United: We broke your guitar, buy a new one; But NOT on us. It was your fault we brooked it. You decided to fly UNITED

United Breaks Guitars Song 2: David Carroll's Second Ode To United Airlines (VIDEO)
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First Posted: 08-19-09 10:09 AM | Updated: 08-19-09 11:49 AM

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Consumerist points out that musician David Carroll's has released a sequel to his "United Breaks Guitars" video -- which just may be the single most famous act of customer frustration in YouTube history.

Carroll, of course, had his guitar smashed by United Airlines baggage handlers and the airline initially refused to reimburse him for the damage. He promised to record three songs railing against United's behavior.

After the song began racking up YouTube views -- it's been seen more than 5 million times by now - United caved and offered to pay up. Carroll declined and suggested that United give the money to charity.

Carroll's second song is a bit more tender that the original, and the production value has been ratcheted up a notch. He serenades the caustic United supervisor who denied his claim back in 2008. "Oh, Ms. Irlweg, we don't need to fight," he sings.

In fact, the entire song is structured as a love-gone-wrong ballad. How touching! Here's more:

"If you just come to your senses, and accept the consequences of you letting certain baggage handlers smash my property..."

Why Bill Clinton was shouted from one person in the audience

Transcript of the exchange with Clinton, via Pams' House Blend, which she got via Rex Wockner:

Lane Hudson (screaming from the audience): Mr. President, will you call for a repeal of DOMA and Don't Ask Don't Tell right now? Please.
Bill Clinton: ... You want to talk about Don't Ask Don't Tell, I'll tell you exactly what happened. You couldn't deliver me any support in the Congress and they voted by a veto-proof majority in both houses against my attempt to let gays serve in the military, and the media supported them. They raised all kinds of devilment. And all most of you did was to attack me instead of getting me some support in the Congress. Now that's the truth.

Secondly -- it's true! You know, you may have noticed that presidents aren't dictators. They voted -- they were about to vote for the old policy by margins exceeding 80 percent in the House and exceeding 70 percent in the Senate. The gave test votes out there to send me a message that they were going to reverse any attempt I made by executive order to force them to accept gays in the military. And let me remind you that the public opinion now is more strongly in our favor than it was 16 years ago, and I have continued supporting it. That John Shalikashvili, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under me, was against Don't Ask -- was against letting gays serve -- is now in favor of it. This is a different world. That's the point I'm trying to make.

Let me also say something that never got sufficient publicity at the time: When General Colin Powell came up with this Don't Ask Don't Tell, it was defined while he was chairman much differently than it was implemented. He said: 'If you will accept this, here's what we'll do. We will not pursue anyone. Any military members out of uniform will be free to march in gay rights parades, go to gay bars, go to political meetings. Whatever mailings they get, whatever they do in their private lives, none of this will be a basis for dismissal.' It all turned out to be a fraud because of the enormous reaction against it among the middle-level officers and down after it was promulgated and Colin was gone. So nobody regrets how this was implemented any more than I do. But the Congress also put that into law by a veto-proof majority, and many of your friends voted for that, believing the explanation about how it would be eliminated. So, I hated what happened. I regret it. But I didn't have, I didn't think at the time, any choice if I wanted any progress to be made at all. Look, I think it's ridiculous. Can you believe they spent -- whatever they spent -- $150,000 to get rid of a valued Arabic speaker recently?

And, you know, the thing that changed me forever on Don't Ask Don't Tell was when I learned that 130 gay service people were allowed to serve and risk their lives in the first Gulf War, and all their commanders knew they were gay; they let them go out there and risk their lives because they needed them, and then as soon as the first Gulf War was over, they kicked them out. That's all I needed to know, that's all anybody needs to know, to know that this policy should be changed.

