**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:
-Colorado: Death of a Transgender Woman Is Called a Hate Crime
Angie Zapata began living as a woman six years ago even though she was bornmale and named Justin. While Ms. Zapata, 18, was accepted by her manyfriends and five siblings, she was bullied in school and at times was lonelyand troubled, an older sister, Monica, said. Eventually, Ms. Zapata droppedout of school and got her own apartment here in Greeley. It was in thatapartment that Ms. Zapata's badly beaten body was found on July 17.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/us/02murder.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse
-Baby, You Can Drive My (Rented) Car, and Other Perks
With Massachusetts deciding this week to allow marriages of same-sex coupleswho live out of state, and Gov. David A. Paterson of New York directingstate agencies in May to recognize gay marriages performed legallyelsewhere, many expect scores of New Yorkers to soon become husband andhusband or wife and wife.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/nyregion/02marriage.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse
-New York Gay Couples Head to Massachusetts With Marriage in Mind
Gabriel Blau and Dylan Stein will be heading to Amherst, Mass., in a matterof weeks to complete a marriage ceremony they started two years ago. At thecouple's Jewish wedding in a Hell's Kitchen loft in 2006, they had afloral-embroidered chuppah, stomped on a glass in front of 175 friends andrelatives, and were hoisted on chairs amid a hora-dancing throng. But onething was missing: a marriage certificate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/nyregion/02gay.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Now Liberals Are Public Enemy
Below is an excerpt from "On Faith," an Internet feature sponsored by TheWashington Post and Newsweek. [...] The pastor of thenow too-well-known Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Churchoccasionally wrote columns for the local newspaper, the Knoxville NewsSentinel. Last March, he wrote one entitled ''Tolerance,'' in which hecompared past intolerance of interracial couples to today's intolerance ofgay couples.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080102975.html
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-CDC boosts U.S. HIV rate 40%; people living with HIV, allies
demand response from Presidential candidates
Eyes Wide Open, But is Vision Still Lacking? As CDC boosts current andhistorical HIV rate in United States, people living with HIV and alliesdemand response from Presidential candidates
In country lacking national AIDS strategy, data confirms 40% higherinfection rate, persistent epidemic in Black Americans, and rising rates ingay men
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Elizabeth Taylor to return home from hospital
Condition called 'nothing to worry about'
Elizabeth Taylor was hospitalized for an undisclosed reason but was expectedto return home soon, representatives for the Oscar-winning actress saidThursday.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20108
-Gay rights protest at Anglican summit
Group led by human rights activist Peter Tatchell
Gay rights campaigners have waved placards as Anglican bishops from aroundthe world met to discuss homosexuality at the Lambeth conference -- thechurch's once-in-a-decade summit.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20106
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Democrats Told To Include Gay Issues In Platform
Democrats crafting the party platform were told Friday to include LGBTissues. The National Platform Drafting Committee is holding hearings acrossthe country to hear from various groups on what should be included in the2008 platform. In Cleveland on Friday, Allison Herwitt, the legislativedirector for the Human Rights Campaign, called for a clear position by theparty on several issues, including repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell - the banon gays serving openly in the military - and the addition of sexuality andgender expression in federal workplace laws.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080208-dnc/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Prop. 8 Brings in Boatloads of Dough
A total of about $8 million has already poured in from supporters andopponents of California's marriage ban, with everyone from Mary Cheney toPG&E throwing money at the epic battle.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid58745.asp
-Haiti Prime Minister Hit by Allegations of Lesbianism
Haitian lawmakers ratified Michele Pierre-Louis to be the impoverishedcountry's prime minister on Thursday, ending more than three months ofpolitical bickering and deadlock in Parliament. Haiti's senate approvedPierre-Louis to be the country's number 2 leader by a 12-0 vote, making herthe second woman to become prime minister of Haiti. There were fiveabstentions. [...] While political wrangling went on behind the scenes,public debate on Pierre-Louis's nomination centered on claims that she isgay. Many in the socially conservative nation consider homosexuality to beimmoral, and clergy had denounced her. Pierre-Louis denied the claims in alocal radio interview on Wednesday. ''I have already said that it wasslander and lies,'' she told Radio Caraibes.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58683.asp
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Most Impressive Democrat of the Week--Mass. governor Deval Patrick
Link: Huffington Post
There were a few minor contenders this week for Most Impressive Democrat OfThe Week, but I have to give the award to Massachusetts Governor DevalPatrick, for signing a law which overturns a previous (and outdated) lawwhich barred people from getting married in the state -- if their home statedidn't recognize the marriage. This law was passed in 1913, to avoid havingto marry interracial couples from other states. But it was dusted offrecently, when the state legalized gay marriage, to again bar people fromgetting married in the Bay State unless they were residents. Now, it can beargued that Massachusetts took a close look at what happened in Californiawhen they legalized gay marriage for all (including out-of-state couples),and reaped a flood of tourist money as a result.
-"Does Recognition of the Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry Impose Undue
Burdens on People Who Reject Same-Sex Marriage on Account of ReligiousConvictions?"
Link: FindLaw's Writ
Some critics of the state Supreme Court rulings in Massachusetts andCalifornia that recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry havesuggested that these cases create a conflict between religious believers andproponents of religious liberty, on one side, and gay men and lesbians andsupporters of gay rights, on the other. Click here to find out more! Theirargument is more practical than normative. The rulings' critics maintainthat recognizing same-sex marriages will inevitably lead the state tointerfere with and burden the religious liberty of faith communities thathold traditional beliefs deeming homosexual conduct immoral. For example,the critics fear that religious employers may be forced to violate thetenets of their faith if they are required by state law to extend health andretirement benefits to the same-sex spouses of their employees, just as theyare for opposite-sex spouses.
-"Eulogy for 'Marriage Evasion' in Massachusetts: 1913-2008"
Link: Huffington Post
Another Step for "Coast-to-Coast" Gay Marriage. On July 31, Massachusettsfinally repealed a law passed in 1913 that prohibited residents from otherjurisdictions from marrying in Massachusetts if they were unable to marry intheir home state. This so-called "marriage evasion" law was passed byMassachusetts to prevent out-of-state couples -- most notably, interracialcouples -- from "evading" their home states' marriage laws by traveling toMassachusetts to take advantage of its less restrictive marriagerequirements.
-Ireland: Commentary--"Growing up with my lesbian parents"
Link: Herald.ie
My name is Ailbhe and I am 17. I grew up in an amazing, happy house livingwith two brilliant parents. But our house is not recognised as a familyhome. My parents have been together since they were my age, they love eachother and me very much, but we are not recognised as a family unit. Myparents are gay. My mam's partner, Anto, is no blood relation to me, but sheis still very much my mother. She was at my birth, she taught me to ride abike and bake bread, and all the things a parent should. Every day, she putsup with my mood-swings and loud music, the same as my biological motherdoes. I'm closer to Anto than a lot of my friends are with their ownparents, but in the eyes of the law she is a stranger to me. The way ourlegal system stands, one of my parents has absolutely no rights over me.There is only one name on my birth cert and I only have one legal guardian.If Fiona, my biological mam, goes away for a few days, my other mother can'tsign my permission slips for school or consent forms should I need medicaltreatment.
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Amsterdam Gay Pride draws half a million
Amsterdam is hosting its 13th annual Gay Pride canal parade. A record eightyboats will be carrying thousands of gays and lesbians clad in scanty orextravagant clothing through Amsterdam's historic centre. An estimated500,000 spectators are expected to line the canals. This year's canal paradewill for the first time be joined by a large number of politicians. Amongthem are Education and Culture Minister Ronald Plasterk, who is alsoresponsible for gender equality, Interior Minister Guusje ter Horst andAmsterdam Mayor Job Cohen.
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/5902123/Amsterdam-Gay-Pride-draws-half-a-million
-Record Stockholm Pride parade despite rain
Saturday's Stockholm Pride parade may have started with heavy rainfall, butit´s set to be the biggest Stockholm Pride parade ever, with over 80,000participants. While last year's parade attracted 50,000 people with 89floats, this year's has 152 floats, almost double. Part of the explanationfor this year's bump in attendees is that StockholmPride is also hostingEuropride, greatly increasing the number ofinternational guests.
http://www.thelocal.se/13442/
-Castration law for Swedish transgenders
Published: 2 Aug 08 13:02 CET
A new proposal to introduce castration as a prerequisite for thoseundergoing
gender reassignment surgery in Sweden has been met with outrageby a leading
gay and transgender rights organization. Today, those undergoing gender
reassignment surgery in order to achieve sexchange usually complement their
surgery with hormone treatment. A side-effect of the hormone treatment is
natural sterilization. However, hormone treatments may be broken off,
whether permanently orshort-term, allowing for the possibility of pregnancy,
as was the case of aBritish transgender "man" who got pregnant this year.
http://www.thelocal.se/13448/
-Gay Nigerian tells of death threats
By Christopher Landau
Davis Mac-Iyalla is an Anglican from Nigeria - nothing unusual about that -
but he is also gay and the death threats he has received since being open
about his sexuality led him to seek asylum in the UK.
Now he is campaigning at the Lambeth Conference, hoping that bishops will
face up to the existence of gay Christians in Africa. I met him just before
he began a demonstration at the conference venue on the Kent university
campus, joined by lesbian and gay Anglicans from six African countries.
With dancing accompanied by traditional drumming, the campaigners held a
banner proclaiming, "We're here!" Many gay Anglicans around the world still
feel that the church would prefer to deny their existence. Mr Mac-Iyalla's
message is simple. "Homosexuality does exist in Africa - it's not a
Western thing, as our African bishops would want people to believe," he
says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7535533.stm
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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
-GLAAD's "The Best & Worst of National News"
The Best:
...Washington Post Examines Needs of LGBT Youth
Since the murder of 15-year-old Lawrence King was first reported in
lateFebruary, the need for comprehensive support systems for middle and
highschool LGBT students has been spotlighted. Most recently, Theresa
Vargas'July 14th Washington Post article, "Owning His Gay Identity: at 15
YearsOld," shared the story of Saro Harvey, a 15 year old from Virginia who
hasbeen openly gay since middle school. This respectful and
detailedexamination of what it means to be openly gay in middle and high
schoolpoints out the lack of supportive schools with inclusive
anti-bullyingpolicies and the presence of Gay-Straight Alliances. Saro
Harvey's story ofbravery is touching and encourages readers to remember the
importance ofmaking sure that schools are a welcoming and safe environment
for all.
...Reuters Profiles the Struggles of Binational Couples
Mary Milliken's Reuters article, "Gay Marriage: Until Deportation Do
UsPart?" shed light on risks binational couples face because of the lack
ofimmigration access for gay and lesbian couples. Milliken highlighted
thestory of Rita Boyadijian, a California resident who must move out of
thecountry in order to stay with her German partner whose student visawillsoon run out. Boyadijian's story put a powerful face on the losses wefaceas a country due to the lack of marriage recognition for same-sexcouples,and pointed out the urgent need for reform to address theseproblems....ABC News Offers In-Depth Look at Challenges and Triumphs of LGBTStudentsThis month ABC News offered a detailed look at how to ensure LGBTmiddleschool students are given all the opportunities necessary to flourish.
In"Young Teens Openly Express Sexuality; LGBT Pre-Teens Proud, NotSafe,"Susan Donaldson James examined the importance of respecting youngerteens'recognition of their orientation, and supporting them through thisprocess.The article called for implementation of teacher training topreventbullying, which too often leads to physical violence if leftunaddressed. James also tracked the growth of gay-straight alliance (GSA)clubs in recentyears, noting that while 110 now exist at the middle schoollevelnationwide, an increase may be helpful in the effort to create safeandeffective schools for all students.
...Washington Post Examines Challenges for Gay Hispanic people with HIVThe
week before President Bush signed the bill lifting the United States'ban on
visitors and immigrants who are HIV-positive, The Washington Postarticle
"AIDS Among Latinos on Rise," presented compelling portraits ofthree Mexican
immigrants affected by HIV. Reporter Ceci Connolly highlightedthe need for
better policies to address the growing rate of Hispanic HIVinfection, such
as increased Spanish-language health initiatives. Thearticle also emphasized
the negative effects of the immigration ban onHIV-positive people, pointing
out that fear of deportation often leads tolate diagnoses and lack of
treatment.
THE WORST
...Offensive Coverage of Transgender People by Boston Herald
A story by Jessica Van Sack of the Boston Herald published in the July8thedition of the paper repeatedly used offensive slurs to describetransgenderpeople. The article, titled "Undercover 'John' Takes on Trannies,Pimps,"focused on one Boston-area detective's undercover investigations among sexworkers. The article opens by describing how the detective hasbeen"trapped inside houses of ill repute by giant naked trannies" and goesonthe repeatedly refer to transgender women as "trannies." Such slursareunacceptable in any credible news outlet. Together with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), GLAAD issued a Call toAction onJuly 11th, encouraging people to contact the Boston Herald andJessica VanSack to call for an apology. To date, the paper has beenunresponsive.
...Denver Daily News Publishes False Claims Regarding Children of GayandLesbian Couples
On July 15th, the Denver Daily News published an article written byPeterMarcus Marcus, titled, "Gay Parents= Gay Kids?" The story reportsthat21percent of children raised by gay and lesbian parents will be gayorlesbian themselves, and that these children will also have a moredifficulttime fitting into society. This statistic is based on a biasedreview by Dr.Trayce L. Hansen, of studies done concerning children raised bygay andlesbian parents. Dr. Hansen has drawn fire in the past for attemptingtopass off anti-gay beliefs as science and has been refuted bymainstreamdevelopmental psychologists. To back up Dr. Hansen's claims,Marcus quotesDr. Bill Maier, a psychologist, from the anti-gay group, Focuson theFamily, a well-known opponent of protections for gay and lesbiancouples.The story sparked many reactions, which resulted in a responsearticlepublished by the Denver Daily News the following day. Together withtheGLBT Community Center of Denver and Children of Lesbians and GaysEverywhere(COLAGE), GLAAD contacted Marcus and assisted him in obtainingsources forhis follow-up, "Gay Kids Study Wrong?," which offered the counteropinion ofa representative from the GLBT Community Center. While this isto becommended, a debate pitting one side against another wasunnecessarilyignited by initially publishing a so-called evaluation onresearch from abiased source and backing it up with quotes from thenotoriously anti-gaygroup, Focus on the Family.
...Rick Santorum Attacks the LGBT Community in Op-Ed Published by The
Philadelphia Inquirer
On July 3, The Philadelphia Inquirer ran an opinion piece by Rick Santorum regarding Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's decision to stopsubsidizingthe Boy Scouts' rent due to their discriminatory policies towardgay people.The Boy Scouts' refusal to allow membership of gay Scouts andScout leadersviolates Philadelphia's non-discrimination laws. Santorum pitsLGBTadvocates for equality and the Boy Scouts against one another, claimingthatLGBT advocates are somehow opposed to basic moral issues such asloyalty,courteousness, kindness, and braveness. Santorum also wronglyasserts thatMayor Nutter and the City of Philadelphia are "bowing to gayspecialinterests over the interest of the safety of the city" when in factthechange in policy regarding the Boy Scouts' rent assures that city lawisbeing followed.
-Efforts Against AIDS Among Black Americans Criticized
A prominent AIDS organization accused the federal government yesterdayofdoing too little to fight AIDS among black Americans, in whom the sizeandscope of the epidemic resembles that seen in many African nations. In a55-page report, the Black AIDS Institute argued that the diseaseshould beviewed as a threat to the entire black population, and not justspecifichigh-risk groups. Unlike in white Americans - and in the citizensof mostindustrialized nations - HIV in American blacks is increasinglytransmittedheterosexually through "networks" where men especially have manysex partnersat the same time, the report noted.
http://www.truthout.org/article/efforts-against-aids-among-black-americans-criticized
-The Reality of Living - and Dying - Without Respect
By Beth Littrell, Lambda Legal Staff Attorney
On the campaign trail this spring, former presidential candidateMikeHuckabee touted the need for a federal constitutional amendmentbanningmarriage equality and barring civil unions, claiming that legaldocumentscan alleviate inequality in most matters of life. "The power ofattorneywould give same-sex couples a chance to visit one another at ahospital,transfer assets," he said. "There are a lot of things that could behandledthat don't require a civil union."
Tell that to Janice Langbehn
Janice arrived at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fl, at the same timeas the ambulance carrying her life partner of 18 years, Lisa Pond.Forty-fiveminutes later, the hospital received Lisa's durable power ofattorneyidentifying Janice as the person authorized to make medicaldecisions. Eighthours later, Janice was still pleading with hospitalemployees to allow her,and their three jointly adopted children, permissionto be with Lisa as shewas taking her last breaths on this earth.
http://www.lambdalegal.org/our-work/publications/general/the-reality-of-living-and.html
-Olympic Problems with Sex Testing
BY ALICE DREGER
Ah, Beijing, where men are men and women are. women until proven otherwise.As reported in the New York Times, "Organizers of the Beijing Olympics haveset up a sex-determination laboratory to evaluate 'suspect' femaleathletes." According to the Times, "only athletes whose gender has beenquestioned will be tested in Beijing." This approach betrays fuzzy-headedthinking of - well, of Olympic proportions. So I'm laying out here myquestions to the Olympic officials involved in this business, in the hopessomeone on the inside will send them along. But first, let's get thelanguage straight. These are not gender tests, they're sex tests. Theofficials don't need to test for gender, since gender is about social roleand self-identification. And the concern of the Olympic testers is notsocial role or self-identification, it's biology. They're concerned thatsome women athletes might "really" have "male" anatomy that would give theman unfair advantage. So, here's what I would like to know from those chargedwith sex policing for the Olympics:
http://www.bioethicsforum.org/sex-testing-Olympics.asp
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Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Out, black lesbian candidate trying to make history in Georgia
A Democratic runoff Tuesday will determine whether Keisha Waites will becomethe first lesbian of color to win state office in Georgia. Waites, who isbacked by The Victory Fund, is running for the state House seat beingvacated by Rep. Bob Holmes, D-Atlanta. Southern Voice (8/1)
-Military will adjust to presence of out soldiers
Although the military is likely to undergo a period of adjustment if the gayban is lifted, writer and Army veteran Rafael Enrique Valero believes therank-and-file, with the guidance of their superiors, would be able to handlehaving out soldiers in their units. "If gay soldiers were to openly servebeginning tomorrow, for a time the military would be unsettled,undoubtedly," he writes. "But they are, after all, soldiers. They can toughit out." The Atlantic.com/The Current blog (7/30)
-Trans workers make progress with acceptance on the job
Although transgender people still face discrimination at work, the overallclimate is improving, with almost 150 Fortune 500 companies includingtransgender employees in their anti-bias policies, according to thisarticle. "The issues transgender people face in the workplace are anoffshoot of what they face in society," says Ray Carannante, coordinator ofthe Gender Identity Project at New York's LGBT Community Center. "Asprofessional as we all aspire to be, folks hiring us are human beings andthey're part of our culture. And our culture views transgender as weird."
New York Post (7/28)
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Saturday, August 02, 2008
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - August 02, 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:
-Editorial: Time, Finally, for Real Fuel Economy
The political landscape is littered with squandered opportunities to avertthe $4-a-gallon gasoline mess we find ourselves in now. Americans would beusing far less gas - and consumers and the automobile industry would be muchbetter off - if Congress had summoned the wisdom and political courage 20,10, even five years ago to impose tough fuel economy standards on the nation's
transportation fleet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/opinion/02sat2.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Running While Black
Gee, I wonder why, if you have a black man running for high public office -say, Barack Obama or Harold Ford - the opposition feels compelled to runlow-life political ads featuring tacky, sexually provocative white women whohave no connection whatsoever to the black male candidates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/opinion/02herbert.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-Automakers Race Time as Their Cash Runs Low
As G.M. and Ford burn through reserves and slash more costs to stay afloat,the future looks tenuous.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/business/02gm.html?hp
-F.C.C. Vote Sets Precedent on Unfettered Web Usage
The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday to uphold thecomplaint against Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, saying thatit had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service fromusing popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine,requires Comcast to end such blocking this year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/technology/02fcc.html
-Don't Want to Talk About It? Order a Missed Call
When Alexis Gorman, 26, wanted to tell a man she had been dating that thecourtship was over, she felt sending a Dear John text message was tooimpersonal. But she worried that if she called the man, she would face anawkward conversation or a confrontation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/us/02sly.html?hp
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Strategy for Pakistan
The United States must support the new democratic government but also dowhat is needed to stop al-Qaeda. PAKISTAN'S NEW democratic government iscommitted to fighting al-Qaeda and other extremist Islamist movements -- andthat may distinguish it from the country's other power centers. Gen. PervezMusharraf, who ruled the country from 1999 until this year and remainspresident, has been an enemy of al-Qaeda but did little to disrupt bases ofthe Taliban, a onetime client of his army. The country's powerfulintelligence service, meanwhile, has long nurtured jihadi groups and nowstands accused by the CIA of collaborating in recent terrorist bombings inAfghanistan. The new prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani, who was inWashington this week to meet President Bush, says he is doing his best toconvince his country that "this is Pakistan's war." But he seems not to havewon the argument within his own government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080102880.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-From the Los Angeles Times
Scientists create first personalized stem cells in ALS patients
Researchers for the first time are able to reprogram cells from sickpatients. Though hurdles remain, such cells could be used to help screendrugs to treat the crippling disease.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/la-sci-stemcells1-2008aug01,0,2014530.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain's ad doesn't do him justice
Y ou know we've officially entered the silly season of the presidentialcampaign when Barack Obama is being compared to a dumb blonde.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/626748.html
-Falling oil production perplexes Mexico
MINATITLAN, Mexico --
Pungent smoke billows from aging petrochemical plants here. Foul-smellingbluish water gathers in pools outside the walls. Fading paint announces thecreaky Lazaro Cardenas refinery, a perfect metaphor for one of the world'sbiggest and most antiquated state oil companies. Petroleos Mexicanosemploys more than 147,000 people and has long operated as a state within astate, with its own hospitals, pensions and integrated business operations.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/625802.html
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Forwarded by Ron Mills
http://RonMills.us
-Electoral College Map with Numbers (Barack Obama vs. John McCain)
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/general-election/electoral-college-results.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Who's playing the race card?
Did Barack Obama play the race card when he accused the McCain camp oftrying to convince voters "he's risky" because "he doesn't look like allthose other presidents on the dollar bills?" Or did the McCain camp play therace card, by accusing Obama of playing the race card? Was it McCain whoplayed the race card in the first place, with an ad juxtaposing Obama withwhite sexpots Britney Spears and Paris Hilton? My neck hurts from watchingthe two campaigns volley these incendiary race accusations furiously all dayThursday, so I'll step in and play ref.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/election_2008/2008/08/01/race_card/
-McCain depicts Obama as too close to teacher's union and against schoolchoice for the poor
John McCain, the father of private school students, criticized Democraticrival Barack Obama on Friday for choosing private over public school for hiskids.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap-mccainaug01,0,646454.story
-McCain draws criticism for views on affirmative action
With the issue of race hanging over the presidential campaign, John McCainappeared today before the National Urban League where he drew criticism forhis opposition to affirmative action.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080801/BREAKING/174652804/2056&title=McCain_draws_criticism_for_views_on_affirmative_action
-Obama pushes for $1,000 rebates
Energy relief checks would go to customers
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pushed yesterday for awindfall profits tax on oil companies to fund $1,000 emergency rebate checksfor consumers besieged by high energy costs, warning voters that Republicanrival John McCain would mean another four years of economic troubles.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/02/obama_pushes_for_1000_rebates/
-Analysis: Race Remains The Political Wild Card
Analysis: Race The Political Wild Card For Obama And McCain
By accusing Barack Obama of playing the race card, John McCain hopes toshuffle the deck in a White House campaign that is scarcely begun, much lesssettled.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/01/ap/politics/main4316162.shtml
-McCain chides Obama over school vouchers
John McCain, the father of private school students, criticized Democraticrival Barack Obama on Friday for choosing private over public school for hiskids. The difference, according to the Arizona Republican, is that he --not Obama -- favors vouchers that give parents more school choices.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/02/mccain_chides_obama_over_school_vouchers/
-As Congress Recesses, Republicans Protest
GOP Representatives Stage Talk-In To Protest Democratic Energy Policies
The last House vote before a vacation usually sparks a stampede toward thedoors and waiting planes. Not so on Friday, when Republicans occupied theHouse floor for a rare, and at times bizarre, protest against Democraticenergy policies
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/01/politics/main4316334.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4316334
=
[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:
-Editorial: Time, Finally, for Real Fuel Economy
The political landscape is littered with squandered opportunities to avertthe $4-a-gallon gasoline mess we find ourselves in now. Americans would beusing far less gas - and consumers and the automobile industry would be muchbetter off - if Congress had summoned the wisdom and political courage 20,10, even five years ago to impose tough fuel economy standards on the nation's
transportation fleet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/opinion/02sat2.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Running While Black
Gee, I wonder why, if you have a black man running for high public office -say, Barack Obama or Harold Ford - the opposition feels compelled to runlow-life political ads featuring tacky, sexually provocative white women whohave no connection whatsoever to the black male candidates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/opinion/02herbert.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-Automakers Race Time as Their Cash Runs Low
As G.M. and Ford burn through reserves and slash more costs to stay afloat,the future looks tenuous.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/business/02gm.html?hp
-F.C.C. Vote Sets Precedent on Unfettered Web Usage
The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday to uphold thecomplaint against Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, saying thatit had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service fromusing popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine,requires Comcast to end such blocking this year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/technology/02fcc.html
-Don't Want to Talk About It? Order a Missed Call
When Alexis Gorman, 26, wanted to tell a man she had been dating that thecourtship was over, she felt sending a Dear John text message was tooimpersonal. But she worried that if she called the man, she would face anawkward conversation or a confrontation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/us/02sly.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Strategy for Pakistan
The United States must support the new democratic government but also dowhat is needed to stop al-Qaeda. PAKISTAN'S NEW democratic government iscommitted to fighting al-Qaeda and other extremist Islamist movements -- andthat may distinguish it from the country's other power centers. Gen. PervezMusharraf, who ruled the country from 1999 until this year and remainspresident, has been an enemy of al-Qaeda but did little to disrupt bases ofthe Taliban, a onetime client of his army. The country's powerfulintelligence service, meanwhile, has long nurtured jihadi groups and nowstands accused by the CIA of collaborating in recent terrorist bombings inAfghanistan. The new prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani, who was inWashington this week to meet President Bush, says he is doing his best toconvince his country that "this is Pakistan's war." But he seems not to havewon the argument within his own government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080102880.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-From the Los Angeles Times
Scientists create first personalized stem cells in ALS patients
Researchers for the first time are able to reprogram cells from sickpatients. Though hurdles remain, such cells could be used to help screendrugs to treat the crippling disease.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/la-sci-stemcells1-2008aug01,0,2014530.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain's ad doesn't do him justice
Y ou know we've officially entered the silly season of the presidentialcampaign when Barack Obama is being compared to a dumb blonde.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/626748.html
-Falling oil production perplexes Mexico
MINATITLAN, Mexico --
Pungent smoke billows from aging petrochemical plants here. Foul-smellingbluish water gathers in pools outside the walls. Fading paint announces thecreaky Lazaro Cardenas refinery, a perfect metaphor for one of the world'sbiggest and most antiquated state oil companies. Petroleos Mexicanosemploys more than 147,000 people and has long operated as a state within astate, with its own hospitals, pensions and integrated business operations.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/625802.html
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Forwarded by Ron Mills
http://RonMills.us
-Electoral College Map with Numbers (Barack Obama vs. John McCain)
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/general-election/electoral-college-results.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Who's playing the race card?
Did Barack Obama play the race card when he accused the McCain camp oftrying to convince voters "he's risky" because "he doesn't look like allthose other presidents on the dollar bills?" Or did the McCain camp play therace card, by accusing Obama of playing the race card? Was it McCain whoplayed the race card in the first place, with an ad juxtaposing Obama withwhite sexpots Britney Spears and Paris Hilton? My neck hurts from watchingthe two campaigns volley these incendiary race accusations furiously all dayThursday, so I'll step in and play ref.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/election_2008/2008/08/01/race_card/
-McCain depicts Obama as too close to teacher's union and against schoolchoice for the poor
John McCain, the father of private school students, criticized Democraticrival Barack Obama on Friday for choosing private over public school for hiskids.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap-mccainaug01,0,646454.story
-McCain draws criticism for views on affirmative action
With the issue of race hanging over the presidential campaign, John McCainappeared today before the National Urban League where he drew criticism forhis opposition to affirmative action.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080801/BREAKING/174652804/2056&title=McCain_draws_criticism_for_views_on_affirmative_action
-Obama pushes for $1,000 rebates
Energy relief checks would go to customers
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pushed yesterday for awindfall profits tax on oil companies to fund $1,000 emergency rebate checksfor consumers besieged by high energy costs, warning voters that Republicanrival John McCain would mean another four years of economic troubles.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/02/obama_pushes_for_1000_rebates/
-Analysis: Race Remains The Political Wild Card
Analysis: Race The Political Wild Card For Obama And McCain
By accusing Barack Obama of playing the race card, John McCain hopes toshuffle the deck in a White House campaign that is scarcely begun, much lesssettled.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/01/ap/politics/main4316162.shtml
-McCain chides Obama over school vouchers
John McCain, the father of private school students, criticized Democraticrival Barack Obama on Friday for choosing private over public school for hiskids. The difference, according to the Arizona Republican, is that he --not Obama -- favors vouchers that give parents more school choices.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/02/mccain_chides_obama_over_school_vouchers/
-As Congress Recesses, Republicans Protest
GOP Representatives Stage Talk-In To Protest Democratic Energy Policies
The last House vote before a vacation usually sparks a stampede toward thedoors and waiting planes. Not so on Friday, when Republicans occupied theHouse floor for a rare, and at times bizarre, protest against Democraticenergy policies
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/01/politics/main4316334.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4316334
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - August 02, 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~~
MARK LAFONTAINE FOR FLORIDA HOUSE DISTRICT 92
www.MarkLaFontaine.com
-NATIONAL WOMEN'S POLITICAL CAUCUS
SUPPORTS MARK LAFONTAINE IN DISTRICT 92
The National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC), Gwen Cherry Chapter,recommends Mark LaFontaine for the District 92 House seat. Founded in 1971,the NWPC is a bipartisan, multicultural grassroots organization designed toachieve equality for all women. The Gwen Cherry Chapter represents BrowardCounty. "I welcome the support of the National Women's Political Caucus,because it underscores that my campaign is reaching out to everyone in thedistrict," LaFontaine said. "The NWPC knows how my community activism andgrassroots background will benefit the residents of the district as I workfor them in Tallahassee." In addition to the NWPC, LaFontaine has beenendorsed by the Broward County Council of Professional Firefighters; theFlorida Professional Firefighters; Florida AFL-CIO; Gay & Lesbian VictoryFund; Equality Florida; US Rep. Barney Frank, chair of the House FinancialServices Committee; and Florida Rep. Kelly Skidmore, as well as a host ofBroward's other leaders. Owner of a successful accounting practice based inOakland Park, LaFontaine is a board member of Oakland Park Main Street,which is guiding that city's development, and also has been a member of theFort Lauderdale Audit Advisory Board, which oversees the city's finances.He promises to help bring fiscal accountability to Tallahassee and tocontinue reforms of property taxes and insurance. Florida House District 92includes parts of Deerfield Beach, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, LazyLake, Poinsettia Heights, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Victoria Park and WiltonManors.
www.MarkLaFontaine.com
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-U.S. Rep. Wexler plans talks in South Florida
He will tout Medicare drug benefits bill
U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler will be in South Florida next week for the firsttime since coming under scrutiny in recent weeks for owning a home inMaryland and using his in-laws' house in Delray Beach as his officialresidence.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpwexler0802pnaug02,0,7812902.story
-Wachovia Economics Group says Florida's in a recession
Florida is in a recession. So says a report from the state's second largestbank. The state's economy shrank from April through June, according toWachovia Economics Group. It was the first quarterly decline in 16 years.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flzhlprecession0802sbaug02,0,2118221.story
-Give Lori Parrish another term as Broward property appraiser
Re-elect Parrish. When Lori Parrish took over as Broward County propertyappraiser four years ago, one of her first concerns was bringing 21stcentury technology into a somewhat antiquated office. Parrish has made heroffice up-to-date, professional and efficient, to the extent that the SouthFlorida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board strongly recommends voters select herin the Democratic primary on Aug. 26.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgspropertyappraisersbaug02,0,3336048.story
-Letter: Sunpass transponders are a joke - on us
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-brmail719sbaug02,0,3772549.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-ENERGY POLICY: Obama alters drilling stance
Barack Obama signaled he might support a compromise that allows offshore oildrilling.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/626787.html
=
Chris Chiari, Democrat for State House, District 91
You are cordially invited for Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres
Thursday August 7, 2008 From 6 to 8 PM
Coconut's - 429 Seabreeze Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33316
(Located just north of the Swimming Hall of Fame on A1A South)
$25 Suggested Minimum Contribution
If you have any questions please feel free to contact the campaign at(954)803-4844
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain meets tough crowd in Orlando
Urban League audience peppers candidate with questions on issues
Facing a tough crowd, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCainopened with an attack on his opponent Friday, as he spoke to a polite, butunenthusiastic, audience at the National Urban League's convention.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080802/NEWS01/808020327/1006&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL
-Lawsuit says Everglades deal is illegal
Lawyer claims it was brokered in meetings that violated state law
Florida's proposal to acquire 300 square miles of Everglades land from U.S.Sugar Corp. was illegally brokered in closed-door meetings, an attorneyclaimed in a lawsuit filed Friday.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080802/ARTICLE/808020331/2070/news05
-Need for nurses soaring
State center says immediate action to get more is crucial
While many of her fellow new grads struggle to start their careers thisyear, Rachel Spare snagged a job more than six months ago.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080802/BUSINESS/808020314/1006/NEWS01
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
MARK LAFONTAINE FOR FLORIDA HOUSE DISTRICT 92
www.MarkLaFontaine.com
-NATIONAL WOMEN'S POLITICAL CAUCUS
SUPPORTS MARK LAFONTAINE IN DISTRICT 92
The National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC), Gwen Cherry Chapter,recommends Mark LaFontaine for the District 92 House seat. Founded in 1971,the NWPC is a bipartisan, multicultural grassroots organization designed toachieve equality for all women. The Gwen Cherry Chapter represents BrowardCounty. "I welcome the support of the National Women's Political Caucus,because it underscores that my campaign is reaching out to everyone in thedistrict," LaFontaine said. "The NWPC knows how my community activism andgrassroots background will benefit the residents of the district as I workfor them in Tallahassee." In addition to the NWPC, LaFontaine has beenendorsed by the Broward County Council of Professional Firefighters; theFlorida Professional Firefighters; Florida AFL-CIO; Gay & Lesbian VictoryFund; Equality Florida; US Rep. Barney Frank, chair of the House FinancialServices Committee; and Florida Rep. Kelly Skidmore, as well as a host ofBroward's other leaders. Owner of a successful accounting practice based inOakland Park, LaFontaine is a board member of Oakland Park Main Street,which is guiding that city's development, and also has been a member of theFort Lauderdale Audit Advisory Board, which oversees the city's finances.He promises to help bring fiscal accountability to Tallahassee and tocontinue reforms of property taxes and insurance. Florida House District 92includes parts of Deerfield Beach, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, LazyLake, Poinsettia Heights, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Victoria Park and WiltonManors.
www.MarkLaFontaine.com
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-U.S. Rep. Wexler plans talks in South Florida
He will tout Medicare drug benefits bill
U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler will be in South Florida next week for the firsttime since coming under scrutiny in recent weeks for owning a home inMaryland and using his in-laws' house in Delray Beach as his officialresidence.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpwexler0802pnaug02,0,7812902.story
-Wachovia Economics Group says Florida's in a recession
Florida is in a recession. So says a report from the state's second largestbank. The state's economy shrank from April through June, according toWachovia Economics Group. It was the first quarterly decline in 16 years.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flzhlprecession0802sbaug02,0,2118221.story
-Give Lori Parrish another term as Broward property appraiser
Re-elect Parrish. When Lori Parrish took over as Broward County propertyappraiser four years ago, one of her first concerns was bringing 21stcentury technology into a somewhat antiquated office. Parrish has made heroffice up-to-date, professional and efficient, to the extent that the SouthFlorida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board strongly recommends voters select herin the Democratic primary on Aug. 26.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgspropertyappraisersbaug02,0,3336048.story
-Letter: Sunpass transponders are a joke - on us
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-brmail719sbaug02,0,3772549.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-ENERGY POLICY: Obama alters drilling stance
Barack Obama signaled he might support a compromise that allows offshore oildrilling.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/626787.html
=
Chris Chiari, Democrat for State House, District 91
You are cordially invited for Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres
Thursday August 7, 2008 From 6 to 8 PM
Coconut's - 429 Seabreeze Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33316
(Located just north of the Swimming Hall of Fame on A1A South)
$25 Suggested Minimum Contribution
If you have any questions please feel free to contact the campaign at(954)803-4844
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain meets tough crowd in Orlando
Urban League audience peppers candidate with questions on issues
Facing a tough crowd, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCainopened with an attack on his opponent Friday, as he spoke to a polite, butunenthusiastic, audience at the National Urban League's convention.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080802/NEWS01/808020327/1006&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL
-Lawsuit says Everglades deal is illegal
Lawyer claims it was brokered in meetings that violated state law
Florida's proposal to acquire 300 square miles of Everglades land from U.S.Sugar Corp. was illegally brokered in closed-door meetings, an attorneyclaimed in a lawsuit filed Friday.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080802/ARTICLE/808020331/2070/news05
-Need for nurses soaring
State center says immediate action to get more is crucial
While many of her fellow new grads struggle to start their careers thisyear, Rachel Spare snagged a job more than six months ago.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080802/BUSINESS/808020314/1006/NEWS01
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Thursday, July 31, 2008
GLBT DIGEST - July 31, 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:
-Same-Sex Marriage Barrier Nears End in Massachusetts
Massachusetts moved closer on Tuesday to erasing a hurdle that blockedmostout-of-state gay men and lesbians from marrying here. Following a votebythe state Senate two weeks ago, the House of Representatives votedonTuesday to repeal a 1913 law that prevented Massachusetts frommarryingout-of-state couples if their marriages would not be legal in theirhome states.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/30marriageweb.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Injured victim in Tenn. church shooting no longer backs death penalty for'this kind of evil'
An injured victim of Sunday's church shooting rampage said the tragedy hasshaken his support for the death penalty, even after an old friend waskilled and three family members were wounded. Hit by more than 20 shotgunpellets in the back, neck and head, 76-year-old Joe Barnhart said Wednesdayhe had always supported capital punishment. But after the gunman attackedthe Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday, killing twoand wounding six, the retired college professor said the death penaltydoesn't seem the answer for "this kind of evil." If suspect Jim D.Adkisson, 58, is convicted, he should "never see the light of day in anorderly society" again, Barnhart said
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sns-ap-church-shooting,0,4354683.story
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-ACLU: Okeechobee high school Gay-Straight Alliance wins groundbreakingfederal lawsuit
The American Civil Liberties Union today announced that Federal Judge K.Michael Moore ruled that school officials in Okeechobee, Florida, must allowa gay-straight alliance (GSA) club to meet on campus. In aprecedent-setting order, the judge upheld his earlier ruling that GSAs donot interfere with abstinence-only education and in a legal first, holdsthat schools must provide for the well-being of gay students.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Justice denied
A shocking report resulting from an internal Justice Department
investigation confirmed this week that Monica Goodling, senior counsel toformer Attorney General Alberto Gonazles, violated federalnon-discrimination laws by denying job opportunities to a female stafferbecause Goodling believed the woman was a lesbian.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=7/25/08&end=8/1/08#20042
-What a difference 15 years makes
Gay service members find warm reception on Hill, unlike 'hostile' 1993hearings
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20060
-Gay rights activist detained, abused in Uganda: NGO
Rights groups on Wednesday urged Uganda to investigate thealleged detaining and torture of a gay rights activist on trial forprotesting against discrimination last month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080730/wl_africa_afp/ugandagayrights_080730185524
-Man in county's 1st gay marriage dies
Guerneville resident had bad headaches, but cause of death is unknownThey had met 15 years ago that day in Santa Rosa. And that's what made ChrisLechman and Mark Gren's historic wedding even more special.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080729/NEWS/807290319/1033&title=Man_in_county_s_1st_gay_marriage_dies
-John McCain on gay adoption ... again
John McCain spoke to George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" on Sunday andre-confused America as to what's really going on in his head regarding gayadoption. McCain told the New York Times that he's against gay adoption.His staff later clarified his statement, saying that McCain thinks decisionsregarding things like gay adoption should be left up to the states. SoGeorge asks: "What is your position on gay adoption? You told the New YorkTimes you were against it, even in cases where the children couldn't findanother home. But then your staff backtracked a bit. What is your position?"The first thing out of McCain's mouth is that he's not running his campaignon this issue. But ... you told the New York Times your position on it. Andyour specific position on it matters because you're running for PRESIDENT OFTHE UNITED STATES.
