Towleroad Guide to the Tube #302

NEW ORLEANS: McCain called on his Katrina record.

CASH COW: A local news report on the $$$ headed L.A.'s way in the wake of the same-sex marriage decision.

AMERICAN BOY: Loving the new Estelle track and video for "American Boy" which features a handsome selection of such creatures.

ROSIE O'DONNELL: She and Howard Stern have a chat on his radio show.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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John McCain Rejects Hagee, Parsley Endorsements

John McCain on Thursday finally rejected the endorsements of two controversial pastors, John Hagee and Rod Parsley:

"McCain rejected the months-old endorsement of Texas preacher John Hagee after an audio recording surfaced in which the preacher said God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land. McCain called the comment 'crazy and unacceptable.' He later repudiated the support of Rod Parsley, an Ohio preacher who has sharply criticized Islam and called the religion inherently violent. McCain issued a statement Thursday afternoon announcing his decision about Hagee. 'Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them. I did not know of them before Reverend Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well,' he said. Later, in Stockton, he told reporters: 'I just think that the statement is crazy and unacceptable.' Then in an interview with The Associated Press, McCain said he rejected Parsley's support, too. 'I believe there is no place for that kind of dialogue in America, and I believe that even though he endorsed me, and I didn't endorse him, the fact is that I repudiate such talk, and I reject his endorsement,' McCain told the AP."

The video of Hagee and Parsley's hateful vitriol, AFTER THE JUMP...

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John Hagee Retracts Retraction of Katrina 'Gay Sin' Remarks

In late April, McCain supporter John Hagee appeared to retract his past remarks that gay sin brought Hurricane Katrina upon New Orleans, releasing a statement that said:

"As a believing Christian, I see the hand of God in everything that happens here on earth, both the blessings and the curses. But ultimately neither I nor any other person can know the mind of God concerning Hurricane Katrina. I should not have suggested otherwise. No matter what the cause of the storm, my heart goes out to all who suffered in this terrible tragedy. There but for the grace of God go any one of us."

Well, that didn't last long. IHagee held a conference call with religious supporters yesterday, the Dallas News reports:

"When a woman on the call asked why he seemed to have backed away from his Katrina comments in face of criticism, Hagee said he hadn't. As for the Katrina, he said, God controls hurricanes and 'God always punishes unconfessed sin.'"

Anyone surprised? Didn't think so.

McCain most recently called the controversy over Hagee's remarks "nonsense."

(via Think Progress)

AFTER THE JUMP, the Hagee video...

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Pastor John Hagee Retracts Claim That Gay Sin Caused Katrina

Early last week, Pastor John Hagee told right wing radio show host Dennis Prager that he still believed that Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans because gays were planning to hold a sinful gathering there.

The reiteration inspired a flurry of renewed protest, forcing John McCain, who has "gladly" accepted Hagee's endorsement, to respond. By the end of the week, a short-tempered McCain was snapping at reporters that the whole controversy was "nonsense."

At about the same time, apparently, Hagee's office was issuing this statement:

"As a believing Christian, I see the hand of God in everything that happens here on earth, both the blessings and the curses. But ultimately neither I nor any other person can know the mind of God concerning Hurricane Katrina. I should not have suggested otherwise. No matter what the cause of the storm, my heart goes out to all who suffered in this terrible tragedy. There but for the grace of God go any one of us."

Quite a turnaround, eh?

AFTER THE JUMP, a round-up of Hagee's controversial views.

(via pageoneq)

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McCain to Face New Orleans Protest Over Anti-gay Pastor Hagee

John McCain is going for a photo-op in New Orleans' 9th ward today, but he will be met there by gay groups urging him to disassociate himself with pastor John Hagee, whose endorsement McCain gladly accepted and who this week told a radio host that he stands by his comments that Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans because sinful gays were planning an event there.

