It's expensive to be gay Newsletter - October 3, 2009

It's expensive to be gay Newsletter - October 3, 2009

“Nearly all the extra costs that gay couples face would be erased if the federal government legalized same-sex marriage. One exception is the cost of having biological children, but we felt it was appropriate to include this given our goal of outlining every cost gay couples incur that heterosexual couples may not.” TARA SIEGEL BERNARD and RON LIEBER

The High Price of Being a Gay Couple By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD and RON LIEBER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 2, 2009. Much of the debate over legalizing gay marriage has focused on God and Scripture, the Constitution and equal protection. But we see the world through the prism of money. And for years, we’ve heard from gay couples about all the extra health, legal and other costs they bear. So we set out to determine what they were and to come up with a round number — a couple’s lifetime cost of being gay. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/your-money/03money.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Arizona Governor Takes Away State Domestic Partner Benefits - Says 'God Has Placed Me in This Powerful Position' Copyright by Towler Road.com. September 18, 2009 http://www.towleroad.com/2009/09/arizona-governor-takes-away-state-domestic-partner-benefits-says-god-has-placed-me-in-this-powerful-.html

Marriage Bill introduced in State Senate. Copyright by The Windy City Times. NEWS UPDATE OCT. 1, 2009. Equality Illinois is happy to announce the introduction in the Illinois State Senate of the bill to legalize marriage between two adults of the same sex. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23076



International

Scores Are Killed as Tsunami Hits Samoa Islands By MERAIAH FOLEY. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: September 30, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/world/asia/01tsunami.html?ref=global-home

Death Toll Hits 240 in Philippine Flooding By CARLOS H. CONDE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: September 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/world/asia/30phils.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

More Than 1,000 Dead After Indonesian Quake By PETER GELLING and MARK McDONALD. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/world/asia/02quake.html?ref=global-home

Indian PM attacks nuclear treaty - Manmohan Singh says NPT has failed on security By James Lamont in New Delhi. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: September 29 2009 14:34 | Last updated: September 29 2009 16:26. India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday criticised the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as not being up to the “formidable” task of protecting the world from nuclear terrorism just days after Barack Obama appealed to world leaders to support the Treaty. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cb5b3a26-acf5-11de-91dc-00144feabdc0.html

Obama Administration Engages Sudanese Regime It Blasted By Stephanie McCrummen. Copyright by The Washington Post. Monday, September 28, 2009; 2:29 PM. EL FASHER, Sudan -- The volatility of this East African nation -- from the Darfur conflict to the threat of renewed civil war in the south -- is becoming a test of how President Obama will reconcile a policy of engagement with earlier statements blasting a government he said had "offended the standards of our common humanity. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/28/AR2009092802336.html?hpid=topnews

At German Chancellor’s Side, a New Political Power Broker Emerges By NICHOLAS KULISH and JUDY DEMPSEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 28, 2009. BERLIN — The politician everyone was talking about in the German capital the morning after national elections was not Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose party won the most votes, but the small-party kingmaker set to solidify the chancellor’s hold on power. And soon, the rest of the world will become acquainted with the new leading figure, the Free Democrats’ Guido Westerwelle. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/europe/29germany.html?th&emc=th

Irish Officials See Victory for a European Treaty By ERIC PFANNER. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: October 3, 2009. Ireland has said yes to a plan to raise the political voice of Europe in world affairs, government officials said based on early results Saturday, voting overwhelmingly to approve a treaty aimed at streamlining the operations of the European Union after rejecting the same pact only last year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/world/europe/04ireland.html?_r=1&ref=global-home


China

Eight Ideas Behind China's Success By ZHANG WEI-WEI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 30, 2009. BEIJING — Beijing is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic on Thursday, and the fanfare will undoubtedly irk those whose ideological inclinations do not tolerate a “Communist country” being so self-righteous. Yet it is worthwhile to look at China objectively, to see what has enabled it to change within one generation from a poverty-stricken country to one of the world’s largest economies. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/opinion/01iht-edzhang.html?ref=global

