08/17/2007
News: Steve Wozniak, Compact Disc, Margaret Cho, Rehab
Equality Arizona meets with Scottsdale, Arizona mayor Mary Manross.
The apple of his eye? Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reportedly dating Kathy Griffin.
Scientists: HIV may stop brain cells from growing. "For some time we've known that HIV can cause a form of dementia, but this had been attributed to the loss of mature brain cells, killed off by an HIV protein called gp120. Now Stuart Lipton and his colleagues at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in San Diego, California, have found that gp120 also slows down the division of adult stem cells called neural progenitor cells (aNPCs), thought to be important for memory and learning. When rat aNPCs were exposed to gp120, 15 per cent of them stopped dividing."
Can he make a career reappear? Britney Spears seen overnighting with magician Criss Angel.
The compact disc is 25 years old.
Provincetown Carnival parade goes through the looking glass, as do the straight tourists: "Honey, we're not in Stockbridge anymore."
New Republic: Don't force Dems to state support of gay marriage publicly. "Perhaps once elected, the next president could take a courageous stand in favor of gay marriage via a televised message to the nation, or he could express support for a gay marriage bill were one to arise in a state legislature or criticize state attempts to ban gay marriage or civil unions. As the leader of his party, a Democratic president who voiced support for gay marriage would immediately render such a position more politically viable for state legislators and rank and file party members. Smith says of the candidates, 'These people are managing a political problem. ...We just need to change the political dynamic.' He's right. Gay marriage advocates need to convince a substantial majority of the country that gay marriage is a moral good before pressuring presidential candidates to take a position on such a highly charged issue."
Amy Winehouse back in rehab, but will she stay? "Amy Winehouse is putting all her touring commitments for this month on hold until further notice in order to address her health issues. Amy will now not be performing at this weekend's V Festival in Chelmsford and Staffordshire. Her family has requested that the media respect Amy's privacy at this time."
Gay singer/songwriter John Wallowitch is dead at 81: "The composer of more than 2,700 songs (by his own count, the majority unpublished), Mr. Wallowitch was a familiar face on New York television, beginning in 1980 with his cable-access show, 'John’s Cabaret,' in which he played piano, sang and joked. With his owlish face, oversize glasses, bow tie and sly Cheshire cat grin, he was the dandified embodiment of a traditional piano man and seemed to know every obscure show tune ever written."
Margaret Cho's film Bam Bam and Celeste gets its San Francisco premiere: "I wrote it because I wanted to do this great fag hag and fag love story, between a girl and her best gay boyfriend. It's the fag hag lament. If you're a fag hag, they always leave with some guy, and you're kind of stuck there, just left behind."
"Fundamentalist fearmongering set" headed to confab in Florida this weekend: "Tampa will host the Family Impact Summit, which will feature Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, failed Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer, the American Family Association's Don Wildmon, the Southern Baptist Convention's Richard Land, Katherine Harris (just when we thought we'd seen the last of her!), Ohio vote vacuumer Ken Blackwell, Bob Knight of the Media Research Center, as well as "ex-gay" promoters Nancy Heche (actress Anne's mom), and the "ex-gay-for-pay" President of Exodus International, Alan Chambers."
Male Bondage and Barbra Streisand: they go together.
Posted 10:50 AM EST by Andy in AIDS/HIV, Apple, Arizona, Britney Spears, Criss Angel, Democratic Party, Kathy Griffin, Margaret Cho, Music, News, Provincetown, Religion, Scottsdale | Permalink
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One could only hope for a hurricane in Tampa to rid us of these collective warts on the ass of humanity.
Posted by: FizziekruntNT | Aug 17, 2007 11:08:24 AM
Headline should read, "Kathy Griffin Hits Jackpot!!!"
Posted by: Zeke | Aug 17, 2007 11:26:53 AM
So now we know why Anne Heche is so fucked up. Her mom is a tried-and-true fundie.
PS. Someone should be on the lookout for hundreds of Discreet M4M ads on Tampa's Craigslist.
Posted by: Tread | Aug 17, 2007 11:28:04 AM
...see, margaret cho can liberally use the word "fag" with no problems or outrage from various communities, huh? ...i guess, it IS about CONTEXT, yes, when it comes to all these touchy, (b,h,n, etc...), words afterall...why doesn't seem that more people get that...banish words? what rubbish...
