**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mich. court recognizes Ill. adoption by gay couple
By DAVID EGGERT
Michigan courts can oversee a custody dispute between lesbian parents who adopted in Illinois even though Michigan doesn't formally recognize gay relationships, the state Court of Appeals said Friday. The court ruled 2-1 that the U.S. Constitution requires state courts to recognize Diane Giancaspro and Lisa Congleton as adoptive parents. It reversed a trial judge who said Michigan's 2004 voter-approved gay marriage ban kept her from enforcing the women's parental rights.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022003365.html
-Utah lawmaker's gay comments cost him chairmanship
By BROCK VERGAKIS
A Utah state senator on Friday was kicked off a judicial committee he chaired after he drew criticism for comparing gay activists to radical Muslims in an interview aired this week. Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, also told former local television reporter Reed Cowan, an openly gay documentary producer who now works at a Miami station, that gay activists are "probably the greatest threat to America going down."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022002424.html
-Monkey Business: The good news for men: Women love apes
By Gene Weingarten
In a study described recently in the New York Times, men and women were shown various types of sexually explicit videos, and sensors were attached to their private parts to measure their physical arousal. The subjects were also asked to rate their degree of arousal themselves. The study found that men were completely predictable: Straight men reported they were turned on only by images of women, and the machine confirmed that. Same with gay men and images of men. But while women of both orientations reported similarly gender-specific responses, the machine called them liars. The sensors reported that all women were turned on by absolutely everything ... including videos of bonobos having sex. Bonobos are apes
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021600936.html
-Work That Tiara, Boy!: GMU's Choice of Homecoming Queen Sparks Campus Divide
By Annie Gowen
Spend time with George Mason University senior Ryan Allen [gay] and it's clear why he's a Big Man on Campus. He wears size 12 pumps.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/19/AR2009021901780.html?hpid=sec-education
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Recession's ironic gift: gender equality
BOSTON -
There are a whole lot of folks who once looked forward to the day when women would become equal participants in the work force with men. What they didn't predict was that women might finally reach the goal of equality, less because they scaled the heights than because men slipped downward. Women now hold more than 49 percent of jobs on the nation's payrolls. If we cross the 50 percent line, it will be because men are losing their jobs even faster than women.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-20goodmansbfeb20,0,6014607.story
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Asian countries urged to follow China and decriminalise gay sex
By Tony Grew
The fight against HIV in Asia could be greatly assisted if countries moved to legalise homosexuality, according to a leading Chinese AIDS activist.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11261.html
-US state moves to grant workplace protection to LGBT people
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The state Senate of North Dakota has passed legislation that will bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in matters of employment.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11268.html
-Italian activists to protest against "ex-gay" song at national festival
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A coalition of lesbian, gay and bisexual rights groups in Italy plan to protest at a major music event in Italy tomorrow after the inclusion of a song about a gay man "turning" straight.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11265.html
-Wisconsin will face challenge to domestic partnerships from 'family' groups
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The Governor of the US state of Wisconsin has announced plans to introduce domestic partnerships.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11264.html
-British evangelical condemnation of God Hates Fags sect questioned
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A leading religious commentator has questioned why British fundamentalist Christian groups that oppose gay rights have spoken out against a hate preacher from America.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11263.html
-Jacqui Smith ordered to bring gay asylum seeker back to UK
By Rachel Charman
The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has been ordered by the High Court to have a gay asylum seeker, removed from the UK, brought back to Britain.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11245.html
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Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-What in the Name of the Crusades are Tennessee Evangelicals Doing in Kurdish Iraq?
Bill Berkowitz | Religion Dispatches
While most Religion Dispatches readers are familiar with the growing influence of Christian Zionists and their close relationship with Israel, few are probably aware of the penetration of American evangelicals into Northern Iraq. Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, a number of fundamentalist Christian organizations announced plans to participate in the future rebuilding effort. At the time, the Rev. Franklin Graham indicated that his organization, Samaritan's Purse, would lead the way. Graham, the son of the Rev. Billy Graham, who shortly after September 11, got himself into a bit of a pickle by lashing out at all Muslims, famously calling Islam "a very evil and wicked religion," was now poised-with US troops about to march into Baghdad-to organize welcome wagons stuffed with Bibles and bandages. Read more
-Groups Condemn Jamaican Lawmaker's Anti-Gay Remarks
On Top Magazine
Rights groups are calling for Jamaican leaders to condemn the comments of a lawmaker who has called for life imprisonment for being gay. On February 10, Ernest Smith, a Jamaica Labor Party parliamentarian, described gay men and lesbians as "abusive" and "violent," and called for tightening of Jamaica's law that outlaws being gay. Smith said the law should impose sentences of up to life in prison. Six days later, Smith told a Jamaican newspaper that J-FLAG, the Jamaican Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays, "should be outlawed." Smith said, "How can you legitimize an organization that is formed for the purposes of committing criminal offenses?" Read more
-No Turning Back: An Interview with Billie Jean King
James LaRosa | Tennis.com
Ten years after the 1999 Australian Open, where Amelie Mauresmo publicly acknowledged that she is a lesbian, Billie Jean King spoke to TENNIS.com about her own rocky coming out nearly three decades ago. King, the first prominent athlete to come out, was forced to do so after she was outed in a 1981 palimony suit filed by her ex-lover.
James LaRosa: What were your emotions back then, after having just been outed?
Billie Jean King: I felt very violated. I felt blackmailed. And yet I want to tell the truth. I argued with my publicist and my lawyer for two days so I could do that press conference. They didn't want me to do it, but I was insistent. I did the right thing. It's better to tell the truth. Within 24 hours I lost all my future income. I was just getting ready to leave the game. And I had all these wonderful contracts happening. And I was finally going to make some money. Because my generation didn't make any of the big bucks the way the next generation did. It was really an important time for me to have my financial security, and that wasn't going to happen. I think all that helped though. I think every time somebody comes out, it just pushes us forward. It's harder for people once they know you. They have a harder time thinking it's wrong. Read more
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Voices Were Heard in City Elections
Despite low voter turnout, GLBT advances made in Feb. election
By NORM KENT
Some people in the gay community may be disappointed that Fort Lauderdale did not elect a gay mayor, but there is more still to be proud about. In the media, some have suggested gays failed. Not so. First of all, two credible gay candidates marshaled nearly 40% of the vote in a city where our outgoing mayor spent the last two years demeaning our credibility.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-19/view/editorial/5557.cfm
-Apathy is our biggest enemy: Why gay candidates didn't win elections
By JARRETT TERRILL
The tension between the Trantalis and Rynerson campaigns was infamous. Here we had two gay candidates for Mayor of Fort Lauderdale running against another man (Jack Seiler), who got a tap on the back from the most homophobic mayor in the United States - Jim Naugle. The Trantalis and Rynerson campaigns seemed to minimize each other as interlopers and unworthy opponents. Then of course, after the "big gay loss" to Seiler was confirmed, there was a lot of sarcasm and huffing about how the "average" voters had spoken.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-19/view/editorial/5561.cfm
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Campus Pride Honors Three LGBT Students With Voice & Action Awards
Campus Pride honored three college students this past week with Voice & Action Leadership Awards for being young adult role models and activists within the LGBT community. The three college seniors, Celso Perez from Boston College, Shawna Scott from the University of Georgia, and Justin Hager from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have each contributed to the fight for LGBT equality at university, local, and national levels.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73516.asp
-Expect White Knots on Oscar's Red Carpet
Celebrities have often donned ribbons, a small yet public statement that has helped garner visibility and publicity for various causes -- red ribbons for AIDS awareness, pink for breast cancer. For this Sunday's Oscars, expect white knots. The white ribbons symbolize support for marriage equality: As the group behind the ribbons declares on its website, "Everyone should have the right to tie the knot."
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73415.asp
-U.S-Backed Nondiscrimination Statement Fails
A version of an international statement condemning violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation backed by the United States failed to win approval this week by participating nations of the Durban Review Conference.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73546.asp
-New York Post Cartoonist Incites Outrage, Protests
New York Post cartoonist Sean Delonas, whose work earned a Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation citation for Worst Defamation in 2008, has found himself in hot water again -- this time for a cartoon printed in the Post February 18. The cartoon, intending to combine and parody two recent news stories, depicts police having killed a chimpanzee and then remarking, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill." The quote was clearly intended to be a not-so-subtle reference to President Obama.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73538.asp
-Mitcham Named Aussie Health Ambassador
Gay Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham was named Thursday to be one of his country's ambassadors for men's health. The Australian diver, who won the 10-meter platform competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, will be an advocate for the country's policy on men's health.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73519.asp
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Grisly details of gay man's death presented to jury
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
02.20.2009 4:56pm EST
(Bartow, Florida) Several members of the jury considering the fate of the first of two men accused of killing Ryan Skipper in 2007 were visibly shaken by autopsy photos of the 25-year old gay man. The pictures showed that his throat had been slashed and there were multiple stab wounds - as many as 20- covering his torso. There was blood covering his back and shoulders. Joseph Bearden, a known methamphetamine addict, is accused of robbing, killing Skipper, and dumping his body. He has pleaded not guilty. Bearden's co-defendant, William Brown Jr., will be tried separately.
http://www.365gay.com/news/grisly-details-of-gay-mans-death-presented-to-jury/
-Withers: Homophobes need to stay away from microphones
By James Withers, contributing editor, 365Gay Blog
What is the deal with raving mad bigots and microphones? Remember a few years back when retired NBA player Tim Hardaway had a radio melt-down and let folk know how he wasn't drinking any gay loving juice? "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known," Hardaway said. "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."
http://www.365gay.com/blog/022009-rant-could-lose-utah-state-senator-his-committee-spot/
-Anti-gay group blasts Log Cabin leader
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
The conservative Americans for Truth About Homosexuality is demanding the Republican Party reprimand Jamie Ensley, the president of the Georgia Log Cabin Republicans for calling the AFTAH a "radical Christian domestic terrorist group" and comparing it to Nazis.
http://www.365gay.com/news/anti-gay-group-blasts-log-cabin-leader/
-Gay imprisonment bill dies in Burundi Senate
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(Bujumbura) Legislation making changes to Burundi's criminal code that would have made homosexuality a criminal offense has been overwhelmingly defeated in the central African nation's Senate.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-imprisonment-bill-dies-in-burundi-senate/
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Iran: Two young men to be thrown off cliff (punishment reserved to homosexuals)
"According to the daily Quds, two youths will be thrown into a precipice in the vicinity of the city of Shiraz. The sentencing of the two youths was confirmed on January 2 by the Supreme Court and the Regional Justice is preparing the execution. Tayab and Yazdan will be enclosed in a bag before being thrown into the ravine at the top of a cliff. This unimaginable penalty is reserved for homosexuals according to the laws "full of love and light" of the Shariah. According to the Shariah, if both men survive this fall, they will be hanged." [...] The executions will be carried out by putting each youth in a sack and throwing them off the top of a cliff and into a ravine and this form of execution under Shariah law is normally reserved for those convicted of gay offences (lavat). But there is no mention of 'lavat' in the Quds report of this case. [...] Also included and charged in the same case were four others who are to receive 100 lashes each.
http://gayswithoutborders.wordpress.com/2008/01/09/iran-two-young-men-to-be-thrown-off-cliff/
-Video of above -
http://www.iranpressnews.com/source/054628.htm
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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
-National Lesbian Health Summit
Expanding our Movement
March 6-8, 2009, San Francisco, CA
http://lesbianhealthinfo.org/NationalLesbianHealthSummit/index.html
-What Kind of Boss Does Barack Obama Want to Be?
by Joan Garry
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-garry-/what-kind-of-boss-does-ba_b_167631.html
-North Dakota measure says fertilized egg has human rights
http://www.grandforksherald.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D96DNA1OB
-New York's Proposed 'Entertainment Tax' May Be Unconstitutional
As part of an attempt to plug a $15 billion deficit in the New York state budget, Gov. David Paterson has called upon legislators to approve a 4 percent tax on "digitally delivered entertainment services" - including iPod downloads and online porn.
http://avnmag.avn.com/articles/34470.html
-Indiana Legislature Says "No" to Marriage Discrimination Amendment
Credit for this success is due to the diligent and continuing efforts of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Hoosiers, friends and allies. Indiana Equality Action and its coalition partners - the Human Rights Campaign, Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance, Indianapolis Rainbow Chamber of Commerce, the Interfaith Coalition on Nondiscrimination, Stop the Amendment, Citizens for Civil Rights and regional coordinating committees - thank people throughout the state for contacting their legislators to tell them hate and intolerance have no place in our state constitution.
http://www.indianaequalityaction.org
-Indiana University Student adviser honored with award for human rights work
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=66256
-Why we don't need to make polygamy a crime
Whatever you may have heard, the case of Winston Blackmore and James Oler, the fundamentalist Mormon preachers from Bountiful, B.C. whose polygamy case goes to trial next week, is not about religious freedom. Nor is it about gay marriage, or child abuse, or any of the other extraneous issues with which partisans of one stripe or another would like to festoon the debate. It certainly isn't about whether the two men are guilty of the crime of polygamy under Section 293 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits "any kind of conjugal union with more than one person at the same time whether or not it is by law recognized as a binding form of marriage." The defence does not contest the charges, but rather intends to argue the law is a violation of their freedom of religion as guaranteed under the Charter of Rights.
http://blog.macleans.ca/2009/02/18/why-we-don%E2%80%99t-need-to-make-polygamy-a-crime/
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From Steve Krantz
stevek@bipedinfo.com
PFLAG Director, Southern Pacific Region, and National Board Member,
http://krantzarama.blogspot.com
- 13 Love Stories on Youtube - these are terrific
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=UCLAAGHC&view=videos
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Truth Wins Out - TWO
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
-New Landmark Publication By Truth Wins Out and Lambda Legal Offers Legal Options To Those Hurt By Ex-Gay Programs
If You Have Been Harmed By 'Ex-Gay' Programs, 'Ex-Gay & The Law' Is For You
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/ex-gay-and-the-law/
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Saturday, February 21, 2009
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 21, 2009
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama Widens Missile Strikes Inside Pakistan
By MARK MAZZETTI and DAVID E. SANGER
With two missile strikes over the past week, the Obama administration has expanded the covert war run by the Central Intelligence Agency inside Pakistan, attacking a militant network seeking to topple the Pakistani government.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/washington/21policy.html?_r=1&hp
-In China, Clinton Focuses on Climate
By MARK LANDLER
BEIJING - Declaring "we hope you won't make the same mistakes we made," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton invited China to join the United States in an ambitious effort to curb greenhouse gases, as she toured an energy-efficient power plant in Beijing on Saturday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/world/asia/22diplo.html?hp
-Illinois Governor Urges Senator to Quit and Calls for a Law on Special Elections
By MONICA DAVEY
Gov. Patrick J. Quinn of Illinois on Friday called on Senator Roland W. Burris to resign and urged state lawmakers to set up a mechanism for a special election. It was the clearest sign yet that even those within Mr. Burris's own Democratic Party believe he cannot survive the growing questions surrounding his appointment and are, once again, pondering the possibility of a new junior senator for the state.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/us/21burris.html
-Congo: The Invisible War
By BOB HERBERT
Perhaps we've heard so little about them because the crimes are so unspeakable, the evil so profound. For years now, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marauding bands of soldiers and militias have been waging a war of rape and destruction against women. This sustained campaign of mind-bending atrocities, mostly in the eastern part of the country, has been one of the strategic tools in a wider war that has continued, with varying degrees of intensity, since the 1990s. Millions have been killed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/opinion/21herbert.html?ref=opinion
-A Nation of Cowards?
By CHARLES M. BLOW
This began as a relatively quiet Black History Month. The biggest highlight was a 72-year-old former Klansman scratching "apologize to John Lewis for beating him up" off his bucket list.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/opinion/21blow.html?ref=opinion
-Changing Climate Numbers
In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its fourth assessment report, summarizing evidence collected and weighed by scientists around the world. At the time, it was the best estimate of where the planet was, climatically speaking, and where it was likely to be going, and the news the report offered was daunting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/opinion/21sat3.html?ref=opinion
-Clinton Rewrites Script for Her Position in Asia
By MARK LANDLER
BEIJING - On Friday morning, Hillary Rodham Clinton was the picture of a stern superpower diplomat, warning North Korea not to test a long-range ballistic missile. A few hours later, she was asked by a giggly Korean student how she knew she had fallen in love with her husband.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/world/asia/21diplo.html
-Netanyahu, Once Hawkish, Touts Pragmatism
By ETHAN BRONNER
JERUSALEM - Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud Party leader chosen Friday to form Israel's next government, likes to tell a story about his meeting last summer in Jerusalem with President Obama, who was then still the Democratic candidate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/world/middleeast/21netanyahu.html?hp
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-In Mexico, Faltering, Not Failed
By Edward Schumacher-Matos
Mexico is not a failing state, as it has become fashionable to say. What has failed is our "war on drugs." That failure and the drug-related violence wracking Mexico suggest it is time to open a national discussion on legalizing drugs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022002891.html
-Wasting a Crisis
California misses an opportunity for a more rational energy policy. AT LAST, California has a budget. The legislature of the largest state, home to more than 11 percent of this country's population, has approved a $143 billion plan that closes a projected $42 billion gap through 2010. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has signed it. The package raises taxes and slashes spending -- but it also relies heavily on new borrowing (including $5 billion secured by future state lottery revenue) and an expected influx of federal stimulus dollars. And it may not take effect completely if voters reject a referendum proposal this year. With California's economy in a recession even deeper than that of the rest of the United States, this can only be considered a respite from, not a conclusion to, the state's chronic fiscal crisis.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022003621.html
-'A Nation of Cowards'?: The attorney general's speech on race
ATTORNEY GENERAL Eric H. Holder Jr. took his fair share of lumps this week for calling the United States "a nation of cowards" because "we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race." His provocative choice of words sparked a debate that has distracted from his main point, which is important despite its familiarity: Americans need to engage in an ongoing and honest conversation about race.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022003643.html
-Bear Market's Bite Could Go Deeper
Dow at 6-Year Low, but Analysts Say More Pain Lies Ahead
By Tomoeh Murakami Tse and Alejandro Lazo
With the Dow Jones industrial average plunging past its lowest point since the financial crisis began, panicked investors are asking: How much uglier can it get?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022001330.html?hpid=topnews
-Pakistan official: 'Permanent cease-fire' in Swat
By SHERIN ZADA
MINGORA, Pakistan -- A Pakistani official said Saturday that the Taliban and the Pakistani government had agreed to a "permanent cease-fire" in the restive northwest Swat Valley. A Taliban spokesman would not directly confirm the arrangement.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/21/AR2009022100363.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Abramoff Scandal Yields More Charges
By James V. Grimaldi
A former legislative aide to Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) was accused yesterday of accepting more than $25,000 worth of meals and event tickets from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for helping his clients.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022002882.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Cartoonists treading lightly when drawing Obama
By JESSE WASHINGTON
-- Cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz was in front of a classroom full of black and Latino kids, drawing presidents. He sketched Bush, then Clinton. Next came his favorite, the man he voted for: Obama.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022002098.html?hpid=sec-politics
-Few Texas high school athletes fail steroid test
By JIM VERTUNO
The second round of steroid testing for high school athletes in Texas found only seven positive results in nearly 19,000 tests, about the same minuscule outcome as the first round last year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022002154.html?hpid=sec-education
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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Coping When a Close Co-Worker Is Laid Off
Losing a friend at work to a layoff can be stressful, but you'll need to deal with the situation.
By KAYLEEN SCHAEFER
You probably have a co-worker or two you're close with, who you grab to rehash the latest episodes of a favorite television show, or for company on a coffee run. But as workplaces everywhere thin their ranks, those you're friendliest with might be laid off. It can be tough to figure out how to respond when a work friend is suddenly no longer working alongside you. But there are ways to cope.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123445482350777941.html
-Campaign Pledges Collide With New Fiscal Reality
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
As President Barack Obama finalizes his long-range budget road map for release next week, he is finding it increasingly difficult to translate some campaign promises into policy in the face of a complex economic crisis.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517391596337153.html
-The Perilous State of Mexico
By DAVID LUHNOW and JOSé DE CORDOBA
With drug-fueled violence and corruption escalating sharply, many fear drug cartels have grown too powerful for Mexico to control. Why things are getting worse, and what it means for the United States.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123518102536038463.html
-Jobs Still Elude Some Bush Ex-Officials
By JOANN S. LUBLIN
The jobless rate is hanging high -- for many of the roughly 3,000 political appointees who served President George W. Bush. Finding work has proved a far tougher task than those appointees expected.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123518630430139343.html
-How California Became France
By MATTHEW KAMINSKI
Sacramento, Calif.
Unable to afford a welfare state and unable to reform it. As California goes, says an old cliché, so goes the nation. Oh my.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517419077037281.html
-Learning to Speak Better English: Yes, We Can!
In Japan, Students Practice Reciting Obama's Speeches; 'Convey Your Message'
By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI
TOKYO -- English teacher Makoto Ishiwata stood in front of a classroom one recent morning and watched a gray-haired Japanese student struggle with a line.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517693330337663.html
-'Good Banks' Are the Cost Effective Way Out of the Financial Crisis
By WILLEM H. BUITER
We don't have the resources to subsidize all the troubled institutions. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's bank rescue -- the Financial Stability Plan (FSP) -- has been poorly received by the markets. My proposal last month to create brand new "good banks" with the limited taxpayer resources available is the best solution to the crisis.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517593808837541.html
-'Nationalize' the Banks: Dr. Doom says a takeover and resale is the market-friendly solution.
Nouriel Roubini
Nouriel Roubini is always dressed in black-and-white. I have known him for nearly two years, and have seen him in a variety of situations -- en route to class at New York University's Stern Business School, where he's a professor; over a glass of wine in his boyish loft in Manhattan's Tribeca; at an academic conference, seated sagely on the dais; at a bohemian party in Greenwich Village, at . . . oh . . . 3 a.m. -- and he always, always wears a black suit with a white linen shirt.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517380343437079.html
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama: tax cuts will be felt by April 1
By LIZ SIDOTI
The notoriously slow Congress passed the $787 billion economic stimulus package in a matter of weeks. President Barack Obama signed it into law less than one month into his presidency. So, just how soon will Americans start reaping the benefits of tax cuts in it? By April 1, according to the president.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/914659.html
-FLAG-DRAPED COFFINS: Americans should see the 'high cost' of war
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
lpitts@miamiherald.com
Maybe now we'll see what we have not been allowed. Meaning coffins draped in our national colors, filled with the remains of our honored dead. The military has banned media from photographing coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware since 1991. This, after a 1989 incident in which some TV news outlets used a split screen to juxtapose images of deceased Americans being returned home with images of President George H.W. Bush joking with reporters at a live press conference. It was a cheap shot that made the president seem insensitive to the somber ceremony and the sacrifice it commemorated. Hence, the ban.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/908823.html
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Housing Crisis
No Place Like Home -- Even if the Value Is in the Tank
Not even a housing-led recession can shake Americans' faith in the blessings of homeownership. Read more
-One-In-Five Homeowners Feel "Underwater" On Mortgages
The young, the less affluent and members of minority groups are more likely to say their homes are worth less than what they owe on their mortgages. Read more
-The Terror Divide
Obama Supported but Faces Partisan Divisions Over Anti-Terror Policies
Americans approve of Obama's handling of terrorist threats by more than two-to-one but views about Guantanamo, torture and surveillance remain divided along familiar lines. Read more
-Crime Report
Immigration Enforcement Boosts Hispanic Share of Federal Convictions
In 2007, Latinos accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders -- more than triple their share of the total U.S. adult population. Read more
-Money Media
Bad Economic News Better Than None
Americans feel better knowing what's going on but more now see some good sides to news about the economy. Read more
-Press Pivot: Vote and Polls on Stimulus Change Tone
Obama may not control the message, but he still controls the agenda. Read more
-Daily Number
43%-35% -- Big Macs or Lattes?
When asked whether they would rather live in a neighborhood with more McDonald's or more Starbucks, Americans manage to typecast themselves by just about every demographic and ideological characteristic under the sun; overall, more Americans choose McDonalds (43%) over Starbucks (35%), but the split is more pronounced -- and rather predictable -- when analyzed demographically. Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more
=
PLEASE DO THIS 'FREE' GOOD DEED - Animal Rescue
Hi, all you animal lovers. This is pretty simple... Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute (How about 20 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals' for free. This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/ advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/ neglected animals in exchange for advertising. Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Rescuing America's Homeowners
It's a mixed bag, but Obama's plan to help homeowners is still a move in the right direction.
Eileen Appelbaum
Of the 52 million U.S. homeowners with a mortgage, more than a quarter --
nearly 14 million -- are underwater. They owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth. The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, announced by President Barack Obama on Feb. 18, is intended to help some of these families stay in their home.
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=rescuing_americas_homeowners
-What is nationalization?
The administration says it doesn't want to run banks, but investors still fear a replay of the Fannie-Freddie takeover.
Colin Barr, senior writer
What does it mean to nationalize a bank, anyway? That question has weighed on the minds of investors in the two weeks since the Obama administration's comprehensive financial industry stability plan fell flat.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/20/news/nationalization.what.is.it.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009022017
-Amid budget woes, governors wonder whether stimulus spending is right
approach in bad economy
By BETH FOUHY
Congress and President Barack Obama developed the stimulus plan as a lifeline. Not all governors set it that way and are debating whether the billions available can help their states ride out the economic tidal wave. Amid budget woes, the deepening recession and conflicting views on the aid plan, state leaders descended on the capital Saturday to discuss the foreclosure crisis and public works projects.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-governors-meeting,0,198269.story
-South Carolina's governor may turn down stimulus money
By Richard Fausset
Reporting from Columbia, S.C. -- Would a governor in a state with the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation really say no to President Obama's stimulus money? That is the question reverberating through South Carolina, where Republican Mark Sanford -- a popular second-term governor and noted fiscal conservative -- says he may reject some of the $2.8 billion in federal funds headed to his state.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-na-mark-sanford21-2009feb21,0,2767511.story
-U.S. repeats interest in two-state solution in Israel
The United States will continue to press for a two-state solution in Israel's conflict with Palestinians, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said on Friday, after right-wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu was asked to form Israel's next government.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE51K0FC20090221
-U.S. tells North Korea to end insults, return to talks
By Jack Kim and Arshad Mohammed
SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday told North Korea to stop being provocative and return to nuclear talks, warning ties could not improve with Washington if it continued insulting South Korea.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE51I0JL20090220
-Obama wants to overhaul health care; can he do it?
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Now for the hard part. Even if the national credit card is maxed out and partisanship remains the rule for Washington's political tribes, President Barack Obama and Congress are plunging ahead with a health care overhaul.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/02/21/obama_wants_to_overhaul_health_care_can_he_do_it/
-UN official thinks Hamas authored letter to Obama
The Associated Press
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A U.N. relief official in the Gaza Strip said Friday he believes Hamas was the author of a letter his agency received with a request that it be delivered to President Barack Obama by a visiting U.S. senator.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090220/API/902202171
-Quinn gets it right
Stung by demands that he resign from the Senate seat he lied his way into, Roland Burris dug in his heels this week, zipped his lips and made a big show of acting senatorial, embarking on a "listening tour" of the state and refusing to answer any more questions. He seemed to think he could outlast the controversy if only he could lose the reporters. God knows his fellow Democrats weren't making much noise. Now they are.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0221edit1feb21,0,2359230.story
-For Obama's Political Knots, He's the 'Fixer'
Low-Profile Aide Jim Messina Has Tackled Tough Problems
By Anne E. Kornblut
Holed up in a windowless West Wing office, Jim Messina is working on his usual assignment: fixing President Obama's problems. The exact nature of that task changes from day to day. In January, when tax troubles surfaced, first threatening Timothy F. Geithner's nomination, Obama asked Messina, his deputy chief of staff, to smooth over the situation on Capitol Hill. (He did.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022003853.html
-Kerry Meets With Syrian President
Posted by George Baghdadi
Senator John Kerry, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations committee, went into immediate talks on Saturday with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to encourage him to curb support for Islamist militant groups in return for a new policy of dialogue with the Obama Administration.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/02/21/world/worldwatch/entry4817608.shtml
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama Widens Missile Strikes Inside Pakistan
By MARK MAZZETTI and DAVID E. SANGER
With two missile strikes over the past week, the Obama administration has expanded the covert war run by the Central Intelligence Agency inside Pakistan, attacking a militant network seeking to topple the Pakistani government.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/washington/21policy.html?_r=1&hp
-In China, Clinton Focuses on Climate
By MARK LANDLER
BEIJING - Declaring "we hope you won't make the same mistakes we made," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton invited China to join the United States in an ambitious effort to curb greenhouse gases, as she toured an energy-efficient power plant in Beijing on Saturday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/world/asia/22diplo.html?hp
-Illinois Governor Urges Senator to Quit and Calls for a Law on Special Elections
By MONICA DAVEY
Gov. Patrick J. Quinn of Illinois on Friday called on Senator Roland W. Burris to resign and urged state lawmakers to set up a mechanism for a special election. It was the clearest sign yet that even those within Mr. Burris's own Democratic Party believe he cannot survive the growing questions surrounding his appointment and are, once again, pondering the possibility of a new junior senator for the state.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/us/21burris.html
-Congo: The Invisible War
By BOB HERBERT
Perhaps we've heard so little about them because the crimes are so unspeakable, the evil so profound. For years now, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marauding bands of soldiers and militias have been waging a war of rape and destruction against women. This sustained campaign of mind-bending atrocities, mostly in the eastern part of the country, has been one of the strategic tools in a wider war that has continued, with varying degrees of intensity, since the 1990s. Millions have been killed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/opinion/21herbert.html?ref=opinion
-A Nation of Cowards?
By CHARLES M. BLOW
This began as a relatively quiet Black History Month. The biggest highlight was a 72-year-old former Klansman scratching "apologize to John Lewis for beating him up" off his bucket list.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/opinion/21blow.html?ref=opinion
-Changing Climate Numbers
In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its fourth assessment report, summarizing evidence collected and weighed by scientists around the world. At the time, it was the best estimate of where the planet was, climatically speaking, and where it was likely to be going, and the news the report offered was daunting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/opinion/21sat3.html?ref=opinion
-Clinton Rewrites Script for Her Position in Asia
By MARK LANDLER
BEIJING - On Friday morning, Hillary Rodham Clinton was the picture of a stern superpower diplomat, warning North Korea not to test a long-range ballistic missile. A few hours later, she was asked by a giggly Korean student how she knew she had fallen in love with her husband.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/world/asia/21diplo.html
-Netanyahu, Once Hawkish, Touts Pragmatism
By ETHAN BRONNER
JERUSALEM - Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud Party leader chosen Friday to form Israel's next government, likes to tell a story about his meeting last summer in Jerusalem with President Obama, who was then still the Democratic candidate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/world/middleeast/21netanyahu.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-In Mexico, Faltering, Not Failed
By Edward Schumacher-Matos
Mexico is not a failing state, as it has become fashionable to say. What has failed is our "war on drugs." That failure and the drug-related violence wracking Mexico suggest it is time to open a national discussion on legalizing drugs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022002891.html
-Wasting a Crisis
California misses an opportunity for a more rational energy policy. AT LAST, California has a budget. The legislature of the largest state, home to more than 11 percent of this country's population, has approved a $143 billion plan that closes a projected $42 billion gap through 2010. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has signed it. The package raises taxes and slashes spending -- but it also relies heavily on new borrowing (including $5 billion secured by future state lottery revenue) and an expected influx of federal stimulus dollars. And it may not take effect completely if voters reject a referendum proposal this year. With California's economy in a recession even deeper than that of the rest of the United States, this can only be considered a respite from, not a conclusion to, the state's chronic fiscal crisis.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022003621.html
-'A Nation of Cowards'?: The attorney general's speech on race
ATTORNEY GENERAL Eric H. Holder Jr. took his fair share of lumps this week for calling the United States "a nation of cowards" because "we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race." His provocative choice of words sparked a debate that has distracted from his main point, which is important despite its familiarity: Americans need to engage in an ongoing and honest conversation about race.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022003643.html
-Bear Market's Bite Could Go Deeper
Dow at 6-Year Low, but Analysts Say More Pain Lies Ahead
By Tomoeh Murakami Tse and Alejandro Lazo
With the Dow Jones industrial average plunging past its lowest point since the financial crisis began, panicked investors are asking: How much uglier can it get?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022001330.html?hpid=topnews
-Pakistan official: 'Permanent cease-fire' in Swat
By SHERIN ZADA
MINGORA, Pakistan -- A Pakistani official said Saturday that the Taliban and the Pakistani government had agreed to a "permanent cease-fire" in the restive northwest Swat Valley. A Taliban spokesman would not directly confirm the arrangement.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/21/AR2009022100363.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Abramoff Scandal Yields More Charges
By James V. Grimaldi
A former legislative aide to Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) was accused yesterday of accepting more than $25,000 worth of meals and event tickets from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for helping his clients.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022002882.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Cartoonists treading lightly when drawing Obama
By JESSE WASHINGTON
-- Cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz was in front of a classroom full of black and Latino kids, drawing presidents. He sketched Bush, then Clinton. Next came his favorite, the man he voted for: Obama.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022002098.html?hpid=sec-politics
-Few Texas high school athletes fail steroid test
By JIM VERTUNO
The second round of steroid testing for high school athletes in Texas found only seven positive results in nearly 19,000 tests, about the same minuscule outcome as the first round last year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022002154.html?hpid=sec-education
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Coping When a Close Co-Worker Is Laid Off
Losing a friend at work to a layoff can be stressful, but you'll need to deal with the situation.
By KAYLEEN SCHAEFER
You probably have a co-worker or two you're close with, who you grab to rehash the latest episodes of a favorite television show, or for company on a coffee run. But as workplaces everywhere thin their ranks, those you're friendliest with might be laid off. It can be tough to figure out how to respond when a work friend is suddenly no longer working alongside you. But there are ways to cope.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123445482350777941.html
-Campaign Pledges Collide With New Fiscal Reality
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
As President Barack Obama finalizes his long-range budget road map for release next week, he is finding it increasingly difficult to translate some campaign promises into policy in the face of a complex economic crisis.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517391596337153.html
-The Perilous State of Mexico
By DAVID LUHNOW and JOSé DE CORDOBA
With drug-fueled violence and corruption escalating sharply, many fear drug cartels have grown too powerful for Mexico to control. Why things are getting worse, and what it means for the United States.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123518102536038463.html
-Jobs Still Elude Some Bush Ex-Officials
By JOANN S. LUBLIN
The jobless rate is hanging high -- for many of the roughly 3,000 political appointees who served President George W. Bush. Finding work has proved a far tougher task than those appointees expected.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123518630430139343.html
-How California Became France
By MATTHEW KAMINSKI
Sacramento, Calif.
Unable to afford a welfare state and unable to reform it. As California goes, says an old cliché, so goes the nation. Oh my.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517419077037281.html
-Learning to Speak Better English: Yes, We Can!
In Japan, Students Practice Reciting Obama's Speeches; 'Convey Your Message'
By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI
TOKYO -- English teacher Makoto Ishiwata stood in front of a classroom one recent morning and watched a gray-haired Japanese student struggle with a line.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517693330337663.html
-'Good Banks' Are the Cost Effective Way Out of the Financial Crisis
By WILLEM H. BUITER
We don't have the resources to subsidize all the troubled institutions. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's bank rescue -- the Financial Stability Plan (FSP) -- has been poorly received by the markets. My proposal last month to create brand new "good banks" with the limited taxpayer resources available is the best solution to the crisis.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517593808837541.html
-'Nationalize' the Banks: Dr. Doom says a takeover and resale is the market-friendly solution.