Now, while we're at it, let me just say one thing about DOMA, since you -- the reason I signed DOMA was -- and I said when I signed it -- that I thought the question of whether gays should marry should be left up to states and to religious organizations, and if any church or other religious body wanted to recognize gay marriage, they ought to. We were attempting at the time, in a very reactionary Congress, to head off an attempt to send a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to the states. And if you look at the 11 referenda much later -- in 2004, in the election -- which the Republicans put on the ballot to try to get the base vote for President Bush up, I think it's obvious that something had to be done to try to keep the Republican Congress from presenting that. The President doesn't even get to veto that. The Congress can refer constitutional amendments to the states. I didn't like signing DOMA and I certainly didn't like the constraints that were put on benefits, and I've done everything I could -- and I am proud to say that the State Department was the first federal department to restore benefits to gay partners in the Obama administration, and I think we are going forward in the right direction now for federal employees. ...

But, actually, all these things illustrate the point I'm trying to make. America has rapidly moved to a different place on a lot of these issues, and so what we have to decide is what we are going to do about it. Right now, the Republicans are sitting around rooting for the president to fail, as nearly as I can see.

Tim Hortons, anti gay marriage

TIM HORTONS COFFEE/DOUGHNUT CHAIN OPPOSES MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Tim Hortons, the coffee and doughnut chain which is the largest food service operator in Canada (exceeding McDonald's) and has outlets in the northeast U.S., is under fire for its sponsorship of 'Rhode Island’s First Annual Celebrate Marriage & Family Day' being produced by the National Organization for Marriage.

NOM's site on the event reads: "The highlight of the Sunday afternoon event will be an opportunity for married couples to renew their vows together at a beautiful waterfront setting. This is a great opportunity to take a stand for marriage as it was created: between a man and a woman. Our goal is to esteem marriage to its proper place in society and make a statement that Rhode Islanders believe strongly in this cherished institution."

Providence Daily Dose is steaming: "What in the world are they doing sponsoring something like this? Their site says that they support 'local initiatives that make a difference' — such as little leagues, Halloween safety, and the like. And that they sponsor community initiatives with a focus on 'helping children and supporting fundraising events for non-profit organizations and registered charities.' But not 'those representing religious groups [or] political affiliates,' such as.. well, how would you characterize a group like NOM?"

PDD says Tim Horton's has 36 Rhode Island locations, and a customer service website.

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POSTED 8:42 AM EST BY ANDY TOWLE IN GAY MARRIAGE, NEWS, RHODE ISLAND | PERMALINK

Holy Crist! Senate Game in Florida?  | News | Advocate.com

Holy Crist! Senate Game in Florida?  | News | Advocate.com

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Israeli Prime Minister visits the youth center

Name: Adam
Date posted: 2009-08-06 12:37 PM
Hometown: Staten Island

Comment:
When these acts of violence occur to the LGTB community or any community for that matter; It is the government that should be held accountable together with the transgressor(s). Whether is in Israel or California USA, where the government allows hate groups, especially the religious hate mongers which proclaim that any particular group belongs to the devil and it warrants death....then death is what happens. It just happened here (USA) with the killing of an abortion Doctor. The so called pro-lifers were calling for his death..and that was the net result. These act of violence penetrate the society only when the society allows them to happen. Years after Matthew Sheppard was crucified to a fence, we still see the same acts happening around the world. United States should set an example and finally stop making people second and third class citizens because of Homophobia and hate.

American Psychological Association: Stop XGay Therapy

APA: Stop Ex-Gay Therapy
By Michelle Garcia

The country's leading authority on psychology is urging therapists not to tell clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or treatment.

Judith M. Glassgold, PsyD, chair of the American Psychological Association's task force on the matter, said there is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation.

"At most, certain studies suggested that some individuals learned how to ignore or not act on their homosexual attractions," Glassgold said in a statement on Wednesday. "Yet, these studies did not indicate for whom this was possible, how long it lasted, or its long-term mental health effects. Also, this result was much less likely to be true for people who started out only attracted to people of the same sex."

A task force on so-called reparative therapy was started in 2007, to update the APA's 1997 study on changing one's sexual orientation. The task force examined 83 peer-reviewed journal articles ranging from 1960 to 2007. However, it was found that many studies had serious flaws, and few could even be considered "methodically sound, and none systematically evaluated potential harms."

The APA suggested that since many undergo such therapy for religious reasons, some should consider switching churches, or celibacy.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, reacted with accolades to the news today.

