Tea Party Nation activist takes idiotic pro-LGBT bullying in schools stance

Tea Party Nation activist takes idiotic pro-LGBT bullying in schools stance: "

Tea Party Nation brainiac Rich Swier (also an activist with the anti-Muslim group ACT! For America) thinks bullying is actually GOOD for gay kids.

After a Florida group, Gulf Coast Gives, announced that they were intending to raise funds to bring wrestler Hudson Taylor—a brave and outspoken heterosexual advocate for gay rights, somewhat of a rarity in the sports world—to the state, Swier sent a poorly-thought out missive to Tea Party Nation members comparing homosexuality to drug addiction and calling concerns over LGBT bullying a “sham.” Via Right Wing Watch:

Gulf Coast Gives is working to raise funds to bring homosexual activist Hudson Taylor to Sarasota, FL. According to their website:

“77% of all bullying victims are picked on due to sexual orientation, gender identity, or the perception of either. LGBT youth are up to five times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight counterparts. ALSO Out Youth is the only LGBT youth organization serving both Sarasota and Manatee Counties, providing advocacy, leadership, support, and outreach since 1992. Please support ALSO in bringing Hudson Taylor to Sarasota. Hudson, an outstanding athlete, is a committed LGBT advocate and founder of Athlete Ally.”

The problem is the entire bullying campaign is a sham created by radical gay activist Kevin Jennings. Jennings is the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN). As MassResistance.org reports, “The homosexual movement in the public schools has always been based on lies and deception. But until the mid-1990s, they were still having difficulty getting into the schools. Then they found the key to their huge success—what they call ‘re-framing the issue’”.

…

This is not bullying. It is peer pressure and is healthy. There are many bad behaviors such as smoking, under age drinking and drug abuse that are behaviors that cannot be condoned. Homosexuality falls into this category. Homosexuality is simply bad behavior that youth see as such and rightly pressure their peers to stop it. In Sarasota County over 70% of all HIV/AIDS cases are due to male sex with males.

I agree with Gulf Coast Gives that “LGBT youth are up to five times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight counterparts”. Homosexuality, like drugs, harms young people if they experement [sic] with it. That is the greatest tragedy.

It would be pointless to add anything snarky to a statement this lacking in sophistication and intelligence. Rich Swier is obviously a goddamned buffoon, but I must say, I do eagerly await news of his dalliances with rent boys to come to light, don’t you?

Looks to me like yet another case of a lady who doth protest too much.As with all the most outspoken “Christianist” homophobes, with Rich Swier, probably all we have to do is wait…

Swier is such a low-life that he even posted his essay on the Gulf Coast Gives fundraising page! If you want to donate to a good cause—and annoy this flaming asshole in the process—you can visit the Gulf Coast Gives website here and contribute to the fund to bring Hudson Taylor to Sarasota.

"

Go see – London: Georg Baselitz “Between Eagles and Pioneers” at White Cube Mason’s Yard London until July 9th, 2011

Go see – London: Georg Baselitz “Between Eagles and Pioneers” at White Cube Mason’s Yard London until July 9th, 2011: "

Georg Baselitz, Haderung (2011), all images via Jochen Littkemann and courtesy of White Cube

German artist, Georg Baselitz is now showing at the White Cube Mason’s Yard in London. In “Between Eagles and Pioneers” Baselitz continues his famous upside-down images while using three main motifs – eagles, dogs and double portraits. These paintings were first shown as images that appeared in the historic edition of the German newspaper ‘Die Welt’ to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of German unification in 2010.

More text and images after the jump…

Georg Baselitz, Gelbe Spitzen (2010)

Five canvases, all of tremendous size, fill the ground floor room of the gallery. The paintings explore the images of dogs and double portraits, most appearing with bright yellow backgrounds. Monogram Citron has a bright acidic yellow background with a pair of upside- down dogs at the centre that appear to be anchored to the top of the canvas with spray of thin black lines. Despite the concurrent use of line throughout the canvases, the wide strokes and use of thick swaths of bright paint highlight Baselitz’s neo-expressionist tendencies.

Georg Baselitz, Monogram Citron (2010)

Georg Baselitz, Keine Zukunft, keine Zeit (2010)

The paintings in the room on the lower ground floor are all focused on the eagle theme and are all quite similar in appearance. All eight canvases are filled with a large eagle hanging upside down, in front of a blue background with lines of black paint dripping down the entire canvas. The eagle has been a source of inspiration for Baselitz throughout his career, in particular because of its place on the German coat of arms. Writer Michael Glover notes how the eagle can be seen as an image of strength and defiance, however in many of the paintings here it seems a desperate image as it clings to the top of the canvas, holding on for life. Often, the outline of the eagle appears incredibly faint in comparison to the bold smears of sky, the sketchiness of the thin black lines give the sense of a skeletal figure rather than a fully fleshed bird.

