Translation

.يولد جميع الناس أحرارا متساوين في الكرامة والحقوق. وقد وهبوا عقلا وضميرا وعليهم أن يعامل بعضهم بعضا بروح الإخاء‎
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Saturday, December 13, 2008

Metrosexual versus Homosexual

How far can metrosexuality go without mistakenly crossing the path of homosexuality?

Trying to pin down the exact point of departure between a fashion savvy metrosexual and his man-loving homosexual counterpart can be like splitting hairs. It is like questioning which one is more brutal, Alien or Predator? Or who is more psycho, Freddy or Jason?
Metrosexual is the popular word used to describe the modern man with a high disposable income who pays great attention to his appearance.
They’re no longer only found between the covers of fashion magazines, on television or in gay bars, metrosexual men are everywhere now—and they’re always so busy grooming.
Out of the way, women! If you think you have achieved equality with men in professional or social spheres, you’re forgetting something. Men today are rapidly catching up in the vanity race and might soon be as pretty as you are! Forget that wet and sticky pomade from the past, today men’s lifestyle nourishment centres around malls, clubs, spas, gyms, beauty clinics and hairdressers.
"It’s the world’s modernisation trend that demands men make themselves their own object of desire and pride."
Some women find that the metrosexual man is more tender hearted than his ‘ordinary’ counterpart. I am not surprised though, whose heart wouldn’t go to putty after constant pampering with lulur, or a traditional lightening body scrub, a wax here and there; oh, and don’t forget the cucumber patches to help maintain the shine of the window to his soul. Surely they’ll understand women’s feelings and how to treat them better after being treated like one. But how far can this metrosexuality go without mistakenly crossing to the other side...homosexuality?
With careful observation and a bit of extra common sense, you can spot the difference between these two types of vain men.
Ladies, you may want to take some notes if you think your boyfriends’ or husbands’ metrosexual-o-meter might have gone just a bit too far. Let’s explore how to tell when his dedicated urbaneness has taken a turn down bent street.
Is he really just a metrosexual? Or is he a bit metrosexual and a bit homosexual? Bare in mind, not all facts stated below are 100% guaranteed, but it helps to know if your guy prefers James Bond or Elton John.
If he’s often overly fussy, like a cockatoo, about aesthetics and behaviours (such as neatness, decoration or public services) or he gets hysterically happy receiving gifts related to body treatment products (such as body lotion, exclusive shaving cream and after shave, perfume, etc), there’s an 88% chance he’s homosexual.
Pay attention to the way he arrange his tops. Size wise, if it’s semi-fitted, that’s acceptably metrosexual, but if it’s so tight you can see the curves of his gym-toned body, he’s most likely pitching his tent for the gay camp.
Also watch if he pops the collar of his polo shirt, or ‘tries’ to look preppy by wrapping a sweater around his neck just for the heck of having a ‘focal point’, then he’s 99.5% gay. Flat front trousers serve both categories, they are the most commonly seen, but it’s just indicating a modern silhouette and should be considered standard for this matter.
Watch out for his selection of accessories. A metrosexual man will choose fashionable items that are rather functional and most importantly practical. If you see him carrying the ‘it’ tote bag (no matter if it’s made from canvas or crocodile leather), wearing shoes that are too pointy or too shiny, has reshaped eyebrows and flaunts coloured contact lens, I’m sorry ladies, you can say “buh-bye gay!” to him now.
Too much perfume can increase gayness 45%, but if you see any evidence of whitening cream or concealer in his toiletries, beware of the 80% possibility he prefers the company of gentlemen. A ‘Dragon Ball’ hairstyle indicates over the top funkiness, which is simply a style gone passe, but when it comes with bits of fringe and Liza Minelli sideburns, and especially if it has been highlighted here and there, then you’re looking at 92% chance he’s not just ‘with it’.
Shaved armpits sometime present cleanliness, but don’t you think it’s a bit girlie for guys? Don’t worry too much if he’s bulky on the top but has a pair of tooth picks for legs. It’s quite common for the metrosexual gym bunny to concentrate too much on the upper-body and forget to exercise the legs. Elements of pop culture can be expressed through a dashing of girlie colours on his shirt, tie or underwear and the appearance of dear cartoon character on his belongings can raise the queer factor 60%.
Last but not least, observe his so-called art collection, be it sculpture, painting or photography. If you find pieces inspired by the male body, then I rest my case right now. It’s the world’s modernisation trend that demands men make themselves their own object of desire and pride. But its their lifestyle orientation that causes us confusion in recognising which of them is straight, bisexual, or gay.
No matter if you have a low opinion of metrosexuals, who can hate them when everyone can enjoy the benefits? There’s less problems with men’s style, they smell good and neatness is not such an issue anymore. Not to mention the esthetics that delight our eyes. These are ‘bonus’ elements from just being plain macho.
Instead of sticking to the stereotypical old fashion man that can be dominating sometimes, perhaps you want to opt for metrosexual man who will probably just dominate your shelf space in your bathroom?
I know you wouldn’t mind sharing your feminine essentials with your metrosexual partner, so do the math, if his average percentage of H&M-esque is still below 50%, then you have nothing to worry about.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Ex-Brazilian cop questioned in death of 13 gays

SAO PAULO, Brazil A retired police officer has been detained in connection with the murders of 13 gay men in a low-income suburb of Sao Paulo, police said Thursday.

Retired state police Sgt. Jairo Francisco Franco was taken into custody Wednesday night after a witness identified him as the killer of a homosexual man on Aug. 19, said police inspector Paulo Fortunato.

Franco is suspected of acting alone in all of 13 killings between February 2007 and August 2008 at Paturis Park, a favorite meeting point for gay men, Fortunato said.

The suspect, who worked as a private security guard in a supermarket, has denied the charges, Fortunato said. He added that Franco did not yet have a lawyer.

"We have a credible witness who says he saw Franco pump 12 bullets into a black gay man inside the park," Fortunato said in a telephone interview.

A second witness said Franco visited the park frequently, "apparently cruising for gay men and victims," Fortunato said.

Police have dubbed the killer of the 13 men as the "rainbow maniac," a reference to the gay-pride symbol.

"We are convinced he is the rainbow maniac we have been looking for," Fortunato said.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

THE STATE MURDERS!