China’s Mr. Wu Keeps Talking By DAVID BARBOZA. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 26, 2009. AT 79, Wu Jinglian is considered China’s most famous economist. In the 1980s and ’90s, he was an adviser to China’s leaders, including Deng Xiaoping. He helped push through some of this country’s earliest market reforms, paving the way for China’s spectacular rise and earning him the nickname “Market Wu.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/business/global/27spy.html?th&emc=th

Chinese Economic Juggernaut Is Gaining on Japan By HIROKO TABUCHI. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009. TOKYO — For years, Japan has been readying itself for the day that it is eclipsed economically by China. But as a result of the global slowdown, Japan’s difficulty in managing its economy and China’s rise — on vivid display Thursday as Beijing celebrated the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic — that day may come sooner than anyone predicted. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/business/economy/02yen.html?th&emc=th

China seeks big stake in Nigerian oil - CNOOC in talks to buy a sixth of the country’s reserves By Tom Burgis in Lagos. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: September 28 2009 23:30 | Last updated: September 28 2009 23:30 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9d714f96-ac60-11de-a754-00144feabdc0.html

China’s Ties With Iran Complicate Diplomacy By MICHAEL WINES. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 29, 2009. BEIJING — Leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee swept into Beijing last month to meet with Chinese officials, carrying a plea from Washington: if Iran were to be kept from developing nuclear weapons, China would have to throw more diplomatic weight behind the cause. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/world/asia/30china.html?th&emc=th

Mess-o-potamia

Iran Agrees to More Nuclear Talks With U.S. and Allies By STEVEN ERLANGER and MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/world/middleeast/02nuke.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Iran Agrees to Send Enriched Uranium to Russia By STEVEN ERLANGER and MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/world/middleeast/02nuke.html?th&emc=th

Nuclear Debate Brews: Is Iran Designing Warheads? By WILLIAM J. BROAD, MARK MAZZETTI and DAVID E. SANGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/middleeast/29nuke.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Iran Conducts New Tests of Mid-Range Missiles By ALAN COWELL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 28, 2009 http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifp://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/middleeast/29tehran.html?ref=global-home

U.S. Is Seeking a Range of Sanctions Against Iran By MARK LANDLER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 27, 2009. WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is scrambling to assemble a package of harsher economic sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program that could include a cutoff of investments to the country’s oil-and-gas industry and restrictions on many more Iranian banks than those currently blacklisted, senior administration officials said Sunday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/world/middleeast/28iran.html?hpw

In Dispute With Iran, Path to Iraq Is in Spotlight By SCOTT SHANE. Copyright by The Associated Press. Published: September 29, 2009. WASHINGTON — To many Americans, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell’s February 2003 speech to the United Nations on Iraq’s unconventional weapons was powerfully persuasive. It was a dazzling performance, featuring satellite images and intercepts of Iraqi communications, delivered by one of the most trusted figures in public life. Then a long and costly war began, and the country discovered that the assertions that Iraq possessed illicit weapons had been completely unfounded. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/world/middleeast/30intel.html?th&emc=th

UN Official Out After Afghan Vote Fraud Dispute. Copyright By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Published: September 30, 2009. KABUL (AP) -- The top American official at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan is losing his job after he disagreed with superiors over how to deal with widespread fraud charges from the presidential election, people familiar with the decision said Wednesday. The U.S. diplomat, Peter Galbraith, denied he had been fired. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/09/30/world/AP-AS-Afghanistan.html?hpw

30 Killed in Southern Afghan Bus Explosion By ABDUL WAHEED WAFA and TAIMOOR SHAH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 29, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/world/asia/30afghan.html?ref=global-home

A War President? By ROSS DOUTHAT. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 27, 2009. All spring and summer, it looked as though Joe Lieberman, the independent from Connecticut, would play the same role in the debate over President Obama’s Afghanistan policy that he played in the struggle over Iraq: as a champion of the surge-style counterinsurgency that Obama endorsed in March and as a defender of a wartime White House against the Democratic Party’s leftward flank. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/opinion/28douthat.html?th&emc=th

General Says Iraq Troop Reductions May Quicken By THOM SHANKER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 29, 2009. WASHINGTON — The senior American commander in Iraq said Tuesday that he could reduce American forces to 50,000 troops even before the end of next summer if the expected January elections in Iraq went smoothly. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/world/middleeast/30military.html?th&emc=th

