Image by bcymet via FlickrSometimes you just need a dose of Pink Floyd to start your day. "Comfortably Numb" is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands ever.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Retro Video: Pink Floyd, "Comfortably Numb"
Image by bcymet via FlickrSometimes you just need a dose of Pink Floyd to start your day. "Comfortably Numb" is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands ever.Quack of the Week (3-30-11): Libya
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| DUCK NOTE: AN OLIVE FOR PEACE!!! |
Posted with permission. Visit QuackCity.com for more Quack Toons, featuring Buckminster Duck.
The Hold is Over: No Green Cards For Married Gay Foreigners
Activists had said the agency would wait until pending DOMA court challenges had been ruled on before deciding on deportation in these cases. The Daily Beast called the action "a game changer" and "a lifeline" for binational married gay couples.
On Wednesday USCIS cut that lifeline when it announced that it would continue to enforce DOMA as outlined by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in last month's memo.
Metro Weekly reports:
The "hold" on same-sex married bi-national couples' green card applications -- celebrated by immigration and LGBT advocates -- is over, according to the spokesman for the agency that processes those requests. "The guidance we were awaiting ... was received last night, so the hold is over, so we're back to adjudicating cases as we always have," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services press secretary Christopher Bentley told Metro Weekly this morning.
The agency will continue to "enforce the law," he says, which means that the Defense of Marriage Act -- which prohibits the government from recognizing same-sex marriages -- prevents those green card applications from being approved.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Too Little, Too Late: Barney "Aunt Nancy" Frank Introduces Trans-inclusive ENDA
 Image by Getty Images via @daylife |
| Congressman Barney "Aunt Nancy" Frank |
Barney & Company reintroduced ENDA this morning knowing full well that it has a snowball's chance in Hell of passing in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives..
HRC Back Story has released a statement that says in part:
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives held a press conference today to announce they will be introducing an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would create federal protections against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill is a critical piece of an economic empowerment agenda for the LGBT community, as detailed in a recent memo by HRC.Naturally, HRC makes no mention of its own promises or the lack of action last year on ENDA. Instead they praise this colossal waste of time, energy and money. Playing the victim card once again, Gay Inc. and House Democrats are are calling on Republicans to follow through on their campaign promises last year, by focusing on job creation, not social issues.
As Americans struggle to recover from one of the worst economic recessions in our nation’s history, it’s important to remember that the risk of losing a job can be far greater for LGBT people. HRC has worked with members on both sides of the aisle to introduce The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Currently such protections exist in only 21 states and DC for sexual orientation and 12 states and DC for gender identity.
Politicians that ignore their campaign promises? I'm shocked. SHOCKED!
Actually, what I'm feeling is deja vu. Didn't we go through this in the last congressional session? We're grateful for DADT repeal and hate crimes legislation, but didn't Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, President Obama and HRC promise ENDA passage and DOMA repeal last year, when the Dems actually had the majority to get things done?
This is just another ploy to use the LGBT community ~ and the failure to get any pro-LGBT legislation passed ~ to make the Republicans look bad. This year, the Dems can blame their ineptitude on the Republitards instead of manning up and accepting responsibility for their own shortcomings.
News Flash: The Republicans don't need anybody's help to make them look bad! We know they don't like us. Despite whatever gains have been made, the GOP is still being run by old school bigots and Teabaggers who are all too happy to stick by their outdated, homophobic platform.
Don't fall for this PR stunt. Barney Frank is to the gay community what Uncle Tom is to African Americans. I guess that would make him an "Aunt Nancy". That's how I'll be referring to him from now on.
End of the World Scheduled for May 21. Mark Your Calendars. (video)
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| Doomsday predictor Harold "Chicken Little" Camping. |
The Independent reports:
The end of the world is nigh; 21 May, to be precise. That's the date when Harold Camping, a preacher from Oakland, California, is confidently predicting the Second Coming of the Lord. At about 6pm, he reckons 2 per cent of the world's population will be immediately "raptured" to Heaven; the rest of us will get sent straight to the Other Place.
