Senate Confirms Unqualified, Antigay Judge to Lifetime Appointment
Leonard Steven Grasz is on the board of directors of a group that opposes marriage equality and supports “ex-gay” therapy.
www.advocate.com/politics/2017/12/12/senate-confirms-unqualified-antigay-judge-lifetime-appointment
Professional Swiss Football Referee Pascal Erlachner Comes Out As Gay
Professional football referee Pascal Erlachner has come out as gay.
Erlachner is thought to be the first man in professional football in Switzerland to come out.
Swiss Superleague referee Pascal Erlachner comes out as gay joining @ryantatkin and @Jesustomille in kicking out homophobiat.co/xNqfGDaK4b pic.twitter.com/iSB6DtzeyX
— Fare (@farenet) December 11, 2017
According to Spiegel Online, he said it is unlikely others will follow his example. However, he is hopeful that his decision will help to dispel the myth that football and homosexuality don’t mix.
SRF reports that he “wants to help create a climate in which it should be normal in the future that footballers, coaches or officials are gay.”
Speaking to Blick, Erlachner said that although he is happy with his decision to come out, it will not prove to be popular with everyone.
He added that while is unsure if his decision will affect his career, helping at least one person will make it worthwhile.
In August, 32-year-old Ryan Atkin has become the first openly gay professional official in English football.
The post Professional Swiss Football Referee Pascal Erlachner Comes Out As Gay appeared first on Towleroad.
Professional Swiss Football Referee Pascal Erlachner Comes Out As Gay
Orlando’s Memorial for Pulse Victims Is a Labyrinth
A new memorial will honor the 49 victims killed in the Pulse attack and could be completed as soon as next week.
www.advocate.com/crime/2017/12/12/orlandos-memorial-pulse-victims-labyrinth
Roy Moore ‘Probably’ Thinks Homosexuality Should Be Illegal, According to Spokesman: WATCH
Jake Tapper asked Roy Moore spokesman Ted Crockett if Moore believes, as he did in 2005, that homosexuality should be illegal.
“Homosexuality is a sin in the biblical sense,” replied Crockett, dodging the question.
“Does he think homosexual conduct should be illegal? It’s a yes or no question,” continued Tapper.
“Probably,” replied Crockett.
Roy Moore thinks homosexuality should “probably” be illegal.
Don’t Stay Home. Vote!#DougJonesForSenate
pic.twitter.com/kYQ2I88FtO— Christian J. (@dtxErgaOmnes) December 12, 2017
Crockett also didn’t know that you could be sworn in on things other than a Bible. Speechless.
Roy Moore campaign spokesman responds with silence when asked if he knew people can be sworn in with a text other than the Christian bible pic.twitter.com/B65qIKBjlI
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) December 12, 2017
The post Roy Moore ‘Probably’ Thinks Homosexuality Should Be Illegal, According to Spokesman: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.
Roy Moore ‘Probably’ Thinks Homosexuality Should Be Illegal, According to Spokesman: WATCH
Loneliness And Cold Weather Could Prove ‘Lethal’ This Winter, Warns Chief NHS Nurse
Loneliness combined with cold weather could prove “lethal” for thousands this winter, England’s top nurse has warned.
Professor Jane Cummings, chief nursing officer for the NHS in England, said loneliness and isolation pose a threat to both physical and mental health for people of all ages, not just the elderly.
She said the issue can have a major impact on already stretched NHS services, especially over the winter months when cold weather poses a threat to many vulnerable groups.
Evidence shows that being alone and feeling isolated increases the risk of premature death by around a third and is as damaging to health as not exercising.
One in three people who report loneliness have long-term health conditions, which make them more vulnerable to the effects of cold weather.
Heart attacks increase almost immediately after a cold weather snap and account for 40% of excess winter deaths. Hospitals also see a rise in the admission of stroke patients five days after the cold weather begins, while admissions for respiratory problems go up 12 days after the temperature drops.
Three quarters of GPs say they see up to five people a day who have come in mainly because they are lonely.
The number of hospital admissions is also linked to colder weather circulating viral infections, including flu. Older people who may be frail, or who have existing health conditions, are particularly at risk. Half of people aged 75 and over live alone, around two million people, and many say they go days or even weeks with no social interaction at all.
Research also suggests lonely people have a 64% increased chance of developing clinical dementia and are more prone to depression, whilst a third of people with dementia said they had lost contact with friends.
