guy, a little bit bigger than me, which iswhat I tend to like. He's not drop-dead gorgeous, but most people aren't --and that's a good thing in my book. We started talking about Date Lab andhow it just seemed worth a shot. Bob: He did most of the talking. I let himgo. He had lots of different stories about his dating life. Sometimes morethan I wanted to know -- a little bit too much information.
Michael: My stories were about relationships, just complicatedrelationships. What led us down that path was that we know somebody incommon; that person was actually involved with somebody that I was involvedwith. It was like, "You know John? Yeah, I know John, too, but this is why."I'm generally not very shy about things.
Bob: We didn't laugh much. [We didn't have] much in common. He works inIT -- it's not anything that I connect with at all. He was giving off vibesof being uncomfortable with his appearance, saying that he wasn'tcomfortable with his haircut, that he felt he was overweight.
Michael: He cleaned his plate, and I didn't, and he made some comment. Ijust said I haven't hit the gym as much lately, and so I'm watching what I'meating. On a physical level, I got the impression that I was not for him. Hewas talking about someone he dated in the past who was bigger and more builtthan I am, and he really seemed to like that. I was like, Hmm, that doesn'tsound like me.
more . . . . .
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Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-fv19weboffersbjan19,0,528,print.story
Religious Web site: mychurch.org
January 19, 2008
mychurch.org
MyChurch follows the community-gathering model of MySpace and Facebook butwith a specific audience - Christian congregations. More than 13,000churches have joined. Each church's page may contain basic contact andservice information, which isn't much different than what you'd find on achurch's Web site. What makes MyChurch unique is the ability for ministrystaff and congregation members to blog and post among themselves and withother Christians in the MyChurch network. Recent discussions includedconcerns over increasing Hinduism influence in the United States, how totreat gay family members with Christlike compassion, and the differentcultural renderings of the image of Jesus. Not all of the discussions aretheological; you'll also find recipes, benign chatter about family andfriends, and reviews of books, movies and music.
The Dallas Morning News
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365Gay.Com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
--
Gay Marriage Supporter Kucinich Denied Spot On Texas Ballot
(Washington) The Supreme Court on Friday allowed Texas to print presidentialprimary ballots without Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich's name.
--
Bloomberg Meets With Ballot Expert
(Austin Texas) New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg met Friday with the ballotaccess expert and campaign manager for H. Ross Perot's third-partypresidential bid, a sign of the multibillionaire's seriousness about apossible independent run.
--
Elderly Gay Man First Miami Murder Of 2008
(Miami, Florida) Miami-Dade police are searching for a 20-year old man inconnection with the murder of an elderly gay man who had taken him into hishome.
--
Swedish Police Investigate Serial Attacks On Gays
(Stockholm) A Stockholm man is under arrest for the murder of one gay man,the attempted murder of another and could be implicated on other recentattacks on gays.
--
Domestic Partner Bill Revived In New Mexico
(Santa Fe, New Mexico) A domestic partner bill that died in the New Mexicolegislature this spring has been revived at the prodding of Gov. BillRichardson (D).
--
Illinois County Accused Of Thwarting TS Name Change
(Springfield, Illinois) The Illinois Supreme Court has been asked to compela county court to follow state law and allow a low-income transgender womanwith the means of changing her name.
--
Iowa Court Affirms Gay Co-Adoptions
(Des Moines, Iowa) The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that a lesbian'sadoption of her partner's children was legal.
--
AIDS Experts Ponder Shifting Money To Other Health Issues
(London) In the two decades since AIDS began sweeping the globe, it hasoften been labeled as the biggest threat to international health.
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Advocate.com
http://www.advocate.com/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
--
Rapist Who Preyed on Men Gets 99 Years
A man convicted this week of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy atgunpoint was sentenced to 99 years in prison Thursday after he apologizedfor that attack and the rapes of four other young men.
for president ''is that her husband messed around.''
--
Cleveland Diocese Discourages Anonymous Sex Abuse Reports
The Roman Catholic diocese of Cleveland is discouraging its employees andvolunteers from making anonymous reports of sexual abuse of minors, a policychange that appears to be unique among U.S. dioceses and has outraged churchwatchdogs. However, it has the support of the local prosecutor's office.
--
Bloomberg Tax Cut Could Help Any '08 Run
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg keeps saying he's not a presidentialcandidate, but analysts are calling his new plan to extend a $1 billionproperty tax cut a shrewd political move if he does make a bid for the OvalOffice.
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RESEARCHER ON LGBT RIGHTS
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program
(New York Office)
Deadline for applications: February 25, 2008
Description: HRW's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender ("LGBT") RightsProgram is seeking a Researcher. The Researcher will focus on human rightsabuses related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expressionworldwide. The Researcher will work under the supervision of the Director ofthe LGBT Rights Program, who will provide guidance on the choice of researchand advocacy projects. The Researcher will also coordinate research andadvocacy plans with the HRW thematic and regional divisions. S/he will beresponsible for ongoing research and advocacy efforts, play an importantrole in developing strategies for dealing with human rights issues relatedto sexuality and sexual rights, and contribute to policy development in thisarea. A particular though not exclusive focus of the position may beresearching gender-based abuses, including against lesbian and bisexualwomen and abuses related to gender identity, and experience in this realm ishighly desirable. S/he will carry out fact-finding missions to targetcountries; write and publicize reports on findings; develop advocacystrategies; present human rights concerns to governments, intergovernmentaland nongovernmental organizations, and the media; and write news releases,articles, op-eds, and position papers. S/he will help create and maintainpartnerships with NGOs working on sexual rights and will follow media andother reports on human rights abuses based on sexual orientation or genderidentity or expression. S/he may also be responsible for editing, speaking,and representing the LGBT Program in conferences and other meetings, alongwith related tasks. The Researcher will be based preferably in HRW's NewYork headquarters, although other locations may be considered.
Qualifications: An advanced degree in law, public health, internationalrelations, women's or gender studies, or a related field, and two to threeyears of experience in human rights, with a preferred emphasis in LGBTrights, women's rights, gender and sexual rights, or a closely related area,are required. Candidates must have research experience and advocacy skillsand should have good interviewing skills; field experience in public healthor human rights is strongly desirable, as is demonstrated experience workingwith sexual minorities and LGBT communities. Experience working with issuesof gender identity and expression is highly desired. Excellent oral andwritten communications skills in English are required, and oral and writtenproficiency in another language is highly desirable. Candidates should behighly motivated and well-organized; able to work quickly and well underpressure, both independently and as a member of a team; juggle multipletasks and meet tight deadlines; and demonstrate a commitment tointernational human rights.
Salary and Benefits: Human Rights Watch seeks exceptional applicants andoffers competitive compensation and generous employer-paid benefits. HRWwill pay reasonable relocation expenses and will assist employees inobtaining necessary U.S. work authorization, if required; non-US citizensare encouraged to apply.
PLEASE APPLY IMMEDIATELY (no calls or email inquiries, please) by emailingtogether a letter of interest, resume, names or letters of reference, and abrief writing sample (unedited by others) no later than February 25, 2008to lgbt@hrw.org. Please use "LGBT Researcher Application" as the subject ofyour email. Only complete applications will be reviewed. It is preferredthat all materials be submitted via email. If emailing is not possible,send materials (please do not split a submission between email and regularpost) to:
Human Rights Watch
Attn: Search Committee (LGBT Researcher)
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Scott Long
Director
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY USA 10118
Tel. +01 (212) 216-1297
Fax +01 (212) 216-1876
E-mail: longs@hrw.org
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The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2243272,00.html
Face to faith
The Church of England's gay crisis makes clear that that liberal Anglicanismis finished, says Theo Hobson
Theo Hobson
Saturday January 19, 2008
This year Anglicanism will define itself with new clarity - theonce-a-decade Lambeth conference will confirm the anti-liberal mood of thelast five years. The humiliation of liberal Anglicanism will be complete.Its demand for equality for homosexuals has been thrown out in the mostdecisive possible way.
I think it's time to admit that the tradition of liberal Anglicanism isfinished. Those Anglicans who carry on calling for an "inclusive church"are relics of a previous era. They should face the fact that the religiouslandscape has changed utterly. Liberal Anglicanism has become oxymoronic.For the first time this church has defined itself in opposition toliberalism, taking a decisively reactionary stance on a crucial moral issue.
An institution that discriminates against homosexuals is without moralcredibility - and moral credibility is rather important in religion.Furthermore, it contravenes the spirit of Jesus's teaching. His commandment"Judge not" could almost have been invented for the problem ofhomosexuality, which most straight people find challenging on some level,but must learn not to condemn. Tolerance seems the only moral response, anda rule against gay priests obviously falls short of tolerance. Itinstitutionalises prejudice.
But surely, says the liberal Anglican, this can change. Surely thechurch can change its mind, reject its homophobic tendency, and regain itsmoral authority? I don't think so. The problem goes far deeper than thecampaigners for an "inclusive church" seem to understand. In fact the gayissue highlights the authoritarianism intrinsic to the very concept of thechurch.
According to the liberal lobby, the church must return to its naturalliberalism, derailed by the rise of homophobic theology in the 1990s. Butthis is naïve. What actually happened in the 1990s is that the church'sofficial teaching (no sex outside marriage) was tightened. So what theliberals actually want is a break with the entire tradition of the church inrespect of its teaching on sexual morality. This amounts to a revolution,for churches have always issued moral rules about sex. To say the churchshould withdraw from sexual moralism is to jeopardise its entire claim toauthority. However, the liberal Anglicans cannot admit that this is what isgoing on.
The liberal Anglican priest (let's call him Father Giles) is bitterlycritical of the church's collusion in homophobia. But he fully believes inthe authority of the church, and his own authority. He affirms the right ofthe church to define orthodoxy: the doctrine of the Trinity, for example, isdecided by the corporate mind of the church. Likewise a true sacrament issomething authorised by the institution. He claims to have authority byvirtue of having been ordained into the church. Christianity is not asubjective free-for-all, he insists: it is a communal, traditional thing,with rules.
Yet when the church claims authority to rule on sexual morality his tunechanges. This aspect of its teaching is mistaken, he says, and amounts to abetrayal of the Gospel. The problem is that this tradition of sexualmoralism is part of the traditional authority of the church, which FatherGiles claims to affirm. In other words, he accepts the authority of thechurch when it suits him and rejects it when it does not.
In my opinion, the gay crisis shakes the foundations of ecclesiology.Organised religion has always been authoritarian, in calling certain moralrules God's will, in saying that moral and doctrinal orthodoxy must beupheld. As I see it, Christianity rejects this; it dispenses with the moral"law". It claims, scandalously, that God wills a new freedom - from "holymorality", from the bossy legalism inherent in religious institutionalism.Liberal Christians should be truly liberal, and see that the concept of anauthoritative church has had its day - that God calls us to something new.
=
Gay & Lesbian Leadership
SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
--
Poll: Most Marylanders want gay unions recognized
More than half of likely voters in Maryland favor some form of legalizedunions for gay and lesbian couples, according to a Baltimore Sun poll. Thesurvey found 39% in support of civil unions and 19% who backed equalmarriage rights. Another 31% opposed any type of legal union, with only halfof those opponents backing a constitutional marriage ban. The Sun
(Baltimore) (free registration) (1/17)
--
HRC not taking chances with Fla. marriage ban
The Human Rights Campaign has begun preparing volunteers in Florida for thefight against a proposed marriage ban, even though the measure's backersneed to collect 20,000 additional signatures by Feb. 1 to qualify for theNovember ballot. "The last thing we should do in this moment is change ourcampaign in any way," said HRC President Joe Solmonese. Orlando Sentinel
(Fla.) (1/16)
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Groups: Protesters using marriage as a "wedge issue"
Marriage-rights activists in Iowa say a "prayer walk" to lobby lawmakers fora marriage ban is a misguided effort to sway the state's Supreme Court,which is reviewing a marriage case, and to draw voters to the polls inNovember, according to this article. "It's a wedge issue," said out stateSen. Matt McCoy. "It's no different than abortion or the death penalty. Theyview this as an opening and if they can get their wedge in, they're going touse it." The Des Moines Register (Iowa) (1/16)
--
Filing: D.C. lesbian activist accused of perjury as part of ex-staffer'slawsuit against DNC
Washington Blade (1/17)
--
Learn to run a winning campaign!
The Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute is bringing its renowned Candidate &Campaign Training to Charlotte, NC. Join us Feb. 21 to 24 to learn how tobuild a winning campaign. Whether you're running as openly LGBT or workingon a campaign, our training will provide you with the tools you need forsuccess. Click here to learn more and apply by Jan. 28.
--
Editorial: LGBT workers deserve protection from bias on the job
The Salt Lake Tribune is applauding the effort of out state Rep. ChristineJohnson for proposing a measure to protect LGBT workers from jobdiscrimination, although the paper acknowledges the uphill battle in passingsuch a bill. "Utah law should not tolerate these people living in fear oflosing their livelihood if they are honest about who they are," the paperwrites. The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah) (1/15)
--
Column: Marriage, unions should be legally the same
High courts in Connecticut and California, which are both reviewing marriagerights cases, should decide them in such a way to put marriages and civilunions on "equal legal footing" in their states, as well as others trying toaddress the issue, according to Hillel Y. Levin, a Stanford Law Fellow andinstructor at Stanford Law School. "These courts could set the course forfuture development of the law and simultaneously help thousands of committedcouples throughout the country begin to understand their legal status,"Levin writes. The Hartford Courant (Conn.) (1/15)
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Blogger: Top Democrats sidestep military ban in debate
When given the chance to educate voters on the connection between ending themilitary ban and the Solomon Amendment, which prohibits colleges anduniversities receiving federal funding from barring military recruiters,during a debate on Tuesday, all three of the top Democratic candidates optedto take the easy way out and back the amendment, according to blogger DanielKoffler. "By agreeing to enforce the Solomon Amendment, all three of themgave their assent to a policy whose only goal and only achievement is theperpetuation of discrimination against gay men and women," he writes. TheGuardian (London) (1/17)
=
To Form a More Perfect Union: Marriage Equality News
Information, news, and discussion about the legal recognition of same-sex
couples and their families, including marriages, domestic partnerships,
civil unions, adoptions, foster children and similar issues.
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
--
The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the right of a Polk County woman to seekcustody of the children from the relationship she had with another woman.
The two women, Jamie Lee Schott and Heather Joye Schott, began theirrelationship in the summer of 2000. At that time Jamie and her son Calebmoved in with Heather and in November of 2001, Heather adopted Caleb. Thedistrict court ruled that Heather's adoptions of the children were contraryto Iowa's adoption statute and invalid. The court did not recognize thecouple's marriage and said that Jamie's parental rights would have to beterminated before Heather could adopt the children. The Iowa Supreme Courtruled that Heather and Jamie where the children's legal parents and thedistrict court was wrong to declare the adoptions invalid. The High Courtsays since the adoptions were valid, the district court has jurisdiction todecide the custody and support issues, and sent the case back to thedistrict court.
--
Utah has the biggest percent increase of declared same-sex couples of anystate, according to a study from the University of California in LosAngeles. So, is the gay population growing? Are more gays moving to Utah?
Or are now more gay couples openly declaring their lifestyles, rather thanhiding it behind closed doors? The study shows that the states with big increases in declared same-sex couples, are states that had constitutional amendments or initiativesbanning gay marriage.
***
Utah politics.. In 2004 the Utah State legislature passed an amendment thatbanned gay marriage in the state. This amendment didn't bring morehomosexuals to the state, it just made the ones who were already living heremore politically active.
***
Tyler and Mark have been a same-sex couple for a long time. They are alsopartners in Rainbow Mountain Realty. In addition to their businessactivities, they are also politically active.
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
--
A New 'Gay Disease'?
The headlines this week about a new "gay" infection were dramatic.
FLESH-EATING BUG SPREADS AMONG GAYS, said one Australian newspaper,referring to a study about an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infectionaffecting homosexual men in San Francisco and other American cities.
EPIDEMIC FEARED--GAYS MAY SPREAD DEADLY STAPH INFECTION TO GENERALPOPULATION, shouted a press release from the Concerned Women for America, aconservative public-policy group.
--
Transgender Play's Strictly Personal
Performance artist Scott Turner Schofield came out twice, first at 16 as alesbian when he was named Katie. ''I thought I was a girl and I liked girls,so I must be a lesbian,'' Schofield recalled.Three years later, Schofieldcame across a man whooping it up in a lesbian bar.
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Rufus Wainwright: Live at Carnegie Hall
She was addicted to pills, married many times, sang her wrung heart out,died tragically and even, arguably, bequeathed us, via her most famous filmrole as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, the rainbow flag. It is no surprisethen that Wainwright, one of music's best known gay men, might want tolionise Judy Garland, the ultimate gay icon. One initially wondered if hewould tip this exercise - a recreation of Garland's legendary 1961 concertat Carnegie Hall - into camp joke territory and play it, and her, forlaughs. But no. This is a beautiful, respectful performance, supported by a36-piece orchestra. Wainwright and the musical director and conductorStephen Oremus reimagine Garland's standards with vivid originality. ComeRain or Come Shine is sung at a gallop, Wainwright's voice insistently arch.Went the Strings of My Heart is faster still, with couplets tripping tipsilyon to one another.
