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."
I spoke as honestly as I could, but some people believe my responses were not loving toward those in the gay community. That is not true. I can assuredly say that it's my life's mission to love all people.What he said was honest so I can respect that. It's the hypocrisy that I take umbrage with. As so many other Christians he doesn't see his “love” as conditional and judgmental—which is what Jesus opposed.
Californians to vote on legal weedAWESOME! Hopefully this will distract the fundamentalists enough to let me and my fellow deviants sneak in a few civil rights.
By Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writer, March 25, 2010: 1:25 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- It's official: Californians will decide whether legal marijuana should be used to plug the state's $20 billion budget gap.
California residents are expected to vote this year on whether legalization should be approved to raise nearly $1.4 billion in state revenue. That's based on an estimate from the State Board of Equalization, a tax administration agency.
"It would be another source of revenue for the state," said Anita Gore, spokeswoman for the board. The board has not issued an opinion on legalization as a means of easing the state's budget crisis, she added.
California Secretary Debra Brown confirmed on Wednesday that enough signatures had been collected to put AB 390, a marijuana legalization bill, on the ballot for Nov. 2. A press release from the secretary said that legalization proponents submitted 694,248 petition signatures for the bill, easily surpassing the required 433,791.
Unlike prior legislation that has passed in California and other states, this form of legalization is not restricted to medicinal use of marijuana.
The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, proposes that marijuana be regulated and taxed in a similar way to alcohol.
According to the bill, people would have to be 21 years or older "to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use." Californians would not be permitted to use the drug in public or within the presence of minors, and would not be allowed to possess it on school grounds.
Most importantly, as far as the budget gap is concerned, the bill stipulates that the drug would be subject to a sales tax. An additional retail fee of $50 would be imposed on every ounce that's sold.
The State Board of Equalization estimates that the state could raise $1.382 billion in annual tax revenues from legal marijuana. The figure is based on estimated revenue of $990 million from the retail fees and $392 million from sales taxes.
"With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense," Ammiano said in a press release when he first proposed the bill last year.
Ammiano was not immediately available for comment.
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Spokeswoman: Madonna and Guy Ritchie to divorceWonder if she'd marry a fag. I would so raise her kids and spend her money…
Oct. 15, 2008, 12:08 PM EST
LONDON (AP) -- Madonna and filmmaker Guy Ritchie will end their marriage after nearly eight years, the couple said in a joint statement Wednesday.
The couple asked the media to "maintain respect for their family at this difficult time," said the statement, e-mailed to The Associated Press by Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's publicist.
A financial settlement has not been agreed by the wealthy couple, who must also decide child custody issues.
In London, Ritchie's mother, Lady Amber Leighton, told reporters that the family wouldn't be making any statement.
Madonna and Ritchie, director of "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," married in December 2000 at a Scottish castle. The couple have two children: Rocco, 8, and David Banda, 3, who was adopted from Malawi in 2006. Madonna also has a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from her relationship with personal trainer Carlos Leon.
The couple are reportedly worth some $525 million, the bulk of that belonging to Madonna. Ritchie has an estimated $35 million fortune. They own homes in London, Los Angeles and New York, and a 1,200-acre retreat in Wiltshire, England.
Madonna is to perform concerts Wednesday and Thursday in Boston as her "Sticky and Sweet" tour continues. Ritchie's latest movie, "RocknRolla," recently opened to mixed reviews.
Lawyers said the couple would likely try to come to an agreement before heading to court.
"The judgment of the court would be to try and assess what they came in with and divide what they built up fairly equally," said David Allison, a lawyer with Family Law in Partnership, a London firm.
Ritchie's career has faltered during the marriage, while Madonna's songs, videos and concerts remain popular worldwide.
The needs of the couple's children will also be factored by the court, as they were in Britain's latest high-profile celebrity divorce, the battle between former Beatle Paul McCartney and model Heather Mills. In that case, McCartney and Mills fought over money and custody of their young daughter.
Mills received 24.3 million pounds in the divorce after four years of marriage.
"The needs of children figure quite highly, and that was one of the reasons Heather Mills got a gigantic amount of money, despite the fact that the bulk of Sir Paul's money was made before the marriage," Allison said.
The Sun newspaper splashed the split across its front page Wednesday under the headline: "We're Divorcing." It was the second time this year that the superstar couple's marriage has come under the media microscope. Over the summer, Madonna was linked — unfairly, she said — to the breakup of New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and his ex-wife Cynthia.
Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
'Star Trek' star to marry partnerSo sweet it makes me wanna set phasers on Kill. *snicker*
Tue Jun 17, 2008 2:26 PM ET
WEST HOLLYWOOD, California (AP) -- "Star Trek" star George Takai is ready to "live long and prosper" with his partner of 21 years.
Takai will marry 54-year-old Brad Altman on September 14th in Los Angeles.
The 71-year-old actor, known for his role as Sulu on the "Star Trek" sci-fi TV series, was the first to pay $70 for a marriage license in West Hollywood early Tuesday. The marriage license is good for 90 days.
Takai was jubilant, saying "it's going to be the only day like this in our lives and it is the only day like this in the history of America."
He told reporters and a swelling crowd outside the West Hollywood city auditorium "may equality live long and prosper."
The California Supreme Court has legalized same-sex marriage.
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
STOP SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN CALIFORNIAI just have to laugh. Like a virus, the gay will spread if we don't stop it now now now! It's always the purveyors of “Christ-like love” that go marching down the hate-filled warpath.
We've succeeded in the first phase of the most critical battle in the nation over the future of marriage. On Monday, the Secretary of State of California certified that we had the signatures necessary to get the California Marriage Amendment on the ballot. Thanks to the efforts of everyone who prayed, donated, volunteered, circulated or signed the California Marriage Amendment petition, the voters of California will have the chance to overrule our Supreme Court and protect marriage in our state.
But now we face an epic and historic battle over the future of marriage. It will affect us all, whether or not we live in California. If we don't pass the California Marriage Amendment you can be sure that same-sex couples will travel to California from other states, return to their own states and sue to overturn their home states' marriage laws. California is a pathway to same-sex marriage around the country and is the epicenter of the fight over the future of marriage in this country. It's as simple as that.
How will this impact you and your children and grandchildren?That's right! Right here in these United States!! Those Activist Judges gunna get the gays some marriage licenses then put God's head on stick out on the White House lawn. It would be just horrible for children trapped in the foster care cycle to find a loving home. Christ would never approve. Conditional love for all!
We know from the experience of other states that if we don't overturn this decision, there will be attacks on our beliefs, our religious institutions, and our civil rights.
For example, Christian adoption agencies could be ordered by law to treat same-sex unions just the same as marriages; Christian charities and schools could face new attacks on their tax-exempt status, and other government penalties for deeply-held religious views.
Sound far-fetched? Alarmist? No, it's already happening--here in the United States.
