Top 10 Gay Stories of 2007

A lot of progress was made in 2007 in the United States – not through big gains, but through small important steps. Here's a quick look at the stories that topped 2007.

1. Presidential Candidates Take Gay Concerns Seriously Gays and lesbians became major players in the Democratic primary race in 2007, with all of the candidates racing to assure us that they would (mostly) support our battle for civil rights.

LOGO and HRC made history by hosting a presidential debate for the Democratic candidates in which Richardson flubbed a question about choice, Kucinich rhapsodized about love and Melissa Etheridge impressed all of us with her wise questions.

2. ENDA Who could have predicted that a gay bill that seemed likely to pass would tear our community apart? The Employment Non-Discrimination Act that was put before the House of Representatives in September (and which passed Congress 235-184) did not include transgender protections – a bill introduced in April but not yet voted on, does.

HRC entered into a tug of war with transgender and other gay and lesbian organizations, debating two important values: incrementalism ( i.e., winning in small steps) vs. full inclusion. It's still not clear which value has won – and it won't be for some time yet.

3. Gay Unions Move Forward Advances were made in gay marriage and unions on many fronts this year.

Washington state recognized domestic partnerships, Oregon and New Hampshire said they would recognize civil unions beginning in 2008 and New Jersey began to recognize civil unions (which caused a mess, when companies were unsure about whether they were obligated to treat civil unions as marriages.).

Iowa had gay marriage for one day thanks to a ruling that preventing them was unconstitutional. The resumption of gay marriage there waits on an appeal. New York agreed to recognize gay marriages performed legally in other jurisdictions, and a Vermont panel came close to wrapping up discussion on whether civil unions there be converted to marriage. And Massachusetts voted to keep marriage equality.

On the other hand, Calif. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a same-sex marriage bill and the Maryland Supreme Court upheld a gay marriage ban.

4. AIDS Numbers Were Overstated The United Nations announced that it had overstated the size of the AIDS epidemic – new infections have dropped every year since their peak in the late 1990s. So, instead of 39.5 million infected worldwide, we are left with – 33.2 million. Still seems like an awfully big number.

5. Public Opinion Turns For Us – Kind of A survey in June announced that for the first time, a majority of Americans believe that sexual orientation cannot be changed. Unfortunately, in a separate poll, a similar majority declared themselves to be against gay marriage.

Gay unions though? Americans are for them, by 56 percent.

This sort of thing could give a girl whiplash. They're for us! They're against us! They're for us!

6. The Matthew Shepard Act Rises – and then Tanks What looked hopeful turned into a crushing defeat, when Congress dropped the Matthew Shepard Act in December. The hate crimes bill passed the House in April, and the Senate in September, where it was attached to a defense bill. But it got tied up in the committee that harmonizes the House and Senate versions, and when it became clear that the defense bill wouldn't pass with the Shepard Act attached, Congress dropped it. The bill would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to a list of hate crimes.

7. Don't Ask, Don't Tell Moves Toward Retirement Despite Gen. Peter Pace's declaration that "gays are immoral," more and more military officers and legislative leaders in 2007 called for the end of the ban, including Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when the ban was enacted. In November, 28 other retired generals called for an end to the ban in a letter in the New York Times, saying, that gay servicemembers have served their country honorably. SLDN estimates that 65,000 gay men and lesbians now serve in the American armed forces and that there are more than one million gay veterans.

8. FDA Renews Gay Blood Ban The FDA announced that they would keep the ban forbidding any man who has ever had sex with a man from giving blood.

The American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks and America's Blood Centers all testified last year that the ban "is medically and scientifically unwarranted" and that "it does not appear rational to broadly differentiate sexual transmission via male-to-male sexual activity from that via heterosexual activity on scientific grounds." Yet the Bush Administration chose to keep it. Surprise, surprise.

9. Scandals and Controversies
The biggest gay scandal of 2007 was of course Larry Craig's unfortunately wide stance in an airport restroom. But that wasn't the only gay bathroom scandal among Republican leaders.

Rep. Bob Allen offered $20 to a cop for oral sex in the bathroom of a park and Louisiana state senate candidate Joey Difatta was caught in a sting in a mall restroom.Other scandals? GOP state chair Donald Fleischman was accused of seducing and fondling a teenage boy, Washington state Sen. Richard Curtis supposedly hired a rent boy and former head of the Young Republican National Federation Glenn Murphy was called out for allegedly forcing sex on another man.

This year had its share of gay-centered controversies, too. Let's not forget Ann Coulter calling John Edwards a "fag," Isaiah Washington using the "f" word to refer to fellow Grey's Anatomy actor T.R. Knight (who came out during the controversy) and basketball star Tim Hardaway saying that he "hates gay people." He has since apologized.

10. Kicking Down the Closet Door Happily, a number of gay folks came out this year, directly or indirectly, including T. R. Knight, David Hyde Pierce, Jodie Foster, Neil Patrick Harris and Lance Bass. Every time a celeb comes out, it makes every gay person's life easier.

In short, 2007 was a good year. Let's hope that 2008 has even more successes – and fewer scandals.

Christmas with Adrian in Florida

Adrian is now one year old. Time to celebrate Christmas. Ro's parents were visiting for a month.

GMCLA: HoLidAys Concert

The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles presents the Holidays LA concert at the Alex Theatre.