Nouriel Roubini
Nouriel Roubini is always dressed in black-and-white. I have known him for nearly two years, and have seen him in a variety of situations -- en route to class at New York University's Stern Business School, where he's a professor; over a glass of wine in his boyish loft in Manhattan's Tribeca; at an academic conference, seated sagely on the dais; at a bohemian party in Greenwich Village, at . . . oh . . . 3 a.m. -- and he always, always wears a black suit with a white linen shirt.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123517380343437079.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama: tax cuts will be felt by April 1
By LIZ SIDOTI
The notoriously slow Congress passed the $787 billion economic stimulus package in a matter of weeks. President Barack Obama signed it into law less than one month into his presidency. So, just how soon will Americans start reaping the benefits of tax cuts in it? By April 1, according to the president.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/914659.html
-FLAG-DRAPED COFFINS: Americans should see the 'high cost' of war
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
lpitts@miamiherald.com
Maybe now we'll see what we have not been allowed. Meaning coffins draped in our national colors, filled with the remains of our honored dead. The military has banned media from photographing coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware since 1991. This, after a 1989 incident in which some TV news outlets used a split screen to juxtapose images of deceased Americans being returned home with images of President George H.W. Bush joking with reporters at a live press conference. It was a cheap shot that made the president seem insensitive to the somber ceremony and the sacrifice it commemorated. Hence, the ban.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/908823.html
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Housing Crisis
No Place Like Home -- Even if the Value Is in the Tank
Not even a housing-led recession can shake Americans' faith in the blessings of homeownership. Read more
-One-In-Five Homeowners Feel "Underwater" On Mortgages
The young, the less affluent and members of minority groups are more likely to say their homes are worth less than what they owe on their mortgages. Read more
-The Terror Divide
Obama Supported but Faces Partisan Divisions Over Anti-Terror Policies
Americans approve of Obama's handling of terrorist threats by more than two-to-one but views about Guantanamo, torture and surveillance remain divided along familiar lines. Read more
-Crime Report
Immigration Enforcement Boosts Hispanic Share of Federal Convictions
In 2007, Latinos accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders -- more than triple their share of the total U.S. adult population. Read more
-Money Media
Bad Economic News Better Than None
Americans feel better knowing what's going on but more now see some good sides to news about the economy. Read more
-Press Pivot: Vote and Polls on Stimulus Change Tone
Obama may not control the message, but he still controls the agenda. Read more
-Daily Number
43%-35% -- Big Macs or Lattes?
When asked whether they would rather live in a neighborhood with more McDonald's or more Starbucks, Americans manage to typecast themselves by just about every demographic and ideological characteristic under the sun; overall, more Americans choose McDonalds (43%) over Starbucks (35%), but the split is more pronounced -- and rather predictable -- when analyzed demographically. Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more
=
PLEASE DO THIS 'FREE' GOOD DEED - Animal Rescue
Hi, all you animal lovers. This is pretty simple... Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute (How about 20 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals' for free. This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/ advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/ neglected animals in exchange for advertising. Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Rescuing America's Homeowners
It's a mixed bag, but Obama's plan to help homeowners is still a move in the right direction.
Eileen Appelbaum
Of the 52 million U.S. homeowners with a mortgage, more than a quarter --
nearly 14 million -- are underwater. They owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth. The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, announced by President Barack Obama on Feb. 18, is intended to help some of these families stay in their home.
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=rescuing_americas_homeowners
-What is nationalization?
The administration says it doesn't want to run banks, but investors still fear a replay of the Fannie-Freddie takeover.
Colin Barr, senior writer
What does it mean to nationalize a bank, anyway? That question has weighed on the minds of investors in the two weeks since the Obama administration's comprehensive financial industry stability plan fell flat.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/20/news/nationalization.what.is.it.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009022017
-Amid budget woes, governors wonder whether stimulus spending is right
approach in bad economy
By BETH FOUHY
Congress and President Barack Obama developed the stimulus plan as a lifeline. Not all governors set it that way and are debating whether the billions available can help their states ride out the economic tidal wave. Amid budget woes, the deepening recession and conflicting views on the aid plan, state leaders descended on the capital Saturday to discuss the foreclosure crisis and public works projects.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-governors-meeting,0,198269.story
-South Carolina's governor may turn down stimulus money
By Richard Fausset
Reporting from Columbia, S.C. -- Would a governor in a state with the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation really say no to President Obama's stimulus money? That is the question reverberating through South Carolina, where Republican Mark Sanford -- a popular second-term governor and noted fiscal conservative -- says he may reject some of the $2.8 billion in federal funds headed to his state.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-na-mark-sanford21-2009feb21,0,2767511.story
-U.S. repeats interest in two-state solution in Israel
The United States will continue to press for a two-state solution in Israel's conflict with Palestinians, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said on Friday, after right-wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu was asked to form Israel's next government.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE51K0FC20090221
-U.S. tells North Korea to end insults, return to talks
By Jack Kim and Arshad Mohammed
SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday told North Korea to stop being provocative and return to nuclear talks, warning ties could not improve with Washington if it continued insulting South Korea.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE51I0JL20090220
-Obama wants to overhaul health care; can he do it?
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Now for the hard part. Even if the national credit card is maxed out and partisanship remains the rule for Washington's political tribes, President Barack Obama and Congress are plunging ahead with a health care overhaul.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/02/21/obama_wants_to_overhaul_health_care_can_he_do_it/
-UN official thinks Hamas authored letter to Obama
The Associated Press
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A U.N. relief official in the Gaza Strip said Friday he believes Hamas was the author of a letter his agency received with a request that it be delivered to President Barack Obama by a visiting U.S. senator.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090220/API/902202171
-Quinn gets it right
Stung by demands that he resign from the Senate seat he lied his way into, Roland Burris dug in his heels this week, zipped his lips and made a big show of acting senatorial, embarking on a "listening tour" of the state and refusing to answer any more questions. He seemed to think he could outlast the controversy if only he could lose the reporters. God knows his fellow Democrats weren't making much noise. Now they are.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0221edit1feb21,0,2359230.story
-For Obama's Political Knots, He's the 'Fixer'
Low-Profile Aide Jim Messina Has Tackled Tough Problems
By Anne E. Kornblut
Holed up in a windowless West Wing office, Jim Messina is working on his usual assignment: fixing President Obama's problems. The exact nature of that task changes from day to day. In January, when tax troubles surfaced, first threatening Timothy F. Geithner's nomination, Obama asked Messina, his deputy chief of staff, to smooth over the situation on Capitol Hill. (He did.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022003853.html
-Kerry Meets With Syrian President
Posted by George Baghdadi
Senator John Kerry, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations committee, went into immediate talks on Saturday with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to encourage him to curb support for Islamist militant groups in return for a new policy of dialogue with the Obama Administration.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/02/21/world/worldwatch/entry4817608.shtml
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 21, 2009
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Winter Party Festival: It's going to be a throwback to the gay '08s
BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com
The 2009 economy is tanking and tourism has taken a hit, but gay men and women are poised to party in South Florida like it's 2008. Winter Party Festival advance ticket sales are nearly the same this year as last, according to Michael Bath, special events manager for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/02/winter-party-festival-its-going-to-be-a-throwback-to-the-gay-08s.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pompano Bill to be released from hospital
By JAMES MICHAELS
Local event photographer John "Pompano Bill" Calceterra is recovering from hip replacement surgery. For the scheduled operation, Calceterra was admitted to Holy Cross Hospital on February 5th and was released from Holy Cross Hospital after surgery on February 8th. He is currently recovering at the Fort Lauderdale Health and Rehabilitation Center where he is undergoing physical therapy twice daily and is expected to be released the weekend of Feb. 20. "I have one hip that's 83 and another one that's a week old." Calceterra said. No surgery was needed on his other hip but he admits he will not be able to do the Tango.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-19/news/localnews/5556.cfm
-Hate crime tried as robbery
Death penalty case begins for killing Ryan Skipper trial
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Nearly two years after Ryan Skipper's body was found alongside a highway in Wahneta, Fla., the death penalty trial for one of the two men charged with his murder has begun.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-19/news/localnews/5551.cfm
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Boca Raton man found guilty in 2005 slaying of gay man
A Boca Raton man may face the death penalty after a Broward County jury convicted him Friday of murdering a gay man he had targeted for robbery, prosecutor Shari Tate said. Eric Kurt Patrick, 45, confessed to the September 2005 slaying of Steven Schumacher.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbpatrick0221sbfeb21,0,7224185.story
-Fort Lauderdale City Commission District 4 profiles
FORT LAUDERDALE CITY COMMISSION DISTRICT 4
COLEMAN PREWITT
Personal: 42, single
Education: Law degree, University of Miami, 1996
PROFESSIONAL: Partner in law firm Seidman, Prewitt, DiBello & Lopez; associate general counsel for mergers/acquisitions, SBA Communications Corp. Political: First run for office
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbelexboxes0221sbfeb21,0,3188512.story
=
South Florida's Premier LGBT Social Service Agency
Dedicated to meeting the needs of OUR community!
Join us in the fun and support your LGBT community!
-A Chorus Line
Performance and Reception
A Benefit for the Services and Programs of SunServe
DATE: Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
TIME: Performance at 8pm, Reception immediately following
LOCATION: Broward Center for the Performing Arts
FOR MORE INFO OR TO PURCHASE TICKETS
CALL MARK AT 954-764-5150
OR VISIT www.SunServe.org
=
Tonight! COME "OUT" AND SEE LEA DELARIA, SCOTT RYAN, AND LEVI KREIS AT THE ARTEXPLOSION 2009 FINALE AT THE BROWARD CENTER
The two-week GLBT Arts Festival ends with a bang at the ArtExplosion '09 Finale with Lea DeLaria on Saturday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The raucous comedy show features the comedian Lea DeLaria, Scott Ryan, and musical guest Levi Kreis and 2008 LOGO channel "Brink of Fame" comedian nominee Scott Ryan. Stonewall is now able to offer an amazing discount on tickets for this event: two for $30, one for $25. WHAT A DEAL! (Normal ticket price is $30 each.). We only have a few seats at this great price, so act now. To purchase a ticket, please contact Jack Rutland, Executive Director, Stonewall Library & Archives, 954-763-8565, or at jack-rutland@stonewall-library.org
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mass transit may be the next move for congested South Florida
Expanded bus, commuter rail lines considered as a solution to congestion despite hefty cost
By Michael Turnbell
No matter how much money is poured into building and widening roads, it's never enough. Interstate 595, for example, was at capacity a decade after it opened in 1989.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/traffic/sfl-flbsummit0220sbfeb20,0,6522816.story
-Old and new politics collide in Fort Lauderdale City Commission race
Both District 4 candidates are attorneys, but one has family ties to the city stretching back 83 years; the other moved to city in '01
By Brittany Wallman
It's easy to see why the race has been couched as "old Fort Lauderdale " vs. new.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbelex0221sbfeb21,0,342878.story
-Former Broward Republican chief who guided Crist's election dismisses
criticism
Posted by Anthony Man at 6:34 AM
The carping coming from some in the Republican Party over Gov. Charlie Crist's support of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package doesn't detract from the governor's position, said George LeMieux. LeMieux, now chairman of law firm Gunster Yoakley and publisher of the LeMieux Report newsletter on politics, law and business, is a former Broward Republican chairman who went on to orchestrate Crist's successful 2006 campaign for governor and served as his first chief of staff. (LeMieux is also the person who coined the term "God's Country" for Broward County, a term Crist has come to use.)
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/02/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Mentally ill in jail in a new crisis
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
Florida's population of severely mentally ill jail inmates is expected to outstrip the number of beds available for treatment. Two years after state mental health administrators added 300 new treatment beds for mentally ill jail inmates -- averting a crisis that nearly sent a state agency head to jail for contempt -- Florida is once again running out of bed space.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/914419.html
-Public funds the cherry on campaign cake
BY BETH REINHARD
Guess who else has been living large and getting massive government bailouts for years? Political candidates in Florida. Republican Charlie Crist, a career politician who easily shattered fundraising records during his 2006 bid for governor, got a $3.3 million handout to help run a campaign heavy on attack ads against his opponent. Democrat Alex Sink, a former banking executive who also had no trouble putting nickels and dimes together to run for chief financial officer, received more than $1 million courtesy of Florida taxpayers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/columnists/beth-reinhard/story/914416.html
=
Friends of ArtServe - -an investment in the Arts
Limited Offer! Become a Friend of ArtServe by February 24th and receive 2 complimentary tickets to see the acclaimed Teresa Nieto Dance Company at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts on February 27, 2009 (a $79 value).* The performance is on February 27, 2009 at 8:30 pm at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts 201 SW 5th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale Call today for membership levels and benefits.
Robin Drazin, 954.462.8190 ext 203.
www.artserve.org
=
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 20th District of Florida
-Two quick questions about expanding drilling off of Florida's coast
There are several proposals being discussed in Washington and Tallahassee that would expand the areas on which oil companies could drill off of the coast of Florida. I support a moratorium against the expansion of offshore drilling and have written a column on this topic, a version of which ran last month in the Sun-Sentinel (READ MY COLUMN HERE). http://www.house.gov/list/hearing/fl20_schultz/GasPricesDrilling.html
That said, I am interested to know what you think about this topic, especially now that energy prices are increasing. Thank you for taking a moment to read this and for letting me know your opinion on this important issue.
http://wassermanschultz.congressnewsletter.net/mail/util.cfm?gpiv=1999884994.135429.706&gen=1
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Crist unveils $66.5 billion spending plan
Plan relies on no new taxes, expanded gambling revenues and heaping helping of federal money to stay in balance
By Aaron Deslatte
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-florida-budget-022009,0,3848435.story
-Miami mayor meets with Obama
by Oscar Pedro Musibay
President Barack Obama told a meeting of more than 80 U.S. mayors Friday that it was time to leverage their front-line expertise and "convert peril into promise."
http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/02/16/daily57.html
-Rove testimony hangs in balance
By JOSH GERSTEIN
A federal appeals court has agreed to give President Barack Obama a little more time-but only a little- to decide whether to support...one of President Bush's most controversial uses of executive privilege.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0209/deadline_for_privilege_c630914e-62ba-4056-a8ef-b883d9c7eb2e.html
-Broward Republican leader voices strong criticism of Gov. Charlie Crist
Three of the four top officials of Broward's Republican Party - Chairman Chip LaMarca, Vice Chairwoman Cindy Guerra, and state committeewoman Sharon Day - were at Gov. Charlie Crist's town hall meeting this week in Fort Lauderdale. The fourth - state Republican committeeman Ed Kennedy - has become increasingly critical of Crist over the governor's support for President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/02/broward_republican_leader_voic.html
-USF medical school program's accreditation is yanked
By Kris Hundley, Times Staff Writer
A program at the University of South Florida that trains doctors specializing in high-risk pregnancies has had its accreditation yanked after a review board found the students were overworked and poorly supervised.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/article977327.ece
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Winter Party Festival: It's going to be a throwback to the gay '08s
BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com
The 2009 economy is tanking and tourism has taken a hit, but gay men and women are poised to party in South Florida like it's 2008. Winter Party Festival advance ticket sales are nearly the same this year as last, according to Michael Bath, special events manager for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/02/winter-party-festival-its-going-to-be-a-throwback-to-the-gay-08s.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pompano Bill to be released from hospital
By JAMES MICHAELS
Local event photographer John "Pompano Bill" Calceterra is recovering from hip replacement surgery. For the scheduled operation, Calceterra was admitted to Holy Cross Hospital on February 5th and was released from Holy Cross Hospital after surgery on February 8th. He is currently recovering at the Fort Lauderdale Health and Rehabilitation Center where he is undergoing physical therapy twice daily and is expected to be released the weekend of Feb. 20. "I have one hip that's 83 and another one that's a week old." Calceterra said. No surgery was needed on his other hip but he admits he will not be able to do the Tango.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-19/news/localnews/5556.cfm
-Hate crime tried as robbery
Death penalty case begins for killing Ryan Skipper trial
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Nearly two years after Ryan Skipper's body was found alongside a highway in Wahneta, Fla., the death penalty trial for one of the two men charged with his murder has begun.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-19/news/localnews/5551.cfm
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Boca Raton man found guilty in 2005 slaying of gay man
A Boca Raton man may face the death penalty after a Broward County jury convicted him Friday of murdering a gay man he had targeted for robbery, prosecutor Shari Tate said. Eric Kurt Patrick, 45, confessed to the September 2005 slaying of Steven Schumacher.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbpatrick0221sbfeb21,0,7224185.story
-Fort Lauderdale City Commission District 4 profiles
FORT LAUDERDALE CITY COMMISSION DISTRICT 4
COLEMAN PREWITT
Personal: 42, single
Education: Law degree, University of Miami, 1996
PROFESSIONAL: Partner in law firm Seidman, Prewitt, DiBello & Lopez; associate general counsel for mergers/acquisitions, SBA Communications Corp. Political: First run for office
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbelexboxes0221sbfeb21,0,3188512.story
=
South Florida's Premier LGBT Social Service Agency
Dedicated to meeting the needs of OUR community!
Join us in the fun and support your LGBT community!
-A Chorus Line
Performance and Reception
A Benefit for the Services and Programs of SunServe
DATE: Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
TIME: Performance at 8pm, Reception immediately following
LOCATION: Broward Center for the Performing Arts
FOR MORE INFO OR TO PURCHASE TICKETS
CALL MARK AT 954-764-5150
OR VISIT www.SunServe.org
=
Tonight! COME "OUT" AND SEE LEA DELARIA, SCOTT RYAN, AND LEVI KREIS AT THE ARTEXPLOSION 2009 FINALE AT THE BROWARD CENTER
The two-week GLBT Arts Festival ends with a bang at the ArtExplosion '09 Finale with Lea DeLaria on Saturday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The raucous comedy show features the comedian Lea DeLaria, Scott Ryan, and musical guest Levi Kreis and 2008 LOGO channel "Brink of Fame" comedian nominee Scott Ryan. Stonewall is now able to offer an amazing discount on tickets for this event: two for $30, one for $25. WHAT A DEAL! (Normal ticket price is $30 each.). We only have a few seats at this great price, so act now. To purchase a ticket, please contact Jack Rutland, Executive Director, Stonewall Library & Archives, 954-763-8565, or at jack-rutland@stonewall-library.org
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mass transit may be the next move for congested South Florida
Expanded bus, commuter rail lines considered as a solution to congestion despite hefty cost
By Michael Turnbell
No matter how much money is poured into building and widening roads, it's never enough. Interstate 595, for example, was at capacity a decade after it opened in 1989.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/traffic/sfl-flbsummit0220sbfeb20,0,6522816.story
-Old and new politics collide in Fort Lauderdale City Commission race
Both District 4 candidates are attorneys, but one has family ties to the city stretching back 83 years; the other moved to city in '01
By Brittany Wallman
It's easy to see why the race has been couched as "old Fort Lauderdale " vs. new.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbelex0221sbfeb21,0,342878.story
-Former Broward Republican chief who guided Crist's election dismisses
criticism
Posted by Anthony Man at 6:34 AM
The carping coming from some in the Republican Party over Gov. Charlie Crist's support of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package doesn't detract from the governor's position, said George LeMieux. LeMieux, now chairman of law firm Gunster Yoakley and publisher of the LeMieux Report newsletter on politics, law and business, is a former Broward Republican chairman who went on to orchestrate Crist's successful 2006 campaign for governor and served as his first chief of staff. (LeMieux is also the person who coined the term "God's Country" for Broward County, a term Crist has come to use.)
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/02/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Mentally ill in jail in a new crisis
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
Florida's population of severely mentally ill jail inmates is expected to outstrip the number of beds available for treatment. Two years after state mental health administrators added 300 new treatment beds for mentally ill jail inmates -- averting a crisis that nearly sent a state agency head to jail for contempt -- Florida is once again running out of bed space.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/914419.html
-Public funds the cherry on campaign cake
BY BETH REINHARD
Guess who else has been living large and getting massive government bailouts for years? Political candidates in Florida. Republican Charlie Crist, a career politician who easily shattered fundraising records during his 2006 bid for governor, got a $3.3 million handout to help run a campaign heavy on attack ads against his opponent. Democrat Alex Sink, a former banking executive who also had no trouble putting nickels and dimes together to run for chief financial officer, received more than $1 million courtesy of Florida taxpayers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/columnists/beth-reinhard/story/914416.html
=
Friends of ArtServe - -an investment in the Arts
Limited Offer! Become a Friend of ArtServe by February 24th and receive 2 complimentary tickets to see the acclaimed Teresa Nieto Dance Company at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts on February 27, 2009 (a $79 value).* The performance is on February 27, 2009 at 8:30 pm at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts 201 SW 5th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale Call today for membership levels and benefits.
Robin Drazin, 954.462.8190 ext 203.
www.artserve.org
=
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 20th District of Florida
-Two quick questions about expanding drilling off of Florida's coast
There are several proposals being discussed in Washington and Tallahassee that would expand the areas on which oil companies could drill off of the coast of Florida. I support a moratorium against the expansion of offshore drilling and have written a column on this topic, a version of which ran last month in the Sun-Sentinel (READ MY COLUMN HERE). http://www.house.gov/list/hearing/fl20_schultz/GasPricesDrilling.html
That said, I am interested to know what you think about this topic, especially now that energy prices are increasing. Thank you for taking a moment to read this and for letting me know your opinion on this important issue.
http://wassermanschultz.congressnewsletter.net/mail/util.cfm?gpiv=1999884994.135429.706&gen=1
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Crist unveils $66.5 billion spending plan
Plan relies on no new taxes, expanded gambling revenues and heaping helping of federal money to stay in balance
By Aaron Deslatte
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-florida-budget-022009,0,3848435.story
-Miami mayor meets with Obama
by Oscar Pedro Musibay
President Barack Obama told a meeting of more than 80 U.S. mayors Friday that it was time to leverage their front-line expertise and "convert peril into promise."
http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/02/16/daily57.html
-Rove testimony hangs in balance
By JOSH GERSTEIN
A federal appeals court has agreed to give President Barack Obama a little more time-but only a little- to decide whether to support...one of President Bush's most controversial uses of executive privilege.
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0209/deadline_for_privilege_c630914e-62ba-4056-a8ef-b883d9c7eb2e.html
-Broward Republican leader voices strong criticism of Gov. Charlie Crist
Three of the four top officials of Broward's Republican Party - Chairman Chip LaMarca, Vice Chairwoman Cindy Guerra, and state committeewoman Sharon Day - were at Gov. Charlie Crist's town hall meeting this week in Fort Lauderdale. The fourth - state Republican committeeman Ed Kennedy - has become increasingly critical of Crist over the governor's support for President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/02/broward_republican_leader_voic.html
-USF medical school program's accreditation is yanked
By Kris Hundley, Times Staff Writer
A program at the University of South Florida that trains doctors specializing in high-risk pregnancies has had its accreditation yanked after a review board found the students were overworked and poorly supervised.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/article977327.ece
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Friday, February 20, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - February 20, 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:
-Charities Now Seek Bankruptcy Protection
By STEPHANIE STROM
On Tuesday, the board of Glass Youth and Family Services in Los Angeles voted to file for bankruptcy protection, unable to overcome falling state reimbursements, rising costs and dwindling donations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us/20bankrupt.html?_r=1&scp=14&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Work That Tiara, Boy!
GMU's Choice of Homecoming Queen Sparks Campus Divide
By Annie Gowen
Spend time with George Mason University senior Ryan Allen and it's clear why he's a Big Man on Campus. He wears size 12 pumps. Allen is now -- as of halftime at Saturday's sold-out basketball game against Northeastern at the Patriot Center -- the school's homecoming queen. He received more votes than the two women who vied for the crown.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/19/AR2009021901780.html
-Growing HIV rates among gay, bisexual men in Asia
HONG KONG -- The AIDS virus is spreading rapidly among gay and bisexual men in Asia as younger people shun condoms and authorities fail to increase awareness of the disease, health officials said Friday. The epidemic will worsen dramatically in coming years unless there is better education and stronger political will to combat the disease, warned Massimo Ghidinelli, the World Health Organization's regional adviser on HIV/AIDS.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022000942.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-There's No Reason to Gloat Over Dubai's Fall
By ZVIKA KRIEGER
The emirates set a good example in a bad neighborhood. Of all the victims of the global financial crisis, Dubai and its neighboring states are receiving little sympathy. The oil-rich Persian Gulf emirate, which until recently had been a glitzy boomtown attracting fortune-seekers from across the globe, is reported to be canceling 1,500 work visas every day. Its real-estate market has dropped 30% or more over the past few months.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123509552886528999.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Lutheran panel urges new rules for gay clergy
By Manya A. Brachear and Margaret Ramirez
A task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommended Thursday that its leaders make changes to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flalutheran0220sbfeb20,0,2269925.story
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Winter Party Festival: It's going to be a throwback to the gay '08s
BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com
The 2009 economy is tanking and tourism has taken a hit, but gay men and women are poised to party in South Florida like it's 2008. Winter Party Festival advance ticket sales are nearly the same this year as last, according to Michael Bath, special events manager for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/02/winter-party-festival-its-going-to-be-a-throwback-to-the-gay-08s.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Ft. Lauderdale: Pompano Bill to be released from hospital
By JAMES MICHAELS
Local event photographer John "Pompano Bill" Calceterra is recovering from hip replacement surgery. For the scheduled operation, Calceterra was admitted to Holy Cross Hospital on February 5th and was released from Holy Cross Hospital after surgery on February 8th. He is currently recovering at the Fort Lauderdale Health and Rehabilitation Center where he is undergoing physical therapy twice daily and is expected to be released the weekend of Feb. 20. "I have one hip that's 83 and another one that's a week old." Calceterra said. No surgery was needed on his other hip but he admits he will not be able to do the Tango.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-19/news/localnews/5556.cfm
-Anti-gay forces work to regain nat'l influence
Religious conservatives fear Congress will advance gay rights legislation
By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade
-Plan would recognize same-sex couples in Wisconsin
Partners would have right to hospital visits, property
MADISON (AP)
-Stimulus allows 'discretionary' funds for HIV prevention
AIDS funding earmark stripped from $787 billion measure
By LOU CHIBBARO JR, Washington Blade
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-PepsiCo Gets in Bed With Rockstar, Michael Savage
PepsiCo announced Wednesday morning a multiyear distribution deal with the makers of the energy drink Rockstar, prompting calls among gay rights activists for a company-wide boycott.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73414.asp
-Tyra Loves Gays Who Hate Gays
By Dave White
Nobody wants to go to Elisabeth Hasselbeck's house to watch her favorite show, The Bachelor. Nobody on The View anyway. She asked her cohosts this week -- and even tried to make it sound like it would be 110% fun -- to hang out at her place watching a show about straight women battling it out to fall in fake-love with a handsome, frequently shirtless guy. There would be pajamas worn! There would be snacks!
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid73421.asp
-Long-Standing LGBT Social Service Organization Files for Bankruptcy
Eight days after celebrating its 25th anniversary, Los Angeles's Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, effectively ceasing operations immediately. GLASS was the nation's first long-term residential treatment program specifically for LGBT youths. The group currently operates residential group homes in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland that house 71 young people. The agency also provides transitional living space for about 25 teens aged 17-19 and secures foster homes for 50 youths.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73438.asp
-Fred Phelps, Daughter Barred From Entering U.K.
As they've done many times before, Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper had planned to picket an upcoming production of the Matthew Shepard play The Laramie Project -- but the United Kingdom will have none of their "extremist" hate.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73385.asp
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-HIV rate among Swazi women now 42%
Some 42 percent of pregnant women in Swaziland are infected with the virus that causes AIDS, a jump of 3 percent since last year
-FBI's Hoover investigated rumors Valenti was gay
Longtime Hollywood lobbyist Jack Valenti was among the Washington figures whose sex lives were secretly investigated by the FBI in the 1960s.
-8 LGBT protections added to ND human rights law in state senate
In a bipartisan move, the North Dakota Senate has voted to amend the state Human Rights Act to include gays, lesbians and transgenderds.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay airport guard awarded compensation in sexual harassment case
By Tony Grew
A gay airport employee who was sexually harassed by a female colleague was today awarded almost double the compensation expected.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11248.html
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Hollywood Slowly Opening Up to Gay Films
Malay Mail
Three years after gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain missed out on best picture at the Oscars, can Milk be the cream of the crop at the 81st Academy Awards? Director Gus Van Sant's inspirational biopic charts the life and death of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, who was murdered by a fellow San Francisco politician in 1978. The film, which stars Sean Penn as Milk, heads into next Sunday's Oscars with eight nominations - including best picture, best director, best actor, best supporting actor and best original screenplay. But recent history suggests that admirers of Milk should not be banking on a multi-Oscar- winning haul. "The memory of Brokeback Mountain's defeat, led some commentators to wonder if the Academy was ready to name a "gay" film for its top prize. Although Brokeback Mountain was widely acclaimed and managed three Oscars - direction, score and attempted screenplay - it was beaten by Crash as best picture. Read more
-NJ: Workshop Will Discuss Homophobia in Sports
Sentinel
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network of Central New Jersey will sponsor the "It Takes a Team!" workshop 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at the South Brunswick High School, 750 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction. The program, which is co-sponsored by the South Brunswick High School Gay Straight Alliance, will feature Dr. Pat Griffin speaking about ending homophobia in sports. Student athletes, parents, coaches and interested community members are welcome. Link
-Gay Pensioners Required to Out Themselves to Centrelink
Yahoo News
From July 1, Centrelink will recognise gay and lesbian relationships for the first time, but for same sex-couples receiving Centrelink payments, that hard-won equality comes at a price. Under the changes, some may get less money, or lose their payments altogether, if their partner earns more than the income threshold. And they will now be obliged to disclose their homosexuality to Centrelink. For old-age pensioners in particular, that's raising concerns. Gerontologist Jo Harrison says it is a traumatic prospect for some of the gay and lesbian pensioners she works with. "It's a huge problem, even if it is kept secret by Centrelink, because we're talking about people who have lived lives where in their 20s they were arrested and bashed," she says. Read more
-ELCA Panel Urges Church to Allow Clergy to Live in Gay, Lesbian Relationships
The Dickinson Press
GRAND FORKS - In what promises to be a controversial move unprecedented in the history of Lutheranism in the United States, a national task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommends that the nation's largest Lutheran denomination change its policy and allow homosexual clergy to live in "committed, same-gender relationships." The report, made public at noon today, is the result of years of study, wrangling and revising of official statements. According to an ELCA news release, "The report focuses on changing the policy that 'ordained ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships," - as stated in the ELCA's 'Vision and Expectations,' for ordained ministers." Read more
-NC: Gay Groups Agitated Over Conference
Tonya Jameson | tjameson@charlotteobserver.com | Charlotte Observer
A battle for gay souls is unfolding in Charlotte this week. One faith-based conference is trying to turn people away from homosexuality and another faith-based conference teaches that homosexuals can have happy, healthy spiritual lives. Also, the 14th annual Human Rights Campaign Carolinas gala is Saturday at the Charlotte Convention Center. The HRC is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, and Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's event. All of this is going down less than a week after Charlotte Presbyterians voted to end the ban on gay clergy. Read more
-Pro, "Ex" Gay Spiritual Events Converge in Charlotte, N.C.
Kilian Melloy | EDGE Contributor | EDGE Boston
Wayne Besen of "Truth Wins Out" is scheduled to speak at an anti-"ex gay" event in Charlotte
As the cultural storm over gays, their families, and their souls sweeps America, an unexpected, if momentary, focus has emerged: Charlotte, North Carolina. A Feb. 19 article in the Charlotte Observer notes that no fewer than events in Charlotte are aligning to draw attention to that city with regard to GLBT issues. Read more
-IL: Gay Students Going 'Full Kitsch' for Mixer
Chicago Breaking News
There will be music, heart-shaped decorations and the ever observant eyes of parent chaperons roaming the school commons. Beneath pink streamers, teenagers will dance and pose for pictures in the Cupid Booth. But the dance Friday will break ground as north suburban Stevenson High School's first mixer for homosexual students. "This is the first time they've gotten to actually plan a dance explicitly for their interests. That seems like a small thing, and it's not," said teacher Bill Fritz. Educators say gay students are vulnerable to harassment and are more likely to miss school or feel disconnected - ultimately affecting their academic performance. So as more teens come out in high school, support systems have broadened to emphasize tolerance. In Illinois, the first Gay Straight Alliances emerged at Chicago's Whitney Young and Marshall High Schools 15 years ago, said Shannon Sullivan of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance. Now, 88 public high schools sponsor similar groups, and more may exist but choose not to be listed. "Students who feel they are more part of a school do better in school. The [Gay Straight Alliance] is part of that, having a teacher you can talk with is part of that, and for that matter, so is a school dance," said Joseph Kosciw, research director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Read more
-He Won't Be On a List, But He's in the Pulpit
Star Tribune
In a happenstance of timing, the Rev. Bradley Froslee is being installed as pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church at 3 p.m .Sunday, but he won't be recognized. Current bylaws allow gays and lesbians to be ordained only if they are celibate. But some churches, including Calvary Lutheran in Minneapolis, are ignoring that rule. Ministers in such cases are not "rostered," meaning that calvary's ministry will be listed as "vacant." Froslee was ordained five years ago but has since become involved in a relationship and now is listed as "on leave from call." "This congregation is trying very hard to build bridges with the community," he said. "Yes, we have gay and lesbian members, but we also have African-American members and Latino members. Our vision is to be a congregation that reflects the diversity of our community." JEFF STRICKLER Link
-Final Ruling: Just Say No to Gay Volunteers
Chris Nielsen | PageOneQ
Adding insult to injury would aptly describe a recent, long-awaited ruling by the Washington State Human Rights Commission in its answer to a complaint filed by a gay couple who was shown the door when they tried to volunteer at a religious organization's hot meal program. In March 2008, Tad Erichsen and John Footh were turned away from the His Supper Table program in the tiny coastal community of Long Beach, Washington, where they both reside. They were told in no uncertain terms by then meal program director Mike Renfro that they were refused the opportunity to volunteer solely because they were gay. "We were told that our being there, a gay couple, would create a 'hostile work environment,'" says Erichsen. Read more
-Rebel Australian Priest Defies Sacking
AFP | Google News
SYDNEY (AFP) - A rebel Catholic priest sacked for blessing gay couples and allowing women to preach has vowed to defy his archbishop and lead mass on Sunday.
Father Peter Kennedy of St Mary's parish in the east coast city of Brisbane said he expected a "packed church" to show support against his dismissal this week by Archbishop John Bathersby. "I think he's sacked me unjustly and the community agrees so I'm standing strong and I don't think he can do anything about that," Kennedy told AFP. "I don't know what will happen but we will just continue with our liturgy as we normally have it," he said in a telephone interview from the inner-city church where he has preached for 28 years. Read more
-UT: Wilson's Benefits Push:A Profile of Persistence if Not Courage
Jeremiah Stettler | The Salt Lake Tribune
How hard could it be? she thought. In her mind, she wasn't asking for anything "radical." Democratic Councilwoman Jenny Wilson simply wanted to offer wider health benefits to Salt Lake County employees. But her colleagues warned about political pushback: "You won't get a Republican vote," Councilman Joe Hatch told her. Read more
-KS: Access to Sex Books Restricted at Topeka Library
Associated Press | KansasCity.com
TOPEKA | The Topeka Shawnee County Library Board of Trustees has voted to restrict access to four books about sex. The 5-3 vote came Thursday after the board heard more than two hours of testimony and discussion. The board had moved its regular meeting to a bigger room for the public hearing because of the interest in the issue. The board took up the issue after Kim Borchers and her group "Kansans for Common Sense" requested that the books should be taken off the public shelves and available only by request from an adult. The books are The Joy of Sex, The Joy of Gay Sex, Sex for Busy People, and the Lesbian Kama Sutra. The board left the decision on how to restrict access to the books to the library staff. Read more
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Charities Now Seek Bankruptcy Protection
By STEPHANIE STROM
On Tuesday, the board of Glass Youth and Family Services in Los Angeles voted to file for bankruptcy protection, unable to overcome falling state reimbursements, rising costs and dwindling donations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us/20bankrupt.html?_r=1&scp=14&sq=gay&st=cse
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Work That Tiara, Boy!
