**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:
-National Briefing | New England
Vermont: Same-Sex Marriage
A bill to legalize same-sex marriages was introduced in the House, nine years after Vermont became the first state to permit civil unions. A crowd of several hundred supporters gathered at the State House in celebration. The bill has 59 sponsors, all of them Democrats, who overwhelmingly control both houses of the legislature.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/us/07brfs-SAMESEXMARRI_BRF.html?scp=2&sq=GAY&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Old West Stays Vibrant
In the Arizona Desert, an Eccentric Town Moves Forward While Preserving its Colorful Past
A partial list: Batman outfit, earthquake pills, female roadrunner costume, invisible paint, jet-propelled unicycle, bumblebees and high-speed tonic. (All of that, of course, before the advent of Wal-Mart.) The answer may be the eclectic town of Bisbee, Ariz., a picturesque collection of artists, shopkeepers and vagrants in the high desert nine miles north of the Mexican border. [...] "Bisbee attracts a certain kind of person," says Gayla Dickson, who runs Gloria's Jewelry and Gemstones and has perhaps the best turquoise collection on Main Street. "Done with civilization, done with malls and theaters, and a real 'live and let live' attitude. If you can't do that, you can't live here. We have a huge gay, lesbian and transsexual community." As if on cue, a person of indeterminate gender breezes in and asks Gayla to put a World AIDS Day flier in the window.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020601817.html
-Gay women married in Canada can divorce in NJ
By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Gay marriages performed outside New Jersey are recognized in the state for the purpose of divorce, according to a ruling Friday by a judge deciding whether a lesbian couple married in Canada can split. State Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson said in an oral ruling that New Jersey, which doesn't allow gays to marry, has a long history of recognizing marriages that are valid where they were performed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602729.html
-Va. Man Gets 35 Months for Attack on Gay Man
The Associated Press
A Superior Court judge has sentenced a man to 35 months in prison for participating in an attack on a gay man.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602921.html
-To Feel the Spirit, Poll Says Go South
Gallup Ranks the Most Religious States
By Adelle M. Banks
Want to be almost certain you'll have religious neighbors? Move to Mississippi. Prefer to be in the least religious state? Venture to Vermont.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603213.html?hpid=sec-religion
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay woman fights over hospital visitation rights in Miami court
A gay woman not allowed to visit her dying partner at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 2007 hopes a federal judge will allow her claims of emotional distress and negligence to go to trial.
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/story/892447.html
-National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is Saturday
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Holocaust museum chronicles WWII Nazi propaganda
By NAFEESA SYEED
Wearing a black hat and a suit bearing the yellow Star of David, a man recoils from a large finger pointing at him from above. "He is to blame for the war," reads the poster caption.
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/AP/story/891224.html
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Window Media: Gay Publisher in "Receivership" With Feds
An investment fund that finances Window Media, the owner of several gay publications including the Washington Blade and Genre magazine, is going into "receivership" by the Small Business Administration. The government agency will then sell off the fund's assets, redistributing the proceeds to investors. Gay City News in New York reports that Avalon, the investment firm, has been entrenched in a "continuing violation" with the SBA. Avalon constantly borrowed money from the SBA, from 2000 to 2007, eventually culling $38 million to acquire more properties and other ventures. As part of the deal with the SBA, Avalon was required to have at least half of the value of the loan in assets, but Avalon's assets fell below the required $19 million. A lawsuit filed against Avalon by the SBA shows that the company had little money left by 2008, as investors pulled out of the fund, and other properties the company invested in had lost value. Window Media owns the Washington Blade, Southern Voice, South Florida Blade, David Atlanta, 411 Magazine, and Bitchsession.com. Avalon also has a non-majority stake in HX Media, which publishes HX magazine and the New York Blade. Unite Media owns the majority of shares for HX Media. According to the report, a typical receivership spans a 3 1/2 year period, depending on the economic climate and the state of Avalon's assets. The SBA usually recovers 63 cents per dollar for investors and taxpayers.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72626.asp
-Wyoming House Kills Anti-Gay Marriage Bill
Wyoming's house of representatives voted down a proposed amendment to the state constitution on Friday that would have defined marriage between a man and a woman as the only legal union recognized in the state. A two-thirds majority was needed to pass the resolution and move it to the senate, but 35 out of 60 representatives voted against the measure, named House Joint Resolution 17.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72623.asp
-Lesbian Representative Rejected From Committee on Children and Families
St. Louis representative Jeanette Mott Oxford, one of two openly gay lawmakers in the Missouri house of representatives, was rejected from the Committee on Children and Families in January with little explanation. A Democratic representative from the state of Missouri, Oxford considers herself "eminently qualified" for the position and is questioning whether her sexual orientation has played a role in the decision, according to the Kansas City Star. In a letter to Republican house speaker Ron Richard, Oxford wrote, "The only reason cited to me so far as for why I am not on the committee is that 'some members find me offensive. I do not know if this is about my sexual orientation, my stance on Roe v. Wade, or what." Chief of Staff Jeff Brooks reportedly cited the concern that Oxford was "highly offensive" at a time when multiple Democratic staffers were present. He has since denied the remark.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72599.asp
-Cheyenne Jackson Plays Gay Dad on Ugly Betty
Actor Cheyenne Jackson will guest-star in an episode of ABC's Ugly Betty as a gay dad this season. Best known for his role in the film United 93, and for his work on Broadway in shows including Xanadu, Aida, and Thoroughly Modern Millie, his role on Ugly Betty will be one of two appearances by Jackson on ABC this season. The actor recently worked on an episode of ABC's Life on Mars, to be aired later this year. Ugly Betty, starring America Ferrera and Eric Mabius, has received a GLAAD Media Award as well as critical acclaim from gay media for routinely incorporating gay characters and gay-friendly themes in its story lines.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72577.asp
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Civil unions bill advances in Hawaii
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(Honolulu, Hawaii) A bill that would give same-sex couples in Hawaii all of the rights of marriage but without the name has been approved unanimously by the House Judiciary Committee and LGBT rights groups are expressing cautious optimism it will become law.
http://www.365gay.com/news/civil-unions-bill-advances-in-hawaii/
-Expanded Wa. partner bill expected to advance despite opposition
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Opponents of a bill that would expand Washington's 2007 domestic partner law to provide all of the state rights and benefits of marriage vastly outnumbered supporters as a state House committee began hearings on the measure.
http://www.365gay.com/news/expanded-wa-partner-bill-expected-to-advance-despite-opposition/
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Africa: Lawyers and Activists Attend Groundbreaking Meeting
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), Global Rights, Interights and the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists have just concluded a groundbreaking four-day workshop on legal strategies for promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Africa. The meeting, the first-ever dialog between lawyers who have worked on litigation related to LGBT rights and African LGBT leaders, was held in Cape Town, South Africa and attended by 45 participants from 11 African countries- Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
http://www.iglhrc.org
=
National Equality Rally at Independence Hall - Philadelphia
Make History!
Join organizations, grassroots activists and straight allies from across the nation as we demonstrate at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell-the site where the Gay Pioneers launched our movement with protests each Fourth of July from 1965 to 1969.
Call on Congress and our new president for:
*Passage of trans-inclusive hate crimes legislation and Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)
*Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
*Support for GLBT health issues
*Equal benefits for same-sex families
*Same-sex marriage Equality
For more information about the National Equality Rally at Independence Hall, visit www.nationalequalityrally.org. For information about Equality Forum, visit www.equalityforum.com. For information about the Gay Pioneers, visit www.gaypioneers.com.
www.nationalequalityrally.org
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-From Michael Petrelis
mpetrelis@aol.com
The 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in NYC is about five months away. On Sunday, June 28, the actual date of the first night's riot at the mafia-infested gay bar in Greenwich Village, our community will mark four decades of activism and demands for equality and respect.
Here are some questions to consider:
1. Does the Stonewall Rebellion mean anything to you and your circle of friends?
2. Is the rebellion too linked to the USA movement and of no or little importance to gays in foreign countries?
3. If the 40th anniversary of Stonewall has meaning for you, do you have any interest in organizing a local action linked to the rebellion?
4. Even though June 28 is the anniversary date, people can choose any time to stage an action.
Maybe the theme of IDAHO this year could be Global Stonewall 40? I'd like for this note to generate a debate among GWB about making an attempt at global gay solidarity through the Stonewall Rebellion's 40th year of modern gay activism and visibility. Give me you reactions and thoughts, please. mpetrelis@aol.com
=
From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Southern Voice, GA, USA
Clarkston, Georgia broadens non-discrimination policy
City includes gay, transgender protections
The Clarkston City Council unanimously approved Feb. 3 a beefed-up version of its anti-discrimination policy that includes protections for gay and transgender city employees. State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) had discussions with every council member about sexual orientation and gender identity prior to the vote. Georgia's only openly gay state legislator, Drenner is working with all of the towns in her district to include non-discrimination protections for their workers. www.sovo.com
-EDGE Boston, MA, USA
Boston City Council supports passage of trans rights bill
Boston's transgender community got a big boost from the City Council Jan. 28, after it unanimously approved a resolution offered by Council President Michael Ross to support "An Act Relative to Gender Based discrimination and Hate Crimes," a bill currently before the state legislature that would add transgender- inclusive language to the state's non-discrimination and hate crimes laws. The resolution was "an opportunity to work with [Somerville state Representative] Carl Sciortino on legislation that he was sponsoring that would bring equality to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts like thirteen other states in America, and cities like Boston," Ross said.
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=86861
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article
-16 GOP reps voted to kill WY antigay marriage law
Such a nice number, that number 16. It is the figure for how many Republicans voted today in Wyoming to reject a defense of straight marriage bill.
http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/2009/02/16-gop-reps-voted-to-kill-anti-gay-wy.html
-The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act is currently under attack in the Senate, facing devastating budget cuts aimed at slicing funding for science research by $77.9 billion. Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have joined forces in efforts to eliminate these critically important monies from the legislation.
-Rethinking identity politics a theme at Creating Change
Rethinking isolated identity politics and abandoning apologetic messaging were some of the themes emphasized at this year's Creating Change conference in Denver, presented by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force January 28-February 1. Workshops and plenaries at the 21st national conference discussed how to move forward a progressive LGBT movement at a critical time, against the backdrop of a newly elected African American, LGBT-friendly president and the sting of several same-sex marriage bans still fresh on the community's minds.
http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=3696
-The Rise and Fall of Pornography
There is a world beyond the golden-gated community that composes the suburban drawl of Southern California that has become known as a different sort of capital for the United States. It produces one of the country's largest and most economically lucrative commodities, giving way to a different world altogether - where even the most intimate moments are captured on century-defining celluloid for all to see. This is a world privy only to those willing to inhabit it, creating a product that fascinates all, but is openly talked about by few. Welcome to the San Fernando Valley: the pornocopia of America, birthplace of some of the country's most tantalizing and conspicuously sinful entertainment. Yet for all of its apparent public bravado, the porn industry remains, at its core, a shamed staple of American popular culture.
http://www.cityonahillpress.com/article.php?id=1566
-Teenage Promiscuity is a Myth and No One Seems to Care?
http://girlwpen.com/?p=1479
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Obama's choice of gay rights foe for Cabinet slammed by activist
By Tony Grew
President of the United States Barack Obama's Cabinet choices are dividing the gay community. While Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest LGBT rights group, has welcomed the confirmation of Eric Holder as US Attorney General, other activists have questioned the nomination of Republican Senator Judd Gregg for Commerce Secretary.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11082.html
-Tony Blair talks of his religious experiences at prayer breakfast
By Tony Grew
When Alastair Campbell, Director of Communications at Number 10, was asked about Tony Blair's religious faith, he famously replied, "We don't do God." How times change.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11081.html
-Obama criticised for creating office for "faith-based" partnerships
By Tony Grew
American civil rights groups have expressed concern at the formation of a new White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships. President George W Bush was heavily criticised for backing faith-based initiatives.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11079.html
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-FL: "Gay Friendly" Miami Archdiocese Features Goddess-Worshipping Nun at Diocesan University
LexEtLibertas | Life Site News
February 5, 2009, (LifeSiteNews.com) - Just days after the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI has ordered an apostolic visitation of all non-contemplative women's religious orders in the United States, LifeSiteNews has learned that a notorious Catholic dissenter, known for her promotion of goddess-worship and "eco-spirituality," is scheduled to speak at the Miami Archdiocese's Saint Thomas University. Sr. Miriam Therese MacGillis, O.P will be presenting a lecture, "Cosmology, Faith, & Sustainability," at Saint Thomas, on 24 February. Many lay Catholics have documented Sister Miriam's dissent from official Catholic doctrine on various matters. Sister Miriam is an active proponent of so-called "eco-spirituality," a quasi-pantheistic religious movement recently chronicled in some detail in Sarah McFarland Taylor's book "Green Sisters: A Spiritual Ecology." Taylor, an Episcopalian sympathetic to the eco-spiritual movement, has chronicled this heterodox belief system, and her book features Sister Miriam MacGillis and the community she co-founded, Genesis Farm. Read more
-Gay Partners Immigration Act to be Reintroduced to Congress Next Week
Joe.My.God
The Uniting American Families Act will be reintroduced to the House next Friday by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). The act would allow the same-sex partners of legal U.S. residents to enjoy the same immigration rights as heterosexual couples. The unfair current law has stranded thousands of gay couples overseas or forced them to separate to their native countries. Please use this contact form created by Immigration Equality to contact your member of Congress and urge them to cosponsor the act with Rep. Nadler. Link
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Saturday, February 07, 2009
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Senators Reach Accord on Stimulus Plan as Jobs Vanish
By CARL HULSE and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Senate Democrats reached an agreement with Republican moderates on Friday to pare a huge economic recovery measure, clearing the way for approval of a package that President Obama said was urgently needed in light of mounting job losses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/us/politics/07stimulus.html?hp
-Editorial: Disappearing Jobs
It was impossible to argue with President Obama on Friday when he said that the dismal new jobs report - the largest loss in 13 consecutive months of decline - made it all the more urgent for Congress to pass the economic stimulus and recovery package.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/opinion/07sat1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Tough Times at Obama Inc.
By GAIL COLLINS
I know it's been a tough week, little Obamaites. You've been feeling ... unstimulated.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/opinion/07collins.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Playing With Fire
By BOB HERBERT
It was good to see the president, ordinarily so cool, so accommodating, exhibiting some real fire the other night. It seems to have done some good. With the economy in deep, deep trouble, and Americans suffering by the tens of millions, the Republicans spent much of the week doing their same-old, bad-faith Neanderthal two-step: trying their best to derail the economic stimulus package working its difficult way through Congress
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/opinion/07herbert.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Watch the Tone in Washington
By CHARLES M. BLOW
It took just two weeks for Washington's Kumbaya experiment in bipartisan civility to explode in turgid rants, finger-pointing and re-entrenchment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/opinion/07blow2.html?ref=opinion
-Indecision Reigns as Israelis Get Ready to Vote
By ISABEL KERSHNER
JERUSALEM - As the Israelis trudge once again to the polling stations on Tuesday to elect a new government for the fifth time in a decade, many of them may still be asking themselves whom they are going to vote for, and why.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/middleeast/07israel.html?hp
-Pakistan Frees Nuclear Dealer in Snub to U.S.
By SALMAN MASOOD and DAVID E. SANGER
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A Pakistani court freed one of the most successful nuclear proliferators in history, Abdul Qadeer Khan, from house arrest on Friday, lifting the restrictions imposed on him since 2004 when he publicly confessed to running an illicit nuclear network.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/asia/07khan.html?hp
-U.S. Can Ship Afghan Aid Through Russia, Kremlin Says
By ELLEN BARRY
MOSCOW - Russia's foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said Friday that Russia had fast-tracked approval of a plan to allow the United States military to ship nonlethal equipment across Russian territory to Afghanistan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/europe/07russia.html
-Patient Money: Strategies for Saving on Prescription Drugs
By LESLEY ALDERMAN
Drugs have never been so expensive - or so cheap. News reports and anecdotal evidence indicate that the recession is prompting many people to skimp on prescription drugs, putting their health at risk now and setting them up for higher medical expenses in the long term. So now is a good time to take a hard look at what you spend on prescriptions and figure out how you can make that money go farther.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/health/06patient.html
-Not Everyone Is Cheering as Wi-Fi Takes to the Air
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: February 6, 2009
For all the annoyance of being crammed into an aluminum tube at 35,000 feet with a bunch of strangers, air travel has offered one benefit: the ability to tell bosses and colleagues, "I'll be on a flight, so you won't be able to reach me."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/business/07plane.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Two Sides of a Debate
Bipartisanship produced Friday's stimulus deal -- but Washington hasn't yet changed. THE $780 BILLION stimulus package deal reached by a bipartisan group of senators and the White House Friday was the culmination of a frenzied week that reflected two strains of politics. One embraced President Obama's attempt to rise above the partisan squabbles that too often have paralyzed Washington. Another made it clear that the old ways will die hard.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603236.html
-Mr. Cheney's Blind Spot
The former vice president still doesn't recognize the damage done by his terrorism policies. "THE UNITED States needs to be not so much loved as it needs to be respected." So declared former vice president Dick Cheney in an interview this week with Politico. Mr. Cheney is right -- which is why he should be apologizing rather than defending the extreme Bush administration policies on detention and interrogation that he championed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603175.html
-The Death of 'Rational Man'
By David Ignatius
What allowed some people to see the financial crash coming while so many others missed its gathering force? I put that question recently to Nouriel Roubini, who has come to be known as "Dr. Doom" because of his insistent warnings starting in 2006 that we were heading into a global firestorm.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602742.html
-The GOP Faces the Blue Wall
By David S. Broder
It was not all that long ago that political reporters were writing about "the Republican lock" on the White House. From 1972 to 1988, from Richard Nixon's reelection through George H.W. Bush's victory over Michael Dukakis, 24 states supported the GOP nominee each time.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602741.html
-A Way To Revive Spending
By Dan Newman
Last weekend, I stood outside the shuttered doors of a favorite local restaurant. As a small-business owner myself, I can only imagine how hard it was for those people to hang that out-of-business sign. I can also imagine the owners of that business sharing my opinion on what America needs most, and that surely isn't tax cuts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603195.html
-The Promise In Iraq's Rebirth
By Samir Sumaida'ie
When the United States went into Iraq in 2003, Americans had a very limited understanding of the country. Political pundits tended to reduce Iraq to neat categories: an oppressed Shiite majority; a Sunni minority linked to Saddam Hussein's regime; and the Kurds, who had no interest in remaining in Iraq. The strife between these supposedly monolithic communities was often portrayed as permanent and violent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602748.html
-Chrysler Chief Could Be First Test of Pay Limits
Firm Says It Would Comply to Secure More Aid
By David Cho and Kendra Marr
The first test case of the Obama administration's tougher executive compensation standards may very well be the man who a few years ago was a symbol of corporate excess: Robert L. Nardelli.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603813.html?hpid=topnews
-Haitian President Appeals for Emergency Aid
By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Haitian President René Préval said yesterday that his impoverished country is in desperate need of economic assistance and is seeking as much as $100 million to fill a budget gap that he said could send Haiti back into anarchy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603309.html?hpid=sec-world
-First US face transplant patient leaves hospital
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
The Associated Press
She can eat pizza. And hamburgers. She can smell perfume, drink coffee from a cup, and purse her lips as if to blow a kiss. Except that one lip is hers, and the other is from a dead woman. She is the nation's first face transplant patient, and on Thursday night, she went home from a Cleveland hospital. "I'm happy about myself," she told her doctors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602138.html?hpid=sec-health
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Senate Stimulus Bill - PDF
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/stimbil2009.pdf
-Class Warfare: Railing Against the Rich: A Great American Tradition
Efforts to limit pay of the wealthiest gained traction in the 1930s; 'economic royalists'
By ALAN BRINKLEY
The Great Depression of the 1930s created hardship and suffering among millions of Americans. It also created populist resentment of elites. Among the many signs of this anger was the astonishing popularity of Huey P. Long, governor of Louisiana and then U.S. senator, a figure so dominant in his own state that his enemies called him a dictator. But to the ordinary people of Louisiana -- and later to millions of ordinary people across the U.S. -- Mr. Long was a heroic figure, fighting for the "common man" and challenging the right of elites to monopolize power and wealth.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123396621006159013.html
-The Jack Bauer Exception - II
As CIA director, would Leon Panetta object to aggressive interrogation?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123396474404658733.html
-Wall Street Bonuses Are an Outrage
The public sees a self-serving system for what it is. Just a mere $18.4 billion in Wall Street bonuses, and suddenly the entire country is like Kansas in the 1890s, raising hell instead of corn, screaming for revenge on money power that has done us so wrong while rewarding itself so generously.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123371071061546079.html
-How Europe's Companies Are Feeding Iran's Bomb
By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
Berlin
While the U.S. has ratcheted up its efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear arms, the Islamic Republic is reaping a windfall from European companies. These firms' deals aid a regime that is bent on developing nuclear weapons and which financially supports the terror organizations Hamas and Hezbollah.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123379548035950207.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Anti-Semitic attacks on rise, Anti-Defamation League says
By James D. Davis | Religion Editor
Over the last six weeks, Jews have been beaten, synagogues have been burned and numerous signs, placards and newspaper articles have equated Jews with Nazis, one of the nation's top bigot-fighters said Friday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpadl0207pnfeb07,0,5306343.story
-Madoff clients emerge in 162-page list
Baseball great Sandy Koufax, developer Larry Silverstein among his fraud victims
Larry Neumeister | The Associated Press
Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax. Broadcaster Larry King. World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/orl-apmadoff0609feb06,0,2285995.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-More Israelis leaning to right in vote choice
Tiring of moderates, many Israelis appear to be drifting to the far right and an 'iron fist' approach in national elections coming up next week.
http://www.miamiherald.com/578/story/892381.html
-A peek at the unemployment picture across the country, by the numbers
The information on age and college education is just a sample of the wealth of information, beyond the headline unemployment rate, that shows up in the Labor Department's monthly employment report. Here are some more details about who is included in the ranks of the jobless, by the numbers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/more-info/story/892418.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-GOP - Michael Steele Will Not Save Your Party
Michael Steele accurately diagnosed the GOP's troubles as an "identity crisis." But it is difficult to see how Steele solves that problem for the party.
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=michael_steele_will_not_save_your_party
-Slideshow: Jacketless Presidents in the Oval Office
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/05/bush-jacketless-in-oval-o_n_164513.html
-Slideshow:Inside Gitmo [Click on picutures to change]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21135124/displaymode/1107/s/2/
-Alaska Senate finds Sarah Palin's husband, aides in contempt
Todd Palin and nine of the governor's employees ignored subpoenas to testify in an investigation. The Senate said it wouldn't seek punishment. They eventually gave written statements.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-palin-trooper7-2009feb07,0,3232085.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Senators Reach Accord on Stimulus Plan as Jobs Vanish
By CARL HULSE and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Senate Democrats reached an agreement with Republican moderates on Friday to pare a huge economic recovery measure, clearing the way for approval of a package that President Obama said was urgently needed in light of mounting job losses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/us/politics/07stimulus.html?hp
-Editorial: Disappearing Jobs
It was impossible to argue with President Obama on Friday when he said that the dismal new jobs report - the largest loss in 13 consecutive months of decline - made it all the more urgent for Congress to pass the economic stimulus and recovery package.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/opinion/07sat1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Tough Times at Obama Inc.
By GAIL COLLINS
I know it's been a tough week, little Obamaites. You've been feeling ... unstimulated.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/opinion/07collins.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Playing With Fire
By BOB HERBERT
It was good to see the president, ordinarily so cool, so accommodating, exhibiting some real fire the other night. It seems to have done some good. With the economy in deep, deep trouble, and Americans suffering by the tens of millions, the Republicans spent much of the week doing their same-old, bad-faith Neanderthal two-step: trying their best to derail the economic stimulus package working its difficult way through Congress
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/opinion/07herbert.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Watch the Tone in Washington
By CHARLES M. BLOW
It took just two weeks for Washington's Kumbaya experiment in bipartisan civility to explode in turgid rants, finger-pointing and re-entrenchment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/opinion/07blow2.html?ref=opinion
-Indecision Reigns as Israelis Get Ready to Vote
By ISABEL KERSHNER
JERUSALEM - As the Israelis trudge once again to the polling stations on Tuesday to elect a new government for the fifth time in a decade, many of them may still be asking themselves whom they are going to vote for, and why.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/middleeast/07israel.html?hp
-Pakistan Frees Nuclear Dealer in Snub to U.S.
By SALMAN MASOOD and DAVID E. SANGER
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A Pakistani court freed one of the most successful nuclear proliferators in history, Abdul Qadeer Khan, from house arrest on Friday, lifting the restrictions imposed on him since 2004 when he publicly confessed to running an illicit nuclear network.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/asia/07khan.html?hp
-U.S. Can Ship Afghan Aid Through Russia, Kremlin Says
By ELLEN BARRY
MOSCOW - Russia's foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said Friday that Russia had fast-tracked approval of a plan to allow the United States military to ship nonlethal equipment across Russian territory to Afghanistan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/europe/07russia.html
-Patient Money: Strategies for Saving on Prescription Drugs
By LESLEY ALDERMAN
Drugs have never been so expensive - or so cheap. News reports and anecdotal evidence indicate that the recession is prompting many people to skimp on prescription drugs, putting their health at risk now and setting them up for higher medical expenses in the long term. So now is a good time to take a hard look at what you spend on prescriptions and figure out how you can make that money go farther.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/health/06patient.html
-Not Everyone Is Cheering as Wi-Fi Takes to the Air
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: February 6, 2009
For all the annoyance of being crammed into an aluminum tube at 35,000 feet with a bunch of strangers, air travel has offered one benefit: the ability to tell bosses and colleagues, "I'll be on a flight, so you won't be able to reach me."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/business/07plane.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Two Sides of a Debate
Bipartisanship produced Friday's stimulus deal -- but Washington hasn't yet changed. THE $780 BILLION stimulus package deal reached by a bipartisan group of senators and the White House Friday was the culmination of a frenzied week that reflected two strains of politics. One embraced President Obama's attempt to rise above the partisan squabbles that too often have paralyzed Washington. Another made it clear that the old ways will die hard.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603236.html
-Mr. Cheney's Blind Spot
The former vice president still doesn't recognize the damage done by his terrorism policies. "THE UNITED States needs to be not so much loved as it needs to be respected." So declared former vice president Dick Cheney in an interview this week with Politico. Mr. Cheney is right -- which is why he should be apologizing rather than defending the extreme Bush administration policies on detention and interrogation that he championed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603175.html
-The Death of 'Rational Man'
By David Ignatius
What allowed some people to see the financial crash coming while so many others missed its gathering force? I put that question recently to Nouriel Roubini, who has come to be known as "Dr. Doom" because of his insistent warnings starting in 2006 that we were heading into a global firestorm.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602742.html
-The GOP Faces the Blue Wall
By David S. Broder
It was not all that long ago that political reporters were writing about "the Republican lock" on the White House. From 1972 to 1988, from Richard Nixon's reelection through George H.W. Bush's victory over Michael Dukakis, 24 states supported the GOP nominee each time.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602741.html
-A Way To Revive Spending
By Dan Newman
Last weekend, I stood outside the shuttered doors of a favorite local restaurant. As a small-business owner myself, I can only imagine how hard it was for those people to hang that out-of-business sign. I can also imagine the owners of that business sharing my opinion on what America needs most, and that surely isn't tax cuts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603195.html
-The Promise In Iraq's Rebirth
By Samir Sumaida'ie
When the United States went into Iraq in 2003, Americans had a very limited understanding of the country. Political pundits tended to reduce Iraq to neat categories: an oppressed Shiite majority; a Sunni minority linked to Saddam Hussein's regime; and the Kurds, who had no interest in remaining in Iraq. The strife between these supposedly monolithic communities was often portrayed as permanent and violent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602748.html
-Chrysler Chief Could Be First Test of Pay Limits
Firm Says It Would Comply to Secure More Aid
By David Cho and Kendra Marr
The first test case of the Obama administration's tougher executive compensation standards may very well be the man who a few years ago was a symbol of corporate excess: Robert L. Nardelli.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603813.html?hpid=topnews
-Haitian President Appeals for Emergency Aid
By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Haitian President René Préval said yesterday that his impoverished country is in desperate need of economic assistance and is seeking as much as $100 million to fill a budget gap that he said could send Haiti back into anarchy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020603309.html?hpid=sec-world
-First US face transplant patient leaves hospital
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
The Associated Press
She can eat pizza. And hamburgers. She can smell perfume, drink coffee from a cup, and purse her lips as if to blow a kiss. Except that one lip is hers, and the other is from a dead woman. She is the nation's first face transplant patient, and on Thursday night, she went home from a Cleveland hospital. "I'm happy about myself," she told her doctors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/06/AR2009020602138.html?hpid=sec-health
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Senate Stimulus Bill - PDF
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/stimbil2009.pdf
-Class Warfare: Railing Against the Rich: A Great American Tradition
Efforts to limit pay of the wealthiest gained traction in the 1930s; 'economic royalists'
By ALAN BRINKLEY
The Great Depression of the 1930s created hardship and suffering among millions of Americans. It also created populist resentment of elites. Among the many signs of this anger was the astonishing popularity of Huey P. Long, governor of Louisiana and then U.S. senator, a figure so dominant in his own state that his enemies called him a dictator. But to the ordinary people of Louisiana -- and later to millions of ordinary people across the U.S. -- Mr. Long was a heroic figure, fighting for the "common man" and challenging the right of elites to monopolize power and wealth.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123396621006159013.html
-The Jack Bauer Exception - II
As CIA director, would Leon Panetta object to aggressive interrogation?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123396474404658733.html
-Wall Street Bonuses Are an Outrage
The public sees a self-serving system for what it is. Just a mere $18.4 billion in Wall Street bonuses, and suddenly the entire country is like Kansas in the 1890s, raising hell instead of corn, screaming for revenge on money power that has done us so wrong while rewarding itself so generously.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123371071061546079.html
-How Europe's Companies Are Feeding Iran's Bomb
By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
Berlin
While the U.S. has ratcheted up its efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear arms, the Islamic Republic is reaping a windfall from European companies. These firms' deals aid a regime that is bent on developing nuclear weapons and which financially supports the terror organizations Hamas and Hezbollah.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123379548035950207.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Anti-Semitic attacks on rise, Anti-Defamation League says
By James D. Davis | Religion Editor
Over the last six weeks, Jews have been beaten, synagogues have been burned and numerous signs, placards and newspaper articles have equated Jews with Nazis, one of the nation's top bigot-fighters said Friday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpadl0207pnfeb07,0,5306343.story
-Madoff clients emerge in 162-page list
Baseball great Sandy Koufax, developer Larry Silverstein among his fraud victims
Larry Neumeister | The Associated Press
Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax. Broadcaster Larry King. World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/orl-apmadoff0609feb06,0,2285995.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-More Israelis leaning to right in vote choice
Tiring of moderates, many Israelis appear to be drifting to the far right and an 'iron fist' approach in national elections coming up next week.
http://www.miamiherald.com/578/story/892381.html
-A peek at the unemployment picture across the country, by the numbers
The information on age and college education is just a sample of the wealth of information, beyond the headline unemployment rate, that shows up in the Labor Department's monthly employment report. Here are some more details about who is included in the ranks of the jobless, by the numbers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/more-info/story/892418.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-GOP - Michael Steele Will Not Save Your Party
Michael Steele accurately diagnosed the GOP's troubles as an "identity crisis." But it is difficult to see how Steele solves that problem for the party.
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=michael_steele_will_not_save_your_party
-Slideshow: Jacketless Presidents in the Oval Office
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/05/bush-jacketless-in-oval-o_n_164513.html
-Slideshow:Inside Gitmo [Click on picutures to change]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21135124/displaymode/1107/s/2/
-Alaska Senate finds Sarah Palin's husband, aides in contempt
Todd Palin and nine of the governor's employees ignored subpoenas to testify in an investigation. The Senate said it wouldn't seek punishment. They eventually gave written statements.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-palin-trooper7-2009feb07,0,3232085.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 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~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ads advise gays of which candidates have Fort Lauderdale mayor's backing Outgoing mayor admits his backing could hurt candidates in the eyes of homosexual voters.
By Anthony Man | Political Writer
Mayor Jim Naugle, who leaves office next month because of term limits, is so controversial in the gay community that the Dolphin Democrats political club is running ads alerting voters which candidates in Tuesday's primary have his support. "Mr. Naugle has not been a friend to our community," said Justin Flippen, president of the Dolphins, a gay and lesbian political group.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbnaugle0207sbfeb07,0,3057448.story
-Fort Lauderdale mayoral candidates
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-0206-elx-laudmayorprofiles,0,1106477.story
-Four seeking Lauderdale mayor post say civility is key
By Brittany Wallman
The men seeking to be Fort Lauderdale new mayor agree on one thing: It's time for civility. From homeowner meeting to homeowner meeting, the three lawyers and one businessman running for mayor are telling voters Fort Lauderdale is ready for leaders who get along with each other. With tough work ahead to make financial ends meet, candidates say the City Commission can't afford to spend time squabbling.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-0206-elx-laudmayor,0,7497948.story
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Tonight! ArtExplosion opening event
One of the largest GLBT art exhibitions in U.S.
Saturday, February 7 - 6:00-9:00 PM
Exhibit Runs February 2 - February 27, 2009
ArtServe Gallery - 1350 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale - $10 Admission
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23777
=
From Dean Trantalis for Fort Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
-The run for the primary is here!
Tomorrow starts our final push to the primary on February 10th. It's imperative that we have as many supporters as possible take part in tomorrow's activities. Please meet us at campaign headquarters at 12:30 pm on Saturday, February 7, 2009, bring a friend, and come canvass and phone bank with us. This is the most important day of the campaign so far. When you respond to this email to let us know that you'll be there, sign up to help us at the polls on election day. We're still about 90 volunteers short for morning, lunch and afternoon shifts. If you can't make it tomorrow afternoon, then meet Dean tomorrow evening at 5 and wear your campaign shirt as Dean makes an appearance at St. Demetrios church for their Greek Festival. He'll be meeting volunteers at 5pm at the 14th Avenue entrance to the church. We hope you'll be able to make at least one of these events. Have a great afternoon and don't forget to vote on February 10th and make sure everyone you know does the same.
Chip Clapp - Volunteer Coordinator
Dean Trantalis for Mayor Campaign
volunteer@deanformayor.com
(954) 701-2902 cell
=
GLCC - Ft. Lauderdale - Calendar of Events
http://www.localendar.com/public/glccsf
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sansom flap exposes lax rules that invite back-scratching
Former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom's shameful departure from the leadership ranks is hardly the final chapter in this sordid little story. While Sansom faces multiple investigations, Florida lawmakers need to face up to the fact that they have a much bigger problem on their hands. Sansom got into trouble because he took a six-figure administrative job at a Panhandle community college late last year after steering many millions of dollars to that same college. It looked like payback, even if Sansom and college administrators insist it wasn't.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editossansomsbfeb07,0,3184123.story
-Find a way to keep State Farm, or we all lose
By Michael Perry
As a 40-plus-year resident of Florida, I am curious why no one is concerned that the insurance commissioner is forcing a property insurance company to leave Florida. I have been a State Farm customer for over 20 years, and have found them to a be a fair, honest and valued insurance company. When I had a roof claim after Hurricane Andrew, it was paid fairly and quickly, and we were never canceled or penalized in any way. I would rather see the state insurance agency negotiate fairly with State Farm to reach a resolution where they are able to stay and compete for clients in Florida. If they price themselves too high, then the marketplace will sort out the pricing issues.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-statefarmforum06pnfeb06,0,6918539.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Miami Herald recommends
FOR FORT LAUDERDALE MAYOR
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/892375.html
-For Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 4
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/890536.html
-Ex-schools chief joins USC
Former Miami-Dade Superintendent Rudy Crew has taken a post at the University of Southern California.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/892441.html
-Mayors' economic stimulus package wish list contains surprises
Questions surround some of the local projects that could receive federal funding as part of a national stimulus package.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/892386.html
=
Broward County Board of Commissioners
Historic Heritage Marker to be Unveiled at "Colored Beach"
Broward County will recognize a five-mile strand of beach that was once commonly referred to as the "colored beach," now known as John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in Dania Beach, with the placement of a Historic Heritage Marker. The special ceremony begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 13, at the Manatee Pavilion located inside the park. The Broward County Historical Commission spearheaded the effort to have the State's Division of Historical Resources declare the beach a place of historical significance under the State Historic Marker Program.
=
From Kristin Jacobs, Commissioner
Broward County, District 2
954-357-7002
WE NEED YOUR HELP! CONTACT OUR SENATORS
I hope this e-mail finds you all well and warm! I returned last night from Washington D.C., where I was representing Broward County working with a group called Climate Communities. Climate Communities is a national network of counties and cities that work together to promote local initiatives to battle climate change. This week, I joined with leaders from all over the country to lobby members of Congress and the Obama administration to include Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) in the economic stimulus package. These funds would help local governments implement strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions, reduce the total the total energy, and create green jobs. Today, the alert went out from Climate Communities that Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are introducing an amendment to remove the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants from the economic recovery bill . THIS WOULD BE HUGE MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR BROWARD COUNTY. Broward County needs your help! Please contact Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Mel Martinez, and urge them to oppose the Nelson/Collins amendment. Below are links to their web pages where you can express you opposition to the cuts and urge their support of funding for local and state energy projects.
http://martinez.senate.gov/public/?p=EmailSenatorMartinez
http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Crist touts $13 billion stimulus' prospects for Florida
By GEORGE BENNETT
While Republicans in Washington have blasted a massive economic stimulus package moving through Congress, Republican Florida governor and possible U.S. Senate candidate Charlie Crist today touted the billions of federal dollars the legislation could bring to the state.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/02/06/0206criststimulus.html
-Diverse pick of Broward judges officially `robed'
Nine Broward County judges were honored during a robing ceremony that attracted several hundred people to the courthouse Friday. Most of the newly elected and recently appointed judges have already begun handling cases. With three new minorities and two women among the honorees, the ceremony highlighted the progress being made to diversify the bench. In all, six circuit judges -- William Haury Jr., Lisa Porter, Bernard Bober, Merrilee Erhlich, Steven Feren and Kenneth Gillespie -- participated in the formal affair. County Court Judges John Hurley, Ellen Feld and Ian Richards also were robed. Last month, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed general magistrate Barbara McCarthy and attorney Carlos Rodriguez to fill vacant seats on the bench. Another appointment is expected soon to replace retired County Judge Robert S. Zack.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/892452.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ads advise gays of which candidates have Fort Lauderdale mayor's backing Outgoing mayor admits his backing could hurt candidates in the eyes of homosexual voters.
By Anthony Man | Political Writer
Mayor Jim Naugle, who leaves office next month because of term limits, is so controversial in the gay community that the Dolphin Democrats political club is running ads alerting voters which candidates in Tuesday's primary have his support. "Mr. Naugle has not been a friend to our community," said Justin Flippen, president of the Dolphins, a gay and lesbian political group.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbnaugle0207sbfeb07,0,3057448.story
-Fort Lauderdale mayoral candidates
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-0206-elx-laudmayorprofiles,0,1106477.story
-Four seeking Lauderdale mayor post say civility is key
By Brittany Wallman
The men seeking to be Fort Lauderdale new mayor agree on one thing: It's time for civility. From homeowner meeting to homeowner meeting, the three lawyers and one businessman running for mayor are telling voters Fort Lauderdale is ready for leaders who get along with each other. With tough work ahead to make financial ends meet, candidates say the City Commission can't afford to spend time squabbling.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-0206-elx-laudmayor,0,7497948.story
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Tonight! ArtExplosion opening event
One of the largest GLBT art exhibitions in U.S.
Saturday, February 7 - 6:00-9:00 PM
Exhibit Runs February 2 - February 27, 2009
ArtServe Gallery - 1350 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale - $10 Admission
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23777
=
From Dean Trantalis for Fort Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
-The run for the primary is here!
