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[*Anya*]

Originally Posted by SoNotHer

Right on. I carry a couple different canvas and mesh bags in the trunk of my car.

Great post. The city of Long Beach, of all places, banned the use of plastic bags!

No department store, grocery store, any store- gives them out anymore! I believe it started January 1, 2011.

We either remember to bring in our own canvas or recycled plastic bags, or pay 10 cents extra for any paper bag that they use for purchases.

If you don't want to pay extra for a bag and you forget your own, your cart on the way out of the store looks just like it did when you got to the register.

I must have 10 different bags in my trunk now. Sometimes I still forget to grab one on my way into a store and must pack all my purchases @ my car.

I am very happy the city did this even if inconvenient at times.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by *Anya*

Great post. The city of Long Beach, of all places, banned the use of plastic bags!

No department store, grocery store, any store- gives them out anymore! I believe it started January 1, 2011.

We either remember to bring in our own canvas or recycled plastic bags, or pay 10 cents extra for any paper bag that they use for purchases.

If you don't want to pay extra for a bag and you forget your own, your cart on the way out of the store looks just like it did when you got to the register.

I must have 10 different bags in my trunk now. Sometimes I still forget to grab one on my way into a store and must pack all my purchases @ my car.

I am very happy the city did this even if inconvenient at times.

LOL, finally, I remember to put a few in the dog mobile as well as the car trunk! SF is following in Long Beach's steps soon and all resturants here around me don't use any styrofoam any longer (thankfully!). Making sure to pout them back in vehicles after putting groceries away was my downfall. But, I have just made that part of the grocery buying experience.

Ugh... packaging in general in the US is so damn wasteful and "un-green," costing us in ways most people don't consider as personal. The cost (passed on to consumers) of landfill procurement, required environmental requirements to set them up and closure (which is monitored for years at high cost) is expensive and reflected in our waste pick-up costs.

But, our making changes individually adds up- we do make an impact by recycling and reducing consumption of things like plastic (or paper) bags. LOL, can you tell my family is in the waste and recycling industry?

[LeftWriteFemme]

Kalamazoo looks to push back against House Bill that would void anti-discrimination ordinance


http://www.wwmt.com/articles/void-13...kalamazoo.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

Lesbian couple sue Hawaii hotel for discrimination after they are 'barred from getting a room'

Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford claim the owner of the Aloha Bed & Breakfast in Honolulu said she cannot accommodate lesbians because of her religious beliefs

B&B 'violated' Hawaii's public accommodation law


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1hegTGUhf


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...imination.html

[Queerasfck]

Man accused of trying to kill wife over excessive Facebook use

[DapperButch]

Not "breaking news", but, since we have a lot of animal lovers here...what a sick creep. Click on the link for the Sacramento Bee for a more thorough story (be aware more thorough means more information on the specific abuse).

I am so glad the asshole got 10 years! If I can get the judge's contact information I am going to write him to thank him!

http://www.newser.com/story/136162/s...-10-years.html

(Newser) – A wheelchair-bound California parolee has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting an eight-month-old Chihuahua. He must also register as a sex offender in what could be the first such requirement in an animal abuse case. Robert Edward De Shields was renting space in a Sacramento house when the homeowners returned to find him with their Chihuahua, Shadow, "in pain and shock," reports the Los Angeles Times. A veterinarian examined the Chihuahua, and discovered the dog had suffered severe damage to its internal organs.

Shadow survived following surgery, according to the Sacramento Bee. The dog is currently being cared for in a foster home. "Shadow is a victim in every sense of the word," the new owner told the judge. The dog is extraordinarily fearful of men, "like many victims of sexual assault," she said, and may never fully recover from its physical wounds.

[LeftWriteFemme]

not breaking news either....



Ron Paul Refused To Use Gay Mans Bathroom


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...r=Gay%20Voices

[LeftWriteFemme]

Teacher preventing gender bullying


This article is about a teacher who came to the realization that she had to address gender stereotyping and bullying in her Grade 1 class.


http://togetherforjacksoncountykids....er-bullying-in

[*Anya*]

Nearly One in Five U.S. Women Raped in Lifetime
By David Beasley

ATLANTA (Reuters) Dec 15 - Nearly 20% of women in the United States have been raped at least once and one in four has been severely attacked by an intimate partner, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday.

Almost 80% of female victims were first raped before age 25 and more than half were raped by a current or former partner, according to the CDC's analysis of data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey of 18,049 men and women in the United States in 2010.

The survey, which the CDC said was the first of its kind, found that one in eight female rape victims said the perpetrator was a family member.

Alaska, Oregon, and Nevada had the highest percentage of women who had been raped, the study found.

One in seven men reported having experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner and one in 71 men said they had been raped at least once.

