Mike Curb has given more than $10 million to Belmont University, and an event center on campus even bears his name. Now, Curb is calling on the University to make amends for decisions by school officials that have branded gay Christian students “disruptive,” and have resulted in a lesbian soccer coach being fired because she chose to have a child with her same-sex partner.
“It’s time for Belmont to change and to recognize that we have gay students, faculty and staff,” said Curb, who is also a trustee emeritus at Belmont. “I want to see this board and the school leadership act like Christians.”
It’s probably the harshest criticism that has been leveled at Belmont University to date. And there’s been quite a bit. Students and alumni have protested outside of Belmont buildings. The Faculty Senate passed a resolution saying that employees shouldn’t be fired on the basis of sexual orientation. And local columnists have said that the school is fostering a culture of intolerance and discrimination, cloaked in a misinterpretation of religious values.
But the power of having a major donor to the University call attention to the LGBT problem on campus is pretty significant. Nothing quite catches the ears of administrators like a man with a $10 million wallet.
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Photo courtesy of tonrulkens on flickr
With the release of and subsequent media frenzy surrounding Pope Benedict XVI’s published comments on condom use has come a renewed debate about religion, sexuality and public health. And it’s not just about “male prostitutes.” While the Pope’s original declaration referred to the fact that condom use may be a moral act for male prostitutes wishing to prevent against sexually transmitted infections, the Vatican later clarified that — oh, wait a minute — women, men and transsexuals also may use condoms to protect themselves against transmission of disease, thank you very much.
Many progressive Catholics and organizations say these statements have opened the door to the potential to have a more realistic conversation about the role condoms play in protecting the health and lives of women, men and young people globally.
But, of course, the conversation has been happening for years between public health experts, advocates and those who use condoms. We already know that condoms are the only sure-fire contraceptive method for women who want to prevent both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. However, Catholics for Choice say that many Catholic health providers working for Catholic aid agencies in developing nations are secretly handing out condoms while fearing for their jobs since condom use is still unacceptable as a tenet of the Church. Catholic groups like the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States have stood in the way of ensuring access to condoms, as well as to the funding of other HIV/AIDS prevention strategies that work — like comprehensive sex education in developing nations — for too long.
The best way we can “use” the Pope’s comments on condoms, in this country, is to put pressure on Catholic health agencies working on the ground in these poor nations to formally integrate condoms into their prevention strategies.
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When Americas reach for that second helping of turkey or stuffing today, war probably won’t be the topic of conversation at the Thanksgiving dinner table. That is, unless you have a loved one in Iraq, Afghanistan or South Korea.
While Black Friday looms, the disconnect between our military and the American public is at its most palpable since I came home from Iraq in 2004. Back then, Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction was front-page news and dinnertime discussion. Today, it’s Prince William’s engagement, Eva Longoria’s divorce and Skating with the Stars. Instead of preparing for the surge of new veterans arriving home, or following the developments on the Korean Peninsula where nearly 30,000 American troops are stationed, the country is hysterical over Oprah’s new Favorite Things for the holidays. And something’s gotta give.
As a country, we need a dose of reality this Thanksgiving – and I don’t mean reality TV. One real-life hero who should be the topic of conversation at every dinner table across the country today is Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta.
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Potential presidential contenders Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee will all make appearances in Iowa this month, throwing more speculative fuel on the already fiery debate over the Republican party’s pick for the 2012 election.
Their visits are also turning the state into a culture war battle ground, and Huckabee launched a fresh attack this weekend by celebrating the national “significance” of Iowa’s decision to oust three state Supreme Court justices who approved same-sex marriage.
“The significance and historic nature of the judicial elections here in Iowa were far bigger than the borders of Iowa,” said Huckabee in a speech at an evangelical gathering Sunday. “It was a very important statement that voters made, a statement that resonated across the country and one that I think will give legs to a larger movement over the next few years.”
The Iowa justice recalls were a rallying cry for social conservatives this overwhelmingly money-minded election year, and Huckabee made sure to stay on top of the waning tide: he stoked the flames in June by refusing popular Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ calls for a “truce” on social issues.
“The issue of life and traditional marriage are not bargaining chips nor are they political issues. They are moral issues,” Huckabee insisted at the time. Though certainly heartfelt, Huckabee’s latest outburst also reveals insight into his 2012 strategy.
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Homer Simpson put it best: “People can come up with statistics to prove any point. Fourteen percent of people know that.” Lately, we have good reason to heed his sage wisdom as a new round of death penalty polls, with an accompanying round of superficial analysis, is distorting public perceptions of the death penalty.
On November 8, Gallup released their annual death penalty poll followed by the release of a similar poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion the next day, both of which sparked headlines across the country about how much Americans seemingly support capital punishment: Gallup says 64 percent of Americans support the death penalty, while Angus Reid cranks that number all the way up to 83 percent.
