Canadian Journal of Economics provides the first evidence on sexual orientation and economic outcomes in Canada. The study found that gay men have 12 percent lower personal incomes and lesbians have 15 percent higher personal incomes than heterosexual men and women. Christopher S. Carpenter of The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey which includes standard demographic questions as well as self-reports on sexual orientation. - e! Science NewsThis is not rocket science. Most of us would guess that gay men work largely in service and helping professions and lesbian women are more likely to work in non-traditional roles than straight women. Educational levels are also something that has been known observationally.
“Having Governor Schwarzenegger on board since the beginning made it easier to get other people,” Republicans Against 8 campaign director Scott Schmidt. “San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders, L.A. sheriff Lee Baca. ... Big government shouldn’t be telling people who they can marry.”This was designed to bring people back to church, to fill the pews, to fill the coffers. It worked with local and state governments passing regressive laws prohibiting recognition of same-sex couples, health benefits, adoption, housing and employment rights, and more.
"Prop 8 is an unfair and unnecessary measure that would eliminate equal protections for same-sex couples and write discrimination into the California state Constitution," siad co-organizer Dana Rudolph, founder of LGBT-parenting blog Mombian. "As marriage equality spreads throughout the country, people in all states have a vested interest in making sure this hard-won right is protected."
"In my lifetime, I've seen discrimination," said United States Senator Dianne Feinstein, "and I see it again in Proposition 8." Regardless of your position on marriage, she said, vote against the measure to vote against discrimination.The fight to stop gay marriage is solely a religious one, made to support the coffers of churches. These institutions need fear to keep people in the pews and the donations coming in to fight these fears. Ironically, the church needs gays to keep fighting in order to keep the fears going.
of Toronto's pride...
es making another sale.
While speaking into the camera, Howard has his beard shaved, dons a youthful red wig and puts on the kind of outfit he would have only worn as Opie Taylor in the '60s.
"I've never done this before and I hope never to do it again, but I guess you could say I'm feeling pretty desperate these days," explains Howard. "So as a demonstration of my sincerity, this is for you America."
Then, in black-and-white, Howard sits down in the woods to talk to "Pa": Andy Griffith. Griffith advises Howard-as-Opie that he'll be able to vote someday, so long as he eludes the butterfly ballot.
That's not the only old TV show revisited by Howard, who years ago traded child stardom for directing movies like "A Beautiful Mind" and this fall's "Frost/Nixon."
Another wardrobe change prepares him to step back into "Happy Days," the beloved show that ran from 1974-1984 in which Howard played Richie Cunningham.
Standing in front of a vintage car and clad in a leather jacket is Henry Winkler, once again with the unmistakable coif - and greaser demeanor - of the Fonz. Winkler, still having some trouble with his pronunciation, tells Howard this election is everyone's chance to right a wr-wr-wrong.
Stepping back out of character, Howard says he, Griffith and Winkler returned to their television roots to urge support for Obama and "really think through this important election."
have been a very calculated act. There is a website in Alaska, the state where Sarah Palin reigns supreme. The site is called Grizzly Bay and they don't like Sarah Palin or the republicans. Since the announcement that Palin was the VP running mate for the republicans, the people running Grizzly Bay website have had over 600,000 hits, most of them Sarah Palin supporters. These republicans have some very scary things to say..The similarity of tone and metaphor of the hate mails was uncanny. They were often infused with violent threats against bears and wildlife and often used the same violent metaphors. Threatening to “barbecue bears”, “eat bear steaks”, “shoot bears”, and “hang bears” up on their walls, Palin supporters were particularly virulent about describing the infliction of violence upon an animal that our website supports. It is not insignificant that the implication of these emails was that liberals and “demorats” should be barbecued right alongside the bears. As one Palin supporter wrote, “Too bad you dumb fucks can't be hunted from the air...now that would be sport”.