The music of the concert represents the diversity of Los Angeles and the chorus sings in six different languages throughout the concert.


The 'whores de flores' ballet. On point. Sean is the prince.

Yuki - with the chorus signing in Japanese.

Santa gets a make over.

The concert is over.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

WWF - No George Bush

peace in the world

“Since 1945 there have been only 26 days of peace in the world.”

Schwarzenegger: California will sue federal government

“It's another example of the administration's failure to treat global warming with the seriousness that it actually demands.”

California Gov. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, who plans to sue the federal government over its decision not to approve the state's strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to sue the federal government over its decision not to allow a California plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he announced Thursday.

Environmental Protection Agency chief Stephen Johnson announced the decision Wednesday, refusing the state's request for a waiver that would have allowed it to cut emissions faster than a new federal plan the president signed into law Wednesday. "It's another example of the administration's failure to treat global warming with the seriousness that it actually demands," the governor said at a news conference Thursday.

Bush on Thursday defended the decision of his EPA administrator. "Is it more effective to let each state make a decision as to how to proceed in curbing greenhouse gases? Or is it more effective to have a national strategy?" he said.

Citing the new energy law -- which sets a fuel economy standard for the whole country -- Bush said Johnson "made a decision based upon the fact that we passed a piece of legislation that enables us to have a national strategy." But Schwarzenegger said he would like to set a higher standard for California. "Anything less than aggressive action on the greatest environmental threat of all time is inexcusable," he said.

The new federal law will increase fuel efficiency standards by 40 percent by 2020, requiring automakers to bring their fleets to an average of 35 miles per gallon.

The California plan, however, would cut emissions by nearly 30 percent by 2016, raising fuel efficiency standards in the state to 43.7 miles per gallon for passenger cars and some SUVs and trucks, while larger vehicles would need to reach 26.9 mpg by that year. In all, 16 states had either adopted California's tough standards or announced plans to do so.

A top aide to Schwarzenegger said the governor has been frustrated with the White House over emissions standards, and was very exasperated after a February meeting with Johnson. EPA officials say they went the extra mile with Schwarzenegger, even taking the unusual step of holding a second hearing in California on emissions. They say they're sorry he's upset, but they believe a national standard on emissions is going to be more effective.

A White House official would only react to Schwarzenegger's frustration by saying the administration "looks forward to working with him on a variety of issues."

Nepal High Court Issues Landmark Gay Ruling

In a landmark verdict aimed at legitimizing homosexuality, Nepal's top court ruled Friday that the government must create new laws to protect gay rights and change current ones that might be tantamount to discrimination, an official said.

The Supreme Court issued the order in this conservative Himalayan kingdom after hearing a petition filed by four gay activist groups seeking greater rights for homosexuals, said court spokesman Til Prasad Shrestha. Shrestha indicated it is up to the government to determine how the ruling should be implemented. It was not immediately clear whether the ruling overturns current laws banning homosexuality or whether the government would be compelled to recognize same-sex marriages.

Sunil Pant of the Blue Diamond Society, the country's main gay rights group, said it was a bold decision by the highest court in Nepal, where homosexuals frequently face harassment, including by police. "It was an extremely positive decision and a pleasant surprise for us. It would set a precedent for other conservative countries like Nepal," Pant told The Associated Press.

WWF - global cooling

Wave Farming for Power is Going Commercial in California

California's Pacific Gas & Electric has signed an agreement with Finavera Renewables to supply 2 megawatts of electricity that will be generated by a “wave farm” set 2.5 miles off the coast near Humboldt County. This move is expected to offset 245 tons of carbon dioxide annually. At the heart of the project will be Finavera's AquaBuoy —a fairly simple set involving a floating buoy that generates electricity by bobbing up and down, forcing a piston to drive seawater into a pressurized chamber. The pressure then cranks a turbine.

A full-scale buoy is capable of generating enough electricity to power 80 homes. In PGEs setup, 8 buoys will be used in total. If the project succeeds, the wave farm will be expanded to 100 megawatts

[Portugal already has a huge wave farm and England is installing one.]

Rome rejects civil register under Vatican pressure

The city council in Rome has blocked plans for a domestic partners register for same-sex and heterosexual couples. The Vatican, which is an independent state within Italy as well as the seat of the Roman Catholic church, had vehemently opposed the measure.

Rightwing groups on the council rejected the modest proposal, whereby couples could have signed a register at the city clerk's office. They would then have been entitled to rights to visit their partner in hospital, family rates at city-run leisure centres and other benefits in the control of the council.

In December 2006 Padua city council outraged the Vatican by allowing gay and lesbian couples to register their family.

[Okay, okay… what would Jesus do? Maybe something more like Uruguay and Hungary!]


Uruguayan Pres. To Sign Gay Unions Bill

Uruguay President Tabare Vazquez said Wednesday that he will sign legislation making the country the first in Latin America to allow civil unions. The final version of the bill passed Congress on Tuesday. Initial drafts of the legislation passed the Senate earlier this year and the lower house last month. The law will allow same and opposite-sex couples to form civil unions. Couples must have been together for at least five years and sign a registry. They would then receive pension, inheritance and parenting rights.