"Homophobia, bias, and discrimination are what make it difficult for people to accept and be open about their sexual orientation," he said. "We have to change hearts and minds, not our sexual orientation, and we are hopeful that the position of the APA helps to heal those who have been hurt by rejection and betrayal, and to foster greater awareness, skills, and knowledge among mental health professionals."
'The Advocate'

Kids With Two Mommies, Two Daddies Fuel 'Gaybe' Boom - ABC News

Kids With Two Mommies, Two Daddies Fuel 'Gaybe' Boom - ABC News

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Where is Bryce? :: EDGE United States

Where is Bryce? :: EDGE United States

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The FOOD that fights FAT

The Food That Fights Fat
Fiber fills you up then slims you down. Here are 30 ways to make your diet more fiber-friendly

We all know our bodies need calcium for bones, vitamin C to fend off colds, and chocolate to save relationships. But when it comes to losing weight, the nutritional information is a little more confusing. The mighty trilogy of nutrients — protein, carbohydrates, and fat — garners most of the diet industry's attention, but it's becoming much more clear that fiber needs to be the fourth leg of the dietary table. Study after study shows that not only does fiber help lower your risk of cancer, heart attack, and high blood pressure, but it also keeps you full and helps you decrease the total amount of calories you consume every day. Trouble is, most of us think that getting the recommended 30 grams of fiber a day means eating cereal that tastes like the box it comes in. But that's not the case; you can sneak fiber into your diet anywhere. Use these 28 fiber-friendly tactics to eat more — and weigh less.
At Breakfast

Spice up your eggs. One-third of a cup of chopped onion and one clove of garlic will add 1 g of fiber to scrambled eggs. Or fold the eggs omelette-style over 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli for an additional 2 g.
Drop a whole orange into the blender to flavor your morning smoothie. One peeled orange has nearly 3 g more fiber than even the pulpiest orange juice.
Fill your juice glass with nectar instead of a watery juice from concentrate. Nectar is apricot, peach, pear, or papaya juice, mixed with fiber-rich pulp. It packs more than 1 g of fiber per 8-ounce glass.
Heat up a bowl of oat bran instead of oatmeal; it has nearly 2 g more fiber. Add even more flavor and fiber by stirring in 1/4 cup of raisins or chopped dates before nuking it.
Sprinkle ground flaxseed over your favorite cold cereal, or stir a few spoonfuls into a cup of yogurt. Two tablespoons equals close to an extra 2 g fiber.
Grab an Asian pear. Similar in taste to other pears, the red-colored Asian variety has an apple-like crispness and shape, and it delivers significantly more fiber — 4 g per pear.
Buy spreadable fiber, like almond butter, for your whole-wheat toast. Two tablespoons adds 2 g of fiber, along with a healthy dose of heart-protecting fats and vitamins like E.
Whip up a pack of hot-chocolate mix instead of that second cup of coffee. Most instant-cocoa mixes have as much as 3 g of fiber per cup.
At Lunch

Don't like whole wheat? Make your sandwiches with rye bread. One slice has almost 2 g fiber — twice the amount found in white bread.
Opt for burritos instead of tacos. Flour tortillas have more fiber than taco shells. Even better, make the burrito whole wheat for still more fiber per serving. Now, order that burrito with meat and beans instead of meat alone. Half a cup of beans adds 6 g of fiber to your meal.
Stow some microwavable soup in your desk for when you need to work through lunch. Lentil, chili with beans, ham and bean, and black bean each have between 6 and 10 g of fiber per cup.
Shower your pizza with oregano or basil. A teaspoon of either spice adds 1 g of fiber. Order it with mushrooms and you'll get 1 g more.
Build your burger with a sesame-seed bun instead of the plain variety. Sesame seeds add 1/2 g of fiber per burger.
Order your dog with sauerkraut. Every 1/4 cup you pile on adds close to 1 g of fiber to your frank.
In the Afternoon

