OPENING TODAY: The World Congress of Families hate conference: The biggest gathering of hateful bigots the U.S. has seen in quite some time, with Mark Regnerus, Jennifer Roback Morris, Brian Brown, Rick Scarborough, Frank Schubert, and other so-called “pro-family” activists (aka right-wing extremists). Also, Governor Herbert is speaking. SHAME.
TV: GLAAD has released its annual Where We Are on TV report: “Of the 881 regular characters expected to appear on broadcast primetime scripted programming in the coming year, 35 (4%) were identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. There were an additional 35 recurring LGB characters. The highest percentage of LGBT characters GLAAD has ever counted on primetime scripted broadcast programming was 4.4% in the 2012-13 season. The number of regular LGBT characters counted on cable increased from 64 to 84, while recurring characters increased from 41 to 58. For the first time, GLAAD counted LGBT characters on original series that premiered on Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix. GLAAD found 43 series regulars and 16 recurring LGBT characters across 23 series.”
INTERNATIONAL: A U.S. warship is trolling China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea: “The action taken by the U.S. warship has threatened China’s sovereignty and security interest, and has put the safety of personnel on the reefs in danger.”
POLITICS: Ted Cruz has a plan to pick off the competition: “The most encouraging thing I would say is that I think three of the lanes are collapsing into one, which is the evangelical lane, the conservative tea party lane, and the libertarian lane are all collapsing into the conservative lane and we’re seeing those lanes unify behind our campaign.”
BUSINESS: Apple is set to report earnings today. “Apple is the biggie of the day as the gadget maker has been lagging the performance of other major tech players since the market bottom Aug. 25. Apple is up 11.1% since the August low, but Google parent Alphabet is up 22.5% and online shopping giant Amazon.com is up 30.6%.”
CELEBRITY: Boy George wants to be more like Taylor Swift: “I really do love Taylor, I often think, ‘Not to self, behave more like Taylor Swift!’ It clearly f***ing works! She’s obviously doing something right, what’s she doing lets watch.”
CLIMATE: Persian Gulf to be intolerably hot by end of century: “The dangerously muggy summer conditions predicted for places near the warm waters of the Gulf could overwhelm the ability of the human body to reduce its temperature through sweating and ventilation.”
FITNESS: 1 in 3 gym users take drugs to lose weight: “More than 5% of people who regularly attend gyms have gone further by using the illegal stimulant amphetamine for this purpose, according to researchers from the University of Hertfordshire, who have presented their preliminary findings to MPs.”
HORROR: Woman dies in cryotherapy chamber: “Authorities with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration say they believe Ake was in the chamber for at least 10 hours. A police report says the 24-year old used the machine without any assistance and may have suffocated. Investigators ruled ‘operator error.'”
MUSIC: David Bowie has a new album coming out: “David Bowie has confirmed his new album will be called Blackstar and released on his 69th birthday on 8 January.”
THEATRE: Cher is working on a Broadway musical based on her life: “Yesterday, Cher added to the speculation by sharing that she will be working with JERSEY BOYS scribe Rick Ellice on the project.”
ICYMI: Russian submarines are hovering suspiciously near underwater global internet cables. “While there is no evidence yet of any cable cutting, the concern is part of a growing wariness among senior American and allied military and intelligence officials over the accelerated activity by Russian armed forces around the globe.”
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