Tomorrow starts our final push to the primary on February 10th. It's imperative that we have as many supporters as possible take part in tomorrow's activities. Please meet us at campaign headquarters at 12:30 pm on Saturday, February 7, 2009, bring a friend, and come canvass and phone bank with us. This is the most important day of the campaign so far. When you respond to this email to let us know that you'll be there, sign up to help us at the polls on election day. We're still about 90 volunteers short for morning, lunch and afternoon shifts. If you can't make it tomorrow afternoon, then meet Dean tomorrow evening at 5 and wear your campaign shirt as Dean makes an appearance at St. Demetrios church for their Greek Festival. He'll be meeting volunteers at 5pm at the 14th Avenue entrance to the church. We hope you'll be able to make at least one of these events. Have a great afternoon and don't forget to vote on February 10th and make sure everyone you know does the same.
Chip Clapp - Volunteer Coordinator
Dean Trantalis for Mayor Campaign
volunteer@deanformayor.com
(954) 701-2902 cell
=
GLCC - Ft. Lauderdale - Calendar of Events
http://www.localendar.com/public/glccsf
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sansom flap exposes lax rules that invite back-scratching
Former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom's shameful departure from the leadership ranks is hardly the final chapter in this sordid little story. While Sansom faces multiple investigations, Florida lawmakers need to face up to the fact that they have a much bigger problem on their hands. Sansom got into trouble because he took a six-figure administrative job at a Panhandle community college late last year after steering many millions of dollars to that same college. It looked like payback, even if Sansom and college administrators insist it wasn't.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editossansomsbfeb07,0,3184123.story
-Find a way to keep State Farm, or we all lose
By Michael Perry
As a 40-plus-year resident of Florida, I am curious why no one is concerned that the insurance commissioner is forcing a property insurance company to leave Florida. I have been a State Farm customer for over 20 years, and have found them to a be a fair, honest and valued insurance company. When I had a roof claim after Hurricane Andrew, it was paid fairly and quickly, and we were never canceled or penalized in any way. I would rather see the state insurance agency negotiate fairly with State Farm to reach a resolution where they are able to stay and compete for clients in Florida. If they price themselves too high, then the marketplace will sort out the pricing issues.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-statefarmforum06pnfeb06,0,6918539.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Miami Herald recommends
FOR FORT LAUDERDALE MAYOR
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/892375.html
-For Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 4
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/890536.html
-Ex-schools chief joins USC
Former Miami-Dade Superintendent Rudy Crew has taken a post at the University of Southern California.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/892441.html
-Mayors' economic stimulus package wish list contains surprises
Questions surround some of the local projects that could receive federal funding as part of a national stimulus package.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/892386.html
=
Broward County Board of Commissioners
Historic Heritage Marker to be Unveiled at "Colored Beach"
Broward County will recognize a five-mile strand of beach that was once commonly referred to as the "colored beach," now known as John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in Dania Beach, with the placement of a Historic Heritage Marker. The special ceremony begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 13, at the Manatee Pavilion located inside the park. The Broward County Historical Commission spearheaded the effort to have the State's Division of Historical Resources declare the beach a place of historical significance under the State Historic Marker Program.
=
From Kristin Jacobs, Commissioner
Broward County, District 2
954-357-7002
WE NEED YOUR HELP! CONTACT OUR SENATORS
I hope this e-mail finds you all well and warm! I returned last night from Washington D.C., where I was representing Broward County working with a group called Climate Communities. Climate Communities is a national network of counties and cities that work together to promote local initiatives to battle climate change. This week, I joined with leaders from all over the country to lobby members of Congress and the Obama administration to include Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) in the economic stimulus package. These funds would help local governments implement strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions, reduce the total the total energy, and create green jobs. Today, the alert went out from Climate Communities that Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are introducing an amendment to remove the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants from the economic recovery bill . THIS WOULD BE HUGE MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR BROWARD COUNTY. Broward County needs your help! Please contact Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Mel Martinez, and urge them to oppose the Nelson/Collins amendment. Below are links to their web pages where you can express you opposition to the cuts and urge their support of funding for local and state energy projects.
http://martinez.senate.gov/public/?p=EmailSenatorMartinez
http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Crist touts $13 billion stimulus' prospects for Florida
By GEORGE BENNETT
While Republicans in Washington have blasted a massive economic stimulus package moving through Congress, Republican Florida governor and possible U.S. Senate candidate Charlie Crist today touted the billions of federal dollars the legislation could bring to the state.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/02/06/0206criststimulus.html
-Diverse pick of Broward judges officially `robed'
Nine Broward County judges were honored during a robing ceremony that attracted several hundred people to the courthouse Friday. Most of the newly elected and recently appointed judges have already begun handling cases. With three new minorities and two women among the honorees, the ceremony highlighted the progress being made to diversify the bench. In all, six circuit judges -- William Haury Jr., Lisa Porter, Bernard Bober, Merrilee Erhlich, Steven Feren and Kenneth Gillespie -- participated in the formal affair. County Court Judges John Hurley, Ellen Feld and Ian Richards also were robed. Last month, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed general magistrate Barbara McCarthy and attorney Carlos Rodriguez to fill vacant seats on the bench. Another appointment is expected soon to replace retired County Judge Robert S. Zack.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/892452.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Friday, February 06, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - February 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:
-White House Faith Office to Expand
By JEFF ZELENY and LAURIE GOODSTEIN
President Obama signed an executive order Thursday to create a revamped White House office for religion-based and neighborhood programs, expanding an initiative started by the Bush administration that provides government support - and financing - to religious and charitable organizations that deliver social services.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/us/politics/06obama.html?scp=7&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Anglicans seek extended moratorium on gay bishops
By RACHEL ZOLL
Anglican leaders urged their churches Thursday to maintain a 5-year-old moratorium on consecrating another openly gay bishop and developing prayers for same-sex unions, as they try to restore unity in their fractured fellowship. An Anglican advisory panel also also raised deep concerns about a North American province sought by theological conservatives to rival the Episcopal Church.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502073.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ginsburg's illness could lead to Obama appointment
By MARK SHERMAN
Some presidents are handed the chance to remake the Supreme Court for a generation, if enough justices leave. Others wait in vain to make even one appointment.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/890893.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pushing beyond abstinence-only policies
Sex education bills could include GLBT topics
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Florida has consistently ranked among the leading states reporting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, among young people and as well as teen pregnancies.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-5/news/localnews/5511.cfm
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Sally Kern Says She's Found the "Gay Agenda"
Homophobic Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern is at it again -- this time urging a crowd at the "Clouds Over America" conference of the John Birch Society that the time has come "for a new 'Great Awakening,'" evidenced by a "gay agenda" she says she uncovered in the book After the Ball.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72503.asp
-N.Y. Governor Condemns Youth Center Attack
New York governor David Paterson says the vandalism that happened at a Long Island gay youth center was "despicable" and condemned such acts of hatred and violence.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72512.asp
-Gay Rights on Fast Track at State Dept.
By Kerry Eleveld
Days after pledging to review policies that discriminate against LGBT employees at the State Department, Secretary Clinton said her staff is reviewing inequities and preparing to make appropriate changes "expeditiously."
Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72490.asp
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hospitality, not homosexuality
By John Corvino, columnist, 365gay.com
I've written in this column of my friendship with Glenn Stanton, a Focus on the Family employee whom I regularly debate on same-sex marriage.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino-hospitality-not-homosexuality/
-The Prop 8 effect: Anger between blacks and gays
By Jennifer Morales, Special to 365gay.com
When Rev. Wanda Washington arrived in Milwaukee to start up a church to serve the city's Sherman Park neighborhood, she didn't know exactly what she was in for.
http://www.365gay.com/living/the-prop-8-effect-anger-between-blacks-and-gays/
-New Chicago schools boss settles in
By Jennifer Vanasco
Ron Huberman is settling in as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools. Huberman, who is openly gay, replaces Arne Duncan who now serves as Secretary of the United States Department of Education.
http://www.365gay.com/news/new-chicago-schools-boss-settles-in/
-Campaign seeks to encourage gay adoption in LA county
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Two dads and their adoptive son smile out from a billboard with the headline "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Family" in West Hollywood. It's part of an innovative ad campaign to encourage gay couples in Los Angeles County to adopt.
http://www.365gay.com/news/campaign-seeks-to-encourage-gay-adoption-in-la-county/
-Tennessee looks at new bid to ban gay couples from adopting
By Jennifer Vanasco
With Republicans now in control of both houses in the Tennessee legislature GOP lawmakers say they are confident of passing a bill to ban gay couples from adopting children.
http://www.365gay.com/news/tennessee-looks-at-new-bid-to-ban-gay-couples-from-adopting/
-Christian right wooed by Obama turns on him
By The Associated Press
Christian conservatives are challenging President Barack Obama's picks for top Justice Department positions, charging that past clients taint their resumes.
http://www.365gay.com/news/christian-right-wooed-by-obama-turns-on-him/
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-More than ten countries still discriminate against travellers
Eleven countries around the world ban or limit the right of HIV-positive people to enter their territories. The list also includes Colombia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sudan, and Yemen. Although the US Congress passed a measure lifting the ban six months ago, the ban has not been fully lifted in USA.
UkGayNews.Org.Uk
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article
-ScientificAmerican.com: Single, Angry, Straight Male... Seeks Same?
A classic study reveals that young homophobic men have secret gay urges
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=single-angry-straight-male&SID=mail&sc
-WHICH IS THE MOST GAY FRIENDLY CORPORATION IN THE WORLD?
The IGLCC invites corporations to be part of the first edition of the International Business Equality Index
Brussels, Belgium, February 5th 2009 - The International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (IGLCC) is proud to invite all major international corporations to participate in the world premiere of the International Business Equality Index survey that will measure how they are performing internationally in issues related to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community. The Index is a unique tool allowing corporations to draw external comparisons, which illustrate how their competitors are doing as well as internal comparisons that provide a better understanding of their own performance. The deadline for completion of the survey is April 30th 2009 with the results being announced during the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights held during the World Outgames in Copenhagen from July 25th to August 2nd, 2009.
www.ilga-europe.org
-Catholic Order Jolted by Reports That Its Founder Led a Double Life
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The Legionaries of Christ, an influential Roman Catholic religious order, have been shaken by new revelations that their founder, who died a year ago, had an affair with a woman and fathered a daughter just as he and his thriving conservative order were winning the acclaim of Pope John Paul II. Before his death, the founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, had been forced to leave public ministry by Pope Benedict XVI because of accusations from more than a dozen men who said he had sexually abused them when they were students. But most members of the Legion continued to defend Father Maciel, asserting that the accusations had not been proved. Father Maciel died in January 2008 at the age of 87, and was buried in Mexico, where he was born.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/us/04legion.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
-"Lying" about sexual orientation in a rape trial
The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals held this month that a defendant on trial for rape had no right to introduce testimony relating to the alleged victim's sexual orientation. State v. Boutchiche 2009 WL 102949 (Jan. 12, 2009). The victim here testified at the defendant's first trial that, when in the course of attempting to sell magazines to the defendant he made sexual advances, she told him she was a lesbian. At his retrial, defendant sought to introduce testimony that she had had sex with a man two weeks before the crime. The court said that this evidence was not relevant for a number of reasons - including, notably, that having sex with a man is not inconsistent with being a lesbian.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-'So Macho' preacher hits back with bus adverts claiming God exists
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A fundamentalist preacher who unsuccessfully stood for public office has paid for adverts to be placed on buses proclaiming the existence of God.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11075.html
-Russian activists call for end to restrictions on HIV+ visitors
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A 1995 law that bans people living with HIV or AIDS from staying in Russia for more than three months should be overturned, gay rights activists in the country have said. The Russian government currently asks the HIV status of anyone requesting a visa.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11076.html
-Children say Welsh schools are not safe for out gay people
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A new LGBT rights charity will be launched today at the Welsh Senedd. The LGBT Excellence Centre Wales is a social enterprise and a charity building on an existing community group that was running the LGBT Cymru Helpline supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11073.html
-Gay bishop gives evidence in favour of same-sex marriage
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The only openly gay bishop in the Anglican communion has spoken in favour of same-sex marriage. Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, was giving evidence before the state's legislature
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11071.html
-UK set to deport gay man back to Iraq
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
An asylum seeker from Iraq is to be returned to his homeland this week. The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) said the man, who claims he will be in danger because he is gay, cannot be trusted as a reliable person as he has already been prosecuted for seeking to stay in the country illegally.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11065.html
-Source claims gay Mayor Sam Adams had illegal sex with teenager
By Tony Grew
The Mayor of Portland had sex with a minor, a US TV station has claimed. KATU News says that a friend of the teenager at the centre of the controversy has spoken to them on condition of anonymity.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11062.html
-Gay equality rally to be held at birthplace of American independence
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The United States National Park Service has issued a permit for a National Equality Rally at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Sunday May 3rd. Originally the Pennsylvania State House, the hall was the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11060.html
-US "family" group tries to block health benefits for same-sex partners
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A state Senate committee in Colorado is facing opposition to a new plan to extend health insurance benefits to the gay and lesbian partners of state employees. Focus on the Family, a fundamentalist Christian group, is based in the state.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11059.html
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gay Partners Immigration Act to be Reintroduced to Congress Next Week
Joe.My.God
The Uniting American Families Act will be reintroduced to the House next Friday by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). The act would allow the same-sex partners of legal U.S. residents to enjoy the same immigration rights as heterosexual couples. The unfair current law has stranded thousands of gay couples overseas or forced them to separate to their native countries. Please use this contact form created by Immigration Equality to contact your member of Congress and urge them to cosponsor the act with Rep. Nadler. Link
-NE: School to Recognize Gay Student Group
Associated Press | Lincoln Journal Star
BELLEVUE - Bellevue East High School has decided to recognize a student group that fosters understanding of homosexuality. The decision comes after nearly two years of negotiations between school officials and ACLU Nebraska, acting on behalf of the Gay Straight Alliance. A message left Thursday for principal Brad Stueve was not immediately returned. A news release from ACLU Nebraska says the school will treat the group as it does other student organizations, which means its announcements will be included on the school's message board and a photo of the group will appear in the yearbook. Read more
-Gays-Still Criminalized
Andoni | Citizen Crain
If you thought the Supreme Court decision declaring the anti-sodomy laws unconstitutional ended the criminalization of gays for simply loving another person, think again. For gays in relationships, here is something not very pleasant to think about, especially now when tax problems are haunting a number of high profile public officials. Married straights can legally pass an unlimited amount of money, financial help, assets, benefits, services, etc. from one partner to another. Gay couples, however, cannot. Gay couples (and because the federal government does not recognize such marriages, even gays married in MA) can only pass $11,000 worth of cash, financial support, benefits, etc. from one partner to the other. Anything more than that is a taxable event (either as a gift tax on the donor or income tax on the recipient). And if you don't pay the taxes, it's a crime. So the simple act of loving another person and doing for them what any straight married person would do for their partner can make you a criminal. This is especially pertinent in these hard times when one partner may be totally supporting the other. Read more
-Unholy Warriors
Richard J. Rosendall | Metro Weekly
Before Colorado Springs megachurch pastor Ted Haggard was ruined in 2006 by revelations of his involvement with a male hustler, he was interviewed for Oren Jacoby's documentary film, Constantine's Sword, which follows former Catholic priest James Carroll's exploration of religious intolerance. "No religion?" Haggard says. "That's anti-American. We are not an atheistic society." Haggard has been back in the news lately, giving interviews with his long-suffering wife still beside him amid revelations by his former church that they made payments to a young male church member with whom he had sexual contact. The demonization of atheism, which is part and parcel of the right wing's claim that America is a Christian nation, was nicely repudiated by President Obama in his Inaugural address when he said that "Our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth." Read more
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-White House Faith Office to Expand
By JEFF ZELENY and LAURIE GOODSTEIN
President Obama signed an executive order Thursday to create a revamped White House office for religion-based and neighborhood programs, expanding an initiative started by the Bush administration that provides government support - and financing - to religious and charitable organizations that deliver social services.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/us/politics/06obama.html?scp=7&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Anglicans seek extended moratorium on gay bishops
By RACHEL ZOLL
Anglican leaders urged their churches Thursday to maintain a 5-year-old moratorium on consecrating another openly gay bishop and developing prayers for same-sex unions, as they try to restore unity in their fractured fellowship. An Anglican advisory panel also also raised deep concerns about a North American province sought by theological conservatives to rival the Episcopal Church.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502073.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ginsburg's illness could lead to Obama appointment
By MARK SHERMAN
Some presidents are handed the chance to remake the Supreme Court for a generation, if enough justices leave. Others wait in vain to make even one appointment.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/890893.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pushing beyond abstinence-only policies
Sex education bills could include GLBT topics
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Florida has consistently ranked among the leading states reporting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, among young people and as well as teen pregnancies.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-5/news/localnews/5511.cfm
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Sally Kern Says She's Found the "Gay Agenda"
Homophobic Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern is at it again -- this time urging a crowd at the "Clouds Over America" conference of the John Birch Society that the time has come "for a new 'Great Awakening,'" evidenced by a "gay agenda" she says she uncovered in the book After the Ball.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72503.asp
-N.Y. Governor Condemns Youth Center Attack
New York governor David Paterson says the vandalism that happened at a Long Island gay youth center was "despicable" and condemned such acts of hatred and violence.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72512.asp
-Gay Rights on Fast Track at State Dept.
By Kerry Eleveld
Days after pledging to review policies that discriminate against LGBT employees at the State Department, Secretary Clinton said her staff is reviewing inequities and preparing to make appropriate changes "expeditiously."
Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72490.asp
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hospitality, not homosexuality
By John Corvino, columnist, 365gay.com
I've written in this column of my friendship with Glenn Stanton, a Focus on the Family employee whom I regularly debate on same-sex marriage.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino-hospitality-not-homosexuality/
-The Prop 8 effect: Anger between blacks and gays
By Jennifer Morales, Special to 365gay.com
When Rev. Wanda Washington arrived in Milwaukee to start up a church to serve the city's Sherman Park neighborhood, she didn't know exactly what she was in for.
http://www.365gay.com/living/the-prop-8-effect-anger-between-blacks-and-gays/
-New Chicago schools boss settles in
By Jennifer Vanasco
Ron Huberman is settling in as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools. Huberman, who is openly gay, replaces Arne Duncan who now serves as Secretary of the United States Department of Education.
http://www.365gay.com/news/new-chicago-schools-boss-settles-in/
-Campaign seeks to encourage gay adoption in LA county
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Two dads and their adoptive son smile out from a billboard with the headline "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Family" in West Hollywood. It's part of an innovative ad campaign to encourage gay couples in Los Angeles County to adopt.
http://www.365gay.com/news/campaign-seeks-to-encourage-gay-adoption-in-la-county/
-Tennessee looks at new bid to ban gay couples from adopting
By Jennifer Vanasco
With Republicans now in control of both houses in the Tennessee legislature GOP lawmakers say they are confident of passing a bill to ban gay couples from adopting children.
http://www.365gay.com/news/tennessee-looks-at-new-bid-to-ban-gay-couples-from-adopting/
-Christian right wooed by Obama turns on him
By The Associated Press
Christian conservatives are challenging President Barack Obama's picks for top Justice Department positions, charging that past clients taint their resumes.
http://www.365gay.com/news/christian-right-wooed-by-obama-turns-on-him/
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-More than ten countries still discriminate against travellers
Eleven countries around the world ban or limit the right of HIV-positive people to enter their territories. The list also includes Colombia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sudan, and Yemen. Although the US Congress passed a measure lifting the ban six months ago, the ban has not been fully lifted in USA.
UkGayNews.Org.Uk
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article
-ScientificAmerican.com: Single, Angry, Straight Male... Seeks Same?
A classic study reveals that young homophobic men have secret gay urges
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=single-angry-straight-male&SID=mail&sc
-WHICH IS THE MOST GAY FRIENDLY CORPORATION IN THE WORLD?
The IGLCC invites corporations to be part of the first edition of the International Business Equality Index
Brussels, Belgium, February 5th 2009 - The International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (IGLCC) is proud to invite all major international corporations to participate in the world premiere of the International Business Equality Index survey that will measure how they are performing internationally in issues related to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community. The Index is a unique tool allowing corporations to draw external comparisons, which illustrate how their competitors are doing as well as internal comparisons that provide a better understanding of their own performance. The deadline for completion of the survey is April 30th 2009 with the results being announced during the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights held during the World Outgames in Copenhagen from July 25th to August 2nd, 2009.
www.ilga-europe.org
-Catholic Order Jolted by Reports That Its Founder Led a Double Life
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The Legionaries of Christ, an influential Roman Catholic religious order, have been shaken by new revelations that their founder, who died a year ago, had an affair with a woman and fathered a daughter just as he and his thriving conservative order were winning the acclaim of Pope John Paul II. Before his death, the founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, had been forced to leave public ministry by Pope Benedict XVI because of accusations from more than a dozen men who said he had sexually abused them when they were students. But most members of the Legion continued to defend Father Maciel, asserting that the accusations had not been proved. Father Maciel died in January 2008 at the age of 87, and was buried in Mexico, where he was born.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/us/04legion.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
-"Lying" about sexual orientation in a rape trial
The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals held this month that a defendant on trial for rape had no right to introduce testimony relating to the alleged victim's sexual orientation. State v. Boutchiche 2009 WL 102949 (Jan. 12, 2009). The victim here testified at the defendant's first trial that, when in the course of attempting to sell magazines to the defendant he made sexual advances, she told him she was a lesbian. At his retrial, defendant sought to introduce testimony that she had had sex with a man two weeks before the crime. The court said that this evidence was not relevant for a number of reasons - including, notably, that having sex with a man is not inconsistent with being a lesbian.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-'So Macho' preacher hits back with bus adverts claiming God exists
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A fundamentalist preacher who unsuccessfully stood for public office has paid for adverts to be placed on buses proclaiming the existence of God.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11075.html
-Russian activists call for end to restrictions on HIV+ visitors
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A 1995 law that bans people living with HIV or AIDS from staying in Russia for more than three months should be overturned, gay rights activists in the country have said. The Russian government currently asks the HIV status of anyone requesting a visa.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11076.html
-Children say Welsh schools are not safe for out gay people
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A new LGBT rights charity will be launched today at the Welsh Senedd. The LGBT Excellence Centre Wales is a social enterprise and a charity building on an existing community group that was running the LGBT Cymru Helpline supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11073.html
-Gay bishop gives evidence in favour of same-sex marriage
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The only openly gay bishop in the Anglican communion has spoken in favour of same-sex marriage. Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, was giving evidence before the state's legislature
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11071.html
-UK set to deport gay man back to Iraq
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
An asylum seeker from Iraq is to be returned to his homeland this week. The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) said the man, who claims he will be in danger because he is gay, cannot be trusted as a reliable person as he has already been prosecuted for seeking to stay in the country illegally.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11065.html
-Source claims gay Mayor Sam Adams had illegal sex with teenager
By Tony Grew
The Mayor of Portland had sex with a minor, a US TV station has claimed. KATU News says that a friend of the teenager at the centre of the controversy has spoken to them on condition of anonymity.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11062.html
-Gay equality rally to be held at birthplace of American independence
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The United States National Park Service has issued a permit for a National Equality Rally at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Sunday May 3rd. Originally the Pennsylvania State House, the hall was the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11060.html
-US "family" group tries to block health benefits for same-sex partners
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A state Senate committee in Colorado is facing opposition to a new plan to extend health insurance benefits to the gay and lesbian partners of state employees. Focus on the Family, a fundamentalist Christian group, is based in the state.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11059.html
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gay Partners Immigration Act to be Reintroduced to Congress Next Week
Joe.My.God
The Uniting American Families Act will be reintroduced to the House next Friday by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). The act would allow the same-sex partners of legal U.S. residents to enjoy the same immigration rights as heterosexual couples. The unfair current law has stranded thousands of gay couples overseas or forced them to separate to their native countries. Please use this contact form created by Immigration Equality to contact your member of Congress and urge them to cosponsor the act with Rep. Nadler. Link
-NE: School to Recognize Gay Student Group
Associated Press | Lincoln Journal Star
BELLEVUE - Bellevue East High School has decided to recognize a student group that fosters understanding of homosexuality. The decision comes after nearly two years of negotiations between school officials and ACLU Nebraska, acting on behalf of the Gay Straight Alliance. A message left Thursday for principal Brad Stueve was not immediately returned. A news release from ACLU Nebraska says the school will treat the group as it does other student organizations, which means its announcements will be included on the school's message board and a photo of the group will appear in the yearbook. Read more
-Gays-Still Criminalized
Andoni | Citizen Crain
If you thought the Supreme Court decision declaring the anti-sodomy laws unconstitutional ended the criminalization of gays for simply loving another person, think again. For gays in relationships, here is something not very pleasant to think about, especially now when tax problems are haunting a number of high profile public officials. Married straights can legally pass an unlimited amount of money, financial help, assets, benefits, services, etc. from one partner to another. Gay couples, however, cannot. Gay couples (and because the federal government does not recognize such marriages, even gays married in MA) can only pass $11,000 worth of cash, financial support, benefits, etc. from one partner to the other. Anything more than that is a taxable event (either as a gift tax on the donor or income tax on the recipient). And if you don't pay the taxes, it's a crime. So the simple act of loving another person and doing for them what any straight married person would do for their partner can make you a criminal. This is especially pertinent in these hard times when one partner may be totally supporting the other. Read more
-Unholy Warriors
Richard J. Rosendall | Metro Weekly
Before Colorado Springs megachurch pastor Ted Haggard was ruined in 2006 by revelations of his involvement with a male hustler, he was interviewed for Oren Jacoby's documentary film, Constantine's Sword, which follows former Catholic priest James Carroll's exploration of religious intolerance. "No religion?" Haggard says. "That's anti-American. We are not an atheistic society." Haggard has been back in the news lately, giving interviews with his long-suffering wife still beside him amid revelations by his former church that they made payments to a young male church member with whom he had sexual contact. The demonization of atheism, which is part and parcel of the right wing's claim that America is a Christian nation, was nicely repudiated by President Obama in his Inaugural address when he said that "Our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth." Read more
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 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:
-High Stakes for Obama at Weekend Security Conference
By HELENE COOPER
The Obama administration is facing its first big international test this weekend as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. heads to a conference in Europe in the face of a confrontational stance from an old cold war adversary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/washington/06policy.html
-A Diverse Group of Senators at Center Stage in Economic Debate
By CARL HULSE
There's a new gang in town. Its members - a bipartisan group of about 20 senators - spent Thursday shuttling in and out of a nondescript committee room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, occasionally ordering staff members into the hallway to allow for more candid discussion on how to broker a political bailout of the economic recovery legislation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/us/politics/06gang.html
-Obama Set to Name Economic Panel
By JEFF ZELENY
President Obama is set to appoint on Friday a new team of outside economic advisers, led by a former Federal Reserve chairman, Paul Volcker, to offer independent advice to help the White House craft a response to the nation's growing recession.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/business/07web-econ.html?hp
-Pakistan Lifts Restrictions on Nuclear Scientist
By SALMAN MASOOD
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A Pakistani court ruled Friday that the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, who was accused of selling nuclear technology abroad, was no longer under house arrest and was free to move around the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/asia/07khan.html?hp
-Kyrgyzstan Says Base Closing Is Final
By REUTERS
BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan said on Friday its decision to shut a U.S. air base was final, dealing a blow to Washington's efforts to retain what has been an important staging post for U.S. forces fighting in Afghanistan.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/02/06/world/news-us-kyrgyzstan-usa-base.html?hp
-Editorial: Getting Tough in Washington
We're happy to see President Obama getting tough with Congressional Republicans who are trying to sabotage the stimulus and recovery bill and bring even greater ruin on the economy. Since Mr. Obama campaigned on the promise of bipartisanship, we hope he will also bring his hammer down on shortsighted Democrats who are threatening their own brand of havoc.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06fri1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: On the Edge
By PAUL KRUGMAN
A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to economic recovery. Over the last two weeks, what should have been a deadly serious debate about how to save an economy in desperate straits turned, instead, into hackneyed political theater, with Republicans spouting all the old clichés about wasteful government spending and the wonders of tax cuts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06krugman.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: The Gang System
By DAVID BROOKS
Barack Obama is a potentially transformational figure. In political style and intellectual outlook, he is unlike anything that has come before. On matters of policy substance, however, he's been pretty conventional. The policies he offered during the campaign matched those of just about every other Democrat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Arpaio's America
It has come to this: In Phoenix on Wednesday, more than 200 men in shackles and prison stripes were marched under armed guard past a gantlet of TV cameras to a tent prison encircled by an electric fence. They were inmates being sent to await deportation in a new immigrant detention camp minutes from the center of America's fifth-largest city.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06fri2.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Contributor: Please Raise My Taxes
By REED HASTINGS
Los Gatos, Calif.
I'M the chief executive of a publicly traded company and, like my peers, I'm very highly paid. The difference between salaries like mine and those of average Americans creates a lot of tension, and I'd like to offer a suggestion. President Obama should celebrate our success, rather than trying to shame us or cap our pay. But he should also take half of our huge earnings in taxes, instead of the current one-third.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06hastings.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Holocaust Denier at the Church Door
By Michael Gerson
I recall sitting at a Kigali restaurant with a Tutsi woman who described the death of her younger sister, a university student, during the Rwandan genocide. The girl had been given up for murder by one of her own teachers, who was a nun. The survivor across from me, previously a Catholic, had never attended church again. In the sacrifice of the Mass, she could see only the sacrifice of her sister.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502767.html
-Capitalist Punishment
By Harold Meyerson
We are in some ways still a nation of Puritans, and we don't much cotton to people who can't take care of themselves and end up sponging off our generosity. We demand that welfare recipients do an honest day's work for their checks. And now, since President Obama laid down the law Wednesday, we demand that the guys who ran our banking system into the ground abide by our pay scales in return for our bailing them out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502768.html
-OUTLOOK PREVIEW: A Liberal Revival of Americanism
By Michael Kazin
Barack Obama's rise to power has, to many people's surprise, once again made patriotism a liberal faith. At the pre-inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial, "This Land Is Your Land," lustily rendered by Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen, shared equal billing with "The Star-Spangled Banner." In his inaugural address, the new president evoked "obscure" Americans who "toiled in sweatshops" or "endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth" as exemplary citizens, while denouncing those who "seek only the pleasures of riches and fame." Before him stretched a crowd of some 1.8 million admirers; many, to paraphrase Michelle Obama's controversial words from last winter, were surely as proud of their country as they had been in many years. That throng on the Mall was probably the largest pro-government demonstration in U.S. history. That spirit is probably strong enough to withstand the news that some high-placed Obama appointees had failed to pay their taxes -- and may even be bolstered by the president's apology for "screwing up" the process.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020501213.html
-Zimbabwe's False Hope
South Africa demands that the West aid a 'unity' government under Robert Mugabe. How to answer?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403173.html
-Phelps Suspended For Three Months
Ban by USA Swimming Is Latest Fallout
By Amy Shipley
USA Swimming slapped Michael Phelps with a three-month suspension from competition and withdrew his monthly stipend yesterday in the latest and strongest response to the furor over a published photo that appeared to show him using marijuana.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020503152.html?hpid=topnews
-Afghanistan Appeal May Temper European Allies' Ardor for Obama
By Craig Whitlock
MUNICH, Feb. 5 -- European leaders cheered when Barack Obama was elected president in November. They cheered again when he proclaimed during his inaugural address that America was "ready to lead once more" in the world, and yet again when he pledged to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020503786.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-List Brings Home Impact of Madoff Scandal
Nearly 250 Washington Area Names in Court Filing Identifying Customers of
Investment Firm
By Dana Hedgpeth and Megan Greenwell
Nearly 250 Washington area names, including some of the region's most prominent and wealthiest business people, are on a new list of customers of the New York investment firm operated by Bernard L. Madoff, who is accused of running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020501865.html?hpid=sec-business
-Barack Obama
Obama Signs S-CHIP Legislation
By Anne E. Kornblut
President Obama signed legislation on Wednesday extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, ending a two-year Democratic effort to enact a bill that former president Bush had vetoed.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/02/04/obama_signs_s-chip_legislation.html?hpid=sec-health
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Obama's Trade Deflection
Will he stand up to his own party's protectionists?
Amid the bacchanal that is the Beltway stimulus debate, a rare note of sobriety has sounded. President Obama exercised some leadership on trade this week, and the Senate proceeded to water down the "Buy American" provisions in the House version.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123388598825155269.html
-What's So Scary About Deflation? Read On
By CARLA FRIED
Lower prices may be manna to consumers, but they can cause economists to break out in cold sweats. Their fear: that one big D (deflation) will lead to another (depression). Recent economic data suggest that the U.S. may well be heading into its first significant bout of deflation since the early 1930s, with potentially major impact on consumers and investors. "That we are going to have deflation this year is a given," says A. Gary Shilling, deflation expert and president of economics consulting firm A. Gary Shilling & Co. "The real road test is whether we end up with chronic deflation."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123387097831254101.html
-The GOP Has a Dumb Mortgage Idea
By ED GLAESER
It contradicts the ideals of Republicanism and good economics. Few philosophers have done more good than Locke and Montesquieu, whose advocacy of divided government inspired America's Founders. Our history, and the less happy past of nations without checks and balances, suggests the wisdom of John Adams's statement: "a people cannot be long free, nor ever happy, whose government is in one Assembly." Today, the Senate Republicans bear the heavy burden of providing the primary check on one-party rule in America.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123380033980550585.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Should there be limits on fertility?
BY ELLEN GOODMAN
Maybe we owe an apology to the doctors who made the birth announcement with such pride and excitement. The delivery of eight babies in five minutes was, they exhaled, ''amazing.'' The mom was ''incredibly courageous.'' All in all it was a ''very exciting day,'' a feat for which the 46-member medical team at the California hospital expected kudos and high fives.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/890538.html
-Bernard Madoff's Complete Client List [PDF}
http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2009/02/05/08/MadoffList.source.prod_affiliate.56.pdf
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-High Stakes for Obama at Weekend Security Conference
By HELENE COOPER
The Obama administration is facing its first big international test this weekend as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. heads to a conference in Europe in the face of a confrontational stance from an old cold war adversary.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/washington/06policy.html
-A Diverse Group of Senators at Center Stage in Economic Debate
By CARL HULSE
There's a new gang in town. Its members - a bipartisan group of about 20 senators - spent Thursday shuttling in and out of a nondescript committee room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, occasionally ordering staff members into the hallway to allow for more candid discussion on how to broker a political bailout of the economic recovery legislation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/us/politics/06gang.html
-Obama Set to Name Economic Panel
By JEFF ZELENY
President Obama is set to appoint on Friday a new team of outside economic advisers, led by a former Federal Reserve chairman, Paul Volcker, to offer independent advice to help the White House craft a response to the nation's growing recession.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/business/07web-econ.html?hp
-Pakistan Lifts Restrictions on Nuclear Scientist
By SALMAN MASOOD
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A Pakistani court ruled Friday that the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, who was accused of selling nuclear technology abroad, was no longer under house arrest and was free to move around the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/world/asia/07khan.html?hp
-Kyrgyzstan Says Base Closing Is Final
By REUTERS
BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan said on Friday its decision to shut a U.S. air base was final, dealing a blow to Washington's efforts to retain what has been an important staging post for U.S. forces fighting in Afghanistan.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/02/06/world/news-us-kyrgyzstan-usa-base.html?hp
-Editorial: Getting Tough in Washington
We're happy to see President Obama getting tough with Congressional Republicans who are trying to sabotage the stimulus and recovery bill and bring even greater ruin on the economy. Since Mr. Obama campaigned on the promise of bipartisanship, we hope he will also bring his hammer down on shortsighted Democrats who are threatening their own brand of havoc.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06fri1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: On the Edge
By PAUL KRUGMAN
A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to economic recovery. Over the last two weeks, what should have been a deadly serious debate about how to save an economy in desperate straits turned, instead, into hackneyed political theater, with Republicans spouting all the old clichés about wasteful government spending and the wonders of tax cuts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06krugman.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: The Gang System
By DAVID BROOKS
Barack Obama is a potentially transformational figure. In political style and intellectual outlook, he is unlike anything that has come before. On matters of policy substance, however, he's been pretty conventional. The policies he offered during the campaign matched those of just about every other Democrat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Arpaio's America
It has come to this: In Phoenix on Wednesday, more than 200 men in shackles and prison stripes were marched under armed guard past a gantlet of TV cameras to a tent prison encircled by an electric fence. They were inmates being sent to await deportation in a new immigrant detention camp minutes from the center of America's fifth-largest city.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06fri2.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Contributor: Please Raise My Taxes
By REED HASTINGS
Los Gatos, Calif.
I'M the chief executive of a publicly traded company and, like my peers, I'm very highly paid. The difference between salaries like mine and those of average Americans creates a lot of tension, and I'd like to offer a suggestion. President Obama should celebrate our success, rather than trying to shame us or cap our pay. But he should also take half of our huge earnings in taxes, instead of the current one-third.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/opinion/06hastings.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Holocaust Denier at the Church Door
By Michael Gerson
I recall sitting at a Kigali restaurant with a Tutsi woman who described the death of her younger sister, a university student, during the Rwandan genocide. The girl had been given up for murder by one of her own teachers, who was a nun. The survivor across from me, previously a Catholic, had never attended church again. In the sacrifice of the Mass, she could see only the sacrifice of her sister.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502767.html
-Capitalist Punishment
By Harold Meyerson
We are in some ways still a nation of Puritans, and we don't much cotton to people who can't take care of themselves and end up sponging off our generosity. We demand that welfare recipients do an honest day's work for their checks. And now, since President Obama laid down the law Wednesday, we demand that the guys who ran our banking system into the ground abide by our pay scales in return for our bailing them out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502768.html
-OUTLOOK PREVIEW: A Liberal Revival of Americanism
By Michael Kazin
Barack Obama's rise to power has, to many people's surprise, once again made patriotism a liberal faith. At the pre-inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial, "This Land Is Your Land," lustily rendered by Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen, shared equal billing with "The Star-Spangled Banner." In his inaugural address, the new president evoked "obscure" Americans who "toiled in sweatshops" or "endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth" as exemplary citizens, while denouncing those who "seek only the pleasures of riches and fame." Before him stretched a crowd of some 1.8 million admirers; many, to paraphrase Michelle Obama's controversial words from last winter, were surely as proud of their country as they had been in many years. That throng on the Mall was probably the largest pro-government demonstration in U.S. history. That spirit is probably strong enough to withstand the news that some high-placed Obama appointees had failed to pay their taxes -- and may even be bolstered by the president's apology for "screwing up" the process.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020501213.html
-Zimbabwe's False Hope
South Africa demands that the West aid a 'unity' government under Robert Mugabe. How to answer?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403173.html
-Phelps Suspended For Three Months
Ban by USA Swimming Is Latest Fallout
By Amy Shipley
USA Swimming slapped Michael Phelps with a three-month suspension from competition and withdrew his monthly stipend yesterday in the latest and strongest response to the furor over a published photo that appeared to show him using marijuana.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020503152.html?hpid=topnews
-Afghanistan Appeal May Temper European Allies' Ardor for Obama
By Craig Whitlock
MUNICH, Feb. 5 -- European leaders cheered when Barack Obama was elected president in November. They cheered again when he proclaimed during his inaugural address that America was "ready to lead once more" in the world, and yet again when he pledged to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020503786.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-List Brings Home Impact of Madoff Scandal
Nearly 250 Washington Area Names in Court Filing Identifying Customers of
Investment Firm
By Dana Hedgpeth and Megan Greenwell
Nearly 250 Washington area names, including some of the region's most prominent and wealthiest business people, are on a new list of customers of the New York investment firm operated by Bernard L. Madoff, who is accused of running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020501865.html?hpid=sec-business
-Barack Obama
Obama Signs S-CHIP Legislation
By Anne E. Kornblut
President Obama signed legislation on Wednesday extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, ending a two-year Democratic effort to enact a bill that former president Bush had vetoed.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/02/04/obama_signs_s-chip_legislation.html?hpid=sec-health
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Obama's Trade Deflection
Will he stand up to his own party's protectionists?