"My position is, it's not the reason why I'm running for president of theUnited States. And I think that two parent families are best for America,"McCain said. Most of the gay adoption cases in this country involve eithergay men or lesbian couples, and "couple" means two, so that answer's notcutting it.George pressed on, asking McCain to clarify. "Because I think -well, I think that it's - it is important for us to emphasize family values.But I think it's very important that we understand that we have otherchallenges, too. I'm running for president of the United States, because Iwant to help with family values. And I think that family values areimportant, when we have two parent - families that are of parents that areparents that are the traditional family." "So you're against gay adoption,"George said, trying to help McCain out. "I am for the values and principlesthat two parent families represent. And I also do point out that many ofthese decisions are made by the states, as we all know. And I will doeverything I can to encourage adoption, to encourage all of the things thatkeeps families together, including educational opportunities, including abetter economy, job creation. And I'm running for president, because I wantto help families in America. And one of my positions is that I believe thatfamily values and family traditions are preserved." McCain avoids answeringthe question again. He avoids saying why he thinks a gay couple adopting achild would be a slap in the face to family values. What family values areyou talking about specifically, John McCain? Watch for yourself. Thediscussion begins at 3:31. Link to video below:
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=7/28/08&end=8/1/08#19985
-Gay-dar, Quantified
How long does it take to decide if a man is gay? It turns out that peoplemake their decisions within 50 milliseconds of seeing someone, and thatfirst instinct is accurate the majority of the time, according to researchby Nick Rule and Nalini Ambady of Tufts University who have a study in anupcoming issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/odd-numbers/2008/07/30/gay-dar-quantified
-HIV News
The HIV vaccine is a total bust. but researchers in Houston claim to havefound the Achilles' heel, a part of the fast-mutating virus that doesn'tmutate. Blast away at that, and you can "disable" the virus in infectedpersons.
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/hiv_news
-PFOX Lies About Teens with HIV
Regina Griggs of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays) continues to tellwhoppers. In this article at OneNewsNow she tells a huge lie: "Why are weallowing people to tell them, 'Try it -- you might like it?' Over 70percent of young kids 13- to 24-years-old, men having sex with men, are nowHIV-positive," Griggs notes. Over 70% of 13 to 24 year olds who are menhaving sex with men (MSM) are HIV-positive? That's absolutely ridiculous,not even in the ballpark. Here's the most recent CDC report, which does infact note that HIV infections have increased among MSM between 13 and 24.But 70%? Not even close.
http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/07/pfox_lies_about_teens_with_hiv.php
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Colo. Man Charged In Transwoman Slaying
A Colorado man is accused of fatally battering a sex partner with a fire
extinguisher after discovering that his companion was a transgender woman.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073108-trans-murder/
-Bush Signs AIDS Bill
President Bush signed legislation Wednesday that triples U.S. funding to
fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073108-aids-bill/
-Another AIDS Stat That Will Be Ignored
A few years back when I was gainfully employed at a weekly newspaper, theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention released a press release thatnoted blacks accounted for 50 percent of the new HIV/AIDS diagnoses "in theUnited States in the 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIVreporting." I was convinced this was a story we should be all over; however,my editor at the time yawned. He thought the numbers tragic (!) but notparticularly newsworthy.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/073008-hiv-stat/
-Interview with "Brideshead Revisited" Director and Star
As you may have heard, an all-new, gay-injected adaptation of Evelyn Waugh'sclassic 1945 novel Brideshead Revisited is currently opening across thecountry. John Polly recently had a chance to sit down with the film's youngstar Matthew Goode (Charles Ryder) as well as director Julian Jarrold (KinkyBoots) to ask them about the film's making the character of Sebastian Flyteexplicitly gay, and his relationship with Charles more overtly romantic.
http://www.365gay.com/features/073008brideshead-revisited/
-Homophobic Attacks Mar EuroPride
(Stockholm) Homophobic attacks that left two gay men fighting for theirlives, two others seriously beaten, and three churches vandalized haveshocked this city known for its liberal attitude toward homosexuality.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073008-europride-attacks/
-Major Calif. Company To Fight Anti-Gay Ballot Measure
California's largest public utility has given a quarter-million dollars tothe fight against a proposed constitutional amendment that would bansame-sex marriage in the state.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073008-company-calif-ballot/
-Iran Pres. Blames West For AIDS
(Tehran) Iran's president is blaming the United States and other "`bigpowers" for AIDS, nuclear proliferation, and other global ills, and accusingthem of exploiting the United Nations and other organizations for their owngain and the developing world's loss.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073008-iran-aids/
-Ballot Measure Would Cancel Gainesville LGBT Protections
A social conservative voters group opposed to a Gainesville law protectingthe rights of transpeople in employment and housing has mounted a repealeffort that could terminate rights of all LGBT people in the city.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073008-gainesville-ballot/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Black U.S. AIDS Rates Rival Those of Some African Nations
A new report published by the Black AIDS Institute is intended to raiseawareness and remind the public that the "AIDS epidemic is not over inAmerica, especially not in Black America," reports CNN. "AIDS in Americatoday is a black disease," says Phill Wilson, founder and CEO of theinstitute to CNN. "2006 CDC data tell us that about half of the just over 1million Americans living with HIV or AIDS are black."
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58515.asp
-California Town Debates Pride Parade
Residents of Salinas, Calif., located near Monterey, on Tuesday debatedhosting a gay pride parade. Two weeks ago the city's administratorsapproved a permit for a downtown gay pride parade, but dozens of residentson both sides of the issue showed up during the regular city council meetingTuesday to express their opinions.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58582.asp
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Amendment 2 Will Lead to Tragedy
Mathew Staver, president of the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, represents agroup of Californians described as "extremists" who want to go beyondbanning same-sex marriage to "strip away gay rights" of any kind in theGolden State. He also authored Florida's Amendment 2, the November ballotmeasure that would alter our state's constitution to define marriage asbetween only a man and a woman and ban its "substantial equivalent."
-AIDS Hitting Asian Gays at High Rates
HIV infection rates among gay men in many parts of Asia are as severe asthose which devastated US homosexual communities in the late 1980s, topofficials of the UNAIDS agency said here Tuesday. Launching his agency's2008 report on the global AIDS epidemic, Peter Piot, UNAIDS executivedirector, urged more action to prevent the spread of the disease among gaymen who have unsafe sex and stressed the importance of working with affectedcommunities.
-NGLCC Welcomes Top Law Firm to LGBT Supplier Diversity Program
Today the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and NGLCCNYannounced the addition of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP, a prestigiousnational law firm with major operations in thirteen U.S. cities includingChicago, New York, and Washington, DC. Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP,had joined the organizations in an effort to attract more diversity to thefirm's supply chain, specifically by adding LGBT-owned companies to the mix.
-Anal HPV Common in Hetero Men
Roughly one in four heterosexual men have anal human papillomavirus (HPV)infection and, in many cases, a cancer-causing type of the sexuallytransmitted wart virus is present, a study shows. Certain strains of HPV,which can be transmitted from male to female partners, are responsible formost cases of cervical cancer. Although much is known about HPV infection inwomen, this is not the case in men.
-Gay Congressman Barney Frank Proposes Legalization of Marijuana
Openly gay congressman Barney Frank, D-Mass, announced a proposal onWednesday to make it legal for pot smokers to light up. The proposed HR 5843bill would call an end to federal penalties targeting Americans carryingless than 100 grams of marijuana. "The vast amount of human activity oughtto be none of the government's business," Frank said at a news conference onCapitol Hill, CNN reported. "I don't think it is the government's businessto tell you how to spend your leisure time."
-Risk Behavior Does Not Account For Higher Rates Of HIV In Black MSM
Far higher rates of HIV among black MSM (men who have sex with men) comparedwith white MSM are not accounted for by any significant difference in riskbehavior, according to a large study review by the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC) completed late last year.
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-John Aravosis: My take--"Mass. House votes to let out-of-state gays marry"
Link: AMERICAblog
I've been saying for years that neither our national groups, nor state-basedadvocates of gay marriage, are preparing for the day when one state will beforced to recognize another's marriages of gay couples. When that day comes,it will be very interesting to see what the "plan" is to convince members ofCongress not to walk. Far too many members of Congress, for my comfortlevel, said they were opposed to the Federal Marriage Amendment because "itwasn't necessary yet." That could change the day Massachusetts lets gaycouples come from all over America to be wed. And I don't hear of anyonedoing any real work at the national level to change the public's, orcongress', mind about marriage.
-"A minister speaks out for marriage equality"
Link: Milpitas Post
Fortunately, the meanings of words change over time. Although it is commonto hear that marriage is the same now as it was 5,000 years ago, this ispatently false. In ancient civilizations marriage was often a propertyexchange rather than a relationship based on love, shared interests, andcommon values. And in Biblical times it was not even a union between one manand one woman, but rather between one man and one or more women. (RememberSolomon's 700 wives?)
-CA: Opinion--"Is this historic or not?"
Link: Ventura County Star
If voters reject Proposition 8, it would be the first time the public hasaffirmed the right of gays and lesbians to marry. In the civil rightsarena, that would be as historic as the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Boardof Education decision - a moment in time when the tide turned againstunequal legal treatment of separate classes of people. At least that's theway opponents of Proposition 8 seek to frame things. Interestingly, it isthe proponents who seek to downplay the significance of Proposition 8, whichwould amend the California Constitution to state that only "marriage betweena man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
-CA: "Group warns Inland pastors about same-sex weddings"
Link: Press-Enterprise
A Sacramento-based conservative legal group arrives in Corona this week towarn local pastors that they might be sued for refusing to host same-sexweddings, and to advise them on how far they can go in supporting a ballotinitiative that would ban same-sex marriage.
-Will Arizona be abandoned?
Link: Box Turtle Bulletin
This is a question I am asked nearly everyday from folks in Arizona and fromfolks around the country. They ask questions like how much support came fromoutside Arizona in 2006? Will anyone outside of Arizona give money this timeto defeat Prop 102? Will anyone inside Arizona give money? How do you feelabout so much money going to California? What about Florida? Can Arizona winthis one too? Do you feel abandoned by those supporting Californiaespecially but also Florida since Arizona is the only state in the nation todefeat an anti-marriage amendment? There is no easy answer to any of thosequestions.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Concern for gay Iranian refused asylum in Cyprus
The Commissioner of Administration in Cyprus has warned that a gay Iranianman faces death in his homeland if he is deported.
-Sex determination tests for female Beijing athletes
A decision to test female contenders for the Beijing 2008 Olympics to see ifthey are men has caused uproar
-Transsexual gene identified by scientists
A gene variant has been identified that could explain female-to-maletransexuality.
-"Orthodox Christians" target EuroPride churches
A pastor in Stockholm has revealed that three Lutheran churches in the cityhave been targeted by vandals, apparently because they are supportingEuroPride.
-Gay man re-elected chair of Royal College of Nursing Congress
The world's largest trade union for nurses, the Royal College of Nursing(RCN), has re-elected a gay man as the Chair of the RCN's Annual Congressfor a further two years.
-Estonia debates same-sex partnerships
The Ministry of Justice in Estonia is preparing a draft law which wouldallow same-sex partners to register their cohabitation.
-South African radio host leads protests against homophobic journalist200people protested yesterday outside the Sunday Sun newspaper's offices inJohannesburg against a controversial homophobic article from columnist JonQwelane.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-55 Arrested During Raid on "Gay Party" in Saudi Arabia
Police in the Gulf kingdom of Saudi Arabia have launched another raid on aso-called gay party, this time in the coastal Qatif province. Drugs,alcohol were reportedly found at the gathering. TV channel al-Arabiyareports that two young men wearing women's make up and dancing together wereamong 55 people arrested by religious police. Last month more than 20 menafter a raid on another property in Qatif. Quantities of alcohol wereseized at a gathering of young men. Many were initially arrested onhomosexuality charges but later released. The state Commission for thePropagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice was acting on a tip off.In Saudi Arabia homosexuality is illegal under sharia, or Islamic Law.
-Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity On Accused Shooter's ReadingList
Police found right-wing political books, brass knuckles, empty shotgun shellboxes and a handgun in the Powell home of a man who said he attacked achurch in order to kill liberals "who are ruining the country," courtrecords show. Knoxville police Sunday evening searched the Levy Drive homeof Jim David Adkisson after he allegedly entered the Tennessee ValleyUnitarian Universalist Church and killed two people and wounded six othersduring the presentation of a children's musical. Knoxville PoliceDepartment Officer Steve Still requested the search warrant afterinterviewing Adkisson. who was subdued by several church members afterfiring three rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun into the congregation.
-Messages That Lead to Murder
By Wayne Besen | Anything But Straight
This week, I attended the Commercial Closet's Images In Advertising Awardsin Manhattan, which honored corporations that produced gay affirming ads.The pro-gay plugs showed genuine progress and highlighted that many leadingcompanies "get it." The work of Commercial Closet is vital because imagesmatter and repeated exposure to messages shape our views and create positivechange in society. The cleverness and creativity in these ads imparts tomillions of people that homosexuality is nothing to be feared and that GLBTpeople are part of the human family.
-Out & Equal to Host 2008 Workplace Summit in Austin, Texas
Keynote Speakers to Include Syndicated Columnist Arianna Huffington andFormer U.S. Ambassador to Romania Michael Guest, among OthersOut & EqualWorkplace Advocates, the only national nonprofit organization exclusivelydedicated to advancing workplace equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender (LGBT) people, expects nearly 3,000 attendees to gather at theAustin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, September 10-13 forthe annual Out& Equal Workplace Summit. For more information or to register, visitwww.outandequal.org. The early bird registration deadline is August 8,2008.
-TN: Neighbors Help Troubled Transgender Woman
To say that 43 year-old Duanna Johnson leads a difficult life would be anunderstatement. At her small, rundown, North Memphis house you'll findcondom wrappers on the ground outside her door.Her power meter is missing.Not that it matters because her electricity was turned off months ago aftershe stopped paying her utility bill. She has one extension cord runningfrom her bedroom window to the neighbor's house. They charge her $20 amonth to plug into their electricity. It powers the single fan Duanna usesto cool her house. And because Johnson has no running water in her home,neighbors often let her use their bathrooms to wash up and take care of herpersonal hygiene."Well, she would come over and talk," says 82 year-oldHattie Mae Benson. "And I mean, it was a good while before I knew what washappening."
-MI: Play About Gay Christians Moves to World Stage
Having grown up gay in the Catholic church, Nathan Gregorski mostlyassociated religion with feelings of rejection. So he said he is excited bythe chance to perform a play about gay Christians for the world's Anglicanbishops this week in Canterbury, England. Gregorski, 22, is part of aWestern Michigan University acting troupe that will perform "Seven Passages," a locally produced play based on the stories of West Michigangays, for many of the 650 bishops attending the once-a-decade LambethConference. "I just hope they get a little bit clearer understanding aboutthe issue and about gay people in general - that gay people are likeeverybody else," said Gregorski, a 2004 graduate of Mason County CentralHigh School and a WMU senior.
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Drs. Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei Detained in Iran
Sign the petition to free Doctors Kamiar and Arash Alaei
Physicians for Human Rights today urged the Iranian government to end theincommunicado detention of Drs. Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei, two Iranianphysicians who have reportedly been detained in Iran by Iranian authorities.The physicians, who are brothers, were apparently arrested at the end ofJune, 2008 and their current whereabouts are unknown. The doctors areexperts on HIV/AIDS and have worked for many years on HIV/AIDS preventionand treatment activities in Iran and internationally. PHR calls on thegovernment of Iran to disclose their whereabouts, provide them access tolawyers and family, and either to charge them with an internationallyrecognized crime or release them immediately.
http://actnow-phr.org/campaign/iran_free_the_docs
-Execution of 29 people in Evin prison in Iran (July 29, 2008)
Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union
The European Union condemns in the strongest terms the 29 simultaneousexecutions which took place in Evin prison, Iran, on Sunday 27 July 2008. Itconsiders that the Iranian regime's action of staging these executions andmaking them the focus of media attention is an affront to human dignity. TheEuropean Union remains convinced that capital punishment cannot form thebasis of a fair and effective prosecution policy: the dissuasive effect ofthis penalty has never been proved and any judicial error is irreversible.
The European Union is deeply concerned by the increasing recourse to thedeath penalty in Iran in recent months. It urges the Iranian authorities toput an end to death sentences and executions, to establish a moratorium witha view to abolishing the death penalty in accordance with the resolutionadopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 2007 and torespect international human rights standards for all Iranians.
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files_156/iran_301/human-rights-and-iran_6490/death-penalty_6491/execution-of-29-people-in-evin-prison-in-iran-29.07.08_11709.html
-Iran: Risk of stoning of nine Iranians (July 24, 2008)
Declaration of the Presidency on behalf of the European Union
The European Union, which has just reaffirmed to Iran its opposition tocapital punishment under any circumstances, is deeply concerned by thesentencing of eight Iranian women and one Iranian man to stoning and by therisk of their imminent execution. It recalls that the Islamic Republic ofIran pledged to introduce a moratorium on stoning. The European Union urgesIran to abide by its commitments and international human rights standards.
The European Union calls on the Iranian government and parliament toabolish, in law and in practice, recourse to cruel and degrading punishmentand in particular the use of stoning as a method of execution, in accordancewith the latest resolution concerning the situation of human rights in theIslamic Republic of Iran adopted by the United Nations General Assembly inDecember 2007.
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files_156/iran_301/human-rights-and-iran_6490/death-penalty_6491/risk-of-stoning-of-nine-iranians-24.07.08_11696.html
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Turkey's Governing Party Avoids Ban
ISTANBUL - Turkey's governing party narrowly missed being banned in a courtruling on Wednesday that released months of pressure in the country andhanded a victory to the party's leader, a former Islamist. The party,Justice and Development, or AKP, as it is know in Turkish, was kept alive byjust one vote - six members of Turkey's Constitutional Court voted to closeit, but seven were required. A ban would have brought down the government,forcing national elections for the second time in a year and pitching thecountry into chaos. "A great uncertainty blocking Turkey's future has beenlifted," said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the party,speaking in Ankara, Turkey's capital. The court case was the culmination ofan epic battle between Turkey's secular establishment - a powerful coterieof judges and generals that have deposed elected governments four times inTurkish history - and Mr. Erdogan, a broadly popular politician who saysthat his past as a political Islamist is firmly behind him.
-Not all plain sailing for Gay Pride
Amsterdam is gearing up for the high point of gay pride week this Saturdaywhen lesbians, gays and their friends take part in a boat parade through thecity's canals. More politicians are jumping aboard for Canal Pride, withthree more ministers announcing they intend to take part in the parade.
Their boat will sail under the (English) motto 'Simply Gay'. However,opposition MP Boris van der Ham (pictured below), whose progressive liberalD'66 party has had a boat in the gay parade for years, is trying to make itanything but plain sailing for the government. He welcomes the goodintentions, but says there are "still Dutch laws which discriminate againsthomosexuals". His party wants to amend the article in the constitutionthat outlaws discrimination by adding homosexuals to the list of those whoenjoy constitutional protectection. The Christian Democrat-led rulingcoalition is also under fire for allowing civil servants to opt out ofperforming marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.
-Peter Tatchell interview while in Northern Ireland regarding statement from
MP and MLA Iris Robinson.
Link to video: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7531514.stm
-Greenland's gays fail to measure up to society's expectations
A masculine culture makes homosexuality tougher for men than for womenAn explanation for recent reports that gay Greenlanders are more likelytofind themselves ostracised by their communities than lesbians can befoundin the island's masculine culture, according to one historian. JensRydstöm explained that while lesbians are seen as being able tofulfiltraditional female roles, the discrimination experienced by gays stemsfroma belief that they are incapable performing traditional male roles suchashunting and trapping.
http://sermitsiaq.gl/indland/article48722.ece?lang=EN
-Global Forum on Men Who Have Sex with Men & HIV
To Examine Gaps in HIV/AIDS Research, Care and Prevention atXVIIInternational AIDS Conference
Peter Piot of UNAIDS to Address Over 450 Participants from 80 CountriesGathered to Raise Awareness of Unique Issues Facing Gay MenLos Angeles, Calif., July 30, 2008 - Continuing the work it began at itslaunch at AIDS 2006, The Global Forum on Men Who Have Sex with Men & HIV(MSMGF) today announced a full program of activities at the XVIIInternational AIDS Conference - to be held in Mexico City August 3-8 - tobring much-needed attention to a population at heightened risk for HIVinfection around the globe. MSMGF will hold a pre-conference satellitefocused on MSM and HIV on Friday, August 1 and Saturday, August 2, with ajust-announced address and question and answer session from Peter Piot,executive director of UNAIDS, scheduled for August 1 at 1:30 p.m. (CDT).MSMGF will hold a press conference to recap its satellite at noon onWednesday, August 6 in the XVII International AIDS Conference Media Center.
In addition, MSMGF will exhibit at the AIDS 2008 Global Village, re-launchits online presence with a new Web site and participate in a first-everinternational march against stigma, discrimination and anti-homophobia setfor August 2. "As the eyes of the world focus on AIDS in August, we want toensure that the dire situation facing men who have sex with men, theircommunities and, ultimately, their governments, is addressed head-on at AIDS2008," said Don Baxter, executive director of the Australian Federation ofAIDS Organizations and a co-chair of MSMGF's Steering Committee. "The impactof HIV on MSM cannot be overlooked, and there is an urgent need forinternational action now."
www.msmandhiv.org.
-Children's books become ideological battleground in Sweden
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Two new publishing houses for children's books havesparkeddebate in gender-equal Sweden over their professed aim of instillingthecountry's open-minded social values in the next generation. "Our goal isfor all people, regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity orother suchthings, to have the freedom to create their own identity and berespected fortheir personal qualities," said Karin Salmson, the co-founderof the newVilda publishing house. But several critics are outraged, saying they aresimply pushing propaganda disguised as literature. Vilda and another smallpublisher, Olika, both opened their doors last yearwith the express aim ofmaking children's books that promote liberal valuesand challenge traditionalviews on gender, race and sexual orientation.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j3W-Qb1YrytPS23Mch8hzqIc6Nqw
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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
-Young Voters Use Online Video Platform to Voice Concerns About Human
andCivil Rights
Human and civil rights are a key issue for young people
WASHINGTON - In response to record-setting young voter turnout this year,Campus Progress Action has launched I'mVoting For, an online videotestimonial project that gives young people aplatform to talk about howtheir personal experiences and passion for theissues are driving them to thepolls. Young people aren't turning out just because of a particularcandidate -they are reacting to important issues like health care, the warin Iraq, andcivil rights. And of the hundreds of videos on the I'm VotingFor website,human and civil rights are consistently one of the top issuesthat youngvoters identify as their primary concern, often citing a need forimmediategovernment action.
http://www.imvotingfor.org/
-The Worst Kept "Secret" In Public Health
For more than a year, U.S. federal officials have attempted-sometimesinvain-to quell rumors that the number of new HIV infections in the UnitedStates is on the rise. The Washington Blade first broke the story inNovember2007, reporting that the CDC was poised to raise the officialestimate forthe number of HIV infections believed to occur in the UnitedStates to arange as high as 58,000 to 63,000 per year-a greater than 50percent increaseover the current estimate of 40,000 annual HIV infections. By December2007, World AIDS Day media coverage in The New York Times, TheWashingtonPost, Bloomberg News, The Associated Press and other outletsamplified theleaks. They also described growing frustration among AIDScommunity advocateswith delays in making the important research findingspublic.
http://www.aids2008.com/blog/40
-FCC's Porn-Free Broadband Plan Draws Fire from Public Interest GroupsAgency could face lawsuits if proposal passes. More than half a dozenadvocacy groups ranging from liberal to libertarian agree on one thing: theproposal for a porn-free national broadband service put forth by FederalCommunications Commission Chair Kevin Martin is "unconstitutional andunwise." The Friday filing illustrates the plan as a "government mandated'blacklist' of websites." The filtering system would restrict the system"so dramatically that the usefulness of the service would be radicallyreduced."
http://avn.com/internet/articles/31498.html
-Michigan lawmakers look to expand hate-crime laws
Lansing Police Chief: "We need to send a strong message"
Lawmakers and law enforcement both say it is time to get tough onhatecrimes. Legislation spearheaded by Rep. Paul Condino (D-Southfield)wouldexpand Michigan's hate-crime law to include additional classes ofpeople. Vowing to get it through the current lame-duck session of the house,Condinointroduced legislation on Thursday that would add intimidation ofgays andlesbians and people with disabilities to the hate-crime list. Themeasurewould also bring stiffer penalties to those who do thingscommonlyassociated with bias and prejudice, such as hanging a noose orburning across on someone's property. While the measure is expected to passin the House, its future in the Senate is uncertain. State Senator HansenClark stood by Condino and the otherspushing for the change. The DetroitDemocrat said, "I want to send themessage that we need to be tolerant ofeveryone's differences. We also wantto attract jobs. We want to show thatMichigan is a welcoming, acceptingstate of everyone." He said he will do hisbest to convince the Senate thatthis is the right thing to do.
http://www.michiganmessenger.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1620
-Don't Ask Don't Tell - Jon Stewart (beyond humorous)and The Daily Showcommentary (and video)
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6307
-Max Hardcore's Motion for New Trial Denied
TAMPA, Fla. - In an order issued today, U.S. District Court JudgeSusanBucklew has denied the motion by defendants Paul Little (a.k.a.Maxhardcore) and Max World Entertainment for a new trial and/or a judgmentofacquittal for the charges upon which they were convicted on June 5. Littleand Max World had been charged with interstate transportation ofobscenematerial and of posting obscene material on the Internet. Among themultiple bases for new trial or acquittal contained in the defensemotion,authored by Max World attorney Jennifer Kinsley, were threeinstances of juryirregularities; charges of bias against the defendantsallegedly committed byJudge Bucklew herself; failure of the prosecution toproduce enough evidencefor the defendants to be found guilty; and severallegal issues based on theSupreme Court's ruling in Lawrence v. Texas.
http://avn.com/law/articles/31474.html
-Many Stories, One Voice
The North American Convocation of Pro-LGBT Christians inNew Orleans, La., Sept. 4-7
Many Stories, One Voice: The North American Convocation of Pro-LGBTChristians is a conference that will offer new tools and training intheareas of faith-based community organizing, media training,boarddevelopment, fund-raising, research, biblical studies,theology,capacity-building and other concrete skills. Participants will alsoengagein discussions about issues of race, class, ability, age,embodiment,gender identity and sexual orientation.
Register online at http://www.manystoriesonevoice.org/
-VICE PRESIDENT TIM KAINE?
Pros and Cons of a New Dominion Decision
Larry J. SabatoDirector, U.Va. Center for Politics
We have no earthly idea if Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is Obama's choiceforVice President. All we know is that distinguished reporters who claimtohave good sources are calling and saying that Kaine is on theshort-shortlist. Since the Crystal Ball is based in Virginia, and since wehave followed Tim Kaine's career since it began on the Richmond City Councilin 1994, we'lloffer our readers a brief precis on what Kaine would add tothe ticket, andwhat he would not, should the rumors prove accurate. As withall potential Veep picks, there are pluses and minuses. Let's startwithKaine's advantages:
tp://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/article.php?id=LJS2008072901
-Social issues crowd state ballots
Besides electing a president on Nov. 4, voters in some key battlegroundstates also will face divisive social policy choices, including whether toban gay marriage in Florida and restrict affirmative action and abortion inColorado. Michigan voters may be asked to end a 30-year-old ban onstem-cell research that destroys human embryos. Ohioans may decide whethersick workers should be guaranteed paid leave. Missouri voters' attitudestoward immigrants will be tested by a measure to declare English theofficial state language. In Washington, voters may get to weigh whether tojoin Oregon in legalizing assisted suicide for the terminally ill.
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=328253
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Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pelosi proud of her "San Francisco values"
The GOP's condemnation of so-called "San Francisco values" to inspire moregiving from its supporters doesn't sit well with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,who represents the city, according to this blog posting. "I think theyhighlight [San Francisco values] because they are the forces that arefighting health insurance for our children[,] ... they are the forces thatare fighting increases in the minimum wage," Pelosi said. "So when they sortof use their winks and nods about San Francisco values, they are talkingabout the fact that we respect our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendercommunity. But what they are really afraid of is economic justice." TheHuffington Post (7/28)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/28/pelosi-san-francisco-valu_n_115344.html
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Anything but Straight
http://www.waynebesen.com/
-Wayne Besen Vs. Bill O'Reilly On Snickers Ad [video]
http://www.waynebesen.com/2008/07/wayne-besen-vs-bill-oreilly-on-snickers.html
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Ft. Lauderdale: ArtsUnited Features Paintings by James Goodson in August
ArtsUnited will feature the paintings of local artist James Goodson in soloexhibit at the Stonewall Library and Archives from August 4 through 29,2008. The library is located at 1717 North Andrews Avenue in FortLauderdale, FL. The exhibit opens with a reception to meet the artist from6:30 to 8:00 PM on Monday, August 4th. Admission to the exhibit andreception are free and open to the public. As a teen, James Goodson beganstudying dance, drama and play writing at Baylor University. Work in fashiondesign and retail and wholesale display followed. Later James studiedcomputer applications and digital photography. He recently retired from NSUwhere he worked in Media Services. In addition to his photography andpaintings, James has published two books - a collection of poetry and ateen/tween novella. His art has been featured in a number of venuesthroughout Broward County.
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HeartStrong
http://www.heartstrong.org
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-We just completed our Minnesota Outreach and Educational Trip. Now weare gearing up for the second part of our summer O/E trip in Colorado. Wewillbe spending just over two weeks in the states. While Colorado tends to getalot of attention for some of its anti-GLBTresidents and organizations,there are relatively few religious schools.However, every two years or so wereturn to the state to do more of ourlife saving work.
MORE INFO ABOUT COLORADO RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
Colorado has about 55,000 students enrolled in religious k-12 schools.Thosestudents are spread out among approximately 232 religious schools. [...]Finally we are still working on raising money for this upcoming trip.Infact we are still behind about $500 from our trip to MN and needabout$2000. for this Colorado trip. If you are able to help you can makeyourdonation securely online at http://www.heartstrong.org or by mailingyourdonation to HeartStrong, PO Box 2051, Seattle WA 98111. Everything helps! We appreciate everyone's support as we continue onour23rd outreach trip since 1998.
Marc Adams
http://www.heartstrong.org
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Forwarded from Bill Sterling
whaterling1@yahoo.com
-Mulling a Troubling Murder
NEWSWEEK's cover story provoked a fierce debate over homosexuality,harassment and a school's obligation to police its students. Larry King wasan openly gay 15-year-old who was shot dead by one of his middle-schoolclassmates. Could the school have done anything to stop it? That is thequestion NEWSWEEK tackled in "Young, Gay and Murdered," the cover story thisweek. The article drew a massive response online--more than 4,000 commentswere posted through the week. Many responded to reporter Ramin Setoodeh'sassertion that Larry "was a troubled child who flaunted his sexuality andwielded it like a weapon."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/148817
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Greeley, CO: 9NEWS has learned the man arrested in the murder ofan18-year-old transgender person was on date with who he thought was agirl.Police say when the suspect discovered his date was actually aman, he killedher. Alan Ray Andrade, 31, was arrested in Thornton on Tuesday and facessecond-degree murder and aggravated motor vehicle theft charges. In anarrest affidavit obtained by 9NEWS Andrade admits to police tokilling AngieZapata, 20, who was living as a woman but born as JustinZapata.
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=96741&catid=339#comments
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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:
-Same-Sex Marriage Barrier Nears End in Massachusetts
Massachusetts moved closer on Tuesday to erasing a hurdle that blockedmostout-of-state gay men and lesbians from marrying here. Following a votebythe state Senate two weeks ago, the House of Representatives votedonTuesday to repeal a 1913 law that prevented Massachusetts frommarryingout-of-state couples if their marriages would not be legal in theirhome states.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/30marriageweb.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Injured victim in Tenn. church shooting no longer backs death penalty for'this kind of evil'
An injured victim of Sunday's church shooting rampage said the tragedy hasshaken his support for the death penalty, even after an old friend waskilled and three family members were wounded. Hit by more than 20 shotgunpellets in the back, neck and head, 76-year-old Joe Barnhart said Wednesdayhe had always supported capital punishment. But after the gunman attackedthe Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday, killing twoand wounding six, the retired college professor said the death penaltydoesn't seem the answer for "this kind of evil." If suspect Jim D.Adkisson, 58, is convicted, he should "never see the light of day in anorderly society" again, Barnhart said
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sns-ap-church-shooting,0,4354683.story
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-ACLU: Okeechobee high school Gay-Straight Alliance wins groundbreakingfederal lawsuit
The American Civil Liberties Union today announced that Federal Judge K.Michael Moore ruled that school officials in Okeechobee, Florida, must allowa gay-straight alliance (GSA) club to meet on campus. In aprecedent-setting order, the judge upheld his earlier ruling that GSAs donot interfere with abstinence-only education and in a legal first, holdsthat schools must provide for the well-being of gay students.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Justice denied
A shocking report resulting from an internal Justice Department
investigation confirmed this week that Monica Goodling, senior counsel toformer Attorney General Alberto Gonazles, violated federalnon-discrimination laws by denying job opportunities to a female stafferbecause Goodling believed the woman was a lesbian.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=7/25/08&end=8/1/08#20042
-What a difference 15 years makes
Gay service members find warm reception on Hill, unlike 'hostile' 1993hearings
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20060
-Gay rights activist detained, abused in Uganda: NGO
Rights groups on Wednesday urged Uganda to investigate thealleged detaining and torture of a gay rights activist on trial forprotesting against discrimination last month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080730/wl_africa_afp/ugandagayrights_080730185524
-Man in county's 1st gay marriage dies
Guerneville resident had bad headaches, but cause of death is unknownThey had met 15 years ago that day in Santa Rosa. And that's what made ChrisLechman and Mark Gren's historic wedding even more special.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080729/NEWS/807290319/1033&title=Man_in_county_s_1st_gay_marriage_dies
-John McCain on gay adoption ... again
John McCain spoke to George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" on Sunday andre-confused America as to what's really going on in his head regarding gayadoption. McCain told the New York Times that he's against gay adoption.His staff later clarified his statement, saying that McCain thinks decisionsregarding things like gay adoption should be left up to the states. SoGeorge asks: "What is your position on gay adoption? You told the New YorkTimes you were against it, even in cases where the children couldn't findanother home. But then your staff backtracked a bit. What is your position?"The first thing out of McCain's mouth is that he's not running his campaignon this issue. But ... you told the New York Times your position on it. Andyour specific position on it matters because you're running for PRESIDENT OFTHE UNITED STATES.
"My position is, it's not the reason why I'm running for president of theUnited States. And I think that two parent families are best for America,"McCain said. Most of the gay adoption cases in this country involve eithergay men or lesbian couples, and "couple" means two, so that answer's notcutting it.George pressed on, asking McCain to clarify. "Because I think -well, I think that it's - it is important for us to emphasize family values.But I think it's very important that we understand that we have otherchallenges, too. I'm running for president of the United States, because Iwant to help with family values. And I think that family values areimportant, when we have two parent - families that are of parents that areparents that are the traditional family." "So you're against gay adoption,"George said, trying to help McCain out. "I am for the values and principlesthat two parent families represent. And I also do point out that many ofthese decisions are made by the states, as we all know. And I will doeverything I can to encourage adoption, to encourage all of the things thatkeeps families together, including educational opportunities, including abetter economy, job creation. And I'm running for president, because I wantto help families in America. And one of my positions is that I believe thatfamily values and family traditions are preserved." McCain avoids answeringthe question again. He avoids saying why he thinks a gay couple adopting achild would be a slap in the face to family values. What family values areyou talking about specifically, John McCain? Watch for yourself. Thediscussion begins at 3:31. Link to video below:
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=7/28/08&end=8/1/08#19985
-Gay-dar, Quantified
How long does it take to decide if a man is gay? It turns out that peoplemake their decisions within 50 milliseconds of seeing someone, and thatfirst instinct is accurate the majority of the time, according to researchby Nick Rule and Nalini Ambady of Tufts University who have a study in anupcoming issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/odd-numbers/2008/07/30/gay-dar-quantified
-HIV News
The HIV vaccine is a total bust. but researchers in Houston claim to havefound the Achilles' heel, a part of the fast-mutating virus that doesn'tmutate. Blast away at that, and you can "disable" the virus in infectedpersons.
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/hiv_news
-PFOX Lies About Teens with HIV
Regina Griggs of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays) continues to tellwhoppers. In this article at OneNewsNow she tells a huge lie: "Why are weallowing people to tell them, 'Try it -- you might like it?' Over 70percent of young kids 13- to 24-years-old, men having sex with men, are nowHIV-positive," Griggs notes. Over 70% of 13 to 24 year olds who are menhaving sex with men (MSM) are HIV-positive? That's absolutely ridiculous,not even in the ballpark. Here's the most recent CDC report, which does infact note that HIV infections have increased among MSM between 13 and 24.But 70%? Not even close.
http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/07/pfox_lies_about_teens_with_hiv.php
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Colo. Man Charged In Transwoman Slaying
A Colorado man is accused of fatally battering a sex partner with a fire
extinguisher after discovering that his companion was a transgender woman.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073108-trans-murder/
-Bush Signs AIDS Bill
President Bush signed legislation Wednesday that triples U.S. funding to
fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073108-aids-bill/
-Another AIDS Stat That Will Be Ignored
A few years back when I was gainfully employed at a weekly newspaper, theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention released a press release thatnoted blacks accounted for 50 percent of the new HIV/AIDS diagnoses "in theUnited States in the 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIVreporting." I was convinced this was a story we should be all over; however,my editor at the time yawned. He thought the numbers tragic (!) but notparticularly newsworthy.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/073008-hiv-stat/
-Interview with "Brideshead Revisited" Director and Star
As you may have heard, an all-new, gay-injected adaptation of Evelyn Waugh'sclassic 1945 novel Brideshead Revisited is currently opening across thecountry. John Polly recently had a chance to sit down with the film's youngstar Matthew Goode (Charles Ryder) as well as director Julian Jarrold (KinkyBoots) to ask them about the film's making the character of Sebastian Flyteexplicitly gay, and his relationship with Charles more overtly romantic.
http://www.365gay.com/features/073008brideshead-revisited/
-Homophobic Attacks Mar EuroPride
(Stockholm) Homophobic attacks that left two gay men fighting for theirlives, two others seriously beaten, and three churches vandalized haveshocked this city known for its liberal attitude toward homosexuality.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073008-europride-attacks/
-Major Calif. Company To Fight Anti-Gay Ballot Measure
California's largest public utility has given a quarter-million dollars tothe fight against a proposed constitutional amendment that would bansame-sex marriage in the state.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073008-company-calif-ballot/
-Iran Pres. Blames West For AIDS
(Tehran) Iran's president is blaming the United States and other "`bigpowers" for AIDS, nuclear proliferation, and other global ills, and accusingthem of exploiting the United Nations and other organizations for their owngain and the developing world's loss.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073008-iran-aids/
-Ballot Measure Would Cancel Gainesville LGBT Protections
A social conservative voters group opposed to a Gainesville law protectingthe rights of transpeople in employment and housing has mounted a repealeffort that could terminate rights of all LGBT people in the city.
http://www.365gay.com/news/073008-gainesville-ballot/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Black U.S. AIDS Rates Rival Those of Some African Nations
A new report published by the Black AIDS Institute is intended to raiseawareness and remind the public that the "AIDS epidemic is not over inAmerica, especially not in Black America," reports CNN. "AIDS in Americatoday is a black disease," says Phill Wilson, founder and CEO of theinstitute to CNN. "2006 CDC data tell us that about half of the just over 1million Americans living with HIV or AIDS are black."