The report highlights numerous long-term health problems associated with sexual violence, including headaches, chronic pain, and difficulty sleeping.

"This landmark report paints a clear picture of the devastating impact these violent acts have on the lives of millions of Americans," U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

The CDC numbers show rape "is still a crime that impacts almost every family in America," said Scott Berkowitz, president of the nonprofit group Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

More victims need to report rape and more rapists need to go to prison, Berkowitz told Reuters.

"The more we can get off the street, the more crime we can prevent," he said.

The new report defines rape as "completed forced penetration, attempted penetration, and alcohol or drug-facilitated completed penetration."

SOURCE: http://1.usa.gov/t10uOI

CDC, 2011.

Reuters Health Information © 2011

==========================================

[Truly Scrumptious]

It feels really strange to say "thanks" for this . . . but thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Originally Posted by *Anya*

Nearly One in Five U.S. Women Raped in Lifetime
By David Beasley

ATLANTA (Reuters) Dec 15 - Nearly 20% of women in the United States have been raped at least once and one in four has been severely attacked by an intimate partner, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday.

Almost 80% of female victims were first raped before age 25 and more than half were raped by a current or former partner, according to the CDC's analysis of data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey of 18,049 men and women in the United States in 2010.

The survey, which the CDC said was the first of its kind, found that one in eight female rape victims said the perpetrator was a family member.

Alaska, Oregon, and Nevada had the highest percentage of women who had been raped, the study found.

One in seven men reported having experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner and one in 71 men said they had been raped at least once.

The report highlights numerous long-term health problems associated with sexual violence, including headaches, chronic pain, and difficulty sleeping.

"This landmark report paints a clear picture of the devastating impact these violent acts have on the lives of millions of Americans," U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

The CDC numbers show rape "is still a crime that impacts almost every family in America," said Scott Berkowitz, president of the nonprofit group Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

More victims need to report rape and more rapists need to go to prison, Berkowitz told Reuters.

"The more we can get off the street, the more crime we can prevent," he said.

The new report defines rape as "completed forced penetration, attempted penetration, and alcohol or drug-facilitated completed penetration."

SOURCE: http://1.usa.gov/t10uOI

CDC, 2011.

Reuters Health Information © 2011

==========================================

[*Anya*]

Study Endorses HPV Testing for All Women Over 30

LONDON (Reuters) Dec 15 - New DNA tests looking for the virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer make sense for all women aged 30 or over, since they can prevent more cases of cancer than Pap smears alone, Dutch researchers say.

Results of a five-year study involving 45,000 women provided the strongest evidence yet in favor of using human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, Dr. Chris Meijer and colleagues from the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam reported in The Lancet Oncology on December 15.

In recent years, tests for high-risk HPV strains have been developed by companies including Roche and Qiagen.

The new tests are known to work well in detecting HPV, but the Dutch study is the first to show they are better than Pap smears alone over two screening rounds set five years apart.

The researchers, who looked at women aged 29 to 56, said use of HPV tests led to earlier detection of pre-cancerous lesions, allowing for treatment that improved protection against cancer.

Dr. Hormuzd Katki and Dr. Nicolas Wentzensen from the U.S. National Cancer Institute said the results reinforced earlier findings, and provided "overwhelming evidence" of the benefits of including HPV testing in cervical screening programs.

The government-backed U.S. Preventive Services Task Force currently urges women who have been sexually active and have a cervix to get Pap smears at least every three years. However, the group recommends against routinely screening women over 65 if they had normal results on a recent Pap smear.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/sXFXKa

Lancet Oncol, 2011.

Reuters Health Information © 2011
==========================================

[AtLast]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/2...y-bluster.html

Iranian oil threat is mostly bluster, say observers

I sure hope it is bluster- I don't trust that the US could get into another military intervention in the region.

[Kobi]

This doesnt erase the concerns raised in the previous article regarding his defense team using GID as part of their strategy but it does explain the potential rationale behind using it.



NEW YORK (Reuters) - While it may appear that the government's document-leaking case against U.S. Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning is strong, the defense could have some surprising leverage with prosecutors and force plea negotiations.

Prosecutors may in particular find it difficult to prove the 24-year-old Manning intended to provide the information to enemies of the United States such as al Qaeda, and that the information was helpful to them, legal experts said.

Manning faces 22 charges of participating in the largest leak of classified government documents in history, including the accusation that he had unauthorized possession of information related to national defense and that he stole records belonging to the United States.

At a hearing that concluded last week, military prosecutors presented evidence that Manning downloaded thousands of classified or confidential files that later made their way to the WikiLeaks website. In his closing summation at the hearing, Captain Ashden Fein, the lead prosecutor, said Manning was a well-trained soldier who "used that training to defy our trust."