--
Rapist Who Preyed on Men Gets 99 Years
A man convicted this week of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy atgunpoint was sentenced to 99 years in prison Thursday after he apologizedfor that attack and the rapes of four other young men. In a writtenstatement read in court, Keith Hill also said he decided to assault menrather than women because ''it would be less hard on them.'' Hill, 20, wasconvicted Tuesday of assaulting one of five young men he had confessed toraping during an eight-month spree in 2006 in Baytown, Texas.
--
Women and HIV
In much of the world, HIV/AIDS has for a long time been seen as a problemthat affects men, specifically gay men, and as a result of thispreconception, the harm that it does to women around the world has beenlargely overlooked. Yet today nearly half of all adults living with HIVaround the world are women. Around 76 per cent of women living with HIV arein sub-Saharan Africa. Among young people living with HIV in this region,three in every four are female.
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Nudity, Scandal, Men in Kilts and Gay Clubs
It comes with the conjugal territory that you sometimes find yourself signedup to a joint enterprise that you would never in your life have agreed to asan independent person of sound mind. This week, my other half and Itravelled from our home in St Andrews to Farmers' and Fletchers' Hall in theCity of London to deliver, respectively, the toast to the Lassies and theresponse to the toast to the Lassies at a Burns Supper.
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1919 Newport Sting Targeted Gay Sailors, Ended in Scandal
The first national gay sex scandal was instigated in Newport in early 1919,by a sailor with an ear for gossip and a hatred for homosexuals.Before itended, the scandal had blazed in headlines across America, embarrassedfuture President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and led to FDR suing TheProvidence Journal.
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Gay Teen is the Hero of 'Bible'
Comedy about Dairy Queen worker staged with indelible joy and affectionJohnny Roy Hobson is back. Thank the Lone Star for that. We first met Johnnylast year in Arizona Onstage's production of "Talk of the Town." PaulBonin-Rodriguez wrote a series of plays about Johnny's adventures; there arefive in the cycle, and Arizona Onstage says it hopes to produce them all. In"The Bible Belt . . . and Other Accessories,"Johnny continues his storyabout being a gay teenager working at a Dairy Queen in a small Texas town.
--
Adamo Ruggero, Who Plays Marco Del Rossi on Degrassi: The Next Generation,
Comes Out on Cover of Fab Magazine
On the cover of the Wed. Jan. 23 issue of fab magazine, Toronto's gay scenebiweekly, Adamo Ruggiero, who plays Marco Del Rossi on Degrassi: The NextGeneration, comes out as gay.
In a feature-length interview, the 21-year-old actor tells writer NelsonBranco about playing a gay character while he was still struggling with hisown sexuality.
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Gay Families Seek Liftingof Adoption Restrictions
When Merrilee Bowser came out as a lesbian eight years ago, she worriedabout how people would react.
But she found acceptance - "only nice people" - and today is comfortablebeing open about her "two-moms family." "Yeah, we get looked at but we lookat people, too," said Bowser, 27, who has been with partner Summer Bowserfor six years. "It is becoming more open for people and people are morecomfortable."
--
Let's Unite Behind Hillary
The race is on. With a Barack Obama win in Iowa and a Hillary Clinton win inNew Hampshire, it is clear that both candidates have a base of support andthe money to go on through the Feb. 5 primaries.
But after New Hampshire I am more convinced than ever that Clinton cannotonly win the presidency, but that she will go down in history as one of ourgreatest presidents.
--
Free Speech in Popular Music to be Discussed at Forum
An emerging media entity on the Caribbean/New York landscape, ZYNC-TV, willexamine the boundaries of free speech in today's popular music culture, at aspecially arranged forum at the Grand Army Plaza branch of the BrooklynPublic Library (Eastern Parkway/Flatbush Avenue), in central Brooklyn, onFebruary 7, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
--
Creating Change Offers Powerhouse of Speakers
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced a powerhouse lineup ofkeynote speakers appearing at its National Conference on LGBT Equality:Creating Change, Feb. 6-10 in Detroit. Two thousand lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender (LGBT) rights advocates will converge on the Motor City justone day after Super Tuesday, to strategize and organize for the criticalyear head.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Saturday, January 19, 2008
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST January 19, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011803722_pf.html
Band of Scouting Misfits Attains Eagle Ranking
Achievement of 11 Teens Is Called Unprecedented
By Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 19, 2008; A01
The boys called themselves the Viking Patrol. The scoutmasters called thembabies.
As Cub Scouts, they were so wild that the exasperated leaders insisted thattheir parents attend the meetings to keep things from getting out of hand.Their first hike as Boy Scouts became notable for the "strike" when the boyslay down side by side on an easy trail and refused to go on after havingcovered about the length of the Mall.
But something happened to these 11 whiny, quick-to-say-quit goofballs fromBoy Scout Troop 681 in Falls Church. It happened somewhere along the waybetween pinewood derbies and knot-tying in the Scout House, the log cabinwhere the group met three times a month under the glassy eyes of a stuffedmoose. And it happened on 50-mile hikes and canoe trips, under the watch ofscoutmasters such as the retired lieutenant colonel who spun war stories andtaught them how to set up an L-shaped ambush, Ranger-style.
Somehow, this bunch of undisciplined suburban kids grew into a closely knitcrew of slyly ironic, decent, responsible young men whose proudestachievement was a 90-mile hike in the mountains of New Mexico. Now all 11members of the Viking Patrol, one of 10 patrols that make up the troop, havemade it to the rank of Eagle Scout -- a feat that national, regional andlocal Scouting leaders believe is unprecedented.
Perhaps no one was more surprised than the boys.
more . . . . .
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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011802936_pf.html
What Would Jesus Tax?
By David Madland
From the Center for American Progress
Saturday, January 19, 2008; 12:00 AM
As Mike Huckabee's presidential candidacy gains momentum, winning the Iowacaucus and now in the running to win Saturday's South Carolina primary, themedia has primarily focused on his ability to generate support among whiteevangelical Christians based on his conservative positions on social issues,such as his opposition to abortion and to civil unions for gay couples. Thisstandard story line misses the former Baptist minister's ability to speak tothe economic concerns of evangelical voters and glosses over the growingdivide in the conservative movement between social and economicconservatives.
Conservatives have won electoral gains over the past thirty years bycourting an uneasy, yet effective fusion of right-to-life socialconservatives with economic conservatives who support tax cuts and a reducedgovernment safety net for the needy. For thirty years, the differencesbetween these two factions have largely been masked, with many observersassuming that socially conservative white evangelicals actually support aconservative economic agenda.
Not all of Huckabee's economic views, of course, are progressive. Hesupports, for example, a regressive consumption tax that would seriouslyempty the wallets of many low- and middle-income white evangelicals he isnow courting on the campaign trail. ¿ Still, Huckabee is running againstthe standard conservative line on the economy. He argues that conservativesneed to "quit being a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wall Street ¿ or elsewe're not going to win another election for a generation." He has supportedincreasing the minimum wage and expanding health insurance to morechildren¿positions that put him at odds with traditional economicconservatives.
While commentators have increasingly noted Huckabee's economic views, fewhave linked his message with his ability to win white evangelical voters ornoted what this may mean for the future of the conservative movement. Sincethe emergence of the Religious Right as a defining voice in the conservativemovement in the late 1970s, most evangelical leaders (with some notableexceptions like Jim Wallis) have generally supported cutting taxes andreducing government services.
Most Christian Right leaders, observes Michael Lienesch, a professor ofPolitical Science at the University of North Carolina, "combine conservativeeconomics and conservative religion in a multiplicity of ways, so that inthe end the two are almost indistinguishable."
more . . . . .
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Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-fvuuasbjan19,0,6839324,print.story
Liberal church expands
By Steve Schmadeke
Chicago Tribune
January 19, 2008
CHICAGO
As a melting-pot faith that holds no creed and welcomes all comers, theUnitarian Universalist church hasn't always seen much need to evangelize.
But as the atheists, Christians, humanists and Buddhists in its pews growolder, and with the church growing only at a trickle, Unitarians areexperimenting.
The Boston-based Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations lastyear launched its first national advertising campaign. In another first, thechurch has sponsored an ad appearing in the programs given to collegefootball fans at 13 bowl games.
The church also has dramatically expanded its number of campus ministriesfrom a handful to more than 200, said the Rev. William Sinkford, associationpresident.
"We have allowed this wonderful faith community to be the best-kept secretin town for too long," Sinkford said. "We have come to understand that we'recalled to make Universal Unitarianism available to those yearning for aliberal religious home."
more . . . . .
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Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/19/clinton_losing_support_among_blacks_poll_says/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOK
Clinton losing support among blacks, poll says
January 19, 2008
Hillary Clinton's support among black Democrats has cratered as racialpolitics emerged in the nomination fight and as Barack Obama's stock hasrisen, a new nationwide poll suggested yesterday.
Clinton trails Obama by 59 percent to 31 percent among African-Americans,according to the CNN/Opinion Research Poll. In October, Clinton led 57percent to 31 percent. Since then, Obama, who is seeking to become the firstblack president, won the Iowa caucuses and he and Clinton have emerged asthe front-runners for the Democratic nomination.
Clinton has been criticized in the last week by some African-Americanleaders for remarks they perceived as diminishing the accomplishments ofMartin Luther King Jr. She has sought to mend fences in recent days, and sheand Obama called a truce during a debate on Tuesday night.
The poll did not find significant gaps among black Democrats on whetherClinton or Obama better understands the problems of blacks, or whetherblacks would be better off if either were president.
Among all Democrats, Clinton still leads 42 percent to Obama's 33 percent,according to the CNN poll. John Edwards had 17 percent, and Dennis Kucinich3 percent.
more . . . . .
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Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/19/sc_may_set_future_for_gop_candidates/
SC may set future for GOP candidates
By Laurie Kellman, Associated Press Writer | January 19, 2008
WASHINGTON --Voters in two states a continent apart were choosing Saturdayamong Republican and Democratic candidates for president in contestsshadowed by racial politics and the threat of recession.
No front-runner had emerged in either party as South Carolina's Republicansheaded for the polls and Nevadans of both parties prepared for the noveltyof caucuses.
Polls in South Carolina opened Saturday at 7 a.m. with many areas seeingrain coming down. A poll manager in Mount Pleasant said it would bedifficult to predict what the inclement weather would do to voter turnout.In the northern reaches of the state up to three inches of snow wasforecast, which threatened to slow the region to a crawl.
"My friends, these are challenging times," John McCain told supportersFriday while aboard a World War II aircraft carrier in Charleston's harbor.He was referring to the slumping economy, but he could have been talkingabout the intensity and the expense of the neck-and-neck fight for the GOPnomination.
To the East, Republicans battled for delegates in South Carolina, home of6.6 percent unemployment in December after the largest one-month increase innearly 20 years. Political viability was at stake for McCain, Mike Huckabeeand Fred Thompson; Mitt Romney, meanwhile, lowered expectations for hisprospects in the Palmetto State by moving on to Nevada.
more . . . . .
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Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-affirmative19jan19,1,7064462.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Drives in 5 states target affirmative action
Activists aided by Prop. 209's Ward Connerly aim to put the issue beforevoters. Foes say the initiatives will be hard to block.
By Stephanie Simon
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 19, 2008
DENVER - Intent on dismantling affirmative action, activists in five stateshave launched a coordinated drive to cut off tax dollars for programs thatoffer preferential treatment based on race or gender.
The campaign aims to put affirmative action bans on the November ballot inArizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The effort is beingorganized by California consultant Ward Connerly, who has successfullypromoted similar measures in California, Michigan and Washington.
Supporters of affirmative action say the initiatives will be hard to block,given that Connerly has a proven ability to raise funds and persuade voters,even in more liberal states.
"They've targeted states where there's a white majority electorate and avocal, if small, extreme anti-immigrant right wing," said Shanta Driver, whoruns By Any Means Necessary, a coalition that defends affirmative action. Insuch states, she said, "it's extremely difficult for us to win."
Connerly's campaign -- which he calls Super Tuesday for Equality -- couldalso get a boost if the presidential ballot includes an African American ora woman. That would help him make the case, he said, that the playing fieldis level and minorities no longer need a hand up.
more . . . . .
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011803765.html?wpisrc=rss_print
When Attacked, Obama's Now Hitting Back
By Shailagh Murray and Alec MacGillis
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, January 19, 2008; A01
RENO, Nev., Jan. 18 -- The hundreds of people who turned out at theUniversity of Nevada on Friday heard Sen. Barack Obama deliver a lofty stumpspeech about bridging the nation's divides and creating a groundswell forchange. But they also witnessed him engage in the more mundane task ofrebutting attacks from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on his positions onSocial Security taxes and on the proposed nuclear waste site at YuccaMountain in Nevada.
"When Senator Clinton implied that I'm for Yucca when I've never been forit, that's a problem. That erodes people's confidence in our politics,"Obama said.
It was a sign of a lesson learned the hard way: Let no attack go unanswered.
After his victory in the Iowa caucuses, Obama arrived in New Hampshire moreas the head of a movement than as a candidate, greeted by huge crowds thatlined up for hours to hear a speech that could have been delivered at asuburban megachurch, all empowerment and inspiration.
While the Democratic senator from Illinois was holding his rallies, though,Clinton's campaign sent out a mailing accusing him of being soft in hissupport for abortion rights, organized 24 prominent New Hampshire women tosend an e-mail echoing that charge and distributed a flier accusing him ofseeking a big tax increase on working families. The charges were debatable,but Obama's only response was a hastily arranged automated phone calldecrying the abortion attack. Clinton won the primary with strong supportfrom the mailings' target audiences -- women and working-class voters.
more . . . . .
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/01/18/endorsed_0120.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17
For Democrats, Obama the pick
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/20/08
According to a recent Gallup poll, almost three out of four Americans aredissatisfied with how things are going in our country, with just 24 percentbelieving we're headed in the right direction. The deep discontent reflectedin those numbers have made Democrats optimistic about their party's chancesof electing one of their own to the White House in November.
However, the situation represents more than a mere opportunity; it imposesan obligation on the Democratic Party to offer the country a candidate whocan inspire the American people, a candidate capable of addressing the manycritical challenges, foreign and domestic, that will confront our nextpresident and commander in chief.
At times of crisis, this country has always been blessed with strong, evenvisionary, leadership. But that has not been true for the last seven years.To the contrary, on almost every front we are suffering the consequences ofslapdash, divisive leadership.
Economically, the country appears to be sliding into a recession;internationally, our reputation on the world stage has perhaps never beenlower. Militarily, our men and women in uniform have been burdened withresponsibilities that they lack the manpower to carry out over the longterm, and with the aging of the Baby Boom generation and a soaring nationaldebt, our financial obligations likewise threaten to overwhelm the resourceswe have committed to meet them.
In Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama, the Democrats offerGeorgia voters three candidates with the experience, leadership andcharacter to begin to turn this country around. However, only two of thosecandidates now harbor realistic hopes for the nomination.
more . . . . .
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Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-white-house-e-mail,1,2028567.story
White House Missing CIA, Iraq E-Mails
By PETE YOST
Associated Press Writer
4:51 AM CST, January 19, 2008
WASHINGTON
Apparent gaps in White House e-mail archives coincide with dates in late2003 and early 2004 when the administration was struggling to deal with theCIA leak investigation and the possibility of a congressional probe intoIraq intelligence failures.
The gaps -- 473 days over a period of 20 months -- are cited in a chartprepared by White House computer technicians and shared in September withthe House Reform and Government Oversight Committee, which has been lookinginto reports of missing e-mail.
Among the times for which e-mail may not have been archived from VicePresident Dick Cheney's office are four days in early October 2003, just asa federal probe was beginning into the leak of Valerie Plame's CIA identity,an inquiry that eventually ensnared Cheney's chief of staff.
Contents of the chart -- which the White House now disputes -- weredisclosed Thursday by Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat who chairsthe House committee, as he announced plans for a Feb. 15 hearing.
Waxman said he decided to release details from the White House-preparedchart after presidential spokesman Tony Fratto declared "we have absolutelyno reason to believe that any e-mails are missing."
more . . . . .
=
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#####
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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011803722_pf.html
Band of Scouting Misfits Attains Eagle Ranking
Achievement of 11 Teens Is Called Unprecedented
By Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 19, 2008; A01
The boys called themselves the Viking Patrol. The scoutmasters called thembabies.
As Cub Scouts, they were so wild that the exasperated leaders insisted thattheir parents attend the meetings to keep things from getting out of hand.Their first hike as Boy Scouts became notable for the "strike" when the boyslay down side by side on an easy trail and refused to go on after havingcovered about the length of the Mall.
But something happened to these 11 whiny, quick-to-say-quit goofballs fromBoy Scout Troop 681 in Falls Church. It happened somewhere along the waybetween pinewood derbies and knot-tying in the Scout House, the log cabinwhere the group met three times a month under the glassy eyes of a stuffedmoose. And it happened on 50-mile hikes and canoe trips, under the watch ofscoutmasters such as the retired lieutenant colonel who spun war stories andtaught them how to set up an L-shaped ambush, Ranger-style.
Somehow, this bunch of undisciplined suburban kids grew into a closely knitcrew of slyly ironic, decent, responsible young men whose proudestachievement was a 90-mile hike in the mountains of New Mexico. Now all 11members of the Viking Patrol, one of 10 patrols that make up the troop, havemade it to the rank of Eagle Scout -- a feat that national, regional andlocal Scouting leaders believe is unprecedented.