But support for the death penalty drops when respondents are asked to consider alternatives – and it drops a lot depending on which one is presented. Gallup asks about the death penalty every year, but occasionally they also ask if people prefer the death penalty over “life imprisonment, with absolutely no possibility of parole.” This year, when given the alternative of life without parole, support for the death penalty falls from 64 percent to 49 percent – just 3 percent higher than those who prefer the alternative, within the margin of error. The last time Gallup asked about the alternative of life without parole was 2006, and at that time support for permanent imprisonment was actually higher than support for the death penalty, again within the margin of error.
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Triclosan and Triclocarbon are killers are anti-microbial chemicals that are added to thousands of consumer products %u2013 from soap to toothpaste, public changing tables and even shoes. When the soap and other products wash down our drains or products break down, Triclosan and Triclocarbon end up in our environment or farms around the country where they disrupt the natural ecosystem and pose a risk to human health.? (Learn More)
Sign the petition to ban Triclosan and Triclocarbon for non-medical purposes.
Get Toxic Anti-microbial Chemicals Out of My Soap and Body
Imagine you are down on your luck, and you have a pet. It’s a heartbreaking situation: You barely have enough money to feed yourself, much less your companion animal. Do you go without food? Do you give up your beloved pet?
In an effort to help countless people who are now finding themselves in just this sort of situation, a no-kill shelter in Idaho, the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, has partnered with The Hunger Coalition to help feed the pets of those in need. The program, Paws for Hunger, provides pet food for those who might otherwise have a hard time affording it.
“These are pets that already have loving homes,” said the animal shelter’s director, Dr. Jo-Anne Dixon. “When a family needs help from the food bank, it’s usually a temporary and very stressful situation. Pets are very much a part of the family support system, particularly for the children. We want to make sure that this part of the support system isn’t broken.” About 30 families receive pet food each month, with about 10 also receiving food for themselves. More than 4,000 pounds of pet food were distributed by the animal shelter in 2009. In 2010, that number has nearly doubled.
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Alameda County, which occupies the East Bay region in the San Francisco area, is home to the first-ever transgender trial judge in the country. Winning 50.2% of the vote, Victoria Kolakowski was elected Alameda’s new trial judge on, filling the missing seat on the county’s Superior Court bench.
Kolakowski won against veteran politician, Deputy District Attorney John Creighton, who had 48.7 percent and 25 years of relevant experience as a county prosecutor. Though Kolakowski’s experience isn’t as extensive as her opponent’s, she has five years under her belt as an administrative law judge and 21 years as an attorney. According to the Oakland Tribune, Kolakowski’s platform was aimed at “bring[ing] diversity to the bench through her experience being transgender and her background as an attorney focusing on civil matters through her job as an administrative law judge at the California Public Utilities Commission.”
Kolakowski is a male-to-female transgender person who underwent reassignment surgery more than two decades ago, according to The New York Times. She was born and raised in Queens, New York, and holds an impressive array of postgraduate degrees, including an MS in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane, an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Orleans, a law degree, an MA of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley and an MA of Public Administration from Louisiana State University.
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A group of sixth graders from a Stratford, CT public school recently attended a nutrition workshop. This field trip was intended to teach children good eating habits and how to seek out healthy foods. Kids even got the chance to step into the kitchen and make their own sandwiches. So far so good, until you find out where this “nutrition workshop” took place — at a local McDonald’s.
As Change.org’s Health Editor, Brie Cadman, recently reported, for the past five years, McDonald’s has been dabbling in the nutrition education business. Local schools can bring in groups of students, and McDonald’s employees teach the kids about how to make “healthy” choices. As the Connecticut Post recently reported, the Golden Arches sponsors workshops at its restaurants where students “learn about calorie counts, sodium levels, fat content and other information about the important of nutritious foods.” This coming from a fast food joint selling Big Macs that boast more than 500 calories a pop.
Unless McDonald’s is teaching these kids that its fast food is entirely too high in “calorie counts, sodium levels, and fat content,” the restaurant has no business running any kind of nutrition workshop. It’s no secret that the Golden Arches serves up some of the most unhealthy vittles around. An Angus Bacon and Cheese sandwich, for example, holds 790 calories and 39 grams of fat. Even a kids’ meal cheeseburger has 300 calories in it — and that’s before you add on the fries and sugar-y beverage.
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Military men and women were willing to sacrifice their lives to serve our country. They fought to protect our lives and liberties. They should not have to worry about their families’ health care.
TriCare is connected to Medicare. Cuts to Medicare physician reimbursement will make it difficult for our veterans to find necessary medical care that they deserve.
The future cuts to Medicare payments will jeopardize the health care for those who honored our country. Some doctors have said the cuts will force them to decrease or stop seeing new Medicare and TriCare patients. Which means elderly and military families may be forced to travel further for needed medical care, or even go to emergency facilities instead of a doctor’s office for basic care!
Urge Congress to stop ignoring this issue — we need a long-term solution now. America’s veterans deserve nothing less!
Congress Threatens Veteran Health Care
Alameda County