Cocktales - Archived Blog Posts

[cocktales]

Anyone else love the Westminster Dog Show???

http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/

The Westminster Kennel Club is America's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs.

Established in 1877, Westminster's influence has been felt for more than a century through its famous all breed, benched dog show held every year at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The show is America's second longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby.

Westminster: There's Only One!!!

Best In Show:

 

[cocktales]

"The Gates" is an elaborately engineered foretaste of spring, when flowers organize themselves into wasteful pageants of color, then disappear.

After so much buildup, a whisper of disappointment is inevitable. The basic unit - an orange post-and-lintel from which hangs a pleated nylon curtain - is not visually entrancing. With its prosaic geometry, each frame stands up without damaging turf or tarmac, but it will not bear a great load of praise. When the clouds huddle and the park goes grim, the landscape looks bandaged in plastic construction sheeting. Then the curmudgeonly thought creeps in: $20 million for this?

But the installation is weather sensitive, and so is its impact. When the sun comes out to fill the curtains with glowing light, or when the wind makes them shudder, billow into canopies and let out a low-pitched whoop, they become an exhilarating presence.

If "The Gates" were permanent, it would be an eyesore. Instead, it is already almost a memory of a 16-day interlude when New York was costumed, simultaneously familiar and transformed.

To out-of-towner's, it is merely a spectacle. But to those who have known the city long enough to recall blocks that no longer exist or skylines that have risen 60 stories, this piece is a metaphor for the city's perpetually temporary state.

Like everything else in New York City, "The Gates" is disposable, but its days were numbered from the start.

I do love New York; though it might sound like I do not!

The CITY is special. We saw the city almost self-destruct on Sept. 11; but then we saw it like a Phoenix, come out of it's ashes and rise back up. I hope this metaphor doesn't make you gag...that's not the intent; but how else could I describe how NY re-vitalized itself....It's mayor, or I should say now ex-mayor is the reason NY did NOT die; but only grew stronger and stronger as we see it today!

Hell, New York, may now even get the Olympics it's bidding for!!! Yep, it could happen!

 

[cocktales]

North Korea Has Nukes!

A nuclear-armed North Korea is presumably as disconcerting to the Chinese as it is to us. But even if North Korea does in fact have a nuclear weapon, China will probably do precious little about it; like the United States, her options are limited.

For reasons explained at the link, we probably cannot apply effective economic sanctions against North Korea and military intervention doesn't seem likely -- or prudent.

We'll stomp our feet for awhile and shuttle diplomats to and fro. But here's what we'll ultimately do about North Korea's declaration that she has a nuclear weapon: accept it.

North Korea's declaration that it has nuclear weapons is bad news not just for the United States, but for China. Already sharing borders with nuclear-armed Russia, India, and Pakistan, the last thing China wants is an expansion of Asia's nuclear neighborhood.

China's leaders must now decide how far they are willing to go to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle in North Korea. China has significant leverage, because it supplies much of the fuel and food that North Korea needs to survive and is the North's major trading partner and closest ally.

China's policy toward North Korea's nuclear program has long been based on two principles: that the Korean peninsula must be free of nuclear weapons, and that the dispute over the North's nuclear policies must be resolved peacefully.

Though they have been on different sides in the past, the US and China have a mutual interest in a nonnuclear and stable Korean Peninsula.

It is this mutual interest that could prompt the two nations to work closely together to get North Korea to return to the negotiating table and eventually give up nuclear weapons. China and the US would both be winners with that outcome.

China has the Summer Olympics coming in 2008. They want their country, their people and everything else to be perfect. They do not want any problems internally or externally disrupting they way their country looks to the world. This is China's "coming out" to the world and nothing, I mean nothing "will" stop this from happening.........whatever Peking has to do to ensure it's success!

 

[cocktales]

Florida State Senator Nan Rich (pic.) has filed legislation that would in some cases allow homo-gays to adopt children. As you might recall, Florida has an active ban on gay adoption.

Under Rich's proposal, judges could grant adoption rights to gay foster parents if it's determined that permanent placement would benefit the foster child's development.

It's a step in the right direction, for which we commend Ms. Rich. But considering Florida's recent wave of intolerance, the sole criteria used to determine the fitness of one's home in relation to child development is likely to be heterosexuality.

Bill would allow Florida Gay adoptions: http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/02/021805flaAdopt.htm

Perhaps, there is hope! It takes courage, the likes of which Ms. Nan Rich is not short of having! I hope you folks in Florida let her know she's doing the right thing by emailing, writing, or whatever means available to let her know......and re-electing her when the time comes!!!

 

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Outrage from gay and lesbian groups and -- apparently -- the strength of animal amore, have thwarted a German zoo's plans to break up three gay penguin couples. After six male penguins resisted all efforts to mate with, or even relate to, female penguins, keepers at the Bremerhaven Zoo in Bremen, Germany, decided to let them stay gay.

