Abisko Ark Hotel: Few Amenities But a Great View

This is part of the latest hotel to open in northern Sweden, the Abisko Ark hotel. It's made up of a few huts in the middle of Lake Tornetrask, three kilometers out where the ice is a meter and a half thick. The main purpose of the hotel? To view the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights as some call it.

"Guests are expected to bring essentials such as thermal underwear, fleeces and woolly hats, but the hotel provides thick outerwear and heavy snowmobile boots. From a distance the huts look anything but substantial. With a pitched roof, a small window and narrow door, they squat on the snow-covered ice like dark blemishes. But they are more than a match for the elements, constructed of double-skinned pine and plywood with a thick layer of insulation in between, and kept warm with propane heaters. Each is about six metres square and sleeps three comfortably on single beds. The best part is that by each bed is a resealable hole in the wooden floor, allowing guests to fish from the comfort of their down-filled sleeping bags."

The writer of this piece took on the lights completely naked. For those like him, there's a sauna and hot tub waiting.

(Gallery)

Ice, Fire, and a Free Light Show [the observer]
(via bldg blog)

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News: Son of JFK, Kevin Rudd, Alabama, Writer's Strike

Australia issues official apology for mistreating Aborigines: "Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told parliament that past policies of assimilation, under which aboriginal children were taken from their families to be brought up in white households, were a stain on the nation's soul. 'Today, the parliament has come together to right a great wrong,' Rudd said. 'We apologize for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.'"

Yep, that's a look of pure hate if I've ever seen one.

Brad Pitt to renege on promise that he would not be getting married until gay people can?

Back to TV: The writer's strike is officially over!

Brazilian gay rights leader Alexandre Peixe dos Santos bashed: "gagged, hooded and beaten by an unknown number of attackers."

London to host 2009 European gay rugby Union Cup: Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, said: 'The tournament will provide a platform to introduce lesbian and gay sport to new audiences.' The first Union Cup was held in 2005 in Montpellier, France and then in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2007."

Man claims to be JFK's son, wants DNA TEST from Kennedy clan.

Scottish police station hoists rainbow flag. Chief Inspector: "The contribution of LGBT people is often forgotten or ignored. It's great the police is able to recognise those efforts. It sends out the message of support to staff members and the wider public that the force is committed to diversity and equality. I'm sad if some people are unhappy about the flag for religious reasons, but I know many religious people who do not feel it goes against their faith and they are very supportive."

Court orders $3100 fine for Swedish kennel owner who refused to sell a puppy to a woman because she was a lesbian.

Hod: Jewish Orthodox gay group's web presence is born: "We are being watched with a magnifying glass right now. We have to be careful not to ruin our relations with the Orthodox establishment. Besides, we are not at the stage where we can express our opinions about same-sex partnerships and families. Our battles are at a much more elementary level. We are trying to convince rabbis, educators, lay leaders and even the general public that homosexuality is not a mental sickness."

CLASSY: Paparazzi snaps Michelle Williams beside skeleton on first day back from Heath Ledger funeral.

Patron turned away from South African gay bar because of his race.

Birth of gay group at University of Alabama remembered with exhibition: "25 years later, a collection of everything relating to the group — papers, posters, letters, shirts — has been donated to the university's archives. 'No school is fully represented by its official records. We need the unofficial record, too,' said Clark Center, curator of the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library. 'The collection is important in that it represents a student group's activities and their intersection with the wider world.' The collection was gathered by Josh Burford, who was approached about a year ago by students wanting to research homosexuals in Tuscaloosa for a paper in his class on modern gay America. By calling on past faculty advisors and members of the group, he was able to collect boxes of papers still kept in basements and offices."

Listen to Mariah Carey's new track "Touch My Body".

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Swede Charged in Gay Man's Murder May be Online Serial Killer

Swedish authorities who arrested a man in Stockholm for the attempted murder of a gay man he arranged to meet online now say that the man is suspected of at least one other gay man's death:

"The man, 35, has been charged with killing a 45-year-old man in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm, police say. The victim's body was found on Monday, but Mikael Ekman of Stockholm Police said he was killed on 28th December. Ekman also revealed that the man had previous convictions for attacks on gay people. 'The man picks out homosexual victims, but I do not know whether the 45-year-old was homosexual,' Ekman said. The victim was found bound and stabbed to death in his apartment after colleagues reported that he had not turned up to work. The suspected killer was arrested on Monday on suspicion of robbing and attempting to kill at gay man in an apartment in the Södermalm district of Stockholm. 'We suspect that this is a hate crime. When you meet on the internet, arrange a meeting at someone's home and when one party after a pleasant interlude tries to kill the other, then it is regarded as a hate crime,' Ekman said. The suspect has confessed to being at the apartment in Södermalm and admitted holding the knife."