If Mr Camping were speaking from any normal pulpit, it would be easy to dismiss him as just another religious eccentric wrongly calling the apocalypse. But thanks to this elderly man's ubiquity, on America's airwaves and billboards, his unlikely Doomsday message is almost impossible to ignore.
Every day Mr Camping, an 89-year-old former civil engineer, speaks to his followers via the Family Radio Network, a religious broadcasting organisation funded entirely by donations from listeners. Such is their generosity (assets total $120m) that his network now owns 66 stations in the US alone.
House Republicans Schedule Hearing to Slow DADT Repeal
Now that they have control of congress, House Republitards have scheduled a hearing to propose congressional oversight of DADT repeal. Despite that fact that both the House and Senate approved repeal, the wheels are in motion and over 70% of Americans support repeal, these douchbages are still trying to derail it. The Washington Blade reports:
The House Armed Services personnel subcommittee, which will hold the hearing, is chaired by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who’s renowned for shouting “You Lie!” to President Obama during the 2010 State of the Union address. Wilson was a vocal opponent of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal last year and cast a “no” against ending the military’s gay ban.
The House Armed Services Committee didn’t immediately respond to the Washington Blade’s request to provide details about the hearing or explain its purpose.
Eileen Lainez, a Pentagon spokesperson, said during the hearing Stanley will “provide an update on the progress of training efforts and policy revisions supporting ['Don't Ask, Don't Tell'] repeal implementation.”
The hearing apparently has the endorsement of U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). Asked via e-mail whether the speaker supports the hearing to oversee “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal implementation, Michael Steel, a Boehner spokesperson, replied, “That seems to be appropriate.”11:30 a.m.
Drew Hammill, a spokesperson for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), chided Republicans for scheduling this hearing after Congress completed action to repeal the anti-gay law last year. “This issue has been resolved in the Congress and in the minds of the American people,” Hammill said. “The American people want action on jobs not more ideologically driven social policy from right wing Republicans.”
UPDATE:
This just in from GetEqual:
.
CALL Email Fax then SHARE this.
YOUR INPUT IS VITAL
This Friday (April fool's day) Republican House is planning to hold a hearing on the implementation of Don't Ask Don't Tell.
The subcommittee holding the hearing is chaired by Representative Joe Wilson. You remember him...He yelled "YOU LIE" at the President during his State of the Union Address.
YOUR INPUT IS VITAL
This Friday (April fool's day) Republican House is planning to hold a hearing on the implementation of Don't Ask Don't Tell.
The subcommittee holding the hearing is chaired by Representative Joe Wilson. You remember him...He yelled "YOU LIE" at the President during his State of the Union Address.
TELL THEM NOT TO SLOW REPEAL
THERE ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED!!
Boehner's Washington, D.C. Office
(202) 225-6205
(202) 225-0704 fax
Boehner's Contact Email form
http://www.speaker.gov/Con
Wilson's Contact info (Subcommittee Chairperson)
The Washington Office
Phone: (202) 225-2452
Fax: (202) 225-2455
OR
Congressional Switchboard
(202)224-3121 Ask for your representative's office.
Remember that telephone calls are usually taken by a staff member, not the member of Congress.
Ask to speak with the aide who handles the issue about which you wish to comment.
Having a rough time getting started...
I go through bouts of insomnia from time to time and the Dr. has me on some new stuff to help me sleep. Nothing dangerous that will make me sleep-eat or sleep-drive, but it takes a while to wear off.
Apparently this stuff has some interesting, but useless, potential side effects. She warned me that it may cause a prolonged erection. The downside is that I'll be asleep during it. Thanks, Doc!
New Wave Wednesday: "Rapture" by Blondie (Music Video)
Was Gandhi a big old 'mo?
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| Gandhi (seated, left) and Kallenbach, (seated, right) |
The book makes a variety of "unfavorable" claims about Gandhi's character. Among some of the tamer allegations is that he may have been gay or bisexual and was passionately in love with his long-time friend and confidant, Hermann Kallenbach, a German architect and amateur body builder.
