And they lived happily ever after to the end of their days…………

It's in the very fabric of the American myth and culture. It has permeated it from the beginning. Our art and entertainment. From the early novels to the show girls. This fantasy land vision that that anyone can make it here.

It has drawn people from cultures far and near. People who left their countries behind to see a fresh start. All believing that they could make a much better life over here. Reflected in film and radio and television and on the stage.

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Breaking: NOT Addressing Climate Change Will Create Sacrifice

Of all the psychopathology in the climate issue, the most counterproductive thought is that solving the problem will require sacrifice. As though our wastefulness of energy and money is not a sacrifice. As though war built around oil is not sacrifice. As though losing polar bears, ice-dependent penguins, coral reefs, and thousands of other living companions is not sacrifice. As though withered cropland is not sacrifice, or letting the fresh water of cities dry up as glacier-fed rivers shrink. As though risking seawater inundation and the displacement of hundreds of millions of coastal people is not a sacrifice—and reckless risk. But don’t tell me to own a more efficient car; that would be a sacrifice! We think we don’t want to sacrifice, but sacrifice is exactly what we’re doing by perpetuating problems that only get worse; we’re sacrificing our money, and sacrificing what is big and permanent, to prolong what is small, temporary, and harmful. We’re sacrificing animals, peace, and children to retain wastefulness while enriching those who disdain us.
-- Carl Safina

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News from Around the Globe, October 27, 2012

News from Around the Globe, October 27, 2012

A collection of current news stories from around the world.

 

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Lithuania ….revolt over austerity measures lead to election victories for leftist parties.

http://www.euronews.com/newswires/1704798-lithuanian-left-eyes-vote-win-...

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Targeting transpeople with Stop-and-Frisk

New York City's Stop and Frisk policy is being applied unevenly once again, this time to target transpeople. A new study has revealed that transgender people in Jackson Heights, a heavily immigrant area, are being targeted by police at more than twice the rate of the general population.

Transgender and gender nonconforming people of color are particularly vulnerable due to their visibility. In order to combat police misconduct, there must be legislation and policies that minimize the risk of these kinds of abuse occurring in our communities.

The study was conducted by Make the Road, New York, which contacted 305 residents, 167 of whom identified as being LGBTQ. Of that group, 51% of LGB respondents said they had been stopped by police. A third of those stopped say they had also been physically harassed. Of the 69 transgender respondents 59% had ben stopped by police and nearly half reported being physically harassed. 28% of respondents who were not LGBTQ were stopped by police.

Transgender respondents reported that they were accused of being sex workers.

Color me not surprised at that.

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Transman petitions World Health Organization to delist transsexualism as a mental illness

Maxwell Zachs is 25-years old and was born female. He is a citizen of London, England, has degrees in English literature, indigenous studies and constitutional law, and is a rabbinical student at a yeshiva in Sweden. Three years ago he began his transitioned to male. He began testosterone treatments in 2009 and had a double mastectomy and chest contouring in Thailand in 2010. He recently was one of the cast of England's My Transsexual Summer

Maxwell recently filed a petition at Change.org calling for the World Health Organization to eliminate transsexualism from its list of mental disorders in the International Classification of Diseases. He says that the designation only contributes to discrimination.

I know there is concern about Change.org. I'm not the person who set up the petition, which last I checked had 46,814 supporters.

If you would like to get to know Max Zachs better, he has a blog.

There is nothing wrong with me. I am perfectly healthy, I just happen to be transgender.


--Maxwell Zachs

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High Speed Texan Drivers Encountering High Toll Fees and Slow Moving Pigs

Drivers on the nation's road with the highest legal speed limit are running into high tolls and slow pigs.

On October 24, Texas opened up a 41 mile toll way that has the highest legal speed limit in America. Cars and semi-trucks can both top out at 85 mph. The toll road is hoped to alleviate crowding on Interstate 35 between San Antonio and Austin. For now, the toll road is free to all drivers, however, beginning on Veteran's Day (November 11 for you non-patriotic types) a three tier pay system will be implemented. Cars with state issued electronic toll tags will pay $6.17 to drive the 41 mile stretch, cars without the state issued tags will pay $8.21 for the full 41 miles and commercial trucks will pay in excess of 24 dollars for the 41 mile trip. The road was built with a combination of state and private funding.

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Texas to Deny Healthcare to Thousands of Poor Women

Court upholds legality of Texas’ defunding of Planned Parenthood.

On October 25, 2012 the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused Planned Parenthood’s request to rehear a case that will allow Texas to deny the organization State funding under the new Texas Women’s Health Program. In August, a three judge panel representing the 5th Circuit Court ruled that Texas could deny funding to Planned Parenthood. Lawyers representing Planned Parenthood appealed the panel’s decision and requested an en banc hearing before the court. An en banc hearing means that the court’s judges would rule on the case, instead of a panel as was done in August. The court’s refusal to hear the case en banc means that effective November 1, 2012 Texas will no longer provide funding to Planned Parenthood.

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