Tourists running naked through the streets of Barcelona have sparked protests from local residents fed up with “tourists who do whatever they want”.Not really sure what the problem is here. I mean… if guys like these want to run around naked I'd probably follow them.
Tourists often outnumber the city’s 1.6 million residents, with 7.4 million visiting in 2012. Read more
Photo: Vicens Forner
You go, girl
Saturday, January 5, 2013, 4:00 AM
Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai waves as she is discharged from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Image © DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS : Opinion -- The image of young Malala Yousafzai walking out of a British hospital Thursday was a tonic for the soul.
In October, Taliban thugs in rural Pakistan tried to assassinate Malala, then 14, with gunfire. They loathed her for advocating the right of girls to get an education.
To the retrogrades of the Taliban, the notion of modern women thriving in a modern world is a threat. So they pumped bullets into the girl's head and neck, hoping to put an end to what they called her “obscenity.”
Not only did they fail to kill Malala, the world rallied around her cause, with thousands upon thousands in Pakistan rising in condemnation.
After initial care in Pakistan, where a bullet was removed from her skull, Malala was flown to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
In the beginning, it was touch and go. Now, supported by family, she will be treated as an outpatient — and the world is blessed by the smiling face of an extraordinary young heroine.
“Wayne Local School District Board of Education had the right to limit clothing with sexual slogans, especially in light what was then a highly charged atmosphere, in order to protect its students and enhance the educational environment. Consequently, the high school principal was well within the bounds of his authority to request that the student remove his T-shirt and refrain from wearing the T-shirt in the future.”Last month Lambda Legal sued the Wayne Local School District on Maverick’s behalf, contending the district was violating the teen’s First Amendment right to free speech.
CINCINNATI — A gay student whose high school prohibited him from wearing a T-shirt designed to urge tolerance of gays is suing the school, saying it's violating his freedom of expression rights.
The mother of 16-year-old Maverick Couch filed the federal lawsuit on his behalf against Wayne Local School District and its Waynesville High School principal. Couch, a junior at the southwest Ohio high school, has been threatened by school officials with suspension if he wears the shirt, which bears the message “Jesus Is Not a Homophobe,” the lawsuit says. Officials at the public school told him the shirt is “sexual in nature” and is inappropriate there, it says.
Couch said Tuesday that he wants to wear the shirt at school on April 20 to show support for the Day of Silence, an annual event held nationally for students to draw attention to the silencing of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students through bullying and harassment.
“I've been bullied and called names, and I wanted to wear this shirt to promote respect for all students, gay or straight,” Couch said by telephone.
The lawsuit charges that the actions of officials in the school district, a 45-minute drive northeast of Cincinnati, violate Couch's constitutional rights, including the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and the Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection under the law. It asks the U.S. District Court to order school officials to allow Couch to wear the shirt and to pay him unspecified “nominal” damages and attorneys' fees.
District Superintendent Patrick Dubbs said Tuesday that he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on specifics, but he said he was “disappointed that it has gotten to this point.” A message left for Waynesville High School Principal Randy Gebhardt was not immediately returned.
Couch said Tuesday that he wore the shirt, which also bears the image of a rainbow-colored fish similar to a religious symbol used by Christians, last April and was told by the principal to turn it inside out. He said he complied but was told when he tried to wear it again that he would be suspended.
The civil rights group Lambda Legal, which is assisting Couch in the lawsuit, said it sent the principal a letter in January supporting Couch's right to wear the shirt. The district's response was that the message on the shirt is “sexual in nature and therefore indecent and inappropriate in a school setting,” the lawsuit says.
Couch also said that he was told by school officials on other occasions that the shirt would be disruptive and that it was too religious.
“I don't think it's sexual or indecent,” Couch said. “I am just trying to stand up for who I am and for what I believe in.”
Lambda Legal attorney Christopher Clark said Couch tried to reach a solution without going to court but school officials would not cooperate.
“Schools should be in the business of educating students about First Amendment freedoms,” Clark said, “not trampling on their right to express themselves.”
The high school has more than 500 students in grades 9 through 12, according to its website.
While it makes me feel somewhat traitorous to my community I do not agree with what this teen and his Mother are doing.
The attorney's assertion at the end is inaccurate. Public schools are not in the business of fostering activism… they are there to educate our children. I assume the charge of "indecency" comes from some sort of rurally-awkard christian morality. It is not indecent. It is, however, religious and incendiary. And a teen who complains of bullying shouldn't be wearing it.
That's where the real problem lies: Couch should never have been made to feel he had to wear this tee-shirt. The fairness and equity provided by law can step in to address being marginalized, terrorized, and brutalized.
While individual identity is important and undoubtedly part of the teenage maturation process, it must be balanced with respect for shared company in the common pursuit of learning. And that sort of respect for others is important for continued success out in the "real world."
 |  |
| The Beginning of the End There must be a way to isolate and inhibit the breeding impulse. We must break through the 10% barrier. | Coming In for a Landing The mothership hovers effortlessly above the Travolta Prime Dome. |
Had to take some pictures for another … project … and sorta liked this one. I love that shirt. Reminds me of my hardcore raving days and Thayne calling me a tank. I suppose there's some war over-tones. Wonder if people think I'm an activist. If so, what am I trying to say?Rained On
I think my DSL modem is dying. Gave it a few restarts, bypassed the router, and switched cables—no help. Tech support at Qwest closes at a reasonable time so I was left to my own devices. Started a DVD.
Then there was rain on the window. Not gentle… forceful. Demanding. With streaks of light as a backdrop followed by peals of rumbling in the distance. Suddenly it was time to be outside. So I dressed in unusable clothing then headed out the door.
Upon reaching the patio came the reality of the downpour. This wasn't something that people in their right minds would walk out in. It was the forceful rain that leaves patterns on the street, dancing waves. I moved out of the direct light to where I could smell the damp mustiness of dead cigarettes. Leaned back against a pillar and closed my eyes to better take in the sound. Two more bolts of lightning later, I couldn't remain motionless. So I was off.
Having so little hair made the coldness of the rain immediate. The reflected street light made the moving water look inches deep when there wasn't even a centimeter. I walked lightly without reason.
As I rounded the newly massive next door condominiums, I darted in under awnings when I could. Passing the entry it was too well-lit to stop as I'd look like a vagrant. So I continued on to the light that shortly changed in my favor. The bridge was well illuminated yet still shadowy. I walked without a care to the first overlook. Facing towards Hennepin Bridge I looked out over the river. The play of light across the ripples left odd patterns… like moving cave paintings that slowly swirled towards me.
A few cars passed behind me but they were easy to tune out. Bolts would arc across the sky in front of me, then head to the northwest. I stretched out my arms, tilted my head back, then took it all in. More muted light would flash over my eye lids. The rain neither lessened nor grew, but I was immune.
Leaning forward to break the reverie, it wasn't scary looking down at the pumps below. Darkness makes everything safe by being indistinct. I asked the storm why Michael wasn't here. Waiting patiently for whispers on the wind, I watched more sparks fly across the sky.
Receiving no words, I noticed a creeping cold start to pierce my shoes. Time to head back. Now that I was returning to safety, the rain was letting up. No more patterns fighting for my attention. Typical.Was up to my building in no particular hurry. An intern came in after me. She had the tell-tale greens on that took away from the concerned look she had on her face. I would have been dismayed to get on an elevator with a soaking-wet, crazy-looking person. But it was her problem, not mine. I smiled inwardly.
As the chemical drowsiness slowly enshrouds me, I can hear the storm has passed. Like life. So full of promise, only to fade while I was somewhere else.