Posted by: yeahisaidit | Aug 17, 2007 11:35:57 AM
The "fundamentalist fearmongering set" in the form of the "Family Impact Summit" is actually scheduled to invade Tampa over the weekend of September 20-22 rather than this weekend.
ZEKE/STAR/STEPHEN, or whatever you're calling yourself these days, I really appreciate your refusal to alter your screen name to avoid confusing your comments with mine even though I politely asked you to consider doing so a day or two ago.
I would change mine but since I've been posting here for over three years, and you've just recently arrived (at least in ZEKE form), I don't think it's too much to ask for you to alter yours.
I just want everyone to know that there are now two people posting under the screen name ZEKE. The one above posts under multiple screen names and has multiple personalities whereas I am the same and only ZEKE that I have been since I started posting three years ago.
Posted by: Zeke | Aug 17, 2007 11:50:52 AM
Since I live in Tampa I feel compelled to clarify that the statement "Tampa will host the Family Impact Summit" is incorrect. If you view the site it says the conference is actually being held in Brandon, which is a separate conservative city south west of Tampa. Tampa is a bit too gay friendly for them I would imagine
Posted by: Billy | Aug 17, 2007 12:05:46 PM
Rest in peace John, I always loved your campy show.
Posted by: Will | Aug 17, 2007 12:07:02 PM
You go Kathy!!! I just love her and think she is funny as hell. He isn't exactly good looking, so here's to hoping his d*ck is as big as his bank account!
Posted by: stephen frm alabama | Aug 17, 2007 12:38:46 PM
"...see, margaret cho can liberally use the word "fag" with no problems or outrage from various communities, huh? .."
She also said the hag word. Obviously, calling them "fruit flies" is much better.
Posted by: Mike in the Tundra | Aug 17, 2007 12:44:15 PM
Good point Billy, of course it seems that most people in the country think that Tampa/Brandon/St. Pete are all one city called "Tampa Bay".
Maybe they'll hold the "Summit" at the rabid homophobe Rhonda Storms' house. She is from Brandon, or Valrico isn't she? I'm sure she had something to do with this.
The UCC in the Tampa Bay area is hosting an HRC Faith and Fairness weekend in November. I have no doubt that the "Family Impact Summit" is a preemptive strike to challenge it.
Posted by: Zeke | Aug 17, 2007 12:58:06 PM
And their guest of honor will probably be the religious fascist cunt City Commissioner [no, I don't care if anyone thinks that's sexist] from nearby Largo who led the torch-bearing villagers to drive the "transgender monster," er former City Manager, now-Susan Stanton, out of town this spring. Hell, they'll probably erect a statue to her, and the other City Commissioners who shamed themselves by joining her.
As for the HRC faith event, do you know Zeke if they are partnering with your own denomination, MCC, Soulforce, the NGLTF-sponsored National Religious Leaders Roundtable, LGBT affinity groups within denominations, or are they approaching this as everything else they do as a one-man band?
Posted by: Leland Frances | Aug 17, 2007 1:51:30 PM
Your correct Zeke, Rhonda Storms is from the Brandon - Valrico area. Thankfully she isn't on our county commission any longer. We were glad to see her go!
Posted by: Billy | Aug 17, 2007 1:55:01 PM
A new energy source could be tapped into at the Family Impact Summit: RSE Repressed Sexual Energy. It's hard to imagine all those slimey people in one room together. It makes my skin crawl.
Posted by: Bill | Aug 17, 2007 2:04:40 PM
Andy...
Apparently, Zeke is right: there is another person posting under the name 'Zeke'...and it is confusing. Is there anything you could do about it?
Thanks!
peterparker
Posted by: peterparker | Aug 17, 2007 2:23:07 PM
Leland, unfortunately I don't know the answer to your question at this time. I will be going to a planning meeting Sunday so I'll know more then. My limited understanding at this time is that it is sponsored by an interfaith group that includes the UCC, MCC, UU and others. I could be wrong. I'll make it a point to find out more about it, including the dates, at Sunday's meeting.
In addition to the Largo crew, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if "Port-a-Potty-Piety" Naugle from Ft. Lauderdale doesn't show up as a featured speaker. I have no doubt that he's been offered the chance to speak.
Perhaps Stephen/Star/ZekeII could give us more details from FOF/AFA headquarters.