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58515.asp
-California Town Debates Pride Parade
Residents of Salinas, Calif., located near Monterey, on Tuesday debatedhosting a gay pride parade. Two weeks ago the city's administratorsapproved a permit for a downtown gay pride parade, but dozens of residentson both sides of the issue showed up during the regular city council meetingTuesday to express their opinions.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58582.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:
-Amendment 2 Will Lead to Tragedy
Mathew Staver, president of the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, represents agroup of Californians described as "extremists" who want to go beyondbanning same-sex marriage to "strip away gay rights" of any kind in theGolden State. He also authored Florida's Amendment 2, the November ballotmeasure that would alter our state's constitution to define marriage asbetween only a man and a woman and ban its "substantial equivalent."
-AIDS Hitting Asian Gays at High Rates
HIV infection rates among gay men in many parts of Asia are as severe asthose which devastated US homosexual communities in the late 1980s, topofficials of the UNAIDS agency said here Tuesday. Launching his agency's2008 report on the global AIDS epidemic, Peter Piot, UNAIDS executivedirector, urged more action to prevent the spread of the disease among gaymen who have unsafe sex and stressed the importance of working with affectedcommunities.
-NGLCC Welcomes Top Law Firm to LGBT Supplier Diversity Program
Today the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and NGLCCNYannounced the addition of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP, a prestigiousnational law firm with major operations in thirteen U.S. cities includingChicago, New York, and Washington, DC. Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP,had joined the organizations in an effort to attract more diversity to thefirm's supply chain, specifically by adding LGBT-owned companies to the mix.
-Anal HPV Common in Hetero Men
Roughly one in four heterosexual men have anal human papillomavirus (HPV)infection and, in many cases, a cancer-causing type of the sexuallytransmitted wart virus is present, a study shows. Certain strains of HPV,which can be transmitted from male to female partners, are responsible formost cases of cervical cancer. Although much is known about HPV infection inwomen, this is not the case in men.
-Gay Congressman Barney Frank Proposes Legalization of Marijuana
Openly gay congressman Barney Frank, D-Mass, announced a proposal onWednesday to make it legal for pot smokers to light up. The proposed HR 5843bill would call an end to federal penalties targeting Americans carryingless than 100 grams of marijuana. "The vast amount of human activity oughtto be none of the government's business," Frank said at a news conference onCapitol Hill, CNN reported. "I don't think it is the government's businessto tell you how to spend your leisure time."
-Risk Behavior Does Not Account For Higher Rates Of HIV In Black MSM
Far higher rates of HIV among black MSM (men who have sex with men) comparedwith white MSM are not accounted for by any significant difference in riskbehavior, according to a large study review by the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC) completed late last year.
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-John Aravosis: My take--"Mass. House votes to let out-of-state gays marry"
Link: AMERICAblog
I've been saying for years that neither our national groups, nor state-basedadvocates of gay marriage, are preparing for the day when one state will beforced to recognize another's marriages of gay couples. When that day comes,it will be very interesting to see what the "plan" is to convince members ofCongress not to walk. Far too many members of Congress, for my comfortlevel, said they were opposed to the Federal Marriage Amendment because "itwasn't necessary yet." That could change the day Massachusetts lets gaycouples come from all over America to be wed. And I don't hear of anyonedoing any real work at the national level to change the public's, orcongress', mind about marriage.
-"A minister speaks out for marriage equality"
Link: Milpitas Post
Fortunately, the meanings of words change over time. Although it is commonto hear that marriage is the same now as it was 5,000 years ago, this ispatently false. In ancient civilizations marriage was often a propertyexchange rather than a relationship based on love, shared interests, andcommon values. And in Biblical times it was not even a union between one manand one woman, but rather between one man and one or more women. (RememberSolomon's 700 wives?)
-CA: Opinion--"Is this historic or not?"
Link: Ventura County Star
If voters reject Proposition 8, it would be the first time the public hasaffirmed the right of gays and lesbians to marry. In the civil rightsarena, that would be as historic as the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Boardof Education decision - a moment in time when the tide turned againstunequal legal treatment of separate classes of people. At least that's theway opponents of Proposition 8 seek to frame things. Interestingly, it isthe proponents who seek to downplay the significance of Proposition 8, whichwould amend the California Constitution to state that only "marriage betweena man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
-CA: "Group warns Inland pastors about same-sex weddings"
Link: Press-Enterprise
A Sacramento-based conservative legal group arrives in Corona this week towarn local pastors that they might be sued for refusing to host same-sexweddings, and to advise them on how far they can go in supporting a ballotinitiative that would ban same-sex marriage.
-Will Arizona be abandoned?
Link: Box Turtle Bulletin
This is a question I am asked nearly everyday from folks in Arizona and fromfolks around the country. They ask questions like how much support came fromoutside Arizona in 2006? Will anyone outside of Arizona give money this timeto defeat Prop 102? Will anyone inside Arizona give money? How do you feelabout so much money going to California? What about Florida? Can Arizona winthis one too? Do you feel abandoned by those supporting Californiaespecially but also Florida since Arizona is the only state in the nation todefeat an anti-marriage amendment? There is no easy answer to any of thosequestions.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Concern for gay Iranian refused asylum in Cyprus
The Commissioner of Administration in Cyprus has warned that a gay Iranianman faces death in his homeland if he is deported.
-Sex determination tests for female Beijing athletes
A decision to test female contenders for the Beijing 2008 Olympics to see ifthey are men has caused uproar
-Transsexual gene identified by scientists
A gene variant has been identified that could explain female-to-maletransexuality.
-"Orthodox Christians" target EuroPride churches
A pastor in Stockholm has revealed that three Lutheran churches in the cityhave been targeted by vandals, apparently because they are supportingEuroPride.
-Gay man re-elected chair of Royal College of Nursing Congress
The world's largest trade union for nurses, the Royal College of Nursing(RCN), has re-elected a gay man as the Chair of the RCN's Annual Congressfor a further two years.
-Estonia debates same-sex partnerships
The Ministry of Justice in Estonia is preparing a draft law which wouldallow same-sex partners to register their cohabitation.
-South African radio host leads protests against homophobic journalist200people protested yesterday outside the Sunday Sun newspaper's offices inJohannesburg against a controversial homophobic article from columnist JonQwelane.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-55 Arrested During Raid on "Gay Party" in Saudi Arabia
Police in the Gulf kingdom of Saudi Arabia have launched another raid on aso-called gay party, this time in the coastal Qatif province. Drugs,alcohol were reportedly found at the gathering. TV channel al-Arabiyareports that two young men wearing women's make up and dancing together wereamong 55 people arrested by religious police. Last month more than 20 menafter a raid on another property in Qatif. Quantities of alcohol wereseized at a gathering of young men. Many were initially arrested onhomosexuality charges but later released. The state Commission for thePropagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice was acting on a tip off.In Saudi Arabia homosexuality is illegal under sharia, or Islamic Law.
-Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity On Accused Shooter's ReadingList
Police found right-wing political books, brass knuckles, empty shotgun shellboxes and a handgun in the Powell home of a man who said he attacked achurch in order to kill liberals "who are ruining the country," courtrecords show. Knoxville police Sunday evening searched the Levy Drive homeof Jim David Adkisson after he allegedly entered the Tennessee ValleyUnitarian Universalist Church and killed two people and wounded six othersduring the presentation of a children's musical. Knoxville PoliceDepartment Officer Steve Still requested the search warrant afterinterviewing Adkisson. who was subdued by several church members afterfiring three rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun into the congregation.
-Messages That Lead to Murder
By Wayne Besen | Anything But Straight
This week, I attended the Commercial Closet's Images In Advertising Awardsin Manhattan, which honored corporations that produced gay affirming ads.The pro-gay plugs showed genuine progress and highlighted that many leadingcompanies "get it." The work of Commercial Closet is vital because imagesmatter and repeated exposure to messages shape our views and create positivechange in society. The cleverness and creativity in these ads imparts tomillions of people that homosexuality is nothing to be feared and that GLBTpeople are part of the human family.
-Out & Equal to Host 2008 Workplace Summit in Austin, Texas
Keynote Speakers to Include Syndicated Columnist Arianna Huffington andFormer U.S. Ambassador to Romania Michael Guest, among OthersOut & EqualWorkplace Advocates, the only national nonprofit organization exclusivelydedicated to advancing workplace equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender (LGBT) people, expects nearly 3,000 attendees to gather at theAustin Convention Center in Austin, Texas, September 10-13 forthe annual Out& Equal Workplace Summit. For more information or to register, visitwww.outandequal.org. The early bird registration deadline is August 8,2008.
-TN: Neighbors Help Troubled Transgender Woman
To say that 43 year-old Duanna Johnson leads a difficult life would be anunderstatement. At her small, rundown, North Memphis house you'll findcondom wrappers on the ground outside her door.Her power meter is missing.Not that it matters because her electricity was turned off months ago aftershe stopped paying her utility bill. She has one extension cord runningfrom her bedroom window to the neighbor's house. They charge her $20 amonth to plug into their electricity. It powers the single fan Duanna usesto cool her house. And because Johnson has no running water in her home,neighbors often let her use their bathrooms to wash up and take care of herpersonal hygiene."Well, she would come over and talk," says 82 year-oldHattie Mae Benson. "And I mean, it was a good while before I knew what washappening."
-MI: Play About Gay Christians Moves to World Stage
Having grown up gay in the Catholic church, Nathan Gregorski mostlyassociated religion with feelings of rejection. So he said he is excited bythe chance to perform a play about gay Christians for the world's Anglicanbishops this week in Canterbury, England. Gregorski, 22, is part of aWestern Michigan University acting troupe that will perform "Seven Passages," a locally produced play based on the stories of West Michigangays, for many of the 650 bishops attending the once-a-decade LambethConference. "I just hope they get a little bit clearer understanding aboutthe issue and about gay people in general - that gay people are likeeverybody else," said Gregorski, a 2004 graduate of Mason County CentralHigh School and a WMU senior.
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Drs. Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei Detained in Iran
Sign the petition to free Doctors Kamiar and Arash Alaei
Physicians for Human Rights today urged the Iranian government to end theincommunicado detention of Drs. Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei, two Iranianphysicians who have reportedly been detained in Iran by Iranian authorities.The physicians, who are brothers, were apparently arrested at the end ofJune, 2008 and their current whereabouts are unknown. The doctors areexperts on HIV/AIDS and have worked for many years on HIV/AIDS preventionand treatment activities in Iran and internationally. PHR calls on thegovernment of Iran to disclose their whereabouts, provide them access tolawyers and family, and either to charge them with an internationallyrecognized crime or release them immediately.
http://actnow-phr.org/campaign/iran_free_the_docs
-Execution of 29 people in Evin prison in Iran (July 29, 2008)
Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union
The European Union condemns in the strongest terms the 29 simultaneousexecutions which took place in Evin prison, Iran, on Sunday 27 July 2008. Itconsiders that the Iranian regime's action of staging these executions andmaking them the focus of media attention is an affront to human dignity. TheEuropean Union remains convinced that capital punishment cannot form thebasis of a fair and effective prosecution policy: the dissuasive effect ofthis penalty has never been proved and any judicial error is irreversible.
The European Union is deeply concerned by the increasing recourse to thedeath penalty in Iran in recent months. It urges the Iranian authorities toput an end to death sentences and executions, to establish a moratorium witha view to abolishing the death penalty in accordance with the resolutionadopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 2007 and torespect international human rights standards for all Iranians.
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files_156/iran_301/human-rights-and-iran_6490/death-penalty_6491/execution-of-29-people-in-evin-prison-in-iran-29.07.08_11709.html
-Iran: Risk of stoning of nine Iranians (July 24, 2008)
Declaration of the Presidency on behalf of the European Union
The European Union, which has just reaffirmed to Iran its opposition tocapital punishment under any circumstances, is deeply concerned by thesentencing of eight Iranian women and one Iranian man to stoning and by therisk of their imminent execution. It recalls that the Islamic Republic ofIran pledged to introduce a moratorium on stoning. The European Union urgesIran to abide by its commitments and international human rights standards.
The European Union calls on the Iranian government and parliament toabolish, in law and in practice, recourse to cruel and degrading punishmentand in particular the use of stoning as a method of execution, in accordancewith the latest resolution concerning the situation of human rights in theIslamic Republic of Iran adopted by the United Nations General Assembly inDecember 2007.
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files_156/iran_301/human-rights-and-iran_6490/death-penalty_6491/risk-of-stoning-of-nine-iranians-24.07.08_11696.html
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Turkey's Governing Party Avoids Ban
ISTANBUL - Turkey's governing party narrowly missed being banned in a courtruling on Wednesday that released months of pressure in the country andhanded a victory to the party's leader, a former Islamist. The party,Justice and Development, or AKP, as it is know in Turkish, was kept alive byjust one vote - six members of Turkey's Constitutional Court voted to closeit, but seven were required. A ban would have brought down the government,forcing national elections for the second time in a year and pitching thecountry into chaos. "A great uncertainty blocking Turkey's future has beenlifted," said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the party,speaking in Ankara, Turkey's capital. The court case was the culmination ofan epic battle between Turkey's secular establishment - a powerful coterieof judges and generals that have deposed elected governments four times inTurkish history - and Mr. Erdogan, a broadly popular politician who saysthat his past as a political Islamist is firmly behind him.
-Not all plain sailing for Gay Pride
Amsterdam is gearing up for the high point of gay pride week this Saturdaywhen lesbians, gays and their friends take part in a boat parade through thecity's canals. More politicians are jumping aboard for Canal Pride, withthree more ministers announcing they intend to take part in the parade.
Their boat will sail under the (English) motto 'Simply Gay'. However,opposition MP Boris van der Ham (pictured below), whose progressive liberalD'66 party has had a boat in the gay parade for years, is trying to make itanything but plain sailing for the government. He welcomes the goodintentions, but says there are "still Dutch laws which discriminate againsthomosexuals". His party wants to amend the article in the constitutionthat outlaws discrimination by adding homosexuals to the list of those whoenjoy constitutional protectection. The Christian Democrat-led rulingcoalition is also under fire for allowing civil servants to opt out ofperforming marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.
-Peter Tatchell interview while in Northern Ireland regarding statement from
MP and MLA Iris Robinson.
Link to video: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7531514.stm
-Greenland's gays fail to measure up to society's expectations
A masculine culture makes homosexuality tougher for men than for womenAn explanation for recent reports that gay Greenlanders are more likelytofind themselves ostracised by their communities than lesbians can befoundin the island's masculine culture, according to one historian. JensRydstöm explained that while lesbians are seen as being able tofulfiltraditional female roles, the discrimination experienced by gays stemsfroma belief that they are incapable performing traditional male roles suchashunting and trapping.
http://sermitsiaq.gl/indland/article48722.ece?lang=EN
-Global Forum on Men Who Have Sex with Men & HIV
To Examine Gaps in HIV/AIDS Research, Care and Prevention atXVIIInternational AIDS Conference
Peter Piot of UNAIDS to Address Over 450 Participants from 80 CountriesGathered to Raise Awareness of Unique Issues Facing Gay MenLos Angeles, Calif., July 30, 2008 - Continuing the work it began at itslaunch at AIDS 2006, The Global Forum on Men Who Have Sex with Men & HIV(MSMGF) today announced a full program of activities at the XVIIInternational AIDS Conference - to be held in Mexico City August 3-8 - tobring much-needed attention to a population at heightened risk for HIVinfection around the globe. MSMGF will hold a pre-conference satellitefocused on MSM and HIV on Friday, August 1 and Saturday, August 2, with ajust-announced address and question and answer session from Peter Piot,executive director of UNAIDS, scheduled for August 1 at 1:30 p.m. (CDT).MSMGF will hold a press conference to recap its satellite at noon onWednesday, August 6 in the XVII International AIDS Conference Media Center.
In addition, MSMGF will exhibit at the AIDS 2008 Global Village, re-launchits online presence with a new Web site and participate in a first-everinternational march against stigma, discrimination and anti-homophobia setfor August 2. "As the eyes of the world focus on AIDS in August, we want toensure that the dire situation facing men who have sex with men, theircommunities and, ultimately, their governments, is addressed head-on at AIDS2008," said Don Baxter, executive director of the Australian Federation ofAIDS Organizations and a co-chair of MSMGF's Steering Committee. "The impactof HIV on MSM cannot be overlooked, and there is an urgent need forinternational action now."
www.msmandhiv.org.
-Children's books become ideological battleground in Sweden
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Two new publishing houses for children's books havesparkeddebate in gender-equal Sweden over their professed aim of instillingthecountry's open-minded social values in the next generation. "Our goal isfor all people, regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity orother suchthings, to have the freedom to create their own identity and berespected fortheir personal qualities," said Karin Salmson, the co-founderof the newVilda publishing house. But several critics are outraged, saying they aresimply pushing propaganda disguised as literature. Vilda and another smallpublisher, Olika, both opened their doors last yearwith the express aim ofmaking children's books that promote liberal valuesand challenge traditionalviews on gender, race and sexual orientation.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j3W-Qb1YrytPS23Mch8hzqIc6Nqw
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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
-Young Voters Use Online Video Platform to Voice Concerns About Human
andCivil Rights
Human and civil rights are a key issue for young people
WASHINGTON - In response to record-setting young voter turnout this year,Campus Progress Action has launched I'mVoting For, an online videotestimonial project that gives young people aplatform to talk about howtheir personal experiences and passion for theissues are driving them to thepolls. Young people aren't turning out just because of a particularcandidate -they are reacting to important issues like health care, the warin Iraq, andcivil rights. And of the hundreds of videos on the I'm VotingFor website,human and civil rights are consistently one of the top issuesthat youngvoters identify as their primary concern, often citing a need forimmediategovernment action.
http://www.imvotingfor.org/
-The Worst Kept "Secret" In Public Health
For more than a year, U.S. federal officials have attempted-sometimesinvain-to quell rumors that the number of new HIV infections in the UnitedStates is on the rise. The Washington Blade first broke the story inNovember2007, reporting that the CDC was poised to raise the officialestimate forthe number of HIV infections believed to occur in the UnitedStates to arange as high as 58,000 to 63,000 per year-a greater than 50percent increaseover the current estimate of 40,000 annual HIV infections. By December2007, World AIDS Day media coverage in The New York Times, TheWashingtonPost, Bloomberg News, The Associated Press and other outletsamplified theleaks. They also described growing frustration among AIDScommunity advocateswith delays in making the important research findingspublic.
http://www.aids2008.com/blog/40
-FCC's Porn-Free Broadband Plan Draws Fire from Public Interest GroupsAgency could face lawsuits if proposal passes. More than half a dozenadvocacy groups ranging from liberal to libertarian agree on one thing: theproposal for a porn-free national broadband service put forth by FederalCommunications Commission Chair Kevin Martin is "unconstitutional andunwise." The Friday filing illustrates the plan as a "government mandated'blacklist' of websites." The filtering system would restrict the system"so dramatically that the usefulness of the service would be radicallyreduced."
http://avn.com/internet/articles/31498.html
-Michigan lawmakers look to expand hate-crime laws
Lansing Police Chief: "We need to send a strong message"
Lawmakers and law enforcement both say it is time to get tough onhatecrimes. Legislation spearheaded by Rep. Paul Condino (D-Southfield)wouldexpand Michigan's hate-crime law to include additional classes ofpeople. Vowing to get it through the current lame-duck session of the house,Condinointroduced legislation on Thursday that would add intimidation ofgays andlesbians and people with disabilities to the hate-crime list. Themeasurewould also bring stiffer penalties to those who do thingscommonlyassociated with bias and prejudice, such as hanging a noose orburning across on someone's property. While the measure is expected to passin the House, its future in the Senate is uncertain. State Senator HansenClark stood by Condino and the otherspushing for the change. The DetroitDemocrat said, "I want to send themessage that we need to be tolerant ofeveryone's differences. We also wantto attract jobs. We want to show thatMichigan is a welcoming, acceptingstate of everyone." He said he will do hisbest to convince the Senate thatthis is the right thing to do.
http://www.michiganmessenger.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1620
-Don't Ask Don't Tell - Jon Stewart (beyond humorous)and The Daily Showcommentary (and video)
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6307
-Max Hardcore's Motion for New Trial Denied
TAMPA, Fla. - In an order issued today, U.S. District Court JudgeSusanBucklew has denied the motion by defendants Paul Little (a.k.a.Maxhardcore) and Max World Entertainment for a new trial and/or a judgmentofacquittal for the charges upon which they were convicted on June 5. Littleand Max World had been charged with interstate transportation ofobscenematerial and of posting obscene material on the Internet. Among themultiple bases for new trial or acquittal contained in the defensemotion,authored by Max World attorney Jennifer Kinsley, were threeinstances of juryirregularities; charges of bias against the defendantsallegedly committed byJudge Bucklew herself; failure of the prosecution toproduce enough evidencefor the defendants to be found guilty; and severallegal issues based on theSupreme Court's ruling in Lawrence v. Texas.
http://avn.com/law/articles/31474.html
-Many Stories, One Voice
The North American Convocation of Pro-LGBT Christians inNew Orleans, La., Sept. 4-7
Many Stories, One Voice: The North American Convocation of Pro-LGBTChristians is a conference that will offer new tools and training intheareas of faith-based community organizing, media training,boarddevelopment, fund-raising, research, biblical studies,theology,capacity-building and other concrete skills. Participants will alsoengagein discussions about issues of race, class, ability, age,embodiment,gender identity and sexual orientation.
Register online at http://www.manystoriesonevoice.org/
-VICE PRESIDENT TIM KAINE?
Pros and Cons of a New Dominion Decision
Larry J. SabatoDirector, U.Va. Center for Politics
We have no earthly idea if Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is Obama's choiceforVice President. All we know is that distinguished reporters who claimtohave good sources are calling and saying that Kaine is on theshort-shortlist. Since the Crystal Ball is based in Virginia, and since wehave followed Tim Kaine's career since it began on the Richmond City Councilin 1994, we'lloffer our readers a brief precis on what Kaine would add tothe ticket, andwhat he would not, should the rumors prove accurate. As withall potential Veep picks, there are pluses and minuses. Let's startwithKaine's advantages:
tp://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/article.php?id=LJS2008072901
-Social issues crowd state ballots
Besides electing a president on Nov. 4, voters in some key battlegroundstates also will face divisive social policy choices, including whether toban gay marriage in Florida and restrict affirmative action and abortion inColorado. Michigan voters may be asked to end a 30-year-old ban onstem-cell research that destroys human embryos. Ohioans may decide whethersick workers should be guaranteed paid leave. Missouri voters' attitudestoward immigrants will be tested by a measure to declare English theofficial state language. In Washington, voters may get to weigh whether tojoin Oregon in legalizing assisted suicide for the terminally ill.
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=328253
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Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pelosi proud of her "San Francisco values"
The GOP's condemnation of so-called "San Francisco values" to inspire moregiving from its supporters doesn't sit well with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,who represents the city, according to this blog posting. "I think theyhighlight [San Francisco values] because they are the forces that arefighting health insurance for our children[,] ... they are the forces thatare fighting increases in the minimum wage," Pelosi said. "So when they sortof use their winks and nods about San Francisco values, they are talkingabout the fact that we respect our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendercommunity. But what they are really afraid of is economic justice." TheHuffington Post (7/28)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/28/pelosi-san-francisco-valu_n_115344.html
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Anything but Straight
http://www.waynebesen.com/
-Wayne Besen Vs. Bill O'Reilly On Snickers Ad [video]
http://www.waynebesen.com/2008/07/wayne-besen-vs-bill-oreilly-on-snickers.html
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Ft. Lauderdale: ArtsUnited Features Paintings by James Goodson in August
ArtsUnited will feature the paintings of local artist James Goodson in soloexhibit at the Stonewall Library and Archives from August 4 through 29,2008. The library is located at 1717 North Andrews Avenue in FortLauderdale, FL. The exhibit opens with a reception to meet the artist from6:30 to 8:00 PM on Monday, August 4th. Admission to the exhibit andreception are free and open to the public. As a teen, James Goodson beganstudying dance, drama and play writing at Baylor University. Work in fashiondesign and retail and wholesale display followed. Later James studiedcomputer applications and digital photography. He recently retired from NSUwhere he worked in Media Services. In addition to his photography andpaintings, James has published two books - a collection of poetry and ateen/tween novella. His art has been featured in a number of venuesthroughout Broward County.
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HeartStrong
http://www.heartstrong.org
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-We just completed our Minnesota Outreach and Educational Trip. Now weare gearing up for the second part of our summer O/E trip in Colorado. Wewillbe spending just over two weeks in the states. While Colorado tends to getalot of attention for some of its anti-GLBTresidents and organizations,there are relatively few religious schools.However, every two years or so wereturn to the state to do more of ourlife saving work.
MORE INFO ABOUT COLORADO RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
Colorado has about 55,000 students enrolled in religious k-12 schools.Thosestudents are spread out among approximately 232 religious schools. [...]Finally we are still working on raising money for this upcoming trip.Infact we are still behind about $500 from our trip to MN and needabout$2000. for this Colorado trip. If you are able to help you can makeyourdonation securely online at http://www.heartstrong.org or by mailingyourdonation to HeartStrong, PO Box 2051, Seattle WA 98111. Everything helps! We appreciate everyone's support as we continue onour23rd outreach trip since 1998.
Marc Adams
http://www.heartstrong.org
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Forwarded from Bill Sterling
whaterling1@yahoo.com
-Mulling a Troubling Murder
NEWSWEEK's cover story provoked a fierce debate over homosexuality,harassment and a school's obligation to police its students. Larry King wasan openly gay 15-year-old who was shot dead by one of his middle-schoolclassmates. Could the school have done anything to stop it? That is thequestion NEWSWEEK tackled in "Young, Gay and Murdered," the cover story thisweek. The article drew a massive response online--more than 4,000 commentswere posted through the week. Many responded to reporter Ramin Setoodeh'sassertion that Larry "was a troubled child who flaunted his sexuality andwielded it like a weapon."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/148817
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Greeley, CO: 9NEWS has learned the man arrested in the murder ofan18-year-old transgender person was on date with who he thought was agirl.Police say when the suspect discovered his date was actually aman, he killedher. Alan Ray Andrade, 31, was arrested in Thornton on Tuesday and facessecond-degree murder and aggravated motor vehicle theft charges. In anarrest affidavit obtained by 9NEWS Andrade admits to police tokilling AngieZapata, 20, who was living as a woman but born as JustinZapata.
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=96741&catid=339#comments
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 31, 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:
-A Senate Lion Brought Down
The lesson in the indictment of Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens strikes at theheart of the back-scratching political culture of Washington.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/opinion/31thu1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-For Your Displeasure
By Chris Suellentrop
Ed Kilgore of The Democratic Strategist says Barack Obama is almost certainto "displease a significant number of people" when he picks his runningmate: "If it's true, as the CW holds today, that Obama's pretty much down toa choice of Kaine, Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, or Kathleen Sebelius, there's not aname in that group who wouldn't displease a significant number of people."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/for-your-displeasure/index.html?ref=opinion
-Grow Your Own
"Edible landscape" seems to be going head to head with "staycation" as themost popular catch phrase of Summer 2008. Lawns may not be disappearingbefore our very eyes, but citizens are definitely swapping out blades ofgrass for bushels of beans in increasing numbers. Take me for instance, abona fide city dweller: As a follow up to my column in March on thereclamation of urban and suburban land for agricultural use, I've spent thelast several weeks putting theory into practice, literally getting my handsdirty (and whatever other cliché I can unearth) in the interest of urbanagriculture.
http://arieff.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/grow-your-own/index.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: A Fresh Start With Pakistan
Pakistan's new civilian prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, is in Washingtonthis week for what we are sure will be a difficult set of meetings. Mr.Gilani's constituents deeply resent the United States for propping up andenabling their former dictator, Pervez Musharraf. President Bush, whodirected that enabling, must have his own serious doubts about Mr. Gilani'swillingness to fight Taliban and Qaeda forces that are using Pakistan as asafe haven.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28mon1.html?ref=opinion
-With Commercial, McCain Gets Much More Than His Money's Worth
The number of times Senator John McCain's new advertisement attackingSenator Barack Obama for canceling a visit with wounded troops in Germanylast week has been shown fully or partly on local, national and cablenewscasts: well into the hundreds. The number of times that spot actually,truly ran as a paid commercial: roughly a dozen.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30ads.html
-Bluff Called, Karadzic Awaits Trial in U.N. Cell
THE HAGUE - Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader who wastransferred early Wednesday from Serbia to a jail cell near here, willappear in public court on Thursday for the first time to answer charges ofgenocide and war crimes. Open to spectators and recorded by an officialcourt camera, the hearing will begin legal proceedings against him, as wellas offer a first public glimpse of the man who evaded capture for 13 years,most recently hiding behind a bushy beard and white hair as a practitionerof alternative medicine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/world/europe/31hague.html
-China to Limit Web Access During Olympic Games
BEIJING - The International Olympic Committee failed to press China to allowfully unfettered access to the Internet for the thousands of journalistsarriving here to cover the Olympics, despite promising repeatedly that theforeign news media could "report freely" during the Games, Olympic officialsacknowledged Wednesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/sports/olympics/31china.html
-A New Generation of Republicans in Alaska
For the first time in four decades, politics in Alaska is a brand-new gamefor both Republicans and Democrats because of the indictment of Senator TedStevens, the state's longtime Republican patriarch. Gov. Sarah Palin was apolitical upstart and Mr. Stevens was still the powerful, irascible seniorsenator from Alaska, delivering billions of federal dollars to his homestate, when federal agents raided the offices of six state legislators twoyears ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/us/politics/31alaska.html?hp
-Teaching Law, Testing Ideas, Obama Stood Slightly Apart
The young law professor stood apart in too many ways to count. At a schoolwhere economic analysis was all the rage, he taught rights, race and gender.Other faculty members dreamed of tenured positions; he turned them down.While most colleagues published by the pound, he never completed a singlework of legal scholarship.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30law.html
-Shorts Crack the Code
FIRST came Casual Fridays, that dread episode in the history of fashion,with their invitation for men to trade in suits for Dockers and to swap aproper shirt and tie for an open neck and a daring flash of masculinedécolletage.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/fashion/31shorts.html
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-When Congress Works
If you were to ask Democrats Barney Frank and Chris Dodd -- the principalarchitects of the massive housing bill signed yesterday by President Bush --which of its many features pleases them most, the answer would surprise you.It is not the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the embattled mortgagegiants, or the aid the bill provides for thousands of homeowners strugglingto afford their subprime loans in a faltering real estate market.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002950.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Workers' Religious Freedom vs. Patients' Rights
Proposal Would Deny Federal Money if Employees Must Provide Care to WhichThey Object
A Bush administration proposal aimed at protecting health-care workers whoobject to abortion, and to birth-control methods they consider tantamount toabortion, has escalated a bitter debate over the balance between religiousfreedom and patients' rights.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073003246.html?hpid=topnews
-One Billion Lives
A global initiative aims to keep tobacco from ravaging the developing world.DISEASES CAUSED by tobacco killed an estimated 100 million people during the20th century and could kill 1 billion in the 21st if nothing is done torestrain tobacco companies from pushing their products in the developingworld. Those companies show no sign of slowing their marketing campaigns ontheir own; Philip Morris International's sales, for example, were up 18.5percent this year over the same period last year in Eastern Europe, theMiddle East and Africa. Tobacco companies are bringing a new public healthdisaster to countries that can least afford one.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002908.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Studies link missing DNA to risk of schizophrenia
Two huge international studies show that people who lack certain chunks ofDNA run a dramatically higher risk of getting schizophrenia, a finding thatcould help open new doors to understanding and diagnosing the disease.These deletions are rare, each found in less than 1 percent of schizophreniapatients. But each one boosts the risk of disease by as much as 15-fold, byone estimate.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flaschizophrenia031sbjul31,0,2903539.story
-Effort to get Obama to pick Clinton as his No. 2 ends with conclusion shewon't be picked
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-obama-clinton,0,3125588.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-POLITICAL HIRING REPORT REQUIRES FURTHER INVESTIGATION
The most damning part of the report on political hiring within theJusticeDepartment is the evidence of a systematic, deliberate effort tobreak downthe walls between law enforcement and politics that was fullyencouraged byPresident Bush's White House. It defies belief to think thatzealous mid-level operatives like Monica Goodling and Kyle Sampson couldengage in outrageous, clearly improper political vetting of candidates forJusticeDepartment jobs without the explicit consent, if not direction,ofhigher-ups. The report of the department's inspector general shows thattheWhite House was actively involved in hiring decisions, even to the pointofdeveloping a ''seminar'' on how to weed out those deemed
politicallysuspect.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/622644.html
-Tear down the walls in the West Bank
By YOUSEF MUNAYYER
Before leaving Israel last week, Democratic presidential nominee Barak Obamatold reporters that, if elected, he plans to immediately engage inpeacemaking efforts between Israelis and Palestinians, based on theprinciple of two states for two peoples. However, before Obama's planelanded in Germany for his next stop, an Israeli government panel approvedthe building of a new settlement deep inside the West Bank's Jordan Valley.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/622654.html
-THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT
Do Latin Americans pay fewer taxes? Sure
It's official: Latin Americans pay fewer taxes than people in almost anyother region of the world. Two new studies by the United Nations EconomicCommission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) say that LatinAmerican governments' tax collection is not only way below that of theworld's 30 most industrialized countries, but also lower than that ofSoutheast Asia and Africa.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/624097.html
-The liberals made him do it
by Leonard Pitts
Had it not been liberals, it would have been something else. Let's grantthat from the beginning. Broken people, after all, can always find someequally broken rationale for the carnage they cause. And the brokenness of58-year-old Jim Adkisson can hardly be doubted after he walked into aUnitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sunday and, accordingto police, shot eight people, killing two.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/622640.html
-BBC banned but pornography for sale in Beijing Olympics village
London, July 29 : Athletes staying in the Beijing Olympics athletesvillagewill be able to purchase a wide variety of soft pornography, butcannotwatch the Chinese news page of the BBC as it is still banned. Theblocking of politically sensitive sites, including those dealing with Tibetand Taiwan, remained in place today despite government assurancesthatcensorship would be lifted during the Games, The Telegraph reported.The ban is in contrast to the more liberal attitude of the Games villagebookshop, which sells erotic books featuring provocative pictures of nakedwomen with titles such as "Drawing book for the Nude".
http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-2910.html
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Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CASE IN POINT: Hong v. Grant (2007)
When It Comes to Free Speech, Is a Professor Just Another GovernmentEmployee? A case pending in a federal court of appeals in California mayclarify a surprisingly murky question: Do faculty members at publicuniversities enjoy a special privilege to speak freely about institutionalmatters, or, as far as the First Amendment is concerned, are they justanother category of government hirelings?
http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=DTyDX5bkpDbbV4pDRHkW2wYhGsdbK5xd
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-BARACK STAR: WILL McCAIN'S ATTACKS BACKFIRE?
"The new McCain ad depicts Obama as a celebrity akin to Britney Spears andParis Hilton -- pretty, pampered . . . not up for being president," ABC'sJake Tapper reported on "Good Morning America" Thursday. "Now Obama iscasting McCain -- who already has a reputation for having a temper -- asnegative and angry."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=3105288&page=1
-Oil Boom: Exxon Breaks Record for Profits by U.S. Company
Buoyed by High Oil Prices, ExxonMobil Reports $11.68B Profits
Exxon Mobil reported second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion Thursday, thebiggest quarterly profit ever by any U.S. corporation, but the results fellwell short of Wall Street expectations and shares fell in premarket trading.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/PainAtThePump/story?id=5487220
-Poll: Obama, McCain tied in Ohio, Florida
THE RACE: The presidential race in Florida
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/31/poll_obama_mccain_tied_in_ohio_florida/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news
-Obama's remarks spark a skirmish
The latest skirmish over whether Barack Obama is being presumptuous revolvedyesterday about what exactly he told congressional Democrats in a pep talk.The Washington Post reported that in the closed meeting Tuesday evening,Obama talked about his triumphant visit to Europe and declared, "I havebecome a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our besttraditions."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/31/obamas_remarks_spark_a_skirmish/
-Obama's best strategy? Attack
McCain's 'maverick' myth and ties to Bush should be prime targets. Ifyou've heard anything at all about John McCain during the last few weeks,what you've probably heard is that he's losing. His advisors hate eachother, the media are ignoring him, and he's getting photographed in golfcarts and supermarket cheese aisles while his opponent strikes Kennedyesqueposes.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-chait31-2008jul31,0,4864579.story?track=rss
-Fox News, Pat Buchanan get 'Thumbs Down'
As part of the UNITY convention, the National Association of Black Journalists have released their annual Thumbs Down awards -- handed toindividuals or media organizations taking actions at odds with the effortsof NABJ to spread fair and comprehesive coverage of minorities.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2008/07/fox-news-and-pa.html
-In presidential fundraising ranks, a gender gap is showing
In a historic election in which a woman almost won the Democraticnomination, men dominate the ranks of elite fundraisers in the presidentialrace, a USA TODAY analysis shows. Women account for 59 out of more than 500top fundraisers in Republican John McCain's campaign. Democrat Barack Obamahas 148 female fundraisers out of more than 500.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-30-gender_N.htm?csp=34
-McCain's Tax Blunder
One of the miracles of this Presidential election campaign is that JohnMcCain still has a chance to win, notwithstanding his best attempts to kickit away. In his latest random policy improvisation, the Arizona Senatortried to give up the tax issue.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121737539116495163.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks
-Q&A on mortgage rescue bill
Bush signs legislation to aid many distressed homeowners.