Perhaps no one was more surprised than the boys.
more . . . . .
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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011802936_pf.html
What Would Jesus Tax?
By David Madland
From the Center for American Progress
Saturday, January 19, 2008; 12:00 AM
As Mike Huckabee's presidential candidacy gains momentum, winning the Iowacaucus and now in the running to win Saturday's South Carolina primary, themedia has primarily focused on his ability to generate support among whiteevangelical Christians based on his conservative positions on social issues,such as his opposition to abortion and to civil unions for gay couples. Thisstandard story line misses the former Baptist minister's ability to speak tothe economic concerns of evangelical voters and glosses over the growingdivide in the conservative movement between social and economicconservatives.
Conservatives have won electoral gains over the past thirty years bycourting an uneasy, yet effective fusion of right-to-life socialconservatives with economic conservatives who support tax cuts and a reducedgovernment safety net for the needy. For thirty years, the differencesbetween these two factions have largely been masked, with many observersassuming that socially conservative white evangelicals actually support aconservative economic agenda.
Not all of Huckabee's economic views, of course, are progressive. Hesupports, for example, a regressive consumption tax that would seriouslyempty the wallets of many low- and middle-income white evangelicals he isnow courting on the campaign trail. ¿ Still, Huckabee is running againstthe standard conservative line on the economy. He argues that conservativesneed to "quit being a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wall Street ¿ or elsewe're not going to win another election for a generation." He has supportedincreasing the minimum wage and expanding health insurance to morechildren¿positions that put him at odds with traditional economicconservatives.
While commentators have increasingly noted Huckabee's economic views, fewhave linked his message with his ability to win white evangelical voters ornoted what this may mean for the future of the conservative movement. Sincethe emergence of the Religious Right as a defining voice in the conservativemovement in the late 1970s, most evangelical leaders (with some notableexceptions like Jim Wallis) have generally supported cutting taxes andreducing government services.
Most Christian Right leaders, observes Michael Lienesch, a professor ofPolitical Science at the University of North Carolina, "combine conservativeeconomics and conservative religion in a multiplicity of ways, so that inthe end the two are almost indistinguishable."
more . . . . .
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Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-fvuuasbjan19,0,6839324,print.story
Liberal church expands
By Steve Schmadeke
Chicago Tribune
January 19, 2008
CHICAGO
As a melting-pot faith that holds no creed and welcomes all comers, theUnitarian Universalist church hasn't always seen much need to evangelize.
But as the atheists, Christians, humanists and Buddhists in its pews growolder, and with the church growing only at a trickle, Unitarians areexperimenting.
The Boston-based Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations lastyear launched its first national advertising campaign. In another first, thechurch has sponsored an ad appearing in the programs given to collegefootball fans at 13 bowl games.
The church also has dramatically expanded its number of campus ministriesfrom a handful to more than 200, said the Rev. William Sinkford, associationpresident.
"We have allowed this wonderful faith community to be the best-kept secretin town for too long," Sinkford said. "We have come to understand that we'recalled to make Universal Unitarianism available to those yearning for aliberal religious home."
more . . . . .
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Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/19/clinton_losing_support_among_blacks_poll_says/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
CAMPAIGN NOTEBOOK
Clinton losing support among blacks, poll says
January 19, 2008
Hillary Clinton's support among black Democrats has cratered as racialpolitics emerged in the nomination fight and as Barack Obama's stock hasrisen, a new nationwide poll suggested yesterday.
Clinton trails Obama by 59 percent to 31 percent among African-Americans,according to the CNN/Opinion Research Poll. In October, Clinton led 57percent to 31 percent. Since then, Obama, who is seeking to become the firstblack president, won the Iowa caucuses and he and Clinton have emerged asthe front-runners for the Democratic nomination.
Clinton has been criticized in the last week by some African-Americanleaders for remarks they perceived as diminishing the accomplishments ofMartin Luther King Jr. She has sought to mend fences in recent days, and sheand Obama called a truce during a debate on Tuesday night.
The poll did not find significant gaps among black Democrats on whetherClinton or Obama better understands the problems of blacks, or whetherblacks would be better off if either were president.
Among all Democrats, Clinton still leads 42 percent to Obama's 33 percent,according to the CNN poll. John Edwards had 17 percent, and Dennis Kucinich3 percent.
more . . . . .
=
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/19/sc_may_set_future_for_gop_candidates/
SC may set future for GOP candidates
By Laurie Kellman, Associated Press Writer | January 19, 2008
WASHINGTON --Voters in two states a continent apart were choosing Saturdayamong Republican and Democratic candidates for president in contestsshadowed by racial politics and the threat of recession.
No front-runner had emerged in either party as South Carolina's Republicansheaded for the polls and Nevadans of both parties prepared for the noveltyof caucuses.
Polls in South Carolina opened Saturday at 7 a.m. with many areas seeingrain coming down. A poll manager in Mount Pleasant said it would bedifficult to predict what the inclement weather would do to voter turnout.In the northern reaches of the state up to three inches of snow wasforecast, which threatened to slow the region to a crawl.
"My friends, these are challenging times," John McCain told supportersFriday while aboard a World War II aircraft carrier in Charleston's harbor.He was referring to the slumping economy, but he could have been talkingabout the intensity and the expense of the neck-and-neck fight for the GOPnomination.
To the East, Republicans battled for delegates in South Carolina, home of6.6 percent unemployment in December after the largest one-month increase innearly 20 years. Political viability was at stake for McCain, Mike Huckabeeand Fred Thompson; Mitt Romney, meanwhile, lowered expectations for hisprospects in the Palmetto State by moving on to Nevada.
more . . . . .
=
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-affirmative19jan19,1,7064462.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Drives in 5 states target affirmative action
Activists aided by Prop. 209's Ward Connerly aim to put the issue beforevoters. Foes say the initiatives will be hard to block.
By Stephanie Simon
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 19, 2008
DENVER - Intent on dismantling affirmative action, activists in five stateshave launched a coordinated drive to cut off tax dollars for programs thatoffer preferential treatment based on race or gender.
The campaign aims to put affirmative action bans on the November ballot inArizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The effort is beingorganized by California consultant Ward Connerly, who has successfullypromoted similar measures in California, Michigan and Washington.
Supporters of affirmative action say the initiatives will be hard to block,given that Connerly has a proven ability to raise funds and persuade voters,even in more liberal states.
"They've targeted states where there's a white majority electorate and avocal, if small, extreme anti-immigrant right wing," said Shanta Driver, whoruns By Any Means Necessary, a coalition that defends affirmative action. Insuch states, she said, "it's extremely difficult for us to win."
Connerly's campaign -- which he calls Super Tuesday for Equality -- couldalso get a boost if the presidential ballot includes an African American ora woman. That would help him make the case, he said, that the playing fieldis level and minorities no longer need a hand up.
more . . . . .
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011803765.html?wpisrc=rss_print
When Attacked, Obama's Now Hitting Back
By Shailagh Murray and Alec MacGillis
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, January 19, 2008; A01
RENO, Nev., Jan. 18 -- The hundreds of people who turned out at theUniversity of Nevada on Friday heard Sen. Barack Obama deliver a lofty stumpspeech about bridging the nation's divides and creating a groundswell forchange. But they also witnessed him engage in the more mundane task ofrebutting attacks from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on his positions onSocial Security taxes and on the proposed nuclear waste site at YuccaMountain in Nevada.
"When Senator Clinton implied that I'm for Yucca when I've never been forit, that's a problem. That erodes people's confidence in our politics,"Obama said.
It was a sign of a lesson learned the hard way: Let no attack go unanswered.
After his victory in the Iowa caucuses, Obama arrived in New Hampshire moreas the head of a movement than as a candidate, greeted by huge crowds thatlined up for hours to hear a speech that could have been delivered at asuburban megachurch, all empowerment and inspiration.
While the Democratic senator from Illinois was holding his rallies, though,Clinton's campaign sent out a mailing accusing him of being soft in hissupport for abortion rights, organized 24 prominent New Hampshire women tosend an e-mail echoing that charge and distributed a flier accusing him ofseeking a big tax increase on working families. The charges were debatable,but Obama's only response was a hastily arranged automated phone calldecrying the abortion attack. Clinton won the primary with strong supportfrom the mailings' target audiences -- women and working-class voters.
more . . . . .
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/01/18/endorsed_0120.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=17
For Democrats, Obama the pick
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/20/08
According to a recent Gallup poll, almost three out of four Americans aredissatisfied with how things are going in our country, with just 24 percentbelieving we're headed in the right direction. The deep discontent reflectedin those numbers have made Democrats optimistic about their party's chancesof electing one of their own to the White House in November.
However, the situation represents more than a mere opportunity; it imposesan obligation on the Democratic Party to offer the country a candidate whocan inspire the American people, a candidate capable of addressing the manycritical challenges, foreign and domestic, that will confront our nextpresident and commander in chief.
At times of crisis, this country has always been blessed with strong, evenvisionary, leadership. But that has not been true for the last seven years.To the contrary, on almost every front we are suffering the consequences ofslapdash, divisive leadership.
Economically, the country appears to be sliding into a recession;internationally, our reputation on the world stage has perhaps never beenlower. Militarily, our men and women in uniform have been burdened withresponsibilities that they lack the manpower to carry out over the longterm, and with the aging of the Baby Boom generation and a soaring nationaldebt, our financial obligations likewise threaten to overwhelm the resourceswe have committed to meet them.
In Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama, the Democrats offerGeorgia voters three candidates with the experience, leadership andcharacter to begin to turn this country around. However, only two of thosecandidates now harbor realistic hopes for the nomination.
more . . . . .
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Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-white-house-e-mail,1,2028567.story
White House Missing CIA, Iraq E-Mails
By PETE YOST
Associated Press Writer
4:51 AM CST, January 19, 2008
WASHINGTON
Apparent gaps in White House e-mail archives coincide with dates in late2003 and early 2004 when the administration was struggling to deal with theCIA leak investigation and the possibility of a congressional probe intoIraq intelligence failures.
The gaps -- 473 days over a period of 20 months -- are cited in a chartprepared by White House computer technicians and shared in September withthe House Reform and Government Oversight Committee, which has been lookinginto reports of missing e-mail.
Among the times for which e-mail may not have been archived from VicePresident Dick Cheney's office are four days in early October 2003, just asa federal probe was beginning into the leak of Valerie Plame's CIA identity,an inquiry that eventually ensnared Cheney's chief of staff.
Contents of the chart -- which the White House now disputes -- weredisclosed Thursday by Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat who chairsthe House committee, as he announced plans for a Feb. 15 hearing.
Waxman said he decided to release details from the White House-preparedchart after presidential spokesman Tony Fratto declared "we have absolutelyno reason to believe that any e-mails are missing."
more . . . . .
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FLORIDA DIGEST January 19, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
Florida
Is your State Senator a Co-sponsor of the Anti-Discrimination Bill?
January 18, 2008
Dear activists and allies,
State Senators Dave Aronberg and Nan Rich have joined Senator Ted Deutch insponsoring legislation to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing andpublic accommodations based on sexual orientation.
If your State Senator has not yet signed on as a co-sponsor, please contactyour legislator's office and ask if your State Senator will sign on as aco-sponsor to S. 572 today.
To access the membership roster for the Florida Senate, go to:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/index.cfm?Tab=legislators&CFID=83646646&CFTOKEN=96101173
Links from that page that will take you to the web pages of each StateSenator, where you will find contact information.
Thank you.
Judge Rand Hoch (retired),
President,
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council
P.S. If you have not yet read Working in the Shadows (an ACLU report onending discrimination for GLBT Americans), you can access a copy from QuickLinks. - http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/enda_20070917.pdf
For further information contact:
Rand Hoch
(561) 804-9399 (office)
(561) 358-0105 (mobile)
rand-hoch@usa.net
Senator Ted Deutch
(561) 496-5939
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St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/19/Columns/Democrats__votes_may_.shtml
Democrats' votes may not count, but do matter
By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor
Published January 19, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- First the presidential candidates decide to blow off morethan 4-million Florida Democrats. Now, it seems the national media may aswell.
"Does Florida count? Not on the Democratic side. Period," said NBC Newspolitical director Chuck Todd, a Miami native. "It's a meaningless contestwhere no one's really contesting, no one's campaigning. I'm trying to getpeople not to use the word 'win' because there is nothing to win."
Meaningless? The votes of more than a million Democrats in America's biggestbattleground state won't matter?
"The national press tends to give contests importance based on what thecandidates deem important, so my guess is that the Florida Democraticresults will be given about the same weight as Wyoming's Republicancaucuses," said Rick Klein, ABC News' senior political reporter.
In other words, the national media will pretty much ignore Florida'sDemocratic primary.
There are about 136,000 registered Republicans in Wyoming, by the way,compared to 4.1-million registered Democrats in Florida. But Wyoming stillhad 12 delegates at stake when it voted Jan. 5, while Florida Democrats havezip, punishment for holding a primary earlier than allowed under nationalparty rules.
more . . . . .
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St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/19/State/Allstate_back_in_busi.shtml
Allstate back in business
Judges say the state, which wants more information on rate hikes, can't banthe insurer.
By TOM ZUCCO, Times Staff Writer
Published January 19, 2008
Allstate's journey into Florida insurance regulation purgatory lasted all ofone day.
A three-judge appellate panel on Friday overturned an order by stateInsurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty banning Allstate Corp. from selling newpolicies in any line of insurance in the state. Regulators say Allstate hasrefused to comply with subpoenas seeking documents that explain why theIllinois-based insurer wants to raise homeowners rates in defiance of astate law passed last year.
Without issuing an opinion, 1st District Court of Appeal Judges Edward T.Barfield, Michael E. Allen and James R. Wolf ruled that Allstate couldresume normal business immediately.
A spokesman for McCarty's office said regulators are drafting a responsedetailing why Allstate's license should be suspended and would file thebrief within the court's 10-day limit. Regulators also have the option ofimposing a one-time fine of up to $25,000 on the nation's largest publiclytraded home and auto insurer. Separately, Allstate has been fined $25,000 aday since September for refusing to comply with similar subpoenas inMissouri, but it has yet to pay the fine.
Gov. Charlie Crist, one of the industry's most ardent critics, said Fridaythat he was disappointed by the court's action.
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Florida Times-Union
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/011808/met_237677473.shtml
Obama, Huckabee on top in Northeast Florida
By BETH KORMANIK,
The Times-Union
January 18, 2008
Northeast Florida is bucking trends in a new state poll, with likely votershere favoring Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama, while their statewidecounterparts are leaning toward John McCain and Hillary Clinton.
The poll commissioned by The Florida Times-Union and South FloridaSun-Sentinel also shows that Democrats are more certain of their choices andRepublicans more likely to switch candidates before the state's Jan. 29primary.
Both Republicans and Democrats agreed that the top issue in the campaign isthe economy and jobs, but Republicans followed with immigration and the Iraqwar, while Democrats chose health care and the war in Iraq.
McCain led Republican candidates overall at 26 percent, although RudyGiuliani is close behind at 22 percent. Huckabee was third at 17 percent andMitt Romney fourth at 16 percent.
GOP voters in Northeast Florida preferred Huckabee, who led with 30 percent,followed by McCain at 25 percent, Romney at 14 percent and Giuliani at 11percent.
more . . . . .
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbslotsvotexxxxsbjan19,0,39671,print.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout
Payoff or bust? Miami-Dade vote on slot machines may affect South FloridaMiami-Dade vote may affect region
By Mike Clary
January 19, 2008
MIAMI
When Miami-Dade voters go to the polls Jan. 29 to make a decision on slotmachines, the immediate upshot will be the future of three strugglingpari-mutuel operations in dire need of customers, revenue and makeovers.
But larger questions that could be answered are whether residents are readyto follow Broward County's lead, expand local wagering opportunities andpotentially propel South Florida toward becoming a gambling destination thatcould one day rival Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
Sound far-fetched?
Not to Senate Minority Leader Steve Geller, D-Cooper City.
"People from up north might not say, 'Let's fly down to Calder Race Track toplay slots,'" said Geller. "But if we have seven pari-mutuels and threeIndian casinos, then the area becomes a tourist destination."
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Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/01/19/a14a_leadedit_absentee_0119.html
Avoid absentee problems by going to the polls
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Absentee voting is not a requirement. Voters who are able should go to thepolls. They won't have to worry about how many stamps go on the envelope.They won't have to worry about making mistakes that void their ballots.
But because going to the polls requires trust of voting systems, politicalparties urge their voters to cast a ballot from home. They don't tell votersthat more absentee ballots are disqualified than ballots cast on electronicmachines. That's because there are more ways to screw up an absentee ballot,and voters are notorious for finding them.
Most recently it's postage. Even though the envelopes are marked "additionalpostage required," some voters couldn't figure out that it takes more than41 cents to mail a large envelope. No problem. The Postal Service guaranteeddelivery, if taxpayers made up the difference. Taxpayers don't pay forgasoline to get voters to the polls. So it makes little sense for them topay for postage to help voters vote from home.
But they did, until Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections ArthurAnderson put a new sticker on every absentee ballot citing the exactpostage: 91 cents for a one-page ballot; $1.14 to mail two pages.