While we usually associate loneliness with old age, people of all ages can be affected. For example, a third of new mums claim to be lonely and eight out of 10 carers have felt lonely or isolated looking after loved ones.
Prof Cummings said: “Loneliness has a devastating and life-threatening impact on people of all ages. For vulnerable groups, social isolation combined with the health dangers of colder weather, is a lethal combination.
“NHS staff see firsthand the consequences of loneliness, from dealing with life-threatening and serious illness to offering a lifeline to those to simply wanting a see a friendly face.
“We can all take steps to alleviate loneliness by looking out for family, friends and neighbours. These simple acts of companionship could be life-saving.”
Her plea comes as the NHS calls on people to offer simple acts of companionship as part of its ‘Stay Well This Winter’ campaign to promote good health and protect vulnerable people over the winter months.
Independent research for the campaign shows 56% of people aged 18 to 74 would like to visit their elderly relatives, friends or neighbours more often, with 42% claiming it will be part of their New Year’s resolutions.
The poll also found 41% of people aged 70 to 80 feel that it’s helpful to have someone to help them with everyday activities, to stay well over the winter months, such as help with getting the weekly supermarket shop done (56%), help with picking up prescription medicines (48%) and help with getting to the pharmacist or doctor (43%).
A recent campaign from the Jo Cox Foundation drew attention to the plight of millions of lonely people in the UK, ahead of its Commission on Loneliness report.
Seema Kennedy MP and Rachel Reeves MP, co-chairs of the Jo Cox Loneliness Commission, said: “The evidence of the impact of loneliness on people’s health and wellbeing is now overwhelming and we are delighted that NHS England are today supporting the need for all of us to look at what we can do to minimise it.
“Loneliness is no longer just a personal misfortune but has grown into a social epidemic. If we can tackle it effectively we can make Britain not just a happier but also a healthier country in which to live.”
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/loneliness-and-cold-weather-could-prove-lethal-this-winter-warns-chief-nhs-nurse_uk_5a2ff5e7e4b078950283e26f
10 Lessons on Consent Roy Moore Can Learn From BDSM
www.advocate.com/politics/2017/12/12/10-lessons-consent-roy-moore-can-learn-bdsm
Benham Brothers can’t stop talking about “forced participation” in the “sexual whims” of gay people
The twinsies are at it all.
Gay Men Tend To Have Older Brothers. Scientists Now Think They Know Why
Beijo gay – Parque da Cidade-Brasília-DF by Agência Brasil (CC BY 3.0 BR)
Scientists believe they may now know why gay men tend to have more older brothers. A new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Anthony Bogaert—the culmination of more than 20 years of research—shows that antibodies to one particular protein may be responsible. Bogaert, a human sexuality researcher at Brock University in…
The post Gay Men Tend To Have Older Brothers. Scientists Now Think They Know Why appeared first on Towleroad.
Gay Men Tend To Have Older Brothers. Scientists Now Think They Know Why
Schusswaffen und Anschläge: Erdogan-Vertrauter soll Straßengang in Deutschland gesteuert haben
Sie tragen Lederkutten, betreiben Kampfsport, treten nur in größeren Gruppen in der Öffentlichkeit auf.
Der “Osmanen Germania Boxclub” steht unter besonderer Beobachtung der Polizei. Die rockerähnliche Vereinigung ist immer wieder in Straftaten verwickelt: Körperverletzung, Waffenbesitz, Drogenhandel.
Eine Recherche des ZDF-Magazins “Frontal 21″ zeigt nun: Offenbar wurde der “Osmanen Germania Boxclub” dabei direkt von einem Vertrauten des türkischen Präsidenten Recep Tayyip Erdogan unterstützt, dem AKP-Abgeordneten Metin Külünk.
➨ Mehr zum Thema: Türkische und kurdische Rockergruppen wollen Konflikt auf der Straße austragen
Külünk und Erdogans AKP wollen so offenbar die Interessen der türkischen Politik auf der deutschen Straßen umsetzen – wenn es nötig ist auch mit Gewalt.
“Frontal 21” und die “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” berichteten am Dienstag unter Berufung auf Abhör- und Observationsprotokolle deutscher Sicherheitsbehörden, Külünk habe mehrfach Geld an führende Mitglieder der Osmanen übergeben oder übergeben lassen.
Die Ermittler gingen demnach davon aus, dass von dem Geld auch Schusswaffen gekauft worden seien.
Külünk soll den Recherchen zufolge auch daran mitgewirkt haben, die Proteste gegen die Armenier-Resolution des Bundestages im vergangenen Jahr zu organisieren.