Since Palin has a pathological hatred of bears (and all wildlife), threatening to kill them became a common way for Palin supporters to express their support for her when writing to us – the authors of a website that comes up on the first page of a google search on “Sarah Palin”. We have gotten over 600,000 hits to our website in less than two months – which translates into lots of Palin supporters seeing the bear as a symbol of Palin opponents – or Obama supporters." - Grizzlybay.org
Too bad bears don't have the right to bare arms...
A bear cub was shot and dumped at the entrance to Western Carolina University. The cub appeared to have been shot in the head and had two Obama posters stapled together and pulled over its head.
“I don’t want to make it about politics,” he said this morning. “It is just a despicable act.”
Beachem is hoping the $500 reward will spur others to offer even more reward money that might lead to an arrest in the case.
It doesn't take much to figure out what the message is. Thankfully this is 2008 and not 1968.
er had this too say... 'They may not want to speculate on the perpetrator of this atrocious and bizarre act, but we will. Was it a Sarah Palin-lovin,’ moose-hunter out to make a statement? Was it a racist taking out his Obama rage on an innocent black bear?'
Brody: On Constitutional marriage amendment , are, are you for something like that?
Palin: I am, in my own, state, I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that that's where we would go because I don't support gay marriage. I'm not going to be out there judging individuals, sitting in a seat of judgment telling what they can and can't do, should and should not do, but I certainly can express my own opinion here and take actions that I believe would be best for traditional marriage and that's casting my votes and speaking up for traditional marriage that, that instrument that it's the foundation of our society is that strong family and that's based on that traditional definition of marriage, so I do support that.
"...I'm not going to be out there judging individuals, sitting in a seat of judgment telling what they can and can't do, should and should not do,..." When somebody is saying this you know they are judging. It a little like saying 'Obama's America is not our America'. The inference is clear.
On the good side of the issue ...I almost want to say thank god, but i will stick to thanks be to the universe for Biden's comments on proposition 8 in California. That effort to ban gay marriage in the State is funded by every holy roller and deep pocketed republican in the land. Its seen as a benchmark. If they can ban gay marriage in California, they can do it anywhere in America.
Biden said on The Ell
en DeGeneres Show...
“that if he lived in California he would vote against a ballot measure that seeks to ban gay marriage. DeGeneres, who is gay and newly wed to actress Portia de Rossi, has urged Californians to reject Proposition 8. “I think it’s regressive. I think it’s unfair, and so I vote ‘no.’”
Not often are you going have me say, check out Western Standard's Shot gun Blog
Today if you are interested in the gay marriage debate, all but dead in Canada but very much in play in the USA, listen in with a discussion with conservative Christian broadcaster, Frank Turek as he makes his case against gay marriage and host Terrence Watson defends it. They have phone lines opening just after 5pm. Its always good to know what the other side of the issue is saying.
From Western Standard...
Frank is coming on to talk about the issue of gay marriage. He's against it. I'm for it. As far as I know, out of the three hosts of Political Animals (the others being Jay and Ben, at this time) I'm the only one who unabashedly supports gay marriage.
Frank is supposed to be a nice guy, so I'm sure we'll have a civil discussion -- more than what you'd get from most other talk radio shows, that's for sure. At the same time, I expect we'll get to some fundamental issues: to what extent, if any, may a government "legislate morality"? What impact will the legal recognition of gay marriage have on society more generally?
The libertarian response to gay marriage tends to be something like "The state shouldn't be involved in marriage, anyway." I accept that response, but think there's still more to be said. We'll see what Frank thinks at 5!
The show starts at 4 pm EST. You can tune in to Political Animals via live Internet feed here (click "Launch Player"). Please call in with questions and comments at 1-888-7WBGUFM.
Frank Turek actually went looking for Noah's Ark, and appears on the following shows, The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity and Colmes, Faith under Fire, Politically Incorrect, The Bible Answerman, and Focus on the Family.
Okay, so now you know, he's not on our side, I wonder what he has to say tonight, my guess is he doesn't like Obama, daycare or baby kittens!