"He gave the enemies of the United States unfettered access to these documents," Fein said.

Manning's case is being reviewed by investigating officer Lieutenant Colonel Paul Almanza, who will make a recommendation by January 16 on whether or not the military should court-martial Manning.

A court-martial, which could be a few months away, is not much different from a civilian criminal trial. The charges against the accused in a court-martial must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, just like in civilian court.

The biggest difference is that jurors in a court-martial consist exclusively of members of the military. There were about

1,900 Army courts-martial in fiscal year 2010 and about 60 acquittals, according to U.S. military justice statistics.

If convicted of all counts, Manning would face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, reduction in rank to the lowest enlisted pay grade, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and a dishonorable discharge, the Army says. The charge of aiding the enemy is a capital offense, but the Army has indicated it will not seek the death penalty.

'SKY IS NOT FALLING'

Although legal observers agree the government's case is a good one, some speculate that prosecutors could have a tough time proving the most serious charge that Manning gave information to the enemy.

During the preliminary hearing, Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, sought to demonstrate that the audience for the leaked information was not foes of the United States, but the American people, and that the country was not put in any danger due to the leaks.

"The sky is not falling, the sky has not fallen and the sky will not fall," said Coombs.

Some military law experts also question whether the government will be able to prove that Manning intended the information to reach militant groups such as al Qaeda. Merely proving that he intended the information to be displayed on the WikiLeaks website may not be enough to convict him of that charge, said some experts.

It could also be difficult for the government to prove that the information was particularly valuable to al Qaeda, said Eugene Fidell, who teaches military law at Yale Law School.

"What is it that he has told al Qaeda indirectly that is of value to al Qaeda? Is everything that is hurtful to the United States in the eyes of the world of value to al Qaeda? I don't think so," Fidell said.

By underscoring those uncertainties, Coombs may have paved the way for a more favorable plea deal, said David Velloney, a military law expert who is a professor at the Regent University School of Law. In the best-case scenario for the defense, Almanza would recommend that Manning not face the charge at a court-martial of giving information to the enemy. Such a recommendation, made to a higher-ranking officer, is not binding. But it could convince the military prosecutors to drop the charge.

"If you can win one battle there and have the government say, 'Nah, that's not such a good idea we go forward on that charge,' then that's a windfall for the defense before the trial begins," Velloney said.

Coombs has signaled he also has some cards to play at any potential sentencing. At a court-martial, there are two stages -- one to determine culpability and the other to determine a sentence. During the sentencing stage, the defense can offer extenuating and mitigating circumstances that would justify a lighter sentence than sought by the government

Throughout the hearing to determine whether a court-martial is appropriate, Coombs attempted to portray Manning as emotionally unstable with gender-identity issues who should not have had access to sensitive government files.

Combs cited emails and memos showing that Manning's superiors were aware of his gender issues and his need for therapy. But no effective action was taken, Coombs argued. The same arguments about Manning's unit could be presented at any potential sentencing.

"They're going to air all the government's dirty laundry," said Velloney. "It potentially softens the government in any plea deal."

(Reporting by Andrew Longstreth; Editing by Peter Cooney)

http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-manni...002309634.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

Woman Killed In X-Mas Day Hit-And-Run Dreamt Of Building Housing For Gay Teens



http://www.queerty.com/woman-killed-...eens-20111228/

[LeftWriteFemme]

Archbishop of Chicago under fire for comparing Gay Pride parade to Ku Klux Klan




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...Klux-Klan.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

NC Baptist Leader Hopes That Marriage Will Be Kept Away from Gay 'Sinners' in a 'Civil' Manner


http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...-marriage.html

[Cin]

Why Are American Citizens Getting Locked Up and Even Deported By Immigration Authorities?

Over 4,000 citizens were detained or deported in 2010 alone.

...“Secure Communities” is the latest of these controversial programs, introduced and piloted by the Bush administration in 14 jurisdictions beginning in 2008. According to an October 2011 report by researchers at UC-Berkeley School of Law, “Secure communities by the numbers,” the program has "expanded dramatically" under President Obama and is currently "active in 1,595 jurisdictions in 44 states and territories, a 65% increase since the beginning of this year." Since the beginning of Obama's term, his administration has overseen the deportation of 1.1 million people, “the highest number in six decades" according to the New York Times. ICE is so pleased with Secure Communities, it plans to expand its reach to all US jurisdictions by 2013.

The program requires local jails to crosscheck fingerprints of jailed individuals with Homeland Security's immigration database. If a positive match is found, federal immigration officials can issue detainers that authorize local law enforcement to hold the suspect in custody for up to 48 hours.