U.S. Says Taliban Has A New Haven in Pakistan By Pamela Constable. Copyright by The Washington Post. Tuesday, September 29, 2009. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- As American troops move deeper into southern Afghanistan to fight Taliban insurgents, U.S. officials are expressing new concerns about the role of fugitive Taliban leader Mohammad Omar and his council of lieutenants, who reportedly plan and launch cross-border strikes from safe havens around the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/28/AR2009092803751.html?hpid=topnews

McChrystal Rejects Scaling Down Afghan Military Aims By JOHN F. BURNS and ALAN COWELL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009. LONDON — The top military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, rejected calls for scaling down military objectives there on Thursday and said Washington did not have unlimited time to settle on a new strategy to pursue the eight-year-old war. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/world/asia/02general.html?ref=global-home



National

Justices Will Weigh Challenges to Gun Laws By ADAM LIPTAK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 30, 2009. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it would decide whether state and local gun control laws may be challenged under the Second Amendment. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/us/01scotus.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

New York Times Editorial: The Courts and Privacy. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 2, 2009. To the delight of headline writers, the Alabama Supreme Court recently decided the case of 1568 Montgomery Highway Inc. — also known as Love Stuff — v. the City of Hoover. In a 7-to-2 ruling, it upheld a state law banning the sale of sex toys. The dispute may seem a bit frivolous, but it rests on a fundamental question: After the Supreme Court’s 2003 ruling striking down sodomy laws, how free is the majority to impose its morality through the law? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/opinion/02fri2.html?th&emc=th

Partial Shutdown Ended in Michigan By MONICA DAVEY. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009. After months of trying to solve a $2.8 billion state deficit, fatigued and frustrated Michigan lawmakers reached some budget agreements early Thursday, but only after a standoff had shut down the government briefly for a few hours overnight. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/us/02michigan.html?hpw

Puerto Rico asks Washington for federal aid By Tom Braithwaite in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. Published: September 28 2009 23:03 | Last updated: September 28 2009 23:03. Puerto Rico has appealed to the Obama administration for federal assistance as it battles a $3.2bn budget deficit, a three-year recession and the worst credit rating of any state or territory in the US. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7a9eab28-ac77-11de-a754-00144feabdc0.html

Letterman Admits Affairs In $2 Million Extortion Case By Lisa de Moraes. Copyright by The Washington Post. Friday, October 2, 2009. David Letterman surprised his studio audience Thursday during the taping of his CBS show when he announced that he'd had sex with female "Late Show" staffers and that someone had tried to extort $2 million from him to keep quiet about the relationships http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100105253.html?hpid=topnews



Health Care

Global AIDS Detection and Treatment Sees Major Increase By CELIA W. DUGGER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 30, 2009. JOHANNESBURG — The number of people being tested for H.I.V. more than doubled in dozens of countries last year, improving detection of AIDS and contributing to a major surge in those being treated. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/world/01aids.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

New York Times Editorial: Medicare Scare-Mongering. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 26, 2009. It has been frustrating to watch Republican leaders posture as the vigilant protectors of Medicare against health care reforms designed to make the system better and more equitable. This is the same party that in the past tried to pare back Medicare and has repeatedly denounced the kind of single-payer system that is at the heart of Medicare and its popularity. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/opinion/27sun1.html?th&emc=th

Doctors on Coverage — Physicians’ Views on a New Public Insurance Option and Medicare Expansion By Salomeh Keyhani, M.D., M.P.H., and Alex Federman, M.D., M.P.H.. Copyright by The New England Journal Of Medicine. September 14th, 2009. n the past few months, a key point of contention in the health care reform debate has been whether a public health insurance option should be included in the final legislation. Although polls have shown that 52 to 69% of Americans support such an option, the views of physicians are unclear. Physicians are critical stakeholders in health care reform and have been influential in shaping health policy throughout the history of organized medicine in the United States. http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=1790

Oregon's leadership in end-of-life care offers lessons for the rest of the country By Dennis Peck, Copyright by The Oregonian. September 02, 2009, 4:52AM http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/09/oregons_leadership_in_endoflif.html

Democratic Super Majority http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-30-2009/democratic-super-majority

