Posts made by MrMazda

It just so happens that my father owns a chicken farm. The farm does both chickens that are beheaded and sent through the process to end up on the shelves in your grocery store, as well as some that are used for the purpose of producing eggs.

Ford votes alone against funding for HIV/AIDS programs
Source: hxxp://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Ford_votes_alone_against_funding_for_HIVAIDS_programs-10493.aspx
Andrea Houston / Toronto / Saturday, July 16, 2011

Once again, Mayor Rob Ford was the lone member on city council to vote against grant money earmarked for HIV/AIDS-related programs.

The grant was even supported by rightwing councillors Doug Ford, Doug Holyday and Michael Thompson.

But not the mayor. In a stunning 37 to one vote at the very end of the day on July 13, Ford said no to budgeted funding for the AIDS Prevention Community Investment Program (APCIP), a program that reaches more than 250,000 people through outreach and workshops.

Councillors who were absent from the vote include Paul Ainslie, Maria Augimeri, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Giorgio Mammoliti and Karen Stintz.

The APCIP allocation was for $1,679,000, to be used between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012.

Mayor Rob Ford was again the only vote against funding for HIV/AIDS-related programs. (Andrea Houston)

The funding pays for outreach workers and funds projects at several vital community organizations, including at the 519 Church Street Community Centre, Action Positive, Africans in Partnership Against AIDS, the AIDS Committee of Toronto, the Alliance of South Asian AIDS Prevention, the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention, Central Toronto Community Health Centers, Fife House, the Hassle Free Clinic, Native Child and Family Services, Youthlink and Schools Without Borders, to name a few.

Black CAP’s chair, Angela Robertson, tells Xtra that the grants support a community of people who are often marginalized and face tremendous stigma and discrimination.

“The kinds of services that the mayor has voted against are part of invisible yet essential services in our communities,” she says. “We need the support of the city for prevention work that these grants support. It’s incomprehensible why the mayor would vote against these kinds of supports. But it’s heartening to know that these grants were approved.”

The projects target gay and bisexual men, injection drug users, women and men from countries where HIV is endemic, people living with HIV/AIDS, gay youth, trans populations, at-risk youth, sex workers and incarcerated men and women.

There is no financial impact beyond what has been approved in the city’s 2011 approved operating budget, the city report states.

The vote capped two days at council that saw Ford vote against six other community development grants programs that improve the lives of the city’s seniors, immigrants, the poor and the disabled. The community development and recreation committee recommended that the city give 259 groups a total of $7.2 million. Some of the groups include Etobicoke Services for Seniors, Cabbagetown Youth Centre, the New Canadian Community Centre and Variety Village.

The mayor was defeated 43 to one when he tried to halt funding for Access Equity and Human Rights, the Community Recreation Investment Program, the Community Safety Investment Program, and Community Festivals and Special Events Investment Program.

Much like his days as a city councillor, Ford made a point of telling city council he opposes them all. Ultimately, all the grants passed.

If he had got his way, the move would have further affected marginalized black communities that are targeted through outreach, Black CAP’s Michael Went points out.

“That’s funding that helps marginalized black communities. After the vote, he then goes out to celebrate the launch of Caribana.”

It’s not the first time Ford has voted against funding earmarked for HIV prevention strategies. In February, the mayor was the only member of council to vote against accepting $100,000 from the provincial government to establish screening programs for syphilis and HIV.

Ford has consistently voted against the APCIP every year since 2006.

Preview: Outfest 2011
By Eddie Shapiro
Source: hxxp://www.out.com/detail.asp?id=31096

Our second annual roundtable discussion about the joys and challenges of making queer films with directors, actors, and writers featured in this year's Outfest, the Los Angeles gay and lesbian film festival.

Wed Jul 06 2011

It’s that season in L.A. again. Post-Pride and just as the weather really starts heating up, the buzz begins. Banners flap in the wind, up and down Santa Monica Boulevard, heralding the dates; gays descend on the boutiques on Robertson to find the right outfit for the Opening Night Gala; and tickets are snapped up by the fistful. It’s Outfest: 11 days of GLBTQ films, 600 or so parties, industry panels, a huge gala, and some of the best schmoozing of the year. Here in the land of film, Outfest isn’t just a film festival – it’s a holy week.

In anticipation of the 29th annual Outfest, which starts tonight, Out hosted its second annual Outfest roundtable at the French Market Place, a West Hollywood mainstay. There, with '70s disco blaring from aged speakers, we talked to a quartet of men whose work in and on wildly divergent films will be part of the festival: Q. Allan Brocka, director and writer of Eating Out 4 (and the original Eating Out); Adrian Gonzalez, actor in the quiet drama, August; John Lavin, director of the documentary _From Hollywood to Dollywood;_and Matt Ludwinski, star of the cautionary Hollywood story, Going Down in LA-LA Land.