President Bush signed a housing bill Wednesday intended to rescue about 15percent of the cash-strapped homeowners in fear of foreclosure in the nextyear or so. Early in the morning and out of public view, the presidentsigned it without fanfare in the Oval Office, adding his signature to ameasure he once threatened to veto. The White House said he was accompaniedby Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Housing and Urban Development SecretarySteve Preston and other administration officials.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/BIZ01/807310346&imw=Y
-Scraping the bottom of the oil barrel a significant new climate riskExploitation of North America's shale and tar-sand oil reserves couldincrease atmospheric CO2 levels by up to 15%, a new report from WWF-UK andthe major UK financial group Co-Operative Financial Services (CFS) haswarned.
http://www.enn.com/energy/article/37783
=
[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 Senate Lion Brought Down
The lesson in the indictment of Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens strikes at theheart of the back-scratching political culture of Washington.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/opinion/31thu1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-For Your Displeasure
By Chris Suellentrop
Ed Kilgore of The Democratic Strategist says Barack Obama is almost certainto "displease a significant number of people" when he picks his runningmate: "If it's true, as the CW holds today, that Obama's pretty much down toa choice of Kaine, Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, or Kathleen Sebelius, there's not aname in that group who wouldn't displease a significant number of people."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/for-your-displeasure/index.html?ref=opinion
-Grow Your Own
"Edible landscape" seems to be going head to head with "staycation" as themost popular catch phrase of Summer 2008. Lawns may not be disappearingbefore our very eyes, but citizens are definitely swapping out blades ofgrass for bushels of beans in increasing numbers. Take me for instance, abona fide city dweller: As a follow up to my column in March on thereclamation of urban and suburban land for agricultural use, I've spent thelast several weeks putting theory into practice, literally getting my handsdirty (and whatever other cliché I can unearth) in the interest of urbanagriculture.
http://arieff.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/grow-your-own/index.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: A Fresh Start With Pakistan
Pakistan's new civilian prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, is in Washingtonthis week for what we are sure will be a difficult set of meetings. Mr.Gilani's constituents deeply resent the United States for propping up andenabling their former dictator, Pervez Musharraf. President Bush, whodirected that enabling, must have his own serious doubts about Mr. Gilani'swillingness to fight Taliban and Qaeda forces that are using Pakistan as asafe haven.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/28/opinion/28mon1.html?ref=opinion
-With Commercial, McCain Gets Much More Than His Money's Worth
The number of times Senator John McCain's new advertisement attackingSenator Barack Obama for canceling a visit with wounded troops in Germanylast week has been shown fully or partly on local, national and cablenewscasts: well into the hundreds. The number of times that spot actually,truly ran as a paid commercial: roughly a dozen.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30ads.html
-Bluff Called, Karadzic Awaits Trial in U.N. Cell
THE HAGUE - Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader who wastransferred early Wednesday from Serbia to a jail cell near here, willappear in public court on Thursday for the first time to answer charges ofgenocide and war crimes. Open to spectators and recorded by an officialcourt camera, the hearing will begin legal proceedings against him, as wellas offer a first public glimpse of the man who evaded capture for 13 years,most recently hiding behind a bushy beard and white hair as a practitionerof alternative medicine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/world/europe/31hague.html
-China to Limit Web Access During Olympic Games
BEIJING - The International Olympic Committee failed to press China to allowfully unfettered access to the Internet for the thousands of journalistsarriving here to cover the Olympics, despite promising repeatedly that theforeign news media could "report freely" during the Games, Olympic officialsacknowledged Wednesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/sports/olympics/31china.html
-A New Generation of Republicans in Alaska
For the first time in four decades, politics in Alaska is a brand-new gamefor both Republicans and Democrats because of the indictment of Senator TedStevens, the state's longtime Republican patriarch. Gov. Sarah Palin was apolitical upstart and Mr. Stevens was still the powerful, irascible seniorsenator from Alaska, delivering billions of federal dollars to his homestate, when federal agents raided the offices of six state legislators twoyears ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/us/politics/31alaska.html?hp
-Teaching Law, Testing Ideas, Obama Stood Slightly Apart
The young law professor stood apart in too many ways to count. At a schoolwhere economic analysis was all the rage, he taught rights, race and gender.Other faculty members dreamed of tenured positions; he turned them down.While most colleagues published by the pound, he never completed a singlework of legal scholarship.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30law.html
-Shorts Crack the Code
FIRST came Casual Fridays, that dread episode in the history of fashion,with their invitation for men to trade in suits for Dockers and to swap aproper shirt and tie for an open neck and a daring flash of masculinedécolletage.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/fashion/31shorts.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-When Congress Works
If you were to ask Democrats Barney Frank and Chris Dodd -- the principalarchitects of the massive housing bill signed yesterday by President Bush --which of its many features pleases them most, the answer would surprise you.It is not the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the embattled mortgagegiants, or the aid the bill provides for thousands of homeowners strugglingto afford their subprime loans in a faltering real estate market.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002950.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Workers' Religious Freedom vs. Patients' Rights
Proposal Would Deny Federal Money if Employees Must Provide Care to WhichThey Object
A Bush administration proposal aimed at protecting health-care workers whoobject to abortion, and to birth-control methods they consider tantamount toabortion, has escalated a bitter debate over the balance between religiousfreedom and patients' rights.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073003246.html?hpid=topnews
-One Billion Lives
A global initiative aims to keep tobacco from ravaging the developing world.DISEASES CAUSED by tobacco killed an estimated 100 million people during the20th century and could kill 1 billion in the 21st if nothing is done torestrain tobacco companies from pushing their products in the developingworld. Those companies show no sign of slowing their marketing campaigns ontheir own; Philip Morris International's sales, for example, were up 18.5percent this year over the same period last year in Eastern Europe, theMiddle East and Africa. Tobacco companies are bringing a new public healthdisaster to countries that can least afford one.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073002908.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Studies link missing DNA to risk of schizophrenia
Two huge international studies show that people who lack certain chunks ofDNA run a dramatically higher risk of getting schizophrenia, a finding thatcould help open new doors to understanding and diagnosing the disease.These deletions are rare, each found in less than 1 percent of schizophreniapatients. But each one boosts the risk of disease by as much as 15-fold, byone estimate.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flaschizophrenia031sbjul31,0,2903539.story
-Effort to get Obama to pick Clinton as his No. 2 ends with conclusion shewon't be picked
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-obama-clinton,0,3125588.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-POLITICAL HIRING REPORT REQUIRES FURTHER INVESTIGATION
The most damning part of the report on political hiring within theJusticeDepartment is the evidence of a systematic, deliberate effort tobreak downthe walls between law enforcement and politics that was fullyencouraged byPresident Bush's White House. It defies belief to think thatzealous mid-level operatives like Monica Goodling and Kyle Sampson couldengage in outrageous, clearly improper political vetting of candidates forJusticeDepartment jobs without the explicit consent, if not direction,ofhigher-ups. The report of the department's inspector general shows thattheWhite House was actively involved in hiring decisions, even to the pointofdeveloping a ''seminar'' on how to weed out those deemed
politicallysuspect.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/622644.html
-Tear down the walls in the West Bank
By YOUSEF MUNAYYER
Before leaving Israel last week, Democratic presidential nominee Barak Obamatold reporters that, if elected, he plans to immediately engage inpeacemaking efforts between Israelis and Palestinians, based on theprinciple of two states for two peoples. However, before Obama's planelanded in Germany for his next stop, an Israeli government panel approvedthe building of a new settlement deep inside the West Bank's Jordan Valley.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/622654.html
-THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT
Do Latin Americans pay fewer taxes? Sure
It's official: Latin Americans pay fewer taxes than people in almost anyother region of the world. Two new studies by the United Nations EconomicCommission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) say that LatinAmerican governments' tax collection is not only way below that of theworld's 30 most industrialized countries, but also lower than that ofSoutheast Asia and Africa.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/624097.html
-The liberals made him do it
by Leonard Pitts
Had it not been liberals, it would have been something else. Let's grantthat from the beginning. Broken people, after all, can always find someequally broken rationale for the carnage they cause. And the brokenness of58-year-old Jim Adkisson can hardly be doubted after he walked into aUnitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sunday and, accordingto police, shot eight people, killing two.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/622640.html
-BBC banned but pornography for sale in Beijing Olympics village
London, July 29 : Athletes staying in the Beijing Olympics athletesvillagewill be able to purchase a wide variety of soft pornography, butcannotwatch the Chinese news page of the BBC as it is still banned. Theblocking of politically sensitive sites, including those dealing with Tibetand Taiwan, remained in place today despite government assurancesthatcensorship would be lifted during the Games, The Telegraph reported.The ban is in contrast to the more liberal attitude of the Games villagebookshop, which sells erotic books featuring provocative pictures of nakedwomen with titles such as "Drawing book for the Nude".
http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-2910.html
=
Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CASE IN POINT: Hong v. Grant (2007)
When It Comes to Free Speech, Is a Professor Just Another GovernmentEmployee? A case pending in a federal court of appeals in California mayclarify a surprisingly murky question: Do faculty members at publicuniversities enjoy a special privilege to speak freely about institutionalmatters, or, as far as the First Amendment is concerned, are they justanother category of government hirelings?
http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=DTyDX5bkpDbbV4pDRHkW2wYhGsdbK5xd
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-BARACK STAR: WILL McCAIN'S ATTACKS BACKFIRE?
"The new McCain ad depicts Obama as a celebrity akin to Britney Spears andParis Hilton -- pretty, pampered . . . not up for being president," ABC'sJake Tapper reported on "Good Morning America" Thursday. "Now Obama iscasting McCain -- who already has a reputation for having a temper -- asnegative and angry."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=3105288&page=1
-Oil Boom: Exxon Breaks Record for Profits by U.S. Company
Buoyed by High Oil Prices, ExxonMobil Reports $11.68B Profits
Exxon Mobil reported second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion Thursday, thebiggest quarterly profit ever by any U.S. corporation, but the results fellwell short of Wall Street expectations and shares fell in premarket trading.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/PainAtThePump/story?id=5487220
-Poll: Obama, McCain tied in Ohio, Florida
THE RACE: The presidential race in Florida
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/31/poll_obama_mccain_tied_in_ohio_florida/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news
-Obama's remarks spark a skirmish
The latest skirmish over whether Barack Obama is being presumptuous revolvedyesterday about what exactly he told congressional Democrats in a pep talk.The Washington Post reported that in the closed meeting Tuesday evening,Obama talked about his triumphant visit to Europe and declared, "I havebecome a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our besttraditions."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/31/obamas_remarks_spark_a_skirmish/
-Obama's best strategy? Attack
McCain's 'maverick' myth and ties to Bush should be prime targets. Ifyou've heard anything at all about John McCain during the last few weeks,what you've probably heard is that he's losing. His advisors hate eachother, the media are ignoring him, and he's getting photographed in golfcarts and supermarket cheese aisles while his opponent strikes Kennedyesqueposes.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-chait31-2008jul31,0,4864579.story?track=rss
-Fox News, Pat Buchanan get 'Thumbs Down'
As part of the UNITY convention, the National Association of Black Journalists have released their annual Thumbs Down awards -- handed toindividuals or media organizations taking actions at odds with the effortsof NABJ to spread fair and comprehesive coverage of minorities.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2008/07/fox-news-and-pa.html
-In presidential fundraising ranks, a gender gap is showing
In a historic election in which a woman almost won the Democraticnomination, men dominate the ranks of elite fundraisers in the presidentialrace, a USA TODAY analysis shows. Women account for 59 out of more than 500top fundraisers in Republican John McCain's campaign. Democrat Barack Obamahas 148 female fundraisers out of more than 500.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-30-gender_N.htm?csp=34
-McCain's Tax Blunder
One of the miracles of this Presidential election campaign is that JohnMcCain still has a chance to win, notwithstanding his best attempts to kickit away. In his latest random policy improvisation, the Arizona Senatortried to give up the tax issue.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121737539116495163.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks
-Q&A on mortgage rescue bill
Bush signs legislation to aid many distressed homeowners.
President Bush signed a housing bill Wednesday intended to rescue about 15percent of the cash-strapped homeowners in fear of foreclosure in the nextyear or so. Early in the morning and out of public view, the presidentsigned it without fanfare in the Oval Office, adding his signature to ameasure he once threatened to veto. The White House said he was accompaniedby Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Housing and Urban Development SecretarySteve Preston and other administration officials.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/BIZ01/807310346&imw=Y
-Scraping the bottom of the oil barrel a significant new climate riskExploitation of North America's shale and tar-sand oil reserves couldincrease atmospheric CO2 levels by up to 15%, a new report from WWF-UK andthe major UK financial group Co-Operative Financial Services (CFS) haswarned.
http://www.enn.com/energy/article/37783
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 31, 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~~
Stonewall Announces Exciting New Collaboration with ArtsUnited andFort Lauderdale International Film Festival
Stonewall Library & Archives has joined forces with ArtsUnited and FortLauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) for a new monthly featurefilm series, F4U (Films for Us). These first-run LGBT films and will beshown at Cinema Paradiso, at 8:00 pm on the second Wednesday of every month.Cinema Paradiso is located in Fort Lauderdale at 503 SE 6 Street, a blockeast of Broward County Courthouse on south bank of New River. This month'sselection, to be shown on Wednesday, August 13, is the award-winning ButchJamie, a quirky, gender-bending comedy about an out-of-work lesbian actorwilling to try almost anything for a role. Dressing up as "Femme Jamie" forauditions, struggling actress Jamie Klein (writer/director Michelle Ehlen)continually faces rejection as she fails to be a typical leading lady untilshe takes a different approach, auditioning as herself - aka "Butch Jamie."This ends up landing her a part as a man, and despite the offense that shetakes in being offered a male role, she accepts. General admission: $9;Senior and students: $7.00; Members of Stonewall, ArtsUnited or FLIFF: $5.00
=
From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Help Florida Red and Blue!
Florida Red and Blue has a number of upcoming events at which it could usevolunteers that have the kind of wonderful training we all received at CampEquality. Please volunteer and join us @ the GLCC (1717 N. Andrews Ave) thisThursday (7/31) from 6-8pm. Start to "say no to 2" by saying yes to onevolunteer shift. Florida Red and Blue holds weekly phone banks on Thursdayevening from 6-8pm, and Saturday afternoon from 12-2pm Although phone banksare my primary focus right now, there will be upcoming community meetingsat which we could use speakers, or some presence signing up supporters (justsomething for you all to be thinking about). If you are interested in thesecommunity meetings, please contact me for a schedule. Florida Red and Blueis committed to educating voters on the hurtful and harmful impact thatballot initiative "Amendment 2" will have on the rights of millions ofFlorida residents in non-traditional families. If you are interested involunteering you can simply respond to this e-mail or call 954-701-2902. Weare also looking for someone to help with volunteer recruitment. If you areinterested, please let me know. ave a wonderful end of week and I lookforward to hearing from some volunteers!
Sincerely,
Chip Clapp, Leadership Team
HRC Camp Equality
=
WCJB
http://www.wjcb.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Time's up for petitioners fighting Gainesville's transgender ordinance.
Gainesville, FL "Keep men out of women's restrooms."
That's the message petitioners gave when collecting signatures for a charteramendment. But, their opponents say it's a much bigger issue than that. Theysay the proposed amendment would really take away local officials' power tomake their own anti-discrimination laws. "When something is thiscontroversial, the people ought to decide," said Jim Gilbert. Jim Gilbertsays he doesn't think city officials should be able to make their own ruleswhen it comes to anti-discrimination laws. That's why he's helped spearheada campaign to get a charter amendment on the November ballot. "What we wantto see is the code of ordinances conform to the state of Florida which iswhere civil rights categories at a state level should be dealt with," saidGilbert.
http://www.wcjb.com/index.php?cat_id=4006&url_news4006=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wcjb.com%2Fmodules%2FNews%2FdisplayNews.php%3Fid%3D2748&formFocus=news4006
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiRdXpdZOE8
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Judge rules gay club can meet at Okeechobee high school
In a move the American Civil Liberties Union is calling "groundbreaking," afederal judge has ruled in favor of students who claimed the school boarddiscriminated against them by opposing their gay tolerance club.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/treasurecoast/sfl-730gayclubruling,0,1531988.story
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne agrees to give up law license forfive years
Former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne, in federal prison for apublic-corruptionconviction, has agreed to a five-year loss of his lawlicense, according toJenne's attorney David Bogenschutz. Bogenschutzoriginally had sought athree-year suspension and the Florida Bar soughtpermanent disbarment.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbjenne0730sbjul30,0,354390.story
-Swingers bring their convention to Hollywood
Starting today, the city that once declared war on a downtown swingers cluband tried to ban 2 Live Crew's smutty rapping is playing host to Swingfest2008, billed as the "world's largest swingers party" and adult trade show.The four-day-and-three-wild-nights event takes over the entire WestinDiplomat Resort & Spa, rife with themed parties, hundreds of exhibitors, ashuttle service to a nude beach and the Fore Play golf tournament. Pornstars, including former California gubernatorial candidate Mary Carey, willbe in town, mingling with the expected 10,000 or so convention delegates.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbswingers0731sbjul31,0,3123079.story
-Using false address for school could land you in jail in Broward County
School Board votes Tuesday on new get-tough policy
Use a fake address to put your child into another school, and you could landbehind bars. With budgets tighter and many suburban schools crowded tocapacity, Broward County School District officials hope the threat of prisontime will dissuade parents from using false addresses to enroll theirchildren at schools outside their neighborhood.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbboundary0731sbjul31,0,7986532.story
-U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler turns the tax tables on campaign opponents
By Brittany Wallman
Edward Lynch, the Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. RobertWexler, said a $1.37 million federal tax lien against him is the result of a"routine" audit and helped inspire him to run for Congress. Thecongressional candidate from Royal Palm Beach drew national attention toWexler's out-of-state residence this month, and raised questions aboutWexler's property tax benefits in Maryland - as has another of Wexler'sopponents, former Broward County Mayor Ben Graber. The six-term congressmanhas turned the spotlight onto his challengers, after enduring a week ofblistering criticism for not living in South Florida. "It is amazing thatthese two have the audacity to raise taxes as in issue," Wexler chief ofstaff Eric Johnson said .
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpliens0731pnjul31,0,4752242.story
-Bob Butterworth's resignation from Florida Department of Children &Families a huge loss
The impact from Bob Butterworth's resignation from the Florida Department ofChildren & Families can't be overstated: It's simply a big loss for thestate - period. In a short period of time, the former attorney generalbrought leadership to a bureaucracy that long ago earned a reputation foroutright dysfunction. That assessment may strike some as overly harsh towardDCF, but Butterworth inherited an agency mired in all kinds of controversyand doubt. Today, no other agency in the alphabet soup of state government -be it the AHCA, APD, DOT, FDLE or the SBA - can match Butterworth's stringof administrative accomplishments. For starters, Butterworth moved quicklyto restore office morale, a major concern for an agency employing 1,300individuals and serving more than 2 million clients. He often met, andactually listened to, DCF caseworkers and frontline staff, frequently makinghimself or his top aides accessible to address any problems that hinderedthe department's mission.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editdlbutterworthpnjul30,0,1019220.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Budget passes; raises on hold
At an emotional public hearing attended by hundreds of community members,the Miami-Dade School Board gave its first thumbs-up to the district's $5.5billion budget.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/624084.html
-Vote to keep religion separate
Nancy Ratzan raises important questions and concerns about faith-basedfunding in a prospective McCain or Obama administration (Obama and McCainare both wrong, July 29, Other Views). But Floridians who cherish religiousliberty should be all the more concerned by the unprecedented faith-basedfunding required under Florida Ballot Proposal 7. The proposal would be thefirst constitutionally mandated faith-based initiative in our state andnation. It would require that churches, synagogues and other houses ofworship be eligible for virtually all grants and contracts, including socialservices, with the state. There would be no restrictions on these funds.This means that Florida taxpayers -- regardless of religion -- would becompelled to fund houses of worship, religious proselytizing and activityand religious discrimination in hiring for taxpayer-funded jobs. Thisinitiative is unwise and unnecessary. Under current law, Floridasuccessfully has partnered with the Jewish Federation, Catholic Charitiesand other religiously affiliated organizations to provide essential socialservices. But these organizations' separate financial structures ensure thattaxpayer dollars do not fund religious indoctrination or discrimination.BothFlorida and the next president should follow this model. ANDREW L.ROSENKRANZ, Florida regional director, Anti-Defamation League, Boca Raton
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/624102.html
-BROWARD SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Police union backs Lamberti; critics raiseethics issues
Broward's police union endorsed Sheriff Al Lamberti for election a weekafter approving a contract with him, leading some to call it a conflict ofinterest. Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti, who is running to keep one of thecounty's law enforcement jobs, got the endorsement on Wednesday of thepowerful police union.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/623999.html
=
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Water managers to study water restrictions' economic impact
Water managers considering permanent year-round water restrictions willconduct a study of their impact on utilities, nurseries and other businessesthat might lose, or are already losing, revenue because of lower water use.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/30/0730restrict.html
=
From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Letter to Megan Rolland of the Gainesville Sun
I think that it is so sad that the city, which contains the leading stateuniversity, is held hostage by a group of fanatical religious homophobiczealots. his is an embarrassment to the City of Gainesville and potrays itas a hick town. The amount of misinformation and scare tactics that havebeen leveled against the Transgender Community are outrageous. In all of theStates, cities, towns, counties, and numerous businesses (including over 30%of Fortune 500 businesses) that include Gender Identity protections, thereis not a single incident that I know of where a Trangender person has beenarrested as being a sexual predator or doing anything inappropriate in apublic restroom. Not one! This argument is simply "much ado about nothing".Besides, there are already laws on the books that protect people againstinappropriate sexual conduct. It is a scare tactic that obviously createspublic hysteria and is used to promote an anti gay/ transgender agenda, pureand simple. The city of Oakland Park addressed this irrational bathroom fearby making sure all of the bathroom stalls had functioning locks. That is aminimal expense and should insure everyone can use the restroom in privacy.There is no huge expense to businesses that is being charged. Ifantidiscrimination laws do not include sexual orientation or gender identityand expression, it allows anybody to fire someone just because they are gayor lesbian. You can be denied entrance to a restaurant or theater if youdon't appear masculine or feminine enough. You can be denied housing. Isthis America? It sounds like Nazi Germany. Let's hope the citizens ofGainesville do not cave in to this legalized bigotry and don't makeGainesville the laughing stock of thecountry by stepping back in time 40years.
Sincerely,
Nicole Hatch
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democratic Efforts, Celebrity and Grassroots, Paying Off In Florida
There appears to be several Democratic campaigns going on in Florida: onethat's building steam to win a majority of Congressional seats; one that'san enormous vote-getting and fund-raising effort for Sen. Barack Obama thatfeatures show business luminaries such as Matt Damon, Ben Afflek andJennifer Garner; and one -- more apparent in party circles -- to build localcampaign organizations up and down the peninsula. Campaign battlegroundFlorida is home to 27 highly prized electoral votes.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-levitt/fla-celebrity-party-and-g_b_115883.html
-Obama to address economy at St. Petersburg appearance
Sen. Barack Obama will hold a town hall-style meeting on the economy Fridayat Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article749451.ece
-Lawmakers blast sugar deal
Gov. Charlie Crist's top emissaries arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday tobrief Florida's congressional delegation on his massive buyout of U.S.Sugar's operations in the Everglades.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/article749548.ece
-Is state's insurance deal win-win for a billionaire?
Some call agreement with Warren Buffett lose-lose for Florida
As many Floridians face job losses, foreclosures and exorbitant gas pricesin a tumbling economy, Florida leaders this week struck a lucrative dealwith the richest man in America.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080731/ARTICLE/807310386/1547/OPINION01&title=Is_state_s_insurance_deal_win_win_for_a_billionaire__
-Black Republican leader urges his party members to directly tackle race
Clarence V. McKee says Republicans need to fight back against charges ofracial insensitivity. McKee, president of the eponymous communications firmin Coral Springs, penned a provocative online essay on the subject. McKeehas clear political leanings. He is communications chairman of the BrowardRepublican Party and a member of the African-American Advisory Council ofthe Republican Party of Florida.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/07/black_republican_leader_urges.html
-Top McCain Surrogate Refuses To Endorse McCain Attack On Obama
This is pretty great. John McCain's claim that Barack Obama would ratherlose the war than lose the presidential race is so repugnant that one of hismost prominent surrogates -- Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who's alsotalked about as a potential Veep -- refused to endorse it.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/top_mccain_surrogate_refuses_t.php
-EDITORIAL: We think: Rubio's new gig at FIU undermines the cause ofeducation
House Speaker Marco Rubio and Florida International University deserve eachother for their preposterous deal making him a "visitingdistinguished-service professor." FIU's students and faculty -- indeed, allFlorida residents -- deserve far better.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed31108jul31,0,2107390.story
-DCF to release total adoption numbers
The Department of Children & Families will release the final number ofadoptions achieved in Florida this year. Secretary Bob Butterworth isexpected to make the announcement in Tallahassee Thursday morning along withFlorida's Chief Child Advocate Jim Kallinger.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/624217.html
-Study: Sugar buyout to cost $1.6 billion revenue, 10,700 jobs
Florida's buyout of U.S. Sugar Corp. may bring more water to the Everglades,but it will be a huge drain on the state's economy.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jul/30/study-sugar-buyout-cost-16-billion-revenue-10700-j/
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Stonewall Announces Exciting New Collaboration with ArtsUnited andFort Lauderdale International Film Festival
Stonewall Library & Archives has joined forces with ArtsUnited and FortLauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) for a new monthly featurefilm series, F4U (Films for Us). These first-run LGBT films and will beshown at Cinema Paradiso, at 8:00 pm on the second Wednesday of every month.Cinema Paradiso is located in Fort Lauderdale at 503 SE 6 Street, a blockeast of Broward County Courthouse on south bank of New River. This month'sselection, to be shown on Wednesday, August 13, is the award-winning ButchJamie, a quirky, gender-bending comedy about an out-of-work lesbian actorwilling to try almost anything for a role. Dressing up as "Femme Jamie" forauditions, struggling actress Jamie Klein (writer/director Michelle Ehlen)continually faces rejection as she fails to be a typical leading lady untilshe takes a different approach, auditioning as herself - aka "Butch Jamie."This ends up landing her a part as a man, and despite the offense that shetakes in being offered a male role, she accepts. General admission: $9;Senior and students: $7.00; Members of Stonewall, ArtsUnited or FLIFF: $5.00
=
From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Help Florida Red and Blue!
Florida Red and Blue has a number of upcoming events at which it could usevolunteers that have the kind of wonderful training we all received at CampEquality. Please volunteer and join us @ the GLCC (1717 N. Andrews Ave) thisThursday (7/31) from 6-8pm. Start to "say no to 2" by saying yes to onevolunteer shift. Florida Red and Blue holds weekly phone banks on Thursdayevening from 6-8pm, and Saturday afternoon from 12-2pm Although phone banksare my primary focus right now, there will be upcoming community meetingsat which we could use speakers, or some presence signing up supporters (justsomething for you all to be thinking about). If you are interested in thesecommunity meetings, please contact me for a schedule. Florida Red and Blueis committed to educating voters on the hurtful and harmful impact thatballot initiative "Amendment 2" will have on the rights of millions ofFlorida residents in non-traditional families. If you are interested involunteering you can simply respond to this e-mail or call 954-701-2902. Weare also looking for someone to help with volunteer recruitment. If you areinterested, please let me know. ave a wonderful end of week and I lookforward to hearing from some volunteers!
Sincerely,
Chip Clapp, Leadership Team
HRC Camp Equality
=
WCJB
http://www.wjcb.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Time's up for petitioners fighting Gainesville's transgender ordinance.
Gainesville, FL "Keep men out of women's restrooms."
That's the message petitioners gave when collecting signatures for a charteramendment. But, their opponents say it's a much bigger issue than that. Theysay the proposed amendment would really take away local officials' power tomake their own anti-discrimination laws. "When something is thiscontroversial, the people ought to decide," said Jim Gilbert. Jim Gilbertsays he doesn't think city officials should be able to make their own ruleswhen it comes to anti-discrimination laws. That's why he's helped spearheada campaign to get a charter amendment on the November ballot. "What we wantto see is the code of ordinances conform to the state of Florida which iswhere civil rights categories at a state level should be dealt with," saidGilbert.
http://www.wcjb.com/index.php?cat_id=4006&url_news4006=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wcjb.com%2Fmodules%2FNews%2FdisplayNews.php%3Fid%3D2748&formFocus=news4006
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiRdXpdZOE8
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Judge rules gay club can meet at Okeechobee high school
In a move the American Civil Liberties Union is calling "groundbreaking," afederal judge has ruled in favor of students who claimed the school boarddiscriminated against them by opposing their gay tolerance club.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/treasurecoast/sfl-730gayclubruling,0,1531988.story
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne agrees to give up law license forfive years
Former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne, in federal prison for apublic-corruptionconviction, has agreed to a five-year loss of his lawlicense, according toJenne's attorney David Bogenschutz. Bogenschutzoriginally had sought athree-year suspension and the Florida Bar soughtpermanent disbarment.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbjenne0730sbjul30,0,354390.story
-Swingers bring their convention to Hollywood
Starting today, the city that once declared war on a downtown swingers cluband tried to ban 2 Live Crew's smutty rapping is playing host to Swingfest2008, billed as the "world's largest swingers party" and adult trade show.The four-day-and-three-wild-nights event takes over the entire WestinDiplomat Resort & Spa, rife with themed parties, hundreds of exhibitors, ashuttle service to a nude beach and the Fore Play golf tournament. Pornstars, including former California gubernatorial candidate Mary Carey, willbe in town, mingling with the expected 10,000 or so convention delegates.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbswingers0731sbjul31,0,3123079.story
-Using false address for school could land you in jail in Broward County
School Board votes Tuesday on new get-tough policy
Use a fake address to put your child into another school, and you could landbehind bars. With budgets tighter and many suburban schools crowded tocapacity, Broward County School District officials hope the threat of prisontime will dissuade parents from using false addresses to enroll theirchildren at schools outside their neighborhood.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbboundary0731sbjul31,0,7986532.story
-U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler turns the tax tables on campaign opponents
By Brittany Wallman
Edward Lynch, the Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. RobertWexler, said a $1.37 million federal tax lien against him is the result of a"routine" audit and helped inspire him to run for Congress. Thecongressional candidate from Royal Palm Beach drew national attention toWexler's out-of-state residence this month, and raised questions aboutWexler's property tax benefits in Maryland - as has another of Wexler'sopponents, former Broward County Mayor Ben Graber. The six-term congressmanhas turned the spotlight onto his challengers, after enduring a week ofblistering criticism for not living in South Florida. "It is amazing thatthese two have the audacity to raise taxes as in issue," Wexler chief ofstaff Eric Johnson said .
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpliens0731pnjul31,0,4752242.story
-Bob Butterworth's resignation from Florida Department of Children &Families a huge loss
The impact from Bob Butterworth's resignation from the Florida Department ofChildren & Families can't be overstated: It's simply a big loss for thestate - period. In a short period of time, the former attorney generalbrought leadership to a bureaucracy that long ago earned a reputation foroutright dysfunction. That assessment may strike some as overly harsh towardDCF, but Butterworth inherited an agency mired in all kinds of controversyand doubt. Today, no other agency in the alphabet soup of state government -be it the AHCA, APD, DOT, FDLE or the SBA - can match Butterworth's stringof administrative accomplishments. For starters, Butterworth moved quicklyto restore office morale, a major concern for an agency employing 1,300individuals and serving more than 2 million clients. He often met, andactually listened to, DCF caseworkers and frontline staff, frequently makinghimself or his top aides accessible to address any problems that hinderedthe department's mission.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editdlbutterworthpnjul30,0,1019220.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Budget passes; raises on hold
At an emotional public hearing attended by hundreds of community members,the Miami-Dade School Board gave its first thumbs-up to the district's $5.5billion budget.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/624084.html
-Vote to keep religion separate
Nancy Ratzan raises important questions and concerns about faith-basedfunding in a prospective McCain or Obama administration (Obama and McCainare both wrong, July 29, Other Views). But Floridians who cherish religiousliberty should be all the more concerned by the unprecedented faith-basedfunding required under Florida Ballot Proposal 7. The proposal would be thefirst constitutionally mandated faith-based initiative in our state andnation. It would require that churches, synagogues and other houses ofworship be eligible for virtually all grants and contracts, including socialservices, with the state. There would be no restrictions on these funds.This means that Florida taxpayers -- regardless of religion -- would becompelled to fund houses of worship, religious proselytizing and activityand religious discrimination in hiring for taxpayer-funded jobs. Thisinitiative is unwise and unnecessary. Under current law, Floridasuccessfully has partnered with the Jewish Federation, Catholic Charitiesand other religiously affiliated organizations to provide essential socialservices. But these organizations' separate financial structures ensure thattaxpayer dollars do not fund religious indoctrination or discrimination.BothFlorida and the next president should follow this model. ANDREW L.ROSENKRANZ, Florida regional director, Anti-Defamation League, Boca Raton
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/624102.html
-BROWARD SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Police union backs Lamberti; critics raiseethics issues
Broward's police union endorsed Sheriff Al Lamberti for election a weekafter approving a contract with him, leading some to call it a conflict ofinterest. Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti, who is running to keep one of thecounty's law enforcement jobs, got the endorsement on Wednesday of thepowerful police union.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/623999.html
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Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Water managers to study water restrictions' economic impact
Water managers considering permanent year-round water restrictions willconduct a study of their impact on utilities, nurseries and other businessesthat might lose, or are already losing, revenue because of lower water use.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/30/0730restrict.html
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Letter to Megan Rolland of the Gainesville Sun
I think that it is so sad that the city, which contains the leading stateuniversity, is held hostage by a group of fanatical religious homophobiczealots. his is an embarrassment to the City of Gainesville and potrays itas a hick town. The amount of misinformation and scare tactics that havebeen leveled against the Transgender Community are outrageous. In all of theStates, cities, towns, counties, and numerous businesses (including over 30%of Fortune 500 businesses) that include Gender Identity protections, thereis not a single incident that I know of where a Trangender person has beenarrested as being a sexual predator or doing anything inappropriate in apublic restroom. Not one! This argument is simply "much ado about nothing".Besides, there are already laws on the books that protect people againstinappropriate sexual conduct. It is a scare tactic that obviously createspublic hysteria and is used to promote an anti gay/ transgender agenda, pureand simple. The city of Oakland Park addressed this irrational bathroom fearby making sure all of the bathroom stalls had functioning locks. That is aminimal expense and should insure everyone can use the restroom in privacy.There is no huge expense to businesses that is being charged. Ifantidiscrimination laws do not include sexual orientation or gender identityand expression, it allows anybody to fire someone just because they are gayor lesbian. You can be denied entrance to a restaurant or theater if youdon't appear masculine or feminine enough. You can be denied housing. Isthis America? It sounds like Nazi Germany. Let's hope the citizens ofGainesville do not cave in to this legalized bigotry and don't makeGainesville the laughing stock of thecountry by stepping back in time 40years.
Sincerely,
Nicole Hatch
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democratic Efforts, Celebrity and Grassroots, Paying Off In Florida
There appears to be several Democratic campaigns going on in Florida: onethat's building steam to win a majority of Congressional seats; one that'san enormous vote-getting and fund-raising effort for Sen. Barack Obama thatfeatures show business luminaries such as Matt Damon, Ben Afflek andJennifer Garner; and one -- more apparent in party circles -- to build localcampaign organizations up and down the peninsula. Campaign battlegroundFlorida is home to 27 highly prized electoral votes.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-levitt/fla-celebrity-party-and-g_b_115883.html
-Obama to address economy at St. Petersburg appearance
Sen. Barack Obama will hold a town hall-style meeting on the economy Fridayat Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article749451.ece
-Lawmakers blast sugar deal
Gov. Charlie Crist's top emissaries arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday tobrief Florida's congressional delegation on his massive buyout of U.S.Sugar's operations in the Everglades.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/article749548.ece
-Is state's insurance deal win-win for a billionaire?
Some call agreement with Warren Buffett lose-lose for Florida
As many Floridians face job losses, foreclosures and exorbitant gas pricesin a tumbling economy, Florida leaders this week struck a lucrative dealwith the richest man in America.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080731/ARTICLE/807310386/1547/OPINION01&title=Is_state_s_insurance_deal_win_win_for_a_billionaire__
-Black Republican leader urges his party members to directly tackle race
Clarence V. McKee says Republicans need to fight back against charges ofracial insensitivity. McKee, president of the eponymous communications firmin Coral Springs, penned a provocative online essay on the subject. McKeehas clear political leanings. He is communications chairman of the BrowardRepublican Party and a member of the African-American Advisory Council ofthe Republican Party of Florida.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/07/black_republican_leader_urges.html
-Top McCain Surrogate Refuses To Endorse McCain Attack On Obama
This is pretty great. John McCain's claim that Barack Obama would ratherlose the war than lose the presidential race is so repugnant that one of hismost prominent surrogates -- Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who's alsotalked about as a potential Veep -- refused to endorse it.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/top_mccain_surrogate_refuses_t.php
-EDITORIAL: We think: Rubio's new gig at FIU undermines the cause ofeducation
House Speaker Marco Rubio and Florida International University deserve eachother for their preposterous deal making him a "visitingdistinguished-service professor." FIU's students and faculty -- indeed, allFlorida residents -- deserve far better.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed31108jul31,0,2107390.story
-DCF to release total adoption numbers
The Department of Children & Families will release the final number ofadoptions achieved in Florida this year. Secretary Bob Butterworth isexpected to make the announcement in Tallahassee Thursday morning along withFlorida's Chief Child Advocate Jim Kallinger.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/624217.html
-Study: Sugar buyout to cost $1.6 billion revenue, 10,700 jobs
Florida's buyout of U.S. Sugar Corp. may bring more water to the Everglades,but it will be a huge drain on the state's economy.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jul/30/study-sugar-buyout-cost-16-billion-revenue-10700-j/
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
GLBT DIGEST - July 29, 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:
-Hate for Liberals and Gay People Drove Gunman, Police Say
A man who the police say entered a Unitarian Universalist church inKnoxville, Tenn., on Sunday and shot eight people, killing two, wasmotivated by a hatred for liberals and gay people, Chief Sterling P. Owen IVof the Knoxville Police Department said Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29knox.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:
-Another Blow To Justice
Another stunning report has documented the bold and illegal influence ofpolitics at the Justice Department over the past eight years. For decades,Republican and Democratic attorneys general had protected from politicalinfluence the hiring of career prosecutors and administrative judges. Therewas an unbroken rule, embodied in law, regulation and department policy,that no political questions would be asked of those who wanted to serve incareer -- as opposed to political -- positions in the department. Wedemanded of our Justice Department, in its core prosecutorial andadjudicative functions, that it be separate from politics. Until the Bushadministration.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802467.html
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Jesse's Journal | Electing our own
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund (www.VictoryFund.org) is a political actioncommittee (PAC) created to elect openly lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender people to public office in the United States. Since 1991, theVictory Fund - to quote the not always reliable but mostly usefulWikipedia - "provides strategic, technical and financial support to openlygay and lesbian [and bi and trans] candidates and officials across theUnited States, helping them win elections at local, state and federallevels." In 2006, the Victory Fund endorsed 88 candidates, of which 67 wontheir respective elections.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/jesses-journal.html
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Justice Dept. official engaged in anti-gay bias
Goodling targeted rumored lesbian: report
A former Justice Department official violated federal non-discriminationlaws by denying a job extension for a department attorney and by attemptingto block the attorney from obtaining two other department positions becauseshe believed the attorney was a lesbian, according to findings of aninternal DOJ investigation.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20009
-Mayor asked to support GLBT community
In the fallout of Sunday's fatal shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam is being asked toacknowledge the city's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.The church, which provides several GLBT support groups and ministries, wastargeted in part due to such advocacy, according to the police statementsabout suspect Jim David Adkisson's motivation for the attack that left twopeople dead and seven others injured. The FBI is involved in the case andconsidering adding possible federal hate crime charges against him.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/28/mayor-asked-support-glbt-community/?partner=yahoo_headlines
-Lesbian couple married in Canada win health benefits in U.S.
An American lesbian couple married in Canada has won a landmark case againsta New York insurance company over spousal health care benefits.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=c7338769-4b61-4cab-b8a2-c8801fbc78f6
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-McCain Pushes Calif On Offshore Oil, Hedges On Gay Marriage Ban
Republican John McCain said Monday that drilling for oil off the U.S. coastis an essential part of any plan to lower gas prices and reduce dependenceon foreign sources, and he criticized Democrat Barack Obama for opposing it.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072908-mccain-oil/
-AIDS Marathon Swim Raises $30,000
(Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island) After just under 15 hours ofswimming in 19-degree water, a Nova Scotia woman completed a marathon swimon the weekend that took her from Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick andback, all in less than a day.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072808-aids-swim/
-Mormons Postpone Meeting with LDS Gays
A face-to-face meeting between representatives of gay Mormons and churchleaders that was to have taken place next month has been indefinitelypostponed by the head of the LDS branch that had agreed to it. Latter DaySaints President Thomas S. Monson agreed to a meeting in April with leadersof Affirmation, an organization for LGBT members of the LDS church, FredRiley, commissioner of family services for the LDS, and Harold C. Brown, theagency's past commissioner. Affirmation had sought such a meeting forseveral years. It was to have taken place Aug. 11.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072808-mormons/
-Protests Mark HRC Gala
The cracks that developed in LGBT solidarity over the past year were nevermore evident than on the weekend when transgender rights supporters picketeda gala in San Francisco hosted by the national Human Rights Campaign.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072808-hrc-gala/
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Detroit News
http://detnews.com/
-Help military by letting gays serve openly
by Deb Price
On Sept. 11, 2001, Navy Capt. Joan Darrah's weekly intelligence briefingturned out to be anything but routine: She and her colleagues watched CNN'scoverage of terrorist-hijacked planes ramming into the World Trade Center.The meeting ended, the closeted lesbian captain left the Pentagon, andAmerican Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the building. Seven people died inthe place where she'd been minutes earlier.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080728/OPINION03/807280317/1272/OPINION01
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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 Couple in Hate Crime
A male gay couple were stabbed and robbed during Stockholm's EuroPridefestival in what police described Monday as a hate crime. "Two homosexualmen were stopped by three men and were asked directions. The three askedthem about their sexuality and then stole their mobile phones and money. Oneof them was then stabbed in the stomach," Stockholm police spokesperson ToweHaegg said.