Drink bottled chocolate milk, not white. The combination of the chocolate and the compounds needed to keep it suspended in the milk provides 1.5 g of fiber in every 8 ounces.
Pop a pack of light popcorn instead of popping open a bag of potato chips. There's 8 g of fiber in every bag of popcorn.
Have a low-sodium V8 and its 2 g of fiber. The V8 that comes spiked with salt has half that amount.
Graze on trail mix instead of a granola bar. Most granola bars have only 1 g of fiber, while trail mix with dried fruit has nearly 3 g.
At Dinner

Toss 1/2 cup of chickpeas into a pot of your favorite soup. They'll absorb the flavor of the soup and tack 6 g of fiber onto your bottom line.
Swap a sweet potato for your standard spud. Sweet potatoes have 2 g more fiber per tuber than the typical Idaho variety. Not a fan? At least eat the skin of the regular potato — it alone has 1 g of fiber.
Go wild when you make rice. Cup for cup, wild rice has three times the fiber of white.
Add some green to your red sauce. Doctor your favorite jarred pasta sauce with 1/2 cup of frozen chopped spinach. The spinach will take on the flavor of the sauce and pad your fiber count by more than 2 g.
Prepare whole-wheat or spinach pasta instead of the regular semolina kind. A cup of either has 5 g of fiber.
Cook broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, and you'll take in 3 to 5 g of fiber per serving, as much as twice what you'll get if you eat them raw. (Heat makes fiber more available.)
Use uncooked oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs in your next meat loaf. Add 3/4 cup of oats per pound of ground meat, and you'll boost the total fiber count to more than 8 g.
At Dessert

Say nuts to candy bars. Bars with almonds, like Almond Joy and Alpine white chocolate with almonds, have about 2 g of fiber — almost twice the fiber content of bars without.
Top a bowl of ice cream with sliced fresh berries in lieu of syrup. One-half cup of raspberries provides 4 g of fiber; strawberries and blueberries pack half that amount.
Introduce your pie hole to a slice of apple, cherry, or berry pie, and you'll add an extra 3 to 5 g of fiber.

NYC Exporting the Homeless

NYC Exporting the Homeless
By Scott Ross
NBCNewYork.com
updated 16 minutes ago
In an effort to keep his promise to address the homeless problem in New York City, the Mayor Bloomberg's administration has hit on a novel approach: shipping them out of town.

Since 2007, the city has picked up the tab on travel expenses for more than 550 families to go stay with relatives in other cities, which turns out to be a huge saving compared to the $36,000 it costs annually to house each family, reports The New York Times.

The program costs just $500,000 a year, employing Austin Travel for domestic trips and the Department of Homeless Services handling international travel.

Story continues below ↓
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Gotham's homeless have found family in such far-flung places as Paris, Johannesburg and San Juan who were willing to take them in. For one family, the "ticket" out of town was little more than $400 in gas cards to drive home to Michigan.

The stuff of dreams for millions, New York is, for some, a city of nightmares.

"I didn't expect the city to be the way it is," Hector Correa, who was shipped home to Puerto Rico on Tuesday, told the Times. "I was expecting something different, something better."

DROPS 'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL' AMENDMENT

ALCEE HASTINGS DROPS 'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL' AMENDMENT UNDER PRESSURE FROM WHITE HOUSE AND COLLEAGUES

Rep. Alcee Hastings withdrew a defense spending bill amendment that would have forbidden the use of funds to carry out gay military discharges under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (thus effectively halting them) "under pressure from the White House and colleagues," according to the Miami Herald.

Said Hastings: "Due to pressure from some of my congressional colleagues and from the White House, I have withdrawn my amendment. I would, however, like to note that it is most unfortunate that we are not addressing `don’t ask, don’t tell’ at this time. I realize that this issue is considered controversial, but it shouldn’t be. The vast majority of Americans not only support the inclusion of gay service members in the military, but also the repeal of `don’t ask, don’t tell.’’’

He added: "What is the holdup, then? Last month, 76 of my colleagues and I sent a letter to President Obama urging him to take leadership on this issue and to work together with Congress to repeal this law. More than a month later, I have yet to receive an official response."

Rachel Maddow wonders the same thing, AFTER THE JUMP...
This is from Towelroad

The Swiss reported this before but now it is reported on new models: Low viral load/undect.means it is very hard to transmit to sex partners.