Out: I want to start by asking you all the same question I asked of last year’s group. As GLBTQ characters find their way into mainstream film and television with increasing regularity, do we still need Outfest, and if so, why?

Brocka: I think we do. Outfest is more than just having gay characters onscreen. It’s the whole experience of sitting in a theater with a gay audience – this community that’s come together to experience a story. That doesn’t really happen when something airs on TV or comes out in the theaters. You don’t get the sense of community that a festival brings. It will be nice when that’s the only thing the festival does, but right now, it also helps inspire industry people to think to include gay characters and gay story lines because so many people around them are talking about the festival and this great experience.

Lavin: And speaking in broader terms of gay film festivals in general, we shot From Hollywood to Dollywood all across the South. There are festivals there that are super stoked that there’s a film that talks about the Southern gay experience. There’s still a need for them.

Brocka: Smaller communities are really limited for things gay people to do as a group. I just went to a gay film festival in Dubai, where homosexuality was illegal until two years ago. There aren’t even gay bars there. It’s one of the biggest cities in the world and there isn’t a single gay bar, but they have a queer film festival.

Gonzalez: And you showed Eating Out? Were they able to handle it?

Brocka: They were! It was an amazing experience. The entire community seemed to be coming together around this film festival. And it’s the first time these people were gathered in a room with other gay people without being worried about getting caught. There is a lot of work still to be done that film festivals can do.

There was a time when the issues covered in gay films were somewhat limited to AIDS and coming out. Now we have evolved beyond that, but I think that the current commonality is characters seeking acceptance.

Lavin: In my film, I think it’s sad and depressing that these two 36-year-old brothers still call their mother three times a day. They are with her right now to explain the movie to her because she won’t see it. I think, Cut her out of your life! As soon as you do that you won’t have these problems and eventually she will come around. I really struggled with how much of the coming-out story to put in to the film because I feel like it’s been done to death in gay cinema, and the reaction of some people has been “We’ve seen it!” But people in middle America still need to hear this story.

Posted on Advocate.com July 27, 2011 01:15:00 AM ET
Source: hxxp://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/07/26/Will_Latest_Attempt_to_End_Gay_Blood_Ban_Work/

Will Latest Attempt to End Gay Blood Ban Work?
By Neal Broverman

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is once again looking at changing its policy that bars men who have sex with men from donating blood.

HHS described the current policy as "suboptimal" and asked a group of experts, known as the Blood, Organ, and Tissue Safety Working Group, to look into ways of changing it. As it stands, any man who had sex with another man since 1977 cannot donate blood. A new policy could allow certain gay or bisexual men, possibly those who have abstained from homosexual sex for a certain time, to donate.

“This announcement by HHS means we’re moving in the direction of finally ending this antiquated and discriminatory policy,” Rep. Mike Quigley told the National Journal. “Senator [John] Kerry and I will continue to push for a behavior-based screening process both in the name of fairness and a safer blood supply.”

See… There's two mistakes that they made here. The first was trying to make a profit off of counterfeit software, and the second was when they got caught, they refused to refund... Sad... Truly sad how low some people will sink for money. Although I pirate software myself, any of the software and such that I sell are actually legitimate copies so that in the event that anything should happen, I can still have the backing behind my product.

@pacifico:

Really hot: what about a good fuck?  :cheesy2:

I agree… That's one fine man rod ya got goin' on there.

@cumeaternc:

Maybe we should all fly over there and hold up God hates straight people signs with some bible verses…lol.  :rotfl:

Turnabout is fair play...right?

I love the way your evil mind works lol… I'm in... Sign me up!

@raphjd:

Last year, the Italian leader brushed off criticism, saying: “It’s better to be passionate about beautiful women than to be gay.”

Wait a minute… Let's back this up a few steps here. What about if you're a woman? Is it then still better to be passionate about beautiful women than to lust over a hunk a hunk a studly man? I'm just saying... There's more than one way to intemperate such a statement.

Let's back this up here for just one second… Since when is a statement like "marriage is so gay" an offensive and non-family statement? I know in Canada, such a thing would be in direct violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, section 19, which outlines that each and every individual is entitled to and has the right to express their own opinion. This also holds true under the constitution in the United States, where this is more commonly referred to as "Freedom of Speech".

That being said, they're absolutely right that families come in a wide range of different types at this day and age. It's funny how people will turn their back on a gay statement, yet something like walking in with a shirt with a huge pot leaf on the front is perfectly acceptable. This much I do know as I have visited that park wearing just such a shirt once. It was all black with a huge pot leaf background, and large white letters across the top that read "C.I.A.". Below that in white text it read "Cannibals Inhalers Association". Funny how closed minded some people are at this day and age, isn't it?