GMU's Choice of Homecoming Queen Sparks Campus Divide
By Annie Gowen
Spend time with George Mason University senior Ryan Allen and it's clear why he's a Big Man on Campus. He wears size 12 pumps. Allen is now -- as of halftime at Saturday's sold-out basketball game against Northeastern at the Patriot Center -- the school's homecoming queen. He received more votes than the two women who vied for the crown.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/19/AR2009021901780.html
-Growing HIV rates among gay, bisexual men in Asia
HONG KONG -- The AIDS virus is spreading rapidly among gay and bisexual men in Asia as younger people shun condoms and authorities fail to increase awareness of the disease, health officials said Friday. The epidemic will worsen dramatically in coming years unless there is better education and stronger political will to combat the disease, warned Massimo Ghidinelli, the World Health Organization's regional adviser on HIV/AIDS.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/20/AR2009022000942.html
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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-There's No Reason to Gloat Over Dubai's Fall
By ZVIKA KRIEGER
The emirates set a good example in a bad neighborhood. Of all the victims of the global financial crisis, Dubai and its neighboring states are receiving little sympathy. The oil-rich Persian Gulf emirate, which until recently had been a glitzy boomtown attracting fortune-seekers from across the globe, is reported to be canceling 1,500 work visas every day. Its real-estate market has dropped 30% or more over the past few months.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123509552886528999.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Lutheran panel urges new rules for gay clergy
By Manya A. Brachear and Margaret Ramirez
A task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommended Thursday that its leaders make changes to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flalutheran0220sbfeb20,0,2269925.story
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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Winter Party Festival: It's going to be a throwback to the gay '08s
BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com
The 2009 economy is tanking and tourism has taken a hit, but gay men and women are poised to party in South Florida like it's 2008. Winter Party Festival advance ticket sales are nearly the same this year as last, according to Michael Bath, special events manager for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/02/winter-party-festival-its-going-to-be-a-throwback-to-the-gay-08s.html
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Ft. Lauderdale: Pompano Bill to be released from hospital
By JAMES MICHAELS
Local event photographer John "Pompano Bill" Calceterra is recovering from hip replacement surgery. For the scheduled operation, Calceterra was admitted to Holy Cross Hospital on February 5th and was released from Holy Cross Hospital after surgery on February 8th. He is currently recovering at the Fort Lauderdale Health and Rehabilitation Center where he is undergoing physical therapy twice daily and is expected to be released the weekend of Feb. 20. "I have one hip that's 83 and another one that's a week old." Calceterra said. No surgery was needed on his other hip but he admits he will not be able to do the Tango.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-19/news/localnews/5556.cfm
-Anti-gay forces work to regain nat'l influence
Religious conservatives fear Congress will advance gay rights legislation
By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade
-Plan would recognize same-sex couples in Wisconsin
Partners would have right to hospital visits, property
MADISON (AP)
-Stimulus allows 'discretionary' funds for HIV prevention
AIDS funding earmark stripped from $787 billion measure
By LOU CHIBBARO JR, Washington Blade
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-PepsiCo Gets in Bed With Rockstar, Michael Savage
PepsiCo announced Wednesday morning a multiyear distribution deal with the makers of the energy drink Rockstar, prompting calls among gay rights activists for a company-wide boycott.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73414.asp
-Tyra Loves Gays Who Hate Gays
By Dave White
Nobody wants to go to Elisabeth Hasselbeck's house to watch her favorite show, The Bachelor. Nobody on The View anyway. She asked her cohosts this week -- and even tried to make it sound like it would be 110% fun -- to hang out at her place watching a show about straight women battling it out to fall in fake-love with a handsome, frequently shirtless guy. There would be pajamas worn! There would be snacks!
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid73421.asp
-Long-Standing LGBT Social Service Organization Files for Bankruptcy
Eight days after celebrating its 25th anniversary, Los Angeles's Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, effectively ceasing operations immediately. GLASS was the nation's first long-term residential treatment program specifically for LGBT youths. The group currently operates residential group homes in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland that house 71 young people. The agency also provides transitional living space for about 25 teens aged 17-19 and secures foster homes for 50 youths.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73438.asp
-Fred Phelps, Daughter Barred From Entering U.K.
As they've done many times before, Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper had planned to picket an upcoming production of the Matthew Shepard play The Laramie Project -- but the United Kingdom will have none of their "extremist" hate.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73385.asp
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-HIV rate among Swazi women now 42%
Some 42 percent of pregnant women in Swaziland are infected with the virus that causes AIDS, a jump of 3 percent since last year
-FBI's Hoover investigated rumors Valenti was gay
Longtime Hollywood lobbyist Jack Valenti was among the Washington figures whose sex lives were secretly investigated by the FBI in the 1960s.
-8 LGBT protections added to ND human rights law in state senate
In a bipartisan move, the North Dakota Senate has voted to amend the state Human Rights Act to include gays, lesbians and transgenderds.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay airport guard awarded compensation in sexual harassment case
By Tony Grew
A gay airport employee who was sexually harassed by a female colleague was today awarded almost double the compensation expected.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11248.html
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Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Hollywood Slowly Opening Up to Gay Films
Malay Mail
Three years after gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain missed out on best picture at the Oscars, can Milk be the cream of the crop at the 81st Academy Awards? Director Gus Van Sant's inspirational biopic charts the life and death of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, who was murdered by a fellow San Francisco politician in 1978. The film, which stars Sean Penn as Milk, heads into next Sunday's Oscars with eight nominations - including best picture, best director, best actor, best supporting actor and best original screenplay. But recent history suggests that admirers of Milk should not be banking on a multi-Oscar- winning haul. "The memory of Brokeback Mountain's defeat, led some commentators to wonder if the Academy was ready to name a "gay" film for its top prize. Although Brokeback Mountain was widely acclaimed and managed three Oscars - direction, score and attempted screenplay - it was beaten by Crash as best picture. Read more
-NJ: Workshop Will Discuss Homophobia in Sports
Sentinel
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network of Central New Jersey will sponsor the "It Takes a Team!" workshop 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at the South Brunswick High School, 750 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction. The program, which is co-sponsored by the South Brunswick High School Gay Straight Alliance, will feature Dr. Pat Griffin speaking about ending homophobia in sports. Student athletes, parents, coaches and interested community members are welcome. Link
-Gay Pensioners Required to Out Themselves to Centrelink
Yahoo News
From July 1, Centrelink will recognise gay and lesbian relationships for the first time, but for same sex-couples receiving Centrelink payments, that hard-won equality comes at a price. Under the changes, some may get less money, or lose their payments altogether, if their partner earns more than the income threshold. And they will now be obliged to disclose their homosexuality to Centrelink. For old-age pensioners in particular, that's raising concerns. Gerontologist Jo Harrison says it is a traumatic prospect for some of the gay and lesbian pensioners she works with. "It's a huge problem, even if it is kept secret by Centrelink, because we're talking about people who have lived lives where in their 20s they were arrested and bashed," she says. Read more
-ELCA Panel Urges Church to Allow Clergy to Live in Gay, Lesbian Relationships
The Dickinson Press
GRAND FORKS - In what promises to be a controversial move unprecedented in the history of Lutheranism in the United States, a national task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommends that the nation's largest Lutheran denomination change its policy and allow homosexual clergy to live in "committed, same-gender relationships." The report, made public at noon today, is the result of years of study, wrangling and revising of official statements. According to an ELCA news release, "The report focuses on changing the policy that 'ordained ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships," - as stated in the ELCA's 'Vision and Expectations,' for ordained ministers." Read more
-NC: Gay Groups Agitated Over Conference
Tonya Jameson | tjameson@charlotteobserver.com | Charlotte Observer
A battle for gay souls is unfolding in Charlotte this week. One faith-based conference is trying to turn people away from homosexuality and another faith-based conference teaches that homosexuals can have happy, healthy spiritual lives. Also, the 14th annual Human Rights Campaign Carolinas gala is Saturday at the Charlotte Convention Center. The HRC is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, and Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., will be the keynote speaker at Saturday's event. All of this is going down less than a week after Charlotte Presbyterians voted to end the ban on gay clergy. Read more
-Pro, "Ex" Gay Spiritual Events Converge in Charlotte, N.C.
Kilian Melloy | EDGE Contributor | EDGE Boston
Wayne Besen of "Truth Wins Out" is scheduled to speak at an anti-"ex gay" event in Charlotte
As the cultural storm over gays, their families, and their souls sweeps America, an unexpected, if momentary, focus has emerged: Charlotte, North Carolina. A Feb. 19 article in the Charlotte Observer notes that no fewer than events in Charlotte are aligning to draw attention to that city with regard to GLBT issues. Read more
-IL: Gay Students Going 'Full Kitsch' for Mixer
Chicago Breaking News
There will be music, heart-shaped decorations and the ever observant eyes of parent chaperons roaming the school commons. Beneath pink streamers, teenagers will dance and pose for pictures in the Cupid Booth. But the dance Friday will break ground as north suburban Stevenson High School's first mixer for homosexual students. "This is the first time they've gotten to actually plan a dance explicitly for their interests. That seems like a small thing, and it's not," said teacher Bill Fritz. Educators say gay students are vulnerable to harassment and are more likely to miss school or feel disconnected - ultimately affecting their academic performance. So as more teens come out in high school, support systems have broadened to emphasize tolerance. In Illinois, the first Gay Straight Alliances emerged at Chicago's Whitney Young and Marshall High Schools 15 years ago, said Shannon Sullivan of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance. Now, 88 public high schools sponsor similar groups, and more may exist but choose not to be listed. "Students who feel they are more part of a school do better in school. The [Gay Straight Alliance] is part of that, having a teacher you can talk with is part of that, and for that matter, so is a school dance," said Joseph Kosciw, research director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Read more
-He Won't Be On a List, But He's in the Pulpit
Star Tribune
In a happenstance of timing, the Rev. Bradley Froslee is being installed as pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church at 3 p.m .Sunday, but he won't be recognized. Current bylaws allow gays and lesbians to be ordained only if they are celibate. But some churches, including Calvary Lutheran in Minneapolis, are ignoring that rule. Ministers in such cases are not "rostered," meaning that calvary's ministry will be listed as "vacant." Froslee was ordained five years ago but has since become involved in a relationship and now is listed as "on leave from call." "This congregation is trying very hard to build bridges with the community," he said. "Yes, we have gay and lesbian members, but we also have African-American members and Latino members. Our vision is to be a congregation that reflects the diversity of our community." JEFF STRICKLER Link
-Final Ruling: Just Say No to Gay Volunteers
Chris Nielsen | PageOneQ
Adding insult to injury would aptly describe a recent, long-awaited ruling by the Washington State Human Rights Commission in its answer to a complaint filed by a gay couple who was shown the door when they tried to volunteer at a religious organization's hot meal program. In March 2008, Tad Erichsen and John Footh were turned away from the His Supper Table program in the tiny coastal community of Long Beach, Washington, where they both reside. They were told in no uncertain terms by then meal program director Mike Renfro that they were refused the opportunity to volunteer solely because they were gay. "We were told that our being there, a gay couple, would create a 'hostile work environment,'" says Erichsen. Read more
-Rebel Australian Priest Defies Sacking
AFP | Google News
SYDNEY (AFP) - A rebel Catholic priest sacked for blessing gay couples and allowing women to preach has vowed to defy his archbishop and lead mass on Sunday.
Father Peter Kennedy of St Mary's parish in the east coast city of Brisbane said he expected a "packed church" to show support against his dismissal this week by Archbishop John Bathersby. "I think he's sacked me unjustly and the community agrees so I'm standing strong and I don't think he can do anything about that," Kennedy told AFP. "I don't know what will happen but we will just continue with our liturgy as we normally have it," he said in a telephone interview from the inner-city church where he has preached for 28 years. Read more
-UT: Wilson's Benefits Push:A Profile of Persistence if Not Courage
Jeremiah Stettler | The Salt Lake Tribune
How hard could it be? she thought. In her mind, she wasn't asking for anything "radical." Democratic Councilwoman Jenny Wilson simply wanted to offer wider health benefits to Salt Lake County employees. But her colleagues warned about political pushback: "You won't get a Republican vote," Councilman Joe Hatch told her. Read more
-KS: Access to Sex Books Restricted at Topeka Library
Associated Press | KansasCity.com
TOPEKA | The Topeka Shawnee County Library Board of Trustees has voted to restrict access to four books about sex. The 5-3 vote came Thursday after the board heard more than two hours of testimony and discussion. The board had moved its regular meeting to a bigger room for the public hearing because of the interest in the issue. The board took up the issue after Kim Borchers and her group "Kansans for Common Sense" requested that the books should be taken off the public shelves and available only by request from an adult. The books are The Joy of Sex, The Joy of Gay Sex, Sex for Busy People, and the Lesbian Kama Sutra. The board left the decision on how to restrict access to the books to the library staff. Read more
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Thursday, February 19, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - February 19, 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:
-Official Resists Effort to Tame Raucous Race
By JESSE McKINLEY
The annual Bay to Breakers event here is one of the nation's largest footraces and perhaps the only one where spectators have been regularly confronted by runners in various stages of inebriation and the states of undress that such drinking can inspire.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/19frisco.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Valenti's Sexuality Was Topic For FBI
Under Pressure, LBJ Let Hoover's Agents Investigate Top Aide
By Joe Stephens
When Beltway insider Jack Valenti died two years ago at age 85, he was playing the role of intermediary between Washington and Hollywood as the theatrical, snowy-haired president of the Motion Picture Association of America.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803819.html
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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-After Prison, Few Places for Sex Offenders to Live
Georgia's Rules That Keep Some Convicted Felons Far From Children Create Challenges for Compliance, Enforcement
By STEPHANIE CHEN
After two years of fitful searching, Christopher Noles and his family finally found a modest three-bedroom house in rural Georgia. The bedrooms are cramped, the kitchen plumbing leaky. There isn't a neighbor in sight. But the lonely old house is a last refuge. Mr. Noles is one of nearly 16,000 sex offenders convicted in Georgia who, under state law, can't live or work within 1,000 feet of a church, school, day-care center, skating rink, park, swimming pool or any other place where children gather. Failing to register an address could mean 30 extra years in prison for a convicted sex offender.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123500941182818821.html
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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Kanye West: 'Should be said as a compliment ... Dude, that's so good it's almost ... gay'
From Details profile, The Unraveling of Kanye West:
"Titles are very important. I like to embody titles, y'know, or words that have negative connotations, and explain why that's good," he says. "Take the word gay-like, in hip-hop, that's a negative thing, right? But in the past two, three years, all the gay people I've encountered have been, like, really, really, extremely dope. Y'know, I haven't, like, gone to a gay bar, nor do I ever plan to. But where I would talk to a gay person-the conversation would be mostly around, like, art or design-it'd be really dope. From a design standpoint, kids'll say, 'Dude, those pants are gay.' But if it's, like, good, good, good fashion-level, design-level stuff, where it's on a higher level than the average commercial design stuff, it's, like, gay people that do that. I think that should be said as a compliment. Like, 'Dude, that's so good it's almost . . . gay.'"
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-Domestic partnership bill introduced in Florida Legislature
An e-mail from Equality Florida:
Historic Domestic Partnership Legislation Introduced
Sen. Eleanor Sobel (Hallandale Beach) has introduced a statewide Domestic Partnership bill (SB 1642). Equality Florida has been working closely with Sen. Sobel in preparing this historic legislation. The companion bill will be sponsored in the house by Rep. Richard Steinberg (Miami Beach). As a Miami Beach City Commissioner, Rep. Steinberg played a key role in passing Florida's strongest Domestic Partnership policy.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Obama to retain White House AIDS office
Candidates being interviewed to fill post left vacant by Bush
By LOU CHIBBARO JR
Obama administration officials are in the process of selecting a director for the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, a position once known as the nation's AIDS Czar.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24086
-Stimulus allows 'discretionary' funds for HIV prevention
AIDS funding earmark stripped from $787 billion measure
By LOU CHIBBARO JR
Congressional negotiators last week agreed to drop a House-approved provision from President Obama's polarizing economic stimulus package that allocated $335 million for prevention programs to counter HIV and other communicable diseases.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24081
-Obama appoints gay fundraiser to White House role
Bernard to be liaison for National Endowment for the Humanities
By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade
President Obama has appointed a gay man who helped raise funds for his presidential campaign to a role in the White House, according to a Democratic source.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24085
-Attorney says client faces 'death sentence' if forced to return to Sierra Leone
By LOU CHIBBARO JR
A gay man from the African nation of Sierra Leone is contesting a
preliminary U.S. immigration decision to deny his request for political asylum. Federal officials say the man, 29-year-old Dunrick Sogie-Thomas of Hyattsville, Md., failed to provide sufficient evidence that he would be subjected to arrest, torture and possibly death if forced to return to his home country.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24079
-Ohio Presbyterians OK clergy in same-sex couples
Pastors, elders voted to amend church constitution
Presbyterian church leaders from central and southern Ohio have approved the idea of clergy members who are in same-sex relationships. Pastors and elders from the Presbytery of Scioto Valley voted Tuesday to amend the Presbyterian church constitution, which now states clergy must be in a faithful marriage between a man and a woman or be celibate. An elder from the First Presbyterian Church of Waverly spoke of his gay son and said it was time to end discrimination. But a pastor from Lewis Center opposing the amendment said the church must stand up for the Bible's teachings about marriage and sexuality. The Ohio church body is one of at least 10 that have voted for the change. At least 25 have rejected it. Dozens more have yet to vote.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24077
-Recharging the fight against HIV/AIDS
Celebrate National Condom Week by protecting yourself
By JOHN PETER DALY and RICK MENDIOLA
It was a rainy day and all the kids piled out of the school bus and began to swarm around something on the ground. I thought, was it a dead animal or a slug?
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-12/view/columns/5534.cfm
-Recharging the fight against HIV/AIDS
Celebrate National Condom Week by protecting yourself
By JOHN PETER DALY and RICK MENDIOLA
It was a rainy day and all the kids piled out of the school bus and began to swarm around something on the ground.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-12/view/columns/5534.cfm
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Unzipped Shoots Portland Mayor's Former Lover
Beau Breedlove, the former lover of gay Portland, Ore., mayor Sam Adams, has accepted Unzipped magazine's offer to be featured on the magazine's May cover and traveled to Los Angeles this weekend for a nude photo shoot, editors announced on Tuesday.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73235.asp
-Calif. House Committee Opposes Prop. 8
California's house judiciary committee passed a resolution opposing Proposition 8 on Tuesday, saying that the ballot initiative to end marriage equality in the state was an "improper revision of the California constitution."
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73319.asp
-Clinton Supports Overturn of Prop. 8 but Still Crosses Gay Picket Line
Despite pleas from several activists and public figures not to do so, former president Bill Clinton crossed a picket line of about 200 people to deliver a speech on Sunday in San Diego. He still, however, stood behind his opposition to California's Proposition 8.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73232.asp
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Plays Promote Tolerance
By Emma Ruby-Sachs, Blogger, 365gay Agenda Blog
Last week I went to see a production of Stupid Kids. You know, the John C. Russell play about four kids in a 1980s American high school that has been produced and re-produced over and over again in most major American cities since its premier in 1989. The play's story is familiar, at least for me: a whole lot of angst in school bathrooms, falling in love with your best friend over and over again and not really understanding what is going on, writing bad poetry you contemplate showing the object of your affection only to tear it up and hide it under the bed.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-gay-plays-promote-tolerance/
-65 million condoms for Carnival
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) Carnival is condom season in Brazil, where the government has announced it will hand out 65 million free prophylactics to partiers this month.
http://www.365gay.com/news/65-million-condoms-for-carnival/
-Coming to the defense of gay Republicans
By James Withers, contributing editor, 365Gay Blog
My Log Cabin brothers and sisters are in deep doo-doo if I'm defending them; however, it is hard not to recognize the loony tunes in Peter LaBarbera's screed against the group. The president (translation: professional bigot) of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (translation: homophobes who publish crappy scholarship) sent RNC chair Michael Steele a letter asking him to keep gay Republicans at arm's length.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/021809-christian-activist-smears-log-cabin-republicans/
-UK: Anti-Gay ad violated standards
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(London) Britain's advertising watchdog has banned the re-publication of an ad that condemns homosexuality.
http://www.365gay.com/news/uk-anti-gay-ad-violated-standards/
-Teacher accuses principal of nixing 'Rent' over gay characters
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Drama students at Corona del Mar High School were busy Wednesday learning the lines and music to "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown" after "Rent" the spring musical they were in rehearsals for was cancelled.
http://www.365gay.com/news/teacher-accuses-principal-of-nixing-rent-over-gay-characters/
-The future of gay news media
By Wayne Besen
In one of the most important articles of the year, Walter Isaacson wrote in Time Magazine about the shredding of the newspaper business. With free content available online, people are dropping daily subscriptions and newsstand sales are declining. The only way for newspapers to remain profitable is through advertising revenue in the print and online editions.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/besen-the-future-of-gay-news-media/
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Welcome to Al-Fatiha's historic survey of Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and questioning or exploring their gender identity and/or sexual orientation (LGBTIQQ), including Muslims who use other cultural and ethnic terms to refer to their own experience. This survey is for Muslims of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and Muslims of all beliefs and practices, including observant Muslims, cultural Muslims, and those who are secular. This is the first survey of its kind. The results of this survey will tell us all about our community, our experiences and our concerns. The results will guide Al-Fatiha's educational and advocacy work on behalf of LGBTIQQ Muslims, and will be shared with the entire community.
http://al-fatiha.org/survey.htm
=
Forwarded from Michael Emanuel Rajner
merajner@gmail.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Ft. Lauderdale: Denise King, surviving mother of Simmie Williams, Jr., spoke of her incredible grief exclusively in her first television interview with CBS-4 News Ted Scouten. In today's interview Denise shares her grief and struggle for police to bring her child's murdered to justice. To view the CBS-4 News interview, visit: This Sunday, February 22nd at 7pm, students of FAU's Lambda United will be organizing a memorial on the murder site, NW 10th Avenue & West Sistrunk Blvd. / NW 6th Street to increase awareness of this 1 year unsolved murder. Please honor Simmie and support the leadership of FAU's Lambda United students and attend Sunday's memorial.
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=71449@wfor.dayport.com
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-God Hates Fags preacher will be denied entry says UK Border Agency
Two American fundamentalist Christians have been excluded from entering the UK after they threatened to protest in Basingstoke.
-Hip-hop star Kanye West claims to have reinvented the word 'gay'
Rapper Kanye West has claimed that the word 'gay' should not be an insult. Instead, the 808s and Heartbreak star said that the term will be used in future as synonymous with fashionable and stylish.
-Utah Senator brands gays the 'greatest threat to America'
Senator Chris Buttars has revealed homophobic attitudes in a new documentary.
The senator compared gays to Muslim fundamentalists and claimed that they have no morals.
-West Virginia anti-gay marriage group posts sniper video
The Family Policy Council of West Virginia has posted videos on YouTube and its websites warning voters that gay marriage threatens heterosexual families.
-Teen pop star reveals he was victim of male rape
The lead singer of 1970s supergroup the Bay City Rollers has spoken for the first time about his years of torment after being raped by another man.
-Holocaust was God's punishment for Jews claims Muslim leader
An Islamic preacher who called for gay people to be put to death has caused further outrage with his comments about the Holocaust.
-Labour's gay group asks for ban on God Hates Fags church members
LGBT Labour has written to the Home Office asking that members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church be refused entry into the UK.
-Burundi rejects proposal to criminalise homosexual relations
The Senate of Burundi today rejected a proposed amendment to the new draft of the criminal code that would have criminalised homosexual conduct for the first time.
-Republican politician tries to ban gay couples from adopting in Kentucky
A state Senator in Kentucky has introduced a bill that will ban "co-habiting" couples from adoption. Human rights group The Fairness Campaign called Senator Gary Tapp's bill "deceptively-worded."
-Holocaust was God's punishment for Jews claims Muslim leader
An Islamic preacher who called for gay people to be put to death has caused further outrage with his comments about the Holocaust
-Republican politician tries to ban gay couples from adopting in Kentucky
A state Senator in Kentucky has introduced a bill that will ban "co-habiting" couples from adoption. Human rights group The Fairness Campaign called Senator Gary Tapp's bill "deceptively-worded."
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Action: Tell President Obama: Stop Discrimination NOW
We had hoped for more than this. When then-Senator Obama announced his plan for the Faith-Based Initiative last summer, his comments on government-funded religious discrimination were encouraging. When outlining the principles of his plan, Obama clearly stated: "if you get a federal grant, you can't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can't discriminate against them - or against the people you hire - on the basis of their religion."
-McCain Manager to Speak at Gay Republicans Convention
On Top Magazine
Senator John McCain's presidential campaign manager is scheduled to speak at
the national convention of the Log Cabin Republicans - the gay Republicans -
in April.
Steve Schmidt is expected to speak on Friday, April 17, the second day of the group's four-day Washington D.C. gathering. The former Bush advisor and 2006 campaign manager for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will discuss McCain's campaign strategy and the "Party's path forward," according to a Log Cabin blog post. Read more
-Truth Wins Out Joins Coalition of N.C. Organizations to Counter Infamous
'Ex-Gay' Road Show
Contact: Wayne Besen
Phone: 917-691-5118
E-Mail: wbesen@truthwinsout.org
Web: www.TruthWinsOut.org
TWO Joins Coalition of North Carolina Organizations to Counter Infamous 'Ex-Gay' Road Show
New Landmark Publication, 'Ex-Gay & The Law', To Be Unveiled At Friday Press Conference
Truth Wins Out (TWO) announced today that it has joined a coalition of North Carolina gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocates responding to Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference, which encourages people to "pray away the gay." Led by the Charlotte Rainbow Action Network for Equality (CRANE), there will be a week of educational events in Charlotte designed to get correct information to the public about the danger of ex-gay programs. The coalition will also offer honest and accurate depictions of the lives of GLBT people, to counteract the distorted view offered by Focus on the Family. More . . .
-Ohio: Two Groups Now Working to Save Cleveland Partner Registry
Eric Resnick | Gay People's Chronicle
Cleveland-By the time Cleveland's domestic partner registry hits the ballot next fall, there will be two separate campaigns working to save it. Rifts over campaign strategy and personality clashes have divided Cleveland Families Count, which seeks to preserve the registry. Part of that group has left and is forming a second campaign that is yet unnamed. The registry, passed by city council on December 8 and signed two days later by Mayor Frank Jackson, was immediately attacked by anti-gay ministers and lay people. They began collecting petition signatures to force the measure onto the ballot, where they hope voters will repeal it. Cleveland Families Count, formed in December, now is composed mainly of the people that lobbied city council last year to pass the registry. The group forming the second campaign says that the lobby group did not anticipate the backlash and was unprepared for it. Read more
-Creeping Religious Rightism in the Democratic Party
Frederick Clarkson | Talk2Action
For several years we have noted strands of creeping religious rightism in the Democratic Party. We have noted, among other things, that some political consultants were advising candidates not to talk about separation of church and state because it might offend "people of faith," and that ostensibly progressive religious leaders were internalizing an anti-secular world view indistinguishable from the leaders of the Religious Right. (I summarized these themes in an article in The Public Eye last summer.) Moiv wrote a ground-breaking piece on Jim Wallis and his views on the criminalization of abortion. And Chip Berlet posted an urgent statement declaring that human rights are not political commodities:
-Legal Battle in US Federal Court after HIV+ Woman Denied Surgery
Pink News
A 35-year-old American woman living with HIV who was denied surgery to remove her gallbladder because of her status has filed a federal lawsuit. Melody Rose's case is supported by gay equality advocates Lambda Legal and the AIDS Resource Centre of Wisconsin (ARCW). The lawsuit was filed today in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Ms Rose says the defendants -- Steven Cahee, MD, Agnesian HealthCare Inc, and Fond du Lac Regional Clinic, violated four different state and federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its state law counterpart, which both prohibit disability discrimination by places of public accommodation, including healthcare providers. Read more
-NM: Domestic Partnership Advance to Full Senate
Gwyneth Doland | New Mexico Independent
SANTA FE - After a dramatic set of votes in the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon, domestic partnership legislation moved toward consideration by the full Senate. Sen. Bernadette Sanchez, an Albuquerque Democrat, cast the critical vote allowing the bill to proceed. Sanchez's absence from the room during a vote on Feb. 3 resulted in a 5-5 tie that effectively held Senate Bill 12 in limbo. Afterward, Sanchez said had she been there, she would have voted against domestic partnerships. But today she changed her mind. After a first round of voting, from which she was absent, Sanchez came into the committee room and the bill was put to another vote. 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:
-Official Resists Effort to Tame Raucous Race
By JESSE McKINLEY
The annual Bay to Breakers event here is one of the nation's largest footraces and perhaps the only one where spectators have been regularly confronted by runners in various stages of inebriation and the states of undress that such drinking can inspire.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/19frisco.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Valenti's Sexuality Was Topic For FBI
Under Pressure, LBJ Let Hoover's Agents Investigate Top Aide
By Joe Stephens
When Beltway insider Jack Valenti died two years ago at age 85, he was playing the role of intermediary between Washington and Hollywood as the theatrical, snowy-haired president of the Motion Picture Association of America.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803819.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-After Prison, Few Places for Sex Offenders to Live
Georgia's Rules That Keep Some Convicted Felons Far From Children Create Challenges for Compliance, Enforcement
By STEPHANIE CHEN
After two years of fitful searching, Christopher Noles and his family finally found a modest three-bedroom house in rural Georgia. The bedrooms are cramped, the kitchen plumbing leaky. There isn't a neighbor in sight. But the lonely old house is a last refuge. Mr. Noles is one of nearly 16,000 sex offenders convicted in Georgia who, under state law, can't live or work within 1,000 feet of a church, school, day-care center, skating rink, park, swimming pool or any other place where children gather. Failing to register an address could mean 30 extra years in prison for a convicted sex offender.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123500941182818821.html
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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Kanye West: 'Should be said as a compliment ... Dude, that's so good it's almost ... gay'
From Details profile, The Unraveling of Kanye West:
"Titles are very important. I like to embody titles, y'know, or words that have negative connotations, and explain why that's good," he says. "Take the word gay-like, in hip-hop, that's a negative thing, right? But in the past two, three years, all the gay people I've encountered have been, like, really, really, extremely dope. Y'know, I haven't, like, gone to a gay bar, nor do I ever plan to. But where I would talk to a gay person-the conversation would be mostly around, like, art or design-it'd be really dope. From a design standpoint, kids'll say, 'Dude, those pants are gay.' But if it's, like, good, good, good fashion-level, design-level stuff, where it's on a higher level than the average commercial design stuff, it's, like, gay people that do that. I think that should be said as a compliment. Like, 'Dude, that's so good it's almost . . . gay.'"
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-Domestic partnership bill introduced in Florida Legislature
An e-mail from Equality Florida:
Historic Domestic Partnership Legislation Introduced
Sen. Eleanor Sobel (Hallandale Beach) has introduced a statewide Domestic Partnership bill (SB 1642). Equality Florida has been working closely with Sen. Sobel in preparing this historic legislation. The companion bill will be sponsored in the house by Rep. Richard Steinberg (Miami Beach). As a Miami Beach City Commissioner, Rep. Steinberg played a key role in passing Florida's strongest Domestic Partnership policy.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Obama to retain White House AIDS office
Candidates being interviewed to fill post left vacant by Bush
By LOU CHIBBARO JR
Obama administration officials are in the process of selecting a director for the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, a position once known as the nation's AIDS Czar.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24086
-Stimulus allows 'discretionary' funds for HIV prevention
AIDS funding earmark stripped from $787 billion measure
By LOU CHIBBARO JR
Congressional negotiators last week agreed to drop a House-approved provision from President Obama's polarizing economic stimulus package that allocated $335 million for prevention programs to counter HIV and other communicable diseases.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24081
-Obama appoints gay fundraiser to White House role
Bernard to be liaison for National Endowment for the Humanities
By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade
President Obama has appointed a gay man who helped raise funds for his presidential campaign to a role in the White House, according to a Democratic source.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24085
-Attorney says client faces 'death sentence' if forced to return to Sierra Leone
By LOU CHIBBARO JR
A gay man from the African nation of Sierra Leone is contesting a
preliminary U.S. immigration decision to deny his request for political asylum. Federal officials say the man, 29-year-old Dunrick Sogie-Thomas of Hyattsville, Md., failed to provide sufficient evidence that he would be subjected to arrest, torture and possibly death if forced to return to his home country.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24079
-Ohio Presbyterians OK clergy in same-sex couples
Pastors, elders voted to amend church constitution
Presbyterian church leaders from central and southern Ohio have approved the idea of clergy members who are in same-sex relationships. Pastors and elders from the Presbytery of Scioto Valley voted Tuesday to amend the Presbyterian church constitution, which now states clergy must be in a faithful marriage between a man and a woman or be celibate. An elder from the First Presbyterian Church of Waverly spoke of his gay son and said it was time to end discrimination. But a pastor from Lewis Center opposing the amendment said the church must stand up for the Bible's teachings about marriage and sexuality. The Ohio church body is one of at least 10 that have voted for the change. At least 25 have rejected it. Dozens more have yet to vote.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24077
-Recharging the fight against HIV/AIDS
Celebrate National Condom Week by protecting yourself
By JOHN PETER DALY and RICK MENDIOLA
It was a rainy day and all the kids piled out of the school bus and began to swarm around something on the ground. I thought, was it a dead animal or a slug?
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-12/view/columns/5534.cfm
-Recharging the fight against HIV/AIDS
Celebrate National Condom Week by protecting yourself
By JOHN PETER DALY and RICK MENDIOLA
It was a rainy day and all the kids piled out of the school bus and began to swarm around something on the ground.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-12/view/columns/5534.cfm
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Unzipped Shoots Portland Mayor's Former Lover
Beau Breedlove, the former lover of gay Portland, Ore., mayor Sam Adams, has accepted Unzipped magazine's offer to be featured on the magazine's May cover and traveled to Los Angeles this weekend for a nude photo shoot, editors announced on Tuesday.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73235.asp
-Calif. House Committee Opposes Prop. 8
California's house judiciary committee passed a resolution opposing Proposition 8 on Tuesday, saying that the ballot initiative to end marriage equality in the state was an "improper revision of the California constitution."