On Saturday December 6, 2008, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a 15-year old comrade, was murdered in cold blood, with a bullet in the chest by a cop in the area of Exarchia.

Contrary to the statements of politicians and journalists who are accomplices to the murder, this was not an “isolated incident”, but an explosion of the state repression which systematically and in an organised manner targets those who resist, those who revolt, the anarchists and antiauthoritarians.

It is the peak of state terrorism which is expressed with the upgrading of the role of repressive mechanisms, their continuous armament, the increasing levels of violence they use, with the doctrine of “zero tolerance”, with the slandering media propaganda that criminalises those who are fighting against authority.

It is these conditions that prepare the ground for the intensification of repression, attempting to extract social consent beforehand, and arming the weapons of state murderers in uniform!

Lethal violence against the people in the social and class struggle is aiming at everybody’s submission, serving as exemplary punishment, meant to spread fear.

It is part of the wider attack of the state and the bosses against the entire society, in order to impose more rigid conditions of exploitation and oppression, to consolidate control and repression. From school and universities to the dungeons of waged slavery with the hundreds of dead workers in the so-called “working accidents” and the poverty embracing large numbers of the population… From the minefields in the borders, the pogroms and the murders of immigrants and refugees to the numerous “suicides” in prisons and police stations… from the “accindental shootings” in police blockades to violent repression of local resistances, Democracy is showing its teeth!

From the first moment after the murder of Alexandros, spontaneous demonstrations and riots burst in the center of Athens, the Polytechnic, the Economic and the Law Schools are being occupied and attacks against state and capitalist targets take place in many different neighborhoods and in the city centre. Demonstrations, attacks and clashes erupt in Thessaloniki, Patras, Volos, Chania and Heraklion in Crete, in Giannena, Komotini and many more cities. In Athens, in Patission street –outside the Polytechnic and the Economic School- clashes last all night. Outside the Polytechnic the riot police make use of plastic bullets.

On Sunday the 7th December, thousands of people demonstrate towards the police headquarters in Athens, attacking the riot police. Clashes of unprecedented tension spread in the streets of the city centre, lasting until late at night. Many demonstrators are injured and a number of them are arrested.


We continue the occupation of the Polytechnic School which started on Saturday night, creating a space for all people who fighting to gather, and one more permanent focus of resistance in the city.

In the barricades, the university occupations, the demonstrations and the assemblies we keep alive the memory of Alexandros, but also the memory of Michalis Kaltezas and of all the comrades who were murdered by the state, strengthening the struggle for a world without masters and slaves, without police, armies, prisons and borders.

The bullets of the murderers in uniform, the arrests and beatings of demonstrators, the chemical gas war launched by the police forces, not only cannot manage to impose fear and silence, but they become for the people the reason to raise against state terrorism the cries of the struggle for freedom, to abandon fear and to meet –more and more every day- in the streets of revolt. To let the rage overflow and drown them!

STATE TERRORISM SHALL NOT PASS!

IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ALL THE ARRESTED IN THE EVENTS OF SATURDAY AND SUNDAY (7-8 DECEMBER).

We are sending our solidarity to everyone occupying universities, demonstrating and clashing with the state murderers all over the country.

The Occupation of the Polytechnic University in Athens

Monday, December 8, 2008

Climate Change Conference -- Poznan

More than 190 countries meet in Poznan, Poland, for U.N.-sponsored climate change conference. Far-reaching plans to slash carbon-dioxide emissions may be put on the back-burner as countries try to face up to the financial meltdown.
What will the outcome be?

CHILE: Govt Plan Falls Short, Say Activists
Daniela Estrada
SANTIAGO - The Chilean government's 2008-2012 National Climate Change Action Plan presented by President Michelle Bachelet failed to satisfy local environmental and citizen groups.

COLOMBIA: Deforestation and Deluge, a Recipe for Disaster
Helda Martínez
BOGOTA - The lack of policies against indiscriminate deforestation in river basins, in synergy with the rainy season, which is heavier than usual this year because of the La Niña climate phenomenon, has had devastating effects in Colombia.

Q&A with Walden Bello: With Bush, "Nothing Good Is Going to Happen in Poznan"
Antonio Marafioti
VITERBO, Italy - With the United States represented by outgoing President George W. Bush, not much can be expected of the Dec. 1-12 international conference on climate change in the Polish city of Poznan, activist Walden Bello, winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize 2003, told IPS.

Native Peoples Out in Cold at Warming Meet
Haider Rizvi
UNITED NATIONS - Global efforts to combat climate change will lead nowhere as long as the indigenous peoples' representatives have no say in discussions to lay out future plans, say activists who are attending the
international conference on climate change being held in the Polish city of Poznan this week.

Read more reporting on Climate Change: http://www.ipsnews.net/climate_change/
Read reporting on storms: http://www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/eyestorm/index.asp

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

UN envoy hits Israel 'apartheid'

Alan Johnston, BBC News, Gaza

The envoy criticised Israeli controls on the movement of people
A UN human rights envoy has compared Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories to elements of apartheid.

The UN's Special Rapporteur, John Dugard, describes the regime as being designed to dominate and systematically oppress the occupied population.

Mr Dugard is a South African professor of international law assigned to monitor Israeli human rights abuses.

He has extensively studied apartheid in South Africa and has compared it to what he saw under Israeli rule.

Special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the UN secretary general to present reports on human rights to the organisation.

Throughout the West Bank ... settlers are given preferential treatment over Palestinians in terms of movement
John Dugard
UN human rights envoy

Their findings do not represent UN policy.

In a new report, Mr Dugard says: "Israel's laws and practices certainly resemble aspects of apartheid".

He points to what he describes as "unashamed discrimination" against Palestinians in favour of Israeli settlers.

"It is difficult to resist the conclusion that many of Israel's laws and practices violate the 1966 Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination," says the report.

"House demolitions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are carried out in a manner that discriminates against Palestinians.

"Throughout the West Bank, and particularly in Hebron, settlers are given preferential treatment over Palestinians in terms of movement (major roads are reserved exclusively for settlers), building rights and army protection and laws governing family re-unification".

A Palestinian man is arrested in Ramallah, West Bank
The report says Israeli practices are discriminatory against Palestinians
The report ranges widely over the events of the past year and focuses on the Israeli military assault on Gaza during the summer.

