Thursday, May 31, 2012

Y! Big Story: What the minimum wage gets you

Everything you need to know to get up to speed on the story of the day

Minimum wage advocateWhat does $7.25 an hour get you?

These days, barely two gallons of gas. You'd probably have to work 30 minutes to enjoy a tall Frappuccino (maybe more if prices keep going up), although that's an indulgence when a box of diapers would cost about two hours of labor.

As the economy slowly rebuilds itself, talk about raising the minimum wage is, well, on the rise, and it has taken on more urgency in cities, states, and at the national level:

  • Eight states raised minimum wages on January 1.
  • Advocates in New York ($7.25/hr) are lobbying for $8.50, a pay raise that Governor Mario Cuomo calls harder to pass than gay marriage.
  • Legislators in New Jersey ($7.25/hr) want to add $2,500 to a full-time minimum-wage annual salary that is indexed to inflation. Governor Chris Christie has said, "I'm showing a willingness to listen but also honestly saying I'm not inclined to do so."
  • Connecticut ($8.25/hr) lost momentum on its campaign to raise wages, although the issue is still percolating among legislators.
  • Missouri may vote on a November referendum.
  • Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced the Rebuild America Act in March, part of which addresses raising the federal minimum wage.

Minimum Wages in the United StatesThe debate over who benefits: It's clear who immediately profits from a wage bump?the current job-holder. But, the real back-and-forth revolves around who loses out because of a wage hike: Are increases a "job killer" (a $1.25/hour boost for one could mean no job for another), or will businesses benefit from better-paid consumers? Do the poor lose out, partly because they don't even work in the first place?

Then there's the impassioned debate over the "moral obligation:" Faith leaders talk about championing the "poor and needy," while the other side emphasizes the "moral imperative" of protecting job creation. In a speech commemorating a federal hourly wage raise 15 years ago, Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, hinged the minimum wage concept to a "moral basis of our labor."

Minimum Wage Chart

Declining purchasing power: While media coverage has defined the debate along party lines, politicians like Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama have agreed on one thing: Inflation has reduced the purchasing power of the minimum wage. "Over 30 years, we've had either stagnating, at best, or declining wages for our low-wage workers," says University of California at Berkeley labor economist Sylvia Allegretto to Yahoo!. "This idea that we can have a thriving economy, when we have a good swath of our workers losing ground in pay decade after decade, while those at the top are making more and more money, that does not make a successful economy."

Minimum wage by the numbers:

  • The last time there was a federal minimum wage boost was in 2009.
  • 1.8 million workers earn $7.25/hour.
  • 2.5 million workers earn less, due to exemptions that allow lower wages for certain types of workers (including students).
  • Women make up two-thirds of minimum-wage workers.
  • The same proportion of women work in occupations that depend upon tips, which has a federal minimum of $2.13/hour.
  • If wages were indexed to inflation since 1968 wages, which is the high point of American purchasing power, the minimum wage would be $10.58.
  • If wages rose at the same rate as executive salaries, the lowest-paid worker would make a whopping $23/hour.

Earned income tax creditThe case study of the teen summer market: Among those campaigning for minimum wage increases are kids barely old enough to land a job. A 12-year-old Girl Scout helped to galvanize the New York discussion on wages: Hannah Buckler started a petition to support a minimum wage increase. More than 3,000 miles away, students at a San Jose college pushed the city council to approve a November ballot initiative to raise its minimum wages and tie future increases to the cost of living.

Some economists, though, have focused on the younger generation as a prime example of the minimum wage's negative effects: Teens lose out on summer and part-time jobs because businesses can't afford to hire them. A recent effort has been underway to loosen child-labor laws. Some studies, however, dispute a causal connection.

Instead, academics like Allegretto say that the laws of supply and demand don't apply to minimum wage, pointing to the idea of monopsony. For instance, the way Apple and Wal-Mart have created their own supply chain and labor forces, illustrates monopsony in action.

To oversimplify: Basic economy theory believes that when the cost rises (in this case, labor costs), demand falls. But the buyer in this case is the employer paying below-competitive wages. "The wages are actually set below supply and demand," Allegretto says. "In theory, you can increase the wage and employment" and also reduce costly churn and recruitment at the same time. And while it's tempting to see this as a labor versus business dispute, coalitions like the Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, which includes companies like Costco, support minimum wage increases.

