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Is marriage really just for white people?
As part of a CNN series "Black in America" producer Dionne Hill wonders if she'll ever get married. 45% of black women have never married, as opposed to 23%.
This statistic has led her to believe that marriage might be for white people.
I am neither black, nor female, (I am white and male) but I don't think marriage is that important. I mean I support gay marriage, and straight marriage, but only for financial reasons, and maybe for the open bars at the receptions.
But the whole institution doesn't seem that important to me.
What do you think? As part of a CNN series "Black in America" producer Dionne Hill wonders if she'll ever get married. 45% of black women have never marr... more -
AIDS on the rise in Latino community
According to an aritcle from msnbc.com/ Washington Post, The rates of AIDS is increasing in the Latino community in the United States.
Here's an excerpt-
"SAN YSIDRO, Calif. - AIDS rates in the nation's Latino community are increasing and, with little notice, have reached what experts are calling a simmering public health crisis.
Though Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population, they represented 22 percent of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses tallied by federal officials in 2006. According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Hispanics in the District have the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the country.
So far, the toll of AIDS in the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority population has mostly been overshadowed by the epidemic among African Americans and gay white men. Yet in major U.S. cities, as many as 1 in 4 gay Hispanic men has HIV, a rate on par with sub-Saharan Africa.
Blacks still have the highest HIV rates in the country, but language difficulties, cultural barriers and, in many cases, issues of legal status make the threat in the Hispanic community unique. For those who arrived illegally, in particular, fear of arrest and deportation presents a daunting obstacle to seeking diagnosis and treatment.
"Officials need to stop downplaying or ignoring what's happening among Latinos," said Oscar De La O, president of Bienestar, a Latino service organization. "We are at the center of the storm." "
Please read more at the link
According to an aritcle from msnbc.com/ Washington Post, The rates of AIDS is increasing in the Latino community in the United States.... more -
Can You Find Me Now?
Today the ACLU sued the Justice Department to force it to reveal its policies for tracking the location of cell phones. As anyone who watches Law & Order: SVU knows, all cell phones double as tracking devices.They send cell phone networks information that provides a pretty accurate idea of where they are physically located. This means that if you go for a walk around town with a cell phone in your pocket, it is possible for your cell phone provider to trace your route.
At least today, your cell phone provider does not have a business reason to keep such close track of you. But the government has plenty of reasons to want to do so. The question is under what circumstances the government is going to be able to access such information.
The ACLU’s position is that people have a reasonable expectation that their movements will not be tracked, especially when they are in private places such as homes, and that the government should have to get a warrant from a court to obtain cell phone location information. The government disagrees. News reports and court decisions (PDF) indicate that the Justice Department has been asking courts to authorize it to get this information without producing evidence sufficient to get a warrant, and sometimes without any court involvement at all.
Sometimes the government wins, sometimes it does not. But the few cases that garner press attention or result in court opinions are likely to be a small subset of the number of times the government engages in such tracking.
The purpose of the lawsuit the ACLU filed today is to get the Justice Department to reveal its policies for when it tracks the location of people’s cell phones. The public has the right to know how widespread such monitoring is, so that they can fairly evaluate the privacy risks of carrying a cell phone. Today the ACLU sued the Justice Department to force it to reveal its policies for tracking the location of cell phones. As anyone who ... more -
Despite U.N. Objections, U.S. Continues to Detain Children at Guantánamo
On Saturday, the UK’s Guardian published an article by Cory Crider , an attorney for the UK-based nonprofit Reprieve , in which Crider reasserts that the United States is holding as many as 21 inmates who were under the age of 18 when they arrived at Guantánamo—not eight, as the U.S. previously reported to the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in May.
In Soldiers of Misfortune , a recently released U.S. report about child soldiers, the ACLU reported that as many as 23 detainees were under 18 when they arrived at Guantánamo between 2002 and 2004, based on documents released by the government under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the Associated Press.
There’s a big difference between eight and 23.