-Lesbian Basketball Coaches Call Foul
In a case that highlights what some describe as an anti-lesbian bias incollege sports, two former Mesa College athletic department employees aresuing their former employer for discrimination. Lorri Sulpizio, Mesa'swomen's basketball coach, and Cathy Bass, director of basketball operations,are registered domestic partners who were both fired in April of 2007. Afternearly a decade with the college, the two were dismissed shortly after alocal news story pictured them together and identified them as lesbians.
-Seattle to Host 2008 Gay Softball World Series
One of the largest sporting events ever in Puget Sound
The Amateur Sports Alliance of North America (ASANA) and the North AmericanGay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) are joining forces with the EmeraldCity Softball Association Series 2008 Committee to host the 32nd GaySoftball World Series. It will be held in Seattle, WA August 25-30. Nearly4,000 American and Canadian athletes and fans representing 179 teams willgather in Seattle to take part in and enjoy the competition. The teams willplay games at five King County softball complexes to award national
champions in eight divisions
-Bay Area Sports Teams Reach
Out to Non-Traditional Groups
One afternoon during a recent football season, 49ers owner John York walkedinto Mix, a San Francisco gay bar. In the Castro, often described as thegayest neighborhood in America, the NFL owner turned heads, even though he'dbeen there before. York has been going to the Castro since 2003 with wifeand co-owner Denise DeBartolo York to promote the 49ers, part of a concertedstrategy to reach gay and lesbian fans.
-Will Gays' Boycott Turn the Tables?
Boycotts are older than the nation itself, but during the past decade,they've become the weapon of choice for conservative Christians engaged inthe nation's raging culture wars. They've used the boycott to try toinflict economic damage against corporate giants that they believe arebecoming too cozy with the gay and lesbian community, including Ford, Disneyand McDonald's.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Get AIDS
(UWIRE.com) This story was written by Othman O'Malley, Daily Illini | CBSNews
If you've tuned in to C-SPAN recently you may have caught a glimpse of aninteresting hearing. It involved bands of violent lesbians, "forcedcohabitation" with gay men, the spread of AIDS and "skin to skin" contact.Oh my! What on earth was the topic of this discussion, and why was it beingconducted in the hallowed confines of the people's Congress? No, it wasn'tSen. Larry Craig's last conversation with Pastor Haggard. It was a HouseArmed Services personnel subcommittee hearing on "Don't ask, don't tell."
-Will Pride Destroy America?
Genesis 36 in the Bible deals entirely with the family of Esau, which becamethe nation of Edom. Although it may be rather boring to the average personto read about all the names from that Middle East era, our military today isnow engaged there and Saddam Hussein was used as the excuse. I wish someonewould explain the real reason, which is sin by Abraham and Sarah. Godpromised Abraham a son but when his wife Sarah didn't conceive immediately,she convinced Abraham to sleep with her handmaiden, Hagar. Hagar gave birthto Ishmael, who now represents the radical Arabs and after Sarah later gavebirth to Isaac who represents the Israelites, America's ally, Sarahconvinced Abraham to kick Hagar and Ishmael out. The descendants of thesehalf brothers hate each other. Isaac married and his wife gave birth to Esauand Jacob. Isaac's first born, Esau, was promised a special blessing utJacob and his mother deceived old, blind Isaac while Esau was out huntingone day, and Isaac ended up giving he blessing to momma's boy, Jacob. I'm noBible scholar and I hope I got the story correct, but the whole pisode willremind readers how sin and deception cause nations problems today includingAmerica, the country ounded by divine providence.
-Tatchell Claims Protestant Icon William the Orange was Bisexual
Pink News
Northern Ireland Protestants who are anti-gay are hypocrites because KingWilliam of Orange had male lovers, a leading gay rights activist hasclaimed. Speaking in Belfast, Peter Tatchell claimed that DemocraticUnionist politicians such as Iris Robinson are victimising gay people in theprovince. His claims about King William are particularly insulting toProtestants, who revere him as the saviour of Protestantism in Ireland. Hisdefeat of King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is commemoratedby Northern Ireland Protestants with parades on the 12th July.
-Newsweek on Lawrence King: News or Not?
By Cathy Renna | The Bilerico Project
This week's cover story in Newsweek - which we should all recognize is aHUGE deal given the elections, economy and other issues happening in theworld - is focused on the two intersecting LGBT issues: the plummeting ageof coming out and the horrific murder of Lawrence King. While nowhere nearperfect (what journalism is?), this feature tries to explore larger issuesrelated to the coming out experience for the current generation ofteenagers. "Young, Gay and Murdered" is quite the provocative title but Ibelieve that the writers and Newsweek were thoughtful and well intentionedin writing this piece. You may not agree. The reality around this articleis this: it had been in the works for a long time, partly because it beganas a piece about the lower age of coming out. Full disclosure: I was workingwith this reporter on behalf of Dr. Caitlin Ryan, whose Family AcceptanceProject is conducting groundbreaking research on LGBT youth and coming out.I also helped the reporter find several young people with a variety ofcoming out experiences via other clients. Then, in 2005, Time magazine cameout with a cover story on gay youth and the piece was delayed.
-Cuba: Celebration of Advancing Gay Rights
Marcel Hatch | Green Leaf Online
Several hundred Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people andtheir friends converged at the Mi Cayito section of Guanabo Beach east ofHavana on June 14, to celebrate newfound pride and launch "Together with You". Together with You is a grassroots initiative to prevent the spreadof AIDS among men through sex with other men and has government support.According to the United Nations, Cuba has one of the lowest HIV/AIDS ratesin the world with a 0.1% infection rate. In contrast, the US rate is sixtimes greater. In Cuba, HIV treatment, related drugs, medicines and careare free. While the nation has the goal of developing a vaccine and cure forthe disease, it seeks to combat more infections now through awareness,education, support and prevention.
-Cobert Takes on the Anglican Church Schism: Homo-sect-ual
Because we have to laugh sometimes. The Colbert Report tackles the schism inthe Anglican Church. Stephen asks Laurie Goodstein why Anglicans can't justordain gay priests and then not talk about it - like the Catholics.
-Report Warns of AIDS 'Crisis' Across South
By Alex Johnson | MSNBC
AIDS specialists are calling for a fundamental rethinking of HIV policyafter a new report showed that infection with the virus was risingdramatically in the South even as it dropped everywhere else in the country.The warning, issued this week by the Southern AIDS Coalition, a nonprofitpartnership of government and private-sector programs based in Birmingham,Ala., concluded that AIDS was creating a health disaster in the South. AIDSdeaths fell or held steady in other parts of the country from 2001 to 2006,the last year for which complete figures were available, but they rose bymore than 10 percent in the South, according to the report, titled "SouthernStates Manifesto 2008."
-Purpose Driven Politics: Rick Warren's Civil Service
By Bill Berkowitz | Religion Dispatch
On August 16, an Olympic Games-fatigued American public will turn itsattention toward Lake Forest, California, where Rick Warren, the pastor ofSaddleback Church, and author of the mega-bestseller The Purpose-DrivenLife, will host both presumptive presidential nominees, Sen. Barack Obama(D-IL) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). While the Saddleback Civil Forum onLeadership and Compassion will not be a debate-interviews will be doneseparately and in succession-and the two men are scheduled to meet onlybriefly, this will be the first time Sens. Obama and McCain have shared astage during the campaign. "This is a critical time for our nation and theAmerican people deserve to hear both candidates speak from the heart-withoutinterruption-in a civil and thoughtful format absent the partisan 'gotcha'questions that typically produce heat instead of light," Warren said in apress release. This is not the first time Warren has brought Obama toSaddleback. In December 2006, Obama and the ultra-conservative Sen. SamBrownback (R-KS) appeared at Warren's annual AIDS conference.
-Trans Formed: To Be Homeless & Transgender
By Lydie Raschka |Special to The Washington Post
T he night my church opened its 10-bed homeless shelter for18-to-24-year-olds, I volunteered to supervise them. A novice to any kind ofshelter experience, I was nervous as I dragged my red cart with pillow andblanket to the church, and grateful that Mina, an elegant, 70-somethingsocial worker, also would be there. Six young people arrived in a clump at10 p.m., clutching pillows and belongings and, in one case, a teddy bear.They came from Sylvia's Place, an overcrowded downtown shelter. One woman,wearing a do-rag under a baseball cap, surprised me with a quick hug. In thecoming months, she would outline the danger she felt in our relativelysafe-seeming Manhattan neighborhood, how every time she walked outside she'dhear some comment, how she was hit in the face just waiting for the bus.But that night we didn't talk much. I fussed around, putting out food andsetting up beds. After midnight, when everyone else was asleep, Mina wrappedherself in a blanket and propped herself on a chair against the wall. Istayed awake in the kitchen, by the light, reading. The next morning we wokeeveryone at 8 and ushered them out, still groggy, into the icy February air.I walked home past restaurants that looked newly exclusive and out of reach.Overwhelmed by the luxury of it all, I crawled under my thick yellow duvetand slept.
-Christian Camps Raise More Questions Than Answers
Casey Welsch | Daily Nebraskan
God has been around for a long time, more than 13.73 billion years somewould say. For eons, he has controlled the all life in the cosmos, which isjust what some would say.Christianity has been around for a long time. About2,000 years some would say. For slightly less time than that, it has beenthe dominant religion on Earth, shaping the course of human history anddevelopment for better some would say, and for worse, others would say.Five Star Bible Camp in Fairbury has been around for 12 years. A long timesome would say. Not long enough others would say. The product of a dreamthat a man named Ivan Zimmerman had, the annual camp is and always has been100 percent free and open to all pre-K through 12th grade youth. I've beenaround for 19 years. Not long some would say. Long enough I would say. I'vebeen involved with Five Star Bible Camp for all 12 of its years, since I wasan 8-year-old camper there in its inaugural year. It has been as much a partof my life as a family member, teacher or friend.
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-29 executions in Iran
Film in Persian - Shows the faces of the gay men:
http://www.iran-resist.org/article4663
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Euro-Letter
Euroletter is ILGA-Europe's monthly electronic bulletin containg politicaland legal information relevant to LGBT people in Europe.
http://www.ilga-europe.org/europe/publications/euro_letter
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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
-Research Participation Request - Lesbians
My name is Ryan Anne Cheperka and I am a counseling psychology graduatestudent at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. I am currently workingon my master's thesis, chaired by Dr. Ann R. Fischer, and would like to askfor your help as I examine self-identified lesbian women's attitudes aboutrelationships and about bisexual women. Participation in this study isvoluntary and you may withdraw at any time. Completion of the survey willtake approximately 5 to 10 minutes and your responses will remainconfidential. [...] If you would like to participate in this study pleasevisit the following website:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ETbDB4BLGgzSg4l1C9Z_2bYQ_3d_3d.
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Palm Beach County Human Rights Council
www.pbchrc.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Northwest Florida Daily News
PONCE DE LEON, FL: Principal thrashed for 'crusade' against homosexuality
Federal judge's written opinion is released two months after student winsfree-speech case
Principal David Davis led a "relentless crusade" against homosexuality atPonce de Leon High School, a federal judge said in court documents filedThursday. It cost the school district $325,000, but the court's fullopinion was not released until this week. It thrashed Davis, who has sincebeen replaced as principal. "Davis embarked on what can only becharacterized as a witch hunt," wrote U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak, whoblasted him for his "morality assemblies" and misunderstanding of the FirstAmendment.
The opinion came more than two months after Heather Gillman and the AmericanCivil Liberties Union won a free-speech lawsuit against the Holmes CountySchool Board - which actually was Davis' complicit "alter ego," Smoak wrote.Gillman and the ACLU claimed Davis violated her rights by silencing allpro-gay messages. Students had begun showing support following the tauntingof a gay student at school. In response to the taunting incident, Davis toldthe gay student it wasn't right for her to be homosexual and held a moralityassembly, according to testimony.
Then, after an investigation into the "secret society" of gay pride atschool, Davis suspended several students for supporting the girl. He toldone suspended student's mother "he could secretly send her daughter off to aprivate Christian school" and said "if there was a man in your house ... youwouldn't be having any of these gay issues," according to the court. Davisbanned rainbows, pink triangles and a number of what he called sexuallysuggestive slogans. The slogans included "I Support Gays" and "God Loves MeJust the Way I Am." But Smoak noted that Davis did not ban severalmagazines in the school's library - Cosmogirl, Woman's Day and others - thatcontained articles about sex and dating.
He also did not punish a boy for making explicit sexual advances toward agirl - an incident that occurred the same month as the morality assembly,according to testimony. Davis hushed Gillman and others "because of hisanimosity toward students who were homosexual and his relentless crusade toextinguish the speech supporting them," Smoak wrote. Join the PBCHRCmailing list
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101791463376
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JESSE'S JOURNAL
by Jesse Monteagudo
jessemonteagudo@aol.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Electing Our Own
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund (www.VictoryFund.org) is a political actioncommittee (PAC) created to elect openly lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender people to public office in the United States. Since 1991, theVictory Fund - to quote the not always reliable but mostly usefulWikipedia - "provides strategic, technical and financial support to openlygay and lesbian [and bi and trans] candidates and officials across theUnited States, helping them win elections at local, state and federallevels." In 2006, the Victory Fund endorsed 88 candidates, of which 67 wontheir respective elections. According to the Fund's Web site (stating theobvious), "It takes courage and determination [and money] to run for officeand even more to run as an openly LGBT candidate. . . . At the Victory Fund,we understand these challenges, and we set the bar high, both for ourcandidates and for our organization." Candidates endorsed by the Fundreceive "sophisticated, intensive candidate and campaign training;" "one-on-one strategic and technical support;" "vetted and highly qualifiedcampaign consultants;" and, last but certainly not least, "financial supportfrom both our PAC and our diverse network of LGBT donors." To qualify, acandidate must have a realistic chance of being elected and fill out atleast two very detailed applications, which allows the Fund to determinewhether or not s/he deserves its support. Many applicants do not make itthrough this strenuous process.
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Same Sex Marriage
http://www.samesexmarriage.typepad.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Editorial: "It's Time to Call Out Anti-Gay Author of 'Ender's Game'"
According to science fiction author Orson Scott Card (pictured above),recent court decisions in Massachusetts and California recognizing same-sexmarriage mean "the end of democracy in America." As such, he advocatestaking down our government "by whatever means is made possible ornecessary." It's all there in a truly frightful - and brazenly dishonest -essay that Card published in last Thursday's edition of the Mormon Times. Ican't think the last time I've read something so offensive and bigotedwritten by a major media figure. Overthrowing the government because ofsame-sex marriage? As far as I know, even Pat Robertson doesn't advocatethis. We're talking Fred Phelps territory here.
-MI: "Triangle Foundation calls Spectrum Health's apology to gay couple a'great first step'"
A lesbian couple is pleased with Spectrum Health's apology for a doctor whoallegedly lectured them against gay marriage, but say they are concerned itmight happen again. "I want to see that something has been done to be surethis doesn't happen on a continuing basis," said Kent County residentAshleigh Haberman, who complained with her partner in June about thebehavior of an urgent care physician in Cutlerville. "We are not just goingto sit by and let them slap this doctor on the hand and say, 'Sorry.' Iwould like to see Spectrum take this a little bit more seriously."
-NH: "State has seen just 430 civil unions"; many waiting for marriage
Civil unions have been legal in New Hampshire since Jan. 1, but same-sexcouples haven't exactly been flocking to town halls to formalize theirrelationships. As of Friday, just 430 civil unions have been filed,according to officials at the state's Department of Vital Records. Twentyof those 400-plus couples were united in a public ceremony on the Statehousesteps when the clock struck midnight Jan. 1, but there's hardly been a rushon ceremonies since.
-"McCain's Family Values: Let Children Suffer, Don't Let Gays Adopt"
Link: Towleroad
John McCain would rather children suffer without families rather than have gay parents adopt them. In an interview with George Stephanopolous on This Week, McCain, who recently said he was against gay adoption, then backtracked on it, is now back to his original position. [...]
STEPHANOPOULOS: What is your position on gay adoption? You told the "New York Times" you were against it, even in cases where the children couldn't find another home. But then your staff backtracked a bit. What is your position?
MCCAIN: My position is, it's not the reason why I'm running for president of the United States. And I think that two parent families are best for America.
-US complaints lead to Mr T ad being pulled from UK screens
An advertising campaign featuring A-Team star Mr T has been withdrawn afterconcerns it may be offensive to gay men. In the ad Mr T calls a speed walkerin tight shorts "a disgrace to the man race."
-Gay civil rights group urges President Bush to overturn HIV+ ban
An American group that defends the civil rights of LGBT people and thoseliving with HIV has urged President George W Bush to end the ban on visitorsand immigrants who are HIV+.
-Unionist politicians warned of consequences of homophobia
Gay right activist Peter Tatchell's visit to Belfast continues to generateheadlines, with claims that Democratic Unionist politicians are contributingto a culture of homophobia.
-Video: Andrew and George may reform Wham! for one last gig
Camp pop band Wham! are set for a one off reunion, according to reports. Thegroup, made up of Andrew Ridgley and gay artist George Michael, formed in1981.
-Cyber centre for LGBT silver surfers opens in New York
SAGE, the world's oldest and largest non-profit agency dedicated to servingand advocating for LGBT older people, has opened a fully-equipped CyberCentre at their offices in New York City.
-Madrid Pride organisers face lawsuit for "hate speech"
A "pro-family" activist group in Spain has filed charges against theorganisers of the 2008 Madrid Gay Pride march. HazteOir accused them ofmaking hateful statements against Catholics.
-India's "unnatural sex" law should be revised says High Court judge
The Bombay High Court said last week that the controversial Section 377 ofIndian Penal Code that deals with unnatural sex needs revision.
-Ugandan police accused of torturing gay activist
A leading gay rights organisation has said that a Ugandan human rightsactivist was tortured by police.
-South African gays protest against homophobic journalist
A columnist for South Africa's fastest growing newspaper, Sunday Sun, hascaused protests after the July 20th publication of his controversial article'"Call me names, but gay is NOT okay.".
-Bahraini MP calls for gay crackdown to begin
A set of proposals approved by Bahrain's parliament targeting homosexualactivity in the country should be implemented, according to a politician inthe Gulf state.
-Russian prosecutors decline to take action against homophobic governor
The State Office of Public Prosecutor of the Russian Federation has decidednot to start criminal proceedings against the Governor of the Tambov region.
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[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:
-Hate for Liberals and Gay People Drove Gunman, Police Say
A man who the police say entered a Unitarian Universalist church inKnoxville, Tenn., on Sunday and shot eight people, killing two, wasmotivated by a hatred for liberals and gay people, Chief Sterling P. Owen IVof the Knoxville Police Department said Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29knox.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:
-Another Blow To Justice
Another stunning report has documented the bold and illegal influence ofpolitics at the Justice Department over the past eight years. For decades,Republican and Democratic attorneys general had protected from politicalinfluence the hiring of career prosecutors and administrative judges. Therewas an unbroken rule, embodied in law, regulation and department policy,that no political questions would be asked of those who wanted to serve incareer -- as opposed to political -- positions in the department. Wedemanded of our Justice Department, in its core prosecutorial andadjudicative functions, that it be separate from politics. Until the Bushadministration.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802467.html
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Jesse's Journal | Electing our own
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund (www.VictoryFund.org) is a political actioncommittee (PAC) created to elect openly lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender people to public office in the United States. Since 1991, theVictory Fund - to quote the not always reliable but mostly usefulWikipedia - "provides strategic, technical and financial support to openlygay and lesbian [and bi and trans] candidates and officials across theUnited States, helping them win elections at local, state and federallevels." In 2006, the Victory Fund endorsed 88 candidates, of which 67 wontheir respective elections.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/jesses-journal.html
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Justice Dept. official engaged in anti-gay bias
Goodling targeted rumored lesbian: report
A former Justice Department official violated federal non-discriminationlaws by denying a job extension for a department attorney and by attemptingto block the attorney from obtaining two other department positions becauseshe believed the attorney was a lesbian, according to findings of aninternal DOJ investigation.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20009
-Mayor asked to support GLBT community
In the fallout of Sunday's fatal shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam is being asked toacknowledge the city's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.The church, which provides several GLBT support groups and ministries, wastargeted in part due to such advocacy, according to the police statementsabout suspect Jim David Adkisson's motivation for the attack that left twopeople dead and seven others injured. The FBI is involved in the case andconsidering adding possible federal hate crime charges against him.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/28/mayor-asked-support-glbt-community/?partner=yahoo_headlines
-Lesbian couple married in Canada win health benefits in U.S.
An American lesbian couple married in Canada has won a landmark case againsta New York insurance company over spousal health care benefits.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=c7338769-4b61-4cab-b8a2-c8801fbc78f6
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-McCain Pushes Calif On Offshore Oil, Hedges On Gay Marriage Ban
Republican John McCain said Monday that drilling for oil off the U.S. coastis an essential part of any plan to lower gas prices and reduce dependenceon foreign sources, and he criticized Democrat Barack Obama for opposing it.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072908-mccain-oil/
-AIDS Marathon Swim Raises $30,000
(Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island) After just under 15 hours ofswimming in 19-degree water, a Nova Scotia woman completed a marathon swimon the weekend that took her from Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick andback, all in less than a day.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072808-aids-swim/
-Mormons Postpone Meeting with LDS Gays
A face-to-face meeting between representatives of gay Mormons and churchleaders that was to have taken place next month has been indefinitelypostponed by the head of the LDS branch that had agreed to it. Latter DaySaints President Thomas S. Monson agreed to a meeting in April with leadersof Affirmation, an organization for LGBT members of the LDS church, FredRiley, commissioner of family services for the LDS, and Harold C. Brown, theagency's past commissioner. Affirmation had sought such a meeting forseveral years. It was to have taken place Aug. 11.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072808-mormons/
-Protests Mark HRC Gala
The cracks that developed in LGBT solidarity over the past year were nevermore evident than on the weekend when transgender rights supporters picketeda gala in San Francisco hosted by the national Human Rights Campaign.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072808-hrc-gala/
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Detroit News
http://detnews.com/
-Help military by letting gays serve openly
by Deb Price
On Sept. 11, 2001, Navy Capt. Joan Darrah's weekly intelligence briefingturned out to be anything but routine: She and her colleagues watched CNN'scoverage of terrorist-hijacked planes ramming into the World Trade Center.The meeting ended, the closeted lesbian captain left the Pentagon, andAmerican Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the building. Seven people died inthe place where she'd been minutes earlier.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080728/OPINION03/807280317/1272/OPINION01
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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 Couple in Hate Crime
A male gay couple were stabbed and robbed during Stockholm's EuroPridefestival in what police described Monday as a hate crime. "Two homosexualmen were stopped by three men and were asked directions. The three askedthem about their sexuality and then stole their mobile phones and money. Oneof them was then stabbed in the stomach," Stockholm police spokesperson ToweHaegg said.
-Lesbian Basketball Coaches Call Foul
In a case that highlights what some describe as an anti-lesbian bias incollege sports, two former Mesa College athletic department employees aresuing their former employer for discrimination. Lorri Sulpizio, Mesa'swomen's basketball coach, and Cathy Bass, director of basketball operations,are registered domestic partners who were both fired in April of 2007. Afternearly a decade with the college, the two were dismissed shortly after alocal news story pictured them together and identified them as lesbians.
-Seattle to Host 2008 Gay Softball World Series
One of the largest sporting events ever in Puget Sound
The Amateur Sports Alliance of North America (ASANA) and the North AmericanGay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) are joining forces with the EmeraldCity Softball Association Series 2008 Committee to host the 32nd GaySoftball World Series. It will be held in Seattle, WA August 25-30. Nearly4,000 American and Canadian athletes and fans representing 179 teams willgather in Seattle to take part in and enjoy the competition. The teams willplay games at five King County softball complexes to award national
champions in eight divisions
-Bay Area Sports Teams Reach
Out to Non-Traditional Groups
One afternoon during a recent football season, 49ers owner John York walkedinto Mix, a San Francisco gay bar. In the Castro, often described as thegayest neighborhood in America, the NFL owner turned heads, even though he'dbeen there before. York has been going to the Castro since 2003 with wifeand co-owner Denise DeBartolo York to promote the 49ers, part of a concertedstrategy to reach gay and lesbian fans.
-Will Gays' Boycott Turn the Tables?
Boycotts are older than the nation itself, but during the past decade,they've become the weapon of choice for conservative Christians engaged inthe nation's raging culture wars. They've used the boycott to try toinflict economic damage against corporate giants that they believe arebecoming too cozy with the gay and lesbian community, including Ford, Disneyand McDonald's.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Get AIDS
(UWIRE.com) This story was written by Othman O'Malley, Daily Illini | CBSNews
If you've tuned in to C-SPAN recently you may have caught a glimpse of aninteresting hearing. It involved bands of violent lesbians, "forcedcohabitation" with gay men, the spread of AIDS and "skin to skin" contact.Oh my! What on earth was the topic of this discussion, and why was it beingconducted in the hallowed confines of the people's Congress? No, it wasn'tSen. Larry Craig's last conversation with Pastor Haggard. It was a HouseArmed Services personnel subcommittee hearing on "Don't ask, don't tell."
-Will Pride Destroy America?
Genesis 36 in the Bible deals entirely with the family of Esau, which becamethe nation of Edom. Although it may be rather boring to the average personto read about all the names from that Middle East era, our military today isnow engaged there and Saddam Hussein was used as the excuse. I wish someonewould explain the real reason, which is sin by Abraham and Sarah. Godpromised Abraham a son but when his wife Sarah didn't conceive immediately,she convinced Abraham to sleep with her handmaiden, Hagar. Hagar gave birthto Ishmael, who now represents the radical Arabs and after Sarah later gavebirth to Isaac who represents the Israelites, America's ally, Sarahconvinced Abraham to kick Hagar and Ishmael out. The descendants of thesehalf brothers hate each other. Isaac married and his wife gave birth to Esauand Jacob. Isaac's first born, Esau, was promised a special blessing utJacob and his mother deceived old, blind Isaac while Esau was out huntingone day, and Isaac ended up giving he blessing to momma's boy, Jacob. I'm noBible scholar and I hope I got the story correct, but the whole pisode willremind readers how sin and deception cause nations problems today includingAmerica, the country ounded by divine providence.
-Tatchell Claims Protestant Icon William the Orange was Bisexual
Pink News
Northern Ireland Protestants who are anti-gay are hypocrites because KingWilliam of Orange had male lovers, a leading gay rights activist hasclaimed. Speaking in Belfast, Peter Tatchell claimed that DemocraticUnionist politicians such as Iris Robinson are victimising gay people in theprovince. His claims about King William are particularly insulting toProtestants, who revere him as the saviour of Protestantism in Ireland. Hisdefeat of King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is commemoratedby Northern Ireland Protestants with parades on the 12th July.
-Newsweek on Lawrence King: News or Not?
By Cathy Renna | The Bilerico Project
This week's cover story in Newsweek - which we should all recognize is aHUGE deal given the elections, economy and other issues happening in theworld - is focused on the two intersecting LGBT issues: the plummeting ageof coming out and the horrific murder of Lawrence King. While nowhere nearperfect (what journalism is?), this feature tries to explore larger issuesrelated to the coming out experience for the current generation ofteenagers. "Young, Gay and Murdered" is quite the provocative title but Ibelieve that the writers and Newsweek were thoughtful and well intentionedin writing this piece. You may not agree. The reality around this articleis this: it had been in the works for a long time, partly because it beganas a piece about the lower age of coming out. Full disclosure: I was workingwith this reporter on behalf of Dr. Caitlin Ryan, whose Family AcceptanceProject is conducting groundbreaking research on LGBT youth and coming out.I also helped the reporter find several young people with a variety ofcoming out experiences via other clients. Then, in 2005, Time magazine cameout with a cover story on gay youth and the piece was delayed.
-Cuba: Celebration of Advancing Gay Rights
Marcel Hatch | Green Leaf Online
Several hundred Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people andtheir friends converged at the Mi Cayito section of Guanabo Beach east ofHavana on June 14, to celebrate newfound pride and launch "Together with You". Together with You is a grassroots initiative to prevent the spreadof AIDS among men through sex with other men and has government support.According to the United Nations, Cuba has one of the lowest HIV/AIDS ratesin the world with a 0.1% infection rate. In contrast, the US rate is sixtimes greater. In Cuba, HIV treatment, related drugs, medicines and careare free. While the nation has the goal of developing a vaccine and cure forthe disease, it seeks to combat more infections now through awareness,education, support and prevention.
-Cobert Takes on the Anglican Church Schism: Homo-sect-ual
Because we have to laugh sometimes. The Colbert Report tackles the schism inthe Anglican Church. Stephen asks Laurie Goodstein why Anglicans can't justordain gay priests and then not talk about it - like the Catholics.
-Report Warns of AIDS 'Crisis' Across South
By Alex Johnson | MSNBC
AIDS specialists are calling for a fundamental rethinking of HIV policyafter a new report showed that infection with the virus was risingdramatically in the South even as it dropped everywhere else in the country.The warning, issued this week by the Southern AIDS Coalition, a nonprofitpartnership of government and private-sector programs based in Birmingham,Ala., concluded that AIDS was creating a health disaster in the South. AIDSdeaths fell or held steady in other parts of the country from 2001 to 2006,the last year for which complete figures were available, but they rose bymore than 10 percent in the South, according to the report, titled "SouthernStates Manifesto 2008."
-Purpose Driven Politics: Rick Warren's Civil Service
By Bill Berkowitz | Religion Dispatch
On August 16, an Olympic Games-fatigued American public will turn itsattention toward Lake Forest, California, where Rick Warren, the pastor ofSaddleback Church, and author of the mega-bestseller The Purpose-DrivenLife, will host both presumptive presidential nominees, Sen. Barack Obama(D-IL) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). While the Saddleback Civil Forum onLeadership and Compassion will not be a debate-interviews will be doneseparately and in succession-and the two men are scheduled to meet onlybriefly, this will be the first time Sens. Obama and McCain have shared astage during the campaign. "This is a critical time for our nation and theAmerican people deserve to hear both candidates speak from the heart-withoutinterruption-in a civil and thoughtful format absent the partisan 'gotcha'questions that typically produce heat instead of light," Warren said in apress release. This is not the first time Warren has brought Obama toSaddleback. In December 2006, Obama and the ultra-conservative Sen. SamBrownback (R-KS) appeared at Warren's annual AIDS conference.
-Trans Formed: To Be Homeless & Transgender
By Lydie Raschka |Special to The Washington Post
T he night my church opened its 10-bed homeless shelter for18-to-24-year-olds, I volunteered to supervise them. A novice to any kind ofshelter experience, I was nervous as I dragged my red cart with pillow andblanket to the church, and grateful that Mina, an elegant, 70-somethingsocial worker, also would be there. Six young people arrived in a clump at10 p.m., clutching pillows and belongings and, in one case, a teddy bear.They came from Sylvia's Place, an overcrowded downtown shelter. One woman,wearing a do-rag under a baseball cap, surprised me with a quick hug. In thecoming months, she would outline the danger she felt in our relativelysafe-seeming Manhattan neighborhood, how every time she walked outside she'dhear some comment, how she was hit in the face just waiting for the bus.But that night we didn't talk much. I fussed around, putting out food andsetting up beds. After midnight, when everyone else was asleep, Mina wrappedherself in a blanket and propped herself on a chair against the wall. Istayed awake in the kitchen, by the light, reading. The next morning we wokeeveryone at 8 and ushered them out, still groggy, into the icy February air.I walked home past restaurants that looked newly exclusive and out of reach.Overwhelmed by the luxury of it all, I crawled under my thick yellow duvetand slept.
-Christian Camps Raise More Questions Than Answers
Casey Welsch | Daily Nebraskan
God has been around for a long time, more than 13.73 billion years somewould say. For eons, he has controlled the all life in the cosmos, which isjust what some would say.Christianity has been around for a long time. About2,000 years some would say. For slightly less time than that, it has beenthe dominant religion on Earth, shaping the course of human history anddevelopment for better some would say, and for worse, others would say.Five Star Bible Camp in Fairbury has been around for 12 years. A long timesome would say. Not long enough others would say. The product of a dreamthat a man named Ivan Zimmerman had, the annual camp is and always has been100 percent free and open to all pre-K through 12th grade youth. I've beenaround for 19 years. Not long some would say. Long enough I would say. I'vebeen involved with Five Star Bible Camp for all 12 of its years, since I wasan 8-year-old camper there in its inaugural year. It has been as much a partof my life as a family member, teacher or friend.
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-29 executions in Iran
Film in Persian - Shows the faces of the gay men:
http://www.iran-resist.org/article4663
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Euro-Letter
Euroletter is ILGA-Europe's monthly electronic bulletin containg politicaland legal information relevant to LGBT people in Europe.
http://www.ilga-europe.org/europe/publications/euro_letter
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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
-Research Participation Request - Lesbians
My name is Ryan Anne Cheperka and I am a counseling psychology graduatestudent at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. I am currently workingon my master's thesis, chaired by Dr. Ann R. Fischer, and would like to askfor your help as I examine self-identified lesbian women's attitudes aboutrelationships and about bisexual women. Participation in this study isvoluntary and you may withdraw at any time. Completion of the survey willtake approximately 5 to 10 minutes and your responses will remainconfidential. [...] If you would like to participate in this study pleasevisit the following website:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ETbDB4BLGgzSg4l1C9Z_2bYQ_3d_3d.
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Palm Beach County Human Rights Council
www.pbchrc.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Northwest Florida Daily News
PONCE DE LEON, FL: Principal thrashed for 'crusade' against homosexuality
Federal judge's written opinion is released two months after student winsfree-speech case
Principal David Davis led a "relentless crusade" against homosexuality atPonce de Leon High School, a federal judge said in court documents filedThursday. It cost the school district $325,000, but the court's fullopinion was not released until this week. It thrashed Davis, who has sincebeen replaced as principal. "Davis embarked on what can only becharacterized as a witch hunt," wrote U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak, whoblasted him for his "morality assemblies" and misunderstanding of the FirstAmendment.
The opinion came more than two months after Heather Gillman and the AmericanCivil Liberties Union won a free-speech lawsuit against the Holmes CountySchool Board - which actually was Davis' complicit "alter ego," Smoak wrote.Gillman and the ACLU claimed Davis violated her rights by silencing allpro-gay messages. Students had begun showing support following the tauntingof a gay student at school. In response to the taunting incident, Davis toldthe gay student it wasn't right for her to be homosexual and held a moralityassembly, according to testimony.
Then, after an investigation into the "secret society" of gay pride atschool, Davis suspended several students for supporting the girl. He toldone suspended student's mother "he could secretly send her daughter off to aprivate Christian school" and said "if there was a man in your house ... youwouldn't be having any of these gay issues," according to the court. Davisbanned rainbows, pink triangles and a number of what he called sexuallysuggestive slogans. The slogans included "I Support Gays" and "God Loves MeJust the Way I Am." But Smoak noted that Davis did not ban severalmagazines in the school's library - Cosmogirl, Woman's Day and others - thatcontained articles about sex and dating.
He also did not punish a boy for making explicit sexual advances toward agirl - an incident that occurred the same month as the morality assembly,according to testimony. Davis hushed Gillman and others "because of hisanimosity toward students who were homosexual and his relentless crusade toextinguish the speech supporting them," Smoak wrote. Join the PBCHRCmailing list
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101791463376
=
JESSE'S JOURNAL
by Jesse Monteagudo
jessemonteagudo@aol.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Electing Our Own
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund (www.VictoryFund.org) is a political actioncommittee (PAC) created to elect openly lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender people to public office in the United States. Since 1991, theVictory Fund - to quote the not always reliable but mostly usefulWikipedia - "provides strategic, technical and financial support to openlygay and lesbian [and bi and trans] candidates and officials across theUnited States, helping them win elections at local, state and federallevels." In 2006, the Victory Fund endorsed 88 candidates, of which 67 wontheir respective elections. According to the Fund's Web site (stating theobvious), "It takes courage and determination [and money] to run for officeand even more to run as an openly LGBT candidate. . . . At the Victory Fund,we understand these challenges, and we set the bar high, both for ourcandidates and for our organization." Candidates endorsed by the Fundreceive "sophisticated, intensive candidate and campaign training;" "one-on-one strategic and technical support;" "vetted and highly qualifiedcampaign consultants;" and, last but certainly not least, "financial supportfrom both our PAC and our diverse network of LGBT donors." To qualify, acandidate must have a realistic chance of being elected and fill out atleast two very detailed applications, which allows the Fund to determinewhether or not s/he deserves its support. Many applicants do not make itthrough this strenuous process.
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Same Sex Marriage
http://www.samesexmarriage.typepad.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Editorial: "It's Time to Call Out Anti-Gay Author of 'Ender's Game'"
According to science fiction author Orson Scott Card (pictured above),recent court decisions in Massachusetts and California recognizing same-sexmarriage mean "the end of democracy in America." As such, he advocatestaking down our government "by whatever means is made possible ornecessary." It's all there in a truly frightful - and brazenly dishonest -essay that Card published in last Thursday's edition of the Mormon Times. Ican't think the last time I've read something so offensive and bigotedwritten by a major media figure. Overthrowing the government because ofsame-sex marriage? As far as I know, even Pat Robertson doesn't advocatethis. We're talking Fred Phelps territory here.
-MI: "Triangle Foundation calls Spectrum Health's apology to gay couple a'great first step'"
A lesbian couple is pleased with Spectrum Health's apology for a doctor whoallegedly lectured them against gay marriage, but say they are concerned itmight happen again. "I want to see that something has been done to be surethis doesn't happen on a continuing basis," said Kent County residentAshleigh Haberman, who complained with her partner in June about thebehavior of an urgent care physician in Cutlerville. "We are not just goingto sit by and let them slap this doctor on the hand and say, 'Sorry.' Iwould like to see Spectrum take this a little bit more seriously."
-NH: "State has seen just 430 civil unions"; many waiting for marriage
Civil unions have been legal in New Hampshire since Jan. 1, but same-sexcouples haven't exactly been flocking to town halls to formalize theirrelationships. As of Friday, just 430 civil unions have been filed,according to officials at the state's Department of Vital Records. Twentyof those 400-plus couples were united in a public ceremony on the Statehousesteps when the clock struck midnight Jan. 1, but there's hardly been a rushon ceremonies since.
-"McCain's Family Values: Let Children Suffer, Don't Let Gays Adopt"
Link: Towleroad
John McCain would rather children suffer without families rather than have gay parents adopt them. In an interview with George Stephanopolous on This Week, McCain, who recently said he was against gay adoption, then backtracked on it, is now back to his original position. [...]
STEPHANOPOULOS: What is your position on gay adoption? You told the "New York Times" you were against it, even in cases where the children couldn't find another home. But then your staff backtracked a bit. What is your position?
MCCAIN: My position is, it's not the reason why I'm running for president of the United States. And I think that two parent families are best for America.
-US complaints lead to Mr T ad being pulled from UK screens
An advertising campaign featuring A-Team star Mr T has been withdrawn afterconcerns it may be offensive to gay men. In the ad Mr T calls a speed walkerin tight shorts "a disgrace to the man race."
-Gay civil rights group urges President Bush to overturn HIV+ ban
An American group that defends the civil rights of LGBT people and thoseliving with HIV has urged President George W Bush to end the ban on visitorsand immigrants who are HIV+.
-Unionist politicians warned of consequences of homophobia
Gay right activist Peter Tatchell's visit to Belfast continues to generateheadlines, with claims that Democratic Unionist politicians are contributingto a culture of homophobia.
-Video: Andrew and George may reform Wham! for one last gig
Camp pop band Wham! are set for a one off reunion, according to reports. Thegroup, made up of Andrew Ridgley and gay artist George Michael, formed in1981.
