August 4, 2016

Pope Francis Claims Schools Are Conspiring to Teach Kids to Be Transgender

[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#dcdcdc; padding-bottom:5px; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-bottom:none; border-radius:0.4615em 0.4615em 0em 0em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]Pope Francis Claims Schools Are Conspiring to Teach Kids to Be Transgender[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top:none; border-radius:0em 0em 0.4615em 0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]
By J. Bryan Lowder



{snip}
...

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#00009d]More at link...[/font]

July 29, 2016

Just a Reminder

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4]Whoever wins in November the very FIRST thing they are going to do is fill a supreme court spot (one Obama should have gotten to fill), and will probably get 2 to 3 more picks after that. Who you vote for in November WILL determine the court's ideological for years if not DECADES to come.

The last repuglican president gave us Alito. Obama gave us Kagan and Sotomayor.

Donald trump has promised to fill the vacancy with someone who is the ideological twin of Scalia, and has on his list a man who would make gay sex illegal if he had his way. The last Clinton gave us one of the greatest Supreme Court Justices of all time the Notorious RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

In fact, just as a quick reminder, here are Supreme Court Picks of the Last five Presidents:

• Obama: Sotomayor and Kagan



• George W Bush: Roberts and Alito



• Clinton: Ginsburg and Breyer



• George H W Bush: Thomas and Souter



• Ronald Reagan: Rehnquist, O'Conner, Kennedy, and Scalia

So, if any of you lurkers out there are questioning if you should or shouldn't vote for Clinton, please keep in mind all the recent supreme court decisions that affects this country in the last 50 years: Citizens united, Obergefell, Whole Women's Health, Gore v Bush, and many many more.

Remember which judge voted which way. Remember who nominated those judges.

Remember the platforms of both parties and what they stand for. And remember, that if you care for Social Justice; for the rights of LGBTQ people, women, racial minorities and more; for civil rights; for keeping and expanding the PPACA/Obamacare; and for making sure there is never another Scalia on the Bench...

Vote Democratic Party.

Thank you.[/font]

July 12, 2016

I believe in Bernie Sanders

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4]During this Primary, I supported Bernie Sanders. His views on nearly every issue mirrored my own. He stood for the same liberal values I had both economically and socially. His record, to me, was flawless.

Not only that, he was a man not afraid to stand up and fight for what he believes in. When most others threw issues I cared about under the bus, he stood firm. He voted against DOMA. He voted against the Patriot Act. He voted against the Iraq war. He fought for the $15 an hour minimum wage, universal healthcare, and publically funded collage. At every oppurtunity he could, he fought for the 99%!

What is more, he has repeatedly beaten the odds. He should have been a long shot who never should have one a single state. And time and time again he beat the odds. State by state he proved his critics wrong. And he did so without taking money from corporations and funding his campaign with the support of the people.

Over and over and over again, he has proven himself a person of great honor, and sound judgement. He fought the good fight; and, sadly, it just wasn't enough this time. However, the revolution is not over, it has just begun. And by sticking together we can pull this party and this country to the left where it belongs!

Today he endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

I still believe in Bernie Sanders, I believe in the revolution, and most importantly I believe in and trust his judgement. Keep on believing in Bernie!

Believe in the Bern![/font]

July 12, 2016

Pokémon Go Users Are Trolling Westboro Baptist Church

[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#dcdcdc; padding-bottom:5px; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-bottom:none; border-radius:0.4615em 0.4615em 0em 0em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]Pokémon Go Users Are Trolling Westboro Baptist Church[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top:none; border-radius:0em 0em 0.4615em 0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]What a time to be alive.
07/11/2016 01:37 pm ET

JamesMichael Nichols
Queer Voices Deputy Editor, The Huffington Post

[center][/center]

Over the past week, people all over the world seem to have taken up an unexpected hobby: playing Pokémon Go.

The augmented reality video game allows players to use their handheld devices to “catch” Pokémon out in the real world, leading players to different locations based on their ability to use pokéballs to add different virtual monsters to their collection.

Part of the game involves different locations becoming “gyms” in the augmented reality Poké-World, with different teams battling for control of these spaces.