But the U.S. government has shown little interest in setting the record straight. Some news reports estimate as many as 60 detainees were under the age of 18 when they arrived at Guantánamo. The birthdates of 20 are listed as “unknown.” While the U.S. government claims that it can’t verify the ages of prisoners who claimed to be children when imprisoned at Guantánamo, the Department of Defense’s pleading of ignorance is no excuse for reflexively treating all the prisoners as adults.
The most famous of these young detainees is Canadian Omar Khadr, who was 16 when he was captured. On his charge sheet (PDF), he’s accused of associating with Al-Qaeda when he was 10 years old. When he was 16, he was shot in the back twice by U.S. forces after a firefight in Afghanistan. Evidence that was accidentally released during a hearing in February, plus a videotape released in April, both suggest that Khadr may well be innocent of some of the most serious charges brought against him. Right now the government is attempting to prevent Khadr’s attorneys from seeing even more evidence that may prove his innocence.
In April, a military judge denied Khadr’s motion to dismiss his case on the grounds that Khadr should be treated as a child under the United Nations’ Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child —which the United States ratified in 2002. The judge’s reasoning? He’s an adult now.
Khadr was held by U.S. forces for two years before he even saw a lawyer, which suggests that the U.S. government was waiting for him to "age out" of juvenile status to charge him. While he waited to be old enough to be unlawfully tried, his attorney reports that he was tortured repeatedly.
In the CRC’s concluding observations (PDF) on the U.S.’s compliance with the Optional Protocol, the U.N. suggested that the U.S. detain children "as a measure of last resort," and "if in doubt regarding age, young persons should be presumed to be children."
The U.S. has so far done neither.
The other teen mentioned in Crider’s article is Yasser Talal Al Zahrani, who was 17 when he was captured and sent to Gitmo. He committed suicide in June 2006. The ACLU sued the Pentagon in April, asking a court to order the release of any and all documents relating to deaths at Guantánamo. The lawsuit followed a FOIA request filed in 2006, to which the Pentagon was unresponsive. On Saturday, the UK’s Guardian published an article by Cory Crider , an attorney for the UK-based nonprofit Reprieve , in which Crider... more -
Do Americans hate Europeans?
NOAM SCHEIBER of the New Republic, musing on a possible pitfall of Barack Obama's trip through Europe:
If there's any risk to Obama, it's that the trip goes too well. The German press has touted polls showing that 72 percent of Germans would vote for Obama if given the chance. Very sweet, and I'm sure Obama is flattered and all. Except that there is a not-insignificant number of Americans who would reject Jesus Christ as their savior if 72 percent of Europeans were on board.
Very funny, and not totally crazy. There probably are at least a few Americans who think this way. But I suspect that they are not legion. Most of them probably write conservative opinion-columns, or at least have a blog.
As for the unwashed masses out there, I don't think they wonder about what Europe thinks very frequently. When they do, they may be residually grumpy that France and Germany (what Americans think of when they think of "Europe"—Hungary's support for the Iraq war is not on their mental map) opposed the war. They boycotted French wine briefly.
But they probably also (if they paid any attention) heard that a pretty pro-American president was elected in France not long ago, and a conservative German chancellor too. And when they think of Europe, they may also remember, with pride, stories of their fathers or grandfathers' liberation and rebuilding of Europe, and the sincere gratitude of Europeans. Marshall Plan, Berlin airlift, smiling French girls, all that golden age before De Gaulle stalked out of NATO's unified command.
Americans want America to be loved, not feared and loathed, whatever Machiavelli might instruct them. NOAM SCHEIBER of the New Republic, musing on a possible pitfall of Barack Obama's trip through Europe: ... more -
In the United States in the year 2008, life expectancy for many women is dropping....
Another proud legacy of the Bush administration, news you'd probably expect to hear from developing nations, not the United States of America in the year 2008. This is the kind of news that should make people bitter, very bitter:
For the first time since the Spanish influenza of 1918, life expectancy is falling for a significant number of American women.
In nearly 1,000 counties that together are home to about 12 percent of the nation's women, life expectancy is now shorter than it was in the early 1980s, according to a study published today.
