**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.
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-AIDS Funding Binds the Health of Millions to U.S.
Bush's plan to commit nation to spending roughly $40B over five years tofight epidemic overseas carries implicit promise of indefinite foreign aid.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072503350.html?hpid=topnews
-Gay Bishop Attends Conference
He wasn't invited to the Anglican Communion in Canterbury, but U.S. bishopgoes anyway.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502828.html?hpid=topnews
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Lawyer: Gay bias might have role in police shooting male dancer afterSan Diego Bay rescue
To police, Steven Hirschfield was violent and out of control when heclambered aboard a patrol boat sent to rescue him in the San Diego Bayduring a gay pride party. The 37-year-old bodybuilder, shirtless andwearing sneakers, seized an officer's stun gun and beat him in the face,they say, before he was fatally shot while reaching for the officer'sweapon.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-overboard-shooting,0,3895875.story
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Miami Gay Film Festival fires director Carol Coombes
The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival -- about $50,000 in debt -- on Fridayfired its flamboyant festival director, Carol Coombes. Now, she may bedeported. "Carol is British and in 60 days she might have to leave thecountry," said Harvey Burstein, a festival founder and former board member.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-Nike to drop Hyperdunk ads some see as homophobic
Nike said Friday it would pull its ads for its Hyperdunk basketball shoes,responding to criticism that they fed homophobic views. Nike previouslydefended the ads, but said it would withdraw them as quickly as possible "tounderline our ongoing commitment to supporting diversity in sport and theworkplace," The Oregonian reported. The ads were created by Portland'sWieden+Kennedy agency and titled "That Ain't Right," "Isn't That Cute," and"Punks Jump Up."
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/AP/story/618809.html
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-A Deck of Closeted Hypocrites
by Michelangelo Signorile
Producer David Guggenheim and I met some enterprising young men at Netroots Nation in Austin who produced a fabulous deck of playing cards: GayRepublican Hypocrites. Page-crazy Mark Foley is the Ace of Hearts. BJ BobAllen is the Ten of Clubs. Toe-tapping Larry Craig is the King of Spades. Onthe show today we played my interview with one of the creators of the deck,Austin college student Nathan Moore. Below is a short video clip of thatinterview. Nathan and his friends came up with the idea one night while they"got a little drunk on some beers." These guys have now sold over 2000 ofthese decks of cards. You can buy a deck too at http://www.gayrepublicancards.com/ for $8.95. A portion of the proceedsgoes to Equality Texas, the statewide LGBT group. The rest of the money,says Moore, goes to "buying us some more beers." I think they certainlydeserve it.
http://signorile2003.blogspot.com/2008/07/deck-of-closeted-hypocrites.html
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Lawrence King Case Gets Worse
A judge ruled the 14 year old boy accused of killing Lawrence King can betried as an adult. Brandon McInerney allegedly shot King as the child, whohad told friends he was gay, was writing an assignment for his Englishclass. The February crime occurred in a school in Oxnard, California, astate that has what's called Proposition 21. Passed by California voters in2000, this law gives state prosecutors more leeway on charging children 14and older with adult crimes without having the permission of a judge.McInerney is charged with first-degree murder and a hate crime.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/lawrence-king-case-gets-worse/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Rewording of Prop. 8 Could Help Its Defeat
The California secretary of state has changed language in the ballotinitiative that would ban same-sex marriage in California. [...] The newlanguage says that the initiative "Changes California Constitution toeliminate right of same-sex couples to marry." It further explains thatbanning gay marriage could prevent the state from gaining tens of millionsof dollars in potential sales tax revenue.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58344.asp
-Snickers Ad Pulled Under Pressure From HRC
Mars Inc. has pulled its newest television commercial for Snickers candybars after communication with the Human Rights Campaign. "Followingconversations between the Human Rights Campaign and senior Marsrepresentatives, the company has agreed to pull its most recent ad usingstereotypes of gay men to sell its Snickers product line," HRC workplacedirector Daryl Herrschaft said in a press release.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58293.asp
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-New Book Sheds Light on Gay Life in the Muslim World
Following thirty-three people in twenty-two countries, Afdhere Jama paints acomplicated picture in "Illegal Citizens", subtitled "Queer Lives in theMuslim World." "I set out to tell the stories of people sufferingeverywhere," says Jama, who is the editor of Huriyah, a queer Muslimmagazine. "Instead, I was confronted with diverse lives including happyones--sometimes in places I never imagined."
-"Ratings Magnet"
Rosie O'Donnell Ready for Primetime
Forget the N-word. If you really want to see Elisabeth Hasselbeck cry, tryuttering the R-word - especially in this next context. Multiple sourcesconfirm to me exclusively that Hasselbeck's former View nemesis, RosieO'Donnell, is in active talks with NBC to return to television with her ownweekly primetime variety show.
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-CA: "Tourism Bureau Launches Gay Marriage Sweepstakes"
Link: NBC Sandiego.com
San Diego's official tourism and convention bureau is staging a "Here Comesthe Pride" give away aimed at same sex couples. The San Diego Convention andVisitors Bureau is offering free airline tickets, a five-night hotel stayand complimentary meals at some of San Diego's finest restaurants to thecouple who submits the best essay describing why they want to get married inSan Diego.
-"N.J. group makes waves in Calif. gay marriage debate"
Link: Southern Voice
Opponents of gay marriage say their easiest political work is done: Moststates have passed laws or constitutional amendments banning recognition ofsame-sex unions. Now they say their task is getting more difficult: Seekingto ban same-sex marriage in some of the nation's most gay-friendly states. APrinceton-based group, the National Organization for Marriage, is targetingits message against gay marriage in California, one of two states thatcurrently allow it, and a handful of other states that might consider it inthe next few years.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay.com owner has lost $100 million since launch
Gay.com parent company PlanetOut Inc has lost $100 million (£50 m) since itwas founded. The figure was revealed in the company's most recent stockfilings to the Nasdaq market in New York.
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Mexico: A Den of Sin or a Beacon of Liberty?
The serenading mariachis, the vast pots of tacos and the drunkensalsadancing made the May wedding look like any other Mexicannuptialcelebration. What was different, of course, were the genders ofthehappy couple. [...] The new laws give residents rights longdenied bysocially conservative governments heavily influenced by theCatholic Church,they argue. "People here are tired of repressivevalues," says Victor HugoCirigo, leader of the city assembly's majorityleftist Party of theDemocratic Revolution (PRD). "They want to live ina modern age and havetheir rights. We are giving our constituentsconcrete gains."
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1826308,00.html
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Gearing up for Europride: the best of Stockholm's gay scene
Stockholm will turn itself into Europe's semi-official gay capital at theendof this month, as the Europride festival hits town. Visitors will find acitythat does gay in its own, understated way, James Savage reports.On paper,Stockholm should be one of the gayest cities on earth: it is notonlyachingly fashion-conscious and home to Abba, but also a capital of acountryproud of its record of tolerance. Next week, Stockholm willtemporarily beelevated to the status of Europe's gay capital, as it hostsEuropride, a kindof ambulating cocktail of parties, parades and politics. This means thecity's bars, clubs and restaurants are gearing up for a gayinvasion.
http://www.thelocal.se/13282/
-Belfast gay pride parade gets go-ahead
The organisers of a gay pride parade in Belfast were today urged to ensurethat there will be no repeat of the controversy surrounding last year'sevent when a participant displayed a placard suggesting Jesus was ahomosexual. The Northern Ireland Parades Commission, which rules oncontentious marches in the region, has decided not to place any restrictionson next weekend's event in Belfast city centre despite a significant numberof objections from the public. The commission will not restrict thereligious protests expected to be staged along the parade route either.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-This Week in Washington Blade!
http://www.washblade.com/
-The Bilerico Project Report
http://www.bilerico.com/
Anti-queer violence & spiritual/community protection I work part-time at aqueer non-profit that does activism and outreach around issues ofspirituality, religion, ministry, and LGBTQ communities. I just had a big"this is why I do the work that I do" moment. An older, disabled queer manwho lives in a poor city on the outskirts of the Bay Area just called theoffice. His life was threatened this weekend, in part because he is queer.He's trying to get a restraining order against the person in question, andhe went to the police. He was basically told that because the threat washomophobic, the police "can't do anything." He's scared, vulnerable, andvery isolated.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BilericoProject/~3/345043056/antiqueer_violence_spiritualcommunity_pr.php
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Saturday, July 26, 2008
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 26, 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama Meets With Brown in Britain
LONDON (AP) -- Presidential contender Barack Obama on Saturday defended hisdecision to travel to Europe and the Middle East, saying that problemsencountered by Americans at home are often best dealt with by working withallies overseas.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Obama.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Op-Ed Columnist: Getting to Know You
The conventional wisdom in this radically unconventional presidential raceis that the voters have to get to know Barack Obama better. That's what thisweek's overseas trip was about: to showcase the senator as a potentialcommander in chief and leader of U.S. foreign policy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/opinion/26herbert.html?ref=opinion
-4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths, and Just a Handful of Images
Some journalists say the American military is making a growing effort tocontrol graphic war images from Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/world/middleeast/26censor.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Megachurch and State
It can't hold as many screaming fans as the football stadium in Denver,where Sen. Barack Obama will address an expected crowd of 75,000 on Aug. 28.Nor is it conveniently located near the scenic Mississippi River, like thearena in St. Paul, Minn., where Sen. John McCain will take the stage a fewdays later. But the 3,000-seat auditorium at pastor Rick Warren's SaddlebackChurch does have one notable advantage: It's a stage that Obama and McCainlast week agreed to share, at least for a little while, on Aug. 16.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502256.html
-Failing in Civility
John McCain falls short of the standard he set by impugning Barack Obama'smotives. POLITICIANS SAY a lot of things in the heat of campaigns that theyend up regretting -- or ought to regret. Sen. John McCain, the presumptiveRepublican presidential nominee, had one of those unfortunate moments theother day, when he charged that his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama,"would rather lose the war to win a political campaign."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072503163.html
-Banished From Beijing
Having done business with Iraq's Uday Hussein, the Olympics' overseersdecide to penalize his successors. WHEN IRAQ'S Olympic team paraded at the2000 Summer Games in Sydney, the head of the country's Olympic Committee wasUday Hussein, the notoriously sadistic son of dictator Saddam Hussein. Udaymade Baghdad's Olympic facilities the headquarters for his own epic feats ofrape, torture and murder; among those he brutalized were athletes on thenational team who failed to live up to his expectations. His may have beenthe foulest abuse of a national Olympic movement in history. Yet theInternational Olympic Committee found a way to live with Uday, just as ithas tolerated the manipulations of sports teams by totalitarian governmentsaround the world -- including this year's host, China.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502569.html
-U.S. Broadens Sanctions to Pressure Mugabe
President Bush yesterday signed an executive order expanding sanctionsagainst companies and individuals linked with Zimbabwean President RobertMugabe, part of an effort by Western nations to ratchet up the pressure on agovernment accused of killing and terrorizing political opponents in orderto remain in power.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072501245.html?hpid=sec-politics
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-RELIGION: Equality of priesthood ordained, these women say
A group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests moves forward with threeordinations despite protests from the Vatican. Judith A.B. Lee of FortMyers wanted to be a minister since her teenage years, when she would visitthe sick and elderly with her Methodist pastor in Brooklyn after youth groupmeetings.
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/story/617406.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-36 Hours In Israel (With Barack Obama)
When John McCain visited Israel last March hardly anyone noticed. WhenBarack Obama did the same this week he caused a sensation. It was the mostchoreographed of visits: Two nights and one day in Israel, seeminglydesigned by the kind of tour guide interested only in providing his chargeswith the ultimate number of snapshot opportunities at clichéd places -- fromObama wearing a white skullcap at Yad Vashem,to Obama at the Western Wall,in a white skullcap. There were no leaks while Barack Obama was in Israel,no drama, no gaffes -- to the disappointment of a vast media contingentintent only on bringing home gaffes as souvenirs -- and precious littlesleep. At his press conference in the rocket-scarred southern Israeli townof Sderot, Obama's syntax meandered; in a conversation with BenjaminNetanyahu, Obama said, "I could fall asleep standing up." Nonetheless, hedid not refer to the Iran-Israel border.
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=36_hours_in_israel_with_barack_obama
-Obama's private prayer published in Israeli paper
Barack Obama's visit to the Western Wall was a public event. The handwrittenprayer the presidential candidate left there was meant to be private.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008074312_obamanote26.html
-Iraq War's Price Tag Nears Vietnam's
Congressional Estimate Puts U.S. Costs In Iraq At $648B; Vietnam Cost $686BIn 2008 Dollars
The total cost of the Iraq war is approaching the Vietnam War's expense, acongressional report estimates, while spending for military operations after9/11 has exceeded it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/25/national/main4296368.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._4296368
-Kinda Sorta Impeaching the President
"It seems that we are hosting an anger management class," Republican Rep.Lamar Smith of Texas told his colleagues on the House Judiciary Committeeyesterday morning. He had a point.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072503077.html?hpid=news-col-blogs
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama Meets With Brown in Britain
LONDON (AP) -- Presidential contender Barack Obama on Saturday defended hisdecision to travel to Europe and the Middle East, saying that problemsencountered by Americans at home are often best dealt with by working withallies overseas.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Obama.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Op-Ed Columnist: Getting to Know You
The conventional wisdom in this radically unconventional presidential raceis that the voters have to get to know Barack Obama better. That's what thisweek's overseas trip was about: to showcase the senator as a potentialcommander in chief and leader of U.S. foreign policy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/opinion/26herbert.html?ref=opinion
-4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths, and Just a Handful of Images
Some journalists say the American military is making a growing effort tocontrol graphic war images from Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/world/middleeast/26censor.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Megachurch and State
It can't hold as many screaming fans as the football stadium in Denver,where Sen. Barack Obama will address an expected crowd of 75,000 on Aug. 28.Nor is it conveniently located near the scenic Mississippi River, like thearena in St. Paul, Minn., where Sen. John McCain will take the stage a fewdays later. But the 3,000-seat auditorium at pastor Rick Warren's SaddlebackChurch does have one notable advantage: It's a stage that Obama and McCainlast week agreed to share, at least for a little while, on Aug. 16.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502256.html
-Failing in Civility
John McCain falls short of the standard he set by impugning Barack Obama'smotives. POLITICIANS SAY a lot of things in the heat of campaigns that theyend up regretting -- or ought to regret. Sen. John McCain, the presumptiveRepublican presidential nominee, had one of those unfortunate moments theother day, when he charged that his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama,"would rather lose the war to win a political campaign."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072503163.html
-Banished From Beijing
Having done business with Iraq's Uday Hussein, the Olympics' overseersdecide to penalize his successors. WHEN IRAQ'S Olympic team paraded at the2000 Summer Games in Sydney, the head of the country's Olympic Committee wasUday Hussein, the notoriously sadistic son of dictator Saddam Hussein. Udaymade Baghdad's Olympic facilities the headquarters for his own epic feats ofrape, torture and murder; among those he brutalized were athletes on thenational team who failed to live up to his expectations. His may have beenthe foulest abuse of a national Olympic movement in history. Yet theInternational Olympic Committee found a way to live with Uday, just as ithas tolerated the manipulations of sports teams by totalitarian governmentsaround the world -- including this year's host, China.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502569.html
-U.S. Broadens Sanctions to Pressure Mugabe
President Bush yesterday signed an executive order expanding sanctionsagainst companies and individuals linked with Zimbabwean President RobertMugabe, part of an effort by Western nations to ratchet up the pressure on agovernment accused of killing and terrorizing political opponents in orderto remain in power.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072501245.html?hpid=sec-politics
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-RELIGION: Equality of priesthood ordained, these women say
A group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests moves forward with threeordinations despite protests from the Vatican. Judith A.B. Lee of FortMyers wanted to be a minister since her teenage years, when she would visitthe sick and elderly with her Methodist pastor in Brooklyn after youth groupmeetings.
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/story/617406.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-36 Hours In Israel (With Barack Obama)
When John McCain visited Israel last March hardly anyone noticed. WhenBarack Obama did the same this week he caused a sensation. It was the mostchoreographed of visits: Two nights and one day in Israel, seeminglydesigned by the kind of tour guide interested only in providing his chargeswith the ultimate number of snapshot opportunities at clichéd places -- fromObama wearing a white skullcap at Yad Vashem,to Obama at the Western Wall,in a white skullcap. There were no leaks while Barack Obama was in Israel,no drama, no gaffes -- to the disappointment of a vast media contingentintent only on bringing home gaffes as souvenirs -- and precious littlesleep. At his press conference in the rocket-scarred southern Israeli townof Sderot, Obama's syntax meandered; in a conversation with BenjaminNetanyahu, Obama said, "I could fall asleep standing up." Nonetheless, hedid not refer to the Iran-Israel border.
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=36_hours_in_israel_with_barack_obama
-Obama's private prayer published in Israeli paper
Barack Obama's visit to the Western Wall was a public event. The handwrittenprayer the presidential candidate left there was meant to be private.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008074312_obamanote26.html
-Iraq War's Price Tag Nears Vietnam's
Congressional Estimate Puts U.S. Costs In Iraq At $648B; Vietnam Cost $686BIn 2008 Dollars
The total cost of the Iraq war is approaching the Vietnam War's expense, acongressional report estimates, while spending for military operations after9/11 has exceeded it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/25/national/main4296368.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._4296368
-Kinda Sorta Impeaching the President
"It seems that we are hosting an anger management class," Republican Rep.Lamar Smith of Texas told his colleagues on the House Judiciary Committeeyesterday morning. He had a point.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072503077.html?hpid=news-col-blogs
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 26, 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 GLBT NEWS~~
SunBurst - News from Sunshine Cathedral, Ft. Lauderdale
www.sunshinecathedral.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Rodgers Masterpiece T-1038 organ is here!
The Rodgers Masterpiece T-1038 custom four-manual organ with its ebonyfinish and burl wood inlays is now on the Chancel. The organ and pipes arescheduled to make will make their debut on Sunday, August 3rd.
-Ruffatti pipes installed!
As you enter the Walt Lawrence & Stephen Lewis Center for Worship and theArts on Sunday you will be greeted by the presence of 12 ranks(approximately 700 pipes) of Ruffatti pipes above the choir loft.
-Chancel construction complete
With the exception of a couple of inspections, the Chancel has beencompleted.
-VisLaw sponsors D.A.Y. camp
Volunteering Is LOVE at Work (VisLaw) is coordinating the fourth annualDiversity among Youth (D.A.Y) camp again this summer. This summer camp isthe only one of its kind in the south.
=
Letter from Paul Harris to Brittany Wollman of Sun-Sentinel
PHarris825@aol.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the entire letter.
-Dear Miss Wallman:
Are you openly heterosexual, closetedly heterosexual, openly homosexual (orlesbian if you prefer), or closetedly homosexual?? Or either variety ofbisexual??? The answer is, of course, "none of my damned business." Whatmatters is are you a good, honest journalist who reports the news asaccurately as you can. [...] Your comment about someone being "openly"gay is frankly disgraceful. I cannot for one moment believe it is yourpersonal editorial policy that insists in continuing this nonsense... HenceI'll copy it to a few of "the people upstairs" who obviously control thisinsulting and demeaning editorial policy. I hope that it is not long beforethis nonsense ends. I always tease myself about an issue by wondering whatpeople will think 100 years from now. I frankly think that they will laughthey heads off.
Sincerely yours,
The openly graying-haired, somewhat height-challenged, rather freckled,
occasionally opinionated Paul Harris
=
GLCCSF eVoice - Ft. Lauderdale
http://glccsf.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CONVENTION CENTER.
Thank you to the Broward County Convention Center for hosting and sponsoringthe July Founder Circle Reception. Click on these two links to view thepictures from Steve Shires: http://www.photoshow.com/members/shirespics
and JumpOnMarksList.com
http://frontpage.jumponmarkslist.com/MSFL/2008/072308.htm
-Our next Founder Circle Reception will be on Thursday, August 28 on the newGLCC Campus. To learn more about the Founder Circle membership and how youcan get invited to these great networking events, contact Robert Boo,Development Director at rboo@glccsf.org or 954.463.9005.
-Mike Trost will host the second annual fundraising event at his home forthe GLCC. Last year Mike raised $25,000 to support the programs andservices of the GLCC. This year the goal is $40,000. Cost is only $100 toenjoy great food, drink, Silent Auction with great items, and much more. For more information contact Robert Boo, Development Director, at 954.463.9005 or rboo@glccsf.org
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A look at black life: Fort Lauderdale group screens documentary
Art Evans, by any standard, has made it.
He has taught at Florida Atlantic University for 30 years. He leftBaltimore's inner city to later earn a doctorate in sociology from KansasState University. He and his wife own a home in Boca Raton. But as anAfrican-American man, "I'm always on guard," he says. "If I am out gardeningand I need to go to Sears, I change my clothes. Not because I'm sticky oranything. But because I don't want to appear I'm there to take something."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrndblackmen0726sbjul26,0,7551971.story
-Do we really want 80-year-old cowboys carrying guns?
ISSUE: National permit allows retired officers to carry weapons. You'reeither a cop or you're not. If you retired, or found some other line ofwork, you're not a badge-carrying law enforcement officer anymore. Unfortunately, Congress has approved a national program to allow retired lawenforcement officers to complete a shooting course for a concealed weaponspermit that is recognized nationwide. Doubly unfortunate, Florida has signedon by offering a course for ex-officers to take and receive the permit. Inpart, the program's goal is to give retired cops a countrywide permit sothey can act if they see a crime occurring. This is a flawed assumption.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgsgunssbjul26,0,5766435.story
-Rep. Wexler's opponent calls for residency investigation
One of U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler's election opponents is seeking state andfederal investigations into questions surrounding his residency in Florida.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbwexler0726pnjul26,0,3088634.story
-A look at black life: Fort Lauderdale group screens documentary
Art Evans, by any standard, has made it. He has taught at Florida Atlantic University for 30 years. He left Baltimore's inner city to later earn adoctorate in sociology from Kansas State University. He and his wife own ahome in Boca Raton. But as an African-American man, "I'm always on guard,"he says.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrndblackmen0726sbjul26,0,7551971.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-POLITICS: Broward candidates build on war chests
With one month to go until the Aug. 26 primary, Friday's campaign financereporting deadline indicates who's going to have the most money for the homestretchIn the Broward Sheriff's race, Scott Israel is still the Democraticfundraising leader but lags far behind the incumbent sheriff. Tightfundraising battles by two state House candidates, including one who couldbecome the state's first openly gay legislator, have set the stage for aclose primary.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/618603.html
-Miami-Dade School Board showdown set over Crew's job
The Miami-Dade schools superintendent and board members appear ready to faceoff next week over money woes and growing displeasure with the chief.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/618589.html
-Why the School Board is unhappy
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/618565.html
-POLITICS: Broward candidates build on war chests
With one month to go until the Aug. 26 primary, Friday's campaign financereporting deadline indicates who's going to have the most money for the homestretch
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/618603.html
=
YouTube Ad Supports Amendment 2 that restricts marriage only to male andfemale.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBx5VDr5g84
=
ProgressFlorida
http://www.progressflorida.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Victory for the Everglades...maybe
Today the Everglades are a little safer from poorly planned development.Thousands of Floridians from around the state signed our petition to Gov.Crist urging his Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to reject twodevelopments, including a Lowe's big box retail center that threatened theEverglades. On Friday, DCA did exactly that. But our work isn't done.Lowe's, who still wants to cement urban sprawl to the edge of theEverglades, plans to fight this decision. "We feel confident that thedecision will be overturned,'' declared a Lowe's attorney in response to theDCA's decision. There are 111 Lowe's stores in Florida but there's only oneEverglades. We need to send a message to Lowe's right now and tell them toprotect the Everglades, not pave it. We've made it very easy to send amessage to Lowes, simply click here:
http://progressflorida.org/page/speakout/pressurelowes
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Two Hillsborough Democrats flush with contributions
Democratic challengers outraised Republican incumbents in the scramble forcampaign funds in two significant Hillsborough County races. PhyllisBusansky, who's running for supervisor of elections, raised $48,000 in thepast three months, according to a report filed with the county.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article739823.ece
-Sink calls for independent WellCare investigation
Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink called for an independent audit ofWellCare Health Plans after the Tampa company said an "accounting error"showed it owed $46.5-million to several states, including Florida's HealthyKids program. WellCare is Florida's largest provider of Medicaid and HealthyKids, which covers low-income children. Managed-care companies are paid aflat fee per member per month by the state, but they are required to spend acertain percentage on services or refund the difference. WellCare said itscalculations understated the amount of refunds due by $46.5-million in 2006and the first half of 2007. While Sink called for an audit Friday, therelevant documents are probably already in the possession of state andfederal investigators who seized records relating to possible overpaymentsfrom WellCare's headquarters in late October. Sink is chairwoman of theHealthy Kids board of directors.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article739642.ece
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
SunBurst - News from Sunshine Cathedral, Ft. Lauderdale
www.sunshinecathedral.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Rodgers Masterpiece T-1038 organ is here!
The Rodgers Masterpiece T-1038 custom four-manual organ with its ebonyfinish and burl wood inlays is now on the Chancel. The organ and pipes arescheduled to make will make their debut on Sunday, August 3rd.
-Ruffatti pipes installed!
As you enter the Walt Lawrence & Stephen Lewis Center for Worship and theArts on Sunday you will be greeted by the presence of 12 ranks(approximately 700 pipes) of Ruffatti pipes above the choir loft.
-Chancel construction complete
With the exception of a couple of inspections, the Chancel has beencompleted.
-VisLaw sponsors D.A.Y. camp
Volunteering Is LOVE at Work (VisLaw) is coordinating the fourth annualDiversity among Youth (D.A.Y) camp again this summer. This summer camp isthe only one of its kind in the south.
=
Letter from Paul Harris to Brittany Wollman of Sun-Sentinel
PHarris825@aol.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the entire letter.
-Dear Miss Wallman:
Are you openly heterosexual, closetedly heterosexual, openly homosexual (orlesbian if you prefer), or closetedly homosexual?? Or either variety ofbisexual??? The answer is, of course, "none of my damned business." Whatmatters is are you a good, honest journalist who reports the news asaccurately as you can. [...] Your comment about someone being "openly"gay is frankly disgraceful. I cannot for one moment believe it is yourpersonal editorial policy that insists in continuing this nonsense... HenceI'll copy it to a few of "the people upstairs" who obviously control thisinsulting and demeaning editorial policy. I hope that it is not long beforethis nonsense ends. I always tease myself about an issue by wondering whatpeople will think 100 years from now. I frankly think that they will laughthey heads off.
Sincerely yours,
The openly graying-haired, somewhat height-challenged, rather freckled,
occasionally opinionated Paul Harris
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GLCCSF eVoice - Ft. Lauderdale
http://glccsf.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CONVENTION CENTER.
Thank you to the Broward County Convention Center for hosting and sponsoringthe July Founder Circle Reception. Click on these two links to view thepictures from Steve Shires: http://www.photoshow.com/members/shirespics
and JumpOnMarksList.com
http://frontpage.jumponmarkslist.com/MSFL/2008/072308.htm
-Our next Founder Circle Reception will be on Thursday, August 28 on the newGLCC Campus. To learn more about the Founder Circle membership and how youcan get invited to these great networking events, contact Robert Boo,Development Director at rboo@glccsf.org or 954.463.9005.
-Mike Trost will host the second annual fundraising event at his home forthe GLCC. Last year Mike raised $25,000 to support the programs andservices of the GLCC. This year the goal is $40,000. Cost is only $100 toenjoy great food, drink, Silent Auction with great items, and much more. For more information contact Robert Boo, Development Director, at 954.463.9005 or rboo@glccsf.org
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A look at black life: Fort Lauderdale group screens documentary
Art Evans, by any standard, has made it.
He has taught at Florida Atlantic University for 30 years. He leftBaltimore's inner city to later earn a doctorate in sociology from KansasState University. He and his wife own a home in Boca Raton. But as anAfrican-American man, "I'm always on guard," he says. "If I am out gardeningand I need to go to Sears, I change my clothes. Not because I'm sticky oranything. But because I don't want to appear I'm there to take something."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrndblackmen0726sbjul26,0,7551971.story
-Do we really want 80-year-old cowboys carrying guns?
ISSUE: National permit allows retired officers to carry weapons. You'reeither a cop or you're not. If you retired, or found some other line ofwork, you're not a badge-carrying law enforcement officer anymore. Unfortunately, Congress has approved a national program to allow retired lawenforcement officers to complete a shooting course for a concealed weaponspermit that is recognized nationwide. Doubly unfortunate, Florida has signedon by offering a course for ex-officers to take and receive the permit. Inpart, the program's goal is to give retired cops a countrywide permit sothey can act if they see a crime occurring. This is a flawed assumption.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgsgunssbjul26,0,5766435.story
-Rep. Wexler's opponent calls for residency investigation
One of U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler's election opponents is seeking state andfederal investigations into questions surrounding his residency in Florida.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbwexler0726pnjul26,0,3088634.story
-A look at black life: Fort Lauderdale group screens documentary
Art Evans, by any standard, has made it. He has taught at Florida Atlantic University for 30 years. He left Baltimore's inner city to later earn adoctorate in sociology from Kansas State University. He and his wife own ahome in Boca Raton. But as an African-American man, "I'm always on guard,"he says.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrndblackmen0726sbjul26,0,7551971.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-POLITICS: Broward candidates build on war chests
With one month to go until the Aug. 26 primary, Friday's campaign financereporting deadline indicates who's going to have the most money for the homestretchIn the Broward Sheriff's race, Scott Israel is still the Democraticfundraising leader but lags far behind the incumbent sheriff. Tightfundraising battles by two state House candidates, including one who couldbecome the state's first openly gay legislator, have set the stage for aclose primary.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/618603.html
-Miami-Dade School Board showdown set over Crew's job
The Miami-Dade schools superintendent and board members appear ready to faceoff next week over money woes and growing displeasure with the chief.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/618589.html
-Why the School Board is unhappy
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/618565.html
-POLITICS: Broward candidates build on war chests
With one month to go until the Aug. 26 primary, Friday's campaign financereporting deadline indicates who's going to have the most money for the homestretch
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/618603.html
=
YouTube Ad Supports Amendment 2 that restricts marriage only to male andfemale.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBx5VDr5g84
=
ProgressFlorida
http://www.progressflorida.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Victory for the Everglades...maybe
Today the Everglades are a little safer from poorly planned development.Thousands of Floridians from around the state signed our petition to Gov.Crist urging his Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to reject twodevelopments, including a Lowe's big box retail center that threatened theEverglades. On Friday, DCA did exactly that. But our work isn't done.Lowe's, who still wants to cement urban sprawl to the edge of theEverglades, plans to fight this decision. "We feel confident that thedecision will be overturned,'' declared a Lowe's attorney in response to theDCA's decision. There are 111 Lowe's stores in Florida but there's only oneEverglades. We need to send a message to Lowe's right now and tell them toprotect the Everglades, not pave it. We've made it very easy to send amessage to Lowes, simply click here:
http://progressflorida.org/page/speakout/pressurelowes
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Two Hillsborough Democrats flush with contributions
Democratic challengers outraised Republican incumbents in the scramble forcampaign funds in two significant Hillsborough County races. PhyllisBusansky, who's running for supervisor of elections, raised $48,000 in thepast three months, according to a report filed with the county.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article739823.ece
-Sink calls for independent WellCare investigation
Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink called for an independent audit ofWellCare Health Plans after the Tampa company said an "accounting error"showed it owed $46.5-million to several states, including Florida's HealthyKids program. WellCare is Florida's largest provider of Medicaid and HealthyKids, which covers low-income children. Managed-care companies are paid aflat fee per member per month by the state, but they are required to spend acertain percentage on services or refund the difference. WellCare said itscalculations understated the amount of refunds due by $46.5-million in 2006and the first half of 2007. While Sink called for an audit Friday, therelevant documents are probably already in the possession of state andfederal investigators who seized records relating to possible overpaymentsfrom WellCare's headquarters in late October. Sink is chairwoman of theHealthy Kids board of directors.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article739642.ece
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Friday, July 25, 2008
GLBT DIGEST - July 25, 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.
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-An Intimate 'Love Story'
On Valentine's Day 1953, a Los Angeles teenager named Don Bachardy met the48-year-old British author Christopher Isherwood on a Malibu beach. On thesurface, movie fan Bachardy had little in common with the patrician Englishwriter, already admired in literary circles for such works as "Goodbye toBerlin," which would later be adapted as the musical "Cabaret."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072401079.html
-Religion news in brief
Conservative Christian broadcaster James Dobson beat out shock-jock HowardStern and others in national online balloting for induction into theNational Radio Hall of Fame. Dobson's Focus on the Family radio program isthe first religious program to receive the honor, started in 1992 by theChicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072500873.html
-Lesbians lose Australian court battle over twins
An Australian lesbian couple have lost a controversialcourt battle after trying to sue their doctor for having healthy twins froman in vitro fertilisation procedure (IVF), with doctors on Friday praisingthe verdict. "If there's an outcome which is a healthy, live baby, thesethings shouldn't end up in the courts," Dr Paul Jones, from the doctors'body the Australian Medical Association, told Australian radio on Friday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072500040.html
-MONTGOMERY COUNTY: Ruling Clears Way for November Vote on TransgenderMeasure
A Maryland judge cleared the way yesterday for voters to decide in Novemberwhether to keep a new anti-discrimination law that provides broadprotections for transgender individuals. Circuit Court Judge Robert A.Greenberg sided with opponents of the law, ruling that advocates for gay andtransgender rights missed a critical deadline for challenging the countyBoard of Elections, which certified a petition to put the law to a vote onthe November ballot.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072402561.html
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-N. Illinois professor took it all off for his career
At 39, Craig Seymour has a resume most journalists would envy: a doctorateand stints as a music critic at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and BuffaloNews. But he has also worked one job even George Plimpton would shy awayfrom: stripper in Washington, D.C., gay bars during the 1990s.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-stripper-prof-0724jul24,0,5675466.story
-Officials: Search for HIV vaccine needs overhaul
Researches call for new people, ideas
Scientists will have to take "enormous intellectual leaps" to develop anAIDS vaccine in the coming years, say researchers clearly frustrated by thefailure of a once-promising shot.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19949
-House committee hosts hearing on 'Don't Ask'
Retired gay service members testify in heated discussion
A congressional hearing on the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"policy turned into a small battle zone Wednesday as opponents of the policyin Congress harangued its defenders with harsh questioning.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19900
-'Sordid Lives' a campy, sassy success for Logo
Sexy, funny tale of trailer park life
There has been much hullabaloo surrounding Logo's new series, "Sordid Lives," as the show is the network's largest original series to date. TheTV series is a prequel to "Sordid Lives," the play, which has been performedcountless times across the country and has achieved cult-hit status amongstits fans; that play has also been adapted into "Sordid Lives," the movie,which lacks some of the comedic wallop of the stage version, butnevertheless provides fans a faithful rendition of the story. As a result,fan scrutiny of this TV series is heavy.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-24/arts/television/4903.cfm
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Repeal Of Discriminatory HIV Travel Law Goes To President
The U.S. House has approved repeal of a law barring HIV-positive visitorsand immigrants from entering the country. The legislation now goes to thePresident's desk. The measure was included in legislation reauthorizingPEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
http://www.365gay.com/news/repeal-of-discriminatory-hiv-travel-law-goes-to-president/
-Congress OKs $48B for global AIDS fight
The House voted Thursday to triple money to fight AIDS, malaria andtuberculosis around the world, giving new life and new punch to a programcredited with saving or prolonging millions of lives in Africa alone. The303-115 vote sends the global AIDS bill to President Bush for his signature.Bush, who first floated the idea of a campaign against the scourge of AIDSin his 2003 State of the Union speech, supports the five-year, $48 billionplan.
http://www.365gay.com/news/congress-oks-48b-for-global-aids-fight/
-Wayne Besen: A Backdrop of Brutality
Sporting a fog machine for its smoke and mirrors routine and an extravagantstage that would make The Rolling Stones blush, the "ex-gay" group ExodusInternational held its glitzy annual conference in Asheville, NorthCarolina.
http://www.365gay.com/features/besen-a-backdrop-of-brutality/
-Gay Teen Arrested for Filing False Hate Crime Report
An 18-year-old, who had told police he was beaten by his father afterattending a gay pride parade, was charged Thursday with filing a falsepolice report. Dwight Clark Ables told police last week that his fatheryelled, swung the bat and tried to "cast the demon of homosexuality out ofhim."
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-teen-arrested/
-County Passes Most Inclusive Anti-Bully Policy In Fla.
The Broward County School Board passed the strongest anti-bully ing policyin Florida this week. The policy contains a full list of prohibited formsof harassment, bullying and discrimination; prohibitions include targetingvictims based on their sexual orientation, as well as gender identity andexpression.
http://www.365gay.com/news/county-passes-most-inclusive-anti-bully-policy-in-fla/
-Video/The Gay Agenda: What is a gay issue?
Why isn't poverty a gay issue? Why do we focus so hard on the military andmarriage? Jennifer Vanasco and Jon Mallow discuss what the criteria shouldbe for issues our organizations and media consider "gay."
http://www.365gay.com/video/072408-gayagenda-issues/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Mass. House Initially Approves Gender-Neutral Law
The Massachusetts house of representatives has given its initial approval toa bill that would require all future legislation be written in language thatis gender-neutral. The one-paragraph bill says legislation should containnon-gendered phrases such as "he/she" or "his/her," instead of followingpast practice and using the masculine pronoun by default.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58275.asp
-Ecuador Could Give Same-Sex Unions Parity With Marriage
Highlights from Ecuador's 444-article draft constitution, which would be theAndean nation's 20th. If it receives initial approval Thursday, the nation'svoters will decide September 28 whether to adopt it. - The president candissolve Congress once and Congress will have one opportunity to unseat thepresident. In either case, general elections would be called.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58280.asp
-Margaret Cho: Dick O'Clock
When out at the bars, Margaret Cho is every gay man's best friend-that is,until last call. I am a big fan of going to gay bars. After a long, hardnight walking all over a big stage in my new show, Beautiful, I need to beable to watch a good drag queen lip-synch perfectly to "Piece of Me" andhave a very large and very strong drink, so my favorite place to go is thelocal gay bar with my most special gays.
http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid56745.asp
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Patients Often Hide Sexual Orientation
Thirty-nine percent of men in New York City who have sex with other men donot disclose their sexual orientation to their doctors, health officialssaid. Healthcare providers, who know about their patients' sexual behavior,can help prevent HIV infection through testing, counseling and otherservices, officials said. The study, published in the Archives of InternalMedicine, examined data from the 2004 to 2005 Centers for Disease ControlNational HIV Behavioral Survey.
-Gays in Iraq Terrorized by Threats, Rape, Murder
Kamal was just 16 when gunmen snatched him off the streets of Baghdad,stuffed him in the trunk of a car and whisked him away to a house. But thereal terror was about to begin. The men realized he was gay, Kamal said,when he took his shirt off and they saw his chest was shaved. "They told meto take off my clothes to rape me or they would kill me immediately. Thismoment was the worst moment in my life," he told CNN, weeping as he spoke ofthe 2005 ordeal.
-Hundreds of LGBT Delegates Headed to Denver
The LGBT caucus to next month's Democratic National Convention may well beone of the most eclectic groups ever. Horacio Sierra is a doctoralcandidate in English literature at the University of Florida, with adissertation entitled "Sanctified Subversives: Depictions of Righteous andRebellious Nuns in English and Spanish Renaissance Literature." Mirian Saezis the director of San Francisco's Treasure Island development. David Munaris an executive with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-"What's tougher to get than a same-sex marriage? A same-sex divorce"
Link: Los Angeles Times
"I was so elated," Ormiston said. "When I was in college, Iwas Chapter 9 in abnormal psych. To be able to marry the woman I loved atthe age of 58 -- my feet didn't touch the ground for days." Then, after twoyears of marriage, the 10-year relationship soured, and Chambers filed fordivorce. That put the couple into a legal limbo that is becomingincreasingly common as same-sex couples married in one state try to divorcein another. A judge in Family Court, where divorces are handled, asked theRhode Island Supreme Court for a ruling on whether his court hadjurisdiction, given that Rhode Island doesn't recognize gay marriage. Thestate Supreme Court decided that the women weren't legally married in theeyes of the state and therefore couldn't get divorced. Chambers then triedfiling for divorce in the state's Superior Court, but last month a judgethere ruled that the court had no jurisdiction over marriage dissolutions. AMassachusetts divorce isn't an option because only residents who have livedin the state for a year can file there.
-CA: "Same-sex marriage foes warn of kindergarten lessons on gay matrimony"
Link: San Francisco Chronicle
Backers of a November initiative to ban same-sex marriage inCalifornia plan to tell voters in the state ballot pamphlet that theconstitutional amendment would protect children as young as kindergarten agefrom being taught in school about the virtues of gay and lesbian matrimony."If the gay marriage ruling is not overturned, teachers will be required toteach young children there is no difference between gay marriage andtraditional marriage," supporters of Proposition 8 said in ballot argumentsthat went on public display this week at the secretary of state's office.It's all nonsense and scare tactics, opponents of the measure said Thursday.Steve Smith, strategist for the No on 8 campaign, said opponents of themeasure will decide by next week whether to sue, which is the only way aballot argument can be changed before the election.
-CA: "Big Labor Move For Gay Marriage"
Link: Gay City
A California labor group that represents 1,200 union locals and2.1 million union members in that state voted unanimously on July 23 tooppose Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would amend that state'sconstitution to bar same-sex marriages and could nullify the marriages thatgay men and lesbians entered into starting on June 16.
-"Mass. lawmakers OK Medicaid for gay couples"
Link: The Advocate via Gay.com
The Massachusetts state Senate on Wednesday passed a bill grantingmarried same-sex couples equal Medicaid benefits, gay rights groupMassEquality reported. Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to sign the bill,which was passed by the state House on July 15. The lawmakers' actions defythe federal Defense of Marriage Act, which bans legally wed same-sex couplesfrom receiving federally provided benefits such as Medicaid, the"safety-net" health care program administered by the states. Supporters sayMassachusetts can circumvent federal law by using only state dollars to payfor gay couples' benefits.
-Arkansas: "Gay adoption ban falls short of signatures, has 30-dayextension"
Link: Arkansas News Bureau
Supporters of a proposal that would ban unmarried couples livingtogether from adopting or fostering children in Arkansas did not gatherenough signatures to secure a place on the November ballot, the secretary ofstate's office said Wednesday. The Family Council Action Committee fellabout 4,000 valid signatures short but will have another 30 days to make upthe difference, which Family Council Executive Director Jerry Cox saidshould not be difficult.
-Commentary: "McCain's Adoption Contradiction"
Link: Independent Gay Forum
by John Corvino
Let's start by making something clear: nobody gives a flyingwallenda what McCain's (or any other candidate's) "personal preferences"are. My personal preference is that children be raised by parents who dressthem in tasteful Ralph Lauren sweater sets, but I'm not about to translatethat into public policy. Second, the follow-up question in the initialinterview could not have been clearer - "Even if the alternative is the kidstaying in an orphanage?" - and, at best, McCain punted on that question.Given the thousands of children in need of good homes - often due toheterosexual irresponsibility - and the number of gay couples selflesslystepping up to the plate to provide for them, McCain's response was nothingshort of shameful. McCain's "clarification" just added insult to injury.Through an aide, he went out on a major limb and said - are you ready? -that having "caring parental figures" is better for children thanabandonment. Now there's some bold leadership for you. (Notice that thecampaign couldn't even bring itself to mention gay parents- just "caringparental figures.")
-Clergy Support Marriage Equality -- But We Still Need Your Help
Link: Sexuality and Religion: What's the Connection?
I am so excited to tell you that in the first 48 hours, more than1,000 ordained clergy have signed the "Open Letter to Religious Leaders onMarriage Equality." They represent more than 40 denominations and almostevery state in the country. These clergy are standing together to affirmthat same sex couples have the right to civil and religious marriage.
-Gay couples organizing for lawsuit to challenge Minnesota's marriagestatutes
Link: Minnesota Independent
A group of gay and lesbian couples are organizing a lawsuitsimilar to one in California that resulted in laws against same-sex marriagein those states being struck down. Court challenges in Massachusetts andCalifornia seem to have provided lasting marriage equality for same-sexcouples, but will Minnesota follow suit? "We have waited long enough," saysDoug Benson. He and his partner, Duane, together for 18 years, are one ofthe pioneer couples looking to sue the state. "The point we want to make isto make sure equality is pursued wherever we can pursue it." He continues,"Because we can't sit around waiting for this to happen. We want this tobecome a reality here at home, and we are trying through the courts as wellas through the Legislature."
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Iranian denied refugee status by UN
A gay couple who fled to Turkey from Iran may be separated after the UnitedNations accepted one man's case and denied the other.
-HIV drugs extend life by more than a decade
A Bristol University study of more than 43,000 people living with HIV hasfound that better treatments increase their life expectancy by 13 years.
-Muslim Congressman "honoured" to join fight for gay equality
The first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress has given verypublic support to gay rights.
-Tory councillor charged with having gay sex in a public toilet
A Conservative councillor in Harrow has appeared in court charged withengaging in sexual activity in a public lavatory. Robert Benson did notenter a plea at Harrow Magistrates' Court last week.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Swedish Man Jailed for Attacks on Gays He Met in Chatroom
By T'Kisha| Pink News George
A life sentence has been handed to a Swedish man for his brutal attacksagainst gay men. Swedish website The Local reported that the 35-year-oldwas convicted of killing a man in his own home on December 28th 2007 and ofthe robbery and attempted murder of a 44-year-old man the day before. Hewas also convicted of robbing two men on the ninth and 15th of December,having finished a sentence in January 2007 for similar crimes. All thevictims were, or are, homosexual, said public prosecutor Fredrik Ingblad atthe man's indictment hearing, The Local reports.