According to The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder, the flier on the left, above, is one that McCain will be greeted by. MoveOn is behind the action, asking people to sign a petition which will be delivered to McCain at his photo-op in a number of hours. The petition reads: "John Hagee continues to blame the people of New Orleans for the catastrophe of Katrina. Senator McCain: If you reject intolerance and bigotry, reject Hagee's political support and stop courting hate-mongers like him."

You can find that petition here.

Watch John Hagee's remarks on gays, the Catholic church, and more, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via TPM)

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John Hagee Stands by Remarks that Sinful Gays Caused Katrina

Pastor John Hagee, whose endorsement John McCain gladly gobbled up, stood by remarks he made in 2006 that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for the sinful Southern Decadence party that gays were planning to hold in New Orleans.

At that time, Hagee said: "I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they are -- were recipients of the judgment of God for that. The newspaper carried the story in our local area that was not carried nationally that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades. So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing. I know that there are people who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the day of judgment. And I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans."

Right-wing radio talk show host Dennis Prager yesterday asked Hagee to confirm if he still stands by those comments, asking, of Katrina, "I’m only trying to understand that in the case of New Orleans, you do feel that God’s hand was in it because of a sinful city?"

Responded Hagee: "That it was a city that was planning a sinful conduct, yes."

Think Progress adds: "In February, after working hard to gain Hagee’s endorsement, McCain said he was “very honored” to receive it. Since then, he has both “repudiate[d]” and defended Hagee’s anti-Catholic and “anti-anything” remarks. But as Think Progress has noted, McCain has never specifically commented on Hagee’s offensive beliefs about Hurricane Katrina or his anti-gay comments. Given the fact that McCain will be in New Orleans tomorrow, will reporters ask whether he agrees with Hagee belief that the devastated city was cursed because of a gay pride parade? We’ll be watching."

Previously
Pastor John Hagee: Anti-Gay Katrina Remarks 'So Far Off-Base' [tr]
John McCain Embraces, Rather than Denounces, Wingnut John Hagee [tr]

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Joe Oppedisano: Dangerous Boys

Photographer Joe Oppedisano gave us an exclusive sneak peek at a series of images entitled "Dangerous Boys" he shot for the upcoming Black Party issue of New York's Next magazine, which comes out at the end of this week. The annual Black Party happens this year on March 29.

You may remember Joe's homage to the Calvin Klein underwear man we featured back in January.

Check out the Black Party images here (warning NSFW).

Previously
It's Calvin Klein Underwear Group Photo Time! [tr]
EXCLUSIVE: Joe Oppedisano Celebrates the Calvin Klein Man [tr]

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ESPN columnist Shoved, Taunted with Gay Slurs at NBA Weekend

LZ Granderson, a columnist for ESPN.com, says he was confronted by a group of men in New Orleans last week during NBA All-Star Weekend who taunted him with anti-gay slurs. Granderson says he fears that it would have escalated had a couple of policemen been nearby.

Writes Granderson: "When the first one pushed me in the back, I remember thinking I was going to die. After a second shove, I had no thoughts at all -- only fear. This is how I spent a portion of my Saturday night during NBA All-Star Weekend -- being gay bashed because the size large T-shirt I was wearing wasn't large enough for someone else's comfort. As I walked by the group of men -- on my way to the Playboy party, no less -- one of them called me a faggot. Then another joined in. They followed me for a while, continuing to hurl names at me. I tried to ignore it but eventually the "Detroit" came out of me and I turned around and said some things I probably shouldn't have. Next thing I know I'm surrounded and wondering if I'm going to see the dawn and if not for a pair of New Orleans policemen who saw trouble brewing and yelled at the group to break it up, I might not have."

Granderson also discusses the Brady Quinn incident and urges professional sports to take more action toward homophobia among its players.

Harrowing incident a troubling reminder of homophobia [espn]
(via outsports photo source)

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #205

BRAD PITT: Rebuilding New Orleans one house at a time.

CARSON KRESSLEY: He recently led a 100 Elf March for TJ Maxx.

NICK CLARK-SPEAR: A Towleroad reader sent me this bit of holiday cheer, direct from his bathroom. I consider him a gift.

