Billionaire Michael Bloomberg announces official entry into 2020 presidential race Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said before he entered the 2020 Democratic primary race he would spend “whatever it takes” to beat Donald Trump, and he wasn’t kidding. The Hill reports Bloomberg has reportedly spent about $120 million in digital and television ads since joining the presidential race last month.
The billionaire candidate is targeting large Super Tuesday states such as California and Texas, spending more than $13 million in each of those states, Politico reported Wednesday. Bloomberg has also spent that much in Florida, which votes a week after Super Tuesday, according to the news outlet.
Politico reported that Bloomberg has already outspent all of his competitors. Billionaire Tom Steyer has reportedly spent $83 million in ad buys, the second most, followed by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has reportedly spent $19 million.
(image via Jack Sharp/Unsplash) In the aftermath of a landmark grand jury report on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses have paid out almost $84 million to 564 victims of sexual abuse. The Associated Press reports seven of the Keystone state’s eight dioceses organized victim compensation funds after the release of the August 2018 grand jury report showed hundreds of priests had molested over 1,000 children since the 1940s. One diocese, in Altoona-Johnstown, has no compensation fund saying it lacks the funds after paying out $15.7 million in an earlier clergy abuse scandal. In addition to the abuse, the grand jury report also indicates church leaders had systematically worked to cover up the abuse. According to the AP, the average payout to victims across the seven dioceses has been slightly more than $148,000. But that’s well below what an adult victim of childhood abuse would expect to see had they been able to sue in court. Claims administrator Camille Biros, who was hired to handle the claims for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as well as Allentown, Erie, Pittsburgh and Scranton dioceses, told the AP, “These are all time-barred claims, so it’s not going to be the kind of numbers one sees in a courtroom.” Pennsylvania state law limits such lawsuits to those victims under 30 years of age. State lawmakers had announced plans to amend such laws but there’s no guarantee any changes will materialize. Biros says compensation payouts are based on “the nature of the abuse, how long it went on, the age of the child, (and) the effect of the abuse.” But some claims are rejected due to lack of evidence or not meeting eligibility criteria. One man who allowed his name to be used in the reporting is David Zernhelt, who tells the AP he was offered $400,000 by the diocese of Allentown and accepted it. Zernhelt says he wasn’t willing to trust lawmakers to pass a legislative fix to the state laws any time soon. “It doesn’t make me rich,” said the 45-year-old of Easton. “It creates a positive starting point for me. I can try to make my life a little bit better and put this behind me.” Zernhelt told the administrators of the Allentown fund that Rev. Thomas Kerestus sexually assaulted him two to four times a week for five years. The abuse began when Zernhelt was only 13-years-old. Zernhelt’s family went to the church about the abuse but says the diocese “swept it under the rug.” Kerestus, who was named in the grand jury report, died in 2014. Attorney Richard Serbin has been critical of the compensation funds because the process allows the church to avoid courtroom lawsuits which could become a “public airing of its dirty laundry.”
Although Serbin has worked for years on behalf of past church victims, he admits some of his clients have taken the payouts for various reasons.
“Some did it because they want to try to move forward and are looking to heal, and they feel this will be of assistance, and for those clients, I do think it’s good, and I recommend they take it,” he told the AP. Others, he said, “are in desperate financial situations, and they needed the money.”
Fitness guy Nik has the perfect package for you (via Instagram) Spending some Christmastime with the InstaHotties: First up, fitness guy Nik (above) has the perfect package for you this holiday season. Joel Green is giving you full-on Florida #BlackSanta realness: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6docoeJFnk/ Mitch Fit got a huge sword from Santa and looks like he knows how to use it: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6eh54rp8Oj/ Super-fit paleontologist Francesc Gascó and friend want everyone to eat, smile and be happy: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6dnRJ2IZjx/ Shoutout to the ModernBearMedia guys for knowing a real Santa when they see one: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6d7DaBJNTw/ Fitness expert Ramses Principe wants to know if you landed on the “Naughty” or “Nice” list this year? https://www.instagram.com/p/B6ddbQbnk7g/ Simon Dunn and Felix Maisey-Curtis are looking adorable in matching stripes and their big Weiner: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6fhcmChLth/ ABC News reporter Gio Benitez and hubby Tommy Didario are playing the matching outfits game as well (down to the socks!): https://www.instagram.com/p/B6f9idTlCWG/ Jim Newman got a really, really nice package from his boo: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6gG5zolepJ/ Photographer Michael Stokes offers his own take on elf shenanigans: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6gFz8KhN4Q/ Gorgeous Steve_in_LA is spending his holidays in gorgeous Salzburg, Austria: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6d0zN8hQ2W/ Rick and the Griffopotamus celebrate gay penguins with an invitation to kiss under the mistletoe: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6d0hCZga-9/ Spanish fitness model Jonathan Guijarro is giving you sexy eyes on Christmas Day: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6f1GSIoasx/ Max Emerson sends holiday greetings from Thailand: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6f0UdvFruL/ Rodiney Santiago offers his Christmas Eve greetings in classic champagne glass: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6dL-DgnwbF/ We are totally loving artist Silverjow’s take on Santa Claus and reindeer: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6dzylPH-Zq/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B6daGy1nvbi/
Mariah Carey’s holiday hit single, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” finally hit the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 23 years after its initial release. The song was not officially released as a single back in 1994 which meant it wasn’t technically eligible for the Hot 100 chart. But thanks to millions of streams on Spotify, the track became Carey’s 28th Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017. And now, after a journey 25 years in the making, Mariah Carey’s 1994 carol “All I Want for Christmas Is You” crowns the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time. Factoid: the song is only the fifth-holiday song to hit the Top Ten, and the only one to have the word “Christmas” in its title. Much of the track’s chart lift came from millions of streams on Spotify. The song isn’t one of my top holiday favorites, but there’s no denying how infectious the Christmas ditty is.