-Michigan Equality Unveils Online Resolution for Independence from Hate
Crimes and Hate Speech Month
Pride Source
Michigan Equality, the only Lansing-based LGBT activist group in the state,unveiled an online resolution last week as part of Independence from HateCrime and Hate Speech month. Michigan Equality announced a new educationalcampaign designed to address the growing issue of hate motivated crimes andviolence earlier this month, declaring July Independence from Hate Crimesand Hate Speech month. Hate crimes against Michigan's LGBT community haveincreased 133 percent, according to a new report from the National Coalitionof Anti-Violence Prevention. Every week, Michigan Equality will featurearticles, blog posts and new programs designed to help people talk abouthate crimes and hate speech. In the fall, they will host a series ofcommunity workshops thanks to a generous grant from the Arcus Foundation'sGay & Lesbian Fund. Now, the group is asking citizens to sign an onlineresolution rallying against hate crimes and the root causes of hate speech.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Hate crime in the heart of Rome
A young twenty year old was attacked Tuesday night in what has been defineda "hate crime". The young woman, whose name has been withheld, is a lesbianand works in the locale "Coming Out", the popular homosexual hangout by theColosseum. Her recount of the events state that around 3am, after leavingwork and heading home on a night bus, she was grabbed and kicked from behindby an unidentified man who repeatedly yelled homophobic slurs. Once thewoman yelled back "I'm a woman", the man stopped hitting her and ran off.The victim states she has no recollection of what her aggressor looked likeand would not be able to identify him. A few months ago, gay radio DJCristian Floris was similarly attacked from behind and insulted.
http://www.theromanforum.com/articolo.asp?ID=852
-Indian prince to be prized guest at Swedish gay fest
The Economic Times
STOCKHOLM: Manvendra Singh Gohil, perhaps the only erstwhile Indian royal tohave declared himself gay, is expected to be the main attraction at thisyear's StockholmPride, a famous global gay event, starting Friday. "I amhonoured to be invited as one of the opening speakers for StockholmPride,"Manvendra said. "Especially since I live in a country where LGBT issuescontinue to be ridiculously taboo, no matter how universally practiced."Manvendra is the son of the erstwhile Maharana of Rajpipla in Gujarat. He,along with Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom and veteranSwedish mega-entertainment star Barbro 'Lill Babs' Svensson, will beakeynote speaker during the 10-day festival.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Indian_prince_to_be_prized_guest_at_Swedish_gay_fest/articleshow/3272976.cms
-Keith Ellison is Proud to be Named Vice-Chair of Bipartisan Congressional
LGBT Equality Caucus
"I am proud to join Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and CongressmanBarney Frank (D-MA) today in launching the Congressional LGBT EqualityCaucus," Congressman Ellison said. The mission of the Caucus is to promotelesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality. The Caucus willwork toward extending equal rights, repealing discriminatory laws, theeliminating hate-motivated violence. The Caucus is dedicated to the improvedhealth and well-being for all, regardless of sexual orientation or genderidentity/expression. "I am honored to join this caucus because of mylifelong commitment to fighting all discrimination. I believe when my gay,lesbian, bisexual or transgender neighbor suffers from discrimination, thenI suffer, and so does our whole community. Every member of our societycontributes to the health, wealth and generosity of our community. Onlywhen we recognize, protect, and, celebrate that will we realize all ourcitizens' potential," Ellison concluded.
http://www.keithellison.org/lgbtcaucus.htm
-Irish Times: Lifelong crusader for gay rights
Never a stranger to controversy, human rights activist Peter Tatchell willgive this year's Amnesty International lecture in Belfast at a time whenhomophobia is high on the news agenda in the North, writes Fionola Meredith
- - -
How exactly did the public perception of Peter Tatchell shift from
"homosexual terrorist", as one newspaper dubbed him - the kind of man whocaused a collective tut across middle England when he stormed the Archbishopof Canterbury's pulpit - to widely-feted human rights hero? It was probablythe moment when he was knocked unconscious by Robert Mugabe's bodyguards ashe tried to perform a citizen's arrest on the reviled Zimbabwean leader inBrussels in 2001. The "have-a-go" bravery of the physically slightactivist's attempt to take on Mugabe and his heavies impressed even thosewho found his previous direct-action stunts a bit too anarchic for comfort.But as far as Tatchell is concerned, it was simply business as usual: thelatest stand against bigotry and injustice in a lifetime spent dedicated tothe cause.
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Community Rallies in Response to Anti-Transgender Murder
On Thursday, July 17, Angie Zapata, an 18-year old Latina transgender womanwas found murdered in her home in Greeley, CO. It appears that there may beanti-transgender motive in this brutal crime. It is believed that thesuspect has stolen Angie's sister's car, a very dark forest green 2003Chrysler PT Cruiser with the Colorado license plate number 441ORN. There isa hubcap missing on the front passenger-side tire and there is paint missingon the front bumper on the driver-side, under the headlight. Anyone withinformation about the car is asked to call the Greeley police through thecommunications center, 970-350-9600.
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-An Intimate 'Love Story'
On Valentine's Day 1953, a Los Angeles teenager named Don Bachardy met the48-year-old British author Christopher Isherwood on a Malibu beach. On thesurface, movie fan Bachardy had little in common with the patrician Englishwriter, already admired in literary circles for such works as "Goodbye toBerlin," which would later be adapted as the musical "Cabaret."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072401079.html
-Religion news in brief
Conservative Christian broadcaster James Dobson beat out shock-jock HowardStern and others in national online balloting for induction into theNational Radio Hall of Fame. Dobson's Focus on the Family radio program isthe first religious program to receive the honor, started in 1992 by theChicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072500873.html
-Lesbians lose Australian court battle over twins
An Australian lesbian couple have lost a controversialcourt battle after trying to sue their doctor for having healthy twins froman in vitro fertilisation procedure (IVF), with doctors on Friday praisingthe verdict. "If there's an outcome which is a healthy, live baby, thesethings shouldn't end up in the courts," Dr Paul Jones, from the doctors'body the Australian Medical Association, told Australian radio on Friday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072500040.html
-MONTGOMERY COUNTY: Ruling Clears Way for November Vote on TransgenderMeasure
A Maryland judge cleared the way yesterday for voters to decide in Novemberwhether to keep a new anti-discrimination law that provides broadprotections for transgender individuals. Circuit Court Judge Robert A.Greenberg sided with opponents of the law, ruling that advocates for gay andtransgender rights missed a critical deadline for challenging the countyBoard of Elections, which certified a petition to put the law to a vote onthe November ballot.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072402561.html
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-N. Illinois professor took it all off for his career
At 39, Craig Seymour has a resume most journalists would envy: a doctorateand stints as a music critic at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and BuffaloNews. But he has also worked one job even George Plimpton would shy awayfrom: stripper in Washington, D.C., gay bars during the 1990s.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-stripper-prof-0724jul24,0,5675466.story
-Officials: Search for HIV vaccine needs overhaul
Researches call for new people, ideas
Scientists will have to take "enormous intellectual leaps" to develop anAIDS vaccine in the coming years, say researchers clearly frustrated by thefailure of a once-promising shot.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19949
-House committee hosts hearing on 'Don't Ask'
Retired gay service members testify in heated discussion
A congressional hearing on the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"policy turned into a small battle zone Wednesday as opponents of the policyin Congress harangued its defenders with harsh questioning.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19900
-'Sordid Lives' a campy, sassy success for Logo
Sexy, funny tale of trailer park life
There has been much hullabaloo surrounding Logo's new series, "Sordid Lives," as the show is the network's largest original series to date. TheTV series is a prequel to "Sordid Lives," the play, which has been performedcountless times across the country and has achieved cult-hit status amongstits fans; that play has also been adapted into "Sordid Lives," the movie,which lacks some of the comedic wallop of the stage version, butnevertheless provides fans a faithful rendition of the story. As a result,fan scrutiny of this TV series is heavy.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-24/arts/television/4903.cfm
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Repeal Of Discriminatory HIV Travel Law Goes To President
The U.S. House has approved repeal of a law barring HIV-positive visitorsand immigrants from entering the country. The legislation now goes to thePresident's desk. The measure was included in legislation reauthorizingPEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
http://www.365gay.com/news/repeal-of-discriminatory-hiv-travel-law-goes-to-president/
-Congress OKs $48B for global AIDS fight
The House voted Thursday to triple money to fight AIDS, malaria andtuberculosis around the world, giving new life and new punch to a programcredited with saving or prolonging millions of lives in Africa alone. The303-115 vote sends the global AIDS bill to President Bush for his signature.Bush, who first floated the idea of a campaign against the scourge of AIDSin his 2003 State of the Union speech, supports the five-year, $48 billionplan.
http://www.365gay.com/news/congress-oks-48b-for-global-aids-fight/
-Wayne Besen: A Backdrop of Brutality
Sporting a fog machine for its smoke and mirrors routine and an extravagantstage that would make The Rolling Stones blush, the "ex-gay" group ExodusInternational held its glitzy annual conference in Asheville, NorthCarolina.
http://www.365gay.com/features/besen-a-backdrop-of-brutality/
-Gay Teen Arrested for Filing False Hate Crime Report
An 18-year-old, who had told police he was beaten by his father afterattending a gay pride parade, was charged Thursday with filing a falsepolice report. Dwight Clark Ables told police last week that his fatheryelled, swung the bat and tried to "cast the demon of homosexuality out ofhim."
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-teen-arrested/
-County Passes Most Inclusive Anti-Bully Policy In Fla.
The Broward County School Board passed the strongest anti-bully ing policyin Florida this week. The policy contains a full list of prohibited formsof harassment, bullying and discrimination; prohibitions include targetingvictims based on their sexual orientation, as well as gender identity andexpression.
http://www.365gay.com/news/county-passes-most-inclusive-anti-bully-policy-in-fla/
-Video/The Gay Agenda: What is a gay issue?
Why isn't poverty a gay issue? Why do we focus so hard on the military andmarriage? Jennifer Vanasco and Jon Mallow discuss what the criteria shouldbe for issues our organizations and media consider "gay."
http://www.365gay.com/video/072408-gayagenda-issues/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Mass. House Initially Approves Gender-Neutral Law
The Massachusetts house of representatives has given its initial approval toa bill that would require all future legislation be written in language thatis gender-neutral. The one-paragraph bill says legislation should containnon-gendered phrases such as "he/she" or "his/her," instead of followingpast practice and using the masculine pronoun by default.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58275.asp
-Ecuador Could Give Same-Sex Unions Parity With Marriage
Highlights from Ecuador's 444-article draft constitution, which would be theAndean nation's 20th. If it receives initial approval Thursday, the nation'svoters will decide September 28 whether to adopt it. - The president candissolve Congress once and Congress will have one opportunity to unseat thepresident. In either case, general elections would be called.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58280.asp
-Margaret Cho: Dick O'Clock
When out at the bars, Margaret Cho is every gay man's best friend-that is,until last call. I am a big fan of going to gay bars. After a long, hardnight walking all over a big stage in my new show, Beautiful, I need to beable to watch a good drag queen lip-synch perfectly to "Piece of Me" andhave a very large and very strong drink, so my favorite place to go is thelocal gay bar with my most special gays.
http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid56745.asp
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Patients Often Hide Sexual Orientation
Thirty-nine percent of men in New York City who have sex with other men donot disclose their sexual orientation to their doctors, health officialssaid. Healthcare providers, who know about their patients' sexual behavior,can help prevent HIV infection through testing, counseling and otherservices, officials said. The study, published in the Archives of InternalMedicine, examined data from the 2004 to 2005 Centers for Disease ControlNational HIV Behavioral Survey.
-Gays in Iraq Terrorized by Threats, Rape, Murder
Kamal was just 16 when gunmen snatched him off the streets of Baghdad,stuffed him in the trunk of a car and whisked him away to a house. But thereal terror was about to begin. The men realized he was gay, Kamal said,when he took his shirt off and they saw his chest was shaved. "They told meto take off my clothes to rape me or they would kill me immediately. Thismoment was the worst moment in my life," he told CNN, weeping as he spoke ofthe 2005 ordeal.
-Hundreds of LGBT Delegates Headed to Denver
The LGBT caucus to next month's Democratic National Convention may well beone of the most eclectic groups ever. Horacio Sierra is a doctoralcandidate in English literature at the University of Florida, with adissertation entitled "Sanctified Subversives: Depictions of Righteous andRebellious Nuns in English and Spanish Renaissance Literature." Mirian Saezis the director of San Francisco's Treasure Island development. David Munaris an executive with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-"What's tougher to get than a same-sex marriage? A same-sex divorce"
Link: Los Angeles Times
"I was so elated," Ormiston said. "When I was in college, Iwas Chapter 9 in abnormal psych. To be able to marry the woman I loved atthe age of 58 -- my feet didn't touch the ground for days." Then, after twoyears of marriage, the 10-year relationship soured, and Chambers filed fordivorce. That put the couple into a legal limbo that is becomingincreasingly common as same-sex couples married in one state try to divorcein another. A judge in Family Court, where divorces are handled, asked theRhode Island Supreme Court for a ruling on whether his court hadjurisdiction, given that Rhode Island doesn't recognize gay marriage. Thestate Supreme Court decided that the women weren't legally married in theeyes of the state and therefore couldn't get divorced. Chambers then triedfiling for divorce in the state's Superior Court, but last month a judgethere ruled that the court had no jurisdiction over marriage dissolutions. AMassachusetts divorce isn't an option because only residents who have livedin the state for a year can file there.
-CA: "Same-sex marriage foes warn of kindergarten lessons on gay matrimony"
Link: San Francisco Chronicle
Backers of a November initiative to ban same-sex marriage inCalifornia plan to tell voters in the state ballot pamphlet that theconstitutional amendment would protect children as young as kindergarten agefrom being taught in school about the virtues of gay and lesbian matrimony."If the gay marriage ruling is not overturned, teachers will be required toteach young children there is no difference between gay marriage andtraditional marriage," supporters of Proposition 8 said in ballot argumentsthat went on public display this week at the secretary of state's office.It's all nonsense and scare tactics, opponents of the measure said Thursday.Steve Smith, strategist for the No on 8 campaign, said opponents of themeasure will decide by next week whether to sue, which is the only way aballot argument can be changed before the election.
-CA: "Big Labor Move For Gay Marriage"
Link: Gay City
A California labor group that represents 1,200 union locals and2.1 million union members in that state voted unanimously on July 23 tooppose Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would amend that state'sconstitution to bar same-sex marriages and could nullify the marriages thatgay men and lesbians entered into starting on June 16.
-"Mass. lawmakers OK Medicaid for gay couples"
Link: The Advocate via Gay.com
The Massachusetts state Senate on Wednesday passed a bill grantingmarried same-sex couples equal Medicaid benefits, gay rights groupMassEquality reported. Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to sign the bill,which was passed by the state House on July 15. The lawmakers' actions defythe federal Defense of Marriage Act, which bans legally wed same-sex couplesfrom receiving federally provided benefits such as Medicaid, the"safety-net" health care program administered by the states. Supporters sayMassachusetts can circumvent federal law by using only state dollars to payfor gay couples' benefits.
-Arkansas: "Gay adoption ban falls short of signatures, has 30-dayextension"
Link: Arkansas News Bureau
Supporters of a proposal that would ban unmarried couples livingtogether from adopting or fostering children in Arkansas did not gatherenough signatures to secure a place on the November ballot, the secretary ofstate's office said Wednesday. The Family Council Action Committee fellabout 4,000 valid signatures short but will have another 30 days to make upthe difference, which Family Council Executive Director Jerry Cox saidshould not be difficult.
-Commentary: "McCain's Adoption Contradiction"
Link: Independent Gay Forum
by John Corvino
Let's start by making something clear: nobody gives a flyingwallenda what McCain's (or any other candidate's) "personal preferences"are. My personal preference is that children be raised by parents who dressthem in tasteful Ralph Lauren sweater sets, but I'm not about to translatethat into public policy. Second, the follow-up question in the initialinterview could not have been clearer - "Even if the alternative is the kidstaying in an orphanage?" - and, at best, McCain punted on that question.Given the thousands of children in need of good homes - often due toheterosexual irresponsibility - and the number of gay couples selflesslystepping up to the plate to provide for them, McCain's response was nothingshort of shameful. McCain's "clarification" just added insult to injury.Through an aide, he went out on a major limb and said - are you ready? -that having "caring parental figures" is better for children thanabandonment. Now there's some bold leadership for you. (Notice that thecampaign couldn't even bring itself to mention gay parents- just "caringparental figures.")
-Clergy Support Marriage Equality -- But We Still Need Your Help
Link: Sexuality and Religion: What's the Connection?
I am so excited to tell you that in the first 48 hours, more than1,000 ordained clergy have signed the "Open Letter to Religious Leaders onMarriage Equality." They represent more than 40 denominations and almostevery state in the country. These clergy are standing together to affirmthat same sex couples have the right to civil and religious marriage.
-Gay couples organizing for lawsuit to challenge Minnesota's marriagestatutes
Link: Minnesota Independent
A group of gay and lesbian couples are organizing a lawsuitsimilar to one in California that resulted in laws against same-sex marriagein those states being struck down. Court challenges in Massachusetts andCalifornia seem to have provided lasting marriage equality for same-sexcouples, but will Minnesota follow suit? "We have waited long enough," saysDoug Benson. He and his partner, Duane, together for 18 years, are one ofthe pioneer couples looking to sue the state. "The point we want to make isto make sure equality is pursued wherever we can pursue it." He continues,"Because we can't sit around waiting for this to happen. We want this tobecome a reality here at home, and we are trying through the courts as wellas through the Legislature."
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Iranian denied refugee status by UN
A gay couple who fled to Turkey from Iran may be separated after the UnitedNations accepted one man's case and denied the other.
-HIV drugs extend life by more than a decade
A Bristol University study of more than 43,000 people living with HIV hasfound that better treatments increase their life expectancy by 13 years.
-Muslim Congressman "honoured" to join fight for gay equality
The first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress has given verypublic support to gay rights.
-Tory councillor charged with having gay sex in a public toilet
A Conservative councillor in Harrow has appeared in court charged withengaging in sexual activity in a public lavatory. Robert Benson did notenter a plea at Harrow Magistrates' Court last week.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Swedish Man Jailed for Attacks on Gays He Met in Chatroom
By T'Kisha| Pink News George
A life sentence has been handed to a Swedish man for his brutal attacksagainst gay men. Swedish website The Local reported that the 35-year-oldwas convicted of killing a man in his own home on December 28th 2007 and ofthe robbery and attempted murder of a 44-year-old man the day before. Hewas also convicted of robbing two men on the ninth and 15th of December,having finished a sentence in January 2007 for similar crimes. All thevictims were, or are, homosexual, said public prosecutor Fredrik Ingblad atthe man's indictment hearing, The Local reports.
-Michigan Equality Unveils Online Resolution for Independence from Hate
Crimes and Hate Speech Month
Pride Source
Michigan Equality, the only Lansing-based LGBT activist group in the state,unveiled an online resolution last week as part of Independence from HateCrime and Hate Speech month. Michigan Equality announced a new educationalcampaign designed to address the growing issue of hate motivated crimes andviolence earlier this month, declaring July Independence from Hate Crimesand Hate Speech month. Hate crimes against Michigan's LGBT community haveincreased 133 percent, according to a new report from the National Coalitionof Anti-Violence Prevention. Every week, Michigan Equality will featurearticles, blog posts and new programs designed to help people talk abouthate crimes and hate speech. In the fall, they will host a series ofcommunity workshops thanks to a generous grant from the Arcus Foundation'sGay & Lesbian Fund. Now, the group is asking citizens to sign an onlineresolution rallying against hate crimes and the root causes of hate speech.
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Hate crime in the heart of Rome
A young twenty year old was attacked Tuesday night in what has been defineda "hate crime". The young woman, whose name has been withheld, is a lesbianand works in the locale "Coming Out", the popular homosexual hangout by theColosseum. Her recount of the events state that around 3am, after leavingwork and heading home on a night bus, she was grabbed and kicked from behindby an unidentified man who repeatedly yelled homophobic slurs. Once thewoman yelled back "I'm a woman", the man stopped hitting her and ran off.The victim states she has no recollection of what her aggressor looked likeand would not be able to identify him. A few months ago, gay radio DJCristian Floris was similarly attacked from behind and insulted.
http://www.theromanforum.com/articolo.asp?ID=852
-Indian prince to be prized guest at Swedish gay fest
The Economic Times
STOCKHOLM: Manvendra Singh Gohil, perhaps the only erstwhile Indian royal tohave declared himself gay, is expected to be the main attraction at thisyear's StockholmPride, a famous global gay event, starting Friday. "I amhonoured to be invited as one of the opening speakers for StockholmPride,"Manvendra said. "Especially since I live in a country where LGBT issuescontinue to be ridiculously taboo, no matter how universally practiced."Manvendra is the son of the erstwhile Maharana of Rajpipla in Gujarat. He,along with Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom and veteranSwedish mega-entertainment star Barbro 'Lill Babs' Svensson, will beakeynote speaker during the 10-day festival.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Indian_prince_to_be_prized_guest_at_Swedish_gay_fest/articleshow/3272976.cms
-Keith Ellison is Proud to be Named Vice-Chair of Bipartisan Congressional
LGBT Equality Caucus
"I am proud to join Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and CongressmanBarney Frank (D-MA) today in launching the Congressional LGBT EqualityCaucus," Congressman Ellison said. The mission of the Caucus is to promotelesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality. The Caucus willwork toward extending equal rights, repealing discriminatory laws, theeliminating hate-motivated violence. The Caucus is dedicated to the improvedhealth and well-being for all, regardless of sexual orientation or genderidentity/expression. "I am honored to join this caucus because of mylifelong commitment to fighting all discrimination. I believe when my gay,lesbian, bisexual or transgender neighbor suffers from discrimination, thenI suffer, and so does our whole community. Every member of our societycontributes to the health, wealth and generosity of our community. Onlywhen we recognize, protect, and, celebrate that will we realize all ourcitizens' potential," Ellison concluded.
http://www.keithellison.org/lgbtcaucus.htm
-Irish Times: Lifelong crusader for gay rights
Never a stranger to controversy, human rights activist Peter Tatchell willgive this year's Amnesty International lecture in Belfast at a time whenhomophobia is high on the news agenda in the North, writes Fionola Meredith
- - -
How exactly did the public perception of Peter Tatchell shift from
"homosexual terrorist", as one newspaper dubbed him - the kind of man whocaused a collective tut across middle England when he stormed the Archbishopof Canterbury's pulpit - to widely-feted human rights hero? It was probablythe moment when he was knocked unconscious by Robert Mugabe's bodyguards ashe tried to perform a citizen's arrest on the reviled Zimbabwean leader inBrussels in 2001. The "have-a-go" bravery of the physically slightactivist's attempt to take on Mugabe and his heavies impressed even thosewho found his previous direct-action stunts a bit too anarchic for comfort.But as far as Tatchell is concerned, it was simply business as usual: thelatest stand against bigotry and injustice in a lifetime spent dedicated tothe cause.
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Community Rallies in Response to Anti-Transgender Murder
On Thursday, July 17, Angie Zapata, an 18-year old Latina transgender womanwas found murdered in her home in Greeley, CO. It appears that there may beanti-transgender motive in this brutal crime. It is believed that thesuspect has stolen Angie's sister's car, a very dark forest green 2003Chrysler PT Cruiser with the Colorado license plate number 441ORN. There isa hubcap missing on the front passenger-side tire and there is paint missingon the front bumper on the driver-side, under the headlight. Anyone withinformation about the car is asked to call the Greeley police through thecommunications center, 970-350-9600.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 25, 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-U.S. Expands Visa Program for Iraqi Allies
By ALISSA J. RUBIN
The 10-fold expansion of a system to help threatened Iraqi employees obtainU.S. visas and ultimately citizenship comes after criticism over delays.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/world/middleeast/25visa.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Obama, Vague on Issues, Pleases Crowd in Europe
By STEVEN ERLANGER
Many Europeans see Barack Obama's candidacy as a sign of hope for a moreflexible, less ideological America. Governments and politicians are not sosure.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/us/politics/25assess.html?hp
-Iraqi Athletes 'Unlikely' to Be at Olympics
The International Olympic Committee said Thursday that it was "very unlikely" that Iraqi athletes would compete at the Beijing Games becausethe Iraqi government refused to reinstate the country's official Olympiccommittee in time to officially submit most of their names.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/sports/olympics/25athletes.html?hp
-Op-Ed Columnist: Playing Innocent Abroad
DAVID BROOKS
Radical optimism is America's contribution to the world. The early settlersthought America's founding would bring God's kingdom to earth. John Adamsthought America would emancipate "the slavish part of mankind all over theearth." Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush preached their own gospels ofworld democracy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/opinion/25brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Oil Spill on Nearly 100 Miles of Mississippi River
A sheen of oil coated the Mississippi River for nearly 100 miles from thecenter of this city to the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday following the worstoil spill here in nearly a decade. The fuel-laden barge that collided with aheavy tanker on Wednesday was still leaking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/us/25spill.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1216988466-1UAc33R2PHkNC3VJqjFQAA
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Cell Phone Risks
The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedentedwarning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because ofthe possible risk of cancer. The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman,director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary tonumerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use,and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302881.html?hpid=sec-health
-South African Named U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights
UNITED NATIONS, July 24 -- South African judge Navanethem Pillay was namedThursday as the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, culminating aremarkable ascent for a lawyer who was once barred from entering a judge'schamber during South Africa's apartheid era because of the color of herskin.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072403505.html?hpid=sec-world
-No Drilling, No Vote
Speaker Pelosi won't let the House debate the merits of offshore drilling.
WHY NOT have a vote on offshore drilling? There's a serious debate to be hadover whether Congress should lift the ban on drilling in the OuterContinental Shelf that has been in place since 1981. Unfortunately, youwon't be hearing it in the House of Representatives -- certainly, you won'tfind lawmakers voting on it -- anytime soon.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072403506.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Investigators say State Department needs to overhaul the passportapplication process
The State Department urgently needs to overhaul the way it handles passportapplications to avoid a repeat of the massive backlogs last summer thatfrustrated countless travelers, congressional investigators concluded. Theysaid the department must develop a "comprehensive, long-term strategy" tomeet rising demand for the identity documents. The Associated Press obtaineda draft copy Thursday of the report by the Government Accountability Office,the investigative arm of Congress, ahead of its expected release Friday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap-passport-messjul25,0,1059391.story
-Romania proposes law allowing under-15s to have abortion at 24 weeks
BUCHAREST, Romania - Romania's health ministry says it has proposed a lawallowing under-15s to have an abortion at up to 24 weeks. Currentlegislation does not allow for abortions beyond 14 weeks, except to save awoman's life and in the case of extraordinary circumstances. Thecircumstances are not specified in the law.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-0725romanianlaw,0,1006368.story
-Afghanistan a land impossible to conquer
Gather 'round the fire and hear, the sad tale of Najibullah. Let this be awarning to invaders, and those who kill believing Muslims. OK, back toWestern-speak: In 1979, when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, MuhammadNajibullah was 32. The KGB put him in charge of the KHAD, the local secretpolice. Najibullah exceeded his masters' expectations, torturing and killingtens of thousands. As a reward, the Soviets named him their puppetpresident, then withdrew, leaving him alone to fight the U.S.-backedMujahaddin - including one Osama bin Laden. Eventually, Najibullah's forceswere pushed from the countryside to Kabul, after which the rebels, known asthe Taliban, captured the city. They beat and castrated Najibullah, hanginghis blood-soaked body from a lamppost.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-rpcol25sbjul25,0,7479360.column
-Barack Obama has a 10 to 1 advantage over John McCain in expatriate
donations from Europe
Barack Obama's campaign has received roughly 10 times more
money from declared U.S. donors living in Germany, France and Britain thanhis Republican rival, reflecting his popularity in Europe as he makes hisfirst tour of the continent as the presumed Democratic nominee. FederalElection Commission reports show Obama has raised at least $1 million fromdonors who identify themselves as Americans living in Great Britain, Germanyand France, while John McCain has taken in at least $150,000.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap-britain-obama-moneyjul25,0,1090433.story
-Boys aren't better than girls at math, study says
The notion that boys are better than girls at math simply doesn't add up,according to a study published today in the journal Science.An analysis of standardized test scores from more than 7.2 million studentsin grades 2 through 11 found no difference in math scores for girls andboys, contradicting the pervasive belief that most women aren't hard-wiredfor careers in science and technology. The study also undermined theassumption - infamously espoused by former Harvard University PresidentLawrence Summers in 2005 - that boys are more likely than girls to be mathgeniuses. Girls scored in the top 5 percent almost as often as boys, thedata showed. "Both parents and teachers continue to hold the stereotypethat boys are better than girls," said psychologist Janet Hyde of theUniversity of Wisconsin at Madison, who led the study. "That's just notaccurate.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flamath0725sbjul25,0,576321.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-FUJIMORI TRIAL: Peru setting standards for justice
Little noticed by the international press, the historic trial of formerPeruvian President Alberto Fujimori for gross violations of human rights isnow under way before a special chamber of the Supreme Court in Lima. How thetrial turns out -- and how it is conducted -- will send important messagesabout the apacity of national courts in Latin America and elsewhere tobring repressive eaders to justice.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/617194.html
=
MoveOn.Org
http://www.moveon.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
Big news! Your petition signature telling FOX to stop their racist smearsagainst the Obamas had a really exciting day on Wednesday. Here's whathappened:
1:00 p.m. Your signature was printed off at a New York City Kinko's alongwith 620,126 others-filling 19 big boxes.
2:00 p.m. The signatures were piled in front of FOX's national headquartersat 6th Avenue and 48th Street.
3:15 p.m. Hip hop star Nas (whose new album had just risen to #1 on theBillboard charts hours earlier) joined over 100 activists and delivered thepetitions to FOX on behalf of ColorOfChange, MoveOn, and Brave New Films.
3:30 p.m. FOX refused to accept the petitions. (Sometimes, the truth hurts.)
4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. News of FOX's racism and the star-studded petitiondelivery made its way around the world-with stories in Rolling Stone,Billboard, USA Today, Associated Press, Reuters, India Express, HuffingtonPost, MTV, OpenLeft, and over 200 other places.
11:30 p.m. Stephen Colbert welcomed Nas as his guest on the Colbert Reportand dedicated over half of his show to FOX's racism. The boxes containingour signatures were stacked prominently on Colbert's set in place of hisnormal interview table and chairs-and he conducted the entire interviewsurrounded by petitions! Then, Nas performed his new song "Sly Fox," whichis all about FOX's racism.
12:00 a.m. Several MoveOn staffers, jaws dropped open, get on the phone andengage in several rounds of, "Wow!" :) Since then, the news has keptspreading around the world. You sent a message to FOX, and that message wasvery much received! And the fight's not over. We'll continue to push backtogether against FOX's racism and their smears against Obama. But for now,enjoy the video of Wednesday's petition delivery-led by our friends atColorOfChange-and the video of Colbert. Both videos are at this link:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3980&id=13325-5533006-GhbjPWx&t=4
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The Hispanic Vote
Latinos Overwhelmingly Support Obama and Democrats in 2008
A new Pew Hispanic Center survey finds the presumptive Democratic nomineenow has a strong lead among Hispanics, a sharp reversal from the primarieswhen Obama lost the Latino vote to Hillary Clinton by a nearly two-to-oneratio. In addition, the 39-percentage-point Democratic Party identificationedge is larger than it has been at any time this decade, up from 21 pointsin 2006. Read more
-Media Matters
Partisan Split on New Yorker Cover
Fully four-in-ten Americans heard a lot about a satirical cartoon on thecover of the New Yorker magazine. A majority of those who saw it found itoffensive (54%) while few found it funny (27%). Troubles at Fannie Mac andFreddie Mac topped news interest, and the public was also highly attuned tosuch business stories as bank runs at the IndyMac, the buyout ofAnheuser-Busch and GM cutbacks. Read more
-War Takes Center Stage as Obama (and Media) Move Overseas
In a week that began with speeches on foreign policy by both candidates andended with Barack Obama traveling to the Middle East, the wars in Iraq andAfghanistan, in various dimensions, retook center stage in the campaign forthe presidency. Read more
-All Politics is Local: Social Issues Crowd State Ballots
More proposals that would appeal to conservative voters than to liberals areshowing up in 2008, but there is no consensus on whether ballot measurestend to drive enough voters to the polls to give an advantage to apresidential candidate, finds a special report to the Pew Research Centerfrom Stateline.org. Read more
-Daily Number: 87% - Blacks Are The Most Religious Americans
Of all the major racial and ethnic groups in America, blacks are the mostlikely to report a formal religious affiliation, and even among black adultswho are unaffiliated (12%), more than two-thirds (70%) say that religion issomewhat or very important in their lives. Check back every weekday foranother number in the news. Read more
=
Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/
-Defining Political Correctness and Its Non-Impact
A major new study of the political correctness of faculty members maychallenge assumptions all around. For those who deny that there is anidentifiable group of PC professors, the study says that there is in fact agroup with consistently common perspectives, largely based on their views ofdiscrimination (that it exists and matters).
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/07/25
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mich. GOP wants McCain-Romney ticket
If he's the running mate, it could help win the state in November, officialssay. The growing relationship between once-bitter adversaries John McCainand Mitt Romney is generating a buzz nationally, and here in Romney's nativestate, about a McCain-Romney presidential ticket this fall.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/POLITICS01/807250389
-Secret Service wants more money for candidates
The Secret Service has asked for an extra $9.5 million to cover unexpectedcosts of protecting the presidential candidates during what has turned intoan historic year for the agency's campaign security job.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-24-secret-service_N.htm?csp=34
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-U.S. Expands Visa Program for Iraqi Allies
By ALISSA J. RUBIN
The 10-fold expansion of a system to help threatened Iraqi employees obtainU.S. visas and ultimately citizenship comes after criticism over delays.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/world/middleeast/25visa.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Obama, Vague on Issues, Pleases Crowd in Europe
By STEVEN ERLANGER
Many Europeans see Barack Obama's candidacy as a sign of hope for a moreflexible, less ideological America. Governments and politicians are not sosure.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/us/politics/25assess.html?hp
-Iraqi Athletes 'Unlikely' to Be at Olympics
The International Olympic Committee said Thursday that it was "very unlikely" that Iraqi athletes would compete at the Beijing Games becausethe Iraqi government refused to reinstate the country's official Olympiccommittee in time to officially submit most of their names.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/sports/olympics/25athletes.html?hp
-Op-Ed Columnist: Playing Innocent Abroad
DAVID BROOKS
Radical optimism is America's contribution to the world. The early settlersthought America's founding would bring God's kingdom to earth. John Adamsthought America would emancipate "the slavish part of mankind all over theearth." Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush preached their own gospels ofworld democracy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/opinion/25brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Oil Spill on Nearly 100 Miles of Mississippi River
A sheen of oil coated the Mississippi River for nearly 100 miles from thecenter of this city to the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday following the worstoil spill here in nearly a decade. The fuel-laden barge that collided with aheavy tanker on Wednesday was still leaking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/us/25spill.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1216988466-1UAc33R2PHkNC3VJqjFQAA
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Cell Phone Risks
The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedentedwarning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because ofthe possible risk of cancer. The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman,director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary tonumerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use,and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302881.html?hpid=sec-health
-South African Named U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights
UNITED NATIONS, July 24 -- South African judge Navanethem Pillay was namedThursday as the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, culminating aremarkable ascent for a lawyer who was once barred from entering a judge'schamber during South Africa's apartheid era because of the color of herskin.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072403505.html?hpid=sec-world
-No Drilling, No Vote
Speaker Pelosi won't let the House debate the merits of offshore drilling.
WHY NOT have a vote on offshore drilling? There's a serious debate to be hadover whether Congress should lift the ban on drilling in the OuterContinental Shelf that has been in place since 1981. Unfortunately, youwon't be hearing it in the House of Representatives -- certainly, you won'tfind lawmakers voting on it -- anytime soon.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072403506.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Investigators say State Department needs to overhaul the passportapplication process
The State Department urgently needs to overhaul the way it handles passportapplications to avoid a repeat of the massive backlogs last summer thatfrustrated countless travelers, congressional investigators concluded. Theysaid the department must develop a "comprehensive, long-term strategy" tomeet rising demand for the identity documents. The Associated Press obtaineda draft copy Thursday of the report by the Government Accountability Office,the investigative arm of Congress, ahead of its expected release Friday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap-passport-messjul25,0,1059391.story
-Romania proposes law allowing under-15s to have abortion at 24 weeks
BUCHAREST, Romania - Romania's health ministry says it has proposed a lawallowing under-15s to have an abortion at up to 24 weeks. Currentlegislation does not allow for abortions beyond 14 weeks, except to save awoman's life and in the case of extraordinary circumstances. Thecircumstances are not specified in the law.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-0725romanianlaw,0,1006368.story
-Afghanistan a land impossible to conquer
Gather 'round the fire and hear, the sad tale of Najibullah. Let this be awarning to invaders, and those who kill believing Muslims. OK, back toWestern-speak: In 1979, when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, MuhammadNajibullah was 32. The KGB put him in charge of the KHAD, the local secretpolice. Najibullah exceeded his masters' expectations, torturing and killingtens of thousands. As a reward, the Soviets named him their puppetpresident, then withdrew, leaving him alone to fight the U.S.-backedMujahaddin - including one Osama bin Laden. Eventually, Najibullah's forceswere pushed from the countryside to Kabul, after which the rebels, known asthe Taliban, captured the city. They beat and castrated Najibullah, hanginghis blood-soaked body from a lamppost.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-rpcol25sbjul25,0,7479360.column
-Barack Obama has a 10 to 1 advantage over John McCain in expatriate
donations from Europe
Barack Obama's campaign has received roughly 10 times more
money from declared U.S. donors living in Germany, France and Britain thanhis Republican rival, reflecting his popularity in Europe as he makes hisfirst tour of the continent as the presumed Democratic nominee. FederalElection Commission reports show Obama has raised at least $1 million fromdonors who identify themselves as Americans living in Great Britain, Germanyand France, while John McCain has taken in at least $150,000.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap-britain-obama-moneyjul25,0,1090433.story
-Boys aren't better than girls at math, study says
The notion that boys are better than girls at math simply doesn't add up,according to a study published today in the journal Science.An analysis of standardized test scores from more than 7.2 million studentsin grades 2 through 11 found no difference in math scores for girls andboys, contradicting the pervasive belief that most women aren't hard-wiredfor careers in science and technology. The study also undermined theassumption - infamously espoused by former Harvard University PresidentLawrence Summers in 2005 - that boys are more likely than girls to be mathgeniuses. Girls scored in the top 5 percent almost as often as boys, thedata showed. "Both parents and teachers continue to hold the stereotypethat boys are better than girls," said psychologist Janet Hyde of theUniversity of Wisconsin at Madison, who led the study. "That's just notaccurate.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flamath0725sbjul25,0,576321.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-FUJIMORI TRIAL: Peru setting standards for justice
Little noticed by the international press, the historic trial of formerPeruvian President Alberto Fujimori for gross violations of human rights isnow under way before a special chamber of the Supreme Court in Lima. How thetrial turns out -- and how it is conducted -- will send important messagesabout the apacity of national courts in Latin America and elsewhere tobring repressive eaders to justice.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/617194.html
=
MoveOn.Org
http://www.moveon.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
Big news! Your petition signature telling FOX to stop their racist smearsagainst the Obamas had a really exciting day on Wednesday. Here's whathappened:
1:00 p.m. Your signature was printed off at a New York City Kinko's alongwith 620,126 others-filling 19 big boxes.
2:00 p.m. The signatures were piled in front of FOX's national headquartersat 6th Avenue and 48th Street.
3:15 p.m. Hip hop star Nas (whose new album had just risen to #1 on theBillboard charts hours earlier) joined over 100 activists and delivered thepetitions to FOX on behalf of ColorOfChange, MoveOn, and Brave New Films.
3:30 p.m. FOX refused to accept the petitions. (Sometimes, the truth hurts.)
4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. News of FOX's racism and the star-studded petitiondelivery made its way around the world-with stories in Rolling Stone,Billboard, USA Today, Associated Press, Reuters, India Express, HuffingtonPost, MTV, OpenLeft, and over 200 other places.
11:30 p.m. Stephen Colbert welcomed Nas as his guest on the Colbert Reportand dedicated over half of his show to FOX's racism. The boxes containingour signatures were stacked prominently on Colbert's set in place of hisnormal interview table and chairs-and he conducted the entire interviewsurrounded by petitions! Then, Nas performed his new song "Sly Fox," whichis all about FOX's racism.
12:00 a.m. Several MoveOn staffers, jaws dropped open, get on the phone andengage in several rounds of, "Wow!" :) Since then, the news has keptspreading around the world. You sent a message to FOX, and that message wasvery much received! And the fight's not over. We'll continue to push backtogether against FOX's racism and their smears against Obama. But for now,enjoy the video of Wednesday's petition delivery-led by our friends atColorOfChange-and the video of Colbert. Both videos are at this link:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3980&id=13325-5533006-GhbjPWx&t=4
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The Hispanic Vote
Latinos Overwhelmingly Support Obama and Democrats in 2008
A new Pew Hispanic Center survey finds the presumptive Democratic nomineenow has a strong lead among Hispanics, a sharp reversal from the primarieswhen Obama lost the Latino vote to Hillary Clinton by a nearly two-to-oneratio. In addition, the 39-percentage-point Democratic Party identificationedge is larger than it has been at any time this decade, up from 21 pointsin 2006. Read more
-Media Matters
Partisan Split on New Yorker Cover
Fully four-in-ten Americans heard a lot about a satirical cartoon on thecover of the New Yorker magazine. A majority of those who saw it found itoffensive (54%) while few found it funny (27%). Troubles at Fannie Mac andFreddie Mac topped news interest, and the public was also highly attuned tosuch business stories as bank runs at the IndyMac, the buyout ofAnheuser-Busch and GM cutbacks. Read more
-War Takes Center Stage as Obama (and Media) Move Overseas
In a week that began with speeches on foreign policy by both candidates andended with Barack Obama traveling to the Middle East, the wars in Iraq andAfghanistan, in various dimensions, retook center stage in the campaign forthe presidency. Read more
-All Politics is Local: Social Issues Crowd State Ballots
More proposals that would appeal to conservative voters than to liberals areshowing up in 2008, but there is no consensus on whether ballot measurestend to drive enough voters to the polls to give an advantage to apresidential candidate, finds a special report to the Pew Research Centerfrom Stateline.org. Read more
-Daily Number: 87% - Blacks Are The Most Religious Americans
Of all the major racial and ethnic groups in America, blacks are the mostlikely to report a formal religious affiliation, and even among black adultswho are unaffiliated (12%), more than two-thirds (70%) say that religion issomewhat or very important in their lives. Check back every weekday foranother number in the news. Read more
=
Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/
-Defining Political Correctness and Its Non-Impact
A major new study of the political correctness of faculty members maychallenge assumptions all around. For those who deny that there is anidentifiable group of PC professors, the study says that there is in fact agroup with consistently common perspectives, largely based on their views ofdiscrimination (that it exists and matters).
