**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Judge: Anti-gay marriage donors must be public
By STEVE LAWRENCE
A federal judge denied a request Thursday to keep secret the names of donors to California's anti-gay marriage initiative, saying the public had a right to know who gave money to state ballot measures.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012903263.html
-Same-sex rights could be expanded in Wash. state
By RACHEL LA CORTE
Adrienne Purcella's life has changed a lot in the past year: She got a job as a police officer and officially entered a domestic partnership with Libby Cope.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012900946.html
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Saddlebacking!
By Rebecca Armendariz
Dan Savage has done it again! Fresh off the heels of the Rick Warren inauguration controversy, Dan's readers have elected an alternate definition for the word "Saddlebacking" (of the Saddleback Church that Warren started). "Saddlebacking" is "the phenomenon of Christian teens engaging in unprotected anal sex in order to preserve their virginities."
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm?blog_id=23721
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Life on the Hill: Frank's new aide settles into job
By Lisa Neff
He's lobbied. He's testified. And now he's working on the Hill, a new member of U.S. Rep. Barney Frank's team in The Rayburn House Office Building. His title, which Sanchez believes will fit on a business card, is "legislative assistant for LGBT, healthcare, labor, veterans, census and Social Security issues.
http://www.365gay.com/living/life-on-the-hill-frank%E2%80%99s-new-aide-settles-into-job/
-Judge issues stern warning in nasty lesbian custody case
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
In a long-running legal dispute between two women over parental visitation rights, a Vermont Family Court judge Thursday issued a stern rebuke to a Virginia woman over her latest attempt to deny her former partner visitation rights to their child.
http://www.365gay.com/news/judge-issues-stern-warning-in-nasty-lesbian-custody-case/
-Nigeria moves to ban gay marriage
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Even though homosexuality is illegal in Nigeria, the country's Parliament is considering legislation that would make it a crime for two people of the same-sex to marry.
http://www.365gay.com/news/nigeria-moves-to-ban-gay-marriage/
-Utah gay rights bills get off to bad start
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Legislation that would allow same-sex couples to sue for wrongful death damages has been defeated in a state senate committee. It was the first of six LGBT bills filed in the legislature this session.
http://www.365gay.com/news/utah-gay-rights-bills-get-off-to-bad-start/
-Psychoanalysts call for end to military gay ban
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
The American Psychoanalytic Association is calling on Congress to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the law the bars gays from serving openly in the military.
http://www.365gay.com/news/psychoanalysts-call-for-end-to-military-gay-ban/
-National gay rights conference opens in Denver
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
Some 2,000 LGBT civil rights activists from across the country are meeting in Denver to plan strategies on the national and local level.The Creating Change conference, sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, opened Wednesday and will run through the weekend.
http://www.365gay.com/news/national-gay-rights-conference-opens-in-denver/
-Gay foe Palin launches PAC
By The Associated Press
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin launched a political action committee Tuesday to help support candidates for federal and state office.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-foe-palin-launches-pac/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Colombia Rules Gay Couples Must Be Granted Same Rights as Straight
In a historic decision handed down Wednesday, Colombia's Constitutional Court ruled same-sex couples must be granted the same rights as heterosexuals in common-law marriages. The court's decision means Colombia's gay couples will be awarded dozens of rights that straight, unmarried couples have enjoyed for years and follows other recent rulings that have won the nation's same-sex couples inheritance, pension, health, and social security rights.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71941.asp
-Giuliano Steps Down From GLAAD
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation announced Wednesday that its president, Neil Giuliano, will step down later this year to pursue "personal interests" and complete a book about his personal and professional life. Giuliano has been president of GLAAD for 3-1/2 years. Prior to his work with GLAAD, Giuliano was mayor of Tempe, Ariz., and was a university administrator and faculty associate at Arizona State University.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71928.asp
-Miami No Place to Pee for Transgender People
When it comes to safe bathrooms for people identifying as transgender, Miami is no paradise.
The Florida city has the fewest safe toilets of all major U.S. municipalities, reports the Miami New Times. The newspaper based its pronouncement on a list originated by Safe2Pee.org, a group that tracks gender-neutral facilities across the country -- which include bathrooms that aren't marked with men/women signs or are labeled unisex. Many transgender people have experienced harassment, violence, and discrimination when utilizing a public bathroom that is specifically designated for either men or women.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72052.asp
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-The Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference
(MBLGTACC) will hold its 17th annual conference Feb. 13-15, 2009 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Bloomington, home of the world-renowned Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, was recently ranked by The Advocate as the nation's No. 1 gay-friendly small town vacation destination. Indiana University was included in The Advocate's top 20 list of schools for LGBT students nationwide.
http://www.mblgtacc.org
http://www.mblgtacc.org/
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-MEPs worried about trans violence in Honduras
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Members of the European Parliament are demanding that the EU raise the issue of violence against trans people with the Honduras government.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10958.html
-People who reject Church teaching on homosexuality should leave says bishop
By Tony Grew
A Roman Catholic leader in Malta has said that church members who do not accept "Christ's teachings" should leave altogether. Mario Grech, the Bishop of Gozo, commented after the first openly gay candidate for parliament in Malta protested against the Pope's hostility to homosexuality by leaving the Roman Catholic Church.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10932.html
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Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Spanish Supreme Court Deadlocked Over Allowing Familiesto Opt Out of Homosexual Indoctrination
Matthew Cullinan Hoffman | Life Site News
MADRID, January 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Spanish Supreme Court has been deadlocked for two days over whether or not to permit parents to remove their children from a government civics program that indoctrinates students with homosexual ideology. The program, entitled "Education for Citizenship," instructs teachers to "revise the student's attitude towards homosexuality" and to teach children to reject "existing discrimination for reason of sex, origin, social differences, affective-sexual, or whatever other type" and to carry out a "critical evaluation of the social and sexual division of labor and racist, xenophobic, sexist, and homophobic social prejudices." The Catholic Church and numerous individuals have protested the program, which is mandatory throughout Spain, including the nation's private schools, although the latter have the option of ignoring individual directives in the program. The case before the Spanish Supreme Court is an appeal of a decision of the highest court of the Spanish Province of Andalucía, which ruled that people may sue to prevent their children from being indoctrinated in the program, but later ruled against a particular group of families seeking exemption. Read more
-Louisiana Court of Appeal Upholds Benefits for Same-Sex Partners of New Orleans City Employees
Lambda Legal
'The appeal by ADF left New Orleans city employees and their families in unnecessary legal suspense for a year.'
The Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth District, has upheld a Lambda Legal victory in lower court that the city of New Orleans was within its authority when it granted health benefits to domestic partners of city employees and established a domestic partner registry for city residents. The January 15 decision came a year to the day that the Civil District Court for Orleans Parish ruled that the State Constitution does indeed grant the city of New Orleans the authority to offer health benefits to the domestic partners of city employees and maintain a registry of domestic partners for city residents. The anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) appealed that ruling, saying that the registry violated state laws prohibiting marriage for same-sex couples and that local governments lack the authority to govern such arrangements, but the Court of Appeal rejected those arguments. The three-judge panel wrote: "The registry ordinance has no effect on the Civil Code articles relating to marriage, creates no obligations between the parties who choose to register, and provides neither an enforcement mechanism nor a cause of action for which redress may be sought in courts of this state." Read more
-Rights Groups Release Updated Guide for New York Same-Sex Couples Married Out of State
Lambda Legal
Lambda Legal, Empire State Pride Agenda, New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union have released a guide outlining government protections and obligations for same-sex couples in New York who married out of state. The updated guide is released as the first anniversary of Martinez v. County of Monroe draws near, and in light of last week's decision in Lewis v. New York State Dept. of Civil Service - both notable appellate court rulings that upheld government recognition of out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples.
The document, titled: Your Government Respects Your Marriage: Developments in New York State Agency Recognition of Same-Sex Couples' Out-of-State Marriages, details many of the ways state agencies around New York accord legal respect to married same-sex couples. Lambda Legal, NYCLU, Empire State Pride Agenda and ACLU worked closely with state agencies to confirm and clarify the legal rights afforded to same-sex couples married out of state. The summary offers an overview of some of these statewide protections. "The guide is a crucial primer for same-sex couples who are recognized as spouses in New York," said Susan Sommer, senior counsel at Lambda Legal, who has litigated many of the cases confirming marriage respect for same-sex couples. "It shows significant areas in which these couples now are protected, ranging from access to health insurance, to accurate birth certificates for children born to same-sex couples, to important workers' compensation benefits if tragedy strikes. But until New Yorkers in same-sex relationships can marry in their home state, they are still vulnerable to discrimination." Read more
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HIV Leadership Forum
The time has come to empower and mobilize our community!
When we opened the list-serve on January 20, 2009, it was intentionally done without fanfare. We wanted to see what other individuals, mostly LEAP graduates, wanted to contribute and share with other AIDS activists/ advocates throughout the country. This moderated list-serve provides us all an opportunity to communicate with one another while reducing the number of e-mails that often clutter up our inboxes. [...] Please encourage other AIDS activists/advocates to enlist and participate.Subscribe:
HIV_Leadership_Forum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Friday, January 30, 2009
NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - January 30, 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:
-Op-Ed Columnist: Health Care Now
The whole world is in recession. But the United States is the only wealthy country in which the economic catastrophe will also be a health care catastrophe - in which millions of people will lose their health insurance along with their jobs, and therefore lose access to essential care.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30krugman.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Rules of the Game
President George W. Bush, and his aides, could hardly wait to get rid of all those tiresome arms-control treaties when they took office. They tore up the 1972 antiballistic missile treaty to make way for a still largely pie-in-the-sky missile defense system. They opposed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and never made a serious effort to win a ban on the production of fissile material (the core of a nuclear weapon).
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30fri1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Cleaner and Faster
By DAVID BROOKS
Throughout 2008, Larry Summers, the Harvard economist, built the case for a big but surgical stimulus package. Summers warned that a "poorly provided fiscal stimulus can have worse side effects than the disease that is to be cured." So his proposal had three clear guidelines.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Hazardous Peanut Butters
After a strain of salmonella in peanut products sickened more than 500 people and contributed to eight deaths, government investigators finally took a hard look at a peanut producer in southwest Georgia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30fri3.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Mr. Misdeeds Exits the Statehouse
In his days of disgrace as Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich openly identified with the Frank Capra characters Mr. Smith and Mr. Deeds, hoping to tug populist heartstrings as a misunderstood victim. Mercifully for Illinois taxpayers, the State Senate didn't buy that for a minute on Thursday in convicting Mr. Blagojevich of gross abuse of his executive powers and voting unanimously to remove him from office.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30fri4.html?ref=opinion
-Obama Calls Wall Street Bonuses 'Shameful'
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and STEPHEN LABATON
President Obama branded Wall Street bankers "shameful" on Thursday for giving themselves nearly $20 billion in bonuses as the economy was deteriorating and the government was spending billions to bail out some of the nation's most prominent financial institutions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/business/30obama.html?hp
-Blagojevich Makes a Day of It on Way Out
By MONICA DAVEY
As the nine-seat airplane raced through the skies on Thursday somewhere between Springfield and here, an onboard telephone began to ring. Rod R. Blagojevich, the soon-to-be ex-governor of Illinois, instructed his aides not to answer. It might be the news, he said, that he had been removed from office and that he no longer controlled the state's thousands of employees or even, especially pertinent, the state-owned airplane taking him home.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/30scene.html?hp
-Blagojevich Ousted by Illinois State Senate
The Illinois Senate removed Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich from office Thursday, convicting him on an article of impeachment that alleged a pattern of abuse of power.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/30illinois.html
-Suicides of Soldiers Reach High of Nearly 3 Decades
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
Suicides among soldiers in 2008 rose for the fourth year in a row, reaching the highest level in nearly three decades, Army officials said Thursday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/30suicide.html
-Democrats Set Sights on Republican Senators Who Oppose Stimulus Plan By
JACKIE CALMES and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Senator Judd Gregg awoke to the bad news on Thursday morning that a coalition of Democratic groups had planned to run television advertisements in his state to pressure him to support President Obama's economic recovery plan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30repubs.html
-Candidate Linked to Obama Parody Song Leaves Race for G.O.P. Chairman
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Chip Saltsman, the candidate for national Republican Party chairman who came under fire late last year for distributing a holiday CD with the parody song "Barack the Magic Negro," dropped out of the contest Thursday on the eve of the vote.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30chair.html
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Barack W. Obama
By Kathleen Parker
Two impressions emerge from President Barack Obama's first week in office: Partisanship has reached a tipping point when the new president is circling the fire hydrant with a conservative talk-radio personality. And, the new president is sounding an awful lot like the old one.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012902764.html
-Blind Unanimity
Congressional Republicans, Meet PATCO
By Eugene Robinson
Watching the House Republicans vote unanimously against President Obama's economic stimulus package, I thought of Ronald Reagan, the air traffic controllers and the potential consequences for those who fail to recognize that one political era has given way to the next.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012903445.html
-A Blow for Common Sense
Protecting those who speak out against sexual harassment in the workplace VICKY CRAWFORD was approached in 2002 by a human resources officer in her Tennessee government office and asked whether she was aware of inappropriate behavior by a male supervisor. Ms. Crawford, a 30-year employee of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Metro), responded by citing several episodes of sexual harassment.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012903755.html
-Iraqis Stake Hopes on Election
Provincial Vote Seen as Valid Path to Future
By Anthony Shadid
BAGHDAD, Jan. 29 -- Shahbandar Cafe still stands, a testament to the resilience of the country and its capital, Baghdad, even if so much here has changed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012904305.html?hpid=topnews
-Senate Passes Health Insurance Bill for Children
Immigrant Clause Opens Rift
By Ceci Connolly
The Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation yesterday to provide health insurance to 11 million low-income children, a bill that would for the first time spend federal money to cover children and pregnant women who are legal immigrants.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012900325.html?hpid=topnews
-Obama taps campaign aide to head religious office
By JENNIFER LOVEN
The Associated Press
President Barack Obama has chosen Joshua DuBois to lead his White House-based effort to steer federal social service dollars to religious charities and get them more involved in government anti-poverty efforts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012902275.html?hpid=sec-religion
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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-U.S. Eyes Two-Part Bailout for Banks
By DAMIAN PALETTA, JONATHAN WEISMAN and DEBORAH SOLOMON
The nation's top economic officials are discussing a new way to stabilize the financial system by buying a portion of banks' bad assets and offering guarantees against future losses on some of the remainder, in an effort to help banks while trying to mitigate the cost to taxpayers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123326820233830623.html
-Obama to Reverse Bush Labor Policies
By LAURA MECKLER
President Barack Obama is set to sign a trio of orders Friday aimed at giving unions and people who work for federal contractors new rights.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123324342041128947.html
-North Korea Ramps Up Rhetoric Against Seoul
By EVAN RAMSTAD
SEOUL -- North Korea declared Friday that it would no longer abide by its military and economic agreements with South Korea, in another expression of anger at Seoul's unwillingness to restart the strings-free economic assistance it ended last year.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123331158456133033.html
-Dodd of Indignation
Wall Street bonuses and sweetheart mortgages: Compare and discuss.
Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd has been in typically indignant form this week, opining on the financial crisis. Before his Tuesday hearing on Bernard Madoff, he demanded that regulators get to the bottom of any crime: "American investors deserve an explanation and the responsible parties must be held accountable!" And yesterday the Connecticut Senator denounced Wall Street bonuses and said, "I am urging -- in fact, not urging, demanding -- that the Treasury Department figures out some way to get the money back."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123327803577131539.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Anti-Semitism must be denounced worldwide
By Abraham H. Foxman
Israel's operation to defend its people from Hamas rockets is having an impact far beyond Gaza and Israel's besieged southern cities. Its repercussions are being felt by Jewish communities around the world, particularly the Jews of Western Europe and Latin America.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum29foxmanpnjan29,0,5475555.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-ROD BLAGOJEVICH: Dereliction of duty no laughing matter
BY DAVID S. BRODER
davidbroder@washpost.com
Something very strange -- and disturbing -- has happened with Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted at his impeachment trial and thrown out of office Thursday. Even as the legal wheels were turning in Springfield to remove him from the Illinois governorship, he became a media star, warmly and affectionately treated by people who ought to know better.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/879313.html
-FOCUS ON ISRAEL: Anti-Semitism increasing worldwide
BY FRIDA GHITIS
First, you had to laugh. The bearded man in the olive green robe held a sign advocating ''Death to All Juice.'' So, he wasn't the most articulate proponent of genocide. But the sentiment, expressed during an anti-Israel demonstration in Manhattan, could not have come across any more clearly. The idea that all Jews deserve to die is hardly original, but it has become trendy again since the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Anti-Semitism has come out of the closet.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/879322.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The South Vs. Obama
by Michael Lind
The votes against Obama's stimulus package came from a Southern confederacy of Republicans and conservative Democrats. Their message to America? Drop dead.
On Wednesday, January 28, 2009, President Barack Obama's $819 billion stimulus plan passed the House of Representatives, despite the solid opposition of the Confederates.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-01-29/the-south-rises-again/
-Judge Rejects Obama Bid to Stall Gitmo Trial
Military judge rejects Obama bid to stall Guantanamo trial against Cole bombing suspect
By MIKE MELIA and ANDREW O. SELSKY Associated
A military judge at Guantanamo on Thursday rejected a White House request to suspend a hearing for the alleged mastermind of the USS Cole bombing, creating an unexpected challenge for the administration as it reviews how America puts suspected terrorists on trial.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6760978
-Army suicides at record high, passing civilians
By PAULINE JELINEK and KIMBERLY HEFLING
Stressed by war and long overseas tours, U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year at the highest rate on record, the toll rising for a fourth straight year and even surpassing the suicide rate among comparable civilians. Army leaders said they were doing everything they could think of to curb the deaths and appealed for more mental health professionals to join and help out.
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/politics-16/1233275977173800.xml&storylist=topstories
-POLITICS
A Long-Lived Privilege?