Antiretrovirals Can Be Used To Prevent Spread Of HIV/AIDS, Model Shows

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Also Included In: Preventive Medicine
Article Date: 22 Jul 2009
In addition to acting as life-saving therapy to people living with HIV/AIDS, WHO researchers say antiretrovirals (ARVs) may also be able to prevent the spread of HIV, Health-e/allAfrica.com reports. Reuben Granich, of the WHO, used a model to estimate the use of ARVs for the prevention of HIV transmission, and presented his findings to delegates gathered at the 5th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention meeting in Cape Town, South Africa (Thom, 7/20).

"Granich argued that, because antiretrovirals can lower an HIV-positive person's viral load to undetectable levels, the drugs could be used to make HIV-positive people virtually non-infectious - which could slash HIV transmission rates to levels at which it could eventually be eliminated," the Times reports. "WHO researchers first raised the concept in a paper published in the journal Lancet medical journal late last year. The Cape Town gathering is the first big conference to debate it" (Keeton, 7/21).

The idea of using "treatment as prevention" has long been supported by Julio Montaner, president of the IAS, the Globe and Mail reports in a piece that examines how the Canadian scientist's "once-ridiculed idea" has come to win the support of international health experts (York, 7/21).

Health-e/allAfrica.com: "Granich said universal voluntary counseling and HIV testing coupled with immediate initiation on ARVs, combined with other prevention methods would see a 95 percent reduction in new HIV cases in 10 years, incidence would reduce from around 20,000 per million to around 1,000 per million people and the number of people living with HIV would become less than 1 percent by 2050" (7/20).

"Immediate treatment is a bold concept that deserves serious consideration," Tony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said of the new model, the Times reports. "We will be doing research to determine the feasibility of several assumptions underlying it" (7/21).

Study Shows Earlier Treatment For HIV-Positive Patients In South Africa Would Saves Lives, Be Cost-Effective

Also during the conference, researchers presented data that showed "[e]arlier treatment for HIV infection in South Africa could prevent nearly 76,000 deaths and avert 66,000 opportunistic infections over the next five years," Reuters reports. The findings, based on a mathematical model, revealed "starting treatment earlier would not only save lives but would be more cost-effective than delaying treatment, saving $1,200 for every year of life saved" (Steenhuysen, 7/20).

For people living with HIV in developing countries, "[t]he WHO recommends starting HIV treatment when a patient's CD4 cells - the infection-fighting cells the virus attacks - drop below 200 per cubic millimeter of blood, to delay the costs and side-effects associated with the drugs," Bloomberg writes. However, HIV-positive patients in developed countries begin HIV treatments when CD4 counts fall below 350 (Bennett, 7/20).

"While those standards accommodate the limited resources and short supply of medications in many settings, the greater prevalence of tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections in places like South Africa argue for earlier treatment initiation," study author Rochelle Walensky of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said in a written statement, according to Reuters. "Nearly 3 million people in the developing world now get HIV drugs -- about 70 percent of those who need them, according to the United Nations," Reuters reports (7/20).

Bloomberg writes, "Raising the threshold to 350 for patients in developing nations would be 'more appropriate and clinically sound,' said Julio Montaner… in a speech at the group's conference in Cape Town yesterday" (7/20).

Study Finds Blood Tests For Africans On ARVs Unnecessary

"Hundreds of thousands more Africans with HIV could be treated without extra spending if blood tests for monitoring side effects are abandoned, the biggest trial of HIV therapy in the continent has found," the Times reports. The findings, based on a six-year clinical trial involving over 3,300 participants, revealed that patients who received regular laboratory tests in addition to ARVs had similar survival rates to those who received ARVs without routine testing. The data were presented during the IAS Conference (Henderson, 7/21).

BBC writes: "British International Development Minister Mike Foster said that while [ARV] treatment saves lives, the cost of the accompanying laboratory tests 'significantly reduces the number of people that this treatment can reach.' 'Crucially, the money saved from paying for these tests could enable more people to safely receive treatment, including those who for whatever reason are unable to travel to the laboratories,'" he said (BBC, 7/21).