Gandhi is said to have repeatedly tested his spiritual resolve to resist the temptations of the flesh by sleeping with a group of young women without ever touching any of them. One book reviewer for The Wall Street Journal's India Real Time wrote:
“As Mr. Lelyveld makes abundantly clear, Gandhi’s organ probably only rarely became aroused with his naked young ladies, because the love of his life was a German-Jewish architect and bodybuilder, Hermann Kallenbach, for whom Gandhi left his wife in 1908,” wrote Andrew Roberts, in a review of the book that categorizes a long list of Gandhi’s failings, managing even to work in a mention of the fact that he (Gandhi, not Mr. Roberts, we hasten to add) once suffered from hemorrhoids.Gandhi's desendents are not happy with the way he's been depicted in the new book. India Real Time continues:
In India, meanwhile, Gandhi relatives and historians have said they are upset by the interpretation of Gandhi’s letters to Kallenbach, although it’s not clear whether they’re upset by the suggestion of homosexuality or by the suggestion that he was cheating on his loyal wife. There has been less reaction to quotes in the book in which Gandhi expresses racist attitudes to black South Africans.Related articles
The Mail Today quoted Tushar Gandhi, a great-grandson, as saying Western writers have a “morbid fascination” with Gandhi’s sexuality—although this is no doubt because of Gandhi’s own repressive attitude towards sex and his adoption of celibacy even though he was married.
“It also helps that no matter what you write about him, there are no repercussions. Let them write such things about a Muslim or a Dalit leader,” said Mr. Gandhi. “It is always open season with Gandhi.”
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Gingrich Aligns Himself with Hate Group: "I'd stop gay rights." (Video)
Image via WikipediaFormer House Speaker and darling of the teabaggers, Newt Gingrich, who hasn't held a public office since 1999, is considering a run for the White House on the Republican ticket. The uber-conservatard has been making the rounds on the talk radio circuit, including a stop this weekend at the AFRTalk show, hosted by Bryan Fischer, head of the antigay American Family Association. AFA was added to a list of hate groups this year by the Southern Poverty Law Center.Gingrich has been married three times after cheating on each of his previous wives and leaving them both while they were seriously ill, telling one of his wives as she lay in a hospital bed fighting cancer that he was leaving her for a younger woman. The guy is all heart.
Via about.com:
Newt, when asked how he could be unfaithful and give a speech on family values: "It doesn't matter what I do," he answered. "People need to hear what I have to say. There's no one else who can say what I can say. It doesn't matter what I live."
Source: John H. Richardson. "Newt Gingrich: The Indispensable Republican." Esquire.com. 8/10/2010.
AP: "In 1994, Gingrich responded to reports he'd had extramarital affairs while running a family-values campaign in 1978 by saying, "In the 1970s, things happened."The self righteous hypocrite said recently that he blames his inability to honor his marital vows on the stress of his career. This weekend the bloated has-been outlined his vision of America as a Christianist Theocracy that includes turning back the clock on gay rights.
Source: AP. "Wife's lawyer to question woman in Gingrich divorce case." Marysville Journal-Tribune. Marysville, Ohio. 8/13/1999. pg. 2.
The Advocate reports:
"I think my emphasis would be pro-classical Christianity," Gingrich said in a video interview with Bryan Fischer of the antigay American Family Association after addressing the Rediscover God in America conference, held over the weekend in Iowa. He cited the end of adoption services in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., by Catholic-based organizations because their policies limiting the rights of gay and lesbian adoptive parents violated laws put in place after the legalization of marriage equality in both areas.Listen to how these two distort the facts. The overwhelming majority of Americans supported DADT repeal and a majority now support marriage equality, which puts these two idiots well outside the mainstream. They continue to stick the the outdated republican mantra, "If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes accepted as truth."
Gingrich brought up President Barack Obama's decision to stop defending the section of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which prevents the federal government from recognizing foreign or state-sanctioned marriages and or other unions of same-sex couples.
"If there is a rule of law, it means that if the Congress passes a bill and the president signs it, the president has the obligation to support and sustain the laws of the United States," Gingrich added.
