I've been thinking lately what an updated version of Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Profile In Courage" might look like. Here are a few quick ideas:

1968 – Eugene Mccarthy (D-MI) – For calling for an end to the Vietnam War way back in 1968.

1970 – John Sherman Cooper (R-KY) – For challenging his own party and introducing bill to end the Vietnam War

1975 – Frank Church (D-ID) – For inventing/chairing the Church Committee which investigated CIA and FBI
domestic spying programs.

1990 – Ted Kennedy (D-MA) – For introducing the Ryan White CARE Act to provide money for HIV/AIDS treatment to low-income and uninsured people.

1993 – Bob Packwood (R-OR) – For being the only Senator to vote against Three Strikes law.

2001 – Russ Feingold (D-WI) – For being the only Senator, from either party, to vote against the PATRIOT Act.

2002 – Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) – For being the only Republican to vote against the Iraq War resolution.

Any suggestions/complaints?
--andrew

Now that February is up, here is the final In Memoriam for the month.

February 03 – Millard Fuller – Founder, Habitat for Humanity
February 03 – Shen-yen – Chinese Zen Buddhist master
February 03 – Donald C. Alexander – IRS agent that fought Nixon
February 04 – Lux Interior – Lead singer of The Cramps
February 05 – Khalid Hasan – Pakistani journalist and author
February 07 – Richard Gordon – Scottish author
February 07 – John Higson Cover Jr.- Inventor of the Taser
February 08 – Guy Chichester – Anti-nuclear activist
February 09 – Eluana Englaro – Italian in right-to-die case
February 09 – Robert Anderson – Playwright and screenwriter
February 09 – Sean F. Scott – ALS activist, died from ALS
February 11 – Mildred Wolfe - Artist
February 12 – Ed Grothus – Scientist and peace activist
February 12 – Alison DesForges – Human rights activist
February 12 – Beverly Eckhert – 9/11 widow, activist
February 13 – Corky Trinidad – Hawaiian cartoonist and activist
February 13 – Edward Upward – British writer and Communist
February 17 – V.G. Kiernan – radical historian
February 17 – Tayeb Salih – Famed Sudanese novelist
February 17 – Robert Robideau – Activist and painter
February 20 – William Jorden – Journalist and diplomat
February 20 – Marcella Althaus-Reid – ‘Queer theologian’
February 23 – Scott Symons – Gay Canadian novelist
February 25 – Atieno Odhiambo – Famed Kenyan sociologist
February 25 – Randall Bewley – Guitarist for band Pylon
Febraury 28 – Paul Harvey – Popular radio host

As for March, all we have (of note) so far is Miguel Serrano. He died yesterday. He was (long ago) a Chilean politician, but for the last 50 years has been known mostly as a crazy person espousing a weird connection between New Age spirituality and the Neo-Nazi movement. (I know!) He called his movement "Esoteric Hitlerism." He gave all 'flower children' a bad name.
--andrew

"A major social revolution is taking place in Latin America; The region is becoming gayer"

Rather, the region is becoming more gay-friendly. A generation ago, Latin America was the land of the closet and the home of the macho. Today, movements fighting for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are taking advantage of the region's more globalized, open regimes. They are promoting their cause through smart, mainstream political and economic alliances. So, though closets and machos are still ubiquitous, Latin America is now the site of some of the most pro-gay legislation in the developing world.

Gay rights expanded in democratic Western Europe starting in the late 1960s, and in the United States more gradually since the 1970s. Despite being democratic and kind-of-Western, Latin America lagged behind. Then, in the late 1990s, legislation started to change. In 1998, Ecuador's new constitution introduced protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 1999, Chile decriminalized same-sex intercourse. Rio de Janeiro's state legislature banned sexual-orientation discrimination in public and private establishments in 2000. In 2002, Buenos Aires guaranteed all couples, regardless of gender, the right to register civil unions.

The policy changes just kept coming. In 2003, Mexico passed a federal antidiscrimination law that included sexual orientation. A year later, the government of Brazil initiated "Brasil sem homofobia" (Brazil without homophobia), a program with nongovernmental organizations to change social attitudes toward sexuality. In 2006, Mexico City approved the Societal Cohabitation Law, granting same-sex couples marital rights identical to those for common-law relationships between a man and a woman. Uruguay passed a 2007 law granting access to health benefits, inheritance, parenting, and pension rights to all couples who have cohabited for at least five years. In 2008, Nicaragua reformed its penal code to decriminalize same-sex relations. Even Cuba's authoritarian new president, Raúl Castro, has allowed free sex-change operations for qualifying citizens.

Change hasn't simply come on paper. Latin American cities are also becoming increasingly gay-friendly. The number of gay-owned or gay-friendly establishments (e.g., bars, support groups, services) per capita in Latin American cities is on the rise, with some cities outperforming even the most liberal Western capitals (see sidebar). Nobody really ever thought the region was a gay desert, but there is plenty of evidence now that Latin America -- at least legally and in urban centers -- is coming out.