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/07/25
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mich. GOP wants McCain-Romney ticket
If he's the running mate, it could help win the state in November, officialssay. The growing relationship between once-bitter adversaries John McCainand Mitt Romney is generating a buzz nationally, and here in Romney's nativestate, about a McCain-Romney presidential ticket this fall.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/POLITICS01/807250389
-Secret Service wants more money for candidates
The Secret Service has asked for an extra $9.5 million to cover unexpectedcosts of protecting the presidential candidates during what has turned intoan historic year for the agency's campaign security job.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-24-secret-service_N.htm?csp=34
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 25, 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 GLBT NEWS~~
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Tagged and Targeted
Prevalence of anti-gay incidents alarm residents
The television news crews are long gone from the 2800 block of NW 7th Avenuein Wilton Manors, and most traces of the anti-gay epithets that were sprayedin black paint on houses and cars there are washed away or painted over.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-24/news/localnews/4887.cfm
-Firefighters endorse LaFontaine
Two Florida-based professional firefighter associations announced theirsupport for Mark LaFontaine, the openly gay candidate who is running forState Representative in District 92. The Broward County Council ofProfessional Firefighters and the Florida Professional Firefighters madetheir endorsements July 16. The BCCPF represents more than 2600 firefightersin Broward, while the FPF has more thatn23,000 members across the state.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-24/news/localnews/4889.cfm
-Boxers and briefs bring in big bucks
Two fundraisers result in more than $30,000 benefiting gay charities
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-24/news/localnews/4895.cfm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-66,000 South Floridians fail to file for stimulus checks
66,000 locally fail to file returns to get stimulus cash. With Tax Day longgone and the final deadline for filing fast approaching, there are stillmore than 5 million Americans who have yet to put in the proper paperwork tocollect their economic stimulus checks. More than 66,000 of them live inPalm Beach and Broward counties.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flptaxhelp0725pnjul25,0,4038339.story
-Despite rainy summer, S. Florida still has water shortage
After another lawn-soaking, puddle-producing summer storm rolls through,familiar taunts rain down on the top forecaster for the South Florida WaterManagement District. "Nice drought!" neighbors tease Geoff Shaunghnessy,lead meteorologist for the agency that is imposing Water restrictions onSouth Florida.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flpwater0725pnjul25,0,3505986.story
-Senator wants review of plan to lease Alligator Alley to investors
A South Florida senator wants an independent review of the state's plans tolease Alligator Alley for 50 to 75 years. With an estimated value as highas $1.3 billion, Sen. Dave Aronberg, D- Greenacres, said the lease proposalneeds to be thoroughly vetted.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flballey0725sbjul25,0,6252645.story
-Hutchinson, Seiler lead way in fundraising for Fort Lauderdale mayor race
The race to be the next mayor of Fort Lauderdale might be more than half ayear away, but already five candidates are raising money and campaigning.The latest campaign finance reports show that two candidates - CityCommissioner Cindi Hutchinson and state Rep. Jack Seiler - are taking therace seriously, raising the lion's share of $89,000 in contributions.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbmayor0722sbjul25,0,5391489.story
-Medicare Part D a boon for drug companies, House report says
Taxpayers pay up to 30% more for prescriptions under the privatelyadministered program than under Medicaid, the House Committee on Oversightand Government Reform finds. U.S. drug manufacturers are reaping a windfallfrom taxpayers because Medicare's privately administered prescription drugbenefit program pays more than other government programs for the samemedicines, a House committee charged in a report Thursday. The HouseCommittee on Oversight and Government Reform found that taxpayers are payingup to 30% more for prescription drugs under Medicare's privatized Part Dprogram for seniors and the disabled than under the government's Medicaidprogram for the poor.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/la-na-medicare25-2008jul25,0,6138626.story
-Broward home prices fall 20 percent in June:
Home prices fall 20 percent in Broward
Price cuts still ruled in June as South Florida's housing slump trudged intoits 30th month.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzhousingbr0725pnjul25,0,904035.story
-Palm Beach County School District to categorize 83 troubled schools
Plans comply with new federal rules on progress
Eighty-three Palm Beach County schools will receive various levels ofsupport and corrective measures this year to comply with changing AdequateYearly Progress requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Theschool district on Thursday released its restructuring plan, whichincorporates a pilot program announced early this month by the stateDepartment of Education.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpschools0725pnjul25,0,1436394.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Prison program working wonders with inmates
As far as graduations go, it was a modest affair: About 75 men in foldingchairs under fluorescent lights, no big speech, no refreshments becausethere was no money for that. The ''band'' was four of the guys, singing acapella. And one harmonica wizard, solo, testament to the talents that canlie hidden away in prison.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/617169.html
-DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILIES
Foster transplant case sparks DCF policy revamp
Among the lessons learned by welfare bosses when a foster child needed a newliver: Kids in care often need a 'champion' to fight for their cause.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/615840.html
-FIU gives Marco Rubio a $69,000 job
Outgoing state House Speaker Marco Rubio got a $69,000 part-time job atcash-strapped FIU. School officials said the hiring made good sense.Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio has landed a part-time job at FloridaInternational University that pays $69,000, amid layoffs and tuition hikescaused by what the university president called ``the most serious budgetcrisis in our history.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/617215.html
=
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Self-insured condo fund may forfeit state license
State regulators are worried that a new self-insurance fund lacks enoughmembers to spread its risk and say it hasn't submitted all the paperworkneeded to keep its license.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/business/epaper/2008/07/24/a8b_condoinsure_0725.html
-Guv's birthday haul: $1 million, and a tie
They may as well be an old married couple. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist'ssexy betrothed gave him a tie for his 52nd birthday Thursday.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/24/a2a_jose_0725.html
-State to consider compensation for tomato industry
Tomato growers and packers nationwide would be compensated for their lossesdue to the recent salmonella outbreak according to a bill introducedThursday. The bill by U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, a Democrat from Palm BeachGardens, would authorize $100 million to make payments to growers andhandlers - the amount the Florida Tomato Exchange estimates was lost due tothe Food and Drug Administration's June advisory.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/epaper/2008/07/24/0724tomatoes.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State official admits felons worked in mortgage industry
The head of a state agency that allowed thousands of criminals to sell homeloans in Florida has acknowledged that his office did not follow a screeninglaw, but blamed legislators for failing to provide money to enforce it.That's one of the explanations in a 40-page response to a Miami Heraldinvestigation, which found that more than 10,000 people with criminalrecords were permitted to work in Florida's mortgage industry between 2000and 2007.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-mortgage2508jul25,0,26681.story
-Our view: Asleep at the wheel
Stop lax oversight of Florida mortgage professionals that adds to housingwoes
Even more proof Florida should be known as the rip-off state when it comesto consumer protection. That's because it fails to regulate its mortgageindustry to shield homebuyers from felons running scams, according to areport by The Miami Herald.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/OPINION/807250320/1004&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL
-6 teams want to lease Alligator Alley in the Everglades
Six teams are competing to lease Alligator Alley for the next 50 to 75years. The Florida Department of Transportation received their statementsof qualification Wednesday. In June, eight teams responded to the state'sfirst call for the information.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-alley2508jul25,0,7170012.story
-At least 15 seek 2 Fla. Supreme Court openings
At least 15 judges and lawyers have applied to replace two of the mostconservative members of the Florida Supreme Court. The deadline forapplications is 5 p.m. Friday.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_SCOFLA_JUSTICE_APPOINTMENTS_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
-Pahokee mayor will ask for acreage from sugar deal
On a hot, dusty morning in July, Larry Wright sweeps the space in front ofhis Pahokee Flower Shop. The small cloud of dust disturbs no one since thesidewalks of East Main Street are deserted.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2008/07/24/a8b_pahokeesugar_0725.html
-Energy analysis can help residents save money on bills
Lisa Polak Edgar of the Florida Public Service Commission has sat throughmany hours of state hearings, meetings and workshops about energy use andconservation. But she learned Thursday during an energy audit of her homethat there's plenty she can do to conserve energy and lower her monthlyelectric bill, such as fixing the leaking air-conditioning ducts in herattic.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807250321
-Mysterious disease taking toll on Florida's palm trees
A silent killer is stalking Florida, leaving dead sabal palms in its wake.The official state tree, also called the cabbage palm, is under attack by amicroscopic killer that is hard to stop.The mass killer has spread throughSouth Florida, Sarasota and Tampa, and into Polk County dropping trees up to50 feet tall. But there are no reports of the bacterial threat yet inVolusia or Flagler counties, said Karen Stauderman, University of Floridaextension agent in DeLand.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD04EASTGAR072508.htm
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Tagged and Targeted
Prevalence of anti-gay incidents alarm residents
The television news crews are long gone from the 2800 block of NW 7th Avenuein Wilton Manors, and most traces of the anti-gay epithets that were sprayedin black paint on houses and cars there are washed away or painted over.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-24/news/localnews/4887.cfm
-Firefighters endorse LaFontaine
Two Florida-based professional firefighter associations announced theirsupport for Mark LaFontaine, the openly gay candidate who is running forState Representative in District 92. The Broward County Council ofProfessional Firefighters and the Florida Professional Firefighters madetheir endorsements July 16. The BCCPF represents more than 2600 firefightersin Broward, while the FPF has more thatn23,000 members across the state.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-24/news/localnews/4889.cfm
-Boxers and briefs bring in big bucks
Two fundraisers result in more than $30,000 benefiting gay charities
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-24/news/localnews/4895.cfm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-66,000 South Floridians fail to file for stimulus checks
66,000 locally fail to file returns to get stimulus cash. With Tax Day longgone and the final deadline for filing fast approaching, there are stillmore than 5 million Americans who have yet to put in the proper paperwork tocollect their economic stimulus checks. More than 66,000 of them live inPalm Beach and Broward counties.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flptaxhelp0725pnjul25,0,4038339.story
-Despite rainy summer, S. Florida still has water shortage
After another lawn-soaking, puddle-producing summer storm rolls through,familiar taunts rain down on the top forecaster for the South Florida WaterManagement District. "Nice drought!" neighbors tease Geoff Shaunghnessy,lead meteorologist for the agency that is imposing Water restrictions onSouth Florida.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flpwater0725pnjul25,0,3505986.story
-Senator wants review of plan to lease Alligator Alley to investors
A South Florida senator wants an independent review of the state's plans tolease Alligator Alley for 50 to 75 years. With an estimated value as highas $1.3 billion, Sen. Dave Aronberg, D- Greenacres, said the lease proposalneeds to be thoroughly vetted.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flballey0725sbjul25,0,6252645.story
-Hutchinson, Seiler lead way in fundraising for Fort Lauderdale mayor race
The race to be the next mayor of Fort Lauderdale might be more than half ayear away, but already five candidates are raising money and campaigning.The latest campaign finance reports show that two candidates - CityCommissioner Cindi Hutchinson and state Rep. Jack Seiler - are taking therace seriously, raising the lion's share of $89,000 in contributions.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbmayor0722sbjul25,0,5391489.story
-Medicare Part D a boon for drug companies, House report says
Taxpayers pay up to 30% more for prescriptions under the privatelyadministered program than under Medicaid, the House Committee on Oversightand Government Reform finds. U.S. drug manufacturers are reaping a windfallfrom taxpayers because Medicare's privately administered prescription drugbenefit program pays more than other government programs for the samemedicines, a House committee charged in a report Thursday. The HouseCommittee on Oversight and Government Reform found that taxpayers are payingup to 30% more for prescription drugs under Medicare's privatized Part Dprogram for seniors and the disabled than under the government's Medicaidprogram for the poor.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/la-na-medicare25-2008jul25,0,6138626.story
-Broward home prices fall 20 percent in June:
Home prices fall 20 percent in Broward
Price cuts still ruled in June as South Florida's housing slump trudged intoits 30th month.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzhousingbr0725pnjul25,0,904035.story
-Palm Beach County School District to categorize 83 troubled schools
Plans comply with new federal rules on progress
Eighty-three Palm Beach County schools will receive various levels ofsupport and corrective measures this year to comply with changing AdequateYearly Progress requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Theschool district on Thursday released its restructuring plan, whichincorporates a pilot program announced early this month by the stateDepartment of Education.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpschools0725pnjul25,0,1436394.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Prison program working wonders with inmates
As far as graduations go, it was a modest affair: About 75 men in foldingchairs under fluorescent lights, no big speech, no refreshments becausethere was no money for that. The ''band'' was four of the guys, singing acapella. And one harmonica wizard, solo, testament to the talents that canlie hidden away in prison.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/617169.html
-DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILIES
Foster transplant case sparks DCF policy revamp
Among the lessons learned by welfare bosses when a foster child needed a newliver: Kids in care often need a 'champion' to fight for their cause.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/615840.html
-FIU gives Marco Rubio a $69,000 job
Outgoing state House Speaker Marco Rubio got a $69,000 part-time job atcash-strapped FIU. School officials said the hiring made good sense.Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio has landed a part-time job at FloridaInternational University that pays $69,000, amid layoffs and tuition hikescaused by what the university president called ``the most serious budgetcrisis in our history.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/617215.html
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Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Self-insured condo fund may forfeit state license
State regulators are worried that a new self-insurance fund lacks enoughmembers to spread its risk and say it hasn't submitted all the paperworkneeded to keep its license.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/business/epaper/2008/07/24/a8b_condoinsure_0725.html
-Guv's birthday haul: $1 million, and a tie
They may as well be an old married couple. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist'ssexy betrothed gave him a tie for his 52nd birthday Thursday.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/24/a2a_jose_0725.html
-State to consider compensation for tomato industry
Tomato growers and packers nationwide would be compensated for their lossesdue to the recent salmonella outbreak according to a bill introducedThursday. The bill by U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, a Democrat from Palm BeachGardens, would authorize $100 million to make payments to growers andhandlers - the amount the Florida Tomato Exchange estimates was lost due tothe Food and Drug Administration's June advisory.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/epaper/2008/07/24/0724tomatoes.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State official admits felons worked in mortgage industry
The head of a state agency that allowed thousands of criminals to sell homeloans in Florida has acknowledged that his office did not follow a screeninglaw, but blamed legislators for failing to provide money to enforce it.That's one of the explanations in a 40-page response to a Miami Heraldinvestigation, which found that more than 10,000 people with criminalrecords were permitted to work in Florida's mortgage industry between 2000and 2007.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-mortgage2508jul25,0,26681.story
-Our view: Asleep at the wheel
Stop lax oversight of Florida mortgage professionals that adds to housingwoes
Even more proof Florida should be known as the rip-off state when it comesto consumer protection. That's because it fails to regulate its mortgageindustry to shield homebuyers from felons running scams, according to areport by The Miami Herald.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/OPINION/807250320/1004&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL
-6 teams want to lease Alligator Alley in the Everglades
Six teams are competing to lease Alligator Alley for the next 50 to 75years. The Florida Department of Transportation received their statementsof qualification Wednesday. In June, eight teams responded to the state'sfirst call for the information.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-alley2508jul25,0,7170012.story
-At least 15 seek 2 Fla. Supreme Court openings
At least 15 judges and lawyers have applied to replace two of the mostconservative members of the Florida Supreme Court. The deadline forapplications is 5 p.m. Friday.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_SCOFLA_JUSTICE_APPOINTMENTS_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
-Pahokee mayor will ask for acreage from sugar deal
On a hot, dusty morning in July, Larry Wright sweeps the space in front ofhis Pahokee Flower Shop. The small cloud of dust disturbs no one since thesidewalks of East Main Street are deserted.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2008/07/24/a8b_pahokeesugar_0725.html
-Energy analysis can help residents save money on bills
Lisa Polak Edgar of the Florida Public Service Commission has sat throughmany hours of state hearings, meetings and workshops about energy use andconservation. But she learned Thursday during an energy audit of her homethat there's plenty she can do to conserve energy and lower her monthlyelectric bill, such as fixing the leaking air-conditioning ducts in herattic.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807250321
-Mysterious disease taking toll on Florida's palm trees
A silent killer is stalking Florida, leaving dead sabal palms in its wake.The official state tree, also called the cabbage palm, is under attack by amicroscopic killer that is hard to stop.The mass killer has spread throughSouth Florida, Sarasota and Tampa, and into Polk County dropping trees up to50 feet tall. But there are no reports of the bacterial threat yet inVolusia or Flagler counties, said Karen Stauderman, University of Floridaextension agent in DeLand.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD04EASTGAR072508.htm
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Thursday, July 24, 2008
GLBT DIGEST - July 24, 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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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Defending Our Values
Did you know that your safety and security depend on gay men and lesbians?An estimated 65,000 gay men and lesbians serve in the U.S. armed forces,though by law they cannot be open about their sexuality. As we fight twowars, our military is stretched thin. Those gay and lesbian soldiers,sailors, airmen, Marines and members of the Coast Guard are essential.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302904.html
-Sorry We Asked, Sorry You Told
Don't ask, don't tell. And, whatever you do, don't ask Elaine Donnelly totell you what she thinks about gays in the military. The House ArmedServices personnel subcommittee made just such a miscalculation yesterday.Holding the first hearing in 15 years on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy,lawmakers invited a quartet of veterans to testify on the subject and alsoextended an invitation to Donnelly, who has been working for years toprotect our fighting forces from the malign influence of women.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303642.html
-Defending Our Values
Did you know that your safety and security depend on gay men and lesbians?
An estimated 65,000 gay men and lesbians serve in the U.S. armed forces,though by law they cannot be open about their sexuality. As we fight twowars, our military is stretched thin. Those gay and lesbian soldiers,sailors, airmen, Marines and members of the Coast Guard are essential. [...]Did you know that your safety and security depend on gay men and lesbians?An estimated 65,000 gay men and lesbians serve in the U.S. armed forces,though by law they cannot be open about their sexuality. As we fight twowars, our military is stretched thin. Those gay and lesbian soldiers,sailors, airmen, Marines and members of the Coast Guard are essential.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302904.html
-A Shameful Ban
The United States should end a prohibition against HIV-positive visitors andimmigrants.
A PLAN THAT would direct about $50 billion over the next five years to haltthe spread of HIV-AIDS in developing countries has dodged multiplechallenges from Republican lawmakers and is set to become one of the Bushadministration's finest accomplishments. The Senate voted overwhelminglylast week to approve the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief(PEPFAR), and the House is expected to do the same as early as today. Butone of PEPFAR's most significant provisions, the elimination of a21-year-old ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants that puts the UnitedStates in the company of countries such as Libya and Sudan, may not takeeffect even if the legislation passes. The bill leaves to the Department ofHealth and Human Services (HHS) the decision as to whether HIV-positivevisitors may enter the country. HHS officials have previously expressed awillingness to remove the ban but may delay a decision until the nextadministration takes office.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303315.html
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-A Conference of Anglican Leaders Confronts Deeply Divisive Issues
Actions by the U.S. Episcopal Church test the durability of the AnglicanCommunion
It was not the most joyous of starts for the Lambeth Conference, theonce-every-10-year gathering of the bishops of the 77 million-memberAnglican Communion in Canterbury, England. Speaking last Sunday at theformal opening ceremony in the city's storied cathedral, the Archbishop ofCanterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, observed that the globalassociation of Anglican churches, including the Episcopal Church of theUnited States, faced the most serious challenge of its history.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/07/23/a-conference-of-anglican-leaders-confronts-deeply-divisive-issues.html
-Laguna Beach council opposes ban on gay marriage
The City Council votes unanimously to oppose Prop. 8 on the November ballot.'Laguna has a live-and-let-live attitude,' a councilwoman says. LagunaBeach, long a gay-friendly community, followed Los Angeles' lead as one ofthe first cities to reject a ballot measure that would ban same-sexmarriage.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marriage24-2008jul24,0,4080471.story
-North Carolina: Anti-bullying law would have sent strong message
Every student deserves a safe school environment to learn. Of the failureof N.C. lawmakers to approve a statewide school bullying policy thissession, we'll let Rep. Rick Glazier, D-Fayetteville, speak for us. "Ithink, sadly, the Senate was truly bullied on the bullying bill," he said oflegislation the N.C. House had approved earlier. "Much to the detriment ofschool children, the politics of bigotry and hate won out." He's right.Unfortunately, we in Charlotte could see it coming. That's because a fewmonths ago, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board approved a beefed upanti-bullying policy, and some of the same forces worked to derail it. TheCMS policy, like the one N.C. lawmakers debated as late as last week,included sexual orientation among the characteristics school districts useto identify students who are possible targets of bullying.
http://www.charlotte.com/opinion/story/723896.html
-Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Telling My Story to Congress
Last year, one of the first times I told my story was here on HuffingtonPost and I was overwhelmed by the positive and supportive response. I'vefound the same is true as I've traveled around the country talking about theneed to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-alva/dont-ask-dont-tell-tellin_b_114561.html
-George Michael talks about losing his partner to AIDS, the death of hismother, getting caught cruising in a bathroom in a park in Beverly Hills,and his drug arrests. Said the singer: "I lost my partner to HIV then ittook about three years to grieve; then after that I lost my mother. I feltalmost like I was cursed. The only thing that got me through it was mymusic. It survived. I wrote very, very little, but the little I wrote didwell and kept my head above water...It was depression and shock which justwent on for years." He also says he's come to realize his arrest for publicsex was something he did deliberately. Link to video:
http://www.towleroad.com/2008/07/george-michael.html
-Seattle: Qwest Field Sorry About Scolding Lesbians
In the current issue of the Stranger, I write about two lesbians who heldhands at Qwest Field's WaMu Theater. To their horror, a security guardapproached them, shined a flashlight on their faces, and told them to "stopit," they say. What's worse: They were at the True Colors concert. You know,the show promoted with the rainbow fliers; the one that starred Rosie O'Donnell and Cyndi Lauper; the one that, as part of its mission statement, was heldto "raise awareness about the discrimination the GLBT community stillfaces." The PR firm handling the tour was mortified by the news. PatrickConfrey, of Rogers and Cowan, says, "We were freaked. We were like, "Are youkidding me?" The women met with representatives of Qwest Filed last weekto find out how to resolve the issue. Cai and Laura, who asked to beidentified only by their first names, say Qwest agreed to institute newdiversity trainings for their staff.
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/qwest_sorry_about_scolding_lesbains
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Anti-Gay Lawmaker Caught With Gun At Capitol
A state lawmaker who gained national notoriety with an anti-homosexual rantwas stopped from entering the state Capitol Wednesday when she was found tohave a loaded handgun in her purse, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.Patrol spokeswoman Chris West said Republican Rep. Sally Kern was notcharged because there did not appear to be any "malicious intent" behind heractions.
http://www.365gay.com/news/anti-gay-lawmaker-caught-with-gun-at-capitol/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Old Prejudices Revealed at House DADT Hearing
The first hearing in 15 years on the U.S. military's controversial "don'task, don't tell" policy prohibiting gay and lesbian soldiers from servingopenly was held in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Con Artist in 9-11 Scam Rearrested in California
Statement from the Publisher, Norm Kent: As many of you know, I was the person responsible for exposing the original scam by Patric Ian Henn when,
as Publisher of The Express, I ran a story entitled 'Disaster and Deceit.' The story methodically detailed how Henn ran a scam which ripped the Red Cross off for over $68,000 in survivor benefits. Henn had falsely claimed to have lost his gay lover in the World Trade Center attacked, and had actually complained that the Red Cross was not funneling him money quickly enough.
-Support Increasing for UM Gay and Lesbian Community
The University of Mississippi has greatly changed its attitude towardsmembers of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) community overthe past ten years, Allies administrator and Gay-Straight Alliance advisorKevin Cozart said. "There is still a lot of work to do as far as the LGBTcommunity being included in things," Cozart said. "But it's better than itused to be." Cozart said the South's cultural heritage might havecontributed to this situation.
-Cox Enterprises Announces $50,000 in Foundation
Scholarships for Minority Journalism Students
Today at the 2008 UNITY journalism convention, Cox Enterprises, Inc.announced the James M. Cox Foundation is awarding $50,000 in scholarships tosupport minority journalism students. The scholarships will be managed byfive minority journalism organizations: the Asian American JournalistsAssociation (AAJA), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ),the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the Native AmericanJournalists Association (NAJA) and the National Lesbian & Gay JournalistsAssociation (NLGJA).
-Australia: Solving the Puzzle
Like so many gay teenagers, Sebastian remembers hating his time as a studenton Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula. "For years, I was persecuted andabused, verbally and physically," he recalls. "The teachers knowinglyignored and turned a blind eye to the bullying, and I got blamed for drawingattention to myself. It got to the point where I dropped out of school forsix months." Mark went to an all boys' private school, and didn't come outuntil he was 21.
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-CA: Map--"Spike in marriage licenses statewide"
Link: Los Angeles Times
Licenses issued by counties the first week of legal same-sexmarriage--compared to average rates. Statewide, more than 8,500 marriagelicenses were issued, more than two and a half times an average June week.
-"Some Mass. Lawmakers Scared of Vote to Repeal Anti-Misegenation LawRepeal"
Link: Edge Boston
In the wake of Mass. state senators voting to consider the repeal of aracist law from 1913, some House Democrats are expressing dismay at thetiming of the move because anti-gay activists are painting the repeal as anattempt to export marriage equality to other states. The Boston Heraldquoted unnamed Democratic lawmakers in July 22 article, with one Democratsaying Sal DiMasi, the House Speaker, was forcing a vote on the issuewithout regard to the political fallout for politicians facing re-electionbattles in the fall.
-"Janet Folger's Prison Fantasies"
Link: Box Turtle Bulletin
Her fantasy looks something like this: I can argue why marriage matters forthe continuation of civilization. I can tell you about every study thatshows without a doubt that children do best with both a mother and a father.But let me cut to the chase: If we don't win the marriage battle, now on theballot in California, Florida and Arizona, people who disagree withhomosexual behavior will . go to jail.
-"California Changes Prop 8 Ballot Language"
Link: Box Turtle Bulletin
Excerpt: The original title was "Limit on Marriage. Constitutional
Amendment". Now it's been changed for the better (PDF: 2 pages):
ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY.
INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Changes California Constitution to eliminate right of same-sex couples tomarry. Provides that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid orrecognized in California. Fiscal Impact: Over the next few years, potentialrevenue loss, mainly sales taxes, totaling in the several tens of millionsof dollars, to state and local governments. In the long run, likely littlefiscal impact to state and local governments.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-UK: Tory councillor charged with having gay sex in a public toilet
A Conservative councillor in Harrow has appeared in court charged withengaging in sexual activity in a public lavatory. Robert Benson did notenter a plea at Harrow Magistrates' Court last week.
-German court rules forced divorces for trans people unconstitutional
A ruling by Germany's Federal Constitutional Court has been hailed as amajor victory for the trans community.
-Gaydar expands its radio reach to Australia
The UK's most popular gay radio station is to launch in Australia later thisyear. GaydarRadio has won armfuls of awards and is broadcast in the UK onSky and globally online.
-Vanity Fair parodies Obama 'terrorist' magazine cover
Vanity Fair has stepped into the fray over a controversial New YorkerMagazine cover featuring a cartoon Barack Obama as a terrorist by issuingtheir own faked John McCain parody cover this week.
-Gay advocacy groups get consultative status at United Nations
Two sexual orientation and gender identity rights groups have been givenconsultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC).
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Black and Single: Is Marriage Really for White People?
Posted by Daily Queer News
A career she enjoyed, a nice home, two adorable children and a husband. Sheshared her tools for success with me at an early age. She went to college,got married and waited until she was 26 to have her first child.The perfectlife. The perfect plan. It was one I decided to model.My aspirations forboth a career and family were set at the age of 12. I knew I couldaccomplish what Mrs. Allen, my fifth- and seventh-grade teacher, had. But asI approach 30 and measure the goals I had at 12 against the reality of life,the only thing I can check off that list is a college education. I am astatistic.
-Activists in Maryland Await Judge's Ruling on Montgomery Co.'s TransgenderAnti-Discrimination Law
Posted by Daily Queer News
Equal-rights advocates in Maryland are hoping for the best while preparingfor the worst, regarding Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Robert A.Greenberg's upcoming ruling on the validity of 25,001 signatures collectedby a group of citizens hoping to place the fate of a transgenderanti-discrimination law in the hands of voters in November. "We're notassuming we're going to win in court. We certainly hope we do, but we can'trely on that," says Carrie Evans, who works as policy director for EqualityMaryland. "So we are absolutely preparing for defending this at the ballotbox in November and helping out Basic Rights Montgomery so voters inMontgomery County can understand why repealing this law is not a good thing."
-How One Vet's Persistence Paid Off
Posted by Daily Queer News
It was an average-looking letter that landed in Paul Weaver's mailbox. Butbearing news that his veteran's disability benefits had been stopped, itfelt more like a ton of crashing bricks. He felt shock, then resignation.He thought "I can't do this anymore. I have to move on." Mr. Weaver hadsought treatment at US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities a fewyears earlier for what had been diagnosed as a serious illness as well asfor post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his Marine Corps deploymentto Iraq in 2003, where he was a machine-gunner with the original invasionforce. Now it was July 2007, and he wanted to leave the battle behind him -even if it meant giving up thousands of dollars a month in disabilitybenefits. But his father, a retired senior chief petty officer with theNavy, wouldn't hear of it.
-Antiretroviral Drugs Extending Life, Not Improving It
Posted by Daily Queer News
Nairobi - HIV-positive people are living longer on antiretroviral (ARV)medication, but many of them remain poor and hungry, highlighting the needto create incomes for them, says a new report. "The long-termsustainability of people on ART [antiretroviral therapy] and the [treatment]programmes are threatened by the continuing lack of food and economicindependence," said a press release on the report, produced for CAFOD, adevelopment NGO based in the United Kingdom. The report noted that ART hadhad a significant impact on patients, whose expectations had changed from"preparing for death" to looking to the future for ways to sustainthemselves and their families. However, many people had started taking ARVsafter periods of illness during which they had lost their jobs and soldtheir assets to survive, so returning to a more normal life has proveddifficult. "ART programmes need to take into account the fact that peopleon treatment still need to eat and still need an income," Jo Maher, authorof the CAFOD report, told IRIN/PlusNews.
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Forwarded from Gay Asylum - UK
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gayasylum/messages?o=1
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The Syrian government should order an independent investigation into thedeadly shooting of inmates by military police at Sednaya prison two weeksago and make the findings public, Human Rights Watch said today. HumanRights Watch also called on the authorities to immediately make public thenames of those killed or injured in the incident. On the morning of July 5,prison authorities attempted to quell a riot in Sednaya prison, about 30kilometers north of Damascus. The riot had begun when a contingent ofMilitary Police officers conducted an aggressive search at the prison.According to an inmate who spoke to Human Rights Watch from a cell phoneinside the prison, the officers insulted inmates and stepped on copies ofthe Qur'an they had thrown on the floor.
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Gay Movements Abroad
As best I can from this distance, I try to follow the progress of gay rightsmovements abroad. And I feel great admiration and sympathy for the bravemenand women who are trying to promote gay legal and social equality inmanycountries of Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. But most ofthem face a much harder time than we did in North America and WesternEurope. They face very different social situations from the ones we didso Iam not sure if the activist model they have adopted in part from us can workas well for them as it did for us.
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-United Nations: Defeat for Discrimination, Victory for InclusionLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Groups Gain Consultative StatusThe decision by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)granting consultative status to two groups that work on sexual orientationand gender identity is a victory in the ongoing struggle for inclusion atthe UN, a coalition of six human rights organizations said today. The twogroups approved on July 21 and 22, 2008 are COC Netherlands and the StateFederation of Lesbians, Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals of Spain (FELGTB),national organizations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender(LGBT) people in the Netherlands and Spain. "COC Netherlands is delightedabout obtaining consultative status with the UN," said Björn van Roozendaal,COC international advocacy officer. "It means we can join the efforts at theUN to address human rights violations against people with an alternativesexual orientation or gender identity." "Spanish-speaking LGBT voices willbe heard in UN meetings where human rights questions are debated," saidDavid Montero, FELGTB Spain's officer for international issues and humanrights. "We thank all who have contributed to this exciting outcome, andespecially Spain's UN mission for their support." Consultative status is akey means for civil society to access the UN system. It allowsnon-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver oral and written reports atUN meetings, and to organize events on UN premises. With it, these groupscan share their information and analysis of the abuses and discriminationLGBT people confront around the world.
-Today, in spite of the fact, that moscow authorities banned the picket nearthe embassy of Iran, organized in memory of gay-teenagers, executed in 2005,several activists of LGBT Rights, honored the memory of Mahmud Asgari (1989-19.07.2005) and Aiaz Marhoni (1987-19.07.2005) and other thousands ofpeople, exterminated by authorities during the years of victimizing of gaypeople in Iran. We would like to remind that this picket near the embassyof Iran was not coordinated with authorities because of the homophobia ofour Moscow government. In our country it is dangerous for morality of thesociety to honor the memory of people and to be outraged with brutal murderof gay people in Iran. We also break the 11th Article of the Convention!
http://lgbtrights.ru/eng/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=1
-Finland: Lutheran Pastor Blesses Union of Lesbian Couple
A Lutheran pastor in Espoo has flouted church rules to bless the partnershipof a lesbian couple. The dean of the archdiocese of Espoo, Liisa Tuovinen,bestowed her blessing on the registered partners at a church summer campfacility on July 12. The bishop of Espoo, Mikko Heikka, said the churchwould not take any steps in response to the act unless a formal complaint isfiled. Two years ago a Lutheran pastor Leena Huovinen blessed a gay coupleat a Helsinki restaurant. A complaint was filed, but no action was takenagainst her. Pastor Tuovinen says that other such ceremonies have been heldat private homes. Finland's Lutheran bishops are to reconsider the issue ofblessing same-sex unions next year. Nearly nine out of 10 Finns are membersof the state-supported Evangelical Lutheran Church. Same-sex couples havebeen allowed to register theirrelationships with a magistrate since 2002.
http://www.yle.fi/news/left/id96984.html
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-The Child Online Protection Act suffers from a slew of fatal flaws thatrender the law unconstitutional under the First Amendment, the 3rd U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. "We are quite certain thatnotwithstanding Congress's laudable purpose in enacting COPA, the governmenthas not met its burden of showing that it is narrowly tailored so as tosurvive a strict scrutiny analysis and thereby permit us to hold it to beconstitutional," Senior 3rd Circuit Judge Morton Greenberg wrote in ACLU v.Mukasey.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202423185753&rss=newswire
-Campus Pride Honors Transgender Advocate Donna Rose with National Voice &Action Award
Second Annual Summer Leadership Camp Comes to Close
(Charlotte, NC) - National transgender advocate and educator Donna Rose willbe honored by Campus Pride with its first-ever Voice & Action Award. Ms.Rose will receive the honor as well as be a featured guest speaker at theClosing Dinner & Graduation Ceremony for the Campus Pride Summer LeadershipCamp this evening Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The camp is hosted on the campusof Towson University. "As a trans-identified young adult male, nationalleaders like Donna Rose remind me that we all have something to fight for.Her voice has been a catalyst for action and change for LGBT people for manyyears to come," Courtney D'Allaird, camp participant and Pride Leader fromthe State University of New York - Albany said.
www.campuspride.org
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Allyson Robinson Named Human Rights Campaign Foundation Associate Director of Diversity
Longtime activist, ordained minister Robinson to lead organization's work on transgender issues
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation's largest gay, lesbian,bisexual and transgender civil rights group, today announced that AllysonRobinson has been named Associate Director of Diversity of the organization.Robinson, a longtime activist and ordained minister, will lead HRC and itsvolunteer base in promoting awareness of transgender issues and ensuringthat all program areas demonstrate measurable commitment to transgenderequality and inclusion.
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Defending Our Values
Did you know that your safety and security depend on gay men and lesbians?An estimated 65,000 gay men and lesbians serve in the U.S. armed forces,though by law they cannot be open about their sexuality. As we fight twowars, our military is stretched thin. Those gay and lesbian soldiers,sailors, airmen, Marines and members of the Coast Guard are essential.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302904.html
-Sorry We Asked, Sorry You Told
Don't ask, don't tell. And, whatever you do, don't ask Elaine Donnelly totell you what she thinks about gays in the military. The House ArmedServices personnel subcommittee made just such a miscalculation yesterday.Holding the first hearing in 15 years on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy,lawmakers invited a quartet of veterans to testify on the subject and alsoextended an invitation to Donnelly, who has been working for years toprotect our fighting forces from the malign influence of women.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303642.html
-Defending Our Values
Did you know that your safety and security depend on gay men and lesbians?
An estimated 65,000 gay men and lesbians serve in the U.S. armed forces,though by law they cannot be open about their sexuality. As we fight twowars, our military is stretched thin. Those gay and lesbian soldiers,sailors, airmen, Marines and members of the Coast Guard are essential. [...]Did you know that your safety and security depend on gay men and lesbians?An estimated 65,000 gay men and lesbians serve in the U.S. armed forces,though by law they cannot be open about their sexuality. As we fight twowars, our military is stretched thin. Those gay and lesbian soldiers,sailors, airmen, Marines and members of the Coast Guard are essential.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302904.html
-A Shameful Ban
The United States should end a prohibition against HIV-positive visitors andimmigrants.
A PLAN THAT would direct about $50 billion over the next five years to haltthe spread of HIV-AIDS in developing countries has dodged multiplechallenges from Republican lawmakers and is set to become one of the Bushadministration's finest accomplishments. The Senate voted overwhelminglylast week to approve the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief(PEPFAR), and the House is expected to do the same as early as today. Butone of PEPFAR's most significant provisions, the elimination of a21-year-old ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants that puts the UnitedStates in the company of countries such as Libya and Sudan, may not takeeffect even if the legislation passes. The bill leaves to the Department ofHealth and Human Services (HHS) the decision as to whether HIV-positivevisitors may enter the country. HHS officials have previously expressed awillingness to remove the ban but may delay a decision until the nextadministration takes office.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303315.html
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-A Conference of Anglican Leaders Confronts Deeply Divisive Issues
Actions by the U.S. Episcopal Church test the durability of the AnglicanCommunion
It was not the most joyous of starts for the Lambeth Conference, theonce-every-10-year gathering of the bishops of the 77 million-memberAnglican Communion in Canterbury, England. Speaking last Sunday at theformal opening ceremony in the city's storied cathedral, the Archbishop ofCanterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, observed that the globalassociation of Anglican churches, including the Episcopal Church of theUnited States, faced the most serious challenge of its history.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/07/23/a-conference-of-anglican-leaders-confronts-deeply-divisive-issues.html
-Laguna Beach council opposes ban on gay marriage
The City Council votes unanimously to oppose Prop. 8 on the November ballot.'Laguna has a live-and-let-live attitude,' a councilwoman says. LagunaBeach, long a gay-friendly community, followed Los Angeles' lead as one ofthe first cities to reject a ballot measure that would ban same-sexmarriage.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marriage24-2008jul24,0,4080471.story
-North Carolina: Anti-bullying law would have sent strong message
Every student deserves a safe school environment to learn. Of the failureof N.C. lawmakers to approve a statewide school bullying policy thissession, we'll let Rep. Rick Glazier, D-Fayetteville, speak for us. "Ithink, sadly, the Senate was truly bullied on the bullying bill," he said oflegislation the N.C. House had approved earlier. "Much to the detriment ofschool children, the politics of bigotry and hate won out." He's right.Unfortunately, we in Charlotte could see it coming. That's because a fewmonths ago, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board approved a beefed upanti-bullying policy, and some of the same forces worked to derail it. TheCMS policy, like the one N.C. lawmakers debated as late as last week,included sexual orientation among the characteristics school districts useto identify students who are possible targets of bullying.
http://www.charlotte.com/opinion/story/723896.html
-Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Telling My Story to Congress
Last year, one of the first times I told my story was here on HuffingtonPost and I was overwhelmed by the positive and supportive response. I'vefound the same is true as I've traveled around the country talking about theneed to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-alva/dont-ask-dont-tell-tellin_b_114561.html
-George Michael talks about losing his partner to AIDS, the death of hismother, getting caught cruising in a bathroom in a park in Beverly Hills,and his drug arrests. Said the singer: "I lost my partner to HIV then ittook about three years to grieve; then after that I lost my mother. I feltalmost like I was cursed. The only thing that got me through it was mymusic. It survived. I wrote very, very little, but the little I wrote didwell and kept my head above water...It was depression and shock which justwent on for years." He also says he's come to realize his arrest for publicsex was something he did deliberately. Link to video:
http://www.towleroad.com/2008/07/george-michael.html
-Seattle: Qwest Field Sorry About Scolding Lesbians
In the current issue of the Stranger, I write about two lesbians who heldhands at Qwest Field's WaMu Theater. To their horror, a security guardapproached them, shined a flashlight on their faces, and told them to "stopit," they say. What's worse: They were at the True Colors concert. You know,the show promoted with the rainbow fliers; the one that starred Rosie O'Donnell and Cyndi Lauper; the one that, as part of its mission statement, was heldto "raise awareness about the discrimination the GLBT community stillfaces." The PR firm handling the tour was mortified by the news. PatrickConfrey, of Rogers and Cowan, says, "We were freaked. We were like, "Are youkidding me?" The women met with representatives of Qwest Filed last weekto find out how to resolve the issue. Cai and Laura, who asked to beidentified only by their first names, say Qwest agreed to institute newdiversity trainings for their staff.
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/qwest_sorry_about_scolding_lesbains
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Anti-Gay Lawmaker Caught With Gun At Capitol
A state lawmaker who gained national notoriety with an anti-homosexual rantwas stopped from entering the state Capitol Wednesday when she was found tohave a loaded handgun in her purse, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.Patrol spokeswoman Chris West said Republican Rep. Sally Kern was notcharged because there did not appear to be any "malicious intent" behind heractions.
http://www.365gay.com/news/anti-gay-lawmaker-caught-with-gun-at-capitol/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Old Prejudices Revealed at House DADT Hearing
The first hearing in 15 years on the U.S. military's controversial "don'task, don't tell" policy prohibiting gay and lesbian soldiers from servingopenly was held in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Con Artist in 9-11 Scam Rearrested in California
Statement from the Publisher, Norm Kent: As many of you know, I was the person responsible for exposing the original scam by Patric Ian Henn when,
as Publisher of The Express, I ran a story entitled 'Disaster and Deceit.' The story methodically detailed how Henn ran a scam which ripped the Red Cross off for over $68,000 in survivor benefits. Henn had falsely claimed to have lost his gay lover in the World Trade Center attacked, and had actually complained that the Red Cross was not funneling him money quickly enough.
-Support Increasing for UM Gay and Lesbian Community
The University of Mississippi has greatly changed its attitude towardsmembers of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) community overthe past ten years, Allies administrator and Gay-Straight Alliance advisorKevin Cozart said. "There is still a lot of work to do as far as the LGBTcommunity being included in things," Cozart said. "But it's better than itused to be." Cozart said the South's cultural heritage might havecontributed to this situation.
-Cox Enterprises Announces $50,000 in Foundation
Scholarships for Minority Journalism Students
Today at the 2008 UNITY journalism convention, Cox Enterprises, Inc.announced the James M. Cox Foundation is awarding $50,000 in scholarships tosupport minority journalism students. The scholarships will be managed byfive minority journalism organizations: the Asian American JournalistsAssociation (AAJA), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ),the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the Native AmericanJournalists Association (NAJA) and the National Lesbian & Gay JournalistsAssociation (NLGJA).
-Australia: Solving the Puzzle
Like so many gay teenagers, Sebastian remembers hating his time as a studenton Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula. "For years, I was persecuted andabused, verbally and physically," he recalls. "The teachers knowinglyignored and turned a blind eye to the bullying, and I got blamed for drawingattention to myself. It got to the point where I dropped out of school forsix months." Mark went to an all boys' private school, and didn't come outuntil he was 21.
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-CA: Map--"Spike in marriage licenses statewide"
Link: Los Angeles Times
Licenses issued by counties the first week of legal same-sexmarriage--compared to average rates. Statewide, more than 8,500 marriagelicenses were issued, more than two and a half times an average June week.
-"Some Mass. Lawmakers Scared of Vote to Repeal Anti-Misegenation LawRepeal"
Link: Edge Boston
In the wake of Mass. state senators voting to consider the repeal of aracist law from 1913, some House Democrats are expressing dismay at thetiming of the move because anti-gay activists are painting the repeal as anattempt to export marriage equality to other states. The Boston Heraldquoted unnamed Democratic lawmakers in July 22 article, with one Democratsaying Sal DiMasi, the House Speaker, was forcing a vote on the issuewithout regard to the political fallout for politicians facing re-electionbattles in the fall.
-"Janet Folger's Prison Fantasies"
Link: Box Turtle Bulletin
Her fantasy looks something like this: I can argue why marriage matters forthe continuation of civilization. I can tell you about every study thatshows without a doubt that children do best with both a mother and a father.But let me cut to the chase: If we don't win the marriage battle, now on theballot in California, Florida and Arizona, people who disagree withhomosexual behavior will . go to jail.
-"California Changes Prop 8 Ballot Language"
Link: Box Turtle Bulletin
Excerpt: The original title was "Limit on Marriage. Constitutional
Amendment". Now it's been changed for the better (PDF: 2 pages):
ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY.
INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Changes California Constitution to eliminate right of same-sex couples tomarry. Provides that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid orrecognized in California. Fiscal Impact: Over the next few years, potentialrevenue loss, mainly sales taxes, totaling in the several tens of millionsof dollars, to state and local governments. In the long run, likely littlefiscal impact to state and local governments.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-UK: Tory councillor charged with having gay sex in a public toilet
A Conservative councillor in Harrow has appeared in court charged withengaging in sexual activity in a public lavatory. Robert Benson did notenter a plea at Harrow Magistrates' Court last week.
-German court rules forced divorces for trans people unconstitutional
A ruling by Germany's Federal Constitutional Court has been hailed as amajor victory for the trans community.
-Gaydar expands its radio reach to Australia
The UK's most popular gay radio station is to launch in Australia later thisyear. GaydarRadio has won armfuls of awards and is broadcast in the UK onSky and globally online.
-Vanity Fair parodies Obama 'terrorist' magazine cover
Vanity Fair has stepped into the fray over a controversial New YorkerMagazine cover featuring a cartoon Barack Obama as a terrorist by issuingtheir own faked John McCain parody cover this week.
-Gay advocacy groups get consultative status at United Nations
Two sexual orientation and gender identity rights groups have been givenconsultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC).
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Black and Single: Is Marriage Really for White People?
Posted by Daily Queer News
A career she enjoyed, a nice home, two adorable children and a husband. Sheshared her tools for success with me at an early age. She went to college,got married and waited until she was 26 to have her first child.The perfectlife. The perfect plan. It was one I decided to model.My aspirations forboth a career and family were set at the age of 12. I knew I couldaccomplish what Mrs. Allen, my fifth- and seventh-grade teacher, had. But asI approach 30 and measure the goals I had at 12 against the reality of life,the only thing I can check off that list is a college education. I am astatistic.
-Activists in Maryland Await Judge's Ruling on Montgomery Co.'s TransgenderAnti-Discrimination Law
Posted by Daily Queer News
Equal-rights advocates in Maryland are hoping for the best while preparingfor the worst, regarding Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Robert A.Greenberg's upcoming ruling on the validity of 25,001 signatures collectedby a group of citizens hoping to place the fate of a transgenderanti-discrimination law in the hands of voters in November. "We're notassuming we're going to win in court. We certainly hope we do, but we can'trely on that," says Carrie Evans, who works as policy director for EqualityMaryland. "So we are absolutely preparing for defending this at the ballotbox in November and helping out Basic Rights Montgomery so voters inMontgomery County can understand why repealing this law is not a good thing."
-How One Vet's Persistence Paid Off
Posted by Daily Queer News
It was an average-looking letter that landed in Paul Weaver's mailbox. Butbearing news that his veteran's disability benefits had been stopped, itfelt more like a ton of crashing bricks. He felt shock, then resignation.He thought "I can't do this anymore. I have to move on." Mr. Weaver hadsought treatment at US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities a fewyears earlier for what had been diagnosed as a serious illness as well asfor post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his Marine Corps deploymentto Iraq in 2003, where he was a machine-gunner with the original invasionforce. Now it was July 2007, and he wanted to leave the battle behind him -even if it meant giving up thousands of dollars a month in disabilitybenefits. But his father, a retired senior chief petty officer with theNavy, wouldn't hear of it.
-Antiretroviral Drugs Extending Life, Not Improving It
Posted by Daily Queer News
Nairobi - HIV-positive people are living longer on antiretroviral (ARV)medication, but many of them remain poor and hungry, highlighting the needto create incomes for them, says a new report. "The long-termsustainability of people on ART [antiretroviral therapy] and the [treatment]programmes are threatened by the continuing lack of food and economicindependence," said a press release on the report, produced for CAFOD, adevelopment NGO based in the United Kingdom. The report noted that ART hadhad a significant impact on patients, whose expectations had changed from"preparing for death" to looking to the future for ways to sustainthemselves and their families. However, many people had started taking ARVsafter periods of illness during which they had lost their jobs and soldtheir assets to survive, so returning to a more normal life has proveddifficult. "ART programmes need to take into account the fact that peopleon treatment still need to eat and still need an income," Jo Maher, authorof the CAFOD report, told IRIN/PlusNews.
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Forwarded from Gay Asylum - UK
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gayasylum/messages?o=1
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The Syrian government should order an independent investigation into thedeadly shooting of inmates by military police at Sednaya prison two weeksago and make the findings public, Human Rights Watch said today. HumanRights Watch also called on the authorities to immediately make public thenames of those killed or injured in the incident. On the morning of July 5,prison authorities attempted to quell a riot in Sednaya prison, about 30kilometers north of Damascus. The riot had begun when a contingent ofMilitary Police officers conducted an aggressive search at the prison.According to an inmate who spoke to Human Rights Watch from a cell phoneinside the prison, the officers insulted inmates and stepped on copies ofthe Qur'an they had thrown on the floor.
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Gay Movements Abroad
As best I can from this distance, I try to follow the progress of gay rightsmovements abroad. And I feel great admiration and sympathy for the bravemenand women who are trying to promote gay legal and social equality inmanycountries of Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. But most ofthem face a much harder time than we did in North America and WesternEurope. They face very different social situations from the ones we didso Iam not sure if the activist model they have adopted in part from us can workas well for them as it did for us.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-United Nations: Defeat for Discrimination, Victory for InclusionLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Groups Gain Consultative StatusThe decision by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)granting consultative status to two groups that work on sexual orientationand gender identity is a victory in the ongoing struggle for inclusion atthe UN, a coalition of six human rights organizations said today. The twogroups approved on July 21 and 22, 2008 are COC Netherlands and the StateFederation of Lesbians, Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals of Spain (FELGTB),national organizations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender(LGBT) people in the Netherlands and Spain. "COC Netherlands is delightedabout obtaining consultative status with the UN," said Björn van Roozendaal,COC international advocacy officer. "It means we can join the efforts at theUN to address human rights violations against people with an alternativesexual orientation or gender identity." "Spanish-speaking LGBT voices willbe heard in UN meetings where human rights questions are debated," saidDavid Montero, FELGTB Spain's officer for international issues and humanrights. "We thank all who have contributed to this exciting outcome, andespecially Spain's UN mission for their support." Consultative status is akey means for civil society to access the UN system. It allowsnon-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver oral and written reports atUN meetings, and to organize events on UN premises. With it, these groupscan share their information and analysis of the abuses and discriminationLGBT people confront around the world.