The downward trend is evident in places in the Deep South, Appalachia, the lower Midwest and in one county in Maine. It is not limited to one race or ethnicity but it is more common in rural and low-income areas. The most dramatic change occurred in two areas in southwestern Virginia (Radford City and Pulaski County), where women's life expectancy has decreased by more than five years since 1983.
The trend appears to be driven by increases in death from diabetes, lung cancer, emphysema and kidney failure. It reflects the long-term consequences of smoking, a habit that women took up in large numbers decades after men did, and the slowing of the historic decline in heart disease deaths.
I'd like to say this news is shocking, but nothing shocks me anymore. Oh, one other point from the article:
The phenomenon appears to be not only new but distinctly American.
"If you look in Western Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, we don't see this," Murray said.
All those countries have some form of system that provides for universal health care. Another proud legacy of the Bush administration, news you'd probably expect to hear from developing nations, not the United States of ... more -
Again, Bush denies Environmental Problems
"The news that the Bush administration will do nothing to regulate greenhouse gas emissions probably comes as no surprise to New Jerseyans, from Governor Corzine on down, who are working to reduce the effects of global warming.
But the way the White House has conducted itself is surprising, even appalling. It has defied the Supreme Court, Environmental Protection Agency scientists and states, including New Jersey, trying to protect the health of their citizens.
Last year, in a ruling sought by a group of states that included this one, the Supreme Court ordered the EPA to find out if emissions from cars and trucks contribute to global warming and threaten public health. If the answer is yes, the court said, under the Clean Air Act the EPA must take steps to reduce them.
The answer is a resounding yes, as the EPA reported late last week. It described the heat waves, wildfires, disease and smog that will be caused by global warming in coming decades. Human health as well as the planet's supplies of food, water and energy will be affected. The agency concluded that lowering emissions would greatly benefit public health.
But the White House didn't want to hear it. First the Bush administration tried to dilute the EPA report, and then it tried to ignore it. Apparent strong-arming by Vice President Dick Cheney's office had already succeeded in getting bad news out of a global warming report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When EPA scientists finally e-mailed their draft report to the White House, Bush aides reportedly refused to open it. The purported reasoning which borders on the absurd was that if it wasn't opened, the president and his staff wouldn't have to read it. And they wouldn't have to acknowledge the effects of global warming or obey the court's order to reduce emissions.
Eventually, the White House came up with the best cop-out yet. The EPA administrator announced the public comment period on reducing greenhouse gas emissions would be extended most likely until after Bush leaves office.
So the White House is off the hook. But the rest of us aren't. Time is of the essence, and the United States has forfeited whatever leadership role it could have played in a crisis now recognized worldwide.
Meanwhile, some states have tried to fill in the gap. New Jersey has taken the first step in reducing pollution by passing a law that mandates a reduction in global-warming emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
But the federal government has also said states cannot act alone. That decision is being challenged by New Jersey, California and others.
Given the administration's abysmal environmental record over the last eight years, this latest example of dereliction of duty is no shock. But the brazen way it was handled is."
Really, does that much research need to be done to tell that JERSEY is polluted? Like they said this may come as no surprise, but it's another example of how much this administration cares about the environment.
"The news that the Bush administration will do nothing to regulate greenhouse gas emissions probably comes as no surprise to New Jerse... more -
Man overboard on gay cruise rescued, then shot, by police
A man who fell overboard from a gay cruise yacht was shot dead when he fought the police officers who had rescued him, according to news reports.
Steven Paul Hirschfield, 37, of Los Angeles had been at a yacht party, part of last weekend’s San Diego Pride celebrations, when he fell off the 222-ft vessel into San Diego Bay, reports the San Diego Union Tribune.
The Harbour Police were called and a police boat found Hirschfield about 500 ft south of the US Coast Guard Air Station.
Hirschfield boarded the boat and began fighting the two officers on board, knocking one to the deck. He then grabbed the officer’s taser gun and began striking him in the face with it. According to the Harbour Police report, Hirschfield then tried to take the officer’s firearm. As the two struggled over the gun, the second officer shot Hirschfield in the upper body, killing him.
