BURBANK: Information is beginning to emerge from the inside the The Walt Disney Company, that the entertainment and media giant is preparing to announce a national health plan for everyone in the U.S.

CEO Robert "Bob" Iger has scheduled a press conference for this Thursday,two hours before President Barack Obama's address to the joint chambers of Congress.  With rumors swirling of The White House taking up a draft of its own health care plan, this move is clearly designed to beat the President to the punch and gain the initiative.

(Cross-posted at The National Gadfly).

Today, on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol, US Senator Al Franken held a press conference to declare his intention to seek a second term as Minnesota's junior Senator.  Sen. Franken spent his entire first term in a lengthy court battle with The Party of "No".  With his wife Fran at his side, he addressed a large crowd of press, supporters and curious onlookers who seemed surprised to learn that Minnesota actually has two US Senators.

(Cross-posted at The National Gadfly)

GLBTQ rights in Uganda have sucked for years, with open persecution by of gay, lesbians and other queers being propagated by hateful and ignorant people in positions of power.  The country has instilled oppressive laws against homosexuality and court cases have challenged these.  The police and mobs have taken to routinely beating, torturing and killing gays, ostensibly to protect the population from immorality.  (Apparently, killing unarmed people who love each other is not immoral in Uganda.  Lucky break, there.)

(Cross-posted at sexgenderbody)

I took my 8 y/o daughter recently to visit the grave of my grandmother and grandfather.  They're buried in a little cemetery in Batavia, IL called Resurrection.  My daughter said it was too bad that we didn't bring flowers and I agreed.  I'm not much of a cemetery visitor myself, but there is something about flowers.

We agreed to bring flowers next time.

(Cross-posted at The National Gadfly)

This week, I attended another screening at Clarisse Thorn's Sex+++ Film Series at Jane Addams' Hull House in Chicago.  Two documentary films were featured.  The first one, "Sex, Disability & Videotape" (Beyondmedia Education) was about women from age 16 - 24 with disabilities claiming and exploring their self image, self worth and sexuality.  The second feature, "Orgasmic Women" (Marianna Beck) is a film of 13 women interviewed about masturbation, with demonstrations.

(Cross-posted at The National Gadfly)

Wikileaks servers are overloaded and cannot operate.  They recently posted a secret list of a proposed banned sites.  

According to Forbes, the scope of Australia's internet censorship has developed far beyond its initial aim to block child pornography and web pages associated with terrorism. Free speech advocates fear it could be used to block legitimate activity.

(Cross-posted at The National Gadfly)

I am beginning a new blog that deals with individuals and communities that identify around some aspect of Sex, Gender or Body.  I have pasted a copy below of a post I just published on my blog.

I hope that it is not in bad form to announce it here on an existing community blog.  Since this blog focuses on politics, and my new one will only deal with politics as it pertains to the larger body of conversations on SGB, I do not believe that I am undermining this blog's reader base.  If anyone has an objection to my posting this, please let me know and I delete this entry.

- gadfly

My 'day job' has me traveling today.  I am in rural MA, but I could be anywhere.  Looking at this hotel and the surrounding...um...civilisation, I am actually nowhere.  That has nothing to do with the city, though.  It has everything to do with the effect this economy is having on the people.

(Cross-posted at The National Gadfly)