Sub-minimum wages: There's another class of wage-earners who make even less than the minimum: those who get tips on the job.

Like many tipped workers, [Zhanneta] Dunder has trouble making ends meet because of an obscure federal provision called the tip credit, which has established a sub-minimum wage for tipped workers at $2.15 per hour, or $4,333 a year for a full-time worker. Forty-five states have established slightly higher sub-minimum wages...Organizations like the New York nonprofit Restaurant Opportunities Centers don't think that's enough, and recommend at least raising tipped wages to 70 percent of the minimum wage...Tipped workers, the group says, are more likely to fall into poverty than those who receive minimum wage. Servers rely on food stamps at nearly double the rate of the general population. (May 23, Women eNews)

As with federal minimum wages, regions can choose to pay more. The San Francisco living wage rose to $10.24 on January 1; employers are also required to pay towards health care coverage, which diners have seen as a bill surcharge.

Real value of minimum wage and tipped-worker minimum wageWhat is minimum wage throughout United States? Although the federal minimum is $7.25, three states (Wyoming/$5.15, Georgia/$5.15, and Arkansas/$6.25) have lower state wages that apply to certain businesses and exemptions.

Below, a chart that contrasts the annual minimum-wage salary with a state's median income, for a sampling of states.

Range of state minimum wages

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HTC EVO 4G LTE hitting Sprint stores on June 2nd

HTC EVO 4G LTE hitting Sprint stores on June 2nd

With the phones no longer locked up in customs, the HTC EVO 4G LTE has already shipped out to pre-orderers last week, but it still hasn't been made available in your local Sprint store or third-party affiliate. That will all change this Saturday, June 2nd, as the Now Network has announced that the device will launch "in most retail channels." If you're hoping to grab one, just make sure you get to sleep early on Friday night so you can enjoy your new toy well-rested.

HTC EVO 4G LTE hitting Sprint stores on June 2nd originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Russia rebukes "undiplomatic" U.S. envoy

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worldbeatCanada radio podcast for June 1, 2012 | Calcopyrite ...

I like a ukelele.? You like a ukelele.? And Cal Koat likes a ukelele or two?.as he shows on worldbeatCanada radio program for June 1.

Speaking of which?. listen to this week?s worldbeatCanada radio podcast at the player here, or at the worldbeatcanada.com website,?here. Or, get the show at the?iTunes?store. And now on?Mixcloud.

Hear these artists, and visit their websites by clicking on their names in the list below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Tags: Cal Koat, world music, world music podcast, worldbeat music, worldbeatcanada radio podcast, worldbeatcanada.com

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Saturday, May 26, 2012

RealNetworks to refund $2 million, 'guilt' box stays un-ticked

realnetworks-sued-must-refund-2-million

Paid for subscriptions from RealNetworks you didn't ask for a few years ago? You may be eligible for a refund. Washington State's Attorney General sued the company over a free trial of its Rhapsody music service, which had a pre-ticked box for additional content that went unnoticed by many who signed up. When clients stopped the trial without also canceling the extra options, charges often accumulated in the hundreds of dollars before being seen. While admitting no wrongdoing, RealNetworks agreed to discontinue the boxes, comply with federal laws and give refunds to any customers who signed up that way between January 2007 and December 2009. If that might be you, expect a postcard from RealNetworks or check their website to apply for a refund. Hopefully you'll be less, um, ticked.

RealNetworks to refund $2 million, 'guilt' box stays un-ticked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 08:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, May 25, 2012

'Zooming' in on details | Washington Blade - America's Leading Gay ...

One of Philip Gerlach?s photos. (Photo courtesy Gerlach)

Artomatic 2012 (1851 S. Bell St.) has already started, but there?s still plenty to see and do including many musical performances, film screenings and more.

Philip Gerlach, also known as his alter-ego Queen Bambi, is one of the artists featured this year, with his first-ever exhibit showcasing his photography.

?I was encouraged by another artist ? in order to get my work out there,? Gerlach says. ?Artomatic was a great launching ground.?

Gerlach has been taking photos since he was 5, when as a reward his father gave him an old instamatic camera. But he never intended on making a career out of it ? it was always a hobby.