Maybe these two Bible thumpers need a refresher course. Exodus 20:16, The 9th Commandment: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
Viking Zombie Boyfriend, by Jeremy Rizza (3-29-11)
I’ve updated the “Characters” page, and the outdated character lineup header has been replaced by an image of a pre-zombie Rorik on his Viking ship!
Permanent link to this week’s strip is here.
Check out Viking Zombie Boyfriend on Facebook! It’s a great way to get site updates and background info on the week’s strips! And if you like the “3 Bears” image up top, you can get it on a t-shirt over at CafePress!
Posted with permission. Visit the VZB home page here.
Obama's DOMA Decision Helps Binational Married Gay Couples
One of the areas where DOMA has been felt the hardest has to do with binational gay and lesbian couples. Even though they may legally marry in five states and the District of Columbia, those marriages are not recognized as valid by the federal government due to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). A foreign born gay spouse cannot receive a green card the way a straight foreign born spouse in the same situation can. Consequently, they face deportation with no legal recourse.This injustice may be about to change in the wake of the Obama administration's announcement last month that it would no longer defend DOMA in court. Metro Weekly reports:
Following up on reports from this weekend, Metro Weekly just received confirmation from Christopher Bentley, the spokesman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, that cases of foreign partners who are married to a same-sex partner and would otherwise be eligible for a green card are on hold in light of questions about the continued validity of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Bentley writes, "USCIS has issued guidance to the field asking that related cases be held in abeyance while awaiting final guidance related to distinct legal issues."
He notes, however, "USCIS has not implemented any change in policy and intends to follow the President's directive to continue enforcing the law."
The legal distinction means that although DOMA is still being enforced, the USCIS is using its discretion to hold off on denying green card applications where applicable.
As Lavi Soloway, a leading attorney pressing these cases told Metro Weekly earlier, "The best thing for the Department of Justice to be doing now is to be holding off on decisions. We're arriving at a new day, and that means a lot of new opportunities."
Saying, "It's not exactly rocket science," Soloway noted when speaking about these issues previously that the administration "has twice dealt in a very special way with groups of individuals facing deportation."
He explained, "They put a moratorium on the widows of U.S. citizens in 2009, and, in 2010, the administration announced it would defer action on the deportation of individuals who are likely eligible under the DREAM Act. So, the administration has shown that it does use its executive branch muscle when it comes to discretion about who to deport."
Now, it appears, the USCIS has reached a similar decision about its response to the administration's Feb. 23 announcement that it no longer will defend Section 3 of DOMA in court. Were it not for Section 3 of DOMA, Soloway argues, a U.S. citizen who is half of a same-sex bi-national married couple would be able to sponsor his or her non-citizen spouse for the purpose of obtaining a green card.
Immigration Equality also has supported this argument, announcing in the week following the DOJ's Feb. 23 decision that it too was considering legal action regarding binational couples in the wake of the changed interpretation.
[UPDATE @ 4 PM: Soloway emails:
Confirmation that this policy is now in place nationally is cause for celebration. In many ways this is vindication of a two-decade long struggle by thousands of binational couples, advocates and attorneys. But the fight is not over yet. Many couples, after consulting with experienced immigration attorneys, may decide that this is the proper time to file a green card case. However, DOMA is still the final obstacle for attaining a green card; unless it is repealed or struck down, filing any case with immigration is not without risk.
Monday, March 28, 2011
MD House Passes Trans Protection Bill w/o Public Accomodations Clause
The Maryland House of Delegates voted 86-52 on Saturday to pass legislation that would ban discrimination against transgender Marylanders in the area of employment, housing and credit.
According to the report, opponents of the legislation actually made reference to 70's cross-dressing MASH character Max Klinger, played by the late Jamie Farr:The vote came after a 50-minute debate in which delegates supporting the Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act urged their colleagues to help end what they called an injustice against fellow citizens whom they said have been denied jobs and housing solely because of their gender identity.
“This is a huge demonstration in support of fairness today,” said Morgan Meneses-Sheets, executive director of Equality Maryland, the state LGBT group that led lobbying efforts to pass the bill.
“We still have work to do,” she said. “We’ve got to get it through the Senate. But we are overjoyed with the outcome today.”