For more on Frank the Kitten eater go to biblioblography
This is a blog with much to say about Frankie.
The school system therefore strives to create and maintain conditions that foster success for all students and that promote fair and equitable treatment for all. These conditions include;Alas the BC government has not made the course mandatory as an offered elective. Each school district can choose to make it available or not. That's why this has hit the news. A BC couple, Murray and Peter Corren, have taken the School District in Abbotsford to the BC Human Rights tribunal for failing to offer the elective course even after 90 students have signed on to take it.
• equitable access to and equitable participation in quality education for all students
• school cultures that value and honour diversity and respond to the diverse social and cultural needs of the communities they serve
• school cultures that promote understanding of others and respect for all
• learning and working environments that are safe and welcoming, and free from discrimination, harassment and violence
• decision-making processes that give a voice to all members of the school community
• policies and practices that promote fair and equitable treatment for all.
(Diversity in BC Schools: A Framework, 2004, p.
Murray Corren said..."We have waited long enough for the Board to reconsider its decision,The National Post says... 'The Education Ministry, Social Justice 12 is not
and now we feel the students are entitled to the learning opportunities
afforded by Social Justice 12, as opposed to the replacement watered-down
course offered by the Board. In fact, the students and their parents were
fully aware of the content of Social Justice 12 and were looking
forward to what it had to offer."
a course on homosexuality, but one meant to "raise students' awareness of
social injustice, to enable them to analyze from a social justice perspective,
and to provide them with knowledge, skills and an ethical framework to
advocate for a socially just world."'
Class discussion varies from a range of topics affecting society's aggrieved, including homophobia, ageism, consumerism and even species-ism -- the mistreatment of animals.
The class is expected to discuss a wide range of issues. One of those that has the ire of the religious right, such as the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL), is about those people that have sex with the same sex. You know who they are, all those fags, gays, queers, lesbos, trannies.
Retired factory worker Calvin Thomas of Ripley...
"When I pushed Obama, it jumped to McCain. When I went down to governor's office and punched [Gov. Joe] Manchin, it went to the other dude. After I finished, my daughter voted. When she pushed Obama, it went to McCain. It happened to her the same way it happened to me."
"When I touched the screen for Barack Obama, the check mark moved from his box to the box indicating a vote for John McCain," said Matheney, who lives in Kenna. When she reported the problem, she said, the poll worker in charge "responded that everything was all right. It was just that the screen was sensitive and I was touching the screen too hard. She instructed me to use only my fingernail."
Even after she began using her fingernail, Matheney said, the problem persisted. When she tried to vote for candidates running for two open seats on the Supreme Court, the electronic machine canceled her second vote twice.
Toronto today, though became a Montreal fan growing up on the west coast. I asked my Mother in 1967 which team in the Stanley Cup finals was from Canada. She said Montreal. I have been a Montreal fan ever since. I have mixed loyalties today, the Vancouver Canucks as hard as I try, remain number two for me. Don't even ask where Toronto is on my list.
xcitement, I knew I had the best seat in the house. It was not bad, in the Canadiens end, at ice level in the corner. I know there are many better seats than that one, but on that night none were better.• recognize different ways of viewing life, relationships with others, and the place and role of human beings in the worldIt looks too me that it is a giant step forward in education. And because it is a giant step forward there are some getting exercised in a big way over it. This course is compulsory and children cannot be exempted. It replaces three options that had been available to Quebec students - a generic course in moral education or two other courses that were either Catholic or Protestant in nature.
• reflect on values (freedom, equity, equality, justice, respect, integrity, etc.) and social prescriptions (laws, rules, regulations, etc.)