According to The Local, the man arrested was previously imprisoned for nearly two years for another assault on a gay man with a lit cigarette and a knife which he threatened to slice through his victim's spine.

In mid-December, a prominent Swedish politician, MP Fredrick Federley, was targeted in an unrelated anti-gay attack by a group of men in central Stockholm.

Man charged with brutal gay hate attacks [the local]

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Andreas Lundstedt of Pop Group Alcazar Reveals He is HIV Positive

Andreas Lundstedt, the lead singer of the Swedish pop-disco group Alcazar, has revealed to QX magazine that he is HIV positive.

The Local reports: "Rumours that he was infected had been circulating in music circles for a number of years, but until now Lundstedt had kept his diagnosis to himself. He told QX that he was revealing his status now because 'I feel I am at the right stage in my life.' Lundstedt is the first Swedish entertainment star since the eighties to admit publicly to being HIV positive. He said the strain of the virus with which he was infected is not as aggressive as some other strains. 'I’m lucky in that I don’t need to swallow masses of tablets,' he said, adding: 'I feel great. This is nothing that affects my daily life.' The singer said he did not know who infected him and had never felt a need to know. He told his then-boyfriend immediately following the diagnosis. None of Lundstedt’s partners since then have been infected, including current partner Mattias, he said. Among his ex-boyfriends is former Alcazar band-mate Magnus Carlsson."

Alcazar's European breakthrough hit was "Crying at the Discotheque". They also achieved success here in the U.S. with "This is The World We Live In" and a more recent remake of Human League's "Don't You Want Me".

(image and news via a swede in sf)

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Swedish Politician Assaulted in Anti-Gay Attack

Gay Swedish MP Fredrick Federley was assaulted in central Stockholm over the weekend, The Local reports:

"The assault took place at the Klara Grillen hot dog stand on Drottninggatan, where Federley went with two acquaintances after leaving the Pigalle nightclub. But as they approached their destination, six or seven men in their twenties began shouting 'here come the fags'."

Said Federley: "Then they screamed that we were disgusting and a threat to Sweden and that they were going to beat us up."

According to The Local, "Just as he tried to convince his assailants that fighting was a bad idea, he was struck with a punch to the left jaw. 'I calmly told them that I wasn't going to fight, as that would make me no better than them,' said Federley. He then received three more blows before one of the gang managed to control the most aggressive member. Federley was sore and shaken on Monday. It was the first time he had been assaulted because of his sexuality, he said, although several friends had been the victims of similar attacks. 'I'm more shaken now than I was then. It could have ended really badly,' he said."

Federley assaulted in homophobic attack [the local]
Swedish politician assaulted for being gay [upi]

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News: Marc Jacobs, Skeletons, FEMA, Kentucky, Tori Amos, Uganda

FEMA official resigns over fake press conference, lands "amazing" job to head public affairs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Photographer Patrick Gries looks at the beauty of bones in Paris exhibit.

Daniel Craig returning for four more Bond films.

Brightening comet thrills astronomers.

Hundreds turn out for first gay pride festival in Galveson, Texas: "While some in the area had voiced concerns about lewd behavior at such an event, those booths offered only such things as crafts and information on civil rights and spirituality. Harbor Metropolitan Community Church had one of the booths, where church volunteers offered literature on acceptance and love for all. The Rev. Pat Farnin said her congregation on the island was growing, and she anticipated the festival would do likewise, should it become an annual tradition."

Celebs hit Wiltern Theater in L.A. for Matthew Shepard Honors.

back same-sex marriage. The Christian Democrats are the only holdouts.

Virginia State GOP and Republican State Senator James J. "Jay" O'Brien Jr. send out homophobic flyer warning of Democratic opponent's platform: "George Barker wants to take time away from core academic subjects like math, science, and reading to teach children to accept the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Lifestyle (GLBT)."

Marc Jacobs goes blueberry for Halloween.

40 minutes with Tori Amos.

Historic gay rights meeting held in Uganda. Pastor: "Never before has there been such a far reaching well organised and professional gay public debate in this country."

Introducing the new gay stereotype.

