Wednesday, January 07, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - January 07, 2009

**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:

-New Voices in Congress Will Change the Tone of the Democratic Majority
From a former Nixon aide to a former head of Common Cause, a liberal government watchdog organization, the freshman House class of the 111th Congress represents a diverse but decidedly moderate group. [...] The class also offers two new ethnic firsts: Steve Austria, a Republican from Ohio's 7th Congressional District, is the first Filipino-American and Anh (Joseph) Cao, the Republican who defeated William Jefferson in Louisiana, is the first Vietnamese-American. In addition, Jared Polis of Colorado is the first openly gay male candidate and non-incumbent to be elected to the House.
(While there are other gay members, notably Barney Frank, their orientation was not public at the time of their first elective bids, aides to the House said.)

-'The Real World'
The Show That Put the 'Real' in Reality TV
As Jon Murray, one of the executive producers, explains in "The Real World: Secrets Revealed," a special being shown this week anticipating the new season's start on Wednesday, this progenitor of reality television today was conceived as a scripted series about the lives of young people in New York called "St. Marks Place." The idea, though, quickly morphed into the notion of housing a group of 20-somethings under one roof (preferably with a hot tub) and installing cameras. [...] The bigger nonsecret secrets belong to others: Ryan, an Iraq war veteran who would prefer people not know that right away, and Katelynn, who started out life as a boy, began to live as a woman seven years ago and went to Thailand for gender reassignment surgery last summer. Initially, it is apparent only to J. D., a sweet and paternal dolphin trainer who is gay, that Katelynn wasn't born female. Katelynn is presumably supposed to shock everyone out of his or her prejudices, but it isn't clear that her roommates actually possess any. There is something about "The Real World" that feels permanently stuck in the early 1990s, when issues of sexual orientation were guaranteed to rattle. There's so little rattling, and seemingly so little prospect of sexual tension, that "The Real World: Brooklyn" threatens to sink to the innocuousness of "The Love Boat."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/arts/television/07real.html?scp=3&sq=GAY&st=cse


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Ex-eBay CEO largely unknown amid Calif. gov.'s bid
By JULIET WILLIAMS
Former eBay executive Meg Whitman brings intrigue and a big bank account to California's beleaguered Republican Party.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010602770.html


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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Suspects charged in gang rape of lesbian in San Francisco Bay area; Hate
crime alleged
By LISA LEFF
Two men and a teenager were charged Tuesday in the alleged gang rape of a lesbian in the San Francisco Bay area. Humberto Hernandez Salvador, 31, and Josue Gonzalez, 21, were charged with kidnapping, carjacking and gang rape in the attack last month in Richmond.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-lesbian-rape,0,4873181.story


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

-Florida gay groups form statewide federation
Several Florida gay rights leaders today announced formation of a "statewide federation" of local groups. They're calling the umbrella group OUT, Organizations United Together.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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

-Singing the wedding blues
BY BOB BARR
In 1996, as a freshman House member, I wrote the Defense of Marriage Act, better known by its shorthand acronym, DOMA, than its legal title. The law has been a flash-point for those arguing for or against same-sex marriage ever since President Clinton signed it into law. Even President-elect Barack Obama has grappled with its language, meaning and impact. I can sympathize with the incoming commander in chief. And, after long and careful consideration, I have come to agree with him that the law should be repealed.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/840759.html



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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Va. GOP lawmaker sponsoring pro-gay bill
Would allow companies to offer life insurance to gay partners
By CHRIS JOHNSON
A Republican in the Virginia House of Delegates is sponsoring a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would allow Virginia companies to provide life insurance to partners of gay employees, according to the General Assembly's web site.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23325

-Oregon church to stop signing marriage licenses
Move protests lack of marriage rights for gay couples
ASHLAND, Ore. (AP)
The clergy at one Ashland church are refusing to sign marriage licenses until same-sex couples can legally tie the knot.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23321

-Prop. 8 backers take on AG's gay marriage argument
Say Brown is 'advancing a far-fetched legal theory'
The sponsors of California's voter-approved gay marriage ban say Attorney General Jerry Brown is advancing a far-fetched legal theory to justify overturning Proposition 8.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23318



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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Blame religion, not race
Researchers, in conjunction with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, released a report today that said that people who voted against gay marriage in California had four things in common:
1. They attended religious services weekly
2. They were Republicans
3. They were conservatives
4. They were born before World War II
http://www.365gay.com/blog/vanasco-blame-religion-not-race/

-Ohio Supreme Court limits impact of gay marriage ban
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
The Ohio Supreme Court has let stand an appeals court ruling that said the state's constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage cannot be used to terminate a child custody agreement between partners.
http://www.365gay.com/news/ohio-supreme-court-limits-impact-of-gay-marriage-ban/

-Ken Starr tells us how it is
By Emma Ruby-Sachs
It wouldn't be 2009 without a little noise from our friends on the social conservative side of the spectrum. Ken Starr released a response yesterday to the California Attorney General's submission to the Supreme Court on Proposition 8.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-ken-starr-tells-us-how-it-is/

-State supreme courts to rule in gay marriage cases
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Supreme courts this year will rule on cases involving same-sex marriage in Iowa and California. The Iowa case involves the constitutionality of limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples, while the one in California centers around Proposition 8, the voter-approved amendment to the state constitution that bars same-sex marriage.
http://www.365gay.com/news/state-supreme-courts-to-rule-in-gay-marriage-cases/


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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Prop. 8 Exit Polling of African-Americans Way Off, Experts Say
A new study on California's Proposition 8 voting trends released Tuesday found that far fewer African-Americans voted to pass the gay marriage ban than the 70% suggested by exit polling and concluded that race was not the most significant factor affecting people's vote for or against marriage equality.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid70200.asp

-Group Pushes For Gay Man As Commerce Secretary
The Boston-based group Equal Rep is now pushing for Fred Hochberg to be appointed secretary of Commerce upon Gov. Bill Richardson's withdrawal from consideration for the post, The Boston Globe reports. If tapped, Hochberg, who had originally been considered for the top post at the Small Business Administration, would be the first openly gay person to ever hold a cabinet position.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid70153.asp

-Catholic Church in San Francisco Vandalized Over Prop. 8
A Catholic church in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood was vandalized with anti-Proposition 8 graffiti Sunday morning, even though the church is largely pro-gay. The Most Holy Redeemer church was defaced with black swastikas and impassioned messages, including one directed at San Francisco archbishop George Niederauer, who prominently supported Prop. 8, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid70157.asp

-Constructive Impatience
Stung by the Rick Warren decision, GLAAD's former executive director Joan Garry
offers the Obama transition team some sage advice.
By Joan Garry
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid69878.asp

-Fontainebleau Encore
The Advocates: Expert advice on life -- as you live it.
By Ed Salvato
http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid69544.asp

-Let's Talk About Sex.
The Advocates: Expert advice on life -- as you live it. Why it's vital to get personal with your doctor.
http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid69540.asp


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Anything but Straight
http://www.waynebesen.com/

-The Mess In The Middle East
As long as we refer to the Middle East as the "Holy Land" there will be war. For peace to prosper, extremists, on both sides, will have to he marginalized. This will require courage from Israeli and Palestinian leaders, who have failed to take aim at the religious roots of this festering fiasco.
http://www.waynebesen.com/2009/01/mess-in-middle-east.html


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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Comment: We deserve more than an apology from the BBC for their homophobia
By Nick Henderson
After the the expose by PinkNews.co.uk that the BBC had broadcast a series of anti-lesbian slurs against Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan, My.PinkNews.co.uk reader Nick Henderson believes the BBC must start respecting LGBT rights and stop broadcasting homophobic content.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10293.html

-Dutchman fined for gay "indecency" in Gambia
By Tony Grew
A 79-year-old man from the Netherlands has been found guilty of indecency with several Gambian men.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10290.html

-Comment: Trans discrimination must no longer be tolerated
By Thomas Hammarberg
Thomas Hammarberg is the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights. He released this comment on trans rights on his website yesterday.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10287.html


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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Why Blacks Should Support Gay Marriage
by: Pam Spaulding | Pam's House Blend
Herndon Davis, a media analyst, consultant and writer who focuses on issues related to people of color, women, and the LGBT community penned a piece for BET.com that reshapes some of the messaging about marriage equality to "make the sale" to the portion of the black community that is on the fence or flat out against same-sex marriage (particularly with the Pay It Forward section).
An estimated 14 million children are being raised by same-sex parents who require the legal infrastructure marriage in order to protect their children because there are numerous restrictions placed on the co-parental rights of unmarried same-sex couples.

