LGBTQ news and entertainment
This is what it looks like to add a lot of weight to your luggage for the flight home from the 2012 Paralympics.
US swimmer Jessica Long won 8 medals out of 9 events she swam in, including 5 gold medals.
Amazing achievement by an amazing athlete! USA! USA! USA!
For adrenaline junkies looking for a little adventure, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino is offering the opportunity to rappel more than 300 feet from the hotel’s rooftop for “Over the Edge,” a fundraising event benefiting Special Olympics Nevada.
To participate, individuals must raise or personally donate a minimum of $1,000 to Special Olympics Nevada. Fundraising is done by soliciting donations from family, friends and co-workers through the online giving site www.overtheedgelasvegas.com.
“Raising the money to rappel is not a challenge once you explain what you are doing and that you are raising money for Special Olympics athletes in southern Nevada. People either think you are cool or crazy, but no matter what, they recognize their donation is worth the cause it supports,” says Maggie Schwarz, Special Olympics Nevada’s Regional Vice President. “How many people can say they “rappelled over-looking one of the most famous streets in the world, Las Vegas Boulevard? The experience is crazy and unique; and the benefit to the athletes of Special Olympics Nevada is colossal.”
Caesars Entertainment, parent company of Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, has sponsored the event for the past two years at sister property, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The event has raised more than $150,000 to benefit local children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
The “Over the Edge” event will kick off on Friday, Oct. 12, with a preview day.
Rappellers will start their descent down Planet Hollywood on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. No experience or prior training is required. Maggie Schwarz asks,
Getting excited now…
Make sure to watch the series premiere of Arrow on Wednesday, October 10 at 8/7c.
A new Pew Poll shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney by 8 points among Likely Voters: 51%-43%.
Likely Voters is a more accurate measurement of sentiment than Registered Voters.
From Pew Research:
At this stage in the campaign, Barack Obama is in a strong position compared with past victorious presidential candidates. With an eight-point lead over Mitt Romney among likely voters, Obama holds a bigger September lead than the last three candidates who went on to win in November, including Obama four years ago. In elections since 1988, only Bill Clinton, in 1992 and 1996, entered the fall with a larger advantage.
A lot more info from the poll can be found here.
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| Photo by Kirk Weber |
It was Lily Tomlin Day in Lansing this past Sunday as Mayor Virg Bernero (on the right of the pic with Lily and his staff) presented Lily with the key to the city for her humanitarian spirit and human rights efforts in this country.
The inscription reads:
“This key signifies the highest expression of appreciation for more than fifty years of distinguished achievements as an actress, comedienne, writer, and producer and for outstanding contributions to women and human rights. It is a great privilege to confer the key to the City of Lansing for being one of Michigan’s favorite daughters who has never forgotten her roots. Thanks for the laughs, and remember, we will always be one ringy-dingy away!”
Two Michigan law makers were recently banned from speaking on the floor of the Michigan Capitol building for using the word “vagina,” which led to a performance of the play “The Vagina Monologues.” Of course, Lily Tomlin referenced the incident in her performance in Detroit this past weekend.
Congratulation Lily! Lansing and America love you!
Thanks Kirk Weber for the tip!
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| Photo by Kirk Weber |
Being a dog person, I disavow any of the statements in this video.
It is a funny video, however…
(h/t JoeMyGod)
Senate Democrats failed to achieve cloture and thus prevent a filibuster on the legislation which would cost $1bn over five years to help veterans find employment in public work projects and as police officers and firefighters.
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) led the opposition to the bill, arguing that the nation’s debt overrode its obligations to help veterans get jobs. Only 5 Republicans voted to proceed with the debate, leaving Democrats two votes short of the 60 required to block a threatened Republican filibuster.
And our country’s veterans lose.
Read more at RawStory
With the brilliant Parker Posey.
Just fabulous…. so very L.A.
Modern Family‘s Jesse Tyler Ferguson has “popped the question” to his partner Justin Mikita.
He makes the announcement in a new video that marks the launch of a new foundation called TieTheKnot.org, which will sell limited edition bow ties with the proceeds going to the fight for marriage equality.
As Jesse says who wouldn’t want to see this couple get married? Cute as puppies and bow ties.
During an appearance on CNN’s Starting Point on Monday, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) could not explain when President Obama “apologized” for the United States, despite repeatedly claiming that he went on an “apology tour” across the Middle East shortly after becoming president.
Republicans have charged many times that Obama’s “defeatist” policies have caused the unrest in the middle East and contributed to the death of Libyan ambassador Christopher Stevens. But pressed to detail where Obama has apologized for America by CNN host Soledad O’Brien, King came up short:
O’BRIEN: Never once in that speech, as you know, which I have the speech right here. that was — he never once used the word “apology.” He never once said “I’m sorry.”
KING: Didn’t have to. The logical — any logical reading of that speech or the speech he gave in France where he basically said that the United States can be too aggressive. […]
O’BRIEN: Everybody keeps talking about this apology tour and apologies from the President. I’m trying to find the words ‘I’m sorry, I apologize’ in any of those speeches. Which I have the text of all those speeches in front of me. None of those speeches at all, if you go to factcheck.org which we check in a lot, they all say the same thing. They fact check this and they say this whole theory of apologies…
KING: I don’t care what fact check says.
O’BRIEN: There are fact checks. You may not care, but they’re a fact checker.
KING: No. Soledad. Any commonsense interpretation of those speeches, the president’s apologizing for the American position. That’s the apology tour. That’s the way it’s interpreted in the Middle East. If I go over and say that the U.S. has violated its principles, that the United States has not shown respect for islam, that’s an apology. How else can it be interpreted?
O’BRIEN: I think plenty of people are interpreting it as a nuanced approach to diplomacy is how some people are interpreting it. So I don’t think that everybody agrees it’s apology.
I’ve personally looked for these “apologies” from President Obama and like Soledad, I haven’t been able to find ONE instance where the President has said “I apologize for the United States” – or anything even close to that.
Congressman King and his group know that this is all just “red meat” for their base.
And it’s also a lie.
Via ThinkProgress