This came after Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier, who they are still holding.

The army also described its campaign as an effort to stop the firing of crudely-made rockets from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns and villages.

Militant groups like Islamic Jihad often describe these attacks as retaliation for army raids and killings.

During the reporting period, two Israelis died and 30 others were injured in these random Palestinian attacks on civilian targets, and Mr Dugard says that they clearly constitute war crimes.

'Controlled strangulation'

But his report also condemns the two Israeli offensives launched to counter the missile threat from Gaza.

Four hundred Palestinians died, and some 1,500 were injured - many of them civilians. Three Israeli soldiers were killed.

Mr Dugard says that this was a "grossly disproportionate and indiscriminate" response that led to the army committing "multiple war crimes".

He also criticises the very tight controls that Israel maintains over the flow of goods and people in and out of Gaza.

These add to the poverty-stricken territory's chronic economic problems - contributing to mounting levels of unemployment and desperation.

Mr Dugard says that Israel is imposing a policy of "controlled strangulation" that is helping to give rise to a failed state on its doorstep.

The Israelis argue that their border controls around Gaza are necessary for security reasons.

Militants have attacked crossing points in the past, and a suicide bomber recently emerged from Gaza and killed three civilians in the Israeli resort city of Eilat.

And more broadly, Israel has dismissed Mr Dugard's report as being one-sided.

A foreign ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, said that it was a product of what he called "rank politicisation" of the UN's human rights apparatus.

"This is the promoting of partisan, one-sided political attitudes which frankly don't serve the interests of anyone who is seriously interested in human rights," Mr Regev said.

BBC News, Gaza

A Palestinian man passes Israeli security near the al-Aqsa mosque
The envoy criticised Israeli controls on the movement of people
A UN human rights envoy has compared Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories to elements of apartheid.

The UN's Special Rapporteur, John Dugard, describes the regime as being designed to dominate and systematically oppress the occupied population.

Mr Dugard is a South African professor of international law assigned to monitor Israeli human rights abuses.

He has extensively studied apartheid in South Africa and has compared it to what he saw under Israeli rule.

Special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the UN secretary general to present reports on human rights to the organisation.

Throughout the West Bank ... settlers are given preferential treatment over Palestinians in terms of movement
John Dugard
UN human rights envoy

Their findings do not represent UN policy.

In a new report, Mr Dugard says: "Israel's laws and practices certainly resemble aspects of apartheid".

He points to what he describes as "unashamed discrimination" against Palestinians in favour of Israeli settlers.

"It is difficult to resist the conclusion that many of Israel's laws and practices violate the 1966 Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination," says the report.

"House demolitions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are carried out in a manner that discriminates against Palestinians.

"Throughout the West Bank, and particularly in Hebron, settlers are given preferential treatment over Palestinians in terms of movement (major roads are reserved exclusively for settlers), building rights and army protection and laws governing family re-unification".

A Palestinian man is arrested in Ramallah, West Bank
The report says Israeli practices are discriminatory against Palestinians
The report ranges widely over the events of the past year and focuses on the Israeli military assault on Gaza during the summer.

This came after Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier, who they are still holding.

The army also described its campaign as an effort to stop the firing of crudely-made rockets from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns and villages.

Militant groups like Islamic Jihad often describe these attacks as retaliation for army raids and killings.

During the reporting period, two Israelis died and 30 others were injured in these random Palestinian attacks on civilian targets, and Mr Dugard says that they clearly constitute war crimes.

'Controlled strangulation'

But his report also condemns the two Israeli offensives launched to counter the missile threat from Gaza.

Four hundred Palestinians died, and some 1,500 were injured - many of them civilians. Three Israeli soldiers were killed.

Mr Dugard says that this was a "grossly disproportionate and indiscriminate" response that led to the army committing "multiple war crimes".

He also criticises the very tight controls that Israel maintains over the flow of goods and people in and out of Gaza.

These add to the poverty-stricken territory's chronic economic problems - contributing to mounting levels of unemployment and desperation.

Mr Dugard says that Israel is imposing a policy of "controlled strangulation" that is helping to give rise to a failed state on its doorstep.

The Israelis argue that their border controls around Gaza are necessary for security reasons.

Militants have attacked crossing points in the past, and a suicide bomber recently emerged from Gaza and killed three civilians in the Israeli resort city of Eilat.

And more broadly, Israel has dismissed Mr Dugard's report as being one-sided.

A foreign ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, said that it was a product of what he called "rank politicisation" of the UN's human rights apparatus.

"This is the promoting of partisan, one-sided political attitudes which frankly don't serve the interests of anyone who is seriously interested in human rights," Mr Regev said.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Why Bush is no Hoover (but Worse!): Unprecendented Do-Nothingness in a President’s Final Days

There have been a number of comparisons of late between FDR and Barack Obama and between Herbert Hoover and George W. Bush. But those comparisons are unfair. Obama may yet turn out to be another Roosevelt, but “W.” is no Hoover, he’s worse.

This is true in part because Hoover’s actions during the 1932-33 presidential transition are often underrated but also because W.’s complete and total abdication of responsibility for leadership in his last few months in office is largely unprecedented.

No president on his way out of office has been as laconic in the face of crisis as is our current president. At the end of his presidency James Buchanan labored mightily (albeit unsuccessfully) to hold the Union together. Truman frantically tried to end the Korean War in his last few months in office as did Lyndon Johnson in trying to end the war in Vietnam.

Grant ordered troops to guard the polls and supervise vote tabulation in three southern states while a congressional commission tried to sort out the mess that was the election of 1876. As it turned out the election wasn’t decided until March 2, 1877, two days before the inauguration, in favor of the Republican Rutherford B. Hayes. Democrats were so angry and the threat of insurrection so real, that Grant quietly began to beef up the military’s presence in Washington D.C. to fend off a threatened attack on the Capitol.

Even after he lost the election of 1932, Herbert Hoover strove mightily to stem the tide of economic collapse. Hoover, in fact, adopted many of the reforms that were later to become the cornerstone of the New Deal. He chartered the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, designed to prevent banks from going belly up. He had already adopted Keynesian economics by trying to stimulate the economy by running up a huge Federal deficit (mainly by cutting taxes). Hoover founded the Federal Home Loan Bank to prevent home foreclosures. He even encouraged public works projects through the RFC and through the Emergency Relief and Construction Act (both efforts were continued byRoosevelt in the New Deal).