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73319.asp
-Clinton Supports Overturn of Prop. 8 but Still Crosses Gay Picket Line
Despite pleas from several activists and public figures not to do so, former president Bill Clinton crossed a picket line of about 200 people to deliver a speech on Sunday in San Diego. He still, however, stood behind his opposition to California's Proposition 8.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73232.asp
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Plays Promote Tolerance
By Emma Ruby-Sachs, Blogger, 365gay Agenda Blog
Last week I went to see a production of Stupid Kids. You know, the John C. Russell play about four kids in a 1980s American high school that has been produced and re-produced over and over again in most major American cities since its premier in 1989. The play's story is familiar, at least for me: a whole lot of angst in school bathrooms, falling in love with your best friend over and over again and not really understanding what is going on, writing bad poetry you contemplate showing the object of your affection only to tear it up and hide it under the bed.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-gay-plays-promote-tolerance/
-65 million condoms for Carnival
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) Carnival is condom season in Brazil, where the government has announced it will hand out 65 million free prophylactics to partiers this month.
http://www.365gay.com/news/65-million-condoms-for-carnival/
-Coming to the defense of gay Republicans
By James Withers, contributing editor, 365Gay Blog
My Log Cabin brothers and sisters are in deep doo-doo if I'm defending them; however, it is hard not to recognize the loony tunes in Peter LaBarbera's screed against the group. The president (translation: professional bigot) of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (translation: homophobes who publish crappy scholarship) sent RNC chair Michael Steele a letter asking him to keep gay Republicans at arm's length.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/021809-christian-activist-smears-log-cabin-republicans/
-UK: Anti-Gay ad violated standards
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(London) Britain's advertising watchdog has banned the re-publication of an ad that condemns homosexuality.
http://www.365gay.com/news/uk-anti-gay-ad-violated-standards/
-Teacher accuses principal of nixing 'Rent' over gay characters
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Drama students at Corona del Mar High School were busy Wednesday learning the lines and music to "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown" after "Rent" the spring musical they were in rehearsals for was cancelled.
http://www.365gay.com/news/teacher-accuses-principal-of-nixing-rent-over-gay-characters/
-The future of gay news media
By Wayne Besen
In one of the most important articles of the year, Walter Isaacson wrote in Time Magazine about the shredding of the newspaper business. With free content available online, people are dropping daily subscriptions and newsstand sales are declining. The only way for newspapers to remain profitable is through advertising revenue in the print and online editions.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/besen-the-future-of-gay-news-media/
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Welcome to Al-Fatiha's historic survey of Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and questioning or exploring their gender identity and/or sexual orientation (LGBTIQQ), including Muslims who use other cultural and ethnic terms to refer to their own experience. This survey is for Muslims of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and Muslims of all beliefs and practices, including observant Muslims, cultural Muslims, and those who are secular. This is the first survey of its kind. The results of this survey will tell us all about our community, our experiences and our concerns. The results will guide Al-Fatiha's educational and advocacy work on behalf of LGBTIQQ Muslims, and will be shared with the entire community.
http://al-fatiha.org/survey.htm
=
Forwarded from Michael Emanuel Rajner
merajner@gmail.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Ft. Lauderdale: Denise King, surviving mother of Simmie Williams, Jr., spoke of her incredible grief exclusively in her first television interview with CBS-4 News Ted Scouten. In today's interview Denise shares her grief and struggle for police to bring her child's murdered to justice. To view the CBS-4 News interview, visit: This Sunday, February 22nd at 7pm, students of FAU's Lambda United will be organizing a memorial on the murder site, NW 10th Avenue & West Sistrunk Blvd. / NW 6th Street to increase awareness of this 1 year unsolved murder. Please honor Simmie and support the leadership of FAU's Lambda United students and attend Sunday's memorial.
http://cbs4.com/video/?id=71449@wfor.dayport.com
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-God Hates Fags preacher will be denied entry says UK Border Agency
Two American fundamentalist Christians have been excluded from entering the UK after they threatened to protest in Basingstoke.
-Hip-hop star Kanye West claims to have reinvented the word 'gay'
Rapper Kanye West has claimed that the word 'gay' should not be an insult. Instead, the 808s and Heartbreak star said that the term will be used in future as synonymous with fashionable and stylish.
-Utah Senator brands gays the 'greatest threat to America'
Senator Chris Buttars has revealed homophobic attitudes in a new documentary.
The senator compared gays to Muslim fundamentalists and claimed that they have no morals.
-West Virginia anti-gay marriage group posts sniper video
The Family Policy Council of West Virginia has posted videos on YouTube and its websites warning voters that gay marriage threatens heterosexual families.
-Teen pop star reveals he was victim of male rape
The lead singer of 1970s supergroup the Bay City Rollers has spoken for the first time about his years of torment after being raped by another man.
-Holocaust was God's punishment for Jews claims Muslim leader
An Islamic preacher who called for gay people to be put to death has caused further outrage with his comments about the Holocaust.
-Labour's gay group asks for ban on God Hates Fags church members
LGBT Labour has written to the Home Office asking that members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church be refused entry into the UK.
-Burundi rejects proposal to criminalise homosexual relations
The Senate of Burundi today rejected a proposed amendment to the new draft of the criminal code that would have criminalised homosexual conduct for the first time.
-Republican politician tries to ban gay couples from adopting in Kentucky
A state Senator in Kentucky has introduced a bill that will ban "co-habiting" couples from adoption. Human rights group The Fairness Campaign called Senator Gary Tapp's bill "deceptively-worded."
-Holocaust was God's punishment for Jews claims Muslim leader
An Islamic preacher who called for gay people to be put to death has caused further outrage with his comments about the Holocaust
-Republican politician tries to ban gay couples from adopting in Kentucky
A state Senator in Kentucky has introduced a bill that will ban "co-habiting" couples from adoption. Human rights group The Fairness Campaign called Senator Gary Tapp's bill "deceptively-worded."
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Action: Tell President Obama: Stop Discrimination NOW
We had hoped for more than this. When then-Senator Obama announced his plan for the Faith-Based Initiative last summer, his comments on government-funded religious discrimination were encouraging. When outlining the principles of his plan, Obama clearly stated: "if you get a federal grant, you can't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can't discriminate against them - or against the people you hire - on the basis of their religion."
-McCain Manager to Speak at Gay Republicans Convention
On Top Magazine
Senator John McCain's presidential campaign manager is scheduled to speak at
the national convention of the Log Cabin Republicans - the gay Republicans -
in April.
Steve Schmidt is expected to speak on Friday, April 17, the second day of the group's four-day Washington D.C. gathering. The former Bush advisor and 2006 campaign manager for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will discuss McCain's campaign strategy and the "Party's path forward," according to a Log Cabin blog post. Read more
-Truth Wins Out Joins Coalition of N.C. Organizations to Counter Infamous
'Ex-Gay' Road Show
Contact: Wayne Besen
Phone: 917-691-5118
E-Mail: wbesen@truthwinsout.org
Web: www.TruthWinsOut.org
TWO Joins Coalition of North Carolina Organizations to Counter Infamous 'Ex-Gay' Road Show
New Landmark Publication, 'Ex-Gay & The Law', To Be Unveiled At Friday Press Conference
Truth Wins Out (TWO) announced today that it has joined a coalition of North Carolina gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocates responding to Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference, which encourages people to "pray away the gay." Led by the Charlotte Rainbow Action Network for Equality (CRANE), there will be a week of educational events in Charlotte designed to get correct information to the public about the danger of ex-gay programs. The coalition will also offer honest and accurate depictions of the lives of GLBT people, to counteract the distorted view offered by Focus on the Family. More . . .
-Ohio: Two Groups Now Working to Save Cleveland Partner Registry
Eric Resnick | Gay People's Chronicle
Cleveland-By the time Cleveland's domestic partner registry hits the ballot next fall, there will be two separate campaigns working to save it. Rifts over campaign strategy and personality clashes have divided Cleveland Families Count, which seeks to preserve the registry. Part of that group has left and is forming a second campaign that is yet unnamed. The registry, passed by city council on December 8 and signed two days later by Mayor Frank Jackson, was immediately attacked by anti-gay ministers and lay people. They began collecting petition signatures to force the measure onto the ballot, where they hope voters will repeal it. Cleveland Families Count, formed in December, now is composed mainly of the people that lobbied city council last year to pass the registry. The group forming the second campaign says that the lobby group did not anticipate the backlash and was unprepared for it. Read more
-Creeping Religious Rightism in the Democratic Party
Frederick Clarkson | Talk2Action
For several years we have noted strands of creeping religious rightism in the Democratic Party. We have noted, among other things, that some political consultants were advising candidates not to talk about separation of church and state because it might offend "people of faith," and that ostensibly progressive religious leaders were internalizing an anti-secular world view indistinguishable from the leaders of the Religious Right. (I summarized these themes in an article in The Public Eye last summer.) Moiv wrote a ground-breaking piece on Jim Wallis and his views on the criminalization of abortion. And Chip Berlet posted an urgent statement declaring that human rights are not political commodities:
-Legal Battle in US Federal Court after HIV+ Woman Denied Surgery
Pink News
A 35-year-old American woman living with HIV who was denied surgery to remove her gallbladder because of her status has filed a federal lawsuit. Melody Rose's case is supported by gay equality advocates Lambda Legal and the AIDS Resource Centre of Wisconsin (ARCW). The lawsuit was filed today in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Ms Rose says the defendants -- Steven Cahee, MD, Agnesian HealthCare Inc, and Fond du Lac Regional Clinic, violated four different state and federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its state law counterpart, which both prohibit disability discrimination by places of public accommodation, including healthcare providers. Read more
-NM: Domestic Partnership Advance to Full Senate
Gwyneth Doland | New Mexico Independent
SANTA FE - After a dramatic set of votes in the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon, domestic partnership legislation moved toward consideration by the full Senate. Sen. Bernadette Sanchez, an Albuquerque Democrat, cast the critical vote allowing the bill to proceed. Sanchez's absence from the room during a vote on Feb. 3 resulted in a 5-5 tie that effectively held Senate Bill 12 in limbo. Afterward, Sanchez said had she been there, she would have voted against domestic partnerships. But today she changed her mind. After a first round of voting, from which she was absent, Sanchez came into the committee room and the bill was put to another vote. Read more
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 19, 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:
-A Swiss Bank Is Set to Open Its Secret Files
By LYNNLEY BROWNING
UBS, Switzerland's largest bank, has agreed to divulge the names of well-heeled Americans suspected of using offshore accounts at the bank to evade taxes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/business/worldbusiness/19ubs.html?_r=1&hp
-Modifying Mortgages Can Be Tricky
By VIKAS BAJAJ and JOHN LELAND
When her brother could no longer help support her, Luzetta Reeves asked her small mortgage company to cut her monthly payments. It did - by 11 percent - making it possible for her to afford her house here on her modest fixed income.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/19loans.html?hp
-Kansas Governor Seen as Top Choice in Health Post
By PETER BAKER and ROBERT PEAR
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is emerging as President Obama's top choice for secretary of health and human services.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/politics/19health.html?hp
-Trailing George Clooney
The Darfur conflict has now lasted longer than World War II, and the international community has remained monumentally feckless. Can George Clooney get the world to take action?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/opinion/19kristof.html?ref=opinion
-Texas: Investigating Judge Keller
An inquiry is long overdue into whether Sharon Keller, an Texas appellate court judge, closed the court clerk's office before a death-row inmate could file an emergency appeal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/opinion/19thu2.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: So What Tipped You Off?
Roland Burris's appointment to the United States Senate is proving to be the grim parting prank that won't end by Rod Blagojevich, the disgraced former governor of Illinois.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/opinion/19thu3.html?ref=opinion
-Swat Valley Blues
By Eric Etheridge
On Monday, the government of Pakistan announced it had cut a deal with Taliban forces and would quit fighting them for control of the Swat Valley, northwest of Islamabad, and accept their imposition of Shariah, or Islamic law, there. (Read the Times account.) Reaction from opinion mongers was virtually all negative, extremely so. At Swampland, Joe Klein said "This is terrible news."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/swat-valley-blues/?ref=opinion
-Clinton Tells of Why She Took the Job
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited a development program in a working-class Jakarta neighborhood and spoke about her decision to work for the man who defeated her for the presidential nomination, on her second day in Indonesia before flying to Seoul. "It was not anything I had any reason to expect or had even thought about," Mrs. Clinton said of President Obama's offer to her to be the nation's chief diplomat. "I had to make a hard decision." [...] In a light-hearted visit to Mr. Obama's boyhood home, Mrs. Clinton paid tribute to Indonesia's thriving democracy. "If you want to know if democracy, Islam, modernity, and women's rights can coexist, go to Indonesia," she said at a dinner with scholars, environmentalists, and women's rights advocates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/washington/20diplo.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Burma's Agony
By Rena Pederson
NAYPYIDAW, Burma -- This is a city constructed out of fear. Naypyidaw reportedly was created by Burma's brutal dictators on the advice of astrologers and built in part by forced labor. Worried they might be vulnerable to attack in Rangoon, a port city, they abruptly moved the government 250 miles to the north three years ago and modestly named the new capital "Abode of Kings."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021802822.html
-Out of Bounds
In Dubai, prejudice and politics stain a tennis tournament. ISRAELI TENNIS star Shahar Peer is ranked No. 45 in the world in women's tennis. Ms. Peer makes a living playing in tournaments around the globe, with career earnings totaling more than $2 million. But all that skill isn't enough to triumph over ingrained prejudice in Dubai, the wildly rich city-state of the United Arab Emirates that has never granted visas to holders of Israeli passports.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803135.html
-Free the Uighurs
They lose one in court. They should win in the White House. A FEDERAL appeals court has handed the Obama administration an opportunity to reverse some of the damage done by disastrous Bush administration anti-terrorism policies. President Obama should act with all deliberate speed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803137.html
-Pakistani Accord Appears Stalled
Government, Extremists Make No Move To Formalize Their Pact on Islamic Law
By Pamela Constable, Karen DeYoung and Haq Nawaz Khan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 18 -- A controversial, closely watched peace agreement designed to end Taliban violence in the scenic Swat Valley hung in limbo Wednesday amid criticism in Pakistan and rising concern in Washington.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803486.html?hpid=topnews
-Betting on Bipartisanship
By David S. Broder
As far as most of Washington is concerned, Barack Obama's big talk about bipartisanship is kaput. One month into his presidency, many pundits and political analysts have told him to drop it. Get real, they say. It bought you next to nothing on the stimulus bill. Forget the compromising. Look for support where you may actually find it, on the Democratic side of the aisle.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021802697.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Palin Now Owes Taxes on Payments for Nights at Home, State Rules
By James V. Grimaldi
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) owes income taxes on nearly $17,000 paid to her as travel reimbursements when she spent nights in her Wasilla residence, according to a state legal opinion that the payments were not legitimate business expenses, a state official said yesterday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803177.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Scientists Await Action on Stem Cells
Some Proponents Had Expected Obama to Immediately Reverse Bush Policies
By Rob Stein
At the National Institutes of Health, officials have started drafting guidelines they will need to start funding human embryonic stem cell research that has been off-limits for nearly eight years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803174.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Proposal Is Heavy on Incentives to Modify Loans
Challenges Include Dealing With Mortgages Sold to Investors and Borrowers
Who Owe Lenders More Than Homes Are Worth
By RUTH SIMON and CARRICK MOLLENKAMP
In its effort to address the foreclosure crisis, the Obama administration is relying heavily on the carrot rather than the stick.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123500396043017951.html?mod=article-outset-box
-Pressure to Rework Mortgages Will Ripple Through Industry
By JAMES R. HAGERTY and LINGLING WEI
The foreclosure-prevention plan announced by President Barack Obama comes with incentives for lenders to ease mortgage payments for struggling borrowers -- but also with a cudgel: If the mortgage industry doesn't modify loans, bankruptcy judges may cut payments more sharply.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123500438418718061.html?mod=article-outset-box
-Canada Slips on Oil's Slide
FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta -- Last summer, when the price of oil neared $150 a barrel, Terrance Coles's family earth-removal business in this energy boomtown was pulling in revenue of more than $200,000 a month. These days, Mr. Coles, who abandoned a failing seafood business in Newfoundland to join the oil rush here, is out of work, sleeping at the home of a cousin.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123500580587718267.html
-WEALTH MANAGER: IRS Questions Pay of Charity Executives
By SHELLY BANJO
The heat over executive compensation, centered lately on banks seeking government handouts, is spreading to the nonprofit world. Hospital chiefs, charity directors, university presidents and other nonprofit executives are coming under closer scrutiny from federal regulators, legislators and donors as big pay packages seem more out of scale in a sharp economic downturn.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123498656355715009.html
=
PC World
http://www.pcworld.com/
-An Ongoing Effort
For privacy advocate group EPIC, a victory isn't yet so clear.
"It's great that Facebook has responded, and I think that's a step in the right direction--but these issues don't go away, and it's going to be an ongoing concern for users of new network-based services until we get comprehensive privacy laws in place," Rotenberg says. In the immediate future, EPIC plans to keep a close eye on Facebook's progress and the rights of its users. Rotenberg promises he and his colleagues will step in if the need arises--and won't hesitate to appeal to the FTC if it becomes necessary, either. "People shouldn't have to run around trying to think about which stuff they're going to delete," Rotenberg says. "People shouldn't be in that position. They should be able to sign up for a service with the confidence that their rights will be respected."
http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,159743/printable.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Widow awarded $8 million in tobacco trial
BY PATRICK DANNER
Cigarette maker Philip Morris USA must pay $8 million to the widow and son of a Cooper City chain smoker whose 1997 death from lung cancer was the result of his smoking addiction, a Broward jury decided Wednesday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/101/story/909975.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:
-A Swiss Bank Is Set to Open Its Secret Files
By LYNNLEY BROWNING
UBS, Switzerland's largest bank, has agreed to divulge the names of well-heeled Americans suspected of using offshore accounts at the bank to evade taxes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/business/worldbusiness/19ubs.html?_r=1&hp
-Modifying Mortgages Can Be Tricky
By VIKAS BAJAJ and JOHN LELAND
When her brother could no longer help support her, Luzetta Reeves asked her small mortgage company to cut her monthly payments. It did - by 11 percent - making it possible for her to afford her house here on her modest fixed income.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/19loans.html?hp
-Kansas Governor Seen as Top Choice in Health Post
By PETER BAKER and ROBERT PEAR
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is emerging as President Obama's top choice for secretary of health and human services.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/politics/19health.html?hp
-Trailing George Clooney
The Darfur conflict has now lasted longer than World War II, and the international community has remained monumentally feckless. Can George Clooney get the world to take action?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/opinion/19kristof.html?ref=opinion
-Texas: Investigating Judge Keller
An inquiry is long overdue into whether Sharon Keller, an Texas appellate court judge, closed the court clerk's office before a death-row inmate could file an emergency appeal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/opinion/19thu2.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: So What Tipped You Off?
Roland Burris's appointment to the United States Senate is proving to be the grim parting prank that won't end by Rod Blagojevich, the disgraced former governor of Illinois.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/opinion/19thu3.html?ref=opinion
-Swat Valley Blues
By Eric Etheridge
On Monday, the government of Pakistan announced it had cut a deal with Taliban forces and would quit fighting them for control of the Swat Valley, northwest of Islamabad, and accept their imposition of Shariah, or Islamic law, there. (Read the Times account.) Reaction from opinion mongers was virtually all negative, extremely so. At Swampland, Joe Klein said "This is terrible news."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/swat-valley-blues/?ref=opinion
-Clinton Tells of Why She Took the Job
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited a development program in a working-class Jakarta neighborhood and spoke about her decision to work for the man who defeated her for the presidential nomination, on her second day in Indonesia before flying to Seoul. "It was not anything I had any reason to expect or had even thought about," Mrs. Clinton said of President Obama's offer to her to be the nation's chief diplomat. "I had to make a hard decision." [...] In a light-hearted visit to Mr. Obama's boyhood home, Mrs. Clinton paid tribute to Indonesia's thriving democracy. "If you want to know if democracy, Islam, modernity, and women's rights can coexist, go to Indonesia," she said at a dinner with scholars, environmentalists, and women's rights advocates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/washington/20diplo.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Burma's Agony
By Rena Pederson
NAYPYIDAW, Burma -- This is a city constructed out of fear. Naypyidaw reportedly was created by Burma's brutal dictators on the advice of astrologers and built in part by forced labor. Worried they might be vulnerable to attack in Rangoon, a port city, they abruptly moved the government 250 miles to the north three years ago and modestly named the new capital "Abode of Kings."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021802822.html
-Out of Bounds
In Dubai, prejudice and politics stain a tennis tournament. ISRAELI TENNIS star Shahar Peer is ranked No. 45 in the world in women's tennis. Ms. Peer makes a living playing in tournaments around the globe, with career earnings totaling more than $2 million. But all that skill isn't enough to triumph over ingrained prejudice in Dubai, the wildly rich city-state of the United Arab Emirates that has never granted visas to holders of Israeli passports.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803135.html
-Free the Uighurs
They lose one in court. They should win in the White House. A FEDERAL appeals court has handed the Obama administration an opportunity to reverse some of the damage done by disastrous Bush administration anti-terrorism policies. President Obama should act with all deliberate speed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803137.html
-Pakistani Accord Appears Stalled
Government, Extremists Make No Move To Formalize Their Pact on Islamic Law
By Pamela Constable, Karen DeYoung and Haq Nawaz Khan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 18 -- A controversial, closely watched peace agreement designed to end Taliban violence in the scenic Swat Valley hung in limbo Wednesday amid criticism in Pakistan and rising concern in Washington.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803486.html?hpid=topnews
-Betting on Bipartisanship
By David S. Broder
As far as most of Washington is concerned, Barack Obama's big talk about bipartisanship is kaput. One month into his presidency, many pundits and political analysts have told him to drop it. Get real, they say. It bought you next to nothing on the stimulus bill. Forget the compromising. Look for support where you may actually find it, on the Democratic side of the aisle.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021802697.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Palin Now Owes Taxes on Payments for Nights at Home, State Rules
By James V. Grimaldi
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) owes income taxes on nearly $17,000 paid to her as travel reimbursements when she spent nights in her Wasilla residence, according to a state legal opinion that the payments were not legitimate business expenses, a state official said yesterday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803177.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Scientists Await Action on Stem Cells
Some Proponents Had Expected Obama to Immediately Reverse Bush Policies
By Rob Stein
At the National Institutes of Health, officials have started drafting guidelines they will need to start funding human embryonic stem cell research that has been off-limits for nearly eight years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803174.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Proposal Is Heavy on Incentives to Modify Loans
Challenges Include Dealing With Mortgages Sold to Investors and Borrowers
Who Owe Lenders More Than Homes Are Worth
By RUTH SIMON and CARRICK MOLLENKAMP
In its effort to address the foreclosure crisis, the Obama administration is relying heavily on the carrot rather than the stick.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123500396043017951.html?mod=article-outset-box
-Pressure to Rework Mortgages Will Ripple Through Industry
By JAMES R. HAGERTY and LINGLING WEI
The foreclosure-prevention plan announced by President Barack Obama comes with incentives for lenders to ease mortgage payments for struggling borrowers -- but also with a cudgel: If the mortgage industry doesn't modify loans, bankruptcy judges may cut payments more sharply.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123500438418718061.html?mod=article-outset-box
-Canada Slips on Oil's Slide
FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta -- Last summer, when the price of oil neared $150 a barrel, Terrance Coles's family earth-removal business in this energy boomtown was pulling in revenue of more than $200,000 a month. These days, Mr. Coles, who abandoned a failing seafood business in Newfoundland to join the oil rush here, is out of work, sleeping at the home of a cousin.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123500580587718267.html
-WEALTH MANAGER: IRS Questions Pay of Charity Executives
By SHELLY BANJO
The heat over executive compensation, centered lately on banks seeking government handouts, is spreading to the nonprofit world. Hospital chiefs, charity directors, university presidents and other nonprofit executives are coming under closer scrutiny from federal regulators, legislators and donors as big pay packages seem more out of scale in a sharp economic downturn.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123498656355715009.html
=
PC World
http://www.pcworld.com/
-An Ongoing Effort
For privacy advocate group EPIC, a victory isn't yet so clear.
"It's great that Facebook has responded, and I think that's a step in the right direction--but these issues don't go away, and it's going to be an ongoing concern for users of new network-based services until we get comprehensive privacy laws in place," Rotenberg says. In the immediate future, EPIC plans to keep a close eye on Facebook's progress and the rights of its users. Rotenberg promises he and his colleagues will step in if the need arises--and won't hesitate to appeal to the FTC if it becomes necessary, either. "People shouldn't have to run around trying to think about which stuff they're going to delete," Rotenberg says. "People shouldn't be in that position. They should be able to sign up for a service with the confidence that their rights will be respected."
http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,159743/printable.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Widow awarded $8 million in tobacco trial
BY PATRICK DANNER
Cigarette maker Philip Morris USA must pay $8 million to the widow and son of a Cooper City chain smoker whose 1997 death from lung cancer was the result of his smoking addiction, a Broward jury decided Wednesday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/101/story/909975.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 19, 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~~
Equality Florida
http://www.eqfl.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Historic Domestic Partnership Legislation Introduced
Sen. Eleanor Sobel (Hallandale Beach) has introduced a statewide Domestic Partnership bill (SB 1642). Equality Florida has been working closely with Sen. Sobel in preparing this historic legislation. The companion bill will be sponsored in the house by Rep. Richard Steinberg (Miami Beach). As a Miami Beach City Commissioner, Rep. Steinberg played a key role in passing Florida's strongest Domestic Partnership policy. The introduction of these domestic partnership bills comes at a time when public support is at an all time high for this legislation. The latest polls show 77% of Floridians in favor of extending benefits to unmarried couples.
-LGBT Press Teleconference on Gainesville's Fight to Protect LGBT Floridians What: Equality is Gainesville's Business and Equality Florida will co-host a teleconference with LGBT Press to discuss the local effort to stop the far right's attempt to repeal existing nondiscrimination protections. The nation is watching to see if the far right will succeed in repealing Gainesville's Human Rights protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. This is a must win battle in one of the most progressive cities in the state. The far right picked Gainesville to send a message that they will target LGBT legal rights anywhere. Join us for a Statewide Conference call and get the inside story from the local team.
When: Friday, February 20th at 3PM (EST)
Who: Leaders from the local campaign, Equality is Gainesville's Business, as well as leaders form Equality Florida - Florida's statewide LGBT advocacy organization - will provide an update on the campaign and the important work being done to protect LGBT Floridians. Participants will be available to answer questions from the press at the conclusion of the presentation.
Where: Dial-in: 1-218-486-8700 - Access Code: 33411
=
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward County School Board sets homework limits
By Kathy Bushouse
The Broward County School Board is giving a new assignment to teachers for the upcoming school year: Take care when you're handing out homework. The School Board on Wednesday unanimously approved homework guidelines that urge teachers to assign academically challenging work while also being considerate about not assigning too much homework.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbhomework0219sbfeb19,0,5805379.story
-Obama mortgage plan won't help South Florida much, analysts say
By Paul Owers
President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled a $75 billion plan aimed at keeping as many as 9 million American homeowners from falling into foreclosure. Obama's far-reaching program would provide incentives to lenders to persuade them to cut monthly mortgage payments. It also would help homeowners who owe more than their properties are worth, meaning they are "underwater.''
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-obamamortgage0219,0,781697.story
-Crist killing plans for deepwater port off Fort Lauderdale
He makes surprise announcement during a visit to Galt Ocean Mile
By Anthony Man and David Fleshler
By scheduling a town hall meeting along the Galt Ocean Mile, Gov. Charlie Crist gave a big hint that he might have a message that coastal residents would like to hear.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbcrist0219sbfeb19,0,6053732.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Rail plans begins moving in state House
By JIM SAUNDERS
With supporters saying the project will boost the economy and reduce traffic congestion, a plan to create a Central Florida commuter-rail system began moving through the state House today. "This is a great step," said Rep. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange. "It's an economic-development issue. It's a jobs, jobs, jobs issue."
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/breakingnews/rail021809.htm
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Equality Florida
http://www.eqfl.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Historic Domestic Partnership Legislation Introduced
Sen. Eleanor Sobel (Hallandale Beach) has introduced a statewide Domestic Partnership bill (SB 1642). Equality Florida has been working closely with Sen. Sobel in preparing this historic legislation. The companion bill will be sponsored in the house by Rep. Richard Steinberg (Miami Beach). As a Miami Beach City Commissioner, Rep. Steinberg played a key role in passing Florida's strongest Domestic Partnership policy. The introduction of these domestic partnership bills comes at a time when public support is at an all time high for this legislation. The latest polls show 77% of Floridians in favor of extending benefits to unmarried couples.
-LGBT Press Teleconference on Gainesville's Fight to Protect LGBT Floridians What: Equality is Gainesville's Business and Equality Florida will co-host a teleconference with LGBT Press to discuss the local effort to stop the far right's attempt to repeal existing nondiscrimination protections. The nation is watching to see if the far right will succeed in repealing Gainesville's Human Rights protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. This is a must win battle in one of the most progressive cities in the state. The far right picked Gainesville to send a message that they will target LGBT legal rights anywhere. Join us for a Statewide Conference call and get the inside story from the local team.
When: Friday, February 20th at 3PM (EST)
Who: Leaders from the local campaign, Equality is Gainesville's Business, as well as leaders form Equality Florida - Florida's statewide LGBT advocacy organization - will provide an update on the campaign and the important work being done to protect LGBT Floridians. Participants will be available to answer questions from the press at the conclusion of the presentation.
Where: Dial-in: 1-218-486-8700 - Access Code: 33411
=
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward County School Board sets homework limits
By Kathy Bushouse
The Broward County School Board is giving a new assignment to teachers for the upcoming school year: Take care when you're handing out homework. The School Board on Wednesday unanimously approved homework guidelines that urge teachers to assign academically challenging work while also being considerate about not assigning too much homework.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbhomework0219sbfeb19,0,5805379.story
-Obama mortgage plan won't help South Florida much, analysts say
By Paul Owers
President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled a $75 billion plan aimed at keeping as many as 9 million American homeowners from falling into foreclosure. Obama's far-reaching program would provide incentives to lenders to persuade them to cut monthly mortgage payments. It also would help homeowners who owe more than their properties are worth, meaning they are "underwater.''
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-obamamortgage0219,0,781697.story
-Crist killing plans for deepwater port off Fort Lauderdale
He makes surprise announcement during a visit to Galt Ocean Mile
By Anthony Man and David Fleshler
By scheduling a town hall meeting along the Galt Ocean Mile, Gov. Charlie Crist gave a big hint that he might have a message that coastal residents would like to hear.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flbcrist0219sbfeb19,0,6053732.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Rail plans begins moving in state House
By JIM SAUNDERS
With supporters saying the project will boost the economy and reduce traffic congestion, a plan to create a Central Florida commuter-rail system began moving through the state House today. "This is a great step," said Rep. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange. "It's an economic-development issue. It's a jobs, jobs, jobs issue."
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/breakingnews/rail021809.htm
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
GLBT DIGEST - February 18, 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:
-Film Examines a Newark Hate Crime
By Sewell Chan
A documentary recounts the 2003 killing of Sakia Gunn, 15, a lesbian high school student in Newark. In 2003, Sakia Gunn, a 15-year-old lesbian high school student, was fatally stabbed in downtown Newark by a man who had approached her in the street and made sexual advances to her and her friends, which they declined. The case, which was prosecuted as a hate crime, drew widespread attention in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, though considerably less news coverage than that of Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old gay college student who was abducted, beaten, tied to a pole and left to freeze to death in Laramie, Wyo., in 1998
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/
-A few days ago I was rewatching "Paris Is Burning," one of my all-time favorite films. For the uninitiated, it's a 1991 documentary by Jennie Livingston about the drag balls in the Harlem of the late 1980s, which were celebrated mostly by marginalized African-American and Latino gay and transgendered communities. "Paris Is Burning" brought vogueing, a series of elaborate dance moves based on poses borrowed from fashion magazines, to the mainstream. (Madonna cashed in on the movement with her hit "Vogue.") As the movie ended with Willi Ninja, the mother of the House of Ninja, announcing that he had purchased a Jean-Paul Gaultier earring and was taking Paris by storm, it occurred to me that Beyoncé should be practicing her vogueing moves.
http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/is-beyonce-the-new-willi-ninja/?scp=7&sq=gay&st=cse
-Arts, Briefly: No Teenage 'Rent' at California School
Compiled by Dave Itzkoff
A high school in Newport Beach, Calif., has become the latest to cancel a student production of "Rent," though the reasons for its cancellation remain murky, The Orange County Register reported. Corona del Mar High School was scheduled to perform the school edition of "Rent," an edited version of the Jonathan Larson musical about downtown Manhattanites living with the specter of AIDS, on April 23. Ronald K. Martin, the school's drama instructor, said the production was canceled by the principal, Fal Asrani, who objected to its gay characters. Ms. Asrani told The Register that Mr. Martin stopped the show because there was not enough time to revise the script. Mr. Martin said that was not true, adding that scripts for the play had not yet been ordered. In December Rowlett High School in Rowlett, Tex., canceled its planned production of "Rent" after parents and community members objected to the content of the show, though its cast members performed a version of the show at nearby Southern Methodist University.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/arts/18arts-NOTEENAGEREN_BRF.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Be Suspicious of Religious Authorities Telling You What the Bible Says
I have done Bible studies with battered women for decades. In book chapters and articles, I have written about what I have learned from them about how to read the Bible with new eyes. Religious authorities are often NOT helpful in reading the Bible, especially for those whom the church hierarchy considers suspect: women, gay people, African Americans have all been in this category for far too long.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/susan_brooks_thistlethwaite/2009/02/be_suspicious_of_religious_aut.html
-O'Malley, Death Penalty & Maryland's Cultural Divide
Looking for a state divided against itself? In this part of the country, Virginia's the usual go-to place for such culture wars; the commonwealth's politicians have been going at each other over God, guns and gays for decades, and things have gotten so bad that folks all over the state grumble about secession.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2009/02/omalley_death_penalty_maryland.html
-Religion news in brief
Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus, who leads a small congregation in suburban Chicago, will become the second woman to head the rabbinical assembly of Judaism's liberal Reform movement.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021801483_2.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Civil rights activist Mary Frances Berry talks about civil rights in Boca
By DAVE ROSSMAN
Civil rights activist Mary Frances Berry spoke at Florida Atlantic University last week as part of the Alan B. Larkin Symposium on the American presidency. Berry served on the U.S. Civil Rights Commission for presidents Carter through Clinton, and her discussion centered on civil rights during the Reagan presidency.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/bocaraton/forum/sfl-flbrfbocatology0218wbffeb18,0,7770158.story
-North Miami mayor enters primary race for U.S. Senate
Being openly gay is just a 'side note,' Burns says
By Anthony Man
Facing term limits that prevent him from running again to lead his city, North Miami Mayor Ken Burns announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbburns0218sbfeb18,0,3126526.story
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Jury: San Diego firefighters were harassed in gay parade
A jury determined Tuesday that four San Diego firefighters were sexually harassed for being ordered to participate in a gay pride parade and awarded them combined damages of $34,300. The firefighters - Alex Kane, Chad Allison, Capt. John Ghiotto and Capt. Jason Hewitt - claimed they were subjected to sexually charged conduct and lewd comments while riding a fire engine in the July 2007 parade, which drew about 150,000 spectators.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Burundi rejects proposal to criminalise homosexual relations
The Senate of Burundi today rejected a proposed amendment to the new draft of the criminal code that would have criminalised homosexual conduct for the first time.
-Georgia court tells gay dad he cannnot "expose" kids to homosexuals
A gay man in the US state of Georgia is disputing a child custody agreement restriction which prohibits him from "exposing his children to his homosexual partners and friends."