Keepers at the Bremerhaven Zoo in Bremen, Germany, couldn't understand why six endangered Humboldt penguins, part of the zoo's 10-penguin exhibit, failed to produce offspring. Though the birds coupled up, did courting dances, built nests together and appeared to have sex, no babies were created -- although one couple adopted a stone that they protected as if it were an egg. When DNA tests showed that all six were male, zookeepers turned to a form of aversion therapy by coaxing them to mate with females.

But after four female penguins were imported from Sweden earlier this year to distract the males, it was clear the gay penguins would not turn "straight." The male couples were separated and introduced to the females one by one, but they pined for their mates until they were reunited.

German media reported on the plan, causing gay groups from around the world to deluge the zoo with angry e-mail messages and phone calls. The protests, plus the penguins' stubborn fidelity, caused the zoo to pull the plug on their aversion therapy efforts this week.

Responding to criticism, Director Heike Kueck said the zoo did not try to break up the same-sex pairs by force. Rather, administrators wanted to see if the birds were really homosexual or just lacking in opportunities for female companionship. "The relationships of the male couples were apparently too strong," said Kueck.

Attempts to turn gay penguins straight haven't met with much success. New York's Central Park Zoo gave up its plan to break up the six-year relationship of Roy and Silo by pairing them with female penguins. Roy briefly spent time with one female, but they separated early this year. Roy's flirtation with heterosexuality seems to have strained his relationship with Silo, however, since the two no longer spend time together.

Penguins don't have a lock on same-sex love, however. Scientists have found homosexual behavior throughout the animal world, and more so with animals in the wild than with those in captivity. Bonobos, apes closely related to humans, are nearly all bisexual -- and, studies have shown, wildly energetic sexually. Young male dolphin calves frequently form same-sex relationships.

Same-sex animal couplings have sparked debate over the origin of homosexual behavior. Gay rights groups have used gay animal examples to bolster the belief that homosexuality is natural, while conservative religious groups continue to call such couplings "animalistic."

Suddenly, you are beginning to see that sex is not necessarily about reproduction. Sexuality is a lot broader term than people want to think."

As for the six Bremerhaven penguins, the experiment doesn't seem to have caused a rift in their same-sex relationships. The four Swedish temptresses, meanwhile, are not exactly left out in the cold. The zoo has flown in two new male penguins, "so the ladies don't miss out altogether," Kueck said. He did not, however, indicate how they would solve the lopsided female-male ratio of uncoupled birds.

People could learn a lot more about humans by looking at the animal kingdom....they too have "always" had homosexuality........just like humans have and will always have.....forever!

 

[cocktales]

The Atomic Testing Museum officially opened today 20 February 2005 in Las Vegas.

Located in the Frank H. Rogers Science and Technology Building on the Desert Research Institute campus, the Atomic Testing Museum offers not-so-gentle reminders of our past. Recently completed, the museum houses many permanent exhibits.

Museums are how societies address the collective amnesia of the human race. They are devoted to arresting the rate at which time destroys evidence and erases memory. They preserve and present artifacts from the past, thus helping ensure that a society can pass knowledge from generation to generation. Devoting a museum to preserving the history of the Nevada Test Site is therefore not only logical but also a matter of some urgency.

But how do you run a museum -- ostensibly a community educational institution -- about a place and people who were dedicated to secrecy? One way is to pull together under one roof as many of the declassified documents as you can. The Science and Technology Building contains three relevant collections, two of which are the Nuclear Testing Archive and the Cultural Resources Repository, both administered by the Department of Energy. The former contains 370,000 declassified documents about the program, as well as more than a million dosimeter readings, which relayed radiation doses, from people who worked on the site. While students and scholars can review the documents for clues to policy decisions affecting world history, former workers can access their dosimeter records to assess effects of the program on an individual level.

The cultural repository includes more than a half-million archaeological artifacts that trace the prehistoric occupation of the site by Native Americans for the past several thousand years, lest we incorrectly assume that the land was ever an empty wasteland. The core of the museum's holdings is the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation's collection, which includes photographs and memorabilia, pieces of equipment donated by the nuclear laboratories, clothing and even the Atomic Energy Commission's "AEC" branding irons for cattle that were fed the grain raised on site in order to trace the progress of radiation through the food chain.

Since the moratorium in 1992, the DOE has been opening up more and more. Projects that test-site employees worked on for as long as 15 years without being able to tell even their spouses about them are now declassified. The smaller of the museum's two exhibition spaces -- a changing gallery -- already displays impressive artifacts from the Cold War, including photographs and a pressure suit (like the one worn by pilot Gary Powers) from the CIA's U-2 spy plane program.

Some of the permanent exhibits also include a one-fifth-scale model of a test canister used in the underground experiments, as well as one of Albert Einstein's letters to President Roosevelt and an original graphite brick from Enrico Fermi's first laboratory at the University of Chicago, where the first atomic reaction was sustained in a test pile.