RESCUE THE CONSTITUTION: FOX is refusing to run this ad, voiced by Danny Glover. According to Think Progess, the network wants 'documentation' that the constitution 'is indeed being destroyed.'"

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here

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News: China Moon, Kevin Rudd, Spice Girls, Kentucky, Truman Capote

Philadelphia Boy Scouts facing eviction for their anti-gay bigotry: "The Cradle of Liberty Council—Philadelphia's Boy Scout chapter—has been housed in an historic building in downtown Philly for almost 80 years, paying almost nothing for the prime piece of proprety under the terms of a 100-year sweetheart lease it inked with the city in 1928. But that lease is set to expire, and city officials say the taxpayer's shouldn't be footing the Scouts rent bill because of it's national policy banning openly gay members and leaders. The Scouts must either pony up the fair market rent for the space—about $200,000 a year—or find a new home."

Back to 1996: Spice Girls kick off world tour in Vancouver, with real live vocals! "There is a click track for the band to keep them in time, which is standard, but all of the girls' vocals were live."

British Panto theatre comes out of the closet: "Panto has cross-dressing, innuendo and glitter, so maybe we've reached the point where we've stopped pretending that it's just camp and really it's as gay as you like. It's built into the form."

The NYT takes a look at the difficulties of being gay in Newark, New Jersey: "Sharrieff Baker and his partner, Edwin Rosario, who own a house in the North Ward, said they had a very different experience when one of their tenants found out they were a couple. Last month, they said, the tenant tore up a shared bathroom, called them 'faggots' and threatened to blow up their house. When they called 911, they said, Vincent Cordi, the responding police officer, appeared unconcerned and agreed only reluctantly to take their complaint. Back at the station house, they said, Officer Cordi sniggered with co-workers as he typed up the paperwork, at one point blurting out, 'How do you spell 'faggot'?'"

Truman Capote, New Orleans, 1946: First chapter of new book Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote (Review)

Beckham makes the sponsorship switch: Emporio Armani undies spotted in New Zealand

Homophobic, racist flyers found on Canada's University of Windsor campus.

A look back at Saturday Night Fever on its 30th anniversary: "Lapels aside, the film seems strangely prescient -- a road map to the income inequality, the ethnic and racial politics, and the lure of celebrity that we see today. Culturally speaking, the '70s are back. As we grapple with soaring gasoline prices, tune in to 'Dancing With the Stars' and work through a new kind of national malaise, we would do well to heed the cautionary lessons of the young man in polyester."

Gay census study sees closets emptying in Kentucky.

Watchdogs question authenticity of Chinese Moon photo, say it may be plagiarized from NASA. China denies.

Australia's new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes his first act ratifying the Kyoto Treaty: "Australia's new stance on Kyoto will isolate the US as the only developed nation not to have ratified the treaty. Mr Rudd is due to attend the UN climate change conference in Bali next week with four of his ministers. When they heard of Mr Rudd's decision, delegates at the conference erupted in applause. Mr Rudd's appointment as prime minister ends more than 11 years of conservative government under his predecessor John Howard. As well as signing up to the Kyoto Protocol, the new government is committed to withdrawing Australia's combat troops from Iraq."

Brokeback Mountain costume designer Marit Allen dies of brain aneurysm at 66.

Mitt Romney to deliver major speech on Mormonism. AmericaBlog calls him out: "You can't give a speech about being an oppressed religious minority in America only 5 days after you oppress another religious minority in America. Romney can't tell us that the religion of his cabinet is relevant but the religion of the cabinet's president isn't. It just doesn't work that way. Either a candidate for high office's religion is relevant or its not. This week Romney is going to tell us that it's not, though I suspect he's also going to try to con everyone into thinking that Mormonism IS Christianity, so at the same time he's telling us to ignore his religion he's going to be telling us that he's a bigger Christian than we are and that that is the reason we should vote for him. In other words, Romney is going to try to have it both ways this week, lying all the way. So what else is new?"