-Lesbian entertainer to perform at prestigious White House event
A comedian who publicly came out last year has been asked to appear at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
-Leading novelist pulls out of Dubai book festival in protest at gay censorship
Novelist Margaret Atwood has announced she will not attend the Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature in Dubai after organisers decided to ban the launch of a book with a gay character.
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Utah Legislature Snuffs Out Final Gay-Rights Bill
Rosemary Winters | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Legislature dealt a final blow Wednesday to the Common Ground Initiative, possibly the most expansive push for legal protections for gay and transgender Utahns in state history. A House committee rejected Rep. Jennifer Seelig's HB160, which would have offered two, unmarried cohabiting adults - including same-sex couples - rights of inheritance and medical decision making for one another. But the initiative is not dead, said Mike Thompson, executive director of Equality Utah, the advocacy group leading the charge. Democratic lawmakers have vowed to bring back their bills, with some variations, next year. "The majority of Utahns support these basic protections," Thompson said, referring to recent polls. The effort also included laws that would have made it illegal to fire someone for being gay and allow same-sex couples the right to sue in the event one partner suffers a wrongful death. "We are not giving up on these issues," Thompson said. "The Common Ground Initiative is not a 2009 legislative agenda." Link
-WV Video: Armed and Disgusting
Good As You
We're not sure what it would take for us to graphically depict our families as existing behind an assassin's scope. Even with the constant attacks that the "pro-family" community wages against us, our minds still don't draw a direct comparison between the far-right's biased pushes and a brain-shattering bullet. So when making political videos in which we lash out against those same pushes, we never stop and say, "Hey - wouldn't it be cool if we put a shotgun's sight lines right on top of the daughter of two gay dudes, implying that our political opponents want to murder the pre-adolescent? " We both value life and condemn murder a little too much to trivialize either in such a disgusting fashion. Unfortunately, as you'll see at the :57 mark of this newly surfaced video, our opposition fails to have this same ethical problem: Read more
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-UK ID Card Plans Put Transgender People in Danger, Say Greens
BRIGHTON, February 17, 2009 - Brighton Green Party councillor Vicky Wakefield-Jarret has today warned that Government's proposals for ID cards risk increasing transphobia, and could pose a threat to the safety of transgender people. "Greens have long been opposed to ID cards," said Ms. Wakefield-Jarret, councillor for the Hanover & Elm Grove ward. "Not only are they hugely expensive and a bureaucratic nightmare, they could prove damaging to community relations and run the risk of huge civil liberties abuses.
http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/09/Feb/1701.htm
-Luxembourg To Become Sixth State To Recognise IDAHO Day
Today, Mr Jean Huss, a Member of Parliament in Luxembourg introduced a motion to recognize the "International Day Against Homophobia" (IDAHO) as part of its official calendar. The motion will be discussed at the Parliament between the different political groups during the next meetings and a vote is expected to take place by the end of April. The IDAHO is celebrated every year on May 17 to mark the day when in 1990 the World Health Organization decided to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. Today, more than 50 countries around the world contribute to make this event a success every May 17th. Norway: Islamic Council rejects Qaradawi. The Islamic Council of Norway distanced itself from the head of the European Fatwa Council, Egyptian-born Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who said that "The Holocaust was a divine punishment for the Jews". "If it's such that Yusuf Al Qardawi honors the Holocaust, I think it's unacceptable from somebody who is an important religious reference for many Muslims. The Islamic Council of Norway will take up this issue with other scholars who sit in the European Council for Fatwa and Research," says the head of the Islamic Council of Norway (IRN) Senaid Kobilica.
-Iranian, Pegah Emambakhsh Has Finally Been Granted Permanent Asylum in the United Kingdom
http://gayswithoutborders.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/pegah-emambakhsh-has-finally-been-granted-permanent-asylum-in-the-united-kingdom/
=
[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:
-Film Examines a Newark Hate Crime
By Sewell Chan
A documentary recounts the 2003 killing of Sakia Gunn, 15, a lesbian high school student in Newark. In 2003, Sakia Gunn, a 15-year-old lesbian high school student, was fatally stabbed in downtown Newark by a man who had approached her in the street and made sexual advances to her and her friends, which they declined. The case, which was prosecuted as a hate crime, drew widespread attention in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, though considerably less news coverage than that of Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old gay college student who was abducted, beaten, tied to a pole and left to freeze to death in Laramie, Wyo., in 1998
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/
-A few days ago I was rewatching "Paris Is Burning," one of my all-time favorite films. For the uninitiated, it's a 1991 documentary by Jennie Livingston about the drag balls in the Harlem of the late 1980s, which were celebrated mostly by marginalized African-American and Latino gay and transgendered communities. "Paris Is Burning" brought vogueing, a series of elaborate dance moves based on poses borrowed from fashion magazines, to the mainstream. (Madonna cashed in on the movement with her hit "Vogue.") As the movie ended with Willi Ninja, the mother of the House of Ninja, announcing that he had purchased a Jean-Paul Gaultier earring and was taking Paris by storm, it occurred to me that Beyoncé should be practicing her vogueing moves.
http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/is-beyonce-the-new-willi-ninja/?scp=7&sq=gay&st=cse
-Arts, Briefly: No Teenage 'Rent' at California School
Compiled by Dave Itzkoff
A high school in Newport Beach, Calif., has become the latest to cancel a student production of "Rent," though the reasons for its cancellation remain murky, The Orange County Register reported. Corona del Mar High School was scheduled to perform the school edition of "Rent," an edited version of the Jonathan Larson musical about downtown Manhattanites living with the specter of AIDS, on April 23. Ronald K. Martin, the school's drama instructor, said the production was canceled by the principal, Fal Asrani, who objected to its gay characters. Ms. Asrani told The Register that Mr. Martin stopped the show because there was not enough time to revise the script. Mr. Martin said that was not true, adding that scripts for the play had not yet been ordered. In December Rowlett High School in Rowlett, Tex., canceled its planned production of "Rent" after parents and community members objected to the content of the show, though its cast members performed a version of the show at nearby Southern Methodist University.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/arts/18arts-NOTEENAGEREN_BRF.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Be Suspicious of Religious Authorities Telling You What the Bible Says
I have done Bible studies with battered women for decades. In book chapters and articles, I have written about what I have learned from them about how to read the Bible with new eyes. Religious authorities are often NOT helpful in reading the Bible, especially for those whom the church hierarchy considers suspect: women, gay people, African Americans have all been in this category for far too long.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/susan_brooks_thistlethwaite/2009/02/be_suspicious_of_religious_aut.html
-O'Malley, Death Penalty & Maryland's Cultural Divide
Looking for a state divided against itself? In this part of the country, Virginia's the usual go-to place for such culture wars; the commonwealth's politicians have been going at each other over God, guns and gays for decades, and things have gotten so bad that folks all over the state grumble about secession.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2009/02/omalley_death_penalty_maryland.html
-Religion news in brief
Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus, who leads a small congregation in suburban Chicago, will become the second woman to head the rabbinical assembly of Judaism's liberal Reform movement.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021801483_2.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Civil rights activist Mary Frances Berry talks about civil rights in Boca
By DAVE ROSSMAN
Civil rights activist Mary Frances Berry spoke at Florida Atlantic University last week as part of the Alan B. Larkin Symposium on the American presidency. Berry served on the U.S. Civil Rights Commission for presidents Carter through Clinton, and her discussion centered on civil rights during the Reagan presidency.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/bocaraton/forum/sfl-flbrfbocatology0218wbffeb18,0,7770158.story
-North Miami mayor enters primary race for U.S. Senate
Being openly gay is just a 'side note,' Burns says
By Anthony Man
Facing term limits that prevent him from running again to lead his city, North Miami Mayor Ken Burns announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbburns0218sbfeb18,0,3126526.story
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Jury: San Diego firefighters were harassed in gay parade
A jury determined Tuesday that four San Diego firefighters were sexually harassed for being ordered to participate in a gay pride parade and awarded them combined damages of $34,300. The firefighters - Alex Kane, Chad Allison, Capt. John Ghiotto and Capt. Jason Hewitt - claimed they were subjected to sexually charged conduct and lewd comments while riding a fire engine in the July 2007 parade, which drew about 150,000 spectators.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Burundi rejects proposal to criminalise homosexual relations
The Senate of Burundi today rejected a proposed amendment to the new draft of the criminal code that would have criminalised homosexual conduct for the first time.
-Georgia court tells gay dad he cannnot "expose" kids to homosexuals
A gay man in the US state of Georgia is disputing a child custody agreement restriction which prohibits him from "exposing his children to his homosexual partners and friends."
-Lesbian entertainer to perform at prestigious White House event
A comedian who publicly came out last year has been asked to appear at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
-Leading novelist pulls out of Dubai book festival in protest at gay censorship
Novelist Margaret Atwood has announced she will not attend the Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature in Dubai after organisers decided to ban the launch of a book with a gay character.
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Utah Legislature Snuffs Out Final Gay-Rights Bill
Rosemary Winters | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Legislature dealt a final blow Wednesday to the Common Ground Initiative, possibly the most expansive push for legal protections for gay and transgender Utahns in state history. A House committee rejected Rep. Jennifer Seelig's HB160, which would have offered two, unmarried cohabiting adults - including same-sex couples - rights of inheritance and medical decision making for one another. But the initiative is not dead, said Mike Thompson, executive director of Equality Utah, the advocacy group leading the charge. Democratic lawmakers have vowed to bring back their bills, with some variations, next year. "The majority of Utahns support these basic protections," Thompson said, referring to recent polls. The effort also included laws that would have made it illegal to fire someone for being gay and allow same-sex couples the right to sue in the event one partner suffers a wrongful death. "We are not giving up on these issues," Thompson said. "The Common Ground Initiative is not a 2009 legislative agenda." Link
-WV Video: Armed and Disgusting
Good As You
We're not sure what it would take for us to graphically depict our families as existing behind an assassin's scope. Even with the constant attacks that the "pro-family" community wages against us, our minds still don't draw a direct comparison between the far-right's biased pushes and a brain-shattering bullet. So when making political videos in which we lash out against those same pushes, we never stop and say, "Hey - wouldn't it be cool if we put a shotgun's sight lines right on top of the daughter of two gay dudes, implying that our political opponents want to murder the pre-adolescent? " We both value life and condemn murder a little too much to trivialize either in such a disgusting fashion. Unfortunately, as you'll see at the :57 mark of this newly surfaced video, our opposition fails to have this same ethical problem: Read more
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-UK ID Card Plans Put Transgender People in Danger, Say Greens
BRIGHTON, February 17, 2009 - Brighton Green Party councillor Vicky Wakefield-Jarret has today warned that Government's proposals for ID cards risk increasing transphobia, and could pose a threat to the safety of transgender people. "Greens have long been opposed to ID cards," said Ms. Wakefield-Jarret, councillor for the Hanover & Elm Grove ward. "Not only are they hugely expensive and a bureaucratic nightmare, they could prove damaging to community relations and run the risk of huge civil liberties abuses.
http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/09/Feb/1701.htm
-Luxembourg To Become Sixth State To Recognise IDAHO Day
Today, Mr Jean Huss, a Member of Parliament in Luxembourg introduced a motion to recognize the "International Day Against Homophobia" (IDAHO) as part of its official calendar. The motion will be discussed at the Parliament between the different political groups during the next meetings and a vote is expected to take place by the end of April. The IDAHO is celebrated every year on May 17 to mark the day when in 1990 the World Health Organization decided to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. Today, more than 50 countries around the world contribute to make this event a success every May 17th. Norway: Islamic Council rejects Qaradawi. The Islamic Council of Norway distanced itself from the head of the European Fatwa Council, Egyptian-born Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who said that "The Holocaust was a divine punishment for the Jews". "If it's such that Yusuf Al Qardawi honors the Holocaust, I think it's unacceptable from somebody who is an important religious reference for many Muslims. The Islamic Council of Norway will take up this issue with other scholars who sit in the European Council for Fatwa and Research," says the head of the Islamic Council of Norway (IRN) Senaid Kobilica.
-Iranian, Pegah Emambakhsh Has Finally Been Granted Permanent Asylum in the United Kingdom
http://gayswithoutborders.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/pegah-emambakhsh-has-finally-been-granted-permanent-asylum-in-the-united-kingdom/
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 18, 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:
-Economic Scene: Bailout Likely to Focus on Most Afflicted Homeowners
By DAVID LEONHARDT
The long-awaited housing bailout will finally be announced on Wednesday. In a speech in Phoenix, a signature real estate boomtown gone bust, President Obama will explain his plan to reduce foreclosures. And the key to understanding that plan will be remembering that there are two different groups of homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/business/economy/18leonhardt.html?_r=1&hp
-Aides Say No Pardon for Libby Irked Cheney
By JIM RUTENBERG and JO BECKER
Dick Cheney spent his final days as vice president making a furious last-ditch effort to secure a pardon for his onetime chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr., leaving him at odds with former President George W. Bush on a matter of personal loyalty as the two moved on to private life, according to several former officials.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18cheney.html?hp
-Facebook Withdraws Changes in Data Use
By ALAN COWELL
After a wave of protests from its users, the Facebook social networking site said Wednesday that it would withdraw changes to its so-called terms of service concerning the data supplied by the tens of millions of people who use it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/technology/internet/19facebook.html?hp
-Texas Firm Accused of $8 Billion Fraud
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS, PHILLIP L. ZWEIG and JULIE CRESWELL
In Texas, Robert Allen Stanford was just another wealthy financier. But in the breezy money haven of Antigua, he was lord of an influential financial fief, decorated with a knighthood, courted by government officials and basking in the spotlight of sports and charity events on which he generously showered his fortune. On Tuesday, his reign was thrown into turmoil as a caravan of cars and trucks carrying federal authorities pulled up to the headquarters of his company, the Stanford Group, to shut down what the regulators described as a "massive ongoing fraud" stretching from the Caribbean to Texas, and around the world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/business/18stanford.html?hp
-2 Investigations Into Burris Are Begun
By MONICA DAVEY and DIRK JOHNSON
The United States Senate Ethics Committee and a local Illinois prosecutor began investigations on Tuesday into the recently appointed junior senator for Illinois, Roland W. Burris, over Mr. Burris's shifting, inconsistent descriptions of how he came to be named to the seat vacated by the election of President Obama.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18illinois.html
-Burris Defiant as Calls for Resignation Mount
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/burris-defiant-as-calls-for-resignation-mount/?hp
-No Way, No How, Not Here
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
NEW DELHI
There are nine bodies - all of them young men - that have been lying in a Mumbai hospital morgue since Nov. 29. They may be stranded there for a while because no local Muslim charity is willing to bury them in its cemetery. This is good news.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/opinion/18friedman.html?ref=opinion
-Saudi Arabia: Change We Can Believe In?
By Eric Etheridge
On Saturday in Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah announced several new appointments to his government, his first major cabinet reshuffle since ascending to the throne in 2005. The changes included the appointment of Noura al-Fayez as Deputy Minister of Girls' Education, the first woman ever to sit in the Saudi cabinet. (Read a report by Nic Robertson of CNN on the changes; Crossroads Arabia has a comprehensive list of the changes. can be found here.)
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/saudi-arabia-change-we-can-believe-in/?ref=opinion
-Get Out of the (White) House
By Lou Cannon
Almost from its inception, the presidency of the United States has been a heavy weight on its occupants. Thomas Jefferson famously called the presidency a "splendid misery." John Quincy Adams described his four years in the White House as "the four most miserable years of my life." Herbert Hoover wrote "The Ordeal of Woodrow Wilson," a sympathetic account of Wilson's troubled presidency, then suffered through his own presidential ordeal. Some presidents, including Hoover and Jimmy Carter, aged noticeably during a single term in the White House.
http://100days.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/get-out-of-the-white-house/?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Peer Pressure in the GOP
By Ruth Marcus
It would have been hard to predict, as the stimulus debate began, that President Obama would end up losing more Democratic votes than gaining Republican ones. More than twice as many, actually: Seven House Democrats voted against the measure, three Senate Republicans for it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021702592.html
-Buy-Buy, Mr. Burris
The appointed senator from Illinois should go. WHEN THEN-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested in December for, among other things, allegedly trying to auction off the U.S. Senate seat left open by Barack Obama's election to the presidency, we feared that whomever Mr. Blagojevich eventually chose would be tainted by the association. Enter Roland W. Burris, a former Illinois state attorney general who swore up and down that there had been no quid pro quo involved in his selection. "There was certainly no pay-to-play involved," Mr. Burris assured last month, "because I don't have no money." And then this Associated Press bulletin hit yesterday afternoon: "Burris acknowledges trying to raise campaign funds for Blagojevich as he vied for Senate seat."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021702717.html
-$75B Program Aims to Lower Mortgages, Foreclosures
By Michael A. Fletcher and Renae Merle
President Obama today unveiled a $75 billion foreclosure prevention program, which the administration expects to reach up to 9 million homeowners.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021801081.html?hpid=topnews
-Back Home in Alaska, Palin Finds Cold Comfort
Scrutiny Has Been Intense Since Election
By Michael Leahy
JUNEAU, Alaska -- A couple of weeks before the Alaska legislature began this year's session, a bipartisan group of state senators on a retreat a few hours from here invited Gov. Sarah Palin to join them. Accompanied by a retinue of advisers, she took a seat at one end of a conference table and listened passively as Gary Stevens, the president of the Alaska Senate, a former college history professor and a low-key Republican with a reputation for congeniality, expressed delight at her presence.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021703437.html?hpid=topnews
-Israel links Gaza deal to soldier's release
By Adam Entous
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel decided on Wednesday against lifting its border blockade of the Gaza Strip until Hamas agreed the release of a captured Israeli soldier, putting a longer-term ceasefire proposal by Egypt on hold.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021800592.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-How Democracy Ruined the Bailout
Getting politics involved was Bernanke and Paulson's biggest mistake.
By HOLMAN W. JENKINS, JR.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda, despite being a reputational black hole, can be educational. Never was it a good idea to have a financial crisis in the middle of a presidential election. Involving Congress was a mistake. Letting the technical matter of keeping the banks afloat become a political football was a terrible idea. Letting our willingness to deploy giant sums of taxpayer money become the measure of credibility was a disaster. Letting all this be sold on Capitol Hill amid shrieks about the country collapsing into a Second Great Depression was a confidence killer across the economy, which until that point had held up well.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123491508784704057.html
-Clinton Seeks Improved Islamic Ties During Indonesia Visit
By JAY SOLOMON
JAKARTA -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, seeking to reinvigorate Washington's ties to the Islamic world, said the Obama administration would deepen relations with Indonesia as part of a broader U.S. diplomatic push in Southeast Asia.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123496355184310945.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Stimulus: Good Money After Bad
By Robert Scheer
The Republican-engineered controversy around the stimulus is a phony. The stimulus package that President Obama signed into law Tuesday is a modest effort, actually too modest, at arresting the free fall of the American economy.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090302/scheer?rel=hp_picks
-What's in the stimulus for you?
By James Oliphant
President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus package into law Tuesday while in Denver, his first major legislative victory and the final stroke in a six-week effort to jump-start the nation's struggling economy. Both houses of Congress passed the bill last week despite little Republican support. Here are answers to some questions about the mammoth bill - one of the biggest in U.S. history - and how it could affect you and your family:
Q Why am I not getting a check directly from the IRS, like last year?
A Because most people didn't spend that money. They saved it-which did little to boost the economy.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-stimulus-qafeb18,0,6087182.story
-Alan Greenspan: Economy Worst Since 1930s, Tarp Insufficient, Supports Bank Nationalization
Huffington Post
Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Tuesday that the global recession will "surely be the longest and deepest" since the 1930s, adding that the Obama administration's Troubled Asset Relief Program will be insufficient to plug the yawning financial gap.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/18/alan-greenspan-economy-wo_n_167805.html
-Syria urges better ties with US
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has urged the US in a newspaper interview to engage in talks with Damascus and restore full diplomatic ties.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7896522.stm
-O, Canada: Plans for Obama's trip north
By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN
As a presidential candidate stumping across the Rust Belt a year ago, Barack Obama drew cheers when he threatened to quit the North American Free Trade Agreement unless Canada and Mexico agreed to tough new worker-friendly standards.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18978.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:
-Economic Scene: Bailout Likely to Focus on Most Afflicted Homeowners
By DAVID LEONHARDT
The long-awaited housing bailout will finally be announced on Wednesday. In a speech in Phoenix, a signature real estate boomtown gone bust, President Obama will explain his plan to reduce foreclosures. And the key to understanding that plan will be remembering that there are two different groups of homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/business/economy/18leonhardt.html?_r=1&hp
-Aides Say No Pardon for Libby Irked Cheney
By JIM RUTENBERG and JO BECKER
Dick Cheney spent his final days as vice president making a furious last-ditch effort to secure a pardon for his onetime chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr., leaving him at odds with former President George W. Bush on a matter of personal loyalty as the two moved on to private life, according to several former officials.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18cheney.html?hp
-Facebook Withdraws Changes in Data Use
By ALAN COWELL
After a wave of protests from its users, the Facebook social networking site said Wednesday that it would withdraw changes to its so-called terms of service concerning the data supplied by the tens of millions of people who use it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/technology/internet/19facebook.html?hp
-Texas Firm Accused of $8 Billion Fraud
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS, PHILLIP L. ZWEIG and JULIE CRESWELL
In Texas, Robert Allen Stanford was just another wealthy financier. But in the breezy money haven of Antigua, he was lord of an influential financial fief, decorated with a knighthood, courted by government officials and basking in the spotlight of sports and charity events on which he generously showered his fortune. On Tuesday, his reign was thrown into turmoil as a caravan of cars and trucks carrying federal authorities pulled up to the headquarters of his company, the Stanford Group, to shut down what the regulators described as a "massive ongoing fraud" stretching from the Caribbean to Texas, and around the world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/business/18stanford.html?hp
-2 Investigations Into Burris Are Begun
By MONICA DAVEY and DIRK JOHNSON
The United States Senate Ethics Committee and a local Illinois prosecutor began investigations on Tuesday into the recently appointed junior senator for Illinois, Roland W. Burris, over Mr. Burris's shifting, inconsistent descriptions of how he came to be named to the seat vacated by the election of President Obama.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18illinois.html
-Burris Defiant as Calls for Resignation Mount
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/burris-defiant-as-calls-for-resignation-mount/?hp
-No Way, No How, Not Here
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
NEW DELHI
There are nine bodies - all of them young men - that have been lying in a Mumbai hospital morgue since Nov. 29. They may be stranded there for a while because no local Muslim charity is willing to bury them in its cemetery. This is good news.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/opinion/18friedman.html?ref=opinion
-Saudi Arabia: Change We Can Believe In?
By Eric Etheridge
On Saturday in Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah announced several new appointments to his government, his first major cabinet reshuffle since ascending to the throne in 2005. The changes included the appointment of Noura al-Fayez as Deputy Minister of Girls' Education, the first woman ever to sit in the Saudi cabinet. (Read a report by Nic Robertson of CNN on the changes; Crossroads Arabia has a comprehensive list of the changes. can be found here.)
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/saudi-arabia-change-we-can-believe-in/?ref=opinion
-Get Out of the (White) House
By Lou Cannon
Almost from its inception, the presidency of the United States has been a heavy weight on its occupants. Thomas Jefferson famously called the presidency a "splendid misery." John Quincy Adams described his four years in the White House as "the four most miserable years of my life." Herbert Hoover wrote "The Ordeal of Woodrow Wilson," a sympathetic account of Wilson's troubled presidency, then suffered through his own presidential ordeal. Some presidents, including Hoover and Jimmy Carter, aged noticeably during a single term in the White House.
http://100days.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/get-out-of-the-white-house/?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Peer Pressure in the GOP
By Ruth Marcus
It would have been hard to predict, as the stimulus debate began, that President Obama would end up losing more Democratic votes than gaining Republican ones. More than twice as many, actually: Seven House Democrats voted against the measure, three Senate Republicans for it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021702592.html
-Buy-Buy, Mr. Burris
The appointed senator from Illinois should go. WHEN THEN-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested in December for, among other things, allegedly trying to auction off the U.S. Senate seat left open by Barack Obama's election to the presidency, we feared that whomever Mr. Blagojevich eventually chose would be tainted by the association. Enter Roland W. Burris, a former Illinois state attorney general who swore up and down that there had been no quid pro quo involved in his selection. "There was certainly no pay-to-play involved," Mr. Burris assured last month, "because I don't have no money." And then this Associated Press bulletin hit yesterday afternoon: "Burris acknowledges trying to raise campaign funds for Blagojevich as he vied for Senate seat."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021702717.html
-$75B Program Aims to Lower Mortgages, Foreclosures
By Michael A. Fletcher and Renae Merle
President Obama today unveiled a $75 billion foreclosure prevention program, which the administration expects to reach up to 9 million homeowners.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021801081.html?hpid=topnews
-Back Home in Alaska, Palin Finds Cold Comfort
Scrutiny Has Been Intense Since Election
By Michael Leahy
JUNEAU, Alaska -- A couple of weeks before the Alaska legislature began this year's session, a bipartisan group of state senators on a retreat a few hours from here invited Gov. Sarah Palin to join them. Accompanied by a retinue of advisers, she took a seat at one end of a conference table and listened passively as Gary Stevens, the president of the Alaska Senate, a former college history professor and a low-key Republican with a reputation for congeniality, expressed delight at her presence.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021703437.html?hpid=topnews
-Israel links Gaza deal to soldier's release
By Adam Entous
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel decided on Wednesday against lifting its border blockade of the Gaza Strip until Hamas agreed the release of a captured Israeli soldier, putting a longer-term ceasefire proposal by Egypt on hold.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021800592.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-How Democracy Ruined the Bailout
Getting politics involved was Bernanke and Paulson's biggest mistake.
By HOLMAN W. JENKINS, JR.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda, despite being a reputational black hole, can be educational. Never was it a good idea to have a financial crisis in the middle of a presidential election. Involving Congress was a mistake. Letting the technical matter of keeping the banks afloat become a political football was a terrible idea. Letting our willingness to deploy giant sums of taxpayer money become the measure of credibility was a disaster. Letting all this be sold on Capitol Hill amid shrieks about the country collapsing into a Second Great Depression was a confidence killer across the economy, which until that point had held up well.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123491508784704057.html
-Clinton Seeks Improved Islamic Ties During Indonesia Visit
By JAY SOLOMON
JAKARTA -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, seeking to reinvigorate Washington's ties to the Islamic world, said the Obama administration would deepen relations with Indonesia as part of a broader U.S. diplomatic push in Southeast Asia.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123496355184310945.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Stimulus: Good Money After Bad
By Robert Scheer
The Republican-engineered controversy around the stimulus is a phony. The stimulus package that President Obama signed into law Tuesday is a modest effort, actually too modest, at arresting the free fall of the American economy.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090302/scheer?rel=hp_picks
-What's in the stimulus for you?
By James Oliphant
President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus package into law Tuesday while in Denver, his first major legislative victory and the final stroke in a six-week effort to jump-start the nation's struggling economy. Both houses of Congress passed the bill last week despite little Republican support. Here are answers to some questions about the mammoth bill - one of the biggest in U.S. history - and how it could affect you and your family:
Q Why am I not getting a check directly from the IRS, like last year?
A Because most people didn't spend that money. They saved it-which did little to boost the economy.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-stimulus-qafeb18,0,6087182.story
-Alan Greenspan: Economy Worst Since 1930s, Tarp Insufficient, Supports Bank Nationalization
Huffington Post
Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Tuesday that the global recession will "surely be the longest and deepest" since the 1930s, adding that the Obama administration's Troubled Asset Relief Program will be insufficient to plug the yawning financial gap.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/18/alan-greenspan-economy-wo_n_167805.html
-Syria urges better ties with US
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has urged the US in a newspaper interview to engage in talks with Damascus and restore full diplomatic ties.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7896522.stm
-O, Canada: Plans for Obama's trip north
By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN
As a presidential candidate stumping across the Rust Belt a year ago, Barack Obama drew cheers when he threatened to quit the North American Free Trade Agreement unless Canada and Mexico agreed to tough new worker-friendly standards.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18978.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 18, 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~~
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-North Miami mayor enters primary race for U.S. Senate
Being openly gay is just a 'side note,' Burns says
Facing term limits that prevent him from running again to lead his city, North Miami Mayor Ken Burns announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbburns0218sbfeb18,0,3126526.story
=
Equality Florida
Calling all bloggers & citizen journalists!
Please join us for an important briefing on the Rally in Tally TODAY
Wednesday, Feb 18th -6pm - Dial-in: 218-486-8700 - Pin: 32205
On March 16, 2009 we intend to make history by drawing thousands of LGBT and allied people to the capitol for the Rally in Tally. Given the post-election political climate, now is the time for all Floridians who care about LGBT equality to step up and hold our elected officials accountable. The rally will also mark the start of our annual Equality Florida Lobby Week. Come join us for the Rally in Tally, then stay for all or part of the week and tell legislators that it is time to protect our rights and our families. Bloggers are an important part of this success story and we ask that you join us for this important briefing.
Tobias Packer,
Equality Florida
=
ArtsUnited
Art Explosion Finale featuring Lea Delaria,
with Scott Ryan, and Musical Guest Levi Kreis
Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 7:30 PM
Broward Center for the Performing Arts,
Amaturo Theater - 201 SW 5th Ave
Ft. Lauderdale - $30/$45
(954) 462-0222
www.browardcenter.org
-Night at the Museum of Art
with Music by Cindy Curtis & Company
Join ArtExplosion as we celebrate 50 years of art at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale. Everyone gets in for free, with 2 for 1 wine and beer special in the lobby, and Jazz music by Cindy Curtis & Company. Now is your chance to see two terrific exhibits before they leave; "Pablo Picasso ceramics/Carlos Luna paintings" is only on view through February 23, 2009 and "Coming of Age: American Art, 1850s to 1950s" is on view through March 23, 2009 "Picasso/Luna" pairs recent painting by Cuban exile and now MOAFL Artist in Residence Carlos Luna, with fifty Picasso ceramics from the Museum's collection. "Coming of Age" chronicles a century of art with masterworks from the Hudson River School to mid-century Abstract works.
Thursday, February 19, 2009, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
One East Las Olas Blvd. - Fort Lauderdale
(954)525-5500 - Free Admission
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases
2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge
By MICHAEL CORKERY
Hoping to save her house, Saundra Hill Scott arrived at the county courthouse clutching dog-eared mortgage bills and letters from her lender.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123491755140004565.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Stimulus vote heightens importance of Florida Senate race
Posted by William Gibson
Passage of the economic-stimulus bill last week, which just barely overcame a Republican filibuster, highlighted the importance of next year's Senate campaigns, including a wide open race in Florida.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/dcblog/2009/02/stimulus_vote_heightens_import_1.html
=
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Pretend money isn't coming
Gov. Crist and the Legislature should act as if the money from the stimulus bill is temporary, since it is. Unfortunately, the governor is acting as if the money will be permanent.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/opinion/epaper/2009/02/17/a10a_legstim_edit_0218.html
-Crist's final four for McCarty seat.
Knowledgeable sources say there are four finalists for Gov. Charlie Crist's appointment to replace corruption-besmirched Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty. They are former Boca Raton mayor Steven Abrams, Boca Raton Councilwoman Susan Haynie, Boynton Beach Vice Mayor Jose Rodriguez and Patrick Halperin, a retired Chicago detective who now works part-time for the Palm Beach County sheriff's office. Crist is expected to interview the four Wednesday when he's in Fort Lauderdale for a town-hall meeting.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2009/02/17/crists_final_four_for_mccarty.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Editorial: Florida officials flying high and far, burning state funds
Kottkamp's excessive use of state planes underscores need to reform system Who is Jeff Kottkamp? A) Florida's lieutenant governor. B) A trial lawyer.
C) Traveler extraordinaire.
D) All of the above. - You chose correctly if you picked "D."
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/feb/18/not-cleared-for-takeoff/
-Financier gave campaign cash to Sen. Bill Nelson, others
Mark K. Matthews
A company run by R. Allen Stanford gave U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., nearly $46,000 in campaign contributions through its political-action committee and employees -- the highest total of any member of Congress, according to a new watchdog report.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-a2nelson1809feb18,0,1051053.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-North Miami mayor enters primary race for U.S. Senate
Being openly gay is just a 'side note,' Burns says
Facing term limits that prevent him from running again to lead his city, North Miami Mayor Ken Burns announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbburns0218sbfeb18,0,3126526.story
=
Equality Florida
Calling all bloggers & citizen journalists!
Please join us for an important briefing on the Rally in Tally TODAY
Wednesday, Feb 18th -6pm - Dial-in: 218-486-8700 - Pin: 32205
On March 16, 2009 we intend to make history by drawing thousands of LGBT and allied people to the capitol for the Rally in Tally. Given the post-election political climate, now is the time for all Floridians who care about LGBT equality to step up and hold our elected officials accountable. The rally will also mark the start of our annual Equality Florida Lobby Week. Come join us for the Rally in Tally, then stay for all or part of the week and tell legislators that it is time to protect our rights and our families. Bloggers are an important part of this success story and we ask that you join us for this important briefing.
Tobias Packer,
Equality Florida
=
ArtsUnited
Art Explosion Finale featuring Lea Delaria,
with Scott Ryan, and Musical Guest Levi Kreis
Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 7:30 PM
Broward Center for the Performing Arts,
Amaturo Theater - 201 SW 5th Ave
Ft. Lauderdale - $30/$45
(954) 462-0222
www.browardcenter.org
-Night at the Museum of Art
with Music by Cindy Curtis & Company
Join ArtExplosion as we celebrate 50 years of art at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale. Everyone gets in for free, with 2 for 1 wine and beer special in the lobby, and Jazz music by Cindy Curtis & Company. Now is your chance to see two terrific exhibits before they leave; "Pablo Picasso ceramics/Carlos Luna paintings" is only on view through February 23, 2009 and "Coming of Age: American Art, 1850s to 1950s" is on view through March 23, 2009 "Picasso/Luna" pairs recent painting by Cuban exile and now MOAFL Artist in Residence Carlos Luna, with fifty Picasso ceramics from the Museum's collection. "Coming of Age" chronicles a century of art with masterworks from the Hudson River School to mid-century Abstract works.
Thursday, February 19, 2009, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
One East Las Olas Blvd. - Fort Lauderdale
(954)525-5500 - Free Admission
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases
2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge
By MICHAEL CORKERY
Hoping to save her house, Saundra Hill Scott arrived at the county courthouse clutching dog-eared mortgage bills and letters from her lender.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123491755140004565.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Stimulus vote heightens importance of Florida Senate race
Posted by William Gibson
Passage of the economic-stimulus bill last week, which just barely overcame a Republican filibuster, highlighted the importance of next year's Senate campaigns, including a wide open race in Florida.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/dcblog/2009/02/stimulus_vote_heightens_import_1.html
=
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Pretend money isn't coming
Gov. Crist and the Legislature should act as if the money from the stimulus bill is temporary, since it is. Unfortunately, the governor is acting as if the money will be permanent.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/opinion/epaper/2009/02/17/a10a_legstim_edit_0218.html
-Crist's final four for McCarty seat.
Knowledgeable sources say there are four finalists for Gov. Charlie Crist's appointment to replace corruption-besmirched Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty. They are former Boca Raton mayor Steven Abrams, Boca Raton Councilwoman Susan Haynie, Boynton Beach Vice Mayor Jose Rodriguez and Patrick Halperin, a retired Chicago detective who now works part-time for the Palm Beach County sheriff's office. Crist is expected to interview the four Wednesday when he's in Fort Lauderdale for a town-hall meeting.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2009/02/17/crists_final_four_for_mccarty.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Editorial: Florida officials flying high and far, burning state funds
Kottkamp's excessive use of state planes underscores need to reform system Who is Jeff Kottkamp? A) Florida's lieutenant governor. B) A trial lawyer.
