I grew up in McHenry IL. 
Illinois has been extremely liberal over the years.
It was one of the first states to revoke the ban on interracial marriages. Note that only certain towns and counties had this ban {mostly in the southern part}, not the whole state. The state made a blanket removal of the ban across the state.
It was one of the first to revoke ban on sodomy.
Chicago was one of the first to offer benefits to same sex partners of city employees.
We already have software {WinAvi - all} posted that will convert it to the formats you mentioned.
Also, limiting uploads to a few specialist file formats will leave out a lot of people.
02/24/07-02/26/07
New marriage equality bill introduced in Illinois
While the debate for marriage equality heats up nationwide, gay Illinois state representative Greg Harris introduced a bill on Thursday that would legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois, reports the Chicago Tribune.
The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act would change the wording in state law to state that a marriage is between "two persons."
"Illinois is a heartland state but has always been a leader in civil rights and social justice issues. It's the right thing to do," said Harris.
This week New Jersey introduced civil unions for gay couples, joining Vermont, and Connecticut. Massachusetts is the only state that allows same-sex marriages. Civil unions offer many of the legal benefits and protections of marriage but not the title.
Last year opponents of same-sex marriage in Illinois failed to get enough signatures to put a question on the ballot asking voters whether marriage should be defined as a union between "one man and one woman." (The Advocate)
A better idea might be say
0.1 - 0.15 : maximum 1 download, no limit on filesize, but you can only download 50mb of that file (in other words, until you get over 0.15 ratio, you're stuck with only 50mb of the large file you started downloading.) This means people when they first start out will look for torrents that are in high demand to get over that hump asap - that's starts them out with the right habits, and it's good for everyone at gt.ru
That sounds pretty good. The problem is you have to find a file that someone else wants or you could be stuck.
If you are into some of the lesser used torrent sections, then it can be hard to find leechers to share to. Twinks, Youngbloods and hunks will always have someone to leech to, but some of the others may not.
As I said before, this only applies to people using older or bad clients. Most people should not be affected by this.
Anyway, it has no real affect on anyone.
If you upload a file that is affected by this, it will still only have about 5 to 10% {if that much} that has the issue. Everyone else will be showing it as complete.
If everyone was using the newer client versions, then this issue would no longer exist. 
Without the word "marriage", we lose a lot of rights from the get go.
The US bases it's laws on marriage and none on civil unions. Between local, state and federal laws we are missing out on over 14,000 protections/rights because we can't get married.
Even if a state allows gay marriage, it does not transfer to the federal gov level; ie the IRS.
The UK has a "separate, but unequal" stance in the way civil unions work. Of course this isn't even mentioning anything to do with immigration and other international issues.
In 2000, they voted for marriage to mean opposite sex couples only. However, it was a narrow victory for the bigots.
Post them under the "Bears" section.
Are video files crashing Windows Explorer on your computer?! Well the fix is in the quote below.
NOTE: There are 2 other ways to fix this, but they involve messing the Registry and that is extremely dangerous, so I will not include those.
"Windows XP Explorer has a 'feature' to provide a preview in the Details box on the left of the file you have selected, if it's supported. Image files, HTML pages, video clips, MP3s, etc are all previewed (even with the folder view open).
If you have a large movie clip and it either is corrupt (ie. no index from a partial download) or it uses an unsupported codec, then Explorer tries to load the whole file. This can slow your computer a lot and prevent deleting/renaming/moving/etc the file until it's finished.Simply do the following steps:
Open a command window (Start->Run, type in 'cmd' hit enter)
To remove image preview, type and hit enter
regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dllTo readd image preview, type and hit enter
regsvr32 shimgvw.dllTo remove media preview, type and hit enter
regsvr32 /u shmedia.dllTo readd media preview, type and hit enter
regsvr32 shmedia.dll
Another way is also to remove the bad file{s}, but the trick is to know which one{s} caused the problem.
NOTE: The fix for this means that you can not use Windows picture previewer. So you will either have to use Windows Paint or get an outside picture software program.