Pam Spaulding posts a wrap-up of the 2007 International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference and a new interview with Representative Tammy Baldwin.

Fixer-upper: Richard Neutra house goes on market in Santa Monica.

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GOP Senate Candidate in Louisiana Drops Out Over Lewd Conduct

At what point does this officially qualify as an epidemic?

Republican state senate candidate Joey DiFatta has reportedly dropped out of the race in Louisiana following revelations that he was stopped not once, but twice, for lewd conduct suspicion. In the first, a "Peeping Tom" incident, DiFatta was issued a misdemeanor summons for spying on a man in a stall at a Mervyn's department store at The Esplanade mall. The man whose privacy he allegedly violated eventually withdrew his complaint.

In the second, DiFatta was caught pulling a Larry Craig in a stall at at Dillard's at Lakeside Shopping Center, according to the Times-Picayune:

"The deputy inside the stall, Detective Wayne Couvillion, responded by tapping his foot, and DiFatta reached under the partition and began to rub the deputy's leg, the report states. The detective asked DiFatta, 'What do you want?' according to the report, and he replied, 'I want to play with you.' DiFatta also used a hand signal to indicate that he wanted to engage in sex and used language that indicated the same, according to the report. Conley, who is now the Kenner city attorney, confirmed the report's authenticity Thursday. The incident did not culminate in an arrest because the deputy in the bathroom with DiFatta terminated the investigation after several children entered the bathroom, the report states."

Said Di Fatta: "If I had done something wrong, I would have been arrested. I was not. I will deny that I was involved in any activity of that nature."

DiFatta is a Councilman for St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans. According to DailyKos, DiFatta was a member of the Republican State Central Committee from 1996-2004, is married with two sons and three grandchildren, and pledged to "defend our conservative values from attacks by extreme liberal groups" as part of his campaign.

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News: Jodie Foster, Black Holes, Rush Limbaugh, Jordin Sparks

Harris POLL: Bush , Cheney at lowest approval ratings ever, at 28% and 25%, respectively.

Gay Hamilton inquired to New Zealand telecom about getting a broadband connection installed in her home but received an automated response saying that her email "was identified by [their] content filtering processes as containing language that may be considered inappropriate for business-like communication." Troubled at the company's apparent decision to flag "gay" as offensive, Hamilton, who incidentally happens to be gay, contacted the media. NZ Telecom soon responded, calling it an "embarrassing mistake": "Our systems internally detect a number of words, including both the words gay and heterosexual that could be deemed as inappropriate for use at work."

David Boreanaz takes a shirtless jog to show off his flesh and bones.

Rush Limbaugh mocks Obama's race by playing "Barack, the Magic Negro", a "parody" song set to "Puff, the Magic Dragon". (via AmericaBlog)

Are black holes portals to other universes?

Jodie Foster to play Hitler filmmaker and Nazi propagandist Leni Reifenstahl in new film: "Riefenstahl has come to symbolise a marriage of artistic genius and political evil. She herself refused to sign a contract for Foster's project while she was still alive, mainly because Foster would not give her the right to reject any of the film that she felt was wrong. She was also thought to prefer Sharon Stone over Foster as an actress better suited to play her."

"Piano man" Andreas Grassl, who was discovered in 2005 soaking wet in a black suit with the labels cut out on the south coast of England after having a mental breakdown, is now living a more normal life in Basel, Switzerland.

Kylie Minogue collaborating with Scottish electro producer Calvin Harris.

Several cool alternatives for presenting your digital photos.

Is this the first photo ever seen taken by an Apple iPhone?

Is American Idol contestant Jordin Sparks the new Mandisa? "One would never guess this from her time on the show since she's all smiles, but it seems that the pimped one might be a little more political than anyone thinks. The picture on the left comes from Jordin's MySpace, and she's been linked to many conservative organizations. She has performed at a Right to Life concert (anti-abortion) and other such events, and it's rumored that she liked Mandisa from last year because of her values (Mandisa was very religious and was quoted as saying she would be uncomfortable singing at a gay event)."

