Tuesday, May 15, 2012 HOUSTON CHURCH TO MARRY GAYS If Episcopal Diocese OK’s Gay "Blessing" By JOE GOMEZ The Bishop of the Texas Episcopal Diocese named St. Stephens Episcopal Church as the first in Houston to be allowed to offer ceremonies for same-sex covenants. It's a move that anti-gay activist Pastor Tom Brown, thinks goes against the teachings of the bible. "The first thing Jesus said about marriage is that god made us male and female so this would be completely contradictory to our lords own teaching," says Brown. Brown thinks that many people will be leaving the Episcopal Church if it approves same sex marriages, but Noel Freeman with Houston's GLBT caucus disagrees. "I think it's a perfect exercise of freedom of religious expression," says Freeman. The State of Texas does not recognize same sex marriages legally so this would be solely a ceremonial move.

St. Stephen's in Houston to perform same-sex covenants

I'm just wondering how one goes about making that choice. Did you just decide that you were tired of putting yourself out there for rejection? Tire of the bar scene? Wanted someone who would just leave when it was done? Did you call a service or answer a Craigslist ad?

Call it survival of the slowest: Extraordinarily old, bizarrely low-key bacteria have been found in sediments 100 feet below the sea floor of the Pacific Ocean, far removed from sunlight, fresh nutrients and what humans would consider anything interesting to do. Some of these organisms, scientists say, could be at least 1,000 years old. Or maybe millions of years. Their strategy for staying alive is to be barely alive at all. Their metabolism is dialed down to almost nothing, an adaptive advantage in a place with so few resources. The bacteria that survive are the ones that can satisfy themselves with minute traces of oxygen and a parsimonious diet of organic material laid down millions of years ago. Such buried bacteria have been found before, but a new study, published Thursday online by the journal Science, has provided the clearest look at their glacial pace of existence. The conclusion, in short, is that microbes can putter along at extremely low rates of oxygen respiration, their numbers limited only by the paucity of energy available in the buried sediment. “These organisms live so slowly that when we look at it at our own time scale, it’s like suspended animation,” said Danish scientist Hans Roy, a biologist at Aarhus University and the lead author of the study. “The main lesson here is that we need to stop looking at life at our own time scale.” An ancillary message is that human beings should not be too chauvinistic about what constitutes, or characterizes, a living thing. There are a lot more nuances to nature than scientists realized just a few decades ago. The ingenuity of life gives hope to researchers looking for evidence of life beyond Earth. Extraterrestrial life could conceivably be detected by robotic probes, for example, in the Martian subsurface, or in an ice- covered ocean on a cold moon farther out in the solar system. ‘Life in the slow lane’ Scientists now believe that much of the life on Earth is barely able to fog a mirror, as it were. The deep-sea microbes may be an extreme example of a laid-back norm. Most of Earth life, measured by numbers, is not rambunctious and charismatic like life in the sunshine, nor is it akin to the microbes that grow quickly in a laboratory petri dish. Rather, it’s kind of boring — living out of sight, below the surface, in total darkness, using energy slowly and efficiently. NASA research scientist Tori Hoehler, who was not involved with the new study but who has investigated such microbes, said, “I think this is a window into life in the slow lane, which, far from being a niche thing, is probably the average condition on Earth.” Only in recent decades have scientists come to realize that life on the surface is but the flashy veneer of the biosphere. Life, we now know, will find a way to survive in the unlikeliest places, from deep-sea hydrothermal vents and ancient salt deposits to Yellowstone’s hot springs. There are microbes living on aerosolized particles high in the atmosphere. But the subsea, buried bacteria demonstrate a form of extremophiles that are at the end of the spectrum of vibrancy.