C) Traveler extraordinaire.
D) All of the above. - You chose correctly if you picked "D."
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/feb/18/not-cleared-for-takeoff/
-Financier gave campaign cash to Sen. Bill Nelson, others
Mark K. Matthews
A company run by R. Allen Stanford gave U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., nearly $46,000 in campaign contributions through its political-action committee and employees -- the highest total of any member of Congress, according to a new watchdog report.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-a2nelson1809feb18,0,1051053.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - February 17, 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:
-NY: Among Gay Men, Arrests Spark Concern About Being Singled Out
By CHRISTINE HAUSER
On an October evening last year, Robert Pinter walked into the adults-only section of an East Village video store. Within minutes, he was approached by a young, handsome stranger.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/15arrests.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=GAY&st=cse
-The Island: Feeling the Hate, No Matter the Motive
By ROBIN FINN
BAY SHORE: ON Monday, a week after the very rattled staff of the Long Island Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center discovered their workplace trashed and slashed by vandals in what was presumed a bias crime and duly investigated as one, the Suffolk County Police Department's Hate Crimes Unit arrested four suspects just a few blocks from the glass-strewn crime scene. Case closed? Probably, but not quite as expected.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/long-island/15colli.html?scp=5&sq=GAY&st=cse
-Editorial: Faith-Based Fudging
President Obama fulfilled one campaign promise and violated another recently with an executive order revamping the White House office for religion-based and neighborhood programs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16mon2.html?ref=opinion
-Varying Sweat Scents Are Noted by Women
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: February 16, 2009
Men's sweat smells different when they are sexually aroused, and women can tell the difference, a new study finds - even though they are not conscious of it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/health/17swea.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=GAY&st=cse
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-South Florida sees slump in lucrative gay tourism
Competing destinations, poor economy cut into lucrative gay, lesbian tourism market
By Doreen Hemlock
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flztourism0215sbfeb15,0,3224156.story
-Scripture war behind schism: Some parishes chose to leave their national churches.
By Sue Nowicki
The Episcopal Church isn't the only denomination facing a split between liberal and conservative interpretations of Scripture. The Presbyterian Church USA also has seen individual churches leave the national church.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-fvpresbysbfeb15,0,3663616.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-British author says she is banned from Dubai event
By LOUISE WATT
LONDON -- A British author said Monday she has been banned from a Dubai literary festival because her forthcoming novel contains references to homosexuality. The first International Festival of Literature in Dubai, which runs from Feb. 26 to Mar. 1, has authors including Margaret Atwood, Louis de Bernieres and Jung Chang listed on the program.
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/AP/story/906727.html
-Some blacks forgot sting of discrimination
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
Sometimes, progress carries an asterisk. That's as good a summary as any of a sad irony from last week's historic election. You will recall one of the major storylines of that day was the fact that, in helping make Barack Obama the nation's first black president, African Americans struck a blow against a history that has taught us all too well how it feels to be demeaned and denied. Unfortunately, while they were striking that blow, some black folks chose to demean and deny someone else.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/obama/story/906610.html
-Ex-North Miami mayor to seek Senate seat
North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns, the city's first openly gay mayor, is not ready to end his political career. Burns, who will be forced out by term limits in May, is making a bid for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Republican Mel Martinez, who will leave next year.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/northeast/story/906176.html
-Adoptive father should get subsidy
OUR OPINION: State's gay-adoption ban puts foster dad in Catch-22 dilemma Florida law put Wayne LaRue Smith in a Catch-22 situation. It is a patently discriminatory law that says homosexuals cannot adopt children. Mr. Smith challenged the law in court because he wanted to adopt the foster child he had been caring for. But first, on advice of a child-welfare judge, he went to court to become the child's legal guardian. This step ensured that the Department of Children & Families wouldn't take the child from Mr. Smith and place him with another family because DCF removed the boy from the foster-care system.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/907258.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hope for bi-national couples
Uniting American Families Act reintroduced
By Dan Renzi
Lawmakers on Thursday reintroduced legislation in Congress that would allow a foreign national's domestic partner in the United States to sponsor their immigration to the country.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#24015
-Transgendered 'muxes' thrive in Catholic life
Beyond 'gay' and 'straight' in Mexico
By Dan Renzi
The New York Times website posted an interesting photo essay on "muxes," a local term for people who are male-to-female transgender. The town welcomes the muxes with a surprisingly liberal view; while the culture is overwhelmingly Catholic, the muxes are seen as just another walk of life, to be accepted as they are.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#24018
-Gay rights group opposes adoption bill
Law would be similar to one passed in Ark. last year
A gay rights group is opposing Kentucky legislation that would bar adoptions by non-traditional couples.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24031
-Gay marriage opponents rally in Augusta, Maine
Sunday night gathering organized by Family Research Council
Opponents of same-sex marriage turned out in force at a rally at the Augusta Civic Center as the Maine Legislature prepares to take up a bill to legalize such unions.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24020
-Man sues LA college over anti-gay marriage speech
Claims professor berated him in front of class
A college student has filed a lawsuit saying a public speaking professor berated him in class for making a speech opposing same-sex marriage.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24026
-Wanda Sykes to entertain at correspondents' dinner
Lesbian comic will poke fun at President Obama
Wanda Sykes will soon get the chance to make fun of President Barack Obama to his face. The comic actress said Thursday that she has been selected as the entertainer at the annual White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner in Washington, slated for May 9.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23991
-Hawaii steps closer to civil unions
Proposal faces difficult fight in state Senate
HONOLULU (AP) | As gay activists across the country protest laws denying them the right to marry, Hawaii has moved a step closer to enacting same-sex civil unions.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23990
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Grace Under Pressure
Worlds away from writing speeches for Jerry Falwell, out Soulforce founder and reformed evangelical Mel White joins forces with screenwriter son Mike (School of Rock) for The Amazing Race. Mel White has never been one to run from a challenge. A former speechwriter for evangelicals like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, White came out of the closet in the early '80s and wrote a best-selling autobiography, Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and Christian in America. Countering the homophobic rhetoric of his former employers, he also founded the gay social-justice organization Soulforce, which sponsors Equality Rides to Christian campuses to spark peaceful dialogue. He then became an ordained minister in the gay-affirming Metropolitan Community Church. In 2002, White and partner Gary Nixon even leased a home across the street from Falwell's Lynchburg, Va. church just to keep the legendary holy roller in check.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72866.asp
-LGBT-Inclusive Retreat, "Ex-Gay" Conference to Be Held Just Days Apart
For a few days next week, Charlotte, N.C., will play host to two fundamentally opposed conferences, both concerning LGBT people.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73063.asp
-Gay Rights Activists to Descend on Sacramento for Lobby Day
In just two weeks, the California Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments regarding the validity of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage throughout the state when it passed at the polls last November.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73200.asp
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay vet brutally murdered
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
A 19-year old man has been charged with murder in the multiple stabbing death of a 21-year old gay Army veteran.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-vet-brutally-murdered/
-Bill Clinton blasted for speaking at hotel owned by Prop 8 supporter
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Former President Bill Clinton has come under fire from California gay rights groups for speaking to a trade group at a hotel being boycotted for its owner's support of Proposition 8, the measure passed last November which bans same-sex marriage in the state.
http://www.365gay.com/news/bill-clinton-blasted-for-speaking-at-hotel-owned-by-prop-8-supporter/
-Charlotte NC sued by trans ex-worker
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
A transwoman has filed suit against the city of Charlotte, alleging she was fired from her job as a motor pool operations assistant because of her gender identity. Anne Marie Clukey, 60, said in court papers she had worked for the city for nearly two years and was dismissed because she did not conform to her boss's "gender stereotype."
http://www.365gay.com/news/charlotte-nc-sued-by-trans-ex-worker/
-Gay marriage supporters picket Clinton speech
(San Diego, California) More than 200 opponents of Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage in California, demonstrated in front of a San Diego hotel during a speech by former President Bill Clinton.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-marriage-supporters-picket-clinton-speech/
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Activists say registration of new LGBT group in Russia is "historic"
Russian gays have for the first time registered an LGBT advocacy group with the government without the need for court intervention.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11169.html
-Nigeria tells UN that gays don't exist in their country
The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs has told a UN review of human rights in the African nation that there is no gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans community in his country.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11168.html
-Speaker's Conference will consider gay and lesbian representation
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A special House of Commons committee looking at ways to improve the numbers of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities in Parliament will also look at gay representation.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11182.html
-'Family' group accuses gay politicians of personal interest over partner benefits
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Two gay politicians in Colorado have dismissed suggestions they are trying to introduce benefits for the partners of same-sex couples of state employees for their own gain.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11198.html
-Gay sex "fuelling" HIV infections in Asia warns UNAIDS and WHO
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned today that the HIV/AIDS epidemic may take a major turn for the worse in Asia unless countries urgently expand access to services to men who have sex with men (MSM).
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11189.html
-60% of America's top companies ban gender identity discrimination
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A new report from a leading LGBT rights group in the US has revealed that 60 of the Fortune 100 largest businesses prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11188.html
-Burundi urged not to criminalise same-sex acts
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk .
The Senate of Burundi is to vote on a new draft of the criminal code this week that would criminalise homosexual conduct for the first time.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11174.html
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Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays: Making History
Posted by Daily Queer Newsat February 16, 2009Sidney Brinkley | Blacklight
The 1970's were exciting years for the Gay movement. In the decade following the 1969 Stonewall riot, Lesbians and Gay men were organizing in increasing numbers, demanding freedom and equal rights, culminating in the first national Gay March on Washington in October 1979. For much of that time the public face of the Gay movement was White. Whites comprised the overwhelming majority in the political and activist organizations of the day. "Gay" was synonymous with "White" and White Gays became the de facto spokesperson for Lesbians and Gay men of all colors. Read more
-NYC Protest to Mayor: Gay Sex Stings='Blow' to Liberty
Petrelis Files
Thanks to Joe Jervis of the JoeMyGod.com site, for lots of photos and a report, and the Associated Press' account, I have some info to share on today's demonstration at New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's private home. From the AP wire story, which apparently was written before the protest took place: Read more
-AZ: Couples Turn Out Early in Phoenix for Domestic Partner Registry
Arizona Republic | Tucson Citizen
Despite the dreary weather, about 10 gay couples made the trip to Phoenix City Hall Monday morning to be among the first to register with the city as domestic partners. The registry, which is open to unmarried gay or straight couples who share a Phoenix residence, grants partner visitation rights in all hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other health-care facilities in the city. It's sad that we have to deem this a huge deal, but this is a step in the right direction," said Lisa Smith, 41, standing with her partner, Reagan Bennion, moments after signing up and paying a $50 registration fee. "Progress is progress, and we're here to support those who made this possible." The couple has been dating for a year and became engaged a few months ago. They arrived before the registry officially opened at 9 a.m. in case there was a crowd. Read more
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Valentine Day turns pink in Nepal
KATHMANDU: Those used to associating Valentine's Day with red roses and red hearts had to do some readjusting Saturday when the heart of Kathmanduturned pink to celebrate a day that has more to it than romance. Dozens of homosexual couples, lesbians and transgenders gathered at the Basantapur Durbar Square in Nepal, one of the republic's most prominent public places where the old palace of the deposed Shah kings and the mansion of Kumari, Nepal's living goddess, are located, to celebrate Pink Triangle Day.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Valentine-Day-turns-pink-in-Nepal/articleshow/4129267.cms
-There's no going back
The gay community and its sympathisers all over the world are up in arms following Pope Benedict XVI's less than kind reference to their cause at a time when they thought they had breached the bastions of utter contempt and obvious prejudice in civilised society. As with other trends and social commotions, the issue has also had its repercussions among us, living as we undoubtedly are in a horrific haven of conservatism. The fact that there have been exponents of the local gay scene who have had the courage of their convictions, and publicly declared their disgust at the attitude of the Catholic Church, can perhaps be described as an isolated pot shot on behalf of those, gay or not, who genuinely believe there can be no going back to when society could, at will, victimise innocent, law-abiding and tax-paying people whose only "crime" was their different sexual orientation.
http://www2.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=83109
-Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner and Green Party candidate for Oxford East
The Vatican should stop meddling in politics and misusing its power to oppose human rights. Just as importantly, it is time the Italian government ceased kow-towing to the Pope's theocratic agenda. All of Europe should be secular, where people are free to practice their faith but where no religion has privileged legal status and unique access to political power and influence. These are the demands of protesters, backed by British Humanist Association, who will assemble in London this Saturday afternoon in support of a simultaneous protest taking place in Rome against the Vatican's manipulation of Italian, European and world-wide politics.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/13/catholicism-humanrights
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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
-Valentine's Day: Sex and Disability
In response to a request Dave Hingsburger made of fellow disability bloggers, I agreed to write a post on disability and sexuality/sensuality/love for Valentine's Day. As I discussed ideas for this particular blog with my husband, I asked him whether people think we have sex or not. I asked this question while we were in the shower together, an intimate moment that maybe others don't think we have. He said he hadn't thought of it before. Though I've not received the intrusive questions in this regard that some of my friends have, I have been asked whether I can have more children and whether my children were planned, and have had people who didn't know I have children look shocked when I mention them, shocked because I go about the world sitting down rather than standing up. I've been asked by a nurse, in front of my aunt and probably before the waiting room door closed, when my last period was and then made to take a pregnancy test despite telling her that my husband had a vasectomy, which I didn't really want to discuss in front of my aunt. I did want another child but it's just not a good idea. Being made to take the test broke my heart.
http://fridawrites.blogspot.com/2009/02/valentines-day-sex-and-disability.html
-Washington State Rep. Proposes Porn Tax
SEATTLE - Add Washington to the list of states desperately trying to find ways to plug holes in their budget deficits ... and looking to the adult industry to bail them out, this time, by way of a "porn tax."
http://avnmag.avn.com/articles/34452.html
-Miami: Nightmare in Jackson Memorial
Probably one of the greatest nightmares of any same sex couple is if one of them gets ill, gets taken to hospital, and the other is prevented from seeing their ill or dying partner in hospital. One of the ways of preventing this is to ensure that both partners execute an enduring power of attorney for health matters, so that they cna direct the hospital as to what to do. Despite having the American equivalent of one of these, it was not enough for Janice Langbehn who (along with their 3 adopted children), except for 5 minutes when the priest delivered the last rites, was banned from seeing her dying partner of 18 years Lisa Marie Pond.
http://lgbtlawblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/nightmare-in-jackson-memorial.html
-2009 Campus Pride Voice & Action National Leadership Award
Campus Pride, the leading national nonprofit 501(c)(3) which serves LGBT and ally student leaders and, or campus organizations, announced today the recipients of the 2009 Campus Pride Voice & Action National Leadership Awards. The honorary recognition highlights annually the extraordinary contributions of LGBT young adult leaders at colleges and universities across the United States. Out of nearly thirty student leaders, only three students Justin Hager from University of Wisconsin-Madison, Shawna Scott from University of Georgia and Celso Perez from Boston College were chosen this year for the prestigious honor. Learn more about these outstanding leaders, their profiles and accomplishments below.
http://www.campuspride.org/voiceandaction.asp
-A Tribute to Same Gender Loving Black Heroes
All too often the contributions of same gender loving people are overlooked. When acknowledged, our love for our same gender partners is often portrayed in negative ways. NBJC is proud to offer you the following people of note in Black history who knew the joy and experienced the challenges of same gender love and affection. Some of these names will be familiar, others may be new. We hope their stories will fill you with a sense of pride.
http://ga4.org/nbjcoalition/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=30543083#bhm
-UK: Whatever happened to free speech?
Britain was once renowned around the world for defending people's right to speak out. Not any more, says Philip Johnston. The refusal to admit the oddball Dutch MP Geert Wilders to Britain yesterday marks a further retreat from this country's traditions of free speech. It stands in stark contrast to what happened exactly 20 years ago tomorrow, when Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa calling for the death of Salman Rushdie for insulting the Prophet Mohammed in his book The Satanic Verses.
www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/philipjohnston/4604985/Whatever-happened-to-free-speech.html
-5th Annual Gender, Sexuality, and Power Student Research Conference
The Center for the Study of Genders and Sexualities (CSGS) invites students to participate in our fifth student research conference on May 12, 2009. This conference is an academic event intended to support students interested in gender, sexuality, queer, LGBT and women's studies.
http://www.calstatela.edu/centers/csgs
-Majority of the legislature supports transgender equality
On Wednesday, legislation to ban discrimination against transgender people in Massachusetts was introduced with 104 original co-sponsors, including majorities in the Senate and House. The legislation has more original co-sponsors than any other bill introduced this session of the legislature. An Act Relative to Gender Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes adds gender identity and expression to non-discrimination laws covering employment, housing, credit, and public accommodations, as well as to hate crimes statutes.
http://www.massequality.org
-Virgin Air Allows In-Flight Porn
Virgin America will offer unrestricted wireless Internet access on flights from Boston to California starting tomorrow, making the airline the first to allow porn on the new Aircell Gogo service. Although Delta, United, and American Airlines also offer wireless service on select flights, all of them have taken measures to block adult content. According to a report in the Boston Herald, Virgin has no plans to filter out porn sites.
http://online.avn.com/articles/34433.html
-No sex please, we're Scottish
The news today that the Scottish government is considering making its law cracking down on consensual teenage sex even tougher is worrying on several levels. Firstly, there is a very strong whiff of authoritarian moralising about the whole business. It seeks to bring girls aged 13-15 on to the same legal footing as teenage boys and open them up to prosecution should they indulge in consensual sex. On one level, this is entirely fair. If boys are to be prosecuted for having under-age sex, then it does seem equitable that girls should be liable to the same penalties.
http://thesoundofgunfire.blogspot.com/2009/02/no-sex-please-were-scottish.html
-SEX ISSUE: Thud or Sting?
An Outsider Explores BDSM
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be flogged? Yeah, me neither. But recently, I was having a conversation with a friend who is a bit kinky. As it turns out, a few more of my friends have admitted to their own fantasies in the past couple of weeks. Soon enough, it started to feel like too much of a coincidence-I had to find out what all the fuss was about. I started with a simple Google search. This approach was ill advised, especially without the protection of SafeSearch. I managed to discover Fetlife.com (think Fetish Facebook), and a quick look revealed perhaps a thousand or more kinks out there. I was forced to narrow my quest down, so I resolved to learn all I could about BDSM.
http://www.studlife.com/scene/sex_issue_thud_or_sting-1.1375116
-Dating is not dead, just different
We've all heard the adage, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" Well, the old system of dating was a long, confusing barnyard transaction. The New York Times recently ran an op-ed piece decrying the death of dating and the prevalence of "hooking up," or a sexual relationship between two people who are not emotionally attached, in today's youth culture. The column made it seem as if dating has gone the way of the drive-in movie theater and polio, and we now live in an era where emotionless premarital sex has run roughshod over the entire institution of dating.
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2009/02/12/Opinions/Dating.Is.Not.Dead.Just.Different-3626672.shtml
-My name is Nick Teich, and I am the founder and president of Camp
Aranu'tiq, a weeklong summer camp for transgender and gender-variant youth in the New England area. Our program will begin in summer 2010, but we would like to get the word out now to agencies or other entitites that deal with transgender and gender-variant individuals. Our age range is 8 through 15. We are on the web at:
www.camparanutiq.org
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Anything but Straight
By Wayne Besen
http://www.waynebesen.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Future of Gay Media
In one of the most important articles of the year, Walter Isaacson wrote in Time Magazine about the shredding of the newspaper business. With free content available online, people are dropping daily subscriptions and newsstand sales are declining. The only way for newspapers to remain profitable is through advertising revenue in the print and online editions. The problem with this business model, however, is that it leaves newsrooms beholden to advertising interests instead of readers. And, if the economy goes into a tailspin, precipitous drops in advertising can quickly lead to ruin. Isaacson says the way to save the news business is to move to a paradigm where newspapers go completely digital and readers pay directly for online content. For example, a web surfer who wants to read an individual story online can pay a nickel - or pay a larger fee for a weekly e-subscription.
http://www.waynebesen.com/2009/02/future-of-gay-media.html
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Michigan: Triangle Foundation
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Take Over 1,000 Old and New Friends. Add Four National Comedians.
What Do You Have?
A Way Cool Night of Comedy!
Announcing - the 13th Annual Michigan Lesbian & Gay ComedyFest!
Join us on Saturday, March 14 at Dearborn's Ford Community & Performing Arts Center as we welcome Andre Kelly, Jennie McNulty, Ian Harvie and Lisa Koch to the stage for an ever-so-gay night of comedy.
Tickets are only $30 in advance or $35 at the door (if available).
Shows are at 6:00 & 9:30 p.m., and tickets are going fast. Get yours today!
Purchase in advance at: www.comedyfest.org
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Gay American Heros
http://www.gayamericanheroes.info/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ryan Skipper's murder trial on Court TV. Please watch, Here is a preview link.
Murder says Ryan being gay was not the reason. What do you think ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_3pWMwlpZY
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
Go to the links for the following articles:
-NC: A former city operations assistant at a Charlotte maintenance facility has sued the city, claiming she was fired because she had a sex change. The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday that Anne Marie Clukey said she was fired because she did not conform to her supervisor's "gender stereotype." The 60-year-old Clukey worked for the city for nearly two years. Court documents said she had "gender reassignment" surgery in May 2001.
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/feb/13/former-city-worker-sues-charlotte\-over-sex-change/
-New transgender education resource for churches from the Institute for Welcoming Resources
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 - The Institute for Welcoming Resources (IWR), a program of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, today announced the release of transACTION, a new curriculum designed for churches and religious institutions to help congregants and members understand and welcome transgender persons into their congregations and faith settings. "Too often transgender people looking for a place to worship can't find one to call their spiritual home because most congregations and religious institutions are not ready to welcome them as their companions in faith," says the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, Institute for Welcoming Resources and faith work director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "Yet, many transgender people of faith are searching for the same things that other believers want: a loving community where worship and working for equality and justice are the focus of their faith experience."
www.welcomingresources.org
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Untitled DocumentGLAAD
http://www.glaad.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Best & Worst of National News - January 2009
THE BEST
New York Post Publishes Inclusive Story about Lesbian Couple's Upcoming Wedding
The New York Post published a refreshing portrait of a lesbian couple who were planning wed on Valentine's Day, elevating the newspaper onto GLAAD's "Best" list for the first time ever. The January 19 story, "Empire State Lesbian Brides," by Aliyah Shahid, highlights the story of Jessica Chesnutt and Natalie Sauro of Brooklyn, NY, who won a contest that allowed them to exchange wedding vows on the 61st floor of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day alongside 13 other couples. According to the Post, this was the first time that a same-sex couple exchanged wedding vows on top of the famous building. Brides.com chose the couple, whose photo was included in this article, out of more than 400 applicants to the contest. "I didn't expect to win," Chesnutt said in the article. "The fact that the contest was open to same-sex couples is a good sign. We want the rights and responsibilities of married couples." READ ARTICLE:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01192009/news/regionalnews/empire_state_lesbian_brides_150828.htm
-Ohio Paper Highlights Growing Acceptance of Transgender People in Columbus
In Central Ohio, The Other Paper - Columbus's News & Entertainment Weekly, published a January 22 cover story about transgender issues entitled, "Waiting on the world to change - While others resist, Columbus grants the transgender community an identity." The comprehensive article by reporter Steph Greegor delves into the increasingly safe and accepting climate for transgender people in Columbus and surrounding areas, while exploring the difficulties facing transgender people in other parts of Ohio and nationally. Columbus-based therapist Meral Crane offers insights on how the area has become a haven for transgender people through word of mouth. "I never advertised my service, but the need was so great that trans people kept seeking an experienced and trained professional who could help them navigate their transition." READ ARTICLE:
http://www.theotherpaper.com/articles/2009/01/24/cover_story/doc49779a03dba4d108269657.txt
-The New York Times Publishes Editorial Criticizing Arkansas's Adoption Ban
The New York Times published a scathing editorial on January 6 labeling the new Arkansas law banning gay and unmarried straight people from adopting children "undeniably discriminatory," and calling on the state to "strike down this offensive new law." The editorial, entitled, "The Best Interests of the Child," illustrates the concrete harms created by the ban. It cites an example of a child abuse victim who now may be barred from living with her grandmother, who lives with another woman, because of the the recently passed anti-gay ballot initiative. "Arkansas's new law was a victory for the forces of bigotry and a major setback for the guiding principle of the law in adoption and foster care: the best interests of the child," the editorial says. READ EDITORIAL:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/opinion/06tue2.html?ref=opinion
THE WORST
Mike Huckabee Repeats Ann Coulter's Defamatory Comments on His Fox News Program
In an interview with Ann Coulter the week of January 5, former Arkansas Governor and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee repeated Coulter's use of the defamatory phrase "pro-sodomy" when discussing his political views with the author and pundit. Huckabee made the comments on his weekend Fox News Channel program, Huckabee, while he was trying to persuade Coulter that he is conservative enough to gain her support. Attempting to disprove Coulter's notion that the former governor is not, in Coulter's words, "pro-sodomy" and "pro-gay," Huckabee told Coulter. "I am definitely not pro-sodomy. I promise. Scout's honor."
WATCH CLIP:
http://glaadblog.org/2009/01/12/huckabee-parrots-coulter's-defamatory-phrase-"pro-sodomy"-on-fox/
-Rush Limbaugh Makes MSNBC Countdown's "Worst" List for Repeated Tasteless Remarks
Nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh was crowned "World's Worst" by MSNBC host Keith Olbermann on January 22 for his repeated use of the phrase "bend over, grab the ankles," when attacking Democratic support for progressive issues, including rights for LGBT people. Olbermann suggests that Limbaugh is obsessed with this crude description, saying, "He sure spends an uncomfortable amount of time describing himself or others bending over and grabbing his ankles." VIEW CLIP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2hE2eErRnE
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-NY: Among Gay Men, Arrests Spark Concern About Being Singled Out
By CHRISTINE HAUSER
On an October evening last year, Robert Pinter walked into the adults-only section of an East Village video store. Within minutes, he was approached by a young, handsome stranger.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/15arrests.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=GAY&st=cse
-The Island: Feeling the Hate, No Matter the Motive
By ROBIN FINN
BAY SHORE: ON Monday, a week after the very rattled staff of the Long Island Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center discovered their workplace trashed and slashed by vandals in what was presumed a bias crime and duly investigated as one, the Suffolk County Police Department's Hate Crimes Unit arrested four suspects just a few blocks from the glass-strewn crime scene. Case closed? Probably, but not quite as expected.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/long-island/15colli.html?scp=5&sq=GAY&st=cse
-Editorial: Faith-Based Fudging
President Obama fulfilled one campaign promise and violated another recently with an executive order revamping the White House office for religion-based and neighborhood programs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16mon2.html?ref=opinion
-Varying Sweat Scents Are Noted by Women
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: February 16, 2009
Men's sweat smells different when they are sexually aroused, and women can tell the difference, a new study finds - even though they are not conscious of it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/health/17swea.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=GAY&st=cse
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-South Florida sees slump in lucrative gay tourism
Competing destinations, poor economy cut into lucrative gay, lesbian tourism market
By Doreen Hemlock
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flztourism0215sbfeb15,0,3224156.story
-Scripture war behind schism: Some parishes chose to leave their national churches.
By Sue Nowicki
The Episcopal Church isn't the only denomination facing a split between liberal and conservative interpretations of Scripture. The Presbyterian Church USA also has seen individual churches leave the national church.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-fvpresbysbfeb15,0,3663616.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-British author says she is banned from Dubai event
By LOUISE WATT
LONDON -- A British author said Monday she has been banned from a Dubai literary festival because her forthcoming novel contains references to homosexuality. The first International Festival of Literature in Dubai, which runs from Feb. 26 to Mar. 1, has authors including Margaret Atwood, Louis de Bernieres and Jung Chang listed on the program.
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/AP/story/906727.html
-Some blacks forgot sting of discrimination
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
Sometimes, progress carries an asterisk. That's as good a summary as any of a sad irony from last week's historic election. You will recall one of the major storylines of that day was the fact that, in helping make Barack Obama the nation's first black president, African Americans struck a blow against a history that has taught us all too well how it feels to be demeaned and denied. Unfortunately, while they were striking that blow, some black folks chose to demean and deny someone else.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/obama/story/906610.html
-Ex-North Miami mayor to seek Senate seat
North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns, the city's first openly gay mayor, is not ready to end his political career. Burns, who will be forced out by term limits in May, is making a bid for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Republican Mel Martinez, who will leave next year.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/northeast/story/906176.html
-Adoptive father should get subsidy
OUR OPINION: State's gay-adoption ban puts foster dad in Catch-22 dilemma Florida law put Wayne LaRue Smith in a Catch-22 situation. It is a patently discriminatory law that says homosexuals cannot adopt children. Mr. Smith challenged the law in court because he wanted to adopt the foster child he had been caring for. But first, on advice of a child-welfare judge, he went to court to become the child's legal guardian. This step ensured that the Department of Children & Families wouldn't take the child from Mr. Smith and place him with another family because DCF removed the boy from the foster-care system.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/907258.html
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hope for bi-national couples
Uniting American Families Act reintroduced
By Dan Renzi
Lawmakers on Thursday reintroduced legislation in Congress that would allow a foreign national's domestic partner in the United States to sponsor their immigration to the country.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#24015
-Transgendered 'muxes' thrive in Catholic life
Beyond 'gay' and 'straight' in Mexico
By Dan Renzi
The New York Times website posted an interesting photo essay on "muxes," a local term for people who are male-to-female transgender. The town welcomes the muxes with a surprisingly liberal view; while the culture is overwhelmingly Catholic, the muxes are seen as just another walk of life, to be accepted as they are.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#24018
-Gay rights group opposes adoption bill
Law would be similar to one passed in Ark. last year
A gay rights group is opposing Kentucky legislation that would bar adoptions by non-traditional couples.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24031
-Gay marriage opponents rally in Augusta, Maine
Sunday night gathering organized by Family Research Council
Opponents of same-sex marriage turned out in force at a rally at the Augusta Civic Center as the Maine Legislature prepares to take up a bill to legalize such unions.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24020
-Man sues LA college over anti-gay marriage speech
Claims professor berated him in front of class
A college student has filed a lawsuit saying a public speaking professor berated him in class for making a speech opposing same-sex marriage.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24026
-Wanda Sykes to entertain at correspondents' dinner
Lesbian comic will poke fun at President Obama
Wanda Sykes will soon get the chance to make fun of President Barack Obama to his face. The comic actress said Thursday that she has been selected as the entertainer at the annual White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner in Washington, slated for May 9.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23991
-Hawaii steps closer to civil unions
Proposal faces difficult fight in state Senate
HONOLULU (AP) | As gay activists across the country protest laws denying them the right to marry, Hawaii has moved a step closer to enacting same-sex civil unions.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23990
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Grace Under Pressure
Worlds away from writing speeches for Jerry Falwell, out Soulforce founder and reformed evangelical Mel White joins forces with screenwriter son Mike (School of Rock) for The Amazing Race. Mel White has never been one to run from a challenge. A former speechwriter for evangelicals like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, White came out of the closet in the early '80s and wrote a best-selling autobiography, Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and Christian in America. Countering the homophobic rhetoric of his former employers, he also founded the gay social-justice organization Soulforce, which sponsors Equality Rides to Christian campuses to spark peaceful dialogue. He then became an ordained minister in the gay-affirming Metropolitan Community Church. In 2002, White and partner Gary Nixon even leased a home across the street from Falwell's Lynchburg, Va. church just to keep the legendary holy roller in check.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72866.asp
-LGBT-Inclusive Retreat, "Ex-Gay" Conference to Be Held Just Days Apart
For a few days next week, Charlotte, N.C., will play host to two fundamentally opposed conferences, both concerning LGBT people.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73063.asp
-Gay Rights Activists to Descend on Sacramento for Lobby Day
In just two weeks, the California Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments regarding the validity of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage throughout the state when it passed at the polls last November.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73200.asp
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay vet brutally murdered
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
A 19-year old man has been charged with murder in the multiple stabbing death of a 21-year old gay Army veteran.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-vet-brutally-murdered/
-Bill Clinton blasted for speaking at hotel owned by Prop 8 supporter
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Former President Bill Clinton has come under fire from California gay rights groups for speaking to a trade group at a hotel being boycotted for its owner's support of Proposition 8, the measure passed last November which bans same-sex marriage in the state.
http://www.365gay.com/news/bill-clinton-blasted-for-speaking-at-hotel-owned-by-prop-8-supporter/
-Charlotte NC sued by trans ex-worker
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
A transwoman has filed suit against the city of Charlotte, alleging she was fired from her job as a motor pool operations assistant because of her gender identity. Anne Marie Clukey, 60, said in court papers she had worked for the city for nearly two years and was dismissed because she did not conform to her boss's "gender stereotype."
http://www.365gay.com/news/charlotte-nc-sued-by-trans-ex-worker/
-Gay marriage supporters picket Clinton speech
(San Diego, California) More than 200 opponents of Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage in California, demonstrated in front of a San Diego hotel during a speech by former President Bill Clinton.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-marriage-supporters-picket-clinton-speech/
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Activists say registration of new LGBT group in Russia is "historic"
Russian gays have for the first time registered an LGBT advocacy group with the government without the need for court intervention.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11169.html
-Nigeria tells UN that gays don't exist in their country
The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs has told a UN review of human rights in the African nation that there is no gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans community in his country.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11168.html
-Speaker's Conference will consider gay and lesbian representation
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A special House of Commons committee looking at ways to improve the numbers of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities in Parliament will also look at gay representation.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11182.html
-'Family' group accuses gay politicians of personal interest over partner benefits
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Two gay politicians in Colorado have dismissed suggestions they are trying to introduce benefits for the partners of same-sex couples of state employees for their own gain.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11198.html
-Gay sex "fuelling" HIV infections in Asia warns UNAIDS and WHO
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned today that the HIV/AIDS epidemic may take a major turn for the worse in Asia unless countries urgently expand access to services to men who have sex with men (MSM).
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11189.html
-60% of America's top companies ban gender identity discrimination
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A new report from a leading LGBT rights group in the US has revealed that 60 of the Fortune 100 largest businesses prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11188.html
-Burundi urged not to criminalise same-sex acts
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk .
The Senate of Burundi is to vote on a new draft of the criminal code this week that would criminalise homosexual conduct for the first time.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11174.html
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Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays: Making History
Posted by Daily Queer Newsat February 16, 2009Sidney Brinkley | Blacklight
The 1970's were exciting years for the Gay movement. In the decade following the 1969 Stonewall riot, Lesbians and Gay men were organizing in increasing numbers, demanding freedom and equal rights, culminating in the first national Gay March on Washington in October 1979. For much of that time the public face of the Gay movement was White. Whites comprised the overwhelming majority in the political and activist organizations of the day. "Gay" was synonymous with "White" and White Gays became the de facto spokesperson for Lesbians and Gay men of all colors. Read more
-NYC Protest to Mayor: Gay Sex Stings='Blow' to Liberty
Petrelis Files
Thanks to Joe Jervis of the JoeMyGod.com site, for lots of photos and a report, and the Associated Press' account, I have some info to share on today's demonstration at New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's private home. From the AP wire story, which apparently was written before the protest took place: Read more
-AZ: Couples Turn Out Early in Phoenix for Domestic Partner Registry
Arizona Republic | Tucson Citizen
Despite the dreary weather, about 10 gay couples made the trip to Phoenix City Hall Monday morning to be among the first to register with the city as domestic partners. The registry, which is open to unmarried gay or straight couples who share a Phoenix residence, grants partner visitation rights in all hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other health-care facilities in the city. It's sad that we have to deem this a huge deal, but this is a step in the right direction," said Lisa Smith, 41, standing with her partner, Reagan Bennion, moments after signing up and paying a $50 registration fee. "Progress is progress, and we're here to support those who made this possible." The couple has been dating for a year and became engaged a few months ago. They arrived before the registry officially opened at 9 a.m. in case there was a crowd. Read more
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Valentine Day turns pink in Nepal
KATHMANDU: Those used to associating Valentine's Day with red roses and red hearts had to do some readjusting Saturday when the heart of Kathmanduturned pink to celebrate a day that has more to it than romance. Dozens of homosexual couples, lesbians and transgenders gathered at the Basantapur Durbar Square in Nepal, one of the republic's most prominent public places where the old palace of the deposed Shah kings and the mansion of Kumari, Nepal's living goddess, are located, to celebrate Pink Triangle Day.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Valentine-Day-turns-pink-in-Nepal/articleshow/4129267.cms
-There's no going back
The gay community and its sympathisers all over the world are up in arms following Pope Benedict XVI's less than kind reference to their cause at a time when they thought they had breached the bastions of utter contempt and obvious prejudice in civilised society. As with other trends and social commotions, the issue has also had its repercussions among us, living as we undoubtedly are in a horrific haven of conservatism. The fact that there have been exponents of the local gay scene who have had the courage of their convictions, and publicly declared their disgust at the attitude of the Catholic Church, can perhaps be described as an isolated pot shot on behalf of those, gay or not, who genuinely believe there can be no going back to when society could, at will, victimise innocent, law-abiding and tax-paying people whose only "crime" was their different sexual orientation.
http://www2.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=83109
-Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner and Green Party candidate for Oxford East
The Vatican should stop meddling in politics and misusing its power to oppose human rights. Just as importantly, it is time the Italian government ceased kow-towing to the Pope's theocratic agenda. All of Europe should be secular, where people are free to practice their faith but where no religion has privileged legal status and unique access to political power and influence. These are the demands of protesters, backed by British Humanist Association, who will assemble in London this Saturday afternoon in support of a simultaneous protest taking place in Rome against the Vatican's manipulation of Italian, European and world-wide politics.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/13/catholicism-humanrights
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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
-Valentine's Day: Sex and Disability
In response to a request Dave Hingsburger made of fellow disability bloggers, I agreed to write a post on disability and sexuality/sensuality/love for Valentine's Day. As I discussed ideas for this particular blog with my husband, I asked him whether people think we have sex or not. I asked this question while we were in the shower together, an intimate moment that maybe others don't think we have. He said he hadn't thought of it before. Though I've not received the intrusive questions in this regard that some of my friends have, I have been asked whether I can have more children and whether my children were planned, and have had people who didn't know I have children look shocked when I mention them, shocked because I go about the world sitting down rather than standing up. I've been asked by a nurse, in front of my aunt and probably before the waiting room door closed, when my last period was and then made to take a pregnancy test despite telling her that my husband had a vasectomy, which I didn't really want to discuss in front of my aunt. I did want another child but it's just not a good idea. Being made to take the test broke my heart.
http://fridawrites.blogspot.com/2009/02/valentines-day-sex-and-disability.html
-Washington State Rep. Proposes Porn Tax
SEATTLE - Add Washington to the list of states desperately trying to find ways to plug holes in their budget deficits ... and looking to the adult industry to bail them out, this time, by way of a "porn tax."
http://avnmag.avn.com/articles/34452.html
-Miami: Nightmare in Jackson Memorial
Probably one of the greatest nightmares of any same sex couple is if one of them gets ill, gets taken to hospital, and the other is prevented from seeing their ill or dying partner in hospital. One of the ways of preventing this is to ensure that both partners execute an enduring power of attorney for health matters, so that they cna direct the hospital as to what to do. Despite having the American equivalent of one of these, it was not enough for Janice Langbehn who (along with their 3 adopted children), except for 5 minutes when the priest delivered the last rites, was banned from seeing her dying partner of 18 years Lisa Marie Pond.
http://lgbtlawblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/nightmare-in-jackson-memorial.html
-2009 Campus Pride Voice & Action National Leadership Award
Campus Pride, the leading national nonprofit 501(c)(3) which serves LGBT and ally student leaders and, or campus organizations, announced today the recipients of the 2009 Campus Pride Voice & Action National Leadership Awards. The honorary recognition highlights annually the extraordinary contributions of LGBT young adult leaders at colleges and universities across the United States. Out of nearly thirty student leaders, only three students Justin Hager from University of Wisconsin-Madison, Shawna Scott from University of Georgia and Celso Perez from Boston College were chosen this year for the prestigious honor. Learn more about these outstanding leaders, their profiles and accomplishments below.
http://www.campuspride.org/voiceandaction.asp
-A Tribute to Same Gender Loving Black Heroes
All too often the contributions of same gender loving people are overlooked. When acknowledged, our love for our same gender partners is often portrayed in negative ways. NBJC is proud to offer you the following people of note in Black history who knew the joy and experienced the challenges of same gender love and affection. Some of these names will be familiar, others may be new. We hope their stories will fill you with a sense of pride.
http://ga4.org/nbjcoalition/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=30543083#bhm
-UK: Whatever happened to free speech?
Britain was once renowned around the world for defending people's right to speak out. Not any more, says Philip Johnston. The refusal to admit the oddball Dutch MP Geert Wilders to Britain yesterday marks a further retreat from this country's traditions of free speech. It stands in stark contrast to what happened exactly 20 years ago tomorrow, when Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa calling for the death of Salman Rushdie for insulting the Prophet Mohammed in his book The Satanic Verses.
www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/philipjohnston/4604985/Whatever-happened-to-free-speech.html
-5th Annual Gender, Sexuality, and Power Student Research Conference
The Center for the Study of Genders and Sexualities (CSGS) invites students to participate in our fifth student research conference on May 12, 2009. This conference is an academic event intended to support students interested in gender, sexuality, queer, LGBT and women's studies.
http://www.calstatela.edu/centers/csgs
-Majority of the legislature supports transgender equality
On Wednesday, legislation to ban discrimination against transgender people in Massachusetts was introduced with 104 original co-sponsors, including majorities in the Senate and House. The legislation has more original co-sponsors than any other bill introduced this session of the legislature. An Act Relative to Gender Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes adds gender identity and expression to non-discrimination laws covering employment, housing, credit, and public accommodations, as well as to hate crimes statutes.
http://www.massequality.org
-Virgin Air Allows In-Flight Porn
Virgin America will offer unrestricted wireless Internet access on flights from Boston to California starting tomorrow, making the airline the first to allow porn on the new Aircell Gogo service. Although Delta, United, and American Airlines also offer wireless service on select flights, all of them have taken measures to block adult content. According to a report in the Boston Herald, Virgin has no plans to filter out porn sites.
http://online.avn.com/articles/34433.html
-No sex please, we're Scottish
The news today that the Scottish government is considering making its law cracking down on consensual teenage sex even tougher is worrying on several levels. Firstly, there is a very strong whiff of authoritarian moralising about the whole business. It seeks to bring girls aged 13-15 on to the same legal footing as teenage boys and open them up to prosecution should they indulge in consensual sex. On one level, this is entirely fair. If boys are to be prosecuted for having under-age sex, then it does seem equitable that girls should be liable to the same penalties.
http://thesoundofgunfire.blogspot.com/2009/02/no-sex-please-were-scottish.html
-SEX ISSUE: Thud or Sting?
An Outsider Explores BDSM
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be flogged? Yeah, me neither. But recently, I was having a conversation with a friend who is a bit kinky. As it turns out, a few more of my friends have admitted to their own fantasies in the past couple of weeks. Soon enough, it started to feel like too much of a coincidence-I had to find out what all the fuss was about. I started with a simple Google search. This approach was ill advised, especially without the protection of SafeSearch. I managed to discover Fetlife.com (think Fetish Facebook), and a quick look revealed perhaps a thousand or more kinks out there. I was forced to narrow my quest down, so I resolved to learn all I could about BDSM.
http://www.studlife.com/scene/sex_issue_thud_or_sting-1.1375116
-Dating is not dead, just different
We've all heard the adage, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" Well, the old system of dating was a long, confusing barnyard transaction. The New York Times recently ran an op-ed piece decrying the death of dating and the prevalence of "hooking up," or a sexual relationship between two people who are not emotionally attached, in today's youth culture. The column made it seem as if dating has gone the way of the drive-in movie theater and polio, and we now live in an era where emotionless premarital sex has run roughshod over the entire institution of dating.
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2009/02/12/Opinions/Dating.Is.Not.Dead.Just.Different-3626672.shtml
-My name is Nick Teich, and I am the founder and president of Camp
Aranu'tiq, a weeklong summer camp for transgender and gender-variant youth in the New England area. Our program will begin in summer 2010, but we would like to get the word out now to agencies or other entitites that deal with transgender and gender-variant individuals. Our age range is 8 through 15. We are on the web at:
www.camparanutiq.org
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Anything but Straight
By Wayne Besen
http://www.waynebesen.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Future of Gay Media
In one of the most important articles of the year, Walter Isaacson wrote in Time Magazine about the shredding of the newspaper business. With free content available online, people are dropping daily subscriptions and newsstand sales are declining. The only way for newspapers to remain profitable is through advertising revenue in the print and online editions. The problem with this business model, however, is that it leaves newsrooms beholden to advertising interests instead of readers. And, if the economy goes into a tailspin, precipitous drops in advertising can quickly lead to ruin. Isaacson says the way to save the news business is to move to a paradigm where newspapers go completely digital and readers pay directly for online content. For example, a web surfer who wants to read an individual story online can pay a nickel - or pay a larger fee for a weekly e-subscription.
http://www.waynebesen.com/2009/02/future-of-gay-media.html
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Michigan: Triangle Foundation
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Take Over 1,000 Old and New Friends. Add Four National Comedians.
What Do You Have?
A Way Cool Night of Comedy!
Announcing - the 13th Annual Michigan Lesbian & Gay ComedyFest!
Join us on Saturday, March 14 at Dearborn's Ford Community & Performing Arts Center as we welcome Andre Kelly, Jennie McNulty, Ian Harvie and Lisa Koch to the stage for an ever-so-gay night of comedy.
Tickets are only $30 in advance or $35 at the door (if available).
Shows are at 6:00 & 9:30 p.m., and tickets are going fast. Get yours today!
Purchase in advance at: www.comedyfest.org
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Gay American Heros
http://www.gayamericanheroes.info/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Ryan Skipper's murder trial on Court TV. Please watch, Here is a preview link.
Murder says Ryan being gay was not the reason. What do you think ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_3pWMwlpZY
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
Go to the links for the following articles:
-NC: A former city operations assistant at a Charlotte maintenance facility has sued the city, claiming she was fired because she had a sex change. The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday that Anne Marie Clukey said she was fired because she did not conform to her supervisor's "gender stereotype." The 60-year-old Clukey worked for the city for nearly two years. Court documents said she had "gender reassignment" surgery in May 2001.
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/feb/13/former-city-worker-sues-charlotte\-over-sex-change/
-New transgender education resource for churches from the Institute for Welcoming Resources
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 - The Institute for Welcoming Resources (IWR), a program of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, today announced the release of transACTION, a new curriculum designed for churches and religious institutions to help congregants and members understand and welcome transgender persons into their congregations and faith settings. "Too often transgender people looking for a place to worship can't find one to call their spiritual home because most congregations and religious institutions are not ready to welcome them as their companions in faith," says the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, Institute for Welcoming Resources and faith work director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "Yet, many transgender people of faith are searching for the same things that other believers want: a loving community where worship and working for equality and justice are the focus of their faith experience."
www.welcomingresources.org
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Untitled DocumentGLAAD
http://www.glaad.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Best & Worst of National News - January 2009
THE BEST
New York Post Publishes Inclusive Story about Lesbian Couple's Upcoming Wedding
The New York Post published a refreshing portrait of a lesbian couple who were planning wed on Valentine's Day, elevating the newspaper onto GLAAD's "Best" list for the first time ever. The January 19 story, "Empire State Lesbian Brides," by Aliyah Shahid, highlights the story of Jessica Chesnutt and Natalie Sauro of Brooklyn, NY, who won a contest that allowed them to exchange wedding vows on the 61st floor of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day alongside 13 other couples. According to the Post, this was the first time that a same-sex couple exchanged wedding vows on top of the famous building. Brides.com chose the couple, whose photo was included in this article, out of more than 400 applicants to the contest. "I didn't expect to win," Chesnutt said in the article. "The fact that the contest was open to same-sex couples is a good sign. We want the rights and responsibilities of married couples." READ ARTICLE:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01192009/news/regionalnews/empire_state_lesbian_brides_150828.htm
-Ohio Paper Highlights Growing Acceptance of Transgender People in Columbus
In Central Ohio, The Other Paper - Columbus's News & Entertainment Weekly, published a January 22 cover story about transgender issues entitled, "Waiting on the world to change - While others resist, Columbus grants the transgender community an identity." The comprehensive article by reporter Steph Greegor delves into the increasingly safe and accepting climate for transgender people in Columbus and surrounding areas, while exploring the difficulties facing transgender people in other parts of Ohio and nationally. Columbus-based therapist Meral Crane offers insights on how the area has become a haven for transgender people through word of mouth. "I never advertised my service, but the need was so great that trans people kept seeking an experienced and trained professional who could help them navigate their transition." READ ARTICLE:
http://www.theotherpaper.com/articles/2009/01/24/cover_story/doc49779a03dba4d108269657.txt
-The New York Times Publishes Editorial Criticizing Arkansas's Adoption Ban
The New York Times published a scathing editorial on January 6 labeling the new Arkansas law banning gay and unmarried straight people from adopting children "undeniably discriminatory," and calling on the state to "strike down this offensive new law." The editorial, entitled, "The Best Interests of the Child," illustrates the concrete harms created by the ban. It cites an example of a child abuse victim who now may be barred from living with her grandmother, who lives with another woman, because of the the recently passed anti-gay ballot initiative. "Arkansas's new law was a victory for the forces of bigotry and a major setback for the guiding principle of the law in adoption and foster care: the best interests of the child," the editorial says. READ EDITORIAL:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/opinion/06tue2.html?ref=opinion
THE WORST
Mike Huckabee Repeats Ann Coulter's Defamatory Comments on His Fox News Program
In an interview with Ann Coulter the week of January 5, former Arkansas Governor and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee repeated Coulter's use of the defamatory phrase "pro-sodomy" when discussing his political views with the author and pundit. Huckabee made the comments on his weekend Fox News Channel program, Huckabee, while he was trying to persuade Coulter that he is conservative enough to gain her support. Attempting to disprove Coulter's notion that the former governor is not, in Coulter's words, "pro-sodomy" and "pro-gay," Huckabee told Coulter. "I am definitely not pro-sodomy. I promise. Scout's honor."
WATCH CLIP:
http://glaadblog.org/2009/01/12/huckabee-parrots-coulter's-defamatory-phrase-"pro-sodomy"-on-fox/
-Rush Limbaugh Makes MSNBC Countdown's "Worst" List for Repeated Tasteless Remarks
Nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh was crowned "World's Worst" by MSNBC host Keith Olbermann on January 22 for his repeated use of the phrase "bend over, grab the ankles," when attacking Democratic support for progressive issues, including rights for LGBT people. Olbermann suggests that Limbaugh is obsessed with this crude description, saying, "He sure spends an uncomfortable amount of time describing himself or others bending over and grabbing his ankles." VIEW CLIP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2hE2eErRnE
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - February 17, 2009
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Cruise Issue | The Green Traveler
Cruise Lines Urged to Shrink Their Footprints
By JENNIFER CONLIN
MOVING gently through pristine blue waters, floating past whales and glaciers, fjords and islands, it is easy to see why travelers might think a vacation on a cruise ship is more eco-friendly than jetting through the earth's atmosphere on a plane.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/travel/15green.html?scp=6&sq=GAY&st=cse
-Pakistan Agrees to Islamic Law in Violent Region
By ISMAIL KHAN and JANE PERLEZ
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Pakistani authorities said Monday that they had accepted a deal to allow a legal system compatible with the Islamic legal code in the violent Swat region as part of a truce with Taliban militants who have virtually annexed the area, less than 100 miles from the capital.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/world/asia/17pstan.html?hp
-Taliban Threats in Pakistan Are Heard a World Away
By KIRK SEMPLE
Last June, Bakht Bilind Khan, who was living in the Bronx and working at a fast-food restaurant, returned to his village in the volatile Swat Valley of northern Pakistan to visit his wife and seven children for the first time in three years. But during a dinner celebration with his family, his homecoming suddenly turned dark: Several heavily armed Taliban fighters wearing masks appeared at the door of their house, accused Mr. Khan of being an American spy and kidnapped him.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/nyregion/17swat.html?hp
-Sheriff Says Phelps Won't Be Charged
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A South Carolina sheriff said Monday he was not going to charge swimmer Michael Phelps after a photo of the 14-time gold medalist showed him smoking from a marijuana pipe.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/16/sports/AP-SWM-Phelps-Marijuana.html?hp
-U.S. to Compare Medical Treatments
By ROBERT PEAR
The $787 billion economic stimulus bill approved by Congress will, for the first time, provide substantial amounts of money for the federal government to compare the effectiveness of different treatments for the same illness.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/health/policy/16health.html
-Op-Ed Columnist: Obama Riding the Wave
By BOB HERBERT
Listening to President Obama, I was struck by how well he understands that most voters are not driven by ideology and are not searching for politically orthodox leadership. Most want leaders who speak to their needs - especially in this time of economic crisis - and a government that works.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/opinion/17herbert.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: 'We'll Take It'
This nation's founders rebelled against taxation without representation, but residents of Washington are still without a meaningful voice in Congress. A bill to give the District of Columbia a voting member in the House of Representatives has taken an important step forward, and it could become law this year. The bill is not ideal, but it would redress a longstanding injustice. Congress should pass it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/opinion/17tue2.html?ref=opinion
-A Promising Treatment for Athletes, in Blood
By ALAN SCHWARZ
Two of the Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest stars, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, used their own blood in an innovative injury treatment before winning the Super Bowl. At least one major league pitcher, about 20 professional soccer players and perhaps hundreds of recreational athletes have also undergone the procedure, commonly called platelet-rich plasma therapy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/sports/17blood.html?hp
-Boycott by Science Group Over Louisiana Law Seen as Door to Teaching
Creationism
By ADAM NOSSITER
A leading scientific group has announced its intention to boycott Louisiana because of a new state law that could open the door to teaching creationism in the public schools.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/us/17boycott.html
-Op-Ed Columnist: Decade at Bernie's
By PAUL KRUGMAN
By now everyone knows the sad tale of Bernard Madoff's duped investors. They looked at their statements and thought they were rich. But then, one day, they discovered to their horror that their supposed wealth was a figment of someone else's imagination.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16krugman.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: The Magic Mountain
By ROGER COHEN
Tehran: The Alborz Mountains soar above the north side of the megalopolis that is the Iranian capital, their snowy peaks arousing dreams of evasion in people caught by the city's bottlenecks. One day I could resist them no longer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16cohen.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial | Editorial Notebook
Is the Supreme Court About to Kill Off the Exclusionary Rule?
By ADAM COHEN
In 1957, the Cleveland police showed up at Dollree Mapp's home looking for a bombing suspect. Ms. Mapp would not let them in without a search warrant, but they entered anyway. The police did not find the bomber, but they came across a trunk containing "lewd and lascivious" books and pictures.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16mon4.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Israel's Existential Dilemma
by Fareed Zakaria
Even before a new coalition could emerge, Israel's latest election was historic. It marked the collapse of Labor, the party that can plausibly claim to have founded Israel and produced its most celebrated prime ministers, from David Ben-Gurion (as head of Labor's predecessor, Mapai), through Golda Meir to Yitzhak Rabin. The last vestige of old Labor is Shimon Peres, who--with fitting irony--is the country's president only because he quit the party. Israel's political spectrum is now dominated by three right-wing groups: Likud, Kadima (the Likud offshoot founded by Ariel Sharon) and Yisrael Beytenu, a party of Russian immigrants. But while most commentators focus on the future of the peace process and the two-state solution, a deeper and more existential question is growing within the heart of Israel.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/fareed_zakaria/2009/02/israels_existential_dilemma.html
-4 Cases Illustrate Guantanamo Quandaries
Administration Must Decide Fate of Often-Flawed Proceedings, Often-Dangerous Prisoners
By Peter Finn
In their summary of evidence against Mohammed Sulaymon Barre, a Somali detained at Guantanamo Bay, military investigators allege that he spent several years at Osama bin Laden's compound in Sudan. But other military documents place him in Pakistan during the same period.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/15/AR2009021501955.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Burris insists feds didn't request new affidavit
By DON BABWIN
Sen. Roland Burris insisted Monday that a newly released affidavit outlining contacts with ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother and other advisers was voluntary and not the result of contact from federal agents investigating the former governor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021600920.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Austria: 'Katrina' pastor giving up promotion
By ERIC WILLEMSEN
VIENNA -- A pastor who created a controversy by suggesting that God punished New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina because of the city's sins said Sunday he will ask the pope to rescind his promotion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/15/AR2009021500628.html?hpid=sec-religion
-Protectionism Anew
By Anne Applebaum
Some think the New Deal rescued America from economic crisis in the 1930s. Others argue the opposite. But whatever their ideology, and whatever their credentials, most of the pundits, historians and economists who debate the Great Depression agree about one thing: Whatever may have caused the crisis, protectionism, trade barriers and, yes, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, helped to ensure that it lasted as long as it did. So uncontroversial is this view that it is virtually U.S. government policy. "To this day," intones a State Department Web site, "the phrase 'Smoot-Hawley' remains a watchword for the perils of protectionism."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601099.html
-Partisan Realities
By Richard Cohen
We might as well start with Judd Gregg because, in a way, he is at the heart of the problem. The first time I met him was in New Hampshire, during the 2000 Republican primary, when he came into the kitchen of a high school to tell me and another journalist that what we had just heard George W. Bush say on the stump he did not actually say. This man, I thought, has the heart of a wingman.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601104.html
-A Truth Commission?
The Danger in Democrats' Rush to Investigate
By David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey
A growing chorus of critics is demanding the creation of a special commission to "investigate" the Bush administration's alleged abuses of power, especially prosecution of the war on terrorism. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy called for a "truth commission" last week, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. has introduced legislation to establish a National Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601100.html
-President of Everything
By Eugene Robinson
This is a presidency on steroids. Barack Obama's executive actions alone would be enough for any new administration's first month: decreeing an end to torture and the Guantanamo prison, extending health insurance to more children, reversing Bush-era policies on family planning. That the White House also managed to push through Congress a spending bill of unprecedented size and scope -- designed both to provide an economic stimulus and reorder the nation's priorities -- is little short of astonishing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601102.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Judges: Torture, Abuses Undermine Values in U.S., U.K.
By Kevin Sullivan
LONDON, Feb. 17 -- An international group of judges and lawyers is warning that systemic torture and other abuses in the global "war on terror" have "undermined cherished values" of civil rights in the United States, Britain and other nations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021700506.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Senators Seek Ethics Findings
Investigation Focuses on Opinions Issued in Bush Administration on Torture
By Carrie Johnson
Two Senate Democrats urged the Justice Department yesterday to quickly release its findings of an ethics investigation into legal opinions under President George W. Bush that paved the way for waterboarding prisoners and other harsh interrogation practices.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601198.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Nuclear Submarines Collide
France, U.K. Report No Serious Damage in Atlantic Incident
By ALISTAIR MACDONALD in London and DAVID GAUTHIER-VILLARS in Paris
Two nuclear submarines -- one French and one British -- collided during a routine patrol in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, France and the U.K. said Monday. The freak collision raised concern among military experts and antinuclear campaigners.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123479486131792981.html
-Auto Maker Bankruptcy Looms
GM, Chrysler Plans Due Today; U.S. Taps Car Adviser Known for Extracting Concessions
By JOHN D. STOLL and MONICA LANGLEY
Troubled U.S. auto makers and union representatives dug in late Monday for all-night cost-cutting negotiations as the government advanced its point person on auto restructuring, a former investment banker with a record for demanding harsh concessions from manufacturers, unions and investors alike.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123483084725295657.html
-EU Court Ruling Could See Europe Admit More Asylum Seekers
By CHARLES FORELLE
BRUSSELS -- Refugees seeking asylum in the European Union do not have to demonstrate that they are specifically targeted for harm if there is widespread and indiscriminate violence in their home countries, Europe's highest court ruled Tuesday after reviewing the case of two Iraqi nationals who had fled the war in their country.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123486915097099021.html
-Christians on Left, Right Push Plan to Aid the Poor
By STEPHANIE SIMON
More than a dozen Christian leaders from across the political spectrum --
including members of both the Bush and Obama administrations -- will come together Tuesday to promote a grab bag of proposals designed to help the poor at a time of rising unemployment.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123482468966794861.html
-Barack of Afpakia
The left is already doubting Obama's Afghan surge.
The regents are on the ground and commanders are crafting new battle plans: resident Obama is girding for a war surge in Afghanistan. Let's hope he's willing to see it through when his most stalwart supporters start to doubt the effort and rue the cost.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123482632399795061.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama poised to sign stimulus into law
By BEN FELLER
President Barack Obama is poised to sign into law the most sweeping economic package in decades, a rescue plan designed to create millions of jobs, spur consumer spending and revive the nation's outlook.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/907385.html
-FINANCIAL CRISIS: Geithner still groping for right message
BY EUGENE ROBINSON
eugenerobinson@washpost.com
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will get much better at making his case to Congress and the American people. I'm confident in that prediction because after watching his debut last week, I don't see how he could get much worse.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/906148.html
-Discrimination hurts -- more so in hospitals
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
lpitts@miamiherald.com
Your wife is dying. One moment everything was fine. You were in your stateroom on the cruise ship -- it was to be an anniversary cruise -- unpacking your things. The kids were in the adjoining stateroom playing with your wife. Suddenly, they banged on the door crying that mom was hurt.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/903192.html
-Republicans seen as taking a risk in opposing Obama on economy
By DAVID LIGHTMAN
The Republican Party is taking a big risk by looking like the party of "no" at a time when Americans like their new president and badly want the economy fixed.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/906916.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Axelrod Gives Cheney A Verbal Bashing
Posted by Daniel Farber
Senior Obama advisor David Axelrod landed some verbal blows on Dick Cheney today over the former Vice President's criticisms of the Obama administration on national security, as well as Cheney's own record in that regard.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/02/15/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4803788.shtml
-Dems Fed Up With McCain: "Angry Old Defeated Candidate"
Democrats are growing increasingly frustrated with the brash political attacks Sen. John McCain has launched against Barack Obama in the weeks since the new president took office. No one expected the Arizona Republican to be a legislative ally for this administration. But it was widely assumed that Obama's overtures to McCain in the weeks after the election would dull some of the hard feelings between the two. Now, they are realizing, it has not.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/15/dems-growing-angry-with-m_n_167062.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:
-Cruise Issue | The Green Traveler
Cruise Lines Urged to Shrink Their Footprints
By JENNIFER CONLIN
MOVING gently through pristine blue waters, floating past whales and glaciers, fjords and islands, it is easy to see why travelers might think a vacation on a cruise ship is more eco-friendly than jetting through the earth's atmosphere on a plane.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/travel/15green.html?scp=6&sq=GAY&st=cse
-Pakistan Agrees to Islamic Law in Violent Region
By ISMAIL KHAN and JANE PERLEZ
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Pakistani authorities said Monday that they had accepted a deal to allow a legal system compatible with the Islamic legal code in the violent Swat region as part of a truce with Taliban militants who have virtually annexed the area, less than 100 miles from the capital.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/world/asia/17pstan.html?hp
-Taliban Threats in Pakistan Are Heard a World Away
By KIRK SEMPLE
Last June, Bakht Bilind Khan, who was living in the Bronx and working at a fast-food restaurant, returned to his village in the volatile Swat Valley of northern Pakistan to visit his wife and seven children for the first time in three years. But during a dinner celebration with his family, his homecoming suddenly turned dark: Several heavily armed Taliban fighters wearing masks appeared at the door of their house, accused Mr. Khan of being an American spy and kidnapped him.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/nyregion/17swat.html?hp
-Sheriff Says Phelps Won't Be Charged
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A South Carolina sheriff said Monday he was not going to charge swimmer Michael Phelps after a photo of the 14-time gold medalist showed him smoking from a marijuana pipe.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/16/sports/AP-SWM-Phelps-Marijuana.html?hp
-U.S. to Compare Medical Treatments
By ROBERT PEAR
The $787 billion economic stimulus bill approved by Congress will, for the first time, provide substantial amounts of money for the federal government to compare the effectiveness of different treatments for the same illness.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/health/policy/16health.html
-Op-Ed Columnist: Obama Riding the Wave
By BOB HERBERT
Listening to President Obama, I was struck by how well he understands that most voters are not driven by ideology and are not searching for politically orthodox leadership. Most want leaders who speak to their needs - especially in this time of economic crisis - and a government that works.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/opinion/17herbert.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: 'We'll Take It'
This nation's founders rebelled against taxation without representation, but residents of Washington are still without a meaningful voice in Congress. A bill to give the District of Columbia a voting member in the House of Representatives has taken an important step forward, and it could become law this year. The bill is not ideal, but it would redress a longstanding injustice. Congress should pass it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/opinion/17tue2.html?ref=opinion
-A Promising Treatment for Athletes, in Blood
By ALAN SCHWARZ
Two of the Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest stars, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, used their own blood in an innovative injury treatment before winning the Super Bowl. At least one major league pitcher, about 20 professional soccer players and perhaps hundreds of recreational athletes have also undergone the procedure, commonly called platelet-rich plasma therapy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/sports/17blood.html?hp
-Boycott by Science Group Over Louisiana Law Seen as Door to Teaching
Creationism
By ADAM NOSSITER
A leading scientific group has announced its intention to boycott Louisiana because of a new state law that could open the door to teaching creationism in the public schools.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/us/17boycott.html
-Op-Ed Columnist: Decade at Bernie's
By PAUL KRUGMAN
By now everyone knows the sad tale of Bernard Madoff's duped investors. They looked at their statements and thought they were rich. But then, one day, they discovered to their horror that their supposed wealth was a figment of someone else's imagination.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16krugman.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: The Magic Mountain
By ROGER COHEN
Tehran: The Alborz Mountains soar above the north side of the megalopolis that is the Iranian capital, their snowy peaks arousing dreams of evasion in people caught by the city's bottlenecks. One day I could resist them no longer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16cohen.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial | Editorial Notebook
Is the Supreme Court About to Kill Off the Exclusionary Rule?
By ADAM COHEN
In 1957, the Cleveland police showed up at Dollree Mapp's home looking for a bombing suspect. Ms. Mapp would not let them in without a search warrant, but they entered anyway. The police did not find the bomber, but they came across a trunk containing "lewd and lascivious" books and pictures.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16mon4.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Israel's Existential Dilemma
by Fareed Zakaria
Even before a new coalition could emerge, Israel's latest election was historic. It marked the collapse of Labor, the party that can plausibly claim to have founded Israel and produced its most celebrated prime ministers, from David Ben-Gurion (as head of Labor's predecessor, Mapai), through Golda Meir to Yitzhak Rabin. The last vestige of old Labor is Shimon Peres, who--with fitting irony--is the country's president only because he quit the party. Israel's political spectrum is now dominated by three right-wing groups: Likud, Kadima (the Likud offshoot founded by Ariel Sharon) and Yisrael Beytenu, a party of Russian immigrants. But while most commentators focus on the future of the peace process and the two-state solution, a deeper and more existential question is growing within the heart of Israel.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/fareed_zakaria/2009/02/israels_existential_dilemma.html
-4 Cases Illustrate Guantanamo Quandaries
Administration Must Decide Fate of Often-Flawed Proceedings, Often-Dangerous Prisoners
By Peter Finn
In their summary of evidence against Mohammed Sulaymon Barre, a Somali detained at Guantanamo Bay, military investigators allege that he spent several years at Osama bin Laden's compound in Sudan. But other military documents place him in Pakistan during the same period.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/15/AR2009021501955.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Burris insists feds didn't request new affidavit
By DON BABWIN
Sen. Roland Burris insisted Monday that a newly released affidavit outlining contacts with ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother and other advisers was voluntary and not the result of contact from federal agents investigating the former governor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021600920.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Austria: 'Katrina' pastor giving up promotion
By ERIC WILLEMSEN
VIENNA -- A pastor who created a controversy by suggesting that God punished New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina because of the city's sins said Sunday he will ask the pope to rescind his promotion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/15/AR2009021500628.html?hpid=sec-religion
-Protectionism Anew
By Anne Applebaum
Some think the New Deal rescued America from economic crisis in the 1930s. Others argue the opposite. But whatever their ideology, and whatever their credentials, most of the pundits, historians and economists who debate the Great Depression agree about one thing: Whatever may have caused the crisis, protectionism, trade barriers and, yes, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, helped to ensure that it lasted as long as it did. So uncontroversial is this view that it is virtually U.S. government policy. "To this day," intones a State Department Web site, "the phrase 'Smoot-Hawley' remains a watchword for the perils of protectionism."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601099.html
-Partisan Realities
By Richard Cohen
We might as well start with Judd Gregg because, in a way, he is at the heart of the problem. The first time I met him was in New Hampshire, during the 2000 Republican primary, when he came into the kitchen of a high school to tell me and another journalist that what we had just heard George W. Bush say on the stump he did not actually say. This man, I thought, has the heart of a wingman.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601104.html
-A Truth Commission?
The Danger in Democrats' Rush to Investigate
By David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey
A growing chorus of critics is demanding the creation of a special commission to "investigate" the Bush administration's alleged abuses of power, especially prosecution of the war on terrorism. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy called for a "truth commission" last week, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. has introduced legislation to establish a National Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601100.html
-President of Everything
By Eugene Robinson
This is a presidency on steroids. Barack Obama's executive actions alone would be enough for any new administration's first month: decreeing an end to torture and the Guantanamo prison, extending health insurance to more children, reversing Bush-era policies on family planning. That the White House also managed to push through Congress a spending bill of unprecedented size and scope -- designed both to provide an economic stimulus and reorder the nation's priorities -- is little short of astonishing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601102.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-Judges: Torture, Abuses Undermine Values in U.S., U.K.