Reuters Examines How Global Economic Crisis Will Impact Global Fund

Reuters examines how the "global economic downturn and recession in the U.S. and other G8 countries, coupled with demand that has 'quadrupled'," will impact the goal of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria to receive $30 billion next year. "My concern is about our ability to scale up because the [AIDS] epidemic spreads faster than our ability to scale up with the funding," Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund said. "I have no signal that donors would take back or would not honour to what they have committed (to 2010). The fact is that the demand is much higher" - which he estimated would cause a funding gap of about $3 billion for programs in 2010 (7/20).

UNAIDS Head Talks To Health-e/allAfrica.com

Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, discussed the importance of universal access to ARVs with Health-e/allAfrica.com. Sidibe has been on a "fact finding trip to southern Africa" and believes "AIDS needs to removed from isolation and become an entry point to transforming society, attaining the Millennium Development Goals, uplifting health systems and ultimately making better health and development outcomes a reality," according to Health-e/allAfrica.com (Thom, 7/20).

The International AIDS Society is providing regular updates on the latest conference developments and resources along with featured guest posts on the IAS 2009 Live blog.

This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.



Original article posted on Medical News Today.
Articles not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
Medical News Today publishes the latest health news and health videos for consumers and health professionals. It has a searchable archive of over 100,000 health news articles.

Apple double standard for gays on iphone apps

Apple using double-standard for gay iPhone apps?


Apple is maintaining a double-standard when it comes to gay-themed iPhone apps, a developer claims. Attempting to draw publicity, Terry Ray claims that his iGaydar title was rejected from the App Store on the same day as Bruno -- an app based on the Sacha Baron Cohen movie -- was approved. iGaydar was rejected for "objectionable content," despite being considerably less graphic than the Bruno app, according to Ray.
iGaydar pretends to detect a person's sexuality, first displaying a random percentage and then announcing a tongue-in-cheek statement, such as "Honey, not even your priorities are straight." By contrast the Bruno app lets users undress Cohen's character, and touch various body parts which can elicit potentially offensive responses. Bruno is only on the App Store as a result of major studio backing and publicity, Ray charges.

Apple has rejected a number of apps with sex-related themes in the past, even when the titles did not show anything explicit. Naughty Loaded Dice was briefly blocked earlier in July, while an e-book reader, Eucalyptus, was temporarily blocked in May. Though only meant as general-purpose reading software, one of the books available for Eucalyptus is the Kama Sutra, a centuries-old Indian religious text that Apple deemed "inappropriate sexual content."

Scientologists threatening Travolta to expose him if he leaves

ARE SCIENTOLOGISTS THREATENING TO OUT JOHN TRAVOLTA IF HE LEAVES?

The Daily Mail reports that John Travolta has been in a state of crisis since the death of his son Jett:

Say neighbors: "We often see John driving himself around at night. It's sad to see. You rarely catch sight of him during the day. We used to see him driving around on a buggy with his son. Now it's just John by himself. He's always been a night owl, but now even more so."

According to the paper, Travolta's faith in Scientology has been broken by Jett's death and the religion's inability to help his son, but the cult is threatening to expose him if he tries to kiss it good-bye:

"But if rumours buzzing around Hollywood this week are to be believed, it's not just the death of his beloved son that has been torturing Travolta of late. His distress, say sources close to him, has been compounded by the first cracks in his 34-year relationship with the Church of Scientology, the cult-like religion of which Travolta is a prominent and generous benefactor. And there are dark mutterings that if he carries out private threats to leave, the organisation will go public with embarrassing details of his private life, including, it is claimed, allegations of past homosexual relationships.
(from Towleroad)

Marc seigal @ Walter cronkite

The Washington Post has published an interesting piece about activist Mark Segal and how his protest during a December 1973 broadcast of the CBS Evening News with the late Walter Cronkite changed both Cronkite's mind about reporting on gay rights and forever shifted network news approach to it.

Segal, who interrupted Cronkite's broadcast with a sign reading "Gays protest CBS prejudice" and was subsequently wrestled to the floor and taken away, later subpoenaed Cronkite to testify in the court case over his trespassing charges.