EDIT: After doing some testing, I found that most of you will not have to remove the "image previewer" part in order for this fix to work. So just remove the "media previewer" part first and see if that works, if not then also do the "image previewer".
02/17/07-02/19/07
Schwarzenegger says he would veto same-sex marriage again
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would veto a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage if state lawmakers passed it again this year.
According to the Associated Press, the governor made the statement in answer to a question from a high school student at the California YMCA Youth and Government Conference.
"I wouldn't sign it because the people of California have voted on that issue," the AP quotes Schwarzenegger as saying. He further explained that he would leave it up to a statewide vote instead of having the state legislature or the governor enact a law.
In June 2005 California's legislature was the first lawmaking body in the country to pass a measure legalizing same-sex marriage?a measure Schwarnegger subsequently vetoed. The bill was reintroduced in December by Assemblyman Mark Leno of San Francisco.
Equality California's executive director, Geoffrey Kors, said in a statement that he and his group are disappointed with Schwarzenegger's views and hopes he will reconsider his decision if the bill is up for passage again. "How would the governor feel if his right to marry first lady Maria Shriver had been put to a popular vote?" Kors said. "We urge him to remember that each of us deserves to be treated fairly." (The Advocate)
02/17/07-02/19/07
Jamaican mob attacks three men perceived as gay
Three men thought to be gay were rescued by police after being confined inside a pharmacy in St. Andrew, Jamaica, for an hour. The Jamaica Observer reported Thursday that a 2,000-person mob cornered the trio into the Monarch Pharmacy in Tropical Square.
When police arrived, the group was resistant. According to the article, when authorities attempted to extricate the three from the pharmacy to a police vehicle, one of the men was hit in the back of the head with a rock thrown from the crowd. Police were forced to use tear gas to disperse the angry, shouting mob, which included children.
Under Jamaican law a person can be sentenced to up to nine years in prison if caught having consensual gay sex. Gay rights groups have long branded the island nation as antigay.
"Jamaica has lost its way if men think they can openly flaunt being gay without any consequences," a woman told the Observer. "We don't want that kind of open gay life in this country." (The Advocate)
02/17/07-02/19/07
Gay domestic violence rampant in China
A new Hong Kong study reveals that domestic abuse is especially prevalent in China's gay community. Gay men and lesbians in China are 60% more likely to abuse their partners than straight couples.
The study, conducted by a coalition of LGBT civil rights groups, found that 16% of same-sex relationships suffer from domestic abuse, while only 9% of opposite-sex couples do.
The researchers found that the most common form of abuse involved threats of outing a partner to employers or family members.
Domestic violence is often thought of only as physical violence but can also involve emotional abuse or violence, including undermining of self-confidence, sexual violence, or the threat of violence by a person who is or has been in a close relationship. This can also include financial control and using a partner's sexuality in a bid to blackmail him or her.
Same-sex domestic violence is slowly getting more attention worldwide. Starting January 1 in California, same-sex couples who register with the state as domestic partners pay $23 toward same-sex anti?domestic violence programs, mirroring similar programs the state funds for straights.
In the United Kingdom, the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004 specifically acknowledges lesbian and gay couples as possible victims of domestic abuse. The act allows same-sex couples to obtain restraining orders, and it ensures that lesbian and gay victims of abuse have access to the same protection as married couples.
Statistics suggest that as many as one in four LGBT people have suffered or will suffer from domestic violence in their lives. Nineteen percent of American gay men report physical abuse by an "intimate partner" during the previous five years, according to a study published in 2002 in the American Journal of Public Health. (Hassan Mirza, Gay.com/UK)
02/17/07-02/19/07
Hardaway banished from all-star weekend for antigay tirade
The NBA banished Tim Hardaway from All-Star weekend in Las Vegas because of his antigay remarks. Hardaway, who played in five All-Star games during the 1990s, was already in Las Vegas to make a series of public appearances this week on behalf of the league. But after saying ''I hate gay people'' during a radio interview, commissioner David Stern stepped in.
''We removed him from representing us because we didn't think his comments were consistent with having anything to do with us,'' Stern told reporters Thursday at the opening of a fan festival at a Las Vegas casino, part of the NBA's All-Star weekend. Stern said he had not spoken with Hardaway, who left Las Vegas on Thursday, but he planned to do so.