By the time Roosevelt became president many states had already declared bank holidays. In fact, a number of holdovers from the Hoover Department of the Treasury stayed on an extra couple of months to help Roosevelt draft the earliest financial reforms passed by Congress in the new president’s first 100 days.

Roosevelt, for his part, was almost completely uncooperative with Hoover during the transition. Hoover believed that Roosevelt was intentionally trying to tank the economy in order to discredit Hoover and burnish, by contrast, the image of the new administration. Roosevelt believed that Hoover was trying to lock him into policies (many of which FDR ultimately adopted) that would limit his actions after he became president.

None of this seems to be going on in the current transition. Of course, the current crisis isn’t of the magnitude of the Great Depression, yet. And the Bush Administration has supported one of the largest corporate bailouts in history.

But there is a curious lack of thought or follow through in its efforts. AIG is still reeling and there is no direction or form in the Treasury’s handling of the $750 billion in funds that was originally allocated to buy up toxic mortgages from lenders. But now the plan is just to give money to the lenders and hope they will lend it to businesses and consumers (which they aren’t).

Throughout this crisis the President has been largely absent. But leaving the job to an outgoing Treasury Secretary or an incoming president isn’t enough. In the sixty or so days before the Inauguration a lot can go wrong and Bush isn’t trying to prevent it.

That’s why Bush is no Hoover, he’s worse.

* * *

Daniel Franklin

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Obama wins historic US election

Obama supporters in optimistic mood

Democratic Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first black president of the United States, according to projected results.

There were scenes of delight at a park in Chicago where tens of thousands of Obama supporters had gathered.

Mr Obama is expected to address the crowd soon.

His rival John McCain accepted defeat, saying "I deeply admire and commend" Mr Obama. He called on his supporters to lend the next president their goodwill.

Mr Obama captured the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, before passing the essential figure of 270 electoral college votes at 0400 GMT, when projections showed he had also taken California and a slew of other states.

He has so far held most of the states that voted Democrat in 2004, as well as seizing at least six from the Republicans, including Florida and Virginia.

Several other key swing states are hanging in the balance.

In Indiana and North Carolina, with most of the vote counted, there was less than 0.5% between the two candidates.

However, the popular vote remains close. At 0345 GMT it stood at 50.7% for the Democratic Senator from Illinois, against 48.2% for Arizona Senator McCain.

The main developments include:

  • Mr Obama is projected to have seized Ohio, New Mexico, Iowa and Virginia - all Republican wins in 2004.
  • He is also projected to have won: Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Delaware, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island.
  • Mr McCain is projected to have won: Kentucky, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Georgia, Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Utah.
  • Turnout was reported to be extremely high - in some places "unprecedented".
  • The Democrats made early gains in the Senate race, seizing seats from the Republicans in Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and New Mexico.
  • Exit polls suggest the economy was the major deciding factor for six out of 10 voters.
  • Nine out of 10 said the candidates' race was not important to their vote, the Associated Press reported. Almost as many said age did not matter.

Several states reported a high turnout. It was predicted 130 million Americans, or more, would vote - more than for any election since 1960.

Many Americans said they felt they were voting in a historic election, not least because of the possibility of choosing the first African-American president.

Faton Fall, 40, a black voter queuing at a Baptist church in Chicago, said: "It means a lot to me. I'm overwhelmed. I can't say more."

Congressional race

There are also elections to renew the entire US House of Representatives and a third of US Senate seats.

Democrats are expected to expand majorities in both chambers.

They need to gain nine Senate seats to reach a 60-seat majority that would give them extra legislative power.

In the presidential vote, under the US Electoral College system, states are allocated votes based on their representation in Congress.

In almost every state, the winner gets all these college votes.

To become president, a candidate needs to win a majority across the country - 270 college votes out of a possible 538.

The presidential election has been the most expensive in US history - costing $2.4bn, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Homosexual men have significantly lower personal incomes than heterosexual individuals

A new study in the Canadian Journal of Economics provides the first evidence on sexual orientation and economic outcomes in Canada. The study found that gay men have 12 percent lower personal incomes and lesbians have 15 percent higher personal incomes than heterosexual men and women.

Christopher S. Carpenter of The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey which includes standard demographic questions as well as self-reports on sexual orientation.

Like previous patterns found in the U.S. and the U.K., results show that gay men have significantly lower personal incomes than similarly situated straight individuals, while lesbians have significantly higher personal incomes than straight women.

Also, similar to gay and straight differences in the U.S., gay men and lesbians in Canada are more likely to live in urban areas and more highly educated than heterosexuals in Canada.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

"Slacker Uprising" download link

It is available for free as a gift from me to all of you.

And you have my permission to share it or show it in any way you see fit.

Watch it all: http://slackeruprising.com/download/location.php?utm_medium=download&utm_source=32484475

At that link, there are five ways you can watch it free and without advertising:

  1. blip.tv is providing streaming right from slackeruprising.com, free of commercials and advertising.
  2. Amazon Video on Demand is providing a higher resolution version of the above stream for people with lots of bandwidth.
  3. iTunes makes it easy for you to download "Slacker Uprising" on your iTunes, iPod, or Apple TV, and view it there or transmit it to your television. This way, the film can be portable as well as for home viewing.
  4. Hypernia is providing bandwidth and servers to host MPEG4 and DivX versions of "Slacker Uprising" online, so you can burn a DVD or download the film to watch on your computer, XBOX, or PS3.
  5. Lycos is providing free streaming of the film and an on-demand version.

Stream it, download it, burn it now. It's the first time a major feature-length film is being released for free on the internet. You can be part of this historic moment by logging on now!

Enjoy!!

Michael Moore

P.S. Remember, we're doing something that's never been done, so I have no idea how it will all go! Don't give up if it seems to go slow (like with any streaming, give the downloading a head start before you hit play), and don't forget there are two places where you can actually download it to your hard drive and three ways to stream it. You can get to all of them at the link above.

P.P.S. If you're not yet registered to vote, here's a good link: https://www.voteforchange.com/.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Young Roma boy burnt alive in Sesto San Giova

How much longer are we going to keep ignoring the persecution of the Roma people in Italy? How much longer will we use “caution”

Young Roma boy burnt alive in Sesto San Giovanni (Milan).
The umpteenth victim of brutal racism.