Senators Reject Pair of Public Option Proposals By ROBERT PEAR and JACKIE CALMES. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 29, 2009. WASHINGTON — After an intense debate that captured the essence of the national struggle over health care, a pivotal Senate committee on Tuesday rejected two Democratic proposals to create a government insurance plan to compete with private insurers. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/health/policy/30health.html?th&emc=th

Billionaires for Wealthcare http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHVwrCzRUX0




GOP Bashing

Today's GOP a political bedlam - I find myself wondering today whether Abraham Lincoln would feel comfortable in the Republican Party of 2009. By Don Wycliff. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. September 27, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-perspec0927gopsep27,0,7538012.story

For Some Republicans, Their Party’s Seal of Approval Doesn’t Impress By CARL HULSE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 26, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/us/politics/27hill.html?th&emc=th

John Ensign's parents paid $96K to his mistress By MANU RAJU. Copyright by Politico.com. 7/10/09 12:19 PM EDT. Sen. John Ensign's parents shelled out big bucks to pay off their son's mistress, the latest twist in an unfolding scandal that has upended the political career of the one-time rising GOP star. The scandal has also touched Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), another prominent conservative, who revealed that he had confronted Ensign about the affair and urged him to end it, but says he will refuse to divulge any conversations with Ensign — even under inquiry from ethics investigators. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24748.html

The Wizard of Beck By DAVID BROOKS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 2, 2009. Let us take a trip back into history. Not ancient history. Recent history. It is the winter of 2007. The presidential primaries are approaching. The talk jocks like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and the rest are over the moon about Fred Thompson. They’re weak at the knees at the thought of Mitt Romney. Meanwhile, they are hurling torrents of abuse at the unreliable deviationists: John McCain and Mike Huckabee. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/opinion/02brooks.html?th&emc=th

McCain manager predicts Palin could prove 'catastrophic' by Alexander Mooney. Copyright by CNN News. Posted: October 2nd, 2009 04:06 PM ET. WASHINGTON (CNN) — The man who ran John McCain's presidential campaign warned Friday that Sarah Palin could lead to a 'catastrophic' election result for the GOP in 2012 if the former Alaska governor captures the party's presidential nomination. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

New Cheney Taking Stage for the G.O.P. By MARK LEIBOVICH. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 28, 2009. NASHVILLE — Liz Cheney looks nothing like her father, but it is clear who he is. She was introduced as “our favorite vice president’s daughter” at a recent gathering of conservative women here. She kept invoking him in her speech, conveying his best regards, and likes to share cute stories about Dad trying to master his new BlackBerry. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/us/politics/28cheney.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Jon Krakauer http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-30-2009/jon-krakauer

Rep. Alan Grayson on the Situation Room http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H3gND4M9HA




Immigration

Agency Plans for Visa Push by Residents Made Legal By JULIA PRESTON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009. Although President Obama has put off an immigration overhaul until next year, the federal agency in charge of approving visas is planning ahead for the possibility of giving legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, the agency’s director said Thursday. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/us/politics/02immig.html?th&emc=th


Chicagoland

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Be proud, Chicago. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 10:49 a.m. CDT, October 2, 2009. So that's all there is. Chicago in 2016 will watch the Summer Olympic Games on television along with the most of the world. Chicago lost. We don't like losing. We don't like being embarrassed either, which, let's admit, was the near-universal reaction to being knocked out in the first round of voting by the International Olympic Committee. But we'll be fine. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chicagoolympics/chi-091002chicago-loses-olympics-editorial,0,4298088.story

Rio Wins Bid for 2016 Olympic Games By JULIET MACUR and LYNN ZINSER. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 2, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/03olympics.html?hp

Chicago out after first round of voting - Early exit stuns Chicago By David Heinzmann. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 10:33 a.m. CDT, October 2, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-091002chicago-olympics-2016-eliminated,0,3121819.story

Obama sending AG here to discuss fatal beating by Katherine Skiba. Copyright by The Associated Press. October 1, 2009 4:47 PM. WASHINGTON -- President Obama is taking up the case of Derrion Albert, the 16-year-old Fenger High School honor student whose fatal beating was captured on cell phone video, by dispatching two Cabinet secretaries to Chicago. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/10/obama-sending-ag-to-chicago-to-discuss-fatal-beating.html