-Today, in spite of the fact, that moscow authorities banned the picket nearthe embassy of Iran, organized in memory of gay-teenagers, executed in 2005,several activists of LGBT Rights, honored the memory of Mahmud Asgari (1989-19.07.2005) and Aiaz Marhoni (1987-19.07.2005) and other thousands ofpeople, exterminated by authorities during the years of victimizing of gaypeople in Iran. We would like to remind that this picket near the embassyof Iran was not coordinated with authorities because of the homophobia ofour Moscow government. In our country it is dangerous for morality of thesociety to honor the memory of people and to be outraged with brutal murderof gay people in Iran. We also break the 11th Article of the Convention!
http://lgbtrights.ru/eng/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=1
-Finland: Lutheran Pastor Blesses Union of Lesbian Couple
A Lutheran pastor in Espoo has flouted church rules to bless the partnershipof a lesbian couple. The dean of the archdiocese of Espoo, Liisa Tuovinen,bestowed her blessing on the registered partners at a church summer campfacility on July 12. The bishop of Espoo, Mikko Heikka, said the churchwould not take any steps in response to the act unless a formal complaint isfiled. Two years ago a Lutheran pastor Leena Huovinen blessed a gay coupleat a Helsinki restaurant. A complaint was filed, but no action was takenagainst her. Pastor Tuovinen says that other such ceremonies have been heldat private homes. Finland's Lutheran bishops are to reconsider the issue ofblessing same-sex unions next year. Nearly nine out of 10 Finns are membersof the state-supported Evangelical Lutheran Church. Same-sex couples havebeen allowed to register theirrelationships with a magistrate since 2002.
http://www.yle.fi/news/left/id96984.html
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-The Child Online Protection Act suffers from a slew of fatal flaws thatrender the law unconstitutional under the First Amendment, the 3rd U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. "We are quite certain thatnotwithstanding Congress's laudable purpose in enacting COPA, the governmenthas not met its burden of showing that it is narrowly tailored so as tosurvive a strict scrutiny analysis and thereby permit us to hold it to beconstitutional," Senior 3rd Circuit Judge Morton Greenberg wrote in ACLU v.Mukasey.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202423185753&rss=newswire
-Campus Pride Honors Transgender Advocate Donna Rose with National Voice &Action Award
Second Annual Summer Leadership Camp Comes to Close
(Charlotte, NC) - National transgender advocate and educator Donna Rose willbe honored by Campus Pride with its first-ever Voice & Action Award. Ms.Rose will receive the honor as well as be a featured guest speaker at theClosing Dinner & Graduation Ceremony for the Campus Pride Summer LeadershipCamp this evening Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The camp is hosted on the campusof Towson University. "As a trans-identified young adult male, nationalleaders like Donna Rose remind me that we all have something to fight for.Her voice has been a catalyst for action and change for LGBT people for manyyears to come," Courtney D'Allaird, camp participant and Pride Leader fromthe State University of New York - Albany said.
www.campuspride.org
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Allyson Robinson Named Human Rights Campaign Foundation Associate Director of Diversity
Longtime activist, ordained minister Robinson to lead organization's work on transgender issues
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation's largest gay, lesbian,bisexual and transgender civil rights group, today announced that AllysonRobinson has been named Associate Director of Diversity of the organization.Robinson, a longtime activist and ordained minister, will lead HRC and itsvolunteer base in promoting awareness of transgender issues and ensuringthat all program areas demonstrate measurable commitment to transgenderequality and inclusion.
=
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#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 24, 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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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Plan Would Use Antiterror Aid on Pakistani Jets
The Bush administration plans to shift nearly $230 million to upgradingPakistan's F-16s, which critics say are not used in counterterrorism efforts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/world/asia/24pstan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Is Afghanistan a Narco-State?
The Taliban are not the only ones benefiting from opium. Drug-relatedcorruption pervades the Afghan government, says a former Bush administrationofficial.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/magazine/27AFGHAN-t.html?hp
-House Approves Sweeping Effort to Help Housing
Citing the need to restore confidence in the mortgage giants Fannie Mae andFreddie Mac, the president said he would set aside his objections to thelegislation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/business/24housing.html?hp
-A Lesson Not Learned
After the controversy over Palm Beach County's infamous "butterfly ballot,"Congress should require that ballots used in federal elections meet minimumdesign standards.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/opinion/24thu1.html?ref=opinion
-Tough Love for Israel?
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Barack Obama gave ritual affirmations of his support for Israeli policy, butwhat Israel needs from America isn't more love, but tougher love.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/opinion/24kristof.html?ref=opinion
-The Oil Man Cometh
"Totally misleading" is the way T. Boone Pickens describes Republicanattempts to convince the public that if we opened up more areas to oildrilling then gas prices would fall. [...] And what the 80-year-old T.Boone Pickens says, in a $58 million campaign, is that we can't drill ourway to lower gas prices. By implication, anybody who tells you otherwise -including the fellow Texan he helped put in the White House - is a fraud.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/opinion/24egan.html?ref=opinion
-The Voluntary Spirit?
"A relatively new group, Service Nation, is planning to kick off a campaignwith a Summit for "National Service" on September 11," reports Jim Lindgrenof the legal site Volokh Conspiracy. "Time Magazine has signed on topromote the effort. The website trumpets its training of 'Change Agents' incooperation with 'Change, Inc.' Its blog is called ChangeWire. Does thistheme sound familiar? The website makes it clear that it is not just callingfor individuals to get involved, but it is calling for a new NationalService Act that will involve the government in transforming Americansociety."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/the-voluntary-spirit/index.html?ref=opinion
-Bashir Returns to Darfur
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Sudanese President Bashir had the gall to begin a campaign-style swingthrough Darfur after being indicted by the International Criminal Court.
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/bashir-returns-to-darfur/index.html?ref=opinion
-At Trial, Former Serb Leader Seeks to Represent Himself
THE HAGUE - A lawyer for Radovan Karadzic said on Wednesday that his client,newly shorn of the bushy white hair and beard that disguised him for years,would defend himself in any war crimes trial if he was handed over to theUnited Nations tribunal here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/world/europe/24hague.html
-China Sets Zones for Olympics Protests
BEIJING - The Chinese government will permit public protests inside threedesignated city parks during next month's Olympic Games, but demonstratorsmust first obtain permits from the local police and also abide by Chineselaws that usually make it nearly impossible to legally picket overpolitically charged issues.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/sports/olympics/24china.html
-Billionaires Back Antismoking Effort
Bill Gates and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that theywould spend $500 million to stop people around the world from smoking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/health/24tobacco.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-They Fight but Can't Vote
Rep. Roy Blunt, the House Republican whip, introduced a resolution on July 8demanding that the Defense Department better enable U.S. military personneloverseas to vote in the November elections. That act was followed bysilence. Democrats normally leap at any opportunity to find fault with theBush Pentagon. But not a single Democrat joined Blunt as a co-sponsor of theresolution, and an all-Republican proposal cannot pass in theDemocratic-controlled House.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302905.html
-A European Honeymoon
No American politician can go wrong these days by visiting the good oldEuropean allies in their capitals. So it's not surprising that Sen. BarackObama's current tour features stops in London, Paris and, today, Berlin.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303117.html
-Obama's Tour de Force
David S. Broder
If its purpose is to make him look presidential, his current trip is asuccess.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302903_2.html
-Time for the Shield: Federal legislation protecting journalists' sourcesis overdue for a Senate vote.
APROPOSAL to protect reporters from having to reveal confidential sourcespassed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming margin last year. Asimilar measure was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, 15 to 4. Thepresumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees support it. Sodo the attorneys general of 42 states, who urged the Senate last month toact on the measure. Although 49 states and the District recognize areporter's privilege, the absence of a federal statute undermines thoseprotections, "producing inconsistency and uncertainty for reporters and theconfidential sources," a letter from 41 of the attorneys general noted.Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Richard G.Lugar (R-Ind.) have fine-tuned the measure to make it more acceptable tofederal officials who have been adamant in their opposition. It is time forSenate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) to bring this bill to thefloor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303316.html
-U.S. Voters: Kinda Out of It?
Political scientists ponder whether citizens are ill-informed or onlyinterested in certain issues. [...] How much credit do we give our mostprecious resource, the American brain? Is it half-empty or half-full?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303693.html?hpid=topnews
-Talking Into the Sunset
It's the season for peace talks in the Middle East, as the region watchesthe clock and waits for the departure of the Bush administration. Some ofwhat's going on is real and some of it is illusion, but to a student ofdiplomatic intrigue all of it is interesting. So here's a brief guide to theSyrian and Iranian negotiating tracks: First, the Syrians. Though they aretechnically in a state of war with Israel, these two bosom enemies (toborrow a phrase from journalist Barbara Slavin) have been conducting asurprisingly robust round of negotiations through Turkish intermediaries. WeAmericans like to think that people should either talk or fight, but thewily politicians in Damascus and Jerusalem understand that in real life,nations often pursue a combination of the two. They need each other, the waythe Joker needs Batman.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302902.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-McCain Still Waiting for His Turn at Good Luck
It seemed like a great way to counter Obamamania. Sen. John McCain wouldboard a helicopter in New Orleans today, skim quickly over the Gulf ofMexico and land on an oil rig -- a made-for-TV moment to highlight his callfor offshore drilling, an issue that Republicans believe will be a bigwinner in November.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303653.html?hpid=topnews
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The great tomato panic
''Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?'' former LaborSecretary Ray Donovan famously asked after being indicted for mob-relatedlarceny and fraud, and then acquitted of the charges. Vegetables can havethe same problem -- or to be botanically correct in the case of tomatoes,fruit. For three months, the Food and Drug Administration held tomatoes asthe prime suspect in a salmonella outbreak that sickened perhaps 40,000people. Last week, the FDA declared all tomatoes safe to eat.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/615884.html
-Guarantee healthcare for all
A sobering report from the Commonwealth Fund released July 17 says a lotabout the shameful state of our healthcare system and the abysmal failure ofour elected leaders to enact meaningful reform. The United States spendsmore than twice as much per person on healthcare as most otherindustrialized countries -- but it has plunged to last among those nationsin preventing deaths through timely and effective medical care. How manyfamilies does this touch? A shocking 101,000 fewer Americans would dieprematurely if we matched the benchmarks of 18 other industrialized nations,25 times the number who have died in Iraq.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/615870.html
-You think slavery ended in 1865?
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
This is how John Davis became a slave: He was walking one evening from thetrain depot in Goodwater, Ala., when a white man appeared in the road.''Nigger,'' he demanded, ``have you got any money?'' [...] This wasSeptember 1901 -- 36 years after the end of the Civil War. It would beappalling if it happened once. Douglas Blackmon says it happened hundreds ofthousands of times in Alabama alone. Blackmon, Atlanta bureau chief for TheWall Street Journal, is the author of a compelling new book, Slavery ByAnother Name. Yours truly flatters himself that he is well versed inAfrican-American history, but this book introduced me to a chapter of thathistory I did not know.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/614324.html
-Federal minimum wage rises to $6.55 today
About two million Americans get a raise Thursday as the minimum wage rises70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up andsome small businesses will pass on the cost.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/AP/story/615500.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Poll: Economy top issue; energy worries grow most
What's rising faster than gas prices this summer? Americans' worries aboutthem. The economy is the nation's top concern by far, but anxiety aboutenergy has grown more since spring than any other issue while the focus onIraq continues to fade, according to a poll released Wednesday.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TOP_PROBLEMS_AP_POLL?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME
-Clinton Supporters Try One More Tack
As many have been saying all along, Senator Barack Obama is only thepresumed Democratic nominee. And that fact has given heart to some ofSenator Hillary Rodham Clinton's supporters, who are investing tens ofthousands of dollars to pressure the party to put her name to a binding voteat the convention next month.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/clinton-supporters-try-one-more-tack/
-Dems rack up wins
Democrats are marching through their legislative agenda as they near thefall election season, scoring several key victories and forcing PresidentBush to abandon his veto threats.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-rack-up-wins-2008-07-23.html
-McCain, Fla. GOP pass donor's contributions to charity
Sen. John McCain and the Republican Party of Florida have given to charityseveral thousand dollars in political contributions from a Tampa Bay areaman who recently lost an investor lawsuit in Oregon that accused him ofmishandling millions.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/article735985.ece
-"The One" leaves them swooning
JERUSALEM - Barack Obama wrinkles. Just slightly, and just when he has towear a flak jacket over his blue oxford shirt. The media behemoth slouchingafter the senator is scouring his every word, expression, bead of sweat,basketball shot and accessory - are those hiking boots too Bremer? Are thesunglasses too rapper? Will he leave enough time for his glittery groupie,Carla Bruni? - for hints of imperfection that would foretell lacunae inpresidential judgment.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008069356_dowd24.html
-Jonah Goldberg: For John McCain, surge is a losing strategy
"Senator Obama didn't support the surge, wanted to pull out, said that itwould fail. I supported it when it was the toughest thing to do. I believethat my record on national security and keeping this country safe is there.And the American people will examine our records, and I will win." That'sJohn McCain explaining why he'll win.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-goldberg_24edi.ART.State.Edition1.4d88f9d.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Plan Would Use Antiterror Aid on Pakistani Jets
The Bush administration plans to shift nearly $230 million to upgradingPakistan's F-16s, which critics say are not used in counterterrorism efforts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/world/asia/24pstan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Is Afghanistan a Narco-State?
The Taliban are not the only ones benefiting from opium. Drug-relatedcorruption pervades the Afghan government, says a former Bush administrationofficial.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/magazine/27AFGHAN-t.html?hp
-House Approves Sweeping Effort to Help Housing
Citing the need to restore confidence in the mortgage giants Fannie Mae andFreddie Mac, the president said he would set aside his objections to thelegislation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/business/24housing.html?hp
-A Lesson Not Learned
After the controversy over Palm Beach County's infamous "butterfly ballot,"Congress should require that ballots used in federal elections meet minimumdesign standards.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/opinion/24thu1.html?ref=opinion
-Tough Love for Israel?
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Barack Obama gave ritual affirmations of his support for Israeli policy, butwhat Israel needs from America isn't more love, but tougher love.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/opinion/24kristof.html?ref=opinion
-The Oil Man Cometh
"Totally misleading" is the way T. Boone Pickens describes Republicanattempts to convince the public that if we opened up more areas to oildrilling then gas prices would fall. [...] And what the 80-year-old T.Boone Pickens says, in a $58 million campaign, is that we can't drill ourway to lower gas prices. By implication, anybody who tells you otherwise -including the fellow Texan he helped put in the White House - is a fraud.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/opinion/24egan.html?ref=opinion
-The Voluntary Spirit?
"A relatively new group, Service Nation, is planning to kick off a campaignwith a Summit for "National Service" on September 11," reports Jim Lindgrenof the legal site Volokh Conspiracy. "Time Magazine has signed on topromote the effort. The website trumpets its training of 'Change Agents' incooperation with 'Change, Inc.' Its blog is called ChangeWire. Does thistheme sound familiar? The website makes it clear that it is not just callingfor individuals to get involved, but it is calling for a new NationalService Act that will involve the government in transforming Americansociety."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/the-voluntary-spirit/index.html?ref=opinion
-Bashir Returns to Darfur
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Sudanese President Bashir had the gall to begin a campaign-style swingthrough Darfur after being indicted by the International Criminal Court.
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/bashir-returns-to-darfur/index.html?ref=opinion
-At Trial, Former Serb Leader Seeks to Represent Himself
THE HAGUE - A lawyer for Radovan Karadzic said on Wednesday that his client,newly shorn of the bushy white hair and beard that disguised him for years,would defend himself in any war crimes trial if he was handed over to theUnited Nations tribunal here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/world/europe/24hague.html
-China Sets Zones for Olympics Protests
BEIJING - The Chinese government will permit public protests inside threedesignated city parks during next month's Olympic Games, but demonstratorsmust first obtain permits from the local police and also abide by Chineselaws that usually make it nearly impossible to legally picket overpolitically charged issues.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/sports/olympics/24china.html
-Billionaires Back Antismoking Effort
Bill Gates and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that theywould spend $500 million to stop people around the world from smoking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/health/24tobacco.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-They Fight but Can't Vote
Rep. Roy Blunt, the House Republican whip, introduced a resolution on July 8demanding that the Defense Department better enable U.S. military personneloverseas to vote in the November elections. That act was followed bysilence. Democrats normally leap at any opportunity to find fault with theBush Pentagon. But not a single Democrat joined Blunt as a co-sponsor of theresolution, and an all-Republican proposal cannot pass in theDemocratic-controlled House.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302905.html
-A European Honeymoon
No American politician can go wrong these days by visiting the good oldEuropean allies in their capitals. So it's not surprising that Sen. BarackObama's current tour features stops in London, Paris and, today, Berlin.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303117.html
-Obama's Tour de Force
David S. Broder
If its purpose is to make him look presidential, his current trip is asuccess.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302903_2.html
-Time for the Shield: Federal legislation protecting journalists' sourcesis overdue for a Senate vote.
APROPOSAL to protect reporters from having to reveal confidential sourcespassed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming margin last year. Asimilar measure was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, 15 to 4. Thepresumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees support it. Sodo the attorneys general of 42 states, who urged the Senate last month toact on the measure. Although 49 states and the District recognize areporter's privilege, the absence of a federal statute undermines thoseprotections, "producing inconsistency and uncertainty for reporters and theconfidential sources," a letter from 41 of the attorneys general noted.Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Richard G.Lugar (R-Ind.) have fine-tuned the measure to make it more acceptable tofederal officials who have been adamant in their opposition. It is time forSenate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) to bring this bill to thefloor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303316.html
-U.S. Voters: Kinda Out of It?
Political scientists ponder whether citizens are ill-informed or onlyinterested in certain issues. [...] How much credit do we give our mostprecious resource, the American brain? Is it half-empty or half-full?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303693.html?hpid=topnews
-Talking Into the Sunset
It's the season for peace talks in the Middle East, as the region watchesthe clock and waits for the departure of the Bush administration. Some ofwhat's going on is real and some of it is illusion, but to a student ofdiplomatic intrigue all of it is interesting. So here's a brief guide to theSyrian and Iranian negotiating tracks: First, the Syrians. Though they aretechnically in a state of war with Israel, these two bosom enemies (toborrow a phrase from journalist Barbara Slavin) have been conducting asurprisingly robust round of negotiations through Turkish intermediaries. WeAmericans like to think that people should either talk or fight, but thewily politicians in Damascus and Jerusalem understand that in real life,nations often pursue a combination of the two. They need each other, the waythe Joker needs Batman.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072302902.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-McCain Still Waiting for His Turn at Good Luck
It seemed like a great way to counter Obamamania. Sen. John McCain wouldboard a helicopter in New Orleans today, skim quickly over the Gulf ofMexico and land on an oil rig -- a made-for-TV moment to highlight his callfor offshore drilling, an issue that Republicans believe will be a bigwinner in November.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303653.html?hpid=topnews
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The great tomato panic
''Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?'' former LaborSecretary Ray Donovan famously asked after being indicted for mob-relatedlarceny and fraud, and then acquitted of the charges. Vegetables can havethe same problem -- or to be botanically correct in the case of tomatoes,fruit. For three months, the Food and Drug Administration held tomatoes asthe prime suspect in a salmonella outbreak that sickened perhaps 40,000people. Last week, the FDA declared all tomatoes safe to eat.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/615884.html
-Guarantee healthcare for all
A sobering report from the Commonwealth Fund released July 17 says a lotabout the shameful state of our healthcare system and the abysmal failure ofour elected leaders to enact meaningful reform. The United States spendsmore than twice as much per person on healthcare as most otherindustrialized countries -- but it has plunged to last among those nationsin preventing deaths through timely and effective medical care. How manyfamilies does this touch? A shocking 101,000 fewer Americans would dieprematurely if we matched the benchmarks of 18 other industrialized nations,25 times the number who have died in Iraq.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/615870.html
-You think slavery ended in 1865?
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
This is how John Davis became a slave: He was walking one evening from thetrain depot in Goodwater, Ala., when a white man appeared in the road.''Nigger,'' he demanded, ``have you got any money?'' [...] This wasSeptember 1901 -- 36 years after the end of the Civil War. It would beappalling if it happened once. Douglas Blackmon says it happened hundreds ofthousands of times in Alabama alone. Blackmon, Atlanta bureau chief for TheWall Street Journal, is the author of a compelling new book, Slavery ByAnother Name. Yours truly flatters himself that he is well versed inAfrican-American history, but this book introduced me to a chapter of thathistory I did not know.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/614324.html
-Federal minimum wage rises to $6.55 today
About two million Americans get a raise Thursday as the minimum wage rises70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up andsome small businesses will pass on the cost.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/AP/story/615500.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Poll: Economy top issue; energy worries grow most
What's rising faster than gas prices this summer? Americans' worries aboutthem. The economy is the nation's top concern by far, but anxiety aboutenergy has grown more since spring than any other issue while the focus onIraq continues to fade, according to a poll released Wednesday.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TOP_PROBLEMS_AP_POLL?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME
-Clinton Supporters Try One More Tack
As many have been saying all along, Senator Barack Obama is only thepresumed Democratic nominee. And that fact has given heart to some ofSenator Hillary Rodham Clinton's supporters, who are investing tens ofthousands of dollars to pressure the party to put her name to a binding voteat the convention next month.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/clinton-supporters-try-one-more-tack/
-Dems rack up wins
Democrats are marching through their legislative agenda as they near thefall election season, scoring several key victories and forcing PresidentBush to abandon his veto threats.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-rack-up-wins-2008-07-23.html
-McCain, Fla. GOP pass donor's contributions to charity
Sen. John McCain and the Republican Party of Florida have given to charityseveral thousand dollars in political contributions from a Tampa Bay areaman who recently lost an investor lawsuit in Oregon that accused him ofmishandling millions.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/article735985.ece
-"The One" leaves them swooning
JERUSALEM - Barack Obama wrinkles. Just slightly, and just when he has towear a flak jacket over his blue oxford shirt. The media behemoth slouchingafter the senator is scouring his every word, expression, bead of sweat,basketball shot and accessory - are those hiking boots too Bremer? Are thesunglasses too rapper? Will he leave enough time for his glittery groupie,Carla Bruni? - for hints of imperfection that would foretell lacunae inpresidential judgment.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008069356_dowd24.html
-Jonah Goldberg: For John McCain, surge is a losing strategy
"Senator Obama didn't support the surge, wanted to pull out, said that itwould fail. I supported it when it was the toughest thing to do. I believethat my record on national security and keeping this country safe is there.And the American people will examine our records, and I will win." That'sJohn McCain explaining why he'll win.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-goldberg_24edi.ART.State.Edition1.4d88f9d.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 24, 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 GLBT NEWS~~
Equality Florida
http://www.eqfl.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward County Passes Inclusive Anti-Bully Policy
(Ft. Lauderdale) Equality Florida applauds the Broward County School Boardfor passing the strongest anti-bully policy in the state. The policy isFlorida's most comprehensive; it contains a full list of prohibited forms ofharassment, bullying and discrimination, including targeting victims basedon their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. EqualityFlorida spearheaded an eight-year coalition effort to pass a statewidebullying bill. The new law (HB 669) requires school districts to develop andenact anti-bully policies by December 1, 2008, and it requires that thosepolicies to protect all students. With yesterday's passage of the newpolicy, Broward becomes the statewide leader in addressing the epidemic ofbullying and harassment in Florida's schools. "This is the ideal policythat other schools should replicate. By fully listing all forms ofprohibited harassment, Broward County is making crystal clear what thelegislature has repeatedly said, that all students must be equallyprotected," said Nadine Smith Executive Director of Equality Florida. "Notonly does this policy provide the best protection for students and teachers,but it also protects the school district by demonstrating that they arefully complying with the law."
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Will You Help Florida Red and Blue?
Please volunteer and join me @ the GLCC (1717 N. Andrews Ave) this Thursday(7/24) from 6-8pm
Start to "say no to 2" by saying yes to one volunteer shift. We holdweekly phone banks on Thursday evening from 6-8pm, and Saturday afternoonfrom 12-2pm. Florida Red and Blue is committed to educating voters on thehurtful and harmful impact that ballot initiative "Amendment 2" will haveon the rights of millions of Florida residents in non-traditional families .If you are interested in volunteering you can simply respond to this e-mailor call 954-775-2310.
In The Unity For A Whole Community,
Bishop Ma-Hee`
Broward Field Coordinator
Florida Red and Blue/Say No 2
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FUNDRAISING RECEPTION FOR GARY RESNICK, COMMISSIONER OF WILTON MANORS CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Georgie's Alibi - Dana Manchester Room
2266 Wilton Drive (Shoppes of Wilton Manors)
Please RSVP To: rsvp@garyresnick.com
www.GaryResnick.com
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Vote No On 2 Campaign
Are You Ready to Speak Out?
For a $20 contribution, you can purchase a Basic Campaign Tool Kit
containing 1 T-shirt / 5 buttons / 5 bumper stickers / 5 posters / 25 postcards and 25 palm cards
Please join us at the Wilton Manors City Hall next Tuesday, July 29th from
7:00pm-9:00pm
You know how important it is to Vote No on Amendment #2, but do yourfriends, family, coworkers and classmates? Does your local senior centerknow how Amendment #2 could strip away essential benefits from all unmarriedcouples in Florida? Have you asked your local teachers' union to join you inthis fight? Election Day is November 4th. That means there are only 102days left to convince Florida's voters to oppose Amendment #2, the deceptive"marriage protection" amendment. Your Voice Makes A Difference! TheFairness for All Families Coalition has created a Vote No On 2 Speaker'sBureau. Equality Florida, ACLU of Florida, Florida Association of PlannedParenthood Affiliates are among the 240 coalition members that have teamedup to bring a Speaker's Training to your town. Trainings will be heldthroughout the state to make sure that you have the tools necessary toeducate voters in your community about the harm posed by Amendment 2. Reachout to your circle of friends. Present to your organizations. Educate votersduring the August primary.
Tuesday, July 29th - 7:00pm-9:00pm
Wilton Manors City Hall, 524 NE 21st Court, Wilton Manors, FL
http://ga4.org/Equalityflorida/events/broward_speakertraining/details.tcl
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Officer shoots at son of Broward appraiser
Police shot at and used a stun gun on the son of Broward County PropertyAppraiser Lori Parrish during a traffic stop near downtown, police said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbarrest0724sbjul24,0,4795935.story
-Lauderdale airport ranks as 4th cheapest in country
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport ranked high in the nationfor its affordability and drop in airfares in early 2008, the governmentreported Wednesday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzfares0724sbjul24,0,6602068.story
-Invasion of fig whitefly threatens South Florida ficus plants
Popular landscaping plant is invader's favorite meal
Voracious invaders are sweeping across South Florida, pushing their waynorthward and devouring the landscape. It might sound like the script for asummer thriller. But the villains actually are tiny fig whiteflies. And theyare laying waste to ubiquitous ficus trees and hedges from Miami-Dade toPalm Beach County. The bug, Singhiella simplex, was not seen in NorthAmerica until last year, when it surfaced in Miami.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flhlpfly0724pnjul24,0,3838261.story
-U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler reacts to accusation that he doesn't live in
Florida
U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler is defending himself against new accusations that heis playing a residency shell game by using his in-laws' address in DelrayBeach while living in a Maryland suburb. A national TV news programreported, and records show, that the popular six-term Democrat owns a homein upscale Rockville, Md., where he and his wife spend most of the year, payproperty taxes, and where his children attend private school. But Wexlerofficially identifies his residence as the south Palm Beach County home ofLawrence and Roslyn Cohen, his wife's parents. It's where the Wexlersregister two vehicles and maintain voting and driver's license addresses,and where Wexler says he stays overnight during visits to the district oncongressional breaks and other occasions
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpwexler0724pnjul24,0,5711170.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Faraway lawsuit may block Marlins stadium
The future of a Florida Marlins stadium is enmeshed in constitutionalarguments and a complicated lawsuit from the Florida Panhandle. [...] Autodealer Norman Braman is challenging the legality of the $3 billion downtownMiami megaplan. One of Braman's arguments: The city and county cannot usebonds backed by property taxes generated inside Community Redevelopment Areadistricts without putting the projects before voters.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/615843.html
-School Board rebels against FCAT tyranny
The revolution began at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday. The Broward School Boardrefused to kill a charter school. The board said no to the ideologues inTallahassee who confuse FCAT decrees with holy Scripture. The board votedagainst closing the Smart School Institute of Technology and Commerce inLauderdale Lakes. The vote flouted the state rule that clearly says schoolboards have no such discretion. Not after a charter school on probationregisters yet another F result on the mighty FCAT.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/615836.html
-HOSPITALITY: S. Fla. summer tourism sluggish
The summer slowdown for South Florida's hotel industry is worse this year,with the economy keeping vacationers at home. But the region isoutperforming the rest of Florida.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/615680.html
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Fort Lauderdale Campaign for Change Headquarters Opening
Please join us this Thursday, July 24th, at the grand opening of theCampaign for Change Fort Lauderdale headquarters. Come meet Campaign forChange staff and celebrate with departing Obama Organizing Fellows. Get toknow fellow supporters in the area and learn how you can make a differencein Florida. Here are the details:
733 W. Sistrunk Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Thursday, July 24th - 5:00 p.m.
http://fl.barackobama.com/FortLauderdale
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-In Miami, Mrs. Obama drums up support, cash
In her biggest event in Florida so far, Michelle Obama addressed hundreds of supporters at Jungle Island in Miami. The candidate's wife wore white. Nota hint of camouflage. Campaigning in a linen sheath one week after The NewYorker magazine caricatured her as a black militant, Michelle Obamaaddressed hundreds of donors in Miami Wednesday in her largest event inFlorida so far. About 800 people contributed between $100 and $5,000 to herhusband's presidential campaign.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/615842.html
-Florida would suffer under Amendment 5
It takes some guts to oppose a 25''percent tax cut. It helps if thatopposition is compelling. On Wednesday, Florida TaxWatch released itsanalysis of Amendment 5 on the November ballot. The amendment is tempting;it would eliminate the state-ordered property tax for schools, known as theRequired Local Effort. But the amendment is more potentially destructive."Amendment 5's proposed solution," TaxWatch notes, "is worse than theproblem."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/24/a16a_leadedit_amend5_0724.html
-Amendment 5 taxpayer costs could outweigh savings
The constitutional amendment that would eliminate property taxes that payfor public schools could end up costing taxpayers more than they would save,according to a report released Wednesday by Florida TaxWatch. The analysispoints to a provision in Amendment 5 on the November ballot that requiresstate lawmakers to replace the $8.2 billion from school property taxes with$11.1 billion in education spending.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/24/a16a_versteegcol_0724.html
-Putting idle acres to work
South Florida cellular-tech entrepreneur Howard Melamed figures it couldtake the state 30 years to turn the U.S. Sugar land it's buying into arestored Everglades. So he's making an offer he believes could help easethe nation's energy crisis.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2008/07/23/a7b_ethanol_0724.html
-Fewer companies bid on leasing Alligator Alley
It appears state transportation officials have had a bit of their work donefor them. Teams interested in bidding on a possible lease of AlligatorAlley re-submitted statements of qualifications by a Wednesday deadline, andthe list is slimmer than the one announced in June.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jul/23/alligator-alley-proposing-firms-resubmit-bids/
-Nearly 300 poor North Florida children denied health coverage
Medicaid says almost 300 can't be treated at Tallahassee PediatricFoundation
Nearly 300 poor children in North Florida were rejected for subsidizedhealth coverage at the Tallahassee Pediatric Foundation at a time when thestate is struggling with a transition to a new $300 million computer systemthat manages 2.3 million Medicaid patients.
http://floridacapitalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080724/CAPITOLNEWS/807240337
-Florida ag chief to press for FDA changes
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson travels to Washington nextweek to seek changes in the way the U.S. government handles food-borneillness outbreaks in the wake of the salmonella scare that cost Floridatomato growers millions of dollars. "Public health and safety is of course,the top priority, but we also have to look out for growers who are losingtens of millions of dollars unnecessarily," said Liz Compton, spokeswomanfor Bronson's office. "We're going to have food-borne illnesses in thefuture, but that doesn't mean an entire industry should have to suffer."
http://www.bradenton.com/breakingnews/story/758769.html
-Part of Fla. Pledge of Allegiance law stricken
A federal appeals court on Wednesday invalidated part of a Florida lawrequiring public school students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, but thepanel declined to rule on whether the rest of the statute is constitutional.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GA_PLEDGE_LAWSUIT_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-07-23-19-03-27
-Bring back Theresa LePore
You'd think that certain politicians would know better than to show theirfaces too often. Apparently, Palm Beach County Supervisor of ElectionsArthur Anderson isn't one of them. As Post political columnist GeorgeBennett reported on Monday, Dr. Anderson's office is spending $63,000 on30-second radio and TV ads that will run before the Aug. 26 primary. Dr.Anderson himself is featured prominently in the ads, urging viewers andlisteners to register and vote. Note that it's his public office, and nothis private campaign, that's writing the checks.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/24/a16a_leadedit_amend5_0724.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Equality Florida
http://www.eqfl.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward County Passes Inclusive Anti-Bully Policy
(Ft. Lauderdale) Equality Florida applauds the Broward County School Boardfor passing the strongest anti-bully policy in the state. The policy isFlorida's most comprehensive; it contains a full list of prohibited forms ofharassment, bullying and discrimination, including targeting victims basedon their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. EqualityFlorida spearheaded an eight-year coalition effort to pass a statewidebullying bill. The new law (HB 669) requires school districts to develop andenact anti-bully policies by December 1, 2008, and it requires that thosepolicies to protect all students. With yesterday's passage of the newpolicy, Broward becomes the statewide leader in addressing the epidemic ofbullying and harassment in Florida's schools. "This is the ideal policythat other schools should replicate. By fully listing all forms ofprohibited harassment, Broward County is making crystal clear what thelegislature has repeatedly said, that all students must be equallyprotected," said Nadine Smith Executive Director of Equality Florida. "Notonly does this policy provide the best protection for students and teachers,but it also protects the school district by demonstrating that they arefully complying with the law."
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Will You Help Florida Red and Blue?
Please volunteer and join me @ the GLCC (1717 N. Andrews Ave) this Thursday(7/24) from 6-8pm
Start to "say no to 2" by saying yes to one volunteer shift. We holdweekly phone banks on Thursday evening from 6-8pm, and Saturday afternoonfrom 12-2pm. Florida Red and Blue is committed to educating voters on thehurtful and harmful impact that ballot initiative "Amendment 2" will haveon the rights of millions of Florida residents in non-traditional families .If you are interested in volunteering you can simply respond to this e-mailor call 954-775-2310.
In The Unity For A Whole Community,
Bishop Ma-Hee`
Broward Field Coordinator
Florida Red and Blue/Say No 2
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FUNDRAISING RECEPTION FOR GARY RESNICK, COMMISSIONER OF WILTON MANORS CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Georgie's Alibi - Dana Manchester Room
2266 Wilton Drive (Shoppes of Wilton Manors)
Please RSVP To: rsvp@garyresnick.com
www.GaryResnick.com
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Vote No On 2 Campaign
Are You Ready to Speak Out?
For a $20 contribution, you can purchase a Basic Campaign Tool Kit
containing 1 T-shirt / 5 buttons / 5 bumper stickers / 5 posters / 25 postcards and 25 palm cards
Please join us at the Wilton Manors City Hall next Tuesday, July 29th from
7:00pm-9:00pm
You know how important it is to Vote No on Amendment #2, but do yourfriends, family, coworkers and classmates? Does your local senior centerknow how Amendment #2 could strip away essential benefits from all unmarriedcouples in Florida? Have you asked your local teachers' union to join you inthis fight? Election Day is November 4th. That means there are only 102days left to convince Florida's voters to oppose Amendment #2, the deceptive"marriage protection" amendment. Your Voice Makes A Difference! TheFairness for All Families Coalition has created a Vote No On 2 Speaker'sBureau. Equality Florida, ACLU of Florida, Florida Association of PlannedParenthood Affiliates are among the 240 coalition members that have teamedup to bring a Speaker's Training to your town. Trainings will be heldthroughout the state to make sure that you have the tools necessary toeducate voters in your community about the harm posed by Amendment 2. Reachout to your circle of friends. Present to your organizations. Educate votersduring the August primary.
Tuesday, July 29th - 7:00pm-9:00pm
Wilton Manors City Hall, 524 NE 21st Court, Wilton Manors, FL
http://ga4.org/Equalityflorida/events/broward_speakertraining/details.tcl
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Officer shoots at son of Broward appraiser
Police shot at and used a stun gun on the son of Broward County PropertyAppraiser Lori Parrish during a traffic stop near downtown, police said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbarrest0724sbjul24,0,4795935.story
-Lauderdale airport ranks as 4th cheapest in country
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport ranked high in the nationfor its affordability and drop in airfares in early 2008, the governmentreported Wednesday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzfares0724sbjul24,0,6602068.story
-Invasion of fig whitefly threatens South Florida ficus plants
Popular landscaping plant is invader's favorite meal
Voracious invaders are sweeping across South Florida, pushing their waynorthward and devouring the landscape. It might sound like the script for asummer thriller. But the villains actually are tiny fig whiteflies. And theyare laying waste to ubiquitous ficus trees and hedges from Miami-Dade toPalm Beach County. The bug, Singhiella simplex, was not seen in NorthAmerica until last year, when it surfaced in Miami.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flhlpfly0724pnjul24,0,3838261.story
-U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler reacts to accusation that he doesn't live in
Florida
U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler is defending himself against new accusations that heis playing a residency shell game by using his in-laws' address in DelrayBeach while living in a Maryland suburb. A national TV news programreported, and records show, that the popular six-term Democrat owns a homein upscale Rockville, Md., where he and his wife spend most of the year, payproperty taxes, and where his children attend private school. But Wexlerofficially identifies his residence as the south Palm Beach County home ofLawrence and Roslyn Cohen, his wife's parents. It's where the Wexlersregister two vehicles and maintain voting and driver's license addresses,and where Wexler says he stays overnight during visits to the district oncongressional breaks and other occasions
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpwexler0724pnjul24,0,5711170.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Faraway lawsuit may block Marlins stadium
The future of a Florida Marlins stadium is enmeshed in constitutionalarguments and a complicated lawsuit from the Florida Panhandle. [...] Autodealer Norman Braman is challenging the legality of the $3 billion downtownMiami megaplan. One of Braman's arguments: The city and county cannot usebonds backed by property taxes generated inside Community Redevelopment Areadistricts without putting the projects before voters.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/615843.html
-School Board rebels against FCAT tyranny
The revolution began at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday. The Broward School Boardrefused to kill a charter school. The board said no to the ideologues inTallahassee who confuse FCAT decrees with holy Scripture. The board votedagainst closing the Smart School Institute of Technology and Commerce inLauderdale Lakes. The vote flouted the state rule that clearly says schoolboards have no such discretion. Not after a charter school on probationregisters yet another F result on the mighty FCAT.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/615836.html
-HOSPITALITY: S. Fla. summer tourism sluggish
The summer slowdown for South Florida's hotel industry is worse this year,with the economy keeping vacationers at home. But the region isoutperforming the rest of Florida.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/615680.html
=
Fort Lauderdale Campaign for Change Headquarters Opening
Please join us this Thursday, July 24th, at the grand opening of theCampaign for Change Fort Lauderdale headquarters. Come meet Campaign forChange staff and celebrate with departing Obama Organizing Fellows. Get toknow fellow supporters in the area and learn how you can make a differencein Florida. Here are the details:
733 W. Sistrunk Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Thursday, July 24th - 5:00 p.m.
http://fl.barackobama.com/FortLauderdale
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-In Miami, Mrs. Obama drums up support, cash
In her biggest event in Florida so far, Michelle Obama addressed hundreds of supporters at Jungle Island in Miami. The candidate's wife wore white. Nota hint of camouflage. Campaigning in a linen sheath one week after The NewYorker magazine caricatured her as a black militant, Michelle Obamaaddressed hundreds of donors in Miami Wednesday in her largest event inFlorida so far. About 800 people contributed between $100 and $5,000 to herhusband's presidential campaign.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/615842.html
-Florida would suffer under Amendment 5
It takes some guts to oppose a 25''percent tax cut. It helps if thatopposition is compelling. On Wednesday, Florida TaxWatch released itsanalysis of Amendment 5 on the November ballot. The amendment is tempting;it would eliminate the state-ordered property tax for schools, known as theRequired Local Effort. But the amendment is more potentially destructive."Amendment 5's proposed solution," TaxWatch notes, "is worse than theproblem."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/24/a16a_leadedit_amend5_0724.html
-Amendment 5 taxpayer costs could outweigh savings
The constitutional amendment that would eliminate property taxes that payfor public schools could end up costing taxpayers more than they would save,according to a report released Wednesday by Florida TaxWatch. The analysispoints to a provision in Amendment 5 on the November ballot that requiresstate lawmakers to replace the $8.2 billion from school property taxes with$11.1 billion in education spending.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/24/a16a_versteegcol_0724.html
-Putting idle acres to work
South Florida cellular-tech entrepreneur Howard Melamed figures it couldtake the state 30 years to turn the U.S. Sugar land it's buying into arestored Everglades. So he's making an offer he believes could help easethe nation's energy crisis.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2008/07/23/a7b_ethanol_0724.html
-Fewer companies bid on leasing Alligator Alley
It appears state transportation officials have had a bit of their work donefor them. Teams interested in bidding on a possible lease of AlligatorAlley re-submitted statements of qualifications by a Wednesday deadline, andthe list is slimmer than the one announced in June.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jul/23/alligator-alley-proposing-firms-resubmit-bids/
-Nearly 300 poor North Florida children denied health coverage
Medicaid says almost 300 can't be treated at Tallahassee PediatricFoundation
Nearly 300 poor children in North Florida were rejected for subsidizedhealth coverage at the Tallahassee Pediatric Foundation at a time when thestate is struggling with a transition to a new $300 million computer systemthat manages 2.3 million Medicaid patients.
http://floridacapitalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080724/CAPITOLNEWS/807240337
-Florida ag chief to press for FDA changes
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson travels to Washington nextweek to seek changes in the way the U.S. government handles food-borneillness outbreaks in the wake of the salmonella scare that cost Floridatomato growers millions of dollars. "Public health and safety is of course,the top priority, but we also have to look out for growers who are losingtens of millions of dollars unnecessarily," said Liz Compton, spokeswomanfor Bronson's office. "We're going to have food-borne illnesses in thefuture, but that doesn't mean an entire industry should have to suffer."
http://www.bradenton.com/breakingnews/story/758769.html
-Part of Fla. Pledge of Allegiance law stricken
A federal appeals court on Wednesday invalidated part of a Florida lawrequiring public school students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, but thepanel declined to rule on whether the rest of the statute is constitutional.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GA_PLEDGE_LAWSUIT_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-07-23-19-03-27
-Bring back Theresa LePore
You'd think that certain politicians would know better than to show theirfaces too often. Apparently, Palm Beach County Supervisor of ElectionsArthur Anderson isn't one of them. As Post political columnist GeorgeBennett reported on Monday, Dr. Anderson's office is spending $63,000 on30-second radio and TV ads that will run before the Aug. 26 primary. Dr.Anderson himself is featured prominently in the ads, urging viewers andlisteners to register and vote. Note that it's his public office, and nothis private campaign, that's writing the checks.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/24/a16a_leadedit_amend5_0724.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
GLBT DIGEST - July 23, 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Greece: Suit to Prohibit Use of 'Lesbian' Dismissed
A Greek court has dismissed a request by residents of the island of Lesbosto prohibit the use of the word lesbian to describe gay women, a rulingreleased Tuesday said. Three residents of Lesbos, the birthplace of theancient Greek poet Sappho, whose love poems inspired the term lesbian, filedsuit last month, contending that their identity was insulted by the use ofthe word in reference to gay women. The court said that the word did notdefine the identity of Lesbos residents, and so could be used legitimatelyby gay groups in Greece and abroad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/world/europe/23briefs-SUITTOPROHIB_BRF.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-AIDS Among Hispanics in U.S. on Rise
Mauro Ruiz left Mexico to escape the stigma of being gay. In the UnitedStates, he found friendly men and crystal meth - and he contracted HIV.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202837.html?hpid=artslot
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Top Gay-Friendly Hotel Chains
http://www.365gay.com/features/top-gay-friendly-hotel-chains/
-Study: Treating Herpes Does Not Prevent HIV
(London) Doctors have long suspected that people with herpes are more likelyto catch HIV. So they thought that by treating herpes, they could also cut aperson's HIV risk. But a new study that tested this strategy found theassumption may have been wrong.
http://www.365gay.com/news/study-treating-herpes-does-not-prevent-hiv/
-Az Gay State Sen. Accuses GOP Of Ethics Breach
One of two openly gay senators in the Arizona legislature is calling for anethics investigation into what he calls dirty tricks that resulted inapproval of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban sex marriage. Sen.Ken Cheuvront (D) has asked the Senate Ethics Committee to issue a formalreprimand against Sen. Jack Harper (R). The complaint accused Harper of"conspiring" with other Republican leaders to cut off microphones last monthduring a Democratic filibuster aimed at killing the anti-gay measure.
http://www.365gay.com/news/az-gay-state-sen-accuses-gop-of-ethics-breach/
-SF To Move Halloween Out Of Gay Neighborhood
After San Francisco city officials cancelled Halloween festivities last yearin the Castro following two years of violence they are now ready to being itback - but miles away from the heavily gay neighborhood.
http://www.365gay.com/news/sf-to-move-halloween-out-of-gay-neighborhood/
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Showtime readies "L Word" spinoff
Showtime is working on a spinoff to its lesbian drama "The L Word," whichwill kick off its sixth and final season early next year. Ilene Chaiken,the creator of the edgy series, is in the early stages of developing thespinoff, which will star one of the "L Word" actresses, said RobertGreenblatt, Showtime's president of entertainment.
http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN2135016320080721
-Gay U.S. bishop should resign-Sudan church leader
CANTERBURY, England, July 22 (Reuters) - Sudan's Anglican church leadercalled for the resignation of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson on Tuesday tosave Anglicanism from schism. "He should resign for the sake of thechurch," Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul told reporters at a once-in-a-decadesummit of Anglican leaders. "God is not making a mistake creating Adam andEve. He would have created two Adams if he wanted," he said. A quarter ofthe world's Anglican bishops have boycotted the Lambeth Conference in anangry war of words between conservatives and liberals over the ordination ofRobinson, the first openly gay bishop in the 450-year-old church's history.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL221010853.html
-Bye, Sophia
If you're hooked up to the Internet at all, you probably know that EstelleGetty, best known as Sophia from "The Golden Girls" has gone on to the bigTV studio in the sky. According to the Washington Post, she died at about5:30 a.m. this morning at her Hollywood Boulevard home. She apparently hadbeen suffering from advanced dementia. I'm not exactly sure how "The GoldenGirls" became such a big hit with gay viewers young and old, but the show'swoman power themes struck home with various generations of homos (includingthis homo, who saw the show as a child and loved it). Getty was a regularhigh point on the program as Bea Arthur's persnickety mother, who nevertired of lobbing zingers on the rest of the characters. I have very strongmemories of my parents and I laughing at the one-liners she would drop whilesperched at the kitchen table or heading back into her bedroom.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=7/17/08&end=7/24/08#19885
-I will never buy a Snickers bar again
Snicker's Super Bowl ad with the two mechanics sharing a kiss and thenbeating the hell out of each other was enough to diminish my enjoyment ofthe popular candy bar. This latest ad though, has thoroughly convinced me tonever buy another Snickers again. See the ad:
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/07/i_will_never_buy_a_snickers_bar_again.php
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Congress Set for Hearing on DADT
Democrats are convening the first congressional hearing on the military's''don't ask, don't tell'' policy since its enactment 15 years ago. But theyacknowledge there's no chance of repealing it this year. Indeed, their onlyhope of success in the near term, they say, is if Barack Obama is electedpresident. ''We need a new president in order to get this passed'' --specifically, a President Obama, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a California Democrat,told reporters Tuesday on a conference call convened by the Human RightsCampaign and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58127.asp
-Allen Loses Appeal of Solicitation Conviction
A court in Florida rejected former state representative Bob Allen's appealof his conviction of sexual solicitation in November 2007. Allen wassentenced to six months' probation, a $250 fine, and additional fees. TheRepublican politician resigned on November 11, 2007, the day after he wasconvicted for soliciting oral sex in a public bathroom from an undercoverpolice officer. The panel of three judges affirmed his conviction 2-1,according to Florida Today.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58157.asp
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-We invite you to apply for the Sexuality, Gender and Rights Training inCentral Asia. The training will be held from October 6th - 9th, 2008 inAlmaty, Kazakhstan.The Sexuality, Gender and Rights Training is a four dayresidential program for women activists in Central Asia, with the aim tobuild an understanding on sexuality, gender and rights, the interlinkagesbetween them and their interface with socio-cultural issues. The trainingwill be conducted in English with Russian translation.
