Breaking News Events

[femmeInterrupted]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...irl-alive.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...WatP_blog.html

[Smiling]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343902


I am by no means a physicist, but it had never occurred to me to think that the Universe wouldn't have an end (at least as it pertains to the way we know it now). However, I am absolutely riveted [and simultaneously a little unnerved] by the complexity and possibilities of this machine!

[Toughy]

In CA sexual orientation and sexual identity are included in the protected classes ....meaning you can't discriminate based on those things.......there is a long ass list for CA in addition to the Federal protected classes. Sexual orientation and sexual identity are not included in the federal classes.

Boy Scouts could lose tax break for gay ban
Wyatt Buchanan
Updated 11:21 pm, Tuesday, February 19, 2013

California would strip the tax-exempt status from youth organizations like the Boy Scouts if they have policies that bar gay people from participating, under a bill introduced at the Capitol Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/B...#ixzz2LTqt7SCU

[Smiling]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...nt-police-say/

I don't even know where to begin...
SMH.

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Huge-Smile

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...nt-police-say/

I don't even know where to begin...
SMH.

Um, why am I thinking there is a LOT more to this than meets the eye?

[Smiling]

I wish I could organize my thoughts regarding this story. I think I could write a book about all the issues touched on [possibly; because you are correct that we don't have the full story] in this article.

[SF_Boi]

I don't understand what the issue is? It takes a village to raise a 29 year old.

[Smiling]

Originally Posted by SF_Boi

I don't understand what the issue is? It takes a village to raise a 29 year old.

Hi SF_Boi,


The first issue is that this man felt empowered to (not use the court system), but to "discipline" his tenant who [allegedly] was afraid of ramifications. (Why does the landlord feel it is within his rights to do so?)

The second issue is that it (I am not saying you specifically, but comments I read in some of the papers that picked up the story) are making light of the story. (I confess, I laughed at first). I think this sort of thing makes victims reluctant to come forward.

The landlord was quoted (by the tenant; so allegedly) as saying "If you are going to act like a child, I am going to treat you like one" which implies that he feels it is acceptable to do that to a child.

Again, we don't have all the facts and maybe I am just reading too much into it, but I found this to be laden with problems.

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Huge-Smile

Hi SF_Boi,


The first issue is that this man felt empowered to (not use the court system), but to "discipline" his tenant who [allegedly] was afraid of ramifications. (Why does the landlord feel it is within his rights to do so?)

The second issue is that it (I am not saying you specifically, but comments I read in some of the papers that picked up the story) are making light of the story. (I confess, I laughed at first). I think this sort of thing makes victims reluctant to come forward.

The landlord was quoted (by the tenant; so allegedly) as saying "If you are going to act like a child, I am going to treat you like one" which implies that he feels it is acceptable to do that to a child.

Again, we don't have all the facts and maybe I am just reading too much into it, but I found this to be laden with problems.

I was a wee bit more stumped by this:

"An Ohio landlord is accused of whipping a tenant with a belt on his bare buttocks for falling behind on his rent."


And then I found this article:


Landlord Ron Kronenberger whipped one of his tenants after the man failed to pay his rent on time. The tenant submitted to the punishment as a way of compensating for the delay in payment. Kronenberger used a belt to do the deed.

The incident in question took place in Waynesville, Ohio, at Hometown Marketplace, a supermarket owned by Kronenberger

According to The Inquisitr, the 29-year-old tenant owed Kronenberger $2,800 in back rent. When the tenant stopped by the office at the supermarket, he took off his pants and let Kronenberger whip him four times on his naked backside.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/oddba...ver-late-rent#


*raises eyebrow and refrains from comment*

[Toughy]

'Gender And Sexual Diversities,' Or GSD, Should Replace 'LGBT,' Say London Therapists

Could "LGBT" one day become "GSD"? A London-based advocacy group certainly hopes so.

Pink Therapy director Dominic Davies and fellow therapist Pamela Gawler-Wright suggested GSD, or "Gender and Sexual Diversities," as a more inclusive community term in a new video posted on the group's Facebook page.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...?ir=Gay+Voices

[Nat]

I wouldn't mind moving from alphabet soup but I'm not keen calling myself a "diversity" nor do I prefer using terms that emphasize sex over other elements that make up orientation. We are already overly sexualized in the public sphere. I hate it when I hear people talk about "what people do in the privacy of their own bedroom" as though that's the sum total of what LGBQ folks are.

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Nat

I wouldn't mind moving from alphabet soup but I'm not keen calling myself a "diversity" nor do I prefer using terms that emphasize sex over other elements that make up orientation. We are already overly sexualized in the public sphere. I hate it when I hear people talk about "what people do in the privacy of their own bedroom" as though that's the sum total of what LGBQ folks are.

Was thinking something similar. Makes it sound like people are being grouped into 2 categories i.e. cis and hetero or some kind of diverse. Kind of like a "separate but equal" gender/sexual orientation thing - and we know how well that worked out in race relations.

I am not fond of grouping gender with sexual orientation. And something about gender/sexual diversities is a little to close to gender/sexual deviancy or dysphoria.

