bits and bites 5/29/08: us and world news
us news
a bust of harvey milk was unveiled at san francisco's city hall.
though the marriage issue is biggest right now, another important step was taken in the gay rights movement as the federal "don't ask, don't tell" law was also overturned.
a couple of stories on sam adams. not the beer, but portland's new gay mayor.
in a strange attempt to clean up his now fucked image, bush passes a huge new marine conservation bill.
nasa's phoenix lander successfully arrived in the polar region of mars. plans are for it to take a sample of the ice and look for organic compounds and potential signs of life.
a texas high school is in trouble with the local government for including pictures of gay couples in their yearbook.
things are slowly shifting in the gay marriage front, as a tiny majority of people are now in support of the gay marriage decision. assuming everything goes well, you might want to start looking for a gay friendly hotel to spend with your new husband or wife once you get hitched. here's a list of the most gay friendly hotels in the state.
owners of youtube, google are arguing that the new lawsuit brought against youtube threaten the neutrality and freedom of the internet.
world news
in china, the death toll has now exceeded 55,000. recently, a 5.7 aftershock destoryed an additional 420,000 homes and now the government and aid organizations are rushing to evacuate 80,000 people from potential floodwaters in the region.
despite all of this, there are signs that things are moving foward, as some schools have gone back into session in the tent cities formed by aid organizations.
in burma, the government has finally allowed all interational aid in, but they are still holding opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
there has been a resurgence of violence in south africa recently, including the reintroduction of the horrific practice of necklacing, which was prevalent during apartheid. necklacking involves filling a tire with petrol, placing it around the victim's neck, and then lighting it on fire. inhumane does not even touch the surface of this act.
there are new threats to gays and lesbians in gambia, as the new president has said:
."Gambian President Yahya Jammeh says he will 'cut off the head' of any homosexual caught in his country. Addressing supporters at the end of his meet the farmers tour Sunday, Jammeh also ordered any hotel or motel housing homosexuals to close down, adding that owners of such facilities would also be in trouble. He said the Gambia was a country of believers, indicating that no sinful and immoral act as homosexual would be tolerated in the country. He warned all homosexuals in the country to leave, noting that a legislation 'stricter than those in Iran' concerning the vice would be introduced soon."
international gay rights groups have already responded to these statements.
a tragic story out of india, as two lesbian women who could not spend their lives together end their lives in a suicide pact:
Two married women, who allegedly shared a lesbian relationship, committed suicide by setting themselves ablaze after their families tried to separate them. The police recovered the charred bodies of the women, who died hugging each other, from the residence of one of the women at Sathangadu, near Thiruvotriyur, on Saturday. The incident came to light on Saturday morning when the family members noticed thick smoke emanating from the house, where the women stayed the previous night. They peeped through the window and were shocked to see the bodies lying as if they had died hugging each other."
full story here.