The injured officer was taken to hospital with face and leg injuries.
San Diego Police are investigating the incident.
A man who fell overboard from a gay cruise yacht was shot dead when he fought the police officers who had rescued him, according to ne... more -
75% of Americans want to allow openly gay people in the military
A new survey by the Washington Post and ABC News has found that three-quarters of Americans think that openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people should be allowed to serve in the military.
64% of Republicans and nearly two thirds of self-described conservatives backed a change in the current law, as did 57% of white evangelical Protestants and 82% of white Catholics.
It was Republican opposition that forced then-President Bill Clinton to abandon his pledge to allow gay people to serve and signed into law the compromise known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Since 1993 gay people who do not reveal their sexuality can serve, and commanding officers are not meant to ask service personnel about their sexual orientation.
More than 12,000 gay men and women have been discharged under the current law, at an estimated cost of more than $363 million (£182.6m).
The new poll of 1,119 Americans, taken earlier this month, shows how support for gays in the military has steadily increased, from 44% in 1993 to 62% in 2001 to 75% today.
The current policy prohibits anyone who "demonstrates a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" to serve in the US Armed Forces.
An estimated 65,000 lesbian and gay service members serve on active duty and in the reserves of the United States military, according to gay advocacy group the Servicemembers Legal Defence Network.
It said it knows of about 500 gay army members who are serving openly without any consequences.
In March US Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama told leading gay publication The Advocate he supports a repeal of the gay ban and is hopeful it can be achieved.
His Republican opponent John McCain does not favour gays serving openly.
With 75% of the population in support, is it time for the American military to finally change its policy?
A new survey by the Washington Post and ABC News has found that three-quarters of Americans think that openly gay, lesbian and bisexua... more -
Most Bikini Clad Women Photographed New World Record
Over 300 women braved unpredictable British summer weather today as they attempted to break a world record for the most bikini-clad women ever photographed together.
However, despite 320 women stripping down to their swimwear on Redcar beach, the effort was not enough to get a place in the record books.
For full story http://www.worldamazingrecords.com Over 300 women braved unpredictable British summer weather today as they attempted to break a world record for the most bikini-clad wo... more -
Man guilty in false imprisonment of Elie Wiesel
A San Francisco jury convicted a 24-year-old man on misdemeanor charges on Monday for pulling Elie Wiesel from a hotel elevator in an incident the Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel Peace Prize recipient thought was a kidnapping attempt.
The jury found Eric Hunt guilty of misdemeanor false imprisonment with a hate crime allegation, battery and elder abuse for yanking the 79-year-old Wiesel from a hotel elevator in February 2007, said defense lawyer John Runfola.
Runfola said the jury found Hunt not guilty on felony charges of attempted kidnapping, false imprisonment and stalking. Wiesel was not hurt in the incident.
Wiesel, well known for his memoir on the Holocaust, was 15 years old when his Jewish family was deported by the Nazis to the Auschwitz concentration camp. He lost his parents and younger sister in the Holocaust.
Hunt had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity after being extradited to San Francisco from a New Jersey mental institution, Runfola said.
"He's been given medication and now he's restored," Runfola said, noting Hunt has a sentencing hearing August 13 and faces up to three years in prison.
Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for writing and speaking out against violence, repression and racism. A San Francisco jury convicted a 24-year-old man on misdemeanor charges on Monday for pulling Elie Wiesel from a hotel elevator in an... more -
McCain indicates US troops could withdraw in 2 years
"BUFFALO, New York, July 21 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain appeared to leave a door open on Monday to a large-scale drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq in the next two years.
McCain, who has wrapped up his party's White House nomination, has long argued against setting a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal.
But the discussion on troop levels has shifted in recent days after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki seemed to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's call for troops to be gone within 16 months of his taking office. "BUFFALO, New York, July 21 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain appeared to leave a door open on Monday to a lar... more -
Bush: Iran and N. Korea still part of 'axis of evil'
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush in 2002 branded Iraq, Iran and North Korea part of an "axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world" -- and he believes two of them still are, the White House said on Monday.