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-'Serial murderer' gets life for gay killing
A 35-year-old man was convicted on Tuesday of murder, attempted murder,aggravated robbery and theft. He was given a life sentence. All of theman's victims were gay men. "All the victims were, or are, homosexual. Hehas taken advantage of theirsexual preferences and violated them," saidpublic prosecutor FredrikIngblad at the man's indictment hearing. The manwas convicted of killing a 43-year-old man in the victim's apartmentin theStockholm suburb of Solna on December 28th of last year, and on thepreviousday of having robbed and attempted to kill a 44-year-old man onSödermalm inStockholm.
http://www.thelocal.se/13206/
-Stockholm readying to become Europe's gay capital
A decade after Stockholm first hosted Europride, the Swedish capital isagain gearing up for the 10-day event that attracts thousands ofhomosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders from near and afar. The eventincludes special film screenings, museum exhibitions, seminars and partiesand is capped with a parade on August 2 through the city that organizersanticipate will attract record numbers of participants and spectators. 'Thisyear is 40 per cent larger than last year,' parade coordinator Paul Turnertold Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa of the number of groups that have appliedto take part in the colourful parade that in 2007 attracted some 500,000spectators.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1418814.php/PREVIEW_Stockholm_readying_to_become_Europes_gay_capital
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay and Lesbian Consumers More Likely to Follow Latest Styles and Trends
According to a new national survey conducted online by HarrisInteractive(r), nearly half (48%) of gay and lesbian adults report they liketo keep up with the latest styles and trends, compared to only 38 percent ofheterosexual adults. This also seems to accelerate behaviors tracked by asimilar survey in January 2007 when 38 percent of gay and lesbian adultsreported they like to keep up with the latest styles and trends (compared to32% of heterosexual adults). Taking a look only at gay men in the sample,more than half (53%) report they like to keep up with the latest styles andtrends, compared to fewer than one-third (30%) of heterosexual men. InJanuary 2007, when the same question was posed, 39 percent of gay menreported that they keep up with the latest styles and trends, compared to 32percent of heterosexual males.
-Trans Woman Sues Ga. Lawmakers For Wrongful Termination
A transgender woman is suing in federal court the leaders of the Georgialegislature to return to her job in the state General Assembly after she wasfired for stating her intention to live as a woman. The lawsuit, filed June2 by gay legal group Lambda Legal on behalf of Vandiver Elizabeth Glenn,names Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram), President Pro-Temporeof the Senate Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle as well asGlenn's supervisor, Robyn Underwood, and General Assembly LegislativeCouncil Sewell Brumby.
-Georgia: Former Cop: I Was Fired Because I'm Female, Gay
A former Sandy Springs police lieutenant, fired for what city officials havecalled a "disregard" for following policies, said Tuesday she plans tocontest her dismissal and file a discrimination lawsuit. Trudi Vaughan,speaking publicly before entering a procedural hearing at policeheadquarters, said she was fired unfairly, for making decisions that hadbeen authorized by her superiors, or for doing things that male supervisorshad done without being disciplined.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-HIV symptoms not being diagnosed properly claims charity
People showing the symptoms of early-stage HIV infection are routinely beingmisdiagnosed by doctors, according to a report by the National AIDS Trust.
-HIV vacccine trial cancelled because of safety concerns
A research trial for the PAVE-100 AIDS vaccine planned in the U.S. has beencancelled over concerns that additional research is needed to prove thevaccine is safe.
-Swimmer Ian Thorpe reveals he is dating a woman
For years, probably since his appearance at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games,many have been speculating, and most gay men have been hoping, that theThorpedo-gold medal winner Ian Thorpe-was indeed a homo.
-Antilles to appeal against court ruling on same-sex couples
The Netherlands Antilles has said it will appeal against a court ruling thatestablished same-sex couples have the same rights there as they do inHolland.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Call for Action: An Iranian gay couple in India need your support
We are contacting you to request your assistance on a very urgent caseinvolving 2 gay Iranians, Ali and Mohammad. It is no secret that queerIranians who flee to other countries continue to face risks due tohomophobia and laws calling for punishment of homosexuals. This oftenresults in depression and post traumatic stress symptoms. Ali and Mohammad,a gay Iranian couple, fled to India. Although they have each beenofficially recognized as refugees by United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR), the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi has still not acted tofacilitate their resettlement in Canada. It has been one whole year sincethe Canadian Embassy began processing their cases! In India, Ali andMohammad are illegal queer refugees. They have no authorization to work.Furthermore, they are at risk because India's penal code includes punishmentfor homosexual activity. The common complications that queer refugeesexperience are escalated for them because Mohammad's mental health isdeteriorating. He has been counseled by a UNHCR psychiatrist for 7 monthsand continues to suffer. Immediate attention by the Canadian Embassy iscritical!
http://www.irqo.net/IRQO/English/pages/147.htm
-Bisexual Species: Unorthodox Sex in the Animal Kingdom
Homosexual behavior is common in nature, and it plays an important role insurvival
Two penguins native to Antarctica met one spring day in 1998 in a tank atthe Central Park Zoo in midtown Manhattan. They perched atop stones and tookturns diving in and out of the clear water below. They entwined necks,called to each other and mated. They then built a nest together to preparefor an egg. But no egg was forthcoming: Roy and Silo were both male.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bisexual-species
=
Forwarded by Bill Sterling
whsterling1@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-LAPD Chief Bratton backs gay marriage with checkbook
The city's top law enforcement official, saying the Constitution upholdssuch unions, donates to a group fighting a ballot initiative that would banthem.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cause23-2008jul23,0,5128050.story
=
TruthWinsOut.Org
by Wayne Besen
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Minnesota Scientist Accuses Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) ofMisrepresenting His Research
(TWO) published exclusive comments today by Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H., aprofessor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, who claimed the"ex-gay" organization PFOX distorted his research findings. On its website,PFOX expressed its displeasure with The Washington Post for publishing whatit called "a sympathetic article about a 15-year-old boy named Saro whodescribed his homosexual feelings and how Gay Straight Alliance studentclubs help such gay teens to deal with discrimination and bullying in highschool and middle school."
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/minnesota-scientist-accuses-pfox-of-misrepresenting-his-research/
=
Family Equality
Join Family Equality Council for the 13th Annual Family Week inProvincetown, MA, July 26-August 2, 2008!
Every year this wonderful occasion-Family Week-brings together hundreds ofLGBT-headed families and friends for learning, community building and mostimportantly lots of fun!
http://www.familyequality.org/events/familyweek2008.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Greece: Suit to Prohibit Use of 'Lesbian' Dismissed
A Greek court has dismissed a request by residents of the island of Lesbosto prohibit the use of the word lesbian to describe gay women, a rulingreleased Tuesday said. Three residents of Lesbos, the birthplace of theancient Greek poet Sappho, whose love poems inspired the term lesbian, filedsuit last month, contending that their identity was insulted by the use ofthe word in reference to gay women. The court said that the word did notdefine the identity of Lesbos residents, and so could be used legitimatelyby gay groups in Greece and abroad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/world/europe/23briefs-SUITTOPROHIB_BRF.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-AIDS Among Hispanics in U.S. on Rise
Mauro Ruiz left Mexico to escape the stigma of being gay. In the UnitedStates, he found friendly men and crystal meth - and he contracted HIV.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202837.html?hpid=artslot
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Top Gay-Friendly Hotel Chains
http://www.365gay.com/features/top-gay-friendly-hotel-chains/
-Study: Treating Herpes Does Not Prevent HIV
(London) Doctors have long suspected that people with herpes are more likelyto catch HIV. So they thought that by treating herpes, they could also cut aperson's HIV risk. But a new study that tested this strategy found theassumption may have been wrong.
http://www.365gay.com/news/study-treating-herpes-does-not-prevent-hiv/
-Az Gay State Sen. Accuses GOP Of Ethics Breach
One of two openly gay senators in the Arizona legislature is calling for anethics investigation into what he calls dirty tricks that resulted inapproval of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban sex marriage. Sen.Ken Cheuvront (D) has asked the Senate Ethics Committee to issue a formalreprimand against Sen. Jack Harper (R). The complaint accused Harper of"conspiring" with other Republican leaders to cut off microphones last monthduring a Democratic filibuster aimed at killing the anti-gay measure.
http://www.365gay.com/news/az-gay-state-sen-accuses-gop-of-ethics-breach/
-SF To Move Halloween Out Of Gay Neighborhood
After San Francisco city officials cancelled Halloween festivities last yearin the Castro following two years of violence they are now ready to being itback - but miles away from the heavily gay neighborhood.
http://www.365gay.com/news/sf-to-move-halloween-out-of-gay-neighborhood/
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Showtime readies "L Word" spinoff
Showtime is working on a spinoff to its lesbian drama "The L Word," whichwill kick off its sixth and final season early next year. Ilene Chaiken,the creator of the edgy series, is in the early stages of developing thespinoff, which will star one of the "L Word" actresses, said RobertGreenblatt, Showtime's president of entertainment.
http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN2135016320080721
-Gay U.S. bishop should resign-Sudan church leader
CANTERBURY, England, July 22 (Reuters) - Sudan's Anglican church leadercalled for the resignation of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson on Tuesday tosave Anglicanism from schism. "He should resign for the sake of thechurch," Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul told reporters at a once-in-a-decadesummit of Anglican leaders. "God is not making a mistake creating Adam andEve. He would have created two Adams if he wanted," he said. A quarter ofthe world's Anglican bishops have boycotted the Lambeth Conference in anangry war of words between conservatives and liberals over the ordination ofRobinson, the first openly gay bishop in the 450-year-old church's history.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL221010853.html
-Bye, Sophia
If you're hooked up to the Internet at all, you probably know that EstelleGetty, best known as Sophia from "The Golden Girls" has gone on to the bigTV studio in the sky. According to the Washington Post, she died at about5:30 a.m. this morning at her Hollywood Boulevard home. She apparently hadbeen suffering from advanced dementia. I'm not exactly sure how "The GoldenGirls" became such a big hit with gay viewers young and old, but the show'swoman power themes struck home with various generations of homos (includingthis homo, who saw the show as a child and loved it). Getty was a regularhigh point on the program as Bea Arthur's persnickety mother, who nevertired of lobbing zingers on the rest of the characters. I have very strongmemories of my parents and I laughing at the one-liners she would drop whilesperched at the kitchen table or heading back into her bedroom.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=7/17/08&end=7/24/08#19885
-I will never buy a Snickers bar again
Snicker's Super Bowl ad with the two mechanics sharing a kiss and thenbeating the hell out of each other was enough to diminish my enjoyment ofthe popular candy bar. This latest ad though, has thoroughly convinced me tonever buy another Snickers again. See the ad:
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/07/i_will_never_buy_a_snickers_bar_again.php
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Congress Set for Hearing on DADT
Democrats are convening the first congressional hearing on the military's''don't ask, don't tell'' policy since its enactment 15 years ago. But theyacknowledge there's no chance of repealing it this year. Indeed, their onlyhope of success in the near term, they say, is if Barack Obama is electedpresident. ''We need a new president in order to get this passed'' --specifically, a President Obama, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a California Democrat,told reporters Tuesday on a conference call convened by the Human RightsCampaign and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58127.asp
-Allen Loses Appeal of Solicitation Conviction
A court in Florida rejected former state representative Bob Allen's appealof his conviction of sexual solicitation in November 2007. Allen wassentenced to six months' probation, a $250 fine, and additional fees. TheRepublican politician resigned on November 11, 2007, the day after he wasconvicted for soliciting oral sex in a public bathroom from an undercoverpolice officer. The panel of three judges affirmed his conviction 2-1,according to Florida Today.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58157.asp
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-We invite you to apply for the Sexuality, Gender and Rights Training inCentral Asia. The training will be held from October 6th - 9th, 2008 inAlmaty, Kazakhstan.The Sexuality, Gender and Rights Training is a four dayresidential program for women activists in Central Asia, with the aim tobuild an understanding on sexuality, gender and rights, the interlinkagesbetween them and their interface with socio-cultural issues. The trainingwill be conducted in English with Russian translation.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-'Serial murderer' gets life for gay killing
A 35-year-old man was convicted on Tuesday of murder, attempted murder,aggravated robbery and theft. He was given a life sentence. All of theman's victims were gay men. "All the victims were, or are, homosexual. Hehas taken advantage of theirsexual preferences and violated them," saidpublic prosecutor FredrikIngblad at the man's indictment hearing. The manwas convicted of killing a 43-year-old man in the victim's apartmentin theStockholm suburb of Solna on December 28th of last year, and on thepreviousday of having robbed and attempted to kill a 44-year-old man onSödermalm inStockholm.
http://www.thelocal.se/13206/
-Stockholm readying to become Europe's gay capital
A decade after Stockholm first hosted Europride, the Swedish capital isagain gearing up for the 10-day event that attracts thousands ofhomosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders from near and afar. The eventincludes special film screenings, museum exhibitions, seminars and partiesand is capped with a parade on August 2 through the city that organizersanticipate will attract record numbers of participants and spectators. 'Thisyear is 40 per cent larger than last year,' parade coordinator Paul Turnertold Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa of the number of groups that have appliedto take part in the colourful parade that in 2007 attracted some 500,000spectators.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1418814.php/PREVIEW_Stockholm_readying_to_become_Europes_gay_capital
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay and Lesbian Consumers More Likely to Follow Latest Styles and Trends
According to a new national survey conducted online by HarrisInteractive(r), nearly half (48%) of gay and lesbian adults report they liketo keep up with the latest styles and trends, compared to only 38 percent ofheterosexual adults. This also seems to accelerate behaviors tracked by asimilar survey in January 2007 when 38 percent of gay and lesbian adultsreported they like to keep up with the latest styles and trends (compared to32% of heterosexual adults). Taking a look only at gay men in the sample,more than half (53%) report they like to keep up with the latest styles andtrends, compared to fewer than one-third (30%) of heterosexual men. InJanuary 2007, when the same question was posed, 39 percent of gay menreported that they keep up with the latest styles and trends, compared to 32percent of heterosexual males.
-Trans Woman Sues Ga. Lawmakers For Wrongful Termination
A transgender woman is suing in federal court the leaders of the Georgialegislature to return to her job in the state General Assembly after she wasfired for stating her intention to live as a woman. The lawsuit, filed June2 by gay legal group Lambda Legal on behalf of Vandiver Elizabeth Glenn,names Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram), President Pro-Temporeof the Senate Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle as well asGlenn's supervisor, Robyn Underwood, and General Assembly LegislativeCouncil Sewell Brumby.
-Georgia: Former Cop: I Was Fired Because I'm Female, Gay
A former Sandy Springs police lieutenant, fired for what city officials havecalled a "disregard" for following policies, said Tuesday she plans tocontest her dismissal and file a discrimination lawsuit. Trudi Vaughan,speaking publicly before entering a procedural hearing at policeheadquarters, said she was fired unfairly, for making decisions that hadbeen authorized by her superiors, or for doing things that male supervisorshad done without being disciplined.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-HIV symptoms not being diagnosed properly claims charity
People showing the symptoms of early-stage HIV infection are routinely beingmisdiagnosed by doctors, according to a report by the National AIDS Trust.
-HIV vacccine trial cancelled because of safety concerns
A research trial for the PAVE-100 AIDS vaccine planned in the U.S. has beencancelled over concerns that additional research is needed to prove thevaccine is safe.
-Swimmer Ian Thorpe reveals he is dating a woman
For years, probably since his appearance at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games,many have been speculating, and most gay men have been hoping, that theThorpedo-gold medal winner Ian Thorpe-was indeed a homo.
-Antilles to appeal against court ruling on same-sex couples
The Netherlands Antilles has said it will appeal against a court ruling thatestablished same-sex couples have the same rights there as they do inHolland.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Call for Action: An Iranian gay couple in India need your support
We are contacting you to request your assistance on a very urgent caseinvolving 2 gay Iranians, Ali and Mohammad. It is no secret that queerIranians who flee to other countries continue to face risks due tohomophobia and laws calling for punishment of homosexuals. This oftenresults in depression and post traumatic stress symptoms. Ali and Mohammad,a gay Iranian couple, fled to India. Although they have each beenofficially recognized as refugees by United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR), the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi has still not acted tofacilitate their resettlement in Canada. It has been one whole year sincethe Canadian Embassy began processing their cases! In India, Ali andMohammad are illegal queer refugees. They have no authorization to work.Furthermore, they are at risk because India's penal code includes punishmentfor homosexual activity. The common complications that queer refugeesexperience are escalated for them because Mohammad's mental health isdeteriorating. He has been counseled by a UNHCR psychiatrist for 7 monthsand continues to suffer. Immediate attention by the Canadian Embassy iscritical!
http://www.irqo.net/IRQO/English/pages/147.htm
-Bisexual Species: Unorthodox Sex in the Animal Kingdom
Homosexual behavior is common in nature, and it plays an important role insurvival
Two penguins native to Antarctica met one spring day in 1998 in a tank atthe Central Park Zoo in midtown Manhattan. They perched atop stones and tookturns diving in and out of the clear water below. They entwined necks,called to each other and mated. They then built a nest together to preparefor an egg. But no egg was forthcoming: Roy and Silo were both male.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bisexual-species
=
Forwarded by Bill Sterling
whsterling1@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-LAPD Chief Bratton backs gay marriage with checkbook
The city's top law enforcement official, saying the Constitution upholdssuch unions, donates to a group fighting a ballot initiative that would banthem.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cause23-2008jul23,0,5128050.story
=
TruthWinsOut.Org
by Wayne Besen
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Minnesota Scientist Accuses Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) ofMisrepresenting His Research
(TWO) published exclusive comments today by Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H., aprofessor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, who claimed the"ex-gay" organization PFOX distorted his research findings. On its website,PFOX expressed its displeasure with The Washington Post for publishing whatit called "a sympathetic article about a 15-year-old boy named Saro whodescribed his homosexual feelings and how Gay Straight Alliance studentclubs help such gay teens to deal with discrimination and bullying in highschool and middle school."
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/minnesota-scientist-accuses-pfox-of-misrepresenting-his-research/
=
Family Equality
Join Family Equality Council for the 13th Annual Family Week inProvincetown, MA, July 26-August 2, 2008!
Every year this wonderful occasion-Family Week-brings together hundreds ofLGBT-headed families and friends for learning, community building and mostimportantly lots of fun!
http://www.familyequality.org/events/familyweek2008.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 23, 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Time for Urgency
The nation's leaders must act quickly and take the necessary, if politicallyunpopular, steps to rescue Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from insolvency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/opinion/23wed1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-Lieberman, Obama and the Jews
The Huffington Post's Sam Stein is very excited about a new poll by the"progressive pro-Israel" group JStreet, which finds that Senator JoeLieberman, an orthodox Jew, is far less popular among his co-religioniststhan Barack Obama. "Among the most high-profile Jews in Congress, Liebermanis viewed far more unfavorably than the presumptive Democratic nominee"reports Stein. "Only 37 percent of Jews view the Connecticut Independent ina favorable light compared to 48 percent who have a negative perception. Asfor Obama, 60 percent of Jews view him favorably while 34 percent view himunfavorably."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/lieberman-obama-and-the-jews/index.html?ref=opinion
-Mukasey's Wary Start Dismays Ex-Backers
Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey appears to be seeing mixed results fromhis efforts to restore credibility to a department tainted by hispredecessor.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/washington/23mukasey.html?hp
-Obama Meets Israeli and Palestinian Leaders
Senator Barack Obama met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak andPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/us/politics/24obama.html?hp
-Health Plan From Obama Spurs Debate
It is one of the most audacious promises in a campaign that has been thickwith them. In speech after speech, Senator Barack Obama has vowed that hewill lower the country's health care costs enough to "bring down premiums by$2,500 for the typical family." Moreover, Mr. Obama, the presumptiveDemocratic nominee, has promised that his health plan will be in place "bythe end of my first term as president of the United States."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/us/23health.html
-Karadzic Arrest Is Big Step for a Land Tired of Being Europe's Pariah
The arrest of the wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, charged inthe worst massacre since World War II, was an unlikely yet radicaltransformation in a country that had appeared to be headed on a path towardvirulent nationalism and isolation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/world/europe/23serbia.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-AIDS Among Latinos on Rise
Hispanics in U.S. Face Unique Obstacles to Diagnosis, TreatmentAIDS rates in the nation's Latino community are increasing and, with littlenotice, have reached what experts are calling a simmering public healthcrisis. Though Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population,they represented 22 percent of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses tallied by federalofficials in 2006. According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation,Hispanics in the District have the highest rate of new AIDS cases in thecountry.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202837.html
-The Face of Evil
Richard Holbrooke
My first and last meeting with Radovan Karadzic was 13 years ago. Hiscapture this week is a great moment for international justice.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202593.html
-Obama's Strategic Vision
Harold Meyerson
Maybe the symbolism of Barack Obama giving a major speech this week atBerlin's Victory Column -- a 19th-century monument to Prussia's militarytriumphs -- isn't as incongruous at it might seem. After all, it wasFrederick the Great -- the 18th-century Prussian monarch who transformed hiskingdom into the dominant German state -- who once advised his generals, "Hewho would defend everything ends up defending nothing."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202170.html
-Obama Shifts the Foreign Policy Debate
Candidate Moves Focus From Iraq To Broader Issues
Sen. Barack Obama, on his first and likely only overseas trip as thepresumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has remade the campaign'sforeign policy playing field, neatly sidestepping Republican charges that hehas been naive and wrong on Iraq and moving to a broader, post-Iraq focus onAfghanistan and Pakistan.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202942.html?hpid=topnews
-India's Government Wins Parliament Confidence Vote
NEW DELHI, July 22 -- The Indian government survived a crucial vote ofconfidence Tuesday, clearing the way for the contentious nuclear energy dealwith the United States, after a debate peppered with dramatic allegations ofbackroom lobbying and bribery.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072200161.html?hpid=sec-world
-India's Outstretched Hand
New Delhi does its part to salvage a nuclear pact; now it's Congress's turn.
UNTIL RECENTLY, it seemed that an ambitious Bush administration bid torestore nuclear cooperation between the United States and India might bedead, a victim of domestic Indian politics. Anti-American communist partiesthat support Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's centrist government wereblocking the deal. But Mr. Singh took a bold risk to salvage the pact,trading communist support for that of a smaller regional party in hopes ofassembling a new majority. Yesterday the gamble paid off, as Mr. Singh'sgovernment survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Now, the question iswhether the pact can survive the American political process.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202656.html
-Mr. Obama in Iraq
Did he really find support for his withdrawal plan? THE INITIAL MEDIAcoverage of Barack Obama's visit to Iraq suggested that the Democraticcandidate found agreement with his plan to withdraw all U.S. combat forceson a 16-month timetable. So it seems worthwhile to point out that, by Mr.Obama's own account, neither U.S. commanders nor Iraq's principal politicalleaders actually support his strategy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202462.html
-What You Should Know Before You Spit Into That Test Tube
Jeffrey Gulcher had no reason to think much about prostate cancer. He wasjust 48, and the disease typically strikes later in life. Even the mostcautious medical groups agree that most men need not begin annual prostatescreenings until age 50. But Gulcher happens to be the chief scientificofficer of deCODE Genetics -- one of several companies that, amid somecontroversy, have begun offering direct-to-consumer DNA tests that can helppeople predict which diseases they are likely to get. So in April, he spatinto a test tube and, without giving the matter much thought, sent thesample in for analysis by his own company.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/18/AR2008071802555.html
-A Quiet Humanitarian
KIGALI, Rwanda -- Cindy McCain's first visit to this country, in 1994, wasduring the high season of roadblocks and machetes and shallow graves.Following a call for help from Doctors Without Borders, McCain had assembleda medical team with the intention of setting up a mobile hospital in Rwanda.Arriving by private plane in mid-April, a couple of weeks into themassacres, she realized that the chaos made deploying her team impossible.At the airport, she paid for the use of a truck and set out for Goma inthen-Zaire, where hundreds of thousands of refugees were also headed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202114.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Ex-Advisers Warn Against Threatening to Attack Iran
The Bush administration should stop talking about a military attack as anoption if negotiations do not immediately halt Iran's uranium reprocessingprogram, two former national security advisers said yesterday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202698.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Methodists, Politics, and Bush's Library
The fact that George W. Bush wants to build a library, any library, is causefor celebration. So why are my beloved United Methodists still fightingabout whether Southern Methodist University should host such an improbableinstitution? Actually, it's not the library they object to so much as thepolicy institute that comes with it -- and the policies that precede it."Theplacement of the George W. Bush library and the establishment of aninstitute to promote the policies of this president at SMU would be atragedy," retired Bishop William Boyd Grove of West Virginia toldfrontpagemag.com. "The policies of the Bush administration are in directconflict with the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church on issuesof war and peace, civil liberties and human rights, care for theenvironment, and health care."
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2008/07/the_battle_over_bushs_library.html
-Anglicans Could One Day Be Led by a Woman: Bishop
CANTERBURY (Reuters) - The Anglican Church's most senior woman bishop saidshe believed that one day the church would be led by a woman Archbishop ofCanterbury. "The signposts are pointing in one direction," said VictoriaMatthews, for 15 years a bishop in Canada and now moving to minister inChristchurch, New Zealand.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072200975.html?hpid=sec-religion
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-85-mph Dolly takes aim at Texas coast; officials fear levee breaksRain started to fall along the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Dolly -- upgraded inforce from a tropical storm -- closed in on towns straddling theTexas-Mexico border. The Category 1 hurricane was expected to strengthenslightly before making landfall Wednesday and bringing with it up to 15inches of rain. Dolly was upgraded from a tropical storm Tuesday afternoon,and sustained winds have strengthened to about 85 mph. At 5 a.m. Wednesday,the storm's center was about 65 miles east-southeast of Brownsville, movingnorthwest at about 8 mph.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-hurricane-dolly,0,1026107.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Do Not Call registry due for a tune up
Five years have passed since the Federal Trade Commission created a nationalDo Not Call registry -- and considering the rapid changes in marketing and telecommunications, it is time for an update of the rules. It just sohappens that the FTC is considering revising its regulations to make it evenclearer that marketers can only call customers who have given their consent.The changes are necessary and should be adopted.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/614319.html
-Athletic competition vs. academic standards
Recently NBC renewed its television contract with Notre Dame footballthrough the 2015 season, betting the bank that the Irish, who have not won anational championship since 1988 or a bowl game since 1993, can consistentlydeliver ratings that keep corporate sponsors happy and revenue streamsflowing. Notre Dame's attempt to return to glory raises a fundamentalquestion: Can the nation's top-25 academic institutions -- Stanford, Duke,Northwestern, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Michigan are examples --successfully compete in the world of corporate college football withoutsubstantially compromising academic standards? California's Division Ischools suggest that the answer is no. [...] These data suggest thatschools that hold their ground on academic standards for athletes might beat a disadvantage in college sport's recruiting wars. Is it merelycoincidence that Stanford and Duke, two of the teams the Irish were able tobeat in 2007, have football graduation rates above 90 percent? The NationalCollegiate Athletic Association no longer discloses the average standardizedtest scores of various football teams. But would anyone be surprised to findthat test scores, like federal graduation rates, correlate negatively withgridiron success?
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/614327.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Vanity Fair Covers The New Yorker
We here at Vanity Fair maintain a kind of affectionate rivalry with ourdownstairs neighbors at The New Yorker. We play softball every year, competefor some of the same stories, and share an elevator bank. (You can tell theones who are headed to the 20th floor by their Brooklyn pallor and dog-earedpaperbacks.)
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/07/new-yorker-cover.html
-Obama Survives Iraq, Looks Ahead
In his first news conference following his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan,presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama acknowledged that General DavidPetraeus had argued in their private meeting against Obama's 16-monthtimeline for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. But Obama said that ifelected, he would persist with that plan so that additional troops could besent to Afghanistan, which he again called "the central front in the waragainst terrorism."
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1825525,00.html
-A big story is our biggest bias
A respected group of media researchers has found that Barack Obama gets alot more coverage than John McCain. I didn't need a think tank to tell methat. After all, Madonna gets more coverage than McCain does, even when shedoesn't want it-although it is hard to imagine when she wouldn't.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0723pagejul23,0,1657032.column
-Barack And The Dollar
Why is the dollar so weak? Part of the reason, says Douglas Holtz-Eakin,senior policy adviser to John McCain, is Barack Obama. He's scaring offinternational investors.
http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/07/21/obama-dollar-mccain-biz-cx_jz_bw_0721barack.html?partner=rcp
-Vogue Italia's Black Issue spurred by Obama
MILAN (Reuters Life!) - Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani says the spur forJuly's first-ever "Black Issue" of the fashion magazine came in part fromBarack Obama's progress en route to becoming Democratic presidentialcandidate.
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSL23101967020080723?feedType=RSS&feedName=lifestyleMolt
-Press coverage of Obama puts envy in the air at McCain headquarters
'The media is in LOVE with Barack,' McCain's camp says in a video that mocksthe reporting on the Democrat. After months of frustration about what theysee as fawning media coverage of Barack Obama, John McCain's campaign wenton the offensive Tuesday with a Web video called "The media is in LOVE withBarack."
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-mccain23-2008jul23,0,2276309.story?track=rss
-CNN's 'Black In America' Is An Expressive Portrait:
Ordinary Stories Make An Extraordinary Series
Going back to such ancient classics as "The Plow That Broke the Plains" and"Harvest of Shame," the best documentaries have been those that engage theheart as well as the brain. Two new entries in CNN's ongoing "Black inAmerica" project manage precisely that feat, reporting in words and picturesof equal expressiveness on the current state of African American life in theUnited States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072203218.html
=
Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/
-A Concrete Fix to Global Warming
A new process stores carbon dioxide in precast concrete.
A Canadian company says that it has developed a way for makers of precastconcrete products to take all the carbon-dioxide emissions from theirfactories, as well as neighboring industrial facilities, and store theminthe products that they produce by exposing concrete slurrytocarbon-dioxide-rich flue gases during the curing process. Industryexpertssay that the technology is unproven but holds great potential if itworks.
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=21117&channel=energy§ion
=
Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
frishkorn@bellsouth.net
Go to this link for the following article:
-Israel Fears Scathing US Report On Its West Bank Policies
The United States security coordinator for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,retired general James Jones, is preparing an extremely critical report ofIsrael's policies in the territories and its attitude toward the PalestinianAuthority's security services. A few copies of the report's executivesummary (or, according to some sources, a draft of it) have been given tosenior Bush Administration officials, and it is reportedly arousingconsiderable discomfort. In recent weeks, the administration has beendebating whether to allow Jones to publish his full report, or whether totell him to shelve it and make do with the summary, given the approachingend of President George Bush's term.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1004143.html
-McCain gaffes pile up; critics pile on
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said "Iraq" on Monday when he apparently meant "Afghanistan", adding to a string of mixed-up word choices that is givingammunition to the opposition. Just in the past three weeks, McCain has alsomistaken "Somalia" for "Sudan," and even football's Green Bay Packers forthe Pittsburgh Steelers. Ironically, the errors have been concentrated inwhat should be his area of expertise: foreign affairs. McCain will turn 72the day after Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) accepts his party's nomination forpresident at the age of 47, calling new attention to the sensitive issue ofMcCain's advanced age three days before the start of his own convention. TheMcCain campaign says Obama has had plenty of flubs of his own, including areference to "57 states" and a string of misstated place names during theprimaries that Republicans gleefully sent around as YouTube links.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11939.html
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The Chinese Celebrate Their Roaring Economy,As They Struggle With Its Costs
More than eight-in-ten Chinese are satisfied with their country's overalldirection and their national economy, a significant increase in contentmentfrom earlier in the decade. But levels of personal satisfaction aregenerally lower than the national measures, and a new Pew Global Attitudespoll suggests the Chinese people -- who express concern about inflation andpollution -- may be struggling with the consequences of economic growth.Read more
-The Changing Newsroom: Gains and Losses in Today's Papers
It has fewer pages than three years ago, the paper stock is thinner, and thestories are shorter. There is less foreign and national news, less spacedevoted to science, the arts, features and a range of specialized subjects.These and other changes are documented in a new report by the Project forExcellence in Journalism that examines the resources in American newsroomsat a critical time. Read more
-McCain's Lead Among Evangelicals Smaller than Bush's in '04
Many white evangelicals remain undecided and Obama has made few inroads intothis key constituency. But the Democratic candidate enjoys strong supportamong the religiously unaffiliated. Read more
-Stem Cell Research: Religion and Politics Collide
An overview of the stem cell debate in America examines the science behindstem cell technology and looks at public opinion trends. Read more
-Daily Number - 58% - Gen Dems
Trends among America's youngest voters are often a barometer for thepolitical climate, a troubling thought for the GOP since the Democrats'current lead in party identification among young voters has more thandoubled since 2004, from 11 points to 25 points. Check back every weekdayfor another number in the news. Read more
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Time for Urgency
The nation's leaders must act quickly and take the necessary, if politicallyunpopular, steps to rescue Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from insolvency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/opinion/23wed1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-Lieberman, Obama and the Jews
The Huffington Post's Sam Stein is very excited about a new poll by the"progressive pro-Israel" group JStreet, which finds that Senator JoeLieberman, an orthodox Jew, is far less popular among his co-religioniststhan Barack Obama. "Among the most high-profile Jews in Congress, Liebermanis viewed far more unfavorably than the presumptive Democratic nominee"reports Stein. "Only 37 percent of Jews view the Connecticut Independent ina favorable light compared to 48 percent who have a negative perception. Asfor Obama, 60 percent of Jews view him favorably while 34 percent view himunfavorably."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/lieberman-obama-and-the-jews/index.html?ref=opinion
-Mukasey's Wary Start Dismays Ex-Backers
Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey appears to be seeing mixed results fromhis efforts to restore credibility to a department tainted by hispredecessor.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/washington/23mukasey.html?hp
-Obama Meets Israeli and Palestinian Leaders
Senator Barack Obama met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak andPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/us/politics/24obama.html?hp
-Health Plan From Obama Spurs Debate
It is one of the most audacious promises in a campaign that has been thickwith them. In speech after speech, Senator Barack Obama has vowed that hewill lower the country's health care costs enough to "bring down premiums by$2,500 for the typical family." Moreover, Mr. Obama, the presumptiveDemocratic nominee, has promised that his health plan will be in place "bythe end of my first term as president of the United States."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/us/23health.html
-Karadzic Arrest Is Big Step for a Land Tired of Being Europe's Pariah
The arrest of the wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, charged inthe worst massacre since World War II, was an unlikely yet radicaltransformation in a country that had appeared to be headed on a path towardvirulent nationalism and isolation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/world/europe/23serbia.html
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-AIDS Among Latinos on Rise
Hispanics in U.S. Face Unique Obstacles to Diagnosis, TreatmentAIDS rates in the nation's Latino community are increasing and, with littlenotice, have reached what experts are calling a simmering public healthcrisis. Though Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population,they represented 22 percent of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses tallied by federalofficials in 2006. According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation,Hispanics in the District have the highest rate of new AIDS cases in thecountry.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202837.html
-The Face of Evil
Richard Holbrooke
My first and last meeting with Radovan Karadzic was 13 years ago. Hiscapture this week is a great moment for international justice.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202593.html
-Obama's Strategic Vision
Harold Meyerson
Maybe the symbolism of Barack Obama giving a major speech this week atBerlin's Victory Column -- a 19th-century monument to Prussia's militarytriumphs -- isn't as incongruous at it might seem. After all, it wasFrederick the Great -- the 18th-century Prussian monarch who transformed hiskingdom into the dominant German state -- who once advised his generals, "Hewho would defend everything ends up defending nothing."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202170.html
-Obama Shifts the Foreign Policy Debate
Candidate Moves Focus From Iraq To Broader Issues
Sen. Barack Obama, on his first and likely only overseas trip as thepresumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has remade the campaign'sforeign policy playing field, neatly sidestepping Republican charges that hehas been naive and wrong on Iraq and moving to a broader, post-Iraq focus onAfghanistan and Pakistan.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202942.html?hpid=topnews
-India's Government Wins Parliament Confidence Vote
NEW DELHI, July 22 -- The Indian government survived a crucial vote ofconfidence Tuesday, clearing the way for the contentious nuclear energy dealwith the United States, after a debate peppered with dramatic allegations ofbackroom lobbying and bribery.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072200161.html?hpid=sec-world
-India's Outstretched Hand
New Delhi does its part to salvage a nuclear pact; now it's Congress's turn.
UNTIL RECENTLY, it seemed that an ambitious Bush administration bid torestore nuclear cooperation between the United States and India might bedead, a victim of domestic Indian politics. Anti-American communist partiesthat support Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's centrist government wereblocking the deal. But Mr. Singh took a bold risk to salvage the pact,trading communist support for that of a smaller regional party in hopes ofassembling a new majority. Yesterday the gamble paid off, as Mr. Singh'sgovernment survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Now, the question iswhether the pact can survive the American political process.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202656.html
-Mr. Obama in Iraq
Did he really find support for his withdrawal plan? THE INITIAL MEDIAcoverage of Barack Obama's visit to Iraq suggested that the Democraticcandidate found agreement with his plan to withdraw all U.S. combat forceson a 16-month timetable. So it seems worthwhile to point out that, by Mr.Obama's own account, neither U.S. commanders nor Iraq's principal politicalleaders actually support his strategy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202462.html
-What You Should Know Before You Spit Into That Test Tube
Jeffrey Gulcher had no reason to think much about prostate cancer. He wasjust 48, and the disease typically strikes later in life. Even the mostcautious medical groups agree that most men need not begin annual prostatescreenings until age 50. But Gulcher happens to be the chief scientificofficer of deCODE Genetics -- one of several companies that, amid somecontroversy, have begun offering direct-to-consumer DNA tests that can helppeople predict which diseases they are likely to get. So in April, he spatinto a test tube and, without giving the matter much thought, sent thesample in for analysis by his own company.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/18/AR2008071802555.html
-A Quiet Humanitarian
KIGALI, Rwanda -- Cindy McCain's first visit to this country, in 1994, wasduring the high season of roadblocks and machetes and shallow graves.Following a call for help from Doctors Without Borders, McCain had assembleda medical team with the intention of setting up a mobile hospital in Rwanda.Arriving by private plane in mid-April, a couple of weeks into themassacres, she realized that the chaos made deploying her team impossible.At the airport, she paid for the use of a truck and set out for Goma inthen-Zaire, where hundreds of thousands of refugees were also headed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202114.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Ex-Advisers Warn Against Threatening to Attack Iran
The Bush administration should stop talking about a military attack as anoption if negotiations do not immediately halt Iran's uranium reprocessingprogram, two former national security advisers said yesterday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202698.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Methodists, Politics, and Bush's Library
The fact that George W. Bush wants to build a library, any library, is causefor celebration. So why are my beloved United Methodists still fightingabout whether Southern Methodist University should host such an improbableinstitution? Actually, it's not the library they object to so much as thepolicy institute that comes with it -- and the policies that precede it."Theplacement of the George W. Bush library and the establishment of aninstitute to promote the policies of this president at SMU would be atragedy," retired Bishop William Boyd Grove of West Virginia toldfrontpagemag.com. "The policies of the Bush administration are in directconflict with the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church on issuesof war and peace, civil liberties and human rights, care for theenvironment, and health care."
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2008/07/the_battle_over_bushs_library.html
-Anglicans Could One Day Be Led by a Woman: Bishop
CANTERBURY (Reuters) - The Anglican Church's most senior woman bishop saidshe believed that one day the church would be led by a woman Archbishop ofCanterbury. "The signposts are pointing in one direction," said VictoriaMatthews, for 15 years a bishop in Canada and now moving to minister inChristchurch, New Zealand.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072200975.html?hpid=sec-religion
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-85-mph Dolly takes aim at Texas coast; officials fear levee breaksRain started to fall along the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Dolly -- upgraded inforce from a tropical storm -- closed in on towns straddling theTexas-Mexico border. The Category 1 hurricane was expected to strengthenslightly before making landfall Wednesday and bringing with it up to 15inches of rain. Dolly was upgraded from a tropical storm Tuesday afternoon,and sustained winds have strengthened to about 85 mph. At 5 a.m. Wednesday,the storm's center was about 65 miles east-southeast of Brownsville, movingnorthwest at about 8 mph.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-hurricane-dolly,0,1026107.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Do Not Call registry due for a tune up
Five years have passed since the Federal Trade Commission created a nationalDo Not Call registry -- and considering the rapid changes in marketing and telecommunications, it is time for an update of the rules. It just sohappens that the FTC is considering revising its regulations to make it evenclearer that marketers can only call customers who have given their consent.The changes are necessary and should be adopted.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/614319.html
-Athletic competition vs. academic standards
Recently NBC renewed its television contract with Notre Dame footballthrough the 2015 season, betting the bank that the Irish, who have not won anational championship since 1988 or a bowl game since 1993, can consistentlydeliver ratings that keep corporate sponsors happy and revenue streamsflowing. Notre Dame's attempt to return to glory raises a fundamentalquestion: Can the nation's top-25 academic institutions -- Stanford, Duke,Northwestern, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Michigan are examples --successfully compete in the world of corporate college football withoutsubstantially compromising academic standards? California's Division Ischools suggest that the answer is no. [...] These data suggest thatschools that hold their ground on academic standards for athletes might beat a disadvantage in college sport's recruiting wars. Is it merelycoincidence that Stanford and Duke, two of the teams the Irish were able tobeat in 2007, have football graduation rates above 90 percent? The NationalCollegiate Athletic Association no longer discloses the average standardizedtest scores of various football teams. But would anyone be surprised to findthat test scores, like federal graduation rates, correlate negatively withgridiron success?
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/614327.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Vanity Fair Covers The New Yorker
We here at Vanity Fair maintain a kind of affectionate rivalry with ourdownstairs neighbors at The New Yorker. We play softball every year, competefor some of the same stories, and share an elevator bank. (You can tell theones who are headed to the 20th floor by their Brooklyn pallor and dog-earedpaperbacks.)
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/07/new-yorker-cover.html
-Obama Survives Iraq, Looks Ahead
In his first news conference following his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan,presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama acknowledged that General DavidPetraeus had argued in their private meeting against Obama's 16-monthtimeline for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. But Obama said that ifelected, he would persist with that plan so that additional troops could besent to Afghanistan, which he again called "the central front in the waragainst terrorism."
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1825525,00.html
-A big story is our biggest bias
A respected group of media researchers has found that Barack Obama gets alot more coverage than John McCain. I didn't need a think tank to tell methat. After all, Madonna gets more coverage than McCain does, even when shedoesn't want it-although it is hard to imagine when she wouldn't.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0723pagejul23,0,1657032.column
-Barack And The Dollar
Why is the dollar so weak? Part of the reason, says Douglas Holtz-Eakin,senior policy adviser to John McCain, is Barack Obama. He's scaring offinternational investors.
http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/07/21/obama-dollar-mccain-biz-cx_jz_bw_0721barack.html?partner=rcp
-Vogue Italia's Black Issue spurred by Obama
MILAN (Reuters Life!) - Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani says the spur forJuly's first-ever "Black Issue" of the fashion magazine came in part fromBarack Obama's progress en route to becoming Democratic presidentialcandidate.
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSL23101967020080723?feedType=RSS&feedName=lifestyleMolt
-Press coverage of Obama puts envy in the air at McCain headquarters
'The media is in LOVE with Barack,' McCain's camp says in a video that mocksthe reporting on the Democrat. After months of frustration about what theysee as fawning media coverage of Barack Obama, John McCain's campaign wenton the offensive Tuesday with a Web video called "The media is in LOVE withBarack."
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-mccain23-2008jul23,0,2276309.story?track=rss
-CNN's 'Black In America' Is An Expressive Portrait:
Ordinary Stories Make An Extraordinary Series
Going back to such ancient classics as "The Plow That Broke the Plains" and"Harvest of Shame," the best documentaries have been those that engage theheart as well as the brain. Two new entries in CNN's ongoing "Black inAmerica" project manage precisely that feat, reporting in words and picturesof equal expressiveness on the current state of African American life in theUnited States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072203218.html
=
Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/
-A Concrete Fix to Global Warming
A new process stores carbon dioxide in precast concrete.
A Canadian company says that it has developed a way for makers of precastconcrete products to take all the carbon-dioxide emissions from theirfactories, as well as neighboring industrial facilities, and store theminthe products that they produce by exposing concrete slurrytocarbon-dioxide-rich flue gases during the curing process. Industryexpertssay that the technology is unproven but holds great potential if itworks.
