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Colorado House panel approves civil unions bill
By Madre (May 3, 2012)
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By Lynn Bartels
The Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingne...il-unions-bill
Nearly two decades after Colorado became known as the "hate state" for passing a ballot measure aimed at gays, a legislative committee approved a bill that allows same-sex couples to enter into civil unions.
Jubilation and tears followed the historic vote Thursday by a Republican-controlled committee that last year defeated a nearly identical bill.
Rep. B.J. Nikkel, R-Loveland, joined with Democrats in passing Senate Bill 2 on a 6-5 vote. She had infuriated some social conservatives by refusing to commit to vote against the measure, saying she wanted to first listen to the testimony.
"I think it was the right thing to do. We're all Coloradans, right?" Nikkel said after voting "yes." "It's not something I'm passionate about, but I think we ought to move forward and bring it to a vote in the House."
The vote followed 3˝ hours of testimony from witnesses and questions from members of the House Judiciary Committee.
Among those who spoke for the measure were three Republicans, parents of gay children and a same-sex couple.
"I'd like to remind my fellow Republicans, the arc of history bends toward justice," said Jack Finlaw, who is gay and is the legal counsel for Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Opponents included a Catholic priest and a man who said that when he engaged in gay sex, he visited strip clubs and participated in orgies.
Former state Sen. Ed Jones, a Colorado Springs Republican who is black and remembers the Ku Klux Klan when growing up in the South, said civil unions are not a civil-rights issue.
"I've never seen a sign that says 'gays are not allowed,' " he said.
Senate Bill 2 now must go to two other committees, Finance and Appropriations, before going to the full House. Supporters say they are worried about tight deadlines with the session ending Wednesday.
"This bill is dead" unless the committee chairman signs off on a report as soon as possible so the bill can go to the next hearing, said Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver. Chairman Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, who has three days to sign the report, said he doesn't know when he will sign it.
Republicans have a 33-32 majority in the House, meaning Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, who sponsored the bill, needs the vote of only one GOP member to pass the measure.
Earlier Thursday, Ferrandino, who is gay, said that when he told his father he was moving to Colorado, his father brought up the "hate state" moniker.
Amendment 2 prohibited laws protecting gays from discrimination. Voters approved the measure, but it was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1996.
If Colorado passes SB 2, it will become the ninth state to provide state-level recognition of civil unions or domestic partnerships, said Brad Clark, director of the gay-rights group One Colorado.
Six states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriages, which are unconstitutional in Colorado because of a 2006 ballot measure defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
Opponents of civil unions fear the measure is an attempt to undo the Colorado Constitution.
"Civil union laws undermine the case for marriage," said Byron Babione, with the Alliance Defense Fund. "A vote for this is a vote for same-sex marriage."
He added that "men and women still provide the most optimum family environment for children," a comment that set off passionate tweets from those following the hearing.
"ADF lawyer claiming that marriage is ONLY about children. Just not the children of gay parents, apparently," @sunnivie wrote.
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6 Comments Last:
Last comment was by Pittielynn
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A virus that does *what*??
By ablethevoice (May 1, 2012)
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Barb just turned me on to this link. Its probably already all over facebook. Now that i look at the date on the article, I'm surprised I didn't hear it earlier...
Quote:
Scientists discover virus that kills all grades of breast cancer ‘within seven days’
By Stephen C. Webster
Friday, September 23, 2011 16:48 EDT
Scientists at the Penn State College of Medicine said this week they have discovered a virus that is capable of killing all grades of breast cancer “within seven days” of first introduction in a laboratory setting.
The virus, known as adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2), is naturally occurring and carried by up to 80 percent of humans, but it does not cause any disease.
Researchers learned of its cancer-killing properties in 2005, after Penn State scientists observed it killing cervical cancer cells. They also found that women who carried the AAV2 virus and human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer, had a lower propensity to develop cervical cancer.
When combined in a lab recently, AAV2 eradicated all the breast cancer cells “within seven days,” according to researchers. Better still, it proved capable of wiping out cancer cells at multiple stages, negating the need for differing treatments used today.
“If we can determine which viral genes are being used, we may be able to introduce those genes into a [therapy],” explained Penn State research associate Samina Alam. “If we can determine which pathways the virus is triggering, we can then screen new drugs that target those pathways. Or we may simply be able to use the virus itself.”
The Center for Disease Control says that breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting American women. Overall, it is second only to lung cancer in causing more deaths than any other form of the disease.
The American Cancer Society estimates that up to 39,520 women in the U.S. will die from cancer just this year, out of about 230,480 new cases discovered by doctors.
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Last comment was by SpudNuts
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Gallagher has a (nother) heart attack...
By ablethevoice (March 15, 2012)
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Hi its me. Sorry long time no see. Happy to be back online here at home so I can post more regularly again.
Anyway, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but:
Quote:
Comedian Gallagher Hospitalized After Suffering Heart Attack
The Hollywood Reporter – 12 hours ago
Gallagher, a comedian known for smashing watermelons during his comedy act, was hospitalized on Wednesday evening after suffering a heart attack at a bar, TMZ reports. He was scheduled to perform that night.
The 65-year-old, whose real name is Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr., was heading toward the stage at the Texas bar with another person when he suddenly collapsed. He was taken to a hospital close by.
Gallagher's manager told TMZ that he had suffered a "mild to serious" heart attack and will be hospitalized for the next several days.
The comedian had suffered a minor heart attack one year ago while onstage performing in Minnesota.
According to Gallagher's official website, he was scheduled to perform in Lewisville, TX on Wednesday before heading off to El Paso and Woodlands, TX in the next two days. The comedian had dates listed until December.