Gerlach attended West Virginia University, studying animal and veterinary science when he took a photography class during his last semester. His passion for the class changed his career path, leading to a second degree in graphic design.

He is now coming on 15 years as the sole owner and creative director of Gerlach Design.

Gerlach?s exhibit focuses on three series of images he?s been working on.

One series, ?Child?s Play,? focuses on found art, zooming into different elements that might not be seen otherwise.

?There has to be an obscure detail that might be missed by most people,? Gerlach says of his process. ?I try to find a story within something that might be overlooked. I?m a very detail-orientated person in everything that I do.?

The toys pictured in this series were part of various cars Gerlach saw on display in Baltimore.

Gerlach as Bambi (Photo courtesy Gerlach)

The other series are ?Oohs & Aahs,? featuring self-portraits of his alter ego, Bambi, and ?Zoom,? a continuing series featuring light and movement, which Gerlach says reflects his life and ?fascination with all that sparkles.?

Gerlach isn?t just into visual arts, but performance arts as well, using his alter ego to help raise money for various local organizations, particularly HIV/AIDS charities.

?Becoming comfortable on stage in drag, led to opportunities for me ? to serve organizations ? to use my character power to raise funds, sell raffle tickets and promote events,? Gerlach says. ?I?ve done fundraising for [Food & Friends] in drag for seven years ? on a volunteer basis.?

This may be Gerlach?s first year participating in Artomatic, but it?s not his first exposure to the event. He first went seven or eight years ago when the event was held in D.C. and opened on Halloween night. He went dressed in drag in a deer costume.

The festival requires at least 15 volunteer hours from the artists and Gerlach spent his hours helping set the space up.

?It?s been a great networking experience,? Gerlach says. ?I chose to do those ? laboring in the volunteer space ? along with other artists and its been a great way to ? realize just how tremendously huge the art community in Washington is.?

This year, the month-long art festival is being held in a former office building slated for demolition. There are 10 floors of art by more than 1,000 artists spanning several mediums from visual art to fashion and more.

Some of the upcoming special events include a free demonstration on how to draw popular superheroes by Utrecht on Friday at 7 p.m., an artist social on Saturday at 8 p.m., a meet the artists night June 2 at 7 p.m. and more.

There?s also a weekly ?Art-to-Go? marketplace on Saturdays from 1 to 6 p.m.

Artomatic is open Wednesdays and Thursday from noon to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 1 a.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

For more information on Artomatic and a complete list of events, visit artomatic.org. There?s even a mobile version of the site for the day?s event schedule.

For more information on Gerlach and his design business, visit gerlachgraphic.com. For more information on his photography and to see his line of wearable art, visit urbangrudge.com.

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How To Use Business PR Strategies For A Competitive Advantage ...

May 25th, 2012 // 12:41 pm @ Annie Jennings

The secrets of business success lie in rock solid principles of clients being able to know, love and trust you and by creating a powerful promotion and pubicity strategy for your business. Your clients and customers want to know your name, they certainly want you to have a good reputation and they want to feel like their money is well spent when they do business with you. They want to trust that you will deliver the outcome they are purchasing and you will stand behind your product.

You can reach out to your target market and community using publicity and promotion strategies to create a consistent presence. Publicity includes getting your local newspaper to cover you or your business, you can sponsor local and community events, you can compile and email list of customers and email coupons, articles and event special tips that are especially relevant. You can also get on your local radio shows as a guest and keep in mind that TV appearances are very influential.

Create a great experience for your client or customer. They will love you for it and tell others. Lay down a set of principles or rules that your business will abide by when dealing with your customers. Word of mouth can be worth a million dollars to you. But it works both ways, in that good word of mouth will creates lots of success and income for you but bad word of mouth can set the stage for ruin. Rule of thumb? Treat your customers like ?a million bucks?!

Educate your clients with additional services that can help them make choices for themselves. Remember, the days of selling snake oil are over. You have to offer products or services that deliver the outcome for your client. No one likes the hard sell and it makes them not trust you. Adopt a philosophy and be consistent in your messages to your marketing. Keep your publicity, promotion and marketing strong, creative, message oriented and again, consistent.