Regardless of where the camera was placed, his reputation would be ruined in either event. That being said however, you are correct in that regard. That was something I didn't think of myself. As for the part about a sex crime, I'm not entirely sure as to how that would be classified. I personally don't see how this would constitute a sex crime as there was no sexual act involved, however given the nature of the situation, I'm sure that there are some that will disagree. In either event, it will be interesting to see how things turn out.

I would personally recommend Nero to do such a thing. In particular, you'd want to look for Nero Vision. If you'd like, I can upload a copy as a torrent. If you do wish me to do so, just say the word and I shall.

It's also important to know the risks of the activities that you're doing before you go and do them. In a case like this, doing such a thing in the workplace is probably the worst idea ever, especially considering that employers can fire you for such a thing, even if up until that point they've had nothing on you and you've passed your 3 month probationary period.

WOW!

I don't know what legislature that falls under in the USA, but I know in Canada, such an action would be a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms section 17, which states that all persons are entitled to fair and equal treatment.

That is a rather interesting twist. It would be interesting to take a careful examination of the full email headers to see where they may have originated from and if there could possibly be any connection to the now debunked law-firm, or if the emails are genuinely a forgery. Something tells me though that the emails are no forgery and that further sleazy business practice is still being conducted under an alter-ego. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a scammer has pulled such a stunt.

One way to spruce things up a little involves some chocolate sauce, strawberries, and whip cream… I think you should have an erotic enough mind to figure out where I'm going with that

Oh no… Does that mean that if I hug my female friend because she's a basket case after being walked out on by her ex, leaving her a single mother of a 1 year old child would turn me straight?  :rotfl:

@Noughty:

And I also heard that it was because of a higher disease rate statistically. That was decided a long time ago, so this should be reviewed.

True, but misleading… The CDC[nb]Centre for Disease Control[/nb] (Winnipeg, Manitoba) quarterly report released July 2001 noted that within North America, the largest group to be affected by communicable disease was actually that of the heterosexual female, when all such diseases were taken into account. What's more interesting is that the report went on to state that the only one single category that had a higher risk and infection rating among gay men was that of HIV, however although the infection rate for HIV was highest in gay men, by April 2001, on a global scale, both the infection rate for HIV as well as the highest population of infected persons with HIV were actually that of the heterosexual female.

On this simple fact alone, one could argue that although this point holds true within North America for HIV infection rates only, imposing such a restriction would be branding being gay as a societal taboo. When all things get taken into account, HIV is not the only potentially life threatening infection out there. Two of the other life threatening and often over-looked diseases to beware of are Hepatitis C and Herpes, both of which are statistically more likely to occur in a heterosexual. With Hepatitis C in particular, it is also noted that the hardest hit category is the intervenes drug user, which holds absolutely no co-relation whatsoever to sexual orientation. Since there is no causal link between being a heroin user for example and being a gay man, that again is a gist that such legislation needs to be examined a little more closely.

I'm not saying that I'm against having certain rules in place for gay men, however I believe that such rules need to be based on scientific fact, and not misconception or out-dated information, which no longer holds any validity. Such examples include if you're an MSM[nb]Men who Sleep with Men… These are not necessarily gay men, as not all persons who fit into the category of MSM identify as being gay.[/nb] for example, it would make logical sense that a screening be done for HIV prior to being allowed to donate blood. By the same token, if you're in intervenes drug user for example, it would also make sense to impose a rule to screen for HIV and Hepatitis C prior to being allowed to donate blood. These rules would be based solely on the fact that persons who meet those criteria are statistically most likely to become infected with those diseases, therefore for safety reasons, tests must be conducted in order to ensure the safety of the blood.

The whole thing of not allowing an MSM to donate blood solely for the fact that they are an MSM makes absolutely no sense whatsoever since there are ways that currently exist for making sure such a procedure is safe to perform before doing so, and otherwise denying MSM's the ability to donate blood only further reduces the availability of valuable resources that are always in demand. Why is it that people often linger in fear of a stigma created by ignorance when a little proper education on such subjects would prove to be more valuable in the end?

This does actually lead me to think that places like Auschwitz (I hope I spelled that right) do actually have a purpose in the end… Although once used for such atrocities as the massacre in masses of the Jewish population, perhaps it could serve as a place in which to deal with homophobes... When you think about it, it would serve as an incentive to help stop the spread of such hatred, wouldn't it?

You never realize just how good you've got it until you find out how it could otherwise have been.

OMG!! It's the modern day Saddam Hussein… Or was it Adolf Hitler that lead the Holocaust? I don't quite remember.