Georg Baselitz, St. Anna vereinigt Feld (2010)

Baselitz grew up in the former East Germany and then moved to West Germany as a student. His style is often interpreted differently around the world, with Northern Americans citing him as a Neo-Expressionist, and the Europeans aligning him with the postmodern movement. Baselitz began to make a name for himself in the 1960s, after the police confiscated one of his paintings, citing its provocative nature. He has exhibited his works around the world, including at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1995) and Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (1996). Today, the artist lives and works near Lake Ammersee, Germany and in Imperia, Italy. He is also a professor at the renowned Hochschule der Künste in Berlin.

-H. Haines

Related Links:

Exhibition Page [White Cube]

Artist’s Website [Georg Baselitz]

Georg Baselitz – Between Eagles and Pioneers, White Cube, Mason’s Yard, London [The Independent]

Georg Baselitz’s first show at White Cube [Flash Art]

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Police Taser, Beat, Pepper Spray Mentally Handicapped Teen – Then Charge Him With Assault

Police Taser, Beat, Pepper Spray Mentally Handicapped Teen – Then Charge Him With Assault: "

Dayton police tasered, pepper-sprayed and beat a mentally handicapped teen and then charged him with assault. What did the disabled boy do to deserve this onslaught?

The police officer “mistook” his speech impediment for a sign of “disrespect”.

Dayton Police

Similar to how cops think filming them is against the law, many are also under the assumption that not groveling and obeying their every order is also an arrestable offense.

"

Wikileaks: U.S. Forced Haiti To Nix Raising Its Minimum Wage To 62 Cents

Wikileaks: U.S. Forced Haiti To Nix Raising Its Minimum Wage To 62 Cents: "

An incredibly infuriating Wikileaks revelation, via the Nation. To sum up: desperately poor Haiti planned to raise its minimum wage from 24 cents per hour to 62 cents, angering the contractors for U.S. corporations such as Levis and Hanes, who pay slave wages to Haitians who sew our clothes. The Obama administration intervened on behalf of those companies, and bullied the Haitian government into setting the mark at 32 cents.

To put things in perspective, upping the hourly wage to 62 cents would have cost Hanes an additional $1.6 million each year. Hanesbrands turned $211 million in profit last year and CEO Richard Noll personally was paid $10 million.

"

Life Expectancy in Most US Counties Lags Behind World’s Healthiest Nations

Life Expectancy in Most US Counties Lags Behind World’s Healthiest Nations: "

While people in Japan, Canada, and other nations are enjoying significant gains in life expectancy every year, most counties within the United States are falling behind, reports the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington (US).

More..."

Woman with ALS asks court for legal right to die with dignity

Woman with ALS asks court for legal right to die with dignity: "Nearly two decades after Sue Rodriguez fought for the right to die with dignity, another British Columbia woman with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, has come forward to ask the court for choice in dying. Today, Gloria Taylor filed an application with the BC Supreme Court asking to be added as a plaintiff in the BCCLA’s death with dignity lawsuit. Gloria, 63, of Westbank, BC, is terminally ill with ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease with no known cure or effective treatment."

Dutch MPs vote to ban religious slaughter

Dutch MPs vote to ban religious slaughter: "Bill would outlaw halal and kosher meat, as religious leaders say their communities are frightened for their future."

‘If record execs got their hands on the Beatles today’

‘If record execs got their hands on the Beatles today’: "

“All you need is…Urban Outfitters.”

(via reddit )

"

When Jean-Luc Godard met Woody Allen

When Jean-Luc Godard met Woody Allen: "

If you are a fan of either Woody Allen or Jean-Luc Godard, then Godard’s 1986 short Meeting WA should tickle your fancy. Featuring Allen’s trademarked neuroses and some standard Godardian cinematic tropes, it’s a 26-minute gem. Filmed when Allen was participating in Godard’s nearly universally-panned King Lear adaptation.

"

Interactive Scale of the Universe

Interactive Scale of the Universe: "

Size does matter, as this rather lovely Interactive Scale of the Universe shows.

See it here.