Milan, 24 September, 2008.
How much longer are we going to keep ignoring the persecution of the Roma people in Italy? How much longer will we use “caution” when talking and writing about the cases of arson, fires lit by racists with the intention of killing “gypsies”, or fires caused by dangerous and unsuitable heating and lighting? How much longer are we going to avoid counting the Roma children who die every year of cold, hunger and infection in the camps and micro-settlements?

How much longer are we going to persist in believing that the women, the sick and weak “would have died anyway” and finally admit that they were killed by an Italy rife with racial hatred? How much longer will antiracists speak out so cautiously? How much longer will they allow themselves to be intimidated by the arrogance of those in power? How much longer, in deference of the authorities, will we allow the last hands held out to us for a few coins to remain empty, after choosing the path of intolerance (or “zero tolerance”, which is the same thing), and after abandoning the path of solidarity and charity? How much longer will we be afraid of calling the oppression of the Roman people the new Holocaust?

Last night in Milan, in the ex Falck steelworks of Sesto San Giovanni (Milan) Ciprian, a young Roma boy of 13 was burnt alive. He lived with his family in conditions of intolerable marginalization and poverty. His family were unable to return to Romania, where they own nothing, and were therefore prisoners of marginalization in Sesto San Giovanni. A candle fell on the makeshift bed where the boy slept and he perished in the flames. The Roma families in Sesto San Giovanni have no electricity, therefore no safe heating and lighting. They make do the best they can to avoid freezing to death. They are offered no assistance at all, just repression from the police. The firemen, who arrived at the scene after midnight, found the boy’s charred body. How much longer will we carry on considering these bodies “accidents” and not victims? How much longer will we deceive ourselves we are innocent?

Roberto Malini

For further information:
Gruppo EveryOne
www.everyonegroup.com/it :: info@everyonegroup.com

Monday, September 8, 2008

Alarm about the persecution of the Roma people in Italy.

EveryOne Group is sounding the umpteenth alarm about the persecution of the Roma people in Italy.

The group will soon be presenting a new dossier to the European institutions and authorities concerning the abuse carried out on a daily basis, in violation of EU directives, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ethical and moral laws that should be at the root of civil society.

We will remind you that EveryOne Group is not only made up of activists. Among its ranks are authors of historical essays, research, documentaries, films, educational projects concerning the Holocaust, the persecutions, the genocides and violations of human rights which have characterised the history of man. These members are therefore fully-trained and competent for evaluating the reappearance of racist and xenophobic phenomena, and therefore this analysis, which throws light on a tragic humanitarian emergency and should be considered with due attention and gravity before it is too late.

The declaration of Jacques Barrot, the European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, according to which “The measures being carried out by Italy to tackle the Roma emergency do not violate EU law” (declaration immediately taken up and exploited by the Italian Government) is based on a total lack of understanding about what is going on in Italy. Mr Barrot’s statement represents a dangerous precedent; permitting actions which not only human rights organizations, but also witnesses of the Holocaust consider so inhumane and full of racial hatred as to be comparable to the operations of ethnic cleansing carried out by National Socialism and fascism in the years of the racial laws.

EveryOne, (considering that the social services treat the Roma as invisible people) is at present forced to carry out humanitarian interventions in very difficult conditions, obstructed by both central and local institutions, in order to save human lives that are in danger, and to prevent camp clearances of Roma families. Families whose members are often in poor health or small children, and who more and more are becoming the target of threats, discrimination and racial hatred.

We wish to express our great concern about the methods being carried out by the EU institutions to restore a respect for human rights and the EU laws in Italy. While it is true that the EU Parliament has approved resolutions and has issued warnings in order to oblige the Italian Government and local authorities to respect human rights by stopping their repressive actions and setting up programmes for integration, it is just as true that there has been no follow-up or sanctions of any kind. This has allowed the Italian government and local authorities to continue, without qualms and limits, its operations of ethnic cleansing.

Even more worrying is the difficulty of the EU institutions in monitoring the situation of the Roma people originating from Romania - people persecuted in Italy systematically and with cruelty (often with physical violence, threats, destruction of their ID papers and personal belongings; continually kicked out of makeshift shelters they have set up under bridges, in parks, abandoned buildings, and dumping grounds, without them being offered alternative lodgings or assistance).

So much so, that amidst the indifference of other EU Member States, Romanian EU citizens of the Roma ethnic group have been forced to abandon Italy and take refuge in more democratic countries. The numbers, accurately and unjustly withheld, speak quite clearly: eighteen months ago there were about 40,000 Roma of Romanian origin living in Italy; less than 5,000 of them remain and these are the most vulnerable families, trapped in our countries because they don’t have the means to leave.

We take this opportunity to thank the Spanish Government and local authorities for taking in over 10,000 Romanian Roma fleeing from Italy; and France, Portugal and Greece who have taken in several thousand; as well as Romania which has facilitated the re-entry of thousands of other Roma people persecuted in Italy. We notice, however, that the ill-omened example offered by Italy is having a certain influence on other countries where Roma citizens live, among them Romania itself, a country which is seeing a return of intolerance towards “gypsies”.

We would also like to point out how the Italian Government made a mockery of the European Parliament resolutions (even ridiculing them in public); the warnings issued by the United Nations; the Catholic Church and the major human rights organizations, and has continued its oppressive and discriminatory measures, urging all the local authorities to carry out purges aimed at the Roma people.

In the same way, the Italian institutions, authorities and media (in Italy the press receives large sums of money from the Government which leads to heavy control over information) have deliberately ignored the racist alarm from figures of a certain repute and elevated morality, such as Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia, Piero Terracina, Nedo Fiano, Tamara Deuel, Marcel Courthiade, Moni Ovadia, and Jeanne Gamonet, Saimir Mile, who are experts in the dynamics of racism and persecutions through history.

The fact that the instruments the EU has at its disposition – resolutions and warnings – have proved ineffective, has raised serious concerns about the moral strength of the Union itself, and its ability to preserve democracy, civil attitudes and a respect for the basic human rights. Soon a delegation from the European Parliament will be returning to Italy for the umpteenth time, to visit some Roma settlements. These visits, in our opinion, should take in other places in Italy and not just Rome, where the families are subjected to all kinds of intimidation and blackmail.