Posted by: Zeke | Aug 17, 2007 2:40:38 PM
So now HIV will prevent brain cells from forming and make it impossible to learn? Dementia is a byproduct? Guess that explains my 4.0 in my Masters program (I'm HIV+). Guess that explains so many doctors, lawyers, college professors and researchers with HIV. Can a "treatment" be far behind? I'm so sick of the "HIV machine" (i.e. pharmaceutical companies) producing under-researched hypotheses to advance their cause... PROFIT$. Sorry the rats are having problems, but last I checked, I'm not a rat. Though HIV is no picnic, maybe somebody should point out to the "gloom and doom profiteers" (you know, the people that brought us Restless Leg Syndrome and that catchy little phrase "ask your doctor about...") that though they still claim HIV is a death sentence, there are people walking around who are HIV positive for over 25 years--and doing just fine. Shock of shocks--we can learn, and remember!
People with HIV deal with enough stigma without s**t like this floating around the internet making unsubstantiated claims...
Posted by: Nathan | Aug 17, 2007 3:24:24 PM
I share your objection to stigmatizing HIV+ people, but I am equally concerned about anything that might contribute to the human tendency of denial, especially among the young who make up half of all new infections each year [25 or younger in the US; 15-24 worldwide]. We do not need to be sending mixed or misleading messages to anyone. This is my understanding:
1. HIV left untreated will progress to AIDS in at least half of adults in anywhere from 8 to 12 years. Some as little as 3 years.
2. As of 2005, only 55% of those needing antiretroviral therapy in the US received it.
3. 14,000 people with HIV/AIDS in the US died in 2006.
4. In the US, there are still approximately 40,000 new infections a year.
5. Even if someone HIV+ is "doing fine," by which one can only assume they are entirely without symptoms, he is still capable of infecting someone else whose life might be far from a picnic and rather shortened.
Here's to a long and great life for you and those you love.
If you mean by "doing just fine" those RARE HIV positive
Posted by: Leland Frances | Aug 17, 2007 5:33:56 PM
The New Republic, always the voice of cowardly pragmatism, cautions us not to be mean to Democrats or do anything as silly as demanding full equality, especially concerning same-sex marriage. Instead NR offers a skyfairy scenario that claims that: "Perhaps once elected, the next president could take a courageous stand in favor of gay marriage…etc.” that NR hopes would galvanize the nation. But in the meantime we shouldn’t demand leadership from Democrats until after we’ve made it safe for them by convincing the majority of the virtue of same-sex marriage,
Bullshit.
During the elections the Democrat/Republicans will promote various solutions to the 'gay question.' Democrats propose, and occasionally even enact shabby ‘reform’ schemes, like DADT, while the Republicans and their 'superstitious' allies promote punishment schemes, up to and including a 'final solution.'
The Democratic Party follows the tried and true strategy of fuzzy promises followed by backstabbing treachery. They’d like us to forget that it was they, not the religious right, who authored DOMA and DADT and rammed them through Congress. When baptist and catholic leaders use these measures against us they're simply following the reprehensible road trailblazed by Democrats. Hypocrisy can't begin to describe the Democratic pretense of being our friends. They are our enemies.
Our movement is beginning to wake up the Democratic/Republican shell game. .Serious activists and leaders have begun to question and criticize. This emboldens many hundreds of thousands of gays and lesbians who plan on taking a pass on the elections. Sensibly enough, they and tens of millions of other Americans think it's a major blunder to help elect our enemies. They'll vote for 'none of the above’. (We can actually do that here in Nevada and it’s a grand feeling.)
Already huge numbers of gays and lesbians ignore the frauds who wail "This is a crucial election." I've heard that party line from hacks every year since 1964, crucial because it pitted the peace democrats under LBJ against the war Republicans under Goldwater. By 1972, the Democrats war against the Vietnamese had expended the lives of 58,209 mostly young, mostly working class GI's, a further 1,948 were (are) missing and 153,303 were wounded. Many of those were my friends, one a lover, and one my brother. And even those awful stats pale compared to the near genocidal casualty rates suffered by innocent Vietnamese at the bloody hands of the Democratic/Republican war coalition. Two million plus dead, killed by the ‘peace' Democrats /war Republican brutal nine year frenzy of destruction.
Bush's oil piracy in Iraq is supported by 'war' Republicans and 'Peace' Democrats and is producing the same furious devastation. Clinton and others who now criticize Bush were gutless Bush supporters when he had the public bamboozled about WMD’ s. Democrats apply the same strategy of lies and backstabbing to every major question faced by Americans, war, racism, union busting, misogyny, homophobia, exploitation of immigrants, the aged, kids, the environment, etc., etc., etc.