The museum has interactive multimedia exhibits, including a recording of an actual countdown and the soundtrack from the movie "Atomic Café." Also, the Ground Zero Theater will show films of above-ground tests. The ATM is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, and the smaller gallery will host traveling exhibits from there and elsewhere.

I had the distinct "pleasure" to witness a below-the-ground-test shortly before the moratorium on testing in 1992! It actually took two days before the "event" (that's what they called it and it was extremely secret at the time) actually went off. You would NOT believe the security and the professionalism involved in the test itself....the test was post-poned one day due to the wind direction blowing toward the City of Las Vegas, which would cause undue hazards to the population of the city. The event went off without a hitch on the next day. I watched the count down to zero and watch the ground rise up and shiver in a circle shape as the bomb exploded way, way under the ground at the Nevada Test Site.

The explosion I watched would be one of the last to happen because of the moratorium in 1992....I did NOT know that at the time, knowing I was watching history.

Department of Energy: Nevada Test Site Information

http://www.nv.doe.gov/programs/default.htm

 

[cocktales]

If you caught last night's episode of The Simpson's, you still might have missed the little flashing Web Site moment - and you may not have thought it was real if you did. Visit "Springfield is for Gay Lovers of Marriage."

And as had been previously leaked, Marge's chain-smoking sister Patty Bouvier did indeed come out of the closet and raced down the aisle with her newly beloved golf pro, who turned out to have a secret. She was actually a he.

We still don't know what to make of that twist, but Marge accepted Patty and as Marge said, "Just because you're a lesbian, doesn't mean you're less of a bein." So true Marge, so true.

Homer Simpson becomes an ordained minister in order to marry same-sex couples in The Simpsons.
http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2005/2/simpsons.html

 

[cocktales]

Come For A Visit.

DISCOVER DUBAI

From the timeless tranquillity of the desert to the lively bustle of the souk, Dubai offers a kaleidoscope of attractions for visitors.

The emirate embraces a wide variety of scenery in a very small area. In a single day, the tourist can experience everything from rugged mountains and awe-inspiring sand dunes to sandy beaches and lush green parks, from dusty villages to luxurious residential districts and from ancient houses with windtowers to ultra-modern shopping malls.

The emirate is both a dynamic international business centre and a laid-back tourist escape; a city where the sophistication of the 21st century walks hand in hand with the simplicity of a bygone era.

But these contrasts give Dubai its unique flavour and personality; a cosmopolitan society with an international lifestyle, yet with a culture deeply rooted in the Islamic traditions of Arabia.

Since earliest times, Dubai has been a meeting place, bringing together the Bedouin of the desert interior with the pearl-diver, the merchant of the city with the sea-going fisherman.

Now that I have given you the standard bi-line of most tourist attractions, let me tell you what Dubai wants to do!

We can expect to see Dubai raising its profile in the coming years. Some years back, United Arab Emirate's Dubai developed strategic visions for the years 2010 and 2020. The 2010 goal is to triple the numbers of tourists visiting Dubai, from the current 5 million per year to 15 million. The overall goal is to reduce the country's dependency on oil as a source of revenue.

However, attracting visitors to the desert kingdom is quite a challenge; there is not a lot there, despite nice beaches and a great climate. To rectify the situation, the country has embarked on some of the most ambitious recent construction projects seen outside of China. Many of the construction goals are about being the biggest and tallest, with the objective of attracting investors tourists and shoppers.

Dubai will build:

The world's tallest building Burj Dubai Tower designed by the creators of the Sears Tower, Skidmore, Owings and Merill (SMO). This building will be the tallest residential development in the world at 160 stories and 700 meters high and cost a total of one billion dollars to build.

The world's largest shopping mall also located in the Burj district, the Dubai Mall is forecast to attract 35 million visitors a year. This mall will contain the world's largest aquarium, an Olympic-sized ice skating rink, and an IMAX cinema

The world as a private real-estate development This 63sq kilometer development reclaimed land to construct islands in the shape of the world and its continents. Now the rich and famous can literally buy their own country.

How successful the overall vision will be, remains to be seen, but two years ago, Dubai's tourism revenue exceeded oil receipts, for the first time in the nation's history and Emirate's, UAE's airline currently has $30 billion of aircraft on order including 45 Airbus A380s.
ensuring transportation to Dubai will not be a problem.

If you want to see a beautiful city, check this panorama out of Dubai City:

 

[cocktales]

My Mother!

No, it is NOT Mother's Day and you forgot it!!! lol

I received a call last week from my Niece, she's a real nice person, a good mother and a great over-all person!
She called just to say hello and see how I have been doing with my medical problems......now wasn't that a nice thing to do, no reason but to be nice!
I told you, she's a true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool good person!!! lol

Well, we talked over 30 minutes, talking about this and that, her family, our families and some how we got on the topic of heroes and people who mean a lot to us and people we would like to be "just like"!!!