Experience outstanding success in your business by including the principles of solid strategy along with customer appreciation. If your clients know, love and trust you, they will happily use your services and refer you to others.

Find additional business publicity, marketing and branding strategies to help you achieve substantial success in your business strategy. Visit the famous Annie Jennings PR website that?s has lots of marketing resources to help you plan for your publicity success including special reports in the areas of business marketing. Enjoy substantial success today.

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magnifying desk lamp,desk magnifying lam - Save Your Eyes from ...

magnifying desk lamp,desk magnifying lam - Save Your Eyes from Straining with Desk Magnifying Lamp
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magnifying desk lamp,desk magnifying lam More Details about magnifying desk lamp,desk magnifying lam here.

Official work does not always end up in office. There are times when you have to finish the same at your place and that too at late hours. There are times when you have to sit in dim light so that your family's sleep does not get disturbed. This is where you harm your eyes the most. Straining them will not help you in any way. To avoid situations like this where you will be risking your eyesight, there are numerous companies sprouting in the market that render the facility of desk magnifying lamp. The best part about these lamps is that they are accessible in an assortment of styles and price ranges. This piece is of high significance for the people who have to pay detailed attention to craftwork, detailed reading and other such intricate tasks. These lamps are equally beneficial for those who have weak eyesight and find it quite complex to go through small fonts. Having a glance on their piece of work, howsoever small it is; is no more a mission. Apart from helping you with your official work, these lamps have proved their mark in the field of science as well. Estheticians use these to identify and heal microscopic blemishes in the skin. However, these are also used by pathologists for investigative purposes. These lamps are also useful for the people indulged in cosmetic industry, since numerous facial procedures like removal of blackheads, cleansing of pimples and proper evaluation of condition of the skin is possible. Apart from these, there are research academies that can take benefit of these products for their writing samples. Those involved in creative arena can further benefit from this since they can add strokes to their art of work with delicacy. Those involved in the task of doing fine and intricate piece of embroidery can now fabricate beautiful piece of art with bright lightening even in places with close conditions. Every minute detail of your work is illuminated and magnified with these magnifying lamps. This facilitates you in a way that you eyes are not exerted rather the task becomes simpler and can be done at a comparatively faster pace. You will be facilitated with a lamp as per your area of work and your requirement. You can further opt for a lamp with a base if your works require you to change your positions frequently. All you are required to have is a table so as to adjust your lamp. There are also few lamps that come attached with the table. You can adjust the lightening position by using the elongated floating arm to fine-tune it as per your convenience. The design of desk magnifying lamp is also a significant criterion that should be taken into consideration before procuring it. You should always opt for the one that gels in perfectly with the ambiance of your house. Imagine getting a lamp that is totally opposite to the d?cor of your room and deteriorates the entire look of the same. It is also essential because something that irritates and looks odd disrupts the attention while doing work.

The author has mentioned the benefits of desk magnifying lamp . Author has also given a great emphasis on improving your eyesight with desk magnifying lamp and the importance of desk magnifying lamp for home decoration

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

It's Kanye and Kim Kardashian in Cannes

Singer Kanye West, left, and television personality Kim Kardashian arrive for the screening of Cruel Summer at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Singer Kanye West, left, and television personality Kim Kardashian arrive for the screening of Cruel Summer at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Singer Kanye West, left, and television personality Kim Kardashian arrive for the screening of Cruel Summer at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Singer Kanye West, left, and television personality Kim Kardashian arrive for the screening of Cruel Summer at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Singer Kanye West, left, and television personality Kim Kardashian arrive for the screening of Cruel Summer at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

(AP) ? Kanye West showed off his short film and his celebrity girlfriend ? TV reality star Kim Kardashian ? in Cannes, the only place for anyone famous to be this week.

The American rapper walked hand-in-hand with Kardashian at the launch of "Cruel Summer" on Wednesday night.

The couple didn't stop to talk to media but some of the cast revealed what it was like to work on the art project.

Described as an "immersive seven-screen experience," ''Cruel Summer" is a love story set in the Middle East and inspired by West's new "G.O.O.D" album.

Lebanese actress Razan Jammal says West is "an amazing person" to work with.

"To be honest I was really, really surprised, he's so professional. A little shy, very calm on set, very hard working ? I loved working with him," she said.