Ancient life, millions of years old and barely alive, found beneath ocean floor

Fans of truly explosive political fireworks may have been disappointed when the seemingly unflappable Mitt Romney all but clinched the Republican nod to face the famously no-drama President Obama. But flashes of Romney's well-guarded temper have made cameo appearances on the campaign trail, and BuzzFeed's Andrew Kaczynski just unearthed a gem from Romney's past: A three-decade-old arrest for clashing with a law officer. Here, a look at that tale and four classic "Mitt-frontations" (as his family calls them): 1. Facing a "disorderly conduct" arrest This story first surfaced in Romney's doomed 1994 bid to unseat Sen. Ted Kennedy, Kaczynski says: In 1981, Romney was putting the family boat into Lake Cochituate, an hour outside of Boston, when a park officer told him he couldn't because the license looked painted over. If he launched, he'd face a $50 fine. "I was willing to pay the fine," Romney told The Boston Globe. But the officer returned as Romney put the boat in and, visibly angry at being ignored, handcuffed Mitt, who was "dripping wet in a bathing suit," and booked him for disorderly conduct. Romney contested the arrest in court, threatened to sue, and got the arrest dismissed and sealed. "He did not have the right to arrest me because I was not a disorderly person," Romney told The Globe. Right, I guess "laws are [just] for little people and suckers, aren't they?" says Kaili Joy Gray at Daily Kos. 2. Tangling with a traffic cop at the Olympics During the 2002 Winter Olympics, says Alec MacGillis at The New Republic, Romney, who was the Games' chief organizer, pushed local sheriff's deputies out of the way to personally manage a traffic snarl outside the downhill ski area. He also lit into an 18-year-old security volunteer, Shaun Knopp, who told reporters that Romney rudely asked "who the fuck" he was and "what the fuck" an amateur like him was doing at the Olympics. Romney denied dropping f-bombs, saying the worst he broke out was "H-E-double hockey sticks." I find the idea of Romney directing traffic and dropping f-bombs "immensely humanizing," says Tommy Christopher at Mediaite. "I like that guy" — why isn't he running? 3. Putting Rick Perry in a "Vulcan neck pinch" In a GOP debate last October, Romney had an "odd and unexpected moment" with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, says The New Republic's MacGillis. Perry interrupted Mitt, and Romney appealed to the moderator. But "when no help arrived, he turned on Perry, his voice rising to a shout and his eyes flashing with anger." He even condescendingly put his hand on Perry's shoulder, shocking observers used to Mitt's "robotic self-control." Romney's "attempted Vulcan neck pinch on Rick Perry" was actually "a very strong bit of power politics," says Mediaite's Christopher, except for the part where "he tried to complain to the ref." 4. Sparring with party rockers LMFAO In February 2010, Romney was on a flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles when he had his "most unusual altercation," says MacGillis. He and wife Ann were seated behind Sky Blu (Skyler Gordy) of the party-rock duo LMFAO. Gordy leaned back before takeoff, Romney told him to return his seat to an upright position, and Gordy wound up being escorted off the plane. As Romney tells it, after he politely asked Gordy to sit up, then "tapped him on the shoulder," Gordy "gave me a good swat and he broke my hair." In Gordy's version, told on YouTube, Romney yelled, "Sir, sir put your seat up!" then reached up and "put a condor grip on me. ... It was pretty hostile."

Mitt Romney was arrested in 1981 for disorderly conduct

Anyone her size 30 waist or under?

Serious replies only. If so, have you had an experience with one?