By Kevin Sullivan
LONDON, Feb. 17 -- An international group of judges and lawyers is warning that systemic torture and other abuses in the global "war on terror" have "undermined cherished values" of civil rights in the United States, Britain and other nations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/17/AR2009021700506.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Senators Seek Ethics Findings
Investigation Focuses on Opinions Issued in Bush Administration on Torture
By Carrie Johnson
Two Senate Democrats urged the Justice Department yesterday to quickly release its findings of an ethics investigation into legal opinions under President George W. Bush that paved the way for waterboarding prisoners and other harsh interrogation practices.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601198.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Nuclear Submarines Collide
France, U.K. Report No Serious Damage in Atlantic Incident
By ALISTAIR MACDONALD in London and DAVID GAUTHIER-VILLARS in Paris
Two nuclear submarines -- one French and one British -- collided during a routine patrol in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, France and the U.K. said Monday. The freak collision raised concern among military experts and antinuclear campaigners.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123479486131792981.html
-Auto Maker Bankruptcy Looms
GM, Chrysler Plans Due Today; U.S. Taps Car Adviser Known for Extracting Concessions
By JOHN D. STOLL and MONICA LANGLEY
Troubled U.S. auto makers and union representatives dug in late Monday for all-night cost-cutting negotiations as the government advanced its point person on auto restructuring, a former investment banker with a record for demanding harsh concessions from manufacturers, unions and investors alike.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123483084725295657.html
-EU Court Ruling Could See Europe Admit More Asylum Seekers
By CHARLES FORELLE
BRUSSELS -- Refugees seeking asylum in the European Union do not have to demonstrate that they are specifically targeted for harm if there is widespread and indiscriminate violence in their home countries, Europe's highest court ruled Tuesday after reviewing the case of two Iraqi nationals who had fled the war in their country.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123486915097099021.html
-Christians on Left, Right Push Plan to Aid the Poor
By STEPHANIE SIMON
More than a dozen Christian leaders from across the political spectrum --
including members of both the Bush and Obama administrations -- will come together Tuesday to promote a grab bag of proposals designed to help the poor at a time of rising unemployment.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123482468966794861.html
-Barack of Afpakia
The left is already doubting Obama's Afghan surge.
The regents are on the ground and commanders are crafting new battle plans: resident Obama is girding for a war surge in Afghanistan. Let's hope he's willing to see it through when his most stalwart supporters start to doubt the effort and rue the cost.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123482632399795061.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama poised to sign stimulus into law
By BEN FELLER
President Barack Obama is poised to sign into law the most sweeping economic package in decades, a rescue plan designed to create millions of jobs, spur consumer spending and revive the nation's outlook.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/907385.html
-FINANCIAL CRISIS: Geithner still groping for right message
BY EUGENE ROBINSON
eugenerobinson@washpost.com
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will get much better at making his case to Congress and the American people. I'm confident in that prediction because after watching his debut last week, I don't see how he could get much worse.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/906148.html
-Discrimination hurts -- more so in hospitals
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
lpitts@miamiherald.com
Your wife is dying. One moment everything was fine. You were in your stateroom on the cruise ship -- it was to be an anniversary cruise -- unpacking your things. The kids were in the adjoining stateroom playing with your wife. Suddenly, they banged on the door crying that mom was hurt.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/903192.html
-Republicans seen as taking a risk in opposing Obama on economy
By DAVID LIGHTMAN
The Republican Party is taking a big risk by looking like the party of "no" at a time when Americans like their new president and badly want the economy fixed.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/906916.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Axelrod Gives Cheney A Verbal Bashing
Posted by Daniel Farber
Senior Obama advisor David Axelrod landed some verbal blows on Dick Cheney today over the former Vice President's criticisms of the Obama administration on national security, as well as Cheney's own record in that regard.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/02/15/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4803788.shtml
-Dems Fed Up With McCain: "Angry Old Defeated Candidate"
Democrats are growing increasingly frustrated with the brash political attacks Sen. John McCain has launched against Barack Obama in the weeks since the new president took office. No one expected the Arizona Republican to be a legislative ally for this administration. But it was widely assumed that Obama's overtures to McCain in the weeks after the election would dull some of the hard feelings between the two. Now, they are realizing, it has not.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/15/dems-growing-angry-with-m_n_167062.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 17, 2009
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Sidelines Sports Bar sponsors Green Hopper shuttle in Wilton Manors
Sidelines Sports Bar is delighted to announce its support of the new "green" shuttle service in Wilton Manors, the Green Hopper. The owners of Sidelines have been proactively searching for ways to help alleviate the parking challenges faced by patrons when visiting the city as a result of the diminishing number of parking spaces along "the Drive". One such solution was found in the Green Hopper. The Green Hopper, a new local shuttle service, provides safe, convenient and free transportation aboard their 100% electric and zero emission 5-passenger vehicles around Wilton Manors' Island City area. Once aboard, residents and visitors can enjoy a no-fee ride anywhere in Wilton Manors. While the Green Hopper does not charge a fee to ride, funding is generated by customer's generous tips to their drivers and paid advertising sponsors, such as Sidelines Sports Bar.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-Songwriter Desmond Child to speak Tuesday at gay Stonewall Library &
Archives in Fort Lauderdale
Stonewall Library & Archives and ArtExplosion '09, International GLBT Arts Festival, will feature An Evening with Desmond Child, 2008 Songwriters hall of Fame inductee, on Tuesday, February 17, at 6:00 PM at the Broward County Main Library Auditorium. The singer/songwriter/producer has penned 70 top 40 hits and will be discussing his career and the music industry today, along with a few tidbits about working with today's brightest young stars.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-FOSTER CHILDREN: South Florida foster kids pose for photo project
BY ROBERT SAMUELS
Her smile beaming with a tinge of red lipstick, the foster child posed for the photographer.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/907286.html
=
NATIONAL VALUING OUR FAMILIES AWARD
Fort Lauderdale and Miami Gay Men's Choruses' Florida Premier Performance of "Songs of My Family" - Saturday, March 14, 2009
Sunshine Cathedral - Fort Lauderdale
2009 National Award Winner will be presented to Marriage Equality National Spokespersons GEORGE TAKEI (Star Trek's Mr Sulu) & his partner BRAD ALTMAN - Award will be presented by SHARON GLESS
SunServe Spokesperson and 2004 National Award winner
VIP Reception 6:30 - 7:45 pm
Concert and Award presentation 8:00 pm
About Songs of My Family. This amazing choral cycle, composed by Robert Seely and Robert Espindola, is a musically lush and poetically beautiful telling of real stories of gay and lesbian families. It had its origin right here in interviews of South Florida families who have attended SunServe's Valuing Our Families Conference. It was premiered last summer at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. and will be directed by Jeff Buhrman, the artistic director of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC. Hear the 170 voice combined chorus of the Ft Lauderdale and Miami Gay Men's Choruses and orchestra in this truly remarkable choral event!! Reception and performance tickets: $100 per person
To purchase tickets - 954-764-5150 - or online visit the SunServe website:
www.sunserve.org/awardgala2009.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-RockHard reaction: First 'adult' store opens in WilMa
By JASON MICHAELS
For several months, there was speculation about what a storefront with a large sign saying "RockHard" on Wilton Drive was going to be. Some local residents thought it was going to be a clothing store. Some business people along the drive thought it was going to be a music store. As it turned out, it's the first adult toy store licensed in Wilton Manors.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-12/news/localnews/5531.cfm
-OUT Florida is in
Organizations Uniting Together, will increase clout in Tallahassee and around state
By GEORG KETELHOHN AND KAREN DOERING
After the disappointing passage last fall of Amendment 2, the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, the leaders of several local LGBT organizations around the state began looking at how we might be able to make a broader, positive difference in Florida. A consensus quickly emerged that we needed better communication and cooperation among local organizations working throughout the state. We determined that a federation of LGBT and allied local organizations could help foster stronger, better connected efforts to help us achieve local and statewide success in Florida.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-12/view/editorial/5536.cfm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Former Broward schools chief Till quits non-profit
By Lisa J. Huriash
Frank Till, the former head of Broward County Click here for restaurant inspection reports.'s public school system, has stepped down as CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County to pursue a career as an education consultant.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-bn-0216till,0,6559542.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gov. Crist extends political courtesy
OUR OPINION: Governor had good reason to welcome president to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has come under a hail of brickbats from his Republican friends for daring to show up in Ft. Myers last week to share a platform with the president of the United States. Cheer up, governor. As John F. Kennedy said, ``Sometimes party loyalty asks too much.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/906155.html
-FORT LAUDERDALE: New Fort Lauderdale mayor's role: cheerleader in chief
BY AMY SHERMAN
Jack Seiler, mayor-elect of Fort Lauderdale, discusses taxes, the city's former Mayor Jim Naugle and tourism.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/front-page/story/906140.html
-CHILD WELFARE: Gay adoptive parent fights DCF for subsidy
A gay Key West man allowed to adopt a foster child is now fighting DCF for the same benefits other adoptive parents receive.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/906107.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Will Gov. Crist run for Senate? Signs point to yes
By Jeremy Wallace
Gov. Charlie Crist says he will not announce until at least May whether he will run for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090215/ARTICLE/902150369/2055/NEWS?Title=Will_Gov__Crist_run_for_Senate__Signs_point_to_yes
-Watching Republicans grieve
Filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi journeyed into the heart of the GOP for her new HBO documentary. She discusses what she found there: Denial, depression and a whole lot of anger.
By Mark Schone
http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/int/2009/02/16/alexandra_pelosi/
-Meek Charging Out Of The Gate In Senate Primary
by William March
Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami is charging out of the gate in the Democratic primary for next year's U.S. Senate race. This morning Meek announced an endorsement from the political active Service Employees International Union, then planned a meet-and-greet with supporters in Tallahassee this evening.
http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/news/story/meek-charging-out-of-the-gate-in-senate-primary/
-Florida Legislature will look at plan to end teacher tenure
by Ron Matus
A sweeping plan to make it easier to fire teachers and put a bigger spotlight on teacher quality is headed to the Florida Legislature. A top priority for one of former Gov. Jeb Bush's education foundations, the plan would essentially gut teacher tenure, a status encoded in state law that gives teachers special protections against firing.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article975946.ece
-Unemployment benefits in Florida: Questions and answers
Here are answers to key questions about benefits if you lose your job
By Marcia Heroux Pounds
With Florida's jobless rate topping 8 percent, workers who are unemployed or on the verge of losing their jobs have many questions about applying for unemployment benefits.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flz0213unemployment,0,7612857.story
-Michael Peltier: High noon for U.S. Sugar deal Tuesday
By MICHAEL PELTIER (Contact)
If this were Hollywood, the meeting scheduled for Tuesday between a key Senate committee and the South Florida Water Management District would have been held at high noon.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/feb/15/michael-peltier-high-noon-us-sugar-deal-tuesday/
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Sidelines Sports Bar sponsors Green Hopper shuttle in Wilton Manors
Sidelines Sports Bar is delighted to announce its support of the new "green" shuttle service in Wilton Manors, the Green Hopper. The owners of Sidelines have been proactively searching for ways to help alleviate the parking challenges faced by patrons when visiting the city as a result of the diminishing number of parking spaces along "the Drive". One such solution was found in the Green Hopper. The Green Hopper, a new local shuttle service, provides safe, convenient and free transportation aboard their 100% electric and zero emission 5-passenger vehicles around Wilton Manors' Island City area. Once aboard, residents and visitors can enjoy a no-fee ride anywhere in Wilton Manors. While the Green Hopper does not charge a fee to ride, funding is generated by customer's generous tips to their drivers and paid advertising sponsors, such as Sidelines Sports Bar.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-Songwriter Desmond Child to speak Tuesday at gay Stonewall Library &
Archives in Fort Lauderdale
Stonewall Library & Archives and ArtExplosion '09, International GLBT Arts Festival, will feature An Evening with Desmond Child, 2008 Songwriters hall of Fame inductee, on Tuesday, February 17, at 6:00 PM at the Broward County Main Library Auditorium. The singer/songwriter/producer has penned 70 top 40 hits and will be discussing his career and the music industry today, along with a few tidbits about working with today's brightest young stars.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-FOSTER CHILDREN: South Florida foster kids pose for photo project
BY ROBERT SAMUELS
Her smile beaming with a tinge of red lipstick, the foster child posed for the photographer.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/907286.html
=
NATIONAL VALUING OUR FAMILIES AWARD
Fort Lauderdale and Miami Gay Men's Choruses' Florida Premier Performance of "Songs of My Family" - Saturday, March 14, 2009
Sunshine Cathedral - Fort Lauderdale
2009 National Award Winner will be presented to Marriage Equality National Spokespersons GEORGE TAKEI (Star Trek's Mr Sulu) & his partner BRAD ALTMAN - Award will be presented by SHARON GLESS
SunServe Spokesperson and 2004 National Award winner
VIP Reception 6:30 - 7:45 pm
Concert and Award presentation 8:00 pm
About Songs of My Family. This amazing choral cycle, composed by Robert Seely and Robert Espindola, is a musically lush and poetically beautiful telling of real stories of gay and lesbian families. It had its origin right here in interviews of South Florida families who have attended SunServe's Valuing Our Families Conference. It was premiered last summer at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. and will be directed by Jeff Buhrman, the artistic director of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC. Hear the 170 voice combined chorus of the Ft Lauderdale and Miami Gay Men's Choruses and orchestra in this truly remarkable choral event!! Reception and performance tickets: $100 per person
To purchase tickets - 954-764-5150 - or online visit the SunServe website:
www.sunserve.org/awardgala2009.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-RockHard reaction: First 'adult' store opens in WilMa
By JASON MICHAELS
For several months, there was speculation about what a storefront with a large sign saying "RockHard" on Wilton Drive was going to be. Some local residents thought it was going to be a clothing store. Some business people along the drive thought it was going to be a music store. As it turned out, it's the first adult toy store licensed in Wilton Manors.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-12/news/localnews/5531.cfm
-OUT Florida is in
Organizations Uniting Together, will increase clout in Tallahassee and around state
By GEORG KETELHOHN AND KAREN DOERING
After the disappointing passage last fall of Amendment 2, the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, the leaders of several local LGBT organizations around the state began looking at how we might be able to make a broader, positive difference in Florida. A consensus quickly emerged that we needed better communication and cooperation among local organizations working throughout the state. We determined that a federation of LGBT and allied local organizations could help foster stronger, better connected efforts to help us achieve local and statewide success in Florida.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/2-12/view/editorial/5536.cfm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Former Broward schools chief Till quits non-profit
By Lisa J. Huriash
Frank Till, the former head of Broward County Click here for restaurant inspection reports.'s public school system, has stepped down as CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County to pursue a career as an education consultant.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-bn-0216till,0,6559542.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gov. Crist extends political courtesy
OUR OPINION: Governor had good reason to welcome president to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has come under a hail of brickbats from his Republican friends for daring to show up in Ft. Myers last week to share a platform with the president of the United States. Cheer up, governor. As John F. Kennedy said, ``Sometimes party loyalty asks too much.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/906155.html
-FORT LAUDERDALE: New Fort Lauderdale mayor's role: cheerleader in chief
BY AMY SHERMAN
Jack Seiler, mayor-elect of Fort Lauderdale, discusses taxes, the city's former Mayor Jim Naugle and tourism.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/front-page/story/906140.html
-CHILD WELFARE: Gay adoptive parent fights DCF for subsidy
A gay Key West man allowed to adopt a foster child is now fighting DCF for the same benefits other adoptive parents receive.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/906107.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Will Gov. Crist run for Senate? Signs point to yes
By Jeremy Wallace
Gov. Charlie Crist says he will not announce until at least May whether he will run for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090215/ARTICLE/902150369/2055/NEWS?Title=Will_Gov__Crist_run_for_Senate__Signs_point_to_yes
-Watching Republicans grieve
Filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi journeyed into the heart of the GOP for her new HBO documentary. She discusses what she found there: Denial, depression and a whole lot of anger.
By Mark Schone
http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/int/2009/02/16/alexandra_pelosi/
-Meek Charging Out Of The Gate In Senate Primary
by William March
Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami is charging out of the gate in the Democratic primary for next year's U.S. Senate race. This morning Meek announced an endorsement from the political active Service Employees International Union, then planned a meet-and-greet with supporters in Tallahassee this evening.
http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/news/story/meek-charging-out-of-the-gate-in-senate-primary/
-Florida Legislature will look at plan to end teacher tenure
by Ron Matus
A sweeping plan to make it easier to fire teachers and put a bigger spotlight on teacher quality is headed to the Florida Legislature. A top priority for one of former Gov. Jeb Bush's education foundations, the plan would essentially gut teacher tenure, a status encoded in state law that gives teachers special protections against firing.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article975946.ece
-Unemployment benefits in Florida: Questions and answers
Here are answers to key questions about benefits if you lose your job
By Marcia Heroux Pounds
With Florida's jobless rate topping 8 percent, workers who are unemployed or on the verge of losing their jobs have many questions about applying for unemployment benefits.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flz0213unemployment,0,7612857.story
-Michael Peltier: High noon for U.S. Sugar deal Tuesday
By MICHAEL PELTIER (Contact)
If this were Hollywood, the meeting scheduled for Tuesday between a key Senate committee and the South Florida Water Management District would have been held at high noon.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/feb/15/michael-peltier-high-noon-us-sugar-deal-tuesday/
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Monday, February 16, 2009
FLORIDA DIGEST - February 16, 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~~
Stonewall Library & Archives - Ft. Lauderdale
1300 East Sunrise Boulevard (Note new address in ArtServe Building)
-TONIGHT! POET RICHARD BLANCO TO APPEAR AT STONEWALL LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
READING BY CUBAN-AMERICAN POET RICHARD BLANCO, TONIGHT - MONDAY - FEBRUARY 16 - 7PM
Mr. Blanco's appearance was originally scheduled for February 14 and has been rescheduled for Monday evening, February 16. Richard Blanco's family emigrated from Cuba to Spain two months before his birth and very soon after relocated to Miami. His acclaimed first book of poetry, City of a Hundred Fires, won the Agnes Starrett Poetry Prize from the University of Pittsburgh Press (1998). Blanco has traveled extensively and lived in Guatemala, Brazil, and Connecticut. He has taught at Georgetown and American University. His second book, Directions to the Beach of the Dead continues to explore themes of home, place, and identity.
His poems have appeared in major literary journals and anthologies, including The Best American Poetry 2000, Great American Prose Poems, The Breadloaf Anthology of New American Poets, and he has been featured on National Public Radio.
Jack Rutland, Executive Director - Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Boulevard - Fort Lauderdale
-Inside the Songwriter’s Studio with: Desmond Child in conjunction with Q-uba
Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 6:00 -7:30PM
Songwriter/producer Desmond Child was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in June of 2008. For nearly three decades, Desmond Child has reigned as one of music's most successful creative forces. His list of accolades includes Grammy awards, 70 Top 40 singles, and songs that have sold over 300 million albums worldwide. Child's career has been highlighted by a stunning array of diversity. His collaborations run the gamut... from Bon Jovi & Aerosmith to Ricky Martin,..from KISS to Kelly Clarkson... from Cher to Alice Cooper. Presented by Stonewall Library & Archives at Broward Main Library Auditorium(1st Floor)
100 S. Andrews Avenue - Fort Lauderdale
-STONEWALL LIBRARY & ARCHIVES LAUNCHES ANNUAL WRITING WORKSHOP
MONDAY, MARCH 2
Stonewall Library & Archives will launch its annual 4-session writing workshop, Write Out Loud. The workshop will give writers, from beginners to advanced, a chance to get immediate feedback on their work: fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Writing topics will be suggested and will include gay and lesbian subjects as well as general interest subjects. Writers are also encouraged to submit projects on which they have already begun working. The workshop facilitator is Andrea Dulanto, a creative instructor at Florida nternational University. Ms. Dulanto has participated in writing workshops
throughout south Florida and was a 2006 scholarship recipient from Vermont
College for its postgraduate Writers Conference. She was also the chair and
presenter of Poetry Reading at the Women's Studies Conference hosted by FIU
in 2005-2007. Write Out Loud will take place on four consecutive Monday
evenings, beginning March 2 and is free and open to the public. Enrollment is limited to twelve participants. The workshop will be held at Stonewall Library & Archives, 1300 East Sunrise Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
For further information or to register for the workshop please contact:
Jack Rutland, Executive Director - Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Boulevard - Ft. Lauderdale - 954-763-8565
jack-rutland@stonewall-library.org
=
Gay & Lesbian Community Center of South Florida
Jody Watley Stars at STARS OF THE RAINBOW - MARCH 1
HYATT REGENCY PIER SIXTY SIX, VIP 5:00 PM, Gala 6:00 PM
Free Admission
=
Dolphin Democrats open a Get Out The Vote office for the local municipal elections for March 10th.
The Dolphins have leased space inside the GLCC at 1717 N. Andrews Avenue , Ft. Lauderdale , in the room formerly occupied by the Stonewall Library & Archives. The purpose is to improve voter turnout and elect GLBT* and GLBT friendly** candidates that remain in the following races:
*Dania Beach – city wide run-off election March 10th for city commissioner.
[Derrick Hankerson]
*Ft. Lauderdale – district 4 run-off election March 10th for city commissioner. [Coleman Prewitt]
*Oakland Park – city wide elections March 10th for city commissioner.
[Anthony Niedwiecki, Seat 4] [Anne Sallee**, Seat 1] [Suzanne Boisvenue, Seat 5]
Volunteers are needed to staff the office. If you have a couple of hours during the week available in the afternoon or evening, or noon to 5 on weekends, that would be helpful. Please contact JD at (954) 802-2202 or email him at CampJdFtL@gmail.com for more details. The more hours we can have the office open then the more effective our efforts will be. JD is putting together a schedule now. The more we can cover the office while activities are going on at the GLCC would be the best coverage.
=
From Florida GLBT Democrats
-President's Day GLBT Stimulus Package!
In Honor of President Obama's victory in passing the National Stimulus package through congress, the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus has decided to offer our own financial stimulus to conference attendees by extending advance registration through Tuesday, February the 17th. Fees will remain only $35 for Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus** or Stonewall Democrats of SW Florida members** and $25 for seniors (62+) or students (ID required). Non-members are welcome to attend for $50. Your registration fee covers includes a full Continental Breakfast, a full agenda covering a wide variety of speakers and topics, a deli-style lunch buffet and, while they last (limited supply of complementary tickets)*, Saturday night at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre enjoying a buffet dinner and the new musical 'All Shook Up'. *Thanks to a special and generous donation to the Stonewall Democrats of SW Florida from the Lee County DEC Chairman and Broadway Palm owner, Will Prather, the first=2 076 people to register on-line will each qualify to receive 1 complimentary ticket to the Broadway Palm's rocking production of "All Shook Up!" - A new musical comedy featuring many of your favorite Elvis hits with hilarious twists (a $53 value). These tickets are going fast and are almost gone so don't delay, or you could be spending the weekend in Heartbreak Hotel... If you want to register at the member rate, just join (or renew) with either the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus:
http://floridaglbtdemocrats.org/membership.html
=
The Galt Mile Community Association Proudly Welcomes Florida State Governor Charlie Crist
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 11:30 AM - Registration
Town Hall Meeting
This is your opportunity to meet and ask questions directly to the "People's Governor".
Arrive early space is limited. Free On site Parking
For further information please Contact: Pio R. Ieraci, President
Galt Mile Community Association - 954-489-9430
=
Dear LGBT Community Partners, Friends, Families and Sponsors,
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (The Task Force) Winter Party Festival is coming up soon. There are many diverse events planned for the week of February 21 to March 2, 2009. You and your members are invited to join us in the park for an afternoon of food, fun and activities!
LGBT Family Picnic on Sunday, February 22, 2009 - Noon to 4:00 PM
Topeekeegee Yugnee Park (TY Park) - Shelter #8
3300 North Park Road - Hollywood, FL 33024
This is a FREE event. The park charges an entrance fee of $1.50 per person (6 years of age and over) - Children 5 years of age and under are free.
There will be a bounce house, rock climbing wall, slide, obstacle course, clown with face painting and animal balloons, some board games, good food and cotton candy.
Thank you!
Luis A. Rodriguez
Family Picnic Chair
=
Congreagation Etz Chaim - Wilton Manors
-Congregation Etz Chaim Welcomes Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum (March 13)
Congregation Etz Chaim (CEC), Wilton Manor's only synagogue and Florida's only synagogue with a special outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews, welcomes Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum to speak at its regular 8 p.m., Shabbat service on Friday, March 13. Since 1992, Rabbi Kleinbaum has been the Senior Rabbi of New York City's Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (CBST), the world's largest LGBT synagogue. Under her leadership, CBST has become an important voice in Judaism and in the movement for LGBT rights. Perhaps the best-known LGBT Rabbi in the world, Rabbi Kleinbaum will deliver the weekly drash (Torah commentary) at CEC's March 13, service. Congregation Etz Chaim, which is currently celebrating its 35th Anniversary, is located at 1881 N.E. 26 Street, Suite 101, in Wilton Manors. In addition to its 8 p.m., Friday night services, CEC offers a variety of religious, educational and social programs along with its Sisterhood and Men's Club. For more information contact CEC at (954) 564-9232 or congregation@etz-chaim.com.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Stonewall Library & Archives - Ft. Lauderdale
1300 East Sunrise Boulevard (Note new address in ArtServe Building)
-TONIGHT! POET RICHARD BLANCO TO APPEAR AT STONEWALL LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
READING BY CUBAN-AMERICAN POET RICHARD BLANCO, TONIGHT - MONDAY - FEBRUARY 16 - 7PM
Mr. Blanco's appearance was originally scheduled for February 14 and has been rescheduled for Monday evening, February 16. Richard Blanco's family emigrated from Cuba to Spain two months before his birth and very soon after relocated to Miami. His acclaimed first book of poetry, City of a Hundred Fires, won the Agnes Starrett Poetry Prize from the University of Pittsburgh Press (1998). Blanco has traveled extensively and lived in Guatemala, Brazil, and Connecticut. He has taught at Georgetown and American University. His second book, Directions to the Beach of the Dead continues to explore themes of home, place, and identity.
His poems have appeared in major literary journals and anthologies, including The Best American Poetry 2000, Great American Prose Poems, The Breadloaf Anthology of New American Poets, and he has been featured on National Public Radio.
Jack Rutland, Executive Director - Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Boulevard - Fort Lauderdale
-Inside the Songwriter’s Studio with: Desmond Child in conjunction with Q-uba
Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 6:00 -7:30PM
Songwriter/producer Desmond Child was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in June of 2008. For nearly three decades, Desmond Child has reigned as one of music's most successful creative forces. His list of accolades includes Grammy awards, 70 Top 40 singles, and songs that have sold over 300 million albums worldwide. Child's career has been highlighted by a stunning array of diversity. His collaborations run the gamut... from Bon Jovi & Aerosmith to Ricky Martin,..from KISS to Kelly Clarkson... from Cher to Alice Cooper. Presented by Stonewall Library & Archives at Broward Main Library Auditorium(1st Floor)
100 S. Andrews Avenue - Fort Lauderdale
-STONEWALL LIBRARY & ARCHIVES LAUNCHES ANNUAL WRITING WORKSHOP
MONDAY, MARCH 2
Stonewall Library & Archives will launch its annual 4-session writing workshop, Write Out Loud. The workshop will give writers, from beginners to advanced, a chance to get immediate feedback on their work: fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Writing topics will be suggested and will include gay and lesbian subjects as well as general interest subjects. Writers are also encouraged to submit projects on which they have already begun working. The workshop facilitator is Andrea Dulanto, a creative instructor at Florida nternational University. Ms. Dulanto has participated in writing workshops
throughout south Florida and was a 2006 scholarship recipient from Vermont
College for its postgraduate Writers Conference. She was also the chair and
presenter of Poetry Reading at the Women's Studies Conference hosted by FIU
in 2005-2007. Write Out Loud will take place on four consecutive Monday
evenings, beginning March 2 and is free and open to the public. Enrollment is limited to twelve participants. The workshop will be held at Stonewall Library & Archives, 1300 East Sunrise Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
For further information or to register for the workshop please contact:
Jack Rutland, Executive Director - Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Boulevard - Ft. Lauderdale - 954-763-8565
jack-rutland@stonewall-library.org
=
Gay & Lesbian Community Center of South Florida
Jody Watley Stars at STARS OF THE RAINBOW - MARCH 1
HYATT REGENCY PIER SIXTY SIX, VIP 5:00 PM, Gala 6:00 PM
Free Admission
=
Dolphin Democrats open a Get Out The Vote office for the local municipal elections for March 10th.
The Dolphins have leased space inside the GLCC at 1717 N. Andrews Avenue , Ft. Lauderdale , in the room formerly occupied by the Stonewall Library & Archives. The purpose is to improve voter turnout and elect GLBT* and GLBT friendly** candidates that remain in the following races:
*Dania Beach – city wide run-off election March 10th for city commissioner.
[Derrick Hankerson]
*Ft. Lauderdale – district 4 run-off election March 10th for city commissioner. [Coleman Prewitt]
*Oakland Park – city wide elections March 10th for city commissioner.
[Anthony Niedwiecki, Seat 4] [Anne Sallee**, Seat 1] [Suzanne Boisvenue, Seat 5]
Volunteers are needed to staff the office. If you have a couple of hours during the week available in the afternoon or evening, or noon to 5 on weekends, that would be helpful. Please contact JD at (954) 802-2202 or email him at CampJdFtL@gmail.com for more details. The more hours we can have the office open then the more effective our efforts will be. JD is putting together a schedule now. The more we can cover the office while activities are going on at the GLCC would be the best coverage.
=
From Florida GLBT Democrats
-President's Day GLBT Stimulus Package!
In Honor of President Obama's victory in passing the National Stimulus package through congress, the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus has decided to offer our own financial stimulus to conference attendees by extending advance registration through Tuesday, February the 17th. Fees will remain only $35 for Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus** or Stonewall Democrats of SW Florida members** and $25 for seniors (62+) or students (ID required). Non-members are welcome to attend for $50. Your registration fee covers includes a full Continental Breakfast, a full agenda covering a wide variety of speakers and topics, a deli-style lunch buffet and, while they last (limited supply of complementary tickets)*, Saturday night at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre enjoying a buffet dinner and the new musical 'All Shook Up'. *Thanks to a special and generous donation to the Stonewall Democrats of SW Florida from the Lee County DEC Chairman and Broadway Palm owner, Will Prather, the first=2 076 people to register on-line will each qualify to receive 1 complimentary ticket to the Broadway Palm's rocking production of "All Shook Up!" - A new musical comedy featuring many of your favorite Elvis hits with hilarious twists (a $53 value). These tickets are going fast and are almost gone so don't delay, or you could be spending the weekend in Heartbreak Hotel... If you want to register at the member rate, just join (or renew) with either the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus:
http://floridaglbtdemocrats.org/membership.html
=
The Galt Mile Community Association Proudly Welcomes Florida State Governor Charlie Crist
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 11:30 AM - Registration
Town Hall Meeting
This is your opportunity to meet and ask questions directly to the "People's Governor".
Arrive early space is limited. Free On site Parking
For further information please Contact: Pio R. Ieraci, President
Galt Mile Community Association - 954-489-9430
=
Dear LGBT Community Partners, Friends, Families and Sponsors,
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (The Task Force) Winter Party Festival is coming up soon. There are many diverse events planned for the week of February 21 to March 2, 2009. You and your members are invited to join us in the park for an afternoon of food, fun and activities!
LGBT Family Picnic on Sunday, February 22, 2009 - Noon to 4:00 PM
Topeekeegee Yugnee Park (TY Park) - Shelter #8
3300 North Park Road - Hollywood, FL 33024
This is a FREE event. The park charges an entrance fee of $1.50 per person (6 years of age and over) - Children 5 years of age and under are free.
There will be a bounce house, rock climbing wall, slide, obstacle course, clown with face painting and animal balloons, some board games, good food and cotton candy.
Thank you!
Luis A. Rodriguez
Family Picnic Chair
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Congreagation Etz Chaim - Wilton Manors
-Congregation Etz Chaim Welcomes Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum (March 13)
Congregation Etz Chaim (CEC), Wilton Manor's only synagogue and Florida's only synagogue with a special outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews, welcomes Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum to speak at its regular 8 p.m., Shabbat service on Friday, March 13. Since 1992, Rabbi Kleinbaum has been the Senior Rabbi of New York City's Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (CBST), the world's largest LGBT synagogue. Under her leadership, CBST has become an important voice in Judaism and in the movement for LGBT rights. Perhaps the best-known LGBT Rabbi in the world, Rabbi Kleinbaum will deliver the weekly drash (Torah commentary) at CEC's March 13, service. Congregation Etz Chaim, which is currently celebrating its 35th Anniversary, is located at 1881 N.E. 26 Street, Suite 101, in Wilton Manors. In addition to its 8 p.m., Friday night services, CEC offers a variety of religious, educational and social programs along with its Sisterhood and Men's Club. For more information contact CEC at (954) 564-9232 or congregation@etz-chaim.com.
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Sunday, February 15, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - February 15, 2009
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fallen Soldiers, Coming Home in Public
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
In an HBO movie that has its premiere on Saturday, Kevin Bacon, playing the part of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, escorts the body of Chance Phelps, 19, a fellow Marine killed in Iraq, home to his parents in Wyoming. There's no real plot; the linear narrative follows Colonel Strobl through his solemn rituals, often including a slow ceremonial salute, as he watches over Private Phelps (later Lance Corporal Phelps). The body is moved in a shipping container through various airports, from cargo hold to cargo hold, on its long last journey.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/weekinreview/15seelye.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=cse
-Ventura, CA: Suit Filed Over Killing of Teenager in Classroom
The family of a gay middle school student who was shot to death in class has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit that accuses the school district, a shelter and a gay rights organization of failing to protect him.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/us/15lawsuit.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Scripture war behind schism
Some parishes chose to leave their national churches.
By Sue Nowicki
The Episcopal Church isn't the only denomination facing a split between liberal and conservative interpretations of Scripture. The Presbyterian Church USA also has seen individual churches leave the national church. There are similarities between the denominations: Both have had more than 100 churches leave the national churches, mainly over differences about the authority of Scripture and the ordination of gay clergy. Both national churches claim more than 2 million members.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-fvpresbysbfeb15,0,3663616.story
-South Florida sees slump in lucrative gay tourism
Competing destinations, poor economy cut into lucrative gay, lesbian tourism market
By Doreen Hemlock
In the aftermath of 9-11 attacks in 2001, gays were among the first to board planes and travel, providing a lifeline for South Florida tourism. Marketers swooned over the resilience of gay tourists, who tend not to have children and generally travel more than average.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flztourism0215sbfeb15,0,3224156.story
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fallen Soldiers, Coming Home in Public
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
In an HBO movie that has its premiere on Saturday, Kevin Bacon, playing the part of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, escorts the body of Chance Phelps, 19, a fellow Marine killed in Iraq, home to his parents in Wyoming. There's no real plot; the linear narrative follows Colonel Strobl through his solemn rituals, often including a slow ceremonial salute, as he watches over Private Phelps (later Lance Corporal Phelps). The body is moved in a shipping container through various airports, from cargo hold to cargo hold, on its long last journey.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/weekinreview/15seelye.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=cse
-Ventura, CA: Suit Filed Over Killing of Teenager in Classroom
The family of a gay middle school student who was shot to death in class has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit that accuses the school district, a shelter and a gay rights organization of failing to protect him.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/us/15lawsuit.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Scripture war behind schism
Some parishes chose to leave their national churches.
By Sue Nowicki
The Episcopal Church isn't the only denomination facing a split between liberal and conservative interpretations of Scripture. The Presbyterian Church USA also has seen individual churches leave the national church. There are similarities between the denominations: Both have had more than 100 churches leave the national churches, mainly over differences about the authority of Scripture and the ordination of gay clergy. Both national churches claim more than 2 million members.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-fvpresbysbfeb15,0,3663616.story
-South Florida sees slump in lucrative gay tourism
Competing destinations, poor economy cut into lucrative gay, lesbian tourism market
By Doreen Hemlock
In the aftermath of 9-11 attacks in 2001, gays were among the first to board planes and travel, providing a lifeline for South Florida tourism. Marketers swooned over the resilience of gay tourists, who tend not to have children and generally travel more than average.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flztourism0215sbfeb15,0,3224156.story
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
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