Bush lawyer directs Rove not to talk to Congress-once again
By Michael Isikoff
Just four days before he left office, President Bush instructed former White House aide Karl Rove to refuse to cooperate with future congressional inquiries into alleged misconduct during his administration.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/182240
=
[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:
-Op-Ed Columnist: Health Care Now
The whole world is in recession. But the United States is the only wealthy country in which the economic catastrophe will also be a health care catastrophe - in which millions of people will lose their health insurance along with their jobs, and therefore lose access to essential care.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30krugman.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Rules of the Game
President George W. Bush, and his aides, could hardly wait to get rid of all those tiresome arms-control treaties when they took office. They tore up the 1972 antiballistic missile treaty to make way for a still largely pie-in-the-sky missile defense system. They opposed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and never made a serious effort to win a ban on the production of fissile material (the core of a nuclear weapon).
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30fri1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Cleaner and Faster
By DAVID BROOKS
Throughout 2008, Larry Summers, the Harvard economist, built the case for a big but surgical stimulus package. Summers warned that a "poorly provided fiscal stimulus can have worse side effects than the disease that is to be cured." So his proposal had three clear guidelines.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Hazardous Peanut Butters
After a strain of salmonella in peanut products sickened more than 500 people and contributed to eight deaths, government investigators finally took a hard look at a peanut producer in southwest Georgia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30fri3.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Mr. Misdeeds Exits the Statehouse
In his days of disgrace as Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich openly identified with the Frank Capra characters Mr. Smith and Mr. Deeds, hoping to tug populist heartstrings as a misunderstood victim. Mercifully for Illinois taxpayers, the State Senate didn't buy that for a minute on Thursday in convicting Mr. Blagojevich of gross abuse of his executive powers and voting unanimously to remove him from office.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/opinion/30fri4.html?ref=opinion
-Obama Calls Wall Street Bonuses 'Shameful'
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and STEPHEN LABATON
President Obama branded Wall Street bankers "shameful" on Thursday for giving themselves nearly $20 billion in bonuses as the economy was deteriorating and the government was spending billions to bail out some of the nation's most prominent financial institutions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/business/30obama.html?hp
-Blagojevich Makes a Day of It on Way Out
By MONICA DAVEY
As the nine-seat airplane raced through the skies on Thursday somewhere between Springfield and here, an onboard telephone began to ring. Rod R. Blagojevich, the soon-to-be ex-governor of Illinois, instructed his aides not to answer. It might be the news, he said, that he had been removed from office and that he no longer controlled the state's thousands of employees or even, especially pertinent, the state-owned airplane taking him home.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/30scene.html?hp
-Blagojevich Ousted by Illinois State Senate
The Illinois Senate removed Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich from office Thursday, convicting him on an article of impeachment that alleged a pattern of abuse of power.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/30illinois.html
-Suicides of Soldiers Reach High of Nearly 3 Decades
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
Suicides among soldiers in 2008 rose for the fourth year in a row, reaching the highest level in nearly three decades, Army officials said Thursday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/30suicide.html
-Democrats Set Sights on Republican Senators Who Oppose Stimulus Plan By
JACKIE CALMES and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Senator Judd Gregg awoke to the bad news on Thursday morning that a coalition of Democratic groups had planned to run television advertisements in his state to pressure him to support President Obama's economic recovery plan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30repubs.html
-Candidate Linked to Obama Parody Song Leaves Race for G.O.P. Chairman
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Chip Saltsman, the candidate for national Republican Party chairman who came under fire late last year for distributing a holiday CD with the parody song "Barack the Magic Negro," dropped out of the contest Thursday on the eve of the vote.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30chair.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Barack W. Obama
By Kathleen Parker
Two impressions emerge from President Barack Obama's first week in office: Partisanship has reached a tipping point when the new president is circling the fire hydrant with a conservative talk-radio personality. And, the new president is sounding an awful lot like the old one.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012902764.html
-Blind Unanimity
Congressional Republicans, Meet PATCO
By Eugene Robinson
Watching the House Republicans vote unanimously against President Obama's economic stimulus package, I thought of Ronald Reagan, the air traffic controllers and the potential consequences for those who fail to recognize that one political era has given way to the next.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012903445.html
-A Blow for Common Sense
Protecting those who speak out against sexual harassment in the workplace VICKY CRAWFORD was approached in 2002 by a human resources officer in her Tennessee government office and asked whether she was aware of inappropriate behavior by a male supervisor. Ms. Crawford, a 30-year employee of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Metro), responded by citing several episodes of sexual harassment.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012903755.html
-Iraqis Stake Hopes on Election
Provincial Vote Seen as Valid Path to Future
By Anthony Shadid
BAGHDAD, Jan. 29 -- Shahbandar Cafe still stands, a testament to the resilience of the country and its capital, Baghdad, even if so much here has changed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012904305.html?hpid=topnews
-Senate Passes Health Insurance Bill for Children
Immigrant Clause Opens Rift
By Ceci Connolly
The Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation yesterday to provide health insurance to 11 million low-income children, a bill that would for the first time spend federal money to cover children and pregnant women who are legal immigrants.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012900325.html?hpid=topnews
-Obama taps campaign aide to head religious office
By JENNIFER LOVEN
The Associated Press
President Barack Obama has chosen Joshua DuBois to lead his White House-based effort to steer federal social service dollars to religious charities and get them more involved in government anti-poverty efforts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012902275.html?hpid=sec-religion
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-U.S. Eyes Two-Part Bailout for Banks
By DAMIAN PALETTA, JONATHAN WEISMAN and DEBORAH SOLOMON
The nation's top economic officials are discussing a new way to stabilize the financial system by buying a portion of banks' bad assets and offering guarantees against future losses on some of the remainder, in an effort to help banks while trying to mitigate the cost to taxpayers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123326820233830623.html
-Obama to Reverse Bush Labor Policies
By LAURA MECKLER
President Barack Obama is set to sign a trio of orders Friday aimed at giving unions and people who work for federal contractors new rights.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123324342041128947.html
-North Korea Ramps Up Rhetoric Against Seoul
By EVAN RAMSTAD
SEOUL -- North Korea declared Friday that it would no longer abide by its military and economic agreements with South Korea, in another expression of anger at Seoul's unwillingness to restart the strings-free economic assistance it ended last year.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123331158456133033.html
-Dodd of Indignation
Wall Street bonuses and sweetheart mortgages: Compare and discuss.
Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd has been in typically indignant form this week, opining on the financial crisis. Before his Tuesday hearing on Bernard Madoff, he demanded that regulators get to the bottom of any crime: "American investors deserve an explanation and the responsible parties must be held accountable!" And yesterday the Connecticut Senator denounced Wall Street bonuses and said, "I am urging -- in fact, not urging, demanding -- that the Treasury Department figures out some way to get the money back."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123327803577131539.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Anti-Semitism must be denounced worldwide
By Abraham H. Foxman
Israel's operation to defend its people from Hamas rockets is having an impact far beyond Gaza and Israel's besieged southern cities. Its repercussions are being felt by Jewish communities around the world, particularly the Jews of Western Europe and Latin America.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum29foxmanpnjan29,0,5475555.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-ROD BLAGOJEVICH: Dereliction of duty no laughing matter
BY DAVID S. BRODER
davidbroder@washpost.com
Something very strange -- and disturbing -- has happened with Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted at his impeachment trial and thrown out of office Thursday. Even as the legal wheels were turning in Springfield to remove him from the Illinois governorship, he became a media star, warmly and affectionately treated by people who ought to know better.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/879313.html
-FOCUS ON ISRAEL: Anti-Semitism increasing worldwide
BY FRIDA GHITIS
First, you had to laugh. The bearded man in the olive green robe held a sign advocating ''Death to All Juice.'' So, he wasn't the most articulate proponent of genocide. But the sentiment, expressed during an anti-Israel demonstration in Manhattan, could not have come across any more clearly. The idea that all Jews deserve to die is hardly original, but it has become trendy again since the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Anti-Semitism has come out of the closet.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/879322.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The South Vs. Obama
by Michael Lind
The votes against Obama's stimulus package came from a Southern confederacy of Republicans and conservative Democrats. Their message to America? Drop dead.
On Wednesday, January 28, 2009, President Barack Obama's $819 billion stimulus plan passed the House of Representatives, despite the solid opposition of the Confederates.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-01-29/the-south-rises-again/
-Judge Rejects Obama Bid to Stall Gitmo Trial
Military judge rejects Obama bid to stall Guantanamo trial against Cole bombing suspect
By MIKE MELIA and ANDREW O. SELSKY Associated
A military judge at Guantanamo on Thursday rejected a White House request to suspend a hearing for the alleged mastermind of the USS Cole bombing, creating an unexpected challenge for the administration as it reviews how America puts suspected terrorists on trial.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6760978
-Army suicides at record high, passing civilians
By PAULINE JELINEK and KIMBERLY HEFLING
Stressed by war and long overseas tours, U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year at the highest rate on record, the toll rising for a fourth straight year and even surpassing the suicide rate among comparable civilians. Army leaders said they were doing everything they could think of to curb the deaths and appealed for more mental health professionals to join and help out.
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/politics-16/1233275977173800.xml&storylist=topstories
-POLITICS
A Long-Lived Privilege?
Bush lawyer directs Rove not to talk to Congress-once again
By Michael Isikoff
Just four days before he left office, President Bush instructed former White House aide Karl Rove to refuse to cooperate with future congressional inquiries into alleged misconduct during his administration.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/182240
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - January 30, 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 - GLBT Candidates in SE Florida
Supporting Trailblazers and Champions
Equality Florida Action PAC only endorses candidates who meet a combination of our strategic criteria:
They must be Champions of LGBT equaligy.
They must be running strong in competitive races..
In particular, we support qualified, openly LGBT candidates who can bring a vital perspective and much-needed voice to the political debates that impact our lives.
-Dean Trantalis
Race: Mayor of Ft. Lauderdale
Dean received a 100% rating on Equality Florida's Candidate Questionnaire and is a longtime champion for equality. If elected, Dean would become the first openly LGBT mayor of a major metropolitan city in Florida. In 1995, Dean served as co-chair of Americans For Equality, which succeeded in adding sexual orientation to the Broward Human Rights Ordinance - Broward was the first county in the state to have such a law.
In January 1999, Dean co-wrote and led the successful passage of the Broward County domestic partnership law, which ensures the extension of spousal-like benefits, not just to county employees, but also to many citizens in Broward County. Dean has previously won a seat on the Fort Lauderdale City Council and is running strong in a crowded field of candidates to replace the notoriously anti-gay, current Mayor Naugle. Dean's longstanding record of success and commitment to LGBT equality makes him a champion worth backing.
http://www.deanformayor.com/
-Coleman Prewitt
Race: City Commission, Ft. Lauderdale, District 4
Coleman received a 100% rating on our candidate questionnaire and is endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. A seventh-generation Floridian, Coleman Prewitt is a partner in the law firm of Seidman, Prewitt, DiBellos & Lopez. When Mayor Jim Naugle received wide media coverage for disparaging gay people and opposing the Stonewall Library, a gay and lesbian archive to be housed in the library, Coleman helped organize protest rallies that protected Broward's image as a progressive community. He is also involved in the Dolphin Democrats, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida, Lambda Legal and the Gay and Lesbian Business Exchange. The race for the open seat on the city commission includes three opponents. The two most competitive candidates are very conservative and carry the support of Mayor Naugle. Coleman has an excellent chance of winning but he needs our immediate support.
http://www.colemanprewitt.com/
-Julie Carson
Race: City Commission, Wilton Manors
Julie is the first lesbian member of the Wilton Manors City Commission.
Julie is active in the community as a board member of Congregation Etz Chaim and as a member of the Eastside Neighborhood Association. She received a 100% rating on our questionnaire and is endorsed by Mayor Resnick and has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO.
http://commissionercarson.net/
-Anne Sallee
Race: City Commission, Oakland Park, District 1
Anne has received a 100% rating on Equality Florida's candidate questionnaire. She is also endorsed by the Broward County AFL-CIO and the President of the LGBT Democratic Caucus. She is committed to preserving the diversity that is at the heart of Oakland Park and will be a strong ally for Equality.
http://www.electsallee2009.com/
-Anthony Niedwiecki
Race: City Commission, Oakland Park, District 4
Anthony has been an advocate for equality both as a law professor and as a
community activist. He has received a 100% rating on our questionnaire and is running a very strong campaign.
Anthony is a professor and administrator at the law center at Nove Southeastern University, where he directs and teaches Lawyering Skills & Values. He also teaches employment discrimination law, labor law and current constitutional issues in the law.
As a longtime community organizer, Anthony will be a powerful voice for Equality on the Oakland Park City Commission.
http://www.anthony09.com/
=
-From Dean Trantalis for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
Join Val Marmillion and Juan Pisani for an evening with Dean - Sunday - Feb
1 - 6pm to 8pm
2701 NE 17 Street
Ft. Lauderdale
www.deanformayor.com
=
-ArtsUnited
We are looking for a few energetic souls to help with the Opening Reception of ArtExplosion on Saturday, February 7th from 6 to 9 PM. We could use some help taking tickets, passing out programs, bartending, food distribution, operating a dvd projector. Please let me know if you are interested in helping. thanks,
Chuck Williams
President
ArtsUnited, Inc.
954-530-2723
Artsunited1@aol.com
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Phelps 'protest' a phony publicity prank
Emails coax religious zealots into protesting theater
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Passions were inflamed and members of Broward's gay community braced themselves when word spread that Rev. Fred Phelps, head of the infamous anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, was planning a protest at Rising Action Theatre's gay-themed production of "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told," on Jan. 16.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/1-29/news/localnews/5488.cfm
-Phelps protest aftermath: what happens next?
Is the story over for staged protest at SoFla theater?
By Dan Renzi
Members of Westboro were scheduled to protest Rising Action Theatre, here in Fort Lauderdale, for showing a production of the somewhat-blasphemous Paul Rudnick play, "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told." Phelps is the lovely chap behind www.godhatesfags.com, and who protests military funerals saying God kills soldiers to punish America for its embrace of the homosexual agenda. The Phelps protest was widely publicized around town, and the theater received a fair amount of publicity.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23742
-Gay-bash suspect caught: Arrest ends weeks of turmoil for victim
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Fort Lauderdale activist and video artist Stephen Velky can rest a little easier these days. Tuesday morning police arrested the 21-year-old man who allegedly bashed Velky Jan. 6. Police arrested Damian Nicholaus Serrano three weeks after Serrano allegedly attacked Velky in the front yard of Velky's home in Riverland. Serrano, who lives just two blocks away from Velky, was charged with aggravated battery and violating probation on a previous drug arrest. Police picked up Serrano at the county probation office.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/1-29/news/localnews/5490.cfm
-Election tests gay clout
Nine openly gay candidates up for election in Broward cities
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle 's public statements against the gay community will be his legacy in the GLBT community. But the ire he wrought among gay residents has sparked and unprecedented number gay and lesbian-and qualified-candidates to run for office in Broward County.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/1-29/news/localnews/5489.cfm
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Events schedule | ArtExplosion '09 Feb. 7-21
ArtsUnited presents ArtExplosion 2009
February 7-21, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009, 6:00-9:00 PM
ArtExplosion Visual Arts Exhibit
Opening Reception
Presented by ArtsUnited, Inc.
Exhibit Runs February 2 - February 27, 2009
ArtServe Gallery
1350 East Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
$10 Admission
Sunday, February 8, 2009, 2PM & 7:00 PM
Dixie's Tupperware Party
Presented by Off Broadway in Broward
Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Amaturo Theatre
201 SW 5th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
$25/35
954.462.0222
www.browardcenter.org
Monday, February 9, 2009, 8:00 PM
Richard Cortez
Performing Live
in conjunction with
an exhibit by artist
Sergio Coya
Radio-Active Records
1930B East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
Monday, February 9, 9:00 PM
Full Moon Party hosted by Nikki Adams
featuring performances of a cosmic nature
Georgie's Alibi
2266 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
Free Admission
(954) 565-2526
www.georgiesalibi.com
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 7:00 PM
"A Night of Broadway"
hosted by Diva
Presented by Lips
One night show to benefit ArtsUnited
1421 East Oakland Park Blvd.
Oakland Park, FL 33304
$30 Admission includes dinner, show, and drink
(954) 567-0987
www.lipsusa.com
Tuesday, February 10 7:00 PM
Jeff Hess
presented by
Bill's Mustang Lounge
Repeats 2/14, 2/17/ 2/21
2209 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL
Free Admission
(954) 567-5978
www.billsfillingstation.com
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 8:00 PM
Lily Tomlin
presented by
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
Dreyfoos Hall
701 Okeechobee Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Tickets $20/$55
(561) 832-7469
www.kravis.org
Wednesday, February 11, 7:00 PM
Rubin Gonzalez
presented by
Bill's Mustang Lounge
Repeats 2/12, 2/18, 2/19
2209 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL
Free Admission
(954) 567.5978
www.billsfillingstation.com
Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 7:00 PM
An Evening with Author K.G. MacGregor
Presented by Stonewall Library & Archive
1300 East Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
(954) 763-8565
www.stonewall-library.org
Thursday, February 12, 2009, 7:00 PM
Matthew Glass in "The Slap & Tickle Show"
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Friday, February 13, 2009 6:00 PM
Black & White Exhibition Opening Reception
Presented by Broward Art Guild
Exhibit runs Feb. 9- March 6
Juried exhibition of artworks comprised of Black,
White and shades of Grey only.
Cargo Furniture
2301 NE 26th Street
Fort Lauderdale
Free Admission
(954) 305-1854
www.browardartguild.org
Friday, February 13, 2009, 8:00 PM
Say You Love Satan
Florida Premiere presented by
Rising Action Theatre
Play runs thru March 15, 2009
840 E. Oakland Park Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
Admission $30
(954) 561-2225
www.risingactiontheatre.com
Friday, February 13, 2009 through Sunday, February 15, 2009
Black Gay Pride presents:
Friday, February 13, 2009, 6:30-8:30 PM
Black Gay Pride Poetry Slam
ArtServe Gallery
1350 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
Sunday, February 15, 2009, 4:00-7:00 PM
The Lovers & Friends Show
Presented by Black Gay Pride South Florida
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
$10 Admission, seating is limited.