I dont know if continuing to see ourselves as "separate from" or "different from" is advantageous or empowering. Just seems to be another way of reinforcing the status quo.

[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by Huge-Smile

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343902


I am by no means a physicist, but it had never occurred to me to think that the Universe wouldn't have an end (at least as it pertains to the way we know it now). However, I am absolutely riveted [and simultaneously a little unnerved] by the complexity and possibilities of this machine!

I find this scenario for the end of the universe rather interesting. The two scenarios that I've been most familiar with--heat death and the Big Crunch have nothing on this. The first, heat death, is a consequence of the universe expanding. Since *most* of the universe is spreading out away from most of the rest of the universe (here I'm largely talking about galaxies) at some point these objects will get so far away from one another that they are no longer visible. The night sky on any given planet would be largely just darkness because there would be nothing else within a planet's 'light cone' (the distance where light can still be viewed from a distant source).

The Big Crunch (which I don't know if anyone even talks about it any longer) is just a reverse of the Big Bang. Since gravity is *always* attractive, eventually all the mass in the universe would pull on all the other mass in the universe eventually resulting in the universe collapsing in on itself. I believe that given the expansion of the universe that is very unlikely to happen.

This idea that a tear in space-time will destroy the universe is intriguing.

Cheers
Aj

[Kobi]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday passed and sent to President Barack Obama a far-reaching extension of the Violence Against Women Act. The vote came after House Republican leaders, cognizant of divisions in their own ranks and the need to improve their faltering image among women voters, accepted a bill that cleared the Senate two weeks ago on a strong bipartisan vote.

The bill renews a 1994 law that has set the standard for how to protect women, and some men, from domestic abuse and prosecute abusers. Thursday's 286-138 vote came after House lawmakers rejected a more limited approach offered by Republicans.

http://news.yahoo.com/congress-passe...170141520.html

[Jesse]

[AmazonWoman1]

8 Year old Indigenous girl burnt alive
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...irl-alive.html



They need to start some kind of prosecution for companies & their people that are looting the Amazon.These barbarians burnt a forest!!!!That ought to be dealt with extremely harshly.Not just for the murder but the loss of forest ,rare life both floral & fauna as well as just a way of life.That is intolerable to me.That ought to be a hate crime.They are trying to force the indigenous people out.

[Tommi]

APA Claims: "No Scientific Basis For Prohibiting Same-Sex
Marriage, Key Associations Argue"

Leading Mental Health Groups File Briefs in Supreme Court Cases Challenging Defense of Marriage Act, California's Proposition 8

WASHINGTON - There is no valid scientific basis for denying same-sex couples the right to legal marriage, or to deprive them of considerable benefits of the institution, according to legal briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court by the American Psychological Association and other leading mental health associations.

"Empirical research demonstrates that the psychological and social aspects of committed relationships between same-sex partners largely resemble those of heterosexual partnerships," the briefs state. "Like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples form deep emotional attachments and commitments. Heterosexual and same-sex couples alike face similar issues concerning intimacy, love, equity, loyalty and stability, and they go through similar processes to address those issues."

Denying recognition to legally married same-sex couples stigmatizes them, according to the "friend of the court" briefs filed in the cases of Hollingsworth v. Perry, which challenges California's Proposition 8, and U.S. v. Windsor, which challenges the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Perry is slated to be argued before the court on March 26; Windsor will be argued on March 27.

The briefs cite empirical scientific evidence that demonstrate that "homosexuality is a normal expression of human sexuality, is generally not chosen and is highly resistant to change."

Likewise, "there is no scientific basis for concluding that gay and lesbian parents are any less fit or capable than heterosexual parents, or that their children are any less psychologically healthy and well-adjusted," according to the briefs.

"In drawing conclusions, we rely on the best empirical research available, focusing on general patterns rather than any single study," the briefs state. All the studies cited in the brief were critically evaluated to assess their methodology, including the reliability and validity of the measures and tests employed, and the quality of data-collection procedures and statistical analyses.

APA President Donald N. Bersoff, PhD, JD, noted that the association has a long history of supporting equal access to legal marriage based on years of scientific research. "There is no scientific basis for denying marriage to same-sex couples particularly when research indicates that marriage provides many important benefits," Bersoff said. "The research shows that same-sex couples are similar to heterosexual couples in essential ways and that they are as likely as opposite-sex couples to raise mentally healthy, well-adjusted children."

Joining APA in filing the Windsor and Perry briefs were: the American Academy of Pediatrics; American Medical Association; California Medical Association; American Psychiatric Association; American Psychoanalytic Association; and National Association of Social Workers.

Also joining the Windsor brief were: the New York City and New York state chapters of the National Association of Social Workers and the New York State Psychological Association. Also joining the Perry brief were the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; the California Chapter of NASW and the California Psychological Association.

________________________________
The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 137,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.


________________________________

www.apa.org<http://www.apa.org/>

[Tommi]

GLMA Files Amicus Briefs in Marriage Equality Cases

On February 26, 2013, GLMA submitted friend-of-the-court briefs to the US Supreme Court, providing our expertise as health professionals to the Court and proudly joining a chorus of organizations and individuals in support of marriage equality.

