FLORIDA DIGEST - January 02, 2009

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

From DERRICK HANKERSON For Dania Beach City Commission Campaign


-Campaign Kickoff - Tuesday, January 6 - 6:30pm
Paolo's 3's Company Restaurant
242 E Danbia Beach Blvd.
RSVP - 954-374-9199
http://derrickhankerson.com/


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From Steve Glassman for Ft. Lauderdale City Commission Campaign
Fort Lauderdale now has an opportunity to look at a more positive future.
Please join host Alan J. Levy and meet Steve Glassman, one of Broward County's major supporters of quality growth and the creative industries.
Monday, January 12, 2009 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Office of Alan Levy - 11 SW 15th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315


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From Dean Trantalis for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor CVampaign
Rally for Dean - Partnership for Change
Wednesday, January 7 - 6pm
ArtServe - 1350 E Sunrise Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale
We're starting off the new year with a strong push and we need support from all of you. As you all know, we have an "all hands on deck" call for the rally on January 7 at 6pm at ArtServ. In addition, we have a number of upcoming events that need your help.
Please let me know by responding to this email if you can help at any of the following:
January 13th at the Four Seasons from 5:30 - 9pm;
January 14th at Drake Towers from 5 - 8:30pm; or
January 17th at La Rive from 5 - 8:30pm.
If you can make any or all of them, let me know and I'll place you where you're the most needed. To reiterate something for the newer volunteers, if you can't make it exactly at 5 since we know some of you, like me, work, don't sweat it. Sign up anyway and we'll place you where you're needed when you're available. Thank you so much for a great 2008. Now let's make sure we win in 2009!
Chip Clapp
Volunteer Coordinator
Dean Trantalis for Mayor Campaign
volunteer@deanformayor.com
(954) 701-2902 cell


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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Jim Stork: Voters Who Fought Gay Marriage Can Kiss My A--
Former Wilton Manors Mayor Jim Stork was on vacation in Mexico on Christmas when the Miami Herald wrote about his $30,000 election fine related to his 2004 Congressional race. The Federal Election Commission concluded that Stork's ads about pie and coffee at his bakeries were essentially campaign ads paid for with corporate dollars -- a big no-no for candidates. Stork emailed us a colorful response to the article. Here are some highlights: "I guess it is a compliment that the federal government believes that the quality of my Stork's food can somehow influence voter decisions,'' he wrote. He added that rather than spend more money to fight the charge he decided to contribute money to those in need instead. Stork, a Democrat, had mysteriously dropped out of his race against Republican Clay Shaw in 2004, claiming an unspecific heart ailment. He now says it was bacterial endocarditus and that he ''poorly handled communication.'' Shaw easily won the race against a replacement candidate though he lost to Ron Klein two years later. This past year, Stork was involved in the Florida Red and Blue campaign, which failed to defeat Amendment 2 which banned gay marriage in the Constitution. About this issue he says: "I have no more tolerance for those who voted for Amendment 2 or those who want to take my rights away ... which includes dumb rednecks, bible thumping white folks, bible thumping Hispanics, self-centered educated people who are so self bsorbed that they don't bother to look into an issue, lazy gay people who don't get involved or are too weak to come out of the closet, and am now most disappointed in African Americans who should be the least likely group of folks to judge others, but are the ones who judge others the most ... all of these folks can kiss my a--.'' And for those folks who miss eating apple pie and lemon blueberry biscuits at Stork's on Las Olas which closed a few months ago, Stork says the future of the spot is ''pending, but it will not be called storks.'' The Wilton Manors location, which Stork sold to his baker, remains open.
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4342/


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DOLPHIN DEMOCRATS CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE NEEDS YOUR HELP !!
GET OUT THE VOTE TABLE
GLCC 1717 N. ANDREWS AVENUE
SATURDAY JANUARY.3, 2009 - 8AM TO 2 PM
TWO HOUR SHIFTS 7AM- 9AM; 9AM-11AM; 11AM-1PM- 12 NOON TO 2PM ONLY YOU CAN
MAKE IT HAPPEN; WE NEED TO INFORM THE PUBLIC OF THE VARIOUS MUNICIPAL RACE'S
IN BROWARD COUNTY: FORT LAUDERDALE;OAKLAND PARK; WILTON MANORS; DANIA BEACH
PLEASE LET MICHAEL ALBETTA KNOW WHAT TIME YOU AND ASSIST ON THIS MATTER- IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND TO HELP - PLEASE CALL AT 954-390-6537 OR E-MAIL TO PRESIDENT@FLORIDAGLBTDEMOCRATS.ORG
REMEMBER> ENOUGH OF THE HOMOPHOBES- AWAY WITH THE NAUGLES, MANN'S AND HATERS- DR. FRED PHLEPS IS IN OAKLAND PARK ON JAN. 16TH IT IS TIME TO INFORM THE PEOPLE OF THE UP-COMING ELECTIONS FEBRUARY 10TH TUESDAY, MARCH.10TH, TUESDAY