Hungary Legalizes Civil Partnerships

Hungary's parliament voted 185–154 (with nine abstentions) Monday to pass a law allowing same-sex couples to register their civil partnerships. Registered couples will have access to the same rights as married straight couples with respect to inheritance, taxes, and other financial matters, Reuters reported. They will not, however, be allowed to adopt children. The law is slated to take effect in January 2009.

While none of the former communist states allow same-sex marriage, the Czech Republic and Slovenia allow same-sex partnerships to be registered.

Semen Enzyme Speeds HIV Transmission

An enzyme in human semen may be a catalyst to help HIV infect cells, German researchers announced Thursday.

The enzyme, prostatic acidic phosphatase, or PAP, is produced in the prostate and can form fibers that are able to capture particles of HIV, delivering it to other cells, Reuters reports. University Clinic of Ulm researchers were analyzing ingredients in semen that could block infection with HIV-1, the most common strain of the virus. Instead, they found the enzyme, which enhanced transmission as much as 50-fold in some experiments. They are now looking for compounds to block this process and slow transmission of the virus.

The fibers, amyloid fibrils, are formed from different proteins that are associated with other diseases like Alzheimer's and prion disease, according to the article. "Further studies on the role of amyloids in the transmission and pathogenesis of enveloped viruses are highly warranted," they wrote in the journal Cell.

‘Popcorn lung’ chemical gone from most recipes

The nation’s four biggest makers of microwave popcorn have removed a flavoring chemical that has been linked to a lung ailment in popcorn plant workers from nearly all their products. The companies say all their microwave popcorn recipes should be changed by January. But it might take several months for the reformulated popcorn to replace all the older varieties on store shelves.

In August, the Weaver Popcorn Company of Indianapolis announced it had removed the butter flavor diacetyl from all its microwave popcorn varieties. ConAgra Foods Inc., of Omaha, General Mills Inc., of Golden Valley, Minn., and the American Pop Corn Co., of Sioux City, Iowa, all promised in September to change their microwave popcorn recipes. Those three companies sell Orville Redenbacher, Act II, Pop Secret and Jolly Time microwave popcorn.

“We want to assure our consumers they can continue to enjoy their favorite popcorn with complete confidence,” said ConAgra’s Stan Jacot, who oversees popcorn marketing for the company.

The chemical diacetyl has been linked to cases of bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare life-threatening disease often called popcorn lung. Diacetyl occurs naturally in foods such as butter, cheese and fruits, and the FDA has approved its use as a flavor ingredient.

[Sean and I were talking about this last night... when he was sniffing the popcorn bag. He didn't believe me. Then, today, there is an article on MSNBC about it.]

Singing in the Holiday Spirit

Annual Christmas show by the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles draws hundreds of music lovers to the Alex Theatre.

Fans of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles packed the Alex Theatre on Sunday for their annual Christmas concert, "Holidays L.A." that included a combination of traditional and contemporary choral music and dancing. Wearing red ties and boutonnieres on their coats, members of the chorus performed to a full house. Unconventional renditions of holiday favorites were a hit with the audience.

One of the musical numbers that rendered a response from the crowd was Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers," from Swan Lake. Tutu-clad male ballerinas in tights took to the stage and danced asflowers in the spotlight while a dancer dressed as a prince, made an appearance.

The number wasn't without humor. As the prince came on stage, the flowers pretended to dislike his presence but he did the best he could to impress them with his silly dancing. Laughter and applause broke out from the crowd as the prince stumbled and fell at the feet of the dancing flowers.

During the intermission, concert-goers awaited the second act of the show. "They just keep getting better and better," Richard Altman, a Los Angeles resident, said.

"They are comical and fun." Other attendees, including William and Marguerite Barnes, of Moorpark, were impressed with the talent they saw on stage. "They're wonderful and this is not the first time I've seen them," Marguerite Barnes said. William Barnes appreciated the comedy. "'The Waltz of the Flowers' was hilarious," he said. "It added to the merriment of the music."

On Sunday, some of the youngest concert-goers came to hear the Gay Men's Chorus. Eduardo Santiago and his 3-year-old niece Olivia attended the concert. Olivia liked the flower ballerinas. "It's their best one yet," Santiago said. [Olivia] has been here three times. It puts us in the holiday spirit."

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU TO APOLOGIZE FOR ANTI-GAY PERSECUTION

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who has been vocal of late in his criticism of the Anglican church and its homophobic policies towards gays for the way that the church has treated gay people in the past.

Said Tutu: "I want to apologize to you and to all those who we in the church have persecuted. I’m sorry that we have been part of the persecution of a particular group. For me that is quite un-Christ like and, for that reason, it is unacceptable. May be even as a retired Archbishop I probably have, to some extent, a kind of authority but apart from anything let me say for myself and anyone who might want to align themselves with me, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the hurt, for the rejection, for the anguish that we have caused to such as yourselves."

Tutu recently called the church “extraordinarily homophobic” and "obsessed with questions of human sexuality" and continues to blast it over its rift with the Episcopal branch.

Corn boom could expand ‘dead zone’ in Gulf

Farmers say crop too profitable to stop, despite problems downstream

A truck driver unloads his cargo of corn into a chute at the Lincolnway Energy plant in the town of Nevada, Iowa, on Dec. 6. The company is one of a growing number across Iowa and the United States that convert corn to ethanol fuel as an alternative to oil.