(954) 763-8565
Saturday, February 15, 2009, 10:00 PM
Black Gay Pride Dance
details to follow
Sunday, February 16, 2009
TBD
Friday, February 13, 2009 thru Tuesday February 17, 2009
Stonewall Library & Archives presents Quba:
Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Friday, February 13, 2009, 6:30-8:30 PM
Q-uba; Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Artist Hildana Ciser,
and Photographer Alex Heria
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Saturday, February 14, 2009, 2:00 PM
Q-uba: Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Poet Richard Blanco
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Saturday, February 14, 2009, 7:00 PM
Q-uba: Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Strawberrys and Chocolate, (Cuba 1994)
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Sunday, February 15, 2009, 2:00 PM
Q-uba: Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Novelist Johnny Diaz
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Monday, February 16, 2009, 7:00 PM
Q-uba: Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Photography Historian Ramiro Fernandez
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 6:30 PM
Inside the Songwriter's Studio with: Desmond Child
In conjunction with Quba
Presented by Stonewall Library & Archive
Broward Main Library Auditorium
100 S. Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
www.broward.org
Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 6:30 PM
Thursday, February 19, 2009, 7:00 PM
Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival presents:
Between Love and Goodbye, Florida Premiere
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL
$9 General/ $5 FLIFF
954 525-FILM
www.fliff.com
Saturday, February 14, 7:00 PM
Jennifer McClain's Night For Lovers
Presented by Georgie's Alibi
Repeats a 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM
Manchester Room
2266 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
Free Admission
(954) 565.2526
www.georgiesalibi.com
Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 8:00 PM
"Broken Sky"
Presented by
Pride Night at the Playhouse
Lake Worth Playhouse
713 Lake Ave.
Lake Worth, FL 33460
$8 General/ $5 Film Society
Limited Seating Available
(561) 586-6410
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/53408
Thursday, February 19, 2009, 5:00-8:00 PM
ArtExplosion Night at the Museum of Art
with Music by Cindy Curtis & Company
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
One East Las Olas Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Free Admission
(954) 525-5500
www.moafl.org
Thursday, February 19, 2009 8:00 PM
Simply Barbra Salutes the Oscars
Presented by Rising Action Theatre
Show runs thru March 15, 2009
Thu. 8:00 PM, Fri. & Sat. 9:30 PM, Sun. 7:00 PM
840 E. Oakland Park Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
Admission $30
(954) 561-2225
www.risingactiontheatre.com
Friday, February 20, 2009, 7:00 PM
Island City ArtWalk
Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL
Free Admission
www.islandcityartwalk.com
Friday, February 20, 2009 10:00 PM - 4:00 AM
Official Dance Party of ArtExplosion '09
at Living Room Nightclub
with DJ Oren Nizri and DJ Maximus 3000
Living Room Nightclub
300 SW 1st Ave. Upper Loft Level
Las Olas Riverfront,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission if you mention ArtExplosion
www.livingroomnightclub.com
Saturday, February 21, 2009 7:30 PM
ArtExplosion Finale featuring Lea Delaria
with Scott Ryan and Musical Guest Levi Kreis
Presented by ArtsUnited, Inc.
Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Amaturo Theatre
201 SW 5th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
$30/45
954.462.0222
www.browardcenter.org
=
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Nude beaches good for economy, Broward legislators told
Advocate says Haulover Beach outdraws Marlins, Dolphins
By Anthony Man | Political Writer
A nude beaches advocate presented Broward legislators with some revealing figures Thursday. They're good for Florida's economy, said Richard Mason, of the South Florida Free Beaches and the Florida Naturist Association, who asked Broward's state lawmakers to oppose any legislation that would force nude beaches to close.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbnude0130sbjan30,0,3394389.story
-Invest in Florida's kids, or finance their failure
By Roy Miller
For some 35 years, I have served as a member of the advocacy team that led many successful reform efforts for Florida's children. Our Healthy Start and children's health insurance programs became national models in providing preventive care and access to doctors and nurses without resorting to emergency rooms for routine care.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-children30forumpnjan30,0,1184693.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State Farm looks to leave -- and to stay
OUR OPINION: Don't allow companies to cherry-pick lucrative policies Ever since Hurricane Andrew battered South Florida, property-insurance companies have demanded more from customers in Florida while giving less in return. Now that state regulators have denied State Farm Insurance an untimely rate request for a whopping 47 percent hike, the company has decided to get out of the property-insurance business in Florida, leaving customers with 1.2 million policies in the lurch.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/879317.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida gets C-minus on teacher reviews
Libby Quaid
Most states, including Florida, are not doing what it takes to keep good teachers and remove bad ones, a national study found.
Florida, though, is doing better than most. Although grading out at C-minus, Florida still ranked among the top 15 states in the study released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality. Only Iowa and New Mexico require any evidence that public school teachers are effective before granting them tenure.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-teacher-reviews-012909,0,4068076.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
-Equality Florida - GLBT Candidates in SE Florida
Supporting Trailblazers and Champions
Equality Florida Action PAC only endorses candidates who meet a combination of our strategic criteria:
They must be Champions of LGBT equaligy.
They must be running strong in competitive races..
In particular, we support qualified, openly LGBT candidates who can bring a vital perspective and much-needed voice to the political debates that impact our lives.
-Dean Trantalis
Race: Mayor of Ft. Lauderdale
Dean received a 100% rating on Equality Florida's Candidate Questionnaire and is a longtime champion for equality. If elected, Dean would become the first openly LGBT mayor of a major metropolitan city in Florida. In 1995, Dean served as co-chair of Americans For Equality, which succeeded in adding sexual orientation to the Broward Human Rights Ordinance - Broward was the first county in the state to have such a law.
In January 1999, Dean co-wrote and led the successful passage of the Broward County domestic partnership law, which ensures the extension of spousal-like benefits, not just to county employees, but also to many citizens in Broward County. Dean has previously won a seat on the Fort Lauderdale City Council and is running strong in a crowded field of candidates to replace the notoriously anti-gay, current Mayor Naugle. Dean's longstanding record of success and commitment to LGBT equality makes him a champion worth backing.
http://www.deanformayor.com/
-Coleman Prewitt
Race: City Commission, Ft. Lauderdale, District 4
Coleman received a 100% rating on our candidate questionnaire and is endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. A seventh-generation Floridian, Coleman Prewitt is a partner in the law firm of Seidman, Prewitt, DiBellos & Lopez. When Mayor Jim Naugle received wide media coverage for disparaging gay people and opposing the Stonewall Library, a gay and lesbian archive to be housed in the library, Coleman helped organize protest rallies that protected Broward's image as a progressive community. He is also involved in the Dolphin Democrats, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida, Lambda Legal and the Gay and Lesbian Business Exchange. The race for the open seat on the city commission includes three opponents. The two most competitive candidates are very conservative and carry the support of Mayor Naugle. Coleman has an excellent chance of winning but he needs our immediate support.
http://www.colemanprewitt.com/
-Julie Carson
Race: City Commission, Wilton Manors
Julie is the first lesbian member of the Wilton Manors City Commission.
Julie is active in the community as a board member of Congregation Etz Chaim and as a member of the Eastside Neighborhood Association. She received a 100% rating on our questionnaire and is endorsed by Mayor Resnick and has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO.
http://commissionercarson.net/
-Anne Sallee
Race: City Commission, Oakland Park, District 1
Anne has received a 100% rating on Equality Florida's candidate questionnaire. She is also endorsed by the Broward County AFL-CIO and the President of the LGBT Democratic Caucus. She is committed to preserving the diversity that is at the heart of Oakland Park and will be a strong ally for Equality.
http://www.electsallee2009.com/
-Anthony Niedwiecki
Race: City Commission, Oakland Park, District 4
Anthony has been an advocate for equality both as a law professor and as a
community activist. He has received a 100% rating on our questionnaire and is running a very strong campaign.
Anthony is a professor and administrator at the law center at Nove Southeastern University, where he directs and teaches Lawyering Skills & Values. He also teaches employment discrimination law, labor law and current constitutional issues in the law.
As a longtime community organizer, Anthony will be a powerful voice for Equality on the Oakland Park City Commission.
http://www.anthony09.com/
=
-From Dean Trantalis for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
Join Val Marmillion and Juan Pisani for an evening with Dean - Sunday - Feb
1 - 6pm to 8pm
2701 NE 17 Street
Ft. Lauderdale
www.deanformayor.com
=
-ArtsUnited
We are looking for a few energetic souls to help with the Opening Reception of ArtExplosion on Saturday, February 7th from 6 to 9 PM. We could use some help taking tickets, passing out programs, bartending, food distribution, operating a dvd projector. Please let me know if you are interested in helping. thanks,
Chuck Williams
President
ArtsUnited, Inc.
954-530-2723
Artsunited1@aol.com
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Phelps 'protest' a phony publicity prank
Emails coax religious zealots into protesting theater
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Passions were inflamed and members of Broward's gay community braced themselves when word spread that Rev. Fred Phelps, head of the infamous anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, was planning a protest at Rising Action Theatre's gay-themed production of "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told," on Jan. 16.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/1-29/news/localnews/5488.cfm
-Phelps protest aftermath: what happens next?
Is the story over for staged protest at SoFla theater?
By Dan Renzi
Members of Westboro were scheduled to protest Rising Action Theatre, here in Fort Lauderdale, for showing a production of the somewhat-blasphemous Paul Rudnick play, "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told." Phelps is the lovely chap behind www.godhatesfags.com, and who protests military funerals saying God kills soldiers to punish America for its embrace of the homosexual agenda. The Phelps protest was widely publicized around town, and the theater received a fair amount of publicity.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23742
-Gay-bash suspect caught: Arrest ends weeks of turmoil for victim
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Fort Lauderdale activist and video artist Stephen Velky can rest a little easier these days. Tuesday morning police arrested the 21-year-old man who allegedly bashed Velky Jan. 6. Police arrested Damian Nicholaus Serrano three weeks after Serrano allegedly attacked Velky in the front yard of Velky's home in Riverland. Serrano, who lives just two blocks away from Velky, was charged with aggravated battery and violating probation on a previous drug arrest. Police picked up Serrano at the county probation office.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/1-29/news/localnews/5490.cfm
-Election tests gay clout
Nine openly gay candidates up for election in Broward cities
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle 's public statements against the gay community will be his legacy in the GLBT community. But the ire he wrought among gay residents has sparked and unprecedented number gay and lesbian-and qualified-candidates to run for office in Broward County.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/1-29/news/localnews/5489.cfm
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Events schedule | ArtExplosion '09 Feb. 7-21
ArtsUnited presents ArtExplosion 2009
February 7-21, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009, 6:00-9:00 PM
ArtExplosion Visual Arts Exhibit
Opening Reception
Presented by ArtsUnited, Inc.
Exhibit Runs February 2 - February 27, 2009
ArtServe Gallery
1350 East Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
$10 Admission
Sunday, February 8, 2009, 2PM & 7:00 PM
Dixie's Tupperware Party
Presented by Off Broadway in Broward
Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Amaturo Theatre
201 SW 5th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
$25/35
954.462.0222
www.browardcenter.org
Monday, February 9, 2009, 8:00 PM
Richard Cortez
Performing Live
in conjunction with
an exhibit by artist
Sergio Coya
Radio-Active Records
1930B East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
Monday, February 9, 9:00 PM
Full Moon Party hosted by Nikki Adams
featuring performances of a cosmic nature
Georgie's Alibi
2266 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
Free Admission
(954) 565-2526
www.georgiesalibi.com
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 7:00 PM
"A Night of Broadway"
hosted by Diva
Presented by Lips
One night show to benefit ArtsUnited
1421 East Oakland Park Blvd.
Oakland Park, FL 33304
$30 Admission includes dinner, show, and drink
(954) 567-0987
www.lipsusa.com
Tuesday, February 10 7:00 PM
Jeff Hess
presented by
Bill's Mustang Lounge
Repeats 2/14, 2/17/ 2/21
2209 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL
Free Admission
(954) 567-5978
www.billsfillingstation.com
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 8:00 PM
Lily Tomlin
presented by
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
Dreyfoos Hall
701 Okeechobee Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Tickets $20/$55
(561) 832-7469
www.kravis.org
Wednesday, February 11, 7:00 PM
Rubin Gonzalez
presented by
Bill's Mustang Lounge
Repeats 2/12, 2/18, 2/19
2209 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL
Free Admission
(954) 567.5978
www.billsfillingstation.com
Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 7:00 PM
An Evening with Author K.G. MacGregor
Presented by Stonewall Library & Archive
1300 East Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
(954) 763-8565
www.stonewall-library.org
Thursday, February 12, 2009, 7:00 PM
Matthew Glass in "The Slap & Tickle Show"
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Friday, February 13, 2009 6:00 PM
Black & White Exhibition Opening Reception
Presented by Broward Art Guild
Exhibit runs Feb. 9- March 6
Juried exhibition of artworks comprised of Black,
White and shades of Grey only.
Cargo Furniture
2301 NE 26th Street
Fort Lauderdale
Free Admission
(954) 305-1854
www.browardartguild.org
Friday, February 13, 2009, 8:00 PM
Say You Love Satan
Florida Premiere presented by
Rising Action Theatre
Play runs thru March 15, 2009
840 E. Oakland Park Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
Admission $30
(954) 561-2225
www.risingactiontheatre.com
Friday, February 13, 2009 through Sunday, February 15, 2009
Black Gay Pride presents:
Friday, February 13, 2009, 6:30-8:30 PM
Black Gay Pride Poetry Slam
ArtServe Gallery
1350 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
Sunday, February 15, 2009, 4:00-7:00 PM
The Lovers & Friends Show
Presented by Black Gay Pride South Florida
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
$10 Admission, seating is limited.
(954) 763-8565
Saturday, February 15, 2009, 10:00 PM
Black Gay Pride Dance
details to follow
Sunday, February 16, 2009
TBD
Friday, February 13, 2009 thru Tuesday February 17, 2009
Stonewall Library & Archives presents Quba:
Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Friday, February 13, 2009, 6:30-8:30 PM
Q-uba; Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Artist Hildana Ciser,
and Photographer Alex Heria
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Saturday, February 14, 2009, 2:00 PM
Q-uba: Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Poet Richard Blanco
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Saturday, February 14, 2009, 7:00 PM
Q-uba: Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Strawberrys and Chocolate, (Cuba 1994)
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Sunday, February 15, 2009, 2:00 PM
Q-uba: Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Novelist Johnny Diaz
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Monday, February 16, 2009, 7:00 PM
Q-uba: Festival of Queer Cuban Arts
Photography Historian Ramiro Fernandez
Stonewall Library & Archives
1300 East Sunrise Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 6:30 PM
Inside the Songwriter's Studio with: Desmond Child
In conjunction with Quba
Presented by Stonewall Library & Archive
Broward Main Library Auditorium
100 S. Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Free Admission
www.stonewall-library.org
www.broward.org
Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 6:30 PM
Thursday, February 19, 2009, 7:00 PM
Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival presents:
Between Love and Goodbye, Florida Premiere
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL
$9 General/ $5 FLIFF
954 525-FILM
www.fliff.com
Saturday, February 14, 7:00 PM
Jennifer McClain's Night For Lovers
Presented by Georgie's Alibi
Repeats a 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM
Manchester Room
2266 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
Free Admission
(954) 565.2526
www.georgiesalibi.com
Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 8:00 PM
"Broken Sky"
Presented by
Pride Night at the Playhouse
Lake Worth Playhouse
713 Lake Ave.
Lake Worth, FL 33460
$8 General/ $5 Film Society
Limited Seating Available
(561) 586-6410
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/53408
Thursday, February 19, 2009, 5:00-8:00 PM
ArtExplosion Night at the Museum of Art
with Music by Cindy Curtis & Company
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
One East Las Olas Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Free Admission
(954) 525-5500
www.moafl.org
Thursday, February 19, 2009 8:00 PM
Simply Barbra Salutes the Oscars
Presented by Rising Action Theatre
Show runs thru March 15, 2009
Thu. 8:00 PM, Fri. & Sat. 9:30 PM, Sun. 7:00 PM
840 E. Oakland Park Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
Admission $30
(954) 561-2225
www.risingactiontheatre.com
Friday, February 20, 2009, 7:00 PM
Island City ArtWalk
Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL
Free Admission
www.islandcityartwalk.com
Friday, February 20, 2009 10:00 PM - 4:00 AM
Official Dance Party of ArtExplosion '09
at Living Room Nightclub
with DJ Oren Nizri and DJ Maximus 3000
Living Room Nightclub
300 SW 1st Ave. Upper Loft Level
Las Olas Riverfront,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission if you mention ArtExplosion
www.livingroomnightclub.com
Saturday, February 21, 2009 7:30 PM
ArtExplosion Finale featuring Lea Delaria
with Scott Ryan and Musical Guest Levi Kreis
Presented by ArtsUnited, Inc.
Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Amaturo Theatre
201 SW 5th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
$30/45
954.462.0222
www.browardcenter.org
=
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Nude beaches good for economy, Broward legislators told
Advocate says Haulover Beach outdraws Marlins, Dolphins
By Anthony Man | Political Writer
A nude beaches advocate presented Broward legislators with some revealing figures Thursday. They're good for Florida's economy, said Richard Mason, of the South Florida Free Beaches and the Florida Naturist Association, who asked Broward's state lawmakers to oppose any legislation that would force nude beaches to close.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbnude0130sbjan30,0,3394389.story
-Invest in Florida's kids, or finance their failure
By Roy Miller
For some 35 years, I have served as a member of the advocacy team that led many successful reform efforts for Florida's children. Our Healthy Start and children's health insurance programs became national models in providing preventive care and access to doctors and nurses without resorting to emergency rooms for routine care.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-children30forumpnjan30,0,1184693.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State Farm looks to leave -- and to stay
OUR OPINION: Don't allow companies to cherry-pick lucrative policies Ever since Hurricane Andrew battered South Florida, property-insurance companies have demanded more from customers in Florida while giving less in return. Now that state regulators have denied State Farm Insurance an untimely rate request for a whopping 47 percent hike, the company has decided to get out of the property-insurance business in Florida, leaving customers with 1.2 million policies in the lurch.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/879317.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida gets C-minus on teacher reviews
Libby Quaid
Most states, including Florida, are not doing what it takes to keep good teachers and remove bad ones, a national study found.