Meneses-Sheets and other advocates for the bill said they were hopeful the measure would clear the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in the next week and receive a favorable vote in the full Senate.
During Saturday’s floor debate over the gender identity bill, opponents, including Del. Joseph Minnick (D-Baltimore County) and Del. Richard Impallaria (R-Baltimore and Harford Counties) raised concerns that the bill would enable men who “cross dress” as women to create disturbances in the workplace or threaten women in public or workplace bathrooms.Every Maryland voter should be appalled at Del. Minnick for equating trans people with sexual predators. Every Maryland voter shares the shame of having bigots representing them in the Maryland House.
“Every woman should be appalled by this legislation,” said Minnick, who told of once encountering a male-to-female transgender person in a public men’s bathroom at the state capital in the 1990s.
“That left a lasting impression on me,” he said. “The way that person was dressed [he] could have very easily gone into the lady’s room and used the lady’s facility. Now I don’t think that’s what you want with this kind of legislation.”
A few of the delegates opposing the bill pointed to the 1970s television program M.A.S.H., which included a character named Maxwell Klinger. They noted the Klinger character dressed in female clothes at a U.S. Army installation in Korea during the Korean War as a ploy to obtain a “Section 8” psychiatric discharge from the military.
Minnick said the gender identity bill could hurt businesses by allowing cross dressing “scammers” like the Klinger character to create problems at the workplace and file a lawsuit if the employer sought to fire the person.
Del. Kirill Reznick (D-Montgomery County), a supporter of the bill, said that while public bathrooms were not covered in the Gender Identity Non-Discrimination Act, transgender non-discrimination laws that do include public accommodations protections have not created problems — either related to bathrooms or at the workplace.Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, the author and lead sponsor of the bill, told Gay Agenda that the public accomodations provision was dropped in order to get the bill passed. “And I did so because the political reality is that I could not have gotten the bill out — look at the discussion today — if I had public accommodations in it,” she said. “But it gives you protections.”
“The reality is 12 states have passed broader protections that this bill,” he said. “A hundred and thirty-four jurisdictions — counties and cities across this country — have boarder protections than this bill. And we have not heard of one instance where businesses have had to build a third bathroom, where children or women have been attacked and these protections were used as a defense — not one case in 10 years,” he said.
Teen Lesbian Wins Denmark's X Factor (music video)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Uganda Drops "Kill the Gays" Bill
Information minister Masiko Kabakumba appeared Thursday on NTV to announce that the administration of President Yoweri Museveni had determined the Anti-Homosexuality Bill to be redundant because other laws already make being gay a crime in the country. The new proposal, which sparked international outcry when it was introduced in 2009, would magnify the penalties to include execution for “aggravated homosexuality,” such as having sex when HIV-positive.
Kabakumba said that another law, the Sexual Offenses Bill, would cover any outstanding concerns, but Bahati, the lawmaker with connections to antigay American evangelicals, insisted that a “specific and clear” law is still needed to fight the “promotion” of homosexuality. In addition, Warren Throckmorton reports that Bahati has been assured by legal and parliamentary affairs committee chair Stephen Tashobya that debate on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill will proceed.
Screen Legend Elizabeth Taylor Leaves Fortune to AIDS Charities
Image via WikipediaThe New York Post is reporting that the late Elizabeth Taylor has left the bulk of her estate, estimated to be worth as much as $1 billion, to two HIV/AIDS charities founded by the actress, amfAR and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.Her famous jewelry collection, valued at an eye-popping $150 million in 2002, is likely to be auctioned off with the bulk of the proceeds going to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and amfAR, the AIDS charity she helped found in 1985, according to WFLD/Fox TV Chicago.Taylor was buried at Forest Lawn Thursday in a private ceremony attended by close friends and family. She shares a mausoleum with her close friend Michael Jackson. According to the BBC, the ceremony started 15 minutes late, in accordance with her own wishes:
"From what I understand, she seems to have been very wise about her investments," said a financial planner who has worked with other Hollywood A-listers.