She then told me something, one should hear while they are alive........not at a memorial, good things said and read about you...things you did while you wee alive. No, what Angela told me was that the one single person she most wanted to be like, to emulate, the one she's patterned her life after is her....MOTHER!

Yep, her very own Mother! Well, she went on to tell me why she thought so much of her Mother and wanted to be just like her. Angela said her Mother could and would listen to anyone without being prejudiced about them........no matter what you told her Mother, she would never hold anything against you no matter what you told her. She also said, her Mother is one of the few persons she knows who does NOT get angry...........she's never seen her Mother mad at anything or anybody!! She also values her Mothers opinions and judgment and uses her frequently.

Well, we continued to talk about her Mother and it was a testimonal none of which I've yet to hear. It was one only a Mother could love.....

You know I said a person should know how another feels while they are alive and not at a memorial? Well, I decided to tell my sister what her daughter Angela said about her.

I gave Tricia, my sister a call, seemingly just to say hello and check on her welfare; but indeed more! lol

Finally, after asking about the welfare of her children...Angela being one. I opened the conversation to the point of heroes and a discussion I had had with a person about this topic.

I said Angela had called recently and this topic was discussed and I wanted to know did she know who Angela most wanted to emulate? She said she did not. I then told her....."YOU"!

Well, she was profoundly shocked; but pleasantly so I think. I told her about the whole conversation and before the conversation ended, Tricia was in tears with joy about the feelings her daughter has for her Mother.....

See? Now isn't it good/better to tell someone your feelings about them while they are alive and they can hear you say it?

I think Angela and Tricia's relationship got even closer; if that is possible!

You know I feel good, suddenly!


A Mothers Love

To some love is just a word
To me it's a feeling
A feeling I get everytime I look into your eyes
A feeling I get when I realize your my mom
A mom who loves,shares,A mom who inspires
Unconditionally
What's that?
That's love
A mothers love, but only you would know
And me
You returned that love time and time again
Possibly to much, nevertheless you did
Thank-you
Thank-you for being there when I needed you most
For being my rock when I should have been yours
Thank-you for believing in me, even when I doubted myself
For being the one person I could trust
No matter what, no matter where
But most of all thank-you for being you-my mom
A mom I am so proud to claim
I love you
Now and forever

 

[cocktales]

If I Picked the Winners - Today……….

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Who Will Win: Cate Blanchett

Who Should Win:Sophie Okonedo

I LOVE Cate Blanchett. In my world she is an actors' actor. She can do no wrong, but in this case there should be an upset because of the devastatingly human performance by Hotel Rwanda's Okonedo.

Ebert & Roeper both pick Virginia Madsen, "Sideways".

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Who Will Win: Morgan Freeman

Who Should Win: Morgan Freeman

As you know, I didn't care for this Lifetime Made for TV Movie starring Craig T. Nelson and Nancy McKeon Clint Eastwood & Hillary Swank at all, but Freeman was the ONLY redeeming feature in this feature. Probably one of his best performances.

Ebert went with Freeman,
Roeper with Alan Alda, "The Aviator".

BEST ACTRESS

Who Will Win:Hillary Swank

Who Should Win:Can't say but I loves me the Annette Bening.

I didn't see "Being Julia", "Maria Full of Grace" or "Vera Drake" so I really can't comment. I thought Swank's performance was average at be

Ebert goes with Hillary Swank,
Roeper goes with Kate Winslet, who was great in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".

BEST ACTOR

Who Will Win: Jamie Foxx

Who Should Win: Don Cheadle

All bets are on Foxx, and after his teary Golden Globe speech, I mean, come on- who's not gonna root for the "in Living Color" upstart? But Don Cheadle's performance in "Hotel Rwanda" was staggering. Forget his crappy Cockney in the "Ocean's" films. He NAILS this performance bringing a very realistic portrait of a man. There is no "Hey Ma, look at me acting" in his bone, which I fear is at the heart of the Foxx performance.

Ebert & Roeper both go with Cheadle.

Best Picture

Who Will Win: The Aviator

Who Should Win: The Aviator

This was tough as "Million Dollar Baby" might edge out over the epic (tradegy always good Oscar mojo) , but I have a feeling the scope, the money, the scenery, the costumes, etc add up to a VERY BIG PICTURE, which the Academy loves. Watch out for "Million Dollar Baby" as the dark horse pulling an upset! In terms of filmmaking, it is a big, brilliant film and they've got to give Scorcese something.

Ebert chooses "Million Dollar",
Roeper chooses "The Aviator".

 

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Scientists may be on the verge of discovering a physical basis for homosexuality, that can be passed down from generation to generation. This discovery would be a major breakthrough for the civil rights of gay people, since they could no longer be denied equal treatment under the law in the U.S.

Possible discovery of a Gay gene?