While absentee voters have no excuses for messing up the postage, they stillmake mistakes that disqualify their votes. They don't sign their ballots,which automatically disqualifies them. Or their signature differs so muchfrom their voting registration card that it can't be verified. Absenteevoters need to periodically update their signature at the elections office.
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/385572.html
Labor pains: Florida unemployment at 3-year high
BY NIALA BOODHOO
Posted on Sat, Jan. 19, 2008
Florida's unemployment rate hit its highest level in more than three years,according to employment data released Friday, although South Florida joblessrates continue to fare much better than the state.
State unemployment was 4.7 percent in December, continuing to creep closerto the national average of 5 percent. Miami-Dade County's jobless rate was3.9 percent, and Broward County, 4 percent.
Many workers say they're feeling gloomy. Spherion's employee confidenceindex hit an all-time low among employees in Florida -- with people sayingthat while they felt more pessimistic than ever about the economy and jobsearching, more also said they would be looking for work.
Take 24-year-old Hollywood resident Sandra Charite, who has been out of ajob since September.
''It's just very selective. There are certain criteria they're looking forand if you don't fit, you don't get it,'' said Charite, a 2004 FloridaAtlantic University graduate who has so far only found administrativeassistant jobs.
more . . . . .
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Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2008/01/19/a10b_carbonconf_0118.html
FPL seeks flat fee on carbon
By KRISTI E. SWARTZ
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 19, 2008
CORAL GABLES - The last thing Florida Power & Light Co. wants to tellutility regulators when it comes to how much the cost of carbon emissionswill play into building another power plant is this: "We hope the marketsets a good price."
Christopher Chapel, the company's director of governmental affairs, saidFriday that's why FPL and its parent, FPL Group Inc. (NYSE, FPL, $63.70) ofJuno Beach, would rather see the United States place a flat fee on carbonemissions instead of putting together a cap-and-trade system to try to lowergreenhouse gases.
Chapel spoke during the concluding panel presentation at a conference calledEmerging Opportunities in Carbon Markets, hosted by Environmental Finance, amonthly magazine that covers how environmental issues have impactedinvesting, insurance and banking. The two-day conference was held at theWestin Colonnade.
FPL is pushing for the United States to place a $10 per-ton fee on carbonand then gradually raise that amount by roughly $2 each year.
FPL Group is a member of the United States Climate Action Partnership, agroup of 35 corporations and clean-energy advocates that supports acap-and-trade system, but Chapel said that can be designed to mimic acarbon-fee system.
more . . . . .
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Florida
Is your State Senator a Co-sponsor of the Anti-Discrimination Bill?
January 18, 2008
Dear activists and allies,
State Senators Dave Aronberg and Nan Rich have joined Senator Ted Deutch insponsoring legislation to prohibit discrimination in employment, housing andpublic accommodations based on sexual orientation.
If your State Senator has not yet signed on as a co-sponsor, please contactyour legislator's office and ask if your State Senator will sign on as aco-sponsor to S. 572 today.
To access the membership roster for the Florida Senate, go to:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Legislators/index.cfm?Tab=legislators&CFID=83646646&CFTOKEN=96101173
Links from that page that will take you to the web pages of each StateSenator, where you will find contact information.
Thank you.
Judge Rand Hoch (retired),
President,
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council
P.S. If you have not yet read Working in the Shadows (an ACLU report onending discrimination for GLBT Americans), you can access a copy from QuickLinks. - http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/enda_20070917.pdf
For further information contact:
Rand Hoch
(561) 804-9399 (office)
(561) 358-0105 (mobile)
rand-hoch@usa.net
Senator Ted Deutch
(561) 496-5939
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St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/19/Columns/Democrats__votes_may_.shtml
Democrats' votes may not count, but do matter
By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor
Published January 19, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- First the presidential candidates decide to blow off morethan 4-million Florida Democrats. Now, it seems the national media may aswell.
"Does Florida count? Not on the Democratic side. Period," said NBC Newspolitical director Chuck Todd, a Miami native. "It's a meaningless contestwhere no one's really contesting, no one's campaigning. I'm trying to getpeople not to use the word 'win' because there is nothing to win."
Meaningless? The votes of more than a million Democrats in America's biggestbattleground state won't matter?
"The national press tends to give contests importance based on what thecandidates deem important, so my guess is that the Florida Democraticresults will be given about the same weight as Wyoming's Republicancaucuses," said Rick Klein, ABC News' senior political reporter.
In other words, the national media will pretty much ignore Florida'sDemocratic primary.
There are about 136,000 registered Republicans in Wyoming, by the way,compared to 4.1-million registered Democrats in Florida. But Wyoming stillhad 12 delegates at stake when it voted Jan. 5, while Florida Democrats havezip, punishment for holding a primary earlier than allowed under nationalparty rules.
more . . . . .
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St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/19/State/Allstate_back_in_busi.shtml
Allstate back in business
Judges say the state, which wants more information on rate hikes, can't banthe insurer.
By TOM ZUCCO, Times Staff Writer
Published January 19, 2008
Allstate's journey into Florida insurance regulation purgatory lasted all ofone day.
A three-judge appellate panel on Friday overturned an order by stateInsurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty banning Allstate Corp. from selling newpolicies in any line of insurance in the state. Regulators say Allstate hasrefused to comply with subpoenas seeking documents that explain why theIllinois-based insurer wants to raise homeowners rates in defiance of astate law passed last year.
Without issuing an opinion, 1st District Court of Appeal Judges Edward T.Barfield, Michael E. Allen and James R. Wolf ruled that Allstate couldresume normal business immediately.
A spokesman for McCarty's office said regulators are drafting a responsedetailing why Allstate's license should be suspended and would file thebrief within the court's 10-day limit. Regulators also have the option ofimposing a one-time fine of up to $25,000 on the nation's largest publiclytraded home and auto insurer. Separately, Allstate has been fined $25,000 aday since September for refusing to comply with similar subpoenas inMissouri, but it has yet to pay the fine.
Gov. Charlie Crist, one of the industry's most ardent critics, said Fridaythat he was disappointed by the court's action.
more . . . . .
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Florida Times-Union
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/011808/met_237677473.shtml
Obama, Huckabee on top in Northeast Florida
By BETH KORMANIK,
The Times-Union
January 18, 2008
Northeast Florida is bucking trends in a new state poll, with likely votershere favoring Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama, while their statewidecounterparts are leaning toward John McCain and Hillary Clinton.
The poll commissioned by The Florida Times-Union and South FloridaSun-Sentinel also shows that Democrats are more certain of their choices andRepublicans more likely to switch candidates before the state's Jan. 29primary.
Both Republicans and Democrats agreed that the top issue in the campaign isthe economy and jobs, but Republicans followed with immigration and the Iraqwar, while Democrats chose health care and the war in Iraq.
McCain led Republican candidates overall at 26 percent, although RudyGiuliani is close behind at 22 percent. Huckabee was third at 17 percent andMitt Romney fourth at 16 percent.
GOP voters in Northeast Florida preferred Huckabee, who led with 30 percent,followed by McCain at 25 percent, Romney at 14 percent and Giuliani at 11percent.
more . . . . .
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbslotsvotexxxxsbjan19,0,39671,print.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout
Payoff or bust? Miami-Dade vote on slot machines may affect South FloridaMiami-Dade vote may affect region
By Mike Clary
January 19, 2008
MIAMI
When Miami-Dade voters go to the polls Jan. 29 to make a decision on slotmachines, the immediate upshot will be the future of three strugglingpari-mutuel operations in dire need of customers, revenue and makeovers.
But larger questions that could be answered are whether residents are readyto follow Broward County's lead, expand local wagering opportunities andpotentially propel South Florida toward becoming a gambling destination thatcould one day rival Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
Sound far-fetched?
Not to Senate Minority Leader Steve Geller, D-Cooper City.
"People from up north might not say, 'Let's fly down to Calder Race Track toplay slots,'" said Geller. "But if we have seven pari-mutuels and threeIndian casinos, then the area becomes a tourist destination."
more . . . . .
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Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/01/19/a14a_leadedit_absentee_0119.html
Avoid absentee problems by going to the polls
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Absentee voting is not a requirement. Voters who are able should go to thepolls. They won't have to worry about how many stamps go on the envelope.They won't have to worry about making mistakes that void their ballots.
But because going to the polls requires trust of voting systems, politicalparties urge their voters to cast a ballot from home. They don't tell votersthat more absentee ballots are disqualified than ballots cast on electronicmachines. That's because there are more ways to screw up an absentee ballot,and voters are notorious for finding them.
Most recently it's postage. Even though the envelopes are marked "additionalpostage required," some voters couldn't figure out that it takes more than41 cents to mail a large envelope. No problem. The Postal Service guaranteeddelivery, if taxpayers made up the difference. Taxpayers don't pay forgasoline to get voters to the polls. So it makes little sense for them topay for postage to help voters vote from home.
But they did, until Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections ArthurAnderson put a new sticker on every absentee ballot citing the exactpostage: 91 cents for a one-page ballot; $1.14 to mail two pages.
While absentee voters have no excuses for messing up the postage, they stillmake mistakes that disqualify their votes. They don't sign their ballots,which automatically disqualifies them. Or their signature differs so muchfrom their voting registration card that it can't be verified. Absenteevoters need to periodically update their signature at the elections office.
more . . . . .
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/385572.html
Labor pains: Florida unemployment at 3-year high
BY NIALA BOODHOO
Posted on Sat, Jan. 19, 2008
Florida's unemployment rate hit its highest level in more than three years,according to employment data released Friday, although South Florida joblessrates continue to fare much better than the state.
State unemployment was 4.7 percent in December, continuing to creep closerto the national average of 5 percent. Miami-Dade County's jobless rate was3.9 percent, and Broward County, 4 percent.
Many workers say they're feeling gloomy. Spherion's employee confidenceindex hit an all-time low among employees in Florida -- with people sayingthat while they felt more pessimistic than ever about the economy and jobsearching, more also said they would be looking for work.
Take 24-year-old Hollywood resident Sandra Charite, who has been out of ajob since September.
''It's just very selective. There are certain criteria they're looking forand if you don't fit, you don't get it,'' said Charite, a 2004 FloridaAtlantic University graduate who has so far only found administrativeassistant jobs.
more . . . . .
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Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2008/01/19/a10b_carbonconf_0118.html
FPL seeks flat fee on carbon
By KRISTI E. SWARTZ
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 19, 2008
CORAL GABLES - The last thing Florida Power & Light Co. wants to tellutility regulators when it comes to how much the cost of carbon emissionswill play into building another power plant is this: "We hope the marketsets a good price."
Christopher Chapel, the company's director of governmental affairs, saidFriday that's why FPL and its parent, FPL Group Inc. (NYSE, FPL, $63.70) ofJuno Beach, would rather see the United States place a flat fee on carbonemissions instead of putting together a cap-and-trade system to try to lowergreenhouse gases.
Chapel spoke during the concluding panel presentation at a conference calledEmerging Opportunities in Carbon Markets, hosted by Environmental Finance, amonthly magazine that covers how environmental issues have impactedinvesting, insurance and banking. The two-day conference was held at theWestin Colonnade.
FPL is pushing for the United States to place a $10 per-ton fee on carbonand then gradually raise that amount by roughly $2 each year.
FPL Group is a member of the United States Climate Action Partnership, agroup of 35 corporations and clean-energy advocates that supports acap-and-trade system, but Chapel said that can be designed to mimic acarbon-fee system.
more . . . . .
=
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#####
Friday, January 18, 2008
GLBT DIGEST January 18, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011801184_pf.html
Chaos Theory
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 18, 2008; 8:07 AM
I just got back from Michigan and South Carolina, so I'm prepared to sharemy insights on how the Republican race is going.
It seems that McCain's New Hampshire bounce dissipated in Michigan. ExceptMichigan didn't really count because Romney lived there, oh, 35 years ago.Romney's Michigan bounce convinced him to skip South Carolina. Thompsonshould do well in South Carolina, a state tailor-made for him, except heisn't. Huckabee never got much of an Iowa bump but is competitive in SouthCarolina, where there are plenty of evangelicals, but also plenty ofveterans who might gravitate toward McCain. And Rudy is sunning himself inFlorida.
Therefore, if you take the Republican winner tomorrow in South Carolina, add3 points for past victories, subtract 2 points if the person also loses theNevada caucuses, which seem mainly to be taking place near casino tables,you will have clear, incontrovertible evidence that whoever wins Floridawill have enough momentum going into Super Tuesday that the nominationbattle should be settled by . . . June. Or not.
I can make a case for why every one of these guys can't win. It's a littleharder to divine who will be the last man standing.
But with a race this exciting, why don't reporters just sit back and enjoyit? Instead, there's this undercurrent of angst: The race is insane. Threecontests, three winners. It's a deep, dark mystery. This has never happenedbefore in recorded history. How can this not be over by February 5 so we canall go on vacation? The party is in crisis, maybe even in therapy. How canthere not be a front-runner???
more . . . . .
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Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-fla3anationdigest01180sbjan18,0,30180,print.story
Mild brain injury in combat soldiers can be undiagnosed, Army saysJanuary 18, 2008
WASHINGTON HOUSTON BILLINGS PORTLAND PIERRE
As many as 1 in 5 U.S. combat troops who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan leavewith signs they may have had a concussion, and some do not realize they needtreatment, Army officials said Thursday.
Concussion is a common term for mild traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Whilethe Army has a handle on treating more severe brain injuries, it is"challenged to understand, diagnose and treat military personnel who sufferwith mild TBI," said Brig. Gen. Donald Bradshaw, chairman of a task force ontraumatic brain injury created by the Army surgeon general.
The task force, which completed its work in May, released its findings onThursday.
It estimated that 10 percent to 20 percent of soldiers and Marines fromtactical units leaving Iraq and Afghanistan are affected by mild traumaticbrain injury. The most common cause was blast from an explosion.
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MiamiHerald.com
http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/v-print/story/384115.html
Dirty tricks erupt in S.C. GOP race
BY JIM MORRILL AND DAN HUNTLEY
Posted on Thu, Jan. 17, 2008
Teresa Clanton was home doing chores when her phone rang.
An automated voice rattled off names of Republican presidential candidatesas if conducting a poll. When Clanton indicated that she supported FredThompson, the voice asked if she knew that the former Tennessee senatorsupports abortion, gay marriage and illegal immigration.
He doesn't.
''It made me angry because they're giving false information,'' said Clanton,a 52-year-old homemaker from Catawba.
Clanton is among thousands of South Carolina voters who've gotten so-called''push poll'' calls in the days leading up to Saturday's Republican primaryand next week's Democratic contest.
more . . . . .
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=16066
DNC lawsuit ensnares lesbian activist
Lucas accused of perjury, defamation; described gay plaintiff as 'completeloser'
By JOSHUA LYNSEN & LOU CHIBBARO JR. | Jan 17, 11:21 AM
A prominent lesbian activist and Democratic donor faces accusations ofperjury and defamation stemming from an ongoing civil lawsuit against theparty.
Legal documents filed in D.C. Superior Court this week and obtained by theBlade allege that Claire Lucas, a longtime Democratic National Committeevolunteer and National Stonewall Democrats board member, committed perjurywhen she filed an affidavit asserting that she does not live in Washington.
The affidavit, filed Jan. 4, was part of efforts to quash a subpoenaordering Lucas to sit for a deposition in a lawsuit that alleges the DNCdiscriminated against a former gay employee.
Attorneys for Donald Hitchcock, the plaintiff in the case, say in theirfiling that Lucas "is a legal resident of the District of Columbia" becauseshe owned two homes in Washington and claimed a "homestead deduction" forone of them that is only available to those legally residing within thecity.
The homestead deduction is part of a D.C. government program aimed athelping home owners who live in their homes reduce their property taxburden, which mushroomed over the past decade due to rising property values.D.C. property records show that Lucas last month sold her home at 3504Rodman St., N.W., on which she claimed the homestead deduction.
more . . . . .
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=16088
Gay U.S. Senate hopeful reaches truce with Dems
Neal says party recruited primary candidate to oppose him
By CHRIS JOHNSON | Jan 17, 4:19 PM
An openly gay candidate vying for the Democratic nomination in the 2008election for an open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina said the DemocraticSenatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) had been hostile to his candidacybefore taking him seriously more recently.
"The DSCC had played an active role in recruiting a candidate to run againstme," said Jim Neal, referring to how the organization asked Kay Hagan, amember of the North Carolina state Senate and co-chair of the body'sAppropriations Committee, to run for the nomination.
Hagan initially declined, but after Neal declared his candidacy, the DSCCasked her to run again, he said. She declared her candidacy Oct. 30.
"My opponent had opted out of the race, had pulled her name out ofcontention, only to change her mind some three weeks later - an amazingepiphany of sorts," he said.
Some, including lesbian blogger Pam Spaulding of the popular Pam's HouseBlend site, have speculated that DSCC asked Hagan to run again because itdoes not believe that an openly gay candidate can win in a conservativestate like North Carolina.
more . . . . .
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=16086
Challenger: Gay judge should stay away from gay issues cases
'It's a matter of judicial ethics'
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) | Jan 17, 4:01 PM
A Democratic primary challenger says the judge considered Ohio's firstopenly gay judge should take herself off any cases involving gay issues.
James Piergies says for Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Wiseman,such cases would include those regarding Ohio's constitutional amendmentbanning gay marriage or a new Dayton law barring discrimination againstgays. Piergies says it's a matter of judicial ethics.