"Bush, in his 2002 State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress, accused the three countries of seeking weapons of mass destruction that could be used for attacks on U.S. allies or to blackmail the United States.
The United States led a coalition of forces into Iraq but never found nuclear weapons. North Korea has agreed to give up its atomic program in exchange for aid while Iran has said it is seeking civilian energy, not nuclear weapons.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino on Monday praised North Korea for its steps, but criticized Iran failing to adequately respond to an offer of incentives in exchange for giving up enrichment of uranium, a component used for atomic weapons.
However, pressed by a reporter whether Bush still believed that they were part of the "axis of evil," Perino said North Korea and Iran were still part of it.
"I think that until they give up their nuclear weapons programs completely and verifiably, I think that we would keep them in the same category," she said."
Yep, apparently "axis of evil" is code for "countries I want to invade and take over". WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush in 2002 branded Iraq, Iran and North Korea part of an "axis of evil, arming to th... more -
Deadly Tolls: Sick truckers causing fatal wrecks
"WASHINGTON (AP) — Tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States have suffered seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells behind the wheel that led to deadly crashes on highways. Hundreds of thousands of drivers carry commercial licenses even though they also qualify for full federal disability payments, according to a new U.S. safety study obtained by The Associated Press.
The problems threatening highway travelers persist despite years of government warnings and hundreds of deaths and injuries blamed on commercial truck and bus drivers who blacked out, collapsed or suffered major health problems behind the wheels of vehicles that can weigh 40 tons or more."
They have some examples of truck drivers with medical conditions and what type of accidents they've gotten into, as well as statements from truck drivers. Gee, I always wondered why there are so many tractor trailer accidents! "WASHINGTON (AP) — Tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States have suffered seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells be... more -
Medically Unfit Tractor-Trailer, Bus Drivers Still on Roads
Hundreds of thousands of tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States carry commercial driver's licenses despite also qualifying for full federal disability payments, and some of those drivers have suffered seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells, according to a new U.S. safety study obtained by The Associated Press. Hundreds of thousands of tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States carry commercial driver's licenses despite also qualifyi... more
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Iraq to U.S: Leave ASAP!
"Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says U.S. troops should leave Iraq "as soon as possible," according to a magazine report, and he called presidential candidate Barack Obama's suggestion of 16 months "the right timeframe for a withdrawal."
"We will deal with any administration that comes to power," he said."
... more -
Live streaming politics: Netroots Nation
Netroots Nation 2008 is in full swing this weekend in Austin, Texas - but you can join in from your couch in your PJ's if you'd rather.
The convention, formerly known as YearlyKos, is an outgrowth of popular blog DailyKos. You can watch all of the action (or at least all of the keynotes and panels) at netrootsnation.org. Netroots Nation 2008 is in full swing this weekend in Austin, Texas - but you can join in from your couch in your PJ's if you'd rather... more -
Anti-gay slurs painted on houses and cars in South Florida's gayest neighborhood
"Three homes and five vehicles were sprayed with anti-gay slogans in the 2800 block of NW 7th Ave in Wilton Manors early Friday morning.
One resident was using soap and water to wash out the anti-gay messages sprayed on his property that said "fag".
He explained to CBS4 Reporter Ted Scouten that he's not gay, which is all the more worrying why he was a target.
Another resident, Ron Helfrich, said his home and car were defaced, "They wrote gay on the door, in the living room, and on the couch."
''There's no reason for this to happen,'' Aaron Challancin said. ``We didn't do anything to anyone. We're normal people trying to live normal lives.
The incidents are being investigated by the Wilton Manors police department." "Three homes and five vehicles were sprayed with anti-gay slogans in the 2800 block of NW 7th Ave in Wilton Manors early Friday mornin... more -
US army to shoot live pigs for medical drill
The Army says it's critical to saving the lives of wounded soldiers. Animal-rights activists call the training cruel and outdated.
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Mayor Sorry for Calling Italians "Guidos"
Belmar, NJ's mayor says he's sorry for disparaging comments that he made in the town's July 4 newsletter.
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