The representatives of the European Parliament should also be allowed to listen to the testimony of some witnesses of this cultural genocide: testimonies chosen from the Romanian Roma, victims of the abuse; Roma citizens from the former Yugoslavia (who have never been inserted into serious integration programmes or been offered help in obtaining legal papers); testimony from Italian “gypsies” – Roma and Sinti – constantly subjected to injustice and discrimination; Roma parents who have had their children taken off them unjustly; Roma who have suffered physical injury and inhumane treatment; the stories of the Roma who have fled Italy and been taken in by more welcoming countries.

An appeal for emancipation and justice which the European Union has to reply to

EveryOne Group is able to collaborate in the organization of a visit to Italy, or in a meeting at the European Parliament of Roma witnesses, victims of the persecution in Italy, or even an interview of the witnesses through telephone link-up (teleconference).

Very little has been done in Italy to help the Roma people, in fact their average life-span is less than 40 and their infant mortality rate is 15 times higher than the European average. Over the last two years, however, their marginalization has turned to tragic persecution. A persecution being carried out by the institutions, the police force and groups of racists, all taking place on a national level, but which is branching out into local areas, supported – as it is easy to see – by the press, the TV and local and national radio stations. The damage this long-term oppression has brought about to the Roma people is horrifying, and it is no exaggeration to speak and write about crimes against humanity which last year we officially reported to the International Criminal Court of the Hague.

There were between 150, 000 to 180,000 Roma living in Italy a year ago, today there are fewer than 70,000.

EveryOne Group will continue to fight with all its energy to protect the Roma people from a humanitarian tragedy which is worsening all the time, in the hope of seeing the day of emancipation and justice. Our organisation often intervenes in the field to provide assistance in individual human cases, lives saved from desperation. At the same time the group is fighting for the social recognition of Roma citizens in Italy and the European Union (through the approval, we hope, of the “Frame Charter of the Roma People in the European Union”, (we will be sending you a copy of the charter shortly).

Nevertheless, we fear that the barbarization of the institutions and a large majority of the Italian people (influenced by a long political and media campaign of racist propaganda) and the indifference shown by the European union may lead to more widespread racist phenomena: the return of the Samudaripen, the Holocaust of the Roma people.

We feel it necessary to repair this serious crisis in human rights by introducing clear laws to protect a people that has been persecuted for too long.

It is necessary to prevent – at the source – politicians and parties with racist or fascist leanings being able to carry out an electoral campaign based on racial hatred, passing their measures off as a “security emergency” – otherwise what happened in Italy could be well be repeated in other Member States of the Union.


It is necessary to ensure the Roma people have equal rights along with other nations, and that – as happened with the Jews – Europe recognises its role in their persecution and takes measures to ensure true emancipation.


It is necessary to punish severely the racist propaganda underway, because if the newspapers and the Italian TV channels were to write of the Jews or other ethnic minorities the way they write about the Roma, offering public opinion all kinds of prejudice and lies, then public opinion, political parties and civil society would rise up from all corners of the world. It is important to remind each and every one of you of what happened in darker times, a period we have to break away from in order to progress. It is important not to underestimate that racism and persecution always thrive off the indifference and lethargy of the world.


We hope this message, which sums up a reality that anyone is able to verify, in every city and every town of Italy, reaches you quite clearly. If some of you are able to understand the gravity of the situation we find ourselves in, a situation that risks questioning European civilization itself; then help us, help the Roma people; listen to a heart-rending cry for justice, join in the appeals for emancipation and brotherhood and prevent our continent sinking once more into darkness where human rights and public spirit are concerned.

Gruppo EveryOne

Roberto Malini, Dario Picciau, Matteo Pegoraro

For further information:
Gruppo EveryOne
Tel: (+ 39) 334-8429527 - (+ 39) 331-3585406
www.everyonegroup.com :: info@everyonegroup.com

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Gay Iranian man loses asylum plea

Two Iranian men about to be hanged for homosexual acts in 2005
Iran has regularly executed people it has convicted of homosexual acts
An Iranian homosexual man who has said he will be executed if he is deported from the Netherlands has had his claim for asylum overturned.

Mehdi Kazemi has said his life is in danger if he is returned to Iran, where he says his boyfriend named him as a partner before being executed.

Homosexual acts are illegal in the Islamic republic.

A Dutch spokesman said Mr Kazemi would now be sent to the UK, the first European country he entered.

A claim for asylum in the UK had already been turned down.

Application turned down

His case has become a campaign cause for gay rights activists across Europe.

Mr Kazemi, 19, said he had travelled to Britain in 2005 to study English, and learned that his lover in Iran had been executed for sodomy, his lawyer Borg Palm said.

After his asylum application was turned down, he fled to the Netherlands in 2006, having narrowly avoided being sent back to Iran.

Dutch immigration authorities are more lenient towards homosexual Iranians, who are afforded special status because of the regime's hard line against them.

'Life in danger'

The Dutch are refusing to consider the case. Under the EU's 2003 Dublin Regulation, the state the applicant first enters is responsible for processing their application.

Mr Kazemi says his life will be in danger not only because he has been named as a homosexual, but also because of the extensive media coverage of his case,.

Mr Kazemi's uncle - who is in the UK - said the family was considering an appeal to the European Court.

A statement from Britain's immigration service said: "We examine with great care each individual case before removal and we will not remove anyone who we believe is at risk on their return."

Iran executed two teenage men in 2005 after authorities convicted them of raping a young boy.

BBC Europe

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Homosexual intolerance thrives

by: Bailey Singletary

A few weeks ago, a 14-year-old boy fired two bullets into the head of a 15-year-old fellow male student in the computer lab at their school. It has been rumored that the boy was shot because he was gay and asked the shooter to be his valentine earlier in the week.

Hate crimes happen every day with no national media coverage, but this was a headline on most U.S. newspapers. I was appalled when I read the story, even though I've read stories before about people being killed because of sexual orientation.

The question that must be asked is this: Who or what is teaching this young boy to hate someone because of whom that person chooses to be with in life?

The young boy, Lawrence King, began to show his feminine side by wearing makeup and women's clothing to school. When people made fun of him, he simply said they couldn't change the person he was.

Teasing is a normal part of junior high school. I was teased because I looked somewhat like a bird due to my skinniness, but no one put a gun to my head because of it.