Latin American LGBT movements have overcome their political handicaps by adopting smart tactics. Rather than turning radical and desperate, they have forged pragmatic alliances with larger, more-influential social movements. In Ecuador, for instance, they relied on the much stronger feminist movement to influence constitutional change. Likewise in Brazil, alliances with government officials proved vital to health campaigns. Movements in Argentina, Mexico, and Peru worked with local businesses to develop gay markets.

It is hard to be fully confident about the future, despite obvious progress for LGBT movements in Latin America. Gay rights and comfort zones seem to move in waves, with the ever present possibility of reversals. Changing laws and neighborhoods are no doubt a good start, but there is work to be done to counter waves of homophobia and the lack of ruling-party allies. The closet may be opening, but the jury is still out.

Quick bit: "All THREE TV spots for 'X-Men: Origins: Wolverine' now available for viewing"

You see a lot more of Deadpool and a very young Cyclops.

Oh, and apparently, the 8th anniversary of this blog is on Friday. 3,001 Journal Entries, 18,799 comments received, and 19,330 comments posted - and counting!



--andrew

Apparently it was a trailer-palooza. See them ALL here....

http://www.collider.com/entertainment/news/article.asp/aid/10725/tcid/1

I won't waste your bandwith by embedding them all, but we saw (short) trailers for Angels & Demons, G.I. Joe, Judd Apatow's latest shitfest Year One (more proof that Michael Cera has no range), the fourth Fast & Furious, Will Ferrell's latest, Land of the Lost, yet another Star Trek preview, Up (?), some Pixar thing called Monsters vs. Aliens, The Rock's latest, Race To Witch Mountain, and last, and most certainly least, the sequel to Transformers

Of the bunch, the only two that I might possible go see would be 'Land of the Lost' and 'Angels & Demons.'

Here is one that they didn't show - "Between Love And Goodbye"

And to the people that were offended by Alan Carr as Obama last night, get over it! It's a comedy show! And while I'm at it- so Michael Phelps smoked pot? Get the fuck over it. It's not like he smoked crack.
--andrew

http://www.vh1classic.com/browse/video/17271/1980s/index.jhtml



I could spend HOURS on this website!
--andrew

"Obama Signs Bill Making Equal-Pay Lawsuits Easier"
Obama, choosing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act as the first bill to sign as president, called it a "wonderful day" and declared that ending pay disparities between men and woman an issue not just for women, but for all workers. This is more than just a women's issue, said Obama.

With Ledbetter standing by his side, Obama said she lost more than $200,000 in salary, and even more in pension and Social Security benefits losses that she "still feels today." Ledbetter said she didn't become aware of the large discrepancy in her pay until she neared the end of her 19-year career at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Gadsden, Ala, and she filed a lawsuit. But the high court held in a 5-4 decision that she missed her chance to bring the action.

Ledbetter fought for the bill even though it won't allow her to recover any money for herself. The measure effectively nullifies the 2007 Supreme Court decision and makes it easier for workers to sue for discrimination by allowing them more time to do so. Obama cited Census Bureau figures that women still receive only about 78 cents for every dollar that men get for doing equivalent jobs — "women of color even less," he said. "Today, in the year 2009, countless women are still losing thousands of dollars in salary, income and retirement savings over the course of a lifetime," he said.

Media coverage of today's White House ceremony depicts the Ledbetter signing as a major victory for gender pay equity. But a much broader bill addressing pay discrimination -- the Paycheck Fairness Act -- faces a mysteriously uncertain future in the Senate, where it has yet to receive a floor vote despite approval in the House last year and again this year.
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"Over Half Of Obama's Cabinet Are Millionaires or Multi-Millionaires"
Most of the Cabinet members and nominees own real estate worth more than $1 million and some, like Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, own more than one million-dollar home, according to public property records.

On the other end of the spectrum, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the former Arizona governor, owns a condominium in Phoenix she bought for $165,000 in 2004, property records show. Her total assets: $186,000 to $740,000, almost all in retirement accounts. Her only other asset besides a savings account is an art collection worth between $15,000 and $50,000.
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"Tomorrow, Obama To Sign Several Labor-Friendly Executive Orders"
Union officials have been looking for a labor-friendly gesture like this from the White House. Some are privately grumbling that the administration hasn’t signaled a firm enough commitment to the Employee Free Choice Act, labor’s top priority. Others say he hasn’t been aggressively pushing for the confirmation of Labor Secretary designate Hilda Solis, which is still held up in limbo by Republicans for various reasons.