Chicago Tribune Editorial: Stroger and a subpoena. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. September 28, 2009. Only the foolhardy think they can guess precisely why prosecutors resort to subpoenas in any given case. In this case, though, we have an excellent clue: The Tribune's Hal Dardick and Matt Walberg report that Cook County prosecutors have subpoenaed county financial records in what sources tell the newspaper is a widening criminal investigation. The probe began with questions about Stroger's 2008 hiring -- and oddly rapid promotion -- of steakhouse busboy Tony Cole: You'll recall that Cole's county salary shot from $48,000 to $61,000 in only four months. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0928edit1sep28,0,2968956.story

Report rips Huberman's oversight of contracts - Inspector general says 'management failure' cost city $2.25 million BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter fspielman@suntimes.com. Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times. October 2, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/1802378,CST-NWS-huberman02.article

Kiddieland has an emotional last day - Thousands enjoy and say goodbye to amusement park in Melrose Park on its last day open to the public By Georgia Garvey and Steve Brosinski. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. September 28, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-kiddieland-closes-28-sep28,0,7923084.story




Economy


Big Merger Deals Signal Restored Confidence By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 28, 2009. The corner office is getting a bit more bullish about the economy. While investors have been bidding up shares in the stock market for months, many chief executives and boards had privately remained skittish about their own businesses — until recently. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/business/29sorkin.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1254240111-V1KRtF1L9XqfA7xisiCTPg

Bernanke, in Nod to Critics, Suggests Board of Regulators By EDMUND L. ANDREWS. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009. WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke, told skeptical lawmakers on Thursday that the Fed should be put in charge of regulating the nation’s biggest financial institutions. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/business/economy/02regulate.html?hpw

Fed Proposes Rules on Credit Cards. Copyright By REUTERS. Published: September 29, 2009. WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The Federal Reserve proposed tough credit card rules on Tuesday to protect consumers from potentially costly practices by lenders, and moved to put in place legislation enacted in May. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/your-money/credit-and-debit-cards/30card.html?th&emc=th

Banks to Prepay Assessments to Rescue F.D.I.C. By STEPHEN LABATON. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 29, 2009. WASHINGTON — Acknowledging that they had greatly underestimated the problems plaguing the nation’s banks, federal officials on Tuesday proposed a $45 billion plan financed by the industry to rescue the ailing insurance fund that protects bank depositors. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/business/economy/30regulate.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

U.S. Job Seekers Exceed Openings by Record Ratio By PETER S. GOODMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 26, 2009. Despite signs that the economy has resumed growing, unemployed Americans now confront a job market that is bleaker than ever in the current recession, and employment prospects are still getting worse. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/business/economy/27jobs.html?th&emc=th

Jobs Report Highlights Shaky U.S. Recovery By PETER S. GOODMAN. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 2, 2009. After several months in which the American economy flashed tentative signs of improvement, a sobering report on the national job market released on Friday amplified worries that a lengthy period of lean times lay ahead. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/business/economy/03jobs.html?hpw

GE appears ready to hand over control of NBC Universal to Comcast - Comcast to pool cash, cable channels into new firm that would control 51 percent stake; GE to contribute NBC Universal, own By Meg James and Ben Fritz. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. October 3, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sat-comcast-nbc-1003oct03,0,5727052.story




Housing


Home prices rise for 3rd straight month, still off from 2008. Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune. 9:26 a.m. CDT, September 29, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/dow-home-prices-case-shiller-sep29,0,5688181.story

Foreclosure Rate Rises 17 Percent By Renae Merle. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, September 30, 2009; 10:46 AM. The number of homes lost to foreclosures rose about 17 percent in the second quarter of this year despite the launch of an extensive government program aimed at helping borrowers save their home, according to government data released Wednesday. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093001696.html?hpid=topnews

Evicted owners stripping homes of all valuables BY CAROLE SHARWARKO AND STEFANO ESPOSITO. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. September 26, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1792042,CST-NWS-strip27.article