Florida, though, is doing better than most. Although grading out at C-minus, Florida still ranked among the top 15 states in the study released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality. Only Iowa and New Mexico require any evidence that public school teachers are effective before granting them tenure.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-teacher-reviews-012909,0,4068076.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Thursday, January 29, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - January 29, 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:
-The Great Gay Hope [Portland Mayor]
by Timothy Egan
The politician was in his 40s, a rising star, a man with the pilot light of ambition burning bright. The intern was just 17, sorting through emotions about his sexuality, a boy who said he needed someone to mentor him in the political world.
http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/the-great-gay-hope/
-Television Review: Trials of Ted Haggard
Exiled Preacher Joins the Crowd in the Virtual Confession Box
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY
Shamelessness - or at least the shameless pursuit of television redemption - seems to be a contemporary affliction, an epidemic that could only be spread by cathode ray. [...] HBO, Thursday night at 8, Eastern and Pacific times; 7, Central time.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/arts/television/29tria.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Same-sex rights could be expanded in Wash. state
By RACHEL LA CORTE
Adrienne Purcella's life has changed a lot in the past year: She got a job as a police officer and officially entered a domestic partnership with Libby Cope. The Seattle couple joined other gay and lesbian couples Wednesday as lawmakers announced a move they hope leads to another milestone: The expansion of the state's domestic partnership law to offer same-sex couples all the rights and benefits given to heterosexual married couples.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012900946.html
-As National Party Chairman, Kaine's Attention Is Close to Home
By Tim Craig
RICHMOND: Moments after he was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) left no doubt that the 2009 Virginia governor's race would become his top political priority. "The two big races in 2009 are the New Jersey governorship and the Virginia governorship," Kaine told a group of reporters at the DNC meeting. "So it just happens . . . one of the most important races is right here in Virginia."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703846.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Islamist Contortions: Why are Indonesian clerics bent out of shape over yoga?
By SADANAND DHUME
For those who wonder what problems corruption-ridden and disaster-plagued Indonesia must tackle most urgently, the Indonesian Council of Ulema has the answer: yoga. On Monday, the Council, a quasi-official grouping of 700 Islamic clerics, decreed that Muslims should shun the ancient Indian practice. The clerics worry that Hindu-influenced chants and invocations might weaken Muslim believers' faith. The decree, though not legally binding, carries the force of moral authority, and, as is not uncommon in the Muslim world, the unspoken threat of enforcement by vigilantes.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123315945310924601.html
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-I'm not gay, Australian swimming star Ian Thorpe insists
Thorpe SWIMMING hero Ian Thorpe has rubbished continuing speculation about his sexual orientation by insisting: I am not gay. The five-time Olympic gold medallist was responding after being snapped playing in the surf with swimmer pal and long-time housemate Daniel Mendes in Brazil last week.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Julianne Moore Reaches Out to Kids, Gay Families
Advocate.com talks to four-time Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore about Save the Children, gay families, and Valentine's Day.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71947.asp
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Wyoming Moves to Ban Gay Marriage
On Top Magazine
Wyoming lawmakers introduced a bill in the House Monday that aims to define marriage as a heterosexual union in the state's constitution. The new bill would let Wyoming voters decide on an amendment to the state constitution that would deny recognition of gay marriages performed in other states. There are currently only two states in the United States - Massachusetts and Connecticut - that grant gay couples the benefits found in marriage. But bills in four states - Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont - and two expected state Supreme Court decisions in Iowa and California appear likely to increase that number this year. Read more
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Russian Gay Activists Send Their Sixth Application to the European Court of Human Rights
Moscow Pride organisers seek 100,000 euros compensation for banned picketing Organisers of Moscow Gay Pride yesterday sent their sixth complaint to the European Court of Human Rights concerning the denial by the Moscow authorities of the right to demonstrate and freedom of assembly. This latest application to the Strasbourg-based court is over the ban of a picket that was scheduled to take place last year on May 17 - International Day Against Homophobia.
http://ukgaynews.org.uk/latest.htm
-Queers for Palestine?
By James Kirchick
Of all the slogans chanted and displayed at anti-Israel rallies over the past month, surely "Queers for Palestine" ranks as the most oxymoronic. It is the motto of the San Francisco-based Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT), a group advocating financial divestment from the Jewish State. QUIT contends that Zionism is racism, regularly demonstrates at gay pride marches, organizes with far-right Muslim organizations, and successfully lobbied the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission to boycott the 2006 World Pride Conference due to its location that year in Jerusalem. What makes QUIT oxymoronic is that their affinity for Palestine isn't reciprocated. There may be queers for Palestine, but Palestine certainly isn't for queers, either in the livable or empathetic sense. Like all Islamic polities, the Palestinian Authority systematically harasses gay people.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71844.asp
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
- "16 MEPs request the EU to act in protection of transgender people in Honduras."
On 29 November sixteen Members of the European Parliament sent a Parliamentary Question to the European Commission and the European Council expressing their concerns about recent murders of transgender people in Honduras and particularly the human rights defender Cynthia Nicole Moreno. "Has the European Commission discussed or have the intention to discuss the on-going violence against transgender people with Honduras´ authorities?" asked MEPs in the Question. Members of the European Parliament noted the fact that police in Honduras have been very reluctant to investigate murders and violence against transgender people. Three transgender women have been killed in recent month, but police have not found any of the perpetrators and NGOs working in the field states that there is a great risk that the perpetrators will never be found because of the negligence of the police.
www.lgbt-ep.eu
=
Soulforce
http://www.soulforce.org/
-We are thrilled to announce that our founder, the Rev. Dr. Mel White, will compete in the 14th addition of the CBS program, The Amazing Race! Mel and his son, Mike, a successful screenwriter whose writing credits include the feature films Nacho Libre and School of Rock, joined together to participate in this once in a lifetime experience -- spanning 40,000 miles and nine countries in just 22 days! The Amazing Race premiers on CBS on Sunday, February 15, at 8pm ET/PT. Tell your friends and mark your calendars! Go Team Soulforce! For more information, go to www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race
-Watch the video of Mel and Mike:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/video/video.php?cid=1008376745&pid=6Ux3RjxebIRCfESPGS4ukqY6Tr5x2VH8&category=recent&play=true
=
[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:
-The Great Gay Hope [Portland Mayor]
by Timothy Egan
The politician was in his 40s, a rising star, a man with the pilot light of ambition burning bright. The intern was just 17, sorting through emotions about his sexuality, a boy who said he needed someone to mentor him in the political world.
http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/the-great-gay-hope/
-Television Review: Trials of Ted Haggard
Exiled Preacher Joins the Crowd in the Virtual Confession Box
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY
Shamelessness - or at least the shameless pursuit of television redemption - seems to be a contemporary affliction, an epidemic that could only be spread by cathode ray. [...] HBO, Thursday night at 8, Eastern and Pacific times; 7, Central time.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/arts/television/29tria.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Same-sex rights could be expanded in Wash. state
By RACHEL LA CORTE
Adrienne Purcella's life has changed a lot in the past year: She got a job as a police officer and officially entered a domestic partnership with Libby Cope. The Seattle couple joined other gay and lesbian couples Wednesday as lawmakers announced a move they hope leads to another milestone: The expansion of the state's domestic partnership law to offer same-sex couples all the rights and benefits given to heterosexual married couples.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012900946.html
-As National Party Chairman, Kaine's Attention Is Close to Home
By Tim Craig
RICHMOND: Moments after he was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) left no doubt that the 2009 Virginia governor's race would become his top political priority. "The two big races in 2009 are the New Jersey governorship and the Virginia governorship," Kaine told a group of reporters at the DNC meeting. "So it just happens . . . one of the most important races is right here in Virginia."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703846.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Islamist Contortions: Why are Indonesian clerics bent out of shape over yoga?
By SADANAND DHUME
For those who wonder what problems corruption-ridden and disaster-plagued Indonesia must tackle most urgently, the Indonesian Council of Ulema has the answer: yoga. On Monday, the Council, a quasi-official grouping of 700 Islamic clerics, decreed that Muslims should shun the ancient Indian practice. The clerics worry that Hindu-influenced chants and invocations might weaken Muslim believers' faith. The decree, though not legally binding, carries the force of moral authority, and, as is not uncommon in the Muslim world, the unspoken threat of enforcement by vigilantes.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123315945310924601.html
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-I'm not gay, Australian swimming star Ian Thorpe insists
Thorpe SWIMMING hero Ian Thorpe has rubbished continuing speculation about his sexual orientation by insisting: I am not gay. The five-time Olympic gold medallist was responding after being snapped playing in the surf with swimmer pal and long-time housemate Daniel Mendes in Brazil last week.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Julianne Moore Reaches Out to Kids, Gay Families
Advocate.com talks to four-time Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore about Save the Children, gay families, and Valentine's Day.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71947.asp
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Wyoming Moves to Ban Gay Marriage
On Top Magazine
Wyoming lawmakers introduced a bill in the House Monday that aims to define marriage as a heterosexual union in the state's constitution. The new bill would let Wyoming voters decide on an amendment to the state constitution that would deny recognition of gay marriages performed in other states. There are currently only two states in the United States - Massachusetts and Connecticut - that grant gay couples the benefits found in marriage. But bills in four states - Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont - and two expected state Supreme Court decisions in Iowa and California appear likely to increase that number this year. Read more
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Russian Gay Activists Send Their Sixth Application to the European Court of Human Rights
Moscow Pride organisers seek 100,000 euros compensation for banned picketing Organisers of Moscow Gay Pride yesterday sent their sixth complaint to the European Court of Human Rights concerning the denial by the Moscow authorities of the right to demonstrate and freedom of assembly. This latest application to the Strasbourg-based court is over the ban of a picket that was scheduled to take place last year on May 17 - International Day Against Homophobia.
http://ukgaynews.org.uk/latest.htm
-Queers for Palestine?
By James Kirchick
Of all the slogans chanted and displayed at anti-Israel rallies over the past month, surely "Queers for Palestine" ranks as the most oxymoronic. It is the motto of the San Francisco-based Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT), a group advocating financial divestment from the Jewish State. QUIT contends that Zionism is racism, regularly demonstrates at gay pride marches, organizes with far-right Muslim organizations, and successfully lobbied the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission to boycott the 2006 World Pride Conference due to its location that year in Jerusalem. What makes QUIT oxymoronic is that their affinity for Palestine isn't reciprocated. There may be queers for Palestine, but Palestine certainly isn't for queers, either in the livable or empathetic sense. Like all Islamic polities, the Palestinian Authority systematically harasses gay people.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71844.asp
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
- "16 MEPs request the EU to act in protection of transgender people in Honduras."
On 29 November sixteen Members of the European Parliament sent a Parliamentary Question to the European Commission and the European Council expressing their concerns about recent murders of transgender people in Honduras and particularly the human rights defender Cynthia Nicole Moreno. "Has the European Commission discussed or have the intention to discuss the on-going violence against transgender people with Honduras´ authorities?" asked MEPs in the Question. Members of the European Parliament noted the fact that police in Honduras have been very reluctant to investigate murders and violence against transgender people. Three transgender women have been killed in recent month, but police have not found any of the perpetrators and NGOs working in the field states that there is a great risk that the perpetrators will never be found because of the negligence of the police.
www.lgbt-ep.eu
=
Soulforce
http://www.soulforce.org/
-We are thrilled to announce that our founder, the Rev. Dr. Mel White, will compete in the 14th addition of the CBS program, The Amazing Race! Mel and his son, Mike, a successful screenwriter whose writing credits include the feature films Nacho Libre and School of Rock, joined together to participate in this once in a lifetime experience -- spanning 40,000 miles and nine countries in just 22 days! The Amazing Race premiers on CBS on Sunday, February 15, at 8pm ET/PT. Tell your friends and mark your calendars! Go Team Soulforce! For more information, go to www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race
-Watch the video of Mel and Mike:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/video/video.php?cid=1008376745&pid=6Ux3RjxebIRCfESPGS4ukqY6Tr5x2VH8&category=recent&play=true
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - January 29, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
GLCCSF - Ft. Lauderdale
-Calendar of Events
STARS OF THE RAINBOW" - Honorees Announced - GALA March 1, 2009
Lavender Events for Women - Brunch Series - Sunday, February 8, 11:00 AM
Sponsor the GLCC - Florida AIDS Walk - March 15
GLCC Flea Market, February 6, 8:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Senior Coffee and Converstation - February 3 & 17, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
RISING ACTION THEATER - "Roll with the Punches", Jan 21 - Feb 1
Name That Tune - Tuesday, February 10, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Join the GLCC:
http://www.glccsf.org/membership/index.htm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCollum won't pursue Florida's open senate seat in 2010
Aaron Deslatte
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum on Wednesday became the latest high-profile politician to take a pass on the state's open U.S. Senate seat in 2010. "Our team has made great strides combating internet child predators, gangs and mortgage and Medicaid fraud, and in providing consumer protection. But there is more to do," the Republican said, adding he would be seeing another four-year term as attorney general "unless circumstances change."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-mccollum-senate-012809,0,6291693.story
-Florida stands to gain billions from stimulus plan
Bill Kaczor
Florida stands to gain more than $12 billion from the U.S. House's stimulus plan including money that could help balance the state's budget, build highways and bridges, expand mass transit and modernize schools.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-stimulus-012809,0,53127.story
-Boyd one of 11 Democrats to vote against Obama stim plan
Posted by Lesley Clark
North Florida's Allen Boyd, who today took himself out of the running for US Senate, was one of just 11 Democrats to vote against the economic stimulus package. In a release the Blue Dog Democrat (who last week was tagged as one of 10 Democrats Barack Obama should look out for), questioned whether the package would create jobs, help small businesses, and "truly strengthen our economy in the short and long term.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2009/01/boyd-one-of-12-democrats-to-vote-against-obama-stim-plan.html
-Gallup: Florida's a blue state
Posted by Adam Smith
Not sure this sounds exactly correct, but Gallup has a interesting analysis of the partisan leanings of all 50 states. It included more than 18,000 interviews in Florida, concluding that Florida has a +9 Democratic partisan advantage. All told 35 states had a Democratic advantage of at least +5.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/01/gallup-floridas.html
-Florida shouldn't let State Farm walk out so easily, and state must recognize it still has insurance woes to fix
THE ISSUE: State Farm wants out.
State Farm's announced exit from Florida's property insurance market has understandably left its many customers fuming. After loyally paying premiums for years, they must resent getting dumped by the insurance giant.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editafstatefarmpnjan29,0,4607593.story?track=rss
-CIW to Crist: End Slavery
posted by Peter Rothberg
At The Nation we've written a lot about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. The CIW is a worker's organization comprised chiefly of Latino, Haitian and Mayan Indian immigrants who work in Immokalee, Florida, largely as tomato pickers. Founded in 1993 as a "community-based worker organization" by a small group of discontented fruit pickers in low-wage agricultural jobs throughout Florida, the organization has won unexpected victories, achieved international notoriety and established fruitful collaborations with an array of grassroots groups, notably the Student-Farmworker Alliance.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/actnow/402332
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
GLCCSF - Ft. Lauderdale
-Calendar of Events
STARS OF THE RAINBOW" - Honorees Announced - GALA March 1, 2009
Lavender Events for Women - Brunch Series - Sunday, February 8, 11:00 AM
Sponsor the GLCC - Florida AIDS Walk - March 15
GLCC Flea Market, February 6, 8:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Senior Coffee and Converstation - February 3 & 17, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
RISING ACTION THEATER - "Roll with the Punches", Jan 21 - Feb 1
Name That Tune - Tuesday, February 10, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Join the GLCC:
http://www.glccsf.org/membership/index.htm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCollum won't pursue Florida's open senate seat in 2010
Aaron Deslatte
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum on Wednesday became the latest high-profile politician to take a pass on the state's open U.S. Senate seat in 2010. "Our team has made great strides combating internet child predators, gangs and mortgage and Medicaid fraud, and in providing consumer protection. But there is more to do," the Republican said, adding he would be seeing another four-year term as attorney general "unless circumstances change."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-mccollum-senate-012809,0,6291693.story
-Florida stands to gain billions from stimulus plan
Bill Kaczor
Florida stands to gain more than $12 billion from the U.S. House's stimulus plan including money that could help balance the state's budget, build highways and bridges, expand mass transit and modernize schools.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-stimulus-012809,0,53127.story
-Boyd one of 11 Democrats to vote against Obama stim plan
Posted by Lesley Clark
North Florida's Allen Boyd, who today took himself out of the running for US Senate, was one of just 11 Democrats to vote against the economic stimulus package. In a release the Blue Dog Democrat (who last week was tagged as one of 10 Democrats Barack Obama should look out for), questioned whether the package would create jobs, help small businesses, and "truly strengthen our economy in the short and long term.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2009/01/boyd-one-of-12-democrats-to-vote-against-obama-stim-plan.html
-Gallup: Florida's a blue state
Posted by Adam Smith
Not sure this sounds exactly correct, but Gallup has a interesting analysis of the partisan leanings of all 50 states. It included more than 18,000 interviews in Florida, concluding that Florida has a +9 Democratic partisan advantage. All told 35 states had a Democratic advantage of at least +5.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/01/gallup-floridas.html
-Florida shouldn't let State Farm walk out so easily, and state must recognize it still has insurance woes to fix
THE ISSUE: State Farm wants out.