The WaPo notes:
When the trial began in April 1974, Cronkite took the stand, but CBS lawyers objected each time Segal's lawyer posed a question. During a recess, Segal felt a tap on his shoulder. "Why did you do that?" Cronkite asked about the incident in the studio.

"You're news censors," Segal responded. The anchorman was appalled. "If I can prove it," Segal then asked, "would you do something to change it?" He cited three examples, including a CBS report on the second rejection of a gay rights bill by the New York City Council. "Yes, I believe I wrote that story myself," Cronkite said.

"Well, why haven't you reported on the 23 other cities that have passed gay rights bills?" Segal asked. "Why do you cover 5,000 women walking down Fifth Avenue in New York City when they proclaim International Women's Year on the network news, and you do not cover 50,000 gays and lesbians walking down that same avenue proclaiming Gay Pride Day? That's censorship." Genuinely moved, Cronkite shook Segal's hand and thanked him.

Said Segal of Cronkite: "He was the kind of man who believed in human rights for everyone. I am amazed and humbled by his willingness to reach out to me. He was a bridge between the gay movement and major media. We remained friends, and it was a privilege knowing him."

I've posted 365gay's report on the broadcast moment, AFTER THE JUMP...

Is “Heteroflexible” the New Gay?

Is “Heteroflexible” the New Gay?
by Brent Hartinger
July 21, 2009
What does it mean that there are three new entertainment projects where straight men are sexually involved with other men?

The three projects: Torchwood, Humpday and the Adam/Rafe storyline on The Young and the Restless.

Torchwood's Jack (John Barrowman) and Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd)


Britain’s Torchwood first broke gay ground with its leading bisexual character (in a genre show, no less). Now with the show’s third season (a five-part miniseries) running on BBC America for five days starting last night, that leading character, Captain Jack Harkness, is still involved with his male co-worker Ianto.

But this time around, we learn that Ianto is not gay or bisexual; he’s actually straight, but just happens to respond emotionally and sexually to Jack. Confusing? It shouldn’t be. Such emotions and relationships have always been part of the human spectrum. It’s just that, until very recently, we haven’t had the words to describe them.

The situation is very different in the indie film Humpday that opened in limited release two weeks ago, about two very straight men who, to prove something to both their more adventurous friends and themselves, decide to make a gay adult film art project. It’s “beyond gay,” they say.

But things turn out more complicated than they expected – especially since both men naturally assume that they’re going to be the, uh, active partner.


And the storyline is more different still on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Last month, to distract Rafe, a gay man on the verge of discovering evidence of a crime, the long-running character of Adam had sex with him, despite being heterosexual.

Afterward, Adam quickly took a shower, and then went over to see his girlfriend to kiss her, as if to prove to himself that he’s still heterosexual. But it’s clear that he was able to perform sexually with Rafe and that his subterfuge was not discovered.

The Young and the Restless' Adam (Michael Muhney)
and Rafe (Yani Gellman)


They say you need three examples to make something a “trend,” and now we’ve got them. This idea of straight men fooling around with other men is officially a full-fledged media trend!

But it might also actually mean something – namely that America is finally growing up somewhat when it comes to the topic of guy-guy sexual behavior, and might even be taking a major step forward on the general understanding of the fluid nature of human sexuality.

This isn’t the first time popular entertainment has dealt with such sexuality: indie films like Chasing Amy (1997) and The Party Monster (1998) even took it on back in the 90s.

But those movies, and most of the others like them, dealt with fluid sexuality among women. This is key: very few entertainment projects have previously dealt with

A FAT Calorie Violator

New Fast-Food Calorie Violators:

Check out this CRAZY-HIGH-CALORIE new fast food we found. Hungry Girl WARNING: Avoid these fatty foes at all costs!

Burger King - Steakhouse Burger
950 calories, 59g fat, and 55g carbs!