Amid the bacchanal that is the Beltway stimulus debate, a rare note of sobriety has sounded. President Obama exercised some leadership on trade this week, and the Senate proceeded to water down the "Buy American" provisions in the House version.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123388598825155269.html
-What's So Scary About Deflation? Read On
By CARLA FRIED
Lower prices may be manna to consumers, but they can cause economists to break out in cold sweats. Their fear: that one big D (deflation) will lead to another (depression). Recent economic data suggest that the U.S. may well be heading into its first significant bout of deflation since the early 1930s, with potentially major impact on consumers and investors. "That we are going to have deflation this year is a given," says A. Gary Shilling, deflation expert and president of economics consulting firm A. Gary Shilling & Co. "The real road test is whether we end up with chronic deflation."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123387097831254101.html
-The GOP Has a Dumb Mortgage Idea
By ED GLAESER
It contradicts the ideals of Republicanism and good economics. Few philosophers have done more good than Locke and Montesquieu, whose advocacy of divided government inspired America's Founders. Our history, and the less happy past of nations without checks and balances, suggests the wisdom of John Adams's statement: "a people cannot be long free, nor ever happy, whose government is in one Assembly." Today, the Senate Republicans bear the heavy burden of providing the primary check on one-party rule in America.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123380033980550585.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Should there be limits on fertility?
BY ELLEN GOODMAN
Maybe we owe an apology to the doctors who made the birth announcement with such pride and excitement. The delivery of eight babies in five minutes was, they exhaled, ''amazing.'' The mom was ''incredibly courageous.'' All in all it was a ''very exciting day,'' a feat for which the 46-member medical team at the California hospital expected kudos and high fives.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/890538.html
-Bernard Madoff's Complete Client List [PDF}
http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2009/02/05/08/MadoffList.source.prod_affiliate.56.pdf
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 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~~
ArtsUnited
http://artsunitedonline.org/
-ArtExplosion 2009 Opens Saturday Night
February 7 - 6-9pm
ArtsUnited opens it annual gay and lesbian visual and performing arts festival ArtExplosion on Saturday, February 7, at ArtServe, 1350 East Sunrise Blvd in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The ArtExplosion Visual Arts Exhibit is the largest juried art exhibit from the gay and lesbian community in the Southeast United States. Over 100 original works of art will be on display in the JM Family Enterprises Gallery from February 2 through 27, 2009. The Opening Night Reception features performances by local entertainers, short films and performance art, a one night only Erotic Art Exhibit, the New Moon Wine Bar, The Kai Vodka Martini Bar, food from Stork's and Gourmet Vittles and music by DJ Johnny D. The Opening Night Reception is February 7, 2009 from 6-9 PM. Admission to the Opening Reception is $10.00 and is open to the public. Admission to the exhibition is free at all other times.
FOR A COMPLET LIST OF ALL EVENTS:
http://artexplosiononline.org/welcome.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-For Dania Beach City Commission
Two Broward cities hold primaries Tuesday, Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale. You would be hard-pressed to find a more collegial group of candidates than the seven vying for three seats on the Dania Beach City Commission. Many know each other from civic work -- serving on committees, etc., and, in two cases, having served or are serving on the commission now.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/886715.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Meet your gay and lesbian politicians
Historic number of candidates make bids in city elections
On Tuesday Broward voters will go to the polls in several municipal elections. This election cycle includes nine openly gay candidates who are vying for public office in Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors, Dania Beach, and Oakland Park (March 10), the strongest gay showing in Broward history
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-5/news/localnews/5518.cfm
-Pedestrian killed on Wilton Drive
Speed limits lowered to increase safety
As a measure to reduce pedestrians being hit by cars along Wilton Drive, the speed limit along the city's major downtown road has been reduced from 35 to 30 m.p.h. The new speed limit went into effect on January 28, 2009, although the reduced speed did not prevent the drive's first fatality of the year.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-5/news/localnews/5508.cfm
-OUT on a limb
Fledgling organization must re-think purpose among state organizations On Jan. 24, 2009, OUT-"Organizations United Together," an effort to create a statewide federation of local GLBT and allied organizations-held in Orlando what had been billed as an organizational meeting, but more closely resembled a pre-scripted, choreographed program trying to head toward a predetermined outcome (albeit getting derailed along the way).
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-5/view/editorial/5513.cfm
=
Sunshine Cathedral
1480 SW 9th Ave | Fort Lauderdale
-John McNeill Lecture
On Monday, February 9th, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, John McNeill, PhD will offer a lecture on his latest book, Sex As God Intended. The lecture will be in the McNeill / Chiarelli Library (Pink Room). Please join us for what will be a great evening of insight from a prominent Queer theologian.
http://sunshinecathedral.org/
=
Out Traveler Florida Miami Launch Party 2/7/09
Come celebrate the official launch of the hottest travel book on the market, Out Traveler Florida. Get your book signed by Fort Lauderdale author Paul Rubio and watch some fabulous drag. Books will be available on amazon.com as well as local bookstores and at the door for purchase. Just remember books serve as your entrance ticket and Press copies delivered beforehand. This all kicks off at Halo Lounge Miami Beach from 8 PM to 10 PM.
=
Dean Trantalis For Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
-Let's work together to change the face of history!
Dear Volunteers, Donors and Supporters of all kinds:
With only 9 days until the February 10th election, we still haven't talked to as many people as we will need to win this election. We need your help! Together, we can make Dean Trantalis the next Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, changing the face of the future, but only if we all put in a little something extra... time. I know that we've asked for time before and you graciously gave it. Over 100 of you showed up to our volunteer rally last month and a number of you have taken part in trainings since then, giving freely of your time. Now, we need just a little more. This Saturday, February 7, 2009, we want to reach out to 10,000 voters and speak with them, either in person or over the phone. Up until now, we've had a great effort and reached out to many people, but we're still well short of our goal. The only thing that can help us reach that goal is you, each and every one of you invidually. Everyone from Dean to me to our event coordinator to our office manager will take part in a massive effort beginning at 12:30 pm. We're putting teams of canvassers on the street and phone bankers on the phones to reach as many people in one day as possible. 200 volunteers will allow us to reach the numbers we need in one day. It may seem like a lot, but with me there we only need 199 more, with Dean there we only need 198 more, with you there we only need 197 more, and with every single person who shows up we get that much closer, but it will take all of you. Please come to campaign headquarters at 12:30 pm on Saturday, February 7, 2009, bring a friend, and when you respond to this email to let us know that you'll be there, sign up to help us at the polls on election day. We're still about 100 volunteers short for morning, lunch and afternoon shifts.
Chip Clapp - Volunteer Coordinator
Dean Trantalis for Mayor Campaign
volunteer@deanformayor.com
(954) 701-2902 cell
http://deanformayor.com/
=
From Howard Elfman for Ft. Lauderdale City Commission - District 2
-HOWARD ELFMAN'S ON THE VERGE OF AN UPSET IN DISTRICT 2
Fort Lauderdale - With just days to go, Howard Elfman's campaign for the Fort Lauderdale Commission in District 2 is on a roll. I can feel it, and I know you can too! My campaign is on the verge of an upset in the Fort Lauderdale District 2 Commission race. We've been working hard, reaching out to voters in large groups, small groups, and one-on-one. I've had hundreds of conversations with District 2 residents who want a new direction and new leadership in our city. What's funny is how many voters tell me the same thing, in virtually the same language: "We need change, now!" They live everywhere in District 2, they're business people and students, homemakers and retirees. They know the incumbent, they know our other opponent, and they see our campaign as providing the right mix of experience, vision and hope for our future. We've got a few surprises in store for this final weekend before the election. But if I told you, it would spoil the surprise! I'll be at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center's (GLCC) flea market on Saturday morning to meet voters and begin our weekend canvassing. (I am a Founder at the GLCC and used to sit on the board, so it's always like going home to me.) We could use your help at the polls on Tuesday, and we've love a yard sign on your lawn! Call campaign headquarters at 954/727-3614 to volunteer. For more information log on to www.ElectHowardElfman.com or visit the Elect Howard Elfman group on Facebook.
www.ElectHowardElfman.com
=
From Steve Glassman for Ft. Lauderdale City Commission - District 2
-No one has had more hard-working volunteers than this campaign and on Tuesday, February 10, we are all coming together to watch the results pour in! On Tuesday, after working all day at the polls and on the phones, please plan on meeting at 8:00 pm. to celebrate a job well done. Our campaign has been focused, uplifting, positive, and full of good people that care deeply about the future of our city. You helped us with your votes and support; now let us relax and have a good time. - Please join us!
Where: Pelican Grand Beach Resort
2000 North Ocean Blvd. (A1A between Oakland and Sunrise)
Complimentary Parking - (must mention the group)
10th Floor - Everglades Room
When: Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 8:oo pm
RSVP: call 954-638-8461 or e-mail: steve@voteglassman.com by Monday,
February 9th.
http://www.voteglassman.com/
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Miami Herald recommends
FOR FORT LAUDERDALE COMMISSION, DISTRICT 4
Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson ably served this southeastern Fort Lauderdale district, never forgetting her start as a grass-roots activist in civic-association work. Seeking to replace Ms. Hutchinson are Jim Lewis, 51, an attorney; Coleman Prewitt, 41, an attorney; Romney Rogers, 55, also an attorney, and George Trodella, 62, a small-business owner and former hotelier.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/890536.html
-The Miami Herald recommends
FOR FORT LAUDERDALE COMMISSION, DISTRICT 3
After two decades on the City Commission, Carlton Moore resigned Nov. 4 upon losing a County Commission race to incumbent John Rodstrom by 149 votes. The commission appointed retired public-school educator Magdalene Lewis to finish his term.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/890544.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
ArtsUnited
http://artsunitedonline.org/
-ArtExplosion 2009 Opens Saturday Night
February 7 - 6-9pm
ArtsUnited opens it annual gay and lesbian visual and performing arts festival ArtExplosion on Saturday, February 7, at ArtServe, 1350 East Sunrise Blvd in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The ArtExplosion Visual Arts Exhibit is the largest juried art exhibit from the gay and lesbian community in the Southeast United States. Over 100 original works of art will be on display in the JM Family Enterprises Gallery from February 2 through 27, 2009. The Opening Night Reception features performances by local entertainers, short films and performance art, a one night only Erotic Art Exhibit, the New Moon Wine Bar, The Kai Vodka Martini Bar, food from Stork's and Gourmet Vittles and music by DJ Johnny D. The Opening Night Reception is February 7, 2009 from 6-9 PM. Admission to the Opening Reception is $10.00 and is open to the public. Admission to the exhibition is free at all other times.
FOR A COMPLET LIST OF ALL EVENTS:
http://artexplosiononline.org/welcome.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-For Dania Beach City Commission
Two Broward cities hold primaries Tuesday, Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale. You would be hard-pressed to find a more collegial group of candidates than the seven vying for three seats on the Dania Beach City Commission. Many know each other from civic work -- serving on committees, etc., and, in two cases, having served or are serving on the commission now.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/886715.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Meet your gay and lesbian politicians
Historic number of candidates make bids in city elections
On Tuesday Broward voters will go to the polls in several municipal elections. This election cycle includes nine openly gay candidates who are vying for public office in Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors, Dania Beach, and Oakland Park (March 10), the strongest gay showing in Broward history
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-5/news/localnews/5518.cfm
-Pedestrian killed on Wilton Drive
Speed limits lowered to increase safety
As a measure to reduce pedestrians being hit by cars along Wilton Drive, the speed limit along the city's major downtown road has been reduced from 35 to 30 m.p.h. The new speed limit went into effect on January 28, 2009, although the reduced speed did not prevent the drive's first fatality of the year.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-5/news/localnews/5508.cfm
-OUT on a limb
Fledgling organization must re-think purpose among state organizations On Jan. 24, 2009, OUT-"Organizations United Together," an effort to create a statewide federation of local GLBT and allied organizations-held in Orlando what had been billed as an organizational meeting, but more closely resembled a pre-scripted, choreographed program trying to head toward a predetermined outcome (albeit getting derailed along the way).
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-5/view/editorial/5513.cfm
=
Sunshine Cathedral
1480 SW 9th Ave | Fort Lauderdale
-John McNeill Lecture
On Monday, February 9th, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, John McNeill, PhD will offer a lecture on his latest book, Sex As God Intended. The lecture will be in the McNeill / Chiarelli Library (Pink Room). Please join us for what will be a great evening of insight from a prominent Queer theologian.
http://sunshinecathedral.org/
=
Out Traveler Florida Miami Launch Party 2/7/09
Come celebrate the official launch of the hottest travel book on the market, Out Traveler Florida. Get your book signed by Fort Lauderdale author Paul Rubio and watch some fabulous drag. Books will be available on amazon.com as well as local bookstores and at the door for purchase. Just remember books serve as your entrance ticket and Press copies delivered beforehand. This all kicks off at Halo Lounge Miami Beach from 8 PM to 10 PM.
=
Dean Trantalis For Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
-Let's work together to change the face of history!
Dear Volunteers, Donors and Supporters of all kinds:
With only 9 days until the February 10th election, we still haven't talked to as many people as we will need to win this election. We need your help! Together, we can make Dean Trantalis the next Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, changing the face of the future, but only if we all put in a little something extra... time. I know that we've asked for time before and you graciously gave it. Over 100 of you showed up to our volunteer rally last month and a number of you have taken part in trainings since then, giving freely of your time. Now, we need just a little more. This Saturday, February 7, 2009, we want to reach out to 10,000 voters and speak with them, either in person or over the phone. Up until now, we've had a great effort and reached out to many people, but we're still well short of our goal. The only thing that can help us reach that goal is you, each and every one of you invidually. Everyone from Dean to me to our event coordinator to our office manager will take part in a massive effort beginning at 12:30 pm. We're putting teams of canvassers on the street and phone bankers on the phones to reach as many people in one day as possible. 200 volunteers will allow us to reach the numbers we need in one day. It may seem like a lot, but with me there we only need 199 more, with Dean there we only need 198 more, with you there we only need 197 more, and with every single person who shows up we get that much closer, but it will take all of you. Please come to campaign headquarters at 12:30 pm on Saturday, February 7, 2009, bring a friend, and when you respond to this email to let us know that you'll be there, sign up to help us at the polls on election day. We're still about 100 volunteers short for morning, lunch and afternoon shifts.
Chip Clapp - Volunteer Coordinator
Dean Trantalis for Mayor Campaign
volunteer@deanformayor.com
(954) 701-2902 cell
http://deanformayor.com/
=
From Howard Elfman for Ft. Lauderdale City Commission - District 2
-HOWARD ELFMAN'S ON THE VERGE OF AN UPSET IN DISTRICT 2
Fort Lauderdale - With just days to go, Howard Elfman's campaign for the Fort Lauderdale Commission in District 2 is on a roll. I can feel it, and I know you can too! My campaign is on the verge of an upset in the Fort Lauderdale District 2 Commission race. We've been working hard, reaching out to voters in large groups, small groups, and one-on-one. I've had hundreds of conversations with District 2 residents who want a new direction and new leadership in our city. What's funny is how many voters tell me the same thing, in virtually the same language: "We need change, now!" They live everywhere in District 2, they're business people and students, homemakers and retirees. They know the incumbent, they know our other opponent, and they see our campaign as providing the right mix of experience, vision and hope for our future. We've got a few surprises in store for this final weekend before the election. But if I told you, it would spoil the surprise! I'll be at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center's (GLCC) flea market on Saturday morning to meet voters and begin our weekend canvassing. (I am a Founder at the GLCC and used to sit on the board, so it's always like going home to me.) We could use your help at the polls on Tuesday, and we've love a yard sign on your lawn! Call campaign headquarters at 954/727-3614 to volunteer. For more information log on to www.ElectHowardElfman.com or visit the Elect Howard Elfman group on Facebook.
www.ElectHowardElfman.com
=
From Steve Glassman for Ft. Lauderdale City Commission - District 2
-No one has had more hard-working volunteers than this campaign and on Tuesday, February 10, we are all coming together to watch the results pour in! On Tuesday, after working all day at the polls and on the phones, please plan on meeting at 8:00 pm. to celebrate a job well done. Our campaign has been focused, uplifting, positive, and full of good people that care deeply about the future of our city. You helped us with your votes and support; now let us relax and have a good time. - Please join us!
Where: Pelican Grand Beach Resort
2000 North Ocean Blvd. (A1A between Oakland and Sunrise)
Complimentary Parking - (must mention the group)
10th Floor - Everglades Room
When: Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 8:oo pm
RSVP: call 954-638-8461 or e-mail: steve@voteglassman.com by Monday,
February 9th.
http://www.voteglassman.com/
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Miami Herald recommends
FOR FORT LAUDERDALE COMMISSION, DISTRICT 4
Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson ably served this southeastern Fort Lauderdale district, never forgetting her start as a grass-roots activist in civic-association work. Seeking to replace Ms. Hutchinson are Jim Lewis, 51, an attorney; Coleman Prewitt, 41, an attorney; Romney Rogers, 55, also an attorney, and George Trodella, 62, a small-business owner and former hotelier.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/890536.html
-The Miami Herald recommends
FOR FORT LAUDERDALE COMMISSION, DISTRICT 3
After two decades on the City Commission, Carlton Moore resigned Nov. 4 upon losing a County Commission race to incumbent John Rodstrom by 149 votes. The commission appointed retired public-school educator Magdalene Lewis to finish his term.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/890544.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Thursday, February 05, 2009
We Need Some Feedback
To: Ray's List Readers
We need some feedback from you about Ray's List - GLBT News, National & World News, & Florida News.
With the dramatic improvements in access to GLBT and general news through the web, we question if Ray's List is still an important news source for the GLBT community.
Anything you can share - the good as well as the bad - will help us in our review.
Best!
Ray & Michael
rays.list@comcast.net
#####
We need some feedback from you about Ray's List - GLBT News, National & World News, & Florida News.
With the dramatic improvements in access to GLBT and general news through the web, we question if Ray's List is still an important news source for the GLBT community.
Anything you can share - the good as well as the bad - will help us in our review.
Best!
Ray & Michael
rays.list@comcast.net
#####
GLBT DIGEST - February 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.
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
--Ask Amy
DEAR AMY: Our son is gay and has been in a stable relationship for the past 12 years. He and his partner have not kept their relationship in the closet nor have they announced it. Recently, my sister-in-law took it upon herself to disclose our son's relationship to her siblings and her mother, who is 97. That didn't bother our son so much, but now his aunt is calling our son and telling him that he can change. She is also bringing in other people to this situation. We have kept out of it. Our son is an adult; he feels he can handle things, and I agree. I tried to talk to my sister-in-law, but when she laughed and said this had to "come out," I lost my cool. How can we handle this, defuse the situation and still get her to stop? -- Angry Mom
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601220_pf.html
-Christian right challenges Obama's Justice picks
Christian conservatives are challenging President Barack Obama's picks for top Justice Department positions, charging that past clients like Playboy taint their resumes. "Ogden has been an activist in the support of a right to pornography, a right of abortion and the rights of homosexuals," said Patrick Trueman, a former Justice Department official during the first Bush presidency who is now in private practice. "It isn't so much that he's represented pornographers or that he's been a porn attorney, but it's his world view, and his world view reflects President Obama's world view," said Trueman, echoing criticism from conservative activist groups like the American Family Association and Focus on the Family.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020500445.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Faith-Based Program Gets Wider Focus
By LAURA MECKLER
When President Barack Obama launches his version of the faith-based initiative Thursday, he will expand the mission to include abortion reduction and outreach to the Muslim world. He will also try to avoid the thorniest constitutional issues that beset the program for years under his predecessor.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123379504018650159.html
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Sam Adams Speaks to Out.com
Sam Adams made history when he became the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city, taking the reins of Portland, Ore., in January. Unfortunately, Sam Adams made bigger headlines when he admitted, just days after he took office, to having had a sexual relationship with a teenager while he was city commissioner in 2005, an allegation that he had denied while running for office. Days later, Adams sat down with Out.com to tell his side of the story.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72316.asp
-N.H. Considers Competing Bills on Same-Sex Marriage
New Hampshire legislators are mulling two very different bills -- one that would build on the state's civil union bill to legalize same-sex marriage, and one that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The state's house judiciary committee will hold a hearing on both bills Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Bishop of the New Hampshire diocese V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay -- and actively partnered -- priest to be elected bishop by the Episcopal Church, is slated to testify in favor of the same-sex marriage bill sponsored by Rep. Jim Splaine. The bill that would ban same-sex marriage is being carried by GOP representative Leo Pepino. Other legislation regarding legal unions is also under consideration. One bill would make the protections afforded by civil unions accessible to straight couples and relatives of the same gender. Another would prohibit the state from recognizing same-sex marriages from other states as civil unions. (Advocate.com)
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72400.asp
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-New Figures: Catholics, Evangelical groups outspent Mormons on Prop 8
Newly released figures from the California secretary of state's office show that the biggest contributor to the campaign to approve a ban on same-sex marriage in the state was the Knights of Columbus, the political arm of the Roman Catholic Church, which gave $1.275 million.
http://www.365gay.com/news/new-figures-catholics-evangelical-groups-vastly-outspent-mormons-on-prop-8/
-Calif. Supreme Court to hear Prop 8 case March 5
http://www.365gay.com/news/calif-supreme-court-to-hear-prop-8-case-march-5/
-Mayor's Affair: Beau Breedlove speaks out
by Barbara Simon
We've heard the openly gay mayor of Portland, Oregon, Sam Adams, apologize for his affair with a teenage intern, and confess he lied about it while running for office. But for the first time, the young man at the center of the City Hall scandal is speaking out, and only to 365gay News. You can see the full interview exclusively on 365gay News, Thursday at 7pm Eastern and Pacific, on Logo.
http://www.365gay.com/video/mayors-affair-beau-breedlove-speaks-out/
-Teen accused of male-on-male sex assaults in web scam
An 18-year-old male student is accused of posing as a girl on Facebook, tricking at least 31 male classmates into sending him naked photos of themselves and then blackmailing some for sex acts.
http://www.365gay.com/news/teen-accused-of-male-on-male-sex-assaults-in-web-scam/
-Anti-gay amendment advances in Wyoming
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Legislation to amend the Wyoming constitution to ban same-sex marriage has passed a key legislative committee. The House Judiciary Committee voted 5 to 4 to send the joint resolution to the full House for debate.
http://www.365gay.com/news/anti-gay-amendment-advances-in-wyoming/
-NYC Judge: Survivor of gay couple married in Canada gets estate
By The Associated Press
A judge has issued New York state's first ruling that the survivor of a legal same-sex marriage is entitled to inherit a dead spouse's estate.
http://www.365gay.com/news/nyc-judge-survivor-of-gay-couple-married-in-canada-gets-estate/
-Only 20 percent of Oregon gay couples register
A year after Oregon established a domestic partner registry, about 2,600 Oregon same-sex couples - about one in five - have registered.
http://www.365gay.com/news/only-20-percent-of-oregon-gay-couples-register/
-Mass. man pledges $100M for AIDS vaccine research
A businessman pledged $100 million Wednesday to Massachusetts General Hospital to create an institute that will search for vaccines for AIDS and other infectious diseases.
http://www.365gay.com/news/mass-man-pledges-100m-for-aids-vaccine-research/
-Questions remain over gay inclusion at White House faith-based office
The Obama administration is set to announce a diverse set of advisers to a revamped White House office that will steer government money to religious and neighborhood groups doing social service work. They include a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, a Jewish rabbi active in Washington and a pioneering female African-American bishop.
http://www.365gay.com/news/questions-remain-over-gay-inclusion-at-white-house-faith-based-office/
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Home Office is failing HIV+ asylum seekers claims charity
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A leading charity has said the government is not doing enough to help asylum seekers who are living with HIV or AIDS.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11048.html
-Vatican diplomat stresses the principles of "natural law" ahead of Spain visit
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The Roman Catholic Church's most senior diplomat has set the tone for his visit to Spain today with some oblique criticisms of the country's government.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11053.html
-New index hopes to identify world's most gay friendly business
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A new international business equality index will assess which companies are best serving their lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans employees, suppliers and consumers.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11050.html
-Chronicler of New York's gay liberation movement dies aged 76
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk .
One of the founders of one of the first gay rights groups in America who later chronicled the movement has died. G Donn Teal was 76 years old.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11038.html
-Mormon accused of polygamy to use gay marriage as defence
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A man in Canada charged with polygamy is to argue that the legalisation of gay marriage should lead the way for multiple wives.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11036.html
-Peer convicted of gay sex offences could be expelled from Lords under new rules
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
An hereditary peer who was prosecuted for gay sex offences in a trial that scandalised 1950s Britain could lose his seat in the House of Lords under new proposals. Last month it was revealed that four Labour peers had discussed changing legislation at the behest of lobbyists for payments of up to £120,000.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11031.html
-Beckham: Inside me there is a gay man who wants to come out
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has said she has more in common with gay men than other women. The wife of footballer David Beckham, she is close friends with prominent gays Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11024.html
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-TX: Out Lesbian Annise Parker Runs for Mayor of Houston
Pam Spaudling | The Bilerico Project
Annise Parker is a popular elected official in Houston, and she's making a strong bid to become the city's first openly gay mayor. Parker is a past president of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, and represents 2.2 million people as City Controller; Houston is the fourth most populous city in the US, so a win by Parker - and she's a frontrunner - would be momentous, particularly in a Red State. Parker has a proven track record serving the people of Houston for the last 11 years - first on the City Council, and for the last five years she has been the City Controller. Her campaign video: Read more
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article
-Rugby Players Go Balls Out Against Cancer
Leave it to British rugby players to put their balls on display to educate other men about testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is one of the leading cancers among men 14-40. In this NSFW clip a rugby team disrobes with the help of a health professional to learn how to examine their testicles for lumps that may signal testicular cancer. The clip is fun, sexy and informative. We need more of this kind of smart and honest stuff to educate men on how to keep themselves healthy.
http://bloggernista.com/2008/05/30/rugby-players-go-balls-out-against-cancer/
-Teaching Moments on Free Speech, Constitutionalism and Lobbying the Court
A small town's plea to the US Supreme Court raises a number of big-theory constitutional questions. Its being reported (article below from The Olympian) that lawmakers in Sugar City, Iowa, wrote to the Justices urging them to reconsider the constitutional protection given some forms of adult entertainment. Judicial decisions that prohibit municipalities from banning adult entertainment outright, they said, "severely handicapped the community's efforts to retain a morally and aesthetically satisfying environment."
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/firstamendment/2009/02/obscenity-free.html
-Fla. Bar Joins Fight Against State's Ban on Adoptions by Gays
http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202427945370
-Women say S.A. mall cops arrested them for kissing
By Jeorge Zarazua San Antonio Express-News
Jessica Garcia intends to prove in court that security officers at Rolling Oaks Mall unfairly targeted her and her girlfriend when they were arrested in December on trespassing and other charges. Garcia said the officers - a Bexar County sheriff's deputy and an employee from a private security company - began harassing them Dec. 26 because her girlfriend gave her a kiss on the cheek while sitting inside the mall on a bench. Mall officials said the women, both 22, were acting inappropriately and were told to leave because they were not complying with the shopping center's code of conduct.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6243685.html
-Sex Toy Sales Rise in Struggling Economy
MINNEAPOLIS - After the terrorist strikes of Sept. 11, 2001, shocked the world, retailers of adult products reported an upswing in sales of "bedroom aids." That didn't surprise marriage and family therapists, sexuality counselors or sex workers, who believe that in hard times people naturally gravitate toward intimate pleasure as a coping mechanism. Now, with the economy taking a full-fledged nose-dive, sex-toy retailers are reporting revenue increases of from 7 to 13 percent, both in the brick-and-mortar realm and online.
http://novelty.avn.com/articles/34354.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
--Ask Amy
DEAR AMY: Our son is gay and has been in a stable relationship for the past 12 years. He and his partner have not kept their relationship in the closet nor have they announced it. Recently, my sister-in-law took it upon herself to disclose our son's relationship to her siblings and her mother, who is 97. That didn't bother our son so much, but now his aunt is calling our son and telling him that he can change. She is also bringing in other people to this situation. We have kept out of it. Our son is an adult; he feels he can handle things, and I agree. I tried to talk to my sister-in-law, but when she laughed and said this had to "come out," I lost my cool. How can we handle this, defuse the situation and still get her to stop? -- Angry Mom
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601220_pf.html
-Christian right challenges Obama's Justice picks
Christian conservatives are challenging President Barack Obama's picks for top Justice Department positions, charging that past clients like Playboy taint their resumes. "Ogden has been an activist in the support of a right to pornography, a right of abortion and the rights of homosexuals," said Patrick Trueman, a former Justice Department official during the first Bush presidency who is now in private practice. "It isn't so much that he's represented pornographers or that he's been a porn attorney, but it's his world view, and his world view reflects President Obama's world view," said Trueman, echoing criticism from conservative activist groups like the American Family Association and Focus on the Family.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020500445.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Faith-Based Program Gets Wider Focus
By LAURA MECKLER
When President Barack Obama launches his version of the faith-based initiative Thursday, he will expand the mission to include abortion reduction and outreach to the Muslim world. He will also try to avoid the thorniest constitutional issues that beset the program for years under his predecessor.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123379504018650159.html
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Sam Adams Speaks to Out.com
Sam Adams made history when he became the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city, taking the reins of Portland, Ore., in January. Unfortunately, Sam Adams made bigger headlines when he admitted, just days after he took office, to having had a sexual relationship with a teenager while he was city commissioner in 2005, an allegation that he had denied while running for office. Days later, Adams sat down with Out.com to tell his side of the story.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72316.asp
-N.H. Considers Competing Bills on Same-Sex Marriage
New Hampshire legislators are mulling two very different bills -- one that would build on the state's civil union bill to legalize same-sex marriage, and one that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The state's house judiciary committee will hold a hearing on both bills Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Bishop of the New Hampshire diocese V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay -- and actively partnered -- priest to be elected bishop by the Episcopal Church, is slated to testify in favor of the same-sex marriage bill sponsored by Rep. Jim Splaine. The bill that would ban same-sex marriage is being carried by GOP representative Leo Pepino. Other legislation regarding legal unions is also under consideration. One bill would make the protections afforded by civil unions accessible to straight couples and relatives of the same gender. Another would prohibit the state from recognizing same-sex marriages from other states as civil unions. (Advocate.com)
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72400.asp
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-New Figures: Catholics, Evangelical groups outspent Mormons on Prop 8
Newly released figures from the California secretary of state's office show that the biggest contributor to the campaign to approve a ban on same-sex marriage in the state was the Knights of Columbus, the political arm of the Roman Catholic Church, which gave $1.275 million.
http://www.365gay.com/news/new-figures-catholics-evangelical-groups-vastly-outspent-mormons-on-prop-8/
-Calif. Supreme Court to hear Prop 8 case March 5
http://www.365gay.com/news/calif-supreme-court-to-hear-prop-8-case-march-5/
-Mayor's Affair: Beau Breedlove speaks out
by Barbara Simon
We've heard the openly gay mayor of Portland, Oregon, Sam Adams, apologize for his affair with a teenage intern, and confess he lied about it while running for office. But for the first time, the young man at the center of the City Hall scandal is speaking out, and only to 365gay News. You can see the full interview exclusively on 365gay News, Thursday at 7pm Eastern and Pacific, on Logo.
http://www.365gay.com/video/mayors-affair-beau-breedlove-speaks-out/
-Teen accused of male-on-male sex assaults in web scam
An 18-year-old male student is accused of posing as a girl on Facebook, tricking at least 31 male classmates into sending him naked photos of themselves and then blackmailing some for sex acts.
http://www.365gay.com/news/teen-accused-of-male-on-male-sex-assaults-in-web-scam/
-Anti-gay amendment advances in Wyoming
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Legislation to amend the Wyoming constitution to ban same-sex marriage has passed a key legislative committee. The House Judiciary Committee voted 5 to 4 to send the joint resolution to the full House for debate.
http://www.365gay.com/news/anti-gay-amendment-advances-in-wyoming/
-NYC Judge: Survivor of gay couple married in Canada gets estate
By The Associated Press
A judge has issued New York state's first ruling that the survivor of a legal same-sex marriage is entitled to inherit a dead spouse's estate.
http://www.365gay.com/news/nyc-judge-survivor-of-gay-couple-married-in-canada-gets-estate/
-Only 20 percent of Oregon gay couples register
A year after Oregon established a domestic partner registry, about 2,600 Oregon same-sex couples - about one in five - have registered.
http://www.365gay.com/news/only-20-percent-of-oregon-gay-couples-register/
-Mass. man pledges $100M for AIDS vaccine research
A businessman pledged $100 million Wednesday to Massachusetts General Hospital to create an institute that will search for vaccines for AIDS and other infectious diseases.
http://www.365gay.com/news/mass-man-pledges-100m-for-aids-vaccine-research/
-Questions remain over gay inclusion at White House faith-based office
The Obama administration is set to announce a diverse set of advisers to a revamped White House office that will steer government money to religious and neighborhood groups doing social service work. They include a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, a Jewish rabbi active in Washington and a pioneering female African-American bishop.
http://www.365gay.com/news/questions-remain-over-gay-inclusion-at-white-house-faith-based-office/
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Home Office is failing HIV+ asylum seekers claims charity
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A leading charity has said the government is not doing enough to help asylum seekers who are living with HIV or AIDS.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11048.html
-Vatican diplomat stresses the principles of "natural law" ahead of Spain visit
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The Roman Catholic Church's most senior diplomat has set the tone for his visit to Spain today with some oblique criticisms of the country's government.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11053.html
-New index hopes to identify world's most gay friendly business
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A new international business equality index will assess which companies are best serving their lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans employees, suppliers and consumers.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11050.html
-Chronicler of New York's gay liberation movement dies aged 76
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk .
One of the founders of one of the first gay rights groups in America who later chronicled the movement has died. G Donn Teal was 76 years old.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11038.html
-Mormon accused of polygamy to use gay marriage as defence
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A man in Canada charged with polygamy is to argue that the legalisation of gay marriage should lead the way for multiple wives.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11036.html
-Peer convicted of gay sex offences could be expelled from Lords under new rules
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
An hereditary peer who was prosecuted for gay sex offences in a trial that scandalised 1950s Britain could lose his seat in the House of Lords under new proposals. Last month it was revealed that four Labour peers had discussed changing legislation at the behest of lobbyists for payments of up to £120,000.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11031.html
-Beckham: Inside me there is a gay man who wants to come out
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has said she has more in common with gay men than other women. The wife of footballer David Beckham, she is close friends with prominent gays Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11024.html
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-TX: Out Lesbian Annise Parker Runs for Mayor of Houston
Pam Spaudling | The Bilerico Project
Annise Parker is a popular elected official in Houston, and she's making a strong bid to become the city's first openly gay mayor. Parker is a past president of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, and represents 2.2 million people as City Controller; Houston is the fourth most populous city in the US, so a win by Parker - and she's a frontrunner - would be momentous, particularly in a Red State. Parker has a proven track record serving the people of Houston for the last 11 years - first on the City Council, and for the last five years she has been the City Controller. Her campaign video: Read more
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article
-Rugby Players Go Balls Out Against Cancer
Leave it to British rugby players to put their balls on display to educate other men about testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is one of the leading cancers among men 14-40. In this NSFW clip a rugby team disrobes with the help of a health professional to learn how to examine their testicles for lumps that may signal testicular cancer. The clip is fun, sexy and informative. We need more of this kind of smart and honest stuff to educate men on how to keep themselves healthy.
http://bloggernista.com/2008/05/30/rugby-players-go-balls-out-against-cancer/
-Teaching Moments on Free Speech, Constitutionalism and Lobbying the Court
A small town's plea to the US Supreme Court raises a number of big-theory constitutional questions. Its being reported (article below from The Olympian) that lawmakers in Sugar City, Iowa, wrote to the Justices urging them to reconsider the constitutional protection given some forms of adult entertainment. Judicial decisions that prohibit municipalities from banning adult entertainment outright, they said, "severely handicapped the community's efforts to retain a morally and aesthetically satisfying environment."
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/firstamendment/2009/02/obscenity-free.html
-Fla. Bar Joins Fight Against State's Ban on Adoptions by Gays
http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202427945370
-Women say S.A. mall cops arrested them for kissing
By Jeorge Zarazua San Antonio Express-News
Jessica Garcia intends to prove in court that security officers at Rolling Oaks Mall unfairly targeted her and her girlfriend when they were arrested in December on trespassing and other charges. Garcia said the officers - a Bexar County sheriff's deputy and an employee from a private security company - began harassing them Dec. 26 because her girlfriend gave her a kiss on the cheek while sitting inside the mall on a bench. Mall officials said the women, both 22, were acting inappropriately and were told to leave because they were not complying with the shopping center's code of conduct.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6243685.html
-Sex Toy Sales Rise in Struggling Economy
MINNEAPOLIS - After the terrorist strikes of Sept. 11, 2001, shocked the world, retailers of adult products reported an upswing in sales of "bedroom aids." That didn't surprise marriage and family therapists, sexuality counselors or sex workers, who believe that in hard times people naturally gravitate toward intimate pleasure as a coping mechanism. Now, with the economy taking a full-fledged nose-dive, sex-toy retailers are reporting revenue increases of from 7 to 13 percent, both in the brick-and-mortar realm and online.
http://novelty.avn.com/articles/34354.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Senate Adds Homebuyer Tax Credit to Stimulus Bill
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
The Senate on Wednesday voted to expand the economic stimulus package with a tax credit for homebuyers of up to $15,000, a provision championed by Republicans as addressing a root cause of the recession.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/us/politics/05stimulus.html?_r=1&hp
-Editorial: Unraveling Injustice
The Bush administration's attacks on the rule of law in the name of fighting terrorism have saddled President Obama and his legal team, starting with Attorney General Eric Holder, with some urgent cleanup work.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/opinion/05thu1.html?ref=opinion
-The Unthinkable Option
By ROGER COHEN
TEHRAN: When it comes to Iran, the choice of metaphor is limited. "I would never take a military option off the table," Barack Obama declared during the campaign, a position unchanged since he became president.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/opinion/05cohen.html?ref=opinion
-Still Nice Work if You Can Get It
President Obama's decision to cap senior executives' pay at bailed-out banks and other companies addresses one of the most outrageous weaknesses of the Bush administration's financial-rescue package. If anyone is feeling bad for the bankers, don't. The banks can pay more than the figure Mr. Obama chose - $500,000 a year - but only in restricted stock that cannot be cashed in until the government has been repaid. That sounds more than fair to us.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/opinion/05thu2.html?ref=opinion
-Somali Pirates Said to Be Leaving Ship
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN and MOHAMED IBRAHIM
NAIROBI, Kenya - After four months and seemingly endless negotiations, the wily band of Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian ship packed with tanks and other weapons seemed on Thursday finally ready to let go.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/world/africa/06pirates.html?hp
-U.S. Searches for Alternative to Kyrgyz Base
By ELISABETH BUMILLER and ELLEN BARRY
The Obama administration scrambled Wednesday to come up with an alternative to a crucial United States air base in Central Asia, used to supply the growing military operation in Afghanistan, after the president of Kyrgyzstan ordered the American base in his country closed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/world/asia/06kstan.html
-Vatican Move on Bishop Exposes Fissures of Church
By RACHEL DONADIO
ROME - Responding to an extraordinary burst of global outrage, especially in Pope Benedict XVI's native Germany, the Vatican for the first time on Wednesday called on a recently rehabilitated bishop to take back his statements denying the Holocaust.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/world/europe/05pope.html
-Obama Signs Children's Health Insurance Bill
By ROBERT PEAR
The House gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, and President Obama signed it this afternoon, in the first of what he hopes will be many steps to guarantee coverage for all Americans.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/us/politics/05health.html
-Back Story: Don't We Already Have a Health Plan for the Poor?