-Petitions Filed Wednesday in Opposition of New Kalamazoo Gay-Rights Ordinance
Kathy Jessup | Kalamazoo Gazette
Petitions seeking the repeal of a newly adopted city ordinance that extends discrimination protections to gays and lesbians in Kalamazoo have been filed. City Clerk Scott Borling said former city commissioner and current Kalamazoo County Treasurer Mary Balkema officially turned over 189 pages of petitions that circulators said contained about 1,600 signatures.Due to the New Year's Day holiday Thursday, Borling said certification of those signatures will begin Friday.

-TX: Students Working to Grow UT's First Gay Fraternity
By Jazmine Ulloa | AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF | American Statesman
When graduate student Armando Sanchez first entered the University of Texas at Austin as a freshman, he didn't think fraternity life was for him.
Latino, gay and somewhat introverted, he didn't think he fit the mold of thetypical pledge at the traditional predominantly white fraternities on campus. UT also has Greek organizations that are largely Latino, but Sanchez said he didn't think he could be himself and still fit in because of hissexuality. Then he heard that a group of students planned to start the first gay and bisexual fraternity chapter at UT - and one of only two in Texas. The other is at UT-El Paso.

-MN: Transgender People Often Face a Legal Labyrinth When Changing Gender on Identity Documents
By Emily Gurnon | egurnon@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
When Carrie PepinSmith wanted to become Cary PepinSmith, a Hennepin County judge had no problem granting the request. But when the 44-year-old transgender man wanted to change the "F" on his birth certificate to an "M," the judge balked. "He had no idea how to change the gender on my birth certificate,"
PepinSmith said. But he'd heard other people had gone to the same place, the Hennepin County Courthouse, and had both the name and gender designation changed at once. "So why is there no consistency in this?" he wondered.
People who move from one gender to another - with surgical changes or without - face a confounding maze of legal challenges. One of the greatest is changing identity documents, including birth certificates, driver's licenses, Social Security records and passports. Read more

-Separate, Unequal
Andrew Sullivan | The Daily Dish
Joe Carter responds to my post:
Extending the exact same benefits is not "codifying inequality." But for Sullivan, et al., it is not about benefits but about forcing the acceptance of gay sex as "normal" and equal to heterosexual sex. This is an absurd reason and nothing the government should be involved in.
Actually, it is about accepting gay love and commitment as indistinguishable in moral worth and social status as straight love. That's all. Civil marriage is not about sex as such, as any straight couple will tell you. You can have lots of sex without marriage. And you can have a marriage without much or any sex. But you cannot have a meaningful marriage without love and commitment. Only one tiny sliver of humanity is currently and deliberately prevented from having such love and commitment recognized under the law: homosexuals. That's the only reason anyone is having this discussion.
I should say I don't keep up with Carter as assiduously as I should, but it also strikes me that this new post is an evolution of his position. The last time I checked, Carter favored "an expanded form of the proposed reciprocal-beneficiary contracts [as] the model for civil unions in America." Now he favors the "exact same benefits" as civil marriage for civil unions, and backs extending the right to civil unions to every two-person relationship that does not currently qualify for civil marriage. Read more

-Interview with Mariele Castro on the Future of Sex and Socialism in Cuba
Anastasia Haydulia | Mr Zine Monthly Review
Anastasia Haydulina: One day your uncle Fidel Castro . . . is going to die.
Do you think his death will change the status quo of your Cuba?
Mariela Castro: First of all, the death of Fidel will bring great suffering for the Cuban people, and it will be an enormous loss. But as far as I can see, the Cubans are willing to continue on the path of socialism even when our Comandante is no longer with us, even when my father and other forefathers of the revolution are not. Our people want socialism. Of course, we're very self-critical, so what we need is a better and rich socialreform that will resolve most of the existing contradictions. People themselves are proposing actions necessary for the survival of our socialist society, a society that should always guarantee social justice, equality, and solidarity within the nation, as well as in relations with others. We want welfare, but not as exaggerated as that of consumer societies. I think that socialism in Cuba will survive and become what we have considered to be a utopia. more.......

-Write What's Right: Professors Pen Book on Homosexuality
By Mindi Westhoff | staff | mwesthoff@newsleader.com | News Leader
HARRISONBURG - Reunited after two decades, it was realizing all the things they had in common that made Ted Grimsrud and Mark Thiessan Nation question their differences, especially when dealing with the difficult subject of homosexuality and the church.
They met at seminary more than 30 years ago, but it wasn't until they were both hired at Eastern Mennonite University that Grimsrud and Nation began looking into the controversial topic, of which they hold different views.
Grimsrud and Nation talk as if they're old friends, stealing a sideways glance or laughing sincerely when the other speaks. That congeniality was important for the two men while penning their new book, "Reasoning Together: A Conversation on Homosexuality."
The question of gays, lesbians and the church's acceptance of them is far reaching, the men said, dividing churches and whole denominations.
"It's an issue that many Christians are confronted about today," Nation said. "There's much debate over it."
In "Reasoning Together," Nation and Grimsrud present their differing views, Nation holding the more traditional belief that homosexuality is wrong, according to the Bible. Read more

-The Sexual Threat to Fundamentalism
By Michelle Goldberg | Religion Dispatches
During this holiday season-a time, ideally, of peace, empathy, kindness and transcendence-gays and lesbians have reason to feel themselves under siege by ostensible men of God. First there was the Rick Warren affair, with its concomitant message that, unlike racism or anti-Semitism, gay and lesbian equality is something decent people can disagree on. Then, just days later, in his Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia, the Pope saw fit to compare homosexuality-and, indeed, any deviation from binary gender roles-to the destruction of the rainforests.
The official English translation of the Pope's remarks hasn't yet been published, but an unofficial version disseminated online by English bishop Michael Campbell shows that Pope Benedict did not, on this occasion, draw analogies between the despoiling of nature and torture or war.
Gender-bending alone is singled out as a force rending the harmony of God's creation.
"What is necessary is a kind of ecology of man, understood in the correct sense," said the Pope. "When the Church speaks of the nature of the human being as man and woman and asks that this order of creation be respected, it is not the result of an outdated metaphysic. It is a question here of faith in the Creator and of listening to the language of creation, the devaluation of which leads to the self-destruction of man and therefore to the destruction of the same work of God. That which is often expressed and understood by the term 'gender,' results finally in the self-emancipation of man from creation and from the Creator." Such self-emancipation leads inevitably to a kind of destruction as dangerous as any threat to the natural environment. "The tropical forests are deserving, yes, of our protection, but man merits no less than the creature, in which there is written a message which does not mean a contradiction of our liberty, but its condition," said the Pope. Read more

-Barney's Great Adventure
Jeffrey Toobin | The New Yorker
Of the four hundred and thirty-five members of the House of Representatives, Barney Frank is the only one whose public remarks have been collected in a book of quotations ("Frank Talk: The Wit and Wisdom of Barney Frank," published in 2006). He is also the only congressman whose fight against the impeachment of President Bill Clinton has been the subject of a documentary, which was shown to acclaim at film festivals around the country ("Let's Get Frank," directed by Bart Everly). Frank is not the only member of Congress to have been the subject of a full-scale biography, but the account of his life, written by a former aide named Stuart E. Weisberg, to be published by the University of Massachusetts Press later this year, will likely rank among the more exhaustive and admiring books ever printed about a sitting member of the House, who is described as "arguably the most unique and fascinating, certainly the most entertaining political figure in Washington." Read more