Dazu zitiert “Frontal 21” aus Ermittlerkreisen: Die meisten Teilnehmer der Demonstration in Berlin einen Tag vor der Abstimmung hätten “nicht aus eigenem Antrieb (…) teilgenommen, sondern sind durch Hintermänner wie Külünk gekauft wurden.”
Ein Kontaktmann Külünks, der frühere Osmanen-Chef Mehmet Bagci, war für die Journalisten für eine kurzfristige Stellungnahme zu den Vorwürfen nicht zu erreichen. Bagci sitzt derzeit wegen anderer Tatvorwürfe in Untersuchungshaft.
Bilder zeigen die Chefriege des Boxclubs mit dem AKP-Politiker, der für Erdogan Lobby-Arbeit in Deutschland betreibt und deshalb häufig in der Bundesrepublik vor Ort sein soll.
Nicht nur die Aufnahmen machen die Verbindungen offensichtlich.
Die “Osmanen Germania” arbeiten auch immer wieder bei Kundgebungen der Union Europäisch-Türkischer Demokraten, dem wichtigsten Auslandsverband der AKP, als Sicherheitsdienst. Das ZDF beschreibt die Straßengang mit Berufung auf die Einschätzung der deutschen Sicherheitsberhörden als “verlängerten Arm Ankaras”.
Die Gruppe schreckt dabei vor nichts zurück: Im März erhob die Staatsanwaltschaft Saarbrücken Anklage gegen einen führenden Kopf der “Osmanen”. Er soll Mitglieder des Klubs zu einer Vergeltungsaktion gegen die kurdische Rockergruppe “Bahoz” angestiftet haben.
Eine Shisha-Bar in Saarbrücken war im August 2016 so mit einer Handgranate in Brand gesteckt worden.
Der nordrhein-westfälische Innenminister Herbert Reul (CDU) hatte vor zwei Monaten in einem Bericht festgehalten, es bestünden “Kontakte zwischen den Führern der Osmanen Germania und Vertretern der AKP sowie Beratern von Staatspräsident Erdogan”.
In NRW und anderen Bundesländern war die Polizei in den vergangenen Monaten mehrfach mit Razzien gegen die Osmanen vorgegangen. Dabei ging es unter anderem um Geldwäsche, Urkundenfälschung, Erpressung und Drogendelikte.
Die Bundesregierung hatte im August mindestens ein Treffen zwischen Bagci und Külünk bestätigt.
Mit Material der dpa.
www.huffingtonpost.de/entry/germanen-erdogan-frontal-21_de_5a304be6e4b091ca26839387
‘Star Wars’ Newcomer Kelly Marie Tran Claims ‘Last Jedi’ Role May Not Change Her Life
You may not know who Kelly Marie Tran is yet, but you’re about to hear a lot more of her thanks to her breakthrough role in ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’.
However, despite now being part of one of the biggest franchises in cinema history, the actress has claimed she doesn’t see her life changing to become a huge name like Daisy Ridley and John Boyega.
The pair became overnight stars when they landed roles in 2015′s ’The Force Awakens, and when asked for what advice they had given her about dealing with sudden fame, Kelly Marie told HuffPost UK at the European premiere: “John and Daisy are both the most supportive, amazing humans I’ve met in this whole experience.
“I don’t know if it’s true that my life is actually going to change. Only because I went on a run earlier today and no-one knew who I was. It was great.
“So I feel like I’m going to be Hannah Montana forever and have this double life where I make movies, but then go to the grocery store by myself. So we’ll see. I’ll have to let you know.”
Kelly Marie, who is playing Rose Tico – a member of the Resistance who works in maintenance – in ‘The Last Jedi’, also admitted it still hasn’t sunk in that she is a part of the ‘Star Wars’ universe.
“I’m still realising it right now. Honestly, I am,” she said. “The last two years of my life have been a cumulation of a million impossible moments and this night is the same thing. I’m still trying to believe I’m in it.”
Turning her attention to Episode XI, Kelly added of her hopes for the film: “I’m hoping to continue the tradition of doing something groundbreaking in every movie.
“From its inception, ‘Star Wars’ has never been afraid to take risks and that’s one of the reasons why people love it.”
‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ opens in UK cinemas from midnight on Thursday 14 December.
Take a look at all the pictures from the premiere below…
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/star-wars-the-last-jedi-kelly-marie-tran_uk_5a30478ee4b091ca26838e88