While Stern said a discussion about openly gay players could be part of future rookie orientation programs, he doesn't see a need to address the league. ''This is an issue overall that has fascinated America. It's not an NBA issue,'' Stern said, pointing to the ongoing debate over same-sex marriage at the state and federal levels.
''This is a country that needs to talk about this issue,'' he said. ''And, not surprisingly, they use sports as a catalyst to begin the dialogue.''
Hardaway apologized for his comments, which came a week after John Amaechi became the first former NBA player to say he was gay. ''As an African-American, I know all too well the negative thoughts and feelings hatred and bigotry cause,'' Hardaway said Thursday in a statement issued by his agent. ''I regret and apologize for the statements that I made that have certainly caused the same kinds of feelings and reactions.
''I especially apologize to my fans, friends, and family in Miami and Chicago. I am committed to examining my feelings and will recognize, appreciate, and respect the differences among people in our society,'' he said. ''I regret any embarrassment I have caused the league on the eve of one of their greatest annual events.''
The NBA brings in many former players to take part in various All-Star events. Hardaway had already represented the league in Las Vegas earlier this week at a Habitat for Humanity event and a fitness promotion. The former U.S. Olympian was also scheduled to be an assistant coach at a wheelchair game Thursday night and later appear at the fan-oriented Jam Session until Stern told him he was no longer welcome.
''His views are not consistent with ours,'' Stern said. (Melissa Murphy, AP)
February 15, 2007
Gay couples celebrate intention to form civil unions in Mexico City
More than 100 Mexican gay couples celebrated their registrations for civil unions in Mexico City's central plaza Wednesday, wearing suits and wedding dresses and throwing rice in a scene akin to a mass engagement party. The couples noted their intent with the nongovernment Citizens Civil Union Network ahead of a law allowing gay couples to register their unions and gain many of the rights of married couples.
Mexico City, a semi-independent capital zone that has some of the same powers as state legislatures, approved the law in November. It takes effect March 16.
Eduardo Martinez, 21, exchanged rings with his partner, Alberto Pichardo, 19, to celebrate their commitment. ''Our families support us. We have taken the decision in good conscience and we are very happy,'' said Martinez, dressed in a gray suit and tie.
Mexico's northern state of Coahuila, bordering Texas, has already enacted a similar law. Last month a lesbian couple there registered for what officials called Mexico's first gay civil union in a ceremony broadcast on national television.
The Roman Catholic Church and the conservative National Action Party of President Felipe Calderon have sharply criticized the laws. While homosexuality is still taboo in many rural parts of Latin America, the region's urban areas are becoming more socially liberal. Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires and the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul have also legalized same-sex civil unions.
At the national level, lawmakers in Costa Rica and Colombia have debated, but not passed, similar measures. (Istra Pacheco, AP)
February 15, 2007
LGBT activists protest for marriage rights in Chicago on Valentine's Day
Gay and lesbian couples in cities and towns across the country on Wednesday are using Valentine's Day to protest their lack of marriage rights. Some have organized demonstrations while others went to their local clerks' offices and demanded a marriage license.
In Chicago a Valentine's Day protest organized in part by the Gay Liberation Network began outside the county building at 4:30 p.m. and was followed by a march to Holy Name Cathedral, reports CBS2Chicago.com. Mayor Richard M. Daley and Cook County clerk David Orr are both in favor of same-sex marriage, but Orr has said that he is not allowed to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Activists argue that if the mayor and county clerk strongly backed the issue, then the fight for marriage equality could go to the courts. In November a referendum for an Illinois state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage failed because of lack of support. Twenty-five other states have added constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. (The Advocate)
NOTE: Only Arizona has so far beaten a ballot to ban same sex marriage, Illinois couldn't get enough signatures to put it on the ballot.
February 15, 2007
Former NBA star Tim Hardaway: "I hate gay people"
Retired Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway said Wednesday that he hates gay people, though he later said he regretted the remarks. ''You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people, and I don't like to be around gay people,'' he said while a guest on Sports Talk 790 the Ticket. ''I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States.''