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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - January 07, 2009

**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:

-Op-Ed Columnist: The Mideast's Ground Zero
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
The fighting, death and destruction in Gaza is painful to watch. But it's all too familiar. It's the latest version of the longest-running play in the modern Middle East, which, if I were to give it a title, would be called: "Who owns this hotel? Can the Jews have a room? And shouldn't we blow up the bar and replace it with a mosque?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/opinion/07friedman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Columnist: Sweet on Caroline
By MAUREEN DOWD
WASHINGTON: Ask not, you know, what your country can, like, do for you.
Ask what you, um, can, you know, do for your country. After a lifetime of shying away from the public spotlight, Caroline Kennedy asked herself what she could do for her country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/opinion/07dowd.html?ref=opinion

-Editorial: Reversing Discrimination
President-elect Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress are already signaling a welcome new seriousness in Washington about protecting civil rights after eight years of erosion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/opinion/07wed2.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Contributor: City of Cold Shoulders
By WALTER DELLINGER
Washington: THE scene of Roland W. Burris being escorted from the Senate by the Capitol police on Tuesday could be only the first act of an unpleasant and distracting drama. But in the days since Mr. Burris's appointment to Illinois's junior Senate seat was announced by that state's scandal-tainted governor, Rod Blagojevich, it has become clear that the Senate's power to reject Mr. Burris is, at best, highly debatable. The wisest course for the Senate is to end the dispute by accepting the appointment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/opinion/07dellinger.html?ref=opinion

-CNN Reporter Tops List for Surgeon General
By GARDINER HARRIS
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and CNN's chief medical reporter, is the leading contender to become the next surgeon general, a pick that will give the moribund office a higher profile but one that has received a mixed reaction among public health advocates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/us/politics/07gupta.html

-London Journal
Atheists Decide to Send a Message, on 800 Buses
By SARAH LYALL
LONDON - The advertisement on the bus was fairly mild, just a passage from the Bible and the address of a Christian Web site. But when Ariane Sherine, a comedy writer, looked on the Web site in June, she was startled to learn that she and her nonbelieving friends were headed straight to hell, to "spend all eternity in torment."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/world/europe/07london.html?hp

-Europe Bucks World Stock Rally
LONDON (Reuters) - World stocks worked on their 10th consecutive session of gains on Wednesday, but European shares were breaking their winning streak and the dollar's recent drive upwards faltered.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/01/07/business/business-us-markets-global.html


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-What About Minnesota?
The Post asked election law experts and political scientists for lessons from the Senate contest between Norm Coleman and Al Franken. Below are thoughts from Jan Witold Baran, Robert Lenhard, Edward B. Foley, Richard L. Hasen, Eric Black, Steve Schier, Norman J. Ornstein.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010602827.html

-Who Will Run the RNC?
By Kathleen Parker
When it comes to the six Republicans competing for lead dog of the GOP leadership, all are on point: They love Ronald Reagan, are pro-life, advocate small government, and promise more diversity and fewer taxes. They are also, with one exception, locked and loaded -- armed in Second Amendment solidarity. During a 90-minute debate Monday at the National Press Club, only Michael Steele confessed to owning no guns.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010603637.html

-A Page From the Hoover Playbook
By Harold Meyerson
As the nation navigates through the most perilous straits it has seen since the 1930s, policymakers are looking back to the '30s to see which of the paths that Depression-era America embarked upon actually led toward recovery. Well, some of our policymakers. Others, it seems, have seized upon the very policies that deepened the Depression and are repackaging them as solutions for our time.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010602824.html

-A Surprise for Langley
By David Ignatius
On its face, it's a puzzling choice: Barack Obama selects as his spy chief a former congressman with no firsthand experience as an intelligence professional. Is Obama dissing the CIA? Is he further politicizing this badly bruised agency? What signal is he sending by picking Leon Panetta as CIA director?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010602826.html

-In Cuba, Pinning Hopes on Obama
Many Islanders Expect Better Relationship With U.S. Under New President
By William Booth
HAVANA -- Vicente González says that although Barack Obama is no Karl Marx -- "he is a capitalist and likely an imperialist" -- he has high hopes that the new president could begin to warm the relationship between Cuba and the United States, which remains frozen in a Cold War time warp. "It is time," the Havana barber said, perhaps unwittingly repeating the Obama slogan, "for a change."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010603331.html?hpid=artslot

-Senators Turn Burris Away at Capitol
But Democrats Are Now Considering Allowing Blagojevich Appointee to Serve
By Perry Bacon Jr.
Blocked from claiming a Senate seat, a man who once said his success in politics was the result of "divine intervention" stood outside the Capitol yesterday and declared: "Members of the media, my name is Roland Burris, the junior senator from the state of Illinois."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010603370.html?hpid=topnews


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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us

-Obama Pushes States to Cover More Unemployed
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
President-elect Barack Obama plans to offer states $7 billion as incentive to permanently change their unemployment-insurance laws to cover part-time workers and prevent other laid-off workers from falling through cracks in the coverage. The proposal, which is set to be included in the president-elect's two-year economic-stimulus plan, will seek to use short-term aid to cash-strapped states to force long-term changes that the Obama team believes are overdue, Obama aides said Tuesday.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123125893419357707.html

-National Security Adviser Says Pakistan Is Top U.S. Challenge
By JOHN D. MCKINNON
The biggest foreign-policy challenge awaiting President-elect Barack Obama isn't Iraq or Afghanistan but Pakistan, President George W. Bush's national-security adviser said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123128052408558763.html


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

-POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: Where Clint Eastwood draws the line
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
Clint Eastwood has had it up to here with sensitivity. ''A lot of people are bored of all the political correctness,'' he recently told The New York Times. ''. . . The country has come a long way in race relations, but the pendulum swings so far back. Everyone wants to be so'' -- and here, he gave a make-my-day grimace -- ``sensitive.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/840752.html


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Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Then and Now: 2000 vs. 2008
States of the Union Before and After Bush
What a difference eight years can make -- or not. As shown in a series of tables, some things have changed a great deal since George W. Bush was elected president in 2000, but other things, most notably certain American beliefs and attitudes, have remained remarkably constant. Read more

-iGov
From BarackObama.com to Change.gov
A new survey finds that voters expect the level of public engagement they experienced with President-elect Obama during the campaign, much of it occurring online, will continue into the early period of his new administration. Read more

-Evolving Conflicts
After Bush, Islam's Real Challenge
Scholar Va Nasr argues that the 2003 invasion of Iraq has fundamentally shifted the region's balance of power and that the most important conflicts of the Middle East now revolve around the Shia/Sunni sectarian divide. Read more

-Daily Number
74% - Uniters, Not Dividers
Only one week removed from a very negative campaign, roughly three-quarters of all voters (74%) -- including a solid majority of Republicans (56%) -- wanted GOP leaders to work with Obama even if means disappointing some supporters. Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more


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

-Eric Holder and All Political Prisoners
By Debra Saunders
Conventional wisdom last week decreed that President-elect Barack Obama had done such a fine job culling his Cabinet that only one pick -- Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder -- would present a problem, but most likely, a surmountable hurdle.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/01/eric_holder_and_all_political_1.html

-Judge: Government hiding evidence in Gitmo case
By LARA JAKES
A federal judge on Tuesday accused the Bush administration of hiding evidence in the case of a Yemen man who has been held as a terror suspect at Guantanamo Bay for six years.
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/politics-6/1231271351201800.xml&storylist=topstories#continue