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=21117&channel=energy§ion
=
Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
frishkorn@bellsouth.net
Go to this link for the following article:
-Israel Fears Scathing US Report On Its West Bank Policies
The United States security coordinator for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,retired general James Jones, is preparing an extremely critical report ofIsrael's policies in the territories and its attitude toward the PalestinianAuthority's security services. A few copies of the report's executivesummary (or, according to some sources, a draft of it) have been given tosenior Bush Administration officials, and it is reportedly arousingconsiderable discomfort. In recent weeks, the administration has beendebating whether to allow Jones to publish his full report, or whether totell him to shelve it and make do with the summary, given the approachingend of President George Bush's term.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1004143.html
-McCain gaffes pile up; critics pile on
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said "Iraq" on Monday when he apparently meant "Afghanistan", adding to a string of mixed-up word choices that is givingammunition to the opposition. Just in the past three weeks, McCain has alsomistaken "Somalia" for "Sudan," and even football's Green Bay Packers forthe Pittsburgh Steelers. Ironically, the errors have been concentrated inwhat should be his area of expertise: foreign affairs. McCain will turn 72the day after Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) accepts his party's nomination forpresident at the age of 47, calling new attention to the sensitive issue ofMcCain's advanced age three days before the start of his own convention. TheMcCain campaign says Obama has had plenty of flubs of his own, including areference to "57 states" and a string of misstated place names during theprimaries that Republicans gleefully sent around as YouTube links.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11939.html
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The Chinese Celebrate Their Roaring Economy,As They Struggle With Its Costs
More than eight-in-ten Chinese are satisfied with their country's overalldirection and their national economy, a significant increase in contentmentfrom earlier in the decade. But levels of personal satisfaction aregenerally lower than the national measures, and a new Pew Global Attitudespoll suggests the Chinese people -- who express concern about inflation andpollution -- may be struggling with the consequences of economic growth.Read more
-The Changing Newsroom: Gains and Losses in Today's Papers
It has fewer pages than three years ago, the paper stock is thinner, and thestories are shorter. There is less foreign and national news, less spacedevoted to science, the arts, features and a range of specialized subjects.These and other changes are documented in a new report by the Project forExcellence in Journalism that examines the resources in American newsroomsat a critical time. Read more
-McCain's Lead Among Evangelicals Smaller than Bush's in '04
Many white evangelicals remain undecided and Obama has made few inroads intothis key constituency. But the Democratic candidate enjoys strong supportamong the religiously unaffiliated. Read more
-Stem Cell Research: Religion and Politics Collide
An overview of the stem cell debate in America examines the science behindstem cell technology and looks at public opinion trends. Read more
-Daily Number - 58% - Gen Dems
Trends among America's youngest voters are often a barometer for thepolitical climate, a troubling thought for the GOP since the Democrats'current lead in party identification among young voters has more thandoubled since 2004, from 11 points to 25 points. Check back every weekdayfor another number in the news. Read more
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 23, 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 GLBT NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Temple Sinai welcomes new rabbi
Temple Sinai is welcoming a new spiritual leader into its Delray Beachcongregation. Rabbi Greg Kanter will be the official and permanent rabbi atthe Delray Beach temple as of Sept. 1. Kanter has been performing servicesas a guest rabbi until he officially assumes the role he is happy to take,at a shul he says has been warm and welcoming from his first visit.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/delraybeach/forum/sfl-fldrfrabbi0723drfjul23,0,3271273.story
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The Gainsville Sun
-Transgender petition branded 'anti-gay'
The commercial shows a little girl on a playground walk into a bathroom. Sheis followed shortly after by a suspicious looking man. A black screenflashes the words: "your City Commission made this legal."
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080723/NEWS/924201154
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-F-rated charter school in Lauderdale Lakes won't have to close for now
They came by busloads Tuesday, hoping to save Smart School Institute ofTechnology and Commerce - a three-time F school - from what seemed likecertain death. More than 100 students, teachers, administrators andcommunity leaders packed the Broward County School Board meeting, pleadingwith board members to spare the Lauderdale Lakes charter school. Theirrequest: another year to show they can raise student scores on the FloridaComprehensive Assessment Test and raise the school's grade from an F.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbsmartskl0723sbjul23,0,1222536.story
-Bar acts to suspend Coral Springs attorney over alleged deceptive tradepractices
The Florida Bar moved Tuesday to suspend a Coral Springs attorney, one dayafter the Office of the Florida Attorney General put her debt settlement andwealth management company into receivership, alleging deceptive tradepractices that may have cost consumers millions.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flhlphess0723sbjul23,0,2825256.story
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Mayor Scott Newton candidate for House Seat District 92
Wilton Manors- Mayor Scott Newton received the endorsement of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) today. "I am honored the CPAs chose to endorse my candidacy. As a small businessman, we have many issues in common and I look forward to working with the institute and its membership once elected."
http://votenewton.com/
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Supporters begin Amendment 5 campaign
With a $1 million commitment from Realtors, supporters of a tax-swapamendment began a campaign Tuesday for a "mind-boggling" change in Florida'sfinance structure. John Sebree, vice president of the Florida Associationof Realtors, announced the "Give me 5 for Florida's Future" effort at a newsconference with state legislators. They said Amendment 5 would put billionsof dollars back in the pockets of Floridians and spur consumer spending,while making the Legislature examine $23 billion in tax loopholes andsales-tax exemptions.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/CD/20080723/CAPITOLNEWS/807230366/-1/capitolnews
-Margate shifting to four-day work schedule in fall
In an effort to save money, the city of Margate will shift to a four-daywork schedule beginning Sept. 29. City Hall and administrative offices willbe open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Staff will be off onFridays.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flb3bdig07233sbjul23,0,745233.story?track=rss
-'Gray water' plan sinks in Congress
Recreational boats spared hefty fines
Congress bailed out nearly 1 million Florida boaters, including about 40,000in Brevard, on Tuesday who could have faced stiff fines under new rules thisfall limiting the dirty waters that can spill overboard.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080723/NEWS01/807230316/1006/news01&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL
-County seeks post-sugar aid for Glades
With U.S. Sugar Corp. poised to leave the Glades in six years, a move thatcould paralyze the region's hobbled economy, Palm Beach County commissionerswant the company and the state to make up for the economic losses. WithGlades-area leaders warning of a possible 1930s- style depression, somecommissioners said Tuesday that the sugar giant should make a parting giftto area charities, and that the South Florida Water Management Districtshould help the cities repay debts that might fall on the county'sshoulders.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/22/0722sugargift.html
-Florida Prison Chief Offers Good Plan To Stop Cycle of Recidivism
It's ironic that Florida's prison system is called the Department ofCorrections, since there is very little correcting going on. Florida haslacked the political will to provide serious money for rehabilitation,including drug-abuse treatment programs, which might break the cycle andreduce crime in our communities.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/23/na-florida-prison-chief-offers-good-plan-to-stop-c/?news-opinion-editorials
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Temple Sinai welcomes new rabbi
Temple Sinai is welcoming a new spiritual leader into its Delray Beachcongregation. Rabbi Greg Kanter will be the official and permanent rabbi atthe Delray Beach temple as of Sept. 1. Kanter has been performing servicesas a guest rabbi until he officially assumes the role he is happy to take,at a shul he says has been warm and welcoming from his first visit.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/delraybeach/forum/sfl-fldrfrabbi0723drfjul23,0,3271273.story
=
The Gainsville Sun
-Transgender petition branded 'anti-gay'
The commercial shows a little girl on a playground walk into a bathroom. Sheis followed shortly after by a suspicious looking man. A black screenflashes the words: "your City Commission made this legal."
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080723/NEWS/924201154
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-F-rated charter school in Lauderdale Lakes won't have to close for now
They came by busloads Tuesday, hoping to save Smart School Institute ofTechnology and Commerce - a three-time F school - from what seemed likecertain death. More than 100 students, teachers, administrators andcommunity leaders packed the Broward County School Board meeting, pleadingwith board members to spare the Lauderdale Lakes charter school. Theirrequest: another year to show they can raise student scores on the FloridaComprehensive Assessment Test and raise the school's grade from an F.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbsmartskl0723sbjul23,0,1222536.story
-Bar acts to suspend Coral Springs attorney over alleged deceptive tradepractices
The Florida Bar moved Tuesday to suspend a Coral Springs attorney, one dayafter the Office of the Florida Attorney General put her debt settlement andwealth management company into receivership, alleging deceptive tradepractices that may have cost consumers millions.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flhlphess0723sbjul23,0,2825256.story
=
Mayor Scott Newton candidate for House Seat District 92
Wilton Manors- Mayor Scott Newton received the endorsement of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) today. "I am honored the CPAs chose to endorse my candidacy. As a small businessman, we have many issues in common and I look forward to working with the institute and its membership once elected."
http://votenewton.com/
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Supporters begin Amendment 5 campaign
With a $1 million commitment from Realtors, supporters of a tax-swapamendment began a campaign Tuesday for a "mind-boggling" change in Florida'sfinance structure. John Sebree, vice president of the Florida Associationof Realtors, announced the "Give me 5 for Florida's Future" effort at a newsconference with state legislators. They said Amendment 5 would put billionsof dollars back in the pockets of Floridians and spur consumer spending,while making the Legislature examine $23 billion in tax loopholes andsales-tax exemptions.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/CD/20080723/CAPITOLNEWS/807230366/-1/capitolnews
-Margate shifting to four-day work schedule in fall
In an effort to save money, the city of Margate will shift to a four-daywork schedule beginning Sept. 29. City Hall and administrative offices willbe open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Staff will be off onFridays.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flb3bdig07233sbjul23,0,745233.story?track=rss
-'Gray water' plan sinks in Congress
Recreational boats spared hefty fines
Congress bailed out nearly 1 million Florida boaters, including about 40,000in Brevard, on Tuesday who could have faced stiff fines under new rules thisfall limiting the dirty waters that can spill overboard.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080723/NEWS01/807230316/1006/news01&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL
-County seeks post-sugar aid for Glades
With U.S. Sugar Corp. poised to leave the Glades in six years, a move thatcould paralyze the region's hobbled economy, Palm Beach County commissionerswant the company and the state to make up for the economic losses. WithGlades-area leaders warning of a possible 1930s- style depression, somecommissioners said Tuesday that the sugar giant should make a parting giftto area charities, and that the South Florida Water Management Districtshould help the cities repay debts that might fall on the county'sshoulders.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/22/0722sugargift.html
-Florida Prison Chief Offers Good Plan To Stop Cycle of Recidivism
It's ironic that Florida's prison system is called the Department ofCorrections, since there is very little correcting going on. Florida haslacked the political will to provide serious money for rehabilitation,including drug-abuse treatment programs, which might break the cycle andreduce crime in our communities.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/23/na-florida-prison-chief-offers-good-plan-to-stop-c/?news-opinion-editorials
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
GLBT DIGEST - July 22, 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.
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Texas County Debates Use of Needle Exchange
Bill Day is a familiar face out under the San Antonio viaducts, where skinnyaddicts shoot drugs into their bruised arms.
http://www.365gay.com/news/texas-county-debates-use-of-needle-exchange/
-Appeals Court Urged To Uphold Calif. Gay Bullying Law
Joey Ramelli and Megan Donovan were students at Poway High School, a schoolin the Poway Unified School District in northern San Diego County. Over thecourse of their junior year other students relentlessly taunted them withantigay slurs and Joey was even physically assaulted and his car wasvandalized. The two students found the harassment so brutal that they bothhad to drop out of Poway High School and completed studies toward their highschool diploma at home.
http://www.365gay.com/news/appeals-court-urged-to-uphold-calif-gay-bullying-law/
-Aussie Developer Plans Gay Retirement Village
(Melbourne, Australia) People over the age of 65 will soon be the majorityand an aging gay population in Australia will soon have its own retirementvillage to be built near Melbourne.
http://www.365gay.com/news/aussie-developer-plans-gay-retirement-village/
-Anglican Confab Unlikely To Resolve Differences Over Gays
(Canterbury, England) The leader of the Anglican Communion said Sunday thatthe global fellowship faces "one of the most severe challenges" in itshistory, and he urged bishops at their once-a-decade Lambeth Conference todo the hard work of finding solutions.
http://www.365gay.com/news/anglican-confab-unlikely-to-resolve-differences-over-gays/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Poll: Obama Leads McCain by 46 Points Among GLBT Adults
According to Harris Interactive, in a four-way race, Barack Obama leads JohnMcCain among registered voters 44% to 35%, while Bob Barr, the Libertariancandidate, and Ralph Nader each receive 2%. Sixteen percent of registeredvoters are not sure whom they will vote for yet.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58069.asp
-Calif.'s Prop. 8: It's Not Over Till It's Over
Even if California voters pass the antigay marriage amendment in November,marriage equality could still prevail. California's one last hope forkilling Proposition 8 -- the ballot initiative that would reverse the rightof same-sex couples to marry by amending the state constitution -- died thisweek when the California supreme court, without comment, refused to hear alegal challenge to the measure put forth by the National Center for LesbianRights, Lambda Legal, the ACLU and others before the November election.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid57945.asp
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-75 Percent of Americans Oppose "Don't Ask"
Seventy-five percent of Americans believe that gay men and lesbians shouldbe allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military, according to a newWashington Post-ABC News poll. The number of Americans who support gays inthe military is up from 62 percent in 2001 and 44 percent in 1993, theWashington Post reported.
-Showtime Orders New Series With Gay Content
During Friday's Television Critics Association conference in Los Angeles,Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment for Showtime announced thecable network was ordering two pilots to series, both with significant gaycontent. The first announced was the tentatively titled thirty minute darkcomedy Nurse Jackie, starring The Sopranos' Edie Falco as an iconoclastic,opinionated, self-medicating nurse in New York City.
-Michigan Womyn's Music Festival is Back for its 33rd Year
So how do forty performances, a film festival, an artisan/craft show and afull roster of workshops, parties and dances are all slated for one gloriousweek in August on 650 lush green acres in wilds of Northern Michigan soundgood to you? The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival is back for its 33rd year,August 5th thru 10th.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Lesbos islanders lose court case over use of "lesbian"
A court in Athens today rejected a law suit from a small group of residentsof the island of Lesbos that attempted to stop homosexual women from usingthe term 'lesbian' to define themselves.
-Activists plan next Moscow Pride on day of Eurovision final
Despite bans on the event every year, the organisers of Moscow Pride haveannounced their plans for 2009. Russia won the Eurovision Song Contestearlier this year for the first time.
-Man overboard on gay cruise rescued, then shot, by police
A man who fell overboard from a gay cruise yacht was shot dead when hefought the police officers who had rescued him.
-Concern for AIDS experts detained in Iran
Two brothers who are pioneers in the prevention of HIV transmission in Iranhave been held by the authorities without charge for nearly a month.
-Black protests mark end of Pope's trip to Australia
Thousands of gay rights protesters across Australia joined a black parade inprotest over the Pope's visit to the country.
-Man flees Turkey after "honour killing" of his gay activist boyfriend
The partner of murdered gay student Ahmet Yildiz has been forced to fleeTurkey in fear of his life. Yildiz, a 26-year-old physics student, was shotleaving a cafe on the Bosphorus strait during the weekend.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Germany: Frankfurt Pride Lesbians - foto gallery
http://www.lesben.org/bildergalerie/CSD_Frankfurt_2008/html/
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Writing Outside The Margins - "Canada's Festival of Queer Literary Arts"
Featured Authors John Cameron Mitchell, Michelle Tea and Kinnie StarrJuly 17, 2008 - Toronto - Canada's Festival of Queer Literary Arts returnsto the streets of Toronto on Sunday August 24th, after the incrediblesuccess of the 2007 inaugural event. This all day festival features an arrayof activities for everyone, including panel discussions, an open mic stage,a poetry slam, children's area, and exclusive readings by all confirmedauthors. Once again Church Street will become a pedestrian-only zone whereLGBT readers and writers will join forces to participate in a day-longinteractive celebration of queer literary arts. This year provides acompletely different roster of over a dozen authors soliciting a summersensory exploration. As well, after the popularity of last year, there willbe an expanded Pink Ink Open Mic series, where anyone can garner their 15minutes of fame. The three featured authors bring a wealth of creativeinflux representative of their home towns New York City, San Francisco andVancouver.
www.writingoutsidethemargins.ca
=
Anything but Straight
http://www.waynebesen.com/
-Anything But Straight
Exodus: A 'Loving' Call To Battle
Sporting a fog machine for its smoke and mirrors routine and an extravagantstage that would make The Rolling Stones blush, the "ex-gay" group ExodusInternational held its glitzy annual conference in Asheville, NorthCarolina. I was in town all week to partner with regional and stateorganizations to oppose the meeting and its dizzying array of distortions. Adark cloud hovered over the Exodus event, with violent hate crimesunsettling the local GLBT community. At the very moment ex-gaytelevangelists were railing against homosexuals in the foothills, news brokeof an 18-year old boy in Anderson, South Carolina whose father, "yelled,cursed, swung a baseball bat, prayed and tried to cast the demon ofhomosexuality out of him."
http://www.waynebesen.com/2008/07/exodus-loving-call-to-battle.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Texas County Debates Use of Needle Exchange
Bill Day is a familiar face out under the San Antonio viaducts, where skinnyaddicts shoot drugs into their bruised arms.
http://www.365gay.com/news/texas-county-debates-use-of-needle-exchange/
-Appeals Court Urged To Uphold Calif. Gay Bullying Law
Joey Ramelli and Megan Donovan were students at Poway High School, a schoolin the Poway Unified School District in northern San Diego County. Over thecourse of their junior year other students relentlessly taunted them withantigay slurs and Joey was even physically assaulted and his car wasvandalized. The two students found the harassment so brutal that they bothhad to drop out of Poway High School and completed studies toward their highschool diploma at home.
http://www.365gay.com/news/appeals-court-urged-to-uphold-calif-gay-bullying-law/
-Aussie Developer Plans Gay Retirement Village
(Melbourne, Australia) People over the age of 65 will soon be the majorityand an aging gay population in Australia will soon have its own retirementvillage to be built near Melbourne.
http://www.365gay.com/news/aussie-developer-plans-gay-retirement-village/
-Anglican Confab Unlikely To Resolve Differences Over Gays
(Canterbury, England) The leader of the Anglican Communion said Sunday thatthe global fellowship faces "one of the most severe challenges" in itshistory, and he urged bishops at their once-a-decade Lambeth Conference todo the hard work of finding solutions.
http://www.365gay.com/news/anglican-confab-unlikely-to-resolve-differences-over-gays/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Poll: Obama Leads McCain by 46 Points Among GLBT Adults
According to Harris Interactive, in a four-way race, Barack Obama leads JohnMcCain among registered voters 44% to 35%, while Bob Barr, the Libertariancandidate, and Ralph Nader each receive 2%. Sixteen percent of registeredvoters are not sure whom they will vote for yet.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58069.asp
-Calif.'s Prop. 8: It's Not Over Till It's Over
Even if California voters pass the antigay marriage amendment in November,marriage equality could still prevail. California's one last hope forkilling Proposition 8 -- the ballot initiative that would reverse the rightof same-sex couples to marry by amending the state constitution -- died thisweek when the California supreme court, without comment, refused to hear alegal challenge to the measure put forth by the National Center for LesbianRights, Lambda Legal, the ACLU and others before the November election.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid57945.asp
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-75 Percent of Americans Oppose "Don't Ask"
Seventy-five percent of Americans believe that gay men and lesbians shouldbe allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military, according to a newWashington Post-ABC News poll. The number of Americans who support gays inthe military is up from 62 percent in 2001 and 44 percent in 1993, theWashington Post reported.
-Showtime Orders New Series With Gay Content
During Friday's Television Critics Association conference in Los Angeles,Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment for Showtime announced thecable network was ordering two pilots to series, both with significant gaycontent. The first announced was the tentatively titled thirty minute darkcomedy Nurse Jackie, starring The Sopranos' Edie Falco as an iconoclastic,opinionated, self-medicating nurse in New York City.
-Michigan Womyn's Music Festival is Back for its 33rd Year
So how do forty performances, a film festival, an artisan/craft show and afull roster of workshops, parties and dances are all slated for one gloriousweek in August on 650 lush green acres in wilds of Northern Michigan soundgood to you? The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival is back for its 33rd year,August 5th thru 10th.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Lesbos islanders lose court case over use of "lesbian"
A court in Athens today rejected a law suit from a small group of residentsof the island of Lesbos that attempted to stop homosexual women from usingthe term 'lesbian' to define themselves.
-Activists plan next Moscow Pride on day of Eurovision final
Despite bans on the event every year, the organisers of Moscow Pride haveannounced their plans for 2009. Russia won the Eurovision Song Contestearlier this year for the first time.
-Man overboard on gay cruise rescued, then shot, by police
A man who fell overboard from a gay cruise yacht was shot dead when hefought the police officers who had rescued him.
-Concern for AIDS experts detained in Iran
Two brothers who are pioneers in the prevention of HIV transmission in Iranhave been held by the authorities without charge for nearly a month.
-Black protests mark end of Pope's trip to Australia
Thousands of gay rights protesters across Australia joined a black parade inprotest over the Pope's visit to the country.
-Man flees Turkey after "honour killing" of his gay activist boyfriend
The partner of murdered gay student Ahmet Yildiz has been forced to fleeTurkey in fear of his life. Yildiz, a 26-year-old physics student, was shotleaving a cafe on the Bosphorus strait during the weekend.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Germany: Frankfurt Pride Lesbians - foto gallery
http://www.lesben.org/bildergalerie/CSD_Frankfurt_2008/html/
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Writing Outside The Margins - "Canada's Festival of Queer Literary Arts"
Featured Authors John Cameron Mitchell, Michelle Tea and Kinnie StarrJuly 17, 2008 - Toronto - Canada's Festival of Queer Literary Arts returnsto the streets of Toronto on Sunday August 24th, after the incrediblesuccess of the 2007 inaugural event. This all day festival features an arrayof activities for everyone, including panel discussions, an open mic stage,a poetry slam, children's area, and exclusive readings by all confirmedauthors. Once again Church Street will become a pedestrian-only zone whereLGBT readers and writers will join forces to participate in a day-longinteractive celebration of queer literary arts. This year provides acompletely different roster of over a dozen authors soliciting a summersensory exploration. As well, after the popularity of last year, there willbe an expanded Pink Ink Open Mic series, where anyone can garner their 15minutes of fame. The three featured authors bring a wealth of creativeinflux representative of their home towns New York City, San Francisco andVancouver.
www.writingoutsidethemargins.ca
=
Anything but Straight
http://www.waynebesen.com/
-Anything But Straight
Exodus: A 'Loving' Call To Battle
Sporting a fog machine for its smoke and mirrors routine and an extravagantstage that would make The Rolling Stones blush, the "ex-gay" group ExodusInternational held its glitzy annual conference in Asheville, NorthCarolina. I was in town all week to partner with regional and stateorganizations to oppose the meeting and its dizzying array of distortions. Adark cloud hovered over the Exodus event, with violent hate crimesunsettling the local GLBT community. At the very moment ex-gaytelevangelists were railing against homosexuals in the foothills, news brokeof an 18-year old boy in Anderson, South Carolina whose father, "yelled,cursed, swung a baseball bat, prayed and tried to cast the demon ofhomosexuality out of him."
http://www.waynebesen.com/2008/07/exodus-loving-call-to-battle.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 22, 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Serbs Officials Detail Capture of Karadzic
Radovan Karadzic, one of the most wanted war criminals until his arrest for a 1995 massacre, had been living freely in Belgrade, authorities said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/world/europe/23serbia.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Obama, in Jordan, Must Navigate Mideast Conflict
When Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah, his approach to the peaceprocess will be watched carefully.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/for-obama-israeli-palestinian-conflict-looms/index.html?
-China's Unreality TV
Apart from China, no one deserves criticism more than the InternationalOlympic Committee, which has indulged Beijing at every turn. [...] Chinahas jailed critics, denied visas and threatened news organizations thatnegative coverage could jeopardize their chance to cover the Games.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/opinion/22tue1.html?ref=opinion
-T. Boone Pickens Rides the Wind
President Bush should listen to his fellow Texan and longtime political allythat drilling for more oil is not the answer to the nation's energyproblems. [...] But he knows something that his friends in the White Housewon't acknowledge: that a nation holding less than 3 percent of the world'soil reserves while guzzling 20 percent of the world's production will neverbe able to drill its way out of its dependency on foreign oil.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/opinion/22tue3.html?ref=opinion
-Mideast Sees More of the Same if Obama Is Elected
AMMAN, Jordan - For what feels like forever, Israelis and their Arabneighbors have been hopelessly deadlocked on how to resolve the Palestiniancrisis. But there is one point they may now agree on: If elected president,Senator Barack Obama will not fundamentally recalibrate America'srelationship with Israel, or the Arab world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/world/middleeast/22mideast.html
-Military Trial Begins for Guantánamo Detainee
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba - In a hushed courtroom here on Monday, a militaryjudge opened the first American war crimes trial since World War II,culminating a nearly seven-year effort by the Bush administration to trysome of the hundreds of terrorism suspects held in the detention camp.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/washington/22detain.html
-McCain, at Bush Home, Faults Obama on War Plan
Senator John McCain was like the wallflower at an international politicaldance on Monday as he campaigned at the quiet summer home of a popularPresident Bush, George H. W., while the worldwide news media spotlightbeamed down on Senator Barack Obama in Baghdad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/us/politics/22mccain.html
-For Obama, a First Step Is Not a Misstep
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government on Monday left little doubt that it favors awithdrawal plan for American combat troops similar to what Senator BarackObama has proposed, providing Mr. Obama with a potentially powerfulpolitical boost on a day he spent in Iraq working to fortify his credibilityas a wartime leader.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/us/politics/22assess.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1216728809-whN3baPgNKXnMoj6KCYXJw
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Event Horizon
Eugene Robinson
Bush is now amenable to a 'time horizon' for Iraq. This is apparently not atall like a timeline.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102361.html
-Judge in Detainee Trial Bars Some Evidence
Prosecutors at Guantanamo trial of Osama bin Laden's driver cannot usestatements that were obtained under "highly coercive" conditions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072100778.html?hpid=topnews
-Obama Makes War Gains
ANALYSIS | Iraqi leader's embrace of withdrawal timeline highlightsDemocrat's good fortune.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102851.html?hpid=topnews
-Young Republicans, Blue About the Prospects Ahead
Gen-Nexters Are Feeling Left Out of the Party
David All glanced around Top of the Hill bar and saw the future of theRepublican Party. It looked dim. A who's who of young conservatives hadgathered, but they were few, and they were frustrated.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102654.html?hpid=artslot
-The Saudi Guide To Piety
Because they are so clearly designed for the convenience of large testingcompanies, I had always assumed that multiple-choice exams, the bane of anyfourth-grader's existence, were a quintessentially American phenomenon. Butapparently I was wrong. According to a report last week by the HudsonInstitute's Center for Religious Freedom, it seems that the Saudi ArabianMinistry of Education finds them useful, too. Here, for example, is amultiple-choice question from a recent edition of a Saudi fourth-gradetextbook, "Monotheism and Jurisprudence," in a section that attempts toteach children to distinguish between "true" and "false" belief in God:
Q. "Is belief true in the following instances:
(a) A man prays but hates those who are virtuous.
(b) A man professes that there is no deity other than God but loves theunbelievers.
(c) A man worships God alone, loves the believers, and hates theunbelievers."
The correct answer, of course, is (c): According to the Wahhabi imams whowrote this textbook, it isn't enough to simply worship God or just to loveother believers; it is important to hate unbelievers, too. By the sametoken, (b) is wrong as well: Even a man who worships God cannot be said tohave "true belief" if he also loves unbelievers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102357.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Irreverent Reverends
John McCain's pastors have gone to ground. It's been a rough year for theRepublican presidential candidate's prominent evangelical supporters. TheRev. John Hagee got in hot water for suggesting that God was behind theHolocaust and that the Roman Catholic Church is a "great whore." The Rev.Rod Parsley had some uncharitable thoughts on Islam being an "anti-Christreligion."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102736.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain commercial blames Obama for high gas prices, cites opposition tooffshore drilling
Republican presidential candidate John McCain is launching
a new television ad that blames Democratic rival Barack Obama for risinggasoline prices. The ad, airing on national cable and in 11 battlegroundstates, argues that the cost of fuel is rising because of opposition to oildrilling in the United States. The announcer in the ad says, "Gas prices -$4, $5, no end in sight, because some in Washington are still saying no todrilling in America. No to independence from foreign oil. Who can you thankfor rising prices at the pump?" A photograph of Obama appears on the stageas a voiceover of a crowd chants: "Obama, Obama, Obama!"
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-mccain-ad,0,3459941.story
-Congressman Wexler: Lieberman has no credibility with South Florida Jewishvoters
U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, said in a news conference today that U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman won't be able to sway South Florida Jewish voters to pick U.S. Sen. John McCain for president.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/07/congressman_wexler_lieberman_h.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Texas, Mexico prepare for Tropical Storm Dolly
Troops were at the ready and residents along the Gulf Coast near theTexas-Mexico border were preparing as Tropical Storm Dolly - expected byforecasters to strengthen into a hurricane this week - headed their way.
http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/613310.html
-Fiddling while the planet burns
The G-8 Summit in Japan earlier this month was a painful demonstration ofthe pitiful state of global cooperation. The world is in deepening crisis.Food prices are soaring. Oil prices are at historic highs. The leadingeconomies are entering a recession. Climate change negotiations are goingaround in circles. Aid to the poorest countries is stagnant, despite yearsof promised increases. And yet in this gathering storm it was hard to find asingle real accomplishment by the world's leaders.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/613019.html
-CUBA: Raúl's psychological dependency on Fidel
What is Raúl Castro doing nowadays? It's important to keep track of him. Everybody, including Cuba's ruling nomenklatura, knows that communism iscondemned to disappear from the island. It is the unfinished chapter of theCold War, and the system, as happened everywhere, will eventually bereplaced by a more rational, humane, pluralistic and efficient way to dothings.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/613013.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Serbs Officials Detail Capture of Karadzic
Radovan Karadzic, one of the most wanted war criminals until his arrest for a 1995 massacre, had been living freely in Belgrade, authorities said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/world/europe/23serbia.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Obama, in Jordan, Must Navigate Mideast Conflict
When Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah, his approach to the peaceprocess will be watched carefully.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/for-obama-israeli-palestinian-conflict-looms/index.html?
-China's Unreality TV
Apart from China, no one deserves criticism more than the InternationalOlympic Committee, which has indulged Beijing at every turn. [...] Chinahas jailed critics, denied visas and threatened news organizations thatnegative coverage could jeopardize their chance to cover the Games.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/opinion/22tue1.html?ref=opinion
-T. Boone Pickens Rides the Wind
President Bush should listen to his fellow Texan and longtime political allythat drilling for more oil is not the answer to the nation's energyproblems. [...] But he knows something that his friends in the White Housewon't acknowledge: that a nation holding less than 3 percent of the world'soil reserves while guzzling 20 percent of the world's production will neverbe able to drill its way out of its dependency on foreign oil.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/opinion/22tue3.html?ref=opinion
-Mideast Sees More of the Same if Obama Is Elected
AMMAN, Jordan - For what feels like forever, Israelis and their Arabneighbors have been hopelessly deadlocked on how to resolve the Palestiniancrisis. But there is one point they may now agree on: If elected president,Senator Barack Obama will not fundamentally recalibrate America'srelationship with Israel, or the Arab world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/world/middleeast/22mideast.html
-Military Trial Begins for Guantánamo Detainee
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba - In a hushed courtroom here on Monday, a militaryjudge opened the first American war crimes trial since World War II,culminating a nearly seven-year effort by the Bush administration to trysome of the hundreds of terrorism suspects held in the detention camp.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/washington/22detain.html
-McCain, at Bush Home, Faults Obama on War Plan
Senator John McCain was like the wallflower at an international politicaldance on Monday as he campaigned at the quiet summer home of a popularPresident Bush, George H. W., while the worldwide news media spotlightbeamed down on Senator Barack Obama in Baghdad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/us/politics/22mccain.html
-For Obama, a First Step Is Not a Misstep
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government on Monday left little doubt that it favors awithdrawal plan for American combat troops similar to what Senator BarackObama has proposed, providing Mr. Obama with a potentially powerfulpolitical boost on a day he spent in Iraq working to fortify his credibilityas a wartime leader.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/us/politics/22assess.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1216728809-whN3baPgNKXnMoj6KCYXJw
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Event Horizon
Eugene Robinson
Bush is now amenable to a 'time horizon' for Iraq. This is apparently not atall like a timeline.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102361.html
-Judge in Detainee Trial Bars Some Evidence
Prosecutors at Guantanamo trial of Osama bin Laden's driver cannot usestatements that were obtained under "highly coercive" conditions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072100778.html?hpid=topnews
-Obama Makes War Gains
ANALYSIS | Iraqi leader's embrace of withdrawal timeline highlightsDemocrat's good fortune.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102851.html?hpid=topnews
-Young Republicans, Blue About the Prospects Ahead
Gen-Nexters Are Feeling Left Out of the Party
David All glanced around Top of the Hill bar and saw the future of theRepublican Party. It looked dim. A who's who of young conservatives hadgathered, but they were few, and they were frustrated.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102654.html?hpid=artslot
-The Saudi Guide To Piety
Because they are so clearly designed for the convenience of large testingcompanies, I had always assumed that multiple-choice exams, the bane of anyfourth-grader's existence, were a quintessentially American phenomenon. Butapparently I was wrong. According to a report last week by the HudsonInstitute's Center for Religious Freedom, it seems that the Saudi ArabianMinistry of Education finds them useful, too. Here, for example, is amultiple-choice question from a recent edition of a Saudi fourth-gradetextbook, "Monotheism and Jurisprudence," in a section that attempts toteach children to distinguish between "true" and "false" belief in God:
Q. "Is belief true in the following instances:
(a) A man prays but hates those who are virtuous.
(b) A man professes that there is no deity other than God but loves theunbelievers.
(c) A man worships God alone, loves the believers, and hates theunbelievers."
The correct answer, of course, is (c): According to the Wahhabi imams whowrote this textbook, it isn't enough to simply worship God or just to loveother believers; it is important to hate unbelievers, too. By the sametoken, (b) is wrong as well: Even a man who worships God cannot be said tohave "true belief" if he also loves unbelievers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102357.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Irreverent Reverends
John McCain's pastors have gone to ground. It's been a rough year for theRepublican presidential candidate's prominent evangelical supporters. TheRev. John Hagee got in hot water for suggesting that God was behind theHolocaust and that the Roman Catholic Church is a "great whore." The Rev.Rod Parsley had some uncharitable thoughts on Islam being an "anti-Christreligion."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102736.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain commercial blames Obama for high gas prices, cites opposition tooffshore drilling
Republican presidential candidate John McCain is launching
a new television ad that blames Democratic rival Barack Obama for risinggasoline prices. The ad, airing on national cable and in 11 battlegroundstates, argues that the cost of fuel is rising because of opposition to oildrilling in the United States. The announcer in the ad says, "Gas prices -$4, $5, no end in sight, because some in Washington are still saying no todrilling in America. No to independence from foreign oil. Who can you thankfor rising prices at the pump?" A photograph of Obama appears on the stageas a voiceover of a crowd chants: "Obama, Obama, Obama!"
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-mccain-ad,0,3459941.story
-Congressman Wexler: Lieberman has no credibility with South Florida Jewishvoters
U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, said in a news conference today that U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman won't be able to sway South Florida Jewish voters to pick U.S. Sen. John McCain for president.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/07/congressman_wexler_lieberman_h.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Texas, Mexico prepare for Tropical Storm Dolly
Troops were at the ready and residents along the Gulf Coast near theTexas-Mexico border were preparing as Tropical Storm Dolly - expected byforecasters to strengthen into a hurricane this week - headed their way.
http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/613310.html
-Fiddling while the planet burns
The G-8 Summit in Japan earlier this month was a painful demonstration ofthe pitiful state of global cooperation. The world is in deepening crisis.Food prices are soaring. Oil prices are at historic highs. The leadingeconomies are entering a recession. Climate change negotiations are goingaround in circles. Aid to the poorest countries is stagnant, despite yearsof promised increases. And yet in this gathering storm it was hard to find asingle real accomplishment by the world's leaders.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/613019.html
-CUBA: Raúl's psychological dependency on Fidel
What is Raúl Castro doing nowadays? It's important to keep track of him. Everybody, including Cuba's ruling nomenklatura, knows that communism iscondemned to disappear from the island. It is the unfinished chapter of theCold War, and the system, as happened everywhere, will eventually bereplaced by a more rational, humane, pluralistic and efficient way to dothings.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/613013.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 22, 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 GLBT NEWS~~
TOM GREEN
Candidate for Wilton Manors City Commission
You are cordially invited to a reception
Thursday, July 24, 2008
At the home of Rose Hepworth
2007 N. E. 7th Avenue
Wilton Manors - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
RSVP to: 954-288-4206
If you are unable to attend but wish to contribute to Tom Green's Campaign
P.O. Box 23773 - Wilton Manors, FL. 33307
tomgreen08@comcast.net / 954-533-0436
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
- Hurricane warning issued as Dolly heads for Texas, Mexico
McALLEN, Texas - Texas mobilized National Guard troops and residents alongthe Gulf Coast near the Mexican border were buying plywood, flashlights andother supplies as Tropical Storm Dolly -- expected by forecasters tostrengthen into a hurricane this week -- headed their way.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-hurricane-dolly,0,1026107.story
-Gas TV gains popularity as way to ease pain at the pump
In the midst of a cruel summer for America's drivers, there's a diversion:TV at the gas station. The number of televisions atop gas pumps haveskyrocketed since their introduction at a handful of stations in 2006. Now,three privately held companies have placed more than 20,000 screens atthousands of stations from the Massachusetts Pike to Southern California.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-722gastv,0,1235213.story
-AT&T television service challenges Comcast, DirecTV
AT&T turned on television service Monday in South Florida, becoming thefirst big phone company to challenge cable and satellite companies inFlorida since the state last year opened the cable TV industry tocompetition. The telephone giant's U-verse is available in parts of Browardand Miami-Dade counties, where it will compete with Comcast Corp. andsatellite provider DirecTV.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-fl1aattx0722sbjul22,0,6411279.story
=
Is your voter registration up to date?
The registration deadline for the upcoming election in Florida is fastapproaching - is your registration up to date? To cast your vote on August26, you must register to vote by July 28.
http://www.credomobile.com/registertovote/?source=reminder
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Miami Herald recommends For Broward County Circuit Court, Group 21Three well-qualified lawyers are competing to replace Judge Stanton Kaplan,who is retiring. They are: former School Board member Paul D. Eichner andJohn R. Howes and Merrilee Ehrlich.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/613030.html
-In S. Florida, Lieberman seeks votes for McCain
U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman spent two days courting South Florida voters bytouting Republican presidential candidate John McCain's foreign policyrecord. Eight years after sharing a spot on the Democratic presidentialticket, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut returned to Florida tocampaign for the other party and court Jewish and Cuban voters, who willlikely play a big role in the state in November.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/612989.html
-Obama leads money race in Florida
Barack Obama outraised John McCain by a half-million dollars in Florida in June, according to fundraising reports. Democrat Barack Obama outraised Republican John McCain by nearly $500,000 in Florida in June, validating his decision to rebuff limited public campaign financing for the general election. Obama raised about $1.4 million in the state, while McCain collected about $900,000, according to monthly fundraising reports due Sunday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/612987.html
=
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Unprivatizing Medicare
By overriding President Bush's veto of a Medicare bill, Republicans did morefor the program in one day last week than they have during Mr. Bush's timein office. The key issue was simple: Would Congress cut payments to doctorswho treat Medicare patients or payments to private insurance companies thatcover Medicare patients? Since Republicans have tried since 2003 - and theoverpriced, oversubsidized prescription-drug plan - to privatize Medicare,most GOP lawmakers first wanted to penalize the doctors. But a July Fourthweekend of ads by the American Medical Association and hostile reaction fromconstituents shifted the debate. The House and Senate passed the bill bywide enough margins that the veto didn't matter.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/22/a10a_medicare_edit_0722.html
-Loss of U.S. Sugar big Glades concern
If U.S. Sugar Corp. isn't replaced with something equally viable, the townsand rural counties around Lake Okeechobee could be thrust into a 1930s-styleeconomic depression, a Glades County commissioner said Monday. Butch Jones,also a U.S. Sugar railroad engineer who chairs Florida's Heartland RuralEconomic Development Initiative Inc. and Florida's Freshwater Frontier Inc.,made his remarks Monday before an overflow crowd of more than 400 people inClewiston's John Boy Auditorium. Attendees wanted answers about how a $1.75billion state deal to buy out U.S. Sugar for Everglades restoration wouldaffect their communities.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2008/07/21/a8b_sugartowns_0722.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida deal may sound death knell for Big Sugar
A $1.75 billion land purchase deal Gov. Charlie Crist announced last monthto save the Florida Everglades could also mark the beginning of the end forthe state's powerful sugar barons. Florida would buy U.S. Sugar Corp, oneof the largest privately held U.S. agricultural firms, and use a chunk ofits 187,000 acres in the northern Everglades to restore the endangeredwildlife habitat, Crist said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2147112120080722?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews
-Crist tours solar farm in sunny Spain
Globetrotting Gov. Charlie Crist continues his trade mission in Europe todaywith an electrifying stop in sunny Spain. According to his schedule, Cristleaves his Madrid hotel for an afternoon stop at Renovalia Energy's"photovoltaic farm." Crist has pushed for renewable energy and strict capson greenhouse gases and promoted green links at an earlier stop in England. In another stop earlier this week in St. Petersburg, Russia, Crist promotedFlorida citrus. According to state figures, the trade imbalance needsimprovement. Russia sent $834 million worth of products to Florida last yearbut Florida reciprocated with just $152 million. Some 20 Russian fruitimporters are expected to attend a trade show in Orlando in October.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=5a7ac6f4ef954e89af555631b0a3fc79&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a5a7ac6f4ef954e89af555631b0a3fc79Post%3acf18e680-1224-49bd-bf94-d9d4a622d2b1&sid=sitelife.tallahassee.com
-Permit requires boaters to hold 'gray' water
Careful swabbing the deck. Better not let any soapy suds spill overboard. Itcould soon be a violation of the Clean Water Act. By Sept. 30, mostrecreational boats less than 79 feet in length are due to fall under a newfederal permit that forces captains to keep better tabs of their suds, dripsand spills.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS01/807220332&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
TOM GREEN
Candidate for Wilton Manors City Commission
You are cordially invited to a reception
Thursday, July 24, 2008
At the home of Rose Hepworth
2007 N. E. 7th Avenue
Wilton Manors - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
RSVP to: 954-288-4206
If you are unable to attend but wish to contribute to Tom Green's Campaign
P.O. Box 23773 - Wilton Manors, FL. 33307
tomgreen08@comcast.net / 954-533-0436
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
- Hurricane warning issued as Dolly heads for Texas, Mexico
McALLEN, Texas - Texas mobilized National Guard troops and residents alongthe Gulf Coast near the Mexican border were buying plywood, flashlights andother supplies as Tropical Storm Dolly -- expected by forecasters tostrengthen into a hurricane this week -- headed their way.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-hurricane-dolly,0,1026107.story
-Gas TV gains popularity as way to ease pain at the pump
In the midst of a cruel summer for America's drivers, there's a diversion:TV at the gas station. The number of televisions atop gas pumps haveskyrocketed since their introduction at a handful of stations in 2006. Now,three privately held companies have placed more than 20,000 screens atthousands of stations from the Massachusetts Pike to Southern California.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-722gastv,0,1235213.story
-AT&T television service challenges Comcast, DirecTV
AT&T turned on television service Monday in South Florida, becoming thefirst big phone company to challenge cable and satellite companies inFlorida since the state last year opened the cable TV industry tocompetition. The telephone giant's U-verse is available in parts of Browardand Miami-Dade counties, where it will compete with Comcast Corp. andsatellite provider DirecTV.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-fl1aattx0722sbjul22,0,6411279.story
=
Is your voter registration up to date?