With thanks to Steve Duffy

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If you don’t like gay marriage…

If you don’t like gay marriage…: "

Via Joe.My.God

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First Advertising Campaign Targeted At Monkeys

First Advertising Campaign Targeted At Monkeys: "

The advertising belief that sex sells may not just work on humans, but on monkeys too. That is what the first non-human aimed advertising campaign is basing its marketing strategy on. Via Wired:

A primatologist has created the first advertising campaign aimed at non-human primates and believes that it will be sex that sells.

Laurie Santos from Yale University’s Comparative Cognition Laboratory has teamed up with advertising agency Proton Studio to “determine where advertising has innate primate responses”.

Santos and team will create two foods specifically aimed at Capuchin monkeys — possibly two different colours of jelly. One will be featured on a billboard outside of the monkeys’ enclosure and the other will not. After a set period, the monkeys will be offered both foods. “If they tend toward one and not the other we’ll be witnessing preference shifting due to our advertising,” Keith Olwell of Proton told New Scientist.

[Continues at Wired]

"

Timothy Leary: Back In The Mainstream

Timothy Leary: Back In The Mainstream: "

Leary recording 'Give Peace a Chance' with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Photo: Roy Kerwood (CC)

He may have turned on, tuned in and dropped out, losing his post as a Harvard professor and instead becoming an icon of ’60s counterculture, but Timothy Leary has finally (and posthumously) made it back into the mainstream. The New Yorker details the acquisition of his archives by the New York Public Library:

Sitting in a storage complex in Long Island City, waiting to be sorted and processed, are several hundred boxes that make up the complete archive of Dr. Timothy Leary, the Harvard psychologist turned fugitive drug propagandist. The material was recently acquired from Leary’s estate by the Manuscripts and Archives Division of the New York Public Library, whose collection includes Mesopotamian clay tablets from the third millennium B.C.; documents from America’s founding, including a handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson; letters and manuscripts by Hawthorne, Melville, Mencken; the papers of Fiorello LaGuardia and Robert Moses; and the archives of this magazine.

Against this eminent backdrop, Leary, who was labeled by Richard Nixon (albeit with some hyperbole) “the most dangerous man in America,” seems an odd fit. His notoriety began with his controversial stewardship of the Harvard Psilocybin Project, which in 1960 commenced a series of experiments into the effects and therapeutic potential of hallucinogens. The increasingly loose and unorthodox methodology of this analysis virtually eliminated the distinction between experimenter and subject, and Leary’s handling of the drugs was cavalier, to say the least. “Would you be willing to meet this guy for a drink, size him up and then if you think he is a swinger, make arrangements to give him mushrooms?” he wrote to a colleague in 1961. “As a pharmacist he might teach us a lot.” Allen Ginsberg took notice, and initiated Leary into the cultural cognoscenti. They gave psilocybin to Robert Lowell (to no great effect), and before long Ginsberg was writing Leary to ask, “Do you want I should take on Monk or Franz Kline or De Kooning?”

The project’s lack of discretion and diminishing credibility aroused the ire of the Harvard faculty and student body, resulting in a dispute over its merits that wound up in the pages of the Harvard Crimson and then the national press. By the end of the year, the university had shuttered the project. Defiant, Leary and his chief collaborator, Richard Alpert, defended their work in a letter to the Crimson. “A major civil liberties issue of the next decade will be the control and expansion of consciousness,” they declared. “Who controls your cortex? Who decides on the range and limits of your awareness? If you want to research your own nervous system, expand your consciousness, who is to decide that you can’t and why?” Both were soon out of a job…

[continues in the New Yorker]

"

BC gets final HST payment from federal Conservative government - appointment of ex-Premier Gordon Campbell to High Commissioner to UK job!

BC gets final HST payment from federal Conservative government - appointment of ex-Premier Gordon Campbell to High Commissioner to UK job!: "

New High Commissioner to United Kingdom Gordon Campbell

The federal Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made the final payment to British Columbia for agreeing to impose the Harmonized Sales Tax.

No, not the one-time-only $1.6 billion payment to the BC government - the other pay off.

Last week former BC Premier Gordon Campbell was appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, a job that will pay about $190,000 a year, plus an official residence, chef and chauffeur in London.

While many commentators have focused on Campbell's background, relationship with Harper and other factors, none seem to have drawn the obvious conclusion - if the High Commissioner job is a reward - as it has been in the past for prime ministers both Conservative and Liberal - why Campbell?