-A Win-Win Decision for Black Students
Now that the First Kids have started classes at Sidwell Friends in Washington, they are likely to face this decision in the years to come: Whether to join the school's Black Student Union. Or not. Will their choice matter either way? Sure, it will, unfair as that might be.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010602844.html

-Ex-astronaut may be Obama's pick to lead NASA
He would be the first black to be named administrator
By MARK CARREAU
A former astronaut who has made four trips into space is reportedly a leading candidate for the top job at NASA.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6197621.html


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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - January 07, 2009

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

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

-Gays to protest Defense of Marriage Act in Miami Beach on Saturday
Miami Beach joins growing LGBTQ nationwide movement and lights up the "Old" City Hall Building in BLUE to encourage Obama to repeal DOMA
When: Saturday January 10th, 5:00-7:00 PM EST. Where: Start at Lummus Park on 12th and Ocean in Miami Beach, and rally afterwards at Old City Hall on Washington and 12th. Who: Join the Impact Miami Dade with 300 lgbtq individuals and straight allies.
http://pd.miami.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=gay&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

-Comedian Alex Mapa set for Broward House AIDS benefit on Feb. 13
Comedian Alex Mapa will perform Friday, Feb. 13, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts. His performance is a benefit for Broward House, the county's oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/

-Group: Lobby Congress to pass ENDA
From Michael Rajner of Broward:
In just a few hours, Members of Congress will raise their right hand and swear to uphold the Constitution as they begin the new legislative session.
Let's make sure the first thing they hear about is the importance of an Employment Non-Discrimination Act that protects all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Out & Equal, along with the United ENDA coalition, is bringing forth this call to action. In DC, make their phone ring! Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and have them connect you to your Representative (based on your zip code). Tell them: "I am a constituent and I would like you to please tell Representative _______ that I strongly support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that would ban discrimination against all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people." Then, call back and leave messages with your two Senators too!
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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Stonewall Library & Archives
http://www.stonewall-library.org/

LITERARY ICON EDMUND WHITE TO APPEAR ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 17
On Saturday, January 17, 2008, at 2:00 pm, at the ArtServe auditorium, 1350 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Stonewall will host a lecture by literary icon Edmund White. Novelist, playwright, courageous memoirist, short story writer and definitive biographer of writers Rimbaud, Genet and Proust, White is one of the preeminent writers of post-Stonewall gay literature. White's best-known work is A Boy's Own Story, the first volume of an autobiographical-fiction series that continued with The Beautiful Room Is Empty and The Farewell Symphony, describing stages in the life of a gay man from boyhood to middle age. Several characters in these latter two novels are recognizably based on well-known individuals from White's New York-centered literary and artistic milieu, many of whom were fellow members of the VioletQuill, a gay writer's group that met briefly from 1980-1981 and included, among others, Andrew Holleran, Felice Picano, and Robert Ferro.
Stonewall is located at 1300 East Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Our mission is to collect, preserve, organize for use and display materials related to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender culture and history; support related research and sponsor cultural and educational programs.
Saturday, January 17 at 2:00 PM
ArtServe Auditorium
1350 East Sunrise Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free and open to the public
http://www.stonewall-library.org/


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Local Groups Across Florida Come Together to Form
Organizations United Together, Inc. (OUT), a Statewide Federation of LGBT and Allied Organizations
New federation of local organizations aims to improve communication and cooperation among existing local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and allied organizations across the state, and to assist community activists seeking to form new local organizations where none presently exist.
(Tampa, Florida) Leaders of several local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied organizations announced the creation of a statewide federation of organizations: Organizations United Together, Inc. ("OUT").
OUT Spokesperson Karen Doering explained that, "OUT's mission is to connect and empower local organizations to share resources, skills and information, forging statewide strength in order to achieve equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Floridians." Several local organizations with successful track records have already joined the new federation, including Sarasota Equality Project, SAVE Dade and the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. The leaders of Florida's local LGBT organizations will be invited to attend OUT's next meeting in Orlando on January 24, 2009. "Local organizations that join the federation will retain their own autonomy and self-governance, and will have the opportunity to cooperate on statewide projects which interest them," said C.J. Ortuno, Executive Director of SAVE Dade. "For several years, local LGBT organizations have been working together informally on common issues such as human rights ordinances and domestic partner benefits." OUT will provide a network to continue this work and to unite on important statewide projects, such as passing a statewide anti-discrimination law, repealing the ban on gay adoption, and defeating the discriminatory charter amendment to be considered by Gainesville's voters on March 24th," Ortuna added. "OUT will work hand-in-hand with national and state organizations such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, HRC, Equality Florida and others," said Michael Shelton, President of Sarasota Equality Project. Cathy James, board member of Securing Our Children's Rights (SOCR), a Tampa-based organization dedicated to repealing Florida's ban on gay adoption, added, "There has never been a more critical time for local groups to work together." "As Tip O'Neil used to say, 'All politics is local,'" said Rand Hoch, President of Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. "After the passage of Amendment 2, the leaders of several local LGBT organizations around the state acknowledged the need for better communication and cooperation. Fostering strong local organizations will ultimately help us achieve success on statewide issues." Leaders of LGBT organizations is interested in attending the meeting on January 24 should contact Karen Doering at (727) 642-6580 or kdoering@rapidsys.com.
http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001Q2Adiqq9HW_atYxvkN9391iBVpmIJTFGyq9N9qTwDzSxs1o7pqHTdwvHtQvDsKqgz-ilvSzbCbLJ6Rch36Ikiul32_n7NeWgJZYBk0RwhQp59d0EN2dLYg%3D%3D


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Steve Glassman for Ft. Lauderdale City Commission Campaign
Steve's Day of Filing on January 2nd!
Steve Glassman was the first to qualify, the first to file for Fort Lauderdale District 2 Commissioner, and through his actions, put the needs of the district first. From combating crime to fighting for economic developement, Steve has proven that he can bring the entire district together. Steve's abiding promise is that he will never give up on his vision to improve our lives in every possible way. When it comes to our neighborhoods, our businesses, and our beautiful beach, everyone will have a voice. Please help Steve reach his goal so that when he is elected on February 10th, everyone will have a seat at the table.
http://voteglassman.com/index.html


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~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Jeb Bush Says He Won't Run For Open Senate Seat in 2010
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush announced Tuesday that he would not run for the Senate in 2010, an early setback for Republican recruiters seeking to mount a comeback in the chamber.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010602869.html?hpid=moreheadlines


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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Florida governor seeks opinion on whether judge can serve
By Dianna Cahn
If Gov. Charlie Crist had sent William Abramson his commission, the attorney would have become a Palm Beach County circuit judge Tuesday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpletter0107pnjan07,0,4409623.story

-Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti pledges people before politics as he takes the oath of office
Al Lamberti takes oath, vows to be professional, nonpartisan
By John Holland and Sallie James
He became the new sheriff only because the old sheriff was a crook. He kept the job by convincing thousands of Democratic voters that party politics have nothing to do with protecting the public.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flblamberti0107sbjan07,0,4723497.story

-Coral Springs' J.P. Taravella High School band trip to inaugural parade gains financial support
By Kathy Bushouse
South Florida is rallying to send the J.P. Taravella High School marching band to Washington, D.C., to play in president-elect Barack Obama's inauguration parade.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/schools/sfl-flbtaravella0107sbjan07,0,7057536.story


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

-Without Jeb Bush, Senate race in Florida is wide open
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he won't run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/840747.html

-Schools, social services feel impact of cuts
As budget cuts move forward in the Legislature, the pinch is being felt in classrooms, nursing homes and even identity-theft investigations.
http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/840728.html


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

-Judge Wennet's replacement, Abramson, to start today despite questions
By JANE MUSGRAVE
Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday will ask the Florida Supreme Court whether suspended attorney William Abramson can become Palm Beach County's newest circuit court judge. The move will set up a legal showdown between the governor and the 41-year-old who was to take office Tuesday.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/2009/01/05/0105abramson.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=76