-Cyber centre for LGBT silver surfers opens in New York
SAGE, the world's oldest and largest non-profit agency dedicated to servingand advocating for LGBT older people, has opened a fully-equipped CyberCentre at their offices in New York City.
-Madrid Pride organisers face lawsuit for "hate speech"
A "pro-family" activist group in Spain has filed charges against theorganisers of the 2008 Madrid Gay Pride march. HazteOir accused them ofmaking hateful statements against Catholics.
-India's "unnatural sex" law should be revised says High Court judge
The Bombay High Court said last week that the controversial Section 377 ofIndian Penal Code that deals with unnatural sex needs revision.
-Ugandan police accused of torturing gay activist
A leading gay rights organisation has said that a Ugandan human rightsactivist was tortured by police.
-South African gays protest against homophobic journalist
A columnist for South Africa's fastest growing newspaper, Sunday Sun, hascaused protests after the July 20th publication of his controversial article'"Call me names, but gay is NOT okay.".
-Bahraini MP calls for gay crackdown to begin
A set of proposals approved by Bahrain's parliament targeting homosexualactivity in the country should be implemented, according to a politician inthe Gulf state.
-Russian prosecutors decline to take action against homophobic governor
The State Office of Public Prosecutor of the Russian Federation has decidednot to start criminal proceedings against the Governor of the Tambov region.
=
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#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 29, 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:
-Report Faults Aides in Hiring at Justice Dept.
Senior aides to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales broke the law byusing politics to guide their hiring decisions, a Justice Department reportsaid.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/washington/29justice.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-A U.S. Trial by Its Looks, but Only So
At the first trial for a Guantánamo detainee, two trials are unfolding atonce: one for Salim Hamdan and one for the military commission system.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29gitmo.html?hp
-The Biggest Issue
DAVID BROOKS
America's stagnation in educational progress threatens the country'slong-term economic and sociological prospects. [...] America rose becauseit got more out of its own people than other nations. That stopped in 1970.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: There Was Smoke - and Fire
It was hardly news that President Bush's Justice Department has beenillegally politicized, but it was important that the Justice Departmentfinally owned up to that sorry state of affairs. An internal investigationreleased on Monday found that the department's top staff routinely tookpolitics and ideology into account in filling nonpolitical positions - andlied about it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29tue1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Can Obama Run the Offense?
Let's see if I've got this straight. Barack Obama is a United Statessenator, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and his party'scandidate for president of the United States - and yet it was somehowpresumptuous of him to meet with foreign leaders last week during his tripto the Middle East and Europe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29herbert.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Contributor: Mortgaged to the World
CONGRESS has given the Bush White House yet another chance to operateoutside the Constitution. Unsurprisingly, the administration has taken it.Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson now has the go-ahead for his two-part planto salvage Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgagecompanies - a blueprint that violates fundamental American principles in twoworrisome ways.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29mayer.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Prostitution and Prevention
Child prostitution, a large and growing problem across the United States, isespecially severe in tourist and convention cities. Atlanta, for example,has been identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as one of 14American cities with the highest rates of child prostitution. Georgia'slawmakers, religious groups and juvenile justice advocates are taking thisissue very seriously, but they may miss an important opportunity unless theyfocus on programs that have a lasting impact on the lives of Georgia's mostvulnerable children.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29tue2.html?ref=opinion
-Citizen Foreign Correspondence
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
As a result of the economic crisis facing the news media industry, only fourAmerican newspapers now have foreign desks.
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/citizen-foreign-correspondence/index.html?ref=opinion
-Australia Changes Asylum Policy
SYDNEY - Australia is ending its controversial policy of automatic detentionfor asylum seekers who arrive in the country without visas, the governmentannounced Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/world/asia/30australia.html?hp
-Write-Down Is Planned at Merrill Lynch
Only 10 days after stunning Wall Street with a huge quarterly loss, MerrillLynch unexpectedly disclosed another multibillion-dollar write-down onMonday and sought to bolster its finances once again by selling new stock tothe public and to an investment company controlled by Singapore.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/business/29merrill.html?hp
-Syrians See an Economic Side to Peace
DAMASCUS, Syria - Like most Syrians, Samer Zayat has no love for Israel. Hewas a little uneasy when Syria announced in late May that it was holdingindirect talks on a peace settlement with its old nemesis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/world/middleeast/29syria.html
-BP's Profit Rose 28%, Exceeding Expectations
LONDON - BP, the British oil giant, reported a 28 percent rise insecond-quarter profit on Tuesday, exceeding analyst expectations, as crudeoil soared to record levels and natural gas also made big gains.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/business/worldbusiness/30oil.html
-Execution by Military Is Approved by President
President Bush on Monday approved the first execution by the military since1961, upholding the death penalty of an Army private convicted of a seriesof rapes and murders more than two decades ago. As commander in chief, thepresident has the final authority to approve capital punishment under theUniform Code of Military Justice, and he did so on Monday morning in thecase of Pvt. Ronald A. Gray, convicted by court-martial for two killings andan attempted murder at Fort Bragg, N.C., the White House said in astatement.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29execute.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Justice Besmirched: How the Bush administration soiled itself
THE LATIN phrase on the seal of the Justice Department loosely means "he whoprosecutes on behalf of justice." During the reign of Monica Goodling and D.Kyle Sampson it also should have read, "Democrats need not apply."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802475.html
-McCain promotes drilling for oil off US coast
Republican John McCain said Monday that drilling for oil off the U.S. coastis an essential part of any plan to lower gas prices and reduce dependenceon foreign sources, and he criticized Democrat Barack Obama for opposing it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802279.html
-Another Blow To Justice
Another stunning report has documented the bold and illegal influence ofpolitics at the Justice Department over the past eight years. For decades,Republican and Democratic attorneys general had protected from politicalinfluence the hiring of career prosecutors and administrative judges. Therewas an unbroken rule, embodied in law, regulation and department policy,that no political questions would be asked of those who wanted to serve incareer -- as opposed to political -- positions in the department. Wedemanded of our Justice Department, in its core prosecutorial andadjudicative functions, that it be separate from politics. Until the Bushadministration.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802467.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-A Torture Paper Trail
I still find it hard to believe that George W. Bush, to his eternal shameand our nation's great discredit, made torture a matter of hair-splitting,legalistic debate at the highest levels of the U.S. government. But that'sprecisely what he did.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802465.html
-Cocaine Finds Africa
West Africa is under attack. The region has become a hub for cocainesmuggling from Latin America to Europe. States that we seldom hear about,such as Guinea-Bissau and neighboring Guinea, are at risk of being capturedby drug cartels in collusion with corrupt forces in government and themilitary.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802466.html
-Zimbabwe's Talks
Robert Mugabe's campaign to stay in power continues by other means.
NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN Zimbabwe's government and opposition broke offyesterday four days after they began, which should have surprised no one whohas followed Robert Mugabe's brutal and uncompromising campaign to remain inpower. Since the 84-year-old strongman lost a presidential election March29, his thugs have murdered at least 120 people, including some who weretortured before they died. Villages suspected of supporting the oppositionhave been looted and burned, and humanitarian groups have been prohibitedfrom distributing food. In agreeing to two weeks of talks, opposition leaderMorgan Tsvangirai obtained a commitment that the violence would end and wonthe involvement of international mediators who could help ensure that thepeace was kept. But even that has not stopped the rampage of governmentgoons in the countryside.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802474.html
-Mr. Novak Takes Leave
Leaving a hole on our op-ed page
ALONG WITH many readers, we were saddened to learn yesterday that, at leastfor a short while, we won't be receiving any columns from Robert D. Novak topublish on the opposite page. Mr. Novak has been writing a column since1963 -- that's not a typo -- and, to our knowledge, he has never missed adeadline. He revealed yesterday that he has a brain tumor. A lot of testsare yet to be completed, but in a statement, he said that he hopes hisabsence from the op-ed page will be for a "not too lengthy period."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802476.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-U.S. Supreme Court rulings made a difference in many lives
Jonah Goldberg complains that the Supreme Court "finds duly elected lawsunconsitutional - six days a week and twice on Sunday." Well, the SupremeCourt has from time to time ruled that blacks were unequal, women could notvote, and on rules that affected Jews, gays, etc.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-br701pnjul29,0,4538163.story
-Private housing index shows home prices dropping by record amountnationwide in May
A closely watched housing index shows home prices fell by the steepest rateever in May, as the housing slump continued to deepen nationwide. TheStandard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city index, released Tuesday, is off 15.8percent for May compared with a year ago, a record decline since itsinception in 2000. The narrower 10-city index has fallen 16.9 percent, itsbiggest decline in its 21-year history.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap-home-pricesjul29,0,1764201.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Bipartisan group's plan on energy to call for OCS drilling
A band of Democrats and Republicans will attempt to break the energystalemate in the House this week with a plan to drill along the OuterContinental Shelf (OCS). The bipartisan group of some 28 legislators -split about evenly between the two parties - has been working behind closeddoors for weeks on a compromise. It is to be circulated among membersTuesday night, then formally rolled out in a news conference Wednesday.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/bipartisan-groups-plan-on-energy-to-call-for-ocs-drilling-2008-07-28.html
-Bush Leaving Next President Record Federal Budget Deficit
The government's budget deficit will surge past a half-trillion dollars nextyear, according to gloomy new estimates, a record flood of red ink thatpromises to force the winner of the presidential race to dramatically alterhis economic agenda.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/28/bush-leaving-next-preside_n_115335.html
-Reid plan splits Dems
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has split the Democratic frontopposed to drilling with a plan that would open new areas for exploration.Reid's proposal was meant to insulate Senate Democratic candidates frompublic anger over gas prices. Instead, it has created a divide with liberalcolleagues and drawn fire from senior House Democrats.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/reid-plan-splits-dems-2008-07-28.html
-Our view on campaign fairness: McCain attack ad cheapens campaign. More tocome?
Blaming Obama for energy crisis is just silly. Focus on solutions. Eversince gasoline prices crossed most people's pain threshold earlier thisyear, the hunt for scapegoats has been in full swing. First it was oilexecutives, who were hauled before congressional committees, just as theyare every time prices go up. Then came speculators, who were supposedlydriving up prices by bidding up the price of oil on commodities markets.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/07/our-view-on-cam.html
-Oil-spill reminder: A 419,000-gallon lesson for Florida drilling
enthusiasts
If that doesn't bring it home. At 1:30 a.m. on July 23, a 61-foot bargecarrying 419,000 gallons of heavy, stinky, extremely viscous fuel struck a600-foot tanker, split in half, and spilled its cargo on the MississippiRiver in New Orleans, near the city's Uptown neighborhoods. The tankerdidn't leak. The kind of oil spilled on the river, known as No. 6 or"residual" fuel oil, is the heavy gunk that remains after oil has beenrefined for gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel and lighter home-heatingfuels. No. 6 fuel oil turns to a tarry substance in cool conditions -- likewhen it's in contact with river water. Like crude oil when it spills whereit's not wanted, No. 6 oil is not easily collected and cleaned.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/opnOPN35072908.htm
=
MoveOn.Org
http://www.moveon.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
MTV just started accepting political ads. And the first political ad thatmillions of young people will see is a negative attack on BarackObama-saying he's "worse than a flip-flopper" and accusing him of no longerbeing against the war.1 It's outrageous. The Republicans' strategy isclear: kill the hope that's brought millions of new young voters out of thewoodwork. We can't let that happen. And as it turns out, we've got a funny,positive, hopeful way to fight back. The "funniest ad" award winner in ourObama in 30 Seconds contest is a perfect counterpoint to thecynicism-mongering ad on MTV. Plus, it was made by actor (and MoveOn member)Rider Strong. We just found out that we can run this ad on MTV and ComedyCentral (as their first political ad ever) for $150,000. If 6000 of uscontribute $25, we can do it. Can you check out the ad below-and if you likeit, will you chip in to get it on the air?
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/brainonhope.html?id=13345-5533006-st38ZWx&t=4
=
Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
Ireland: Tidal Power Comes to Market
The world's first commercial tidal-power system has been connected totheNational Grid in Northern Ireland. Built by the British tidal-energycompanyMarine Current Technologies (MCT), the 1.2-megawatt system consistsof twosubmerged turbines that are harvesting energy from Strangford Lough'stidalcurrents. The company expects that once the system, called SeaGen, is fullyoperational, it will be able to provide electricity to approximatelyonethousand homes. The system is currently being tested and has brieflygenerated 150 kilowattsof power into the grid. But it has also damaged oneof its rotors due to afailure in the control system when the rotor beganturning too fast.Although the problem was a minor setback, the unit is notexpected to startrunning continuously and at full capacity until November,says Peter Fraenkel, the technical director at MCT.
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=21142&channel=energy§ion
=
[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:
-Report Faults Aides in Hiring at Justice Dept.
Senior aides to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales broke the law byusing politics to guide their hiring decisions, a Justice Department reportsaid.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/washington/29justice.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-A U.S. Trial by Its Looks, but Only So
At the first trial for a Guantánamo detainee, two trials are unfolding atonce: one for Salim Hamdan and one for the military commission system.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29gitmo.html?hp
-The Biggest Issue
DAVID BROOKS
America's stagnation in educational progress threatens the country'slong-term economic and sociological prospects. [...] America rose becauseit got more out of its own people than other nations. That stopped in 1970.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: There Was Smoke - and Fire
It was hardly news that President Bush's Justice Department has beenillegally politicized, but it was important that the Justice Departmentfinally owned up to that sorry state of affairs. An internal investigationreleased on Monday found that the department's top staff routinely tookpolitics and ideology into account in filling nonpolitical positions - andlied about it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29tue1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Can Obama Run the Offense?
Let's see if I've got this straight. Barack Obama is a United Statessenator, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and his party'scandidate for president of the United States - and yet it was somehowpresumptuous of him to meet with foreign leaders last week during his tripto the Middle East and Europe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29herbert.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Contributor: Mortgaged to the World
CONGRESS has given the Bush White House yet another chance to operateoutside the Constitution. Unsurprisingly, the administration has taken it.Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson now has the go-ahead for his two-part planto salvage Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgagecompanies - a blueprint that violates fundamental American principles in twoworrisome ways.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29mayer.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Prostitution and Prevention
Child prostitution, a large and growing problem across the United States, isespecially severe in tourist and convention cities. Atlanta, for example,has been identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as one of 14American cities with the highest rates of child prostitution. Georgia'slawmakers, religious groups and juvenile justice advocates are taking thisissue very seriously, but they may miss an important opportunity unless theyfocus on programs that have a lasting impact on the lives of Georgia's mostvulnerable children.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/opinion/29tue2.html?ref=opinion
-Citizen Foreign Correspondence
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
As a result of the economic crisis facing the news media industry, only fourAmerican newspapers now have foreign desks.
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/citizen-foreign-correspondence/index.html?ref=opinion
-Australia Changes Asylum Policy
SYDNEY - Australia is ending its controversial policy of automatic detentionfor asylum seekers who arrive in the country without visas, the governmentannounced Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/world/asia/30australia.html?hp
-Write-Down Is Planned at Merrill Lynch
Only 10 days after stunning Wall Street with a huge quarterly loss, MerrillLynch unexpectedly disclosed another multibillion-dollar write-down onMonday and sought to bolster its finances once again by selling new stock tothe public and to an investment company controlled by Singapore.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/business/29merrill.html?hp
-Syrians See an Economic Side to Peace
DAMASCUS, Syria - Like most Syrians, Samer Zayat has no love for Israel. Hewas a little uneasy when Syria announced in late May that it was holdingindirect talks on a peace settlement with its old nemesis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/world/middleeast/29syria.html
-BP's Profit Rose 28%, Exceeding Expectations
LONDON - BP, the British oil giant, reported a 28 percent rise insecond-quarter profit on Tuesday, exceeding analyst expectations, as crudeoil soared to record levels and natural gas also made big gains.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/business/worldbusiness/30oil.html
-Execution by Military Is Approved by President
President Bush on Monday approved the first execution by the military since1961, upholding the death penalty of an Army private convicted of a seriesof rapes and murders more than two decades ago. As commander in chief, thepresident has the final authority to approve capital punishment under theUniform Code of Military Justice, and he did so on Monday morning in thecase of Pvt. Ronald A. Gray, convicted by court-martial for two killings andan attempted murder at Fort Bragg, N.C., the White House said in astatement.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29execute.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Justice Besmirched: How the Bush administration soiled itself
THE LATIN phrase on the seal of the Justice Department loosely means "he whoprosecutes on behalf of justice." During the reign of Monica Goodling and D.Kyle Sampson it also should have read, "Democrats need not apply."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802475.html
-McCain promotes drilling for oil off US coast
Republican John McCain said Monday that drilling for oil off the U.S. coastis an essential part of any plan to lower gas prices and reduce dependenceon foreign sources, and he criticized Democrat Barack Obama for opposing it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802279.html
-Another Blow To Justice
Another stunning report has documented the bold and illegal influence ofpolitics at the Justice Department over the past eight years. For decades,Republican and Democratic attorneys general had protected from politicalinfluence the hiring of career prosecutors and administrative judges. Therewas an unbroken rule, embodied in law, regulation and department policy,that no political questions would be asked of those who wanted to serve incareer -- as opposed to political -- positions in the department. Wedemanded of our Justice Department, in its core prosecutorial andadjudicative functions, that it be separate from politics. Until the Bushadministration.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802467.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-A Torture Paper Trail
I still find it hard to believe that George W. Bush, to his eternal shameand our nation's great discredit, made torture a matter of hair-splitting,legalistic debate at the highest levels of the U.S. government. But that'sprecisely what he did.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802465.html
-Cocaine Finds Africa
West Africa is under attack. The region has become a hub for cocainesmuggling from Latin America to Europe. States that we seldom hear about,such as Guinea-Bissau and neighboring Guinea, are at risk of being capturedby drug cartels in collusion with corrupt forces in government and themilitary.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802466.html
-Zimbabwe's Talks
Robert Mugabe's campaign to stay in power continues by other means.
NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN Zimbabwe's government and opposition broke offyesterday four days after they began, which should have surprised no one whohas followed Robert Mugabe's brutal and uncompromising campaign to remain inpower. Since the 84-year-old strongman lost a presidential election March29, his thugs have murdered at least 120 people, including some who weretortured before they died. Villages suspected of supporting the oppositionhave been looted and burned, and humanitarian groups have been prohibitedfrom distributing food. In agreeing to two weeks of talks, opposition leaderMorgan Tsvangirai obtained a commitment that the violence would end and wonthe involvement of international mediators who could help ensure that thepeace was kept. But even that has not stopped the rampage of governmentgoons in the countryside.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802474.html
-Mr. Novak Takes Leave
Leaving a hole on our op-ed page
ALONG WITH many readers, we were saddened to learn yesterday that, at leastfor a short while, we won't be receiving any columns from Robert D. Novak topublish on the opposite page. Mr. Novak has been writing a column since1963 -- that's not a typo -- and, to our knowledge, he has never missed adeadline. He revealed yesterday that he has a brain tumor. A lot of testsare yet to be completed, but in a statement, he said that he hopes hisabsence from the op-ed page will be for a "not too lengthy period."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802476.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-U.S. Supreme Court rulings made a difference in many lives
Jonah Goldberg complains that the Supreme Court "finds duly elected lawsunconsitutional - six days a week and twice on Sunday." Well, the SupremeCourt has from time to time ruled that blacks were unequal, women could notvote, and on rules that affected Jews, gays, etc.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-br701pnjul29,0,4538163.story
-Private housing index shows home prices dropping by record amountnationwide in May
A closely watched housing index shows home prices fell by the steepest rateever in May, as the housing slump continued to deepen nationwide. TheStandard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city index, released Tuesday, is off 15.8percent for May compared with a year ago, a record decline since itsinception in 2000. The narrower 10-city index has fallen 16.9 percent, itsbiggest decline in its 21-year history.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap-home-pricesjul29,0,1764201.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Bipartisan group's plan on energy to call for OCS drilling
A band of Democrats and Republicans will attempt to break the energystalemate in the House this week with a plan to drill along the OuterContinental Shelf (OCS). The bipartisan group of some 28 legislators -split about evenly between the two parties - has been working behind closeddoors for weeks on a compromise. It is to be circulated among membersTuesday night, then formally rolled out in a news conference Wednesday.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/bipartisan-groups-plan-on-energy-to-call-for-ocs-drilling-2008-07-28.html
-Bush Leaving Next President Record Federal Budget Deficit
The government's budget deficit will surge past a half-trillion dollars nextyear, according to gloomy new estimates, a record flood of red ink thatpromises to force the winner of the presidential race to dramatically alterhis economic agenda.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/28/bush-leaving-next-preside_n_115335.html
-Reid plan splits Dems
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has split the Democratic frontopposed to drilling with a plan that would open new areas for exploration.Reid's proposal was meant to insulate Senate Democratic candidates frompublic anger over gas prices. Instead, it has created a divide with liberalcolleagues and drawn fire from senior House Democrats.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/reid-plan-splits-dems-2008-07-28.html
-Our view on campaign fairness: McCain attack ad cheapens campaign. More tocome?
Blaming Obama for energy crisis is just silly. Focus on solutions. Eversince gasoline prices crossed most people's pain threshold earlier thisyear, the hunt for scapegoats has been in full swing. First it was oilexecutives, who were hauled before congressional committees, just as theyare every time prices go up. Then came speculators, who were supposedlydriving up prices by bidding up the price of oil on commodities markets.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/07/our-view-on-cam.html
-Oil-spill reminder: A 419,000-gallon lesson for Florida drilling
enthusiasts
If that doesn't bring it home. At 1:30 a.m. on July 23, a 61-foot bargecarrying 419,000 gallons of heavy, stinky, extremely viscous fuel struck a600-foot tanker, split in half, and spilled its cargo on the MississippiRiver in New Orleans, near the city's Uptown neighborhoods. The tankerdidn't leak. The kind of oil spilled on the river, known as No. 6 or"residual" fuel oil, is the heavy gunk that remains after oil has beenrefined for gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel and lighter home-heatingfuels. No. 6 fuel oil turns to a tarry substance in cool conditions -- likewhen it's in contact with river water. Like crude oil when it spills whereit's not wanted, No. 6 oil is not easily collected and cleaned.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/opnOPN35072908.htm
=
MoveOn.Org
http://www.moveon.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
MTV just started accepting political ads. And the first political ad thatmillions of young people will see is a negative attack on BarackObama-saying he's "worse than a flip-flopper" and accusing him of no longerbeing against the war.1 It's outrageous. The Republicans' strategy isclear: kill the hope that's brought millions of new young voters out of thewoodwork. We can't let that happen. And as it turns out, we've got a funny,positive, hopeful way to fight back. The "funniest ad" award winner in ourObama in 30 Seconds contest is a perfect counterpoint to thecynicism-mongering ad on MTV. Plus, it was made by actor (and MoveOn member)Rider Strong. We just found out that we can run this ad on MTV and ComedyCentral (as their first political ad ever) for $150,000. If 6000 of uscontribute $25, we can do it. Can you check out the ad below-and if you likeit, will you chip in to get it on the air?
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/brainonhope.html?id=13345-5533006-st38ZWx&t=4
=
Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
Ireland: Tidal Power Comes to Market
The world's first commercial tidal-power system has been connected totheNational Grid in Northern Ireland. Built by the British tidal-energycompanyMarine Current Technologies (MCT), the 1.2-megawatt system consistsof twosubmerged turbines that are harvesting energy from Strangford Lough'stidalcurrents. The company expects that once the system, called SeaGen, is fullyoperational, it will be able to provide electricity to approximatelyonethousand homes. The system is currently being tested and has brieflygenerated 150 kilowattsof power into the grid. But it has also damaged oneof its rotors due to afailure in the control system when the rotor beganturning too fast.Although the problem was a minor setback, the unit is notexpected to startrunning continuously and at full capacity until November,says Peter Fraenkel, the technical director at MCT.
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=21142&channel=energy§ion
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 29, 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:
-Principal mistreated gays, judge says
A federal judge scolded a Panhandle school principal, saying the officialled a "relentless crusade" against gay and lesbian students at Ponce de LeonHigh School. Student Heather Gillman and the American Civil Liberties Unionsued the Holmes County School District. A federal judge ruled that Davisviolated Gillman's rights by silencing all pro-gay messages.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfstudent0729sbjul29,0,7935943.story
-Broward State Attorney's Office seeks extradition of 9/11 con artist
Fugitive used flashy California guise
He was known around Long Beach, Calif., as the "Boy About Town" - aflamboyant, self-styled Internet gossip meister who burst onto the town'spolitical and social scenes. But there was more to him than reliablyshowing up at gala events and declaring people "fabulous." The "Boy" was aman with a notorious past - one that caught up with him this month and hashim facing extradition to Broward County.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbhenn0729sbjul29,0,3783041.story
=
DOLPHIN DEMOCRATS GET OUT THE VOTE TABLE
GLCC FLEA MARKET
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 - 8AM- 2PM
GLCC - 1717 NORTH ANDREWS AVE, FT. LAUDERDALE
SET UP TIME IS MOST NEEDED; ONLY NEED TWO PEOPLE
@ 7AM ( THEY STAY TO 9AM)
AND THEN FLOATING SHIFTS EVERY TWO HOURS
9AM- 11AM - 11AM -1PM & 12 NOON TO 2PM
INTERESTED IN MAKING A DEMOCRATIC CHANGE?
CALL MICHAEL ALBETTA-954-390-6537
IF YOU'RE A CANDIDATE; GREAT PLACE TO GREET & MEET ALL THE PEOPLE !
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Engineers make progress with Lake Okeechobee wall construction
Repair work on aging dike showing signs of progress
With repair work lingering through another hurricane season, constructioncrews have finished the first section of wall intended to help preventbreaches of Lake Okeechobee's aging dike. Installation of the initial3,500-foot section at Port Mayaca was completed July 11. Strength testing isexpected to last until mid-August, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flplakeo0729pnjul29,0,3577194.story
-Bob Butterworth resigns as DCF secretary
Department of Children & Families Secretary Bob Butterworth is resigning. Noexplanation was immediately given. Butterworth has led the troubled stateagency since December 2006.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-729butterworth,0,2810458.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS: Dade schools superintendent facing a sharp divide
With three School Board members now calling for his ouster, Miami-DadeSchool Superintendent Rudy Crew could face a tense confrontation Tuesday.
Rudy Crew was lured to Miami-Dade County by a team of community leaders whothought he was the right man to rescue the troubled school district. Parents embraced him. Teachers celebrated his arrival. A local businessleader threw in $240,000 of his own money to seal the deal with Crew.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/621353.html
-Downtown Wal-Mart draws residents' ire
The warehouse-style retailer is eyeing property next to the Adrienne ArshtCenter and looking to provide low-cost goods in a trendy setting. But somesay it doesn't fit in with city culture. Got a hankering for opera -- and$29 patio furniture? Miami may soon have just the place for you.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/621355.html
-EDUCATION: Schools get tough on bullies
The Broward School Board has approved a new anti-bullying policy to broadenthe definition of bullying and track offenders. Broward has become thefirst Florida school district to put in place a new anti-bullying policybefore year's end, as required by law. Starting this week, Broward schoolsare rolling out a new computerized system for reporting and trackingbullying. State lawmakers passed a measure earlier this year requiring alldistricts adopt comprehensive anti-bullying policies by December.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/621321.html
-Ros-Lehtinen, Taddeo pledge to fight Florida gay marriage ban
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a House leader on gay issues, has pledged tofight Florida's proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage. ''We have abig challenge ahead of us,'' Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, told members of thegay-oriented Miami Log Cabin Republicans club, which met Sunday night inMiami Shores.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/620758.html
=
Mayor Steven B. Feren
Candidate for Broward County Circuit Court Judge, Group 27
Fundraising reception Sunday, August 3, 2008 4 - 6 P.M.
Georgie's Alibi - DANA MANCHESTER ROOM
226 Wilton Dr. (N.E. 4th Ave.)
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33305
Minimum Donation $25
ferenforjudge@aol.com
=
Linda Bird for Senate District 25
Campaign Kick Off Party
Special Guests
Senator Nan Rich and Senator Skip Campbell
Thursday, July 31st at 6:00 PM - 8:00
Hermitage Building One - 3100 North Ocean Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
General Area: End of Oakland Park Blvd, east of A1A
Carpool please. Park in valet, or street side parking across A1A.
Please email winbroward08@aol.com
=
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Oil drilling could strike gold for GOP
Until recently, offshore oil drilling was the lethal third rail of Floridapolitics, opposed with near unanimity by elected Democrats and Republicansthroughout the state. But in the new era of $4-a-gallon gasoline, all threeRepublicans in the state's hottest congressional primary have made supportfor drilling part of their standard talking points. Gayle Harrell and HalValeche feature the once-unspeakable D-word in their latest mailings, whileTom Rooney's campaign is circulating a video that shows him seeming moreeager to drill than his rivals at a candidate forum in May - weeks beforeGOP prez hopeful John McCain announced his support for drilling and Gov.Charlie Crist abandoned past opposition and declared his openness to theidea.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/27/m3b_palmbeachpolitics_0728.html
-Murder to mortgage: How did state let it happen?
Don Saxon is poised to join the ranks of Tom Herndon and ColemanStipanovich. Mr. Herndon was director of the state Board of Administration,which runs Florida's investment funds, when a money manager kept buyingEnron stock for the fund even after the company admitted to cooking thebooks. No state lost more money on Enron than Florida. Mr. Stipanovich, whosucceeded Mr. Herndon, was in charge when one of the state's funds nearlycollapsed last year because of improper, high-risk investments. Both mensaid they had not been at fault.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/29/a10a_leadedit_brokers_0729.html
-Here's mud in Lieberman's eye
The battle of the Orthodox Jewish congressmen played out last week in SouthFlorida. Sen. Joe Lieberman, one-time Democratic vice presidentialcandidate, current Independent from Connecticut and Orthodox Jew, came toSouth Florida last week to persuade Jewish voters to do what he did: Dumpthe Democratic standard-bearer and go Republican.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/29/a10a_engelhardtcol_0729.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Too easy for Florida felons to regain civil rights
Attorney General Bill McCollum says the disclosure that the state haslicensed some convicted felons as mortgage brokers proves Florida has madeit too easy for people with criminal records to get their civil rightsrestored.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article744996.ece
-Alligator Alley lease raises toll concerns
I-75 security also factor in money-making trend
An international trend may soon hit Alligator Alley. Last week, sixcompanies submitted proposals to lease the 78-mile toll road in exchange foran upfront lump sum that would offset the state's current budget crunch.
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080729/NEWS01/807290371/1002
-Recruiting Scandal by Eve Fairbanks
The House GOP's desperate choice for desperate times.
Coconut Creek: Most political junkies never get the chance to protect thecandidates they admire from rapacious Muslim terrorists with a yen fortelevised beheadings. But, just last week, Yomin Postelnik--a Pompano Beach,Florida, GOP activist--answered his own personal three a.m. call when, hewrote, a "low-level operative" with a Middle Eastern group attempted toferry the Republican nominee for Congress in Florida's 22nd district, AllenWest, to "an undisclosed location" and "pull off what most certainly seemsto be a heinous stunt." Outraged, Postelnik posted a promise of retaliationagainst "the fiends" who targeted West at the news site CanadaFreePress.com,where he is a columnist. "I'd caution you against so much as threateningthis man again, as the result would be a torrent of articles and bookshighlighting his exemplary nature and service," he wrote. "More writers thanyou care to know of have made this pact out of admiration for Allen and forwhat he stands for[.]" Fortunately, Allen West managed to save himself. Tobe fair, it wasn't that hard. The fiendish Middle Eastern group was AlJazeera, the intended "stunt" was an interview for a segment on blackRepublicans, and West just politely declined. The next day, when he regaleda group (including Postelnik) at a Coconut Creek retirement community withthe tale of Al Jazeera's interview request, he meant the "undisclosedlocation" part to be a joke. "I doubt anyone was thinking about kidnappingme," he admitted later.
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=24bca34f-6a82-401d-a964-cb667b77a0c9
=
[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:
-Principal mistreated gays, judge says
A federal judge scolded a Panhandle school principal, saying the officialled a "relentless crusade" against gay and lesbian students at Ponce de LeonHigh School. Student Heather Gillman and the American Civil Liberties Unionsued the Holmes County School District. A federal judge ruled that Davisviolated Gillman's rights by silencing all pro-gay messages.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfstudent0729sbjul29,0,7935943.story
-Broward State Attorney's Office seeks extradition of 9/11 con artist
Fugitive used flashy California guise
He was known around Long Beach, Calif., as the "Boy About Town" - aflamboyant, self-styled Internet gossip meister who burst onto the town'spolitical and social scenes. But there was more to him than reliablyshowing up at gala events and declaring people "fabulous." The "Boy" was aman with a notorious past - one that caught up with him this month and hashim facing extradition to Broward County.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbhenn0729sbjul29,0,3783041.story
=
DOLPHIN DEMOCRATS GET OUT THE VOTE TABLE
GLCC FLEA MARKET
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 - 8AM- 2PM
GLCC - 1717 NORTH ANDREWS AVE, FT. LAUDERDALE
SET UP TIME IS MOST NEEDED; ONLY NEED TWO PEOPLE
@ 7AM ( THEY STAY TO 9AM)
AND THEN FLOATING SHIFTS EVERY TWO HOURS
9AM- 11AM - 11AM -1PM & 12 NOON TO 2PM
INTERESTED IN MAKING A DEMOCRATIC CHANGE?
CALL MICHAEL ALBETTA-954-390-6537
IF YOU'RE A CANDIDATE; GREAT PLACE TO GREET & MEET ALL THE PEOPLE !
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Engineers make progress with Lake Okeechobee wall construction
Repair work on aging dike showing signs of progress
With repair work lingering through another hurricane season, constructioncrews have finished the first section of wall intended to help preventbreaches of Lake Okeechobee's aging dike. Installation of the initial3,500-foot section at Port Mayaca was completed July 11. Strength testing isexpected to last until mid-August, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flplakeo0729pnjul29,0,3577194.story
-Bob Butterworth resigns as DCF secretary
Department of Children & Families Secretary Bob Butterworth is resigning. Noexplanation was immediately given. Butterworth has led the troubled stateagency since December 2006.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-729butterworth,0,2810458.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS: Dade schools superintendent facing a sharp divide
With three School Board members now calling for his ouster, Miami-DadeSchool Superintendent Rudy Crew could face a tense confrontation Tuesday.
Rudy Crew was lured to Miami-Dade County by a team of community leaders whothought he was the right man to rescue the troubled school district. Parents embraced him. Teachers celebrated his arrival. A local businessleader threw in $240,000 of his own money to seal the deal with Crew.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/621353.html
-Downtown Wal-Mart draws residents' ire
The warehouse-style retailer is eyeing property next to the Adrienne ArshtCenter and looking to provide low-cost goods in a trendy setting. But somesay it doesn't fit in with city culture. Got a hankering for opera -- and$29 patio furniture? Miami may soon have just the place for you.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/621355.html
-EDUCATION: Schools get tough on bullies
The Broward School Board has approved a new anti-bullying policy to broadenthe definition of bullying and track offenders. Broward has become thefirst Florida school district to put in place a new anti-bullying policybefore year's end, as required by law. Starting this week, Broward schoolsare rolling out a new computerized system for reporting and trackingbullying. State lawmakers passed a measure earlier this year requiring alldistricts adopt comprehensive anti-bullying policies by December.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/621321.html
-Ros-Lehtinen, Taddeo pledge to fight Florida gay marriage ban
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a House leader on gay issues, has pledged tofight Florida's proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage. ''We have abig challenge ahead of us,'' Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, told members of thegay-oriented Miami Log Cabin Republicans club, which met Sunday night inMiami Shores.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/620758.html
=
Mayor Steven B. Feren
Candidate for Broward County Circuit Court Judge, Group 27
Fundraising reception Sunday, August 3, 2008 4 - 6 P.M.
Georgie's Alibi - DANA MANCHESTER ROOM
226 Wilton Dr. (N.E. 4th Ave.)
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33305
Minimum Donation $25
ferenforjudge@aol.com
=
Linda Bird for Senate District 25
Campaign Kick Off Party
Special Guests
Senator Nan Rich and Senator Skip Campbell
Thursday, July 31st at 6:00 PM - 8:00
Hermitage Building One - 3100 North Ocean Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
General Area: End of Oakland Park Blvd, east of A1A
Carpool please. Park in valet, or street side parking across A1A.
Please email winbroward08@aol.com
=
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Oil drilling could strike gold for GOP
Until recently, offshore oil drilling was the lethal third rail of Floridapolitics, opposed with near unanimity by elected Democrats and Republicansthroughout the state. But in the new era of $4-a-gallon gasoline, all threeRepublicans in the state's hottest congressional primary have made supportfor drilling part of their standard talking points. Gayle Harrell and HalValeche feature the once-unspeakable D-word in their latest mailings, whileTom Rooney's campaign is circulating a video that shows him seeming moreeager to drill than his rivals at a candidate forum in May - weeks beforeGOP prez hopeful John McCain announced his support for drilling and Gov.Charlie Crist abandoned past opposition and declared his openness to theidea.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/27/m3b_palmbeachpolitics_0728.html
-Murder to mortgage: How did state let it happen?
Don Saxon is poised to join the ranks of Tom Herndon and ColemanStipanovich. Mr. Herndon was director of the state Board of Administration,which runs Florida's investment funds, when a money manager kept buyingEnron stock for the fund even after the company admitted to cooking thebooks. No state lost more money on Enron than Florida. Mr. Stipanovich, whosucceeded Mr. Herndon, was in charge when one of the state's funds nearlycollapsed last year because of improper, high-risk investments. Both mensaid they had not been at fault.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/29/a10a_leadedit_brokers_0729.html
-Here's mud in Lieberman's eye
The battle of the Orthodox Jewish congressmen played out last week in SouthFlorida. Sen. Joe Lieberman, one-time Democratic vice presidentialcandidate, current Independent from Connecticut and Orthodox Jew, came toSouth Florida last week to persuade Jewish voters to do what he did: Dumpthe Democratic standard-bearer and go Republican.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/29/a10a_engelhardtcol_0729.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Too easy for Florida felons to regain civil rights
Attorney General Bill McCollum says the disclosure that the state haslicensed some convicted felons as mortgage brokers proves Florida has madeit too easy for people with criminal records to get their civil rightsrestored.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article744996.ece
-Alligator Alley lease raises toll concerns
I-75 security also factor in money-making trend
An international trend may soon hit Alligator Alley. Last week, sixcompanies submitted proposals to lease the 78-mile toll road in exchange foran upfront lump sum that would offset the state's current budget crunch.
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080729/NEWS01/807290371/1002
-Recruiting Scandal by Eve Fairbanks
The House GOP's desperate choice for desperate times.
Coconut Creek: Most political junkies never get the chance to protect thecandidates they admire from rapacious Muslim terrorists with a yen fortelevised beheadings. But, just last week, Yomin Postelnik--a Pompano Beach,Florida, GOP activist--answered his own personal three a.m. call when, hewrote, a "low-level operative" with a Middle Eastern group attempted toferry the Republican nominee for Congress in Florida's 22nd district, AllenWest, to "an undisclosed location" and "pull off what most certainly seemsto be a heinous stunt." Outraged, Postelnik posted a promise of retaliationagainst "the fiends" who targeted West at the news site CanadaFreePress.com,where he is a columnist. "I'd caution you against so much as threateningthis man again, as the result would be a torrent of articles and bookshighlighting his exemplary nature and service," he wrote. "More writers thanyou care to know of have made this pact out of admiration for Allen and forwhat he stands for[.]" Fortunately, Allen West managed to save himself. Tobe fair, it wasn't that hard. The fiendish Middle Eastern group was AlJazeera, the intended "stunt" was an interview for a segment on blackRepublicans, and West just politely declined. The next day, when he regaleda group (including Postelnik) at a Coconut Creek retirement community withthe tale of Al Jazeera's interview request, he meant the "undisclosedlocation" part to be a joke. "I doubt anyone was thinking about kidnappingme," he admitted later.