The film installation will now be open to the public for two days.

Elsewhere in the French Riviera city, the Cannes Film Festival continues through May 27.

Associated Press

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WATCH: Leo DiCaprio in 'The Great Gatsby' Trailer

Were you a fan of director Baz Lurhmann's Moulin Rouge!? Did you enjoy reading The Great Gatsby in high school? If the answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes, you're going to love the lush trailer for Luhrmann's upcoming adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's master work, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the "great" title character and -- in true Luhrmann fashion -- featuring anachronistic music from the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z and Jack White (covering U2's "Love Is Blindness"). Watch the trailer now!

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DR Congo violence forces tens of thousands to flee

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Backpack Flash Turns You Into a One-Person Photography Studio [Photography]

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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Blacks, Gays And The Church: A Complex Relationship | KOSU Radio

Filed by KOSU News in US News.
May 22, 2012

Fairly or not, African-Americans have become the public face of resistance to same-sex marriage, owed to their religious beliefs and the outspoken opposition of many black pastors.

Yet the presence of gays and lesbians in black churches is common. And the fact that they often hold leadership positions in their congregations is the worst kept secret in black America.

While many black pastors condemn homosexuality from the pulpit, the choir lofts behind them often are filled with gay singers and musicians. Some pastors themselves have been entangled in scandals involving alleged homosexual affairs.

?Persons who are in the closet serve on the deacon boards, serve in the ministry, serve in every capacity in the church,? the Rev. Dennis W. Wiley, pastor of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ in Maryland, says of black churches. Wiley is a prominent advocate of gay marriage. ?I do believe a certain hypocrisy is there.?

President Obama?s recent announcement that he supports same-sex marriage turned the spotlight on reservations many blacks harbor about gay rights. Most polls show African-Americans evenly divided about gay marriage, but the vocal opposition, led by preachers, has gained more attention.

?This particular decision I find appalling, and I could not disagree with the president more on it,? the Rev. Patrick Wooden, senior pastor of the Upper Room Church of God in Christ, in North Carolina, told NPR?s All Things Considered. Wooden helped lead the recent campaign that outlawed gay marriage in his state.

Last week, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People passed a resolution endorsing same-sex marriage as a civil right to be protected by the U.S. Constitution.

Churches Reap Benefits

Some say pastors? hostility cuts hard against the history of how countless black churches have flourished. The virtuosity of gay singers, musicians and composers has been the driving force in developing popular gospel choirs ? even chart-topping, Grammy-winning acts ? that make money for a church, help expand congregations and raise the profiles of pastors.

It all happens under an unspoken ?don?t ask, don?t tell? custom that allows gay people to be active in the church, though closeted, and churches to reap the benefits of their membership.

Some say the arrangement is not only hypocritical, but exploitative.

?On the one hand, you?re nurtured in the choir but you also have to sit through some of those fire and brimstone sermons about homosexuality being an abomination,? says E. Patrick Johnson, an openly gay gospel singer and author of Sweet Tea: An Oral History of Black Gay Men of the South.

?But a lot of these choirs or choir directors, or ministers of music, will not be open about their sexuality for fear of repercussion from their pastors and church members, but they allow the church to exploit their talent,? says Johnson, also a Northwestern University professor who specializes in black studies and sexuality.

Johnson and others believe that modern gospel music itself is largely defined by the artistry of black gay men, in particular.

Bishop Yvette Flunder of Oakland, Calif., is openly gay and the founder of The Fellowship, an organization of black pastors and churches openly welcoming of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members. Flunder once said during a 2010 interview that gospel choirs ?always? have been havens for LGBT people: ?In our indigenous expression, that wasn?t a problem. It was Christianity that demonized gay people.?

Among black churches that sing gospel music and feature charismatic and theatrical worship services, particularly in the Pentecostal denomination, Johnson estimates 90 percent of the men in choirs are gay. Flunder has said the same.

?You can?t throw a shoe back through history without hitting gay and lesbian women and even transgender singers,? Johnson says.

Johnson describes church choirs as a welcoming community within a community ?where you meet other gay people, so it becomes a form of socializing.?

Gay rights activist Keith Boykin, who is black, calls it a paradox: ?The church might be the most homophobic and most homotolerant of any institution in the black community.?