After all, he doesn't even belong to either federal politicial party and certainly was responsible for the balancing act of keeping both federal Liberals and Conservatives in a provincial coalition misnamed the BC Liberal Party.

That hardly is helpful to the electoral success of the federal Conservatives.

So, if he isn't a party ally, political ally, major donor or diplomatic veteran, why give Campbell one of the best jobs in all diplomacy?

Because he delivered the HST in British Columbia, even if it cost him his job.

The HST is a federal priority and for good reason - Ottawa increases its take of provincial sales taxes through the HST by about $300 million a year.

Campbell's kind of blind loyalty deserves favour - and High Commissioner to the UK is that kind of reward.

No doubt many will disagree with this cynical view.

And I think Campbell will do a decent job, given his long record in public office.

I even wish him well - after all, if I lose my passport in England I'll be depending on him!

But really - let's not ignore an obvious conclusion.

Only in BC you say? Pity.

.

"

Gaza flotilla ship 'sabotaged by divers'

Gaza flotilla ship 'sabotaged by divers': "Activists say Swedish ship due to join attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza has been damaged in Greek port."

Cats playing a Mini Theremin

Cats playing a Mini Theremin: "

The Theremin is a unique musical instrument that, according to WIkipedia;

“[was] originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox [and] is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.”

A cat is a four legged feline animal that, according to Wikipedia;

“[is] also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felines and felids, [and] is a small, furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests. Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years.”

According to WIkipedia, the word “awesome” means: “...that which inspires awe.”



IT’S CATS PLAYING WITH A FREAKIN THEREMIN!!

BONUS!

You can see the “prequel” (Cats and Mini Theremin Part 1) here.



EXTRA BONUS!

If you were not aware of the existence of these Mini Theremins, they come in kit form, are cheap ($30) and look relatively easy to build. You can purchase a kit (and watch a video demonstrating the building process) at Maker Shed.

"

Feeding Resistance: Food Not Bombs Members Arrested in Orlando for Serving Meals Without a Permit

Feeding Resistance: Food Not Bombs Members Arrested in Orlando for Serving Meals Without a Permit: "

The City of Orlando, the home of Disney World in Florida, is being sued in court today over a city law that has effectively made it illegal for any group to feed more than 25 people at a time in downtown parks without a permit. It also limits groups to no more than two permits per park, per year. The group Food Not Bombs has refused to obey the new law—saying food is a right, not a privilege—and has continued to serve free meals to the poor and homeless. However, over the past month more than 20 members of the organization have been arrested. Keith McHenry, who helped found Food Not Bombs over 30 years ago, was arrested Wednesday and remains in jail. We speak with Benjamin Markeson, an activist involved with Food Not Bombs for several years who was arrested earlier this month, and the group’s attorney, Shayan Elahi. [includes rush transcript]

"

Obama Admin Warns of “Fines and Incarceration” if U.S. Citizens Set Sail with Gaza Aid Flotilla

Obama Admin Warns of “Fines and Incarceration” if U.S. Citizens Set Sail with Gaza Aid Flotilla: "

A group of U.S. citizens is rejecting the Obama administration’s attempt to thwart their aid mission to the Gaza Strip, which threatens to leave them stranded in Greece. They are set to sail from a Greek port on a U.S.-flagged ship called “The Audacity of Hope,” part of an international humanitarian flotilla carrying aid for Gaza’s 1.5 million Palestinian residents. Flotilla members are taking part despite Israeli threats to intercept their ships. Nine people were killed in an Israeli attack on the first aid flotilla just over a year ago. The Audacity of Hope passengers have called for the U.S. government’s help in ensuring their safe passage. But instead, the Obama administration has told them not to set sail and even warned them they could face punishment back home. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested Israel would have the right to use force to prevent the ships’ passage. The State Department called the flotilla "irresponsible and provocative" and warned that U.S. delegates could face "fines and incarceration.” We play an excerpt from a press conference when State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland is repeatedly questioned about the Obama administration’s threat, but refuses to answer whether the U.S. considers the Israeli blockade of Gaza to be legal. [includes rush transcript]

"

Media Advisory: Woman with ALS pleas with court for legal right to die with dignity

Media Advisory: Woman with ALS pleas with court for legal right to die with dignity: "On Tuesday, June 28, 2011, the BCCLA will hold a press conference announcing that a British Columbian woman with ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease, filed an application with the BC Supreme Court asking to be added as a plaintiff in the BCCLA’s death with dignity lawsuit."