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#####

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - January 06, 2009

**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: The Best Interests of the Child
W.H., an infant, was reportedly removed from her parents by Arkansas's Department of Human Services after she was taken to a hospital with injuries that strongly suggested abuse. Fortunately for W.H., her grandmother, a registered nurse, was eager to take her in. But there was a hitch. Her grandmother lives with another woman, and a ballot initiative recently passed in Arkansas makes it illegal for gay and unmarried heterosexual couples to adopt or become foster parents. Arkansas courts should strike down this offensive new law.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/opinion/06tue2.html?ref=opinion

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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Calif. court sides with Episcopals over property
By PAUL ELIAS
The state's high court ruled Monday that three Southern California parishes that left the U.S. Episcopal Church over its ordination of gay ministers cannot retain ownership of their church buildings and property. In an unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled that the property belongs to the Episcopal Church because the parishes agreed to abide by the mother church's rules, which include specific language about property ownership.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010501380.html


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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Proposition 8 backers say Calif. Attorney General invites 'constitutional revolution'
By LISA LEFF
Sponsors of California's voter-approved gay marriage ban accused Attorney General Jerry Brown on Monday of advancing a far-fetched legal theory to justify overturning it. In papers submitted to the state Supreme Court, lawyers for the Protect Marriage coalition argued that Brown had "invented an entirely new theory" by asking the justices to trump the electorate, which approved Proposition 8 to amend the state Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-gay-marriage-lawsuits,0,3122044.story

-AP source says former eBay chief Whitman plans to run for governor of California - Backed Prop 8
By JUDY LIN
Former eBay Inc. chief executive Meg Whitman plans to run for governor of California, a person with knowledge of her political aspirations said Monday. The 52-year-old Republican plans to run in 2010 for the seat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is leaving but is not ready to make a formal announcement, said the person, who was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke Monday on condition of anonymity.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-california-governors-race,0,3745148.story


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

-Group: Lobby Congress to pass ENDA
From Michael Rajner of Broward:
In just a few hours, Members of Congress will raise their right hand and swear to uphold the Constitution as they begin the new legislative session.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Obama selects gay man for White House role
Brad Kiley to oversee salaries, budgeting
By CHRIS JOHNSON
President-elect Barack Obama announced today that an openly gay man will serve as director of the White House Office of Management & Administration.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23307

-Warren's inauguration prayer could draw more ire
Evangelicals expect clergymen to use Jesus' name
President-elect Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation drew one kind of protest. Whether the evangelical pastor offers the prayer in the name of Jesus may draw another. At George W. Bush's 2001 swearing-in, the Revs. Franklin Graham and Kirbyjon Caldwell were criticized for invoking Christ. The distinctly Christian reference at a national civic event offended some, and even prompted a lawsuit.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23254


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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-New LGBT equality laws go into effect in Calif.
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Three new laws broadening protections for California's LGBT community have gone into effect. The laws protect seniors in assisted living and young people in schools and foster care.
http://www.365gay.com/news/new-lgbt-equality-laws-go-into-effect-in-calif/

-New federal law protects retirement savings of gay couples
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
A new law signed by President Bush will protect domestic partners who inherit retirement savings.
http://www.365gay.com/news/new-federal-law-protects-retirement-savings-of-gay-couples/

-Louisiana to appeal gay parent ruling
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
The state of Louisiana is preparing to appeal a federal court ruling that both names of a gay couple must appear on the birth certificate of their adopted son.
http://www.365gay.com/news/louisiana-to-appeal-gay-parent-ruling/

-Uproar after Italian TV edits 'Brokeback Mountain'
By The Associated Press
(Rome) Gay rights groups charged Wednesday that Italy's state television censored Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" when it aired the Oscar-winning movie by cutting scenes of gay sex.
http://www.365gay.com/news/uproar-after-italian-tv-edits-brokeback-mountain/

-Gay foes rally in Madrid
By The Associated Press
(Madrid) Tens of thousands of people attended a Mass in central Madrid just before Christmas designed to promote traditional family values in a predominantly Roman Catholic country that has legalized gay marriage and made it easier for people to divorce.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-foes-rally-in-madrid/


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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Al Franken Likely Minn. Senate Winner, but GOP Standing by to Fight
Despite calls for Minnesota Democrat Al Franken to be seated in the U.S. Senate as soon as possible after it convenes Tuesday, the GOP has said it will block any attempt to seat Franken before an expected court case is finished and an official election certificate is issued.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid70081.asp

-Gay HIV-Positive Man Named to South Africa's High Court
South Africa has appointed a gay HIV-positive man to the country's highest court, reports South African newspaper The Star. President Kgalema Motlanthe named vocal AIDS activist Edwin Cameron to the post on New Year's Eve.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid70079.asp

-British Soccer Stars to Blast Homophobia
Hoping to battle antigay sentiment in the world's most popular sport, the governing body of British soccer has agreed to fund a video featuring high-profile players blasting homophobia. "After years of lobbying, the Football Association has agreed to approach top footballers to make an MTV-style video against homophobia," said Peter Tatchell of the gay rights group OutRage! Tatchell and his group have been pushing the association to take measures against homophobia among European soccer fans.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid70114.asp


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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-111th United States Congress convenes with new gay member
By Tony Grew
The first openly gay man to be elected to the United States House of Representatives as a non-incumbent will be sworn in today in Washington DC.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10257.html

-British tourists arrested in Bahamas after in-flight homophobic abuse
A flight from Manchester to the Dominican Republic had to make an emergency landing in Bermuda when three passengers traded homophobic abuse with cabin crew. All three were arrested in Bermuda and 35-year-old Grant Smith from Burnley has been charged by British police.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10278.html

-Judge warns Australian teen of danger from "ugly, hairy men" in prison
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A magistrate in Australia has tried to warn a teenager off a life of crime by giving him a stark warning about life in prison. Brian Moloney made his unusual comments from the bench in Sydney, when dealing with a 19-year-old facing his third conviction for driving offences.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10272.html


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Detroit News
http://detnews.com/
Go to this link for the following article:

-New Congress is friendly to gays
Deb Price
If you want a feel for what to expect on gay rights legislation from the freshman class of the 111th Congress, take a peek at the Web site of one of its most encouraging Senate members: Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. Shaheen points out she is "proud" to have signed 1997 legislation banning job and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation in New Hampshire as well as the 1999 repeal of a ban on gay adoptive or foster parents. She also notes she supported passage of her state's 2007 civil unions law, which gives gay couples many of the same rights as married heterosexuals.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090105/OPINION03/901050375


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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - January 06, 2009

**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:

-Panetta Is Chosen as C.I.A. Chief, in a Surprise Step
By MARK MAZZETTI and CARL HULSE
Leon E. Panetta, a former congressman and White House chief of staff, has been selected by President-elect Barack Obama to head the Central Intelligence Agency. The choice, disclosed Monday by Democratic officials, immediately revealed divisions in the party as two senior lawmakers questioned why Mr. Obama would nominate a candidate with limited experience in intelligence matters.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/us/politics/06cia.html?_r=1&hp

-Ex-Detainee of U.S. Describes a 6-Year Ordeal
By JANE PERLEZ, RAYMOND BONNER and SALMAN MASOOD
LAHORE, Pakistan - When Muhammad Saad Iqbal arrived home here in August after more than six years in American custody, including five at the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, he had difficulty walking, his left ear was severely infected, and he was dependent on a cocktail of antibiotics and antidepressants.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/world/asia/06iqbal.html?hp