Consequences, Whether Closeted Or Out

A small but growing number of churches, such as the Rev. Wiley?s and Flunder?s City of Refuge United Church of Christ, publicly welcome LGBT members, and their ranks are swelling with people leaving intolerant churches.

But many others say they are torn between their allegiance to their churches, which form the cultural and institutional backbone of black communities, and their desire to live free of homophobia. They often chose the former, convinced that their sexuality is a sin.

?They would rather suppress their identity than denounce their church,? says Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, an LGBT advocacy group. ?I?ve seen people refuse to divorce themselves from their church in spite of the ignorance that spews from the pulpit. ? It?s their way of repenting. They victimize themselves through self-oppression.?

Gospel music superstar and megachurch pastor Donnie McClurkin shocked the non-gospel world years ago by revealing in a 2001 book that God ?delivered? him from a homosexual ?lifestyle? that he said was a result of being sexually abused as a boy.

McClurkin, who has said homosexuality is a choice, was criticized by the gay community for setting back the LGBT goal of gaining acceptance.

When gospel music star Tonex (Anthony Charles Williams II) came out in 2009, the gospel music world turned on him and his record sales plummeted. He left his family church, where he?d been a pastor, and reinvented himself as B. Slade, now a favorite in the LGBT music scene.

Rise Of Black Homophobia: Morality Turns Political

Since the National Black Justice Coalition?s first Black Church Summit in 2006, at which the Rev. Al Sharpton was among those who publicly denounced homophobia, progress in softening ministers? stance on gays has been ?definitely slow in coming,? Lettman-Hicks says.

For decades, black ministers only occasionally addressed homosexuality in their sermons. This was true even as HIV/AIDS began claiming the lives of numerous African-American men in black churches, especially gospel singers in the early 1990s.

By 2004, a number of high-profile black ministers emerged as outspoken opponents of same-sex marriage as part of their alignment with the conservative Christian movement, which helped re-elect President George W. Bush that year. Black ministers and black lawmakers helped pass gay marriage bans in several states. In exchange, ministers received federal funds for their community programs through Bush?s faith-based initiative.

?The right wing has had an intentional, deliberate strategy to build a wedge between the black community and the gay community,? Lettman-Hicks says.

Pastors No Strangers To Gay Sex Scandals

The sexual behavior of some male pastors, many of them also gospel singers, also has stoked rumors or led to scandal.

Bishop Eddie Long, the leader of one of the nation?s largest black churches, in suburban Atlanta, was sued in 2010 by three young men who claimed Long coerced them into sexual relationships. Long denied the accusations and the cases were settled out of court.

The controversy was all the more notable because Long was a prominent supporter of Georgia?s gay marriage ban, passed in 2004, and a proposed U.S. constitutional ban. He rankled many civil rights veterans when he and the Rev. Bernice King, a daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King (who supported gay marriage), led a march to protest same-sex marriage that started at the King family crypt.

?Some of my colleagues protest too greatly,? Wiley says.

Prior to the accusations against Long, most controversies rarely escaped mention inside black communities and gospel music circles.

The Bay Area in the 1970s had arguably the most visible presence of LGBT members in black churches, just as the broader gay rights movement had gained momentum in the region. The Love Center Church in Oakland, Calif., founded by the late Bishop Walter Hawkins, one of gospel music?s biggest stars in the 1970s and 1980s, made waves for welcoming black gays and lesbians.

Following the 1991 death of the Rev. James Cleveland, the gospel music legend still regarded as the ?king? of the genre, a male member of Cleveland?s choir sued his estate claiming that he contracted HIV due to his five-year sexual relationship with the singing icon. The lawsuit was settled out of court. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]

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School psychologist defends allegedly racist posts

WDSU-TV

'People are just sick and tired of the crime,' said Mark Traina, a psychologist with the Jefferson Parish, La., Public Schools.

By M. Alex Johnson, msnbc.com

A school psychologist in suburban New Orleans blames "the liberal media" for a complaint filed by?the federal government accusing him of having made numerous racist online comments.

The psychologist, Mark Traina of Slidell, La., is a psychologist with the Jefferson Parish Public Schools in the suburbs of New Orleans. He works with students in the district's so-called alternative schools, where elementary and middle school pupils "with difficulties in learning and, in some cases, in adapting to the rules of school or community" are sent, according to the school district.