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Most people think of Medicaid as the federal government's health plan for low-income Americans: Medicare covers seniors, goes the conventional wisdom, while Medicaid covers the poor. But that isn't really how it works.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/health/05backstory.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Action Americans Need
By Barack Obama
Thursday, February 5, 2009; Page A17
By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so hard to build have vanished. People everywhere are worried about what tomorrow will bring. [...] In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive. I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. They know that we have tried it those ways for too long.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403174.html
-Time to Play Hardball
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
The irony of President Obama's Blue Tuesday is that the wall-to-wall television interviews he granted were designed not to apologize for Tom Daschle's fall from grace but to fight back against the Republicans' success in tarnishing his stimulus package.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020402835.html
-The New Landonists
By Harold Meyerson
The leader of the Republican Party was fulminating against the Democratic president's programs. All that government spending, and yet, he said, "the nation has not made the durable progress, either in reform or recovery, that we had the right to expect." The problem was that the president didn't trust the market to right the economy: "The energies of the American economic system will remedy the ravages of depression," he argued.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403117.html
-A Cabinet Loss and Gain
By David S. Broder
In a striking repetition of the up-and-down pattern of the Democratic primaries a year ago, President Obama filled one Cabinet vacancy on Tuesday but saw another one embarrassingly come open.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020402837.html
-Zimbabwe's False Hope
South Africa demands that the West aid a 'unity' government under Robert Mugabe. How to answer?
SOUTH AFRICA has won a round in its relentless campaign to preserve Robert Mugabe's hold over a dying Zimbabwe. With the help of its allies in the Southern Africa Development Community, South Africa succeeded last week in coercing opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai -- the winner of last year's presidential election -- into accepting a subordinate role in a "unity" government led by the 84-year-old strongman. The deal, which Mr. Tsvangirai bravely resisted for months, will leave Mr. Mugabe in charge of the country's last functioning institutions -- army and police forces that have been waging a campaign of murder, rape and torture against the opposition and human rights activists.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403173.html
-An Obama A-Team for Iran
By David Ignatius
Whom should President Obama appoint as his emissary to Iran, to take on what may be the most important diplomatic mission in decades? The right person (or persons) would have the stature and experience to engage Iran at the highest level -- and to explore what Obama in his inaugural address called "a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020402883.html
-The Senate Balks: Why President Obama should heed calls for a more focused stimulus package
Today in The Post, President Obama challenges critics of the $900 billion stimulus plan that was taking shape on Capitol Hill yesterday, accusing them of peddling "the same failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis" and warning that, without immediate action, "Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse." A thinly veiled reference to Senate Republicans, this is a departure from his previous emphasis on bipartisanship. Still, as a matter of policy, Mr. Obama is justified in signaling that the plan should not be tilted in favor of tax cuts -- and that the GOP should not waste valuable time trying to achieve this.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403172.html
-ANALYSIS: Amid Anger Over Economy, Obama Looks For Right Tone
By Alec MacGillis
President Obama, who swept to the White House on a message of hope and inspiration, is struggling to contend with a different emotion among Americans -- anger.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020402759.html?hpid=topnews
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Faith-Based Program Gets Wider Focus
By LAURA MECKLER
When President Barack Obama launches his version of the faith-based initiative Thursday, he will expand the mission to include abortion reduction and outreach to the Muslim world. He will also try to avoid the thorniest constitutional issues that beset the program for years under his predecessor.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123379504018650159.html
-Mixed Reactions From Republicans Demonstrate the Dilemma Faced by the Party
President Barack Obama's plan to cap salaries for certain bank executives poses this dilemma for Republicans: the party that touts free-market principles also finds itself appalled by high salaries and seemingly extravagant perks for executives at financial institutions that received federal bailout money.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123379738691350325.html?mod=article-outset-box
-Congress's Phony War on Torture Why not ban waterboarding once and for all?
When Leon Panetta comes before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday about his nomination to head the Central Intelligence Agency, he ought to be asked tough questions about the things he's said about torture. And he will.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123362332302441815.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Closing Guantánamo a bolder proposal
By Max J. Castro
To fulfill his campaign promise to rebuild the global reputation of this nation, President Barack Obama placed closing down the infamous Guantánamo detention camp as one of the first items on his agenda.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum05guantanamopnfeb05,0,1101875.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Prepare for the 51st star on the flag
BY GEORGE F. WILL
One answer is: Six rows of stars -- the top, third and fifth rows with nine, the second, fourth and sixth rows with eight. The question is: How might the nation reconfigure its flag to acknowledge a 51st state. Or ``state.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/888689.html
-CRIME WITNESSES: I was blind, and now I see
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
In Los Angeles, there is a park named in honor of Griffith J. Griffith, whose claim to fame is that he made a fortune speculating in gold mining and gave the city a large tract of land. In Chicago, there is a park named in honor of Ulysses S. Grant, whose claim to fame is that he commanded Union forces in the Civil War and was 18th president of the United States.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/886717.html
=
Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/
-Evidence of the Tuition Bubble
Doug Lederman
Commentators have increasingly been wondering if the end might finally be in sight for the many years' worth of steady and often not-so-slow increases in college tuitions. How much longer, the thinking goes, will American students and parents be able to afford - and/or put up with - rapidly rising prices and expenditures on higher education?
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/02/04/tuition
-Unintentional Whitening of U. of California?
Scott Jaschik
For several years now, the University of California has been debating plans to drop the SAT Subject Tests (formerly called the SAT II or achievement tests) and to find ways to consider more minority applicants. The debate has focused on the relative merits (or lack thereof) of the SAT and how to promote diversity while not violating the state's ban on affirmative action.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/02/05/uc
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-With Daschle out, could Donna Shalala be coming back?
By Luisa Yanez
With former Sen. Tom Daschle withdrawing himself as secretary of Health and Human Services, University of Miami President Donna Shalala emerged Wednesday as a possible nominee.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/888451.html
-Madoff Whistle Blower Is Finally Heard
CBS Evening News: Investigator Who First Discovered Massive Ponzi Scheme Tells Lawmakers SEC Just Wouldn't Listen
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/04/cbsnews_investigates/main4776338.shtml?tag=topHome;topStory
-The new Great Communicator ... isn't
By Joan Walsh
Obama is stumbling in the stimulus debate -- and public support is dropping -- because for 30 years Republicans have lied about the role of government. Now he's got to tell the truth.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/02/04/obama/
-The One To See If You Want In
By DeNeen L. Brown
For every one stride Desirée Rogers takes, you take two, trying to keep up as she hurries through the White House. She is the new social secretary, the doyenne of state dinners, the honcho of hospitality, with society and civilization resting on her shoulders as she briskly descends from her East Wing office, blows past Marine guards in the White House hush that seems all the more noticeable when punctuated by the percussion of her designer black heels, with red soles flashing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403964.html
-Insiders are the problem, not solution
By Joan Vennochi
WHETHER or not he paid his taxes, Tom Daschle was never the best person to lead the charge on healthcare reform. Reform means shaking up the establishment. Daschle is the establishment, just like other Cabinet picks made by President Obama
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/02/05/insiders_are_the_problem_not_solution/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Editorial%2FOp-ed+pages
-Attendees of Voters Coalition dinner speculate on McCollum, Sink
by GEORGE BENNETT
Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum and Democratic Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink batted down speculation about next year's governor's race as both attended the annual Voters Coalition dinner here tonight.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/eaper/2009/02/04/0204flagov.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Senate Adds Homebuyer Tax Credit to Stimulus Bill
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
The Senate on Wednesday voted to expand the economic stimulus package with a tax credit for homebuyers of up to $15,000, a provision championed by Republicans as addressing a root cause of the recession.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/us/politics/05stimulus.html?_r=1&hp
-Editorial: Unraveling Injustice
The Bush administration's attacks on the rule of law in the name of fighting terrorism have saddled President Obama and his legal team, starting with Attorney General Eric Holder, with some urgent cleanup work.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/opinion/05thu1.html?ref=opinion
-The Unthinkable Option
By ROGER COHEN
TEHRAN: When it comes to Iran, the choice of metaphor is limited. "I would never take a military option off the table," Barack Obama declared during the campaign, a position unchanged since he became president.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/opinion/05cohen.html?ref=opinion
-Still Nice Work if You Can Get It
President Obama's decision to cap senior executives' pay at bailed-out banks and other companies addresses one of the most outrageous weaknesses of the Bush administration's financial-rescue package. If anyone is feeling bad for the bankers, don't. The banks can pay more than the figure Mr. Obama chose - $500,000 a year - but only in restricted stock that cannot be cashed in until the government has been repaid. That sounds more than fair to us.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/opinion/05thu2.html?ref=opinion
-Somali Pirates Said to Be Leaving Ship
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN and MOHAMED IBRAHIM
NAIROBI, Kenya - After four months and seemingly endless negotiations, the wily band of Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian ship packed with tanks and other weapons seemed on Thursday finally ready to let go.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/world/africa/06pirates.html?hp
-U.S. Searches for Alternative to Kyrgyz Base
By ELISABETH BUMILLER and ELLEN BARRY
The Obama administration scrambled Wednesday to come up with an alternative to a crucial United States air base in Central Asia, used to supply the growing military operation in Afghanistan, after the president of Kyrgyzstan ordered the American base in his country closed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/world/asia/06kstan.html
-Vatican Move on Bishop Exposes Fissures of Church
By RACHEL DONADIO
ROME - Responding to an extraordinary burst of global outrage, especially in Pope Benedict XVI's native Germany, the Vatican for the first time on Wednesday called on a recently rehabilitated bishop to take back his statements denying the Holocaust.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/world/europe/05pope.html
-Obama Signs Children's Health Insurance Bill
By ROBERT PEAR
The House gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, and President Obama signed it this afternoon, in the first of what he hopes will be many steps to guarantee coverage for all Americans.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/us/politics/05health.html
-Back Story: Don't We Already Have a Health Plan for the Poor?
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Most people think of Medicaid as the federal government's health plan for low-income Americans: Medicare covers seniors, goes the conventional wisdom, while Medicaid covers the poor. But that isn't really how it works.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/health/05backstory.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Action Americans Need
By Barack Obama
Thursday, February 5, 2009; Page A17
By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so hard to build have vanished. People everywhere are worried about what tomorrow will bring. [...] In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive. I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. They know that we have tried it those ways for too long.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403174.html
-Time to Play Hardball
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
The irony of President Obama's Blue Tuesday is that the wall-to-wall television interviews he granted were designed not to apologize for Tom Daschle's fall from grace but to fight back against the Republicans' success in tarnishing his stimulus package.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020402835.html
-The New Landonists
By Harold Meyerson
The leader of the Republican Party was fulminating against the Democratic president's programs. All that government spending, and yet, he said, "the nation has not made the durable progress, either in reform or recovery, that we had the right to expect." The problem was that the president didn't trust the market to right the economy: "The energies of the American economic system will remedy the ravages of depression," he argued.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403117.html
-A Cabinet Loss and Gain
By David S. Broder
In a striking repetition of the up-and-down pattern of the Democratic primaries a year ago, President Obama filled one Cabinet vacancy on Tuesday but saw another one embarrassingly come open.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020402837.html
-Zimbabwe's False Hope
South Africa demands that the West aid a 'unity' government under Robert Mugabe. How to answer?
SOUTH AFRICA has won a round in its relentless campaign to preserve Robert Mugabe's hold over a dying Zimbabwe. With the help of its allies in the Southern Africa Development Community, South Africa succeeded last week in coercing opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai -- the winner of last year's presidential election -- into accepting a subordinate role in a "unity" government led by the 84-year-old strongman. The deal, which Mr. Tsvangirai bravely resisted for months, will leave Mr. Mugabe in charge of the country's last functioning institutions -- army and police forces that have been waging a campaign of murder, rape and torture against the opposition and human rights activists.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403173.html
-An Obama A-Team for Iran
By David Ignatius
Whom should President Obama appoint as his emissary to Iran, to take on what may be the most important diplomatic mission in decades? The right person (or persons) would have the stature and experience to engage Iran at the highest level -- and to explore what Obama in his inaugural address called "a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020402883.html
-The Senate Balks: Why President Obama should heed calls for a more focused stimulus package
Today in The Post, President Obama challenges critics of the $900 billion stimulus plan that was taking shape on Capitol Hill yesterday, accusing them of peddling "the same failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis" and warning that, without immediate action, "Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse." A thinly veiled reference to Senate Republicans, this is a departure from his previous emphasis on bipartisanship. Still, as a matter of policy, Mr. Obama is justified in signaling that the plan should not be tilted in favor of tax cuts -- and that the GOP should not waste valuable time trying to achieve this.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403172.html
-ANALYSIS: Amid Anger Over Economy, Obama Looks For Right Tone
By Alec MacGillis
President Obama, who swept to the White House on a message of hope and inspiration, is struggling to contend with a different emotion among Americans -- anger.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020402759.html?hpid=topnews
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Faith-Based Program Gets Wider Focus
By LAURA MECKLER
When President Barack Obama launches his version of the faith-based initiative Thursday, he will expand the mission to include abortion reduction and outreach to the Muslim world. He will also try to avoid the thorniest constitutional issues that beset the program for years under his predecessor.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123379504018650159.html
-Mixed Reactions From Republicans Demonstrate the Dilemma Faced by the Party
President Barack Obama's plan to cap salaries for certain bank executives poses this dilemma for Republicans: the party that touts free-market principles also finds itself appalled by high salaries and seemingly extravagant perks for executives at financial institutions that received federal bailout money.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123379738691350325.html?mod=article-outset-box
-Congress's Phony War on Torture Why not ban waterboarding once and for all?
When Leon Panetta comes before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday about his nomination to head the Central Intelligence Agency, he ought to be asked tough questions about the things he's said about torture. And he will.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123362332302441815.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Closing Guantánamo a bolder proposal
By Max J. Castro
To fulfill his campaign promise to rebuild the global reputation of this nation, President Barack Obama placed closing down the infamous Guantánamo detention camp as one of the first items on his agenda.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum05guantanamopnfeb05,0,1101875.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Prepare for the 51st star on the flag
BY GEORGE F. WILL
One answer is: Six rows of stars -- the top, third and fifth rows with nine, the second, fourth and sixth rows with eight. The question is: How might the nation reconfigure its flag to acknowledge a 51st state. Or ``state.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/888689.html
-CRIME WITNESSES: I was blind, and now I see
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
In Los Angeles, there is a park named in honor of Griffith J. Griffith, whose claim to fame is that he made a fortune speculating in gold mining and gave the city a large tract of land. In Chicago, there is a park named in honor of Ulysses S. Grant, whose claim to fame is that he commanded Union forces in the Civil War and was 18th president of the United States.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/886717.html
=
Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/
-Evidence of the Tuition Bubble
Doug Lederman
Commentators have increasingly been wondering if the end might finally be in sight for the many years' worth of steady and often not-so-slow increases in college tuitions. How much longer, the thinking goes, will American students and parents be able to afford - and/or put up with - rapidly rising prices and expenditures on higher education?
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/02/04/tuition
-Unintentional Whitening of U. of California?
Scott Jaschik
For several years now, the University of California has been debating plans to drop the SAT Subject Tests (formerly called the SAT II or achievement tests) and to find ways to consider more minority applicants. The debate has focused on the relative merits (or lack thereof) of the SAT and how to promote diversity while not violating the state's ban on affirmative action.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/02/05/uc
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-With Daschle out, could Donna Shalala be coming back?
By Luisa Yanez
With former Sen. Tom Daschle withdrawing himself as secretary of Health and Human Services, University of Miami President Donna Shalala emerged Wednesday as a possible nominee.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/888451.html
-Madoff Whistle Blower Is Finally Heard
CBS Evening News: Investigator Who First Discovered Massive Ponzi Scheme Tells Lawmakers SEC Just Wouldn't Listen
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/04/cbsnews_investigates/main4776338.shtml?tag=topHome;topStory
-The new Great Communicator ... isn't
By Joan Walsh
Obama is stumbling in the stimulus debate -- and public support is dropping -- because for 30 years Republicans have lied about the role of government. Now he's got to tell the truth.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/02/04/obama/
-The One To See If You Want In
By DeNeen L. Brown
For every one stride Desirée Rogers takes, you take two, trying to keep up as she hurries through the White House. She is the new social secretary, the doyenne of state dinners, the honcho of hospitality, with society and civilization resting on her shoulders as she briskly descends from her East Wing office, blows past Marine guards in the White House hush that seems all the more noticeable when punctuated by the percussion of her designer black heels, with red soles flashing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403964.html
-Insiders are the problem, not solution
By Joan Vennochi
WHETHER or not he paid his taxes, Tom Daschle was never the best person to lead the charge on healthcare reform. Reform means shaking up the establishment. Daschle is the establishment, just like other Cabinet picks made by President Obama
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/02/05/insiders_are_the_problem_not_solution/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Editorial%2FOp-ed+pages
-Attendees of Voters Coalition dinner speculate on McCollum, Sink
by GEORGE BENNETT
Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum and Democratic Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink batted down speculation about next year's governor's race as both attended the annual Voters Coalition dinner here tonight.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/eaper/2009/02/04/0204flagov.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 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:
-Fort Lauderdale City Commission District II candidates
...HOWARD ELFMAN
PERSONAL: 44, domestic partner, Don Tsang
EDUCATION: Attended classes at Penn State, 1982-1986
PROFESSIONAL: Licensed real estate broker; accredited buyers' representative; certified broker-manager; certified residential specialist; graduate, Real Estate Institute; president of Distinctive Homes Realty
POLITICAL: First run for office
CIVIC: Founding member, IT Forum of South Forum; member of Fort Lauderdale Is your Fort Lauderdale restaurant clean? - Click Here. Chamber of Commerce; former board member, Gay & Lesbian Community Center; member, five years, city of Fort Lauderdale Code Enforcement Board; former board member, Riverwalk Trust
ONLINE: www.electhowardelfman.com
...STEVE GLASSMAN
PERSONAL: 55, domestic partner, Randolph Morris
PROFESSIONAL: Administrator, Broward County Click here for restaurant inspection reports cultural division, end of September 2008; former high school teacher
EDUCATION: Master's in education, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1975
POLITICAL: First run for office; former elected Democratic committeeman in Buffalo, N.Y.
CIVIC: President of Central Beach Alliance; former member, Fort Lauderdale Planning and Zoning Board; former member of city's Beach Redevelopment Advisory Board;
ONLINE: www.voteglassman.com
...CHARLOTTE RODSTROM
PERSONAL: 55; married to County Commissioner John Rodstrom; three sons, ages 16, 23 and 25
PROFESSIONAL: Retired since 1990; 20 years, senior flight attendant with Eastern Airlines; former president, Fast Track Marketing LLC
CIVIC: Past president of Nurmi Isles Homeowners Association; past president/board member of PTAs at Second Presbyterian Pre-School and St. Mark's Episcopal School in Fort Lauderdale
EDUCATION: Courses at Centenary College for Women in New Jersey
POLITICAL: Ran unsuccessfully for commission in 2003; won current seat on commission in 2006
ONLINE: www.charlotterodstrom.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-0204-lauddistrict2,0,5447920.story
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay retired Navy sailor: Military never discriminated against me
Here's an e-mail I received today from Robaire Watson, who served six years
in the Navy, from 1989 to 1995. Watson is black and gay and says he "never
encountered the slightest discrimination aboard his warship".
http://pd.miami.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=gay&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
-Arianna Huffington to speak aboard lesbian cruise from Fort Lauderdale
http://pd.miami.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=gay&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay erotic art expo
Art show featuring live models, photographs and video displays sponsored by 411 Magazine
By Dan Renzi
ArtsUnited annual art festival, ArtExplosion, opens on February 7, with a Visual Arts Exhibit. This year's Opening Night Reception will feature an expanded erotic art show sponsored by 411 Magazine. The 411 Erotic Exhibit will have loads of sexy erotic art on display, an erotic art installation by photographer Dennis Dean, live models, video displays, erotic poetry readings, and the Kai Martini Bar featuring the ArtExplosion Martini. The event will kick off the exciting, two-week-long Art Explosion, which runs through Feb. 21. The conservative evangelical Focus on the Family, which fights LGBT issues across the country, gave $657,000 in money and services. The amounts vastly surpass the $189,000 in direct cash and compensated staff time from the Mormon church.
www.artexplosiononline.org
-Gay-bash suspect caught: Arrest ends weeks of turmoil for victim
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Fort Lauderdale activist and video artist Stephen Velky can rest a little easier these days. Tuesday morning police arrested the 21-year-old man who allegedly bashed Velky Jan. 6.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/1-29/news/localnews/5490.cfm
=
Mark's List
http://frontpage.jumponmarkslist.com/MSFL/2008/052908.htm
-Florida AIDS Walk - Sunday March 15, Huizenga Plaza, Fort Lauderdale
It is just one day, we ask you to set aside, so that a parent does not have to hear their child say they have AIDS. It is just a few hours of your time, so that a partner does not have to experience a lifetime of grieving.It is just buying one less shirt we don't need anyway, that can make the difference in one life, for a lifetime. It is just a few miles to walk, so that someone else may feel well enough to walk. It is gathering of support, so that someone does not have to feel they are all alone. It is a celebration of looking forward, so we can put the past behind. It is adding a walker to the walk, so that we don't have to add another panel to the quilt. It is just a small commitment, to make a world of difference.
http://ahf.convio.net/site/PageNavigator/FAW_Homepage
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sun-Sentinel Endorsements for Fort Lauderdale Mayor and City Commission
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgsftlauderdaleelectionssbfeb04,0,7311867.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Miami Herald recommends for Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 1
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/888702.html
-The Miami Herald recommends for Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 2
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/888701.html
-Florida's ACLU affiliate in Miami to cut staff nearly 20 percent
Because of declining contributions, the ACLU's Florida affiliate has been forced to cut close to 20 percent of staff. Leaders say the group will remain as ambitious as ever.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/888660.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Miami Mayor Manny Diaz pushes stimulus package in Washington
BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ
Fulfilling his role as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz was in Washington Wednesday morning to lead a delegation of mayors in a series of meetings with White House advisors and members of Congress.
http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/887690.html
-Rod Smith considering U.S. Senate race?
By Dara Kam
Former state senator Rod Smith is considering joining the Democratic field of contenders for retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez' seat, sources close to Smith said.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2009/02/04/rod_smith_considering_us_senat.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics
-Make politicians accountable
Palm Beach Post Editorial
In Florida, as in most other states, politicians pick their voters. That's the reverse of what it should be, and last week the Florida Supreme Court gave voters a chance to fix it
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2009/02/05/a10a_leadedit_districts_0205.html
-Crist backing new central Fla. commuter rail bill
The Associated Press
Gov. Charlie Crist is backing an effort to revive a proposed commuter rail line for central Florida. Crist held a news conference Wednesday with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and area lawmakers to tout the $1.1 billion SunRail project.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/887916.html
-Abramson can't take bench, state supreme court rules
By JANE MUSGRAVE
The most twisted judicial race in Palm Beach County - and possibly Florida -
history ended Wednesday when the state Supreme Court ruled that suspended attorney William Abramson is not fit to serve on the bench. Even though Abramson defeated incumbent Circuit Judge Richard Wennet in a problem-fraught August primary, the high court ruled that his 91-day suspension from practicing law trumps voters' wishes.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/02/04/0204abramson.html
-Federal funds sought for Everglades restoration, job creation
Environmentalists and contractors say they are hoping to get funds through the federal government's economic recovery plan to jump-start Everglades restoration and create jobs. Everglades Foundation CEO Kirk Fordham said Tuesday the money would benefit both the environment and Florida's lagging economy.
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090204/ARTICLES/902040203/1034?Title=Federal_funds_sought_for_Everglades_restoration__job_creation
-State Farm execs explain leaving 'nightmare' of Florida
By BRENT KALLESTAD
State Farm Florida has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the state in the last decade and risks insolvency if it continues writing property insurance here, company executives told a legislative committee Tuesday. Jim Thompson, president of State Farm Florida, told the House Insurance, Business & Financial Affairs Policy Committee on Tuesday that the company must stop its financial bleeding to ensure it can pay off future claims.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/business/epaper/2009/02/04/0204statefarm.html
-Care better for immigrant kids, advocates say
By Anabelle Garay
Conditions have improved for immigrant children held after arriving in the United States without parents or guardians, but some still face inadequate services and overly harsh discipline, according to a study released Wednesday by an advocacy organization.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flaimmig0205sbfeb05,0,546464.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fort Lauderdale City Commission District II candidates
...HOWARD ELFMAN
PERSONAL: 44, domestic partner, Don Tsang
EDUCATION: Attended classes at Penn State, 1982-1986
PROFESSIONAL: Licensed real estate broker; accredited buyers' representative; certified broker-manager; certified residential specialist; graduate, Real Estate Institute; president of Distinctive Homes Realty
POLITICAL: First run for office
CIVIC: Founding member, IT Forum of South Forum; member of Fort Lauderdale Is your Fort Lauderdale restaurant clean? - Click Here. Chamber of Commerce; former board member, Gay & Lesbian Community Center; member, five years, city of Fort Lauderdale Code Enforcement Board; former board member, Riverwalk Trust
ONLINE: www.electhowardelfman.com
...STEVE GLASSMAN
PERSONAL: 55, domestic partner, Randolph Morris
PROFESSIONAL: Administrator, Broward County Click here for restaurant inspection reports cultural division, end of September 2008; former high school teacher
EDUCATION: Master's in education, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1975
POLITICAL: First run for office; former elected Democratic committeeman in Buffalo, N.Y.
CIVIC: President of Central Beach Alliance; former member, Fort Lauderdale Planning and Zoning Board; former member of city's Beach Redevelopment Advisory Board;
ONLINE: www.voteglassman.com
...CHARLOTTE RODSTROM
PERSONAL: 55; married to County Commissioner John Rodstrom; three sons, ages 16, 23 and 25
PROFESSIONAL: Retired since 1990; 20 years, senior flight attendant with Eastern Airlines; former president, Fast Track Marketing LLC
CIVIC: Past president of Nurmi Isles Homeowners Association; past president/board member of PTAs at Second Presbyterian Pre-School and St. Mark's Episcopal School in Fort Lauderdale
EDUCATION: Courses at Centenary College for Women in New Jersey
POLITICAL: Ran unsuccessfully for commission in 2003; won current seat on commission in 2006
ONLINE: www.charlotterodstrom.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-0204-lauddistrict2,0,5447920.story
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay retired Navy sailor: Military never discriminated against me
Here's an e-mail I received today from Robaire Watson, who served six years
in the Navy, from 1989 to 1995. Watson is black and gay and says he "never
encountered the slightest discrimination aboard his warship".
http://pd.miami.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=gay&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
-Arianna Huffington to speak aboard lesbian cruise from Fort Lauderdale
http://pd.miami.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=gay&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay erotic art expo
Art show featuring live models, photographs and video displays sponsored by 411 Magazine
By Dan Renzi
ArtsUnited annual art festival, ArtExplosion, opens on February 7, with a Visual Arts Exhibit. This year's Opening Night Reception will feature an expanded erotic art show sponsored by 411 Magazine. The 411 Erotic Exhibit will have loads of sexy erotic art on display, an erotic art installation by photographer Dennis Dean, live models, video displays, erotic poetry readings, and the Kai Martini Bar featuring the ArtExplosion Martini. The event will kick off the exciting, two-week-long Art Explosion, which runs through Feb. 21. The conservative evangelical Focus on the Family, which fights LGBT issues across the country, gave $657,000 in money and services. The amounts vastly surpass the $189,000 in direct cash and compensated staff time from the Mormon church.
www.artexplosiononline.org
-Gay-bash suspect caught: Arrest ends weeks of turmoil for victim
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Fort Lauderdale activist and video artist Stephen Velky can rest a little easier these days. Tuesday morning police arrested the 21-year-old man who allegedly bashed Velky Jan. 6.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/1-29/news/localnews/5490.cfm
=
Mark's List
http://frontpage.jumponmarkslist.com/MSFL/2008/052908.htm
-Florida AIDS Walk - Sunday March 15, Huizenga Plaza, Fort Lauderdale
It is just one day, we ask you to set aside, so that a parent does not have to hear their child say they have AIDS. It is just a few hours of your time, so that a partner does not have to experience a lifetime of grieving.It is just buying one less shirt we don't need anyway, that can make the difference in one life, for a lifetime. It is just a few miles to walk, so that someone else may feel well enough to walk. It is gathering of support, so that someone does not have to feel they are all alone. It is a celebration of looking forward, so we can put the past behind. It is adding a walker to the walk, so that we don't have to add another panel to the quilt. It is just a small commitment, to make a world of difference.
http://ahf.convio.net/site/PageNavigator/FAW_Homepage
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sun-Sentinel Endorsements for Fort Lauderdale Mayor and City Commission
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgsftlauderdaleelectionssbfeb04,0,7311867.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Miami Herald recommends for Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 1
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/888702.html
-The Miami Herald recommends for Fort Lauderdale Commission, District 2
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/888701.html
-Florida's ACLU affiliate in Miami to cut staff nearly 20 percent
Because of declining contributions, the ACLU's Florida affiliate has been forced to cut close to 20 percent of staff. Leaders say the group will remain as ambitious as ever.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/888660.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Miami Mayor Manny Diaz pushes stimulus package in Washington
BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ
Fulfilling his role as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz was in Washington Wednesday morning to lead a delegation of mayors in a series of meetings with White House advisors and members of Congress.
http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/887690.html
-Rod Smith considering U.S. Senate race?
By Dara Kam
Former state senator Rod Smith is considering joining the Democratic field of contenders for retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez' seat, sources close to Smith said.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2009/02/04/rod_smith_considering_us_senat.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics
-Make politicians accountable
Palm Beach Post Editorial
In Florida, as in most other states, politicians pick their voters. That's the reverse of what it should be, and last week the Florida Supreme Court gave voters a chance to fix it
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2009/02/05/a10a_leadedit_districts_0205.html
-Crist backing new central Fla. commuter rail bill
The Associated Press
Gov. Charlie Crist is backing an effort to revive a proposed commuter rail line for central Florida. Crist held a news conference Wednesday with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and area lawmakers to tout the $1.1 billion SunRail project.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/887916.html
-Abramson can't take bench, state supreme court rules
By JANE MUSGRAVE
The most twisted judicial race in Palm Beach County - and possibly Florida -
history ended Wednesday when the state Supreme Court ruled that suspended attorney William Abramson is not fit to serve on the bench. Even though Abramson defeated incumbent Circuit Judge Richard Wennet in a problem-fraught August primary, the high court ruled that his 91-day suspension from practicing law trumps voters' wishes.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/02/04/0204abramson.html
-Federal funds sought for Everglades restoration, job creation
Environmentalists and contractors say they are hoping to get funds through the federal government's economic recovery plan to jump-start Everglades restoration and create jobs. Everglades Foundation CEO Kirk Fordham said Tuesday the money would benefit both the environment and Florida's lagging economy.
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090204/ARTICLES/902040203/1034?Title=Federal_funds_sought_for_Everglades_restoration__job_creation
-State Farm execs explain leaving 'nightmare' of Florida
By BRENT KALLESTAD
State Farm Florida has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the state in the last decade and risks insolvency if it continues writing property insurance here, company executives told a legislative committee Tuesday. Jim Thompson, president of State Farm Florida, told the House Insurance, Business & Financial Affairs Policy Committee on Tuesday that the company must stop its financial bleeding to ensure it can pay off future claims.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/business/epaper/2009/02/04/0204statefarm.html
-Care better for immigrant kids, advocates say
By Anabelle Garay
Conditions have improved for immigrant children held after arriving in the United States without parents or guardians, but some still face inadequate services and overly harsh discipline, according to a study released Wednesday by an advocacy organization.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flaimmig0205sbfeb05,0,546464.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - February 04, 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:
-Police Charged with False Arrests of Gay Men at Adult Video Stores
by Andy Humm
Anger is building against the police department in the wake of an increase in arrests of gay men for prostitution at Manhattan adult video stores. Last week, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined in the outcry. She said she is working with the mayor's office and commanders of the police department to set up a meeting that will include gay community groups "to get to the bottom of this."
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/civilrights/20090202/3/2813
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-When a Favorite Small Business Closes
Posted by Raymund Flandez
The latest casualty of the recession has come to my favorite bookstore in New York City: the Oscar Wilde Bookshop in Greenwich Village. The venerable institution, believed to be the oldest gay and lesbian bookstore in the country, is closing at the end of March due to economic constraints, according to today's New York Times. The original owner Craig Rodwell helped usher in the gay rights movement in the late '60s.
http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2009/02/04/when-a-favorite-small-business-closes/
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Choose Julie Carson for Wilton Manors City Commission
In Wilton Manors, two of the city's former mayors, John Fiore and Scott Newton, are vying to snatch the commission seat out of the hands of political newcomer Julie Carson. Voters shouldn't let them.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/wilton_manors/sfl-editnbwiltonmanorselecttionssbfeb04,0,2137628.story
-California: Court to hear same-sex ban case
The California Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it would hear arguments on March 5 about the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the November ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California. The court's decision in the case will come within 90 days of the three-hour hearing, which will be held in San Francisco. In addition to hearing challenges to Proposition 8, the court will consider the fate of 18,000 same-sex marriages that occurred before the November election.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flanatdig02040sbfeb04,0,5663923.story
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hearing Friday in lesbian's case against Jackson Memorial Hospital
A news release from Lambda Legal: Federal Court Hearing to be Held in Lambda Legal's Case Against Florida Hospital for Mistreatment of Deceased Lesbian's Family
'We are here today to ensure that families get the respect they deserve at Jackson Memorial Hospital and to prevent Janice's tragedy from happening to anyone else.'
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Defendant guilty in slaying of Scooby-Doo loving bartender
By DAVID OVALLE
Jurors convicted a man of murdering a bartender, dumping his body and stealing his Toyota 4Runner.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/886765.html
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Michael Phelps Has No Business Apologizing for Taking Bong Hits
Tony Newman, AlterNet
Plastered all over the Internet right now is a photo of Michael Phelps smoking marijuana out of a bong. Phelps put out a statement saying that he acted in a youthful and inappropriate way and promises it won't happen again. Different people are weighing in on the possible impact of this photo on the gold medalist's $100 million endorsement deals. Here are a few of my observations on Phelps' bong hits: Phelps Is in Good Company Phelps struck another blow to the myth that marijuana smokers are lazy couch potatoes. Here is the guy who has won more gold medals than anyone in history, and obviously his health and accomplishments are not hindered by smoking some pot. In addition to his swimming skills, he is a successful businessman who has turned his swimming skills into an enormous public relations platform and money generator. Successful and honorable people who have smoked some pot are all around us, from President Barack Obama to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Read more
-Signs of the Coming Recovery
Brian S. Wesbury and Robert Stein | Forbes
Economic growth at the end of 2008 was slightly deceptive. Real gross domestic product fell at a 3.8% annual rate, a smaller decline then the consensus expected. However, without an unwanted accumulation of inventories at businesses, real GDP would have fallen at a much steeper 5.1% annual rate. This surge in inventories, and the reaction of business to it, means another sharp drop in real GDP is likely on tap for Q1, as excess stockpiles are reduced. At the same time, the widespread severity of winter weather this year has likely pulled business activity down artificially-making the recession look worse. In other words, lagging economic data about home sales or GDP from late last year or early this year is being held down by abnormally bad weather. Read more
-Ad Declines Lead Gay Media to Cut Back
Matthew S. Bajko | m.bajko@ebar.com | Bay Area Reporter
The staff layoffs and downsizing plaguing mainstream news outlets is also hitting gay media newsrooms as advertisers pull back due to the faltering economy. The financial woes have led many LGBT media outlets to reduce page counts, lay off writers, and scramble to find new sources of revenue. One paper, the New England Blade owned by HX Media, shut down last October. "I know some papers are more stretched than others. Some are victims due to the economy," said Bob Witeck, the owner of an LGBT-focused marketing firm based in Washington, D.C. "It is worrisome." This month, San Francisco-based PlanetOut laid off 33 percent of its workforce as it prepares to merge with Los Angeles-based Here Networks, which acquired an 80 percent stake in the faltering online LGBT company for reportedly $5 million. Read more
-Gay Fashion Comes Out of the 'Closets' at History Museum
Chicago Sun-Times
A special program profiling the history of gay fashion influence will be held Thursday at the Chicago History Museum on the North Side. Closets are for Clothes will look at the lives of gay and lesbian fashion designers, from Marc Jacobs to Christian Dior. The event also will showcase how fashion has "marked sexual identity in American culture." The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails and exhibit viewing, followed by the program at 6:30. An afterparty will be held at the Kit Kat Lounge, 3700 N. Halsted, beginning at 8. The Chicago History Museum is at 1601 N. Clark. Tickets for "Closets are for Clothes" are $12, which includes general museum admission, a 20-percent discount on food at Kit Kat and $5 cocktails. Call (312) 642-4600 or visit www.chicagohistory.org. Link
-Obama Moves to Fill Last Cabinet Posts as Gays Appointed to Lower Ranks
Tony Grew | Pink News
The appointments of more openly gay people to posts in the Obama administration have been announced. LGBT rights activists were disappointed that no out people were appointed to the new President's Cabinet. When the nominee for Commerce Secretary, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, withdrew earlier this month, an LGBT grassroots political organisation urged Barack Obama to nominate a gay man, Fred Hochberg. "In more than 200 years, the United States Cabinet has never included an openly gay member," Equal Rep said in a statement. Read more
-Prime Minister to Attend New Zealand Gay Family Picnic
Pink News
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is among the country's political leaders who have confirmed they will attend the Big Gay Out family picnic day in Auckland this weekend. John Key was elected in November, the first National Party government since 1999. He had attended the picnic twice as party leader, but this will be his first visit as Prime Minister. The Labour party leader Phil Goff will also attend Big Gay Out, New Zealand's largest outdoor GLBT family event attended by more than 10,000 people. Read more
-DoD Waves DES Standards for Wounded
Department of Veterans Affairs | Military.com
The Department of Defense announced Jan. 22, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a process designed to expedite a servicemember seriously injured in combat from military to veteran status, by waiving the standard Disability Evaluation System (DES), resulting in receipt of benefits in three to four months, compared to a recovery and standard DES process that would normally take much longer. "This new policy should allow service members and their families to focus on the essentials of recovery, reintegration, employment and independent living, with the combined assistance from DoD and VA," said Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Michael L. Dominguez. "The policy supports our belief that there must be a distinction for those who incur devastating disabilities in combat." The expedited process applies to service members whose conditions are designated as "catastrophic" and whose injuries were incurred in the line of duty as a direct result of armed conflict. A catastrophic injury or illness is a permanent, severely disabling injury, disorder, or disease that compromises the ability to carry out the activities of daily living to such a degree that a service member or veteran requires personal or mechanical assistance to leave home or bed, or requires constant supervision to avoid physical harm to self or others. Read more
=
Just News
http://www.justnews.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sex, Relationships Can Get Better With Age
After Kids Leave, Older Couples Need To Reconnect
You don't just get older, you get better, the old adage says. And many believe the same can be said for sex and relationships.
http://www.justnews.com/new-years-resolutions/18564965/detail.html
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article
-Starting this week, viewing porn a crime in UK
I blogged in May about the UK's newly adopted law criminalizing the possession of so-called "extreme pornography." On Monday the law went into effect. You can now be sentenced to up to three years imprisonment in the United Kingdom for viewing, on your home computer, an ill-defined category of images that includes depictions of consensual adult sadomasochism. Small consolation: law enforcement say they aren't going to go out of their way to enforce the law. As I noted before, the law relies heavily on a decade-old British court ruling that permitted consensual sadomasochism to be charged as assault. That ruling was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights, but it was based on sensational and distorted facts and has been unevenly applied in subsequent cases. The new law raises once again the scope and validity of that ruling, as well as serious concerns about free expression. No word yet about a legal challenge to the law, but it can be expected to eventually reach the British courts, and ultimately the European Court.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
--Gay-rights attorney fears issue will go to state Supreme Court
For J.B., it's a bitter irony.