However, the DHS database is riddled with flaws, as demonstrated by the growing number of US citizen being wrongfully tagged. The New York Times notes, “Unlike the federal criminal databases administered by the FBI, Homeland Security records include all immigration transactions, not just violations. An immigrant who has always maintained legal status, including those who naturalized to become American citizens, can still trigger a fingerprint match.”

Although it's difficult to obtain an exact number of Americans illegally detained by ICE, Jacqueline Stevens, a political science professor at Northwestern University estimates that over 4,000 US citizens were detained or deported in 2010 alone. According to a study published by Stevens last spring, this raises the total number of American citizens detained or deported since 2003 to well over 20,000.

The Times points out that “Any case where an American is held, even briefly, for immigration investigation is a potential wrongful arrest because immigration agents lack legal authority to detain citizens.” Stevens has even referred to the “potential wrongful arrest” of US citizens as “kidnapping” because “ICE has no jurisdiction over U.S. citizens.”

Furthermore, wrongful detention and deportation is not limited to US citizens with easily accessible state-issued identification in their wallets. As Joshua Holland notes, "permanent residents, students, tourists, and people seeking asylum from torture and persecution are also swept up in the maw of Homeland Security in not-insignificant numbers." If American citizens, like Montejano, who are guaranteed the right to due process, have trouble proving their citizenship to the authorities, it's likely even more difficult for legal residents as well as other vulnerable populations, such as the mentally disabled, who may lack a clear understanding of the circumstances.

Mark Lyttle, a North Carolina native with a mental disability, spent four months wandering around Central America after being deported in 2008 because he told jail officials that he was born in Mexico City, Mexico. According to the Associated Press, Lyttle was "coerced and manipulated" by immigration agents into signing false statements that allowed his deportation.

According to his lawyers, Lyttle, who spoke no Spanish, was flown to Texas and "forced to disembark and sent off on foot into Mexico, still wearing the prison-issued jumpsuit.” Over the next 115 days, Lyttle drifted around Central America with no identification or proof of citizenship, which got him arrested and jailed in Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua. Meanwhile, his family was frantically searching for him with no help from the authorities whatsoever. The ACLU has since filed a federal lawsuit on his behalf.

Sadly, this shameful episode isn’t the first of its kind. Lyttle’s abuse at the hands of immigration enforcement sounds eerily similar to the deportation of another mentally disabled American citizen, Pedro Guzman. Holland explains how the "mentally disabled U.S. citizen who was born and raised in Los Angeles, was deported to Mexico last year, sparking a frantic search by relatives until he was finally found, three months later, alone and desperately trying to get back to the United States."

More recently, an immigration detainer mistakenly snared Romy Campos, a 19-year-old American college student. Following a November 12 arrest for a minor misdemeanor, Campos was held in a California jail for four days and denied bail.

She was assigned a public defender in state court, but the attorney told her that nothing could be done to lift the federal detainer. Campos wasn't released until four days later when ACLU attorney Jennie Pasquarella provided ICE with Campos' Florida birth certificate. Campos is a dual citizen of the US and Spain and has both a US and Spanish passport, which she has used interchangeably. Because she once entered the US with her Spanish passport, she is recorded in the DHS database.

“I felt misused completely, I felt nonimportant, I just felt violated by my own country,” Campos told the Times. While her detention was inexcusable, Campos is one of the luckier ones who got out quickly. Others have been detained for weeks and even months before proving their citizenship...

The rest of the article is here: http://www.alternet.org/immigration/...s/?page=entire

[Cin]

40 Years of a Pointless, Tragic Drug War -- But As Feds Crack Down, Reformers Fight Back

Tension between popular will and the political establishment makes this a time of hope and frustration for the drug reform movement.




ARTICLE:http://www.alternet.org/drugs/153585...rs_fight_back/

[LeftWriteFemme]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
NY AP TOP NEWS
Advocates: More gay-friendly senior housing needed

Experts say many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors fear discrimination, disrespect or worse by health care workers and residents of elder housing facilities — ultimately leading many to go back into the closet after years of being open about their sexual orientation.


http://online.wsj.com/article/AP47f2...09bae4136.html

[*Anya*]

Originally Posted by LeftWriteFemme

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
NY AP TOP NEWS
Advocates: More gay-friendly senior housing needed

Experts say many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors fear discrimination, disrespect or worse by health care workers and residents of elder housing facilities — ultimately leading many to go back into the closet after years of being open about their sexual orientation.


http://online.wsj.com/article/AP47f2...09bae4136.html

Lord, maybe I better get on that waiting list of hundreds now for that gay housing facility
in LA...maybe they will have an opening by the time I retire. I figure I will be able to afford to retire by the time I am 70.

All of the other RN's and social workers that I work with joke (not-so-funny) that we will be pushing our walkers in here until they boot us out.