GAP Should Learn from JCP Mistakes May 18, 2012 Sales have dramatically dropped since JC Penney's showed their "bold new marketing strategy" included pushing a lesbian spokesperson and same-sex couples in their advertising. JC Penney's current marketing plan has done incalculable amounts of damage to this once family-friendly store. If they would quit pushing a deviant and unhealthy lifestyle and focus on product quality and value along with excellent customer service, their bottom line would be not be struggling. Hopefully JC Penney's (and other retailers) will listen to their long time customers now as JCP is reporting a bigger-than-expected loss and plummeting profits in the first quarter. The retailer lost $163 million in the quarter ending April 28. Numbers do not lie. Companies should learn from others' mistakes. Retailers need to choose morality or remain neutral. Otherwise, their bottom dollar will suffer. Speaking of companies who are choosing to be politically correct instead of focusing on selling clothes; GAP is also guilty. In Los Angeles, CA, GAP has a billboard located downtown that reads: "GAP- BE BRIGHT- BE ONE" with two homosexual men pressed together under a shared t-shirt. They are hugging each other and facing the camera cheek-to-cheek. "BE ONE" is in large letters which emphasizes the same-sex relationship. You can see the actual billboard here. GAP Inc. Brands, including Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime, and Athleta, does not deserve, nor will it get, money from conservative families across the country. Supporting GAP is not an option until they decide to remain neutral in the culture war. GAP needs to seriously consider how their immoral advertising affect the youth of our nation. Christians should urge for the removal of GAP's offensive billboard in Los Angeles and any other city where it is located. GAP will also need to cancel any plans to use the "Be One" ad campaign elsewhere including store-front posters, its website, and in print magazine ads. TAKE ACTION GAP Inc. Brands approved this type of ad in public areas where families and children are sure to see it. Please send your email to GAP now and let them know you are offended by their disrespect for family values and common decency. Send Your Letter Now! Sincerely, Monica Cole, Director OneMillionMoms.com

05/18/2012 “I think it is fair if someone wants to highlight the Reverend Jeremiah Wright and his relationship with Barack Obama because, quite frankly, it wasn’t highlighted enough in 2008 when he was running for president the first time. “ [...T]he reason that the liberals are going to call it racist is because President Obama is black and Jeremiah Wright is black. They’re going to call it racist. It is not racist! They hide behind the race card any time that someone wants to attack the president on grounds that he would freely and liberally attack somebody else. “[...] So why not expose the truth? Because the president, as you know, back in 2008, denied and disowned Jeremiah Wright, when, in fact, how could he have been in his church for 20 years and not assimilated some of the things that he was talking about?”

Herman Cain: Rev. Wright fair game

As I watched the segment, I was attracted to him at once. Nice lips, I thought, but please don't smile with all that expensive shiny work. No wedding ring. So I looked him up. Holy smokes - a hot billionaire, available, and an oddball as well. And he even s gay and, occasionally, ... bawdy. Perfect. (Well, except maybe for the Christian part, but we could work that out.) So, howcum he's never come up in this place? Reminder, he's a BILLIONAIRE.

NPH & kin

GAYEST PIC EVER

Los Angeles is gone!!

Oklahoma City Thunder eliminate Lakers in Game 5

Boston Celtic fan

Newark N.J. Mayor Cory Booker (D) expressed reserve about the Obama campaign's Bain strategy against Mitt Romney, telling "Meet The Press" viewers on Sunday that he was "uncomfortable" with the line of attacks. "This kind of stuff is nauseating to me on both sides," Booker said. "It's nauseating to the American public. Enough is enough. Stop attacking private equity." Booker was referencing the Obama campaign's Monday release of a series of documentary-esque Bain videos. The clips depicted Romney as a job destroyer at places like GST steel -- a company purchased by Bain that later saw hundreds of workers lose their employment. The mayor's comments also questioned the Bain attacks' public value, noting that they diverge from the "real issues" affecting voters. It's either going to be a small campaign about this crap or it's going to be a big campaign, in my opinion, about the issues that the American public cares about," Booker said. From the conservative side, GOP strategist Karl Rove entered the conversation on Fox News Sunday. He vowed that Bain jabs against Romney will not work, calling his tenure at the company a "strength." UPDATE (1:40 p.m. ET): Booker continued the conversation on Twitter after the show, adding his thoughts on how Obama needs to elevate his efforts over partisan politics.

New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker: "Obama's Romney/Bain attack ads nauseating."

.gif clip from "American Reunion".

Jason Biggs' cock

Chris%20Klein