While the vast majority of judges and politicians in Texas oppose same-sex marriage, the state also may be unwilling to grant J.B. and his husband a divorce from their Massachusetts nuptials. "I can't imagine a conservative state like Texas not being joyfully willing to stamp their approval on that," J.B. said. "I think we've been through enough just going through what we're going through, and should be allowed the same dignity and respect as any two people who have irreconcilable differences. It is my hope that Texas will be satisfied enough to pass the appropriate judgment and not make a grandstand out of this for publicity to further people's careers, because again, these are human lives that are being dealt with." J.B., whose initials are being used in this article to protect his anonymity because his sexual orientation isn't known to his employer, filed a petition for divorce Wednesday, Jan. 21 in Dallas County's 302nd District Court.
http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_10498.php
-Al-Qaeda accused of using male rape to 'create' suicide bombers
Islamic terrorists are raping young men in order to drive them into suicide bombings. The Sun quotes Algerian militant Abu Baçir El Assimi: "The sexual act on young recruits aged between 16 to 19 was a means to urge them to commit suicide operations." The paper claims that "intense social stigma and fear of more gay sex attacks leaves Muslims prepared to die." Rape and homosexual acts are punishable by death under Sharia law. A suspected terrorist bomber killed in an attempted attack on a security installation in the Tizi Ouzou province of Algeria last month may have been raped, an autopsy revealed.
-UK: Gay Iraqi could face death penalty if deportation goes ahead
Asylum seeker would become seventh gay Iraqi to be returned from the UK to country where homosexuality is punishable by death. This is yet another depressing example of the UK Government's ingrained homophobia.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/03/gay-iraqi-asylum-seeker
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Police Charged with False Arrests of Gay Men at Adult Video Stores
by Andy Humm
Anger is building against the police department in the wake of an increase in arrests of gay men for prostitution at Manhattan adult video stores. Last week, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined in the outcry. She said she is working with the mayor's office and commanders of the police department to set up a meeting that will include gay community groups "to get to the bottom of this."
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/civilrights/20090202/3/2813
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-When a Favorite Small Business Closes
Posted by Raymund Flandez
The latest casualty of the recession has come to my favorite bookstore in New York City: the Oscar Wilde Bookshop in Greenwich Village. The venerable institution, believed to be the oldest gay and lesbian bookstore in the country, is closing at the end of March due to economic constraints, according to today's New York Times. The original owner Craig Rodwell helped usher in the gay rights movement in the late '60s.
http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2009/02/04/when-a-favorite-small-business-closes/
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Choose Julie Carson for Wilton Manors City Commission
In Wilton Manors, two of the city's former mayors, John Fiore and Scott Newton, are vying to snatch the commission seat out of the hands of political newcomer Julie Carson. Voters shouldn't let them.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/wilton_manors/sfl-editnbwiltonmanorselecttionssbfeb04,0,2137628.story
-California: Court to hear same-sex ban case
The California Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it would hear arguments on March 5 about the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the November ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California. The court's decision in the case will come within 90 days of the three-hour hearing, which will be held in San Francisco. In addition to hearing challenges to Proposition 8, the court will consider the fate of 18,000 same-sex marriages that occurred before the November election.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flanatdig02040sbfeb04,0,5663923.story
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hearing Friday in lesbian's case against Jackson Memorial Hospital
A news release from Lambda Legal: Federal Court Hearing to be Held in Lambda Legal's Case Against Florida Hospital for Mistreatment of Deceased Lesbian's Family
'We are here today to ensure that families get the respect they deserve at Jackson Memorial Hospital and to prevent Janice's tragedy from happening to anyone else.'
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Defendant guilty in slaying of Scooby-Doo loving bartender
By DAVID OVALLE
Jurors convicted a man of murdering a bartender, dumping his body and stealing his Toyota 4Runner.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/886765.html
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Michael Phelps Has No Business Apologizing for Taking Bong Hits
Tony Newman, AlterNet
Plastered all over the Internet right now is a photo of Michael Phelps smoking marijuana out of a bong. Phelps put out a statement saying that he acted in a youthful and inappropriate way and promises it won't happen again. Different people are weighing in on the possible impact of this photo on the gold medalist's $100 million endorsement deals. Here are a few of my observations on Phelps' bong hits: Phelps Is in Good Company Phelps struck another blow to the myth that marijuana smokers are lazy couch potatoes. Here is the guy who has won more gold medals than anyone in history, and obviously his health and accomplishments are not hindered by smoking some pot. In addition to his swimming skills, he is a successful businessman who has turned his swimming skills into an enormous public relations platform and money generator. Successful and honorable people who have smoked some pot are all around us, from President Barack Obama to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Read more
-Signs of the Coming Recovery
Brian S. Wesbury and Robert Stein | Forbes
Economic growth at the end of 2008 was slightly deceptive. Real gross domestic product fell at a 3.8% annual rate, a smaller decline then the consensus expected. However, without an unwanted accumulation of inventories at businesses, real GDP would have fallen at a much steeper 5.1% annual rate. This surge in inventories, and the reaction of business to it, means another sharp drop in real GDP is likely on tap for Q1, as excess stockpiles are reduced. At the same time, the widespread severity of winter weather this year has likely pulled business activity down artificially-making the recession look worse. In other words, lagging economic data about home sales or GDP from late last year or early this year is being held down by abnormally bad weather. Read more
-Ad Declines Lead Gay Media to Cut Back
Matthew S. Bajko | m.bajko@ebar.com | Bay Area Reporter
The staff layoffs and downsizing plaguing mainstream news outlets is also hitting gay media newsrooms as advertisers pull back due to the faltering economy. The financial woes have led many LGBT media outlets to reduce page counts, lay off writers, and scramble to find new sources of revenue. One paper, the New England Blade owned by HX Media, shut down last October. "I know some papers are more stretched than others. Some are victims due to the economy," said Bob Witeck, the owner of an LGBT-focused marketing firm based in Washington, D.C. "It is worrisome." This month, San Francisco-based PlanetOut laid off 33 percent of its workforce as it prepares to merge with Los Angeles-based Here Networks, which acquired an 80 percent stake in the faltering online LGBT company for reportedly $5 million. Read more
-Gay Fashion Comes Out of the 'Closets' at History Museum
Chicago Sun-Times
A special program profiling the history of gay fashion influence will be held Thursday at the Chicago History Museum on the North Side. Closets are for Clothes will look at the lives of gay and lesbian fashion designers, from Marc Jacobs to Christian Dior. The event also will showcase how fashion has "marked sexual identity in American culture." The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with cocktails and exhibit viewing, followed by the program at 6:30. An afterparty will be held at the Kit Kat Lounge, 3700 N. Halsted, beginning at 8. The Chicago History Museum is at 1601 N. Clark. Tickets for "Closets are for Clothes" are $12, which includes general museum admission, a 20-percent discount on food at Kit Kat and $5 cocktails. Call (312) 642-4600 or visit www.chicagohistory.org. Link
-Obama Moves to Fill Last Cabinet Posts as Gays Appointed to Lower Ranks
Tony Grew | Pink News
The appointments of more openly gay people to posts in the Obama administration have been announced. LGBT rights activists were disappointed that no out people were appointed to the new President's Cabinet. When the nominee for Commerce Secretary, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, withdrew earlier this month, an LGBT grassroots political organisation urged Barack Obama to nominate a gay man, Fred Hochberg. "In more than 200 years, the United States Cabinet has never included an openly gay member," Equal Rep said in a statement. Read more
-Prime Minister to Attend New Zealand Gay Family Picnic
Pink News
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is among the country's political leaders who have confirmed they will attend the Big Gay Out family picnic day in Auckland this weekend. John Key was elected in November, the first National Party government since 1999. He had attended the picnic twice as party leader, but this will be his first visit as Prime Minister. The Labour party leader Phil Goff will also attend Big Gay Out, New Zealand's largest outdoor GLBT family event attended by more than 10,000 people. Read more
-DoD Waves DES Standards for Wounded
Department of Veterans Affairs | Military.com
The Department of Defense announced Jan. 22, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a process designed to expedite a servicemember seriously injured in combat from military to veteran status, by waiving the standard Disability Evaluation System (DES), resulting in receipt of benefits in three to four months, compared to a recovery and standard DES process that would normally take much longer. "This new policy should allow service members and their families to focus on the essentials of recovery, reintegration, employment and independent living, with the combined assistance from DoD and VA," said Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Michael L. Dominguez. "The policy supports our belief that there must be a distinction for those who incur devastating disabilities in combat." The expedited process applies to service members whose conditions are designated as "catastrophic" and whose injuries were incurred in the line of duty as a direct result of armed conflict. A catastrophic injury or illness is a permanent, severely disabling injury, disorder, or disease that compromises the ability to carry out the activities of daily living to such a degree that a service member or veteran requires personal or mechanical assistance to leave home or bed, or requires constant supervision to avoid physical harm to self or others. Read more
=
Just News
http://www.justnews.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sex, Relationships Can Get Better With Age
After Kids Leave, Older Couples Need To Reconnect
You don't just get older, you get better, the old adage says. And many believe the same can be said for sex and relationships.
http://www.justnews.com/new-years-resolutions/18564965/detail.html
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article
-Starting this week, viewing porn a crime in UK
I blogged in May about the UK's newly adopted law criminalizing the possession of so-called "extreme pornography." On Monday the law went into effect. You can now be sentenced to up to three years imprisonment in the United Kingdom for viewing, on your home computer, an ill-defined category of images that includes depictions of consensual adult sadomasochism. Small consolation: law enforcement say they aren't going to go out of their way to enforce the law. As I noted before, the law relies heavily on a decade-old British court ruling that permitted consensual sadomasochism to be charged as assault. That ruling was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights, but it was based on sensational and distorted facts and has been unevenly applied in subsequent cases. The new law raises once again the scope and validity of that ruling, as well as serious concerns about free expression. No word yet about a legal challenge to the law, but it can be expected to eventually reach the British courts, and ultimately the European Court.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
--Gay-rights attorney fears issue will go to state Supreme Court
For J.B., it's a bitter irony.
While the vast majority of judges and politicians in Texas oppose same-sex marriage, the state also may be unwilling to grant J.B. and his husband a divorce from their Massachusetts nuptials. "I can't imagine a conservative state like Texas not being joyfully willing to stamp their approval on that," J.B. said. "I think we've been through enough just going through what we're going through, and should be allowed the same dignity and respect as any two people who have irreconcilable differences. It is my hope that Texas will be satisfied enough to pass the appropriate judgment and not make a grandstand out of this for publicity to further people's careers, because again, these are human lives that are being dealt with." J.B., whose initials are being used in this article to protect his anonymity because his sexual orientation isn't known to his employer, filed a petition for divorce Wednesday, Jan. 21 in Dallas County's 302nd District Court.
http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_10498.php
-Al-Qaeda accused of using male rape to 'create' suicide bombers
Islamic terrorists are raping young men in order to drive them into suicide bombings. The Sun quotes Algerian militant Abu Baçir El Assimi: "The sexual act on young recruits aged between 16 to 19 was a means to urge them to commit suicide operations." The paper claims that "intense social stigma and fear of more gay sex attacks leaves Muslims prepared to die." Rape and homosexual acts are punishable by death under Sharia law. A suspected terrorist bomber killed in an attempted attack on a security installation in the Tizi Ouzou province of Algeria last month may have been raped, an autopsy revealed.
-UK: Gay Iraqi could face death penalty if deportation goes ahead
Asylum seeker would become seventh gay Iraqi to be returned from the UK to country where homosexuality is punishable by death. This is yet another depressing example of the UK Government's ingrained homophobia.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/03/gay-iraqi-asylum-seeker
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - February 03, 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:
-Venerable Gay Bookstore Will Close
By Sewell Chan
The Oscar Wilde Bookshop in Greenwich Village, which is believed to be the oldest gay and lesbian bookstore in the country, will close on March 29, its owner announced on Tuesday, citing "the current economic crisis." The announcement came nearly six years after the store was about to close, only to be given a last-minute reprieve when a new owner bought it.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/venerable-gay-bookstore-will-close/?scp=2&sq=GAY&st=cse
-California Releasing Donor List for $83 Million Marriage Vote
By JESSE McKINLEY
Nearly 14,000 donors - including homemakers, priests and a former member of the Los Angeles Dodgers - poured millions of dollars into the last two weeks of the campaign to pass Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage in California. According to a campaign finance report made public on Monday, in all, both sides spent more than $83 million.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/us/03calif.html?scp=7&sq=GAY&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mass. couple who led gay marriage fight to divorce
The Associated Press
A lesbian couple who led the fight for gay marriage in Massachusetts has filed for divorce. Julie and Hillary Goodridge were among seven gay couples who filed a lawsuit that led to a court ruling making Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriages in 2004. The couple became the public face of the debate in the state and married the first day same-sex marriages became legal.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020301770.html
-MARYLAND STATE EMPLOYEES
Gov. O'Malley Seeks Wider Benefits
Same-Sex Couples Focus of Plan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020203092.html
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-That's so gay - so wrong and so hurtful
Here's an interesting op-ed piece in The News & Observer by Steven Petrow, former president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association
(NLGJA):
CHAPEL HILL -- Recently I was cruising through a Facebook friend's wall postings and came across a friend of his wearing the tackiest of holiday sweaters: a bright red schmata adorned with embroidered snowflakes and a quartet of Frosty the Snowmen. To boot, the poor fellow also wore a turtleneck emblazoned with a ring of snowflakes. "Absolutely hideous," I said to myself.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-Ros-Lehtinen, Baldwin, others call on Clinton to change State Department gay policies
U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Tammy Baldwin and Sens. Russ Feingold and Ron Wyden have asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "to address inequities in employment practices concerning gay and lesbian State Department employees and to take remedial action."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Manhattan: Police Charged with False Arrests of Gay Men at Adult Video Stores
Anger is building against the police department in the wake of an increase in arrests of gay men for prostitution at Manhattan adult video stores. Last week, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined in the outcry. She said she is working with the mayor's office and commanders of the police department to set up a meeting that will include gay community groups "to get to the bottom of this."
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/fea/20090202/202/2813
-Sex for Pay Slows Down Judge's Day
by Norm Kent
You probably do not know Michael Hecht. He just won an election for a judicial seat in the Superior Court of Pierce County, Washington State, just on the southern outskirts of Seattle. Don't congratulate him yet, though. It seems that Mr. Hecht is under criminal investigation by the Pierce County, D.A. for soliciting, meeting, and paying male prostitutes for sex. As a result, the small office of the Pierce County D.A. has refused to send lawyers to his courtroom to hear cases. The court has ground to a halt. Prosecutors are refusing to try their cases before him.
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4374/174/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Matt's Next Act
By Nicholas Fonseca
Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham wowed the world with his win last August, but half a year later -- with no major endorsements yet -- he's ready to prove his gold medal is much more than a flash in the pan. Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid72056.asp
-Matthew Mitcham
Check out The Advocate's sizzling photo shoot with gold medal Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72060.asp
-ESPN to Apologize Over Shaq Ad
ESPN removed a promotional ad featuring Shaquille O'Neal and sports commentator Mike Breen, saying that it was never the network's intent for the spot "to be offensive to anyone or any community of people." In response to lobbying by organizations like the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign, as well as viewers who voiced outrage, ESPN pulled the homophobic promo. The spot shows O'Neal rejecting a "fist kiss" -- or fist bump -- from Breen. After Breen called it a "fist kiss," O'Neal moves away from Breen on the couch and says, "No fist kiss, no fist love, no fist hump. None of that. You're a weirdo, man. Stay over there. Fist kiss. Disgusting." "Our intent is to send a positive message about the camaraderie of sports and to do so as creatively as we can," the network said in a statement. "However, we understand your perspective on this ad and would like to apologize to the members of the gay community."
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72234.asp
-Obama's First Days According to Rev. Gene Robinson
By Kerry Eleveld
After a busy month of rubbing elbows with Obama and dodging Rick Warren, Rev. V. Gene Robinson takes a look back on his time with the president. New Hampshire's Bishop Gene Robinson has had a busy month -- delivering the invocation at the inaugural opening ceremony, sitting on the President's platform during the swearing in, and being the focal point of so much media fascination.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72136.asp
-Battling the Military Ban
In a bracing new account, historian Nathaniel Frank shows how "don't ask, don't tell" has utterly failed.
http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid71812.asp
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Rudolph: Educating our allies
By Dana Rudolph
I was at a playdate with my son last week, talking with his friend's straight parents. They are very liberal in their politics, completely accepting of our family, and have other LGBT friends. Still, when the conversation turned, as it does this time of year, to taxes, they had no idea my spouse and I still had to file our federal taxes as "single."
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/rudolph-educating-our-allies/
-What Exactly Is Advocacy In Advertising?
By Emma Ruby-Sachs
Superbowl ads are highly anticipated. The national ads, often worth upwards of a million dollars (though not this year), aim to one up the funniest ads from the years before. Entire blogs are devoted to piecing apart the humor in these spots. But there are also local spots and these smaller prizes give people the chance to reach a huge audience without shelling out big bucks.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-what-exactly-is-advocacy-in-advertising/
-Judge rebukes school in trans student suit
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
A federal judge has ordered Gary Community Schools to pay legal fees after finding that school administrators had ignored a ruling to turn over documents to lawyers for a former student. The student is suing the district for barring him from the senior prom because he was wearing a ball gown.
http://www.365gay.com/news/judge-rebukes-school-in-trans-student-suit/
-NM partner bill stalls
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
The New Mexico Senate has once again put the kibosh on a proposed domestic partnership bill.
http://www.365gay.com/news/nm-partner-bill-stalls/
-Gay rights leaders express hope for future
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(Denver, Colorado) Some 2,000 LGBT civil rights activists from across the country are headed home with a new sense of propose following a four day national conference in Denver.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-rights-leaders-express-hope-for-future/
-Vanasco: What does the DuBois appointment say about Obama and gays?
By Jennifer Vanasco
Culture & Ideas
Josh DuBois might be called a New Evangelical. He is a Pentecostal pastor who believes Jesus is his personal savior. But he also seems to put more weight on the social gospel (that is, that Christians should take care of the poor and the disenfranchised) than on the old Evangelical hammers of gays and abortion.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/vanasco-what-does-the-dubois-appointment-say-about-obama-and-gays/
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-First transgender choir strikes gay rights chord in Nepal
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/first-transgender-choir-strikes-gay-rights-chord-in-nepal_100150458.html
-That´s right! We are planning the next Queer Pride Parade and Festival in the Czech Republic, this time in Tábor. Get your calendars, palm pilots and iPhones out and write it down: Saturday June 20, 2009.
www.queerprideparadetabor.cz
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article
-Lambda Legal: In New York, your state government respects the marriages of same-sex couples.
In May 2008, Governor Paterson instructed all state agencies to revise policies and regulations to recognize marriages of same-sex couples performed in other countries or in states like Massachusetts and Connecticut. Since then, Lambda Legal has successfully defended Paterson's decision in court, and now we are proud to share the latest information about the rights of legally married same-sex couples in New York.
http://ga4.org/lambdalegal/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=30582003
-American Family Association: Pepsi is now using its TV spots to promote the gay lifestyle. AFA asked Pepsi to remain neutral in the culture war. Pepsi refused. The company said it will continue major financial support of homosexual organizations seeking to legalize homosexual marriage. Pepsi gave $500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest and most powerful gay lobbying group in America. The company also gave $500,000 to Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). The total gift of $1,000,000 to the two homosexual activist groups was to help promote the gay lifestyle in the workplace.
http://www.kosgop.com/2009/02/pepsi-tv-ad-pushing-gay-lifestyle.html
-HIV/AIDS takes center stage at Creating Change
HIV/AIDS took center stage today at Creating Change with a plenary panel, HIV/AIDS Crisis: This Is What We're Doing About It, that featured leading advocates in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Each spotlighted the urgency of tackling the AIDS epidemic, with a focus on communities of color, and all issued powerful and passionate calls to action. Indeed, a call to action was a theme throughout the plenary, beginning as hundreds of attendees entered the room and were handed postcards to send to their federal lawmakers urging them to "fund a stimulus plan for the fight against HIV/AIDS" and implement a National AIDS Strategy.
-Haggard still playing sex game
By Rhonda Swan - Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
As a "heterosexual with issues," Ted Haggard wouldn't be much different from the majority of the population. Except that his issues are "homosexual attachments." At least that's how the former megachurch pastor and head of the National Association of Evangelicals described to Oprah Winfrey his struggle with homosexual thoughts and temptations.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/opinion/epaper/2009/01/29/swancol_0130.html
-Psychoanalysts Approve Position Statement on Homosexuals and Bisexuals
Serving in the Military
Though it's not widely known, psychoanalysts as a professional group are proactive on a number of socialissues including homosexuality. During the organization's Winter 2009 Meeting held January 14 - 18 in New York, the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) approved a position statement regarding homosexuals and bisexuals serving in the military. "President Obama has said that he will repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy. For the mental health and safety of those in the military and for those who are contemplating joining the military, this repeal needs to happen now. Evidence shows the presence of gays does not undermine unit cohesion. Tens of thousands of gays, lesbians and bisexuals already do serve openly. Discharging gays, lesbians and bisexuals wastes thousands of highly trained, badly needed troops," commented Ethan Grumbach, Ph.D., chair of APsaA's Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-27-2009/0004961496&EDATE
-Grassley Seeks Porn Viewing Info From National Science Foundation
Senator Returns To His Anti-Porn Roots
The co-sponsor of a 1995 Internet decency bill is at it again! In an email dated Jan. 27, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Ia.), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, requested from Acting Inspector General Thomas Cross of the National Science Foundation (NSF) "any/all documentation ... regarding the use of government computers to view sexually explicit material." Grassley's interest stems from Cross's statements in the NSF's most recent Semiannual Report, which Grassley claimed indicated a "systemic issue" regarding employees viewing adult material during working hours.
http://online.avn.com/articles/34317.html
-NGLTF's Carey gives 'State of the Movement' address
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey signaled action, ambition and inclusion in her "State of the Movement" speech at the 21st annual Creating Change conference in Denver on Friday. At the afternoon plenary session, Carey hailed the election of President Obama, our "community organizer-in-chief," and celebrated progress for LGBT rights made on local and state levels and announced the Task Force's plans to branch out from the more commonly taken channels of activism and advocacy. Not only did Carey urge the audience to remember the "big picture" on issues that LGBT people still face besides marriage rights, but she announced that alliances with organizations such as AARP, the NAACP and Planned Parenthood were in the works with aims to bring the real needs of LGBT people into the open.
http://pageoneq.com/news/2009/ngltf0130.html
-DayofPink is the International Day against Bullying, Discrimination and Homophobia in schools and communities. We invite everyone to celebrate diversity by wearing a pink shirt and by organizing activities in their workplaces, organizations, communities and schools.
* Wear pink on February 19, 2009!
* Register
* Find out more about activities you can do in your school, community, business or organization.
* Learn about the causes of discrimination and what you can do to solve this problem.
http://www.dayofpink.org/infozone/ambassadors.php
-National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Feb 7th
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2009 is a community mobilization effort to get Black Americans all across the United States and Territorial Areas to get educated about the basics of HIV/AIDS; get tested to know their HIV status; get involved locally in their community and family to highlight the HIV/AIDS epidemic; as well as get treated if they are living with HIV/AIDS. http://www.blackaidsday.org/
-Report from Denver
So what do gay people think?
Since I work in elections, sometimes on issues that involve gay people, I've seen a lot of polling about what the heterosexual electorate thinks about gay people. Yesterday at the NGLTF Creating Change conference, I got to hear a political scientist talk about political attitudes held by gay people. It was a pleasant turnabout. For starters, Kenneth Sherrill of Hunter College answered a question I've had ever since seeing exit polls last November which seemed to show that, though gay people voted for Obama by a large margin (70-27), in 2004 Kerry did somewhat better with the gay vote (77-23). That didn't seem right in a year of unparalleled progressive voter mobilization. The professor agrees.
http://happening-here.blogspot.com/2009/01/so-what-do-gay-people-think.html
=
Anything but Straight
http://www.waynebesen.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Changing Face of the GOP
It would be wrong to say that the majority of Republicans are racist. But, it is fair to say that racists have comfortably nested in the GOP for quite some time. Since President Richard Nixon employed his infamous "Southern Strategy," bigots, xenophobes and homophobes have been sought after Republican constituencies. Beginning in the late 1960's and extending through the present day, the GOP reframed its racism, branding itself "conservative." A word that once stood for small government came to stand for small minds that voted in large numbers. This new political deformity hid its hatred behind calls for "states rights" and "personal responsibility." (To be fair, in the early days, many Democrats were also segregationists)
http://www.waynebesen.com/2009/02/changing-face-of-gop.html
=
From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Groundbreaking legal guide to assist transgender immigrants
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has released the first immigration law practice manual for attorneys representing transgender clients. Immigration Law and the Transgender Client , co-authored by Immigration Equality and the Transgender Law Center (TLC), provides practical advice and information to assist attorneys representing transgender immigrants.
http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org/
-Lobby Day 2009
Each year, transgender people, our families, friends and allies join us in Washington, DC, as we go to our members of Congress to talk with them about the need for an Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that includes gender identity, a hate crimes bill and more. Please join us as we make strides to bring transgender equality to our nation's capital. Make your plans now to join us on April 26-28, 2009 for an exciting conference and the opportunity to educate your member of Congress about vital issues for transgender people. Our goal is to make this our largest and most diverse Lobby Day to date. Will you help us? Registration is now open for Lobby Day 2009. Go to Registration.
http://www.nctequality.org/lobby_day/register09.html
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay flag removed from London police station
The new head of London's police service has ordered officers in Limehouse to remove a rainbow flag which was flying from the station's flagpole.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11003.html
-Obama moves to fill last Cabinet posts as gays appointed to lower ranks
By Tony Grew
The appointments of more openly gay people to posts in the Obama administration have been announced. LGBT rights activists were disappointed that no out people were appointed to the new President's Cabinet.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11011.html
-Finnish media group discriminated against lesbian editor
The Labour Protection Office in Finland has ruled that the country's second-largest media group was guilty of unjust discrimination in the case of a gay woman who was dismissed as editor of a regional newspaper.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11007.html
-Gay-themed musical sweeps London theatre award nominations
Camp musical La Cage Aux Folles has been nominated for seven Laurence Olivier Awards.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11005.html
-Prime Minister to attend New Zealand gay family picnic
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11002.html
-Obama seeks military assessment before repealing ban on gays
The President of the United States could wait several months before he moves to end a ban on openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people serving in the country's armed forces. Barack Obama's staff recently met with the Servicemembers Legal Defence Network, a group working to overturn the ban.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11001.html
-Bipartisan call for Hillary Clinton to grant full benefits to gay staff
Democratic and Republican members of the US Congress have called on the newly-appointed Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, to take action to ensure that gay and lesbian State Department employees get full partner benefits.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10999.html
-Gay judge who made history retires from Australian bench
The first openly gay person to become a High Court judge in Australia has retied after 13 years on the bench.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10993.html
-Nassau man freed after using gay panic defence at murder trial
A 25-year-old man in the Bahamas walked free from court last week after claiming a man he murdered made a sexual advance towards him. Frederick Green-Neely told a court in Nassau that he stabbed Dale Williams three times as he tried to flee Mr Williams' home.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10991.html
-Pope promotes priest who claimed hurricane was God's punishment for tolerating gays
A priest who thinks Hurricane Katrina was "divine retribution" on New Orleans for being tolerant towards gay and lesbian people has been made a bishop.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10989.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Venerable Gay Bookstore Will Close
By Sewell Chan
The Oscar Wilde Bookshop in Greenwich Village, which is believed to be the oldest gay and lesbian bookstore in the country, will close on March 29, its owner announced on Tuesday, citing "the current economic crisis." The announcement came nearly six years after the store was about to close, only to be given a last-minute reprieve when a new owner bought it.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/venerable-gay-bookstore-will-close/?scp=2&sq=GAY&st=cse
-California Releasing Donor List for $83 Million Marriage Vote
By JESSE McKINLEY
Nearly 14,000 donors - including homemakers, priests and a former member of the Los Angeles Dodgers - poured millions of dollars into the last two weeks of the campaign to pass Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage in California. According to a campaign finance report made public on Monday, in all, both sides spent more than $83 million.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/us/03calif.html?scp=7&sq=GAY&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mass. couple who led gay marriage fight to divorce
The Associated Press
A lesbian couple who led the fight for gay marriage in Massachusetts has filed for divorce. Julie and Hillary Goodridge were among seven gay couples who filed a lawsuit that led to a court ruling making Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriages in 2004. The couple became the public face of the debate in the state and married the first day same-sex marriages became legal.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020301770.html
-MARYLAND STATE EMPLOYEES
Gov. O'Malley Seeks Wider Benefits
Same-Sex Couples Focus of Plan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020203092.html
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-That's so gay - so wrong and so hurtful
Here's an interesting op-ed piece in The News & Observer by Steven Petrow, former president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association
(NLGJA):
CHAPEL HILL -- Recently I was cruising through a Facebook friend's wall postings and came across a friend of his wearing the tackiest of holiday sweaters: a bright red schmata adorned with embroidered snowflakes and a quartet of Frosty the Snowmen. To boot, the poor fellow also wore a turtleneck emblazoned with a ring of snowflakes. "Absolutely hideous," I said to myself.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-Ros-Lehtinen, Baldwin, others call on Clinton to change State Department gay policies
U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Tammy Baldwin and Sens. Russ Feingold and Ron Wyden have asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "to address inequities in employment practices concerning gay and lesbian State Department employees and to take remedial action."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Manhattan: Police Charged with False Arrests of Gay Men at Adult Video Stores
Anger is building against the police department in the wake of an increase in arrests of gay men for prostitution at Manhattan adult video stores. Last week, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined in the outcry. She said she is working with the mayor's office and commanders of the police department to set up a meeting that will include gay community groups "to get to the bottom of this."
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/fea/20090202/202/2813
-Sex for Pay Slows Down Judge's Day
by Norm Kent
You probably do not know Michael Hecht. He just won an election for a judicial seat in the Superior Court of Pierce County, Washington State, just on the southern outskirts of Seattle. Don't congratulate him yet, though. It seems that Mr. Hecht is under criminal investigation by the Pierce County, D.A. for soliciting, meeting, and paying male prostitutes for sex. As a result, the small office of the Pierce County D.A. has refused to send lawyers to his courtroom to hear cases. The court has ground to a halt. Prosecutors are refusing to try their cases before him.
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4374/174/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Matt's Next Act
By Nicholas Fonseca
Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham wowed the world with his win last August, but half a year later -- with no major endorsements yet -- he's ready to prove his gold medal is much more than a flash in the pan. Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid72056.asp
-Matthew Mitcham
Check out The Advocate's sizzling photo shoot with gold medal Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72060.asp
-ESPN to Apologize Over Shaq Ad
ESPN removed a promotional ad featuring Shaquille O'Neal and sports commentator Mike Breen, saying that it was never the network's intent for the spot "to be offensive to anyone or any community of people." In response to lobbying by organizations like the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign, as well as viewers who voiced outrage, ESPN pulled the homophobic promo. The spot shows O'Neal rejecting a "fist kiss" -- or fist bump -- from Breen. After Breen called it a "fist kiss," O'Neal moves away from Breen on the couch and says, "No fist kiss, no fist love, no fist hump. None of that. You're a weirdo, man. Stay over there. Fist kiss. Disgusting." "Our intent is to send a positive message about the camaraderie of sports and to do so as creatively as we can," the network said in a statement. "However, we understand your perspective on this ad and would like to apologize to the members of the gay community."
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72234.asp
-Obama's First Days According to Rev. Gene Robinson
By Kerry Eleveld
After a busy month of rubbing elbows with Obama and dodging Rick Warren, Rev. V. Gene Robinson takes a look back on his time with the president. New Hampshire's Bishop Gene Robinson has had a busy month -- delivering the invocation at the inaugural opening ceremony, sitting on the President's platform during the swearing in, and being the focal point of so much media fascination.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72136.asp
-Battling the Military Ban
In a bracing new account, historian Nathaniel Frank shows how "don't ask, don't tell" has utterly failed.
http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid71812.asp
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Rudolph: Educating our allies
By Dana Rudolph
I was at a playdate with my son last week, talking with his friend's straight parents. They are very liberal in their politics, completely accepting of our family, and have other LGBT friends. Still, when the conversation turned, as it does this time of year, to taxes, they had no idea my spouse and I still had to file our federal taxes as "single."
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/rudolph-educating-our-allies/
-What Exactly Is Advocacy In Advertising?
By Emma Ruby-Sachs
Superbowl ads are highly anticipated. The national ads, often worth upwards of a million dollars (though not this year), aim to one up the funniest ads from the years before. Entire blogs are devoted to piecing apart the humor in these spots. But there are also local spots and these smaller prizes give people the chance to reach a huge audience without shelling out big bucks.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-what-exactly-is-advocacy-in-advertising/
-Judge rebukes school in trans student suit
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
A federal judge has ordered Gary Community Schools to pay legal fees after finding that school administrators had ignored a ruling to turn over documents to lawyers for a former student. The student is suing the district for barring him from the senior prom because he was wearing a ball gown.
http://www.365gay.com/news/judge-rebukes-school-in-trans-student-suit/
-NM partner bill stalls
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
The New Mexico Senate has once again put the kibosh on a proposed domestic partnership bill.
http://www.365gay.com/news/nm-partner-bill-stalls/
-Gay rights leaders express hope for future
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(Denver, Colorado) Some 2,000 LGBT civil rights activists from across the country are headed home with a new sense of propose following a four day national conference in Denver.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-rights-leaders-express-hope-for-future/
-Vanasco: What does the DuBois appointment say about Obama and gays?
By Jennifer Vanasco
Culture & Ideas
Josh DuBois might be called a New Evangelical. He is a Pentecostal pastor who believes Jesus is his personal savior. But he also seems to put more weight on the social gospel (that is, that Christians should take care of the poor and the disenfranchised) than on the old Evangelical hammers of gays and abortion.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/vanasco-what-does-the-dubois-appointment-say-about-obama-and-gays/
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-First transgender choir strikes gay rights chord in Nepal
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/first-transgender-choir-strikes-gay-rights-chord-in-nepal_100150458.html
-That´s right! We are planning the next Queer Pride Parade and Festival in the Czech Republic, this time in Tábor. Get your calendars, palm pilots and iPhones out and write it down: Saturday June 20, 2009.
www.queerprideparadetabor.cz
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article
-Lambda Legal: In New York, your state government respects the marriages of same-sex couples.
In May 2008, Governor Paterson instructed all state agencies to revise policies and regulations to recognize marriages of same-sex couples performed in other countries or in states like Massachusetts and Connecticut. Since then, Lambda Legal has successfully defended Paterson's decision in court, and now we are proud to share the latest information about the rights of legally married same-sex couples in New York.
http://ga4.org/lambdalegal/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=30582003
-American Family Association: Pepsi is now using its TV spots to promote the gay lifestyle. AFA asked Pepsi to remain neutral in the culture war. Pepsi refused. The company said it will continue major financial support of homosexual organizations seeking to legalize homosexual marriage. Pepsi gave $500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest and most powerful gay lobbying group in America. The company also gave $500,000 to Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). The total gift of $1,000,000 to the two homosexual activist groups was to help promote the gay lifestyle in the workplace.
http://www.kosgop.com/2009/02/pepsi-tv-ad-pushing-gay-lifestyle.html
-HIV/AIDS takes center stage at Creating Change
HIV/AIDS took center stage today at Creating Change with a plenary panel, HIV/AIDS Crisis: This Is What We're Doing About It, that featured leading advocates in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Each spotlighted the urgency of tackling the AIDS epidemic, with a focus on communities of color, and all issued powerful and passionate calls to action. Indeed, a call to action was a theme throughout the plenary, beginning as hundreds of attendees entered the room and were handed postcards to send to their federal lawmakers urging them to "fund a stimulus plan for the fight against HIV/AIDS" and implement a National AIDS Strategy.
-Haggard still playing sex game
By Rhonda Swan - Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
As a "heterosexual with issues," Ted Haggard wouldn't be much different from the majority of the population. Except that his issues are "homosexual attachments." At least that's how the former megachurch pastor and head of the National Association of Evangelicals described to Oprah Winfrey his struggle with homosexual thoughts and temptations.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/opinion/epaper/2009/01/29/swancol_0130.html
-Psychoanalysts Approve Position Statement on Homosexuals and Bisexuals
Serving in the Military
Though it's not widely known, psychoanalysts as a professional group are proactive on a number of socialissues including homosexuality. During the organization's Winter 2009 Meeting held January 14 - 18 in New York, the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) approved a position statement regarding homosexuals and bisexuals serving in the military. "President Obama has said that he will repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy. For the mental health and safety of those in the military and for those who are contemplating joining the military, this repeal needs to happen now. Evidence shows the presence of gays does not undermine unit cohesion. Tens of thousands of gays, lesbians and bisexuals already do serve openly. Discharging gays, lesbians and bisexuals wastes thousands of highly trained, badly needed troops," commented Ethan Grumbach, Ph.D., chair of APsaA's Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-27-2009/0004961496&EDATE
-Grassley Seeks Porn Viewing Info From National Science Foundation
Senator Returns To His Anti-Porn Roots
The co-sponsor of a 1995 Internet decency bill is at it again! In an email dated Jan. 27, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Ia.), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, requested from Acting Inspector General Thomas Cross of the National Science Foundation (NSF) "any/all documentation ... regarding the use of government computers to view sexually explicit material." Grassley's interest stems from Cross's statements in the NSF's most recent Semiannual Report, which Grassley claimed indicated a "systemic issue" regarding employees viewing adult material during working hours.
http://online.avn.com/articles/34317.html
-NGLTF's Carey gives 'State of the Movement' address
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey signaled action, ambition and inclusion in her "State of the Movement" speech at the 21st annual Creating Change conference in Denver on Friday. At the afternoon plenary session, Carey hailed the election of President Obama, our "community organizer-in-chief," and celebrated progress for LGBT rights made on local and state levels and announced the Task Force's plans to branch out from the more commonly taken channels of activism and advocacy. Not only did Carey urge the audience to remember the "big picture" on issues that LGBT people still face besides marriage rights, but she announced that alliances with organizations such as AARP, the NAACP and Planned Parenthood were in the works with aims to bring the real needs of LGBT people into the open.
http://pageoneq.com/news/2009/ngltf0130.html
-DayofPink is the International Day against Bullying, Discrimination and Homophobia in schools and communities. We invite everyone to celebrate diversity by wearing a pink shirt and by organizing activities in their workplaces, organizations, communities and schools.
* Wear pink on February 19, 2009!
* Register
* Find out more about activities you can do in your school, community, business or organization.
* Learn about the causes of discrimination and what you can do to solve this problem.
http://www.dayofpink.org/infozone/ambassadors.php
-National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Feb 7th
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2009 is a community mobilization effort to get Black Americans all across the United States and Territorial Areas to get educated about the basics of HIV/AIDS; get tested to know their HIV status; get involved locally in their community and family to highlight the HIV/AIDS epidemic; as well as get treated if they are living with HIV/AIDS. http://www.blackaidsday.org/
-Report from Denver
So what do gay people think?