Panel: Life under Harper's Majority (in News)

Panel: Life under Harper's Majority (in News): "

Wednesday, come make sense of the new reality with Samir Gandesha, Michael Byers and Tyee's David Beers."

Early Election Would Mean a BC Lib Flip Flop (in News)

Early Election Would Mean a BC Lib Flip Flop (in News): "

Christy Clark was deputy minister of government that passed fixed vote date law."

Egypt army vows to stop virginity tests: Amnesty

Egypt army vows to stop virginity tests: Amnesty: "Egypt's military has vowed to stop virginity tests on female protesters, Amnesty International said on Monday, after a top official said the tests were necessary to head off possible charges of rape.

"

Why the Precautionary Principle Should but Doesn’t Apply in BC

Why the Precautionary Principle Should but Doesn’t Apply in BC: "

There is a reason that we who want to save our environment are losing the war and may lose it outright unless we gird up our loins and fight to the death, politically speaking.

The reason is simple: no government set in authority over us will apply the “Precautionary Principle” (despite Canada’s international commitment to uphold it) to undertakings in the environment and thus they permit despoilers to get away with, literally, murder.

Here is the principle as generally stated. “The precautionary principle …states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus that the action or policy is harmful, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking the action.” Read full article at The Common Sense Canadian

"

Pop Art: 5 celebrity artists

Pop Art: 5 celebrity artists: "

A selection of artworks by artists better known for their work as actors, musicians and writers.



William Burroughs





Burroughs explains his shot gun art:

“Once you know where to point, all you have to do is get out of the way and let this thing happen [...] and letting what you really know take over.”

Paul McCartney





McCartney on his technique:

“And these were the connections between all the ancient civilizations, but as the painting started to develop, the one on the right started to look quite modern, so I think of him more as a modern face, with these ancient connections in the background there. The rod almost goes through his mouth, like a cigar or something; it comes out of his mouth. So that is quite nice, pretty”

Tony Curtis





Tony Curtis on what inspired him:

“Sometimes I am inspired by things in my past, while other days it can be whatever pops into my mind at the time,” he goes on to say. “But it’s the colors that really move me to where the piece is going. I will begin with a color, and lay that color in all the right places, then moving to the next color almost like the pieces of a puzzle. And, I can see all the pieces perfectly fall into place on the canvas in my mind’s eye.”

Paul Simonon





Paul Simonon on working as an artist after The Clash:

“It would be obvious for me to do conceptual art and I think I’ve done it already with smashing bass guitars and whatever - I consider that as conceptual [...] To be honest I’ve got to the stage now where I just want to paint - I’ve done my time with the music”

Dennis Hopper





Hopper‘s self-assessment:

“I’m not sure how my visual art and my movies will be seen, but I think the work I’ve done is… interesting. Hopefully it’ll all come together in an interesting story.”

"

Pat Robertson believes God will destroy America because of buttsecks

Pat Robertson believes God will destroy America because of buttsecks: "

Here’s Pat Robertson’s response to the recent passage of legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in the state of New York.

(via BuzzFeed)

"

Pat Robertson believes God will destroy America because of buttsecks

Pat Robertson believes God will destroy America because of buttsecks: "

Here’s Pat Robertson’s response to the recent passage of legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in the state of New York.

(via BuzzFeed)

"

‘London Calling’ deconstructed

‘London Calling’ deconstructed: "

I’d like to thank Flip2k for uploading this track breakdown of The Clash’s epic “London Calling,” one of the great rock and roll anthems of all time. Released in 1979, the song and the album was an immediate classic. It was urgent, angry, anarchic and everything that is beautiful, relevant, and powerful about rock and roll: it moved your soul.

Mick Jones’ guitar sounds like a city in the middle of death throes. The concrete groans. Steel girders grind and shudder. Sirens call out for their lost lovers.

Topper Headon, the armies of darkness stomp to a martial beat. Distant explosions. Thunder under the bridge.

Paul Simonon’s bass is ominous, rousing, undulating and sexy. One of the most indelible riffs in rock and roll.

Joe Strummer’s wail is a warning shot and a call for unity, hope and action, pulled up from the gut of rock and roll. His rasp scratched at reality like a feral cat’s claws.



Via Exile On Moan Street

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‘Get Under the Spout…’: Odd image from religious magazine

‘Get Under the Spout…’: Odd image from religious magazine: "

Oral Roberts Ministries Magazine: August 2010 Vol. 3, No. 3



Yes this is real and not from a 70s porn magazine.

(via reddit)

"