An act of kindness, and the magic of movies at Christmastime. This comment on the YouTube video for Josh Groban’s “Believe” from Polar Express has received over 1,000 responses:
I remember when i didnt like christmas bcuz i was a little black boy who saw everyone else with a “complete” family, but i only had my brother and my ma. They always seemed happy, while my ma seemed stressed all the time. so i kept to myself, hoping that at least someone seen that i was hurt especially on a holiday.
But no one did. I started to think that wen people say “christmas bring ppl together” was shitty at only the age of 6.
But an old white lady at school saw my hurt, and made my time at the school fun. She gave me things, taught me things, played with me (oh, is it appropriate to say its tough to literally have u and ur brother as the only blacks at that school?), and treated me with more respect than anyone at the school.
One day, she called me out of class, and to be honest i thought she was mad at me, but she took me out to see this movie (Polar Express). I was so happy, it was jus like yesterday.
Maybe bcuz i was a innocent little kid then, but i felt like she was family. I never knew someone like her would make that hate for christmas turn into pure love and respect.
I never seen her since, but Im 17 now, 11 yrs later, and one of the best christmas gifts ever is to see her again and thank her for turning that hate into straight happiness all year round. Not only for Christmas. She had a big impact on who i am today.
Idk whos reading this, but i hope the rest of your years here on earth is great. Happy holidays!
“You have everything you need, if you just believe.”
Chris Hemsworth and friend Some news items you might have missed: • Advocate: Brazil’s homophobic president, Jair Bolsonaro, complained at a press conference Friday about his treatment by the media, telling a reporter, “Your face looks an awful lot like a homosexual’s.” • The Hill: The Morning Consult poll for this week showed former Vice President Joe Biden with 31 percent support for the second week in a row, after rising 2 percentage points since the beginning of December. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) ranked as the runner-up with 21 percent support. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg kept third and fourth place with 15 percent and 9 percent, respectively. • Instinct: Michael Henry is back with a festive video celebrating the holidays with the dumpster queens. The video features Henry with Pete Zias and Michael Lucid at their iconic meeting spot talking about themes of the season such as giving gifts, sexy encounters, and holiday movies.
• CivilBeat: Former Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, has called on U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to resign her seat in Congress saying, “I feel very strongly the 2nd District of Hawaii must be fully represented.” Gabbard is running a long-shot campaign for president and recently moved to New Hampshire, an early Democratic primary state. • Out: A European airline will jettison the greeting “ladies and gentlemen” for the more gender-neutral “welcome everyone” a sign of respect for nonbinary people. • Twitter: In order for Thor star Chris Hemsworth and a quokka, a small marsupial native to Australia, to get to know each other a bit, Hemsworth had to get down to the little guy’s level. Which explains the hunky actor’s body position in the pic at the top. The short video also sparked the interest of the gay community for reasons I really don’t need to explain…LOL
Chris Hemsworth, a straight man, single-handedly one-up’d every single bottom in the gay community pic.twitter.com/OFTbH8Yvwf
Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey has dropped another oddly unsettling video on his YouTube channel. Tending to a raging fire, Spacey appears to still be inhabiting his ‘Frank Underwood’ character from the Netflix series House of Cards as he addresses the viewer saying, “You didn’t really think I was going to miss the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas, did you?” Noting that he’s happy to “have my health back,” the 60-year-old shares that he’s “made some changes in his life” and he’d like the viewer to join him. “As we walk into 2020, I want to cast my vote for more good in this world,” says Spacey. “Ah yes, I know what you’re thinking – could he be serious?” “I’m dead serious,” he continues. “The next time someone does something you don’t like, you can go on the attack – but you can also hold your fire, and do the unexpected,” advises Spacey. “You can (long dramatic pause)…kill them with kindness.” Cue the creepy, dramatic music as the actor pauses before turning back to his fireplace.