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=24bca34f-6a82-401d-a964-cb667b77a0c9
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Monday, July 28, 2008
GLBT DIGEST - July 28, 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:
-Aging and Gay, and Facing Prejudice in Twilight
Even now, at 81 and with her memory beginning to fade, Gloria Donadellorecalls her painful brush with bigotry at an assisted-living center in SantaFe, N.M. Sitting with those she considered friends, "people were laughingand making certain kinds of comments, and I told them, 'Please don't dothat, because I'm gay.'"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/us/09aged.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Man charged in Tenn. church shooting that killed 2
Authorities were investigating why an apparent stranger entered a church andopened fire during a children's performance of "Annie," killing two,including a man witnesses called a hero for shielding others from gunfire.Seven others were wounded Sunday at the Unitarian church and attendeestackled the gunman.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072800273.html
-Sen. John McCain endorsed an end to affirmative action, saying yesterdaythat he supports a referendum in Arizona that would end race- andgender-based preferences. "I do not believe in quotas," the senator fromArizona said on ABC's "This Week." "But I have not seen the details of someof these proposals. But I've always opposed quotas."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701832.html
-Trans Formed: To Be Homeless & Transgender
The night my church opened its 10-bed homeless shelter for18-to-24-year-olds, I volunteered to supervise them. A novice to any kind ofshelter experience, I was nervous as I dragged my red cart with pillow andblanket to the church, and grateful that Mina, an elegant, 70-somethingsocial worker, also would be there.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701583.html
-Nike pulls ads on anti-gay concerns: report
The world's largest sportswear and shoe company Nike Inc has pulled someadvertisements that appeared to send out anti-gay messages, according to theonline edition of The Oregonian newspaper. The newspaper said controversyarose last week over some advertisements for Nike's new Hyperdunk basketballshoes. The ads were dubbed homophobic by bloggers and critics, the papersaid.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072800531.html
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hate Crimes Against Gays Rise in L.A.
Hate crimes in Los Angeles County soared last year to their highest mark infive years even as overall crime dropped across the region, according to areport released Thursday. The annual report by the county's human relationscommission shows 763 hate crimes were reported in 2007, a 28 percentincrease from 2006.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072508-hate-crimes-gays/
-Lesbian B-Ball Coaches Claim Wrongful Firing
The National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a lawsuit on behalf of twoformer women's college basketball coaches who claim they were fired afterspeaking out about unequal treatment of female athletes and coaches.
http://www.365gay.com/news/lesbian-b-ball-coaches-claim-wrongful-firing/
-Lawsuit Over Police Shooting Of Gay Man
The family of a man who died after being shot by police during a gaypride-related cruise in San Diego Harbor is planning to file state andfederal civil rights lawsuits.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072508-san-diego-lawsuit/
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Several People Shot at Gay Affirming Church in Knoxville
Church services were disrupted today at a gay-affirming church in Knoxvillewhen a lone gunman opened fire killing at least one person, and woundingseveral more. Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 KingstonPike, Knoxville, was the site of the vicious attack. It occurred while agroup of children were singing for the congregation when the gunman openedfire. The children were starring in a production of "Annie" that was takingplace as part of the normal Sunday service at the time of the shooting.
-The Importance of "Coming Out" and the Difference it Makes
The whole process known as "coming out" otherwise known as "coming out ofthe closet" is a phrase that plagues many young gay, lesbian, transgender,and transsexuals. The risk of coming out to your loved ones almost outweighsthe benefits and many wait until they are out of their parents house or overthe age of eighteen. Unfortunately the world has failed to realize thatbeing gay is not an alternate lifestyle choice but instead the way that weare made. Typically all young gay people play the straight role throughouttheir high school years especially depending on their religion, theirrelationship with their parents, the location that they live in, and justthe general overall reaction they believe will occur after revealingthemselves.
-Rent Boy Blackmailed Priest For Two Years
A RENT boy tormented a gay Catholic priest for more than two years bythreatening to expose his sexuality, a court heard yesterday. John Gallagherforced the 61-year-old to pay £3,000 for his silence and regularly visitedthe chapel house in Glasgow to demand cash. The pair met in KelvingrovePark in the city's West End, where the cleric often went to use the servicesof male prostitutes.
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-UK: "Catholic adoption agency's new policy will allow homosexuals to adopt"
Link: Catholic News Agency
The largest Catholic adoption agency in England and Wales has decided toimplement an adoption policy that does not rule out same-sex couples in theface of new laws that forbid such screening. The change in its adoptionpolicy was made with the full support of the bishops who oversee the agency.The decision, made by the Catholic Children's Society of Arundel andBrighton, Portsmouth and Southwark (A&BSP) means the society will not turnaway any homosexual couples who present themselves as potential adopters.Terry Connor, chief executive of the society, explained to The Universe thatany changes would not start until January and were a direct result of therecent Sexual Orientation Regulations which enforced "rights" for same sexcouples who wish to adopt.
-Costa Rica: "Marchers Protested Same-Sex Couples Rights"
Link: Inside Costa Rica
Dressed in white t-shirts, some 20.000 people jammed Paseo Colón, in SanJosé, yesterday to express their views in opposition of a legislativeproposal to allow same-sex couples the rights of spouses. The march beganat 8am in front of the Hospital San Juan de Dios and ended shortly beforenoon at the La Sabana park. Organied by the Federación Alianza EvangélicaCostarricense, people from all over the country took part in the march. "Weare making a call to legislators against the proposal that is currentlybefore the Legislative Assembly, that would consent the union ofhomosexual", said Reynaldo Salazar.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Report shows "significant progress" for gays in Ireland
A forum that advises the Irish government on equality and social inclusionhas said that there has been progress on gay rights in the past five years.
-Congress discussion on Bush impeachment is "anger management"
With his run for the White House behind him, Representative Dennis Kucinichgot an official airing in the House Judiciary Committee last week in hiscontinued quest to impeach President Bush.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Spanish Pro-Family Group Files Charges Against Homosexual Groups for "HateSpeech"
A Spanish pro-family activist group, HazteOir, has filed charges against the organizers of the 2008 Madrid "Gay Pride" march for "hate speech," according to the group's website. HazteOir accuses the march organizers of making hateful statements against Catholics, pro-family organizations, and those politicians opposed to the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party (PSOE) . The PSOE, which currently occupies the position of Prime Minister and holds a majority in the Spanish Parliament, supports special "rights" for homosexuals. Amongst numerous other things, "Gay Pride" marchers in Madrid held a banner depicting Pope Benedict XVI on fire and calling him "chief of the inquisitors." "Yet again, the march has been marked by attacks against the Catholic Church, mockery of the bishops and slogans against Christians, " writes HazteOir. Article 525.1 of the Spanish Penal Code, which HazteOir is invoking to support their case, applies a heavy fine of 8 to 12 months of pay to those who seek to "hurt the feelings of the members of a religious confession" by "publicly, by word or through any type of document, make fun of their dogmas, beliefs, rites, or ceremonies, or publicly humiliate those who profess or practice them."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08072504.html
-German pædophile with HIV jailed
A German man has been jailed after traveling to the far east for underagesex tourism and infecting people with HIV knowingly Kiel: A 49-year-oldHIV-positive musician who sexually molested boys in Cambodia was jailedFriday for six and a half years, with the German court ruling that he mustbe detained afterwards till he was no longer a risk to anyone else. JudgeStefan Becker said in Kiel the accused was perverted, incorrigible andunwilling to accept any behavioural therapy. "He can't alter the factthat he is paedophile, but if he had wanted, he could have changed the wayhe copes with his paedophilia," said the judge in the northern city of Kiel.The defendant has a long criminal record for similar offences. ACambodian boy, 8, who was flown to Germany with his mother, had crediblytestified about the sex acts with boys in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Thevictim was only 6 at the time. The public was barred from the German courtwhile the evidence was taken.
http://www.paul-moor.com/
-Playing it straight by living a double life
Cyprus may no longer be the narrow-minded conservative place it once was,but for the gay community little has changed
The old joke about homosexuality could have been thought up for Cyprus."What's the difference between being black and being gay?" "If you are blackyou don't ever need to sit down and tell your Mother." In many parts of theworld, it's generally accepted that sexual orientation is neither aconscious choice nor anything that can be changed voluntarily. This concepthas not yet been accepted in Cyprus, where homosexuality is rarely addressedand still 'never dares speak its name'. Here, the majority of gay men andwomen have to remain in a permanent state of public denial about their truesexuality. I wanted to find out what 'being gay in Cyprus' in 2008 meant toour young men and women and, if attitudes had indeed changed, away from theoutright condemnation and social persecution which existed when I spoke tosimilar groups of gay men and women in Paphos six years ago.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=40530&cat_id=9
-Gay sex is a sin, say four in five ProtestantsCanterbury
Most Christians believe gay sex is a sin and that practising gays should notbe ordained. A survey by ComRes of 517 Protestant Christians in Britainfound that only 3% of nonCatholic Christians believe homosexuality is not asin, while 81% say it is and 15% say "it is more complicated than this".Taking into account all Protestant denominations, 81% believe that gay sexis sinful. The survey also found that the Archbishop of Canterbury,Rowan Williams, lacks majority support. Only one in three Anglicans said DrWilliams represented their views. The Archbishop, preaching at St. Dunstan's, Canterbury, yesterday, had some criticism of his own for theChurch. He said: "Our Anglican family badly needs to find some ways ofresolving its internal tensions that will set it free to be more confidentlywhat God wants it to be." The survey was published as the Governmentgranted asylum to a leading Nigerian gay Christian activist, DavisMacIyalla.
=
Forwarded by Bill Sterling
whsterling1@yahoo.com
-California: Out-of-state money floods to Prop. 8
When Bruce Bastian of Utah stood up Saturday night at a San Francisco dinnerand wrote a $1 million check for the campaign against Proposition 8, he madeit clearer than ever that November's ballot fight over a ban on same-sexmarriage won't be a California-only affair. Supporters of the effort toban same-sex marriage already have taken in more than $1.2 million fromout-of-state contributors for the fall campaign. And even before Bastian, aco-founder of the WordPerfect software company, opened his checkbook, gayand lesbian rights groups and their supporters from around the country hadput more than $1.3 million into the fight against the ballot initiative."This is a campaign that's important to the entire country, not justCalifornia," said Brad Luna, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign,sponsor of the fundraising dinner that brought more than 750 people to theSt. Francis Hotel on Saturday. "The result will have effects across theUnited States."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/07/27/BA7E12038R.DTL
-Lawyer for Oxnard youth accused of killing gay classmate wants trial tobegin soon
As Brandon McInerney, 14, will be tried in adult court, his lawyer wants ajury to weigh in before his client gets much older. A lawyer for an Oxnardmiddle school student charged with killing gay classmate Lawrence King saidFriday that he wants to get the case in front of a jury quickly now that aVentura County judge has turned down his request to move it to juvenilecourt.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oxnard26-2008jul26,0,6621379.story
-Filmmaker uncovers the struggle of gay Muslims in 'A Jihad for Love'
Parvez Sharma's documentary depicts their battle to reconcile their sexualorientation with their devotion to a faith that condemns their way of life.The film screens at an L.A. theater next week. "AJihad for Love" may not bethe blockbuster movie of the season, but the new documentary about theplight of gay and lesbian Muslims is enjoying a degree of acclaim as itcasts light on a subject often shrouded in mystery.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs26-2008jul26,0,4447210.story
=
Forwarded from Michael Emanuel Rajner
merajner@gmail.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Meditation slows AIDS progression, study finds
Meditation may slow the worsening of AIDS in just a few weeks, perhaps byaffecting the immune system, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. If thefindings are borne out in larger studies, it could offer a cheap andpleasant way to help people battle the incurable and often fatal condition,the team at the University of California Los Angeles said. They tested astress-lowering program called mindfulness meditation, definedas practicingan open and receptive awareness of the present moment, avoiding thinking ofthe past or worrying about the future. The more often the volunteersmeditated, the higher their CD4 T-cell counts -- a standard measure of howwell the immune system is fighting the AIDS virus. The CD4 counts weremeasured before and after the two-month program.
http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html
-"Is Buddhism Good for Your Health?"
In July 1997, Davidson recruited human subjects at a small biotech companyoutside Madison called Promega to study the effects of Buddhist-stylemeditation on the neural and immunological activity of ordinaryAmericanoffice workers. The employees' brains were wired and measured beforethey began a course in meditation training taught by Kabat-Zinn. It was acontrolled, randomized study, and after eight weeks, the researchers wouldtest brain and immune markers to assess the effects of meditation. There wasreluctance among some employees to volunteer, but eventually, about fourdozen employees participated in the study. Once a week for eight weeks,Kabat-Zinn would show up at Promega with his boom box, his red and purplemeditation tape cassettes and his Tibetan chimes, and the assembled Promegaemployees -- scientists, marketing people, lab techs and even some managers -- would sit on the floor of a conference room and practicemindfulness for three hours.
=
[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:
-Aging and Gay, and Facing Prejudice in Twilight
Even now, at 81 and with her memory beginning to fade, Gloria Donadellorecalls her painful brush with bigotry at an assisted-living center in SantaFe, N.M. Sitting with those she considered friends, "people were laughingand making certain kinds of comments, and I told them, 'Please don't dothat, because I'm gay.'"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/us/09aged.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Man charged in Tenn. church shooting that killed 2
Authorities were investigating why an apparent stranger entered a church andopened fire during a children's performance of "Annie," killing two,including a man witnesses called a hero for shielding others from gunfire.Seven others were wounded Sunday at the Unitarian church and attendeestackled the gunman.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072800273.html
-Sen. John McCain endorsed an end to affirmative action, saying yesterdaythat he supports a referendum in Arizona that would end race- andgender-based preferences. "I do not believe in quotas," the senator fromArizona said on ABC's "This Week." "But I have not seen the details of someof these proposals. But I've always opposed quotas."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701832.html
-Trans Formed: To Be Homeless & Transgender
The night my church opened its 10-bed homeless shelter for18-to-24-year-olds, I volunteered to supervise them. A novice to any kind ofshelter experience, I was nervous as I dragged my red cart with pillow andblanket to the church, and grateful that Mina, an elegant, 70-somethingsocial worker, also would be there.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701583.html
-Nike pulls ads on anti-gay concerns: report
The world's largest sportswear and shoe company Nike Inc has pulled someadvertisements that appeared to send out anti-gay messages, according to theonline edition of The Oregonian newspaper. The newspaper said controversyarose last week over some advertisements for Nike's new Hyperdunk basketballshoes. The ads were dubbed homophobic by bloggers and critics, the papersaid.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072800531.html
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hate Crimes Against Gays Rise in L.A.
Hate crimes in Los Angeles County soared last year to their highest mark infive years even as overall crime dropped across the region, according to areport released Thursday. The annual report by the county's human relationscommission shows 763 hate crimes were reported in 2007, a 28 percentincrease from 2006.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072508-hate-crimes-gays/
-Lesbian B-Ball Coaches Claim Wrongful Firing
The National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a lawsuit on behalf of twoformer women's college basketball coaches who claim they were fired afterspeaking out about unequal treatment of female athletes and coaches.
http://www.365gay.com/news/lesbian-b-ball-coaches-claim-wrongful-firing/
-Lawsuit Over Police Shooting Of Gay Man
The family of a man who died after being shot by police during a gaypride-related cruise in San Diego Harbor is planning to file state andfederal civil rights lawsuits.
http://www.365gay.com/news/072508-san-diego-lawsuit/
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Several People Shot at Gay Affirming Church in Knoxville
Church services were disrupted today at a gay-affirming church in Knoxvillewhen a lone gunman opened fire killing at least one person, and woundingseveral more. Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 KingstonPike, Knoxville, was the site of the vicious attack. It occurred while agroup of children were singing for the congregation when the gunman openedfire. The children were starring in a production of "Annie" that was takingplace as part of the normal Sunday service at the time of the shooting.
-The Importance of "Coming Out" and the Difference it Makes
The whole process known as "coming out" otherwise known as "coming out ofthe closet" is a phrase that plagues many young gay, lesbian, transgender,and transsexuals. The risk of coming out to your loved ones almost outweighsthe benefits and many wait until they are out of their parents house or overthe age of eighteen. Unfortunately the world has failed to realize thatbeing gay is not an alternate lifestyle choice but instead the way that weare made. Typically all young gay people play the straight role throughouttheir high school years especially depending on their religion, theirrelationship with their parents, the location that they live in, and justthe general overall reaction they believe will occur after revealingthemselves.
-Rent Boy Blackmailed Priest For Two Years
A RENT boy tormented a gay Catholic priest for more than two years bythreatening to expose his sexuality, a court heard yesterday. John Gallagherforced the 61-year-old to pay £3,000 for his silence and regularly visitedthe chapel house in Glasgow to demand cash. The pair met in KelvingrovePark in the city's West End, where the cleric often went to use the servicesof male prostitutes.
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-UK: "Catholic adoption agency's new policy will allow homosexuals to adopt"
Link: Catholic News Agency
The largest Catholic adoption agency in England and Wales has decided toimplement an adoption policy that does not rule out same-sex couples in theface of new laws that forbid such screening. The change in its adoptionpolicy was made with the full support of the bishops who oversee the agency.The decision, made by the Catholic Children's Society of Arundel andBrighton, Portsmouth and Southwark (A&BSP) means the society will not turnaway any homosexual couples who present themselves as potential adopters.Terry Connor, chief executive of the society, explained to The Universe thatany changes would not start until January and were a direct result of therecent Sexual Orientation Regulations which enforced "rights" for same sexcouples who wish to adopt.
-Costa Rica: "Marchers Protested Same-Sex Couples Rights"
Link: Inside Costa Rica
Dressed in white t-shirts, some 20.000 people jammed Paseo Colón, in SanJosé, yesterday to express their views in opposition of a legislativeproposal to allow same-sex couples the rights of spouses. The march beganat 8am in front of the Hospital San Juan de Dios and ended shortly beforenoon at the La Sabana park. Organied by the Federación Alianza EvangélicaCostarricense, people from all over the country took part in the march. "Weare making a call to legislators against the proposal that is currentlybefore the Legislative Assembly, that would consent the union ofhomosexual", said Reynaldo Salazar.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Report shows "significant progress" for gays in Ireland
A forum that advises the Irish government on equality and social inclusionhas said that there has been progress on gay rights in the past five years.
-Congress discussion on Bush impeachment is "anger management"
With his run for the White House behind him, Representative Dennis Kucinichgot an official airing in the House Judiciary Committee last week in hiscontinued quest to impeach President Bush.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Spanish Pro-Family Group Files Charges Against Homosexual Groups for "HateSpeech"
A Spanish pro-family activist group, HazteOir, has filed charges against the organizers of the 2008 Madrid "Gay Pride" march for "hate speech," according to the group's website. HazteOir accuses the march organizers of making hateful statements against Catholics, pro-family organizations, and those politicians opposed to the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party (PSOE) . The PSOE, which currently occupies the position of Prime Minister and holds a majority in the Spanish Parliament, supports special "rights" for homosexuals. Amongst numerous other things, "Gay Pride" marchers in Madrid held a banner depicting Pope Benedict XVI on fire and calling him "chief of the inquisitors." "Yet again, the march has been marked by attacks against the Catholic Church, mockery of the bishops and slogans against Christians, " writes HazteOir. Article 525.1 of the Spanish Penal Code, which HazteOir is invoking to support their case, applies a heavy fine of 8 to 12 months of pay to those who seek to "hurt the feelings of the members of a religious confession" by "publicly, by word or through any type of document, make fun of their dogmas, beliefs, rites, or ceremonies, or publicly humiliate those who profess or practice them."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08072504.html
-German pædophile with HIV jailed
A German man has been jailed after traveling to the far east for underagesex tourism and infecting people with HIV knowingly Kiel: A 49-year-oldHIV-positive musician who sexually molested boys in Cambodia was jailedFriday for six and a half years, with the German court ruling that he mustbe detained afterwards till he was no longer a risk to anyone else. JudgeStefan Becker said in Kiel the accused was perverted, incorrigible andunwilling to accept any behavioural therapy. "He can't alter the factthat he is paedophile, but if he had wanted, he could have changed the wayhe copes with his paedophilia," said the judge in the northern city of Kiel.The defendant has a long criminal record for similar offences. ACambodian boy, 8, who was flown to Germany with his mother, had crediblytestified about the sex acts with boys in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Thevictim was only 6 at the time. The public was barred from the German courtwhile the evidence was taken.
http://www.paul-moor.com/
-Playing it straight by living a double life
Cyprus may no longer be the narrow-minded conservative place it once was,but for the gay community little has changed
The old joke about homosexuality could have been thought up for Cyprus."What's the difference between being black and being gay?" "If you are blackyou don't ever need to sit down and tell your Mother." In many parts of theworld, it's generally accepted that sexual orientation is neither aconscious choice nor anything that can be changed voluntarily. This concepthas not yet been accepted in Cyprus, where homosexuality is rarely addressedand still 'never dares speak its name'. Here, the majority of gay men andwomen have to remain in a permanent state of public denial about their truesexuality. I wanted to find out what 'being gay in Cyprus' in 2008 meant toour young men and women and, if attitudes had indeed changed, away from theoutright condemnation and social persecution which existed when I spoke tosimilar groups of gay men and women in Paphos six years ago.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=40530&cat_id=9
-Gay sex is a sin, say four in five ProtestantsCanterbury
Most Christians believe gay sex is a sin and that practising gays should notbe ordained. A survey by ComRes of 517 Protestant Christians in Britainfound that only 3% of nonCatholic Christians believe homosexuality is not asin, while 81% say it is and 15% say "it is more complicated than this".Taking into account all Protestant denominations, 81% believe that gay sexis sinful. The survey also found that the Archbishop of Canterbury,Rowan Williams, lacks majority support. Only one in three Anglicans said DrWilliams represented their views. The Archbishop, preaching at St. Dunstan's, Canterbury, yesterday, had some criticism of his own for theChurch. He said: "Our Anglican family badly needs to find some ways ofresolving its internal tensions that will set it free to be more confidentlywhat God wants it to be." The survey was published as the Governmentgranted asylum to a leading Nigerian gay Christian activist, DavisMacIyalla.
=
Forwarded by Bill Sterling
whsterling1@yahoo.com
-California: Out-of-state money floods to Prop. 8
When Bruce Bastian of Utah stood up Saturday night at a San Francisco dinnerand wrote a $1 million check for the campaign against Proposition 8, he madeit clearer than ever that November's ballot fight over a ban on same-sexmarriage won't be a California-only affair. Supporters of the effort toban same-sex marriage already have taken in more than $1.2 million fromout-of-state contributors for the fall campaign. And even before Bastian, aco-founder of the WordPerfect software company, opened his checkbook, gayand lesbian rights groups and their supporters from around the country hadput more than $1.3 million into the fight against the ballot initiative."This is a campaign that's important to the entire country, not justCalifornia," said Brad Luna, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign,sponsor of the fundraising dinner that brought more than 750 people to theSt. Francis Hotel on Saturday. "The result will have effects across theUnited States."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/07/27/BA7E12038R.DTL
-Lawyer for Oxnard youth accused of killing gay classmate wants trial tobegin soon
As Brandon McInerney, 14, will be tried in adult court, his lawyer wants ajury to weigh in before his client gets much older. A lawyer for an Oxnardmiddle school student charged with killing gay classmate Lawrence King saidFriday that he wants to get the case in front of a jury quickly now that aVentura County judge has turned down his request to move it to juvenilecourt.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oxnard26-2008jul26,0,6621379.story
-Filmmaker uncovers the struggle of gay Muslims in 'A Jihad for Love'
Parvez Sharma's documentary depicts their battle to reconcile their sexualorientation with their devotion to a faith that condemns their way of life.The film screens at an L.A. theater next week. "AJihad for Love" may not bethe blockbuster movie of the season, but the new documentary about theplight of gay and lesbian Muslims is enjoying a degree of acclaim as itcasts light on a subject often shrouded in mystery.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs26-2008jul26,0,4447210.story
=
Forwarded from Michael Emanuel Rajner
merajner@gmail.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Meditation slows AIDS progression, study finds
Meditation may slow the worsening of AIDS in just a few weeks, perhaps byaffecting the immune system, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. If thefindings are borne out in larger studies, it could offer a cheap andpleasant way to help people battle the incurable and often fatal condition,the team at the University of California Los Angeles said. They tested astress-lowering program called mindfulness meditation, definedas practicingan open and receptive awareness of the present moment, avoiding thinking ofthe past or worrying about the future. The more often the volunteersmeditated, the higher their CD4 T-cell counts -- a standard measure of howwell the immune system is fighting the AIDS virus. The CD4 counts weremeasured before and after the two-month program.
http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html
-"Is Buddhism Good for Your Health?"
In July 1997, Davidson recruited human subjects at a small biotech companyoutside Madison called Promega to study the effects of Buddhist-stylemeditation on the neural and immunological activity of ordinaryAmericanoffice workers. The employees' brains were wired and measured beforethey began a course in meditation training taught by Kabat-Zinn. It was acontrolled, randomized study, and after eight weeks, the researchers wouldtest brain and immune markers to assess the effects of meditation. There wasreluctance among some employees to volunteer, but eventually, about fourdozen employees participated in the study. Once a week for eight weeks,Kabat-Zinn would show up at Promega with his boom box, his red and purplemeditation tape cassettes and his Tibetan chimes, and the assembled Promegaemployees -- scientists, marketing people, lab techs and even some managers -- would sit on the floor of a conference room and practicemindfulness for three hours.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 28, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net Iand we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mars lander having trouble getting soil sample in oven
A sample of icy soil collected by the robotic arm of NASA's Phoenix Marslander is apparently stuck in its scoop, foiling efforts to analyze it. Thearm picked up 3 cubic centimeters of material Friday night and lifted itover an oven designed to heat samples for analysis, mission officials saidSaturday. The arm tilted its scoop, ran a tool motor to try to sprinkle thesample into the oven, and finally inverted the scoop directly over theoven's open doors.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-727marslander,0,2227380.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain Backs Ban on Affirmative Action in Arizona
http://www.newsweek.com/id/1491
-Obama Competitive in Red States
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080728/D926IJ9O0.html
-Why Obama seized the faith-based mantle
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/07/why-obama-seize.html?csp=34
-BIG OIL 'GUSHES' FOR McCAIN
Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rosedramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made ahigh-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to thefederal ban on offshore drilling.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072601891.html?nav=rss_politics
-Obama Looks For VP Who Says More Than 'Yes, Sir'
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/27/ap/politics/main4297992.shtml
-OBAMA POLLS AWAY SURGES TO 9-POINT LEAD
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07282008/news/nationalnews/obama_polls_away_121870.htm
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mars lander having trouble getting soil sample in oven
A sample of icy soil collected by the robotic arm of NASA's Phoenix Marslander is apparently stuck in its scoop, foiling efforts to analyze it. Thearm picked up 3 cubic centimeters of material Friday night and lifted itover an oven designed to heat samples for analysis, mission officials saidSaturday. The arm tilted its scoop, ran a tool motor to try to sprinkle thesample into the oven, and finally inverted the scoop directly over theoven's open doors.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-727marslander,0,2227380.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain Backs Ban on Affirmative Action in Arizona
http://www.newsweek.com/id/1491
-Obama Competitive in Red States
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080728/D926IJ9O0.html
-Why Obama seized the faith-based mantle
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/07/why-obama-seize.html?csp=34
-BIG OIL 'GUSHES' FOR McCAIN
Campaign contributions from oil industry executives to Sen. John McCain rosedramatically in the last half of June, after the senator from Arizona made ahigh-profile split with environmentalists and reversed his opposition to thefederal ban on offshore drilling.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072601891.html?nav=rss_politics
-Obama Looks For VP Who Says More Than 'Yes, Sir'
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/27/ap/politics/main4297992.shtml
-OBAMA POLLS AWAY SURGES TO 9-POINT LEAD
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07282008/news/nationalnews/obama_polls_away_121870.htm
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 28, 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.
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward schools face tough choices in reduced budget plan
Budget could be 5.9% lower
Fewer games for middle school sports teams. Consolidating bus stops to savemoney on gas. Delaying school construction projects. With the loss ofmillions in state money, the Broward County School Board is faced with toughchoices on what stays, and what goes, from its budget.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbbudget0728sbjul28,0,3559939.story
-Monday is deadline for registering to vote in Aug. 26 primaries
Register by Monday to cast vote in Palm Beach's Aug. 26 primariesThe August primary features a slew of competitive races to pick judges,School Board members, a property appraiser and elections supervisor.Register by Monday to vote in Broward's Aug. 26 primariesVoters who go to the polls on Aug. 26 will pick judges, School Districtmembers and state legislators. But you've got to register to vote - and thedeadline is Monday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-728vote,0,1466288.storygallery
=
Beverly Gallagher for Broward County School Board!
You and your family are invited to join Beverly Gallagher and her team at aVolunteer Rally for her Re-Election to the Broward County School Board!
Sunday, August 3, 2008 3:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
On The Boarder Mexican Grill & Cantina
12100 Pines Blvd - Pembroke Pines, FL 33026
Come enjoy food and tons of fun while you show your support forBev's
Re-Election Campaign!
Pick up your t-shirts and lawn signs!
To RSVP Please call
(954) 829-3523
or Respond to this Email! BevAGallagher@aol.com
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Former Deerfield commissioner, Wilton Manors mayor vie for district
By JAMIE MALERNEE
A gay activist, a former Deerfield Beach commissioner and the mayor ofWilton Manors are vying to represent District 92 in the state House. Allthree candidates for the district, which includes parts of Deerfield Beach,Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Pompano Beach and Wilton Manors, areDemocrats. They have many common priorities, such as boosting school fundingand health care for the needy. But there are differences in their experienceand credentials. Business owner and Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newtonemphasizes his ability to work across bipartisan lines. GwyndolenClarke-Reed, a retired teacher and former Deerfield Beach commissioner,holds up a life of political and community service. Mark LaFontaine, anaccountant, touts his financial know-how as key to dealing with Florida'sfaltering economy and budget. If elected, he would be the state's firstopenly gay legislator. With no Republicans entering the contest, the racewill be decided by the Aug. 26 primary. The winner will replace Rep. JackSeiler, D-Fort Lauderdale, who is leaving the Legislature because of termlimits.
-Mark LaFontaine
What are your top concerns for District 92?
1. Bring fiscal accountability to Tallahassee: Overhaul the current system
so that necessary programs are fully funded.
2. Continue property tax and insurance reform.
3. Ensure health care for children, veterans, the elderly and disabled:
Create a health-care trust fund.
How would you pay for increases in government services?
I'd look to close tax loopholes and exemptions to achieve more savings. Iwas not a proponent of Amendment One ... because I thought its supporterspromised much [in property tax savings] while knowing it would do little.The piecemeal approach to tax reform is making things worse instead ofbetter. We need to start over - put everything on the table and design anall-or-nothing, up-or-down proposal that requires citizen approval.
What sets you apart from your opponents?
Neither of my opponents is a financial professional, and given the tryingeconomic times we're in, isn't it time someone who understands checkbookissues was making our state's decisions? I also know that ... as the firstopenly gay representative, I'll be in a position to tackle the ongoing slewof anti-[gay] legislation head on.
Candidate profile
MARK LAFONTAINE
PERSONAL: 41, single.
EDUCATION: Master's degree in taxation.
PROFESSIONAL: Accountant, president of Checkmark Services.
POLITICAL: Not previously elected to public office.
CIVIC: Member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Leadership roles withAmerican Veterans for Equal Rights, Scouting for All (an outreachorganization for gay youth), the Dolphin Democrats (a gay and lesbianDemocratic club), United Way of Broward County, Fort Lauderdale AuditAdvisory Board, the Broward County Veterans Services Council, and theOakland Park Main Street downtown development organization.
-Scott Newton
What are your top concerns for District 92?
Finding and maintaining a balance for Florida's citizens between a taxstructure that is fair as well as responsive to the needs of our state.Seeing that Citizens insurance becomes sound and able to cover its exposure.Progressive regional planning ... with such issues as water and theenvironment. Properly funding Florida's education system. Helping toprotect health care.
How would you pay for increases in government services?
I would like to see a re-evaluation of every tax break/exemption ... thathas been extended to businesses and industries. But that's not going to beenough. Let's look at the programs they started in the last few years whenthey had this influx of [property tax] money. And we have to get back jobs -it seems everyone is laying off - because if people don't have jobs, theycan't spend money [and pay taxes that fund state spending].
What sets you apart from your opponents?
I feel that I am most prepared. We need leaders with vision, common sense,and the spirit of bipartisan cooperation that will work hard to plan for ourstate's future and seriously deal with our current challenges. I've gonethrough good budget times and bad ... and while other cities have had to cutemployees, we haven't done that. I represent my district very well:
middle-class, hard working. They don't mind paying taxes, they just want topay their fair share.
Candidate profile
SCOTT NEWTON
PERSONAL: 51, married, three children.
EDUCATION: High school graduate.
PROFESSIONAL: Owner of Scott's Auto Trim.
POLITICAL: Mayor of Wilton Manors, 2004-present. Vice mayor of Wilton
Manors, 2002-04. Wilton Manors city councilman, 2000-02.
CIVIC: National & Florida League of Cities, Broward County MetropolitanPlanning Organization, Oakland Park Wilton Manors Chamber of Commerce boardof directors, Wilton Manors Business Association, Wilton Manors Friends ofthe Library and Historical Society, past president of Wilton Manor LittleLeague Baseball, coach of Wilton Manors youth baseball, soccer, football andsoftball.
-Gwyndolen "Gwyn" Clarke-Reed
What are your top concerns for District 92?
My priorities would be education, health care, taxes, affordable housing andpublic transportation. For our state to attract people to live here, we musthave some basic services available. The continued reduction of property taxmay come back to haunt us.
How would you pay for increases in government services?
There needs to be reform when it comes to [sales] tax exemptions. Muchthought should be given to increasing the sales tax - but not to use it toreplace the school funding. If it can pass, it should be used to replacefunds lost in the area of health care and human services. I would like toimprove the state economy by finding a way to collect all Internet salestax.
What sets you apart from your opponents?
I bring a broader base of experience in life and government. I have been adivorced mother with two children who had to struggle to make ends meet, notwanting to accept handouts. Some of the people in District 92 are faced withthis problem today. I will be sensitive to the needs of all people, not justone group. I am retired and have all the time necessary to devote to thisoffice.
Candidate profile
GWYNDOLEN "GWYN" CLARKE-REED
PERSONAL: 67, divorced, two children.
EDUCATION: Master's degree in early childhood education.
PROFESSIONAL: Retired teacher.
POLITICAL: Former Deerfield Beach commissioner for 12 years.
CIVIC: Former president of Broward League of Cities, was on board of Floridaand National League of Cities and former member of Broward County PlanningCouncil. Volunteers with Boys & Girls Club, Kiwanis Club, American CancerSociety, Mango Festival, Delta Sigma Chi Sorority, North Broward HospitalDistrict Community Primary Care Committee, St. Mary's Episcopal ChurchVestry, Caribbean American Democratic Club, Gwyndolen Clarke-ReedNeighborhood Initiative Program.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-elx92house0728sbjul28,0,4339559,print.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-New Voting Machines: Paper Trail to Nowhere?
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-papervote2808jul28,0,4463139.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward schools face tough choices in reduced budget plan
Budget could be 5.9% lower
Fewer games for middle school sports teams. Consolidating bus stops to savemoney on gas. Delaying school construction projects. With the loss ofmillions in state money, the Broward County School Board is faced with toughchoices on what stays, and what goes, from its budget.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbbudget0728sbjul28,0,3559939.story
-Monday is deadline for registering to vote in Aug. 26 primaries
Register by Monday to cast vote in Palm Beach's Aug. 26 primariesThe August primary features a slew of competitive races to pick judges,School Board members, a property appraiser and elections supervisor.Register by Monday to vote in Broward's Aug. 26 primariesVoters who go to the polls on Aug. 26 will pick judges, School Districtmembers and state legislators. But you've got to register to vote - and thedeadline is Monday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-728vote,0,1466288.storygallery
=
Beverly Gallagher for Broward County School Board!
You and your family are invited to join Beverly Gallagher and her team at aVolunteer Rally for her Re-Election to the Broward County School Board!
Sunday, August 3, 2008 3:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
On The Boarder Mexican Grill & Cantina
12100 Pines Blvd - Pembroke Pines, FL 33026
Come enjoy food and tons of fun while you show your support forBev's
Re-Election Campaign!
Pick up your t-shirts and lawn signs!
To RSVP Please call
(954) 829-3523
or Respond to this Email! BevAGallagher@aol.com
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Former Deerfield commissioner, Wilton Manors mayor vie for district
By JAMIE MALERNEE
A gay activist, a former Deerfield Beach commissioner and the mayor ofWilton Manors are vying to represent District 92 in the state House. Allthree candidates for the district, which includes parts of Deerfield Beach,Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Pompano Beach and Wilton Manors, areDemocrats. They have many common priorities, such as boosting school fundingand health care for the needy. But there are differences in their experienceand credentials. Business owner and Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newtonemphasizes his ability to work across bipartisan lines. GwyndolenClarke-Reed, a retired teacher and former Deerfield Beach commissioner,holds up a life of political and community service. Mark LaFontaine, anaccountant, touts his financial know-how as key to dealing with Florida'sfaltering economy and budget. If elected, he would be the state's firstopenly gay legislator. With no Republicans entering the contest, the racewill be decided by the Aug. 26 primary. The winner will replace Rep. JackSeiler, D-Fort Lauderdale, who is leaving the Legislature because of termlimits.
-Mark LaFontaine
What are your top concerns for District 92?
1. Bring fiscal accountability to Tallahassee: Overhaul the current system
so that necessary programs are fully funded.
2. Continue property tax and insurance reform.
3. Ensure health care for children, veterans, the elderly and disabled:
Create a health-care trust fund.
How would you pay for increases in government services?
I'd look to close tax loopholes and exemptions to achieve more savings. Iwas not a proponent of Amendment One ... because I thought its supporterspromised much [in property tax savings] while knowing it would do little.The piecemeal approach to tax reform is making things worse instead ofbetter. We need to start over - put everything on the table and design anall-or-nothing, up-or-down proposal that requires citizen approval.
What sets you apart from your opponents?
Neither of my opponents is a financial professional, and given the tryingeconomic times we're in, isn't it time someone who understands checkbookissues was making our state's decisions? I also know that ... as the firstopenly gay representative, I'll be in a position to tackle the ongoing slewof anti-[gay] legislation head on.
Candidate profile
MARK LAFONTAINE
PERSONAL: 41, single.
EDUCATION: Master's degree in taxation.
PROFESSIONAL: Accountant, president of Checkmark Services.
POLITICAL: Not previously elected to public office.
CIVIC: Member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Leadership roles withAmerican Veterans for Equal Rights, Scouting for All (an outreachorganization for gay youth), the Dolphin Democrats (a gay and lesbianDemocratic club), United Way of Broward County, Fort Lauderdale AuditAdvisory Board, the Broward County Veterans Services Council, and theOakland Park Main Street downtown development organization.
-Scott Newton
What are your top concerns for District 92?
Finding and maintaining a balance for Florida's citizens between a taxstructure that is fair as well as responsive to the needs of our state.Seeing that Citizens insurance becomes sound and able to cover its exposure.Progressive regional planning ... with such issues as water and theenvironment. Properly funding Florida's education system. Helping toprotect health care.
How would you pay for increases in government services?
I would like to see a re-evaluation of every tax break/exemption ... thathas been extended to businesses and industries. But that's not going to beenough. Let's look at the programs they started in the last few years whenthey had this influx of [property tax] money. And we have to get back jobs -it seems everyone is laying off - because if people don't have jobs, theycan't spend money [and pay taxes that fund state spending].
What sets you apart from your opponents?
I feel that I am most prepared. We need leaders with vision, common sense,and the spirit of bipartisan cooperation that will work hard to plan for ourstate's future and seriously deal with our current challenges. I've gonethrough good budget times and bad ... and while other cities have had to cutemployees, we haven't done that. I represent my district very well:
middle-class, hard working. They don't mind paying taxes, they just want topay their fair share.
Candidate profile
SCOTT NEWTON
PERSONAL: 51, married, three children.
