The GOOD NEWS Thread

[Diva]

I'm watching Ellen right now....and she's interviewed Constance....the Mississippi lesbian who was told she could not go to her prom with her girlfriend and has received just SO much flack from her peers and others......

Well......what a fine young woman (with a 3.86 gpa, I might add)....accompanied by her supportive Dad!........was just given a $30,000 scholarship and summer internship with Tonic.com ......

GOOD NEWS!

[Leigh]

Leave it to Ellen to do something that fantastic ~ she rawks hardcore *just sayin*

My mouth is finally calming down, those antibiotics are working and the pain isnt as bad as it was even just the other day YAY

[Diva]

This is such a lovely story.....this 94~year~old woman's last wish......


She is precious!


http://news.yahoo.com/video/dallascb...waltz-19247565

[Leigh]

I went to an intake appointment with a doctor last week who runs a trans clinic at a community health center here in My hometown that caters to everyone in the community (including the GLBTQ community). We had our very first session where he asked Me basic questions about Myself like who I am, who I've come out to as being FTM, where I am in My transition etc. We had a good hour long talk, and he has already scheduled Me for a second appointment to get a better idea of My past medical history as well as I'm also getting blood work done so he can check My liver functions, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc. He already told Me that by what we've talked about so far he can already see that I'm good for the Gender Identity diagnosis and by My 4th or 5th visit ~ I will officially be on T injections

He also told Me that in the future he will help Me with all of the paperwork that helps to get My marker changed on My birth certificate, My named changed with Vital Statistics Canada, as well as get Me in touch with surgeons who can not only give Me the hysterectomy that I want but also My top surgery as well

Talk about good news huh?

[ruthie14]

I leave my old job on friday and start a new one on Monday... hopefully will be a good switch!!! lol

[Soft*Silver]

I am going to regret this later because I am NOT allowed these foods yet...but tonight I ate a smalll bag of combos ...and a small bag of almonds. OMG...they were so delicious! This was actually my dinner, not a snack. the combos had no nutritional value. But the almonds did.

[Soft*Silver]

uhmmm..I have no idea how this post got in this thread.I was posting in the snacks thread!

ok...good news? I signed up to be a mentor and advisor for our pride centers youth group tonight. Not one more child....

Originally Posted by softness

I am going to regret this later because I am NOT allowed these foods yet...but tonight I ate a smalll bag of combos ...and a small bag of almonds. OMG...they were so delicious! This was actually my dinner, not a snack. the combos had no nutritional value. But the almonds did.

[Cin]

Anonymous exposes pedophile ring - hacks Lolita City

http://www.examiner.com/anonymous-in...ks-lolita-city

[Cin]

Pizza now joins ketchup and relish as vegetables according to Congress.

How Pizza Became A Vegetable Through The Magic Of Influence-Peddling


On Tuesday, Congress decided that pizza is a vegetable. I have to imagine that this news instilled confusion in many Americans, as many Americans are (a) familiar with pizza, (b) familiar with vegetables and (c) sane.

But, to provide specifics that will in no way dispel your lingering thoughts that we are governed by morons but at least allow you some anthropological insight into how a group of morons who have been given permission to sit in a fancy room in Washington, D.C., and grunt at each other actually think, here is their thinking: Pizza is a vegetable for the purposes of determining what goes into public school lunches by virtue of the fact that pizza traditionally includes a schmear of tomato paste. (Botanically speaking, tomatoes are actually fruit, but we're going to have to just let that slide.)

At any rate, you may still be wondering how it came to pass that Congress arrived at the conclusion that pizza could count as a serving of vegetables. Wonder no more! Congress was guided along this path by lobbyists. And lobbyists can do all sorts of things, by magic! (Except provide nutritious lunches for children.)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1098029.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

Daniel Radcliffe set to portray gay poet Allen Ginsberg in new film

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/12/01...g-in-new-film/




Daniel Radcliffe has reportedly been cast to portray Allen Ginsberg in a new play about the poet’s life.

Kill Your Darlings will chart the gay poet’s relationships with Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac and Lucien Carr, who was imprisoned for two years for murdering his stalker.

Ginsberg, who died in 1997, was open about his sexuality in the 1940s, and listed his partner Peter Orlovsky as his spouse in a Who’s Who entry.

He has been praised for discussing homosexuality publicly, rather than through metaphor.

Earlier this year, Daniel Radcliffe received the Trevor Project’s ‘Hero’ award for raising awareness of the organisation’s work providing helplines for LGBT youth.

The 22-year-old has also filmed public service announcements for the Trevor Project and given the charity sizable donations.

Radcliffe played down rumours last year about his sexuality after it was suggested he had “a gay face”.

Radcliffe, who has said he is “fortunate” to be able to do something about homophobia, reportedly told French press that he was set to play a gay character on screen next year.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

. . . she looked in the rearview mirror and inspected her lips, to see if she had imagined the whole encounter. “And sure enough, her lipstick was on my lipstick,” she recalled. “I said, ‘Whoa.’ ”

Fairytale Wedding! I just love it when everyone lives happily ever after.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/fa....html?emc=eta1

[Cin]

The Good Food News of 2011

December 24 by Leland
in

Current News and Opinion

by Twilight Greenaway/Grist

1. Urban farming is flourishing.

While the renewed interest in growing food within city limits is nothing new, 2011 was the year urban farming went legit.