It's been discovered that nature will sometimes encourage a negative condition to occur in a few people if it helps the many. For instance, when both parents carry the gene for sickle cell anemia, their children are born with a painful disease. However, if just one parent passes on the gene, the children are born with a resistance to malaria. Since passing on only one gene happens statistically more often, many benefit from the suffering of a few. Researchers think that other genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, may carry a similar protection—perhaps one we don't recognize, since it's no longer needed.

Homosexuality can be seen as a deficit by nature, since every species has reproduction as its major goal, so it doesn’t die out. But if having one or two homosexual children causes a woman to have many more children overall, nature would consider this to be "worth it."

............and what if the Gay gene is found and a mother is told her son/daughter possesses the Gay gene and will be Gay when born........will she chose to abort the baby?

State Rep. Brian Duprey of Maine introduced the measure that would protect gay babies.

He told the Portland Press Herald newspaper that listening to the Rush Limbaugh show gave him the idea for the bill. Limbaugh had commented that if scientists ever discovered a gene that caused a person to be gay, then homosexual activists would become pro-life "overnight."

"Most people would agree that to kill someone just because that person might be gay would constitute a hate crime," Duprey said.

See full article here:
http://www.lifenews.com/nat1206.html

I am disturbed about the consequences of a mother deciding to abort a fetus because it has the Gay gene. I have always been "FOR" mother's rights to decide about her own body; but if it goes down to her aborting for something that's as inconsequential as being Gay........who's to say that down the road they might abort the fetus for having "brown" eyes, or he/she might be left-handed!! I know, I am getting nit-picky here; but who's to say that could and would not happen?

Yep, foolin with Mother Nature scares me to death!

 

[cocktales]

White-house.org, that is!!!! lol lol lol

Yep, yep, I feel for it too!

They say: The IRON HYMEN Abstinence-Only Education Program is produced by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services and the White House Office of Youth Purity.
When you click on the highlighted white house, you find out it's NOT Dub ya or Mrs. Dub ya; but White House.ORG!!! NOT White House. Gov!!!

Here's some of their torrid information:

TAKE THE "IRON-HYMEN" ABSTINENCE-ONLY PLEDGE.

I, [MY NAME], hereby pledge:

1. To never let grubby boys touch me – unless it's just fun innocent stuff like tripping me and pulling my hair. (But only the hair on my head!)

2. To never wear trampy stuff like shorts or t-shirts or open-toed shoes, which basically tell horny perverts that I'm a major tramp who's just asking for it.

3. To never do rough stuff like ride horsies or bikes with hard seats, which could break my vagina's freshness seal and make me totally unlovable.

4. To never let tampons violate the sanctity of my hoo-hoo, because tampons are really nothing more than thirsty little albino penises.

5. To never have premarital sex, because Jesus doesn't want anyone messing around inside my girly hole until after His church makes some money off a wedding.

I understand that abstaining from sex protects me from:

Forcing my wonderful parents to use "tough love" and kick me out of the house for embarrassing them by being such a little whore.

Having adoption-hungry homosexuals circle my pregnant belly like vultures, hell-bent on corrupting my unwanted bastard child with their sicko "love."

Here's the entire article on the subject:http://www.ironhymen.com/

.......and we continue on with this rant of the so-called Mrs. Bush's warning to young women out there concerning the perils of Men and their cocks:

10 Things Every Girl Should Know About Boys and Their Private Parts

http://www.ironhymen.com/boysprivates.asp

Needless to say, the subject-matter is inflammatory and lengthy; that's the reason I gave the website so that you may click on it and read it.

It gets better n better.......errrr........worse, well it's according to the way you look at it I guess.

Look at the Boy's abstinence program:

Sex is for FAGS! - Abstinence Coolness for Boys

http://www.sexisforfags.com/

Well, whatdoyouthinkaboutallthis???

I am NOT too fond of the "FAG" representation, are YOU?

I am NOT so sure girls/women will find their part exactly "cool" either, do you?

I would like to know your opinion, if you read my stuff!

Thanks!

 

[cocktales]

How can someone who's seriously ill lead over a billion followers? The Pope has always delegated a lot to his staff anyway; but now he's even delegating the blessing of his faithful followers!!

Is this right? What should his followers expect? When is enough, enough??

I have always retained admiration and respect for Pope John Paul II, even as I concluded for myself that the Catholic church's doctrines on homosexuality were due no respect whatsoever. I am NOT Catholic though.

Catholic teaching on homosexuality is based on the fundamentally flawed premise that homosexual behavior is contrary to natural law, an "objective disorder." That may have been an understandable inference at the time of St. Paul. But our modern knowledge tells us that homosexuality is as natural and as randomly dispersed among humans as left-handedness; the mere fact it is a trait possessed by a minority of the population, and the fact we cannot yet fully explain its origins, does not make it "unnatural." As a gay man, the most unnatural thing in the world would be for me to share intimacy with a woman.