State Farm's announced exit from Florida's property insurance market has understandably left its many customers fuming. After loyally paying premiums for years, they must resent getting dumped by the insurance giant.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editafstatefarmpnjan29,0,4607593.story?track=rss
-CIW to Crist: End Slavery
posted by Peter Rothberg
At The Nation we've written a lot about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. The CIW is a worker's organization comprised chiefly of Latino, Haitian and Mayan Indian immigrants who work in Immokalee, Florida, largely as tomato pickers. Founded in 1993 as a "community-based worker organization" by a small group of discontented fruit pickers in low-wage agricultural jobs throughout Florida, the organization has won unexpected victories, achieved international notoriety and established fruitful collaborations with an array of grassroots groups, notably the Student-Farmworker Alliance.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/actnow/402332
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
GLBT DIGEST - January 28, 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:
-Arts, Briefly: Gay and Lesbian Group Lists Award Nominees
Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF
"Milk," directed by Gus Van Sant, was among five movies nominated by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for outstanding wide-release film in itsannual media awards. The organization, which said its awards seek to recognize "fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community," also named "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," "Brideshead Revisited," "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" and "RocknRolla" in this category. Among TV series, "Brothers & Sisters," "The L Word," "South of Nowhere," "Torchwood" and "True Blood" were nominated for outstanding drama, and "Desperate Housewives," "Greek," "Reaper," "Skins" and "Ugly Betty" were nominated for comedy. Winners are to be honored at events in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco in the spring.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/movies/28arts-GAYANDLESBIA_BRF.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Foreign Policy Workers Ask U.S. To Back Benefits for Gay Partners
By Glenn Kessler
Nearly 2,200 government employees involved in foreign policy issues signed a letter delivered to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday calling on the government to give equal benefits to same-sex partners. The Bush administration had eased some rules, opening up some training to same-sex partners, but had resisted efforts to treat homosexual partners the same as married couples. But Clinton, during her confirmation hearings, indicated a greater willingness to explore the issue.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012602039.html?sub=AR
-Iceland to appoint first openly gay woman as PM
By DAVID STRINGER
REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Iceland is set to appoint the world's first openly gay woman as interim prime minister _ a former flight attendant who rose through the political ranks to become a cabinet minister. Johanna Sigurdardottir, the island nation's 66-year-old social affairs minister, is the pick of the Social Democratic Alliance Party to lead an interm government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012800989.html
-ABC leads nominees for GLAAD Media Awards
The Associated Press
For the third year running, ABC leads nominees for awards from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The network earned six nominations for the 20th annual GLAAD Media Awards, with "Brothers & Sisters," "Desperate Housewives" and "Ugly Betty" among its contenders.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012700003.html
-Weaver says 'Prayers' for Lifetime
By MICHAEL CIDONI
Here's big-screen and stage veteran Sigourney Weaver in a most unexpected place: A made-for-TV movie on Lifetime Television. The cable network, once known for "Golden Girls" reruns and tawdry telefilms, has recently scored critical and ratings success with its series "Army Wives," and last year's original movie "Coco Chanel" earned both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for star Shirley MacLaine.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012700239.html
-Weasels vs. AIDS Relief
By Michael Gerson
Some of the personnel stumbles of the Obama administration -- including the abortive nomination of Bill Richardson as commerce secretary -- resulted from incompetent vetting. William Lynn's reception as deputy secretary of defense has been complicated by hypocrisy -- the administration's attempt to gain political credit for a restrictive lobbying ban it swiftly violated to get a qualified appointee.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702673.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Disgraced pastor on Oprah
Ted Haggard, one of the most influential Evangelical pastors in America until he got caught trying to buy crystal meth and homosexual sex from a male prostitute in 2006, will be grilled on Wednesday's Oprah. Unless Oprah is a better interrogator than the nation's TV writers, who got a crack at Haggard on the midseason press tour--an HBO documentary on him premieres Thursday at 8 p.m.--don't expect any juicy material. Haggard has talking point pat answers to questions such as "Are you gay?" and given what has happened to him, "Do you still condemn homosexual behavior?" This made his press conference with critics a real snooze. Since then, another man has come forward with accusations that he and Haggard had sex. Maybe Oprah can get something out of Haggard about that.
http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/tv/2009/01/disgraced-pastor-on-oprah.html
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Haggard's wife speaks out
'He told me of struggles years ago'
Former evangelical pastor Ted Haggard's wife says she knew about his struggles with same-sex attraction for years and felt he was "winning the battle" before a scandal involving a male prostitute triggered his downfall in late 2006. Gayle Haggard makes the remarks in an appearance with her husband on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to air Wednesday. She said she was shocked when Haggard first told her the truth about the allegations against him. "The first words out of my mouth were, 'Who are you?'" she said, according to a publicity release issued Tuesday by Harpo Productions. However, Gayle Haggard also said her husband told her early in their 30-year marriage that he "struggled with some thoughts." "I felt it was the thing that could destroy Ted if he gave in to it," she said. "So I prayed for him and I felt as though he was winning the battle." Haggard, 52, resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., after the male prostitute went public. Haggard confessed to "sexual immorality." The scandal widened in recent days with disclosures that Haggard also admitted to an "inappropriate" relationship with a church volunteer, Grant Haas, who was 22 at the time. Haas told KRDO in Colorado Springs that Haggard performed a sex act in front of him and sent him illicit text messages. He informed New Life Church shortly after the scandal broke, and the two parties reached a settlement in 2007 that included a confidentiality agreement. Haas went public as Haggard is heavily promoting an HBO documentary about his time in exile.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23694
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Besen: Let Sam Adams get back to work
By Wayne Besen, columnist, 365gay.com
Portland's openly gay mayor, Sam Adams, correctly decided to remain in office after acknowledging that three years ago he had a brief affair with an eighteen year old man. Calls for his resignation were politically motivated, homophobic and cheap shots dressed in the guise of morality. Sadly, many gay and lesbian leaders got sucked into the sexual hysteria and puritanical pandemonium and called for the mayor's resignation.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/besen-let-sam-adams-get-back-to-work/
-Transwomen sue Illinois for amended birth certificates
By Jennifer Vanasco
Citing the need to have an accurate birth certificate for identification purposes, two women born in Illinois asked a court to order the State to issue new birth certificates that reflect their correct gender following sex reassignment surgery.
http://www.365gay.com/news/transwomen-sue-illinois-for-amended-birth-certificates/
-No Name-Calling Week targets homophobia in schools
Thousands of elementary and middle schools are participating in the sixth annual No Name-Calling Week this week to educate students about tolerance and to foster a dialogue among students about why bullying and name-calling is wrong.
http://www.365gay.com/news/no-name-calling-week-targets-homophobia-in-schools/
-Ruby-Sachs: Is Any Exposure Good Exposure?
Ugly Betty is getting nods for portraying gay characters as part of mainstream media. Some Betty fans are thrilled that the writers have chosen to include a gay character in its main cast. Others worry that the stereotyped gay man who plays assistant to the shows' evildoer only reinforces negative images of the gay community.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-is-any-exposure-good-exposure/
-Holocaust Memorial Day observed
(London) Holocaust Memorial Day was observed Tuesday in memory of some 6 million people put to death by the Nazis. Most of the victims were Jewish, but an unknown number of gays, Roma or Gypsies, Communists and dissidents were also murdered.
http://www.365gay.com/news/holocaust-memorial-day-observed/
-Hawaii civil union bill gains steam
A majority in the state House has signed on as
co-sponsors of a bill that would give same-sex couples in Hawaii all of the rights of marriage but without the name. But whether the bill will make it to a vote on the floor depends on just a couple of committee members who are expressing reservations.
http://www.365gay.com/news/hawaii-civil-union-bill-gains-steam/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Ted Haggard Takes Another Man
The Ted Haggard saga continues -- this time with the announcement there was another man, one the New Life Church paid off. Will the vicious cycle ever end? Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
By Lane Hudson
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71746.asp
-It's Not About Marriage With Rick Warren
Saying gay people opposed Rick Warren's participation in Obama's inauguration because he's against marriage equality is like saying the Jews opposed Hitler because he was anti-Semitic. Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
By Lane Hudson
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71511.asp
-Eric Holder and the LGBT Community
With the backing of the civil rights community -- and a stellar record on gay rights -- Eric Holder is immensely qualified for the critical position of Attorney General. Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
By Joe Solmonese
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71810.asp
-Gay Workers Could Benefit From High Court Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that workers are protected from losing their jobs if they cooperate with internal investigations of sexual harassment.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71845.asp
-Catholic U. Bars Pro-Life Gay Group
The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., barred a gay rights group from cosponsoring a pro-life conference on campus that took place last weekend.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71822.asp
-Gays in Bahrain Suffer Through Internet Crackdown
The government of Bahrain -- a Middle Eastern constitutional monarchy -- has cracked down a number of social networking sites, which has hit the nation's gay and lesbian population hard, reports the Gulf Daily News.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71778.asp
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Masturbation can be good for the over-50s
Removal of toxins built up over a lifetime reduces the risk of prostate cancer
Masturbation may be good for you - or bad, depending on your age. The solitary sexual activity that is widely practised but little discussed, is linked with an increased risk of prostate cancer when practised frequently by young men in their twenties and thirties, doctors say. But by the time men reach their fifties, it may protect against the disease because it helps remove toxins that have built up over a lifetime. Prostate cancer is known to be driven by the male hormone testosterone, and men with high levels of testosterone tend to have a higher sex drive and a higher risk of the cancer.
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/masturbation-can-be-good-for-the-over50s-1516792.html
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Lutheran high school can expel lesbians
The California Court of Appeals so held yesterday. Doe v. California Lutheran High School Ass'n, 2009 WL 161869. Defendants successfully contended that they were not a "business" subject to California's anti discrimination law, because their high school was private, nonprofit, selective, and focused on religious education. Though the boundaries of what kinds of private entities are exempt from antidiscrimination laws can be a difficult one, it is undeniably a line that needs to be drawn somewhere, and it is hard to find fault with the court's ruling on that ground. (Note that this is a quite different question from whether entities that clearly are businesses can claim a religious exemption - the California Supreme Court has clearly said they cannot.)
http://polyperversity.blogspot.com/2009/01/lutheran-high-school-can-expel-lesbians.html
-Nevada ogles the potential tax dollars of legal prostitution
A lawmaker is proposing legalizing brothels in Reno and Las Vegas. Gambling revenue is down sharply in the state. Reporting from Las Vegas - In revenue-strapped Nevada, where foreclosed homes dot suburban streets and poker tables sit empty, it's come to this: A state legislator wants to talk about legalizing -- and taxing -- prostitution in Reno and Las Vegas. "It's almost de facto legal. It's running unregulated," said state Sen. Bob Coffin, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Taxation Committee. He also said legalization would better protect sex workers.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-legalize-vegas-prostituti-2009jan23,0,4832537.story
-A 10-year campaign to censor the Internet ended last week when the Supreme Court refused to step in and save the Child Online Protection Act. Everyone can agree on the need to protect children from sexually explicit online material, but this misguided law tried to do it in ways that infringed on too much constitutionally protected free speech. Congress passed the Child Online Protection Act in 1998 after the Supreme Court had struck down an even broader law regulating online indecency. The 1998 act imposed civil and criminal penalties, including up to six months in prison, for offering commercial material online that was "harmful to minors."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/opinion/27tue2.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
-Ex-Gay Watch has posted a clip of the documentary film, Chasing the Devil: Inside the Ex-Gay Movement, featuring the antics of Richard Cohen.
http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/2009/01/video-ex-gay-guru-richard-cohen-brings-out-the-magnets/
-The Myth of Rampant Teenage Promiscuity
Have American teenagers gone wild? Parents have worried for generations
about changing moral values and risky behavior among young people, and the latest news seems particularly worrisome. It came from the National Center for Health Statistics, which reported this month that births to 15- to 19-year-olds had risen for the first time in more than a decade. And that is not the only alarm being sounded. The talk show host Tyra Banks declared a teen sex crisis last fall after her show surveyed girls about sexual behavior. A few years ago, Oprah Winfrey warned parents of a teenage oral-sex epidemic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27well.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
-Teaching Teenagers About Harassment
This month, three teenage girls, students at Greensburg Salem High School in Greensburg, Pa., were charged with disseminating child pornography. They had sent nude pictures of themselves by cellphone to their teenage boyfriends, who were charged with possessing child pornography. The legal consequences in this case may have been unique, but the behavior is not. About 20 percent of teenagers have posted or sent nude cellphone pictures of themselves, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a nonprofit group.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/business/media/27adco.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y
-We have just begun our "Yes, I Do" campaign to get US House and Senate members to declare their support for marriage equality. We have researched current Members of Congress who support full marriage equality. So far there are 27 Members of Congress representing 15 states. You can read who they are, as well as their quotes here:
http://www.equalitygiving.org/Same-Sex-Marriage-Quiz
-A niche of a niche of a niche -- and booming: Nude gay luxury cruises
The fast-growing cruise industry is nothing if not diverse -- and getting more so every day. The latest micro-trend, according to gaywired.com: Gay nude luxury cruises. In a front page story today, the online news outlet says the concept has taken off since May 2007, when what was billed as the first-ever gay nude luxury cruise easily sold out. The voyage, organized by Miami Beach-based travel agency Source Events and Gay Naturists International, took place off Italy's Amalfi Coast and the Greek Isles. "We have discovered a fusion between two growth markets: naturist travel and the boutique luxury experience," Source Events founder Craig Smith tells the news outlet.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=61746998.blog
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Truth Wins Out - TWO
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
-TWO Calls Plagiarizer A Perfect Fit To Serve As Focus on the Family's Top DC Lobbyist
Rove Protégé, Tim Goeglein, Will Now Spin Fiction For Focus, Says TWO Truth Wins Out (TWO) today called Tim Goeglein a perfect hire to be the lead Washington lobbyist for Focus on the Family. He resigned from the Bush White House on Feb. 29, 2008, after ex-Fort Wayne News-Sentinel columnist Nancy Nall discovered that Goeglein, while he wrote guest columns for the newspaper, had plagiarized 19 of 38 columns. According to the Colorado Independent, he had used the works of such luminaries as the Dartmouth Review, Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein and the Pope without credit.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/two-calls-plagiarizer-a-perfect-fit-for-focus-on-the-family/
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Gay American Heros
http://www.gayamericanheroes.info/
-Nancy Pelosi gives the greatest speech Ever for LGBTQ Rights.
I filmed this video at the dedication of the new Harvey Milk Federal building on Treasure Island in San Francisco. I believe this speech the most powerful speech Nancy Pelosi ever gave for LGBTQ rights and should be seen by every American. It is about Respect and Pride for who we are, as Americans. Nancy Pelosi is a Great friend to the LGBTQ community and a strong leader. We are very grate full for her support and look forward to her help in leading our country in a new direction and a brighter future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgnWQOFInDE
-MOTHER OF HATE CRIME VICTIM TREATED WITH HOSTILITY BY FAYETTEVILLE SCHOOL BOARD IN MEETING REPEATED CASES OF ANTI-GAY SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE AGAINST STUDENTS AND FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS RESOLUTION TO TITLE 1X COMPLAINTS PROMPTS PARENT TO ORGANIZE PROTEST
http://familiesunitedagainsthate.blogspot.com/2009/01/school-board-treats-mother-of-hate.html
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Scottish Catholics claim gay relationships cause premature death
By Tony Grew
The Roman Catholic church in Scotland has launched another attack on gay and lesbian people. "There is an overwhelming body of evidence showing that same-sex relationships are inherently unstable and reduce the life expectancy of those involved," claimed church spokesman Peter Kearney.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10927.html
-People who reject Church teaching on homosexuality should leave says bishop
By Tony Grew
A Roman Catholic leader in Malta has said that church members who do not accept "Christ's teachings" should leave altogether. Mario Grech, the Bishop of Gozo, commented after the first openly gay candidate for parliament in Malta protested against the Pope's hostility to homosexuality by leaving the Roman Catholic Church.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10932.html
-UN marks Holocaust Memorial Day with plea for gay acceptance
The President of the United Nations General Assembly has said that all people share a capacity for cruelty to each other.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10931.html
-Amnesty calls on Nigeria to reject proposed homophobic law
By Staff Writer
Legislation that would punish Nigerian gay and lesbian couples for living together has been condemned by Amnesty International.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10930.html
-US Christian school wins right to expel lesbian pupils
By Staff Writer
A Christian high school in California can expel or exclude students based on their sexual orientation, an appeals court has ruled. California Lutheran High School in Wildomar argued that as a private organisation it had a right to do so.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10923.html
-Lithuanian MPs consider law against "promotion" of homosexuality to children
By Staff Writer
An EU member state is considering new laws targeting "agitation for homosexual relations" to children. The proposal will be discussed in the Lithuanian Parliament's committees and voted on in the spring session.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10902.html
-Civil partnerships bill listed in Irish parliament's spring session
By Staff Writer
The Irish government has listed a Civil Partnership Bill among legislation for the spring session of Parliament. Last June Ireland's Justice minister published a draft bill that will grant gay and lesbian couples legal recognition in areas such as pensions, social security, property rights, tax, succession and the payment of maintenance.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10900.html
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Same-sex Couples Lose Rights When They Cross State Lines
Ryan Blitstein, Miller-McCune.com | AlterNet
November's passage of California's Proposition 8, which amends the state's constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage, is the latest flashpoint in the culture war over gay civil rights, the subject of fierce commentary and multiple lawsuits. Indiana University School of Law professor Jennifer Drobac is concerned about an issue that's getting scant attention in the debate: How do states treat gay couples that are already married? And what happens when they move to a state where their marriage is outlawed? Miller-McCune.com spoke with Drobac about these legal issues, and her ideas for a domestic partnership system that might address them.