Kentucky court rules that high school student can "pursue nominal damages" from his school district over anti-harassment training given to students: "The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the Boyd County school district's policy provided a 'chill' on student Timothy Allen Morrison's ability to profess his Christian beliefs and opposition to homosexuality. The ruling sends the case back to U.S. District Judge David Bunning for a hearing on damages. Judge Karen Nelson Moore, joined by Judge John R. Adams, wrote that the allegation of a policy stifling free speech is enough to allow Morrison to seek damages. To make his case, the judges said, Morrison must show that the policy would 'deter a person of ordinary firmness' from exercising free speech rights. Joel Oster, an attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale, Ariz., Christian law group that represented Morrison, said the ruling has left him 'ecstatic.'...'It's everything we could have hoped for,' Oster said. 'This vindicates our client's constitutional rights.'"

Meet the recycled World Trade Center. (warning: site NSFW)

Journal of Urban Health STUDY: 1 in 3 gay men report being abused in a relationship. "The study is published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Urban Health. McKirnan and graduate student Eric Houston studied surveys filled out by 817 men through the Howard Brown Health Center, which primarily serves the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community from its North Side (Chicago) location. More than 32 percent of the men reported experiencing verbal, physical or sexual abuse in an intimate relationship. Just under 20 percent said they were physically or sexually abused. As with women, poorly educated and low-income men were more likely to be victims. However, minorities did not show higher rates of abuse."

More hearings held on New Jersey civil unions. Verdict: they're falling short.

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Vandals Document Destruction of Andres Serrano Exhibit

On Friday, four "Social Nationalists" in Sweden took it upon themselves to destroy works by Afro-Cuban artist Andres Serrano, the artist known for his controversial 1989 work "Piss Christ", because they deemed it degenerate. The works destroyed were part of an exhibition in Lund, Sweden, called "The History of Sex".

The vandalism was documented by the attackers and posted on the internet (above).

The NYT reports: "No guards were on duty in the gallery, said Viveca Ohlsson, the show’s curator, although security videos captured much of the incident. 'There was one woman who works at the gallery who tried to stop them until she saw the axes and crowbars,' Ms. Ohlsson said. 'These men are dangerous.' By the time the masked men had finished, half the show — seven 50-by-60-inch photographs, worth some $200,000 over all — had been destroyed. The men left behind leaflets reading, 'Against decadence and for a healthier culture.' The fliers listed no name or organization."

The vandals have not yet been apprehended. Police say they are likely neo-Nazis.

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News: Marc Jacobs, Sweden, Lance Bass, Astroglide

Same-sex marriage in Sweden closer to reality? "Sweden’s three opposition parties, the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left Party have put forward a motion in the Swedish Parliament to allow gay marriages. There is wide support in the parliament for the move, with the only party against the plans the Christian Democrats. They are also in a minority in the government, with three out of four of the ruling parties also in favour, but the Christian Democrat’s opposition means the government is unable to put forward a motion itself."

Marc Jacobs strips again for the cover of Arena Homme +

Astroglide: Barbara Walters reportedly gave sexual lubricant recommendations to Rosie O'Donnell.

Lance Bass in shouting match with companion outside NYC's Barracuda bar: "He was creating a commotion, and then he and Lance took it outside. They fought outside, screaming at the top of their lungs."

Memorial held in NYC for gay club icon Dean Johnson. Friend: "I never felt as comfortable as a straight guy in a world where I wasn’t supposed to be than with Dean. When I met Dean, I realized what being free is all about. He never judged anybody, and he never cared about being judged."

It's Britney's video, bitch!

Condoleezza Rice's female friend Randy Bean, with whom she owns a house in Palo Alto, California, responds to rumors that the two women are a couple: "Condi and I have been friends for 25 years. We co-own an investment property in Palo Alto. We do not share a home."

On the planning of an LGBT Wedding magazine.

Responding to GLAAD, the New York Post apologizes for calling a transgender person a She-Male.

SLOG's Dan Savage talks to Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report.

The Provincetown hate crimes have caught the attention of Boston's newsweekly The Phoenix.

Here's the Nan Goldin photograph, "Klara and Edda Belly Dancing", that was seized by police from a show of Elton John's collection. Elton shuttered the gallery exhibition due to the investigation, which alleges the photograph breaches child pornography laws.