The registration deadline for the upcoming election in Florida is fastapproaching - is your registration up to date? To cast your vote on August26, you must register to vote by July 28.
http://www.credomobile.com/registertovote/?source=reminder
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Miami Herald recommends For Broward County Circuit Court, Group 21Three well-qualified lawyers are competing to replace Judge Stanton Kaplan,who is retiring. They are: former School Board member Paul D. Eichner andJohn R. Howes and Merrilee Ehrlich.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/613030.html
-In S. Florida, Lieberman seeks votes for McCain
U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman spent two days courting South Florida voters bytouting Republican presidential candidate John McCain's foreign policyrecord. Eight years after sharing a spot on the Democratic presidentialticket, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut returned to Florida tocampaign for the other party and court Jewish and Cuban voters, who willlikely play a big role in the state in November.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/612989.html
-Obama leads money race in Florida
Barack Obama outraised John McCain by a half-million dollars in Florida in June, according to fundraising reports. Democrat Barack Obama outraised Republican John McCain by nearly $500,000 in Florida in June, validating his decision to rebuff limited public campaign financing for the general election. Obama raised about $1.4 million in the state, while McCain collected about $900,000, according to monthly fundraising reports due Sunday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/612987.html
=
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Unprivatizing Medicare
By overriding President Bush's veto of a Medicare bill, Republicans did morefor the program in one day last week than they have during Mr. Bush's timein office. The key issue was simple: Would Congress cut payments to doctorswho treat Medicare patients or payments to private insurance companies thatcover Medicare patients? Since Republicans have tried since 2003 - and theoverpriced, oversubsidized prescription-drug plan - to privatize Medicare,most GOP lawmakers first wanted to penalize the doctors. But a July Fourthweekend of ads by the American Medical Association and hostile reaction fromconstituents shifted the debate. The House and Senate passed the bill bywide enough margins that the veto didn't matter.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/22/a10a_medicare_edit_0722.html
-Loss of U.S. Sugar big Glades concern
If U.S. Sugar Corp. isn't replaced with something equally viable, the townsand rural counties around Lake Okeechobee could be thrust into a 1930s-styleeconomic depression, a Glades County commissioner said Monday. Butch Jones,also a U.S. Sugar railroad engineer who chairs Florida's Heartland RuralEconomic Development Initiative Inc. and Florida's Freshwater Frontier Inc.,made his remarks Monday before an overflow crowd of more than 400 people inClewiston's John Boy Auditorium. Attendees wanted answers about how a $1.75billion state deal to buy out U.S. Sugar for Everglades restoration wouldaffect their communities.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2008/07/21/a8b_sugartowns_0722.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida deal may sound death knell for Big Sugar
A $1.75 billion land purchase deal Gov. Charlie Crist announced last monthto save the Florida Everglades could also mark the beginning of the end forthe state's powerful sugar barons. Florida would buy U.S. Sugar Corp, oneof the largest privately held U.S. agricultural firms, and use a chunk ofits 187,000 acres in the northern Everglades to restore the endangeredwildlife habitat, Crist said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2147112120080722?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews
-Crist tours solar farm in sunny Spain
Globetrotting Gov. Charlie Crist continues his trade mission in Europe todaywith an electrifying stop in sunny Spain. According to his schedule, Cristleaves his Madrid hotel for an afternoon stop at Renovalia Energy's"photovoltaic farm." Crist has pushed for renewable energy and strict capson greenhouse gases and promoted green links at an earlier stop in England. In another stop earlier this week in St. Petersburg, Russia, Crist promotedFlorida citrus. According to state figures, the trade imbalance needsimprovement. Russia sent $834 million worth of products to Florida last yearbut Florida reciprocated with just $152 million. Some 20 Russian fruitimporters are expected to attend a trade show in Orlando in October.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=5a7ac6f4ef954e89af555631b0a3fc79&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a5a7ac6f4ef954e89af555631b0a3fc79Post%3acf18e680-1224-49bd-bf94-d9d4a622d2b1&sid=sitelife.tallahassee.com
-Permit requires boaters to hold 'gray' water
Careful swabbing the deck. Better not let any soapy suds spill overboard. Itcould soon be a violation of the Clean Water Act. By Sept. 30, mostrecreational boats less than 79 feet in length are due to fall under a newfederal permit that forces captains to keep better tabs of their suds, dripsand spills.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS01/807220332&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Monday, July 21, 2008
GLBT DIGEST - July 21, 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gay Guide Site Adds Features
GayCities.com, an online guide for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendertravelers, was upgraded last month with more user-friendly and socialnetworking features. New options include Become a Fan, which lets membersshare recommendations about restaurants, clubs, hotels and cities ingeneral. Users can also upload photos and share tips on public forums.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/travel/20COMgay.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin
-Anglican Bishops Meet in Canterbury
CANTERBURY, England - As he passed through the heavy wooden doors of thiscity's ancient cathedral behind a procession of 650 other Anglican bishopsand archbishops on Sunday, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, the archbishop ofCanterbury, appeared taut and ill at ease. It was as if keeping a churchwith an estimated 80 million followers around the world from breaking apartover the issue of gay priests and bishops was proving almost too heavy aburden.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/world/europe/21anglican.html?scp=7&sq=gay&st=cse
-Anglicans Face 'Severe Challenge'
Archbishop Urges Work on Issue of Homosexuality
CANTERBURY, England, July 20 -- The head of the Anglican Communion saidSunday that the global fellowship faces "one of the most severe challenges"in its history, and he urged bishops at their once-a-decade LambethConference to do the hard work of finding solutions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001708.html?hpid=sec-religion
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Photo gallery | Johnny Diaz reads from 'Miami Manhunt' at Borders in FortLauderdale
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/photo-gallery-j.html
-Census won't recognize gay marriages in 2010 count
Same-sex marriage is legal in two states, but not a single one will show upin the 2010 census. The Census Bureau says the federal Defense of MarriageAct bars the agency from recognizing gay marriages in the nation's 10-yearcount, even though the marriages are legal in Massachusetts and California.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/census-wont-rec.html
-Slim majority in poll rejects California gay-marriage ban
A slight majority of California voters oppose a measure on the Nov. 4 ballotthat would impose a constitutional ban on gay marriage, according to thefirst Field Poll on the measure. The findings are consistent with a Maypoll on the issue before Proposition 8 qualified for the ballot. The issuehas received heightened attention since the state Supreme Court in Maystruck down a law approved by voters in 2000 that banned gay marriages.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/slim-majority-i.html
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Foe Closer To Endorsing McCain
Conservative Christian leader James Dobson has softened his stance againstRepublican presidential hopeful John McCain, saying he could reverse hisposition and endorse the Arizona senator despite serious misgivings.
-Anglican Confab Unlikely To Resolve Differences Over Gays
(Canterbury, England) The leader of the Anglican Communion said Sunday thatthe global fellowship faces "one of the most severe challenges" in itshistory, and he urged bishops at their once-a-decade Lambeth Conference todo the hard work of finding solutions.
-Group Ordains 3 Women Catholic Priests
An activist group hoping to pressure the Roman Catholic church into droppingits long-standing prohibition barring women from the priesthood says itordained three women on Sunday.
-Nurture Vs Nature Heads To Court
The issue over whether homosexuality is the result of nature or nurture islikely to be key in a wrongful dismissal suit brought by a former San JoseCity College professor who claims she was fired for advocating people choseto be gay.
-Opposition Leader Claims Homophobia Used As Political Tool
(Kuala Lumpur) Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has provided analibi to police to prove he did not sodomize a male aide but will not give aDNA sample for fear it could be manipulated to frame him, his lawyer saidFriday.
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-MA: Editorial--"Mass. a leader in equality"
Link: Attlebro Sun Chronicle
Congratulations to the Massachusetts Legislature for taking discrimination off the books and further cementing the state's reputation as a champion of equality. Both the Senate and House this week overwhelmingly voted to repeal a 1913 law that says couples cannot wed in Massachusetts if their unions would be illegal in their home states. Gov. Deval Patrick, who voiced his support for his 18-year-old daughter earlier this year after she announced that she is a lesbian, has said he will sign the repeal.
-CA: "Gay marriage opponents got a surprise boost from San Diego mayor'schange of heart"
Link: Los Angeles Times
The campaign against same-sex marriage in California was treading wateruntil it got help from an unexpected corner: a Republican mayor choking upand announcing he would not betray his gay daughter. San Diego Mayor JerrySanders had promised to oppose same-sex marriage. Then, last fall, hoursbefore he was supposed to veto a City Council motion supporting gaymarriage, he called a press conference at which he broke into tears.
-MI: Opinion -- "Exclusion looks even dumber now"
Link: Detroit Free Press
As far as I can tell, no reputable pollster has taken our state's temperature on gay marriage since 2004, when Michigan voters overwhelmingly opted to outlaw it. But I've a hunch that at least a few thousand of thosewho voted to ban same-sex unions just four years ago would happily pony up for a mass wedding ceremony at Comerica Park if enough creditworthy gay couples could be found to purchase all their houses today. Tread water long enough and you're bound to become a little less particular about who tosses you a lifeline. God may not have created Adam and Steve, but if that happy couple opened a factory in southeast Michigan, I know a whole lot of straight guys who'd be willing to work in it.
-"Missouri Governor Signs Bill Granting Same-Sex Partners Right to HandleEnd-of-Life Decisions"
Link: The Vital Voice
Gov. Matt Blunt has signed into law a bill that grants same-sex partners theright of sepulchre, which is the right to choose and control the burial,cremation or other final disposition of a dead human body, according to theofficial Web site of PROMO. Usually when a person dies the control of theirremains automatically goes to their spouse, but because same-sex unions arenot legally recognized in Missouri, those rights were not automaticallyextended to same-sex couples prior to this legislation.
-PFAW: "Census Bureau's Own Research Staff Demonstrated That Airbrushing Out
Same-Sex Marriages Distorts Data"
Link: People For the American Way
Petition urges reversal of policy to falsify Census data:
The Census Bureau reported this week that in completing the 2010 Census, itwill 'edit' the data from same-sex couples who accurately report that theyare legally married, and that it will instead re-classify them as "unmarriedpartners," the same procedure used by the Bureau during the 2000 census,when no states yet recognized same-sex couples as legally married. That kindof "editing" undermines the Bureau's mission to provide accurate and highquality data about the U.S. population, and according to a paper on theBureau's own website, creates a distorted picture of same-sex households.
-"Gavin Newsom At Netroots Nation:
On Gay Marriage, Running For Governor (VIDEO)"
Link: Huffington Post
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom arrived in Austin, Texas, onSaturday to address the Netroots Nation conference. Newsom, who launched anexploratory bid for governor earlier this month, has "built a nationalreputation pushing cutting-edge -- and controversial -- policies on same-sexmarriage, healthcare and other issues." We talked with Newsom about gaymarriage.
-"Vatican orders Cardinal Newman to be parted from priest friend in sharedgrave"
It was Cardinal Newman's dying wish that he be buried with hisclosest friend in the grounds of the house they had shared as priests. Butnow, nearly 120 years after his death, Britain's most famous convert toRoman Catholicism is to be reinterred in a sarcophagus in preparation forhis becoming a saint, leaving the remains of his friend behind.
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Church 'wounded' over gay boycott
Bishops attending the Lambeth Conference have heard how the row over gayclergy has left the Anglican church a "wounded community". About 210bishops - a quarter of those invited - have boycotted the event, followingthe consecration of the gay bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7515878.stm
-Local Anglicans face crossroads over gay clergy, teachings
Conference comes as some struggle with which path to follow
For years, worshippers at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Livonia patientlyput up with their diocese as it adopted a series of liberal changes thatclashed with biblical tradition. But the breaking point came in 2003, whenthe Episcopal Church -- with the approval of the local diocese --consecrated an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/NEWS05/807210316
-Mud-Slinging Comic Book Stirs Up Scandal
Oklahoma County Official Creates Comic Featuring Gays in Togas, SatanPolitical candidates looking for an edge have employed all types ofcutthroat tactics to sully their opponents, from TV ads depicting nuclearwar and paroled murderer-rapists to flyers alleging interracialrelationships and criminal fraud.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=5403426&page=1
-Link: Anti-Gay Comic Book - Political for Oklahoma County Commissioner
http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/rinehartcartoon.pdf
-Mass. Governor: let out-of-state gays marry
Repeal of a 95-year-old law only hurdle in allowing out-of-state gays tomarry legally
Gay couples from Connecticut and other states are one step closer to aMassachusetts wedding. The Massachusetts Senate voted Tuesday to repeal a1913 law used to bar out-of-state gay couples from marrying here.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-17/news/national/4873.cfm
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-N.C. Bullying Bill Dies Over Gay Controversy
Proposed North Carolina legislation that would protect schoolchildren fromantigay bullying has died for this year, The [Raleigh] News & Observerreported Friday. "The failure of this bill to pass.sends a bad message,"state senator Doug Berger told the Observer. The senate sent the bill backto committee Thursday, and it will not come to a vote during thislegislative session, Berger said.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57909.asp
-Prospective Haitian Prime Minister Rumored to Be Lesbian
Haitian legislators gave preliminary approval Thursday for an educator to benominated as the country's second female prime minister. The Chamber ofDeputies voted 61 to 1 in favor of Michele Pierre-Louis, with 37 members notvoting. If her qualifications are approved by the Senate, she will then facefinal votes in both houses.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57961.asp
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Young, Gay And Murdered
Kids are coming out younger, but are schools ready to handle the complexissues of identity and sexuality? For Larry King, the question had tragicimplications. At 15, Lawrence King was small-5 feet 1 inch-but very hard tomiss. In January, he started to show up for class at Oxnard, Calif.'s E. O.Green Junior High School decked out in women's accessories. On some days, hewould slick up his curly hair in a Prince-like bouffant. Sometimes he'dpaint his fingernails hot pink and dab glitter or white foundation on hischeeks. "He wore makeup better than I did," says Marissa Moreno, 13, one ofhis classmates. He bought a pair of stilettos at Target, and he couldn'thave been prouder if he had on a varsity football jersey. He thought nothingof chasing the boys around the school in them, teetering as he ran.
-Housing Development Bars Gay Couples
The tidy palm lined streets and affordable homes of the Rybolt Reservesubdivision in suburban Orlando have become popular with middle classhomebuyers and speculators but if you are a gay or unmarried opposite-sexcouple the Homeowners Association has a message - don't bother to try torent here according to some property owners. Several owners say they havebeen told by the Association they cannot rent their properties in the EastOrange County subdivision to couples who are not legally married or tosame-sex pairs.
-Anti-Gay Slurs Sprayed on Three Wilton Manors Homes
Vandals scrawled anti-gay slurs on three Wilton Manors homes early Friday,an incident police are investigating as a hate crime. Someone wrote theslurs on three adjacent homes in the 2800 block of Northeast Seventh Avenue,an area with a large gay population. Five cars were also defaced with blackspray paint.
-S.C. Father Chases Gay Son From Home
Violence broke out Sunday in Anderson when an 18-year-old man returned homefrom a gay pride parade and was assaulted by his father. According to theAnderson County Sheriff's Office, the battering took place about 1 p.m.Sunday on P Street. During the assault, the teen's 49-year-old fatheryelled, cursed, swung a baseball bat, prayed and tried to "cast the demon ofhomosexuality out of him," according to the teen's version of events toDeputy S.C. Weymouth, the incident report states.
-Isaiah Washington Supports Gay Marriage
We reported a couple days ago that out sports and entertainment publicistHoward Bragman got married in Los Angeles, and that his request to friendsand family was that they donate to Equality California to stop theanti-marriage amendment there on the ballot in November. Well, we've heardthat people are ponying up in Bragman's and his partner's name, and chiefamong them is Isaiah Washington (who got axed from Grey's Anatomy fordropping the gay F-bomb), a client of Bragman. Bragman confirmed thedonation this morning.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-UK: Religious people not as homophobic as leaders think reports Stonewall
A Stonewall survey has found that religious leaders do not adequatelyrepresent their followers views on homosexuality.
-Stop aid to homophobic countries says Tatchell
Peter Tatchell has called for all international aid to be stopped if it isgoing to a country with a homophobic agenda.
-75% of Americans want to allow gays in the military
A new survey by the Washington Post and ABC News has found thatthree-quarters of Americans think that openly gay, lesbian and bisexualpeople should be allowed to serve in the military.
-Bill Clinton confirms he will campaign for Obama
Former US President Bill Clinton publicly acknowledged yesterday that he iseager and ready to campaign for Barack Obama.
-Fans mourn as lesbian singer Katie Reider dies aged 30
Cincinnati-born singer-songwriter Katie Reider, an out lesbian active in theLGBT community, has died from complications resulting from a two year battlewith a rare facial tumour. -Jesse Jackson's second apology in a week overObama commentsCivil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson spewed the N wordduring a break at a television interview in which he widely criticisedDemocratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Iranian Government Detains Prominent AIDS Doctors
Net News Publisher
Two prominent Iranian physicians have been detained by the Iraniangovernment for unknown reasons. Brothers Kamiar Alaei and Arash Alaei -internationally recognized for their revolutionary work in how drug addictsand HIV/AIDS-infected people are treated in Iran - were taken to anundisclosed location by the authorities in late June. In an interview withRFE/RL's Radio Farda, the mother of the two men, who did not want her nameused, said they are entirely innocent of any wrongdoing. "They were not[involved] in politics. They worked in the field of AIDS and drug addiction," she said. "They have appeared on Iranian state television manytimes to talk about these issues.. They have been involved only inscientific work and research." She said she has no information on theirwhereabouts.
-Kamiar and Arash Alaei - Iranian of the Day
Two physician brothers, who have been recognized internationally for theirwork in the development of HIV/AIDS programs and services in Iran, are beingheld in prison by the Iranian government. According to reports received fromTeheran, Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei (seen here in a radio interview) weretaken to an undisclosed location sometime in late June. The reason for theirdetention is unknown. Ladan Alomar, Executive Director of Centro Civico ofAmsterdam, NY, a community based organization that provides HIV/AIDSservices to the Latino community, received a phone call from a person closeto the Alaei brothers and was informed of the situation. The family andfriends of Kamiar and Arash in Iran do not know where and under what chargesthe brothers are being held. The authorities in Teheran have provided noinformation about their whereabouts.
-Would Mass. Gay Marriage Move Spark Wedding Rush?
By JENNIFER PELTZ | Associated Press Writer | Newsday
NEW YORK - Thousands of gay couples from New York and other Northeasternstates are expected to marry in Massachusetts if the state follows throughon a move toward letting them wed.But many others don't see any need to packtheir bags and rush to the altar. They believe the expected change inMassachusetts will fuel momentum for legalizing gay unions in their ownstates. Both advocates and critics see the move as knocking down anotherimportant barrier for gay couples, emboldening efforts elsewhere to allowgay marriage. For same-sex marriage supporters, "it's certainly a step inthe right direction. It does show how society is evolving," said RickTrombley, a gay activist and former Democratic state senator in NewHampshire. Massachusetts is becoming the latest proving ground in theenduring fight over same-sex marriage _ a conflict that is changing shape asvarious laws for gay relationships emerge in different states.
-Conservatives Protest Obama's AIDS Bill
By Cliff Kincaid | NewsWithViews.com
In another sign of the leftward drift of the national Republican Party, only24 Republican senators voted on Tuesday for an amendment to the global AIDSbill to prohibit AIDS funds from being used to pay for forced abortions andsterilizations in Communist China. The $50 billion legislation, which isstill being debated on the Senate floor, has the support of Senator andpresidential candidate Barack Obama, as well as organizations associatedwith his financial backer, billionaire leftist George Soros. There is astrong possibility that Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republicanpresidential candidate and original sponsor of the legislation, could alsovote for it. But that may depend on the ultimate form the bill takes on theSenate floor and whether conservatives can put enough pressure on him toreject it.In a provision that has ramifications for the immigration debate,the bill would allow AIDS-infected aliens into the U.S., despite the obvioushealth dangers. Only $15 billion had originally been proposed in the bill,known as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Democratsadded the extra money, bringing it up to $50 billion, and President Bush,apparently determined to leave a "legacy" of massive increases in foreignaid spending, decided to go along with the Democrats and now favors itspassage.
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-"No US aid for anti-gay regimes"
Tatchell joins San Diego hotel boycott picket
San Diego - USA - 21 July 2008
"We must urge the US State Department to make foreign aid and tradeconditional on the recipient countries agreeing to respect human rights,including the human rights of LGBT people. Tyrannies should not be rewarded:No US aid for anti-gay regimes," said LGBT human rights campaigner PeterTatchell. His appeal was delivered at the San Diego Pride Human RightsVigil on Friday evening 18 July, where he was the keynote speaker. MrTatchell was particularly critical of US aid to "viciously homophobiccountries like Jamaica, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, Iraq and Nigeria."Mr Tatchell was International Grand Marshal at this year's San DiegoPridecelebrations.
http://wockner.blogspot.com/2008/07/hyatt-boycott-launched.html
-Ahmet Yildiz: first gay victim of honor killing in Turkey? By Therion
The UK Independent reports that Ahmet Yildiz, an openly gay 26 year oldphysics student was shot as he left a cafe near the Bosphorus Strait thisweek. He tried to flee from the attackers in his car, but lost control ofthe vehicle and crashed. Yildiz died shortly afterwards in hospital. Yildiz' friends and associates believe he was the victim of so-called honorkilling. Turkish sociologist, Mazhar Bagli, has done extensive researchinvolving people who have been convicted for honor killings. Bagli haslittle doubt that Yildiz' death could indeed fall into the honor killingcategory: "Honour killings cleanse illicit relationships. For women, thatis a broad term. Men are allowed more sexual freedom, but homosexuality isstill seen by some as beyond the pale."
http://aidanmaconachyblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/ahmet-yildiz-first-gay-victim-of-honor.html
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Call for Action: An Iranian gay couple in India need your support
We are contacting you to request your assistance on a very urgent caseinvolving 2 gay Iranians, Ali and Mohammad. It is no secret that queerIranians who flee to other countries continue to face risks due tohomophobia and laws calling for punishment of homosexuals. This oftenresults in depression and post traumatic stress symptoms. Ali and Mohammad,a gay Iranian couple, fled to India. Although they have each beenofficially recognized as refugees by United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR), the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi has still not acted tofacilitate their resettlement in Canada. It has been one whole year sincethe Canadian Embassy began processing their cases! In India, Ali andMohammad are illegal queer refugees. They have no authorization to work.Furthermore, they are at risk because India's penal code includes punishmentfor homosexual activity.
http://www.irqo.net/IRQO/English/pages/147.htm
-Transgender characters from the Bible
Peterson Toscano, an American theatrical performance activist, will tonightpresent a piece on transgender characters un-earthed from the Bible. Aptlynamed Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender In The Bible, the one-man showis about people who do not fit in the gender binary and who, intransgressing and transcending gender, find themselves at the centre of somethe Bible's most important stories. Drawing inspiration from one-on-oneinterviews with transgender and gender-queer individuals, Mr Toscano weavestheir experiences with the stories and lives of transgender people right onthe pages of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Hilarious and deeplymoving, he deepens well-known, and lesser-known, Bible stories as hepresents an array of characters with an array of genders.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080719/local/transgender-characters-from-the-bible
-Czech minister wants homosexuals to adopt their partner's kids
Prague- Czech Minister for human rights and ethnic minorities DzamilaStehlikova (Greens, SZ) would allow homosexuals to adopt children of theirpartners, she told reporters today. Czech experts are studying theinfluence of gay and lesbian parents on children. The studies should becompleted in early 2009 and then Stehlikova wants to present them to thepublic. Similar studies carried out abroad have not proved any negativeimpact in connection with the sexual orientation of parents, Stehlikovasaid.
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=323710
-TURKEY'S SLIPPERIEST MEN
A Thousand Wrestlers and Two Tons of Olive Oil
Every summer for the last 650 years, Turkish men have gathered to see whowas the strongest, fastest and slickest of them all. It's called Kirkpinar,and it's the biggest oil-wrestling competition in the world. Thewell-muscled men face off in the middle of a grassy field, as a crowd ofthousands looks on eagerly. Slowly, methodically, they cover their chestsand legs with olive oil -- first with the right hand, then with the left.Then they take turns oiling one anothers' backs. Then the fun begins:Turkey's annual Kirkpinar festival, the highlight of the Turkish sportingcalendar, is a three-day orgy of oil wrestling. Known as "yagli gures"(pronounced "yaw-luh gresh"), the slippery sport is considered by some to bethe Turkish national game.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,565780,00.html
-Photo Gallery: Turkish Oil Wrestling
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/0,,33337,00.html
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Spiegel Online
The Annual Phallus Festival in Greece
Each year on the first Monday of Lent, the people of the tiny Greek town ofTyrnavos go crazy about penises, singing lewd songs and urging passersby tokiss their model phallusses. The pagan fertility festival is one of the mostfamous parties in Greece.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,553070,00.html
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-3/4 Support Gays in Military Whether They "Tell" or Don't
On the 15th anniversary of "don't ask, don't tell," three-quarters ofAmericans support allowing gays to serve in their military, whether they"tell" or not - much broader support than existed when the compromisepolicy was put in place. Military service by gays is backed by largemajorities across most groups, including, perhaps surprisingly,Republicans, conservatives and evangelicals. There's one exception -service by gays who've gone public slips to 50 percent among militaryveterans. All told, 78 percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll sayhomosexuals who don't reveal their sexual orientation should be allowedto serve. Moreover, in a rejection of the current policy, about asmany, 75 percent, also favor service by homosexuals who do disclose theirorientation. See the new ABC News/ Washington Post poll here:
http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/Politics/story? id=5387980&page=
-Toughening of Sex Law Is Rejected by Court
A New Jersey appellate court panel dealt a blow on Tuesday to scores ofmunicipalities in the state that had sought to toughen Megan's Law in recentyears by restricting where sex offenders could live. The panel said thatsuch local ordinances conflicted with the state's landmark law. More than100 townships and boroughs have enacted their own laws with the intention ofprotecting children from registered sex offenders. The Cherry Hill andGalloway ordinances, which the judges specifically rejected, are typical,preventing an adult offender from living within 2,500 feet of any school,park, playground or day care center. Writing for the three-judge panel,Judge Joseph F. Lisa of the Appellate Division of State Superior Court citedthe "far-reaching scope" of Megan's Law, with its "multilayered enforcementand monitoring mechanisms," and added that the ordinances "conflict" withthe intent of the Legislature in enacting it.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/f/lisa_w_foderaro/index.html?inline=nyt-per
-Obama campaign is unclear on gays and faith-based funds
Zanesville, Ohio--Faith-based social services have a mixed record when itcomes to meeting the needs of LGBT adults and youth. Groups that servepeople with HIV and AIDS are pleased that government money and services canflow through faith-based organizations, in addition to more traditionalroutes. But people concerned with civil rights have a different view. Mostnotably, they see that faith-based service providers have discriminated bysexual orientation and gender identity, both in service and employment. Thishas increased under the Bush administration. On July 1 in Zanesville,likely Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama announced his intent toexpand faith-based services. Most observers see the proposal as a politicalmaneuver to gain support from religious conservatives.
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Detroit News
http://detnews.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-July 18, 2008
Exclusion looks even dumber now
As far as I can tell, no reputable pollster has taken our state'stemperature on gay marriage since 2004, when Michigan voters overwhelminglyopted to outlaw it. But I've a hunch that at least a few thousand of thosewho voted to ban same-sex unions just four years ago would happily pony upfor a mass wedding ceremony at Comerica Park if enough creditworthy gaycouples could be found to purchase all their houses today. Tread water longenough and you're bound to become a little less particular about who tossesyou a lifeline. God may not have created Adam and Steve,but if that happycouple opened a factory in southeast Michigan, I know a whole lot ofstraight guys who'd be willing to work in it.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/COL04/807180331/1081/COL
-Couple tries to discourage anti-gay Web bias
by Deb Price
Like many other couples wanting to adopt, Rosario Grennaro and AlexanderGardner eventually found themselves wanting to tap the geography-defyingpower of the Internet. "We wanted to raise children. And we thought wecould provide a loving home to a child that didn't have one," says Grennaro,an IBM computer researcher. "We heard about people using the Internet. Andit seemed very cost-effective because you reach everybody," he adds. But asthe couple researched Web sites that help birth mothers find lovingpermanent homes for their babies, they were disturbed to learn that thepopular ParentProfiles.com only allows "one male husband and one femalewife" couples to use its Internet-based adoption matching service.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/OPINION03/807210311/1031
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TruthWinsOut.Org
-TWO Vows To Protest Radio Hall of Fame Awards Dinner After
James Dobson Is Voted In
by Wayne Besen
Extremism Won Out With Demagogue to Be Honored, Says TWO
NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out (TWO) assailed The Museum of BroadcastCommunications today for announcing they would induct right wing extremistJames Dobson into its Radio Hall of Fame. TWO vowed to protest the annualawards dinner, the second Saturday in November, to inform the world ofDobson's shameful and bigoted record. "It is an affront for the Radio Hallof Fame to honor James Dobson, a right wing demagogue, who built his radioempire on the backs of gay and lesbian people," said Wayne Besen, ExecutiveDirector of Truth Wins Out. "We vow to stand up and protest this outrageousinsult and let the world know that Dobson is a dishonest, hatemongeringideologue." Dobson told The Daily Oklahoman on Oct. 23, 2004, "Homosexualsare not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. Itwill destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth." In the past two years,at least seven researchers have accused Dobson of manipulating or cherrypicking their results to back his anti-gay teachings. Letters and videosdocumenting the concerns of these respected professors can be viewed atTruthWinsOut.org and RespectMyResearch.org.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/two-vows-to-protest-radio-hall-of-fame-awards-dinner-after-james-dobson-is-voted-in/
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gay Guide Site Adds Features
GayCities.com, an online guide for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendertravelers, was upgraded last month with more user-friendly and socialnetworking features. New options include Become a Fan, which lets membersshare recommendations about restaurants, clubs, hotels and cities ingeneral. Users can also upload photos and share tips on public forums.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/travel/20COMgay.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin
-Anglican Bishops Meet in Canterbury
CANTERBURY, England - As he passed through the heavy wooden doors of thiscity's ancient cathedral behind a procession of 650 other Anglican bishopsand archbishops on Sunday, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, the archbishop ofCanterbury, appeared taut and ill at ease. It was as if keeping a churchwith an estimated 80 million followers around the world from breaking apartover the issue of gay priests and bishops was proving almost too heavy aburden.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/world/europe/21anglican.html?scp=7&sq=gay&st=cse
-Anglicans Face 'Severe Challenge'
Archbishop Urges Work on Issue of Homosexuality
CANTERBURY, England, July 20 -- The head of the Anglican Communion saidSunday that the global fellowship faces "one of the most severe challenges"in its history, and he urged bishops at their once-a-decade LambethConference to do the hard work of finding solutions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001708.html?hpid=sec-religion
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Photo gallery | Johnny Diaz reads from 'Miami Manhunt' at Borders in FortLauderdale
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/photo-gallery-j.html
-Census won't recognize gay marriages in 2010 count
Same-sex marriage is legal in two states, but not a single one will show upin the 2010 census. The Census Bureau says the federal Defense of MarriageAct bars the agency from recognizing gay marriages in the nation's 10-yearcount, even though the marriages are legal in Massachusetts and California.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/census-wont-rec.html
-Slim majority in poll rejects California gay-marriage ban
A slight majority of California voters oppose a measure on the Nov. 4 ballotthat would impose a constitutional ban on gay marriage, according to thefirst Field Poll on the measure. The findings are consistent with a Maypoll on the issue before Proposition 8 qualified for the ballot. The issuehas received heightened attention since the state Supreme Court in Maystruck down a law approved by voters in 2000 that banned gay marriages.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/slim-majority-i.html
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Foe Closer To Endorsing McCain
Conservative Christian leader James Dobson has softened his stance againstRepublican presidential hopeful John McCain, saying he could reverse hisposition and endorse the Arizona senator despite serious misgivings.
-Anglican Confab Unlikely To Resolve Differences Over Gays
(Canterbury, England) The leader of the Anglican Communion said Sunday thatthe global fellowship faces "one of the most severe challenges" in itshistory, and he urged bishops at their once-a-decade Lambeth Conference todo the hard work of finding solutions.
-Group Ordains 3 Women Catholic Priests
An activist group hoping to pressure the Roman Catholic church into droppingits long-standing prohibition barring women from the priesthood says itordained three women on Sunday.
-Nurture Vs Nature Heads To Court
The issue over whether homosexuality is the result of nature or nurture islikely to be key in a wrongful dismissal suit brought by a former San JoseCity College professor who claims she was fired for advocating people choseto be gay.
-Opposition Leader Claims Homophobia Used As Political Tool
(Kuala Lumpur) Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has provided analibi to police to prove he did not sodomize a male aide but will not give aDNA sample for fear it could be manipulated to frame him, his lawyer saidFriday.
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-MA: Editorial--"Mass. a leader in equality"
Link: Attlebro Sun Chronicle
Congratulations to the Massachusetts Legislature for taking discrimination off the books and further cementing the state's reputation as a champion of equality. Both the Senate and House this week overwhelmingly voted to repeal a 1913 law that says couples cannot wed in Massachusetts if their unions would be illegal in their home states. Gov. Deval Patrick, who voiced his support for his 18-year-old daughter earlier this year after she announced that she is a lesbian, has said he will sign the repeal.
-CA: "Gay marriage opponents got a surprise boost from San Diego mayor'schange of heart"
Link: Los Angeles Times
The campaign against same-sex marriage in California was treading wateruntil it got help from an unexpected corner: a Republican mayor choking upand announcing he would not betray his gay daughter. San Diego Mayor JerrySanders had promised to oppose same-sex marriage. Then, last fall, hoursbefore he was supposed to veto a City Council motion supporting gaymarriage, he called a press conference at which he broke into tears.
-MI: Opinion -- "Exclusion looks even dumber now"
Link: Detroit Free Press
As far as I can tell, no reputable pollster has taken our state's temperature on gay marriage since 2004, when Michigan voters overwhelmingly opted to outlaw it. But I've a hunch that at least a few thousand of thosewho voted to ban same-sex unions just four years ago would happily pony up for a mass wedding ceremony at Comerica Park if enough creditworthy gay couples could be found to purchase all their houses today. Tread water long enough and you're bound to become a little less particular about who tosses you a lifeline. God may not have created Adam and Steve, but if that happy couple opened a factory in southeast Michigan, I know a whole lot of straight guys who'd be willing to work in it.
-"Missouri Governor Signs Bill Granting Same-Sex Partners Right to HandleEnd-of-Life Decisions"
Link: The Vital Voice
Gov. Matt Blunt has signed into law a bill that grants same-sex partners theright of sepulchre, which is the right to choose and control the burial,cremation or other final disposition of a dead human body, according to theofficial Web site of PROMO. Usually when a person dies the control of theirremains automatically goes to their spouse, but because same-sex unions arenot legally recognized in Missouri, those rights were not automaticallyextended to same-sex couples prior to this legislation.
-PFAW: "Census Bureau's Own Research Staff Demonstrated That Airbrushing Out
Same-Sex Marriages Distorts Data"
Link: People For the American Way
Petition urges reversal of policy to falsify Census data:
The Census Bureau reported this week that in completing the 2010 Census, itwill 'edit' the data from same-sex couples who accurately report that theyare legally married, and that it will instead re-classify them as "unmarriedpartners," the same procedure used by the Bureau during the 2000 census,when no states yet recognized same-sex couples as legally married. That kindof "editing" undermines the Bureau's mission to provide accurate and highquality data about the U.S. population, and according to a paper on theBureau's own website, creates a distorted picture of same-sex households.
-"Gavin Newsom At Netroots Nation:
On Gay Marriage, Running For Governor (VIDEO)"
Link: Huffington Post
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom arrived in Austin, Texas, onSaturday to address the Netroots Nation conference. Newsom, who launched anexploratory bid for governor earlier this month, has "built a nationalreputation pushing cutting-edge -- and controversial -- policies on same-sexmarriage, healthcare and other issues." We talked with Newsom about gaymarriage.
-"Vatican orders Cardinal Newman to be parted from priest friend in sharedgrave"
It was Cardinal Newman's dying wish that he be buried with hisclosest friend in the grounds of the house they had shared as priests. Butnow, nearly 120 years after his death, Britain's most famous convert toRoman Catholicism is to be reinterred in a sarcophagus in preparation forhis becoming a saint, leaving the remains of his friend behind.
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Church 'wounded' over gay boycott
Bishops attending the Lambeth Conference have heard how the row over gayclergy has left the Anglican church a "wounded community". About 210bishops - a quarter of those invited - have boycotted the event, followingthe consecration of the gay bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7515878.stm
-Local Anglicans face crossroads over gay clergy, teachings
Conference comes as some struggle with which path to follow
For years, worshippers at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Livonia patientlyput up with their diocese as it adopted a series of liberal changes thatclashed with biblical tradition. But the breaking point came in 2003, whenthe Episcopal Church -- with the approval of the local diocese --consecrated an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/NEWS05/807210316
-Mud-Slinging Comic Book Stirs Up Scandal
Oklahoma County Official Creates Comic Featuring Gays in Togas, SatanPolitical candidates looking for an edge have employed all types ofcutthroat tactics to sully their opponents, from TV ads depicting nuclearwar and paroled murderer-rapists to flyers alleging interracialrelationships and criminal fraud.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=5403426&page=1
-Link: Anti-Gay Comic Book - Political for Oklahoma County Commissioner
http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/rinehartcartoon.pdf
-Mass. Governor: let out-of-state gays marry
Repeal of a 95-year-old law only hurdle in allowing out-of-state gays tomarry legally
Gay couples from Connecticut and other states are one step closer to aMassachusetts wedding. The Massachusetts Senate voted Tuesday to repeal a1913 law used to bar out-of-state gay couples from marrying here.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-17/news/national/4873.cfm
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-N.C. Bullying Bill Dies Over Gay Controversy
Proposed North Carolina legislation that would protect schoolchildren fromantigay bullying has died for this year, The [Raleigh] News & Observerreported Friday. "The failure of this bill to pass.sends a bad message,"state senator Doug Berger told the Observer. The senate sent the bill backto committee Thursday, and it will not come to a vote during thislegislative session, Berger said.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57909.asp
-Prospective Haitian Prime Minister Rumored to Be Lesbian
Haitian legislators gave preliminary approval Thursday for an educator to benominated as the country's second female prime minister. The Chamber ofDeputies voted 61 to 1 in favor of Michele Pierre-Louis, with 37 members notvoting. If her qualifications are approved by the Senate, she will then facefinal votes in both houses.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57961.asp
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Young, Gay And Murdered
Kids are coming out younger, but are schools ready to handle the complexissues of identity and sexuality? For Larry King, the question had tragicimplications. At 15, Lawrence King was small-5 feet 1 inch-but very hard tomiss. In January, he started to show up for class at Oxnard, Calif.'s E. O.Green Junior High School decked out in women's accessories. On some days, hewould slick up his curly hair in a Prince-like bouffant. Sometimes he'dpaint his fingernails hot pink and dab glitter or white foundation on hischeeks. "He wore makeup better than I did," says Marissa Moreno, 13, one ofhis classmates. He bought a pair of stilettos at Target, and he couldn'thave been prouder if he had on a varsity football jersey. He thought nothingof chasing the boys around the school in them, teetering as he ran.
-Housing Development Bars Gay Couples
The tidy palm lined streets and affordable homes of the Rybolt Reservesubdivision in suburban Orlando have become popular with middle classhomebuyers and speculators but if you are a gay or unmarried opposite-sexcouple the Homeowners Association has a message - don't bother to try torent here according to some property owners. Several owners say they havebeen told by the Association they cannot rent their properties in the EastOrange County subdivision to couples who are not legally married or tosame-sex pairs.
-Anti-Gay Slurs Sprayed on Three Wilton Manors Homes
Vandals scrawled anti-gay slurs on three Wilton Manors homes early Friday,an incident police are investigating as a hate crime. Someone wrote theslurs on three adjacent homes in the 2800 block of Northeast Seventh Avenue,an area with a large gay population. Five cars were also defaced with blackspray paint.
-S.C. Father Chases Gay Son From Home
Violence broke out Sunday in Anderson when an 18-year-old man returned homefrom a gay pride parade and was assaulted by his father. According to theAnderson County Sheriff's Office, the battering took place about 1 p.m.Sunday on P Street. During the assault, the teen's 49-year-old fatheryelled, cursed, swung a baseball bat, prayed and tried to "cast the demon ofhomosexuality out of him," according to the teen's version of events toDeputy S.C. Weymouth, the incident report states.
-Isaiah Washington Supports Gay Marriage
We reported a couple days ago that out sports and entertainment publicistHoward Bragman got married in Los Angeles, and that his request to friendsand family was that they donate to Equality California to stop theanti-marriage amendment there on the ballot in November. Well, we've heardthat people are ponying up in Bragman's and his partner's name, and chiefamong them is Isaiah Washington (who got axed from Grey's Anatomy fordropping the gay F-bomb), a client of Bragman. Bragman confirmed thedonation this morning.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-UK: Religious people not as homophobic as leaders think reports Stonewall
A Stonewall survey has found that religious leaders do not adequatelyrepresent their followers views on homosexuality.
-Stop aid to homophobic countries says Tatchell
Peter Tatchell has called for all international aid to be stopped if it isgoing to a country with a homophobic agenda.
-75% of Americans want to allow gays in the military
A new survey by the Washington Post and ABC News has found thatthree-quarters of Americans think that openly gay, lesbian and bisexualpeople should be allowed to serve in the military.
-Bill Clinton confirms he will campaign for Obama
Former US President Bill Clinton publicly acknowledged yesterday that he iseager and ready to campaign for Barack Obama.
-Fans mourn as lesbian singer Katie Reider dies aged 30
Cincinnati-born singer-songwriter Katie Reider, an out lesbian active in theLGBT community, has died from complications resulting from a two year battlewith a rare facial tumour. -Jesse Jackson's second apology in a week overObama commentsCivil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson spewed the N wordduring a break at a television interview in which he widely criticisedDemocratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Iranian Government Detains Prominent AIDS Doctors
Net News Publisher
Two prominent Iranian physicians have been detained by the Iraniangovernment for unknown reasons. Brothers Kamiar Alaei and Arash Alaei -internationally recognized for their revolutionary work in how drug addictsand HIV/AIDS-infected people are treated in Iran - were taken to anundisclosed location by the authorities in late June. In an interview withRFE/RL's Radio Farda, the mother of the two men, who did not want her nameused, said they are entirely innocent of any wrongdoing. "They were not[involved] in politics. They worked in the field of AIDS and drug addiction," she said. "They have appeared on Iranian state television manytimes to talk about these issues.. They have been involved only inscientific work and research." She said she has no information on theirwhereabouts.
-Kamiar and Arash Alaei - Iranian of the Day
Two physician brothers, who have been recognized internationally for theirwork in the development of HIV/AIDS programs and services in Iran, are beingheld in prison by the Iranian government. According to reports received fromTeheran, Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei (seen here in a radio interview) weretaken to an undisclosed location sometime in late June. The reason for theirdetention is unknown. Ladan Alomar, Executive Director of Centro Civico ofAmsterdam, NY, a community based organization that provides HIV/AIDSservices to the Latino community, received a phone call from a person closeto the Alaei brothers and was informed of the situation. The family andfriends of Kamiar and Arash in Iran do not know where and under what chargesthe brothers are being held. The authorities in Teheran have provided noinformation about their whereabouts.
-Would Mass. Gay Marriage Move Spark Wedding Rush?
By JENNIFER PELTZ | Associated Press Writer | Newsday
NEW YORK - Thousands of gay couples from New York and other Northeasternstates are expected to marry in Massachusetts if the state follows throughon a move toward letting them wed.But many others don't see any need to packtheir bags and rush to the altar. They believe the expected change inMassachusetts will fuel momentum for legalizing gay unions in their ownstates. Both advocates and critics see the move as knocking down anotherimportant barrier for gay couples, emboldening efforts elsewhere to allowgay marriage. For same-sex marriage supporters, "it's certainly a step inthe right direction. It does show how society is evolving," said RickTrombley, a gay activist and former Democratic state senator in NewHampshire. Massachusetts is becoming the latest proving ground in theenduring fight over same-sex marriage _ a conflict that is changing shape asvarious laws for gay relationships emerge in different states.
-Conservatives Protest Obama's AIDS Bill
By Cliff Kincaid | NewsWithViews.com
In another sign of the leftward drift of the national Republican Party, only24 Republican senators voted on Tuesday for an amendment to the global AIDSbill to prohibit AIDS funds from being used to pay for forced abortions andsterilizations in Communist China. The $50 billion legislation, which isstill being debated on the Senate floor, has the support of Senator andpresidential candidate Barack Obama, as well as organizations associatedwith his financial backer, billionaire leftist George Soros. There is astrong possibility that Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republicanpresidential candidate and original sponsor of the legislation, could alsovote for it. But that may depend on the ultimate form the bill takes on theSenate floor and whether conservatives can put enough pressure on him toreject it.In a provision that has ramifications for the immigration debate,the bill would allow AIDS-infected aliens into the U.S., despite the obvioushealth dangers. Only $15 billion had originally been proposed in the bill,known as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Democratsadded the extra money, bringing it up to $50 billion, and President Bush,apparently determined to leave a "legacy" of massive increases in foreignaid spending, decided to go along with the Democrats and now favors itspassage.
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-"No US aid for anti-gay regimes"
Tatchell joins San Diego hotel boycott picket
San Diego - USA - 21 July 2008
"We must urge the US State Department to make foreign aid and tradeconditional on the recipient countries agreeing to respect human rights,including the human rights of LGBT people. Tyrannies should not be rewarded:No US aid for anti-gay regimes," said LGBT human rights campaigner PeterTatchell. His appeal was delivered at the San Diego Pride Human RightsVigil on Friday evening 18 July, where he was the keynote speaker. MrTatchell was particularly critical of US aid to "viciously homophobiccountries like Jamaica, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, Iraq and Nigeria."Mr Tatchell was International Grand Marshal at this year's San DiegoPridecelebrations.
http://wockner.blogspot.com/2008/07/hyatt-boycott-launched.html
-Ahmet Yildiz: first gay victim of honor killing in Turkey? By Therion
The UK Independent reports that Ahmet Yildiz, an openly gay 26 year oldphysics student was shot as he left a cafe near the Bosphorus Strait thisweek. He tried to flee from the attackers in his car, but lost control ofthe vehicle and crashed. Yildiz died shortly afterwards in hospital. Yildiz' friends and associates believe he was the victim of so-called honorkilling. Turkish sociologist, Mazhar Bagli, has done extensive researchinvolving people who have been convicted for honor killings. Bagli haslittle doubt that Yildiz' death could indeed fall into the honor killingcategory: "Honour killings cleanse illicit relationships. For women, thatis a broad term. Men are allowed more sexual freedom, but homosexuality isstill seen by some as beyond the pale."
http://aidanmaconachyblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/ahmet-yildiz-first-gay-victim-of-honor.html
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Call for Action: An Iranian gay couple in India need your support
We are contacting you to request your assistance on a very urgent caseinvolving 2 gay Iranians, Ali and Mohammad. It is no secret that queerIranians who flee to other countries continue to face risks due tohomophobia and laws calling for punishment of homosexuals. This oftenresults in depression and post traumatic stress symptoms. Ali and Mohammad,a gay Iranian couple, fled to India. Although they have each beenofficially recognized as refugees by United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR), the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi has still not acted tofacilitate their resettlement in Canada. It has been one whole year sincethe Canadian Embassy began processing their cases! In India, Ali andMohammad are illegal queer refugees. They have no authorization to work.Furthermore, they are at risk because India's penal code includes punishmentfor homosexual activity.
http://www.irqo.net/IRQO/English/pages/147.htm
-Transgender characters from the Bible
Peterson Toscano, an American theatrical performance activist, will tonightpresent a piece on transgender characters un-earthed from the Bible. Aptlynamed Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender In The Bible, the one-man showis about people who do not fit in the gender binary and who, intransgressing and transcending gender, find themselves at the centre of somethe Bible's most important stories. Drawing inspiration from one-on-oneinterviews with transgender and gender-queer individuals, Mr Toscano weavestheir experiences with the stories and lives of transgender people right onthe pages of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Hilarious and deeplymoving, he deepens well-known, and lesser-known, Bible stories as hepresents an array of characters with an array of genders.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080719/local/transgender-characters-from-the-bible
-Czech minister wants homosexuals to adopt their partner's kids
Prague- Czech Minister for human rights and ethnic minorities DzamilaStehlikova (Greens, SZ) would allow homosexuals to adopt children of theirpartners, she told reporters today. Czech experts are studying theinfluence of gay and lesbian parents on children. The studies should becompleted in early 2009 and then Stehlikova wants to present them to thepublic. Similar studies carried out abroad have not proved any negativeimpact in connection with the sexual orientation of parents, Stehlikovasaid.