Miller-McCune.com: You've said lawsuits over Prop 8's constitutionality aren't vital to the legal rights of same-sex couples. Which issues are worthy of attention? Jennifer Drobac: The real question is: What does Prop 8 do to these marriages? They are valid in California and will remain so, unless there is a pronouncement or significant ruling otherwise. The problem, though, is going to be the same problem faced by same-sex couples who were married in Massachusetts, and now Connecticut. What happens when these people cross state borders? Read more
-Breaking: Mike Jones Speaks Out About Latest Ted Haggard Relevations
Jim Burroway | Box Turtle Bulletin
In a new, emotionally charged YouTube video, Mike Jones voices his anger with New Life Church and their past refusal to admit what they had known all along: that there were others in the church who had had a sexual relationship with then-Pastor Ted Haggard. In this video statement, Jones reveals that he tried to contact New Life Church when others were coming to him with stories about similar contacts with Ted Haggard: I knew that there were others, others that I could not publicly out. They had to do it themselves. But they were scared. Some of their parents knew about what was going on at the church. And some of the parents just wanted to turn a blind eye to it. I also realized it was going to be just probably me, out there all alone facing the press, facing the criticism. Now when Brady Boyd took over as pastor of New Life Church, I contacted him. I wanted to talk to him about these other young men that were coming to me with their stories. This was serious. And you know, Pastor Boyd refused to meet with me. Mike Jones also talks about what he endured - including from within the gay community - after revealing his sexual contact with Ted Haggard. Mike expresses considerable anger over what he went through, particularly those who dismissed him as "just a whore" who was "just escorting." Read more
-New Legal Twist in Gay Adoption Ban in Arkansas
Assocatiated Press | EDGE Boston
LITTLE ROCK, AR - Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has objected to a request by a conservative Christian group to intervene in a lawsuit that challenges Arkansas' new law banning gay foster and adoptive parents. McDaniel's office says in a filing in the case that the attorney general will pursue every valid legal argument to defend the law, which went into effect Jan. 1 after voters approved the measure last November. The Arkansas Family Council, which led the campaign for the ban, says in its request to intervene that McDaniel might not rigorously defend the law because he opposed the measure last year. The new law bans unmarried couples living together from adopting or fostering children. Link
-Plagiarizer to Run Focus on the Family's DC Lobby Shop
TWO Calls Plagiarizer A Perfect Fit To Serve As Focus on the Family's Top DC Lobbyist
Rove Protégé, Tim Goeglein, Will Now Spin Fiction For Focus, Says TWO
NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out (TWO) today called Tim Goeglein a perfect hire to be the lead Washington lobbyist for Focus on the Family. He resigned from the Bush White House on Feb. 29, 2008, after ex-Fort Wayne News-Sentinel columnist Nancy Nall discovered that Goeglein, while he wrote guest columns for the newspaper, had plagiarized 19 of 38 columns. According to the Colorado Independent, he had used the works of such luminaries as the Dartmouth Review, Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein and the Pope without credit. More . . . .
-Obama Extends the Hand of Friendship
Deb Price | Creators
Paul Levandowski knows pressure. When the baritone horn player from Michigan approached President Obama as part of the first gay band to march in an inaugural parade, he recalls thinking: "Oh, God, please, I hope I can get this high note. I hope my valves don't freeze. I hope I can remember all the notes." The history-making band performed John Philip Sousa's famous "Washington Post" perfectly, as the new president and First Lady Michelle waved from the presidential reviewing stand. The delighted smiles on the musicians' faces capture how gay Americans feel about the unprecedented hand of friendship the new president keeps extending. He included a lesbian couple among the "everyday Americans" on his Whistle Stop train ride from Philadelphia to the nation's capital. Read more
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Arts, Briefly: Gay and Lesbian Group Lists Award Nominees
Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF
"Milk," directed by Gus Van Sant, was among five movies nominated by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for outstanding wide-release film in itsannual media awards. The organization, which said its awards seek to recognize "fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community," also named "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," "Brideshead Revisited," "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" and "RocknRolla" in this category. Among TV series, "Brothers & Sisters," "The L Word," "South of Nowhere," "Torchwood" and "True Blood" were nominated for outstanding drama, and "Desperate Housewives," "Greek," "Reaper," "Skins" and "Ugly Betty" were nominated for comedy. Winners are to be honored at events in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco in the spring.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/movies/28arts-GAYANDLESBIA_BRF.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Foreign Policy Workers Ask U.S. To Back Benefits for Gay Partners
By Glenn Kessler
Nearly 2,200 government employees involved in foreign policy issues signed a letter delivered to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday calling on the government to give equal benefits to same-sex partners. The Bush administration had eased some rules, opening up some training to same-sex partners, but had resisted efforts to treat homosexual partners the same as married couples. But Clinton, during her confirmation hearings, indicated a greater willingness to explore the issue.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012602039.html?sub=AR
-Iceland to appoint first openly gay woman as PM
By DAVID STRINGER
REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Iceland is set to appoint the world's first openly gay woman as interim prime minister _ a former flight attendant who rose through the political ranks to become a cabinet minister. Johanna Sigurdardottir, the island nation's 66-year-old social affairs minister, is the pick of the Social Democratic Alliance Party to lead an interm government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012800989.html
-ABC leads nominees for GLAAD Media Awards
The Associated Press
For the third year running, ABC leads nominees for awards from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The network earned six nominations for the 20th annual GLAAD Media Awards, with "Brothers & Sisters," "Desperate Housewives" and "Ugly Betty" among its contenders.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012700003.html
-Weaver says 'Prayers' for Lifetime
By MICHAEL CIDONI
Here's big-screen and stage veteran Sigourney Weaver in a most unexpected place: A made-for-TV movie on Lifetime Television. The cable network, once known for "Golden Girls" reruns and tawdry telefilms, has recently scored critical and ratings success with its series "Army Wives," and last year's original movie "Coco Chanel" earned both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for star Shirley MacLaine.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012700239.html
-Weasels vs. AIDS Relief
By Michael Gerson
Some of the personnel stumbles of the Obama administration -- including the abortive nomination of Bill Richardson as commerce secretary -- resulted from incompetent vetting. William Lynn's reception as deputy secretary of defense has been complicated by hypocrisy -- the administration's attempt to gain political credit for a restrictive lobbying ban it swiftly violated to get a qualified appointee.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702673.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Disgraced pastor on Oprah
Ted Haggard, one of the most influential Evangelical pastors in America until he got caught trying to buy crystal meth and homosexual sex from a male prostitute in 2006, will be grilled on Wednesday's Oprah. Unless Oprah is a better interrogator than the nation's TV writers, who got a crack at Haggard on the midseason press tour--an HBO documentary on him premieres Thursday at 8 p.m.--don't expect any juicy material. Haggard has talking point pat answers to questions such as "Are you gay?" and given what has happened to him, "Do you still condemn homosexual behavior?" This made his press conference with critics a real snooze. Since then, another man has come forward with accusations that he and Haggard had sex. Maybe Oprah can get something out of Haggard about that.
http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/tv/2009/01/disgraced-pastor-on-oprah.html
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Haggard's wife speaks out
'He told me of struggles years ago'
Former evangelical pastor Ted Haggard's wife says she knew about his struggles with same-sex attraction for years and felt he was "winning the battle" before a scandal involving a male prostitute triggered his downfall in late 2006. Gayle Haggard makes the remarks in an appearance with her husband on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to air Wednesday. She said she was shocked when Haggard first told her the truth about the allegations against him. "The first words out of my mouth were, 'Who are you?'" she said, according to a publicity release issued Tuesday by Harpo Productions. However, Gayle Haggard also said her husband told her early in their 30-year marriage that he "struggled with some thoughts." "I felt it was the thing that could destroy Ted if he gave in to it," she said. "So I prayed for him and I felt as though he was winning the battle." Haggard, 52, resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., after the male prostitute went public. Haggard confessed to "sexual immorality." The scandal widened in recent days with disclosures that Haggard also admitted to an "inappropriate" relationship with a church volunteer, Grant Haas, who was 22 at the time. Haas told KRDO in Colorado Springs that Haggard performed a sex act in front of him and sent him illicit text messages. He informed New Life Church shortly after the scandal broke, and the two parties reached a settlement in 2007 that included a confidentiality agreement. Haas went public as Haggard is heavily promoting an HBO documentary about his time in exile.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23694
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Besen: Let Sam Adams get back to work
By Wayne Besen, columnist, 365gay.com
Portland's openly gay mayor, Sam Adams, correctly decided to remain in office after acknowledging that three years ago he had a brief affair with an eighteen year old man. Calls for his resignation were politically motivated, homophobic and cheap shots dressed in the guise of morality. Sadly, many gay and lesbian leaders got sucked into the sexual hysteria and puritanical pandemonium and called for the mayor's resignation.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/besen-let-sam-adams-get-back-to-work/
-Transwomen sue Illinois for amended birth certificates
By Jennifer Vanasco
Citing the need to have an accurate birth certificate for identification purposes, two women born in Illinois asked a court to order the State to issue new birth certificates that reflect their correct gender following sex reassignment surgery.
http://www.365gay.com/news/transwomen-sue-illinois-for-amended-birth-certificates/
-No Name-Calling Week targets homophobia in schools
Thousands of elementary and middle schools are participating in the sixth annual No Name-Calling Week this week to educate students about tolerance and to foster a dialogue among students about why bullying and name-calling is wrong.
http://www.365gay.com/news/no-name-calling-week-targets-homophobia-in-schools/
-Ruby-Sachs: Is Any Exposure Good Exposure?
Ugly Betty is getting nods for portraying gay characters as part of mainstream media. Some Betty fans are thrilled that the writers have chosen to include a gay character in its main cast. Others worry that the stereotyped gay man who plays assistant to the shows' evildoer only reinforces negative images of the gay community.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-is-any-exposure-good-exposure/
-Holocaust Memorial Day observed
(London) Holocaust Memorial Day was observed Tuesday in memory of some 6 million people put to death by the Nazis. Most of the victims were Jewish, but an unknown number of gays, Roma or Gypsies, Communists and dissidents were also murdered.
http://www.365gay.com/news/holocaust-memorial-day-observed/
-Hawaii civil union bill gains steam
A majority in the state House has signed on as
co-sponsors of a bill that would give same-sex couples in Hawaii all of the rights of marriage but without the name. But whether the bill will make it to a vote on the floor depends on just a couple of committee members who are expressing reservations.
http://www.365gay.com/news/hawaii-civil-union-bill-gains-steam/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Ted Haggard Takes Another Man
The Ted Haggard saga continues -- this time with the announcement there was another man, one the New Life Church paid off. Will the vicious cycle ever end? Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
By Lane Hudson
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71746.asp
-It's Not About Marriage With Rick Warren
Saying gay people opposed Rick Warren's participation in Obama's inauguration because he's against marriage equality is like saying the Jews opposed Hitler because he was anti-Semitic. Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
By Lane Hudson
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71511.asp
-Eric Holder and the LGBT Community
With the backing of the civil rights community -- and a stellar record on gay rights -- Eric Holder is immensely qualified for the critical position of Attorney General. Click the byline to view more stories by this author.
By Joe Solmonese
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid71810.asp
-Gay Workers Could Benefit From High Court Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that workers are protected from losing their jobs if they cooperate with internal investigations of sexual harassment.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71845.asp
-Catholic U. Bars Pro-Life Gay Group
The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., barred a gay rights group from cosponsoring a pro-life conference on campus that took place last weekend.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71822.asp
-Gays in Bahrain Suffer Through Internet Crackdown
The government of Bahrain -- a Middle Eastern constitutional monarchy -- has cracked down a number of social networking sites, which has hit the nation's gay and lesbian population hard, reports the Gulf Daily News.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71778.asp
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Masturbation can be good for the over-50s
Removal of toxins built up over a lifetime reduces the risk of prostate cancer
Masturbation may be good for you - or bad, depending on your age. The solitary sexual activity that is widely practised but little discussed, is linked with an increased risk of prostate cancer when practised frequently by young men in their twenties and thirties, doctors say. But by the time men reach their fifties, it may protect against the disease because it helps remove toxins that have built up over a lifetime. Prostate cancer is known to be driven by the male hormone testosterone, and men with high levels of testosterone tend to have a higher sex drive and a higher risk of the cancer.
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/masturbation-can-be-good-for-the-over50s-1516792.html
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Lutheran high school can expel lesbians
The California Court of Appeals so held yesterday. Doe v. California Lutheran High School Ass'n, 2009 WL 161869. Defendants successfully contended that they were not a "business" subject to California's anti discrimination law, because their high school was private, nonprofit, selective, and focused on religious education. Though the boundaries of what kinds of private entities are exempt from antidiscrimination laws can be a difficult one, it is undeniably a line that needs to be drawn somewhere, and it is hard to find fault with the court's ruling on that ground. (Note that this is a quite different question from whether entities that clearly are businesses can claim a religious exemption - the California Supreme Court has clearly said they cannot.)
http://polyperversity.blogspot.com/2009/01/lutheran-high-school-can-expel-lesbians.html
-Nevada ogles the potential tax dollars of legal prostitution
A lawmaker is proposing legalizing brothels in Reno and Las Vegas. Gambling revenue is down sharply in the state. Reporting from Las Vegas - In revenue-strapped Nevada, where foreclosed homes dot suburban streets and poker tables sit empty, it's come to this: A state legislator wants to talk about legalizing -- and taxing -- prostitution in Reno and Las Vegas. "It's almost de facto legal. It's running unregulated," said state Sen. Bob Coffin, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Taxation Committee. He also said legalization would better protect sex workers.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-legalize-vegas-prostituti-2009jan23,0,4832537.story
-A 10-year campaign to censor the Internet ended last week when the Supreme Court refused to step in and save the Child Online Protection Act. Everyone can agree on the need to protect children from sexually explicit online material, but this misguided law tried to do it in ways that infringed on too much constitutionally protected free speech. Congress passed the Child Online Protection Act in 1998 after the Supreme Court had struck down an even broader law regulating online indecency. The 1998 act imposed civil and criminal penalties, including up to six months in prison, for offering commercial material online that was "harmful to minors."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/opinion/27tue2.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
-Ex-Gay Watch has posted a clip of the documentary film, Chasing the Devil: Inside the Ex-Gay Movement, featuring the antics of Richard Cohen.
http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/2009/01/video-ex-gay-guru-richard-cohen-brings-out-the-magnets/
-The Myth of Rampant Teenage Promiscuity
Have American teenagers gone wild? Parents have worried for generations
about changing moral values and risky behavior among young people, and the latest news seems particularly worrisome. It came from the National Center for Health Statistics, which reported this month that births to 15- to 19-year-olds had risen for the first time in more than a decade. And that is not the only alarm being sounded. The talk show host Tyra Banks declared a teen sex crisis last fall after her show surveyed girls about sexual behavior. A few years ago, Oprah Winfrey warned parents of a teenage oral-sex epidemic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27well.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
-Teaching Teenagers About Harassment
This month, three teenage girls, students at Greensburg Salem High School in Greensburg, Pa., were charged with disseminating child pornography. They had sent nude pictures of themselves by cellphone to their teenage boyfriends, who were charged with possessing child pornography. The legal consequences in this case may have been unique, but the behavior is not. About 20 percent of teenagers have posted or sent nude cellphone pictures of themselves, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a nonprofit group.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/business/media/27adco.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y
-We have just begun our "Yes, I Do" campaign to get US House and Senate members to declare their support for marriage equality. We have researched current Members of Congress who support full marriage equality. So far there are 27 Members of Congress representing 15 states. You can read who they are, as well as their quotes here:
http://www.equalitygiving.org/Same-Sex-Marriage-Quiz
-A niche of a niche of a niche -- and booming: Nude gay luxury cruises
The fast-growing cruise industry is nothing if not diverse -- and getting more so every day. The latest micro-trend, according to gaywired.com: Gay nude luxury cruises. In a front page story today, the online news outlet says the concept has taken off since May 2007, when what was billed as the first-ever gay nude luxury cruise easily sold out. The voyage, organized by Miami Beach-based travel agency Source Events and Gay Naturists International, took place off Italy's Amalfi Coast and the Greek Isles. "We have discovered a fusion between two growth markets: naturist travel and the boutique luxury experience," Source Events founder Craig Smith tells the news outlet.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=61746998.blog
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Truth Wins Out - TWO
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
-TWO Calls Plagiarizer A Perfect Fit To Serve As Focus on the Family's Top DC Lobbyist
Rove Protégé, Tim Goeglein, Will Now Spin Fiction For Focus, Says TWO Truth Wins Out (TWO) today called Tim Goeglein a perfect hire to be the lead Washington lobbyist for Focus on the Family. He resigned from the Bush White House on Feb. 29, 2008, after ex-Fort Wayne News-Sentinel columnist Nancy Nall discovered that Goeglein, while he wrote guest columns for the newspaper, had plagiarized 19 of 38 columns. According to the Colorado Independent, he had used the works of such luminaries as the Dartmouth Review, Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein and the Pope without credit.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/two-calls-plagiarizer-a-perfect-fit-for-focus-on-the-family/
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Gay American Heros
http://www.gayamericanheroes.info/
-Nancy Pelosi gives the greatest speech Ever for LGBTQ Rights.