He made the comments in a meeting with the Dayton Daily News editorialboard.
Wiseman says she takes "strong exception" to her challenger's concerns. Shesays her sexual orientation has no bearing on how she considers cases.
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=16090
Blade set to move into National Press Building
Relocation will take place Feb. 1
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | Jan 17, 4:29 PM
The Washington Blade is scheduled to move its offices into the historicNational Press Building at 14th and F Streets, N.W., in the first week ofFebruary, leaving its home of nearly 15 years in space above a strip ofrestaurants in the city's popular U Street corridor.
Blade publisher Lynne Brown said moving into the National Press Buildingwould provide the Blade with access to facilities and office space moresuitable for publishing its weekly print edition and its daily news andinformation web site, washingtonblade.com.
"This new location offers us support services for hosting community groupsthat we just didn't have" at the Blade's current site at 1408 U St., N.W.,Brown said.
The National Press Building, located at 529 14th St., N.W., first opened itsdoors in 1927 as the home for the Washington bureaus of U.S. andinternational news organizations. It was founded by the National Press Club,which continues to operate out of the building's 14th floor as the nation'smost prestigious organization for journalists.
The Blade will be located in Suite 545 at the National Press Building andwill continue to use its current main phone number of 202-797-7000.
more . . . . .
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_7989014
Book on serial killers in church gunman's car
By The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 01/16/2008 03:45:29 PM MST
A killer who gunned down four people last month at a church in ColoradoSprings and a youth mission in Arvada, wrote a letter addressed "To God"that was recovered along with other items from his car.
The letter was listed in an evidence and property invoice of items thatColorado Springs police recovered from a 1992 Toyota Camry belonging toMatthew Murray. The documents were obtained by Newsradio 850 KOA.
Murray, 24, shot himself in the head with a 9mm pistol at New Life Church inColorado Springs on Dec. 9 after a volunteer church security officer shothim three times.
Murray killed two people at the church, and earlier that morning killed twopeople at Youth With a Mission in Arvada.
His car was found and seized by investigators in the New Life Church parkinglot.
more . . . . .
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/news/localnews/4333.cfm
High school won't allow lecture by transgendered performer
Three other Miami-Dade schools allow Schofield to address students ingay-straight alliances
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Thursday, January 17, 2008
As an adjunct to his show at the Arsht Center in Miami Jan. 25 and 26,female-to-male transgender performance artist Scott Turner Schofield will beleading a series of workshops in three Miami-Dade High Schools and atPridelines Youth Services.
Schofield's work deals with finding one's true identity and expressing one'struth to the world. He thinks the message can make a positive difference inthe lives of teenagers, who are constantly in the throes of identity crises.
The administrators at North Miami Beach High School, Dr. Michael M. KropHigh and Homestead High saw it that way too, and they allowed Schofield tospeak at the schools. But at Coral Reef High in west Kendall, school leadersthought Schofield's presentation was inappropriate for students.
School administrators told Tigertail Productions, the presenters of theSchofield's one-man show, "Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps," that thesubject matter was too controversial for the kids and their parents.
Adrianne Leal, Coral Reef High's principal, did not return calls forcomment.
more . . . . .
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/news/national/4336.cfm
States considering range of gay-related measures this year
New Mexico DP bill, Fla. amendment fight being closely watched
By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO
Thursday, January 17, 2008
This legislative season is shaping up to be a significant one for gayactivists in states around the country.
In New Mexico, the legislature is set to vote by mid-February on a domesticpartnerships bill. A ruling is expected any day on a Connecticut same-sexmarriage case. And a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage maybe on the ballot for November in Florida, though proponents of the ban weredealt a setback this week.
"It's not 2004 anymore," said Kara Suffredini, state legislative directorfor the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. "It's a very different climate."
Marty Rouse, national field director for Human Rights Campaign agrees.
"To have a state like New Mexico to be considering [domestic partnerships]is just amazing," Rouse said. "This has really been taken to the mainstream.In America, this is no longer seen as a special interest."
more . . . . .
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/arts/books/4344.cfm
A gay 'Catcher in the Rye'?
Author draws on own prep school experience in second novel
By KATHERINE VOLIN
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Alleged hotbeds of teenage hormones, rules and elitism, the prep schoolsetting is hard for authors to resist. The iconic location was certainlymined for literary gold midway through the 20th century, with novels like "ASeparate Peace" and "Catcher in the Rye" providing perfect examples ofcoming-of-age stories.
Gay author Tom Dolby didn't miss that when author Tom Wolfe came to hisConnecticut prep school, Hotchkiss, during his senior year, the "sixth form"in prep school lingo.
"He said, 'Since 'A Separate Peace' or 'Catcher in the Rye', nobody haswritten a great boarding school novel,'" Dolby says. The comment ignited inDolby the desire to do so, although life taught him about the futility oftrying to achieve iconic literary status.
"You realize as you grow up, [as] you learn more about writing, you're nevergoing to write the great 'blank' novel about anything," Dolby says. "It'sjust another voice. You just hope that your experience speaks to people."
Dolby dove into his experiences at Hotchkiss to create a fictional work in"The Sixth Form," which he essentially started working on at age 18.
more . . . . .
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/view/editorial/4339.cfm
Thanking Martin Luther King Jr. and our African-American allies
There are parallels but also differences between black and gay rightsefforts
written by Phil LaPadula
Thursday, January 17, 2008
As we prepare to honor the legacy of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.with a national holiday on Monday, it seems like an appropriate time tothank our allies in the local African-American community who have stood upfor gay rights in the past year.
Two names that come immediately to mind are Marsha Ellison, president of theFort Lauderdale branch of the NAACP, and Julian Bond, board chairman of theNAACP. Both have spoken out clearly and forcefully over the past year insupport of local gay rights efforts.
In September, Ellison spoke out at a press conference to denounce FortLauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle's series of anti-gay statements.
"Mayor Naugle's message is about one thing - hate," Ellison said.
Her comments drew praise from Bond, who issued a public statement commendingEllison for her support of the gay community. Earlier this month, Bond alsotaped a video on YouTube that denounced an anti-gay marriage amendment thatright-wing groups are trying to pass in Florida. In the video, the NAACPreferred to the proposed amendment as "divisive and harmful."
more . . . . .
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/view/columns/4340.cfm
Tips for staying healthy in the new year
New study shows HIV more infectious than previously thought
By STEPHEN FALLON
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Are you wavering on keeping your New Year's resolutions? You planned totake better care of yourself in 2008, but temptation and habit keep gettingin the way. Three new studies have just delivered surprising results thatcould provide the motivation you need to keep to your healthier plans.
If you're HIV negative, keep using condoms.
A new study published in the journal Cell identified a protein in semen thatmakes HIV up to 100,000 times more infectious, much more contagious than youmight have expected.
In laboratory studies, researchers have always found HIV very inefficient atinfecting white blood cells. Scientists typically have to attack a bloodsample with 1,000 to 100,000 particles of HIV to create a successfulinfection. If HIV is so inefficient at infecting cells, why are our gaycommunities hit with so many new HIV infections each year?
Many gay men believe they could only get infected if lots of sexual fluidsget inside their body, for example by "bottoming" and allowing a partner toclimax inside. Some surveys have found that many gay men only put condoms onafter first penetrating their partner during foreplay. Meanwhile, many"tops" feel invulnerable to HIV because the urethra does not let much fluidin.
The new study found that HIV infection can result from exposure to as few asthree particles of HIV because it is carried amidst proteins found in semen,which scientists termed "Semen-Derived Enhancer of Virus Infection." Thislow threshold for infection means that HIV can take advantage of almost anyexposure during sexual penetration - a little leakage during foreplay, or alittle blood or secretion that gets down the urethra. So keep the condomshandy in 2008.
more . . . . .
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365Gay.Com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
--
Romney Chides Reporter For Challenging Him
(Washington) -- Mitt Romney's assertion about lobbyists and his presidentialcampaign was challenged by an Associated Press reporter Thursday. Theblogosphere immediately lit up over the exchange.
--
Clinton Berates Reporter In Calif.
(Oakland, California) A heated exchange between former President Clinton anda television news reporter circulated on the Internet Thursday.
--
Black Voters Generations Apart
(Atlanta, Georgia) When civil rights elders signed on to support HillaryRodham Clinton's run for president, it was seen as a coup in the competitionfor the black vote, especially in the Deep South.
--
Texas Prosecutor Who Castigated Gays In Landmark Sodomy Case Embroiled InSex Scandal
(Houston, Texas) The district attorney who defended the Texas lawcriminalizing homosexuality before the US Supreme Court is desperatelytrying to keep his job following the discovery of e-mails containingsexually explicit videos, racist jokes and what is described as torrid lovenotes to his executive secretary.
--
New Affordable Housing Development For SF Gay Seniors
(San Francisco, California) The post war baby boom is reaching retirementage and for many who are low or moderate income the future looks bleak. Onlimited social security they may not have the income to remain in theirhomes.
--
Gay Nursing Home Opens
(Berlin) The first assisted care home for gays and lesbians in Europe openedthis week in Berlin.
--
Lesbian Soldier Wins Discrimination Case
(London) A British employment tribunal has slapped the Ministry of Defenseignoring the complaints of a lesbian soldier who was subjected to long-termharassment from a sergeant who wanted her to have sex with him.
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Kentucky Senate Likely To Kill Anti-Bully Bill
(Frankfort, Kentucky) A bill aimed at curbing bullying in Kentucky schoolsis drawing the ire of Republicans in the state Senate because it wouldinclude measures to fight harassment of gay students.
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Prof On Hunger Strike For Gay Rights
(Austin, Texas) A University of Texas lecturer has entered the third day ofa hunger strike aimed at forcing the university to provide health benefitsto the domestic partners of gay and lesbian workers at the school.
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Early Gay Activist Kennith H. Burns Dies
(Los Angels, California) Kennith H. Burns who led the Mattachine Society,one of the country's first gay civil rights organizations, has died at age81.
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Gay Man Who Designed Flamboyant Costumes For Elvis Presley Dies
(Palm Springs, California) Costume designer Bill Belew, who created ElvisPresley's jumpsuits and the tight black leather outfit he wore on his 1968television special, has died.
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
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21% Not Aware of HIV Risk From Unprotected Sex
New figures from the National AIDS Trust's Public Attitudes Towards HIVSurvey released today show that the UK population is becoming more ignorantabout HIV. 6% of those surveyed were able to correctly identify all of theways HIV is transmitted, without any false responses.
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Gay Delegates to Hold Key Positions at Democratic Convention
The executive committee of the US Democratic party's National Committee hasapproved seven LGBT delegates to three important standing committees. Theconvention in Denver from August 25th to 28th will formally choose theparty's candidate for President of the United States.
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Social Networking 101: Gay & Lesbian Hookups Online
Not so long ago, Gay.com was about the only "social networking" site outthere specifically aimed at the LGBT community. Today, there are so many it'shard to keep them straight (no pun intended). Of course, not all such sitesare created equal. Some emphasize the social aspect of social networking andare all about cruising, dating or hooking up with the half-naked guys thatswarm the sites. Others emphasize the networking aspect-whether that meansfinding new clients, friends or true loves.
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California: 'Cruising' Targeted
Police are cracking down to oust gay encounters from Citrus Heights parks.If Citrus Heights police get their way, trips to the park no longer will beX-rated. The Police Department has declared war on "cruising," or thepractice of seeking anonymous gay trysts in public areas.
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City Councilwoman Denise Simmons Becomes America's First Black, OpenlyLesbian Mayor
Victory Fund-endorsed Denise Simmons has become the first African-American,open lesbian to take the helm as mayor of an American city, report the Gay &Lesbian Victory Fund and the Cambridge Chronicle.
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Iowa Family Policy Center Leader Says Gay Marriage Ruling Has ImplicationsBeyond State Borders
The leader of the Iowa Family Policy Center says a ruling on gay marriagethat's pending from the Iowa Supreme Court has implications far beyondIowa's borders. A lower court ruling that briefly allowed one gay couple tomarry in Des Moines on August 31st has been appealed to the Iowa SupremeCourt.
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The Firing Line: 1/17
The University of Texas is among the most backward of our peer institutionsof higher learning in not offering its gay, lesbian, bisexual andtransgender faculty and staff domestic partner benefits. My longtimedomestic partner has no health insurance through her work and cannot affordroutine medical and dental care - and if she faced a medical emergency wewould be bankrupted.
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Political Notebook: - Alice Club Elects Second Black Co-Chair
The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club ushered in a new leadership teamthis week, and with the election of Susan Christian as its female co-chair,the club for the first time in its history is being led by a team of gayAfrican Americans.
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Trans Bill Briefing Draws a Crowd
About 40 people, a mix of lawmakers, aides and LGBT advocates, turned out atthe State House Jan. 16 for a legislative briefing on House Bill 1722, whichwould update the state's non-discrimination and hate crimes laws to makethem transgender-inclusive. The Massachusetts Transgender PoliticalCoalition (MTPC), the lead organization in the coalition to pass the bill,presented lawmakers and their aides with a panel to explain the basics oftransgender identity and anti-trans discrimination as well as personalstories from transgender people about their own experiences with employmentissues. The briefing is part of MTPC's run-up to the Judiciary Committeehearing on H.B. 1722 that is expected to take place sometime in the next twomonths.
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Spotlight on Gay China
China Daily has an interview of two gay men and a lesbian that also featuresa big, bold picture of two young men kissing in Beijing. The first story ofa 57 year old married man caught our attention:
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PinkNews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6591.html
Feature: Searching for the true meaning of gay love
17th January 2008 18:30
Tony Grew
A new play about modern gay love and relationships opens in London nextweek.
Counterfeit Skin, by Jason Charles, explores the interplay between lovers,friends, family and rivals and in the process confronts deception, desire,greed, obsession and disappointment.
Much of the drama focuses on Luke and Jake, a young couple living withJake's gay godfather, who are questioning their long-term relationship.
Luke constantly needs reassurance, which Jake resents. A much more sexualperson, Jake lives mostly in a world of erotic fantasies his boyfriendcannot fulfil.
Then there is Mach, the new young, nubile and flirtatious receptionist atthe confectionery company owned by Leo, Jake's godfather.
more . . . . .
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Truth Wins Out
http://www.truthwinsout.org/uncategorized/truth-winsoutorg-calls-mike-huckabee%e2%80%99s-comments-on-homosexuality-embarrassing-ignorant-and-unworthy-of-a-presidential-candidate/
Truth WinsOut.Org Calls Mike Huckabee's Comments On Homosexuality
Embarrassing, Ignorant And Unworthy of A Presidential Candidate
January 17th, 2008
NEW YORK - TruthWinsOut.org today condemned Mike Huckabee's comments toBeliefNet that compared homosexuality to bestiality. Huckabee showed a lackof character, by pandering to the lowest common denominator in his quest towin the South Carolina primary, according to TruthWinsOut.org.
"Huckabee is quickly revealing himself to be an ignorant and crass politicalopportunist whose presidential hopes are based on exploiting wedge issues,"said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of TruthWinsOut.org. "To comparehomosexuality to bestiality is deeply offensive and shows that Huckabeeneeds a tutor on this issue, as desperately as he needs one on foreignpolicy."In the online interview, BeliefNet asked Huckabee if it was his "goal tobring the Constitution into strict conformity with the Bible?"
"Well, I don't think that's a radical view to say we're going to affirmmarriage," Huckabee replied. "I think the radical view is to say that we'regoing to change the definition of marriage so that it can mean two men, twowomen, a man and three women, a man and a child, a man and animal. Again,once we change the definition, the door is open to change it again. I thinkthe radical position is to make a change in what's been historic."
In further pandering to South Carolinians, Huckabee riled up a Myrtle Beachcrowd today with comments on the Confederate flag controversy.
"You don't like people from outside the state coming and telling you how yououghta raise your kids. You don't like people coming from outside the statecoming down and telling you what you want to do with your flag. In fact, ifsomeone came to the state of Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag,we'd tell them where to put the pole - that's what we'd do," said Huckabee.
more . . . . .
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From Ron Mills
precinct114r@yahoo.com
Hardball host's history of degrading commentary target for criticism
As the media and news consumers alike take a more critical look at MSNBC'smarquee talent and Hardball host Chris Matthews, progressive leaders,prominent bloggers, and other members of the media are all speaking outagainst Matthews' journalistic standing and questionable record.
Progressive Leaders
a.. "Matthews' history proves that when discussing prominent femalefigures, he is prone to overt sexism rather than civil politicaldiscourse." -- excerpt from a January 16 letter to Steve Capus, President ofNBC News from Gloria Steinem, author/activist; Kim Gandy, President of NOW;Lulu Flores, President of The National Women's Political Caucus; CarolJenkins, President of The Women's Media Center; and Eleanor Smeal, Presidentof Feminist Majority
a.. "Let us not forget his on-air treatment of CNBC anchor Erin Burnett.Interrupting her news report, he said, 'Could you get a little closer to thecamera? ... You're beautiful. . You're a knockout.' There it is, right inyou own living room: sexual harassment brought to you by MSNBC." -- EllenR. Malcolm President, EMILY's List, January 14, 2008
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Check out what's new at BayWindows.com
http://www.baywindows.com
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Abortions down 25% from peak
But a study says more women are choosing medication, rather than surgery, toend pregnancies.