At the time of her 1994 divorce from her last husband, Larry Fortensky, Taylor's net worth was estimated at $608.4 million. That figure could now be well in excess of $1 billion.
During the 1990s, Taylor reportedly earned about $2 per second, or about $63 million per year.
Her famed perfume, White Diamonds, earned more than $70 million last year, according to reports.
Taylor's acting career was, of course, quite lucrative and even in her later years, she was paid top dollar for film work.
The violet-eyed siren, who in 1963 commanded a then-record $1 million payout for "Cleopatra," snared $2.5 million for a small part in her last movie, "The Flintstones," in 1994.
"Miss Taylor had left instructions that it was to begin at least 15 minutes later than publicly scheduled, with the announcement: 'She even wanted to be late for her own funeral'," said a statement from her publicist.There were no reports of protests by the Phelps klan, however, a public memorial will be held at a later date.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Oopsie! Sorry no updates today.
Just got back from a trip to the new place in NC. No internet set up there yet and couldn't find a wi fi hot spot between loading and unloading four pickups full of mulch for the yard. Will get back on track in the morning. Hope you all had a great Friday. Have a great weekend!
The Rev.
The Rev.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Court Won't Lift Stay in Marriages During Prop 8 Appeal
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday left in place a ban on gay marriage in California, denying requests to allow same-sex weddings during a lengthy appeals process.
A federal district court judge last year struck down the ban on the basis that it violated the U.S. constitution, but his decision is on hold pending the appeal.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is waiting for California's supreme court to issue guidance on whether a group supporting the ban had the right to make the appeal.
Westboro Baptist to Picket Funeral of Elizabeth Taylor
"No RIP Elizabeth Taylor who spent her life in adultery and enabling proud fags. They cuss her in hell today. #Westboro will picket funeral!"The Supreme Court recently ruled that the Phelps klan has the right to protest outside the funerals of military personnel killed in action, which has emboldened the family.
"Fred Phelps and his vitriolic anti-gay followers are simply trying to exploit their so-called 'faith' by spreading messages of hate at a time when Americans are grieving the loss of an extraordinary woman, actress and advocate," GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios tells E! News.
"Overwhelmingly, communities of faith are beginning to embrace lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender congregants and sending messages that promote equality for all. GLAAD is urging media to share Elizabeth Taylor's legacy with stories of hope and acceptance, and which highlight her life's work to create a world in which everyone is respected and valued for who they are."
Not to take this lying down, the LGBT community has already begun to take action. Counter protests are being organized via FaceBook. Click here to take part.
Quack of the Week (3-24-11)
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| Posted with permission, visit QuackCity.com for more Quack Toons and Buckminster Duck. |
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Viking Zombie Boyfriend, by Jeremy Rizza (3-23-11)
Jeremy writes: I like that Felix’s busy fucking schedule has now gotten so full that he has to employ a personal assistant (named Bethany!) just to manage it. That does seem to be a wise option for a priapic daddy bear with memory problems.
Next week, Dill finds out how Rex is dealing with a Paco-free lifestyle. (Hint: it’s not pretty.)
Check out Viking Zombie Boyfriend on Facebook! It’s a great way to get site updates and background info on the week’s strips! And if you like the “3 Bears” image [on the VZB site], you can get it on a t-shirt over at CafePress!
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Hollywood Legend, AIDS Activist Elizabeth Taylor Dies at 79
Image via WikipediaABC News has confirmed that two-time Oscar winning actress Elizabeth Taylor has died this morning at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles due to congestive heart failure. She was 79.In addition to her many professional accomplishments, Taylor was a staunch ally to the gay community and a leader in raising awareness and funds for HIV/AIDS research. She was one of the few in Hollywood to go to Rock Hudson and be with him when news broke of his battle with AIDS. She also helped actor Montgomery Clift come out, at least to himself.
Taylor was married eight times to seven men. She married actor Richard Burton twice. She was the Angelina Jolie of the 1950's when she broke up the marriage of singer Eddie Fisher and America's Sweetheart, Debbie Reynolds.
Via ABC News:
"She was surrounded by her children: Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton," Taylor's publicist, Sally Morrison, said in a statement.