• take a reflective position with respect to problem situations in which different values are at stake or choices have to be made
• make choices based on the common good, get involved and act toward others autonomously and responsibly
A Catholic private boys' school in Montreal, Loyola High School, made a request to be exempted from the compulsory course, on the grounds that the course conflicted with the school's Catholic character. The Ministère de l’É ducation, du Loisir et du Sport, Michelle Courchesne, rejected their request. The school is indicating that they may take it to Court.
hange in the House of Commons. The bills then would have to be passed by the Senate."I do not believe it is justified that the Senate would continue to [be] dominated by a party that did not win two consecutive elections."Harper has been elected twice, to what looks like very short terms. He was elected to minorities. This ought to imply that he does not have an over-whelming mandate.
andidates debate in the First Nations community of Curve Lake in the riding of Peterborough, Del Mastro running for re election stated he was concerned about First Nations treaty rights. In denouncing the Liberals doomed Green Shift Mastro according to the Peterborough Examiner, finding a reason First Nations members ought to vote for him,"...the Liberal's Green Shift carbon tax plan would violate their treaty right to not pay taxes to the federal Crown by putting a tax on everything."I haven't met a Conservative yet that wouldn't want to eliminate these treaty rights. It was a crass attempt to drive votes from possibly going to the Liberals to either the NDP or Green Party.
Wal-Mart begins our Daily Shame ...
Wal-Mart is closing a tire-and-lube garage in Gatineau where workers won a major victory last August when a Quebec arbitrator imposed a collective agreement on the company...
Wal-Mart is the biggest company in the world, according to the Fortune 500 rankings, and recorded nearly $13 billion US in profits in 2007 — yet its front-line employees make less than $20,000 US a year, on average.
"...He'd read about the group for teens in his school newspaper the previous spring. He'd torn out the phone number and carried it in his wallet for weeks. Every so often he would unfold it, stare at the numbers, then fold it up again -- until one evening, when his parents and sister were out and he was home alone, he uncreased the scrap of paper and dialed the number.
A man answered: "Rainbow Youth Hot Line." Jason slammed the receiver back into its cradle and jumped up. He couldn't believe he was actually going through with this.
After a while, his breathing slowed and he called again. This time he stayed on the phone. The voice on the other end of the line was friendly and warm, not at all what he expected.
"Are you gay?" Jason asked, just to be sure. The man laughed. "Of course."
Charlotte County schools in New Brunswick decided against having a gay writer speak to high school students after a protest from a few parents.
"An important, groundbreaking book, Rainbow Boys takes an honest lookat gay teen life today. The characters are enormously appealing and the situations as contemporary as the evening news. This is a book that could change thinking--and could very well change lives." - James Howe, author of The Watcher
Jay Remer, a spokesperson for one of the sponsoring groups, the Charlotte County Rainbow Support Group, told CBC, "Sanchez is a terrific public speaker whose message is about tolerance..." Remer added, "Sanchez’s mission is 'to help the gay youth in the community to feel less isolated and more part of the community as a whole.'"
The school district superintendent, Keith Pierce said he changed his mind about allowing the author to speak in area schools after meeting with school principals. "A few of them were getting pressure from a few parents, and they just weren’t comfortable going in that direction," Pierce told CBC.
Lifesite news reported that the principal of Fundy High School in St. George, Lynn Farmakoulas stated...
"We made a decision that we couldn't take any more time away from the learning of students. That was the reason we decided not the have the speaker in."
It seems to me that this is learning, its about making schools safe for all and its about understanding and tolerance. That is part of learning. This is an issue that schools in many parts of Canada fail. They fail all of their students, not just those that are queer or questioning their sexuality.
It is stories like this one that tell me 
we are a long way from acceptance and understanding what queer youth face in school. It's not good enough to say you support queer youth if they still don't feel safe or unable to be who they are without being subject to ridicule or abuse.
Sanchez's two New Brunswick appearances are listed below...
Mon Oct 20 - 7pm
Wesley United Church
77 William Street
St. Andrews, New Brunswick
Tues Oct 21 - 7 pm
Mary Oland Theatre
New Brunswick Museum
Saint John, New Brunswick