By Stephanie Simon
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 17 2008
A comprehensive study of abortion in America underscores a striking changein the landscape, with ever-fewer pregnant women choosing abortion and thosewho do increasingly opting to avoid surgical clinics.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-abort17jan17,0,200398.story?coll=la-home-center
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Kuwait: Repressive Dress-Code Law Encourages Police Abuse
Arrests Target Transgender People
(New York, January 17, 2008) Authorities should immediately release morethan a dozen persons jailed under Kuwait's new dress-code law, Human RightsWatch said today. The law, approved by the National Assembly on December 10,2007, criminalizes people who ?imitate the appearance of the opposite sex.?
The wave of arrests in the past month shows exactly why Kuwait shouldrepeal this repressive law,? said Joe Stork, deputy director of the MiddleEast division at Human Rights Watch. ?Kuwaiti authorities should immediatelydrop all charges against those arrested, and investigate charges ofill-treatment in detention.?
Security officials have arrested at least 14 people in Kuwait City since theNational Assembly approved an addition (Article 199 bis) to Article 198 ofthe Criminal Code. The amendment states that ?any person committing anindecent act in a public place, or imitating the appearance of a member ofthe opposite sex, shall be subject to imprisonment for a period notexceeding one year or a fine not exceeding one thousand dinars [US$3,500].?
Dress codes based solely on gender stereotypes restrict both freedom ofexpression and personal autonomy, Human Rights Watch said. The only knowntargets of the new Kuwaiti law have been transgender people ? individualsborn into one gender who deeply identify themselves with another. Kuwaitallows transgender people neither to change their legal identity to matchthe gender in which they live, nor to adapt their physical appearancethrough gender reassignment surgery. The new law, coming after months ofcontroversy, aims at further restricting their rights and completelyeliminating their public presence. In September 2007, the newspaper AlArabiya reported a new government campaign ?to combat the growing phenomenonof gays and transsexuals? in Kuwait.
more....
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/01/huckabee-directly-equates-homosexuality.html
Huckabee Directly Equates Homosexuality With Bestiality
January 17, 2008
At some point you'd think Mike Huckabee's views would be seen as socontroversial that there's no way he could possibly be a contender for thenomination of one of America's two main political parties.
Especially now. In an interview with Beliefnet.com, a religion Web site,Huck has just clarified his view that the Constitution should be amended tobe brought in line with God's will -- and he directly equated homosexualitywith bestiality.
Huck, in elaborating on his views that the Constitution should be subjectedto Biblical standards, had just wrapped up a discussion of the fact thatmarriage has meant "a man and a woman in a relationship for life." With thiscontext firmly established, this exchange followed:
QUESTIONER: Is it your goal to bring the Constitution into strict conformitywith the Bible? Some people would consider that a kind of dangerousundertaking, particularly given the variety of biblical interpretations.
HUCKABEE: Well, I don't think that's a radical view to say we're going toaffirm marriage. I think the radical view is to say that we're going tochange the definition of marriage so that it can mean two men, two women, aman and three women, a man and a child, a man and animal. Again, once wechange the definition, the door is open to change it again. I think theradical position is to make a change in what's been historic.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2008/01/17/4
Black LGBTs mull the presidential race
published Thursday, January 17, 2008
African-American LGBT voters have a chance to come together Wednesday, Jan.23, in Los Angeles to hold a presidential election forum.
"It's a Black Thang! The Black LGBT Vote '08" will be held in L.A.'shistoric African-American community of Leimert Park at the Lucy FlorenceCoffee House and Cultural Center, 3353 West 43rd Place, from 7 p.m. to 9p.m. Contenders from the Republican and Democratic parties have been invitedto join the event.
Journalist and Advocate columnist Jasmyne Cannick will moderate along withRay Cunningham, season 3 star of BET's "College Hill" reality series. At theconclusion of the forum, audience members will participate in a mock vote todetermine which presidential candidate would have the black LGBT vote if theelection were held that day.
Confirmed panelists include Alan-Michael Graves, board member of theNational Black Justice Coalition; Christina Fontenot, graduate student atDillard University; Doug Spearman, actor ("Noah's Arc"); Ivan Daniel, CEO ofIvan Daniel Productions; Jazzmun, actor ("Punks," "Heroes"); Jeffrey King,founder of In the Meantime men's group; Jewel Thais-Williams, CEO of CatchOne Night Club and Village Health Foundation; Paris Barclay, Emmyaward-winning director; Patrik-Ian Polk, filmmaker; Rosalind Renfro, SoulfulTouch Entertainment and Treazure Lee, CEO of TreazureMag.com.
"While the thought may be that gays are only concerned about gay marriage,"Cannick said in a statement, "when you're black and gay, marriage may not bethe defining issue for you in comparison to putting food on the table andhaving a roof over your head.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories08/january/0118082.htm
Now, eight LGBT delegates may represent Ohio in Denver
by Anthony Glassman
January 18, 2008
Columbus--Four more LGBT people were selected as delegates for theirrespective candidates in the January 3 Democratic caucuses around the state,bringing the total to at least eight.
In central Ohio's 15th congressional district, three people were selected,two of them running as Hillary Clinton delegates, and one as a John Edwardsdelegate.
Bill Hedrick, the president of the Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio, wasselected as one of the potential delegates for former Sen. John Edwards.
In the Clinton caucus, Bo Shuff, director of education and public policy forEquality Ohio, and Sarah Hamilton, legislative and political mobilizationcoordinator for the Ohio Federation of Teachers, were both selected.
While Shuff was quick to note that his support of Clinton is his own and notthat of his organization, Hamilton pointed out teachers' union members alsoran to be Clinton delegates, as the union has endorsed her in the primary.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=17217
Gov. notes LGBT statute; groups launch program
2008-01-16
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich marked the two-year anniversary of theIllinois Human Rights Act, which protects Illinoisans fromsexual-orientation and gender-identity discrimination.
"Discrimination of any kind is unacceptable. ... We will continue ourefforts to ensure fairness and equality in Illinois," Blagojevich said in astatement.
In addition, The Illinois Department of Human Rights ( IDHR ) , whichenforces the act, will launch an awareness campaign with Equality Illinoisand Lambda Legal to ensure LGBT communities know about the law and itsprotections. The three organizations will jointly conduct training seminarsspecifically for the LGBT community statewide, and will include informationand links of each others' Web sites.
Since the law went into effect Jan. 1, 2006, nearly 200 charges have beenfiled with the IDHR. For more info or complaint forms, visitwww.state.il.us/dhr or call 312-814-6200.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.jossip.com/tom-brokaws-gay-defense-goes-boom-20080115/
Tom Brokaw's Gay Defense Goes Boom
60s author backtracks on leaving out the gays
Tom Brokaw's book about the 60s - which required research assistantsnumbering more than San Francisco's homeless - hasn't sat well with thegays, who were essentially left out of the book's list of importantdevelopments of the decade.
When the controversy hit in November, Brokaw went on CNN to defend hisdecision to gloss over the gay rights movement, since "the gay rightsmovement came slightly later. It lifted off during that time and I had tomake some choices about what I was going to concentrate on. The big issueswere the anti-war movement, the counterculture."
Now, he's backtracking.
In an interview with the Advocate, the still-omnipresent news anchor says he"feel[s] bad" about the decision. "It was not that it wasn't on my mind, butit was not the defining history of the '60s. I was trying to do the five bigpillars, which in my judgment were race, war, politics, women, and culture.There were a number of important movements that also grew out of the '60sand certainly gay liberation was important among them.I think it was amistake not to make reference to Stonewall. And we're going to do that insubsequent editions."
Paperback? Psshaw.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/01/chemistrycom-national-survey-says-74.html
Chemistry.com National Survey Says 74% of America's singles endorse gaycivil unions
January 17, 2008
DALLAS -- A national survey released today by Chemistry.com, the fastestgrowing relationship site*, reveals that Americans are broad-minded when itcomes to love. Chemistry.com commissioned the survey to continue to host thedialogue with single Americans and gain additional insight into currentattitudes and behaviors around dating and relationships.
"We're constantly looking at how people view love and companionship in orderto better serve our millions of members," said Mandy Ginsberg, generalmanager of Chemistry.com. "Our mission is to help each person find the typeof relationship they're looking for."
The survey, conducted by Gfk Roper Public Affairs, reveals Americans' truebeliefs on controversial topics ranging from pre-martial sex to same sexrelationships, demonstrating that Americans have a progressive andopen-minded perspective on modern day relationships.
Highlights from the survey include:
Americans views on divorce: 84% of Americans agree that people who have beendivorced have just as much a right to find a romantic relationship assingles
Insight into relationship intimacy while dating: a large majority ofAmericans, 84%, agrees that there is nothing wrong with premarital sexbetween two consenting adults in a relationship.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pridesource.com/digestarticle.shtml?article=28801
BTL EDITORIAL: Car show amps up queer factor, Detroit pride
Originally printed 01/17/2008 (Issue 1603 - Between The Lines News)
The GM Style event last Saturday night was not to be missed, with hot cars,hotter models, rocking and grooving musical acts and - surprise! - ashockingly large turnout from gay media all over the nation.
Between The Lines was there, of course, representing not only the LGBTcommunity, but the Detroit LGBT community. As some of the only natives atthe event, we at BTL saw a swell of pride for our struggling-yet-fightingcity - a change from the usual gay pride we're always flashing.
Of course, when you combine fashion and music, the queer factor escalates -from the models and designers to the press and recent Advocate cover-girland R&B superstar Mary J. Blige.
But it's even more apparent when the company presenting the event - in thiscase, General Motors Corp. - are known for being supportive of diversity,especially in their inclusiveness of the LGBT community.
In 1993 and 1994, GM showed up on the gay radar as one of the first majorcorporations to advertise to the gay market. Not only did they prove to be ahip company, but also an accepting one. They've proven that once again.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid51687.asp
GLSEN Founder Stepping Down
January 18, 2008
The founding executive director for one of the nation's leading LGBTorganizations is stepping down as of August 2008. Kevin Jennings will leavethe Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network after 13 years with thegroup, according to a press release.
"While I won't be involved in the organization's day-to-day operations comeAugust 1, I can't imagine a time when I won't be involved with this amazingorganization," he said in the statement. "I'm looking forward to watchingGLSEN grow and thrive in the years to come."
Jennings helped found GLSEN in 1994. Since then it has grown from avolunteer-based group to a national organization with a multimillion-dollarbudget, two regional offices, and a staff of 40. GLSEN advocates for saferK-12 schools for all children, regardless of sexual orientation or genderexpression.
As part of his pioneering work, Jennings helped to establish the firstgay-straight alliance at the Concord Academy in 1988; there are now morethan 3,700 GSAs registered with GLSEN.
The organization will now begin a national search for a new executivedirector. (The Advocate)
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pridesource.com/digestarticle.shtml?article=28821
LGBT mental health forum 'Lights the Way'
by Shaun Hittle
Originally printed 01/17/2008 (Issue 1603 - Between The Lines News)
KALAMAZOO - There was no shortage of inspirational and heartbreakinganecdotes at a recent LGBT mental health panel at the Wesley Foundation inKalamazoo - but one story stood out.
Vincent Rager, a Western Michigan University student and LGBT suicideprevention advocate, recounted his painful experience of having an exorcismperformed on him by members of his church. The exorcism was an attempt to"cure" Rager from his homosexuality after he first came out as gay in highschool. Rager went on to discuss his suicide attempts, depression andfrequent nability to deal with life's problems, all due in large part tothe lack of vailable support for LGBT youth.
Rager's story was one of several told at the event, titled Project Light,that was organized by LGBT advocate Adam Taylor in response to the Octobersuicide of Holland transgendered youth Ian Benson. Taylor said he organizedthe event with the theme of "lighting the way" for LGBT youth who "don'tknow where to go" for help dealing with mental health issues. "Where arekids supposed to go when they don't have support?" Taylor asked.
The panel of speakers that Taylor and others organized shined some light onthe positive benefits of a supporting environment for LGBT youth.
Mike Neubecker, Vice President of the national Parents, Families and Friendsof Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), highlighted some of the programs PFLAG now hasin place to assist families when supporting a loved one dealing with LGBTissues. Neubecker became an advocate after learning that his own son wasgay, coming full circle in his own acceptance of the issue.
more . . . . .
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid51692.asp
Americans Indicted in Brazil Sex Case
January 18, 2008
A U.S. couple was indicted Thursday in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on charges ofsexually abusing children at a Brazilian nudist colony, a court officialsaid.
Frederic Calvin Louderback, 63, of San Diego, and his companion, BarbaraAnner, 72, could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of sexuallyabusing children, corrupting minors, and conspiracy, court official RenataSavian said.
Attorneys for Louderback and Anner did not immediately return calls seekingreaction, though they earlier denied the charges, which involve childrenaged 6 to 14.
Also indicted were Andre Ricardo Herdy and Cleci Jaeger -- a Braziliancouple suspected of helping the Americans -- and three boys' parents whowere allegedly paid to let their children be abused.
Police also say that hundreds of photos of young boys engaged in homosexualacts were found in the homes of both couples.
more . . . . .
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid51691.asp
Best-selling Author Puts New, Tolerant Face on Christianity
January 18, 2008
Donald Miller still loves God and Jesus. Don't misunderstand him.
His problem is with Christianity, at least how it's often practiced.
''It's a dangerous term, so I try to avoid it,'' said Miller, who consideredgiving up his career as a Christian writer and leaving the church in 2003because he couldn't attend services without getting angry.
For him, the word conjured up conservative politics, suburban consumerism,and an ''insensitivity to people who aren't like us.'' He sat in his boxershorts and banged out a memoir of his experiences with God, stripped of thetrappings of religion.
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality sold justenough to pay a few months' rent. Then five years later, spurred by agrassroots movement of 20-something Christians longing to connect to Godwithout ties to the religious right, the book became a sudden hit.
more . . . . .
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The Advocate
http://www.mrsardonic.com/2008/01/another-day-ano.html
Oh, Mike Huckabee, are you really this desperate to rally the Christofascistbase?
Today, he gives us this nugget: "Well, I don't think that's a radical viewto say we're going to affirm marriage. I think the radical view is to saythat we're going to change the definition of marriage so that it can meantwo men, two women, a man and three women, a man and a child, a man andanimal. Again, once we change the definition, the door is open to change itagain. I think the radical position is to make a change in what's beenhistoric."
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011801184_pf.html
Chaos Theory
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 18, 2008; 8:07 AM
I just got back from Michigan and South Carolina, so I'm prepared to sharemy insights on how the Republican race is going.
It seems that McCain's New Hampshire bounce dissipated in Michigan. ExceptMichigan didn't really count because Romney lived there, oh, 35 years ago.Romney's Michigan bounce convinced him to skip South Carolina. Thompsonshould do well in South Carolina, a state tailor-made for him, except heisn't. Huckabee never got much of an Iowa bump but is competitive in SouthCarolina, where there are plenty of evangelicals, but also plenty ofveterans who might gravitate toward McCain. And Rudy is sunning himself inFlorida.
Therefore, if you take the Republican winner tomorrow in South Carolina, add3 points for past victories, subtract 2 points if the person also loses theNevada caucuses, which seem mainly to be taking place near casino tables,you will have clear, incontrovertible evidence that whoever wins Floridawill have enough momentum going into Super Tuesday that the nominationbattle should be settled by . . . June. Or not.
I can make a case for why every one of these guys can't win. It's a littleharder to divine who will be the last man standing.
But with a race this exciting, why don't reporters just sit back and enjoyit? Instead, there's this undercurrent of angst: The race is insane. Threecontests, three winners. It's a deep, dark mystery. This has never happenedbefore in recorded history. How can this not be over by February 5 so we canall go on vacation? The party is in crisis, maybe even in therapy. How canthere not be a front-runner???
more . . . . .
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Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-fla3anationdigest01180sbjan18,0,30180,print.story
Mild brain injury in combat soldiers can be undiagnosed, Army saysJanuary 18, 2008
WASHINGTON HOUSTON BILLINGS PORTLAND PIERRE
As many as 1 in 5 U.S. combat troops who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan leavewith signs they may have had a concussion, and some do not realize they needtreatment, Army officials said Thursday.
Concussion is a common term for mild traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Whilethe Army has a handle on treating more severe brain injuries, it is"challenged to understand, diagnose and treat military personnel who sufferwith mild TBI," said Brig. Gen. Donald Bradshaw, chairman of a task force ontraumatic brain injury created by the Army surgeon general.
The task force, which completed its work in May, released its findings onThursday.
It estimated that 10 percent to 20 percent of soldiers and Marines fromtactical units leaving Iraq and Afghanistan are affected by mild traumaticbrain injury. The most common cause was blast from an explosion.
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MiamiHerald.com
http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/v-print/story/384115.html
Dirty tricks erupt in S.C. GOP race
BY JIM MORRILL AND DAN HUNTLEY
Posted on Thu, Jan. 17, 2008
Teresa Clanton was home doing chores when her phone rang.
An automated voice rattled off names of Republican presidential candidatesas if conducting a poll. When Clanton indicated that she supported FredThompson, the voice asked if she knew that the former Tennessee senatorsupports abortion, gay marriage and illegal immigration.
He doesn't.
''It made me angry because they're giving false information,'' said Clanton,a 52-year-old homemaker from Catawba.