Because of rising demand for ethanol, American farmers are growing more corn than at any time since World War II. And sea life in the Gulf of Mexico is paying the price.

The nation's corn crop is fertilized with millions of pounds of nitrogen-based fertilizer. And when that nitrogen runs off fields in Corn Belt states, it makes its way to the Mississippi River and eventually pours into the Gulf, where it contributes to a growing "dead zone" — a 7,900-square-mile patch so depleted of oxygen that fish, crabs and shrimp suffocate.

The dead zone was discovered in 1985 and has grown fairly steadily since then, forcing fishermen to venture farther and farther out to sea to find their catch. For decades, fertilizer has been considered the prime cause of the lifeless spot.

The dead zone typically begins in the spring and persists into the summer. Its size and location vary each year because of currents, weather and other factors, but it is generally near the mouth of the Mississippi.

This year, it is the third-biggest on record. It was larger in 2002 and 2001, when it covered 8,500 and 8,006 square miles respectively.

Divided We Fail

Anglican Church Head Excludes Gay Bishop

Archbishop of Canterbury Won't Change Decision Not to Invite Gay Bishop to Anglican Summit

The archbishop of Canterbury said Friday he will not reverse his decision to exclude a gay U.S. bishop from joining other bishops at a global Anglican gathering next year.

Archbishop Rowan Williams' office said he had also not changed his mind about refusing an invitation to Martyn Minns, a traditionalist U.S. priest who was consecrated as a bishop in the Church of Nigeria.

Williams said he has also recruited professional help in trying to reach greater understanding between the U.S. Episcopal Church and its critics both at home and abroad. Williams' office was unable to say immediately whether any invitations had been extended or accepted.
In his Advent message to leaders of Anglican national churches, Williams said Episcopal Church pledges of a moratorium on confirming any more gay bishops or on approving blessings of homosexual unions have not been accepted by all parts of the communion.

"Given the differences in response to the Episcopal Church revealed in the responses of the primates, we simply cannot pretend that there is now a ready-made consensus on the future of relationships between (the Episcopal Church) and other provinces," Williams said. "Much work remains to be done."

Statements by individual U.S. bishops that seemed to deviate from the declarations the bishops agreed to in New Orleans in September have complicated the situation, the archbishop said.

Williams also had stern words for Anglican leaders who have threatened not to attend the Lambeth Conference, held every 10 years and scheduled to start in July in Canterbury.
The head of the Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, has threatened to boycott the session because Williams also refused an invitation to Minns. "I have said that the refusal to meet can be a refusal of the cross and so of the Resurrection," Williams said.

"We are being asked to see our handling of conflict and potential division as part of our maturing both as pastors and as disciples. I do not think this is either an incidental matter or an evasion of more basic questions."

In Stand for Marriage Equality, Some Churches Cut Out Civil Wedding Ceremonies

It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight, you can't get legally married at Lyndale United Church of Christ.

The small, liberal church in south Minneapolis was the first of several Twin Cities congregations last year to stop performing civil marriage ceremonies as long as same-sex marriage is illegal. These churches, and a handful of others around the country that took the same step, will still hold a religious ceremony to bless the unions of straight and gay couples -- but straight couples must go separately to a judge or justice of the peace for the marriage license.

''If you feel that gay and lesbian people are loved and credited by God, then how can we continue to discriminate against our brothers and sisters?'' asked Rev. Don Portwood, the reserved Nebraska native who's been lead pastor at the 120-member Lyndale United Church of Christ for 27 years.

Anglican Church Head Excludes Gay Bishop

Archbishop of Canterbury Won't Change Decision Not to Invite Gay Bishop to Anglican Summit

The archbishop of Canterbury said Friday he will not reverse his decision to exclude a gay U.S. bishop from joining other bishops at a global Anglican gathering next year.

Archbishop Rowan Williams' office said he had also not changed his mind about refusing an invitation to Martyn Minns, a traditionalist U.S. priest who was consecrated as a bishop in the Church of Nigeria.

Williams said he has also recruited professional help in trying to reach greater understanding between the U.S. Episcopal Church and its critics both at home and abroad. Williams' office was unable to say immediately whether any invitations had been extended or accepted.
In his Advent message to leaders of Anglican national churches, Williams said Episcopal Church pledges of a moratorium on confirming any more gay bishops or on approving blessings of homosexual unions have not been accepted by all parts of the communion.

"Given the differences in response to the Episcopal Church revealed in the responses of the primates, we simply cannot pretend that there is now a ready-made consensus on the future of relationships between (the Episcopal Church) and other provinces," Williams said. "Much work remains to be done."

Statements by individual U.S. bishops that seemed to deviate from the declarations the bishops agreed to in New Orleans in September have complicated the situation, the archbishop said.

Williams also had stern words for Anglican leaders who have threatened not to attend the Lambeth Conference, held every 10 years and scheduled to start in July in Canterbury.
The head of the Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, has threatened to boycott the session because Williams also refused an invitation to Minns. "I have said that the refusal to meet can be a refusal of the cross and so of the Resurrection," Williams said.

"We are being asked to see our handling of conflict and potential division as part of our maturing both as pastors and as disciples. I do not think this is either an incidental matter or an evasion of more basic questions."