Thus, Catholic teaching is irrational, based as it is on a flawed premise of deviance and perversion to which only the ignorant, the closed-minded, or the ill-willed continue to cling. Catholic teaching is also cruel in casting the gay person as an object of pity and demanding that he or she remain celibate and alone.

John Paul's statements against gay marriage have become increasingly bitter and strident. Now comes the regrettable news that he has declared same-sex marriage "evil." Referring to "pressures" on the European parliament to allow gay marriage, he writes:

It is legitimate and necessary to ask oneself if this is not perhaps part of a new ideology of evil, perhaps more insidious and hidden, which attempts to pit human rights against the family and against man.

Throughout his long, productive, and inspiring life, John Paul was rightly regarded as a humanist and intellectual. Many, of course, also regarded him as a true man of God. It is thus cause for tremendous sadness and dismay that the Pope now gives moral authority to bigots.

When homosexuality is correctly understood as a natural and morally neutral phenomenon, the labeling of love, commitment, and quest for equality and dignity on the part of gay couples as "evil" is itself an insidious transgression. Having done so, the Pope has become a force for some other website and irrationality.

With this stark and extraordinary new attack on the dignity of gay persons, John Paul II has made himself accountable, in this life and beyond, for the fate of every child or adult who will, as a consequence of his teachings, commit suicide, suffer mental illness, become the victim of violence, or look back with regret on a life of loneliness.

I think it's time for the Pope to step down and allow a younger, man of the 21st Century to make "all" people a part of Catholicism.

It's time Gay people be accepted for who we are and not condemned! God made all of us " in his image" or so the Bible says???

 

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In Botswana this weekend, 12 beautiful women will compete in a beauty contest for the title of "Miss HIV Stigma Free."

Like the Miss America Pageant, the contest will feature a catwalk, dance routines and elaborate hair styling.

The difference is that most of the Botswanan beauties are slated to die slow lingering deaths in the near future when their HIV progresses to full-blown AIDS.

Actually, a good part of the audience at this weekend's event can expect to share the same fate. As Reuters reports, Botswana has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world, with at least 30% of the general population infected. That's a catastrophe by any standard.

Staging a beauty contest may seem like a pretty lame response, but the first step in combating this plague is convincing people to get tested and receive treatment. That's difficult right now because in places like Botswana HIV-positive people tend to be treated like lepers. But progress is possible, as countries like Uganda have demonstrated.

The $15 billion that the Bush Administration has pledged is a good start, but there is a great deal more to be done.

AIDS is only part of the Rubik's cube of problems facing Africa. The entire continent needs the sustained attention and support of the West for next several decades just to keep from sliding further into anarchy and chaos.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...p;e=1&u=/nm/20050228/od_nm/aids_beauty_dc

 

[cocktales]

One Big Step For Mankind

The 5-4 decision erases the death sentences imposed on 72 defendants in 12 states who were juveniles at the time they killed.

The US Supreme Court’s decision to end executions of children is but one more step in improving human rights around the world.

It’s a wonderful occasion to celebrate! But, ending the death penalty in all cases is surely the ultimate aim.

Yes, here we have the age old questions: "the death penalty is not the solution" to preventing juvenile crime. "It's wrong to kill a juvenile" because they aren't fully aware of the consequences of their actions.

The court's decision that juvenile executions are unconstitutional, it leaves many victim's families feeling cheated. And it spares the lives of a small percentage of death-row inmates and becomes a landmark victory for death-penalty opponents who have long decried the practice of executing juveniles.

Before today's verdict, only the United States and a handful of other countries allow execution of juvenile killers, and death penalty opponents argue that such executions violate not only the Constitution but an international treaty signed by the United States.

"The age of 18 is the point where society draws the line for many reasons between childhood and adulthood," Justice Kennedy wrote, in an opinion joined by Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer. "It is, we conclude, the age at which the line for death eligibility ought to rest."

The four dissenters - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Sandra Day O'Connor - bitterly disagreed.

"The court's decision today establishes a categorical rule forbidding the execution of any offender for any crime committed before his 18th birthday, no matter how deliberate, wanton, or cruel the offense," Justice O'Connor wrote. "Neither the objective evidence of contemporary societal values, nor the court's moral-proportionately analysis, nor the two in tandem suffice to justify this ruling."

While adolescents as a class are "undoubtedly less mature, and therefore less culpable" than adults, Justice O'Connor wrote, many state legislatures around the country had concluded that at least some juveniles were deserving of the ultimate penalty because of the depravity of their crimes.

So now we have one of the killers who terrorized the Washington, D.C. area for weeks, taken off death row and automatically given a life sentence without parole.

I wonder how the victims families feel about this new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court? Is this justice? Are we now more human in the eyes of the rest of the world since we've adopted this stance?

