GAY = SIN from Matthew Brown on Vimeo.
Matthew Brown has made a video which he shares on Vimeo, looking at how some people are so thoroughly opposed to the ‘gay lifestyle’ – which I interpret simply as opposition to the fact that gay people exist – that they feel compelled to share their distain for others in a as public a forum as is possible. He overlays critical audio over images captured of friends sharing special times together. The sounds so awfully contrast with the clement, benign and thoroughly gregarious nature of the images portrayed – pictures that could not be further from the audio that accompanies them. The result is artistic and thought provoking, as well as not just a little bit beautiful.
Check out the video link for an High Definition version which, through its clarity, renders the images yet more poignant and meaningfull.
Right now the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any developed nation. Although this teen pregnancy rate has decreased dramatically since the 1970s, recent years have seen that rate become stagnant.
Indeed, as of 2004, 13 states experienced either an increase in teen birth rates or stagnant teen birth rates, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data also showed that one in seven girls who are 14 and younger will experience an unintended pregnancy, and one in three women will have an unintended pregnancy by age 20.
For $1.3 million a year, Larry Page and Sergey Brin get to park their customized wide-body Boeing 767-200, as well as two other jets used by top Google executives, on Moffett Field, an airport run by NASA that is generally closed to private aircraft. Moffett Field is nearly adjacent to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., and the four-mile drive between the two locations takes just seven minutes, according to Google Maps. Other Silicon Valley executives have to fight traffic to get to their large jets parked…even farther away.
Senator Mike Gravel sounds a bit like a sage Al Gore who’s been around the block a couple times and is sick and tired of the hypocrisy and weakness of potential leaders. He’s bold and old and comes across as a granddad with an opinion. Perhaps, at times, a little long-winded, he’s quickly becoming my one-to-watch of all the US Presidential candidates. I hope he’s paid due attention and supported by the people as much as he’s trying to empower them.
Three videos of his thoughts; the first is a short clip from an interview on MSNBC, the second from a speech he gave in New Hampshire: “We should be guided by Eisenhower’s warning that an inordinate emphasis on military power breeds a culture of militarism that threatens all vital areas of our society.” and the third from the debate amongst Democratic candidates for the presidency on April 26th in South Carolina.
As part of going on the Colbert Report on Comedy Central to promote the 11 May release of her new film ‘Georgia Rule‘, Jane Fonda managed to put host Stephen Colbert in a jam by getting far more up close and personal than he’d expected, leaving him saying “this is not how I expected this interview going!” The video, below:
“Top notch care and support of Army Families demonstrate our sincere appreciation and gratitude for their many contributions, and allow our Soldiers to fully concentrate on the fight and focus on their duties.
“Effective immediately, the word ‘Families’ will be capitalized in all Army correspondence. Please ensure wide dissemination of this change. Thanks for your continued efforts to do all you can to provide steadfast support to our Army Families.”
Also, Extended Tours, Multiple Deployments, Shortened Home Leave and Other Words Will Be Capitalized From Time To Time, As Deemed Necessary. viaA Kamen in Washington Post
Hunters in the annual seal massacre that has a quota for killing 270,000 seals per year in north east Canada have over the last couple days become stranded and cut off from aid because of forceful ice flows and bad weather conditions. Perhaps it’s a message to stop killing wild animals? I hate the seal cull. Plus, calling it a ‘cull’ implies that there are somehow too many seals. There aren’t too many seals. They’ve only just recovered from the brink of extinction. How many animals must we kill just to allow for human overpopulation of the planet. I think this is ridiculous.
The Democratic Presidential candidate from Connecticut was asked about his position on gay ‘marriage’ during a talk with New Hampshire High School students. His response refers obliquely to John Rawls‘ Veil of Ignorance:
With ones own children: “They may grow up as a different sexual orientation than their parents. How would I want my child to be treated if they were of a different sexual orientation?”
Rawls’ book ‘A Theory of Justice’, one of my favorite works of political philosophy, refers to the decision making process through which a society ought to go about defining its own rules:
“no one knows his place in society, his class position or social status, nor does anyone know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his intelligence, strength, and the like. I shall even assume that the parties do not know their conceptions of the good or their special psychological propensities. The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance.”
What makes Dodd’s pronouncement interesting is the fact that he is a father of two girls and, though (perhaps oddly) an opponent of gay marriage, a supporter of civil unions and their recognition on a federal level.
The next day, at the rally here [in Colo Iowa], Mr. Obama described the encounter for the crowd. The woman, he said, had asked if her son’s death was the result of a mistake by the government. “And I told her the service of our young men and women — the duty they show this country — that’s never a mistake,” he said.