BUSH SECRET SHREDDING SOARS

HELL BENT ON DESTRUCTION
Shredding contracts during Bush/Cheney

Behold, the Bush Administration in chart form: Federal spending on paper shredding has increased more than 600 percent since George W. Bush took office. This chart, generated by usaspending.gov, the U.S. government's brand new database of federal expenditures, shows spending on "contracts for paper shredding services" going back to 2000.

In 2000, the feds spent $452,807 to make unpleasant truths go away; by 2006, the "Cheney Effect" had bumped that number up to $2.9 million. And by halfway through 2007, the feds almost matched that number, with $2.7 million and counting. Pretty much says it all.

Gay Marriage Case Receives Many 'Friend-Of-Court' Briefs

One reason why the California Supreme Court is taking so long to decide whether gay marriage is legal is that the issue has attracted more "friend of the court" briefs than any other case in recent memory, Chief Justice Ronald George said Tuesday.

George said the court has received 45 such briefs from 145 different organizations lobbying the state's high court to decide the case in a variety of ways. An array of civil rights groups and several cities have filed court documents in favor of gay marriage, while politically conservative and religious organizations filed papers supporting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's position opposing gay marriage. Attorney General Jerry Brown also has filed opposition papers.

"We have a lot of material before us," George said. "There is a vast amount of literature to read."

The Supreme Court took up the matter in December 2006. All the required written legal arguments were filed by Nov. 15, George said. The chief justice said the court expects to hear the case in 2008. The issue is not on the court's January calendar. The court is required to rule 90 days after oral arguments.

The issue dates back to Valentine's Day in 2004 when San Francisco began marrying same-sex couples. In March, the California Supreme Court ordered the city to stop the marriages while the courts considered six related lawsuits challenging whether the state's one-man, one-marriage laws are constitutional.

In October 2006, a divided appellate court upheld California's marriage laws, ruling that they did not discriminate against gays because they get the same rights by registering as domestic partners.''

Pope's message - gay weddings threaten peace

The annual message from the head of the Roman Catholic Church to the world has been unveiled. Pope Benedict's statement will mark World Peace Day on January 1st. It is entitled ‘The Human Family, A Community of Peace,’ and in it he calls for the dismantling of nuclear weapons and environmental co-operation and describes gay marriage as "an obstacle on the road to peace."

The 80-year-old German-born pontiff theorises that peace and the family are inherently linked and any threat to the "traditional family" will be opposed by Catholics.Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, explained the thinking behind the Papal statement to journalists. "Many legislative initiatives work against peace by weakening the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman, by directly or indirectly forcing families not to be open to accepting a morally responsible life, or by not recognising the family as having primary responsibility in the education of children," he said.

The Pope's message emphasises his opposition to gay and lesbian relationships. "The natural family, as an intimate communion of life and love, based on marriage between a man and a woman, constitutes "the primary place of 'humanisation' for the person and society," he wrote. "The family is therefore rightly defined as the first natural society, a divine institution that stands at the foundation of life of the human person as the prototype of every social order. "Whoever, even unknowingly, circumvents the institution of the family undermines peace in the entire community, national and international, since he weakens what is in effect the primary agency of peace. "This point merits special reflection: everything that serves to weaken the family based on the marriage of a man and a woman, everything that directly or indirectly stands in the way of its openness to the responsible acceptance of a new life, everything that obstructs its right to be primarily responsible for the education of its children, constitutes an objective obstacle on the road to peace."

[Of course, you may remember the Anglican Church in Canada will start providing same-sex blessings. And then the Church of Sweden…]


Church of Sweden prepared to accept same-sex unions

Marriage and same-sex unions were 'equal forms of living together,' the Church of Sweden, a Lutheran church, said Wednesday. The central board of the church said it would accept pending changes of marriage laws that would offer same-sex unions the same legal status as traditional marriage.

Arctic summers ice-free 'by 2013'

“The Arctic is screaming.”

MARK SERREZE, scientist at the U.S. Government's snow and ice data center, on new figures suggesting Arctic ice is melting faster than earlier thought


Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the disappearance of Arctic sea ice.

Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years. Professor Wieslaw Maslowski told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had underestimated the processes now driving ice loss. Summer melting this year reduced the ice cover to 4.13 million sq km, the smallest ever extent in modern times. Remarkably, this stunning low point was not even incorporated into the model runs of Professor Maslowski and his team, which used data sets from 1979 to 2004 to constrain their future projections. "Our projection of 2013 for the removal of ice in summer is not accounting for the last two minima, in 2005 and 2007," the researcher from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, explained to the BBC.

"So given that fact, you can argue that may be our projection of 2013 is already too conservative."

Holiday Huddle

Many thanks to Andy and Nick for hosting the Holiday Huddle.

Talking Jesus Action Figure Sells Out At Walmart

If you were planning on getting a talking Jesus Action Figure this Christmas you're almost out of luck. Walmart has completely sold out of the toy and Target.com has "very limited supply," according to the manufacturer's spokesperson, Joshua Livingston.

"We feel blessed that the toys are now in the hands of thousands of children, teaching them the word of God. We knew that the toys would make great Christmas gifts, but to see them sell so well before the Christmas buying season begins proves that parents want alternatives in the toy aisle," says Livingston.

It may also prove that goth kids still buy gag gifts, but we don't want to hurt Mr. Livingston's feelings or anything.