Despite several low points involving criminal charges for gardeners inMichigan and Tennessee (charges were dropped in both cases after word spread around the internet and people from across the country petitioned lawmakers), the year was full of highlights. In San Francisco, Oakland, Chicago, San Diego, andBaltimore, city officials changed local laws to make it easier to farm. Meanwhile, New Yorkers celebrated the first year of legal beekeeping. And creative, scrappy projects like the Boston Tree Party and Detroit's Growing Joy Community Garden flourished.

Meanwhile, corporate interests are also keying into the possibilities of urban agriculture. We heard from a vertical farming expert on the subject.

2. Young farmers make noise.

More and more young Americans are taking to the farm, a trend that's continued to grow this year. They're getting creative -- returning to using draft horses, for example. And they're getting political -- the National Young Farmers' Coalition has put together an agenda for the upcoming 2012 farm bill, pushing for easier to access land and loans. LGBT farmers (young and otherwise) are also changing the face of farming.

3. Local food isn't just delicious and eco-friendly.

2011 presented us with even more evidence that local food systems don't just taste good and feel good; they also build local economies. More farmers markets mean more jobs, overall.

4. Food Day makes a comeback.

Although the organizers called this year's national event the first annual Food Day, there had apparently been another attempt in the 1970s. Let's hope this versions sticks. Check out our slideshow.

5. We don't need industrial ag to feed the world.

Feeding the world doesn't have to depend on genetically modified rice like this.Photo: BASFYes, the world's population is growing rapidly (see Grist's series "What to expect when you're expanding"), and the question of how to feed all 7 billion of us is an important one. Far too often, however, "feeding the world" has become code for farming with as many chemicals and GMO seeds as possible.

This year brought mounting evidence to the contrary, including a study published in Nature and another published in Science that say otherwise. The results of a long-term study by the Rodale Institute also proved that organic farming is just as productive as conventional, and better at building soil (this is key, since "yield" is at the heart of the "feed the world" discussion).

6. Despite the influence of the ultra-consolidated meat industry, the "ag-gag" bills went nowhere.

Early on in 2011, lawmakers in Florida, New York, Iowa, and Minnesota tried to pass so-called "ag-gag" bills that would have made it illegal to produce -- and in Minnesota to possess -- undercover videos of livestock factory farms. The bills were part of a coordinated effort by Big Ag, but the sustainable food movement organized to defeat them, and, in a rare win, succeeded.

7. Eaters are (a little) more aware of the people behind their food.

The situation for workers in the food system isn't exactly good news, but I'm putting it in this category because 2011 saw a number of small but important strides.

Food service provider Bon Appétit Management Company took two big steps: First, it released the first comprehensive report on documented farmworker rights and abuses in years. Then it hosted TEDx Fruitvale: Harvesting Change, an event entirely dedicated to the plight of farmworkers and other food system workers.

Meanwhile, food worker advocates produced aguide to restaurants that treat their employees well. And the Department of Labor proposed new child labor rules for farms, expected to be officially enacted next year.

8. Food access got more attention.

Too many people around the U.S. still lack easy access to good, healthy food. Fortunately, activists and farmers made a lot of creative progress this year in helping to raise awareness and tackle the root problems.

A group of advocates from an Oakland-based organization called Live Realtook to the road for the Food and Freedom Rides.

Tiny groceries made out of shipping containers: one way to increase food access.Fifty young people began working in schools, gardens, and advocacy organizations as part of the first class of Food Corps participants. We spoke with three of them.

Subsidizing farmers markets was shown to be an effective strategy for getting more healthy food into food deserts. And farmers themselves looked for creative ways to address food access, such as this give-a-dozen-buy-a-dozen program modeled after Toms Shoes.

Slow Food USA sought to show that supporting local farmers doesn't require going broke with its $5 Challenge. And a group of grad students tried out a model for small, portable grocery stores built out of shipping containers -- a potential solution for under-resourced areas without traditional grocery stores.

9. More information helps eaters make better choices.

Although food safety continued to be a huge concern (see our "bad news" list in part 2) some food choices were made a little easier in 2011.

For example, organic chicken was proven to carry significantly lower salmonella risk, there's more evidence that organic milk is better for you,

As it turns out that most "use-by" dates are meaningless.

10. The Occupy movement adds fuel to the fire.

Advocates and farmers jointed the Zuccotti Park gathering this fall, and we heard from a variety of folks who were occupying various aspects of the food system -- like one farmer who occupied the pasture.

Just as important as any march or rally, however, the activism taking place over last few months has gotten more eaters to think critically about where their food dollars are going, and to consider investing in local and sustainable food enterprises rather than Wall Street.
Here's the article:http://www.freespeech.org/blog/good-food-news-2011

[Diva]

We're having a shorter year next year.......

[LeftWriteFemme]

Changing the Game for LGBT Students in School


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-...ref=gay-voices

[LeftWriteFemme]

Older Brother Stands Up To Father

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kriste...b_1190690.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

MTV's 'True Life' To Feature Gay Bears And 'Chubby Chasers'


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...ref=gay-voices

[LeftWriteFemme]

A Teen’s Brave Response to “I’m Christian, Unless You’re Gay”

There is a link to the original article, please read if you haven't already



http://www.danoah.com/2012/04/a-teen...youre-gay.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

Chaz is Coming via INTRAA!


https://sites.google.com/a/intraa.or...cacy-alliance/

[Lady_Di]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/op...R_AP_LO_MST_FB

damn the whole piece I just wrote about this just went poof. My fingers sometimes move a bit too fast for this ole keyboard.

[LeftWriteFemme]

Texas A&M Students Form Human Wall To Block Westboro Baptist Church Protestors From Soldier Roy Tisdale's Funeral


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...ide=more237102