News: Newsom's New Quest, Is Eating Ribs Presidential?, Boyfriends Will Be Boyfriends, It's A Rubyfruit Jungle Out There & More

Two-term San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom—famous for his support of legalizing gay marriage—launches an exploratory bid for California governor. He's expected to face opposition from a crowded field of fellow Democrats when Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger vacates in 2010.

Via Queerty: New Jersey Congressman Steve Rothman has changed his position on gay marriage—thanks to the advice of his lesbian stepdaughter. He's also joined the House Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Caucus.

A special court has upheld the Nepal Army's decision to expel a woman for being a lesbian.

Two women in Iceland will become the first same-sex couple to have their relationship "validated" in a church following new laws that took hold there on June 27. The laws do not define same-sex validations as "marriage." The official who will perform the service, Rev. Sigurdur Grétar Sigurdsson, says, "In my opinion it is a very appreciated development because many priests in the State Church have already organized ceremonies for many years where they pray for and bless gay coupes who have earlier had their cohabitation confirmed by state officials."

Buzzkill: About 600 Starbucks locations will close in the next year, 70% of which opened after 2006.

The NRA will be gunning for Barack Obama's chances this fall, spending $40 million dollars to paint him as a Second Amendment foe.

Clay Felker, New York Magazine founder and husband of Gail Sheehy, dies at 82 after battling throat cancer. Felker and co-founder Milton Glaser were forced out of their jobs in 1977 by Rupert Murdoch, leading to a staff walk-out. The magazine's most famous article, "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night," was the basis for Saturday Night Fever, and its "best" lists have made it a staple for actual and aspiring New Yorkers. Amazing quotes here.

Is Bush the best president ever...on AIDS issues? (Consider the source.)

Guess which presidential candidate is the more desirable barbecue guest, according to an AP poll?

T.R. Knight and boyfriend Mark Cornelsen spotted giving gay angst a bad name.

Heart-Breaking: Marriage does not do the trick for all of us, even those lucky enough to live in states where it's legal.

Interfaith Advocates for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender People in Rochester (New York) issues a doctrine for achieving Dr. King's "Beloved community" that includes banning hate crimes against transgendered people.

Rubyfruit Bar and Grill is joining Florent as a memory. The bar, named after Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle, is the victim of higher rent (it's up from $6,500 to $11,000 since 1994) and, perversely, the greater acceptance of gay people in the past decade. "Back then in 1994 there wasn’t this liberation yet for lesbian women, so it became a haven with private, intimate dinners, great wines, a place to hold hands and feel comfortable being out and having dinner Here we are in 2008, where they no longer need to have their own place. They can go anywhere and do whatever they want. It’s kind of a good thing, I guess," said Rubyfruit’s owner, Debra C. Fierro.

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Iceland Shoots Second Lost, Starving Polar Bear in a Month

At the beginning of the month I posted about a lost, starving Polar Bear that had been shot by police in Iceland after it had swam 200 miles from Greenland or the nearest chunk of Arctic ice. They said they were afraid it posed a threat to humans but couldn't wait 24 hours for a "correct tranquilizer" to be flown in. Their excuse was disputed by a local veet who said he could have had the proper tranquilizer flown in in about an hour.

Well, another Polar Bear turned up. They shot and killed it again. What was their excuse this time?

"The chief veterinarian from the Copenhagen zoo had been flown in late Tuesday to help. The police 'tried to get close to (the bear) with our vet, but they did not get close enough to shoot it with the anaesthetiser,' zoo spokesman Bengt Holst told AFP. 'Then the bear started running, so the police were frightened they would lose control. The bear could run very close to the populated area, so they decided to shoot it,' he added. Holst said he believed Icelandic authorities had made the right decision. 'It was a security problem,' he said."

I wonder if they posed smugly with their trophy again?

A news report on the first bear, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via americablog)

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Iceland Police Kill Polar Bear After it Swims 200 Miles to Find Land

This is so sad.

A Polar Bear that swam 200 miles from either Greenland or a "distant chunk of Arctic ice" finally reached land in Iceland, where it was shot by a group of police, They said they were afraid it posed a threat to humans but couldn't wait 24 hours for a "correct tranquilizer" to be flown in.

Actually: "Sveinbjarnardottir's account was disputed by the chief vet in the town of Blönduó, Egill Steingrímsson, who said he had the drugs necessary to immobilise the bear in the boot of his car. 'If the narcotics gun would have been sent by plane, it would have arrived within an hour,' he said. 'They could keep tabs on the bear for that long.'"

And then the pigs posed smugly behind it like some kind of trophy — a starving, exhausted, (not to mention endangered) animal whose life had just ended by their rifles.

Clip AFTER THE JUMP...

(warning: GRAPHIC)

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Yoko Ono Unveils Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland

On Tuesday, Yoko Ono unveiled a monument in memory of John Lennon that she hopes will be a literal beacon of peace for the world. According to the AP, "The tower is a beam of light, radiating from a wishing well bearing the words "imagine peace" in 24 languages. The plan is for it to be lit each year between his birthday, Oct. 9, and the anniversary of his death on Dec. 8."

The Imagine Peace Tower is located on Videy Island near Reykjavik, Iceland. Ono said Iceland was chosen "because it was a very eco-friendly country that relied on geothermal energy."

Ringo Starr was there for the dedicated ceremony, which is below on the left. In the video on the right, Ono talks about the plans for the tower.