I am not able to answer all the questions I posed above; but you can expect this battle of age of death penalty will NOT go away.......

 

[cocktales]

The debate over church/state separation is fundamentally a debate about the meaning of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Briefly, one side in the debate believes that the Constitution gives government the power to regulate some aspects of religion, and that the First Amendment bars only the establishment of a national church. The other side in the debate believes that the Constitution gives government no power over religion, and that the First Amendment should be broadly read to ban all types of interference with religion.

There are two clauses of the US Constitution - Amendment 1 that restrict the government with respect to religion:

“The government shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …”

Is the use of government property, institutions, or processes to impose religious symbols, documents or statements upon citizens in violation of the first clause of the U.S. Constitution, Amendment 1?

Remember the Honorable Roy Moore, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama? Well, he was "de-frocked" for NOT removing the 10 Commandments Monument from the State Capitol Building in Montgomery, Alabama.

The true meaning of separation between church and state as Jefferson and the other founding fathers authored the concept is simply this: Government may never dictate one's form of worship or articles of faith. Yet, the founding fathers did not intend that all public worship of God be eradicated; on the contrary, freedom to engage in such worship publicly and privately was the very reason for creating a doctrine of separation between church and state.(4) This ensured that the government could not, and would not, impede an individual's right to worship God as they saw fit, both publicly and privately.

"Religious activities," such as public prayer, are not a "state established religion," and the founding fathers knew this well. This is why at the same time they were creating our government's founding documents in the late 1700's, including the First Amendment, they were also publicly and privately praying to a Sovereign God for guidance. Proof of this is found in their actions: opening legislative sessions with prayer, holding national days of prayer and fasting, and including the words "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights" in our Declaration of freedom. The single most important right which they intended to guarantee to the citizens of the newly established republic, was the right to freely exercise their religion - this is what the First Amendment ensured.

This article's intention is to educate and reaffirm the truths that this country was founded upon, that we are endowed by God with certain unalienable rights. The public conscience has been wrongly veered, maybe even commandeered, down the road of "political correctness" or relativism to the extent of "de-God-ifying" our nation. We have left the "one nation under God" and have institutionalized and federally endorsed the religion of secular humanism and relativism. This is not the path that our founding fathers had chosen. This is a path that is being forced upon us under the guise of "separation of church and state." The philosophies of secular humanism and relativism are becoming a state established religion, and this is precisely what our founding fathers had fought against.

I for one think a particular religion should NOT be forced on anyone or anyone forced to participate in a religious ceremony if they choose NOT to. Now, in schools, students have been ostracized because they did not participate and bullied and called names....these kinds of displays have led parents of said students to want NO religion in public schools for these and more reasons...

I think religion belongs at home with your parents and family. Your family should dictate whether or not you have a religion or NOT. Schools have no right to dictate religion to students.

To what ever means is necessary, the U.S. Government should ensure states do not violate the rights of citizens within separate states concerning religion in public schools.

 

[cocktales]

Martha Stewart , released after five months in a West Virginia prison, landed at Westchester County Airport shortly after 2 a.m. Friday and was whisked away by a motorcade of two cars bound for her estate in Katonah.

The plane landed two hours after Stewart left prison in Alderson, W.Va.

Stewart quickly set her sights on rebuilding her homemaking empire after serving a five-month sentence for lying about a stock sale.

"The experience of the last five months ... has been life altering and life affirming," Stewart said in a statement issued on her Web site. "Someday, I hope to have the chance to talk more about all that has happened, the extraordinary people I have met here and all that I have learned."

The domestic diva left the prison at 12:30 a.m. and headed to a nearby airport, where she boarded a private jet about 45 minutes later for the flight to New York.

Before boarding the plane with her daughter, Stewart smiled and waved to the crowd, but she did not speak to reporters.

Gone were her prison khakis a slim-looking Stewart was dressed in a gray-and-white poncho, dark jeans and ankle boots.

Stewart left the prison in a sport utility vehicle, moments after prison officials announced she had been released. Her vehicle passed by reporters and 15 fans without stopping. About a half-mile from the prison a cardboard sign said, "Goodbye Martha. From fans and friends in Alderson, W.Va."

"Right now, as you can imagine, I am thrilled to be returning to my more familiar life," Stewart said in the statement. "My heart is filled with joy at the prospect of the warm embraces of my family, friends and colleagues. Certainly, there is no place like home."

Stewart, 63, will spend the next five months on home confinement at her 153-acre estate in Katonah, N.Y. She had 72 hours after leaving Alderson to report to corrections officials in New York to be fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet so her movements can be monitored.

Under the terms of her confinement, she will be allowed to leave her compound for up to 48 hours a week for her job, including working on her version of the hit reality TV show "The Apprentice" and continuing her role as creative talent for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She also will star in a revival of her homemaking show, and her company will resume paying her $900,000-a-year salary.