Since I work in elections, sometimes on issues that involve gay people, I've seen a lot of polling about what the heterosexual electorate thinks about gay people. Yesterday at the NGLTF Creating Change conference, I got to hear a political scientist talk about political attitudes held by gay people. It was a pleasant turnabout. For starters, Kenneth Sherrill of Hunter College answered a question I've had ever since seeing exit polls last November which seemed to show that, though gay people voted for Obama by a large margin (70-27), in 2004 Kerry did somewhat better with the gay vote (77-23). That didn't seem right in a year of unparalleled progressive voter mobilization. The professor agrees.
http://happening-here.blogspot.com/2009/01/so-what-do-gay-people-think.html
=
Anything but Straight
http://www.waynebesen.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Changing Face of the GOP
It would be wrong to say that the majority of Republicans are racist. But, it is fair to say that racists have comfortably nested in the GOP for quite some time. Since President Richard Nixon employed his infamous "Southern Strategy," bigots, xenophobes and homophobes have been sought after Republican constituencies. Beginning in the late 1960's and extending through the present day, the GOP reframed its racism, branding itself "conservative." A word that once stood for small government came to stand for small minds that voted in large numbers. This new political deformity hid its hatred behind calls for "states rights" and "personal responsibility." (To be fair, in the early days, many Democrats were also segregationists)
http://www.waynebesen.com/2009/02/changing-face-of-gop.html
=
From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Groundbreaking legal guide to assist transgender immigrants
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has released the first immigration law practice manual for attorneys representing transgender clients. Immigration Law and the Transgender Client , co-authored by Immigration Equality and the Transgender Law Center (TLC), provides practical advice and information to assist attorneys representing transgender immigrants.
http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org/
-Lobby Day 2009
Each year, transgender people, our families, friends and allies join us in Washington, DC, as we go to our members of Congress to talk with them about the need for an Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that includes gender identity, a hate crimes bill and more. Please join us as we make strides to bring transgender equality to our nation's capital. Make your plans now to join us on April 26-28, 2009 for an exciting conference and the opportunity to educate your member of Congress about vital issues for transgender people. Our goal is to make this our largest and most diverse Lobby Day to date. Will you help us? Registration is now open for Lobby Day 2009. Go to Registration.
http://www.nctequality.org/lobby_day/register09.html
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay flag removed from London police station
The new head of London's police service has ordered officers in Limehouse to remove a rainbow flag which was flying from the station's flagpole.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11003.html
-Obama moves to fill last Cabinet posts as gays appointed to lower ranks
By Tony Grew
The appointments of more openly gay people to posts in the Obama administration have been announced. LGBT rights activists were disappointed that no out people were appointed to the new President's Cabinet.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11011.html
-Finnish media group discriminated against lesbian editor
The Labour Protection Office in Finland has ruled that the country's second-largest media group was guilty of unjust discrimination in the case of a gay woman who was dismissed as editor of a regional newspaper.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11007.html
-Gay-themed musical sweeps London theatre award nominations
Camp musical La Cage Aux Folles has been nominated for seven Laurence Olivier Awards.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11005.html
-Prime Minister to attend New Zealand gay family picnic
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11002.html
-Obama seeks military assessment before repealing ban on gays
The President of the United States could wait several months before he moves to end a ban on openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people serving in the country's armed forces. Barack Obama's staff recently met with the Servicemembers Legal Defence Network, a group working to overturn the ban.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11001.html
-Bipartisan call for Hillary Clinton to grant full benefits to gay staff
Democratic and Republican members of the US Congress have called on the newly-appointed Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, to take action to ensure that gay and lesbian State Department employees get full partner benefits.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10999.html
-Gay judge who made history retires from Australian bench
The first openly gay person to become a High Court judge in Australia has retied after 13 years on the bench.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10993.html
-Nassau man freed after using gay panic defence at murder trial
A 25-year-old man in the Bahamas walked free from court last week after claiming a man he murdered made a sexual advance towards him. Frederick Green-Neely told a court in Nassau that he stabbed Dale Williams three times as he tried to flee Mr Williams' home.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10991.html
-Pope promotes priest who claimed hurricane was God's punishment for tolerating gays
A priest who thinks Hurricane Katrina was "divine retribution" on New Orleans for being tolerant towards gay and lesbian people has been made a bishop.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10989.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 03, 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:
-Political Lessons Taken on the Fly by Gillibrand
By MICHAEL POWELL
That smile never disappears. A Long Island congresswoman is so angry about the new senator's views on gun rights that she threatens a primary challenge next year? Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand murmurs that she really looks forward to working with her.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/nyregion/03gillibrand.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=GAY&st=cse
-On Politics: New Face of G.O.P. Brings a Brash Style
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
The election last week of Michael Steele to be chairman of the Republican National Committee drew considerable notice, not surprisingly: he is the first African-American to hold that position in the party's 155-year history.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/us/politics/03web-nagourney.html?hp
-Kyrgyzstan Said to Deny Base to U.S.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOSCOW (AP) -- Kyrgyzstan is ending U.S. use of a key airbase that supports military operations in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan's president was quoted as saying Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/03/world/AP-EU-Russia-Kyrgyzstan.html?hp
-Op-Ed Columnist: Ward Three Morality
By DAVID BROOKS
I've become increasingly concerned about the rising number of rich people who are being caught unawares by shifts in the sumptuary code. First, there were those auto executives who didn't realize that it is no longer socially acceptable to use private jets for lobbying trips to Washington. Then there was John Thain, who was humiliated because it is no longer acceptable to spend $35,000 on a commode for a Merrill Lynch washroom.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/opinion/03brooks.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Taxes? Too Busy, Busy, Busy!
By Emily Yoffe
Like many Americans whose steady, reliable job has suddenly disappeared, Thomas Daschle cobbled together a bunch of gigs when he was laid off in 2004 by the people of South Dakota after more than two decades of representing them in Congress.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020201979.html
-Cracks in the Cult of Competence?
By Chris Cillizza
The twin decisions today by former Sen. Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer to remove their names from consideration for senior level posts in the Obama Administration represent the first significant test for a president who has enjoyed near-historic approval ratings to date.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/02/daschle_assessing_the_impact.html?hpid=topnews
-Cabinet: Stepping Down, Daschle Sends Shockwaves Through Health Policy Arena
By Ceci Connolly
Proponents of overhauling America's health care system expressed shock today that former senator Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) will not be in position to shepherd President Obama's reform agenda through Congress, saying the pressure now rests on the White House to reinvigorate the effort.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/02/03/stepping_down_daschle_sends_sh.html?hpid=topnews
-Idiots of the Universe
On Planet Wall Street, $18 Billion in Bonuses
By Eugene Robinson
Earth to Wall Street: It's over, people. You had a terrific run, better than you deserved, but now you'd be wise to pay attention to those citizens outside, the ones with the pitchforks and the torches.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020202053.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Iraqis Anxious Over Outcome of Provincial Elections
By Ernesto Londoño
BAGHDAD, Feb. 3 -- Iraqi law enforcement officials in Anbar province braced Tuesday for a possible outbreak of violence as politicians cried foul over what they called rampant fraud during Saturday's provincial election.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020301466.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Ex-Detroit Mayor Released After 99-Day Jail Stay
By COREY WILLIAMS
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick emerged from jail after serving a 99-day sentence, greeted in the cold by about two dozen reporters and a handful of onlookers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020300037.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ford Chooses Lithium-Ion Battery Supplier
Ford Motor Co. selected a supplier to manufacture its lithium-ion battery for future plug-in hybrid vehicles, as the auto maker attempts to show Congress and the White House that it is serious about an electric-vehicle strategy.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123367657169043771.html
-Iraq Is Obama's Mideast Pillar
bstephens@wsj.com
As an Arab democracy, it's a model for what we would like the rest of the Arab world to become.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123362313953841821.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sheriff: Michael Phelps may face pot charges
McClatchy-Tribune
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says he will charge Michael Phelps with a crime if he determines the Olympics hero smoked marijuana in Richland County.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-phelps012909,0,5999289.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-ECONOMY: Gas tax good for America
BY RICHARD G. LUGAR
Reality is stark: Almost every major foreign-policy challenge we face is aggravated by our continued addiction to oil. Recent developments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa only underscore this fact. But a new president and changed economic conditions offer the chance to take a bold step toward freeing our nation from the grip of foreign petroleum.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/885033.html
-The leaderless GOP
Joan Walsh
Sorry, Michael Steele, but it's going to be a while before you're anything more than the figurehead frontman of a shipwrecked Republican National Committee. Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh remain the leaders of your party, and most Republicans are happy that way. A Rasmussen poll out today found that fully 55 percent of Republicans polled think their party should be "more like" Palin.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/politics/2009/02/02/limbaugh_palin/
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama To Nominate Judd Gregg For Commerce
GOP Senator Made A Deal With N.H. Gov. To Keep His Seat Out of Democratic Hands
President Barack Obama moved closer to nominating his secretary of commerce on Monday as his top choice, GOP Sen. Judd Gregg, revealed an apparent deal that would keep his seat out of Democratic hands.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/02/politics/main4771104.shtml?tag=topStory;topStoryHeadline
-Khadafy to lead African Union
Seeks to realize vision for 'United States of Africa'
By Anita Powell
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Moammar Khadafy of Libya was elected yesterday as leader of the African Union, a position long sought by the dictator who wants to push his oil-rich nation into the international mainstream after years of isolation.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2009/02/03/khadafy_to_lead_african_union/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
-Some call for Bush administration trials
Want ex-leader accountable on Iraq war
By Joseph Williams
Like others bundled against the cold on Inauguration Day, a few dozen people along the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route were determined to catch a glimpse of President Obama. But they wanted him to see their simple, unmistakable message spelled out on black-and-white signs, adding a call-and-response chant for emphasis.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/02/03/some_call_for_bush_administration_trials/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
=
Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Google Earth Plumbs the Ocean Depths
The software now lets users dive miles beneath the ocean waves.
By Kate Greene
When Google Earth was introduced in 2005, it showed how fun digital mapping could be, allowing users to zoom over the planet's continents and explore their most spectacular features. However, 70 percent of the planet's surface--the proportion that is covered by ocean--has always remained off limits to Google Earth users. In an announcement today at the California Academy of Sciences, in San Francisco, Google has rectified the situation. The latest version of the company's mapping software, Google Earth 5.0, lets users dive deep below the surface of the sea to view ocean-floor topography. Furthermore, they can click on icons that describe aquatic ecosystems and watch, for example, videos of killer whales eating seals. "We have extended the map of the world to include the ocean parts of the world, as well as the land parts," said John Henke, Google lead for the project, in today's announcement.
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=22047&channel=computing§ion
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Political Lessons Taken on the Fly by Gillibrand
By MICHAEL POWELL
That smile never disappears. A Long Island congresswoman is so angry about the new senator's views on gun rights that she threatens a primary challenge next year? Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand murmurs that she really looks forward to working with her.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/nyregion/03gillibrand.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=GAY&st=cse
-On Politics: New Face of G.O.P. Brings a Brash Style
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
The election last week of Michael Steele to be chairman of the Republican National Committee drew considerable notice, not surprisingly: he is the first African-American to hold that position in the party's 155-year history.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/us/politics/03web-nagourney.html?hp
-Kyrgyzstan Said to Deny Base to U.S.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOSCOW (AP) -- Kyrgyzstan is ending U.S. use of a key airbase that supports military operations in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan's president was quoted as saying Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/03/world/AP-EU-Russia-Kyrgyzstan.html?hp
-Op-Ed Columnist: Ward Three Morality
By DAVID BROOKS
I've become increasingly concerned about the rising number of rich people who are being caught unawares by shifts in the sumptuary code. First, there were those auto executives who didn't realize that it is no longer socially acceptable to use private jets for lobbying trips to Washington. Then there was John Thain, who was humiliated because it is no longer acceptable to spend $35,000 on a commode for a Merrill Lynch washroom.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/opinion/03brooks.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Taxes? Too Busy, Busy, Busy!
By Emily Yoffe
Like many Americans whose steady, reliable job has suddenly disappeared, Thomas Daschle cobbled together a bunch of gigs when he was laid off in 2004 by the people of South Dakota after more than two decades of representing them in Congress.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020201979.html
-Cracks in the Cult of Competence?
By Chris Cillizza
The twin decisions today by former Sen. Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer to remove their names from consideration for senior level posts in the Obama Administration represent the first significant test for a president who has enjoyed near-historic approval ratings to date.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/02/daschle_assessing_the_impact.html?hpid=topnews
-Cabinet: Stepping Down, Daschle Sends Shockwaves Through Health Policy Arena
By Ceci Connolly
Proponents of overhauling America's health care system expressed shock today that former senator Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) will not be in position to shepherd President Obama's reform agenda through Congress, saying the pressure now rests on the White House to reinvigorate the effort.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/02/03/stepping_down_daschle_sends_sh.html?hpid=topnews
-Idiots of the Universe
On Planet Wall Street, $18 Billion in Bonuses
By Eugene Robinson
Earth to Wall Street: It's over, people. You had a terrific run, better than you deserved, but now you'd be wise to pay attention to those citizens outside, the ones with the pitchforks and the torches.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020202053.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Iraqis Anxious Over Outcome of Provincial Elections
By Ernesto Londoño
BAGHDAD, Feb. 3 -- Iraqi law enforcement officials in Anbar province braced Tuesday for a possible outbreak of violence as politicians cried foul over what they called rampant fraud during Saturday's provincial election.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020301466.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Ex-Detroit Mayor Released After 99-Day Jail Stay
By COREY WILLIAMS
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick emerged from jail after serving a 99-day sentence, greeted in the cold by about two dozen reporters and a handful of onlookers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020300037.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ford Chooses Lithium-Ion Battery Supplier
Ford Motor Co. selected a supplier to manufacture its lithium-ion battery for future plug-in hybrid vehicles, as the auto maker attempts to show Congress and the White House that it is serious about an electric-vehicle strategy.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123367657169043771.html
-Iraq Is Obama's Mideast Pillar
bstephens@wsj.com
As an Arab democracy, it's a model for what we would like the rest of the Arab world to become.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123362313953841821.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sheriff: Michael Phelps may face pot charges
McClatchy-Tribune
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says he will charge Michael Phelps with a crime if he determines the Olympics hero smoked marijuana in Richland County.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-phelps012909,0,5999289.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-ECONOMY: Gas tax good for America
BY RICHARD G. LUGAR
Reality is stark: Almost every major foreign-policy challenge we face is aggravated by our continued addiction to oil. Recent developments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa only underscore this fact. But a new president and changed economic conditions offer the chance to take a bold step toward freeing our nation from the grip of foreign petroleum.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/885033.html
-The leaderless GOP
Joan Walsh
Sorry, Michael Steele, but it's going to be a while before you're anything more than the figurehead frontman of a shipwrecked Republican National Committee. Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh remain the leaders of your party, and most Republicans are happy that way. A Rasmussen poll out today found that fully 55 percent of Republicans polled think their party should be "more like" Palin.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/politics/2009/02/02/limbaugh_palin/
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama To Nominate Judd Gregg For Commerce
GOP Senator Made A Deal With N.H. Gov. To Keep His Seat Out of Democratic Hands
President Barack Obama moved closer to nominating his secretary of commerce on Monday as his top choice, GOP Sen. Judd Gregg, revealed an apparent deal that would keep his seat out of Democratic hands.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/02/politics/main4771104.shtml?tag=topStory;topStoryHeadline
-Khadafy to lead African Union
Seeks to realize vision for 'United States of Africa'
By Anita Powell
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Moammar Khadafy of Libya was elected yesterday as leader of the African Union, a position long sought by the dictator who wants to push his oil-rich nation into the international mainstream after years of isolation.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2009/02/03/khadafy_to_lead_african_union/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
-Some call for Bush administration trials
Want ex-leader accountable on Iraq war
By Joseph Williams
Like others bundled against the cold on Inauguration Day, a few dozen people along the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route were determined to catch a glimpse of President Obama. But they wanted him to see their simple, unmistakable message spelled out on black-and-white signs, adding a call-and-response chant for emphasis.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/02/03/some_call_for_bush_administration_trials/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
=
Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Google Earth Plumbs the Ocean Depths
The software now lets users dive miles beneath the ocean waves.
By Kate Greene
When Google Earth was introduced in 2005, it showed how fun digital mapping could be, allowing users to zoom over the planet's continents and explore their most spectacular features. However, 70 percent of the planet's surface--the proportion that is covered by ocean--has always remained off limits to Google Earth users. In an announcement today at the California Academy of Sciences, in San Francisco, Google has rectified the situation. The latest version of the company's mapping software, Google Earth 5.0, lets users dive deep below the surface of the sea to view ocean-floor topography. Furthermore, they can click on icons that describe aquatic ecosystems and watch, for example, videos of killer whales eating seals. "We have extended the map of the world to include the ocean parts of the world, as well as the land parts," said John Henke, Google lead for the project, in today's announcement.
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=22047&channel=computing§ion
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 03, 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~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fla. group seeks to lower divorce rate
The Associated Press
The group that helped get a gay marriage ban in the state constitution now wants to help those who can wed stay married. The Florida Family Policy Council says it will work with churches and organizations that helped get the gay marriage ban on last year's ballot to boost programs that help married couples stay together. During a press conference Tuesday council president John Stemberger criticized Florida's no-fault divorce law, which allows either party to end a marriage for any reason. Stemberger did not make a formal proposal to change the policy but said churches will help engaged couples understand marriage and provide programs to strengthen existing marriages. The goal is to reduce the Florida divorce rate by 10 percent.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/885972.html
-EDGEWATER: Gay-porn filming at 'Cocodorm' can stay at Miami home
BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ
The boys of Cocodorm -- Snow Bunni, J Fizzo, et al -- are staying put, after a federal judge ruled that the gay porn website has a right to film out of its Edgewater home.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/884570.html
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Florida Bar Will Support Gay Adoption
The Florida Bar is coming out in a big way - for gay adoption. The Bar's board of governors voted unanimously to file an amicus brief before the 3rd District Court of Appeal supporting a Miami-Dade circuit judge's ruling that declared unconstitutional the state's ban on gay adoptions. "We thought it was appropriate to defend the judge's decision," said Nancy Gregoire, a family section member and a partner with Kirschbaum Birnbaum Lippman & Gregoire in Fort Lauderdale. "In my mind, speaking only for myself, it was the right thing to do and well past its time."
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4375/173/
-Norm Kent Debuts 'Broward Law Blog'
Renowned Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Norm Kent released today the debut of 'The Broward Law Blog,' easily accessible on the Internet at www.browardlawblog.com A South Florida attorney for 30 years, Mr. Kent is well known for his long time experience as the highly rated morning drive talk show host for WFTL-850 AM. He later hosted a weekly radio show entitled 'Weekend Legal' on WWNN-1470 AM.
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4373/173/
=
From Dolphin Democrats
-Re-Elect Commissioner Suzanne Boisvenue for Oakland Park City Commission, Seat 5
Commissioner Boisvenue applauds the City of Oakland Park for their decision to uphold city employees' first amendment right to free speech. Political signs sparked a debate in the city yesterday after a firefighter was asked to remove his vehicle from city property because his vehicle contained political signs. The firefighter complied with his supervisor's request. Commissioner Suzanne Boisvenue is known as a fighter for city residents and employees. After much heated debate, Oakland Park department directors issued a statement that employees have the right park vehicles on city property. Commissioner Boisvenue has continually fought to protect the rights of all Oakland Park citizens and employees. She voted to add domestic partner benefits for all city employees, advocated for increased residential notification in zoning changes and worked with city departments to stop the killing of cats by advocating for the trap neuter and release program. Commissioner Boisvenue works tirelessly to stop discrimination and believes in treating all people equally and fairly, and she has publicly spoken out against such acts. "There shall be no discrimination anytime anywhere", stated Boisvenue. VOTE MARCH 10 2009!
-DOLPHIN DEMOCRATS CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE NEEDS YOUR HELP !!
GET OUT THE VOTE TABLE
WHERE: GLCC 1717 N. ANDREWS AVENUE
WHEN: SATURDAY FEBRUARY. 7 , 2009 - 8AM TO 2 PM
NEED: 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 COME MEET THE CANDIDATE'S - SOME PLAN TO RALLY - 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
=
Sunshine Cathedral - Ft. Lauderdale
-Valuing our Families conference
On Saturday, April 25th, SunServe will be holding its sixth annual Valuing Our Families (VOF) Conference on the Sunshine Cathedral campus. The daylong event is designed for all who value the LGBT contribution to the American family in all its diversity. Parents and children, including LGBT teens will spend time in workshops, support groups, fun social activities, and even a carnival! A huge part of the VOF Conference's success comes from the many volunteers who help make it the highlight of the year for many lesbian, gay, and trans couples / families in Florida. You can make a positive impact by volunteering at this year's conference. Opportunities are available in many areas, including but not limited to helping set up / clean up the carnival and picnic, assisting workshop facilitators, and registering participants. You can volunteer for the entire day from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm, or you can help out in the morning or afternoon for a few hours.
If you would like to make a positive impact and help make this year's conference a success, please contact Rev. Michael Diaz at 954-462-2004 x208 or mdiaz@sunshinecathedral.org.
=
From Stonewall Library and Archives - Ft. Lauderdale
-On February 11, at 7:00 pm, as part of its Distinguished Authors Lecture Series, Stonewall will host a reading and book signing by the enormously popular award-winning novelist K.G. MacGregor.
A former teacher, K.G. MacGregor holds a PhD in journalism and mass communication. She began writing lesbian fiction in 2002 and in 2005, she signed with Bella Books, which published the Goldie Award finalist Just This Once. Her sixth Bella novel, Out of Love, won the 2007 Lambda Literary Award for Women's Romance, and the 2008 Goldie Award in Lesbian Romance. In 2008, she published Without Warning and Secrets So Deep. Ms. MacGregor divides her time between her homes in Miami and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Copies of several of Ms. MacGregor's books will be available for purchase the night of the event. This event is free and open to the public. For further information, please contact:
Jack Rutland, Executive Director
Stonewall Library & Archives
954-763-8565
Jack-rutland@stonewall-library.org
=
Lavender Writes
LWrites@mindspring.com
-Readings: Love Gone Bad: an Open Mic Reading
Saturday, February 14, 8pm
Border Books and Music
2240 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale
954-566-6335Valentine's Day not your favorite holiday? Want to howl with pain or laughter, commiserate and gloat at fictional tales of love and sex so disastrous they have to be read in public? Then join us at Borders as local scribes share stories of bad break-ups, psycho ex's from hell and the worst first dates in history. Writers should sign-up at LWrites@mindspring.com. Audience members can just show up. Writers and audience members gather in the Borders Cafe after the reading for coffee, snacks and conversation.
-Laugh it Off: an Open Mic Reading
Saturday, March 14, 2009, 1 p.m.
Broward Main Library
These events are part of The Next Generation, a year-long series of free fiction writing workshops and public readings for gay and lesbian writers. This program is a collaborative project of Lavender Writes, the Broward County Libraries Division, Borders Books and Music and author Karen Dale Wolman. The Next Generation was developed as a forum for gay and lesbian writers to write the stories they want to write in a safe environment that offers high quality teaching. Nongay students who are comfortable being in a gay environment and reading gay and lesbian fiction are also welcome to attend. Funding for this program is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council. Lavender Writes, Inc., provides service and support to lesbian and gay writers by sponsoring writing workshops, developing public forums for writers to present their work and offering assistance with publication. Non-gay writers and readers are also welcome to participate. For more information or to register for any of the programs, contact LWrites@mindspring.com.
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fla. Supreme Court to reprimand Judge Aleman
By Tonya Alanez
The Florida Supreme Court announced today it will publicly reprimand Broward Circuit Judge Cheryl Alemán for misconduct on April 7.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-bn-0203judgealeman,0,7783069.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward to use FEMA grant to retrofit buildings for hurricanes
BY DAN CHRISTENSEN
Broward commissioners took a big step Tuesday toward carrying out a $25 million plan to fortify key county buildings to withstand the punishing winds of a Category 3 hurricane.
http://www.miamiherald.com/466/story/885869.html
=
From Scott Newton for Wilton Manors City Commission Campaign
-Elect Scott Newton Campaign
Rally the Vote - 7 days to election day
VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORTERS - HOW ARE YOU RALLY'N THE VOTE?
CITY CANDIDATES FORUM - WE NEED YOU TO BE THERE!! PLEASE WEAR YOUR T-SHIRTS
IF YOU HAVE THEM. WE'LL BE HANDING OUT STICKERS TO WEAR.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2009 - 7:00 PM
Wilton Manors Elementary Cafeteria
Moderated by League of Women Voters
With only 7 days left until election day, Scott still needs your help...VOLUNTEER NOW!
Callers: Call a manageable number of people to encourage them to VOTE on Feb. 10, and ask them to vote for Scott Newton - The Candidate for All Wilton Manors Polling Places: Stand outside a polling precinct with a Scott Newton For Commission sign. We are requesting that you work three hours, but anytime you can give us will be appreciated. Please email Cindy @ csssp@aol.com to sign up for your precinct. For information on scheduled events, visit: www.votenewton.com
=
FairDistrictsFlorida.org
-Last week, the Florida Supreme Court gave Fair Districts Florida the green light to move forward to establish constitutionally mandated fairness standards for the drawing of legislative districts in Florida. We were thrilled by the news, and excited to move into the next stage of our campaign. It seems we weren't alone. This weekend, the Tallahassee Democrat opined:
Everyone acknowledges that the leaders and elected officials of whichever party is in power is fond of the current apportionment system, which makes districts so utterly in line with voting patterns that an interloper from the out-of-power party can almost never get elected. Anecdotally it's been said that map-drawing is so technologically refined these days that you can almost draw a district line down the middle of someone's living room in a house where the wife is known to vote Democratic and the husband goes for the GOP. They can also pack a large number of voters they don't want to have any real power into just a few districts. These minorities win seats in the Legislature, and keep getting re-elected, but there aren't enough of them to have any real power once they have that seat at the table. Right now the Legislature does the redistricting work itself every ten years, but these constitutional amendments would change the way it's done, setting out standards for redistricting that would help stop favoritism for any party or incumbent and would prevent denying equal opportunity for racial or language minorities. [...] You will likely have an opportunity to sign one of the petitions and get involved in the money-raising needed just to get the petition drive big enough to do its job.,, Checks can be mailed to: PO BOX 350188 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33335
Click here to "get involved in the money-raising" and help us bring Florida fair districts!
https://www.fairdistrictsflorida.org/
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida governor considers Senate run
From CNN's Mark Preston and Rebecca Sinderbrand
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is not ruling out a run for the Senate in 2010, but for now is focusing all of his attention on the legislative session, a top ally tells CNN. "The governor is not closing the door, but he is not necessarily opening it," Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer said in an interview this afternoon. "He is focused on being governor and focused on solving the challenges that Floridians are facing right now."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/02/florida-governor-considers-senate-run/
-Cretul takes House reins
By Alex Leary
Ray Sansom's short-lived and tumultuous tenure as House speaker effectively ended Monday night when his Republican colleagues, in an unprecedented and solemn procedure, anointed a new leader.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article972828.ece
-Crist not NOT running for U.S. Senate
By Dara Kam
Amid reports that Gov. Charlie Crist is being wooed to run for retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez' seat _ and that Martinez may drop out early _ Florida's top GOP politico has remained coy about his intentions. But today he put to rest questions about whether he is definitely NOT going to enter the field.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2009/02/02/crist_not_not_running_for_us_s.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fla. group seeks to lower divorce rate
The Associated Press
The group that helped get a gay marriage ban in the state constitution now wants to help those who can wed stay married. The Florida Family Policy Council says it will work with churches and organizations that helped get the gay marriage ban on last year's ballot to boost programs that help married couples stay together. During a press conference Tuesday council president John Stemberger criticized Florida's no-fault divorce law, which allows either party to end a marriage for any reason. Stemberger did not make a formal proposal to change the policy but said churches will help engaged couples understand marriage and provide programs to strengthen existing marriages. The goal is to reduce the Florida divorce rate by 10 percent.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/885972.html
-EDGEWATER: Gay-porn filming at 'Cocodorm' can stay at Miami home
BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ
The boys of Cocodorm -- Snow Bunni, J Fizzo, et al -- are staying put, after a federal judge ruled that the gay porn website has a right to film out of its Edgewater home.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/884570.html
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Florida Bar Will Support Gay Adoption
The Florida Bar is coming out in a big way - for gay adoption. The Bar's board of governors voted unanimously to file an amicus brief before the 3rd District Court of Appeal supporting a Miami-Dade circuit judge's ruling that declared unconstitutional the state's ban on gay adoptions. "We thought it was appropriate to defend the judge's decision," said Nancy Gregoire, a family section member and a partner with Kirschbaum Birnbaum Lippman & Gregoire in Fort Lauderdale. "In my mind, speaking only for myself, it was the right thing to do and well past its time."
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4375/173/
-Norm Kent Debuts 'Broward Law Blog'
Renowned Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Norm Kent released today the debut of 'The Broward Law Blog,' easily accessible on the Internet at www.browardlawblog.com A South Florida attorney for 30 years, Mr. Kent is well known for his long time experience as the highly rated morning drive talk show host for WFTL-850 AM. He later hosted a weekly radio show entitled 'Weekend Legal' on WWNN-1470 AM.
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4373/173/
=
From Dolphin Democrats
-Re-Elect Commissioner Suzanne Boisvenue for Oakland Park City Commission, Seat 5
Commissioner Boisvenue applauds the City of Oakland Park for their decision to uphold city employees' first amendment right to free speech. Political signs sparked a debate in the city yesterday after a firefighter was asked to remove his vehicle from city property because his vehicle contained political signs. The firefighter complied with his supervisor's request. Commissioner Suzanne Boisvenue is known as a fighter for city residents and employees. After much heated debate, Oakland Park department directors issued a statement that employees have the right park vehicles on city property. Commissioner Boisvenue has continually fought to protect the rights of all Oakland Park citizens and employees. She voted to add domestic partner benefits for all city employees, advocated for increased residential notification in zoning changes and worked with city departments to stop the killing of cats by advocating for the trap neuter and release program. Commissioner Boisvenue works tirelessly to stop discrimination and believes in treating all people equally and fairly, and she has publicly spoken out against such acts. "There shall be no discrimination anytime anywhere", stated Boisvenue. VOTE MARCH 10 2009!
-DOLPHIN DEMOCRATS CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE NEEDS YOUR HELP !!
GET OUT THE VOTE TABLE
WHERE: GLCC 1717 N. ANDREWS AVENUE
WHEN: SATURDAY FEBRUARY. 7 , 2009 - 8AM TO 2 PM
NEED: 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 COME MEET THE CANDIDATE'S - SOME PLAN TO RALLY - 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
=
Sunshine Cathedral - Ft. Lauderdale
-Valuing our Families conference
On Saturday, April 25th, SunServe will be holding its sixth annual Valuing Our Families (VOF) Conference on the Sunshine Cathedral campus. The daylong event is designed for all who value the LGBT contribution to the American family in all its diversity. Parents and children, including LGBT teens will spend time in workshops, support groups, fun social activities, and even a carnival! A huge part of the VOF Conference's success comes from the many volunteers who help make it the highlight of the year for many lesbian, gay, and trans couples / families in Florida. You can make a positive impact by volunteering at this year's conference. Opportunities are available in many areas, including but not limited to helping set up / clean up the carnival and picnic, assisting workshop facilitators, and registering participants. You can volunteer for the entire day from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm, or you can help out in the morning or afternoon for a few hours.
If you would like to make a positive impact and help make this year's conference a success, please contact Rev. Michael Diaz at 954-462-2004 x208 or mdiaz@sunshinecathedral.org.
=
From Stonewall Library and Archives - Ft. Lauderdale
-On February 11, at 7:00 pm, as part of its Distinguished Authors Lecture Series, Stonewall will host a reading and book signing by the enormously popular award-winning novelist K.G. MacGregor.
A former teacher, K.G. MacGregor holds a PhD in journalism and mass communication. She began writing lesbian fiction in 2002 and in 2005, she signed with Bella Books, which published the Goldie Award finalist Just This Once. Her sixth Bella novel, Out of Love, won the 2007 Lambda Literary Award for Women's Romance, and the 2008 Goldie Award in Lesbian Romance. In 2008, she published Without Warning and Secrets So Deep. Ms. MacGregor divides her time between her homes in Miami and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Copies of several of Ms. MacGregor's books will be available for purchase the night of the event. This event is free and open to the public. For further information, please contact:
Jack Rutland, Executive Director
Stonewall Library & Archives
954-763-8565
Jack-rutland@stonewall-library.org
=
Lavender Writes
LWrites@mindspring.com
-Readings: Love Gone Bad: an Open Mic Reading
Saturday, February 14, 8pm
Border Books and Music
2240 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale
954-566-6335Valentine's Day not your favorite holiday? Want to howl with pain or laughter, commiserate and gloat at fictional tales of love and sex so disastrous they have to be read in public? Then join us at Borders as local scribes share stories of bad break-ups, psycho ex's from hell and the worst first dates in history. Writers should sign-up at LWrites@mindspring.com. Audience members can just show up. Writers and audience members gather in the Borders Cafe after the reading for coffee, snacks and conversation.
-Laugh it Off: an Open Mic Reading
Saturday, March 14, 2009, 1 p.m.
Broward Main Library
These events are part of The Next Generation, a year-long series of free fiction writing workshops and public readings for gay and lesbian writers. This program is a collaborative project of Lavender Writes, the Broward County Libraries Division, Borders Books and Music and author Karen Dale Wolman. The Next Generation was developed as a forum for gay and lesbian writers to write the stories they want to write in a safe environment that offers high quality teaching. Nongay students who are comfortable being in a gay environment and reading gay and lesbian fiction are also welcome to attend. Funding for this program is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council. Lavender Writes, Inc., provides service and support to lesbian and gay writers by sponsoring writing workshops, developing public forums for writers to present their work and offering assistance with publication. Non-gay writers and readers are also welcome to participate. For more information or to register for any of the programs, contact LWrites@mindspring.com.
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fla. Supreme Court to reprimand Judge Aleman
By Tonya Alanez
The Florida Supreme Court announced today it will publicly reprimand Broward Circuit Judge Cheryl Alemán for misconduct on April 7.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-bn-0203judgealeman,0,7783069.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward to use FEMA grant to retrofit buildings for hurricanes
BY DAN CHRISTENSEN
Broward commissioners took a big step Tuesday toward carrying out a $25 million plan to fortify key county buildings to withstand the punishing winds of a Category 3 hurricane.
http://www.miamiherald.com/466/story/885869.html
=
From Scott Newton for Wilton Manors City Commission Campaign
-Elect Scott Newton Campaign
Rally the Vote - 7 days to election day
VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORTERS - HOW ARE YOU RALLY'N THE VOTE?
CITY CANDIDATES FORUM - WE NEED YOU TO BE THERE!! PLEASE WEAR YOUR T-SHIRTS
IF YOU HAVE THEM. WE'LL BE HANDING OUT STICKERS TO WEAR.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2009 - 7:00 PM
Wilton Manors Elementary Cafeteria
Moderated by League of Women Voters
With only 7 days left until election day, Scott still needs your help...VOLUNTEER NOW!
Callers: Call a manageable number of people to encourage them to VOTE on Feb. 10, and ask them to vote for Scott Newton - The Candidate for All Wilton Manors Polling Places: Stand outside a polling precinct with a Scott Newton For Commission sign. We are requesting that you work three hours, but anytime you can give us will be appreciated. Please email Cindy @ csssp@aol.com to sign up for your precinct. For information on scheduled events, visit: www.votenewton.com
=
FairDistrictsFlorida.org
-Last week, the Florida Supreme Court gave Fair Districts Florida the green light to move forward to establish constitutionally mandated fairness standards for the drawing of legislative districts in Florida. We were thrilled by the news, and excited to move into the next stage of our campaign. It seems we weren't alone. This weekend, the Tallahassee Democrat opined:
Everyone acknowledges that the leaders and elected officials of whichever party is in power is fond of the current apportionment system, which makes districts so utterly in line with voting patterns that an interloper from the out-of-power party can almost never get elected. Anecdotally it's been said that map-drawing is so technologically refined these days that you can almost draw a district line down the middle of someone's living room in a house where the wife is known to vote Democratic and the husband goes for the GOP. They can also pack a large number of voters they don't want to have any real power into just a few districts. These minorities win seats in the Legislature, and keep getting re-elected, but there aren't enough of them to have any real power once they have that seat at the table. Right now the Legislature does the redistricting work itself every ten years, but these constitutional amendments would change the way it's done, setting out standards for redistricting that would help stop favoritism for any party or incumbent and would prevent denying equal opportunity for racial or language minorities. [...] You will likely have an opportunity to sign one of the petitions and get involved in the money-raising needed just to get the petition drive big enough to do its job.,, Checks can be mailed to: PO BOX 350188 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33335
Click here to "get involved in the money-raising" and help us bring Florida fair districts!
https://www.fairdistrictsflorida.org/
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida governor considers Senate run
From CNN's Mark Preston and Rebecca Sinderbrand
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is not ruling out a run for the Senate in 2010, but for now is focusing all of his attention on the legislative session, a top ally tells CNN. "The governor is not closing the door, but he is not necessarily opening it," Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer said in an interview this afternoon. "He is focused on being governor and focused on solving the challenges that Floridians are facing right now."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/02/florida-governor-considers-senate-run/
-Cretul takes House reins
By Alex Leary
Ray Sansom's short-lived and tumultuous tenure as House speaker effectively ended Monday night when his Republican colleagues, in an unprecedented and solemn procedure, anointed a new leader.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article972828.ece
-Crist not NOT running for U.S. Senate
By Dara Kam
Amid reports that Gov. Charlie Crist is being wooed to run for retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez' seat _ and that Martinez may drop out early _ Florida's top GOP politico has remained coy about his intentions. But today he put to rest questions about whether he is definitely NOT going to enter the field.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2009/02/02/crist_not_not_running_for_us_s.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Monday, February 02, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - February 02, 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:
-Iceland Names New Prime Minister
By JOHN F. BURNS
LONDON - With the swearing-in of its first female prime minister on Sunday, Iceland became the first country to change its government as a direct resultof the global financial crisis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/world/europe/02iceland.html?scp=2&sq=GAY&st=cse
-Final Sermon for Marble Collegiate Church's Leader
By ANDY NEWMAN
The notice board outside Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan did not seem designed to draw attention. "Sunday February 1," it said. "Dr. Arthur Caliandro. 'Go with faith.' " But at Marble Collegiate, the landmark church on Fifth Avenue and 29th Street, one of the oldest Protestant congregations in North America and, thanks to Norman Vincent Peale, one of the most prominent, Sunday was a big day indeed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/nyregion/02minister.html?scp=4&sq=GAY&st=cse
-Sam Adams - Portland: The Great Gay Hope
The politician was in his 40s, a rising star, a man with the pilot light of ambition burning bright. The intern was just 17, sorting through emotions about his sexuality, a boy who said he needed someone to mentor him in the political world.
http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/the-great-gay-hope/?ref=opinion
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Start Your Engines
RuPaul's 'Drag Race' reality show features SoFla's Glasscock
By Dan Renzi, Tonight is the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race on Logo, a reality series which will be the ultimate drag competition. Nine of the top drag queens in the country, including Fort Lauderdale's own, Rebecca Glasscock, will be competing for drag stardom by reining supreme in all the judging and eliminations. Each cast member must embody the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent that made RuPaul an international drag superstar. For more information and broadcast times, visit the Logo website at Logo Online. Let the races begin!http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23700
=
AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-15 Most Loathsome People of 2008
By Allan Uthman and Ian Murphy, Buffalo Beast. Posted January 31, 2009.
Limbaugh, Palin, Warren, and more. They're the worst people in America, and unfortunately they dominated last year's headlines.
http://www.alternet.org/story/123844/15_most_loathsome_people_of_2008/?page=entire
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Ireland: A fifth of gay people tried suicide - study
ALMOST 20 per cent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have attempted suicide and almost all saw this as related to their sexual identity and the experiences of being abused and feeling isolated, a report to be published today has found. The study, Supporting LGBT Lives: A Studyof the Mental Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People, also found almost one-third of respondents had self-harmed at least once. To be published today by Minister for Health Mary Harney, the study is the biggest carried out in the Republic into the mental health of gay, lesbian and transgender people.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0202/1232923382540.html
-Iceland's PM marks gay milestone
By Vanessa Buschschluter - BBC News
Johanna Sigurdardottir, named as Iceland's prime minister on Sunday, is the first openly lesbian head of government in Europe, if not the world - at least in modern times. The 66-year-old's appointment as an interim leader, until elections in May, is seen by many as a milestone for the gay and lesbian movement. Up until now, if a gay man or woman has been prime minister, they have done their best to conceal the fact. In Iceland itself, however, the new prime minister's sexual orientation appears to becausing less excitement than it is abroad. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7862804.stm
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Ethiopian faith leaders call for constitutional ban on homosexuality
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The leaders of the Roman Catholic, Ethiopian Orthodox and Protestant churches have called on the government of Ethiopia for a constitutional ban on homosexuality.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10986.html
-Doctors claim NHS has "come a long way" on gay acceptance
The British Medical Association has claimed that attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans medical staff are improving. It has produced a report which describes the experiences of LGBT doctors and medical students working in the NHS as part of LGBT History Month.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10985.html
-Video: US "family values" group targets Pepsi's British gay advert
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk .
A US pressure group that "motivates and equips citizens to change th eculture to reflect Biblical truth and traditional family values" has complained about a new advert from drinks manufacturer Pepsi. The TV ad (scroll down for the advert), currently airing in the UK, features shows a young man passing up several women and finally showing interest in another man.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10966.html
-Washington state may approve full equality for same-sex couples
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Legislators in the US state of Washingon have unveiled proposals to extend all the rights of married couples to same-sex partners.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10964.html
=
Daily Queer News
http://www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-NH: Robinson to Testify at Marriage Hearing
Nashua Telegraph CONCORD (AP) - The Rev. V. Gene Robinson will testify Thursday before the New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee on a bill to allow gay marriage in the Granite State. In 2003, the Episcopal Church consecrated Robinson, the church's first openly gay bishop. That prompted a rift in the global Anglican Communion, which the church belongs to. Democratic state Rep. Jim Splaine, the bill's sponsor, said Robinson wants to see marriage equality in New Hampshire. A state law granting civil unions to gay couples took effect last year. More than 600 couples have had civil unions since then. Read more
-MA: Driver's Licenses Let Applicants Pick Gender
Bob Unruh World Daily News
The state of Massachusetts, which has been at the forefront of normalizing homosexual relationships in law, has taken a bold new step to allow applicants for drivers licenses to select their gender on official documents. The decision by Rachel Kaprielian became public when an organization promoting family values obtained a copy of a letter she dispatched to a homosexual lobbying organization. The letter to Marc Solomon of MassEquality said the state Registry of Motor Vehicles "has amended its policy to enable transgendered individuals to more easily change the gender designation on their licenses and identity cards." Read more
-Cleric Whose Katrina Comment Caused Stir Promoted
Associate Press San Francisco Chronicle
PST VATICAN CITY, (AP) - An Austrian pastor who has been quoted as calling Hurricane Katrina God's punishment for sin in New Orleans is being promoted to the rank of bishop. The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Benedict XVI has tapped the Rev. Gerhard Wagner, 54, to be auxiliary bishop in Linz, Austria. It made no mention of the reported remarks about Hurricane Katrina. Wagner has served since 1988 as pastor of a church in the Austrian town of Windischgarsten and received a doctorate in theology from the prestigious Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, the Vatican said. Read more
-Mormon Church Reveals New Spending On Gay Marriage Ban
Carlos Santoscoy On Top Magazine
A new report filed Friday by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) lists more than $190,000 in expenses by the church in support of California's gay marriage ban, reports the Los Angeles Times. Mormon leaders had previously recorded only $2,078 in contributions towards Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that yanked back the right of gays and lesbians to marry in the state. In November, the California Fair Political Practices Commission agreed to investigate a complaint by Californians Against Hate, a gay rights group that pushed for full disclosure of monetary support of Prop. 8, that alleged numerous contribution violations to the campaign to ban gay marriage by the Utah-based Mormon Church. Read more
-Civil Unions a Minefield for Obama
LOU CHIBBARO JR. Southern Voice
President Barack Obama's support for legislation to provide all of the federal rights and benefits of marriage to same-sex couples joined in civil unions and other legally recognized relationships has raised concern among some activists that the president's proposal could delay progress on same-sex marriage. The Obama administration posted on the White House web site the new president's positions supporting gay rights, including his marriage rights proposal, minutes after Obama took the oath of office Jan. 20 "President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples," according to a section of the White House site labeled Support for the LGBT Community. The section adds, "Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions." Read more
-GA: John Rocker Uses Anti-Gay Slurs Again
DYANA BAGBY Southern Voice
Former Atlanta Brave John Rocker used anti-gay slurs and anti-Semitic statements against local radio host Steak Shapiro during an altercation at the W Buckhead hotel's grand opening last week. News of Rocker being tossed from the glitzy Jan. 22 party was reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The newspaper stated Rocker used ethnic slurs against Shapiro, who hosts a sports talk show on AM station 790 The Zone, and in later stories reported that Rocker kept calling Shapiro a"Jew." The AJC did not report that Rocker used the word "faggot." However, Shapiro, who is not gay, confirmed to Southern Voice on Jan. 27 that Rocker used the slur against him. "It [faggot] is one of his favorite terms and he used it multiple times," Shapiro said. "His exact words at least three times [were], 'You Jew faggot.' He is a pathetic guy." Read more
-Bias Behind Higher Rates of HIV in Black Gay Men?
MATT SCHAFER Southern Voice
Gay and bisexual black men in America are the most likely people in the world to contract HIV, and community advocates say current efforts to stem the epidemic aren't working. "Gay black men are more likely to contract HIV than any other population in the country," said Caudie Grissom, a counselor with Atlantabased National AIDS Education & Services for Minorities. "Even with all of our modern technology and medication, American black gay men are more likely to have HIV than people living in third world countries." NAESM sponsored the fifth annual National African-American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS. Held Jan. 22-25 in Atlanta, it attracted hundreds of community organizers and activists from across the country. Asked why the rates of HIV and AIDS are higher among black men who have sex with men, answers ranged from poor federal services to stigma and discrimination within a mostly white medical profession. Read more
-GA: Atlanta Pride Returns to Piedmont Park
MATT SCHAFER Southern Voice
Atlanta will once again celebrate Pride in Piedmont Park, but instead of celebrating under a sweltering summer sun, rainbow flags will fly amidst falling leaves and costumes punctuating the Halloween weekend. In an unexpected announcement on Jan. 26, the Atlanta Pride Committee made public a compromise where the City of Atlanta will allow Atlanta Pride to return to Piedmont Park during the Oct. 31 weekend. Last year, Pride was held at the Atlanta Civic Center after all large festivals were booted from the park due to the state's serious drought. The deal to put Pride back in Piedmont Park came after a series of negotiations with City Council President Lisa Borders and Dianne Harnell Cohen, the city's commissioner of Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Events. "I think the most important thing to remember here is that the Pride Committee came to me and said that they need help, and I was honored to help and work with the parks department to reach a compromise that works for everyone, which if you think about it is what I do every two weeks with the City Council meetings," Borders said. Read more
-Marijuana Reform is Part of the Progressive Agenda, So Why are Obama's Drug Cops Already Making Pot Raids?
Armentano, AlterNet
This past August, House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during a live interview with CNN, did something quite remarkable. She spoke candidly and openly about her support for marijuana-law reform. But rather than demanding her colleagues in Washington take the necessary steps to end the federal government's seven-decade war on weed, she instead called on the public to act. "We have important work to do outside the Congress in order for us to have success inside the Congress." Pelosi said. "[W]e need peoples' help to be in touch with their members of Congress to say why this (marijuana law reform) should be the case."As the saying goes, "Ask and ye shall receive."In the past few months, the public has expressed its support for marijuana law reform in unprecedented numbers. The election of former pot smoker, Barack "I inhaled frequently; that was the point" Obama, coupled with a sagging economy, has stimulated tens of thousands of Americans to demand their government stop spending its limited state and federal law enforcement resources on efforts targeting, arresting and prosecuting marijuana smokers. Read more
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Iceland Names New Prime Minister
By JOHN F. BURNS
LONDON - With the swearing-in of its first female prime minister on Sunday, Iceland became the first country to change its government as a direct resultof the global financial crisis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/world/europe/02iceland.html?scp=2&sq=GAY&st=cse
-Final Sermon for Marble Collegiate Church's Leader
By ANDY NEWMAN
The notice board outside Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan did not seem designed to draw attention. "Sunday February 1," it said. "Dr. Arthur Caliandro. 'Go with faith.' " But at Marble Collegiate, the landmark church on Fifth Avenue and 29th Street, one of the oldest Protestant congregations in North America and, thanks to Norman Vincent Peale, one of the most prominent, Sunday was a big day indeed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/nyregion/02minister.html?scp=4&sq=GAY&st=cse
-Sam Adams - Portland: The Great Gay Hope
The politician was in his 40s, a rising star, a man with the pilot light of ambition burning bright. The intern was just 17, sorting through emotions about his sexuality, a boy who said he needed someone to mentor him in the political world.
http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/the-great-gay-hope/?ref=opinion
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Start Your Engines
RuPaul's 'Drag Race' reality show features SoFla's Glasscock
By Dan Renzi, Tonight is the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race on Logo, a reality series which will be the ultimate drag competition. Nine of the top drag queens in the country, including Fort Lauderdale's own, Rebecca Glasscock, will be competing for drag stardom by reining supreme in all the judging and eliminations. Each cast member must embody the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent that made RuPaul an international drag superstar. For more information and broadcast times, visit the Logo website at Logo Online. Let the races begin!http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23700
=
AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-15 Most Loathsome People of 2008
By Allan Uthman and Ian Murphy, Buffalo Beast. Posted January 31, 2009.
Limbaugh, Palin, Warren, and more. They're the worst people in America, and unfortunately they dominated last year's headlines.
http://www.alternet.org/story/123844/15_most_loathsome_people_of_2008/?page=entire
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Ireland: A fifth of gay people tried suicide - study
ALMOST 20 per cent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have attempted suicide and almost all saw this as related to their sexual identity and the experiences of being abused and feeling isolated, a report to be published today has found. The study, Supporting LGBT Lives: A Studyof the Mental Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People, also found almost one-third of respondents had self-harmed at least once. To be published today by Minister for Health Mary Harney, the study is the biggest carried out in the Republic into the mental health of gay, lesbian and transgender people.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0202/1232923382540.html
-Iceland's PM marks gay milestone
By Vanessa Buschschluter - BBC News
Johanna Sigurdardottir, named as Iceland's prime minister on Sunday, is the first openly lesbian head of government in Europe, if not the world - at least in modern times. The 66-year-old's appointment as an interim leader, until elections in May, is seen by many as a milestone for the gay and lesbian movement. Up until now, if a gay man or woman has been prime minister, they have done their best to conceal the fact. In Iceland itself, however, the new prime minister's sexual orientation appears to becausing less excitement than it is abroad. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7862804.stm
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Ethiopian faith leaders call for constitutional ban on homosexuality
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The leaders of the Roman Catholic, Ethiopian Orthodox and Protestant churches have called on the government of Ethiopia for a constitutional ban on homosexuality.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10986.html
-Doctors claim NHS has "come a long way" on gay acceptance
The British Medical Association has claimed that attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans medical staff are improving. It has produced a report which describes the experiences of LGBT doctors and medical students working in the NHS as part of LGBT History Month.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10985.html
-Video: US "family values" group targets Pepsi's British gay advert
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk .
A US pressure group that "motivates and equips citizens to change th eculture to reflect Biblical truth and traditional family values" has complained about a new advert from drinks manufacturer Pepsi. The TV ad (scroll down for the advert), currently airing in the UK, features shows a young man passing up several women and finally showing interest in another man.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10966.html
-Washington state may approve full equality for same-sex couples
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Legislators in the US state of Washingon have unveiled proposals to extend all the rights of married couples to same-sex partners.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10964.html
=
Daily Queer News
http://www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-NH: Robinson to Testify at Marriage Hearing
Nashua Telegraph CONCORD (AP) - The Rev. V. Gene Robinson will testify Thursday before the New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee on a bill to allow gay marriage in the Granite State. In 2003, the Episcopal Church consecrated Robinson, the church's first openly gay bishop. That prompted a rift in the global Anglican Communion, which the church belongs to. Democratic state Rep. Jim Splaine, the bill's sponsor, said Robinson wants to see marriage equality in New Hampshire. A state law granting civil unions to gay couples took effect last year. More than 600 couples have had civil unions since then. Read more
-MA: Driver's Licenses Let Applicants Pick Gender
Bob Unruh World Daily News
The state of Massachusetts, which has been at the forefront of normalizing homosexual relationships in law, has taken a bold new step to allow applicants for drivers licenses to select their gender on official documents. The decision by Rachel Kaprielian became public when an organization promoting family values obtained a copy of a letter she dispatched to a homosexual lobbying organization. The letter to Marc Solomon of MassEquality said the state Registry of Motor Vehicles "has amended its policy to enable transgendered individuals to more easily change the gender designation on their licenses and identity cards." Read more
-Cleric Whose Katrina Comment Caused Stir Promoted
Associate Press San Francisco Chronicle
PST VATICAN CITY, (AP) - An Austrian pastor who has been quoted as calling Hurricane Katrina God's punishment for sin in New Orleans is being promoted to the rank of bishop. The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Benedict XVI has tapped the Rev. Gerhard Wagner, 54, to be auxiliary bishop in Linz, Austria. It made no mention of the reported remarks about Hurricane Katrina. Wagner has served since 1988 as pastor of a church in the Austrian town of Windischgarsten and received a doctorate in theology from the prestigious Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, the Vatican said. Read more
-Mormon Church Reveals New Spending On Gay Marriage Ban
Carlos Santoscoy On Top Magazine
A new report filed Friday by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) lists more than $190,000 in expenses by the church in support of California's gay marriage ban, reports the Los Angeles Times. Mormon leaders had previously recorded only $2,078 in contributions towards Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that yanked back the right of gays and lesbians to marry in the state. In November, the California Fair Political Practices Commission agreed to investigate a complaint by Californians Against Hate, a gay rights group that pushed for full disclosure of monetary support of Prop. 8, that alleged numerous contribution violations to the campaign to ban gay marriage by the Utah-based Mormon Church. Read more
-Civil Unions a Minefield for Obama
LOU CHIBBARO JR. Southern Voice
President Barack Obama's support for legislation to provide all of the federal rights and benefits of marriage to same-sex couples joined in civil unions and other legally recognized relationships has raised concern among some activists that the president's proposal could delay progress on same-sex marriage. The Obama administration posted on the White House web site the new president's positions supporting gay rights, including his marriage rights proposal, minutes after Obama took the oath of office Jan. 20 "President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples," according to a section of the White House site labeled Support for the LGBT Community. The section adds, "Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions." Read more
-GA: John Rocker Uses Anti-Gay Slurs Again
DYANA BAGBY Southern Voice
Former Atlanta Brave John Rocker used anti-gay slurs and anti-Semitic statements against local radio host Steak Shapiro during an altercation at the W Buckhead hotel's grand opening last week. News of Rocker being tossed from the glitzy Jan. 22 party was reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The newspaper stated Rocker used ethnic slurs against Shapiro, who hosts a sports talk show on AM station 790 The Zone, and in later stories reported that Rocker kept calling Shapiro a"Jew." The AJC did not report that Rocker used the word "faggot." However, Shapiro, who is not gay, confirmed to Southern Voice on Jan. 27 that Rocker used the slur against him. "It [faggot] is one of his favorite terms and he used it multiple times," Shapiro said. "His exact words at least three times [were], 'You Jew faggot.' He is a pathetic guy." Read more
-Bias Behind Higher Rates of HIV in Black Gay Men?
MATT SCHAFER Southern Voice
Gay and bisexual black men in America are the most likely people in the world to contract HIV, and community advocates say current efforts to stem the epidemic aren't working. "Gay black men are more likely to contract HIV than any other population in the country," said Caudie Grissom, a counselor with Atlantabased National AIDS Education & Services for Minorities. "Even with all of our modern technology and medication, American black gay men are more likely to have HIV than people living in third world countries." NAESM sponsored the fifth annual National African-American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS. Held Jan. 22-25 in Atlanta, it attracted hundreds of community organizers and activists from across the country. Asked why the rates of HIV and AIDS are higher among black men who have sex with men, answers ranged from poor federal services to stigma and discrimination within a mostly white medical profession. Read more
-GA: Atlanta Pride Returns to Piedmont Park
MATT SCHAFER Southern Voice
Atlanta will once again celebrate Pride in Piedmont Park, but instead of celebrating under a sweltering summer sun, rainbow flags will fly amidst falling leaves and costumes punctuating the Halloween weekend. In an unexpected announcement on Jan. 26, the Atlanta Pride Committee made public a compromise where the City of Atlanta will allow Atlanta Pride to return to Piedmont Park during the Oct. 31 weekend. Last year, Pride was held at the Atlanta Civic Center after all large festivals were booted from the park due to the state's serious drought. The deal to put Pride back in Piedmont Park came after a series of negotiations with City Council President Lisa Borders and Dianne Harnell Cohen, the city's commissioner of Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Events. "I think the most important thing to remember here is that the Pride Committee came to me and said that they need help, and I was honored to help and work with the parks department to reach a compromise that works for everyone, which if you think about it is what I do every two weeks with the City Council meetings," Borders said. Read more
-Marijuana Reform is Part of the Progressive Agenda, So Why are Obama's Drug Cops Already Making Pot Raids?
Armentano, AlterNet
This past August, House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during a live interview with CNN, did something quite remarkable. She spoke candidly and openly about her support for marijuana-law reform. But rather than demanding her colleagues in Washington take the necessary steps to end the federal government's seven-decade war on weed, she instead called on the public to act. "We have important work to do outside the Congress in order for us to have success inside the Congress." Pelosi said. "[W]e need peoples' help to be in touch with their members of Congress to say why this (marijuana law reform) should be the case."As the saying goes, "Ask and ye shall receive."In the past few months, the public has expressed its support for marijuana law reform in unprecedented numbers. The election of former pot smoker, Barack "I inhaled frequently; that was the point" Obama, coupled with a sagging economy, has stimulated tens of thousands of Americans to demand their government stop spending its limited state and federal law enforcement resources on efforts targeting, arresting and prosecuting marijuana smokers. Read more
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 02, 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:
-Welfare Aid Isn't Growing as Economy Drops Off
By JASON DEPARLE
Despite soaring unemployment and the worst economic crisis in decades, 18 states cut their welfare rolls last year, and nationally the number of people receiving cash assistance remained at or near the lowest in more than 40 years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/02welfare.html?hp
-Ads That Pushed Our Usual (Well-Worn) Buttons
By STUART ELLIOTT
In recent months, Americans have been disappointed and appalled by Wall Street, banks, the big-budget film "Australia," investment counselors, Detroit, the governors of at least two states, hedge fund managers and even the geese at La Guardia, which used to know better than to interfere with those metal birds they fly among.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/business/media/02adco.html?hp
-Interactive: The Super Ad Bowl: Two Decades of Players
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/02/02/business/media/20090202-business-superbowlads.html
-Sins of Omission: Help for the Beleaguered Homeowner
The Senate will debate its version of the mammoth stimulus and recoverypackage this week. As with last week's version, passed by the House, therewill be considerable argument between Democrats and Republicans over whatbelongs in the bill.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02mon1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Bailouts for Bunglers
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: February 1, 2009
Question: what happens if you lose vast amounts of other people's money? Answer: you get a big gift from the federal government - but the president says some very harsh things about you before forking over the cash.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02krugman.html?ref=opinion
-Sins of Omission: The Forgotten Poor
Also lost in the wrangling over the huge House economic measure were two programs for the poor that are in urgent need of Congressional attention: legal services and access to family planning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02mon2.html?ref=opinion
-The Other Iran
By ROGER COHEN
TEHRAN: At one of the embassies offering islands of peace from the gridlocked, grinding Iranian capital, a Western diplomat said this of United States and allied policy toward Iran: "You could argue that our policy has not yet failed."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02cohen.html?ref=opinion
-A New Subpoena for Karl Rove
Last year, Karl Rove defied a Congressional subpoena ordering him to testify about the politically driven hiring and firing of United States attorneys. The House Judiciary Committee has now issued another subpoena. Congress and the Obama administration should do everything they can to compel him to testify.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02mon3.html?ref=opinion
-Secular Parties and Premier Lead in Iraq
By ALISSA J. RUBIN
BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and several secular parties appeared to score significant gains in Iraq's provincial elections on Saturday, preliminary reports showed Sunday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/world/middleeast/02iraq.html?hp
-And Now Let the Jockeying Begin
By PETER BAKER
In her first days as America's top diplomat, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton found the Middle East portfolio handed off to a special envoy. Afghanistan and Pakistan were assigned to a special representative. And administration officials expect another special envoy to be tapped soon to deal with Iran.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/weekinreview/01baker.html
-Bringing the Internet to Remote African Villages
By CHRIS NICHOLSON
ENTASOPIA, Kenya - The road from Nairobi winds 100 miles to this town deep in Masai country. The asphalt gives way to sand and dust, until finally it is just a dirt track climbing over broken hills and plunging back to desert flats. The going is slow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/technology/internet/02kenya.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-What Obama Owes Africa
Njoroge Wachai - Kenya Njoroge is a journalist who formerly worked for the Kenya-based People Daily.
Dear President Obama: There's nowhere your presidency matters more than in Africa. I know some will differ with me on this; they will, rightly, say that your top priority should be to serve America. Well, I agree, but I must remind you of the folly of forgetting your roots. Expectations are as high for your presidency in Africa as they are here in the U.S. You would deny your African roots at your own peril. Your deceased father hailed from Kenya, and that White House, where you'll be residing for the next four years, or eight years if you win in 2013, was built by African slaves. Don'tyou think you owe us something? [...] For all of his failings, Africans will judge your predecessor, George W. Bush, on what he built, what he contributed to the continent. He looks like a messiah to Africa for the massive aid he channeled there to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other neglected diseases. Imagine what you could contribute in Africa if you helped tamp down the corruption and waste that daily plague our people there. President Obama, how do you plan to deal with leaders who you said "...cling to power through corruption and deceit?" Will you come down hardon them? We hope so.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/njoroge_wachai/2009/01/what_obama_owes_africa.html
-Daschle Apologizes for Income Tax Errors
By Ceci Connolly and Paul Kane
Thomas A. Daschle, fighting to defend his nomination to be secretary of health and human services, released a letter early today apologizing to the top lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee for mistakes on his personal income tax returns that resulted in $146,000 in back payments.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020200459.html?hpid=topnews
-Gunmen in Pakistan Kidnap American Official
By Candace Rondeaux
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 2 -- Gunmen in southern Pakistan kidnapped an American United Nations official and fatally shot his driver Monday, the latest in a recent series of high-profile kidnappings and targeted hits on foreigners.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020100583.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Phelps Will Not Face Any Sanctions
Photo Appears To Show Drug Use
By Amy Shipley
Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps acknowledged using "bad judgment" and engaging in "regrettable" behavior a day after a British tabloid published a photo in which he appeared to be using marijuana.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101022.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Turkey's Turn From the West
By Soner Cagaptay
Turkey is a special Muslim country. Of the more than 50 majority-Muslim nations, it is the only one that is a NATO ally, is in accession talks with the European Union, is a liberal democracy and has normal relations with Israel. Under its current government by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), however, Turkey is losing these special qualities. Liberal political trends are disappearing, E.U. accession talks have stalled, ties with anti-Western states such as Iran are improving and relations with Israel are deteriorating. On Thursday, for example, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of a panel at Davos, Switzerland, after chiding Israeli President Shimon Peres for "killing people." If Turkey fails in these areas or wavers in its commitment to transatlantic structures such as NATO, it cannot expect to be President Obama's favorite Muslim country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101672.html
-Bipartisanship at What Price?
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
The coming week will test the strength of President Obama and the Democrats: Will they lose their nerve, or will they face down a rapidly forming conventional wisdom that would allow them to claim victory only if their economic stimulus package passes with substantial Republican support?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101000.html
-Four Keys to Success in Afghanistan
by Fareed Zakaria
The war in Afghanistan is not going well; almost all trends are moving in the wrong direction. But we still have time to focus, improve our strategy, calibrate our means. It will help immeasurably if we keep in mind the basic objective of U.S. policy: "Our primary goal is to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base for terrorists and extremists to attack the United States and its allies," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week. That is an admirably clear statement.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/fareed_zakaria/2009/02/four_keys_to_success_in_afghan.html
-The Rise of Soft Censorship
By Don Podesta
Among the accusations swirling around ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is one that touches on his relationship with the most important newspaper in his state, the Chicago Tribune. Blagojevich reportedly threatened to withhold state assistance from a deal involving the sale of Wrigley Field, owned by the Tribune Co., if the paper didn't fire members of the editorial board whom he viewed as highly critical of him.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101671.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Daschle Faces Questions on Trips
On Top of Tax Issues, Senators Also Weigh Propriety of Travel with Charity
By JONATHAN WEISMAN and MELANIE TROTTMAN
Former Sen. Tom Daschle, already facing questions over his failure to pay some taxes in a timely fashion, will likely face another question when the Senate Finance Committee meets Monday to consider his nomination as health and human services secretary: whether he improperly took gifts of value from charities with which he was involved.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123350459826036791.html
-Summers Carves Out a Powerful Role
National Economic Council Has New Prominence, but Also Risks Clashes
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
With a slew of high-profile hires, President Barack Obama's chief economic adviser is raising the clout of the White House National Economic Council -- as well as the prospects of internal conflict in the Obama administration.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123353917172037999.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Huge error to welcome back anti-Semitic prelates
BY TIM RUTTEN
The recent announcement by the Vatican that Pope Benedict XVI has lifted the excommunication order his predecessor imposed on four so-called traditionalist bishops has provoked understandable hurt and outrage among Jews. http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/883558.html
=
AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-15 Most Loathsome People of 2008
By Allan Uthman and Ian Murphy, Buffalo Beast.
Limbaugh, Palin, Warren, and more. They're the worst people in America, and unfortunately they dominated last year's headlines.
http://www.alternet.org/story/123844/15_most_loathsome_people_of_2008/?page=entire
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Just how bad off is the Republican Party?
Republicans know what they're against: Barack Obama. They're still figuring out what they're for.
By Thomas Schaller
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/02/02/republicans/index.html
-GOP Leaders Doubt Stimulus Bill Will Pass Senate
Senate Republican leaders cite lack of support for stimulus bill, call for major changes
By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL Associated Press Writer
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday the massive stimulus bill backed by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats could go down to defeat if it's not stripped of unnecessary spending and focused more on housing issues and tax cut.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=6780618
-Congress Eyes New Lifeline For Homeowners
CBS Evening News: Proposed Legislation Would Allow Bankruptcy Judges To Reduce Mortgage Payments For Those Facing Foreclosure
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/01/eveningnews/main4767753.shtml?tag=topStory;topStoryHeadline
-'The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama'
by Gwen Ifill
PBS' Ifill takes fresh look at Obama effect. Douglas C. Lyons It's too bad Republicans backing their candidate in the recent presidential election chose to demean Gwen Ifill's The Breakthrough in hopes of disqualifying the venerable black journalist as the moderator of the vice-presidential debate.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/travel/orl-osbkreview20109feb01,0,4834637.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Welfare Aid Isn't Growing as Economy Drops Off
By JASON DEPARLE
Despite soaring unemployment and the worst economic crisis in decades, 18 states cut their welfare rolls last year, and nationally the number of people receiving cash assistance remained at or near the lowest in more than 40 years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/02welfare.html?hp
-Ads That Pushed Our Usual (Well-Worn) Buttons
By STUART ELLIOTT
In recent months, Americans have been disappointed and appalled by Wall Street, banks, the big-budget film "Australia," investment counselors, Detroit, the governors of at least two states, hedge fund managers and even the geese at La Guardia, which used to know better than to interfere with those metal birds they fly among.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/business/media/02adco.html?hp
-Interactive: The Super Ad Bowl: Two Decades of Players
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/02/02/business/media/20090202-business-superbowlads.html
-Sins of Omission: Help for the Beleaguered Homeowner
The Senate will debate its version of the mammoth stimulus and recoverypackage this week. As with last week's version, passed by the House, therewill be considerable argument between Democrats and Republicans over whatbelongs in the bill.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02mon1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Bailouts for Bunglers
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: February 1, 2009
Question: what happens if you lose vast amounts of other people's money? Answer: you get a big gift from the federal government - but the president says some very harsh things about you before forking over the cash.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02krugman.html?ref=opinion
-Sins of Omission: The Forgotten Poor
Also lost in the wrangling over the huge House economic measure were two programs for the poor that are in urgent need of Congressional attention: legal services and access to family planning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02mon2.html?ref=opinion
-The Other Iran
By ROGER COHEN
TEHRAN: At one of the embassies offering islands of peace from the gridlocked, grinding Iranian capital, a Western diplomat said this of United States and allied policy toward Iran: "You could argue that our policy has not yet failed."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02cohen.html?ref=opinion
-A New Subpoena for Karl Rove
Last year, Karl Rove defied a Congressional subpoena ordering him to testify about the politically driven hiring and firing of United States attorneys. The House Judiciary Committee has now issued another subpoena. Congress and the Obama administration should do everything they can to compel him to testify.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/opinion/02mon3.html?ref=opinion
-Secular Parties and Premier Lead in Iraq
By ALISSA J. RUBIN
BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and several secular parties appeared to score significant gains in Iraq's provincial elections on Saturday, preliminary reports showed Sunday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/world/middleeast/02iraq.html?hp
-And Now Let the Jockeying Begin
By PETER BAKER
In her first days as America's top diplomat, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton found the Middle East portfolio handed off to a special envoy. Afghanistan and Pakistan were assigned to a special representative. And administration officials expect another special envoy to be tapped soon to deal with Iran.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/weekinreview/01baker.html
-Bringing the Internet to Remote African Villages
By CHRIS NICHOLSON
ENTASOPIA, Kenya - The road from Nairobi winds 100 miles to this town deep in Masai country. The asphalt gives way to sand and dust, until finally it is just a dirt track climbing over broken hills and plunging back to desert flats. The going is slow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/technology/internet/02kenya.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-What Obama Owes Africa
Njoroge Wachai - Kenya Njoroge is a journalist who formerly worked for the Kenya-based People Daily.
Dear President Obama: There's nowhere your presidency matters more than in Africa. I know some will differ with me on this; they will, rightly, say that your top priority should be to serve America. Well, I agree, but I must remind you of the folly of forgetting your roots. Expectations are as high for your presidency in Africa as they are here in the U.S. You would deny your African roots at your own peril. Your deceased father hailed from Kenya, and that White House, where you'll be residing for the next four years, or eight years if you win in 2013, was built by African slaves. Don'tyou think you owe us something? [...] For all of his failings, Africans will judge your predecessor, George W. Bush, on what he built, what he contributed to the continent. He looks like a messiah to Africa for the massive aid he channeled there to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other neglected diseases. Imagine what you could contribute in Africa if you helped tamp down the corruption and waste that daily plague our people there. President Obama, how do you plan to deal with leaders who you said "...cling to power through corruption and deceit?" Will you come down hardon them? We hope so.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/njoroge_wachai/2009/01/what_obama_owes_africa.html
-Daschle Apologizes for Income Tax Errors
By Ceci Connolly and Paul Kane
Thomas A. Daschle, fighting to defend his nomination to be secretary of health and human services, released a letter early today apologizing to the top lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee for mistakes on his personal income tax returns that resulted in $146,000 in back payments.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020200459.html?hpid=topnews
-Gunmen in Pakistan Kidnap American Official
By Candace Rondeaux
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 2 -- Gunmen in southern Pakistan kidnapped an American United Nations official and fatally shot his driver Monday, the latest in a recent series of high-profile kidnappings and targeted hits on foreigners.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020100583.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Phelps Will Not Face Any Sanctions
Photo Appears To Show Drug Use
By Amy Shipley
Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps acknowledged using "bad judgment" and engaging in "regrettable" behavior a day after a British tabloid published a photo in which he appeared to be using marijuana.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101022.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Turkey's Turn From the West
By Soner Cagaptay
Turkey is a special Muslim country. Of the more than 50 majority-Muslim nations, it is the only one that is a NATO ally, is in accession talks with the European Union, is a liberal democracy and has normal relations with Israel. Under its current government by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), however, Turkey is losing these special qualities. Liberal political trends are disappearing, E.U. accession talks have stalled, ties with anti-Western states such as Iran are improving and relations with Israel are deteriorating. On Thursday, for example, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of a panel at Davos, Switzerland, after chiding Israeli President Shimon Peres for "killing people." If Turkey fails in these areas or wavers in its commitment to transatlantic structures such as NATO, it cannot expect to be President Obama's favorite Muslim country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101672.html
-Bipartisanship at What Price?
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
The coming week will test the strength of President Obama and the Democrats: Will they lose their nerve, or will they face down a rapidly forming conventional wisdom that would allow them to claim victory only if their economic stimulus package passes with substantial Republican support?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101000.html
-Four Keys to Success in Afghanistan
by Fareed Zakaria
The war in Afghanistan is not going well; almost all trends are moving in the wrong direction. But we still have time to focus, improve our strategy, calibrate our means. It will help immeasurably if we keep in mind the basic objective of U.S. policy: "Our primary goal is to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base for terrorists and extremists to attack the United States and its allies," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week. That is an admirably clear statement.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/fareed_zakaria/2009/02/four_keys_to_success_in_afghan.html
-The Rise of Soft Censorship
By Don Podesta
Among the accusations swirling around ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is one that touches on his relationship with the most important newspaper in his state, the Chicago Tribune. Blagojevich reportedly threatened to withhold state assistance from a deal involving the sale of Wrigley Field, owned by the Tribune Co., if the paper didn't fire members of the editorial board whom he viewed as highly critical of him.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101671.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Daschle Faces Questions on Trips
On Top of Tax Issues, Senators Also Weigh Propriety of Travel with Charity
By JONATHAN WEISMAN and MELANIE TROTTMAN
Former Sen. Tom Daschle, already facing questions over his failure to pay some taxes in a timely fashion, will likely face another question when the Senate Finance Committee meets Monday to consider his nomination as health and human services secretary: whether he improperly took gifts of value from charities with which he was involved.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123350459826036791.html
-Summers Carves Out a Powerful Role
National Economic Council Has New Prominence, but Also Risks Clashes
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
With a slew of high-profile hires, President Barack Obama's chief economic adviser is raising the clout of the White House National Economic Council -- as well as the prospects of internal conflict in the Obama administration.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123353917172037999.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Huge error to welcome back anti-Semitic prelates
BY TIM RUTTEN
The recent announcement by the Vatican that Pope Benedict XVI has lifted the excommunication order his predecessor imposed on four so-called traditionalist bishops has provoked understandable hurt and outrage among Jews. http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/883558.html
=
AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-15 Most Loathsome People of 2008
By Allan Uthman and Ian Murphy, Buffalo Beast.
Limbaugh, Palin, Warren, and more. They're the worst people in America, and unfortunately they dominated last year's headlines.
http://www.alternet.org/story/123844/15_most_loathsome_people_of_2008/?page=entire
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Just how bad off is the Republican Party?
Republicans know what they're against: Barack Obama. They're still figuring out what they're for.
By Thomas Schaller
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/02/02/republicans/index.html
-GOP Leaders Doubt Stimulus Bill Will Pass Senate
Senate Republican leaders cite lack of support for stimulus bill, call for major changes
By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL Associated Press Writer
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday the massive stimulus bill backed by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats could go down to defeat if it's not stripped of unnecessary spending and focused more on housing issues and tax cut.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=6780618
-Congress Eyes New Lifeline For Homeowners
CBS Evening News: Proposed Legislation Would Allow Bankruptcy Judges To Reduce Mortgage Payments For Those Facing Foreclosure
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/01/eveningnews/main4767753.shtml?tag=topStory;topStoryHeadline
-'The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama'
by Gwen Ifill
PBS' Ifill takes fresh look at Obama effect. Douglas C. Lyons It's too bad Republicans backing their candidate in the recent presidential election chose to demean Gwen Ifill's The Breakthrough in hopes of disqualifying the venerable black journalist as the moderator of the vice-presidential debate.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/travel/orl-osbkreview20109feb01,0,4834637.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 02, 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~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-FORT LAUDERDALE CITY COMMISSION
Plenty of Lauderdale Commission candidates but few specificsWith two seats open and two other contested races, the face of the FortLauderdale commission will soon change.
BY AMY SHERMAN
Fourteen candidates vying for four Fort Lauderdale commission seats promiseto safeguard taxes, improve quality of life and forge consensus on the dais.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/883582.html
-FORT LAUDERDALE MAYOR
Naugle's nod a wild card in Fort Lauderdale mayor's race
A gay activist and a businessman with a critical view of city finances areamong candidates challenging former legislator Jack Seiler in the mayor's race.
BY AMY SHERMAN
At first blush, the Fort Lauderdale mayor's race may appear lackluster --three attorneys and a businessman complimenting each other at forums as theydiscuss the need for collegiality and budget balancing.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/883581.html
=
From Dean Trantalis for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
-Let's work together to change the face of history!
With only 9 days until the February 10th election, we still haven't talked to as many people as we will need to win this election. We need your help! Together, we can make Dean Trantalis the next Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, changing the face of the future, but only if we all put in a little something extra... time. Everyone from Dean to me to our event coordinator to our office manager will take part in a massive effort beginning at 12:30pm. We're putting teams of canvassers on the street and phone bankers on the phones to reach as many people in one day as possible. 200 volunteers will allow us to reach the numbers we need in one day. It may seem like alot, but with me there we only need 199 more, with Dean there we only need 198 more, with you there we only need 197 more, and with every single person who shows up we get that much closer, but it will take all of you. Please come to campaign headquarters at 12:30 pm on Saturday, February 7, 2009, bring a friend, and when you respond to this email to let us know that you'll be there, sign up to help us at the polls on election day. We're still about 100 volunteers short for morning, lunch and afternoon shifts.
Chip ClappVolunteer Coordinator
Dean Trantalis for Mayor Campaign
volunteer@deanformayor.com
(954) 701-2902 cell
http://www.deanformayor.com/
=
From Steve Glassman for Ft. Lauderdale City Commission Campaign
-This is a really exciting moment... as we have the unique opportunity to bring a proven leader to Fort Lauderdale, District 2- someone that can bring real change to our city. Our campaign is focused on civility, reason, unity, and judgment. 10 days until election day!! Please tell 10 people tovote for Steve Glassman on February 10th! We are down to the homestretch. You guys have been GREAT! Your friendship and support have been tremendous and extremely appreciated. Every vote counts, and together we can do it! For a yard sign, a t-shirt, or to volunteer this last week and on election day, please call the Campaign Hotline: (954) 638-8461.
http://www.voteglassman.com/
=
From Earl Rynerson for Mayor of Fort Lauderdale Campaign
-As you know, my message throughout this Campaign has been to 1: Get our City's budget back under control; 2: Lower property taxes and; 3: Reducesome of the highest salaries in our City Government and eliminate bureaucracy. This is what I intend to do, with the help of the majority of our newly-elected fellow Commissioners. I believe that our City can become a"World-Class" City for residents, tourists and employers, and I have contributed over $85,000 of my own funds into this Campaign to enable us to win and to start making much-needed improvements to our City. [...] I am asking you to go to our Campaign web site (www.earlformayor.com) and make a secure, online contribution that is one tenth of one percent of what I have invested, or $85.00. That is a small amount, but can help a lot to insure that we are able to place resources where they are needed for Election Day. If you can contribute more, please do so (maximum of $250.00). If you have already contributed the maximum, I thank you! Ask your friends to help out by making an on-line donation instead! Please do it now; if you wait, you'll miss the deadline!
www.earlformayor.com
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay night in...Delray Beach? Venture Out at The Coffee District
By Dan Renzi
You probably haven't been to The Coffee District in Delray Beach yet. That's the way the Delray hipsters like it. The creative loafers of South Florida have slowly been migrating to this little town north of the gay'hood, and they're even starting to form their own little scene.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23783
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Nude beaches: Should they stay or go?
Richard Mason of the South Florida Free Beaches and the Florida Naturist Association asked Broward's state lawmakers to oppose any legislation that would force nude beaches to close. Vote: What do you think of nude beaches in our area?