Most aid from overseas for Hurricane Katrina victims went unclaimed: "Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used so far for disaster victims or reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and contractors. Most of the aid went uncollected, including $400 million worth of oil. Some offers were withdrawn or redirected to private groups such as the Red Cross. The rest has been delayed by red tape and bureaucratic limits on how it can be spent."

Madonna is a strawberry blonde who's all about business.

Bigmouth strikes again: Roseanne said to be contender to replace Rosie on the View. O'Donnell, however remains a hot commodity.

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News: KFC, Donald Trump, Moscow, Team Guido, New Orleans

Moscow continues to say 'no' to gay parades: "'We have exhausted our options for reversing this illegal decision within the Moscow court system,' gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev told Interfax, adding that the ruling 'opens the way to the Supreme Court.' Alexeyev said the parade organizers would appeal to the Supreme Court as soon as possible, and that they hoped the court would reach a decision before May 27, when the parade was to take place."

Donald Trump just thankful it wasn't him under the blade.

Gays in Victoria, Australia reach for their rights.

Surprise! Jamba Juice's non-dairy blend contains...milk!

Kevin Spacey and Sam Mendes teaming up for first time since American Beauty: "Mendes, 41, who made his name in British theatre before going on to find success as a Hollywood director, will direct six classical plays in three years for the Old Vic, of which Spacey, 47, is the artistic director. Titled the Bridge Project, the plays will feature some of the best British and American stage actors, starring in a double-bill of classic works shown at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Old Vic and a third international venue, starting next year in the Piccolo Teatro, Milan."

Need for community spawns gay nightclub in Madison, Wisconsin: "DeWall and Mortensen agreed in a recent interview that Madison's lesbian and gay community is so integrated into the general population that there's no central area, like the 'gay ghettos' of other cities. 'It's somehow set the gay community back,' DeWall said. As an example, added Mortensen, 'when the (marriage amendment) vote went through, everyone felt defeated. But there wasn't a hub where people could gather the next day to talk about it.'"

How some Iraqis felt about John McCain's recent photo-op stroll through Baghdad guarded by 100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead to prove that Americans are "not getting the full picture" of how safe the city is: "They were laughing and talking to people as if there was nothing going on in this country or at least they were pretending that they were tourists and were visiting the city's old market and buying souvenirs. To achieve this, they sealed off the area, put themselves in flak jackets and walked in the middle of tens of armed American soldiers.

April fool? KFC offering Sanjaya a lifetime supply of KFC Famous Bowls® if he sports a bowl cut on Idol?

Mixner: Pakistan should scare the hell out of you.

AfterElton talks to Joe and Bill (aka Team Guido), the latest team to get knocked off The Amazing Race: "From that first season, we got vilified, and that caused a lot of problems within the gay community. We've never really been accepted like Reichen and Chip were because they were in a different genre than we were. Being a villain is a hard thing, personally, to go through. We thought we were lovable, believe it or not. After that experience, we thought, 'Okay, at least we got on.'"

New Orleans set to court gay travelers with new guide.

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News: Louisiana Sinking, Celebrity Worship, Swiss Gay Union, HX

First same-sex couple to tie the knot in Switzerland are 89 and 60 years old, and have been together for 30 years. They registered their partnership on Tuesday in Locarno in the southern Swiss state of Ticino. Said one witness: "It was very moving. At some point I think we all had tears in our eyes."

Angelina Jolie is the Virgin Mary, Wal-Mart is place of worship in new painting.

Louisiana may have bigger problems than broken levees. Researchers say that much of south Louisiana is slowly sliding into the Gulf of Mexico: "The southward movement, the study says, is triggered by deep underground faults slipping under the enormous weight of sediment dumped by the Mississippi River. The slippage, though, is confined to a large egg-shaped area approximately 250 miles long and 180 miles wide that encompasses the delta of the Mississippi, which was built up by river deposits over the past 8,000 years, the report says."