In the process, Stewart hopes to turn around the fortunes of a company that produces everything from television shows and magazines to bed sheets and bakeware. In 2004, the company suffered a loss and its revenues sagged, but the stock price rose considerably during her prison stint as investors bet on a Martha comeback.

During her time at the federal women's camp in Alderson, Stewart kept with her lemonade-from-lemons attitude and sought to imprint her style on the prison.

She foraged for dandelions and other wild greens, concocted recipes in a microwave and even ate from a vending machine. She also participated in nightly yoga classes, spent time on crafts and writing and lost weight.

Stewart even took on inmate rights, saying her fellow prisoners risked falling into a "severe depression" because of false hopes raised by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down federal sentencing guidelines. Her own sentence, however, was ruled "reasonable" in light of that ruling.

 

[cocktales]

Don't let that sweet looking face fool ya! Did you know that Chimps full-grown have the strength of 3 or 4 men!


St. James Davis owned a pet chimpanzee, but had to give it up to an "animal sanctuary" after it bit off part of a woman's finger in Davis' home.

On Thursday, Davis and his wife went to visit their former pet at the sanctuary to celebrate the pet's birthday. Two other chimps escaped their enclosures and attacked Davis and his wife.

The chimps chewed most of Davis' face off and tore off his testicles and foot, Chealander said.

You might want to read that again. And again . . . .

The two chimps were shot to death, and Davis barely survived.

The lesson?

Don't try to keep undomesticated, wild animals as pets. For their sake primarily, but also for yours.

Davis, 62, and his wife had gone to there to visit another chimpanzee that had lived with them for decades before they were forced to give the animal up. LaDonna Davis, 64, was bit on the hand.

"A big part of the investigation will be figuring out whether the (sanctuary) owners were in compliance with regulations," sheriff's Cmdr. Hal Chealander said. "There's a reason why those chimpanzees got out. It will be crucial to our investigation how they got out."

Health authorities were testing the dead chimps for rabies and other diseases.

The Davises were at Animal Haven Ranch, in a canyon 30 miles east of Bakersfield, to celebrate the birthday of Moe, a 39-year-old chimpanzee who was taken from their suburban Los Angeles home in 1999 after biting off part of a woman's finger.

The couple had brought Moe a cake and were standing outside his cage when Buddy and Ollie, two of the four chimpanzees in the adjoining cage, attacked St. James Davis.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1316735.htm

 

[cocktales]

An on line investigative journalism site suggests that White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan is gay and was a regular at gay bars in Texas.

Quoting an unnamed source, The Raw Story.com reported that McClellan visited an Austin, Texas gay bar on March 19, 1995. The date was fixed in the mind of the source because a local memorial service was held the same day that McClellan attended.

Raw Story, which has outed other anti-gay Republicans, said its source "reserved comment on whether McClellan was actually gay, but said he was frequently seen at gay clubs." It says that another source confirmed McClellan was a regular at gay clubs.

McClellan is an Austin native.

“He was often seen in gay clubs in Austin, Texas and was comfortable being there,” the source told Raw Story. “He’s been seen in places that normal people who are looking for heterosexual relationships are not seen alone.”

The source reportedly told Raw Story that McClellan was easy to spot and was well known in Austin. His mother had been mayor and is expected to run for Texas Governor. She is currently state controller.

Raw Story also says there is a link between McClellan and the man who posed as a journalist and had been accredited by the White House. It reports that it has found the man claiming to be Jeff Gannon had sent McClellan a wedding card when the Bush aide married.

Gannon, who wrote for two conservative web publications, was exposed last week as J.D. Guckert. (story) The card to McClellan was apparently signed by Guckert.

McClellan also would regularly call on "Gannon" whenever the White House press corps would pummel him with hard questions. "Gannon" could always be counted on to ask a frivolous question.

Now, to all the JUB Gays we all know how Scott McClellan feels; but now wouldn't it be the "cat's Meow" if Bush is using one of our own as his Press Secretary! A top aide who tells the world what the President thinks about any given topic!

Hey, Scott, why don't you come outta the closet??

 

[cocktales]

Out of touch with family, Rader complains of sleepless nights!!

Hey Buster, at least you have the opportunity to breathe and have feelings.........think about the people you killed and their families, you maggot!

Along with growing depression, he has complained about sleepless nights, the lawyers said. They also say the primary source of his frustration is not hearing from his family since he was jailed....go figure!

They said he spends some of his time taking notes and reading a detective novel.

Rader's lawyers have been spending as much as five hours a day, every day, with Rader at the Sedgwick County detention facility, sessions during which their client takes copious notes, complains about sleepless nights and growing depression, and asks repeatedly after his wife and kids, who haven't spoken to him and are believed to be in seclusion together outside Kansas.

Let's hope the District Attorney of Kansas City does NOT goof this one up like so many other killers and they get less than what they should!!

FULL STORY HERE:http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/06/btk.case.ap/index.html