-Gazprom Dispute With Ukraine Entangles Europe
By DAVID JOLLY and JULIA WERDIGIER
PARIS - Russia's gas price dispute with Ukraine escalated Tuesday, disrupting deliveries to the European Union in the midst of a bitter cold spell, with a number of countries reporting that gas supplies had been suspended or reduced, and Germany predicting a possible shortage. Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, the Czech Republic, Austria and other countries including Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey reported that gas supplies had been suspended or reduced after Gazprom, the Russian gas monopoly, reduced gas shipments through Ukraine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/world/europe/07gazprom.html?hp

-Bid to Revoke Madoff's Bail Cites His Gifts
By ALEX BERENSON
Contending that Bernard L. Madoff sent at least a million dollars worth of jewelry as gifts to family members and friends last month, federal prosecutors asked a judge on Monday to revoke his bail and send him to jail.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/business/06madoff.html?hp

-Toyota to Shut Factories for 11 Days
By MARTIN FACKLER
TOKYO - Toyota Motor will idle its plants in Japan for 11 days in February and March to reduce output in the face of steeply declining global vehicle sales, the company said Tuesday. The Japanese auto giant said the suspension will affect production at all 12 of its directly operated domestic plants, which include 4 vehicle assembly plants and also factories that make transmissions, engines and other parts. The stoppages are in addition to a three-day shutdown this month at these plants that Toyota had already announced.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/business/worldbusiness/07toyota.html?hp

-For Vatican, Spain Is a Key Front in Church-State Battle
By RACHEL DONADIO
VALLADOLID, Spain - The Macías Picavea primary school hardly looks like the seat of revolution. But this unassuming brick building in a sleepy industrial town has become a battleground in an intensifying war between church and state in Spain.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/world/europe/06church.html

-Obama Names 4 for Justice Jobs in Break From Bush Path
By ERIC LICHTBLAU
President-elect Barack Obama reached back to the Clinton administration again Monday to fill four top Justice Department posts with lawyers whose records signal a sharp break from the legal policies of the last eight years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/us/politics/06justice.html


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-A Monumental Decision
George W. Bush becomes the conservation president, at least at sea. YES, YOU READ that right. A man whose administration doesn't exactly have a green seal of approval from environmentalists will grant monument status today to three vast and breathtaking areas teeming with marine life in the South Pacific. Combined with other designations over the past eight years, including the creation of a 138,000-square-mile marine national monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands two years ago, Mr. Bush has now protected more ocean habitat (333,000 square miles) than any of his predecessors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010502406.html

-Alaska trooper says politics slowed drug arrest
The Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A drug investigator says authorities delayed the arrest of a woman tied to Gov. Sarah Palin's family until after the November election, in which Palin was the Republican vice presidential candidate, a newspaper reported. Sherry Johnston, whose son Levi Johnston is engaged to Palin's daughter, Bristol, was arrested Dec. 18 on six felony drug counts. She is accused of selling Oxycontin, a strong prescription painkiller, and pleaded not guilty Monday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010501632.html?hpid=sec-nation

-Obama Pitches Stimulus Plan
GOP Asked to Help Design Bill; $300 Billion in Tax Cuts Sought
By Paul Kane, Lori Montgomery and Shailagh Murray
President-elect Barack Obama arrived on Capitol Hill yesterday and immediately set to work reassuring skeptical Republicans about his massive economic stimulus package -- part of a campaign that earned him praise for seeking their input but questions from those averse to hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010502752.html?hpid=topnews


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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us

-Tuition Ammunition: a Happy Lesson on Lending
The U.S. Government's Effort to Save Student Loans Has Been One Bright Spot in a Season of Crises and Bailouts
By ROBERT TOMSHO
Despite a massive federal effort to aid banks and boost the economy, lending has plunged in the last year. Home-mortgage volume and bank loans to big companies are down dramatically.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123119963504555547.html

-India Gives Terror Evidence to Pakistan
By PETER WONACOTT and ZAHID HUSSAIN
India said it handed Pakistan for the first time a detailed body of evidence tying Pakistan-based terrorists to November's attacks in Mumbai, in a bid to increase pressure on Islamabad to clamp down harder on militants targeting India.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123114423294853469.html

-What Congress Knew About 'Torture'
Barack Obama's choice of former Congressman Leon Panetta to lead the CIA at least puts a grownup, if also an intelligence rookie, in that crucial job.
It also means that Mr. Panetta and Director of National Intelligence-designate Dennis Blair will soon have to decide if they want to join the left-wing crusade to purge their agencies of anyone who had anything to do with "torture."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123120464870255997.html

-How the U.N. Perpetuates the 'Refugee' Problem
By NATAN SHARANSKY
Nowhere on earth do terrorists get so much help from the Free World.
Israel's assault on Hamas is just the latest in a long chain of military clashes, the scripts of which are always the same. On one side, there is the Israeli army. Technologically and militarily superior, its soldiers are motivated by a powerful commitment to their country's security. On the other, there are Palestinian terrorists whose aim is to kill as many innocent Israelis as possible by unleashing missiles and suicide bombers on civilian centers. Then, when Israel retaliates, they appeal to the world with gruesome images of Palestinian suffering as part of a global campaign to prevent Israel from defending itself.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123120586642556073.html


=

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - January 06, 2009

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

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

-Gay activist Niedwiecki qualifies for Oakland Park Commission race
Anthony Niedwiecki, a Nova Southeastern University law professor and gay rights activist, is officially running for the Oakland Park City Commission.
I wrote a profile of Niedwiecki and his partner, Waymon Hudson, in 2007.
Here's Niedwiecki's news release: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Cigarette tax hike just what Florida needs to fix ailing economy, public health
By Rep. James W. "Jim" Waldman
A recent letter to the editor regarding the proposed increase to the cigarette tax significantly mischaracterized the effect of my proposal (HB-11) to increase the state cigarette tax by $1 per pack, that being to save lives, reduce teenage smoking and reduce the state's long-term cost of providing medical care for smokers. The writer also postulated that many Floridians would choose to "smuggle" trailer loads of cigarettes in from bordering states with lower per-pack taxes or exclusively purchase at Indian reservation stores. Nonsense! No such evidence or studies have been presented to the Legislature. To say nothing of the fact that anyone living south of Tallahassee would first pay a fortune in gas to even get near the first Georgia or Alabama store.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-waldman06forumpnjan06,0,4252222.story


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#####

Monday, January 05, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - January 05, 2009

**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.


=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-Belarus: Openly Gay Activist and Website Editor Called-Up for Military Service in Homophobic Army
Belarus LGBT activists to organize protest actions
The editor-in-chief of the largest and most popular LGBT website in Belarus, Gay.by, has been "called-up" for military service. And in an email to GayRussia.ru, members of the Belarusian Initiative for Sexual and Gender Equality, have expressed their anxiety. Alexander Paluyan, who is 23, has previously been exempt from conscription because for medical reasons. He has received an official paper to go to the military department in Mozyr (320 km from Minsk, not far from Ukraine border) on January 9 when the authorities will confirm his medical exemption or set a date for the start of his conscription.

-2008: Heroes, Homophobes and Top Gay Happenings in Russia - and World-Wide
For the fourth consecutive year, GayRussia publishes the Top LGBT events that took place during the previous year in Russia and around the world. In addition, it also names its Man of the Year, the Homophobes of the Year and the Statement of the Year. Top 3 LGBT event of 2008 in the world: Fight for same sex marriage in California, Statement in the United Nations, Gay Olympic Champion in Beijing ¦ Same sex marriage in California was legalised in May 2008 by the State Supreme Court but later banned in November after an amendment to the State Constitution was approved in the election by just over 51 per cent of the electorate. It became the most expensive social issue ever put in a referendum in the USA. ¦ Sixty-six countries signed the Statement on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity introduced to the United Nations by France and presented by Argentina. The statement, which calls for a universal decriminalisation of homosexual relations, was initiated by the IDAHO Committee and its president Louis-Georges Tin. According to Mr Tin, the statement can become the basis for a future resolution on this question at the UN. ¦ Australian diver Matthew Mitcham became the first-ever only open gay man to win an Olympic title during the Beijing Olympics. According to experts around 1,000 athletes did not come out during the games. Top 3 LGBT event of 2008 in Russia: End of the ban on blood donation by gays, Third Moscow Gay Pride, LGBT Film Festival in Saint Petersburg¦ The end of the ban on blood donation by homosexuals was the first positive normative action by the Russian Authorities since the decriminalization of homosexual relation in 1993.
Contact Ray's List for the entire list.