REPORT: New York's HX magazine fires entire sales staff.

Grace period over: Megan Mullally talk show cancelled.

Celestial shower: objects enter atmosphere in dazzling display over Denver.

SURVEY: Gays use social networking sites, visit blogs more than straights. "Some 33 percent of LGB adults surveyed said they used MySpace, with heterosexual users only reaching 28 percent. The figures for Facebook were even at 11 percent each, while Friendster attracted 11 percent of LGB respondents compared with 4 percent of heterosexual respondents. Twenty-seven percent of LGB adult internet users said they visit YouTube.com for at least one hour or less per week, compared with 22 percent of all heterosexual respondents. Meanwhile, almost one in four LGB internet users said they visit blog websites, compared to 12 percent of heterosexuals, with more than one in three LGB visitors seeking out their favourite blogs every day."

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The Brady Quinn Flex and Stretch

Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn stretches a lucky teammate in preparation for their game against LSU in the Sugar Bowl at New Orleans' Superdome tomorrow night. The game is Quinn's last chance to show he's a worthy #1 NFL draft pick.

You may have missed...
Heisman Trophy Awarded to Ohio State Quarterback Troy Smith [tr]
Brady Quinn: College Football's Current Pin-up [tr]
Sportrait: Brady Quinn [tr]

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Model Home: New Orleans Structure Built Using Studs

Who said male models could only stand around and look pretty? Twenty-five of them boarded a bus recently in New York City and headed to New Orleans to rebuild a house for a family who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina.

In conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, the boys (including pretty boy Chad White) spent a week putting a home together, and looked good doing it.

Two more shots after the jump. More at the Model Home Project website.

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Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke Online

Over at YouTube you'll find the entire Spike Lee 4-hour documentary on Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke, online in 26 parts. I'm not sure how long it will be up, so if you're interested in watching the whole thing, I'd get started. While I found the documentary to be somewhat uneven, parts of it were incredibly moving.

In this clip (#9), starting at about the two-minute mark, there's a clip that leads up to President Lyndon B. Johnson's response to Hurricane Betsy back in 1965 (strangely enough — September 11, 1965) at the five-minute mark. When compared to Johnson's response, our current President's response appears shameful, which, of course, it was.

The entire segment is worth a watch.

(via boingboing)

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News: Ann Coulter Says Neigh, DJ Addict, Katrina

DJ Junior Vasquez comes clean on his past days as a crystal meth addict: “It would be all over the DJ booth, scattered all over the records."

A horse of a different Coulter? San Francisco Zoo caught up in Republican pundit horse-naming scandal.

Sir Laurence Olivier's widow, actress Joan Plowright was recently asked what she thought about her late husband's rumored homosexual affairs, to which she replied: "I don't think there is any need to defend his memory. His performances, his greatness as an artist are there. If a man is touched by genius he is not an ordinary person. He does not lead an ordinary life. He has extremes of behaviour which you understand and you just find a way not to be swept overboard by his demons. Such men are also normally attended by demons. And he would fight to overcome those demons. Sometimes he would and sometimes he wouldn't."

Scientists discover molecule that tricks cancer cells into dying.

Think Progress looks at the hard facts concerning post-Katrina New Orleans.

Manchester City football club is reaching out to its gay fans: "The club said it wanted to send a welcoming message to gay, lesbian and bisexual supporters, be inclusive and be a progressive employer. Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill described Man City's decision as a 'significant step' for English football. He said: 'Manchester City should be congratulated for putting their head above the parapet and moving into the 21st century.'"

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A Look Back at Hurricane Katrina

It's been nearly a year since Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. This weekend, AP reported (and this one's a shocker folks) that "the federal government has proven slow and unreliable in keeping the president's promises" to supply aid to the region.

For example, NPR reports that the home of 74-year-old Ethel Williams, which Bush promised in an April 2006 photo-op would be rebuilt, still sits untouched. Says Williams: "[W]e all disappointed because nothing’s been done."