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6 Comments Last:
Last comment was by Bamcubz
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Magnitude 7 Earthquake rattles Japan
By Christian (December 31, 2011)
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This is just in:
A magnitude 7 earthquake hit Japan, particularly the region of Tokyo. Tokyo has the highest population of the world: about 30-35 million people are living in and around the capital of Japan. A tsunami alert wasn't issued.
[Latest Earthquakes
[Tokyo Earthquake]
I didn't find any further informations about it for now, it's not even on CNN yet.
That's not a good start for 2012,..
Edit:
Some more detailed news are coming in:
The quake actually struck near the island of Torishima, some 370 miles (600 kilometers) south of Tokyo.
[Washington Post]
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4 Comments Last:
Last comment was by Christian
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Happy New Year!
By Christian (December 31, 2011)
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I wish everyone a happy and prosperous Year 2012, lets hope the Mayas were wrong.
Happy New Year! Happy Hanukkah! Cheers!
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9 Comments Last:
Last comment was by Christian
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Kim Jong Il dies
By Christian (December 19, 2011)
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Quote:
North Korea's Kim Jong Il dies; South goes on high alert
By Greg Botelho and Holly Yan, CNN
December 19, 2011 -- Updated 1320 GMT (2120 HKT)
(CNN) -- Seoul put South Korean forces on high alert and Pyongyang urged an increase in its "military capability" as the death of North Korea's enigmatic leader Kim Jong Il spurred fresh security concerns in the tense region.
Photo: DPA (German Press Agency)
A tearful state TV broadcaster reported Kim's death Monday. She said the 69-year-old leader died Saturday due to "overwork" while "dedicating his life to the people."
North Korea's official KCNA news agency said Kim suffered "great mental and physical strain" while on a train. Kim, who had been treated for "cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases for a long period," suffered a heart attack on Saturday and couldn't be saved despite the use of "every possible first-aid measure," according to the agency.
In the country where Kim was revered as "dear leader," passers-by wept uncontrollably on the streets of Pyongyang.
"My leader, what will we do? It's too much! It's too much!" one person sobbed on state television. "Leader, please come back. ... You cannot leave us. We will always wait for you, leader."
Kim's youngest son, Kim Jong Un, will likely take over the reins. A letter from the ruling Workers' Party on Monday dubbed him "the great successor."
[more..]
[CNN.com]
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11 Comments Last:
Last comment was by Christian
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Earthquake jolts Oklahoma
By Christian (November 6, 2011)
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I've just read the news that Oklahoma got rattled by a surprising big Earthquake, the biggest quake ever in that region according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey.
Quote:
Oklahoma rattled by 5.6 earthquake
Reuters
Sunday 6 November 2011 07.20 GMT
Homes damaged and roads buckled by series of shocks including the biggest on record in US state
Earthquakes of up to 5.6 magnitude have shaken Oklahoma, damaging buildings and roads and sending a handful of people to hospital.
The first quake was recorded on Saturday morning at a magnitude of 4.7. The second came on Saturday night and is the largest ever recorded in Oklahoma, topping a tremor of 5.5 magnitude in 1952, according to the US Geological Survey.
In Prague, Oklahoma, where the first quake was centred, city manager Jim Greff said part of the town library's ceiling collapsed and a chimney fell through the roof of a home. There were no serious injuries.
The quake buckled highway 62 in three places west of Prague and sent a boulder "about the size of an SUV" tumbling onto a rural road in south-east Lincoln County, said Aaron Bennett, dispatch supervisor for the county's emergency management division.
The quake was felt more than 300 miles away in Kansas City, where it rattled windows and shook houses for half a minute, a Reuters witness said.
The second quake was a shallow 3.1 miles (5 km) deep and centered four miles east of Sparks, which is east of Oklahoma City.
JL Gilbert, owner of the Sparks Vineyard and Winery, about four miles from the epicentre of the second quake, said it lasted "a good 30 seconds".
"It was a pretty good jolt. We're not used to this. We're used to being sucked up into the wind," he said, referring to Oklahoma's reputation as a tornado alley.
Earthquakes of a 4.0 magnitude east of the Rocky Mountains can typically be felt from up to 60 miles away, according to the USGS. A 5.5 magnitude quake can be felt up to 300 miles from its epicentre.
One of Gilbert's employees went to the hospital after tripping and hitting his head on a doorway while scrambling to get out of his home, Gilbert said.
[TheGuardian]
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[CNN][Leonard Geophysical Observatory ]
Is it me or can it be that this year, 2011, is the year of Earthquakes? Or is the fault of the media?
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21 Comments Last:
Last comment was by EmperorChaos
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 Graffiti
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:: 2 brains 1 forum
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:: no drawing on the windows
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:: no yelling on the bus!!!
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:: everybody on? good! great! grand! wonderfull!
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:: tax day april 17th
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:: happy easter
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:: happy v day!
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:: pow wow time
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:: fukc this
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:: post more
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:: what what in the butt
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:: spring sprung
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:: mardi gras
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:: go fudge em!
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:: happy new year's
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:: feliz navidad
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:: gobble gobble
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:: happy thanksgiving
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:: is it snowing yet?
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:: does this thing work?
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:: i get drunk so that i may hate indiscriminately.
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:: (sonnet 116 backwards)
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:: that looks on tempests and is never shaken
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:: oh no! it is an ever-fixed mark
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:: or bends with the remover to remove
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:: which alters when it alteration finds
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:: admit impediments. love is not love
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:: let me not to the marriage of true minds
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:: .
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:: .
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:: f o
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:: poop
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:: 94 days of christmas shopping left
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:: 8=====->
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:: falling for fall
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:: u r the 1 that wants to die - so do so already
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:: your mom's face, perhaps?
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:: then who would be our scapegoat
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:: i want to die.
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:: school starts on aug 24 whoo hoooo
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