Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming film Machete Kills stars Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Sofia Vergara, and Michelle Rodriguez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jessica Alba, Antonio Banderas, and Lady Gaga in her feature film debut.
Illinois: Time running out on marriage equality vote in state House
The Windy City Times says that a vote on marriage equality in the Illinois House could happen as soon as this afternoon:
LGBT activists, advocates and community members have begun filtering into the capitol as a the deciding vote on Illinois marriage equality is expected as early as this afternoon.
Sponsors have until Friday to pass the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, which would grant equal marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Chief sponsor Greg Harris has said he will “absolutely” call for a vote on the bill by session’s end May 31. He has also stated that the bill will pass.
Multiple sources connected with organizing efforts around the bill have stated that a vote is expected this afternoon, evening or early in the day on Friday. That timeline will partially depend on other business in Springfield as spring session wraps up.
At a fundraiser in Chicago yesterday, Obama told the audience that he wants to see the measure pass.
“Here in Illinois, we’ve got a vote on same-sex marriage that’s going to be coming up in the Legislature,” Obama said. “ I just want to say for the record it’s something that I deeply support. I wrestled with this for a long time and I am absolutely convinced it is the right thing to do. And we have to make sure that wherever we go, we are reminding people that the essence of America is that everybody is treated equally under the law without exception.”
“Compact” Range Rover?
Went to the gym yesterday and had to take a pic of what is, honestly, a common occurrence.
In what universe is a Range Rover a “compact” car? Why is this one parked in a “Compact” parking space?
It goes without saying that the driver who got out was a ‘glamorous’ 30-something, “Housewife of North Hollywood” type in matching velour purple “sweatsuit” and huge designer sunglasses with a Venti iced Starbucks kind of thing in her well-manicured hand.
I don’t know why, but these things bug me. There were plenty of larger parking spaces, but this diva clearly just wandered into this one.
She’s not even in the center of the spot she parked in.
So L.A.
World’s highest BASE jump from Mount Everest
BASE jump = jump off of a fixed object: buildings, antennas, bridges, and earth.
From the YouTube clip description: Nearly 60 years to the day after the first ascent up Mount Everest, Russian extreme sport star Valery Rozov (48) flew off the north face of Mount Everest – the world’s highest BASE jump ever – 7220 meters (23,688ft) above sea level.
It took him four days to climb from the base camp to the jumping location. At precisely 2:30 p.m. local time he leaped despite adverse weather conditions with temperatures -18 Celsius.
Because the cliff at the top was not very high, the initial moments of the leap in the rarified high altitude air were the most critical phase. Rozov needed more time than usual in the thin air to transition from freefall to flying. After that he flew for nearly a full minute at speeds of about 200 km/h (125 mph) along the north face before he landed safely on the Rongbuk glacier – at an altitude of 5,950 meters.
(h/t Towleroad)
Nigeria passes bill making being gay punishable by up to 14 years in prison
Lawmakers in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, passed a bill Thursday banning gay marriage and outlawing anyone from forming organizations supporting gay rights. Violations could result in prison terms of up to 14 years for offenders.
According to the Huffington Post, Nigeria’s House of Representatives approved the bill in a voice vote, and it is possible that President Goodluck Jonathan will sign the legislation into law.
Nigeria’s Senate previously passed the bill in November 2011.
Under previous versions of the proposed law, couples who marry could face up to 14 years each in prison. Witnesses or anyone who helps couples marry could be sentenced to 10 years behind bars.
(image via Memeographs)
Anti-gay Oregon bakers display a bit of “pick & choose” hypocrisy
Remember the two bakeries in Oregon who declined to make wedding cakes for two same-sex weddings due to their deeply held religious beliefs (Gresham’s Sweet Cakes by Melissa, Hood Rivers’ Fleur Cakes)? And by doing so got in trouble for violating an Oregon statute that makes it illegal for businesses to turn away customers based on race, religion or sexual orientation?
Well… Portland’s Williamette Week reporters wanted to see what other “deeply held religious beliefs” would cause the bakers to turn away business. As it turns out, not many.
The reporters made undercover inquiries asking for price quotes on some other “celebrations” that Christians may frown upon (divorces, unmarried parents, stem-cell research, pagan solstice parties…). Here are a couple of the responses.
Baby Out of Wedlock
WW Asks – I’m shopping around for a nice baby shower cake for my friend. It’s her second baby with her boyfriend so I’m not looking for anything too big or fancy—probably enough to serve 15 to 20 people.
Sweet Cake says – “We have a sheet cake that will feed 30, or a 10-inch cake that would feed 30 people. The 10-inch cake is $50 and the sheet cake is $52. Or we have an 8-inch cake that would feed 15 for $40.”
Fleur says – Prices vary based on decoration and frosting, but a basic cake is $3 per serving.
Divorce Party
WW Asks – My friend is getting divorced and we’d like to throw her a little party to mark the start of her new life. Do you ever write messages on those—we’d want it to say “congratulations!”—and how much would it be for a cake that could serve about eight people?
Sweet Cake says – “A 10-inch is $29.99. That should probably do it….We can definitely do something like that.”
Fleur says – “The price for a 10-inch cheesecake is $36 and up. So it’ll be between $36 and $45, but you’re going to have to call in advance because my schedule for June and July is very busy.”
WWeek adds: “We later contacted both bakeries to ask about these inconsistencies. Regentin of Fluer Cakes declined to comment beyond asking whether she had been taped (she had not). Sweet Cakes owners Melissa and Aaron Klein were upset that we ‘would even try to entrap a business’ and contacted conservative talk-show host Lars Larson.”
(via Instinct)
So God made a Dog
Thank God he did.
Dogs rule.
Funny and true – 5 types of guys on Instagram
The fitness segment hits it best, but I see a LOT of this posing out there.
Everyone’s too cool for school.
Dan Savage on the “polite” way for couples to get tested for STDs
“How do you go about asking somebody you’ve just started dating to get tested without sounding rude?”
Oprah Super Soul Sunday
Gay marriage was the topic Sunday on Super Soul Sunday: The Bigger Picture, the Oprah Winfrey Networks’s roundtable panel hosted by Oprah Winfrey herself.
Oprah hosts three guests and discusses the “dominance of marriage equality” and what it could mean for marriage in America.
Oprah’s guests included Los Angeles episcopal priest, Reverend Ed Bacon, Elizabeth Lesser, founder of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in New York and author of Broken Open, and poet/philosopher Mark Nepo.
We need to see more intelligent people having these discussions. THIS helps society.
(h/t OnTop)