You’ll recall Spacey last shared a similarly odd video during the 2018 holidays, again as his House of Cards persona. At the time, the Oscar winner was facing legal challenges on several fronts. One concerned allegations of sexual harassment of a male teen at a Nantucket restaurant in Massachusetts, but the charges were dropped when the teen asserted his Fifth Amendment rights. In the 2018 video, as he was just days away from being arraigned, he told the viewer, “You wouldn’t believe the worst without evidence, would you? You wouldn’t rush to judgments without facts, would you?” Another case of sexual assault was brought by a masseur in Calfornia but was dismissed when his accuser suddenly died which makes today’s advise to “kill them with kindness” somewhat chilling.
The BBC reports a balloon drop at Westfield Parramatta mall in Sydney went terribly wrong when several participants were crushed in the chaos. Hundreds of shoppers were fighting for the balloons which were stuffed with gift cards (some worth only $5). The incident occurred at the end of a marathon Christmas shopping event. There were children among those injured in the crush, and several were sent to the hospital. The mall owners say they are investigating the incident.
Four men in Washington state have been arrested for allegedly harassing and physically attacking a gay couple for holding hands at a food truck. Pedro Mata Contreras, 36, Oscar Emestor Mata, 38, Ulises Missael Reyes-Mata, 24, and Jose Torres, 37, were charged with Felony Malicious Harassment. All four maintain their innocence. Local CBS News affiliate KEPR reports eight witnesses told police the group of four men verbally harassed the gay couple early Sunday morning at a food truck in Pasco, using the word “fag.” The incident escalated as the men reportedly punched one of the victims in the face. As he fell to the ground, the other men began to kick him repeatedly. The victim, left bleeding on the ground as the men ran away, suffered bone fractures in his face and a concussion. Witnesses were able to identify the four accused attackers. The four men are scheduled to be arraigned on December 31. (mugshots via Franklin County)(lead image via Depositphotos)
Paul Acton Bowen (mugshot) Yet another religious hypocrite has been found to be a sexual predator. Alabama evangelist Paul Acton Bowen has been sentenced to 1,008 years in prison after pleading guilty to 28 counts of sexual abuse involving six male victims whose ages range from 13 to 16. Bowen was originally arrested in April 2018 and charged with second-degree sodomy, enticing a child to enter a vehicle or house for immoral purposes, and second-degree sex abuse of a male minor under the age of 16. Further investigation led authorities to the additional victims. The sentence is the maximum allowed on all counts and is ordered to run consecutively, not concurrently. Bowen was also ordered to pay $840,000 in fines for all counts, also the maximum. Standing in shackles, Bowen addressed the Etowah County court before being sentenced apologizing to his victims and his own family. “The shame and guilt I feel is overwhelming and has been for a long time,” he said. “My heart was never wanting to hurt anybody but my mind was not well.” AL.com reports the 39-year-old “served for 12 years in a local church, led a citywide student Bible study in Gadsden and was also the host of xlroads TV, a worldwide broadcast viewed weekly by millions of teens and adults in every city in America and more than 170 countries around the world.” The victims told investigators they met Bowen through his ministry, and the abuse lasted months, sometimes years. District Attorney Jody Willoughby read the impact letter of one of the victims who wrote he initially saw Bowen as a “cool guy” who gave him money and took him on trips. But the teen developed a drinking problem that led to blackouts as he tried to cope with the shame of abuse and now sees himself now as “damaged goods.” A second victim wrote that Bowen “did his best to ruin the lives of other young men.” A third victim intended to testify in court, but became so overwhelmed with emotion he changed his mind. Bowen’s attorney John Floyd told the court that his client acted out after being sexually molested himself as a boy. In addition to his time in prison, Bowen faces another trial in Jefferson County on three felony charges of traveling to meet a child for sex, enticing a child for a sexual act and sodomy. That trial is set for April 20, 2020. The local NBC News affiliate WVTM reported on Bowen’s arrest back in 2018.
An act of kindness, and the magic of movies at Christmastime. This comment on the YouTube video for Josh Groban’s “Believe” from Polar Express has received over 1,000 responses: 