More Smoking on LGTB

I wish it wasn't so...but I can understand why. The pressures on us placed by a society that can not understand a groom with groom...bride with bride.
Everything for us is a big deal. if we are dating and hug in public we are in the circus..never mind kissing. We do and we should; But look forward to the day in which it would be as natural as it is for heterosexuals.
On that year our smoking would be less than any other group, because we've made it and we have the instinct of putting the pass away and join the future.
Adam

Gays Disproportionately Light Up  | News | Advocate.com

Gays Disproportionately Light Up  | News | Advocate.com

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OBama Flops on gay rights

Obama flops on gay marriage
Written by Ben Fisher
Thursday, 23 July 2009

In an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow during the 2008 presidential campaign, President Barack Obama declared himself a “fierce advocate” for the rights of the lesbian, gay, and transgender community. But in light of recent events at the national level, the LGBT community would certainly disagree with this characterization.

The Obama administration again infuriated gay rights organizations on Thursday, June 11 when the Justice Department filed a court motion to uphold the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The legislation declares that same-sex marriages should not be recognized in states where gay marriage is prohibited and explicitly defines legal marriage as between “one man and one woman.”

The Obama administration has proven slow to keep the president’s campaign promise to reverse the United States Military’s much-maligned “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prohibits openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the armed forces. According to Huffington Post, the president began consulting members of the Department of Defense in March on how to lift the policy; yet, the administration has taken no further action since these sessions.

The president quickly tried to atone for his lack of support for gay marriage. On Wednesday, June 17, the president signed a memorandum that, according to CNN, will award “health care and other benefits” to the “same-sex partners of federal employees.” But an overview of his political career will reveal that President Obama flip-flopped in his support of marriage equality. In a 1996 article in Chicago’s Outlines (which merged with Windy City Times in 2000), Illinois state Senate candidate Obama stated that he favored “legalizing same-sex marriages” and declared that he would “fight efforts to prohibit same-sex marriages.” But 2008 presidential candidate Obama reversed his opinion on gay marriage – in a 2008 interview on Hardball with Chris Matthews, he opposed gay marriage but supported “strong civil unions” that would provide the “same legal rights” as legal marriage.

The ugly truth is that President Obama is not the only high-profile Democrat to revoke support for gay marriage. According to the Huffington Post, former presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John Edwards, and Christopher Dodd all rescinded their support of gay marriage during their respective bids for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination – Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel were the only candidates who supported its legalization.


But President Obama’s impassioned speech to the NAACP on Thursday, July 16 renewed hope that LGBT rights remain a priority for this administration. Obama highlighted the discrimination still felt by “our gay brothers and sisters” who are “still taunted, still attacked, still denied their rights.”

These setbacks at the federal level have added insult to injury among the LGBT community in South Carolina. Gay rights activists are still reeling from the passage of the 2009 Dating Violence Bill in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

The bill originated as a legitimate attempt to protect teenagers in the event of “physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse” from “his or her dating partner.”

The legislation never mentioned gays or lesbians until Republican Greg Delleney called for an amendment to the bill, saying that he did not want the “Department of Education or the school districts to teach children in grades six through 12 about [same-sex] relationships.”

Per Delleney’s suggestion, the May 2009 version of the bill explicitly defines “dating partner” as “a person involved in a heterosexual dating relationship with another” and systematically eliminates LGBT teenagers from protection from domestic violence. The South Carolina legislature officially banned gay marriage back in 2007.

The mayor, the rabbi and the lawmakers sellin g body parts!

NBC News and news services
updated 2 hours ago
NEWARK, N.J. - Three New Jersey mayors, two state lawmakers, a deputy mayor and five rabbis were among 44 people charged Thursday in a two-track corruption and international money-laundering probe, the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey announced.

The investigation began as a probe into a money-laundering ring that allegedly trafficked in goods as diverse as human organs and fake designer handbags. Based on information from a cooperating witness, the probe then widened to government corruption when the witness approached public officials about bribes, the attorney's office said in a statement.

FBI and IRS agents arrested most of the suspects Thursday morning in what is being described as one of the biggest investigations of its kind in New Jersey history.

BODY PARTS $$$$FOR SALE...just call?

Over 20 NJ high officials just got arrested this am for being connected to a ring of of body parts. The person in need of the part would make a contribution to a politician or Gov't official and BINGO: The body part would some how appear. It is not publicly known how this magic happen or where did the body part would come from.