I filmed this video at the dedication of the new Harvey Milk Federal building on Treasure Island in San Francisco. I believe this speech the most powerful speech Nancy Pelosi ever gave for LGBTQ rights and should be seen by every American. It is about Respect and Pride for who we are, as Americans. Nancy Pelosi is a Great friend to the LGBTQ community and a strong leader. We are very grate full for her support and look forward to her help in leading our country in a new direction and a brighter future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgnWQOFInDE
-MOTHER OF HATE CRIME VICTIM TREATED WITH HOSTILITY BY FAYETTEVILLE SCHOOL BOARD IN MEETING REPEATED CASES OF ANTI-GAY SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE AGAINST STUDENTS AND FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS RESOLUTION TO TITLE 1X COMPLAINTS PROMPTS PARENT TO ORGANIZE PROTEST
http://familiesunitedagainsthate.blogspot.com/2009/01/school-board-treats-mother-of-hate.html
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Scottish Catholics claim gay relationships cause premature death
By Tony Grew
The Roman Catholic church in Scotland has launched another attack on gay and lesbian people. "There is an overwhelming body of evidence showing that same-sex relationships are inherently unstable and reduce the life expectancy of those involved," claimed church spokesman Peter Kearney.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10927.html
-People who reject Church teaching on homosexuality should leave says bishop
By Tony Grew
A Roman Catholic leader in Malta has said that church members who do not accept "Christ's teachings" should leave altogether. Mario Grech, the Bishop of Gozo, commented after the first openly gay candidate for parliament in Malta protested against the Pope's hostility to homosexuality by leaving the Roman Catholic Church.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10932.html
-UN marks Holocaust Memorial Day with plea for gay acceptance
The President of the United Nations General Assembly has said that all people share a capacity for cruelty to each other.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10931.html
-Amnesty calls on Nigeria to reject proposed homophobic law
By Staff Writer
Legislation that would punish Nigerian gay and lesbian couples for living together has been condemned by Amnesty International.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10930.html
-US Christian school wins right to expel lesbian pupils
By Staff Writer
A Christian high school in California can expel or exclude students based on their sexual orientation, an appeals court has ruled. California Lutheran High School in Wildomar argued that as a private organisation it had a right to do so.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10923.html
-Lithuanian MPs consider law against "promotion" of homosexuality to children
By Staff Writer
An EU member state is considering new laws targeting "agitation for homosexual relations" to children. The proposal will be discussed in the Lithuanian Parliament's committees and voted on in the spring session.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10902.html
-Civil partnerships bill listed in Irish parliament's spring session
By Staff Writer
The Irish government has listed a Civil Partnership Bill among legislation for the spring session of Parliament. Last June Ireland's Justice minister published a draft bill that will grant gay and lesbian couples legal recognition in areas such as pensions, social security, property rights, tax, succession and the payment of maintenance.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10900.html
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Same-sex Couples Lose Rights When They Cross State Lines
Ryan Blitstein, Miller-McCune.com | AlterNet
November's passage of California's Proposition 8, which amends the state's constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage, is the latest flashpoint in the culture war over gay civil rights, the subject of fierce commentary and multiple lawsuits. Indiana University School of Law professor Jennifer Drobac is concerned about an issue that's getting scant attention in the debate: How do states treat gay couples that are already married? And what happens when they move to a state where their marriage is outlawed? Miller-McCune.com spoke with Drobac about these legal issues, and her ideas for a domestic partnership system that might address them.
Miller-McCune.com: You've said lawsuits over Prop 8's constitutionality aren't vital to the legal rights of same-sex couples. Which issues are worthy of attention? Jennifer Drobac: The real question is: What does Prop 8 do to these marriages? They are valid in California and will remain so, unless there is a pronouncement or significant ruling otherwise. The problem, though, is going to be the same problem faced by same-sex couples who were married in Massachusetts, and now Connecticut. What happens when these people cross state borders? Read more
-Breaking: Mike Jones Speaks Out About Latest Ted Haggard Relevations
Jim Burroway | Box Turtle Bulletin
In a new, emotionally charged YouTube video, Mike Jones voices his anger with New Life Church and their past refusal to admit what they had known all along: that there were others in the church who had had a sexual relationship with then-Pastor Ted Haggard. In this video statement, Jones reveals that he tried to contact New Life Church when others were coming to him with stories about similar contacts with Ted Haggard: I knew that there were others, others that I could not publicly out. They had to do it themselves. But they were scared. Some of their parents knew about what was going on at the church. And some of the parents just wanted to turn a blind eye to it. I also realized it was going to be just probably me, out there all alone facing the press, facing the criticism. Now when Brady Boyd took over as pastor of New Life Church, I contacted him. I wanted to talk to him about these other young men that were coming to me with their stories. This was serious. And you know, Pastor Boyd refused to meet with me. Mike Jones also talks about what he endured - including from within the gay community - after revealing his sexual contact with Ted Haggard. Mike expresses considerable anger over what he went through, particularly those who dismissed him as "just a whore" who was "just escorting." Read more
-New Legal Twist in Gay Adoption Ban in Arkansas
Assocatiated Press | EDGE Boston
LITTLE ROCK, AR - Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has objected to a request by a conservative Christian group to intervene in a lawsuit that challenges Arkansas' new law banning gay foster and adoptive parents. McDaniel's office says in a filing in the case that the attorney general will pursue every valid legal argument to defend the law, which went into effect Jan. 1 after voters approved the measure last November. The Arkansas Family Council, which led the campaign for the ban, says in its request to intervene that McDaniel might not rigorously defend the law because he opposed the measure last year. The new law bans unmarried couples living together from adopting or fostering children. Link
-Plagiarizer to Run Focus on the Family's DC Lobby Shop
TWO Calls Plagiarizer A Perfect Fit To Serve As Focus on the Family's Top DC Lobbyist
Rove Protégé, Tim Goeglein, Will Now Spin Fiction For Focus, Says TWO
NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out (TWO) today called Tim Goeglein a perfect hire to be the lead Washington lobbyist for Focus on the Family. He resigned from the Bush White House on Feb. 29, 2008, after ex-Fort Wayne News-Sentinel columnist Nancy Nall discovered that Goeglein, while he wrote guest columns for the newspaper, had plagiarized 19 of 38 columns. According to the Colorado Independent, he had used the works of such luminaries as the Dartmouth Review, Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein and the Pope without credit. More . . . .
-Obama Extends the Hand of Friendship
Deb Price | Creators
Paul Levandowski knows pressure. When the baritone horn player from Michigan approached President Obama as part of the first gay band to march in an inaugural parade, he recalls thinking: "Oh, God, please, I hope I can get this high note. I hope my valves don't freeze. I hope I can remember all the notes." The history-making band performed John Philip Sousa's famous "Washington Post" perfectly, as the new president and First Lady Michelle waved from the presidential reviewing stand. The delighted smiles on the musicians' faces capture how gay Americans feel about the unprecedented hand of friendship the new president keeps extending. He included a lesbian couple among the "everyday Americans" on his Whistle Stop train ride from Philadelphia to the nation's capital. Read more
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NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - January 28, 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:
-Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Aid to Education
By SAM DILLON
The economic stimulus plan that Congress has scheduled for a vote on Wednesday would shower the nation's school districts, child care centers and university campuses with $150 billion in new federal spending, a vast two-year investment that would more than double the Department of Education's current budget.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/education/28educ.html?hp
-Editorial: Caring for the Caregivers
With more jobs being lost all the time across the board - more than 71,000 layoffs in the United States were announced on Monday and Tuesday alone - there should be comfort in the fact that one sector, health care, continues to add jobs. In December, employers added 32,000 health-related positions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28wed1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Wall Street's Socialist Jet-Setters
By MAUREEN DOWD
WASHINGTON: As President Obama spreads his New Testament balm over the capital, I'm longing for a bit of Old Testament wrath. Couldn't he throw down his BlackBerry tablet and smash it in anger over the feckless financiers, the gods of gold and their idols - in this case not a gilt calf but an $87,000 area rug, a cache of diamond Tiffany and Cartier watches and a French-made luxury corporate jet?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28dowd.html?ref=opinion
-Abdullah II: The 5-State Solution
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
In February 2002, I traveled to Saudi Arabia and interviewed the then crown prince, now king, Abdullah, at his Riyadh horse farm. I asked him why the next Arab summit wouldn't just propose to Israel full peace and normalization of relations, by all 22 Arab states, for full withdrawal from all occupied lands and creation of a Palestinian state. Abdullah said that I had read his mind ("Have you broken into my desk?" he asked me) and that he was about to propose just that, which he later did, giving birth to the "Abdullah peace plan."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28friedman.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Alberto Gonzales, the Sequel
Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should have considered himself a lucky man when he was allowed to resign in disgrace in August 2007 without being hauled into Congress on perjury or contempt charges.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28wed2.html?ref=opinion
-Obama Talks to the Arabs
By Eric Etheridge
Barack Obama sat for his formal formal interview as president with Al Arabiya, an Arabic-language news channel based in Dubai (read The Times' report and see clips from the interview), and online the response has been swift. For some on the right, the only comment necessary was short and to the point: At the American Spectator, Quin Hillyer's brief post was titled "This . . . Blows . . . My . . . Mind." And at Atlas Shruggs, Pamela Geller's one-sentence post invoked the book of Matthew: "By his fruits we shall know him, and so we know the plant."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/obama-talks-to-the-arabs/?ref=opinion
-Texas Rebellion Gives a Centrist a Lift
By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
On first blush, it is easy to think the Democratic tide that swept President Obama into office barely touched Texas. After all, Republicans still run the state and hold all the top offices and, if Texas voters had had their way, John McCain would be in the Oval Office.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/us/28austin.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse
-Clinton Sees an Opportunity for Iran to Return to Diplomacy
By MARK LANDLER
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that Iran had a "clear opportunity" to engage with the international community, amplifying the conciliatory tone struck a day earlier by President Obama toward Iran and the rest of the Muslim world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/washington/28diplo.html
-Iranian Leader Demands U.S. Apology
By NAZILA FATHI and ALAN COWELL
TEHRAN - A day after President Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Washington on Wednesday to apologize for its actions toward his country over the past 60 years and said it was unclear whether the new American administration was merely shifting tactics or wanted real change.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/world/middleeast/29iran.html?hp
-Aides Say Obama's Afghan Aims Elevate War
By HELENE COOPER and THOM SHANKER
President Obama intends to adopt a tougher line toward Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, as part of a new American approach to Afghanistan that will put more emphasis on waging war than on development, senior administration officials said Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/us/politics/28policy.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Elevating Science, Elevating Democracy
By DENNIS OVERBYE
All right, I was weeping too. To be honest, the restoration of science was the least of it, but when Barack Obama proclaimed during his Inaugural Address that he would "restore science to its rightful place," you could feel a dark cloud lifting like a sigh from the shoulders of the scientific community in this country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/science/27essa.html
-Agent of (Climate) Change
President Obama ends White House inaction -- but there's a better way to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703013.html
-Second Thoughts on Trade
By Harold Meyerson
A few months ago, Robert Cassidy found himself pondering whether trade actually benefited the American economy. "I couldn't prove it," he says. "Did it benefit U.S. multinational corporations? Yes. But I cannot prove that it benefits the economy."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702781.html
-Representation for D.C.
Steny Hoyer shows a welcome impatience in the House. ENOUGH. That, thankfully, was the powerful message from House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) at yesterday's hearing on D.C. voting rights. He is not only correct about the intolerable injustice of American citizens being denied representation in their government but also that the debate has gone on for far too long. So it is welcome to hear his resolve to bring a voting rights bill to a quick vote -- a move that one hopes will spur similar action by the Senate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702780.html
-Partnering With Pakistan
By Asif Ali Zardari
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan looks forward to a new beginning in its bilateral relationship with the United States. First, we congratulate Barack Obama and the country that had the character to elect him, and we welcome his decision to name a special envoy to Southwest Asia. Appointing the seasoned diplomat Richard Holbrooke says much about the president's worldview and his understanding of the complexities of peace and stability and the threats of extremism and terrorism. Simply put, we must move beyond rhetoric and tackle the hard problems.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702675.html
-Democrats Among Stimulus Skeptics
Some See Long-Term Goals Going Unmet
By Alec MacGillis
Republican criticism of the stimulus package that the House will vote on tonight has focused on its soaring price tag, but some Democrats on Capitol Hill and other administration supporters are voicing a separate critique: that the plan may fall short in its broader goal of transforming the American economy over the long term.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703655.html?hpid=topnews
-Backlash Against Bush Apparent in RNC
Many Members Seek New Chairman to Steer Party in a Different Direction
By Perry Bacon Jr.
As they begin meeting in Washington today, many members of the Republican National Committee are focusing their ire against what they considered George W. Bush's anti-conservative policies and trying to dump the man he tapped to run the GOP.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703127.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Bill Clinton Speech Fees Topped $4.7 Million in '08
By CAM SIMPSON and SUSAN SCHMIDT
Former President Bill Clinton earned more than $4.7 million last year in speaking fees from engagements in countries around the world, including Kuwait and China, according to a new disclosure report, creating potential conflicts for his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123311139510422915.html
-A 40-Year Wish List
You won't believe what's in that stimulus bill.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123310466514522309.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democrats Among Stimulus Skeptics
Some See Long-Term Goals Going Unmet
By Alec MacGillis
Republican criticism of the stimulus package that the House will vote on tonight has focused on its soaring price tag, but some Democrats on Capitol Hill and other administration supporters are voicing a separate critique: that the plan may fall short in its broader goal of transforming the American economy over the long term.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703655.html?hpid=topnews
-Obama vs. Limbaugh, audacity vs. ideology
Clarence Page
Now that he doesn't have George W. Bush to kick around anymore, President Barack Obama is taking on the talk-show hosts. That's Rush Limbaugh's impression, and he's sticking to it.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0128pagejan28,0,3693235.column
-House GOP member to Rush: Back off
By JONATHAN MARTIN
Rush Limbaugh may command a large following, but his caustic comments Monday about the GOP's congressional leadership have at least one Republican House member defending his colleagues and offering an unusually candid critique of the talk radio powerhouse and his fellow commentators.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18049.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:
-Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Aid to Education
By SAM DILLON
The economic stimulus plan that Congress has scheduled for a vote on Wednesday would shower the nation's school districts, child care centers and university campuses with $150 billion in new federal spending, a vast two-year investment that would more than double the Department of Education's current budget.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/education/28educ.html?hp
-Editorial: Caring for the Caregivers
With more jobs being lost all the time across the board - more than 71,000 layoffs in the United States were announced on Monday and Tuesday alone - there should be comfort in the fact that one sector, health care, continues to add jobs. In December, employers added 32,000 health-related positions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28wed1.html?ref=opinion
-Op-Ed Columnist: Wall Street's Socialist Jet-Setters
By MAUREEN DOWD
WASHINGTON: As President Obama spreads his New Testament balm over the capital, I'm longing for a bit of Old Testament wrath. Couldn't he throw down his BlackBerry tablet and smash it in anger over the feckless financiers, the gods of gold and their idols - in this case not a gilt calf but an $87,000 area rug, a cache of diamond Tiffany and Cartier watches and a French-made luxury corporate jet?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28dowd.html?ref=opinion
-Abdullah II: The 5-State Solution
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
In February 2002, I traveled to Saudi Arabia and interviewed the then crown prince, now king, Abdullah, at his Riyadh horse farm. I asked him why the next Arab summit wouldn't just propose to Israel full peace and normalization of relations, by all 22 Arab states, for full withdrawal from all occupied lands and creation of a Palestinian state. Abdullah said that I had read his mind ("Have you broken into my desk?" he asked me) and that he was about to propose just that, which he later did, giving birth to the "Abdullah peace plan."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28friedman.html?ref=opinion
-Editorial: Alberto Gonzales, the Sequel
Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should have considered himself a lucky man when he was allowed to resign in disgrace in August 2007 without being hauled into Congress on perjury or contempt charges.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/opinion/28wed2.html?ref=opinion
-Obama Talks to the Arabs
By Eric Etheridge
Barack Obama sat for his formal formal interview as president with Al Arabiya, an Arabic-language news channel based in Dubai (read The Times' report and see clips from the interview), and online the response has been swift. For some on the right, the only comment necessary was short and to the point: At the American Spectator, Quin Hillyer's brief post was titled "This . . . Blows . . . My . . . Mind." And at Atlas Shruggs, Pamela Geller's one-sentence post invoked the book of Matthew: "By his fruits we shall know him, and so we know the plant."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/obama-talks-to-the-arabs/?ref=opinion
-Texas Rebellion Gives a Centrist a Lift
By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
On first blush, it is easy to think the Democratic tide that swept President Obama into office barely touched Texas. After all, Republicans still run the state and hold all the top offices and, if Texas voters had had their way, John McCain would be in the Oval Office.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/us/28austin.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse
-Clinton Sees an Opportunity for Iran to Return to Diplomacy
By MARK LANDLER
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that Iran had a "clear opportunity" to engage with the international community, amplifying the conciliatory tone struck a day earlier by President Obama toward Iran and the rest of the Muslim world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/washington/28diplo.html
-Iranian Leader Demands U.S. Apology
By NAZILA FATHI and ALAN COWELL
TEHRAN - A day after President Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Washington on Wednesday to apologize for its actions toward his country over the past 60 years and said it was unclear whether the new American administration was merely shifting tactics or wanted real change.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/world/middleeast/29iran.html?hp
-Aides Say Obama's Afghan Aims Elevate War
By HELENE COOPER and THOM SHANKER
President Obama intends to adopt a tougher line toward Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, as part of a new American approach to Afghanistan that will put more emphasis on waging war than on development, senior administration officials said Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/us/politics/28policy.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Elevating Science, Elevating Democracy
By DENNIS OVERBYE
All right, I was weeping too. To be honest, the restoration of science was the least of it, but when Barack Obama proclaimed during his Inaugural Address that he would "restore science to its rightful place," you could feel a dark cloud lifting like a sigh from the shoulders of the scientific community in this country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/science/27essa.html
-Agent of (Climate) Change
President Obama ends White House inaction -- but there's a better way to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703013.html
-Second Thoughts on Trade
By Harold Meyerson
A few months ago, Robert Cassidy found himself pondering whether trade actually benefited the American economy. "I couldn't prove it," he says. "Did it benefit U.S. multinational corporations? Yes. But I cannot prove that it benefits the economy."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702781.html
-Representation for D.C.
Steny Hoyer shows a welcome impatience in the House. ENOUGH. That, thankfully, was the powerful message from House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) at yesterday's hearing on D.C. voting rights. He is not only correct about the intolerable injustice of American citizens being denied representation in their government but also that the debate has gone on for far too long. So it is welcome to hear his resolve to bring a voting rights bill to a quick vote -- a move that one hopes will spur similar action by the Senate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702780.html
-Partnering With Pakistan
By Asif Ali Zardari
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan looks forward to a new beginning in its bilateral relationship with the United States. First, we congratulate Barack Obama and the country that had the character to elect him, and we welcome his decision to name a special envoy to Southwest Asia. Appointing the seasoned diplomat Richard Holbrooke says much about the president's worldview and his understanding of the complexities of peace and stability and the threats of extremism and terrorism. Simply put, we must move beyond rhetoric and tackle the hard problems.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012702675.html
-Democrats Among Stimulus Skeptics
Some See Long-Term Goals Going Unmet
By Alec MacGillis
Republican criticism of the stimulus package that the House will vote on tonight has focused on its soaring price tag, but some Democrats on Capitol Hill and other administration supporters are voicing a separate critique: that the plan may fall short in its broader goal of transforming the American economy over the long term.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703655.html?hpid=topnews
-Backlash Against Bush Apparent in RNC
Many Members Seek New Chairman to Steer Party in a Different Direction
By Perry Bacon Jr.