But when it comes to violence that reaches beyond a bully pushing the nerdy kid around, there is a huge problem in the school and in the home of the violent child.

Some people have gone so far as to say that the killer is just as much of a victim as King. The media is claiming that the shooter, Brandon McInerney, is simply a victim of homophobia. That's like saying James Earl Ray, who shot and killed Martin Luther King Jr., is simply a victim of racism, as well as members of the Ku Klux Klan.

It is hard to convince me that this child of 14 wasn't taught somewhere in his life that gay people shouldn't be alive. Normal 14-year-old boys don't bring guns to school and shoot another student in the head just because he's gay. Although violence is never the answer, I can understand the bully waiting for the boy outside of class to beat him to a pulp, but the idea of intentional murder at such a young age is absolutely terrifying.

Thankfully, McInerney will be tried as an adult. But his parents also should be brought into the mix at some point in time, because they have probably taught him that being gay isn't OK.

I know some people take the Bible very literally, and there are many people who do not agree with homosexuality, so this case is somewhat being blown to the side.
But if a 14-year-old was killed because of the color of his skin, this would be a much bigger deal.

My question is this: Why is homophobia not on the same level as sexism, racism and anti-Semitism? It seems to me that there are too many people in this world teaching children that not everyone is created equal and that it's OK to hate someone because of whom he or she loves.
© Copyright 2008 The Reflector

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Don't send me back to Malaysia, gay man pleads

Montrealer scheduled to be deported today fears he will be imprisoned in homeland

ELIZABETH THOMPSON

His voice cracking and his eyes filling with tears, Montreal resident Kulenthiran Amirthalingam made a last-ditch effort yesterday to avoid being deported today to his native Malaysia, saying he fears he will be thrown in prison simply because he is gay.

But his trek through a driving snowstorm to Ottawa in a bid to persuade Immigration Minister Diane Finley to grant him a ministerial certificate to allow him to stay in Canada appears to have been for naught.

An Immigration Department spokesperson simply said people are expected to leave once their options have run their course.

Finley's office didn't return a phone call from The Gazette.

Amirthalingam's case highlights what some say is an emerging trend by homosexuals who face imprisonment or danger in their home countries to claim refugee status in Canada.

Amirthalingam said he first arrived in Canada in July 2002, then applied for refugee status in January 2003 after he returned to his home country on a visit only to be harassed by the family of his former lover and thrown into jail.

"For five days, I was physically, verbally, sexually harassed by the police there," Amirthalingam told reporters.

His refugee claim was rejected, however, on the ground the panel hearing his claim did not believe it was credible.

Outremont MP Thomas Mulcair of the New Democratic Party called on Finley yesterday to allow Amirthalingam to remain on humane and compassionate grounds. Amirthalingam was learning French and volunteering with local community groups, he noted.

"In Parliament, despite the profound differences that sometimes exist on issues involving our society or the economy, there are some human values that unite us. And stopping somebody from being deported to face imprisonment and possibly torture, not for anything he has done but because of who he is, goes against Canadian values," Mulcair said, a tremor in his voice.

In addition to the problems Amirthalingam faces because of his homosexuality, he is diabetic, has a heart condition and is blind in one eye, Mulcair added.

Mulcair wrote a letter to Finley last week and received a verbal response Monday in which her office refused even to consider the request not to deport Amirthalingam.

Amnesty International and Montreal lawyer Julius Grey have also written letters to Finley, asking her to use her ministerial powers to stop the planned deportation.

In its travel report for Malaysia, the Canadian government warns Canadians that homosexuality is against the law in that country.

"Homosexuality is illegal," the department's website says.

"Convicted offenders may face lengthy jail sentences and fines."

Matthew McLauchlin, co-chairman of the NDP's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender positive action committee, said Amirthalingam's case illustrates an emerging trend in refugee issues and highlights the shortcomings in Canada's refugee system in evaluating their cases.

"There is a young man in Toronto who was told the judge didn't think he was gay because he wasn't having sex at age 14 when he was living non-status with Seventh-day Adventists," McLauchlin said.

"There have been women told they couldn't be lesbian because they have long hair and showed up for the interviews in high heels.

"These people have no training whatsoever in how to deal with these issues."

There were an estimated 2,000 gay and lesbian refugee claimants in 2004, McLauchlin said.

Immigration and Refugee Board officials did not return a phone call from The Gazette.

Daniel Weintraub: State Supreme Court weighs gay marriage question

Gay marriage supporters have time on their side. Public opinion is shifting in their favor. Eventually, California's ban on same-sex marriage will be lifted.

But many gay couples, activists and lawyers say they have waited long enough. They are ready for change, and they think California is, too. So they are taking a calculated risk.

By pressing the Supreme Court to strike down the laws banning gay marriage, they are gambling that the voters who are now slowly moving in their direction will not retreat in anger in a backlash against what would be portrayed as an activist court legislating from the bench.

We may soon find out. The seven-member court heard the case Tuesday and appeared to be closely divided. One or two justices seemed to be leaning toward overturning the ban. But the same number appeared sympathetic to the status quo. It's not clear which outcome, in the long run, would be better for the gay community.

Justice Joyce Kennard, appointed to the bench by former Gov. George Deukmejian, a conservative Republican, asked both sides how they thought the court would react to a law banning mixed-race marriages. The lawyers for the state had to admit that the court would strike down such a law, since it already did, decades ago. And when Kennard asked the same question to Therese Stewart, a deputy city attorney for San Francisco, Stewart slammed it out of the park like a batter who knew what pitch was coming.

"I think this court would strike it down in a heartbeat," she said.

Would you apply that same reasoning to this case? Kennard asked Stewart. Another softball. Yes, she would, Stewart replied, though she was careful to add that she would never try to predict whether the court would share her view.

Several justices seemed dubious about some of the arguments offered by lawyers for a conservative Christian group fighting to preserve the status quo.

Mathew Staver, attorney for the Campaign for California Families, said same-sex marriage would undermine traditional marriage.

"It would lose its meaning," Staver said. "It would create a new system that is no longer recognizable as marriage."

It is difficult to understand why a legal union of two people who love each other and want to express their love as a mutual commitment recognized by the state – with all the responsibilities that entails – would undermine marriages between men and women. Isn't it just the opposite? Doesn't the proliferation of unwed partners undermine the institution of marriage?