[Damn, now I have to think of another gift for my friends.]

Paper or plastic?

How 'bout neither. We use shopping bags for a few hours, but they can take lifetimes to decompose. New foldable nylon versions make it easy to BYOB wherever you go--whether it's clothes shopping, grocery shopping, or a drugstore impulse buy.

Benefits:
* Oil and tree savings. In the United States, 12 million barrels of oil and 14 million trees go to producing plastic and paper bags each year.
* Discounts. Stores like Safeway and Whole Foods offer a 5-penny per bag discount if you bring your own.
* Being a role model. Other shoppers'll wanna be like you.
* Safety for sea creatures. Plastic bags are the fifth most commonly found item in coastal cleanups.


Wanna Try?
* ACME Bags Workhorse - superlight nylon bags that fold into a tiny attached pouch, in four colors ($10).
* Ecobags Organic Cotton String Shopping Bag - these simple bags fit in your purse or pocket. Also: reusable produce bags ($3-$7).
* Posch - stylish bags created from vintage sheets and pillowcases ($40).
* "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" Bag - this bag spells it out for those who are slow on the uptake ($15).
* If you must use a plastic bag, reuse it as long as you can, then tie it into knots before you toss it to keep it from ballooning up into the air and ending up as litter.

Queen Latifah Denies Lesbian Wedding Rumours

Queen Latifah has responded to reports that she is about to marry her ‘girlfriend.’

The rapper-turned-actress usually declines to comment on tabloid gossip about her private life - namely, the Hollywood whispers that she is in a lesbian relationship with her personal trainer, Jeanette Jenkins.

However, Latifah has finally broken her silence on the matter by insisting to the Chicago Sun-Times that she won’t be tying the knot any time soon.

She said: 'When you're famous these days, it's just part of the deal - unfortunately. People will make up all sorts of things that are not true…

"There ain't gonna be no wedding.''

Ricky Martin accidentally outed

Hollywood skincare guru Ole Henriksen's comments about Ricky Martin have been receiving international attention.

In an interview with E's Ted Casablanca, Henriksen perhaps broke the client confidentiality rule when asked who he'd take on a romantic getaway (aside from his partner). Said Henriksen: "I’d go for Stig Tøfting [former Danish soccer player], but since he’s straight, I’d say my client Ricky Martin."

In an interview with Swedish gay magazine Salonk, the Hollywood-based Danish facialist said that he knew for a fact that Ricky Martin is gay. Additional remarks were published, which quoted Henriksen as saying (loose translation): "[Ricky Martin] is a little more open about it these days than he used to be...I don’t know if he has a boyfriend."

Ricky Martin spoke out on the issue of closeted celebrities following Mexican pop star Christian Chavez's disclosure that he was gay earlier this year. At that time, Martin said: "Life is too short to live closed up, guarding what you say. [Christian] has to be free in many aspects. I wish him much strength."

Diocese of San Joaquin votes to leave the Episcopal Church

Delegates attending the 48th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin on Saturday, December 8, overwhelmingly voted to leave the Episcopal Church and to align with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.

San Joaquin Bishop John-David Schofield asked for a moment of silence in deference to those who opposed the change, reminding the gathering that he "knows what it feels like to be a minority" before the vote tallies were read. The results, by orders were: 70-12 clergy and 103-10 vote in the lay order to effectively remove all references to the Episcopal Church from its constitution and describe the diocese as "a constituent member of the Anglican Communion and in full communion with the See of Canterbury."

"The Episcopal Church receives with sadness the news that some members of this church have made a decision to leave this church," said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. "We deeply regret their unwillingness or inability to live within the historical Anglican understanding of comprehensiveness. We wish them to know of our prayers for them and their journey. The Episcopal Church will continue in the Diocese of San Joaquin, albeit with new leadership."

"This is a historic moment...a vote for freedom," Schofield had told the gathering of about 88 clergy and 113 lay delegates meeting at St. James Cathedral in Fresno. He reminded the gathering that the diocese as a whole was realigning and said that clergy who rejected the move had time to discern whether or not to accept the invitation to join the Southern Cone.

Samantha Bland, a parishioner at Christ the King Church in Riverbank called upon delegates to focus on teen pregnancy, soaring foreclosure rates, methamphetamine addiction and dwindling resources plaguing Central Valley congregations "instead of this distraction."

"I have yet to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury say the Episcopal Church is not part of the Anglican Communion. I have not heard that we as an Episcopal Church have not reported back" about the Windsor Report. "I ask for us to look into our hearts and take care of our communities and remember the parishioners we're here to represent."

Another congregant, who asked not to be named, said the vote was ironically "a good thing. We can get on with our ministry, now that this diocese is free of this poison," she said, referring to the rancor surrounding the issue of leaving.

To vote otherwise, Schofield told delegates in his convention address a day earlier, would effectively signal his retirement within two years, by General Convention 2009 "with no reasonable hope for an orthodox successor" and a return to "where we were before last December's convention. Canon laws will be introduced to make it impossible for dioceses and persons to leave."

Although the move makes San Joaquin the first diocese in the nation to complete a legislative process seeking separation from the Episcopal Church, Schofield predicted that more dioceses will follow. Flanked by Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan and Bolivia Bishop Frank Lyons from the Southern Cone province, Schofield told a gathering of reporters December 7 that the consecration of an openly gay bishop in 2003 was merely a "flashpoint" for those who had had "enough because of the liberal theology of the Episcopal Church."