Gay foster parent ban may hit the 2008 ballot in Arkansas: "Attorney General Dustin McDaniel approved an initiative Thursday, which will allow supporters of the ban to collect signatures in support of placing the issue on a ballot. Now that their initiative has been approved, the Family Council Action Committee must collect at least 78-thousand votes in order to get their proposal on the 2008 ballot. It was struck down by the state Supreme Court in 2006 and failed in the state legislature during the 2007 session, so proponents of a ban on gay and unmarried foster parents decided to take the issue to the voters. After one failed attempt in September, the Family Council Action Committee got their initiative approved on Thursday."

Recent paparazzi photos of Jennifer Aniston and Orlando Bloom in Mexico which sparked relationship rumors have a backstory: they were at the 'gay power wedding' of friends Luc Brinker and Todd Diener in Mexico.

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News: Mitt Romney, Gordon Brown, Sweden, Big Brother, Morrissey

New British Prime Minister Gordon Brown appoints openly gay man, Spencer Livermore, director of political strategy at 10 Downing Street: "The 31-year-old has unrivalled access to the new Prime Minister and will play a key role in shaping the direction of the Brown government. Mr Livermore was ranked seven in this year's Independent Pink List, making him the most powerful gay person in UK politics."

They're not going: Jennifer Holliday and Jennifer Hudson are BFFs.

Al Gore takes lead over other Democratic candidates in hypothetical New Hampshire poll.

Sweden may soon adopt "gender neutral" marriage legislation, allowing same-sex couples to not only marry legally but to do so within a major church. Pastor Arne Wikstroem of the Oscars parish: "If today we are blessing homosexuals, I see no reason not to celebrate gay marriages. I think all people are equal before God. And no man is unholy or unblessed. We are all equal and all need God's blessings in our lives. If God has created people as homosexuals, we must accept them and we must bless them."

Still ill: Morrissey down with throat infection, cancels tour dates.

Britney Spears was expected to join the True Colors tour at its stop in Los Angeles but canceled when she found out a small but important detail — she would actually have to sing.

On 1983, vacation, Mitt Romney scared the shit out of his dog...literally: "The incident: dog excrement found on the roof and windows of the Romney station wagon. How it got there: Romney strapped a dog carrier — with the family dog Seamus, an Irish Setter, in it — to the roof of the family station wagon for a twelve hour drive from Boston to Ontario, which the family apparently completed, despite Seamus's rather visceral protest."

20-year-old receives a designer kiss.

Andre Jackson the East Side High School student at the center of the gay yearbook kiss controversy, graduates.

Elton John planning massive Las Vegas charity bash...in England: "Elton is hoping that his friends will enjoy tonight and remember it as their best invite of the year. He wants it to be an enjoyable night for all of his closest friends, so he thought came up with the idea of Las Vegas. He has invested in getting roulette wheels, croupiers, slot machines and generally re-enacting the atmosphere of Las Vegas, and he has got his entire celebrity guest list waiting to turn up."

Bangkok nightclub faces boycott after refusing entry to a transvestite. Management: "What happened on Saturday night was regrettable but was most definitely not part of the CM2 nightclub entry policy, nor was it supported by its management."

CBS announces Big Brother 8 cast, reveals photos of new house.

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News: Tammy Faye, Moscow Mayor, Paris Hilton, Gay Football

Homophobic Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov invited to Gay Pride in Stockholm by Swedish politicians: "'It is enormously important that (Russia) moves in the right direction and respects human rights. Being homosexual belongs to those rights,' said Liberal Party member Lotta Edholm, one of the co-signers...They invited Luzhkov to attend the gay pride parade in Stockholm on Aug. 4 "in order for you to see the power of love." Edholm said there had been no immediate reply from the mayor."

Tammy Faye Messner speaks about cancer: "I would say I'm in pain almost 100 percent of the time. My back hurts, so I had to go to a wheelchair. And I have a very bad tummy all the time. When they said there's nothing more we can do, for just about a minute I felt sorry for myself, had my little pity party. Then I said, 'I've got somebody bigger than the doctors, I know the Lord, Jesus Christ, and he can do something for it.' He's the only one that can, and so I just trust Him every day. Today I want you to remember: You can't go forward, looking in the rear view mirror, yesterday is gone, you cannot put a broken egg back together again so don't spend your energy trying."

Yahoo! profiles gay blogger Mike Rogers of BlogActive: "Rogers is a muckraking gay blogger who uses his insider's knowledge of Washington politics and broad blanket of contacts to 'out' gay politicos — but only, he says, if they are undermining gay rights."