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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

-Transgender Jews Now Out of Closet, Seeking Communal Recognition
Los Angeles - When Elliot Kukla, a Reform rabbi, came out as transgender six months before his ordination in 2006, he never imagined how openly the Jewish community would be addressing transgender issues just three years later. This month, he is poised to address a West Coast regional conference of Reform rabbis on the subject, and even the elderly Jews that he works with in the Bay Area are largely accepting of his identity. "I'm so amazed at the old ladies who will turn to their friends and say, 'Did you meet the nice, young transgender rabbi?'" Kukla said. "Some of that is San Francisco, but that conversation would never have happened a few years ago."
http://www.forward.com/articles/14854/


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Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/

-Historians Reject Proposed Boycott
Scholarly meetings over the next few years can be expected to feature numerous panels on gay rights, gay marriage and family law, and not just because these are hot issues in American society. The American Historical Association on Sunday became the latest scholarly group to reject a push by members to boycott a hotel or city tied to the movement against gay rights - but members rejected the idea only when an alternative idea was presented involving numerous sessions at the 2010 meeting. The historians' vote was similar to moves by the National Communication Association and the American Political Science Association, which stuck with planned locations but pledged to add programming to assert their opposition to anti-gay measures.
The Association of American Law Schools, while not calling off a contract with a hotel at the center of the controversy, is scheduling official events for its meeting this week at an adjoining hotel.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/01/05/boycott


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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Utah: A chill in Park City
By Jay Jones
The Utah town aims to ride out the faltering economy and a threatened boycott. Meanwhile, resorts are offering amazing deals, even during the Sundance Film Festival.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/travel/destinations/usa/la-tr-parkcity4-2008jan04,0,5132737.story


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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - January 05, 2009

**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:

-Fighting Off Depression
PAUL KRUGMAN
Let's not mince words: This looks an awful lot like the beginning of a second Great Depression. Will we "act swiftly and boldly" enough to stop that from happening? "If we don't act swiftly and boldly," declared President-elect Barack Obama in his latest weekly address, "we could see a much deeper economic downturn that could lead to double-digit unemployment." If you ask me, he was understating the case.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/opinion/05krugman.html?ref=opinion

-Why Israel Fights
WILLIAM KRISTOL
An Israeli success in Gaza would be a victory in the war on terror - and in the broader struggle for the future of the Middle East.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/opinion/05kristol.html?ref=opinion

-Editorial: A Pitch for Mass Transit
Unlike President Bush, Barack Obama is going to enter office with a clear appreciation of the urgent problems of climate change and America's growing dependency on foreign oil - and a strong commitment to address both.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/opinion/05mon2.html?ref=opinion

-Richardson Won't Pursue Cabinet Post
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for commerce secretary, withdrew from consideration for that job on Sunday, saying a pending investigation into whether his administration gave lucrative contracts to a political donor would have "forced an untenable delay" in his confirmation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/us/politics/05richardson.html?hp

-Kidnappings in Mexico Send Shivers Across Border
By SAM DILLON
FELIPE ANGELES, Mexico - Four hooded men smashed in the door to the adobe home of an 80-year-old farmer here in November, handcuffing his frail wrists and driving him to a makeshift jail. They released him after relatives and friends paid a $9,000 ransom, which included his life savings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/world/americas/05mexico.html?hp

-Pakistan Is Given Evidence on Attacks
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW DELHI (AP) -- India gave Pakistan the most detailed evidence yet that it says ties the militants who attacked Mumbai to ''elements'' in Pakistan -- responding Monday to weeks of demands from Islamabad for proof that the siege was launched from across the border.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/01/05/world/AP-AS-Pakistan-India.html?hp

-For Privacy's Sake, Taking Risks to End Pregnancy
By JENNIFER 8. LEE and CARA BUCKLEY
Amalia Dominguez was 18 and desperate and knew exactly what to ask for at the small, family-run pharmacy in the heart of Washington Heights, the thriving Dominican enclave in northern Manhattan. "I need to bring down my period," she recalled saying in Spanish, using a euphemism that the pharmacist understood instantly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/nyregion/05abortion.html?hp

-Justices' Ruling in Discrimination Case May Draw Quick Action by Obama
By ROBERT PEAR
President-elect Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress are planning swift action to overturn a Supreme Court decision that made it much harder for people to challenge discrimination in employment, education, housing and other fields.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/us/politics/05rights.html

-Hezbollah Answers Israel Only With Speeches
By ROBERT F. WORTH
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Over the past week, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has been delivering furious speeches here almost every day against the Israeli assault on Gaza, and blaming Egypt and other Arab countries for their passivity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/world/middleeast/05hezbollah.html


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Kaine Poised To Chair The DNC
By Michael D. Shear
Va. Governor to Hold Position Part Time In Last Year in Office
Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will become chairman of the Democratic National Committee later this month, serving as the top political messenger for Barack Obama's administration even while finishing his final year in the governor's mansion, several sources said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401139.html?hpid=topnews

-MAKING THE DISTRICT HIS HOME
Obama Arrives in Style: Crowds Greet President-Elect at Hotel; Daughters Begin School
With a brief glance out his car window -- barely visible through cordons of Secret Service officers, black SUVs and security barricades -- the soon-to-be leader of the free world bid a brief hello last night to the town he will now call home and to his new neighbors: scores of spectators camped outside his temporary quarters at the Hay-Adams Hotel.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401151.html?hpid=topnews

-Obama Photos
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/01/04/GA2009010401320.html?hpid=artslot

-Egyptian women break new ground at the mosque
By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI
CAIRO, Egypt -- Amira Khairy is mobbed by housewives kissing her cheeks in greeting as she arrives to give a lesson on reciting the Quran to women at the Al-Sedeeq mosque in a Cairo suburb. Students set up chairs for the class, and soon the hum of chanting female voices fills one of the building's larger chambers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010400667.html?hpid=sec-religion


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

-Bush's Last War Crime?
posted by Robert Dreyfuss
The Israeli invasion of Gaza, launched Saturday, might very well be George W. Bush's last and final war crime. For eight years, Bush has coupled unparalled ignorance of the Middle East with supreme arrogance. It is precisely that deadly combination of ignorance and arrogance that is on display now, as a politically motivated Israeli invasion of Gaza unfolds with the full support of the Bush administration.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/dreyfuss/393521/bush_s_last_war_crime?rel=hp_picks

-Obama and the Inevitable Fight Over Holder
by Steve Kornacki
For an opposition party looking for respect from a new president, the best advice is the same advice that might be given to a freshly arrived prison inmate: Find someone - anyone - and throw a punch. Right away.
http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/obama-and-inevitable-fight-over-holder

-Bush 41 hopes to see son Jeb in White House
Associated Press
Another President Bush? Perhaps so, says former President George H.W. Bush, who has already seen one son, George W., serve in the Oval Office. The nation's 41st president said Sunday that he would like to see a second son, Jeb, be president one day.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/6194157.html


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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - January 05, 2009

**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:

-Anti-gay activist plans protest during play in Oakland Park
Scott Wyman
Anti-gay activist Fred Phelps and his Topeka, Kan., church are planning to protest a play later this month at an Oakland Park theater. Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church gained notoriety for picketing the funeral of slain gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard and carrying signs that proclaim God hates gays and hates America because of its acceptance of homosexuality. They've picketed funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for the same reason.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/oakland_park/sfl-flbplay0104sbjan04,0,1557116.story