"Those who want to remain Episcopalians but reject the biblical standards of morality, the ultimate authority of the Bible, and the biblical revelation of God to us in His Son the only savior of mankind, will in the end be left solely with a name and a bureaucratic structure," he said.
The central California-based diocese represents about 8,500 Episcopalians in 47 congregations, at least five of whom Schofield predicted will opt to remain with the Episcopal Church.

Nancy Key, a co-founder of 'Remain Episcopal,' said those who wished to remain in the Episcopal Church have felt marginalized and maligned.

"It feels like spiritual violence," said Key, a parishioner at Holy Family Church in Fresno, which has chosen to remain within the Episcopal Church. "All we want to do is be in the Episcopal Church that actively ordains women and is inclusive," she said. San Joaquin is among three dioceses that refuse to ordain or deploy women priests. The others are Fort Worth and the Peoria, Illinois-based Diocese of Quincy.

Schofield characterized Venables' invitation to align with the Province of the Southern Cone as a "Godsend" for Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, allowing for disagreeing factions to still remain within the Anglican Communion. The Province of the Southern Cone has about 22,000 members and encompasses Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

Lyons also told reporters that Williams approved of the new affiliation and described it as "a sensible way forward."

But, the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, Anglican Communion secretary general, disagreed. "I would be surprised to hear that the Archbishop would formally support such a development which is contrary to the Windsor Report," he said in a November 27, 2007 letter to a Fort Worth delegate who had asked for verification of similar assertions Lyons made during the Texas diocese's November 17 convention.

Delegates to the Fort Worth diocese's 25th convention also gave the first of two approvals to dissociate from the Episcopal Church. Similarly, Pittsburgh delegates on November 2 voted for realignment. Delegates at Quincy's October 20-21 annual synod, however, chose to remain with the Episcopal Church, at least for the immediate future.

Schofield said San Joaquin congregations wishing to remain with the national church may retain their property, as long as they don't owe the diocese money. "I just wish the Episcopal Church was as generous in the other direction," he said.

He said that nothing will change immediately as the diocese waits to see what, if any, action the Presiding Bishop will take. "On Monday, the doors won't be locked."

After chancellor Kenneth VanRozeboom's lengthy report to convention detailing the legal implications of the move, Schofield said the diocese is monitoring the decision in the property disputes between the Diocese of Los Angeles and four breakaway churches, awaiting a hearing before the California Supreme Court.

He characterized such litigation as being "like cannibalism, like Christians eating each other. Christians should not be taking Christians to court," he said. Regardless of the outcome in Los Angeles, the future remains murky because that decision involves "churches, not dioceses." Schofield concluded that any litigation "will be a fairly long, drawn-out process."

In June, the Executive Council, the governing body of the Episcopal Church between meetings of General Convention, warned that actions by Episcopal Church dioceses that change their constitutions in an attempt to bypass the Church's Constitution and Canons are "null and void."

During an exchange of letters prior to convention, Jefferts Schori had advised Schofield that approval of the constitutional changes would "implicitly reject the Church's property and other canons."

Regarding the diocese's intention to affiliate with the Southern Cone, she said: "If you continue along this path…it will be necessary to ascertain whether you have in fact abandoned the communion of this church, and violated your own vows to uphold the doctrine, discipline, and worship of this Church."

If Schofield is considered to have abandoned the communion of the church, he would have two months to recant his position. Failing to do so, the matter would be referred to the full House of Bishops. If the House were to concur, the Presiding Bishop would depose the bishops and declare the episcopates of those dioceses vacant. Those remaining in the Episcopal Church would be gathered to organize a new diocesan convention and elect a replacement Standing Committee, if necessary.

An assisting bishop would be appointed to provide episcopal ministry until a new diocesan bishop search process could be initiated and a new bishop elected and consecrated.

A lawsuit would be filed against the departed leadership and a representative sample of departing congregations if they attempted to retain Episcopal Church property.

And that's how Nancy Key and other "loyalists" intend to proceed, she said. The group, "Remain Episcopal" will convene immediately after the close of San Joaquin's convention to strategize.

"We are prepared to work with the Episcopal Church to reconstitute our diocese," she said. "I feel this is what we are called to do. I am so convinced of this."

PHILADELPHIA BOY SCOUTS EVICTED OVER ANTI-GAY BIGOTRY

The Cradle of Liberty Council, the Boy Scouts chapter in Philadelphia, has been facing eviction from the building they have leased for nearly 80 years if they failed to meet a deadline to change its policies to meet nondiscriminatory language in its lease determined by the city's anti-discrimination ordinance. They failed to meet the deadline and will be evicted on June 1st. What a way to start Gay Pride month.

The Scouts have been leasing the building for $1 a year since 1928.

The New York Times reports: "Municipal officials said the clash stemmed from a duty to defend civil rights and an obligation to abide by a local law that bars taxpayer support for any group that discriminates. Boy Scout officials said it was about preserving their culture, protecting the right of private organizations to remain exclusive and defending traditions like requiring members to swear an oath of duty to God and prohibiting membership by anyone who is openly homosexual. This week the Boy Scouts made their last stand and lost. 'At the end of the day, you can not be in a city-owned facility being subsidized by the taxpayers and not have language in your lease that talks about nondiscrimination,' said City Councilman Darrell L. Clarke, who represents the district where the building is located. 'Negotiations are over.'"