GLMA’s amicus briefs in Hollingsworth v. Perry (challenge to California’s Proposition 8) and United States v. Windsor (challenge to federal DOMA, the so-called Defense of Marriage Act) highlight for the justices the scientific and clinical evidence that sexual orientation is an innate human characteristic.

The briefs cite decades of studies of sexual orientation establishing that genetic, hereditary, hormonal and biological influences are major factors in determining sexual orientation. The briefs also show how the evidence used by supporters of Proposition 8 and DOMA to show that sexual orientation is not innate is scientifically unreliable or wholly misconstrued.

Finally, the briefs explain how “sexual orientation is an innate human characteristic that deserves the full and equal protection of the law,” and ask the Supreme Court to uphold lower court rulings that Prop 8 and DOMA are unconstitutional.

GLMA recognizes Boston-based law firm, Sullivan and Worcester LLP, and partner Nick O’Donnell, for representing GLMA in these matters. GLMA also owes a debt of gratitude to past president Kate O’Hanlan for her significant contributions to the briefs.


Health and Marriage Equality
GLMA’s 2008 publication, Same-Sex Marriage and Health, documents the large body of scientific research indicating that the denial of marriage rights to gay men and lesbians can negatively impact their health and well-being and that of their children.

Hollingsworth v. Perry
After a narrow majority of California voters in 2008 passed Proposition 8, taking away the freedom to marry from California same-sex couples, the American Foundation for Equal Rights was formed to file a federal court challenge. In 2010, the US District Court of Northern California held a 13-day trial. On August 4, 2010, the District Court issued a sweeping and historic rulingthat Prop. 8 is unconstitutional. The decision was affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

United States v. Windsor
Edie Windsor – represented by the ACLU and NYCLU – was forced to pay more than $360,000 in federal estate taxes after her beloved spouse Thea Spyer died in 2009. Edie and Thea were together for more than 40 years; after a decades-long engagement, they were finally able to legally marry two years before Thea’s death. If Edie and Thea had been a married straight couple, Edie would not have owed any estate taxes after Thea’s death. Edie challenged Section 3 of DOMA, which defines marriage as between “a man and a woman” for federal laws and programs. A federal district court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals declared DOMA unconstitutional.

http://www.glma.org/

[Kobi]

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Lech Walesa, the democracy icon and Nobel peace prize winner, has sparked controversy and outrage in Poland by saying that in his view gays have no right to a prominent role in politics and that as a minority they need to ‘‘adjust to smaller things’’ in society.

Some commentators are now suggesting that Walesa, the leading figure in Poland’s successful democracy struggle against communism, has irreparably harmed his legacy.

Walesa said in a television interview on Friday that he believes gays have no right to sit on the front benches in parliament and, if there at all, should sit in the back, ‘‘or even behind a wall.’’

‘‘They have to know that they are a minority and adjust to smaller things, and not rise to the greatest heights,’’ he told the private broadcaster TVN during a discussion of gay rights. ‘‘A minority should not impose itself on the majority.’’

In some ways the uproar says as much about Poland today as it does about Walesa — or possibly more. Walesa, Poland’s first democratic-era president, is a deeply conservative Roman Catholic and a father of eight who has never advocated progressive social views.

The democracy he helped create in 1989 from the turmoil of strikes and other protests has, however, been undergoing a profound social transformation in recent years.

A key symbol of the change in this European Union member is a new willingness to tackle gay rights — long a taboo subject. In 2011, the first openly gay lawmaker and the first transsexual were elected to parliament in historic firsts for the country. The two have become a constant presence in the public eye since, while lawmakers have recently been debating a civil partnership law. Though lawmakers struck down three proposals for such a law recently, the discussions continue.

Some predicted the consequences for Walesa’s comments on gays could be serious.

A national committee devoted to fighting hate speech and other crimes filed a complaint with prosecutors on Sunday in Gdansk, Walesa’s home city, accusing him of promoting a ‘‘propaganda of hate against a sexual minority.’’

Others questioned whether he would continue to be considered a moral authority at all despite his past achievements.

Walesa is no longer active in Polish political life, though he is often interviewed and asked his opinion on current affairs, like on Friday, when he was asked about his views on civil partnerships and a new public gay rights campaign. Much of his time is spent giving lectures internationally on his role in fighting communism and on issues of peace and democracy.

Some Polish commentators questioned whether anyone would consult him as a moral authority now.

‘‘From a human point of view his language was appalling. It was the statement of a troglodyte,’’ said Jerzy Wenderlich, a deputy speaker of parliament with the Democratic Left Alliance.

Now nobody in their right mind will invite Lech Walesa as a moral authority, knowing what he said,’’ Wenderlich said.

Some, however, said they were not surprised by Walesa’s words.

‘‘I am surprised that only now we are noticing that Walesa is not in control of what he says and that he has views that are far from being politically correct,’’ said Adam Bielan, a conservative Polish member of the European Parliament.

- See more at: http://www.boston.com/news/world/eur....GR6P7ig2.dpuf

[femmeInterrupted]

Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins University today described the first documented case of a child being cured of HIV.
The landmark findings were announced at the 2013 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta, GA.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0303172640.htm