Labor officials say they’re not sure whether Obama will be reversing Bush-era exec orders that are bad for unions, signing new ones sought by labor, or both. But they’re cheered nonetheless.
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"Iraq Kicks Out Blackwater"
An Iraqi investigation found that 17 civilians were killed and 20 wounded when Blackwater guards opened fire with automatic weapons while escorting an American diplomatic convoy through Baghdad. US prosecutors say 14 civilians were killed.

The decision to scrap the licence for the firm at the forefront of a booming private security business in Iraq came just two days before the country goes to the polls for the first time since 2005. After the 2007 incident, the Iraqi government pressed the State Department to withdraw Blackwater from the country, but the security firm's contract was renewed in April 2008.

"The contract is finished and will be not be renewed by order of the minister of the interior," interior ministry spokesman Major General Abdel Karim Khalaf told AFP. "It is because of the shooting incident in 2007," he said. "They came to us and applied and we refused them. They tried by all means to stay here and we said, 'no'."
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"BBC Facing First Fall Out For Refusing To Air Advert For Gaza Aid"
The head of the U.N. nuclear agency, the IAEA, canceled interviews with the BBC over its refusal to air an appeal for victims of the Gaza conflict, saying Wednesday that the decision violated "basic human decency." Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei added an influential voice to growing criticism of Britain's publicly funded broadcaster.

Over 110 British lawmakers have endorsed motions criticizing the BBC's decision to keep the Gaza appeal off the air. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown refused to intervene in the controversy.
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[http://www.wouldyoudothatifbarackwaswatching.com/question.html]

"Arrested Development Meets The Wonder Years ???"

For a network that has recently aired new versions of American Gladiators and Knight Rider, perhaps it is only fitting that NBC has a project called Lost in the '80s in the works.

The Hollywood Reporter says NBC has ordered a pilot for '80s, which is executive produced by Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz. Fittingly, The Wonder Years' Bob Brush wrote the script to the pilot, which is said to be somewhat similar to that Fred Savage series, in terms of looking back at life in an earlier era.

Directing the pilot to Lost in the '80s will be P.J. Hogan, director of the 2004 live-action version of Peter Pan and the upcoming Confessions of a Shopaholic. Joining Hurwitz as executive producers on the project are Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum (Two and a Half Men).

Meanwhile, the busy Hurwitz has several projects in the works, including another remake of the British comedy Absolutely Fabulous, which is also moving forward. Variety reports that Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock From the Sun) is in talks to star in the AbFab pilot.

And in "Oh my god! This is brilliant." news... "Law & Order: SVU Valentine's Day cards


Yes, it's true, from the same guy that brought us the Mr. T Holiday Greeting announcements comes a new set of Law & Order: SVU themed Valentine's Day cards. Because why give your sweetheart some chocolates when you can have Stabler and Benson read them their Miranda Rights?

Designed by artist Brandon Bird, the cards, of which there are fifteen total (fifteen!), bear your favorite SVU team members including Captain Creagan, Detective John Much and even FBI psychiatrist George Huang on classic Valentine color palette backgrounds, complete with cutesy text. Our personal favorites include Doctor Liz Rogers standing over a newly opened autopsy candidate with the words "It's what's inside that counts!", and Detective Benson letting a abused victim know that "You're extra special".

As for the cards, they can be purchased individually for $3.00 each, in sets of 5 for $10.00 or the whole collection for $28.00. Pick them up now over at the Brandon Bird website. And remember, if you want to give your Valentine something extra special this year, nothing says love like Christopher Meloni.

[http://brandonbird.com/shopping.html#valentines]
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This may be the most awesome thing ever in existence!
--amdrew

IS RON HUBERMAN GAY?

NO ONE CAN GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER ON THIS (no pun intended).
--andrew

Before National Drag History Month ends...

"Feeling Down? You Need a Daily Drag Queen Afirmation!"
Blue Monday got ya down? Well, perk up Pussycat! What you need is a bewigged angel of hope and happiness to lift your spirits! That's where the completely amazing, life-altering service from Daily Drag Queen Affirmations comes in!

Why didn't some faggy fairy godmother think of this sooner??? You subscribe to this genius service ($20 for a year) and every day, 365 big ones, you get a video affirmation emailed to your sad little inbox. Before you know it, your world will be full of daisies, heart-shaped candies, kittens, and wispy wigs!

Best of all, they're short. But they pack some drag star-power from the likes of Jackie Beat! Gina Lotrimin aka Mr. Dan, Terrence (founder of the Nellie Olesons) and many more heart-warming happy he-she's! Get a free Drag Drag Queen Affirmation sample, and you'll be hooked. And happier. And, er... $20 poorer. Bless!

SEE ALSO... LOGO Online's Click List Music Video nominees. You can watch them all on your laptop (if you're bored at work). Many are shitty dance tracks, but there are also some great indie videos that you won't see anywhere else (Plushgun, Hunx & His Punx).