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-0130poll,0,1804769,post.poll
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sick policy: Gassing mentally ill inmates
OUR OPINION: State should stop cruel and unusual punishment
When federal Judge Timothy J. Corrigan ruled three weeks ago that spraying
mentally ill inmates with skin-blistering chemicals violates the Constitution's ban against cruel and unusual punishment, it seemed that Florida might finally put an end to a horrible, unnecessary practice. Instead, the state is fighting the ruling. The rationale? Two of the inmates have now been transferred to a safer facility. Meanwhile, the shameful practice of using pepper spray to subdue mentally ill inmates for misbehaving continues at Florida State Prison.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/883568.html
-Signs call for ouster of Oakland Park city manager
Mysterious signs suggesting that Oakland Park should oust City Manager John Stunson have been appearing along the roadside lately. The signs have emerged during campaign season and on the heels of a controversy about a city-approved project to build an extended-stay hotel.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/883736.html
-Broward lawmakers lament loss of air bridge
BREANNE GILPATRICK
Broward County legislators are used to feeling a little left out as an overwhelmingly Democratic delegation in the GOP-dominated Legislature, but now some say the feeling starts before they arrive at the Capitol.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/883737.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-GOP moves to oust Sansom as leader, Florida House speaker
By Alex Leary
Three days after announcing he was temporarily stepping aside as speaker ofthe Florida House, Ray Sansom will be forced tonight to fully give up the job.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article972516.ece
-Lobbyist ties, state appraisers' price concerns cloud U.S. Sugar deal
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/state/epaper/2009/02/01/a1a_ballard_0202.html
-State probe of gas hikes targets Morgan Stanley over claims of gouging
By CHARLES ELMORE
More than 10,000 Floridians complained to state agencies about steep increases in the price of gasoline after Hurricane Ike last year. At least two retail stations in North and Central Florida have agreed to settlements of price-gouging allegations for about $6,000. A grab bag of such settlements with small-scale businesses is typical after a disaster.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/state/epaper/2009/02/01/a1a_pricegouging_0202.html
-Seminole Tribe to defend gambling deal Monday at House panel hearing
By Times Staff Writers
No time for bluffs at gaming hearing
The Seminole Tribe of Florida will defend its gambling deal with the state before a House panel today. Seminole Gaming chief executive James Allen will lay out what the compact means in revenue to the state, economic development and jobs. The House select committee on the deal plans to look into why Gov.Charlie Crist signed the compact, consider ways to change it and decide whether to ratify it.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article972115.ece
-U.S. aid bill has Florida schools squirming
Florida school districts are anxious to see an economic stimulus package tweaked so education funding is maximized.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/883551.html
-New teachers cut, weak links stay?
It's not a good time to be a teacher in Florida, but especially if you're ayoung teacher. As budget cuts have forced districts to look everywhere for savings, many have turned their sights to teachers on annual contract, with the latest example making headlines being down in Indian River County. But is this really the best thing to do?http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2009/01/new-teachers-cu.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-FORT LAUDERDALE CITY COMMISSION
Plenty of Lauderdale Commission candidates but few specificsWith two seats open and two other contested races, the face of the FortLauderdale commission will soon change.
BY AMY SHERMAN
Fourteen candidates vying for four Fort Lauderdale commission seats promiseto safeguard taxes, improve quality of life and forge consensus on the dais.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/883582.html
-FORT LAUDERDALE MAYOR
Naugle's nod a wild card in Fort Lauderdale mayor's race
A gay activist and a businessman with a critical view of city finances areamong candidates challenging former legislator Jack Seiler in the mayor's race.
BY AMY SHERMAN
At first blush, the Fort Lauderdale mayor's race may appear lackluster --three attorneys and a businessman complimenting each other at forums as theydiscuss the need for collegiality and budget balancing.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/883581.html
=
From Dean Trantalis for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
-Let's work together to change the face of history!
With only 9 days until the February 10th election, we still haven't talked to as many people as we will need to win this election. We need your help! Together, we can make Dean Trantalis the next Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, changing the face of the future, but only if we all put in a little something extra... time. Everyone from Dean to me to our event coordinator to our office manager will take part in a massive effort beginning at 12:30pm. We're putting teams of canvassers on the street and phone bankers on the phones to reach as many people in one day as possible. 200 volunteers will allow us to reach the numbers we need in one day. It may seem like alot, but with me there we only need 199 more, with Dean there we only need 198 more, with you there we only need 197 more, and with every single person who shows up we get that much closer, but it will take all of you. Please come to campaign headquarters at 12:30 pm on Saturday, February 7, 2009, bring a friend, and when you respond to this email to let us know that you'll be there, sign up to help us at the polls on election day. We're still about 100 volunteers short for morning, lunch and afternoon shifts.
Chip ClappVolunteer Coordinator
Dean Trantalis for Mayor Campaign
volunteer@deanformayor.com
(954) 701-2902 cell
http://www.deanformayor.com/
=
From Steve Glassman for Ft. Lauderdale City Commission Campaign
-This is a really exciting moment... as we have the unique opportunity to bring a proven leader to Fort Lauderdale, District 2- someone that can bring real change to our city. Our campaign is focused on civility, reason, unity, and judgment. 10 days until election day!! Please tell 10 people tovote for Steve Glassman on February 10th! We are down to the homestretch. You guys have been GREAT! Your friendship and support have been tremendous and extremely appreciated. Every vote counts, and together we can do it! For a yard sign, a t-shirt, or to volunteer this last week and on election day, please call the Campaign Hotline: (954) 638-8461.
http://www.voteglassman.com/
=
From Earl Rynerson for Mayor of Fort Lauderdale Campaign
-As you know, my message throughout this Campaign has been to 1: Get our City's budget back under control; 2: Lower property taxes and; 3: Reducesome of the highest salaries in our City Government and eliminate bureaucracy. This is what I intend to do, with the help of the majority of our newly-elected fellow Commissioners. I believe that our City can become a"World-Class" City for residents, tourists and employers, and I have contributed over $85,000 of my own funds into this Campaign to enable us to win and to start making much-needed improvements to our City. [...] I am asking you to go to our Campaign web site (www.earlformayor.com) and make a secure, online contribution that is one tenth of one percent of what I have invested, or $85.00. That is a small amount, but can help a lot to insure that we are able to place resources where they are needed for Election Day. If you can contribute more, please do so (maximum of $250.00). If you have already contributed the maximum, I thank you! Ask your friends to help out by making an on-line donation instead! Please do it now; if you wait, you'll miss the deadline!
www.earlformayor.com
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay night in...Delray Beach? Venture Out at The Coffee District
By Dan Renzi
You probably haven't been to The Coffee District in Delray Beach yet. That's the way the Delray hipsters like it. The creative loafers of South Florida have slowly been migrating to this little town north of the gay'hood, and they're even starting to form their own little scene.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23783
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Nude beaches: Should they stay or go?
Richard Mason of the South Florida Free Beaches and the Florida Naturist Association asked Broward's state lawmakers to oppose any legislation that would force nude beaches to close. Vote: What do you think of nude beaches in our area?
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-0130poll,0,1804769,post.poll
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sick policy: Gassing mentally ill inmates
OUR OPINION: State should stop cruel and unusual punishment
When federal Judge Timothy J. Corrigan ruled three weeks ago that spraying
mentally ill inmates with skin-blistering chemicals violates the Constitution's ban against cruel and unusual punishment, it seemed that Florida might finally put an end to a horrible, unnecessary practice. Instead, the state is fighting the ruling. The rationale? Two of the inmates have now been transferred to a safer facility. Meanwhile, the shameful practice of using pepper spray to subdue mentally ill inmates for misbehaving continues at Florida State Prison.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/883568.html
-Signs call for ouster of Oakland Park city manager
Mysterious signs suggesting that Oakland Park should oust City Manager John Stunson have been appearing along the roadside lately. The signs have emerged during campaign season and on the heels of a controversy about a city-approved project to build an extended-stay hotel.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/883736.html
-Broward lawmakers lament loss of air bridge
BREANNE GILPATRICK
Broward County legislators are used to feeling a little left out as an overwhelmingly Democratic delegation in the GOP-dominated Legislature, but now some say the feeling starts before they arrive at the Capitol.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/883737.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-GOP moves to oust Sansom as leader, Florida House speaker
By Alex Leary
Three days after announcing he was temporarily stepping aside as speaker ofthe Florida House, Ray Sansom will be forced tonight to fully give up the job.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article972516.ece
-Lobbyist ties, state appraisers' price concerns cloud U.S. Sugar deal
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/state/epaper/2009/02/01/a1a_ballard_0202.html
-State probe of gas hikes targets Morgan Stanley over claims of gouging
By CHARLES ELMORE
More than 10,000 Floridians complained to state agencies about steep increases in the price of gasoline after Hurricane Ike last year. At least two retail stations in North and Central Florida have agreed to settlements of price-gouging allegations for about $6,000. A grab bag of such settlements with small-scale businesses is typical after a disaster.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/state/epaper/2009/02/01/a1a_pricegouging_0202.html
-Seminole Tribe to defend gambling deal Monday at House panel hearing
By Times Staff Writers
No time for bluffs at gaming hearing
The Seminole Tribe of Florida will defend its gambling deal with the state before a House panel today. Seminole Gaming chief executive James Allen will lay out what the compact means in revenue to the state, economic development and jobs. The House select committee on the deal plans to look into why Gov.Charlie Crist signed the compact, consider ways to change it and decide whether to ratify it.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article972115.ece
-U.S. aid bill has Florida schools squirming
Florida school districts are anxious to see an economic stimulus package tweaked so education funding is maximized.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/883551.html
-New teachers cut, weak links stay?
It's not a good time to be a teacher in Florida, but especially if you're ayoung teacher. As budget cuts have forced districts to look everywhere for savings, many have turned their sights to teachers on annual contract, with the latest example making headlines being down in Indian River County. But is this really the best thing to do?http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2009/01/new-teachers-cu.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Sunday, February 01, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - February 01, 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:
-My Sister's Keeper
By SARAH KERSHAW
THEY called it a lesbian paradise, the pioneering women who made their way to St. Augustine, Fla., in the 1970s to live together in cottages on the beach. Finding one another in the fever of the gay rights and women's liberation movements, they built a matriarchal community, where no men were allowed, where even a male infant brought by visitors was cause for debate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/fashion/01womyn.html?scp=3&sq=GAY&st=cse
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fort Lauderdale mayor's gay comments haunt campaign to replace him
By Brittany Wallman
Mayor Jim Naugle's comments about gays in the summer of 2007 were like a shot heard 'round the world. And though much time has passed, Naugle's words still reverberate. Naugle will be replaced in a matter of weeks by Fort Lauderdale Is your Fort Lauderdale restaurant clean? - Click Here. voters. And the four men who want to replace him are facing questions about their attitude toward gays.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbgaymayor0201sbfeb01,0,2860839.story
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Why Do People Believe in God?
Larry Beinhart, AlterNet
We're doing that because if we start with the idea that if God does exist, then we have to explain why there are so many versions of Him (her or it) and why we can't figure out the right one. Historically, that's a dead end, stuck in the same battle as Saladin and Richard the Lionheart in the Crusades. The agnostic position - either we can't know, or let's wait until rocket ship (real or metaphorical) finally lands in heaven or some place of infinite vistas from which we can see there is no God - leaves like Samuel Becket's two tramps, eternally Waiting for Godot. So we start with "God does not exist," which demands that we come up with a theory that will explain why we believe, why belief is so popular, and so strong that people will kill and die for their own particular brand of it. Read more
-OH: Clergy at Local Church Refuse to Sign State Marriage Licenses in Gay Rights Protest
Clergy at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in Cleveland no longer will sign state marriage licenses until gay unions are legal in Ohio. That means heterosexual couples exchanging wedding vows at the 461-member church in the Tremont neighborhood will need an additional civil ceremony by a justice of the peace or a judge to make their union legal. The move, approved by an overwhelming voice vote during a congregational meeting over the weekend, is a civil-rights protest, said the Rev. John Tamilio III, head pastor of Pilgrim. The church board of directors and the congregation agreed that signing marriage licenses for straight couples and not gay couples is unfair, he said. "It treats one segment of our congregation like second-class citizens. That is an injustice," said Tamilio. "We will still perform holy unions for all couples, we just won't sign the state license." Read more
-Part II: The 2008 Wholly Hypocrite of the Year Award Goes To.
Mel Seesholtz, Ph.D. | Online Journal Contributing Writer | Online Journal
So many worthy candidates. But only one can win. But hail to the Wholly Hypocrite of the Year runners-up. Second runner-up: The Church of Jesus Christ and Later-day Saints. First runner-up: Pastor Rick Warren. And now, for the winner . . . His hypocrisy - as well as that of his apostolic predecessors and the organization they head - are legendary and spans millennia: Read more
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-First gay premier takes helm in Iceland
(CNN) -- Iceland's political parties have reached an agreement that will give the country its first female prime minister and the world its first openly gay leader. Johnanna Sigurdardottir is a former flight attendant and union leader. Johnanna Sigurdardottir is a former flight attendant and union leader. Johanna Sigurdardottir, 66, will lead the government when it is sworn in at 6 p.m. (1 p.m. Eastern) on Sunday, her political advisor Hrannar Arnarsson told CNN via e-mail. A former flight attendant who entered politics via the union movement, Sigurdardottir was minister of social affairs and social security in the outgoing Cabinet, which resigned Monday.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/01/iceland.pm/
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-My Sister's Keeper
By SARAH KERSHAW
THEY called it a lesbian paradise, the pioneering women who made their way to St. Augustine, Fla., in the 1970s to live together in cottages on the beach. Finding one another in the fever of the gay rights and women's liberation movements, they built a matriarchal community, where no men were allowed, where even a male infant brought by visitors was cause for debate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/fashion/01womyn.html?scp=3&sq=GAY&st=cse
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fort Lauderdale mayor's gay comments haunt campaign to replace him
By Brittany Wallman
Mayor Jim Naugle's comments about gays in the summer of 2007 were like a shot heard 'round the world. And though much time has passed, Naugle's words still reverberate. Naugle will be replaced in a matter of weeks by Fort Lauderdale Is your Fort Lauderdale restaurant clean? - Click Here. voters. And the four men who want to replace him are facing questions about their attitude toward gays.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbgaymayor0201sbfeb01,0,2860839.story
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Why Do People Believe in God?
Larry Beinhart, AlterNet
We're doing that because if we start with the idea that if God does exist, then we have to explain why there are so many versions of Him (her or it) and why we can't figure out the right one. Historically, that's a dead end, stuck in the same battle as Saladin and Richard the Lionheart in the Crusades. The agnostic position - either we can't know, or let's wait until rocket ship (real or metaphorical) finally lands in heaven or some place of infinite vistas from which we can see there is no God - leaves like Samuel Becket's two tramps, eternally Waiting for Godot. So we start with "God does not exist," which demands that we come up with a theory that will explain why we believe, why belief is so popular, and so strong that people will kill and die for their own particular brand of it. Read more
-OH: Clergy at Local Church Refuse to Sign State Marriage Licenses in Gay Rights Protest
Clergy at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in Cleveland no longer will sign state marriage licenses until gay unions are legal in Ohio. That means heterosexual couples exchanging wedding vows at the 461-member church in the Tremont neighborhood will need an additional civil ceremony by a justice of the peace or a judge to make their union legal. The move, approved by an overwhelming voice vote during a congregational meeting over the weekend, is a civil-rights protest, said the Rev. John Tamilio III, head pastor of Pilgrim. The church board of directors and the congregation agreed that signing marriage licenses for straight couples and not gay couples is unfair, he said. "It treats one segment of our congregation like second-class citizens. That is an injustice," said Tamilio. "We will still perform holy unions for all couples, we just won't sign the state license." Read more
-Part II: The 2008 Wholly Hypocrite of the Year Award Goes To.
Mel Seesholtz, Ph.D. | Online Journal Contributing Writer | Online Journal
So many worthy candidates. But only one can win. But hail to the Wholly Hypocrite of the Year runners-up. Second runner-up: The Church of Jesus Christ and Later-day Saints. First runner-up: Pastor Rick Warren. And now, for the winner . . . His hypocrisy - as well as that of his apostolic predecessors and the organization they head - are legendary and spans millennia: Read more
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-First gay premier takes helm in Iceland
(CNN) -- Iceland's political parties have reached an agreement that will give the country its first female prime minister and the world its first openly gay leader. Johnanna Sigurdardottir is a former flight attendant and union leader. Johnanna Sigurdardottir is a former flight attendant and union leader. Johanna Sigurdardottir, 66, will lead the government when it is sworn in at 6 p.m. (1 p.m. Eastern) on Sunday, her political advisor Hrannar Arnarsson told CNN via e-mail. A former flight attendant who entered politics via the union movement, Sigurdardottir was minister of social affairs and social security in the outgoing Cabinet, which resigned Monday.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/01/iceland.pm/
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 01, 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:
-To Nudge, Shift or Shove the Supreme Court Left
By ADAM LIPTAK
Justice John Paul Stevens, the leader of the Supreme Court's liberal wing, likes to say that he has not moved to the left since he was appointed to the court by President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. It is the court, Justice Stevens says, that has moved to the right.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/weekinreview/01liptak.html?_r=1&hp
-Republican Senator Is Top Choice to Run Commerce Dept.
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, is the top contender to be President Obama's nominee for commerce secretary, the White House said Saturday, a move that could strengthen Democrats' control of Congress.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/us/politics/01gregg.html?hp
-Op-Ed Contributor: If We Buy American, No One Else Will
By DOUGLAS A. IRWIN
Hanover, N.H.: WORLD trade is collapsing. The United States trade deficit dropped sharply in November as imports from the rest of the world plummeted in response to the financial crisis and global recession. United States imports from China, Japan and elsewhere declined at double digit rates. The last thing the world economy needs is for governments to give a further downward shove to trade. Unfortunately, we may be doing just that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01irwin.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: The Nativists Are Restless
The relentlessly harsh Republican campaign against immigrants has always hidden a streak of racialist extremism. Now after several high-water years, the Republican tide has gone out, leaving exposed the nativism of fringe right-wingers clinging to what they hope will be a wedge issue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01sun1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Herbert Hoover Lives
By FRANK RICH
HERE'S a bottom line to keep you up at night: The economy is falling faster than Washington can get moving. President Obama says his stimulus plan will save or create four million jobs in two years. In the last four months of 2008 alone, employment fell by 1.9 million. Do the math.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01rich.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Obama's Long Shot for Peace
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
DAVOS, Switzerland: In any discussion of the Middle East at the World Economic Forum here in Davos, the central figure is a man who isn't even here: President Obama.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01kristof.html?ref=opinion
-Under Tight Security, Iraqis Vote on Almost Violence-Free Election Day
By STEPHEN FARRELL
BAGHDAD - Iraqis voted on Saturday for local representatives, on an almost violence-free election day aimed at creating provincial councils that more closely represent Iraq's ethnic, sectarian and tribal balance. By nightfall, there were no confirmed deaths, and children played soccer on closed-off streets in a generally joyous atmosphere.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/world/middleeast/01iraq.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Raise the Gas Tax
A Revenue-Neutral Way to Treat Our Oil Addiction
By Richard G. Lugar
Reality is stark: Nearly every major foreign policy challenge we face is aggravated by our continued addiction to oil. Recent developments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa only underscore this fact. But a new president and changed economic conditions offer the chance to take a bold step toward freeing our nation from the grip of foreign petroleum.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/30/AR2009013002728.html
-A Conversation with Mohamed ElBaradei
As director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), did
Mohamed ElBaradei soft-pedal Iran's nuclear ambitions to ensure that the Bush administration wouldn't attack that country? That's what many in the former administration, as well as nonproliferation experts of various political backgrounds, assert. Last week, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, ElBaradei sat down with Newsweek-Washington Post's Lally Weymouth to defend his record. Excerpts:
Q: Some in the United States claim that between 2003 and 2007, you protected Iran because you did not want to see a U.S. military attack on it. In retrospect, do you think you allowed Iran to push the limits?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/30/AR2009013003085.html
-Take Charge
The stimulus bill requires President Obama's intervention.
MOUNTING THE bully pulpit last week, President Obama gave Wall Street a lecture about the $18.4 billion in bonuses that the securities industry awarded itself in 2008. This was "outrageous," Mr. Obama said. In these tough times, he declared, financiers must "show some restraint and show some discipline and show some sense of responsibility." Well said. Now the president should make the same demand on those in Congress, including leaders of his own party, who are cluttering his fiscal stimulus plan with extraneous and counterproductive provisions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013101535.html
-Daschle Delayed Revealing Tax Glitch
Report Details Payments From Health Sector
By Ceci Connolly, Joe Stephens and R. Jeffrey Smith
Thomas A. Daschle waited nearly a month after being nominated to be secretary of health and human services before informing Barack Obama that he had not paid years of back taxes for the use of a car and driver provided by a wealthy New York investor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013102021.html?hpid=topnews
-Video: Zimbabwe's Terror, First Hand
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2009/01/30/VI2009013003289.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Defense Attorneys In Lawless Juarez Besieged on All Sides
'This Is Nothing Like Before. I Don't Even Take Narco Cases. Not Anymore.'
By William Booth
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- It is common for lawyers everywhere to cover their office walls with diplomas. The Mexican criminal defense attorney Salvador Urbina is making a different statement. His walls are hung with swords -- a hundred sabers, daggers, cutlasses and Japanese katanas, the blades kept sharp.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013101995.html?hpid=topnews
-Deadly Force
What a SWAT team did to Cheye Calvo's family may seem extreme. But decades into America's war on drugs, it's business as usual.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012302935.html?hpid=topnews
-GOP governors press Congress to pass stimulus bill
By BETH FOUHY
Most Republican governors have broken with their GOP colleagues in Congress and are pushing for passage of President Barack Obama's economic aid plan that would send billions to states for education, public works and health care.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013100807.html?hpid=sec-politics
-Televangelism empire in chaos over family split
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Once one of the nation's most popular televangelists, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller is watching his life's work crumble. His son and recent successor, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, has abruptly resigned as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. The shimmering, glass-walled megachurch is home to the "Hour of Power" broadcast, an evangelism staple that's been on the air for more than three decades.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013100872.html?hpid=sec-religion
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Gaza Militants Launch Rockets Into Israel
JERUSALEM -- Gaza militants launched two rockets into southern Israel early Sunday, drawing a threat of "disproportionate" military retaliation from Israel's prime minister and further straining a cease-fire that ended Israel's devastating Gaza offensive two weeks ago.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123348818069836725.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Why politics has become so destructive
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
This one is for Doug. He was one of maybe 2,000 readers who fired off e-mails in response to a recent column criticizing that paragon of political analysis, Rush Hudson Limbaugh III. I excoriated Limbaugh for saying of Barack Obama's presidency, ''I hope he fails.'' As is generally the case when you exact a pound of flesh from Brother Limbaugh's hide, his legions of listeners were vociferous and unstinting in his defense.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/880795.html
=
Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
frishkorn@bellsouth.net
Go to this link for the following article:
-Blair 'not concerned' over release of Iraq secrets
By CNN's Simon Hooper
DAVOS, Switzerland (CNN) -- Former British prime minister Tony Blair said Friday he was "not concerned" by a ruling that details of cabinet meetings in the run-up to the Iraq war should be made public and told CNN the release of the minutes was a decision for the current government. Blair committed UK forces to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 despite strong domestic opposition to British involvement. "My reaction is that this is for the government now to deal with," he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an interview at the World Economic Forum. "The consequences of this go far beyond the individual cabinet meetings when I was prime minister. I think it is best to leave to the present government." Asked whether he was concerned about the contents of the the minutes, Blair said: "I'm not concerned at all."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/01/30/blair.iraq.uk/index.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-GOP govs break with party over stimulus
Most support economic plan that got no Republican votes in U.S. House
Most Republican governors have broken with their GOP colleagues in Congress and are pushing for passage of President Barack Obama's economic aid plan that would send billions to states for education, public works and health care.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28949195/
-Obama remakes political rules
By CHARLES MAHTESIAN
Three months after his election, President Barack Obama continues to remake the political landscape-and there's no clearer example than Friday's election of Michael Steele as the Republican National Committee's first black chairman.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18248.html
-Clinton started 2009 with $6 million in debt
By Robert Yoon
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rang in the new year still saddled with $5.9 million in debts left over from her unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign, according to records filed Saturday with the Federal Election Commission.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/31/clinton.debt/index.html
-Sheila Bair shakes up Washington, Wall Street
By ALAN ZIBEL
The Wall Street crowd that packed into the ballroom of the fancy Times Square hotel didn't know what was about to hit it. As the bankers and analysts sliced into their grilled beef tenderloin and chicken, Sheila Bair stepped up to the microphone and told them off.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020100007.html
-Daschle takes 'a bad first-day hit'
By JONATHAN MARTIN & JOHN BRESNAHAN
With President Obama and Senate Democrats rallying behind Tom Daschle after Friday's revelations of back tax troubles, Republican senators faced a difficult choice-whether to support the Cabinet nomination of a former member of their exclusive club, or strike a clean shot at the new Democratic president.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18245.html
-At least half of Obama's Cabinet chiefs are millionaires
By Matt Kelley
At least eight of President Obama's 14 Cabinet secretaries appointed so far are millionaires, most own homes worth far more than the national average, and at least half already spend much of their time in the nation's capital, financial disclosure reports and property records show.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-01-28-cabinetfinances_N.htm
-Expert says attack ads are losing traction
By Adam C. Smith, Times Political Editor
If you're sick of negative campaign ads, take heart. A recurring theme at a conference of campaign professionals, political scientists and journalists Friday was how ineffective many attack ads proved in Florida and elsewhere in 2008.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article972370.ece
-WHO GETS WHAT: Billions for health care insurance
By Calvin Woodward
It will get vastly cheaper for most people to keep health insurance after losing a job if the government's stimulus plan becomes law. Some nickel and dime cuts in health coverage for the poor will be reversed, too. Geek jobs in medicine will grow.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/02/01/who_gets_what_billions_for_health_care_insurance/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news
-Tracking the big business of donated blood in Orlando
Dan Tracy
Blood is big business. It starts with Rebecca Zamrycki, 27, who lives in Orlando and has given a pint every eight weeks for a decade. It ends with people such as Ed Havill, the 67-year-old Lake County property appraiser who needs blood transfusions to battle his leukemia.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-blood0209feb01,0,3756894.story?track=rss
-Health care groups paid Daschle $220K
By KENNETH P. VOGEL
Tom Daschle, tapped to be President Obama's health czar, was paid more than $200,000 by the health-care industry in the past two years, according to documents obtained by Politico.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18237.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-To Nudge, Shift or Shove the Supreme Court Left
By ADAM LIPTAK
Justice John Paul Stevens, the leader of the Supreme Court's liberal wing, likes to say that he has not moved to the left since he was appointed to the court by President Gerald R. Ford in 1975. It is the court, Justice Stevens says, that has moved to the right.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/weekinreview/01liptak.html?_r=1&hp
-Republican Senator Is Top Choice to Run Commerce Dept.
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, is the top contender to be President Obama's nominee for commerce secretary, the White House said Saturday, a move that could strengthen Democrats' control of Congress.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/us/politics/01gregg.html?hp
-Op-Ed Contributor: If We Buy American, No One Else Will
By DOUGLAS A. IRWIN
Hanover, N.H.: WORLD trade is collapsing. The United States trade deficit dropped sharply in November as imports from the rest of the world plummeted in response to the financial crisis and global recession. United States imports from China, Japan and elsewhere declined at double digit rates. The last thing the world economy needs is for governments to give a further downward shove to trade. Unfortunately, we may be doing just that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01irwin.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: The Nativists Are Restless
The relentlessly harsh Republican campaign against immigrants has always hidden a streak of racialist extremism. Now after several high-water years, the Republican tide has gone out, leaving exposed the nativism of fringe right-wingers clinging to what they hope will be a wedge issue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01sun1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Herbert Hoover Lives
By FRANK RICH
HERE'S a bottom line to keep you up at night: The economy is falling faster than Washington can get moving. President Obama says his stimulus plan will save or create four million jobs in two years. In the last four months of 2008 alone, employment fell by 1.9 million. Do the math.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01rich.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Obama's Long Shot for Peace
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
DAVOS, Switzerland: In any discussion of the Middle East at the World Economic Forum here in Davos, the central figure is a man who isn't even here: President Obama.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/opinion/01kristof.html?ref=opinion
-Under Tight Security, Iraqis Vote on Almost Violence-Free Election Day
By STEPHEN FARRELL
BAGHDAD - Iraqis voted on Saturday for local representatives, on an almost violence-free election day aimed at creating provincial councils that more closely represent Iraq's ethnic, sectarian and tribal balance. By nightfall, there were no confirmed deaths, and children played soccer on closed-off streets in a generally joyous atmosphere.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/world/middleeast/01iraq.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Raise the Gas Tax
A Revenue-Neutral Way to Treat Our Oil Addiction
By Richard G. Lugar
Reality is stark: Nearly every major foreign policy challenge we face is aggravated by our continued addiction to oil. Recent developments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa only underscore this fact. But a new president and changed economic conditions offer the chance to take a bold step toward freeing our nation from the grip of foreign petroleum.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/30/AR2009013002728.html
-A Conversation with Mohamed ElBaradei
As director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), did
Mohamed ElBaradei soft-pedal Iran's nuclear ambitions to ensure that the Bush administration wouldn't attack that country? That's what many in the former administration, as well as nonproliferation experts of various political backgrounds, assert. Last week, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, ElBaradei sat down with Newsweek-Washington Post's Lally Weymouth to defend his record. Excerpts:
Q: Some in the United States claim that between 2003 and 2007, you protected Iran because you did not want to see a U.S. military attack on it. In retrospect, do you think you allowed Iran to push the limits?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/30/AR2009013003085.html
-Take Charge
The stimulus bill requires President Obama's intervention.
MOUNTING THE bully pulpit last week, President Obama gave Wall Street a lecture about the $18.4 billion in bonuses that the securities industry awarded itself in 2008. This was "outrageous," Mr. Obama said. In these tough times, he declared, financiers must "show some restraint and show some discipline and show some sense of responsibility." Well said. Now the president should make the same demand on those in Congress, including leaders of his own party, who are cluttering his fiscal stimulus plan with extraneous and counterproductive provisions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013101535.html
-Daschle Delayed Revealing Tax Glitch
Report Details Payments From Health Sector
By Ceci Connolly, Joe Stephens and R. Jeffrey Smith
Thomas A. Daschle waited nearly a month after being nominated to be secretary of health and human services before informing Barack Obama that he had not paid years of back taxes for the use of a car and driver provided by a wealthy New York investor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013102021.html?hpid=topnews
-Video: Zimbabwe's Terror, First Hand
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2009/01/30/VI2009013003289.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Defense Attorneys In Lawless Juarez Besieged on All Sides
'This Is Nothing Like Before. I Don't Even Take Narco Cases. Not Anymore.'
By William Booth
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- It is common for lawyers everywhere to cover their office walls with diplomas. The Mexican criminal defense attorney Salvador Urbina is making a different statement. His walls are hung with swords -- a hundred sabers, daggers, cutlasses and Japanese katanas, the blades kept sharp.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013101995.html?hpid=topnews
-Deadly Force
What a SWAT team did to Cheye Calvo's family may seem extreme. But decades into America's war on drugs, it's business as usual.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/23/AR2009012302935.html?hpid=topnews
-GOP governors press Congress to pass stimulus bill
By BETH FOUHY
Most Republican governors have broken with their GOP colleagues in Congress and are pushing for passage of President Barack Obama's economic aid plan that would send billions to states for education, public works and health care.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013100807.html?hpid=sec-politics
-Televangelism empire in chaos over family split
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Once one of the nation's most popular televangelists, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller is watching his life's work crumble. His son and recent successor, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, has abruptly resigned as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. The shimmering, glass-walled megachurch is home to the "Hour of Power" broadcast, an evangelism staple that's been on the air for more than three decades.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013100872.html?hpid=sec-religion
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Gaza Militants Launch Rockets Into Israel
JERUSALEM -- Gaza militants launched two rockets into southern Israel early Sunday, drawing a threat of "disproportionate" military retaliation from Israel's prime minister and further straining a cease-fire that ended Israel's devastating Gaza offensive two weeks ago.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123348818069836725.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Why politics has become so destructive
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
This one is for Doug. He was one of maybe 2,000 readers who fired off e-mails in response to a recent column criticizing that paragon of political analysis, Rush Hudson Limbaugh III. I excoriated Limbaugh for saying of Barack Obama's presidency, ''I hope he fails.'' As is generally the case when you exact a pound of flesh from Brother Limbaugh's hide, his legions of listeners were vociferous and unstinting in his defense.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/880795.html
=
Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
frishkorn@bellsouth.net
Go to this link for the following article:
-Blair 'not concerned' over release of Iraq secrets
By CNN's Simon Hooper
DAVOS, Switzerland (CNN) -- Former British prime minister Tony Blair said Friday he was "not concerned" by a ruling that details of cabinet meetings in the run-up to the Iraq war should be made public and told CNN the release of the minutes was a decision for the current government. Blair committed UK forces to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 despite strong domestic opposition to British involvement. "My reaction is that this is for the government now to deal with," he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an interview at the World Economic Forum. "The consequences of this go far beyond the individual cabinet meetings when I was prime minister. I think it is best to leave to the present government." Asked whether he was concerned about the contents of the the minutes, Blair said: "I'm not concerned at all."
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/01/30/blair.iraq.uk/index.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-GOP govs break with party over stimulus
Most support economic plan that got no Republican votes in U.S. House
Most Republican governors have broken with their GOP colleagues in Congress and are pushing for passage of President Barack Obama's economic aid plan that would send billions to states for education, public works and health care.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28949195/
-Obama remakes political rules
By CHARLES MAHTESIAN
Three months after his election, President Barack Obama continues to remake the political landscape-and there's no clearer example than Friday's election of Michael Steele as the Republican National Committee's first black chairman.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18248.html
-Clinton started 2009 with $6 million in debt
By Robert Yoon
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rang in the new year still saddled with $5.9 million in debts left over from her unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign, according to records filed Saturday with the Federal Election Commission.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/31/clinton.debt/index.html
-Sheila Bair shakes up Washington, Wall Street
By ALAN ZIBEL
The Wall Street crowd that packed into the ballroom of the fancy Times Square hotel didn't know what was about to hit it. As the bankers and analysts sliced into their grilled beef tenderloin and chicken, Sheila Bair stepped up to the microphone and told them off.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020100007.html
-Daschle takes 'a bad first-day hit'
By JONATHAN MARTIN & JOHN BRESNAHAN
With President Obama and Senate Democrats rallying behind Tom Daschle after Friday's revelations of back tax troubles, Republican senators faced a difficult choice-whether to support the Cabinet nomination of a former member of their exclusive club, or strike a clean shot at the new Democratic president.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18245.html
-At least half of Obama's Cabinet chiefs are millionaires
By Matt Kelley
At least eight of President Obama's 14 Cabinet secretaries appointed so far are millionaires, most own homes worth far more than the national average, and at least half already spend much of their time in the nation's capital, financial disclosure reports and property records show.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-01-28-cabinetfinances_N.htm
-Expert says attack ads are losing traction
By Adam C. Smith, Times Political Editor
If you're sick of negative campaign ads, take heart. A recurring theme at a conference of campaign professionals, political scientists and journalists Friday was how ineffective many attack ads proved in Florida and elsewhere in 2008.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article972370.ece
-WHO GETS WHAT: Billions for health care insurance
By Calvin Woodward
It will get vastly cheaper for most people to keep health insurance after losing a job if the government's stimulus plan becomes law. Some nickel and dime cuts in health coverage for the poor will be reversed, too. Geek jobs in medicine will grow.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/02/01/who_gets_what_billions_for_health_care_insurance/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news
-Tracking the big business of donated blood in Orlando
Dan Tracy
Blood is big business. It starts with Rebecca Zamrycki, 27, who lives in Orlando and has given a pint every eight weeks for a decade. It ends with people such as Ed Havill, the 67-year-old Lake County property appraiser who needs blood transfusions to battle his leukemia.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-blood0209feb01,0,3756894.story?track=rss
-Health care groups paid Daschle $220K
By KENNETH P. VOGEL
Tom Daschle, tapped to be President Obama's health czar, was paid more than $200,000 by the health-care industry in the past two years, according to documents obtained by Politico.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18237.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 01, 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~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ex-Catholic priest charged with child pornography in Hollywood
BY DAVID SMILEY
dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com
A former Catholic priest living in Hollywood was arrested and indicted Friday on charges that he possessed child pornography.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/882425.html
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward mayor's vote aided lobbyist husband's client
BY DAN CHRISTENSEN AND AMY SHERMAN
A vote by Stacy Ritter and her colleagues left the Panthers arena underinsured and benefited a firm that paid her husband at least $50,000 in fees.
http://www.miamiherald.com/467/story/882390.html
-FLORIDA MARLINS: Tax revenue for Florida Marlins stadium falling short?
BY DOUGLAS HANKS, JACK DOLAN AND CHARLES RABIN
Miami-Dade counts on future boom tourism years to pay for a $609 million stadium. Declining hotel-tax revenue will test that optimism.
http://www.miamiherald.com/103/story/882405.html
-Sansom's half-step departure rattles Florida House
The day after the half-step departure of House Speaker Ray Sansom, some top Republicans are calling for his permanent removal.
http://www.miamiherald.com/569/story/882423.html
-Farmer's market carving niche in downtown Fort Lauderdale
BY JULIE LEVIN
A Sunday farmer's market in the middle of downtown Fort Lauderdale is ''a community-binding event,'' the organizer says.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/communities/story/879227.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State Farm's decision to leave puts state's citizens on brink
State Farm's decision to quit providing homeowners insurance in Florida shows that the state's insurance market simply can't survive in its current form. Moreover, the company's exit will add to the financial risk that Florida would face if costly storm damage occurs
http://www.jacksonville.com/opinion/letters_from_readers/2009-02-01/story/state_farms_decision_to_leave_puts_states_citizens_on_
-Meek raises 300K for Senate run
Former President Bill Clinton flew to Miami all the way from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek's first fundraiser for his U.S. Senate campaign. Chris Korge, who hosted the event at his home in Pinecrest, said Clinton helped bring in $300,000.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2009/01/meek-raises-300k-for-senate-run.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ex-Catholic priest charged with child pornography in Hollywood
BY DAVID SMILEY
dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com
A former Catholic priest living in Hollywood was arrested and indicted Friday on charges that he possessed child pornography.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/882425.html
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward mayor's vote aided lobbyist husband's client
BY DAN CHRISTENSEN AND AMY SHERMAN
A vote by Stacy Ritter and her colleagues left the Panthers arena underinsured and benefited a firm that paid her husband at least $50,000 in fees.
http://www.miamiherald.com/467/story/882390.html
-FLORIDA MARLINS: Tax revenue for Florida Marlins stadium falling short?
BY DOUGLAS HANKS, JACK DOLAN AND CHARLES RABIN
Miami-Dade counts on future boom tourism years to pay for a $609 million stadium. Declining hotel-tax revenue will test that optimism.
http://www.miamiherald.com/103/story/882405.html
-Sansom's half-step departure rattles Florida House
The day after the half-step departure of House Speaker Ray Sansom, some top Republicans are calling for his permanent removal.
http://www.miamiherald.com/569/story/882423.html
-Farmer's market carving niche in downtown Fort Lauderdale
BY JULIE LEVIN
A Sunday farmer's market in the middle of downtown Fort Lauderdale is ''a community-binding event,'' the organizer says.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/communities/story/879227.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State Farm's decision to leave puts state's citizens on brink
State Farm's decision to quit providing homeowners insurance in Florida shows that the state's insurance market simply can't survive in its current form. Moreover, the company's exit will add to the financial risk that Florida would face if costly storm damage occurs
http://www.jacksonville.com/opinion/letters_from_readers/2009-02-01/story/state_farms_decision_to_leave_puts_states_citizens_on_
-Meek raises 300K for Senate run
Former President Bill Clinton flew to Miami all the way from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek's first fundraiser for his U.S. Senate campaign. Chris Korge, who hosted the event at his home in Pinecrest, said Clinton helped bring in $300,000.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2009/01/meek-raises-300k-for-senate-run.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)