As they begin meeting in Washington today, many members of the Republican National Committee are focusing their ire against what they considered George W. Bush's anti-conservative policies and trying to dump the man he tapped to run the GOP.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703127.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Bill Clinton Speech Fees Topped $4.7 Million in '08
By CAM SIMPSON and SUSAN SCHMIDT
Former President Bill Clinton earned more than $4.7 million last year in speaking fees from engagements in countries around the world, including Kuwait and China, according to a new disclosure report, creating potential conflicts for his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123311139510422915.html
-A 40-Year Wish List
You won't believe what's in that stimulus bill.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123310466514522309.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democrats Among Stimulus Skeptics
Some See Long-Term Goals Going Unmet
By Alec MacGillis
Republican criticism of the stimulus package that the House will vote on tonight has focused on its soaring price tag, but some Democrats on Capitol Hill and other administration supporters are voicing a separate critique: that the plan may fall short in its broader goal of transforming the American economy over the long term.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/27/AR2009012703655.html?hpid=topnews
-Obama vs. Limbaugh, audacity vs. ideology
Clarence Page
Now that he doesn't have George W. Bush to kick around anymore, President Barack Obama is taking on the talk-show hosts. That's Rush Limbaugh's impression, and he's sticking to it.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0128pagejan28,0,3693235.column
-House GOP member to Rush: Back off
By JONATHAN MARTIN
Rush Limbaugh may command a large following, but his caustic comments Monday about the GOP's congressional leadership have at least one Republican House member defending his colleagues and offering an unusually candid critique of the talk radio powerhouse and his fellow commentators.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18049.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST - January 28, 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:
-Space Coast gay business guild taking off
An alliance of gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses is gaining popularity in Brevard County. The Space Coast Business Guild formed 3½ years ago so that gay and gay-friendly business owners could could network and strengthen economic ties. About 40 businesses are involved in the guild, whose goal is to "promote the vitality and productivity of the gay and lesbian business and professional community in Brevard County," according to its Web site.
Scroll down to find this article:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-GLAAD awards won't be presented in South Florida this year
GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, won't be celebrating its annual media awards in Miami or Fort Lauderdale this year. "Because of the challenging fundraising environment, our board decided not to have the South Florida event this year," GLAAD spokesman Richard Ferraro said. "We're definitely dismayed by the news." Scroll down to find this article:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-'Say You Love Satan' coming Feb. 13 to Rising Action Theater
A play about the date from hell: what if your perfect new boyfriend turned out to be SATAN? Late one rainy night in Baltimore, Andrew meets a handsome stranger named Jack. The two immediately hit it off and start dating, despite the fact that Andrew already has a super-duper boyfriend and that Jack has the Mark of the Beast -- you know, 666 -- burned into his forehead. "Are you a satanist?" Andrew asks Jack. "No," he replies, sheepishly. "But my father. he's the Devil." Intrigued-slash-slightly apprehensive (and against the urgings of his best gal-pal Bernadette), Andrew does his best to make a go of it with Jack, until Andrew slowly begins to realize, with mounting dread and horror -- and, always, an undefeatable sense of humor -- that Jack isn't the Devil's son at all. On the contrary, he's something far, far worse. TRULY a boyfriend of the damned! Scroll down to find this article:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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-Lambda Legal in Fort Lauderdale
Lambda Legal in south Florida is very excited to announce that Mona Pittenger, a former National Board Member who recently purchased a residence in Fort Lauderdale, has generously offered a $25,000 matching gift towards any new or increased contributions to our March 29th annual benefit at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. If you have not yet made a donation or if you would like to make an additional donation, this is an opportunity to have your donation matched by Mona up to $25,000. To be listed in our formal invitation, be sure to make your sponsorship level contribution prior to February 6th, 2009.
Bonnet House Museum & Gardens - 900 North Birch Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL - March 29, 2009 - 5:00 - 7:30 pm
For sponsorship opportunities for Lambda Legal in Fort Lauderdale, please
visit our website or contact Rick Hill at 786-473-6126.
=
Palm Beach Human Rights Council
www.pbchrc.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Calling all women in the Palm Beaches... Let's have a BLAST!
BLAST (Bi, Lesbian and Straight Together) Women of the Palm Beaches is a social networking group for women, ladies, kings, lesbians, bisexual gals, girly-girls, butches, femmes, transwomen, lesbian-feminist womyn, questioning, and gay-friendly straight feminists.
www.meetup.com/BLASTwpb
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UGLY BETTY STAR TO PERFORM AT BROWARD CENTER FOR VALENTINES DAY
Alec Mapa AKA Ugly Betty's "Suzuki St. Pierre" and Desperate Housewives "Vern" in a stand up performance one night only for charity Superstar comedian Alec Mapa, one of the stars of Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, will bring his comedic one man stand up routine to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts for the first time in Fort Lauderdale and for one night only, on Friday, February 13th kicking off Valentines Day weekend. Alec will appear at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts Amaturo Theater on Friday, February 13th at 8:30 pm. This one night only performance is a benefit for Broward House one of Broward Counties leading charity organizations, helping over 5,000 Broward County residents. Tickets can be purchased using the Broward Center's online ticket system by going to Http://www.BrowardCenter.org/BrowardHousefundraiser.
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Florida GLBT Democrats
Winter Conference Details Announced
Details and registration for the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus Winter
Conference, to be held February 20-22 in Ft Myers is now available!
Conference information and registration can be found on the web site of our host chapter, Stonewall Democrats of SW Florida.
http://swflglbtdems.org/
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Sunshine Cathedral: Light University Presents
FREE Art Show: Visual Exegesis - Monday, February 2
Sunshine Cathedral in collaboration with the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland is pleased to present Visual Exegesis: Religious Images by African American Artists from the Jean and Robert E. Steele Art Collection. This small exhibition will be on display at the Sunshine Cathedral in the Dr. Robert Graham/Paul Fasana Chapel on Monday, February 2. The exhibition and reception will be from 5:00 - 7:00. The Steeles will make a presentation from 7:00 - 8:00 PM about Religion and Art, focusing on the art produced by African Americans. [...] Admission is FREE! If you plan to attend please send an email reply to me, Reverend Robert Griffin at Robert@sunshinecathedral.org to help us prepare for the reception. For more information you can also contact me at 954.462.2004 ext. 206.
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Dean Trantalis for Fort Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
Fundraiser for Dean in Poinsettia Heights - Wed. 1/28 @ 6pm
1782 NE 16th Street - Ft. Lauderdale
www.deanformayor.com
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward School Board mulls layoffs
State budget cuts could affect art and music classes
Kathy Bushouse
With a possible $140 million in state budget cuts looming, the Broward County School Board is weighing a number of options -- from eliminating jobs to shifting school schedules to reducing arts and music programs in schools.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sf-bn-0127schools,0,3216265.story
-State Farm says so long to Florida
State says it will fight to prevent the large insurer from dropping home policies Automobile, health and life insurance would not be affected
By Julie Patel
State Farm Florida said Tuesday it plans to leave the property insurance business in Florida, dumping more than a million policies over the next two years. Before the state's largest private homeowner insurer can drop 1.2 million policies covering homes, condominiums, apartments, boats and businesses, it needs approval from Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-fl1astatefarmheds012809sbjan28,0,5040675.story
-Republicans have new general counsel for Broward party
Steven Stoll is the new general counsel of the Broward Republican Party. He was picked by party Chairman Chip LaMarca after the previous general counsel, Levi Williams, decided not to return to his post. Stoll is the managing partner of Stoll & Orchard, a Fort Lauderdale law firm specializing in real estate, bankruptcy and civil litigation. Stoll has contributed money to Republican causes and, LaMarca said, has provided use of his office for party activities. His wife, Rebecca, was appointed to the North Broward Hospital District board by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/01/republicans_have_new_general_c_1.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-POLITICS: State Sen. Dan Gelber to run for U.S. Senate
State Sen. Dan Gelber launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate from his Miami Beach home.
By BETH REINHARD
The fledgling Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Florida could be mistaken for Barack Obama vs. Hillary Clinton, part deux.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/875450.html
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CongresswomanDebbie Wasserman Schultz
You are invited to join me at a Town Hall Meeting this Thursday evening in Miami Beach
This Thursday, at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach, I'll be hosting a Town Hall Meeting focusing on the economy, the new Obama Administration, Israel, and other issues of concern to you. You are welcome to join me and share your thoughts on these pressing matters facing our nation. I will also discuss the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act which we will vote on tomorrow. This legislation will create and save 3 to 4 million jobs, rebuild America, improve the economy in South Florida, make us more globally competitive and energy independent, and transform our economy for long-term growth. It will also give 95 percent of American workers an immediate tax cut and invest quickly in the economy. My Town Hall Meeting is this Thursday, January 29, 2009 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Nautilus Middle School, 4301 N. Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140.
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gov. Charlie Crist vetoes $365 million from state budget cuts
BY MARC CAPUTO
Gov. Charlie Crist restored about $365 million in budget cuts Tuesday, sparing a major environmental program, a teacher merit-pay plan and the state's tourism-marketing efforts.
http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/874733.html
-ECONOMY: South Florida Republicans resist Obama's stimulus plan
BY LESLEY CLARK
South Florida Republicans remain leery about President Obama's proposed economic stimulus, despite a personal plea from the new leader. While Gov. Charlie Crist and Florida's Republican-led Legislature see a massive economic recovery package as a way to rebuild the state's slumping economy, their peers on Capitol Hill are far more skeptical.
http://www.miamiherald.com/486/story/875449.html
-State and federal Republican legislators take opposite sides on stimulus
By Wes Allison and Adam C. Smith, Times Staff Writers
Many Florida Republicans in Congress are deriding the massive economic stimulus package coming before the House today as horribly bloated, woefully misdirected and unlikely to jump-start the economy.
http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/article971116.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:
-Space Coast gay business guild taking off
An alliance of gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses is gaining popularity in Brevard County. The Space Coast Business Guild formed 3½ years ago so that gay and gay-friendly business owners could could network and strengthen economic ties. About 40 businesses are involved in the guild, whose goal is to "promote the vitality and productivity of the gay and lesbian business and professional community in Brevard County," according to its Web site.
Scroll down to find this article:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-GLAAD awards won't be presented in South Florida this year
GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, won't be celebrating its annual media awards in Miami or Fort Lauderdale this year. "Because of the challenging fundraising environment, our board decided not to have the South Florida event this year," GLAAD spokesman Richard Ferraro said. "We're definitely dismayed by the news." Scroll down to find this article:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
-'Say You Love Satan' coming Feb. 13 to Rising Action Theater
A play about the date from hell: what if your perfect new boyfriend turned out to be SATAN? Late one rainy night in Baltimore, Andrew meets a handsome stranger named Jack. The two immediately hit it off and start dating, despite the fact that Andrew already has a super-duper boyfriend and that Jack has the Mark of the Beast -- you know, 666 -- burned into his forehead. "Are you a satanist?" Andrew asks Jack. "No," he replies, sheepishly. "But my father. he's the Devil." Intrigued-slash-slightly apprehensive (and against the urgings of his best gal-pal Bernadette), Andrew does his best to make a go of it with Jack, until Andrew slowly begins to realize, with mounting dread and horror -- and, always, an undefeatable sense of humor -- that Jack isn't the Devil's son at all. On the contrary, he's something far, far worse. TRULY a boyfriend of the damned! Scroll down to find this article:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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-Lambda Legal in Fort Lauderdale
Lambda Legal in south Florida is very excited to announce that Mona Pittenger, a former National Board Member who recently purchased a residence in Fort Lauderdale, has generously offered a $25,000 matching gift towards any new or increased contributions to our March 29th annual benefit at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. If you have not yet made a donation or if you would like to make an additional donation, this is an opportunity to have your donation matched by Mona up to $25,000. To be listed in our formal invitation, be sure to make your sponsorship level contribution prior to February 6th, 2009.
Bonnet House Museum & Gardens - 900 North Birch Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL - March 29, 2009 - 5:00 - 7:30 pm
For sponsorship opportunities for Lambda Legal in Fort Lauderdale, please
visit our website or contact Rick Hill at 786-473-6126.
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Palm Beach Human Rights Council
www.pbchrc.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Calling all women in the Palm Beaches... Let's have a BLAST!
BLAST (Bi, Lesbian and Straight Together) Women of the Palm Beaches is a social networking group for women, ladies, kings, lesbians, bisexual gals, girly-girls, butches, femmes, transwomen, lesbian-feminist womyn, questioning, and gay-friendly straight feminists.
www.meetup.com/BLASTwpb
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UGLY BETTY STAR TO PERFORM AT BROWARD CENTER FOR VALENTINES DAY
Alec Mapa AKA Ugly Betty's "Suzuki St. Pierre" and Desperate Housewives "Vern" in a stand up performance one night only for charity Superstar comedian Alec Mapa, one of the stars of Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, will bring his comedic one man stand up routine to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts for the first time in Fort Lauderdale and for one night only, on Friday, February 13th kicking off Valentines Day weekend. Alec will appear at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts Amaturo Theater on Friday, February 13th at 8:30 pm. This one night only performance is a benefit for Broward House one of Broward Counties leading charity organizations, helping over 5,000 Broward County residents. Tickets can be purchased using the Broward Center's online ticket system by going to Http://www.BrowardCenter.org/BrowardHousefundraiser.
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Florida GLBT Democrats
Winter Conference Details Announced
Details and registration for the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus Winter
Conference, to be held February 20-22 in Ft Myers is now available!
Conference information and registration can be found on the web site of our host chapter, Stonewall Democrats of SW Florida.
http://swflglbtdems.org/
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Sunshine Cathedral: Light University Presents
FREE Art Show: Visual Exegesis - Monday, February 2
Sunshine Cathedral in collaboration with the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland is pleased to present Visual Exegesis: Religious Images by African American Artists from the Jean and Robert E. Steele Art Collection. This small exhibition will be on display at the Sunshine Cathedral in the Dr. Robert Graham/Paul Fasana Chapel on Monday, February 2. The exhibition and reception will be from 5:00 - 7:00. The Steeles will make a presentation from 7:00 - 8:00 PM about Religion and Art, focusing on the art produced by African Americans. [...] Admission is FREE! If you plan to attend please send an email reply to me, Reverend Robert Griffin at Robert@sunshinecathedral.org to help us prepare for the reception. For more information you can also contact me at 954.462.2004 ext. 206.
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Dean Trantalis for Fort Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
Fundraiser for Dean in Poinsettia Heights - Wed. 1/28 @ 6pm
1782 NE 16th Street - Ft. Lauderdale
www.deanformayor.com
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Broward School Board mulls layoffs
State budget cuts could affect art and music classes
Kathy Bushouse
With a possible $140 million in state budget cuts looming, the Broward County School Board is weighing a number of options -- from eliminating jobs to shifting school schedules to reducing arts and music programs in schools.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sf-bn-0127schools,0,3216265.story
-State Farm says so long to Florida
State says it will fight to prevent the large insurer from dropping home policies Automobile, health and life insurance would not be affected
By Julie Patel
State Farm Florida said Tuesday it plans to leave the property insurance business in Florida, dumping more than a million policies over the next two years. Before the state's largest private homeowner insurer can drop 1.2 million policies covering homes, condominiums, apartments, boats and businesses, it needs approval from Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-fl1astatefarmheds012809sbjan28,0,5040675.story
-Republicans have new general counsel for Broward party
Steven Stoll is the new general counsel of the Broward Republican Party. He was picked by party Chairman Chip LaMarca after the previous general counsel, Levi Williams, decided not to return to his post. Stoll is the managing partner of Stoll & Orchard, a Fort Lauderdale law firm specializing in real estate, bankruptcy and civil litigation. Stoll has contributed money to Republican causes and, LaMarca said, has provided use of his office for party activities. His wife, Rebecca, was appointed to the North Broward Hospital District board by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/01/republicans_have_new_general_c_1.html
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-POLITICS: State Sen. Dan Gelber to run for U.S. Senate
State Sen. Dan Gelber launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate from his Miami Beach home.
By BETH REINHARD
The fledgling Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Florida could be mistaken for Barack Obama vs. Hillary Clinton, part deux.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/875450.html
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CongresswomanDebbie Wasserman Schultz
You are invited to join me at a Town Hall Meeting this Thursday evening in Miami Beach
This Thursday, at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach, I'll be hosting a Town Hall Meeting focusing on the economy, the new Obama Administration, Israel, and other issues of concern to you. You are welcome to join me and share your thoughts on these pressing matters facing our nation. I will also discuss the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act which we will vote on tomorrow. This legislation will create and save 3 to 4 million jobs, rebuild America, improve the economy in South Florida, make us more globally competitive and energy independent, and transform our economy for long-term growth. It will also give 95 percent of American workers an immediate tax cut and invest quickly in the economy. My Town Hall Meeting is this Thursday, January 29, 2009 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Nautilus Middle School, 4301 N. Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140.
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gov. Charlie Crist vetoes $365 million from state budget cuts
BY MARC CAPUTO
Gov. Charlie Crist restored about $365 million in budget cuts Tuesday, sparing a major environmental program, a teacher merit-pay plan and the state's tourism-marketing efforts.
http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/874733.html
-ECONOMY: South Florida Republicans resist Obama's stimulus plan
BY LESLEY CLARK
South Florida Republicans remain leery about President Obama's proposed economic stimulus, despite a personal plea from the new leader. While Gov. Charlie Crist and Florida's Republican-led Legislature see a massive economic recovery package as a way to rebuild the state's slumping economy, their peers on Capitol Hill are far more skeptical.
http://www.miamiherald.com/486/story/875449.html
-State and federal Republican legislators take opposite sides on stimulus
By Wes Allison and Adam C. Smith, Times Staff Writers
Many Florida Republicans in Congress are deriding the massive economic stimulus package coming before the House today as horribly bloated, woefully misdirected and unlikely to jump-start the economy.
http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/article971116.ece
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