Chief Justice Ronald George – appointed by Republican Gov. Pete Wilson – put the question in a legal rather than cultural context, asking whether same-sex marriages would violate any rights of heterosexuals. It wouldn't.

George also bristled when Staver suggested that same-sex marriages should be banned because children are meant to be raised by their biological parents.

"Do you mean adoptive parents are not as adept at raising their children?" George asked.

In fact, as one of the lawyers challenging the ban pointed out, California prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in adoption, foster care and custody battles – so it's a legal stretch to argue that the marriage law must do just the opposite in order to protect children.

Some of the arguments offered by the attorney general's office were not much better. One of them: Current marriage laws don't discriminate against gays because, just like heterosexuals, gays are free to marry someone from the opposite sex. There's justice for you.

When the state tried to argue that domestic partnerships, which gays can use as a substitute for marriage, were just as good as the real thing, Justice Carlos Moreno raised the specter of "separate but equal," the infamous justification for segregated public schools that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in 1954.

And when the deputy attorney general waxed eloquently about the virtues and value of marriage, Justice Ming Chin turned to Stewart, the San Francisco lawyer, and asked whether the state hadn't just "made your argument for you?"

Justices Marvin Baxter, Kathryn Werdegar and Carol Corrigan, meanwhile, all seemed troubled by the idea of the court intervening in what they suggested might be an issue best left to the electorate or the Legislature. And if they hold to that position and are joined by, say, the chief justice, they could preserve the status quo.

Another possibility is that rather than rewriting the marriage law, they could strike down the entire thing and force the Legislature or the voters to start over from scratch. The end result would probably be the same: legal same-sex marriages. But the court's fingerprints would not be quite as clear.

That approach would also leave open one other avenue that is actually quite attractive: the privatization of marriage. Marriages, after all, are just contracts between individuals that the state has decided deserve a special place in the law. We could best avoid the entire debate over traditional vs. gay marriage by leaving the decision of how to structure marriage to the people involved – and leaving the government out of it.

But that's probably too much to ask.

Is America Ready for a Gay 'Idol'?

LOS ANGELES - No finalist has ever been portrayed as openly gay during the past six seasons of "American Idol." With more details about contestants' personal lives being exposed — both on the show and unofficially online — that could change, and soon.

Or will it be "Idol" business as usual?

"It feels like we're closer now than ever to having an openly gay contestant on the show," says Jim Verraros, who came out after his run as a finalist on the first season of "Idol."

"I'm not here to name any names, but I feel like there are some definite possibilities for this to happen this year," he said. "Do I think it'll happen? I don't know. I hope it does."

On Thursday, the current 16 semifinalists will be narrowed down to 12 finalists, who will perform live each week until the seventh winner of "American Idol" is selected by the voting public. At its core, "Idol" is a singing competition, but finalists' popularity has always seemed to play a big role in who moves forward.

When reached for comment about this story, Fox and "Idol" producers issued the following statement to The Associated Press: "We do not comment on the personal lives of the show participants." None of the current contestants have been made available for comment.

Over the years, however, "Idol" has devoted plenty of screentime to participants' personal lives, ranging from asking intimate questions of the contestants (this week it's "What was your most embarrassing moment?") to aiming the camera at their sobbing significant others in the audience, to airing fully edited segments about their backgrounds.

"The show hasn't seemed very conducive or gay friendly to contestants coming out," says Michael Jensen, editor of AfterElton.com, a Web site about gay and bisexual men in entertainment and the media. "Simon and Randy have not hesitated to mock effeminate contestants and crack the occasional gay joke. It has not communicated to contestants that it would be a good place to come out."

Every season, blogs and message board users endlessly speculate about the sexuality of contestants. Online clues hinting at their sexual orientation often emerge, but Fox and "Idol" producers have never addressed such rumors or depicted openly gay finalists as such on the show or on AmericanIdol.com.

Such speculation isn't new.

Will Young, the first champion of "American Idol's" British predecessor "Pop Idol," was rumored to be gay — then publicly came out following his win. In 2005, a gay personal ad featuring U.S. season-four finalist Anwar Robinson was discovered on BlackPlanet.com. And second-season runner-up Clay Aiken continues to be a constant source of "is he or isn't he?" gossip — though he's always maintained that he isn't.

"Gay people, like everybody, want to see themselves reflected on television," says Jensen. "I think that when a show hasn't reflected that, and goes on and on not reflecting that, it sort of raises the ante, and each season people begin speculating even more intensely about who may be gay."

This week, a video of flamboyant current semifinalist Danny Noriega lashing out against Santa Claus appeared on MySpace and was posted on several blogs. Another video of Noriega singing Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" and rapping about being gay — all while wearing a do-rag — was also posted on YouTube.

"Yeah, I'm gay," raps Noriega in the video. "But you eat hay for dinner, 'cause you look like a horse ... ."

Last week, "Idol"-bashing VoteForTheWorst.com posted photos of scantily clad semifinalist David Hernandez working at gay nightclub Burn, as well as rumors that he was a stripper at Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix. Club manager Gordy Bryan told the AP on Monday that Hernandez did indeed dance fully nude and perform lap dances for the club's "mostly male" clientele.

Club manager Bryan says he did not know anything about Hernandez's personal life while he was stripping at Dick's Cabaret. Hernandez's MySpace profile lists his sexual orientation as straight.

First-season finalist Verraros, who says he was out to fellow contestants and "Idol" staff but not on the show, was publicly outed when an online journal he kept in college, which included comments about dating guys, was discovered. "Idol" producers later asked Verraros to take down the LiveJournal.

"The message boards were so homophobic. The gay-bashing was awful," says Verraros. "It was horrible. They said a faggot would never win 'American Idol.' It was pretty intense. I think it's something you have to expect in this industry, whether it's 'American Idol' or a sitcom or Broadway. It's going to happen the more exposed you are."

Verraros decided not to come out until after the show and the subsequent tour, doing so in the pages of gay magazine The Advocate. Since then, Verraros released his first album, starred in the gay-themed indie film "Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds" and his currently working on his second album.

"Regardless of whether or not a contestant is gay, the talent is there," says Verraros. "That should always come first and foremost."

On the Net: http://www.americanidol.com