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

-Appoint gay man as commerce secretary, grassroots group lobbies
Equal Rep is a grassroots group dedicated "to have government be representative of the people they serve. This includes shattering 'glass ceilings' in the United States Senate and White House where GLBT people have never been elected to." From Equal Rep's website: Appoint Fred Hochberg Commerce Secretary
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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

-Wilton Manors ex-mayor jokes about $30,000 fine
Former Wilton Manors Mayor Jim Stork, recently fined $30,000 after the Federal Election Commission concluded that his 2004 ads about his bakeries were essentially campaign ads paid for with corporate dollars, responded to the citation with a dash of humor. ''I guess it is a compliment that the federal government believes that the quality of my Stork's food can somehow influence voter decisions,'' Stork e-mailed The Miami Herald. Stork, a Democrat, had mysteriously dropped out of his Congressional race against Republican Clay Shaw in 2004, claiming an unspecific heart ailment. He now says it was bacterial endocarditis and that he ''poorly handled communication.'' Shaw easily won the race against a late fill-in candidate. Will Stork run for office again? ''No chance,'' he wrote. And for those 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 Stork's.'' The Wilton Manors location, which Stork sold to his baker, remains open.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/837799.html


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Wilton Manors: ArtWalk
Friday, Jan. 16th @ 7 - 10PM

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Ft. Lauderdale - ArtExplosion
www.ArtExplosionOnline.org

-Visual Art Exhibit Applications Now available.
The ArtExplosion Visual Art Exhibit will take place February 2-28, 2009 at ArtServe. Our guest Juror this year is Elayna Toby Singer, Director of Palm Beach County's Art in Public Places, and $1000 worth of prizes will be awarded. Entry is $20 for ArtsUnited members, and $45 for non-members, for up to 3 pieces of art; all entrants will receive 2 complimentary tickets to the Opening Night Reception, a $20 value. Applications and art drop-off are Jan. 31 from 9am to 1pm at ArtServe. Applications for the exhibit, or the Erotic Exhibit on February 7, are available online at www.artexplosiononline.org

-Include your exhibit or performance in the Festival
If you have an art exhibit opening, artist reception, or performance opening that occurs during the festival betwen February 7 and 21st, we will include it in the Calendar of Events and help promote it on the website and in the Program Guide. The 12,000 program guides will hit the streets throughout South Florida on Jan. 23rd so we need your event information by January 15th to be included. Email Keith the Event title, date(s), time, location, a brief description and photo in jpeg format to keithclark@aol.com or call him at 954 568-1154. We must receive the information by Jan. 15th!

-Donate your Frequent Flyer Miles to ArtsUnited
ArtExplosion needs your Miles to help fly in Lea Delaria, Levi Kreis, Scott Ryan and their band members. With the reduction of sponsors this year, we need to reduce costs of producing the event to keep it affordable, and airfare is a huge budget item. Lea DeLaria only flys on American Airlines so we're looking for two tickets donated for her and her pianist. Levi Kreis and his backup singers will be flying Delta from LA so we need 3 Delta tickets, or American Express miles transfered. Scott will fly any airline direct from Laguardia, so we'll take a ticket from JetBlue, Spirit, or any airline that flys direct. All Miles donated are tax deductible and are greatly appreciated. Contact Keith at keithclark@aol.com or 954 568-1154 for details.

-Key Dates for ArtExplosion
February 7- ArtExplosion '09 Opening Night at ArtServe, 6-9pm
February 21- Lea DeLaria, Levi Kreis, and Scott Ryan at Broward Center, Member prices $24/$36 at www.artexplosiononline.org (use the Password: ARTSUNITED) or call Keith at 954 568-1154 for the best seats without the Box Office service fees!
www.ArtExplosionOnline.org


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Dean Trantalis for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
Please join Mayoral Candidate Dean Trantalis Wednesday night at Art Serve in Ft. Lauderdale for a Community Rally . Dean will be recruiting volunteers to help with the campaign in these last six crucial weeks before the election. Dean and a number of influential community leaders will be on hand to speak to supporters and volunteers. Please see attached flyer for details about the upcoming event. For more info contact:
lgordon@deanformayor.com 954-663-8023 or
dean@deanformayor.com 954-295-2838


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From Earl Rynerson for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
We are happy to report that the Earl For Mayor Campaign is in full swing!
In just the last month, a number of exciting new developments have occurred:
-We have a Professional Campaign Manager with over 20 years of experience in running Political Campaigns.
-We have a GREAT Campaign Headquarters, just a few blocks from City Hall
-We now have a team of 12 dedicated phone bank callers, who will be contacting Fort Lauderdale voters from 11am to 8pm every day, seven days a week, from now until Election day. Here are a few of our dedicated staff:
-We have finished our television commercials. You will start seeing Earl "on the air" within the week!
-Our T-Shirts and Yard Signs have been completed! If you would like to have a Yard sign for your home or office, please let us know! We'll drop one off and even place it for you! Over 200 have already been handed out, so get yours before we run out!
-We have just sent out our first mailer. (Many of you have already received it). We have many more that will be sent out in the next 4 weeks.
-And probably most importantly, we have GREAT VOLUNTEERS! If you would like to volunteer 4 hours of your time (11am to 3pm) on a Saturday or Sunday, please let us know! Also, if you want to conduct a more specialized canvassing activity during the week, we'll set that up for you as well.
http://www.earlformayor.com/


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From Suzanne Boisvenue for Oakland Park City Commission Campaign
You are cordially invited to
COMMISSIONER SUZANNE BOISVENUE
CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISER
SUPPORTER AND GUEST SPEAKER
COUNTY COMMISSIONER KEN KEECHL
Hosted by Elaine Johnson
1597 N.E. 46 Street - Oakland Park, FL
Sunday, January 25, 2009 - 7-9pm
R.S.V.P. (954) 270 4874
Please join us for great food, and fun!


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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/


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Scott Newton for Wilton Manors City Commission Campaign
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND A CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISER FOR SCOTT NEWTON
A Voice for ALL of Wilton Manors
Monday January 5th - 7-80m
Georgie's Alibi - Manchester Room
2266 Wilton Dr. - Wilton Manors

-Put Your Christmas Tree To Good Use
Broward County residents trying to get rid of their Christmas trees can drop them off at area parks to be recycled. The county said more than 10,000 trees were recycled through the program last year, instead of ending up in landfills. The trees are chipped and used for park landscaping. The trees must be decoration-free. Artificial trees will not be accepted.
http://www.justnews.com/news/18411886/detail.html?treets=mia&tid=2655619429813&tml=mia_9am&tmi=mia_9am_-1_08000101052009&ts=H


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

-Florida Legislature begins two-week session to slash budget
BY STEVE BOUSQUET AND MARC CAPUTO
State lawmakers will begin a special two-week session Monday morning to try to find $2.3 billion in cuts in the state budget. Among the measures under consideration: Trimming aid to schools, borrowing money, taking cash surpluses from state trust funds and boosting fees, from traffic tickets to courts.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/838095.html


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

-Florida joins 29 other states in Wednesday's Powerball
BY RICK NEALE . and J.D. GALLOP
Obeying his mom's marching orders, Suntree resident Ed Yoches drove to the Circle K gas station and bought her two tickets Sunday for Florida's inaugural Powerball drawing.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090105/NEWS01/901050312/1006&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

-Sen. Jeb as GOP's Bush 4.0? Wake up and smell reality
Scott Maxwell | TAKING NAMES
Now that the feel-good magic of the holidays is over, it's time for some punch-in-the-gut reality checks -- starting with one for those who are gaga about the idea of Jeb Bush running for Senate.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/columnists/orl-maxwell0409jan04,0,3500077.column?track=rss


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#####