[You know people are saying “Oh, the poor boy scouts.” If you discriminate, you shouldn’t get public funds or assistance. If this was any other discrimination issues, people would be up in arms. It is a good lesson to learn, if you discriminate, it is going to cost you.]

Jodie Foster Thanks Cydney in Accepting Sherry Lansing Leadership Award

In a surprising and moving speech on Tuesday, Jodie Foster, 45, thanked "my beautiful Cydney who sticks with me through all the rotten and the bliss" when she accepted the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at the 16th annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 breakfast.

The reporter covering the event, Greg Hernandez, noted surprise "at the public acknowledgment of who I presume is Cydney Bernard, the woman who is widely reported to be her life partner," because Foster has always been "so intensely private."

In her speech, which the Daily News described as "funny and heart-warming," Foster went on to say, "I don't feel very powerful. I feel fragile ... unsure, struggling to figure it all out, trying to get there even though I'm not sure where there is ... I've been working in this business for 42 years and there's no way you can do that and not be as nutty as a fruitcake."

Characterizing herself as a "professional" and a "gentleman," Foster admitted: "I always feel like something of an impostor. I don't know what I'm doing. I suppose that's my one little secret, the secret of my success."

But, she added: "Growing up, there were hardly any women in my professional sphere — there was maybe a script supervisor, the makeup artist and the lady who played my mother. I became the prodigal daughter after I proved myself in a family of men."

Foster has steadfastly refused to discuss or publicly acknowledge her relationship with Cydney Bernard, whom she reportedly met on the set of Sommersby in 1993. Although Bernard has accompanied her to premieres and public events outside the United States, Foster has never brought her to public events in America.

But in the last year or so, Foster has seemed to be taking small steps toward making her private life a little bit more public.

In an interview in September to promote her recent film 'The Brave One,' the interviewer commented on the Tiffany ring she was wearing, and Foster acknowledged it was "an eternity ring" that she never takes off, but refused to elaborate further. That same month she used the word "partner" for the first time in an interview, when commenting on her acting career to The Denver Post, saying, “I need to have something that doesn't belong to my mom, doesn’t belong to my kids, doesn’t belong to my partner.”

When Foster donated funds in July to the newly opened Saban Center for Health and Wellness in Woodland Hills, Calif., she also donated plaques bearing the handprints of her sons, Kit Bernard Foster and Charles Bernard Foster.

"I just wanted to stand for what I stand for," Foster said yesterday. "I wasn't really interested in living someone else's career."

Craig-Mocking

George Clooney and surprise guest Brad Pitt congratulated Julia Roberts during AMC's American Cinematheque Tribute.

Claims against Craig grow

Larry Craig claims eight new gay sex partner allegations are 'false'

The list of Larry Craig's alleged male lovers is growing.

Documentary on Showtime explores origins of church's hate for gays

K. Ryan Jones knew he'd picked an incendiary subject when he decided to make a documentary about Westboro Baptist Church for an undergraduate film class at the University of Kansas. He didn't know he had good timing, too.

The making of ''Fall from Grace'' coincided with a surge in attention for the small, fundamentalist church, whose members picket the funerals of soldiers killed overseas. They believe American military casualties are God's punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality. (It airs on Showtime Showcase 8:20 p.m. Thursday and 5:45 p.m. Monday, and on Showtime 5:15 p.m. Dec. 13.)

Pastor Fred Phelps and his Topeka, Kan., congregation - most of them members of his immediate family - think any publicity is good publicity. They cooperated fully with Jones, who allows them plenty of time to explain their ideology.

Episcopal Church faces possible major defection

The U.S. Episcopal Church faces major tumult this week when an entire California diocese with more than 9,000 members decides whether to secede in an unprecedented protest over gay issues.

The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, based in Fresno and consisting of nearly 50 churches in 14 counties, would be the first diocese to bolt from the U.S. branch of the global Anglican Communion if Saturday's final vote passes.

The 2.4 million-member U.S. church says that out of 7,600 congregations 32 have left, meaning that a majority of members of those congregations have departed and the churches are now considered closed. Another 23 have voted to leave, meaning that significant number of members have said they want to leave.

None of the church's 110 dioceses, however, has taken the final step to depart so far. Dioceses in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Fort Worth, Texas, have also taken preliminary votes to leave, but their final decisions are a year away.

Bishop John-David Schofield, head of the San Joaquin Diocese, says leaving the U.S. church is "a sensible way forward" and one that could later be reversed if "circumstances change and the Episcopal Church repents."

In the meantime his diocese has received what he calls a "welcome" invitation to realign itself, should the vote be affirmative, with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of South America headed by conservative Archbishop Gregory Venables of Argentina. That, he said, will allow members to remain part of the global Anglican church.

Queen Latifah Coming Out?

“WHICH big Hollywood actress is about to come out of the closet? She’s been living with her girlfriend in a small town, where all the neighbors know, and the two are now engaged to be married.”

If it’s not Queen Latifah, who lives in a small town in New Jersey, then who is it???? (Jodie Foster lives in the not-so-small city of Los Angeles.)