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

From Scott Newton for Wilton Manors City Commission Campaign
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND A CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISER
Monday January 5th - 6-8pm
Georgie's Alibi - Manchester Room
2266 Wilton Dr. - Wilton Manors
http://votenewton.com/


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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:

-'God Hates Fags' church threatens to picket Rising Action Theatre
Westboro Baptist Church under the direction of self proclaimed "fag hater" Reverend Fred Phelps has scheduled a picket of the Rising Action Theatre located in Oakland Park, Florida on Friday Jan 16 from 7:15 to 8 pm according to the church's website (www.westborobaptistchurch.com) and an anonymous phone call to the theatre's Artistic Director, David Goldyn, because of he current production of Paul Rudnick's, "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told." "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" has been produced numerous times across the country and Off Broadway in New York. According to the forward of the play, Paul Rudnick penned the play because he was tired of hearing that God Made Adam and Eve; not Adam and Steve. The writer in him asked what if God made Adam and Steve? What if God made Jane and Mabel? What if God made Adam and Eve AND Adam and Steve? What if the stories of the bible were written from a different point of view? Isn't God for everyone?
That is the theme behind "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told"-seeing the world from a different perspective and making sense of God and spirituality for all people in modern society. [...] Rising Action Theatre is a not for profit charitable organization "dedicated to educating the public in diversity and tolerance for all people." Recent productions include: "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks", "The Sisters' Rosensweig", "Confessions of a Mormon Boy" and "Some Men". Rising Action Theatre also recently started a Seniors' Readers Theatre that has gay, straight, black, and white seniors working proudly together.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Crist promotes Labarga to Florida Supreme Court
Gov. Charlie Crist on Friday appointed Jorge Labarga to the Florida Supreme Court, filling his third of four vacancies on the state's highest tribunal. Labarga was only last week elevated from the circuit court in Palm Beach County to the Fourth District Court of Appeal. Labarga, 56, of Wellington, is a native of Cuba whom Crist only last week elevated from the circuit court in Palm Beach County to the Fourth District Court of Appeal. Labarga replaces Harry Lee Anstead, 71, who must step down from the high court because of the state's mandatory retirement age of 70. Labarga is not without controversy: He made some off-the-cuff remarks from the bench in 2007 that raised questions about his judicial temperament.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2009/01/crist-promotes.html


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Newsweek
http://www.newsweek.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-The Top of the Class
The complete list of the 1,300 top U.S. high schools in U.S. Search by school, city, or state. 19 of the top 100 are in Florida.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380/?q=2008/rank/1/



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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Liquor, tobacco shielded from lawmakers' special session
By MYRIAM MARQUEZ
Tax sin, or squeeze kids and tax justice? The Legislature meets for special session next week to figure out how to close a $2.3 billion budget hole in this fiscal year's $65 billion budget. House Speaker Ray Sansom and Senate President Jeff Atwater have proclaimed that any fix to Florida's sales-tax-dependent budget can't include increasing taxes on booze or cigs or even giving the nod to the governor's deal with the Seminoles to get more than $100 million from their casino operations.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/834507.html

-Market booms for male nurses
By Hillary Copsey (Contact)
Shawn Blouin started nursing school because he wanted to help people, to share the compassion he witnessed on a missionary trip last summer down the Amazon River. Job security in a sour economy is just an added bonus for the 22-year-old newlywed from Jensen Beach. It's a factor attracting more men to the still predominately female field of nursing.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jan/02/nursing-isnt-just-women-anymore/

-Our views: Consumer beware
New cut-rate Florida health insurance plans could be recipe for bankruptcy Cut-rate health insurance plans to be introduced Monday in Florida are being sold by Gov. Charlie Crist as offering a "robust set of benefits." Crist won approval from the Legislature in 2008 for the Cover Florida initiative - which uses no taxpayer dollars - saying it would make affordable health care available to the state's 3.8 million uninsured residents.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090102/OPINION/81231024/1004/capitolnews


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