Clanton is among thousands of South Carolina voters who've gotten so-called''push poll'' calls in the days leading up to Saturday's Republican primaryand next week's Democratic contest.
more . . . . .
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=16066
DNC lawsuit ensnares lesbian activist
Lucas accused of perjury, defamation; described gay plaintiff as 'completeloser'
By JOSHUA LYNSEN & LOU CHIBBARO JR. | Jan 17, 11:21 AM
A prominent lesbian activist and Democratic donor faces accusations ofperjury and defamation stemming from an ongoing civil lawsuit against theparty.
Legal documents filed in D.C. Superior Court this week and obtained by theBlade allege that Claire Lucas, a longtime Democratic National Committeevolunteer and National Stonewall Democrats board member, committed perjurywhen she filed an affidavit asserting that she does not live in Washington.
The affidavit, filed Jan. 4, was part of efforts to quash a subpoenaordering Lucas to sit for a deposition in a lawsuit that alleges the DNCdiscriminated against a former gay employee.
Attorneys for Donald Hitchcock, the plaintiff in the case, say in theirfiling that Lucas "is a legal resident of the District of Columbia" becauseshe owned two homes in Washington and claimed a "homestead deduction" forone of them that is only available to those legally residing within thecity.
The homestead deduction is part of a D.C. government program aimed athelping home owners who live in their homes reduce their property taxburden, which mushroomed over the past decade due to rising property values.D.C. property records show that Lucas last month sold her home at 3504Rodman St., N.W., on which she claimed the homestead deduction.
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=16088
Gay U.S. Senate hopeful reaches truce with Dems
Neal says party recruited primary candidate to oppose him
By CHRIS JOHNSON | Jan 17, 4:19 PM
An openly gay candidate vying for the Democratic nomination in the 2008election for an open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina said the DemocraticSenatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) had been hostile to his candidacybefore taking him seriously more recently.
"The DSCC had played an active role in recruiting a candidate to run againstme," said Jim Neal, referring to how the organization asked Kay Hagan, amember of the North Carolina state Senate and co-chair of the body'sAppropriations Committee, to run for the nomination.
Hagan initially declined, but after Neal declared his candidacy, the DSCCasked her to run again, he said. She declared her candidacy Oct. 30.
"My opponent had opted out of the race, had pulled her name out ofcontention, only to change her mind some three weeks later - an amazingepiphany of sorts," he said.
Some, including lesbian blogger Pam Spaulding of the popular Pam's HouseBlend site, have speculated that DSCC asked Hagan to run again because itdoes not believe that an openly gay candidate can win in a conservativestate like North Carolina.
more . . . . .
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=16086
Challenger: Gay judge should stay away from gay issues cases
'It's a matter of judicial ethics'
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) | Jan 17, 4:01 PM
A Democratic primary challenger says the judge considered Ohio's firstopenly gay judge should take herself off any cases involving gay issues.
James Piergies says for Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Wiseman,such cases would include those regarding Ohio's constitutional amendmentbanning gay marriage or a new Dayton law barring discrimination againstgays. Piergies says it's a matter of judicial ethics.
He made the comments in a meeting with the Dayton Daily News editorialboard.
Wiseman says she takes "strong exception" to her challenger's concerns. Shesays her sexual orientation has no bearing on how she considers cases.
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=16090
Blade set to move into National Press Building
Relocation will take place Feb. 1
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | Jan 17, 4:29 PM
The Washington Blade is scheduled to move its offices into the historicNational Press Building at 14th and F Streets, N.W., in the first week ofFebruary, leaving its home of nearly 15 years in space above a strip ofrestaurants in the city's popular U Street corridor.
Blade publisher Lynne Brown said moving into the National Press Buildingwould provide the Blade with access to facilities and office space moresuitable for publishing its weekly print edition and its daily news andinformation web site, washingtonblade.com.
"This new location offers us support services for hosting community groupsthat we just didn't have" at the Blade's current site at 1408 U St., N.W.,Brown said.
The National Press Building, located at 529 14th St., N.W., first opened itsdoors in 1927 as the home for the Washington bureaus of U.S. andinternational news organizations. It was founded by the National Press Club,which continues to operate out of the building's 14th floor as the nation'smost prestigious organization for journalists.
The Blade will be located in Suite 545 at the National Press Building andwill continue to use its current main phone number of 202-797-7000.
more . . . . .
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_7989014
Book on serial killers in church gunman's car
By The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 01/16/2008 03:45:29 PM MST
A killer who gunned down four people last month at a church in ColoradoSprings and a youth mission in Arvada, wrote a letter addressed "To God"that was recovered along with other items from his car.
The letter was listed in an evidence and property invoice of items thatColorado Springs police recovered from a 1992 Toyota Camry belonging toMatthew Murray. The documents were obtained by Newsradio 850 KOA.
Murray, 24, shot himself in the head with a 9mm pistol at New Life Church inColorado Springs on Dec. 9 after a volunteer church security officer shothim three times.
Murray killed two people at the church, and earlier that morning killed twopeople at Youth With a Mission in Arvada.
His car was found and seized by investigators in the New Life Church parkinglot.
more . . . . .
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/news/localnews/4333.cfm
High school won't allow lecture by transgendered performer
Three other Miami-Dade schools allow Schofield to address students ingay-straight alliances
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Thursday, January 17, 2008
As an adjunct to his show at the Arsht Center in Miami Jan. 25 and 26,female-to-male transgender performance artist Scott Turner Schofield will beleading a series of workshops in three Miami-Dade High Schools and atPridelines Youth Services.
Schofield's work deals with finding one's true identity and expressing one'struth to the world. He thinks the message can make a positive difference inthe lives of teenagers, who are constantly in the throes of identity crises.
The administrators at North Miami Beach High School, Dr. Michael M. KropHigh and Homestead High saw it that way too, and they allowed Schofield tospeak at the schools. But at Coral Reef High in west Kendall, school leadersthought Schofield's presentation was inappropriate for students.
School administrators told Tigertail Productions, the presenters of theSchofield's one-man show, "Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps," that thesubject matter was too controversial for the kids and their parents.
Adrianne Leal, Coral Reef High's principal, did not return calls forcomment.
more . . . . .
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/news/national/4336.cfm
States considering range of gay-related measures this year
New Mexico DP bill, Fla. amendment fight being closely watched
By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO
Thursday, January 17, 2008
This legislative season is shaping up to be a significant one for gayactivists in states around the country.
In New Mexico, the legislature is set to vote by mid-February on a domesticpartnerships bill. A ruling is expected any day on a Connecticut same-sexmarriage case. And a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage maybe on the ballot for November in Florida, though proponents of the ban weredealt a setback this week.
"It's not 2004 anymore," said Kara Suffredini, state legislative directorfor the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. "It's a very different climate."
Marty Rouse, national field director for Human Rights Campaign agrees.
"To have a state like New Mexico to be considering [domestic partnerships]is just amazing," Rouse said. "This has really been taken to the mainstream.In America, this is no longer seen as a special interest."
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/arts/books/4344.cfm
A gay 'Catcher in the Rye'?
Author draws on own prep school experience in second novel
By KATHERINE VOLIN
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Alleged hotbeds of teenage hormones, rules and elitism, the prep schoolsetting is hard for authors to resist. The iconic location was certainlymined for literary gold midway through the 20th century, with novels like "ASeparate Peace" and "Catcher in the Rye" providing perfect examples ofcoming-of-age stories.
Gay author Tom Dolby didn't miss that when author Tom Wolfe came to hisConnecticut prep school, Hotchkiss, during his senior year, the "sixth form"in prep school lingo.
"He said, 'Since 'A Separate Peace' or 'Catcher in the Rye', nobody haswritten a great boarding school novel,'" Dolby says. The comment ignited inDolby the desire to do so, although life taught him about the futility oftrying to achieve iconic literary status.
"You realize as you grow up, [as] you learn more about writing, you're nevergoing to write the great 'blank' novel about anything," Dolby says. "It'sjust another voice. You just hope that your experience speaks to people."
Dolby dove into his experiences at Hotchkiss to create a fictional work in"The Sixth Form," which he essentially started working on at age 18.
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/view/editorial/4339.cfm
Thanking Martin Luther King Jr. and our African-American allies
There are parallels but also differences between black and gay rightsefforts
written by Phil LaPadula
Thursday, January 17, 2008
As we prepare to honor the legacy of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.with a national holiday on Monday, it seems like an appropriate time tothank our allies in the local African-American community who have stood upfor gay rights in the past year.
Two names that come immediately to mind are Marsha Ellison, president of theFort Lauderdale branch of the NAACP, and Julian Bond, board chairman of theNAACP. Both have spoken out clearly and forcefully over the past year insupport of local gay rights efforts.
In September, Ellison spoke out at a press conference to denounce FortLauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle's series of anti-gay statements.
"Mayor Naugle's message is about one thing - hate," Ellison said.
Her comments drew praise from Bond, who issued a public statement commendingEllison for her support of the gay community. Earlier this month, Bond alsotaped a video on YouTube that denounced an anti-gay marriage amendment thatright-wing groups are trying to pass in Florida. In the video, the NAACPreferred to the proposed amendment as "divisive and harmful."
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/1-17/view/columns/4340.cfm
Tips for staying healthy in the new year
New study shows HIV more infectious than previously thought
By STEPHEN FALLON
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Are you wavering on keeping your New Year's resolutions? You planned totake better care of yourself in 2008, but temptation and habit keep gettingin the way. Three new studies have just delivered surprising results thatcould provide the motivation you need to keep to your healthier plans.
If you're HIV negative, keep using condoms.
A new study published in the journal Cell identified a protein in semen thatmakes HIV up to 100,000 times more infectious, much more contagious than youmight have expected.
In laboratory studies, researchers have always found HIV very inefficient atinfecting white blood cells. Scientists typically have to attack a bloodsample with 1,000 to 100,000 particles of HIV to create a successfulinfection. If HIV is so inefficient at infecting cells, why are our gaycommunities hit with so many new HIV infections each year?
Many gay men believe they could only get infected if lots of sexual fluidsget inside their body, for example by "bottoming" and allowing a partner toclimax inside. Some surveys have found that many gay men only put condoms onafter first penetrating their partner during foreplay. Meanwhile, many"tops" feel invulnerable to HIV because the urethra does not let much fluidin.
The new study found that HIV infection can result from exposure to as few asthree particles of HIV because it is carried amidst proteins found in semen,which scientists termed "Semen-Derived Enhancer of Virus Infection." Thislow threshold for infection means that HIV can take advantage of almost anyexposure during sexual penetration - a little leakage during foreplay, or alittle blood or secretion that gets down the urethra. So keep the condomshandy in 2008.
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365Gay.Com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
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Romney Chides Reporter For Challenging Him
(Washington) -- Mitt Romney's assertion about lobbyists and his presidentialcampaign was challenged by an Associated Press reporter Thursday. Theblogosphere immediately lit up over the exchange.
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Clinton Berates Reporter In Calif.
(Oakland, California) A heated exchange between former President Clinton anda television news reporter circulated on the Internet Thursday.
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Black Voters Generations Apart
(Atlanta, Georgia) When civil rights elders signed on to support HillaryRodham Clinton's run for president, it was seen as a coup in the competitionfor the black vote, especially in the Deep South.
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Texas Prosecutor Who Castigated Gays In Landmark Sodomy Case Embroiled InSex Scandal
(Houston, Texas) The district attorney who defended the Texas lawcriminalizing homosexuality before the US Supreme Court is desperatelytrying to keep his job following the discovery of e-mails containingsexually explicit videos, racist jokes and what is described as torrid lovenotes to his executive secretary.
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New Affordable Housing Development For SF Gay Seniors
(San Francisco, California) The post war baby boom is reaching retirementage and for many who are low or moderate income the future looks bleak. Onlimited social security they may not have the income to remain in theirhomes.
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Gay Nursing Home Opens
(Berlin) The first assisted care home for gays and lesbians in Europe openedthis week in Berlin.
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Lesbian Soldier Wins Discrimination Case
(London) A British employment tribunal has slapped the Ministry of Defenseignoring the complaints of a lesbian soldier who was subjected to long-termharassment from a sergeant who wanted her to have sex with him.
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Kentucky Senate Likely To Kill Anti-Bully Bill
(Frankfort, Kentucky) A bill aimed at curbing bullying in Kentucky schoolsis drawing the ire of Republicans in the state Senate because it wouldinclude measures to fight harassment of gay students.
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Prof On Hunger Strike For Gay Rights
(Austin, Texas) A University of Texas lecturer has entered the third day ofa hunger strike aimed at forcing the university to provide health benefitsto the domestic partners of gay and lesbian workers at the school.
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Early Gay Activist Kennith H. Burns Dies
(Los Angels, California) Kennith H. Burns who led the Mattachine Society,one of the country's first gay civil rights organizations, has died at age81.
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Gay Man Who Designed Flamboyant Costumes For Elvis Presley Dies
(Palm Springs, California) Costume designer Bill Belew, who created ElvisPresley's jumpsuits and the tight black leather outfit he wore on his 1968television special, has died.
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
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21% Not Aware of HIV Risk From Unprotected Sex
New figures from the National AIDS Trust's Public Attitudes Towards HIVSurvey released today show that the UK population is becoming more ignorantabout HIV. 6% of those surveyed were able to correctly identify all of theways HIV is transmitted, without any false responses.
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Gay Delegates to Hold Key Positions at Democratic Convention
The executive committee of the US Democratic party's National Committee hasapproved seven LGBT delegates to three important standing committees. Theconvention in Denver from August 25th to 28th will formally choose theparty's candidate for President of the United States.
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Social Networking 101: Gay & Lesbian Hookups Online
Not so long ago, Gay.com was about the only "social networking" site outthere specifically aimed at the LGBT community. Today, there are so many it'shard to keep them straight (no pun intended). Of course, not all such sitesare created equal. Some emphasize the social aspect of social networking andare all about cruising, dating or hooking up with the half-naked guys thatswarm the sites. Others emphasize the networking aspect-whether that meansfinding new clients, friends or true loves.
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California: 'Cruising' Targeted
Police are cracking down to oust gay encounters from Citrus Heights parks.If Citrus Heights police get their way, trips to the park no longer will beX-rated. The Police Department has declared war on "cruising," or thepractice of seeking anonymous gay trysts in public areas.
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City Councilwoman Denise Simmons Becomes America's First Black, OpenlyLesbian Mayor
Victory Fund-endorsed Denise Simmons has become the first African-American,open lesbian to take the helm as mayor of an American city, report the Gay &Lesbian Victory Fund and the Cambridge Chronicle.
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Iowa Family Policy Center Leader Says Gay Marriage Ruling Has ImplicationsBeyond State Borders
The leader of the Iowa Family Policy Center says a ruling on gay marriagethat's pending from the Iowa Supreme Court has implications far beyondIowa's borders. A lower court ruling that briefly allowed one gay couple tomarry in Des Moines on August 31st has been appealed to the Iowa SupremeCourt.
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The Firing Line: 1/17
The University of Texas is among the most backward of our peer institutionsof higher learning in not offering its gay, lesbian, bisexual andtransgender faculty and staff domestic partner benefits. My longtimedomestic partner has no health insurance through her work and cannot affordroutine medical and dental care - and if she faced a medical emergency wewould be bankrupted.
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Political Notebook: - Alice Club Elects Second Black Co-Chair
The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club ushered in a new leadership teamthis week, and with the election of Susan Christian as its female co-chair,the club for the first time in its history is being led by a team of gayAfrican Americans.
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Trans Bill Briefing Draws a Crowd
About 40 people, a mix of lawmakers, aides and LGBT advocates, turned out atthe State House Jan. 16 for a legislative briefing on House Bill 1722, whichwould update the state's non-discrimination and hate crimes laws to makethem transgender-inclusive. The Massachusetts Transgender PoliticalCoalition (MTPC), the lead organization in the coalition to pass the bill,presented lawmakers and their aides with a panel to explain the basics oftransgender identity and anti-trans discrimination as well as personalstories from transgender people about their own experiences with employmentissues. The briefing is part of MTPC's run-up to the Judiciary Committeehearing on H.B. 1722 that is expected to take place sometime in the next twomonths.
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Spotlight on Gay China
China Daily has an interview of two gay men and a lesbian that also featuresa big, bold picture of two young men kissing in Beijing. The first story ofa 57 year old married man caught our attention:
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PinkNews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6591.html
Feature: Searching for the true meaning of gay love
17th January 2008 18:30
Tony Grew
A new play about modern gay love and relationships opens in London nextweek.
Counterfeit Skin, by Jason Charles, explores the interplay between lovers,friends, family and rivals and in the process confronts deception, desire,greed, obsession and disappointment.
Much of the drama focuses on Luke and Jake, a young couple living withJake's gay godfather, who are questioning their long-term relationship.
Luke constantly needs reassurance, which Jake resents. A much more sexualperson, Jake lives mostly in a world of erotic fantasies his boyfriendcannot fulfil.
Then there is Mach, the new young, nubile and flirtatious receptionist atthe confectionery company owned by Leo, Jake's godfather.
more . . . . .