The discussion was sparked by last week's announcement that retired NBA center John Amaechi is gay. The host asked Hardaway how he would interact with a gay teammate.
''First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that is right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room.''
If he did find out that a teammate was gay, Hardaway said he would ask for the player to be removed from the team. ''Something has to give,'' Hardaway said. ''If you have 12 other ballplayers in your locker room that's upset and can't concentrate and always worried about him in the locker room or on the court or whatever, it's going to be hard for your teammates to win and accept him as a teammate.''
Amaechi detailed his life in his autobiography Man in the Middle, which was released Wednesday. He hoped his coming-out would be a catalyst for intelligent discourse.
''I'm actually tempted to laugh,'' Amaechi told The Miami Herald. ''Finally, someone who is honest. It is ridiculous, absurd, petty, bigoted, and shows a lack of empathy that is gargantuan and unfathomable. But it is honest. And it illustrates the problem better than any of the fuzzy language other people have used so far.''
Hardaway later apologized for the remarks during a telephone interview with Fox affiliate WSVN in Miami. ''Yes, I regret it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I hate gay people or anything like that,'' he said. ''That was my mistake.''
Hardaway has reportedly been removed from further league-related appearances. ''It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours,'' NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement to the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. (AP)
NOTE: The Anglican Church is the same as the Church of England.
February 15, 2007
Episcopal leader's pro-gay views won't waver, aide says
The head of the U.S. wing of the Anglican Church, who supports ordaining gays and allowing blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples, will not soften her views even as the issues threaten to break apart the Christian denomination, her aide said Thursday. The leaders of the world's 77 million Anglicans, who are holding a closed meeting this week in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, said they would discuss the U.S. response to a 2004 report by an Anglican panel that called for a moratorium on consecrating gay bishops and blessing same-sex unions.
Splits between Anglicans have been growing for years, but became a crisis in 2003 when the Episcopal Church, the U.S. wing of the Anglican Communion, consecrated its first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The problems mounted last year with the election of Katharine Jefferts Schori as head of the U.S. church.
"The spirit of Anglicanism will prevail here, and there will be a middle way forward,'' said Jefferts Schori's aide, Robert Williams. But he said she ''will not waver in her stand for justice and inclusion of all people in the body of Christ.''
Conservative Anglicans have formed a rival network in the U.S. under the leadership of Anglican archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, who has called the acceptance of gay relationships a ''satanic attack'' on the church. Other conservatives have called for a parallel church within the United States.
The conference was sure to be highly charged over the rift. ''The basic issue here is what to do about those who decided they don't want to stay in the main Anglican body,'' said Canon Jim Rosenthal, a spokesman for the Anglican Communion.
Akinola gave a letter this week to the spiritual leader of the communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, which is believed to demand some concessions to head off a schism. Africa is home to half the world's Anglicans and is dominated by conservative leaders. Rosenthal confirmed the letter but said it was private.
Supporters of ordaining gays believe the Bible's social justice teachings take precedence over its view of sexuality. However, most Anglicans outside the U.S. believe gay relationships are sinful, and they are distancing themselves from the U.S. church.
Williams has struggled to hold off one of the biggest meltdowns in Christianity in centuries, but he lacks any direct authority to force a compromise. The Anglican Communion is the world's third-largest family of Christian churches behind Roman Catholic and Orthodox.
Bishop Martyn Minns of Fairfax, Va., one of the most prominent U.S. clerics to leave the American church for Akinola's group, said Wednesday that it would be best for the U.S. church to ''back off and reconsider'' its stance on gays. But, he said, that was highly unlikely. ''It's been tragic, the amount of time and energy that has been spent on this issue that was initiated by the American church,'' he said.
The creation of Akinola's group, called the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, has been the most dramatic step by conservatives to encourage a breakaway Episcopal group that would be outside Jefferts Schori's oversight. An eventual breakup of the communion would be the most stunning fallout from struggles over gay relationships that also have gripped Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and others. The Anglican fellowship was founded in the 16th century by King Henry VIII and spread worldwide by the British Empire.