Glastonbury Festival line-up announced: "The Who, The Killers and Arctic Monkeys will be headlining on the Pyramid Stage during the three-day event. Among the more than 200 acts listed are Rufus Wainwright, Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, The Gossip, Paul Weller, Chemical Brothers and Shirley Bassey. The festival, which starts on 22 June, will be the largest yet, with an extended capacity of 177,500."

Gay British pop star Marc Almond returns...

Travolta lauded for Hairspray.

Hotscots FC, Scotland's first gay football team forms: "Kevin Rowe set up Hotscots FC, which now has around 20 players, in February and he already has set his sights on the gay World Cup in 2008 in London. The 34-year-old, of Leith Walk, played for the Yorkshire Terriers before moving to Edinburgh last year to work as a fundraiser for the Scottish SPCA. A keen footballer since his school days, he said some gay players felt 'uncomfortable' and had suffered discrimination in other teams. He said: 'It's for gay people who like football, but who feel a little intimidated playing in straight teams. The social side is very important.'"

The NYT makes a visit to eccentric artist Hunt Slonem's Louisiana plantation house: "Mr. Slonem says that one morning he went swimming and saw faces looking at him from the trees, and a psychic friend later identified them as slaves who died in an epidemic. He’s also seen a woman in a blue antebellum dress passing through. He says that not only do these old houses choose you, but somehow you are metaphysically adopted by all the families that lived in them before, and those people tell you what they think."

State Department orders website to remove photos of new luxe $592 million embassy in Iraq: "According to news reports, 'Some U.S. officials acknowledged that damage may have been done by the postings and used expletives to describe their personal reactions.' But it is unclear whether the damage was done to security or public relations. (Aerial images of the embassy can be easily obtained from sites like Google Maps.) The real damage of these images comes from bolstering the perception of a long-term U.S. occupation. While Americans will be living in posh quarters, the citizens of Baghdad are currently surviving with just 5.6 hours of electricity a day. Baghdad was also recently rated the world’s worst city in which to live."

Bill O'Reilly on Mitt Romney: "He’s got the jaw going on, the little gray thing in there. And I think that means a lot in America."

Paris Hilton's prison cell revealed.

Researchers find traces of cocaine and pot in the air pollution of Rome: "The results found that in Rome, there were traces of cocaine and cannabis -- as well as nicotine, caffeine and benzopirene, which is commonly released in cigarette smoke and auto emissions."

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News: Hong Kong, Hugh Jackman, Wild Hog, Prince William

HIV surge among gay men in Hong Kong reflects increase in unsafe sex.

Massive wild hog shot in Alabama.

Is David Beckham getting cold feet about his move to L.A.?

Pet Shop Boys criticize Live Earth concerts, celebrity activists: "The Princess Diana concert is fair enough, but I feel more uneasy about the Al Gore thing. I've always been against the idea of rock stars lecturing people as if they know something the rest of us don't - it looks arrogant. It's not as if they have a private source of information. To state the obvious as if you are the only person that knows it is intellectually weak. Bono uses his celebrity but in doing so he increases his celebrity. I've never even totally convinced that the rest of U2 feel comfortable with that."

India's first gay arts festival opens with a whisper. More...

A day in the life of an Apple Genius.

Gay rights foes in Oregon begin signature campaign to repeal recently passed domestic partnership laws: "The social conservatives see it as a resumption of a battle that began in the November 2004 election, when Oregon voters adopted a constitutional ban on gay marriage. Others, however, say the issues are different this time around, and that public attitudes about gays and lesbians are shifting."

Woman struck by axe in homophobic attack.

Details: Who says all gay men are stylish? "Gay men, unlike supermodels and rock stars, have no more knack for looking good in pretty much anything than the rest of us. And while there might be (just barely) fewer gay rumors circulating about the painstakingly groomed, French-cuffed Ryan Seacrest than there are about the black-T-shirt-clad Simon Cowell, it's hardly risky for a straight man to demonstrate an appreciation for fashion these days. The Stylish Gay Man's days may be numbered. And when he dies, the playing field will be leveled. Entertainment-show hosts and best-dressed-list compilers will stop treating straight men who simply combed their hair and put on a well-cut suit as if they were paraplegics who just completed an Ironman. And the average gay man, saddled with unrealistic expectations for his personal presentation, will breathe a sigh of relief."

The cat who likes water.

Hugh Jackman can't keep his shirt on in Australia.