For the shills of the Democratic Party implanted in our midst, ever election is 'Crucial Election' and these party hacks issue our marching orders, telling us to vote the right way or, jeepers creepers, the bad guys might win. The bad news is that the bad guys will win no matter which party wins. Both parties whore for the ruling rich whose insane greed and willingness to pay politicians for 'favors' guarantees the outcome of every election. If things heat up they sometimes pass ineffective cosmetic reforms, but everyone (except NR reader and other idiots) recognizes their severe limits in the framework of a fundamentally reactionary social system run by and for the ruling rich. Have voter reforms substantially improved the lot of African Americans? Has the EPA stopped pollution? Etc.
Abe Lincoln was the last President elected who wasn't a bad guy. Bush is devastating Iraq; Reagan was an antiworker thug; Nixon wanted to be King of the World, but, accompanied by thunderous applause, he slipped and fell off the throne; Truman invaded Korea and instituted the witch hunt against gays and lesbians in the armed forces and civil service (well before McCarthy and his friend Cohen got involved); Kennedy tried to invade Cuba; FDR tried to waylay union struggles and forced the Japanese into war to end the depression; LBJ was a mass murderer; Bill Clinton is the big daddy (and Hillary the Midwife) of DOMA and DADT ,etc., etc., etc.
A year ago the Democrats won control of both houses of Congress, and ignoring the excuses of party hacks, look at what they have NOT done with their majorities. They didn't impeach and convict Bush and Cheney nor did they indict them and Powell, Rice, Rove etc. for treason. They haven't even discussed convening an International War Crimes Tribunal. They didn't bring the troops home or offer to arm Iraqi and Kurdish trade union militias to stabilize Iraq. They haven't passed laws guarantying first-class, affordable housing, education and health care or well paying union jobs for American working people. They haven't taxed the obscene wealth of the ruling rich to accomplish this. They haven't rescinded tax privileges or Bush's giveaways to superstitious institutions. They haven't restored constitutional liberties or repealed the Patriot Act which is Bush's equivalent of Hitler's Enabling Act. On the contrary, they recently gave away more of our rights to Bush. (The ACLU has an excellent analysis of them and campaign against it on their website.)
Lastly it's not sufficient simply to lay into the Democrats and Republicans, although no one deserves it more. Our movement needs an alternative. A ready made one consists of just ignoring the elections, but elections, when political awareness skyrockets, can be an important arena for organizing our movement. If we get in on the ground floor of the growing union sponsored US Labor Party and invest our effort in it and raise our program in it we'll simultaneously help ourselves and put the hurt on Democrats and Republicans, the parties of our enemies.
Neat, kewl, cool, keen, sweet, etc. What could be sweeter? And if you work in a party like that you won’t have to wear a moon suit to wade through the filth of betrayal and lies.
Posted by: Bill Perdue, RainbowRED Organization | Aug 17, 2007 8:30:08 PM
Anne Heche's mom is a fundy? She needs to go and fuck herself, wrinkly old bitch.
Posted by: louie | Aug 18, 2007 12:47:53 AM
Thanks for posting that information, Leland. It certainly is important. My objection is more along the lines of denial... denial of health, which in many cases stigmatizes HIV positives and reduces hope. Stress can kill an HIV positive person faster than a virus. Too seldom we hear about people like me--I went 8 years before needing HIV meds--and I only felt I needed them because my numbers began to drop; I was completely asyptomatic and felt fine. There are MANY like me. Our doctors inform us will live long, healthy lives. The statistics you cite neglect to mention that most HIV deaths in the USA have co-factors: drug addiction, malnutrition, poverty, lack of good health care. It's tragic, but it's not the majority of those infected with HIV, as the CD and NIH, along with big money pharmeceuticals, would have us believe.
Thanks for mentioning the awareness of youth--it's important to educate young people who may have gotten complacent about the syndrome. But scare tactics rarely work. The truth is always far more powerful. Telling someone they will need to take medicines, some with side effects, every day for the rest of their lives, to me, is far more effective than telling them their brains will deteriorate.
I appreciate your good wishes, and I return them to you. And, thanks for another good point: healthy still means infectuous--undetectable viral load does NOT mean one can't spread the virus.
Posted by: Nathan | Aug 18, 2007 12:58:57 AM