Is anyone surprised?

Tonight, the first part of Spike Lee's documentary, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, premieres on HBO from 9-11. The second part airs tomorrow evening. In it, Lee reports on the city of New Orleans and key figures surrounding the government's inept response to the natural disaster. Some, like Ray Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, talk. Others, like Homeland Security Chief and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, wouldn't. La Times writer Patrick Goldstein notes that Lee goes after Rice with particular interest ("When you're going to buy shoes while people are standing on the rooftops, waving brooms, you're part of the problem...").

Said Lee: "I just hope people come away from this film realizing this disaster didn't just happen to dumb-ass people who wanted to live below sea level. This was about the choices of our government. The National Guard was in Iraq, not in New Orleans."

The LA Times reports that Lee is not too favorable toward Mayor Ray Nagin either: "Even though Lee is often critical of Nagin, the film largely portrays him as an irrepressible New Orleans politico, especially when he recounts taking his first post-Katrina shower on Bush's plush Air Force One, which he describes as the ultimate 'pimp mobile.'"

Nagin recently slammed the Feds at a meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists in Indianapolis:

"Very little of those dollars have gotten to the local governments or to the people themselves. We are being strangled, and they're using the money to set local policies to try to take control of the city to do things that they had in mind all along, and that's to shrink the footprint, get a bunch of developers in the city, and try to do things in a different way. We're not going to let that happen. They're going to give us our money, and we're going to rebuild this city."

So what does Labor Day hold in store for us this year? Last year, while watching the parade of reactions on national news to the lack of movement from our government, it was hard to believe what we were seeing. A city being virtually ignored, left to die. A year later there are no bodies left sitting outside the Superdome but that city must still stink of tragedy.

Celine Dion's appearance on Larry King Live.

TOP PHOTO: A flyer stapled to a telephone pole on the streets of Provincetown, Massachusetts, July 2006.

Bush’s Empty Promises: Katrina Victims Still Waiting For Homes To Be Rebuilt [think progress]
Eye of Hurricane Spike [la times]

Previously
Katrina Updates [tr]

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Football: New Orleans Saints Enjoy Water Sports

Members of the New Orleans Saints took a break from their training yesterday in the sultry heat of Mississippi. Of course, this is the pro version of the college football bonding exercise. Here, tight end Tim Euhus and defensive end Rob Ninkovich (after the jump) shoot the flume.

You may have missed...
Wet, Big, and Sudsy: College Football Male Bonding [tr]

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Gang of Drag Queen Thieves Targets New Orleans Shops

I've heard reports of lawlessness in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina, but this is just bizarre. A gang of six-foot-plus men in drag who are allegedly "drug-addicted and fearless in their lust for designer shoes, jackets and jewelry" have been robbing shops in the city's Lower Garden District.

Salesman Eric Ogle: "They’re fearless. Once they see something they like they won’t stop until they have it. They don’t care, they’ll go to jail. It’s really gotten bad. You know it’s ridiculous when everyone on the block knows who they are. They come in groups of three or four. One tries to distract you while the others get the stuff and run out the door. It’s very simple. They’re all very skinny and very flamboyant."

Shopowners have not been receiving much help from the police, so they have created a “Drag Queen Alert List" and distributed it to businesses in the area. When signs that the drag queen gang is afoot, shops begin calling each other, warning them of the impending danger.

The owner of a shop called Trashy Diva describes how the drag queens threw her to the ground and tossed a mannequin on top of her: "...They think they’re women so they don’t mind hitting women, but they’re dudes. If you get hit by one it’s like getting hit by a dude. ... Because the police are so poorly staffed, we’re kind of on our own but the system we have seems to be working. I haven’t seen them in at least a week but they’ll be back. They’re never gone for long."

Not to make light of an ugly situation, but perhaps next time she should try ripping their wigs off.

Transvestite gang pesters Magazine Street [new orleans city business]

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