Big Brother Australia criticized for refusing to tell contestant about father's death: "Contestant Emma's father Raymond Cornell died last week and his funeral was held on Monday in Adelaide, but the 24-year-old is still unaware of his death. 'Will they break the news to her on air, for ratings?' World Vision chief Tim Costello said. 'This is patent ethical irresponsibility . . . she's only got one father and she'll suffer guilt and possibly resentment for the rest of her life.' Producers of Big Brother have refused to move from their position, stating that "it was the wish of the family" that Mr Cornell's death be kept from Emma."

New Zealand rallies to stamp out "gay panic" defense.

Prince William signs lease on a London bachelor pad.

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News: Ira Glass, Crying for Idols, Terry McMillan, UFO

The religious nutjobs don't want gays to adopt or care for foster children. Well, somebody oughta be monitoring the religious nutjobs a little bit better. Warning: GRAPHIC.

This American Life is coming to Showtime. Ira Glass: "We really want to make something that would be different from anything else on television. When you turn on the radio and hear our show, in five seconds you can tell it's our show. ... And we wanted to do the same thing for the television show."

The 18-day gap: "Researchers have discovered an 18-day gap in the 3,000 documents on the U.S. Attorney purge released this week by the Justice Department. The gap extends from mid-November to early December, 'which was a critical period as the White House and Justice Department reviewed, then approved, which U.S. attorneys would be fired while also developing a political and communications strategy for countering any fallout from the firings.'"

Jesse Metcalfe enters rehab for "alcohol issues".

The nation's first affordable housing development for HIV-infected, homeless and low-income gay, lesbian and transgender senior citizens will open its doors in Hollywood today: "The 104-unit Triangle Square development features covered parking, a pool, an open courtyard and an activity center. The nearly $21 million project was built by developer McCormack Baron Salazar and the nonprofit Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing."

Angelina Jolie heads home with new Vietnamese son, Pax.

Former Arizona governor tells Anderson Cooper he saw UFO. (via virtual matter)

Identity of American Idol crying girl revealed.

Barbara Boxer slaps down James Inhofe at Gore global warming hearings: "Would you agree to let the Vice President answer your questions?...You’re not making the rules. You used to when you did this. Elections have consequences. So I make the rules."

Sweden takes a step toward allowing gay marriages: "The Swedish proposal needs parliamentary approval but is expected to pass because gay marriage has widespread support in the Scandinavian country."

The fight goes on: Author Terry McMillan suing her gay former husband Jonathan Plummer for $40 million. Lawsuit: "The defendants conspired and formed a plan to threaten to humiliate and embarrass Terry McMillan, and violate her privacy and place her in harm's way, and threatened to damage her professional and personal standing in an attempt to extort monies from her."

FOX News needs to come out of the closet.

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News: Anderson Cooper, Gay Adoption, Mitt Romney, Bulges

Lesbian activist Aleta Fenceroy, who co-authored well-known gay newsletter Fenceberry with her longtime partner Jean Mayberry, passed away last week after a battle with cancer. A memorial will be held in Omaha, Nebraska on October 6. More details on this blog, set up in Aleta's memory.

Among those thanked in the liner notes for Scissor Sisters' new album Ta-Dah: Anderson Cooper.

Married gay couple becomes first to adopt child since same-sex marriage was legalized there. Spain also recently witnessed its first gay military wedding.

Accused pedophile Frederick George Rix threatens to sue gay former Rugby League star Ian Roberts for defamation based on testimony in Arron Light case; says Roberts "has contaminated every team he has played in with his 'homosexual filth'." Roberts recounted how he'd been brought to Rix following a groin injury in 1981: "Within minutes of massaging my legs you were fondling my penis. You had your hands going through the crease of my buttocks. You touched my anus. I jumped off the table when you fondled my penis and pulled my foreskin back. I was crawling up and down the table trying to put my costume on every two minutes."

McConaughey vs. Fox: The Battle of the Bulge.

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney says he must obey a court decision allowing a same-sex couple from Rhode Island to marry there, after a judge said there was nothing in Rhode Island's laws which specifically prohibits same-sex marriage. Said Romney: "I have to follow the law. This is a nation of laws, even if I don't like them."

Gay Pride parade in Durham, North Carolina attracts thousands: "Contrasting markedly with Saturday's aura of openness, some people marched in 1981 with bags over their heads because they feared losing their jobs if recognized."

Sweden sends gay Iranian home to possible execution.

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