Several delegates at the six-day conference, which brings together the archbishops who head the 38 provinces in the Anglican Communion, have threatened to refuse to sit with Jefferts Schori over the issue of gays. But Rosenthal said Wednesday she is welcome and was invited by the archbishop of Canterbury. (Elizabeth A. Kennedy, AP)
February 15, 2007
China?s gays hold Valentine?s Day protest for same-sex marriage
Gays and lesbians in Beijing used Valentine?s Day to make the country?s first public appeal for the legalization of same-sex marriage. Around half a dozen protesters handed out flyers wrapped around red carnations during a busy lunch hour in the capital?s central business district calling for the public support of same-sex unions.
?Love has no boundaries; it is nothing to do with gender,? the flyers read. ?We are homosexuals. We also want a life together with our loved one…please support all kinds of partnerships and all kinds of love. Please support same-sex marriage.?
Such unauthorized protests are rare in China. In 2005 a gay and lesbian culture festival was broken up by the police on the grounds the organizers had not sought permission to hold the event.
?We were concerned about security...our action can be considered kind of political,? said Xian, one of the lesbian protesters. Their protest, which lasted about 20 minutes, went ahead undisturbed.
Of those who took flowers, many said they were behind the protesters. ?I think it's only fair; it's everybody's right to get married,? said Liu Peng, a 21-year-old student of banking. ?I support them. I think it's great."
"I don?t know when China will have gay marriage,? he added. ?Not now, but in the future I think China will have gay marriage, but I can't say when, maybe far in the future." Liu said he was not gay.
But not everyone supported the protesters. Christina Wang, a 31-year-old headhunter, who accepted a flower, said she opposed same-sex marriage because of her religion. ?I am a Christian and I don't think it's right,? Wang, who is married, said. ?I don't think it's healthy to be gay."
The protest comes a few weeks before the annual meeting of China?s parliament. Gays and lesbians had hoped that renowned sexologist, Li Yinhe, who has submitted three proposals?all rejected?to legalize same-sex marriage to parliament would so again.
But in a recent blog entry, Li wrote she was retiring from campaigning for sexual rights. ?Gay marriage is not something that our country can accept at this stage of its cultural development,? wrote Li. (Dinah Gardner, The Advocate)
uTorrent 1.6.1 installation version has been released for automatic update and direct download.
For those of you using uTorrent 1.6 installation version and have automatic updates enabled, you should be getting this very soon.
You will receive an update screen asking if you would like to update now. Click YES and let it do it's thing. Once the update is finished, your computer will be very slow. Turn off everything and do a reboot. Now you are ready to enjoy the newest version of uTorrent.
DO NOT FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR FIREWALL TO ALLOW THE NEW VERSION TO ACCESS THE INTERNET.
NOTE: The standalone and web versions are still messed up. So only use the installation version.
February 14, 2007
Florida governor says GOP should back off marriage ban
The Republican Party should stop spending money to advance a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Florida, says newly elected Republican governor Charlie Crist. ?I just think that their money can be better spent on other things that may be more pressing, like elections,? Crist told the St. Petersburgh Times. "The people care about issues like insurance premiums. They care about property taxes. They care about public safety.?
According to the paper, Crist is known for pragmatism over ideology and a lack of enthusiasm for wedge issues. But he did express support for a measure banning same-sex marriage before being elected.
?He?s certainly allowed to express his opinion,? John Stemberger, an Orlando lawyer and chairman of the effort to amend Florida's constitution to ban same-sex marriage, told the Times. ?I cannot imagine that he would reverse his position as a strong supporter of this effort. It?s good policy for him, it?s good politics, and it?s a historical thing that?s going to happen. It needs to happen.?
As for Crist?s opposition to party support for the amendment, Stemberger said, ?I think he should reevaluate his position.?
The Florida Coalition to Protect Marriage, a political committee, received $300,000 last year from the Republican Party of Florida, more than half of the marriage group?s reported total. Jim Greer, Crist?s handpicked choice to be chairman of the state Republican Party, said he has not yet decided whether to contribute any more party money to the effort. (The Advocate)