05/16/2007
News: Mika, Antarctica, Mitt Romney, McSteamy, Lesbian Arabs
Mayor of Lithuania's capital Vilnius, has backed bus drivers who refused to drive buses emblazoned with gay tolerance advertisements. Said Mayor Juozas Imbrasas: "We tolerate people of any kind of sexual orientation, nevertheless with priority for traditional family and seeking to promote the family values, we disapprove the public display of homosexualists’ ideas in the city of Vilnius."
Mika bemoans price of fame: "It's sad but I just don't have a private life anymore. I have to focus on my music and I have absolutely no time for anything else."
Human Rights Watch calls on Iran to end home raids and mass detentions intended to "counter immoral behavior": "In Iran, the walls of homes are transparent and the halls of justice are opaque. This ‘morality’ campaign shows how fragile respect for privacy and personal dignity is in Iran today."
Barney Frank tired of people asking him about his sling. Memo: "I appreciate the concern expressed by many about why my arm is in a sling. In order to avoid having to repeat the same conversation, I am sending out this Dear Colleague. I ruptured a tendon in my left arm using a curling machine in a gym, and I had it surgically repaired yesterday at Bethesda Naval Hospital. I’ll be using the sling for a week or two, but I feel fine. Thanks for not asking."
Men's Health is all about great abs but all McSteamy serves up some good face to go with them.
Iraq off the table for Prince Harry: "He is a magnet for jihadists."
Antarctica sees ice melt the size of California...in a single month: "Satellite data collected by the scientists between July 1999 and July 2005 showed clear signs that melting had occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far inland and at high latitudes and elevations, where melt had been considered unlikely...Evidence of melting was found up to 560 miles inland from the open ocean, farther than 85 degrees south (about 310 miles from the South Pole) and higher than 6,600 feet above sea level."
In Republican debate, Mitt Romney says he'd like to see the size of Guantanamo doubled: "I am glad [detainees] are at Guantanamo. I don’t want them on our soil. I want them on Guantanamo, where they don’t get the access to lawyers they get when they’re on our soil. I don’t want them in our prisons, I want them there. Some people have said we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is we ought to double Guantanamo."
Eddie Murphy II: Is rapper Mase a fan of transgender prostitutes?
Lesbian Arabs unite to break down taboos: 'We are Palestinian, we are women, we are gay'.
North Carolina lawmakers argue over whether gays should be included on a list of potential 'bully targets' in schools: "Disagreement focuses on its description of bullying as including acts that are motivated by bias against "any actual or perceived characteristic" of a victim from a list that includes race, gender, disability and sexual orientation. The bill doesn't try to grant special protection to homosexual students - it simply states the fact that they are among the potential victims that school administrators should keep an eye on, said Rep. Rick Glazier, the sponsor. 'Special attention has got to be given to those who suffer the most bullying,' Glazier, D-Cumberland, explained. 'We cannot protect them by pretending that differences don't exist, aren't perceived to exist.'"
Posted 3:44 PM EST by Andy in Barney Frank, Eric Dane, Global Warming, Iran, Iraq, Lithuania, Mika, Mitt Romney, News, North Carolina, Prince Harry | Permalink
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"It's sad but I just don't have a private life anymore. "I have to focus on my music and I have absolutely no time for anything else."
Don't worry Mika - 00:14:51, 00:14:52, 00:14:53....
Posted by: Mike | May 16, 2007 3:52:52 PM
Good old Mormon megalomaniac Mitt, demonstrating what Jesus Christ-like compassion Latter Day Saints have. More illegal detainment camps, PLEASE! Why, it makes me want to convert right now and start believing in tales of Jewish Indians and angels and seer stones and buried gold tablets and I absolutely cannot wait to have Jesus personally measure me for his underwear. Chills. I'm getting chills.
Posted by: Leland | May 16, 2007 4:35:36 PM
That Antartica article was crappily written. The Antarctic ice didn't all melt in a single month... the readings were taken each July across 7 years. I know you consider yourself a harbinger of global warming doom - but you undermine the cause with sloppy synposis.
Posted by: kipp | May 16, 2007 4:45:42 PM
The most infuriating part of last night's debate was the fact that Giuliani received the greatest applause for his indignant reply to Rep. Ron Paul's educated perspective on international relations. I'm not saying Paul is 100% right, but he's not some conspiracy theory kook that Giuliani tried to make him out to be to score some cheap political points.
Posted by: Jordan | May 16, 2007 5:05:54 PM
I swear!!Eric Danes just drives me NUTS!!LOL.
Posted by: Shabaka | May 16, 2007 5:12:17 PM
Oh shut up, Mika.
Posted by: Glenn | May 16, 2007 5:39:08 PM
The way they are going about this in North Carolina tells a lot. That they are even arguing whether to include gay or lesbian in the categories is just really wrong headed.
Posted by: Daniel | May 16, 2007 7:11:02 PM
The famous are most annoying when they bitch about how much it sucks to be famous. What's that saying? A celebrity is someone who works hard all his life to become known and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized. Please, Mika, do just focus on your "art" while you quietly fade into the ether.
Posted by: Dennis | May 16, 2007 7:18:47 PM
oh froof, Kipp - It's been there millions of years & it was 7 years instead of a month. I feel so much safer; guess I'll rent a Hummer & go out for a celebratory drive Santa Monica bay & watch the sewage be pumped into the ocean...
Posted by: basis4insanity | May 16, 2007 8:57:11 PM
Lesbian Arabs, now that's brave.
Posted by: anon | May 17, 2007 1:07:18 AM
I wish somebody would put Mitt Romney in Guantanamo.
Posted by: peterparker | May 17, 2007 1:23:34 AM
Mika,
GIVE ME A BREAK!
He is already unnecessarily full of himself. "Grace Kelly" was part fun, part annoying. He's more than likely a one"ish" hit wonder. Don't worry Mika - soon you'll be back to no one giving a shit about you!!! And, you greatly over estimate your cuteness!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Jake | May 17, 2007 7:04:11 AM
Re: the bullying piece. I'm not sure why a bullying law should specify any special classes of students. Why wouldn't it apply equally across the board to all students? A lot of bullying has nothing to do with race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. It has to do with any perception of being weird, different or weak. True that a higher proportion of gay students may be perceived this way, but in raw numbers, I'd guess the vast majority of bullying victims are bullied because they are perceived as nerdy, shy, or different, having nothing to do with their race, gender, sexuallity, etc. I don't think we are doing ourselves any favor by trying to claim that gay students should have any special protection under bullying laws (i.e., any more protection than the skinny, glasses-wearing, dungeons and dragons playing kid next door).
Posted by: BR | May 17, 2007 10:40:57 AM