EDUCATION: High school graduate.
PROFESSIONAL: Owner of Scott's Auto Trim.
POLITICAL: Mayor of Wilton Manors, 2004-present. Vice mayor of Wilton
Manors, 2002-04. Wilton Manors city councilman, 2000-02.
CIVIC: National & Florida League of Cities, Broward County MetropolitanPlanning Organization, Oakland Park Wilton Manors Chamber of Commerce boardof directors, Wilton Manors Business Association, Wilton Manors Friends ofthe Library and Historical Society, past president of Wilton Manor LittleLeague Baseball, coach of Wilton Manors youth baseball, soccer, football andsoftball.
-Gwyndolen "Gwyn" Clarke-Reed
What are your top concerns for District 92?
My priorities would be education, health care, taxes, affordable housing andpublic transportation. For our state to attract people to live here, we musthave some basic services available. The continued reduction of property taxmay come back to haunt us.
How would you pay for increases in government services?
There needs to be reform when it comes to [sales] tax exemptions. Muchthought should be given to increasing the sales tax - but not to use it toreplace the school funding. If it can pass, it should be used to replacefunds lost in the area of health care and human services. I would like toimprove the state economy by finding a way to collect all Internet salestax.
What sets you apart from your opponents?
I bring a broader base of experience in life and government. I have been adivorced mother with two children who had to struggle to make ends meet, notwanting to accept handouts. Some of the people in District 92 are faced withthis problem today. I will be sensitive to the needs of all people, not justone group. I am retired and have all the time necessary to devote to thisoffice.
Candidate profile
GWYNDOLEN "GWYN" CLARKE-REED
PERSONAL: 67, divorced, two children.
EDUCATION: Master's degree in early childhood education.
PROFESSIONAL: Retired teacher.
POLITICAL: Former Deerfield Beach commissioner for 12 years.
CIVIC: Former president of Broward League of Cities, was on board of Floridaand National League of Cities and former member of Broward County PlanningCouncil. Volunteers with Boys & Girls Club, Kiwanis Club, American CancerSociety, Mango Festival, Delta Sigma Chi Sorority, North Broward HospitalDistrict Community Primary Care Committee, St. Mary's Episcopal ChurchVestry, Caribbean American Democratic Club, Gwyndolen Clarke-ReedNeighborhood Initiative Program.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-elx92house0728sbjul28,0,4339559,print.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-New Voting Machines: Paper Trail to Nowhere?
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-papervote2808jul28,0,4463139.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Sunday, July 27, 2008
GLBT DIGEST - July 27, 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.
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Amendment could lead to tragedy
Mathew Staver, president of the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, represents agroup of Californians described as "extremists" who want to go beyondbanning same-sex marriage to "strip away gay rights" of any kind in theGolden State. He also authored Florida's Amendment 2, the November ballotmeasure that would alter our state's constitution to define marriage asbetween only a man and a woman and ban its "substantial equivalent."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum27buttesbjul27,0,735097.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-We're losing the ability to think
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
lpitts@miamiherald.com
I love comic books. For 41 years, I've studied them, collected them, written and read exhaustively about them. So I hope you'll agree I'm qualified to judge the merits of a comic book created by one Brent Rinehart as a tool in his campaign for reelection as a commissioner of Oklahoma County, Okla. It is really, really bad. You may see for yourself by clicking the link to be found at www.anorak.co.ukanorak-in-new-york/185867.html. Now, you may think my less than glowing appraisal stems from its rank anti-gay bigotry, including a depiction of a gay man with horns. Or from the artwork, which looks like something scrawled by a gifted 6-year-old. Well, yes. But here's the main reason Rinehart's work offends: It is astonishingly stupid. Voters should support him because an angel does? His opponents are in league with Satan? Old Scratch is working to ''get kids to believe homosexuality is normal'' and Rinehart is their only defense? And I haven't even mentioned the creative punctuations and multiple misspellings.
http://www.miamiherald.com/285/story/618348.html
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Villaraigosa pulls out of SF gay rights event
Protests over transgender inclusion fueled decision
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pulled out as keynote speaker for a gay rights group's fundraising event scheduled for Saturday night following intense lobbying from transgender activists angry over the group's stand on a federal gay rights bill. [...] The Human Rights Campaign is one of the nation's most prominent gay rights organizations and the Washington-based group already has given over $500,000 to defeat the same-sex marriage measure. But many transgender activists and their allies have been angry at the group since the fall, when its leaders agreed to support a federal job discrimination ban that protected gays, lesbians and bisexuals - but not transgender people.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19977
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Travelers is More Luxury and Less Clothes
An increasing number of gay baby boomers are packing lighter these days, as the appeal of luxury boutique travel and clothing-optional vacations has developed into a fast-growing niche market. For some, clothing-optional vacations are about getting closer to nature, while for others it is an opportunity to experience a renewed sense of freedom. Nude travel has become a $440 million industry - more than double what it was ten years ago, according the American Association for Nude Recreation. The business has increasingly gone upscale, trading rustic nudist camps for luxury resorts and cruises.
-Colorado: Teen's Killing a Hate Crime, Police Searching For Her Car
The murder of 18-year-old Angie Zapata - who's birth name was Justin Angie and lived as a woman - was probably a hate crime, said a spokesperson for the Zapata family. Police believe the suspect has stolen Zapata's car, a dark forest green 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser with Colorado license plate number 441-ORN. There is a hubcap missing on the front passenger-side tire, and there is paint missing on the front bumper on the driver's side, under the headlight.
-Nike to Drop Ads Some See as Homophobic
Nike said Friday it will pull its ads for its Hyperdunk basketball shoes after some critics said they fed the homophobia of some viewers. Nike defended the ads earlier but said it would withdraw the ads critics found offensive as quickly as possible "to underline our ongoing commitment to supporting diversity in sport and the workplace."
-Pa. Justices Strike Down LGBT Hate-Crimes Law
Citing a technicality, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down 2002 changes to the state's hate crimes law that added sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, ancestry and disability. The changes to the Ethnic Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act had been added at short notice to a bill that made it a crime to destroy crops, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The state legislature passed the bill, and it was signed into law by Republican Gov. Mark Schweiker.
-South Florida Outreach Programs Battle AIDS One Fight at a Time
At a recent HIV and AIDS testing site at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, only five people showed up. While the low turnout may be disappointing, leaders of AIDS organizations say they don't gauge their successes by individual battles. They are looking at the bigger picture. Twenty years after the discovery first AIDS diagnosis, organizations continue to face a formidable foe in South Florida, home to the third-largest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the United States.
-New Book Sheds Light on Gay Life in the Muslim World
Following thirty-three people in twenty-two countries, Afdhere Jama paints a complicated picture in "Illegal Citizens", subtitled "Queer Lives in the Muslim World." "I set out to tell the stories of people suffering everywhere," says Jama, who is the editor of Huriyah, a queer Muslim magazine. "Instead, I was confronted with diverse lives including happy ones--sometimes in places I never imagined."
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-"Finnish Lutheran dean consecrates second same-sex union"
Liisa Tuovinen, a Finnish Evangelical-Lutheran Church dean, told her superiors at the diocese on Wednesday that she had consecrated a same-sex union. Bishop Mikko Heikka said the Espoo diocese would take action only if the a complaint was lodged before the cathedral chapter. In 2007, the Helsinki cathedral chapter chose to took no action after Dean Tuovinen consecrated a same-sex union, regarding the consecration as an act of pastoral care instead of an official church ceremony.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Churches with new gay bishops could be expelled from Anglican Communion
Liberal churches could be expelled from the Anglican Communion unless they respect a ban on gay bishops, the Lambeth Conference will be told.
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Gay rights groups slam media over bias
Jakarta: Gay groups, human rights and women groups protested at media bias putting homosexuality in a negative light through association with and negative reporting of a serial murder case allegedly committed by Verry Idham Henryansyah. "Much of the murder coverage focused on the homosexuality of the alleged perpetrator and not on the crimes. I am gay, but I don't kill people," Hartoyo, an activist at Our Voice, an NGO that supports homosexual and bisexual males, told reporters here on Thursday.
=
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
-Are gay men wealthier than straight men?
According to a new national survey conducted online by Harris Interactive, nearly half (48%) of gay and lesbian adults report they like to keep up with the latest styles and trends. This is compared to only 38 percent 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 and trends, compared to fewer than one-third (30%) of heterosexual men. Nearly half (49%) report they tend to upgrade to the latest model or version of a product, compared to 35 percent of heterosexual men. Apparently, the image of gay affluence lives on. But what do these spending habits reveal? Are gay men wealthier than straight men? Or do they just have the queer eye for shopping?
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/07/are_gay_men_wealthier_than_straight_men.php
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Amendment could lead to tragedy
Mathew Staver, president of the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, represents agroup of Californians described as "extremists" who want to go beyondbanning same-sex marriage to "strip away gay rights" of any kind in theGolden State. He also authored Florida's Amendment 2, the November ballotmeasure that would alter our state's constitution to define marriage asbetween only a man and a woman and ban its "substantial equivalent."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum27buttesbjul27,0,735097.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-We're losing the ability to think
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
lpitts@miamiherald.com
I love comic books. For 41 years, I've studied them, collected them, written and read exhaustively about them. So I hope you'll agree I'm qualified to judge the merits of a comic book created by one Brent Rinehart as a tool in his campaign for reelection as a commissioner of Oklahoma County, Okla. It is really, really bad. You may see for yourself by clicking the link to be found at www.anorak.co.ukanorak-in-new-york/185867.html. Now, you may think my less than glowing appraisal stems from its rank anti-gay bigotry, including a depiction of a gay man with horns. Or from the artwork, which looks like something scrawled by a gifted 6-year-old. Well, yes. But here's the main reason Rinehart's work offends: It is astonishingly stupid. Voters should support him because an angel does? His opponents are in league with Satan? Old Scratch is working to ''get kids to believe homosexuality is normal'' and Rinehart is their only defense? And I haven't even mentioned the creative punctuations and multiple misspellings.
http://www.miamiherald.com/285/story/618348.html
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Villaraigosa pulls out of SF gay rights event
Protests over transgender inclusion fueled decision
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pulled out as keynote speaker for a gay rights group's fundraising event scheduled for Saturday night following intense lobbying from transgender activists angry over the group's stand on a federal gay rights bill. [...] The Human Rights Campaign is one of the nation's most prominent gay rights organizations and the Washington-based group already has given over $500,000 to defeat the same-sex marriage measure. But many transgender activists and their allies have been angry at the group since the fall, when its leaders agreed to support a federal job discrimination ban that protected gays, lesbians and bisexuals - but not transgender people.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19977
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Travelers is More Luxury and Less Clothes
An increasing number of gay baby boomers are packing lighter these days, as the appeal of luxury boutique travel and clothing-optional vacations has developed into a fast-growing niche market. For some, clothing-optional vacations are about getting closer to nature, while for others it is an opportunity to experience a renewed sense of freedom. Nude travel has become a $440 million industry - more than double what it was ten years ago, according the American Association for Nude Recreation. The business has increasingly gone upscale, trading rustic nudist camps for luxury resorts and cruises.
-Colorado: Teen's Killing a Hate Crime, Police Searching For Her Car
The murder of 18-year-old Angie Zapata - who's birth name was Justin Angie and lived as a woman - was probably a hate crime, said a spokesperson for the Zapata family. Police believe the suspect has stolen Zapata's car, a dark forest green 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser with Colorado license plate number 441-ORN. There is a hubcap missing on the front passenger-side tire, and there is paint missing on the front bumper on the driver's side, under the headlight.
-Nike to Drop Ads Some See as Homophobic
Nike said Friday it will pull its ads for its Hyperdunk basketball shoes after some critics said they fed the homophobia of some viewers. Nike defended the ads earlier but said it would withdraw the ads critics found offensive as quickly as possible "to underline our ongoing commitment to supporting diversity in sport and the workplace."
-Pa. Justices Strike Down LGBT Hate-Crimes Law
Citing a technicality, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down 2002 changes to the state's hate crimes law that added sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, ancestry and disability. The changes to the Ethnic Intimidation and Institutional Vandalism Act had been added at short notice to a bill that made it a crime to destroy crops, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The state legislature passed the bill, and it was signed into law by Republican Gov. Mark Schweiker.
-South Florida Outreach Programs Battle AIDS One Fight at a Time
At a recent HIV and AIDS testing site at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, only five people showed up. While the low turnout may be disappointing, leaders of AIDS organizations say they don't gauge their successes by individual battles. They are looking at the bigger picture. Twenty years after the discovery first AIDS diagnosis, organizations continue to face a formidable foe in South Florida, home to the third-largest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the United States.
-New Book Sheds Light on Gay Life in the Muslim World
Following thirty-three people in twenty-two countries, Afdhere Jama paints a complicated picture in "Illegal Citizens", subtitled "Queer Lives in the Muslim World." "I set out to tell the stories of people suffering everywhere," says Jama, who is the editor of Huriyah, a queer Muslim magazine. "Instead, I was confronted with diverse lives including happy ones--sometimes in places I never imagined."
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-"Finnish Lutheran dean consecrates second same-sex union"
Liisa Tuovinen, a Finnish Evangelical-Lutheran Church dean, told her superiors at the diocese on Wednesday that she had consecrated a same-sex union. Bishop Mikko Heikka said the Espoo diocese would take action only if the a complaint was lodged before the cathedral chapter. In 2007, the Helsinki cathedral chapter chose to took no action after Dean Tuovinen consecrated a same-sex union, regarding the consecration as an act of pastoral care instead of an official church ceremony.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Churches with new gay bishops could be expelled from Anglican Communion
Liberal churches could be expelled from the Anglican Communion unless they respect a ban on gay bishops, the Lambeth Conference will be told.
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Gay rights groups slam media over bias
Jakarta: Gay groups, human rights and women groups protested at media bias putting homosexuality in a negative light through association with and negative reporting of a serial murder case allegedly committed by Verry Idham Henryansyah. "Much of the murder coverage focused on the homosexuality of the alleged perpetrator and not on the crimes. I am gay, but I don't kill people," Hartoyo, an activist at Our Voice, an NGO that supports homosexual and bisexual males, told reporters here on Thursday.
=
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
-Are gay men wealthier than straight men?
According to a new national survey conducted online by Harris Interactive, nearly half (48%) of gay and lesbian adults report they like to keep up with the latest styles and trends. This is compared to only 38 percent 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 and trends, compared to fewer than one-third (30%) of heterosexual men. Nearly half (49%) report they tend to upgrade to the latest model or version of a product, compared to 35 percent of heterosexual men. Apparently, the image of gay affluence lives on. But what do these spending habits reveal? Are gay men wealthier than straight men? Or do they just have the queer eye for shopping?
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/07/are_gay_men_wealthier_than_straight_men.php
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 27, 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:
-Shiite Militia in Baghdad Sees Its Power Ebb
The Mahdi Army has been profoundly weakened in a number of neighborhoods, inan important, if tentative, milestone for stability in Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/world/middleeast/27mahdi.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Black Radio on Obama Is Left's Answer to Limbaugh
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/us/politics/27radio.html?hp
-How Obama Became Acting President
FRANK RICH
Barack Obama-branded change is snowballing, whether it's change you happento believe in or not.
IT almost seems like a gag worthy of "Borat": A smooth-talking rookiesenator with an exotic name passes himself off as the incumbent Americanpresident to credulous foreigners. But to dismiss Barack Obama's magicalmystery tour through old Europe and two war zones as a media-made fairy talewould be to underestimate the ingenious politics of the moment. History wason the march well before Mr. Obama boarded his plane, and his trip wasperfectly timed to reap the whirlwind. He never would have been treated asa president-in-waiting by heads of state or network talking heads if all heoffered were charisma, slick rhetoric and stunning visuals. What drew theminstead was the raw power Mr. Obama has amassed: the power to start shapingevents and the power to move markets, including TV ratings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/opinion/27rich.html?ref=opinion
-Mr. Mukasey's Justice
Attorney General Michael Mukasey's demand for an expansion of the president's
power to detain foreigners without charge was couched, as usual, inapocalyptic terms.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/opinion/27sun2.html?ref=opinion
-The Pope vs. the Pill
Critics who forecast the collapse of the Roman Catholic papacy after itreiterated its ban on artificial contraception in 1968 underestimated itscapacity to stand its ground.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/opinion/27allen.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-China: A Long Wait at the Gate to Greatness
By John Pomfret
Nikita Khrushchev said the Soviet Union would bury us, but these days,everybody seems to think that China is the one wielding the shovel. ThePeople's Republic is on the march -- economically, militarily, evenideologically. Economists expect its GDP to surpass America's by 2025; itssubmarine fleet is reportedly growing five times faster than Washington's;even its capitalist authoritarianism is called a real alternative to theWest's liberal democracy. China, the drumbeat goes, is poised to become the800-pound gorilla of the international system, ready to dominate the 21stcentury the way the United States dominated the 20th. Except that it's not.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502255.html
-The Right Place to Try Terrorism Cases
By John C. Coughenour
I have spent 27 years on the federal bench. In particular, my experiencewith the trial of Ahmed Ressam, the "millennium bomber," leads me to worryabout Attorney General Michael Mukasey's comments last week, urging Congressto pass legislation outlining judicial procedures for reviewing Guantanamodetainees' habeas petitions. As constituted, U.S. courts are not only anadequate venue for trying terrorism suspects but are also a tremendous assetin combating terrorism. Congress risks a grave error in creating a parallelsystem of terrorism courts unmoored from the constitutional values that haveserved our country so well for so long.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502759.html
-Workable Terrorism Trials
A special federal court could balance fundamental rights and nationalsecurity needs
ON THE OPPOSITE page today, we publish the views of a federal judge whoargues that terrorism cases can and should be handled within the traditionalfederal trial court system. Advocates of such an approach often point tosuccessful prosecutions of those responsible for the 1993 bombing of theWorld Trade Center in New York as evidence of the federal court's ability toprocess such cases in a fair and relatively smooth manner. They citeexpansive laws, such as the material-support statute, that apply both todomestic and overseas acts and give law enforcement officers the ability toarrest someone who aids the enemy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072601555.html
-California to Begin Integrating Prisons for Men
Some Warn That Racial Tension Will Explode as Others Predict IncreasedTolerance
Male prisoners in the nation's largest corrections system, long keptsegregated by race in an effort to temper violence, will soon be sharingcells with inmates of other ethnicities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072601557.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-When Should I Upgrade My Browser?
Q I would like to know if and when I should upgrade my browser? I think Ihave Internet Explorer 6.
A As much as this question made me cringe, I'm glad this reader asked it. Yes, you do need to keep your browser up to date -- especially if you'rerunning Internet Explorer 6. That program is frightfully insecure againstdrive-by downloads and does such a poor job of supporting Web standards thata small but growing number of sites have begun to block it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072600030.html?hpid=sec-tech
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Avoiding airlines' baggage fees might take some sacrifice
You may have to sacrifice to avoid airlines' baggage fees
Packing for a summer vacation or business trip can be a hassle. And morethan ever, travelers are rewarded if they can stuff all their belongingsinto carry-on bags. Airlines such as American, US Airways and United havestarted charging passengers $15 each way for the first checked piece ofluggage in an effort to offset soaring fuel costs. If each person in afamily of four checks a bag, that can add up to $120 - nearly the price ofanother round-trip airline ticket.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzpacking0727sbjul27,0,822316.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-We're losing the ability to think
Leonard Pitts
I love comic books. For 41 years, I've studied them, collected them,written and read exhaustively about them. So I hope you'll agree I'mqualified to judge the merits of a comic book created by one Brent Rinehartas a tool in his campaign for reelection as a commissioner of OklahomaCounty, Okla.
http://www.miamiherald.com/285/story/618348.html
-Woman on a mission: Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama makes her own rules on the road to the White HouseMichelle Obama glides into an empty Jungle Island banquet room looking freshin a signature, white sheath dress that exposes toned arms and showcasesthat long, graceful neck. If her style earns her comparisons to Jackie O,she won't complain.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/619061.html
=
Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
frishkorn@bellsouth.net
Go to this link for the following article:
-New Zealand Students Offer New Bounty For Arrest of Condoleezza Rice ForWar Crimes
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A group of New Zealand students offered a higherreward Saturday for the citizen's arrest of U.S. Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice for war crimes after another group withdrew their ownbounty, accusing police of threatening them. Students at VictoriaUniversity in the capital, Wellington, doubled the original reward offer toUS$7,400, according to Joel Cosgrove, the student president. Cosgrove saidRice should be arrested because she is responsible for the deaths of atleast 600,000 Iraqis killed since the 2003 invasion by U.S.-led coalitiontroops.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/26/asia/AS-New-Zealand-Rice-Bounty.php
=
MoveOn.Org
http://www.MoveOn.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
Want a free Obama button? MoveOn's giving them away totally free-no stringsattached. I just got mine, and wanted to share the opportunity with you.Click this link to get a free Obama button:
http://pol.moveon.org/obamabuttons/?id=13339-5533006-ZkbwdJx&t=4
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Hopefuls gird for Florida slugfest
When presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama arrive in Floridathis week for the first time in more than a month, they'll find a tight racefor the state's precious electoral votes. Obama appears to have closed thegap on McCain - taking the lead in several recent polls for the first time -following a glut of campaign hires, a swarm of organizing and, perhaps mostimportantly, his first flood of targeted television ads, particularly inNorth Florida.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/26/m1a_fla_prez_0727.html
-Can minority journalists resist applauding Obama?
When Barack Obama ascends the stage Sunday at the Unity journalismconvention, fresh from an exhaustively chronicled overseas tour, he willface a surprisingly divided audience. Not on the subject of whether Obamashould be president -- members of the four minority organizations thatcomprise Unity are largely Democratic. But many at the quadrennial gatheringdiffer on whether the underlying current of enthusiasm for Obama's historiccandidacy should be constrained or allowed to spill forth on livetelevision.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wire/chi-ap-applaudingobama,0,2235555.story
-In election, markets will be winner
Uncertainty during the run-up to a vote for president instills investoranxiety, experts say, and the release of tension afterward often leads to a"relief rally." [...] "The markets hate uncertainty, so as we get closer tothe election, any contradictions in the candidates' policies can causeanxiety," said David Kudla, chief executive and chief investment strategistfor Mainstay Capital Management in Saginaw, Mich. "We tend to see a reliefrally after a presidential election, no matter what the outcome, becausethere finally is some certainty."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/chi-ym-election-0727jul27,0,1071822.story
-Senate Republicans block heating aid bill
Republicans on Saturday blocked the Senate from considering a bill next weekthat would nearly double federal aid to help the poor pay heating andair-conditioning bills.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072601080.html?hpid=sec-politics
=
[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:
-Shiite Militia in Baghdad Sees Its Power Ebb
The Mahdi Army has been profoundly weakened in a number of neighborhoods, inan important, if tentative, milestone for stability in Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/world/middleeast/27mahdi.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-Black Radio on Obama Is Left's Answer to Limbaugh
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/us/politics/27radio.html?hp
-How Obama Became Acting President
FRANK RICH
Barack Obama-branded change is snowballing, whether it's change you happento believe in or not.
IT almost seems like a gag worthy of "Borat": A smooth-talking rookiesenator with an exotic name passes himself off as the incumbent Americanpresident to credulous foreigners. But to dismiss Barack Obama's magicalmystery tour through old Europe and two war zones as a media-made fairy talewould be to underestimate the ingenious politics of the moment. History wason the march well before Mr. Obama boarded his plane, and his trip wasperfectly timed to reap the whirlwind. He never would have been treated asa president-in-waiting by heads of state or network talking heads if all heoffered were charisma, slick rhetoric and stunning visuals. What drew theminstead was the raw power Mr. Obama has amassed: the power to start shapingevents and the power to move markets, including TV ratings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/opinion/27rich.html?ref=opinion
-Mr. Mukasey's Justice
Attorney General Michael Mukasey's demand for an expansion of the president's
power to detain foreigners without charge was couched, as usual, inapocalyptic terms.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/opinion/27sun2.html?ref=opinion
-The Pope vs. the Pill
Critics who forecast the collapse of the Roman Catholic papacy after itreiterated its ban on artificial contraception in 1968 underestimated itscapacity to stand its ground.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/opinion/27allen.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-China: A Long Wait at the Gate to Greatness
By John Pomfret
Nikita Khrushchev said the Soviet Union would bury us, but these days,everybody seems to think that China is the one wielding the shovel. ThePeople's Republic is on the march -- economically, militarily, evenideologically. Economists expect its GDP to surpass America's by 2025; itssubmarine fleet is reportedly growing five times faster than Washington's;even its capitalist authoritarianism is called a real alternative to theWest's liberal democracy. China, the drumbeat goes, is poised to become the800-pound gorilla of the international system, ready to dominate the 21stcentury the way the United States dominated the 20th. Except that it's not.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502255.html
-The Right Place to Try Terrorism Cases
By John C. Coughenour
I have spent 27 years on the federal bench. In particular, my experiencewith the trial of Ahmed Ressam, the "millennium bomber," leads me to worryabout Attorney General Michael Mukasey's comments last week, urging Congressto pass legislation outlining judicial procedures for reviewing Guantanamodetainees' habeas petitions. As constituted, U.S. courts are not only anadequate venue for trying terrorism suspects but are also a tremendous assetin combating terrorism. Congress risks a grave error in creating a parallelsystem of terrorism courts unmoored from the constitutional values that haveserved our country so well for so long.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502759.html
-Workable Terrorism Trials
A special federal court could balance fundamental rights and nationalsecurity needs
ON THE OPPOSITE page today, we publish the views of a federal judge whoargues that terrorism cases can and should be handled within the traditionalfederal trial court system. Advocates of such an approach often point tosuccessful prosecutions of those responsible for the 1993 bombing of theWorld Trade Center in New York as evidence of the federal court's ability toprocess such cases in a fair and relatively smooth manner. They citeexpansive laws, such as the material-support statute, that apply both todomestic and overseas acts and give law enforcement officers the ability toarrest someone who aids the enemy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072601555.html
-California to Begin Integrating Prisons for Men
Some Warn That Racial Tension Will Explode as Others Predict IncreasedTolerance
Male prisoners in the nation's largest corrections system, long keptsegregated by race in an effort to temper violence, will soon be sharingcells with inmates of other ethnicities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072601557.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-When Should I Upgrade My Browser?
Q I would like to know if and when I should upgrade my browser? I think Ihave Internet Explorer 6.
A As much as this question made me cringe, I'm glad this reader asked it. Yes, you do need to keep your browser up to date -- especially if you'rerunning Internet Explorer 6. That program is frightfully insecure againstdrive-by downloads and does such a poor job of supporting Web standards thata small but growing number of sites have begun to block it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072600030.html?hpid=sec-tech
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Avoiding airlines' baggage fees might take some sacrifice
You may have to sacrifice to avoid airlines' baggage fees
Packing for a summer vacation or business trip can be a hassle. And morethan ever, travelers are rewarded if they can stuff all their belongingsinto carry-on bags. Airlines such as American, US Airways and United havestarted charging passengers $15 each way for the first checked piece ofluggage in an effort to offset soaring fuel costs. If each person in afamily of four checks a bag, that can add up to $120 - nearly the price ofanother round-trip airline ticket.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzpacking0727sbjul27,0,822316.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-We're losing the ability to think
Leonard Pitts
I love comic books. For 41 years, I've studied them, collected them,written and read exhaustively about them. So I hope you'll agree I'mqualified to judge the merits of a comic book created by one Brent Rinehartas a tool in his campaign for reelection as a commissioner of OklahomaCounty, Okla.
http://www.miamiherald.com/285/story/618348.html
-Woman on a mission: Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama makes her own rules on the road to the White HouseMichelle Obama glides into an empty Jungle Island banquet room looking freshin a signature, white sheath dress that exposes toned arms and showcasesthat long, graceful neck. If her style earns her comparisons to Jackie O,she won't complain.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/619061.html
=
Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
frishkorn@bellsouth.net
Go to this link for the following article:
-New Zealand Students Offer New Bounty For Arrest of Condoleezza Rice ForWar Crimes
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A group of New Zealand students offered a higherreward Saturday for the citizen's arrest of U.S. Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice for war crimes after another group withdrew their ownbounty, accusing police of threatening them. Students at VictoriaUniversity in the capital, Wellington, doubled the original reward offer toUS$7,400, according to Joel Cosgrove, the student president. Cosgrove saidRice should be arrested because she is responsible for the deaths of atleast 600,000 Iraqis killed since the 2003 invasion by U.S.-led coalitiontroops.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/26/asia/AS-New-Zealand-Rice-Bounty.php
=
MoveOn.Org
http://www.MoveOn.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
Want a free Obama button? MoveOn's giving them away totally free-no stringsattached. I just got mine, and wanted to share the opportunity with you.Click this link to get a free Obama button:
http://pol.moveon.org/obamabuttons/?id=13339-5533006-ZkbwdJx&t=4
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Hopefuls gird for Florida slugfest
When presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama arrive in Floridathis week for the first time in more than a month, they'll find a tight racefor the state's precious electoral votes. Obama appears to have closed thegap on McCain - taking the lead in several recent polls for the first time -following a glut of campaign hires, a swarm of organizing and, perhaps mostimportantly, his first flood of targeted television ads, particularly inNorth Florida.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/26/m1a_fla_prez_0727.html
-Can minority journalists resist applauding Obama?
When Barack Obama ascends the stage Sunday at the Unity journalismconvention, fresh from an exhaustively chronicled overseas tour, he willface a surprisingly divided audience. Not on the subject of whether Obamashould be president -- members of the four minority organizations thatcomprise Unity are largely Democratic. But many at the quadrennial gatheringdiffer on whether the underlying current of enthusiasm for Obama's historiccandidacy should be constrained or allowed to spill forth on livetelevision.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wire/chi-ap-applaudingobama,0,2235555.story
-In election, markets will be winner
Uncertainty during the run-up to a vote for president instills investoranxiety, experts say, and the release of tension afterward often leads to a"relief rally." [...] "The markets hate uncertainty, so as we get closer tothe election, any contradictions in the candidates' policies can causeanxiety," said David Kudla, chief executive and chief investment strategistfor Mainstay Capital Management in Saginaw, Mich. "We tend to see a reliefrally after a presidential election, no matter what the outcome, becausethere finally is some certainty."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/chi-ym-election-0727jul27,0,1071822.story
-Senate Republicans block heating aid bill
Republicans on Saturday blocked the Senate from considering a bill next weekthat would nearly double federal aid to help the poor pay heating andair-conditioning bills.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/26/AR2008072601080.html?hpid=sec-politics
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - July 27, 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~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-MIAMI: Director of Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival fired
Organizers of the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival are starting from scratch in an effort to reinvent the event after losing key staff and sponsors.
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/story/619337.html
-HAULOVER BEACH | 17TH ANNIVERSARY
Haulover Beach's nude stretch celebrates 17 years in the buff
Celebrating Haulover Beach's 17th year as a nude beach, devotees reminiscedabout their naked fun. The party continues on Sunday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/619332.html
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Uninsured doctors on the rise in S. Fla.
South Florida has become the nation's capital for doctors without medicalmalpractice insurance, experts say. South Florida has become the nation'scapital for doctors without medical malpractice insurance, experts say,leaving patients at risk of getting little financial help for care after amedical error. Nearly one-quarter of doctors in Broward and Palm Beachcounties, more than one-third in the Miami area, and one-eighth statewideopt out of malpractice insurance under a state law that lets them go withoutcoverage, a state physician database shows. That's about double the rates in2003, when uninsured doctors and medical malpractice became a state policycrisis.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrxdocs0727sbjul27,0,2064189.story
-Obama camp still embraces Wexler
U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, remains in good standing withBarack Obama's presidential campaign despite a flap over the congressman'sresidency in South Florida.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/07/obama_camp_still_embraces_wexl.html
-Churches extend religious tax exemptions elsewhere
It's a remarkable home, even in an upscale Coral Springs neighborhood:
12,000 square feet, manicured grounds, a guest house, five-car garage and apair of lion statues gracing the entrance. [...] In Broward, the value ofproperties considered tax-exempt for religious purposes totaled $1.8 billionin 2007, the last year for which complete data is available. While most weretraditional churches and temples, the tax-free properties also includedvacant land, parking lots and multimillion-dollar homes with golf course andwater views, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel found.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbchurch0727sbjul27,0,6187197.story
-Congress comes to senses, passes Clean Boating Act of 2008
This past week Congress passed a bill that exempts recreational boaters fromonerous permit requirements of the Clean Water Act that were designed forlarge commercial ships. The Environmental Protection Agency had givenrecreational boats an exemption to the Clean Water Act in 1973. The EPA wasconcerned about vessels such as cruise ships, cargo ships and supertankers,whose ballast water could introduce invasive exotic species into U.S.waters.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-flspwaters07-27sbjul27,0,5284629.column
-Register by Monday to cast vote in Aug. 26 primary
The August primary features a slew of competitive races to pick judges,School Board members, a property appraiser and elections supervisor. But ifyou want a say in the action, act fast. Monday is the deadline forregistering to vote in the Aug. 26 primary. Two weeks after registrationcloses, early voting for the primary will begin. People can cast theirballots early at eight locations.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpvoter0728pnjul27,0,5787047.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-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
-Will race sway state on Obama?
Joseph Hatchett is the only black candidate to win a statewide election inFlorida. His 1976 victory to keep his seat on the Florida Supreme Court washistoric. Not only did Hatchett, who was the first black justice onFlorida's highest court, set a historical precedent in Florida, his win alsosignified the first successful statewide election by a black candidate inthe entire South since Reconstruction.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080727/ARTICLE/807270346/2055&title=Will_race_sway_state_on_Obama_
-FIU hiring Rubio is an act of black magic
A miracle! Had to be a miracle. Admittedly, that won't jive with theuniversity's canon of rational inquiry. But no amount of rational inquirycan explain the unfathomable appearance of Marco Rubio on the campus ofFlorida International University. Out of nowhere. Out of a budget that wasin shambles. Rubio just materialized.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/columnists/fred-grimm/story/619343.html
=
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Crist must do more to help ex-cons leave prison stripes behind
A June 28 Palm Beach Post editorial stated, "More than 115,000 former felonswho have completed their sentences have had their civil rights restored ..." since Gov. Crist and the Florida Cabinet, acting as the Clemency Board,adopted certain rule changes in April 2007.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/27/a1e_iw_schlakman_0727.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State GOP outgunning Democrats in fundraising
It may be nice to be loved, but it pays to be in power. Across CentralFlorida, Republican legislative candidates are out-raising their Democraticopponents more than 4-to-1 so far, state reports show. Florida Republicanshave been on the fundraising circuit for the past two months, hoping tobuffer an apparent anti-incumbent voter surge with the cash advantages ofsafe majorities in both chambers of the Florida Legislature. AlthoughDemocrats have grown their voter pool five times faster than Republicanssince the presidential primary in January, the GOP has been able to commandmore dollars from donors.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-money2708jul27,0,7488511.story
-Florida no longer a given for McCain
Not so long ago, a lot of politicos were talking about Florida being acakewalk for John McCain, and Barack Obama writing off the state. Notanymore.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article741315.ece
-Fewer Florida parents give school vaccines a shot
The shining needle. The tiny speck of blood. The red face of tears. Noparent likes to see their child receive a shot, and a growing number ofFlorida parents are refusing to do it.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jul/27/30gtparents-tell-us-what-you-think/
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-MIAMI: Director of Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival fired
Organizers of the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival are starting from scratch in an effort to reinvent the event after losing key staff and sponsors.
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/story/619337.html
-HAULOVER BEACH | 17TH ANNIVERSARY
Haulover Beach's nude stretch celebrates 17 years in the buff
Celebrating Haulover Beach's 17th year as a nude beach, devotees reminiscedabout their naked fun. The party continues on Sunday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/619332.html
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Uninsured doctors on the rise in S. Fla.
South Florida has become the nation's capital for doctors without medicalmalpractice insurance, experts say. South Florida has become the nation'scapital for doctors without medical malpractice insurance, experts say,leaving patients at risk of getting little financial help for care after amedical error. Nearly one-quarter of doctors in Broward and Palm Beachcounties, more than one-third in the Miami area, and one-eighth statewideopt out of malpractice insurance under a state law that lets them go withoutcoverage, a state physician database shows. That's about double the rates in2003, when uninsured doctors and medical malpractice became a state policycrisis.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrxdocs0727sbjul27,0,2064189.story
-Obama camp still embraces Wexler
U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, remains in good standing withBarack Obama's presidential campaign despite a flap over the congressman'sresidency in South Florida.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/07/obama_camp_still_embraces_wexl.html
-Churches extend religious tax exemptions elsewhere
It's a remarkable home, even in an upscale Coral Springs neighborhood:
12,000 square feet, manicured grounds, a guest house, five-car garage and apair of lion statues gracing the entrance. [...] In Broward, the value ofproperties considered tax-exempt for religious purposes totaled $1.8 billionin 2007, the last year for which complete data is available. While most weretraditional churches and temples, the tax-free properties also includedvacant land, parking lots and multimillion-dollar homes with golf course andwater views, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel found.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbchurch0727sbjul27,0,6187197.story
-Congress comes to senses, passes Clean Boating Act of 2008
This past week Congress passed a bill that exempts recreational boaters fromonerous permit requirements of the Clean Water Act that were designed forlarge commercial ships. The Environmental Protection Agency had givenrecreational boats an exemption to the Clean Water Act in 1973. The EPA wasconcerned about vessels such as cruise ships, cargo ships and supertankers,whose ballast water could introduce invasive exotic species into U.S.waters.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-flspwaters07-27sbjul27,0,5284629.column
-Register by Monday to cast vote in Aug. 26 primary
The August primary features a slew of competitive races to pick judges,School Board members, a property appraiser and elections supervisor. But ifyou want a say in the action, act fast. Monday is the deadline forregistering to vote in the Aug. 26 primary. Two weeks after registrationcloses, early voting for the primary will begin. People can cast theirballots early at eight locations.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpvoter0728pnjul27,0,5787047.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-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
-Will race sway state on Obama?
Joseph Hatchett is the only black candidate to win a statewide election inFlorida. His 1976 victory to keep his seat on the Florida Supreme Court washistoric. Not only did Hatchett, who was the first black justice onFlorida's highest court, set a historical precedent in Florida, his win alsosignified the first successful statewide election by a black candidate inthe entire South since Reconstruction.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080727/ARTICLE/807270346/2055&title=Will_race_sway_state_on_Obama_
-FIU hiring Rubio is an act of black magic
A miracle! Had to be a miracle. Admittedly, that won't jive with theuniversity's canon of rational inquiry. But no amount of rational inquirycan explain the unfathomable appearance of Marco Rubio on the campus ofFlorida International University. Out of nowhere. Out of a budget that wasin shambles. Rubio just materialized.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/columnists/fred-grimm/story/619343.html
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Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Crist must do more to help ex-cons leave prison stripes behind
A June 28 Palm Beach Post editorial stated, "More than 115,000 former felonswho have completed their sentences have had their civil rights restored ..." since Gov. Crist and the Florida Cabinet, acting as the Clemency Board,adopted certain rule changes in April 2007.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/27/a1e_iw_schlakman_0727.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State GOP outgunning Democrats in fundraising
It may be nice to be loved, but it pays to be in power. Across CentralFlorida, Republican legislative candidates are out-raising their Democraticopponents more than 4-to-1 so far, state reports show. Florida Republicanshave been on the fundraising circuit for the past two months, hoping tobuffer an apparent anti-incumbent voter surge with the cash advantages ofsafe majorities in both chambers of the Florida Legislature. AlthoughDemocrats have grown their voter pool five times faster than Republicanssince the presidential primary in January, the GOP has been able to commandmore dollars from donors.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-money2708jul27,0,7488511.story
-Florida no longer a given for McCain
Not so long ago, a lot of politicos were talking about Florida being acakewalk for John McCain, and Barack Obama writing off the state. Notanymore.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article741315.ece
-Fewer Florida parents give school vaccines a shot
The shining needle. The tiny speck of blood. The red face of tears. Noparent likes to see their child receive a shot, and a growing number ofFlorida parents are refusing to do it.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jul/27/30gtparents-tell-us-what-you-think/
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
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