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Truth Wins Out
http://www.truthwinsout.org/uncategorized/truth-winsoutorg-calls-mike-huckabee%e2%80%99s-comments-on-homosexuality-embarrassing-ignorant-and-unworthy-of-a-presidential-candidate/
Truth WinsOut.Org Calls Mike Huckabee's Comments On Homosexuality
Embarrassing, Ignorant And Unworthy of A Presidential Candidate
January 17th, 2008
NEW YORK - TruthWinsOut.org today condemned Mike Huckabee's comments toBeliefNet that compared homosexuality to bestiality. Huckabee showed a lackof character, by pandering to the lowest common denominator in his quest towin the South Carolina primary, according to TruthWinsOut.org.
"Huckabee is quickly revealing himself to be an ignorant and crass politicalopportunist whose presidential hopes are based on exploiting wedge issues,"said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of TruthWinsOut.org. "To comparehomosexuality to bestiality is deeply offensive and shows that Huckabeeneeds a tutor on this issue, as desperately as he needs one on foreignpolicy."In the online interview, BeliefNet asked Huckabee if it was his "goal tobring the Constitution into strict conformity with the Bible?"
"Well, I don't think that's a radical view to say we're going to affirmmarriage," Huckabee replied. "I think the radical view is to say that we'regoing to change the definition of marriage so that it can mean two men, twowomen, a man and three women, a man and a child, a man and animal. Again,once we change the definition, the door is open to change it again. I thinkthe radical position is to make a change in what's been historic."
In further pandering to South Carolinians, Huckabee riled up a Myrtle Beachcrowd today with comments on the Confederate flag controversy.
"You don't like people from outside the state coming and telling you how yououghta raise your kids. You don't like people coming from outside the statecoming down and telling you what you want to do with your flag. In fact, ifsomeone came to the state of Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag,we'd tell them where to put the pole - that's what we'd do," said Huckabee.
more . . . . .
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From Ron Mills
precinct114r@yahoo.com
Hardball host's history of degrading commentary target for criticism
As the media and news consumers alike take a more critical look at MSNBC'smarquee talent and Hardball host Chris Matthews, progressive leaders,prominent bloggers, and other members of the media are all speaking outagainst Matthews' journalistic standing and questionable record.
Progressive Leaders
a.. "Matthews' history proves that when discussing prominent femalefigures, he is prone to overt sexism rather than civil politicaldiscourse." -- excerpt from a January 16 letter to Steve Capus, President ofNBC News from Gloria Steinem, author/activist; Kim Gandy, President of NOW;Lulu Flores, President of The National Women's Political Caucus; CarolJenkins, President of The Women's Media Center; and Eleanor Smeal, Presidentof Feminist Majority
a.. "Let us not forget his on-air treatment of CNBC anchor Erin Burnett.Interrupting her news report, he said, 'Could you get a little closer to thecamera? ... You're beautiful. . You're a knockout.' There it is, right inyou own living room: sexual harassment brought to you by MSNBC." -- EllenR. Malcolm President, EMILY's List, January 14, 2008
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Check out what's new at BayWindows.com
http://www.baywindows.com
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Abortions down 25% from peak
But a study says more women are choosing medication, rather than surgery, toend pregnancies.
By Stephanie Simon
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
January 17 2008
A comprehensive study of abortion in America underscores a striking changein the landscape, with ever-fewer pregnant women choosing abortion and thosewho do increasingly opting to avoid surgical clinics.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-abort17jan17,0,200398.story?coll=la-home-center
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Kuwait: Repressive Dress-Code Law Encourages Police Abuse
Arrests Target Transgender People
(New York, January 17, 2008) Authorities should immediately release morethan a dozen persons jailed under Kuwait's new dress-code law, Human RightsWatch said today. The law, approved by the National Assembly on December 10,2007, criminalizes people who ?imitate the appearance of the opposite sex.?
The wave of arrests in the past month shows exactly why Kuwait shouldrepeal this repressive law,? said Joe Stork, deputy director of the MiddleEast division at Human Rights Watch. ?Kuwaiti authorities should immediatelydrop all charges against those arrested, and investigate charges ofill-treatment in detention.?
Security officials have arrested at least 14 people in Kuwait City since theNational Assembly approved an addition (Article 199 bis) to Article 198 ofthe Criminal Code. The amendment states that ?any person committing anindecent act in a public place, or imitating the appearance of a member ofthe opposite sex, shall be subject to imprisonment for a period notexceeding one year or a fine not exceeding one thousand dinars [US$3,500].?
Dress codes based solely on gender stereotypes restrict both freedom ofexpression and personal autonomy, Human Rights Watch said. The only knowntargets of the new Kuwaiti law have been transgender people ? individualsborn into one gender who deeply identify themselves with another. Kuwaitallows transgender people neither to change their legal identity to matchthe gender in which they live, nor to adapt their physical appearancethrough gender reassignment surgery. The new law, coming after months ofcontroversy, aims at further restricting their rights and completelyeliminating their public presence. In September 2007, the newspaper AlArabiya reported a new government campaign ?to combat the growing phenomenonof gays and transsexuals? in Kuwait.
more....
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/01/huckabee-directly-equates-homosexuality.html
Huckabee Directly Equates Homosexuality With Bestiality
January 17, 2008
At some point you'd think Mike Huckabee's views would be seen as socontroversial that there's no way he could possibly be a contender for thenomination of one of America's two main political parties.
Especially now. In an interview with Beliefnet.com, a religion Web site,Huck has just clarified his view that the Constitution should be amended tobe brought in line with God's will -- and he directly equated homosexualitywith bestiality.
Huck, in elaborating on his views that the Constitution should be subjectedto Biblical standards, had just wrapped up a discussion of the fact thatmarriage has meant "a man and a woman in a relationship for life." With thiscontext firmly established, this exchange followed:
QUESTIONER: Is it your goal to bring the Constitution into strict conformitywith the Bible? Some people would consider that a kind of dangerousundertaking, particularly given the variety of biblical interpretations.
HUCKABEE: Well, I don't think that's a radical view to say we're going toaffirm marriage. I think the radical view is to say that we're going tochange the definition of marriage so that it can mean two men, two women, aman and three women, a man and a child, a man and animal. Again, once wechange the definition, the door is open to change it again. I think theradical position is to make a change in what's been historic.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2008/01/17/4
Black LGBTs mull the presidential race
published Thursday, January 17, 2008
African-American LGBT voters have a chance to come together Wednesday, Jan.23, in Los Angeles to hold a presidential election forum.
"It's a Black Thang! The Black LGBT Vote '08" will be held in L.A.'shistoric African-American community of Leimert Park at the Lucy FlorenceCoffee House and Cultural Center, 3353 West 43rd Place, from 7 p.m. to 9p.m. Contenders from the Republican and Democratic parties have been invitedto join the event.
Journalist and Advocate columnist Jasmyne Cannick will moderate along withRay Cunningham, season 3 star of BET's "College Hill" reality series. At theconclusion of the forum, audience members will participate in a mock vote todetermine which presidential candidate would have the black LGBT vote if theelection were held that day.
Confirmed panelists include Alan-Michael Graves, board member of theNational Black Justice Coalition; Christina Fontenot, graduate student atDillard University; Doug Spearman, actor ("Noah's Arc"); Ivan Daniel, CEO ofIvan Daniel Productions; Jazzmun, actor ("Punks," "Heroes"); Jeffrey King,founder of In the Meantime men's group; Jewel Thais-Williams, CEO of CatchOne Night Club and Village Health Foundation; Paris Barclay, Emmyaward-winning director; Patrik-Ian Polk, filmmaker; Rosalind Renfro, SoulfulTouch Entertainment and Treazure Lee, CEO of TreazureMag.com.
"While the thought may be that gays are only concerned about gay marriage,"Cannick said in a statement, "when you're black and gay, marriage may not bethe defining issue for you in comparison to putting food on the table andhaving a roof over your head.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories08/january/0118082.htm
Now, eight LGBT delegates may represent Ohio in Denver
by Anthony Glassman
January 18, 2008
Columbus--Four more LGBT people were selected as delegates for theirrespective candidates in the January 3 Democratic caucuses around the state,bringing the total to at least eight.
In central Ohio's 15th congressional district, three people were selected,two of them running as Hillary Clinton delegates, and one as a John Edwardsdelegate.
Bill Hedrick, the president of the Stonewall Democrats of Central Ohio, wasselected as one of the potential delegates for former Sen. John Edwards.
In the Clinton caucus, Bo Shuff, director of education and public policy forEquality Ohio, and Sarah Hamilton, legislative and political mobilizationcoordinator for the Ohio Federation of Teachers, were both selected.
While Shuff was quick to note that his support of Clinton is his own and notthat of his organization, Hamilton pointed out teachers' union members alsoran to be Clinton delegates, as the union has endorsed her in the primary.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=17217
Gov. notes LGBT statute; groups launch program
2008-01-16
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich marked the two-year anniversary of theIllinois Human Rights Act, which protects Illinoisans fromsexual-orientation and gender-identity discrimination.
"Discrimination of any kind is unacceptable. ... We will continue ourefforts to ensure fairness and equality in Illinois," Blagojevich said in astatement.
In addition, The Illinois Department of Human Rights ( IDHR ) , whichenforces the act, will launch an awareness campaign with Equality Illinoisand Lambda Legal to ensure LGBT communities know about the law and itsprotections. The three organizations will jointly conduct training seminarsspecifically for the LGBT community statewide, and will include informationand links of each others' Web sites.
Since the law went into effect Jan. 1, 2006, nearly 200 charges have beenfiled with the IDHR. For more info or complaint forms, visitwww.state.il.us/dhr or call 312-814-6200.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.jossip.com/tom-brokaws-gay-defense-goes-boom-20080115/
Tom Brokaw's Gay Defense Goes Boom
60s author backtracks on leaving out the gays
Tom Brokaw's book about the 60s - which required research assistantsnumbering more than San Francisco's homeless - hasn't sat well with thegays, who were essentially left out of the book's list of importantdevelopments of the decade.
When the controversy hit in November, Brokaw went on CNN to defend hisdecision to gloss over the gay rights movement, since "the gay rightsmovement came slightly later. It lifted off during that time and I had tomake some choices about what I was going to concentrate on. The big issueswere the anti-war movement, the counterculture."
Now, he's backtracking.
In an interview with the Advocate, the still-omnipresent news anchor says he"feel[s] bad" about the decision. "It was not that it wasn't on my mind, butit was not the defining history of the '60s. I was trying to do the five bigpillars, which in my judgment were race, war, politics, women, and culture.There were a number of important movements that also grew out of the '60sand certainly gay liberation was important among them.I think it was amistake not to make reference to Stonewall. And we're going to do that insubsequent editions."
Paperback? Psshaw.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/01/chemistrycom-national-survey-says-74.html
Chemistry.com National Survey Says 74% of America's singles endorse gaycivil unions
January 17, 2008
DALLAS -- A national survey released today by Chemistry.com, the fastestgrowing relationship site*, reveals that Americans are broad-minded when itcomes to love. Chemistry.com commissioned the survey to continue to host thedialogue with single Americans and gain additional insight into currentattitudes and behaviors around dating and relationships.
"We're constantly looking at how people view love and companionship in orderto better serve our millions of members," said Mandy Ginsberg, generalmanager of Chemistry.com. "Our mission is to help each person find the typeof relationship they're looking for."
The survey, conducted by Gfk Roper Public Affairs, reveals Americans' truebeliefs on controversial topics ranging from pre-martial sex to same sexrelationships, demonstrating that Americans have a progressive andopen-minded perspective on modern day relationships.
Highlights from the survey include:
Americans views on divorce: 84% of Americans agree that people who have beendivorced have just as much a right to find a romantic relationship assingles
Insight into relationship intimacy while dating: a large majority ofAmericans, 84%, agrees that there is nothing wrong with premarital sexbetween two consenting adults in a relationship.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pridesource.com/digestarticle.shtml?article=28801
BTL EDITORIAL: Car show amps up queer factor, Detroit pride
Originally printed 01/17/2008 (Issue 1603 - Between The Lines News)
The GM Style event last Saturday night was not to be missed, with hot cars,hotter models, rocking and grooving musical acts and - surprise! - ashockingly large turnout from gay media all over the nation.
Between The Lines was there, of course, representing not only the LGBTcommunity, but the Detroit LGBT community. As some of the only natives atthe event, we at BTL saw a swell of pride for our struggling-yet-fightingcity - a change from the usual gay pride we're always flashing.
Of course, when you combine fashion and music, the queer factor escalates -from the models and designers to the press and recent Advocate cover-girland R&B superstar Mary J. Blige.
But it's even more apparent when the company presenting the event - in thiscase, General Motors Corp. - are known for being supportive of diversity,especially in their inclusiveness of the LGBT community.
In 1993 and 1994, GM showed up on the gay radar as one of the first majorcorporations to advertise to the gay market. Not only did they prove to be ahip company, but also an accepting one. They've proven that once again.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid51687.asp
GLSEN Founder Stepping Down
January 18, 2008
The founding executive director for one of the nation's leading LGBTorganizations is stepping down as of August 2008. Kevin Jennings will leavethe Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network after 13 years with thegroup, according to a press release.
"While I won't be involved in the organization's day-to-day operations comeAugust 1, I can't imagine a time when I won't be involved with this amazingorganization," he said in the statement. "I'm looking forward to watchingGLSEN grow and thrive in the years to come."
Jennings helped found GLSEN in 1994. Since then it has grown from avolunteer-based group to a national organization with a multimillion-dollarbudget, two regional offices, and a staff of 40. GLSEN advocates for saferK-12 schools for all children, regardless of sexual orientation or genderexpression.
As part of his pioneering work, Jennings helped to establish the firstgay-straight alliance at the Concord Academy in 1988; there are now morethan 3,700 GSAs registered with GLSEN.
The organization will now begin a national search for a new executivedirector. (The Advocate)
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pridesource.com/digestarticle.shtml?article=28821
LGBT mental health forum 'Lights the Way'
by Shaun Hittle
Originally printed 01/17/2008 (Issue 1603 - Between The Lines News)
KALAMAZOO - There was no shortage of inspirational and heartbreakinganecdotes at a recent LGBT mental health panel at the Wesley Foundation inKalamazoo - but one story stood out.
Vincent Rager, a Western Michigan University student and LGBT suicideprevention advocate, recounted his painful experience of having an exorcismperformed on him by members of his church. The exorcism was an attempt to"cure" Rager from his homosexuality after he first came out as gay in highschool. Rager went on to discuss his suicide attempts, depression andfrequent nability to deal with life's problems, all due in large part tothe lack of vailable support for LGBT youth.
Rager's story was one of several told at the event, titled Project Light,that was organized by LGBT advocate Adam Taylor in response to the Octobersuicide of Holland transgendered youth Ian Benson. Taylor said he organizedthe event with the theme of "lighting the way" for LGBT youth who "don'tknow where to go" for help dealing with mental health issues. "Where arekids supposed to go when they don't have support?" Taylor asked.
The panel of speakers that Taylor and others organized shined some light onthe positive benefits of a supporting environment for LGBT youth.
Mike Neubecker, Vice President of the national Parents, Families and Friendsof Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), highlighted some of the programs PFLAG now hasin place to assist families when supporting a loved one dealing with LGBTissues. Neubecker became an advocate after learning that his own son wasgay, coming full circle in his own acceptance of the issue.
more . . . . .
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid51692.asp
Americans Indicted in Brazil Sex Case
January 18, 2008
A U.S. couple was indicted Thursday in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on charges ofsexually abusing children at a Brazilian nudist colony, a court officialsaid.
Frederic Calvin Louderback, 63, of San Diego, and his companion, BarbaraAnner, 72, could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of sexuallyabusing children, corrupting minors, and conspiracy, court official RenataSavian said.
Attorneys for Louderback and Anner did not immediately return calls seekingreaction, though they earlier denied the charges, which involve childrenaged 6 to 14.
Also indicted were Andre Ricardo Herdy and Cleci Jaeger -- a Braziliancouple suspected of helping the Americans -- and three boys' parents whowere allegedly paid to let their children be abused.
Police also say that hundreds of photos of young boys engaged in homosexualacts were found in the homes of both couples.
more . . . . .
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid51691.asp
Best-selling Author Puts New, Tolerant Face on Christianity
January 18, 2008
Donald Miller still loves God and Jesus. Don't misunderstand him.
His problem is with Christianity, at least how it's often practiced.
''It's a dangerous term, so I try to avoid it,'' said Miller, who consideredgiving up his career as a Christian writer and leaving the church in 2003because he couldn't attend services without getting angry.
For him, the word conjured up conservative politics, suburban consumerism,and an ''insensitivity to people who aren't like us.'' He sat in his boxershorts and banged out a memoir of his experiences with God, stripped of thetrappings of religion.
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality sold justenough to pay a few months' rent. Then five years later, spurred by agrassroots movement of 20-something Christians longing to connect to Godwithout ties to the religious right, the book became a sudden hit.
more . . . . .
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The Advocate
http://www.mrsardonic.com/2008/01/another-day-ano.html
Oh, Mike Huckabee, are you really this desperate to rally the Christofascistbase?
Today, he gives us this nugget: "Well, I don't think that's a radical viewto say we're going to affirm marriage. I think the radical view is to saythat we're going to change the definition of marriage so that it can meantwo men, two women, a man and three women, a man and a child, a man andanimal. Again, once we change the definition, the door is open to change itagain. I think the radical position is to make a change in what's beenhistoric."
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