It just so happens that the Westboro Baptist Church is a gym in Topeka, Kansas ― and users are battling for control of the location in order to troll the anti-LGBT church with the names of their Pokémon, like “LOVEISLOVE” and “STOP HATE!”

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#009999]more at link...

I love this story! Using Pokemon to fight the bigots is awesome![/font]

July 5, 2016

Japan Declares Anti-Gay Discrimination Is A Form Of Sexual Harassment

[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#dcdcdc; padding-bottom:5px; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-bottom:none; border-radius:0.4615em 0.4615em 0em 0em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]Japan Declares Anti-Gay Discrimination Is A Form Of Sexual Harassment[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top:none; border-radius:0em 0em 0.4615em 0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]A new set of workplace guidelines are expected to go into effect in January 2017.
by Adam Salandra 7/2/2016

[center][/center]

Discrimination against sexual minorities will now be considered a form of sexual harassment in Japan, according to the Labor ministry’s updated guidelines for employers.

Until now, sexual harassment rules in Japan neglected to protect LGBT people, but will now include sexual orientation and gender identity when they go into effect in January 2017.

The change follows a recent announcement from 30 Japanese companies, including Sony, Panasonic and IBM Japan, that declared plans to boost LGBT diversity and inclusivity at work, including recognition of same-sex partnerships and updated bathroom policies for transgender employees...


[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#009999]
More at link...

Nice to see LGBTQ rights improving in other parts of the world

I believe the sign says, [/font]

[font style="font-family:'kaiti','MS Mincho','Fangsong',fantasy;" size=5]私の幸せは貴方には決められない。[/font]


[font size=4]"My happiness is not for you to decide."[/font]

Cross posted in Asian group

June 27, 2016

How to add some color to your posts and annoy a bunch of other DUers at the same time!

[font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal][font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]Welcome Noobies!

I am Lost, and today I am going to teach all of you how to add some color to your posts and annoy some other DUers at the same time!

In General what you need to do is put these tags in front of the parts of your post you want to color[/font][/font]

[div class="excerpt" style="margin-left:1em; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-radius:0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"][font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal][b][font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]YOUR MESSAGE HERE [/font][/b][/font]


[font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal][font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]The font-family part tells your computer what font family to use. In my case Georgia. If the computer reading your script does not support that script it will display[/font] [font face='Brush Script MT' size=5 color=black][font face='Brush Script MT' size=5]Brush Script MT[/font] [/font][font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]in teal, and if not that the oh so hated [/font][font face='comic sans MS' size=4 color=black][font face='comic sans MS' size=4 color=black]comic sans MS [/font][/font] [font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]font. If none of those work it will then use whatever fantasy font family your computer does support.

The size tells it what size to use and color what color to make the font. You can change[/font] [font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT','Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson][font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT','Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson]fonts[/font][/font][font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]multiple times within each other.

If you want to be lazy you could use [/font][font size=5 color=scarlet face='Brush Script MT'][font face='Brush Script MT' size=5 color=scarlet]this[/font][/font] [font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]instead but the font might not be supported by their computer and will default back to the normal script

I highly suggest if you use a font with spaces in it like [/font][font color=scarlet size=4 face=comic sans ms][font color=scarlet size=4 face=comic sans ms] Comic Sans MS [/font][/font] [font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]you put apostrophes before and after like this [/font][font size=4 color=scarlet face='comic sans ms'][font size=4 color=scarlet face='comic sans ms']'Comic Sans MS'[/font][/font]

[font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]I also suggest reading these links for more information:[/font][/font]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1256&pid=1674
http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp

[font style="font-family:georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal][font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal] If done right this should give a little color to your posts and annoy some other DUers at the same time! I hope this [/font][font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT','Lucida handwriting MT','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson][font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT','Lucida handwriting MT','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson]helped!!![/font][/font][/font] [/font]

Edit:[font style="font-family:georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal] [font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]Yes, I know I used two of the most hated fonts on the internet. But I like them!!![/font][/font]