GLBT

Prop 8 deja vu in Maine by Rex Wockner. Copyright by The Windy City Times and by Rex Wockner. 2009-09-30. Maine voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to veto a law passed by the legislature and signed by the governor that legalized same-sex marriage. The law has not yet taken effect pending the outcome of the election. The TV ad war got under way Sept. 15, and it looks and smells like the Proposition 8 ad war last year in California. Some analysts believe gays lost marriage in California because the No on 8 campaign lost the TV ad war. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23041

Maine to scrutinize anti-gay groups by Lisa Keen ©2009 Keen News Service. Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009. The Maine campaign ethics committee voted 3-2 Oct. 1 to launch a formal investigation into the funding of an anti-gay ballot initiative in that state this year. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23075

Chicago Free Press Editorial: Memo to the Vatican: Stop blaming us. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. October 1, 2009. The late Rev. Jerry Falwell, who most in the GLBT community probably don’t miss so much, had a famous quote about gays, reportedly told to his (gay) speechwriter Mel White: “Thank God for these gay demonstrators. If I didn’t have them, I’d have to invent them. They give me all the publicity I need.” The same now goes for the Catholic Church. But the Church is not looking for free publicity in its rhetorical attacks on GLBTs; it’s looking for scapegoats. http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3941

Speakers Announced for National Equality March. Copyright by The Windy City Times. NEWS UPDATE Sept. 30, 2009. Washington, DC, September 30, 2009 — Longtime gay activist David Mixner, who in May called for a national march on Washington "to empower our young and to show the nation that anything less than full freedom is unacceptable," is among the featured speakers at the October 11th National Equality March ( NEM ) in Washington, organizers announced today. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23073

Views: The fight for equal marriage by State Sen. Heather Steans and State Rep. Greg Harris. Copyright by The Windy City Times. 2009-09-30 http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=23022

Politics aside, gay marriage gets a boost - Illinois senator, rival both push it -- that's a good thing BY MARK BROWN. Copyright by The Sun-Times. October 1, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/1800741,CST-NWS-brown01.article


Technology

A Burst of Technology, Helping the Blind to See By PAM BELLUCK. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 26, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/health/research/27eye.html?th&emc=th

Unicom to Sell Apple iPhones In China From October. Copyright By REUTERS. Published: September 28, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/09/28/technology/tech-us-chinaunicom.html?scp=1&sq=iphones%20in%20china&st=cse

Cisco Buys Norwegian Firm for $3 Billion By ASHLEE VANCE. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009. SAN FRANCISCO — Cisco Systems continued to show just how serious it was about videoconferencing, announcing late Wednesday night the $3 billion acquisition of Tandberg, a Norwegian video communications company. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/technology/companies/02cisco.html?th&emc=th

Texting While Driving Banned for Federal Staff By MATT RICHTEL. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: October 1, 2009. Federal employees will not be allowed to text while driving, according to an executive order signed Wednesday night by President Obama. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/technology/02distracted.html?th&emc=th



Other

New York Times Editorial: High Cost of Death Row. Copyright by The New York Times. Published: September 27, 2009. To the many excellent reasons to abolish the death penalty — it’s immoral, does not deter murder and affects minorities disproportionately — we can add one more. It’s an economic drain on governments with already badly depleted budgets. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/opinion/28mon3.html?th&emc=th

Eyes on Texas DA as new leader of forensics panel By JEFF CARLTON © 2009 The Associated Press. Oct. 2, 2009, 3:01PM. DALLAS — Gov. Rick Perry's surprise appointment of a conservative ally to lead a panel investigating whether Texas executed an innocent man has raised the question of whether politics will trump science on the state's forensics board. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6649290.html


Humor

"Pittsburgh Irates" http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-september-28-2009/pittsburgh-irates

Free Hugs in Amsterdam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BE1YqDYlLo

Yom Kippur vs. Lent http://newsletter91507.blogspot.com/2009/09/yom-kippur-vs-lent.html



It has come to my attention that you can only read 2 articles per month at the Financial Times if you haven't registered. If you would like to read more of the articles for free, simply sign up for the free account and you can read 10 articles per month. That should be enough. I'll try to keep the FT links to a minimum. - CTM

Ps. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, just go to my website: www.carlostmock.com and go the the subscription link. It will appear in your email every week.



In Pride (orgullo),


Carlos T. Mock, MD
www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007.  Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Cuba Libre, “Mentirita” To be released late September 2009 by Floricanto Press