"My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love," Michael Wilding said in a statement. "Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts."
In addition to her children, Taylor is survived by 10 grand children and four great grandchildren. Morrison said that a private family funeral will be held later this week. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that contributions be made to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and said that those wanting to send personal messages can log on to Taylor's official Facebook page.
Taylor, a two-time Academy Award-winning actress who in later life became notorious for her seven marriages and sometimes eccentric behavior, had reported health problems in recent years and appeared frail in public appearances. Six weeks ago, she was hospitalized with congestive heart failure. Though she had recently suffered a number of complications, her condition had stabilized and it was hoped that she would be able to return home.
New Wave Wednesday: "Need You Tonight", by INXS
Apple Dumps 'Gay Cure' iPhone App After 146,000 People Sign Petition Calling For Its Removal
BURLINGTON, Vt. - Truth Wins Out and Change.org praised Apple today after the company removed a virulently anti-gay iPhone app launched by Exodus International that promoted "curing" gay people. The move came after 146,000 people signed a Truth Wins Out petition on Change.org calling on Apple to remove the app from iTunes. "Apple made a wise and responsible decision to dump an offensive app that demonized gay and lesbian people," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "The real winners today are LGBT youth who are safer and less at risk for receiving Exodus' malice and misinformation."
"We're thrilled that Apple has removed this 'gay cure' app from the iTunes store after more than 146,000 people signed this petition," said Mike Jones, Editor at Change.org, the platform used by Truth Wins Out to launch the petition. "The message Apple is sending here is clear: there is no place for 'ex-gay therapy' on the Apple platform."
Exodus' app was not only offensive, but it relied on twisting legitimate research in its effort to dehumanize LGBT people. For example, Gary Remafedi, a researcher from the University of Minnesota, asked Apple earlier in the week to remove Exodus International's app from its online store because he claimed it grossly distorted his work.
Apple's move to drop the app brings it in line with every respected mental health organization in the nation. The American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and American Counseling Association have all rejected "ex-gay" therapy, saying that it can result in serious harm to the mental health of its victims.
"This is not a question of free speech, but of stopping a virulently anti-gay organization from peddling false speech at the expense of vulnerable LGBT youth," said John Becker, Truth Wins Out's Director of Communications and Development. "Exodus may pose as the victim, but they are a victimizer that has left a trail of shattered lives and broken families. We are grateful that Exodus has lost at least one platform with which to disperse its dangerous message."
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
"Everybody's Free", by Rosalla (music video)
I just felt like hearing this one today and thought I'd share its simple, uplifting message from Rosalla's 1992 hit.
Wonder Woman's New Look Revealed
The new look pays homage to the classic look and has kept certain elements like the bullet-deflecting wrist gauntlets and golden lasso. Other classic costume elements have been toned down. The eagle breast plate/bra and tiara have been minimized, the patriotic, star-spangled panties have been replaced with blue leggings and the boots are now blue instead of red. The whole ensemble appears to be made of latex, which could have Palicki sweating her wonder tits off during some of the more rigorous action scenes.
Lynda Carter, star of the 70's the New Adventures of Wonder Woman, loves the new look, telling the Hollywood Reporter, "What's not to like! Adrianne [Palicki] looks gorgeous and I'm really looking forward to seeing David E. Kelley's new series."
When it comes to super heroes, I'm usually a purist. If it ain't broke, don't break it. But I'm kinda digging the new look. I understand the need for an update and I think it works. I just hope the writing and acting are as exciting as the new wardrobe.
Honestly, I hated the updated Superman movie a couple of years ago, especially the darker costume, which wasn't enough to bring a darker tone to the story. As for the acting, Brandon Routh, although gorgeous, was just phoning it in. I really wanted to love it, but instead I found it boring. Instead of an edgier, updated hero, we were given the same old boring two dimensional "Truth, Justice and the American Way" cardboard cutout.
I really hope that Kelly has learned that today's audience expects more. We want our heroes to be flawed, imperfect and to have some emotional scars. I can't see how they can make that work with such an iconic character as Wonder Woman, but I'm willing to give it a try.
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