PS: [font style="font-family:georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal][font style="font-family:Georgia,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal] For anyone interested in trying this; just copying my post below the quote and pasting it into a reply and previewing it to see how it looks on your screen[/font][/font]

[/b][font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT','Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=7 color=crimson]
[font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT','Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=7 color=crimson]See you on the boards![/font][/b][/font]

June 2, 2016

The Increasing Problem With the Misinformed

[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#dcdcdc; padding-bottom:5px; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-bottom:none; border-radius:0.4615em 0.4615em 0em 0em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]The Increasing Problem With the Misinformed[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top:none; border-radius:0em 0em 0.4615em 0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]

Written by Thomas Baekdal on March 7, 2016

When discussing the future of newspapers, we have a tendency to focus only on the publishing side. We talk about the changes in formats, the new reader behaviors, the platforms, the devices, and the strange new world of distributed digital distribution, which are not just forcing us to do things in new ways, but also atomizes the very core of the newspaper.

But while the publishing side of things is undergoing tremendous changes, so is the journalistic and editorial side. The old concept of creating a package of news was designed for a public that we assumed was uninformed by default, but this is no longer the case.

The public is no longer uninformed. They are misinformed, and that requires an entirely different editorial focus. When writing for the uninformed, your focus is to report the news, which is what every newspaper is doing today. But when focusing on the misinformed, just reporting the news doesn't actually solve the public's needs. Now your focus must be on explaining the news instead.

So, in this article, we will talk about the rise of the misinformed using some really interesting data, as well as the threat to freedom of the press. And we will talk about how these two things are directly impacting your ability to succeed as a news company.

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#009999]More at Link...[/font]

May 13, 2016

Maybe I am being premature, but I just want to say I Love President Obama!

[center][div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#dcdcdc; padding-bottom:5px; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-bottom:none; border-radius:0.4615em 0.4615em 0em 0em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]Obama administration to issue transgender restroom guidance to schools[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top:none; border-radius:0em 0em 0.4615em 0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]The Obama administration will tell every U.S. public school district on Friday to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity.

The letter, signed by officials from the Education and Justice departments, does not have the force of law but contains an implicit threat that schools which do not abide by the Obama administration's interpretation of the law could face lawsuits or a loss of federal aid.

"There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex," U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.

"This guidance gives administrators, teachers, and parents the tools they need to protect transgender students from peer harassment and to identify and address unjust school policies," she said.

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#009999] Best President in my lifetime! [/font]

[/center]

April 1, 2016

Those two sources are both full of it

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#009999]This video does a good job of demolishing that article:

But, going back to them image, the LGBTQ community supported civil unions in Vermont...does that mean they were against SSM? Of course not. Civil Unions were a stepping stone and everyone knows that. GLAD even called them a Victory

http://www.glad.org/work/cases/baker/civil-unions

Here is an NPR article detailing the struggle that was had to pass Civil Unions back then.

http://www.npr.org/2013/03/27/174651233/how-vermonts-civil-war-fueled-the-gay-marriage-movement


And the 1982 document was debunked. It was about trying to lower divorce rates and had nothing to do with LGBTQ issues at all. Trying use it to say Sanders opposed Gay marriage is like trying to say the Flinstones Theme song was about being homosexual because it ends with the phrase "we will have a gay ole time."

But beyond that, it ignores Sanders Letter from around the 1970s:



And all he did to get a gay pride day passed in Burlington:

http://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2015/06/30/32-years-before-scotus-decision-sanders-backed-gay-pride-march









His defense of Gay Soliders in the 1990's:

http://www.vox.com/2015/9/9/9295867/bernie-sanders-gay-soldiers


Risking his political career opposing DOMA:

http://www.advocate.com/election/2015/10/25/bernie-sanders-doesnt-remember-domas-passage-same-way-hillary-clinton

His perfect record on gay rights legislation:

http://www.ontheissues.org/Notebook/Note_06n-HRC.htm
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511531610

This man has risked his career time and time again to fight for Gay rights. The fact that on DU, of all places, that people would even attempt to swiftboat him like this is disgusting.

UTTERLY DISGUSTING![/font]