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=323710
-TURKEY'S SLIPPERIEST MEN
A Thousand Wrestlers and Two Tons of Olive Oil
Every summer for the last 650 years, Turkish men have gathered to see whowas the strongest, fastest and slickest of them all. It's called Kirkpinar,and it's the biggest oil-wrestling competition in the world. Thewell-muscled men face off in the middle of a grassy field, as a crowd ofthousands looks on eagerly. Slowly, methodically, they cover their chestsand legs with olive oil -- first with the right hand, then with the left.Then they take turns oiling one anothers' backs. Then the fun begins:Turkey's annual Kirkpinar festival, the highlight of the Turkish sportingcalendar, is a three-day orgy of oil wrestling. Known as "yagli gures"(pronounced "yaw-luh gresh"), the slippery sport is considered by some to bethe Turkish national game.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,565780,00.html
-Photo Gallery: Turkish Oil Wrestling
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/0,,33337,00.html
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Spiegel Online
The Annual Phallus Festival in Greece
Each year on the first Monday of Lent, the people of the tiny Greek town ofTyrnavos go crazy about penises, singing lewd songs and urging passersby tokiss their model phallusses. The pagan fertility festival is one of the mostfamous parties in Greece.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,553070,00.html
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-3/4 Support Gays in Military Whether They "Tell" or Don't
On the 15th anniversary of "don't ask, don't tell," three-quarters ofAmericans support allowing gays to serve in their military, whether they"tell" or not - much broader support than existed when the compromisepolicy was put in place. Military service by gays is backed by largemajorities across most groups, including, perhaps surprisingly,Republicans, conservatives and evangelicals. There's one exception -service by gays who've gone public slips to 50 percent among militaryveterans. All told, 78 percent in this ABC News/Washington Post poll sayhomosexuals who don't reveal their sexual orientation should be allowedto serve. Moreover, in a rejection of the current policy, about asmany, 75 percent, also favor service by homosexuals who do disclose theirorientation. See the new ABC News/ Washington Post poll here:
http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/Politics/story? id=5387980&page=
-Toughening of Sex Law Is Rejected by Court
A New Jersey appellate court panel dealt a blow on Tuesday to scores ofmunicipalities in the state that had sought to toughen Megan's Law in recentyears by restricting where sex offenders could live. The panel said thatsuch local ordinances conflicted with the state's landmark law. More than100 townships and boroughs have enacted their own laws with the intention ofprotecting children from registered sex offenders. The Cherry Hill andGalloway ordinances, which the judges specifically rejected, are typical,preventing an adult offender from living within 2,500 feet of any school,park, playground or day care center. Writing for the three-judge panel,Judge Joseph F. Lisa of the Appellate Division of State Superior Court citedthe "far-reaching scope" of Megan's Law, with its "multilayered enforcementand monitoring mechanisms," and added that the ordinances "conflict" withthe intent of the Legislature in enacting it.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/f/lisa_w_foderaro/index.html?inline=nyt-per
-Obama campaign is unclear on gays and faith-based funds
Zanesville, Ohio--Faith-based social services have a mixed record when itcomes to meeting the needs of LGBT adults and youth. Groups that servepeople with HIV and AIDS are pleased that government money and services canflow through faith-based organizations, in addition to more traditionalroutes. But people concerned with civil rights have a different view. Mostnotably, they see that faith-based service providers have discriminated bysexual orientation and gender identity, both in service and employment. Thishas increased under the Bush administration. On July 1 in Zanesville,likely Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama announced his intent toexpand faith-based services. Most observers see the proposal as a politicalmaneuver to gain support from religious conservatives.
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Detroit News
http://detnews.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-July 18, 2008
Exclusion looks even dumber now
As far as I can tell, no reputable pollster has taken our state'stemperature on gay marriage since 2004, when Michigan voters overwhelminglyopted to outlaw it. But I've a hunch that at least a few thousand of thosewho voted to ban same-sex unions just four years ago would happily pony upfor a mass wedding ceremony at Comerica Park if enough creditworthy gaycouples could be found to purchase all their houses today. Tread water longenough and you're bound to become a little less particular about who tossesyou a lifeline. God may not have created Adam and Steve,but if that happycouple opened a factory in southeast Michigan, I know a whole lot ofstraight guys who'd be willing to work in it.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/COL04/807180331/1081/COL
-Couple tries to discourage anti-gay Web bias
by Deb Price
Like many other couples wanting to adopt, Rosario Grennaro and AlexanderGardner eventually found themselves wanting to tap the geography-defyingpower of the Internet. "We wanted to raise children. And we thought wecould provide a loving home to a child that didn't have one," says Grennaro,an IBM computer researcher. "We heard about people using the Internet. Andit seemed very cost-effective because you reach everybody," he adds. But asthe couple researched Web sites that help birth mothers find lovingpermanent homes for their babies, they were disturbed to learn that thepopular ParentProfiles.com only allows "one male husband and one femalewife" couples to use its Internet-based adoption matching service.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/OPINION03/807210311/1031
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TruthWinsOut.Org
-TWO Vows To Protest Radio Hall of Fame Awards Dinner After
James Dobson Is Voted In
by Wayne Besen
Extremism Won Out With Demagogue to Be Honored, Says TWO
NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out (TWO) assailed The Museum of BroadcastCommunications today for announcing they would induct right wing extremistJames Dobson into its Radio Hall of Fame. TWO vowed to protest the annualawards dinner, the second Saturday in November, to inform the world ofDobson's shameful and bigoted record. "It is an affront for the Radio Hallof Fame to honor James Dobson, a right wing demagogue, who built his radioempire on the backs of gay and lesbian people," said Wayne Besen, ExecutiveDirector of Truth Wins Out. "We vow to stand up and protest this outrageousinsult and let the world know that Dobson is a dishonest, hatemongeringideologue." Dobson told The Daily Oklahoman on Oct. 23, 2004, "Homosexualsare not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. Itwill destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth." In the past two years,at least seven researchers have accused Dobson of manipulating or cherrypicking their results to back his anti-gay teachings. Letters and videosdocumenting the concerns of these respected professors can be viewed atTruthWinsOut.org and RespectMyResearch.org.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/two-vows-to-protest-radio-hall-of-fame-awards-dinner-after-james-dobson-is-voted-in/
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 21, 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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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Influx of Voters Likely to Test New Machines
By IAN URBINA
Election officials fear that new voting technologies paired with millions ofnew voters may cause the nation's system to buckle under the increasedstrain.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/21voting.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Mideast Faces a Choice: Crops or Water
By ANDREW MARTIN
Some countries in the region import 90 percent or more of their staples, butthe worldwide food crisis is making them rethink that math.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/business/worldbusiness/21arabfood.html?hp
-After 2000, McCain Learned to Work Levers of Power
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Once better known for criticizing the Senate than for influencing it, JohnMcCain has evolved into perhaps the chamber's most influential member.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/politics/21mccain.html?hp
-Zimbabwe Rivals Sign Agreement
Zimbabwe's feuding political leaders appeared jointly for the first time inyears on Monday to sign a preliminary agreement laying out terms fornegotiations to wrest their land out of political chaos.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/world/africa/22zimbabwe.html?hp
-Op-Ed Columnist: Sobriety, Herr Obama
Barack Obama has already won the U.S. election by a landslide. In Europe,that is. Polls show the French putting the first African-American in theWhite House with 86 percent backing. Obamania is about as intense in Germanyand Britain, the two other European countries the Senator will visit thisweek.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/opinion/21cohen.html?ref=opinion
-Muzzling the Joneses
It is an infringement of free speech to ban residents of a town or countyfrom placing political signs on their lawns.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/opinion/21mon4.html?ref=opinion
-Chimps Aren't Chumps
By STEVE ROSS
Misrepresentations of chimpanzees may not be as repugnant as racism, bigotryor sexism. But they can still serve as a benchmark for our society's moralprogress.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/opinion/21ross.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Contributor: Obama at the Gate
ANGELA MERKEL, Germany's chancellor, has made known her displeasure at thepossibility that Barack Obama might use an appearance before the BrandenburgGate here to present himself to the world as a politician of balance andintegrity. Such an event would doubtless be heavy with symbolism as well asheavily attended, and one should always be wary meddling in another nation'selections.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/opinion/17peters.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Contributor: Catching a War Criminal in the Act
Servian, France: THE prosecutor of the International Criminal Court hasmade the tough decision to seek an arrest warrant for a leader of a countryat war - Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. He is to be charged withgenocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the last five yearsof war in Darfur.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/opinion/15goldstone.html?ref=opinion
-Networks Fight Shorter Olympic Leash
For several years now NBC has meticulously planned all the details for itscoverage of the many sports events at the Summer Olympics in China.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/sports/olympics/21nbc.html?hp
-Clinton Lends Her Campaign More Money as Its Debt Proves Stubborn
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton lent her campaign an additional $1 million atthe end of June, underscoring the difficulty she is having staying ahead ofcreditors and retiring a mountain of campaign debt, filings with the FederalElection Commission show.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/politics/21donate.html
-McCain and Obama Agree to Attend Megachurch Forum
It has taken a man of God, perhaps, to do what nobody else has been able todo since the general election season began: Get Barack Obama and John McCaintogether on the same stage before their party conventions later this summer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/politics/21church.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-In Iraq, and Under the Spotlight
I asked one of the Republican Party's smartest, most candid heavy hitterslast week whether John McCain really has a chance to defeat Barack Obama inthis season of Republican discontent. "No, if the campaign is about McCain,"he replied. "Yes, if it's about Obama." That underlines the importance ofObama's visit to Iraq, beginning weeks of scrutiny for the Democraticpresidential candidate under a GOP spotlight.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001668.html
-Faith-Based Obama
His proposal for government-funded initiatives is carefully tailored.
BARACK OBAMA gave a speech promoting faith-based initiatives recently thatmanaged to upset both sides of the debate over whether and how to blendgovernment funding and religious institutions. The strict separation ofchurch and state types expressed dismay that Mr. Obama promised acontinuation of what they see as undue entanglement. Some religious groupswere unhappy about Mr. Obama's caveat: "[I]f you get a federal grant youcan't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and youcan't discriminate against them -- or against the people you hire -- on thebasis of their religion."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001658.html
-ONE OF US: Black. Female. Accomplished. Attacked.
There she is -- no, not Miss America, but the Angela-Davis-Afro-wearing,machine-gun-toting, angry, unpatriotic Michelle Obama, greeting her husbandwith a fist bump instead of a kiss on the cheek.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/18/AR2008071802557.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Rice says Iran not serious at weekend nuke talks
SHANNON, Ireland -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Iran onMonday of not being serious at weekend talks about its disputed nuclearprogram despite the presence of a senior U.S. diplomat, and warned it maysoon face new sanctions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072002366.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-The Addicted Journalist
David Carr's latest subject is a pathetic human being, a thug, a
manipulative jerk who uses people and puts his own kids in danger. . . .. "After Mr. McCain said he opposed child adoptions to gay and lesbiancouples, his campaign clarified that he wasn't making policy and would leavethe issue to the states.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072100674_pf.html
-Anglicans Face 'Severe Challenge'
Archbishop Urges Work on Issue of Homosexuality
CANTERBURY, England, July 20 -- The head of the Anglican Communion saidSunday that the global fellowship faces "one of the most severe challenges"in its history, and he urged bishops at their once-a-decade LambethConference to do the hard work of finding solutions. Archbishop ofCanterbury Rowan Williams said the Anglican family's most immediate need isfor "transformed relationships" that will not break apart overinterpretations of the Bible, particularly regarding homosexuality.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001708.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-We know what works -- now let's do it
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
This will be the last What Works column. [...]
I am often asked whether I've found common denominators in all thesesuccessful programs, anything we can use in helping kids at risk. The shortanswer is, yes. [...] You want to know what works? Longer school days and longer school years work. Giving principals the power to hire good teachers andfire bad ones works. High expectations work. Giving a teacher freedom to huga child who needs hugging works. Parental involvement works. Counseling fortroubled students and families works. Consistency of effort works.Incentives work. Field trips that expose kids to possibilities you can't seefrom their broken neighborhoods, work. Indeed, the most important thingI've learned is that none of this is rocket science. We already know whatworks. What we lack is the will to do it.
http://www.miamiherald.com/285/story/609920.html
-Learn how you can avoid foreclosure
By INGRID BECKLES
Here's what we all know about foreclosures: They're going up. Here'ssomething you probably didn't know: As many as half of them may beavoidable. Borrowers and lenders didn't talk in 53 percent of foreclosuressince 2005. But, when they did talk, foreclosure rates plummeted.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/611652.html
-Drilling offshore won't help us much
By CARL HIAASEN
Raise your hand if you actually believe that offshore oil drilling willbring down gasoline prices at the pump. Raise your other hand if you believein Peter Pan, unicorns and variable-rate mortgages.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/609943.html
=
MoveOn.Org
When John F. Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon in 10years, many called it impossible.
Now, Al Gore has given a major speech with another visionary call:"Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of ourelectricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within10 years." This is huge. For someone with as much stature and credibilityas Vice President Gore to embrace a goal this big and ambitious could begame-changing. But first, you've got to see it for yourself. Click here towatch the video:
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/gorechallenge.html?r=3945&id=13269-5533006-R6qs1cx
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Obama Abroad: Warm Welcome in Europe, Not So in the Middle East
By all accounts, Barack Obama will be enthusiastically greeted when hetravels to Europe, where polls show large majorities voice confidence inhim. But his trip will take him into less friendly territory in the MiddleEast where Muslims remain skeptical about the future of U.S. foreign policy,regardless of who is elected in November. Read more
-Belief that Obama is Muslim is Durable and Bipartisan
The persistent belief that Obama is Muslim appears to have virtually noeffect on Republican voters, who overwhelmingly support McCain in any case.But Democrats who share the misperception are significantly less likely tosupport the Democratic contender. Read more
-Obama v. Jackson
Are critics like Jesse Jackson more -- or less -- in touch with the AfricanAmerican public? A look at what survey data tell us about black attitudesand priorities. Read more
-Should Women Worry Obama?
Obama is doing better among young and independent women than either of thelast two Democratic nominees, but many older Democratic women remainundecided. Read more
-And in Other Election News...
Cell Phones and the 2008 Vote: An Update
The latest Pew Research Center national survey, conducted June 18-29including a sample of 503 adults on a cell phone, finds that the overallestimate of voter presidential preference is modestly affected by whether ornot the cell phone respondents are included. Read more
-Candidates' Policy Positions Still Not Widely Known
Despite extensive media attention to the presidential campaign, relativelyfew Americans are familiar with either Obama's or McCain's foreign anddomestic policy positions. Read more
-Gaffe Coverage: Jackson Tops Gramm
Statements by two non-candidates steered the campaign narrative last week,but Jesse Jackson's derogatory remarks about Obama drew more media attentionthan did Phil Gramm's remarks about whiny America. Read more
-The Daily Number
46% vs. 42% Good Connections Beat Hard Work
Overall, the United By a margin of 46-42, Americans say that the rich arerich mainly because they know the right people or are born into wealthrather than because of hard work, ambition or education. Check back everyweekday for another number in the news. Read more
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Robert Wexler weighs in on Obama, progressives
Back in early 2007, U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., became one of the firstelected officials to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president, even thoughSen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was heavily favored to win the Democraticnomination.
http://www.tampabay.com/features/books/article700875.ece
-Obama campaign hits the streets of Florida
Fed up with the status quo in U.S. politics, Lauren Andersen quit her job atan English-language newspaper in Chile and joined Democratic Sen. BarackObama's presidential campaign recently. Now, the Connecticut native's legsare lined with mosquito bites, a farmer's tan is visible beneath her whitebutton-up blouse, and occasionally Republicans yell at her.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article709312.ece
-Rice: Obama's success is great gain for blacks
Condoleezza Rice says it's a remarkable accomplishment that a blackpolitician is on track for his party's presidential nomination. Thesecretary of state said Democrat Barack Obama's likely nomination shows thenation's progress in race relations.
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080720/D921ODQO2.html
-Turning election into popularity race
Movement seeks to skirt Electoral College, ensure presidency goes tocandidate with most votes nationwide
A measure that would push the Electoral College to the fringes of Americanpolitics has been an unlikely beneficiary of this year's protractedpresidential primaries. Buoyed by a long presidential primary season thatfocused attention on states that usually are overlooked in the calculus ofwinning a nomination, states as far-flung as Massachusetts and Hawaii havepassed or are considering legislation that would guarantee that thecandidate who got the most votes nationwide would win the White House.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-electoraljul21,0,5711183.story
-CAMPAIGN 2008: Obama Abroad
He's been called a naive idealist. But in terms of foreign policy, he's thetrue realist in the race. The rap on Barack Obama, at least in the realm offoreign policy, has been that he is a softheaded idealist who thinks that hecan charm America's enemies. John McCain and his campaign, conservativecolumnists and right-wing bloggers all paint a picture of a liberal dreamerwho wishes away the world's dangers. Even President Bush stepped into thefray earlier this year to condemn the Illinois senator's willingness to meetwith tyrants as naive. Some commentators have acted as if Obama, touring theMiddle East and Europe this week on his first trip abroad since effectivelywrapping up the nomination, is in for a rude awakening.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/147763
-'Ich bin ein Commander'
Obama has to persuade the public he can lead the free world. Remember the3-o'clock-in-the-morning test--Hillary Clinton's dig at Barack Obama'scommander-in-chief credentials during the primaries? As Obama heads toEurope and the Mideast this coming week, he is embarking on what might becalled his "Ich bin ein Commander" test. It may well be the decisive one ofhis candidacy, especially with so many media stars--including three networkanchors--along for the ride. One major reason why Obama's opponent, JohnMcCain, has managed so far to rise above the public's grim assessment of theRepublican Party is that, for many voters, he has already passed this test.Even though Americans think by a two-to-one margin Obama would do more toimprove the country's image abroad than McCain, according to the newWashington Post-ABC News survey, only 48 percent said the Democrat wouldmake a good commander in chief compared to 72 percent for his Republicanrival. And "head to head, McCain was judged as the one with greaterknowledge of the world by more than 2 to 1," the Post reported.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/146934
-Giuliani takes McCain out to the ballgame
VP rumors circulate as the politicians mingle
With Democrat Barack Obama on the other side of the planet, Republicanpresidential candidate John McCain visited Yankee Stadium with former MayorRudy Giuliani. The two high-profile Republicans are longtime friends,despite having campaigned against each other in the GOP primaries in whichMcCain ultimately prevailed. When Giuliani bowed out of the race, heimmediately endorsed McCain.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5898382.html
-McCain flops on emissions standards
Would someone please tell Sen. John McCain, the GOP's presidential wannabe,that straight talk and flip-flopping don't mix. Not in the space of amonth. Not when the issue -- whether the next president supports allowingindividual states to set emissions rules for new cars and trucks -- meansDetroit's automakers could face billions more in R&D spending should theso-called EPA waiver sought by California and a dozen or so other statesbecome law.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/OPINION03/807210326&imw=Y
-Obama visits Iraq as part of world tour
Barack Obama on Monday began his first on-the-ground inspection of Iraqsince launching his bid for the White House - with U.S. commanders ready tobrief him on progress in a war he long opposed and Iraqi leaders wantingmore details of his proposals for troop withdrawals.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-07-20-obama-afghanistan_N.htm?csp=34
-Economic View: Means Testing, for Medicare
RIGHT now, the United States is in the midst of a financial crisis, but evenmore pressing problems may lie ahead - and the presidential candidates aren'taddressing them. No matter who sits in the Oval Office next year, there won't be many degrees of freedom in the federal budget. That's because spending onentitlement programs is largely locked into place, and the situation willbecome much worse as Americans age and health care costs rise. Even if thegovernment is conservative in its spending, just paying out promisedbenefits implies that tax rates will rise to a crushing level - a range of60 to 80 percent of income - well before the end of this century.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/business/economy/20view.html
=
Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
frishkorn@bellsouth.net
Go to this link for the following article:
-Nine Reasons to Investigate War Crimes Now
Retired General Antonio Taguba, the officer who led the Army's investigationinto Abu Ghraib, recently wrote in the preface to the new report, Brokenlaws, Broken Lives: "There is no longer any doubt as to whether the currentadministration has committed war crimes. The only question that remains tobe answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held toaccount."
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080804/brecher_smith
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Influx of Voters Likely to Test New Machines
By IAN URBINA
Election officials fear that new voting technologies paired with millions ofnew voters may cause the nation's system to buckle under the increasedstrain.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/21voting.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Mideast Faces a Choice: Crops or Water
By ANDREW MARTIN
Some countries in the region import 90 percent or more of their staples, butthe worldwide food crisis is making them rethink that math.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/business/worldbusiness/21arabfood.html?hp
-After 2000, McCain Learned to Work Levers of Power
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Once better known for criticizing the Senate than for influencing it, JohnMcCain has evolved into perhaps the chamber's most influential member.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/politics/21mccain.html?hp
-Zimbabwe Rivals Sign Agreement
Zimbabwe's feuding political leaders appeared jointly for the first time inyears on Monday to sign a preliminary agreement laying out terms fornegotiations to wrest their land out of political chaos.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/world/africa/22zimbabwe.html?hp
-Op-Ed Columnist: Sobriety, Herr Obama
Barack Obama has already won the U.S. election by a landslide. In Europe,that is. Polls show the French putting the first African-American in theWhite House with 86 percent backing. Obamania is about as intense in Germanyand Britain, the two other European countries the Senator will visit thisweek.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/opinion/21cohen.html?ref=opinion
-Muzzling the Joneses
It is an infringement of free speech to ban residents of a town or countyfrom placing political signs on their lawns.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/opinion/21mon4.html?ref=opinion
-Chimps Aren't Chumps
By STEVE ROSS
Misrepresentations of chimpanzees may not be as repugnant as racism, bigotryor sexism. But they can still serve as a benchmark for our society's moralprogress.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/opinion/21ross.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Contributor: Obama at the Gate
ANGELA MERKEL, Germany's chancellor, has made known her displeasure at thepossibility that Barack Obama might use an appearance before the BrandenburgGate here to present himself to the world as a politician of balance andintegrity. Such an event would doubtless be heavy with symbolism as well asheavily attended, and one should always be wary meddling in another nation'selections.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/opinion/17peters.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Contributor: Catching a War Criminal in the Act
Servian, France: THE prosecutor of the International Criminal Court hasmade the tough decision to seek an arrest warrant for a leader of a countryat war - Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. He is to be charged withgenocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the last five yearsof war in Darfur.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/opinion/15goldstone.html?ref=opinion
-Networks Fight Shorter Olympic Leash
For several years now NBC has meticulously planned all the details for itscoverage of the many sports events at the Summer Olympics in China.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/sports/olympics/21nbc.html?hp
-Clinton Lends Her Campaign More Money as Its Debt Proves Stubborn
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton lent her campaign an additional $1 million atthe end of June, underscoring the difficulty she is having staying ahead ofcreditors and retiring a mountain of campaign debt, filings with the FederalElection Commission show.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/politics/21donate.html
-McCain and Obama Agree to Attend Megachurch Forum
It has taken a man of God, perhaps, to do what nobody else has been able todo since the general election season began: Get Barack Obama and John McCaintogether on the same stage before their party conventions later this summer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/us/politics/21church.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-In Iraq, and Under the Spotlight
I asked one of the Republican Party's smartest, most candid heavy hitterslast week whether John McCain really has a chance to defeat Barack Obama inthis season of Republican discontent. "No, if the campaign is about McCain,"he replied. "Yes, if it's about Obama." That underlines the importance ofObama's visit to Iraq, beginning weeks of scrutiny for the Democraticpresidential candidate under a GOP spotlight.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001668.html
-Faith-Based Obama
His proposal for government-funded initiatives is carefully tailored.
BARACK OBAMA gave a speech promoting faith-based initiatives recently thatmanaged to upset both sides of the debate over whether and how to blendgovernment funding and religious institutions. The strict separation ofchurch and state types expressed dismay that Mr. Obama promised acontinuation of what they see as undue entanglement. Some religious groupswere unhappy about Mr. Obama's caveat: "[I]f you get a federal grant youcan't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and youcan't discriminate against them -- or against the people you hire -- on thebasis of their religion."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001658.html
-ONE OF US: Black. Female. Accomplished. Attacked.
There she is -- no, not Miss America, but the Angela-Davis-Afro-wearing,machine-gun-toting, angry, unpatriotic Michelle Obama, greeting her husbandwith a fist bump instead of a kiss on the cheek.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/18/AR2008071802557.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Rice says Iran not serious at weekend nuke talks
SHANNON, Ireland -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Iran onMonday of not being serious at weekend talks about its disputed nuclearprogram despite the presence of a senior U.S. diplomat, and warned it maysoon face new sanctions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072002366.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-The Addicted Journalist
David Carr's latest subject is a pathetic human being, a thug, a
manipulative jerk who uses people and puts his own kids in danger. . . .. "After Mr. McCain said he opposed child adoptions to gay and lesbiancouples, his campaign clarified that he wasn't making policy and would leavethe issue to the states.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072100674_pf.html
-Anglicans Face 'Severe Challenge'
Archbishop Urges Work on Issue of Homosexuality
CANTERBURY, England, July 20 -- The head of the Anglican Communion saidSunday that the global fellowship faces "one of the most severe challenges"in its history, and he urged bishops at their once-a-decade LambethConference to do the hard work of finding solutions. Archbishop ofCanterbury Rowan Williams said the Anglican family's most immediate need isfor "transformed relationships" that will not break apart overinterpretations of the Bible, particularly regarding homosexuality.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001708.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-We know what works -- now let's do it
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
This will be the last What Works column. [...]
I am often asked whether I've found common denominators in all thesesuccessful programs, anything we can use in helping kids at risk. The shortanswer is, yes. [...] You want to know what works? Longer school days and longer school years work. Giving principals the power to hire good teachers andfire bad ones works. High expectations work. Giving a teacher freedom to huga child who needs hugging works. Parental involvement works. Counseling fortroubled students and families works. Consistency of effort works.Incentives work. Field trips that expose kids to possibilities you can't seefrom their broken neighborhoods, work. Indeed, the most important thingI've learned is that none of this is rocket science. We already know whatworks. What we lack is the will to do it.
http://www.miamiherald.com/285/story/609920.html
-Learn how you can avoid foreclosure
By INGRID BECKLES
Here's what we all know about foreclosures: They're going up. Here'ssomething you probably didn't know: As many as half of them may beavoidable. Borrowers and lenders didn't talk in 53 percent of foreclosuressince 2005. But, when they did talk, foreclosure rates plummeted.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/611652.html
-Drilling offshore won't help us much
By CARL HIAASEN
Raise your hand if you actually believe that offshore oil drilling willbring down gasoline prices at the pump. Raise your other hand if you believein Peter Pan, unicorns and variable-rate mortgages.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/609943.html
=
MoveOn.Org
When John F. Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon in 10years, many called it impossible.
Now, Al Gore has given a major speech with another visionary call:"Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of ourelectricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within10 years." This is huge. For someone with as much stature and credibilityas Vice President Gore to embrace a goal this big and ambitious could begame-changing. But first, you've got to see it for yourself. Click here towatch the video:
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/gorechallenge.html?r=3945&id=13269-5533006-R6qs1cx
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Obama Abroad: Warm Welcome in Europe, Not So in the Middle East
By all accounts, Barack Obama will be enthusiastically greeted when hetravels to Europe, where polls show large majorities voice confidence inhim. But his trip will take him into less friendly territory in the MiddleEast where Muslims remain skeptical about the future of U.S. foreign policy,regardless of who is elected in November. Read more
-Belief that Obama is Muslim is Durable and Bipartisan
The persistent belief that Obama is Muslim appears to have virtually noeffect on Republican voters, who overwhelmingly support McCain in any case.But Democrats who share the misperception are significantly less likely tosupport the Democratic contender. Read more
-Obama v. Jackson
Are critics like Jesse Jackson more -- or less -- in touch with the AfricanAmerican public? A look at what survey data tell us about black attitudesand priorities. Read more
-Should Women Worry Obama?
Obama is doing better among young and independent women than either of thelast two Democratic nominees, but many older Democratic women remainundecided. Read more
-And in Other Election News...
Cell Phones and the 2008 Vote: An Update
The latest Pew Research Center national survey, conducted June 18-29including a sample of 503 adults on a cell phone, finds that the overallestimate of voter presidential preference is modestly affected by whether ornot the cell phone respondents are included. Read more
-Candidates' Policy Positions Still Not Widely Known
Despite extensive media attention to the presidential campaign, relativelyfew Americans are familiar with either Obama's or McCain's foreign anddomestic policy positions. Read more
-Gaffe Coverage: Jackson Tops Gramm
Statements by two non-candidates steered the campaign narrative last week,but Jesse Jackson's derogatory remarks about Obama drew more media attentionthan did Phil Gramm's remarks about whiny America. Read more
-The Daily Number
46% vs. 42% Good Connections Beat Hard Work
Overall, the United By a margin of 46-42, Americans say that the rich arerich mainly because they know the right people or are born into wealthrather than because of hard work, ambition or education. Check back everyweekday for another number in the news. Read more
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Robert Wexler weighs in on Obama, progressives
Back in early 2007, U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., became one of the firstelected officials to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president, even thoughSen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was heavily favored to win the Democraticnomination.
http://www.tampabay.com/features/books/article700875.ece
-Obama campaign hits the streets of Florida
Fed up with the status quo in U.S. politics, Lauren Andersen quit her job atan English-language newspaper in Chile and joined Democratic Sen. BarackObama's presidential campaign recently. Now, the Connecticut native's legsare lined with mosquito bites, a farmer's tan is visible beneath her whitebutton-up blouse, and occasionally Republicans yell at her.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article709312.ece
-Rice: Obama's success is great gain for blacks
Condoleezza Rice says it's a remarkable accomplishment that a blackpolitician is on track for his party's presidential nomination. Thesecretary of state said Democrat Barack Obama's likely nomination shows thenation's progress in race relations.
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080720/D921ODQO2.html
-Turning election into popularity race
Movement seeks to skirt Electoral College, ensure presidency goes tocandidate with most votes nationwide
A measure that would push the Electoral College to the fringes of Americanpolitics has been an unlikely beneficiary of this year's protractedpresidential primaries. Buoyed by a long presidential primary season thatfocused attention on states that usually are overlooked in the calculus ofwinning a nomination, states as far-flung as Massachusetts and Hawaii havepassed or are considering legislation that would guarantee that thecandidate who got the most votes nationwide would win the White House.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-electoraljul21,0,5711183.story
-CAMPAIGN 2008: Obama Abroad
He's been called a naive idealist. But in terms of foreign policy, he's thetrue realist in the race. The rap on Barack Obama, at least in the realm offoreign policy, has been that he is a softheaded idealist who thinks that hecan charm America's enemies. John McCain and his campaign, conservativecolumnists and right-wing bloggers all paint a picture of a liberal dreamerwho wishes away the world's dangers. Even President Bush stepped into thefray earlier this year to condemn the Illinois senator's willingness to meetwith tyrants as naive. Some commentators have acted as if Obama, touring theMiddle East and Europe this week on his first trip abroad since effectivelywrapping up the nomination, is in for a rude awakening.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/147763
-'Ich bin ein Commander'
Obama has to persuade the public he can lead the free world. Remember the3-o'clock-in-the-morning test--Hillary Clinton's dig at Barack Obama'scommander-in-chief credentials during the primaries? As Obama heads toEurope and the Mideast this coming week, he is embarking on what might becalled his "Ich bin ein Commander" test. It may well be the decisive one ofhis candidacy, especially with so many media stars--including three networkanchors--along for the ride. One major reason why Obama's opponent, JohnMcCain, has managed so far to rise above the public's grim assessment of theRepublican Party is that, for many voters, he has already passed this test.Even though Americans think by a two-to-one margin Obama would do more toimprove the country's image abroad than McCain, according to the newWashington Post-ABC News survey, only 48 percent said the Democrat wouldmake a good commander in chief compared to 72 percent for his Republicanrival. And "head to head, McCain was judged as the one with greaterknowledge of the world by more than 2 to 1," the Post reported.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/146934
-Giuliani takes McCain out to the ballgame
VP rumors circulate as the politicians mingle
With Democrat Barack Obama on the other side of the planet, Republicanpresidential candidate John McCain visited Yankee Stadium with former MayorRudy Giuliani. The two high-profile Republicans are longtime friends,despite having campaigned against each other in the GOP primaries in whichMcCain ultimately prevailed. When Giuliani bowed out of the race, heimmediately endorsed McCain.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5898382.html
-McCain flops on emissions standards
Would someone please tell Sen. John McCain, the GOP's presidential wannabe,that straight talk and flip-flopping don't mix. Not in the space of amonth. Not when the issue -- whether the next president supports allowingindividual states to set emissions rules for new cars and trucks -- meansDetroit's automakers could face billions more in R&D spending should theso-called EPA waiver sought by California and a dozen or so other statesbecome law.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/OPINION03/807210326&imw=Y
-Obama visits Iraq as part of world tour
Barack Obama on Monday began his first on-the-ground inspection of Iraqsince launching his bid for the White House - with U.S. commanders ready tobrief him on progress in a war he long opposed and Iraqi leaders wantingmore details of his proposals for troop withdrawals.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-07-20-obama-afghanistan_N.htm?csp=34
-Economic View: Means Testing, for Medicare
RIGHT now, the United States is in the midst of a financial crisis, but evenmore pressing problems may lie ahead - and the presidential candidates aren'taddressing them. No matter who sits in the Oval Office next year, there won't be many degrees of freedom in the federal budget. That's because spending onentitlement programs is largely locked into place, and the situation willbecome much worse as Americans age and health care costs rise. Even if thegovernment is conservative in its spending, just paying out promisedbenefits implies that tax rates will rise to a crushing level - a range of60 to 80 percent of income - well before the end of this century.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/business/economy/20view.html
=
Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
frishkorn@bellsouth.net
Go to this link for the following article:
-Nine Reasons to Investigate War Crimes Now
Retired General Antonio Taguba, the officer who led the Army's investigationinto Abu Ghraib, recently wrote in the preface to the new report, Brokenlaws, Broken Lives: "There is no longer any doubt as to whether the currentadministration has committed war crimes. The only question that remains tobe answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held toaccount."
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080804/brecher_smith
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 21, 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 GLBT NEWS~~
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Anti-gay slurs sprayed on three Wilton Manors homes
Vandals scrawled anti-gay slurs on three Wilton Manors homes early Friday,an incident police are investigating as a hate crime. Someone wrote theslurs on three adjacent homes in the 2800 block of Northeast Seventh Avenue,an area with a large gay population. Five cars were also defaced with blackspray paint.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/anti-gay-slurs.html
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Equality Florida reps plan strategy to defeat Amendment 2
"Marriage Protection Act" to appear on November ballot
Activists working to defeat Amendment 2, the so-called "Marriage Protection
Act" that will appear on November's ballot, are ramping up efforts to raise
voter awareness. At the 2008 South Florida Democratic Party Summit at
Florida Atlantic University on July 12, Equality Florida representatives
unveiled two new initiatives: Tobias Packer, Equality Florida's Local Policy
Coordinator, said they are creating a Speakers' Bureau and want volunteer
speakers, as well as groups to invite speakers to talk about Amendment 2.
The other action is to double the amount of volunteers working outside the
polls to inform voters about the proposed measure, with a goal of 1,000
people lobbying against Amendment 2 on election day.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-17/news/localnews/4872.cfm
=
Stonewall Library & Archives
Join Stonewall's new Social Network of Active Professionals (SNAP)
Thursday - July 24 6:00 - 8:00
The Naked Grape
2039 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors
$10 donation to Stonewall at the door. Don't miss this chance to mix and mingle with fellow LGBT professionals. SNAP will meet every third Thursday. Watch your e-mail for locations.
Stonewall Library & Archives
1717 N Andrews Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
(954) 763-8565
=
Adriane Reesey, Candidate for Broward County Supervisor of Elections
RIDE WITH REESEY ON THE BCT
On July 26, 2008 at 9:00am, the Broward County Transit system will be thesite of an event to stimulate social awareness and interest in the upcomingAugust 26 election. The Reesey's "Pieces" Campaign Volunteers from acrossthe county will converge to ride the BCT, Route 72, on Saturday July 26. They will be promoting community awareness and involvement in several socialactivist causes; among them voting and the environment. Volunteers willgather at 9:00am on Oakland Park Blvd and Federal Highway picking up ridersalong the way to the Sawgrass Mall. They will hand out American flags,Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Reesey t-shirts, as they ride from east towest and points between on the Broward bus. If you want to ride withReesey's "Pieces" volunteers, or would like more information, please call954.594.3363.
DONT MISS THE BUS!!!!!
9:00am - Oakland Park and Federal Highway
9:20am - Oakland Park and Powerline Rd.
9:30am - Oakland Park and HWY. 441
9:45am - Oakland Park and University
10:00am - Oakland Park and Nob Hill
10:10am - Sawgrass Mills Mall (Green Toad Entrance)
=
Palm Beach Human Rights Council
The Board of Directors cordially invites you to our Summer Party
Sunday, July 27 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Grandview Gardens Bed & Breakfast
1608 Lake Avenue in West Palm Beach Join Palm Beach County's electedofficials, candidates for office and civic leaders for cocktails andconversation.
Casual attire · Open Bar · $125 per person
For information call: (561) 845-6545
www.pbchrc.org
=
GLCCSF - Ft. Lauderdale
Are you an HIV+ man wanting a "jump-start" to better living?
Join the L.I.F.E. Program! The 18-week L.I.F.E. Program® providespractical, step-by-step guidance to help participants create and implementpersonal health plans for long-term thriving with HIV. Through a uniqueblend of large group meetings, small group sharing, experiential exercisesand one-on-one health counseling, the program helps men living with HIVimprove their health. Participation in the L.I.F.E. Program (LearningImmune Function Enhancement) boosts the immune system, lowers risky behaviorand increases adherence to medication schedules.
Next Session: Starts July 29, 2008
Weekly Workshop Times: Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Location: GLCC 1717 N. Andrews Ave
Contact: PALS Project at 954.463.9011 or PALS@glccsf.org
=
ACLU of Florida
November is fast approaching and Floridians are facing sweeping attacks ontheir civil liberties and human rights. We have never faced such afar-reaching collection of proposed constitutional amendments. One threatensto take away basic rights of straight and gay unmarried couples (proposedAmendment #2) and two others (Amendments #7 & #9) would eliminate Florida'sstrong commitment to separation of church & state and religious freedomlanguage, and require government funding of religious programs. In thecoming months you will hear more from us on these proposed constitutionalamendments and how you can help defeat them.
https://secure.aclu.org/site/SPageNavigator/FL_LGBTVolunteerForm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida may tighten lucrative DROP provision for government retirees
It's an offer many private sector workers wish they could get -- brieflyretire and take thousands in a lump sum payment. Then go back to work atyour old job and collect both a full salary and a pension.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-721drop,0,7236695.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Monroe commissioners vote no on iguanas
Monroe County commissioners want the state to crack down on the explodingnumbers of iguanas in the Keys. The commission last week asked the FloridaFish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to enact rules that would prohibitpeople from releasing their green reptile pets into the wild.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/611973.html
=
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, FADP
Florida Gears Up For More Executions.
With YOUR Help We Can Halt The Death Penalty
Governor Crist has signed a Death Warrant for the execution of RichardHenyard for Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 6:00 pm. More Death Warrants areexpected. Florida's outrageously-expensive, broken Death Penalty systemcontinues to fail victims, their families and Florida's taxpayers. Donatenow to end executions. There has been an upwelling of concerned Floridiansjoining ranks for a better way. Funds are desperately needed to maintainand continue the momentum of our movement in Florida. FADP and our alliancepartners are working diligently to advance the day when state homicides arehalted and we can live in a Florida without the horror of unnecessarystate killings of prisoners. It will not happen without your support. Please help today.
http://www.fadp.org/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-New High-Tech Security Unveiled At MIA
Body Scans, X-ray Technology Speed Up Security
MIAMI, Fla. -- Some new high-tech security is being unveiled Monday at MiamiInternational Airport. Two new technologies, one to scan carry-on luggage,and one to scan passengers will begin being used Monday. X-ray technologywill be used to screen carry-on baggage, and a millimeterwave technologywill be used to screen passengers. This type of technology enables TSAofficers to detect weapons, explosives and other metallic and non-metallicitems that could pose a threat in a matter of seconds, and without havingto make physical contact. The technology passes harmless electromagneticwaves over a person's body to create an image that looks similar to a fuzzynegative. The X-ray technology gives security officers a better look at whatis in carry-on luggage. It also has the potential to speed up the securityprocess because fewer bag checks will be required.
http://www.local10.com/print/16939617/detail.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Offshore Drilling Foes Cite Idle Acreage
The national debate over opening more offshore areas to oil and gasexploration has begged the question: Just what are the companies doing withthe tens of millions of acres they're already leasing from the federalgovernment? In particular, congressional Democrats who oppose PresidentBush's plan to expand offshore drilling point to 68 million acres of federalland and offshore sites now leased by oil companies that sit idle.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/21/na-offshore-drilling-foes-cite-idle-acreage/?news
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Anti-gay slurs sprayed on three Wilton Manors homes
Vandals scrawled anti-gay slurs on three Wilton Manors homes early Friday,an incident police are investigating as a hate crime. Someone wrote theslurs on three adjacent homes in the 2800 block of Northeast Seventh Avenue,an area with a large gay population. Five cars were also defaced with blackspray paint.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/anti-gay-slurs.html
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Equality Florida reps plan strategy to defeat Amendment 2
"Marriage Protection Act" to appear on November ballot
Activists working to defeat Amendment 2, the so-called "Marriage Protection
Act" that will appear on November's ballot, are ramping up efforts to raise
voter awareness. At the 2008 South Florida Democratic Party Summit at
Florida Atlantic University on July 12, Equality Florida representatives
unveiled two new initiatives: Tobias Packer, Equality Florida's Local Policy
Coordinator, said they are creating a Speakers' Bureau and want volunteer
speakers, as well as groups to invite speakers to talk about Amendment 2.
The other action is to double the amount of volunteers working outside the
polls to inform voters about the proposed measure, with a goal of 1,000
people lobbying against Amendment 2 on election day.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-17/news/localnews/4872.cfm
=
Stonewall Library & Archives
Join Stonewall's new Social Network of Active Professionals (SNAP)
Thursday - July 24 6:00 - 8:00
The Naked Grape
2039 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors
$10 donation to Stonewall at the door. Don't miss this chance to mix and mingle with fellow LGBT professionals. SNAP will meet every third Thursday. Watch your e-mail for locations.
Stonewall Library & Archives
1717 N Andrews Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
(954) 763-8565
=
Adriane Reesey, Candidate for Broward County Supervisor of Elections
RIDE WITH REESEY ON THE BCT
On July 26, 2008 at 9:00am, the Broward County Transit system will be thesite of an event to stimulate social awareness and interest in the upcomingAugust 26 election. The Reesey's "Pieces" Campaign Volunteers from acrossthe county will converge to ride the BCT, Route 72, on Saturday July 26. They will be promoting community awareness and involvement in several socialactivist causes; among them voting and the environment. Volunteers willgather at 9:00am on Oakland Park Blvd and Federal Highway picking up ridersalong the way to the Sawgrass Mall. They will hand out American flags,Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Reesey t-shirts, as they ride from east towest and points between on the Broward bus. If you want to ride withReesey's "Pieces" volunteers, or would like more information, please call954.594.3363.
DONT MISS THE BUS!!!!!
9:00am - Oakland Park and Federal Highway
9:20am - Oakland Park and Powerline Rd.
9:30am - Oakland Park and HWY. 441
9:45am - Oakland Park and University
10:00am - Oakland Park and Nob Hill
10:10am - Sawgrass Mills Mall (Green Toad Entrance)
=
Palm Beach Human Rights Council
The Board of Directors cordially invites you to our Summer Party
Sunday, July 27 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Grandview Gardens Bed & Breakfast
1608 Lake Avenue in West Palm Beach Join Palm Beach County's electedofficials, candidates for office and civic leaders for cocktails andconversation.
Casual attire · Open Bar · $125 per person
For information call: (561) 845-6545
www.pbchrc.org
=
GLCCSF - Ft. Lauderdale
Are you an HIV+ man wanting a "jump-start" to better living?
Join the L.I.F.E. Program! The 18-week L.I.F.E. Program® providespractical, step-by-step guidance to help participants create and implementpersonal health plans for long-term thriving with HIV. Through a uniqueblend of large group meetings, small group sharing, experiential exercisesand one-on-one health counseling, the program helps men living with HIVimprove their health. Participation in the L.I.F.E. Program (LearningImmune Function Enhancement) boosts the immune system, lowers risky behaviorand increases adherence to medication schedules.
Next Session: Starts July 29, 2008
Weekly Workshop Times: Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Location: GLCC 1717 N. Andrews Ave
Contact: PALS Project at 954.463.9011 or PALS@glccsf.org
=
ACLU of Florida
November is fast approaching and Floridians are facing sweeping attacks ontheir civil liberties and human rights. We have never faced such afar-reaching collection of proposed constitutional amendments. One threatensto take away basic rights of straight and gay unmarried couples (proposedAmendment #2) and two others (Amendments #7 & #9) would eliminate Florida'sstrong commitment to separation of church & state and religious freedomlanguage, and require government funding of religious programs. In thecoming months you will hear more from us on these proposed constitutionalamendments and how you can help defeat them.
https://secure.aclu.org/site/SPageNavigator/FL_LGBTVolunteerForm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida may tighten lucrative DROP provision for government retirees
It's an offer many private sector workers wish they could get -- brieflyretire and take thousands in a lump sum payment. Then go back to work atyour old job and collect both a full salary and a pension.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-721drop,0,7236695.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Monroe commissioners vote no on iguanas
Monroe County commissioners want the state to crack down on the explodingnumbers of iguanas in the Keys. The commission last week asked the FloridaFish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to enact rules that would prohibitpeople from releasing their green reptile pets into the wild.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/611973.html
=
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, FADP
Florida Gears Up For More Executions.
With YOUR Help We Can Halt The Death Penalty
Governor Crist has signed a Death Warrant for the execution of RichardHenyard for Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 6:00 pm. More Death Warrants areexpected. Florida's outrageously-expensive, broken Death Penalty systemcontinues to fail victims, their families and Florida's taxpayers. Donatenow to end executions. There has been an upwelling of concerned Floridiansjoining ranks for a better way. Funds are desperately needed to maintainand continue the momentum of our movement in Florida. FADP and our alliancepartners are working diligently to advance the day when state homicides arehalted and we can live in a Florida without the horror of unnecessarystate killings of prisoners. It will not happen without your support. Please help today.
http://www.fadp.org/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-New High-Tech Security Unveiled At MIA
Body Scans, X-ray Technology Speed Up Security
MIAMI, Fla. -- Some new high-tech security is being unveiled Monday at MiamiInternational Airport. Two new technologies, one to scan carry-on luggage,and one to scan passengers will begin being used Monday. X-ray technologywill be used to screen carry-on baggage, and a millimeterwave technologywill be used to screen passengers. This type of technology enables TSAofficers to detect weapons, explosives and other metallic and non-metallicitems that could pose a threat in a matter of seconds, and without havingto make physical contact. The technology passes harmless electromagneticwaves over a person's body to create an image that looks similar to a fuzzynegative. The X-ray technology gives security officers a better look at whatis in carry-on luggage. It also has the potential to speed up the securityprocess because fewer bag checks will be required.
http://www.local10.com/print/16939617/detail.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Offshore Drilling Foes Cite Idle Acreage
The national debate over opening more offshore areas to oil and gasexploration has begged the question: Just what are the companies doing withthe tens of millions of acres they're already leasing from the federalgovernment? In particular, congressional Democrats who oppose PresidentBush's plan to expand offshore drilling point to 68 million acres of federalland and offshore sites now leased by oil companies that sit idle.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/21/na-offshore-drilling-foes-cite-idle-acreage/?news
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
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