Traina is the subject of a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal-leaning civil rights advocacy group, which said it had found "a number of very, very hostile racial comments" on his Twitter account.

The SPLC cited tweets like this:

  • "Angry young black males with no respect for life destroying the U.S."
  • "Serpas should be warning people to stay the hell out of New Orleans! These black dudes will kill you!" (The reference is to Ronal Serpas, the New Orleans police superintendent.)
  • "2 New Orleans policemen shot, 1 suspect dead, another injured. UPDATE|NOLA Quick Someone call David Duke before the NAACP gets here."

Writing under his own name, Traina has posted similar comments on the website of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the newspaper reported.

Watch US News videos on msnbc.com

Msnbc.com also found similar sentiments on Traina's Twitter account, which was still active as of last week, like this:

Twitter.com

At the same time, other tweets suggest a more nuanced view than the SPLC ascribes to Traina:

Twitter.com

Traina, who in his Times-Picayune user profile describes himself as a "civil rights activist," called the complaint "unfair" in an interview with NBC station WDSU of New Orleans

"Whenever someone speaks out, the liberal media just wants to demonize you," he said.

Traina expanded on those remarks in a long comment posted to the Times-Picayune website last week:

The Southern Poverty Center knows that these allegations are ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE! This is just another way to harass the Jefferson Parish Public School System. One only needs to read the Times Picayune to see who the real trouble makers are. Sadly, it is disproportionately young black males. Everyone knows that our jails throughout the United States are disproportionately filled with black people. Why would the rate be any different in an educational environment?

Read all of Mark Traina's comments on the New Orleans Times-Picayune site

Traina said he isn't a racist, telling WDSU that he made the online comments "out of frustration."

"There's too much killing going on," he said. "There's just too much crime in the country, and it's not all black on black.

"It's got to be put down. It's got to stop," he added. "People are just sick and tired of the crime."

But Eden Heilman, a senior attorney with the SPLC, which is based in Montgomery, Ala., said Traina's comments were troubling because he's in a "position of authority."

"When students of color are being brought up on discretionary offenses, they're being unfairly sent to the alternative schools," she said.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

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Beer Town: Southern Beer delights at Atlanta Food & Wine Fest ...

Though you might not guess it from the name, the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival has turned out to be an important gathering for Southern craft brewers.

Oscar Wong, John Cochran, Leslie Henderson, John Pinkerton, Freddy Bensch

Oscar Wong, John Cochran, Leslie Henderson, John Pinkerton, Freddy Bensch

Building on the learning experiences of the 2011 inaugural festival, 2012 again proved that craft beer has a place at the Southern table, alongside barbecue, bourbon and other regional delights.

One of the best examples of that serendipity could be found at the afternoon tasting tents, where people were visibly giddy to spy a row of Southern craft brewers pouring beer directly across from a row of Southern chefs serving fried chicken.

The crowded walkway between the tables was a very happy place, with sipping and munching and perfect impromptu pairings like Sweetwater?s hoppy-citrus IPA and Cardamom Hill?s South India-style spicy fried chicken. And there was a convivial buzz as brewers and chefs traded samples back and forth.

On Friday afternoon, I had the pleasure of introducing Julian Van Winkle III of Kentucky?s Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery to brewer Leslie Henderson of Mississippi?s Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co.

Van Winkle enjoyed Henderson?s Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale and wondered how she was able to brew it with whole roasted pecans. When Henderson demurred and said it was trade secret, Van Winkle winked and said he would tell her how his bourbon was made.

In that spirit, Van Winkle?s son, Preston, produced a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle?s Family Reserve from his back pocket and led a laughing toast.

On Saturday and Sunday, I moderated a discussion and tasting called Southern Craft Brewers Spill It.

Henderson was there both days, along with Oscar Wong from North Carolina?s Highland Brewing Co. Georgia brewers Freddy Bensch of Sweetwater Brewing Co., John Cochran of Terrapin Beer Co. and John Pinkerton of Moon River Brewing Co. joined in on Saturday. And Dan Kahn, the brewmaster at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Cartersville, dropped in on Sunday.

We tasted a lot of good beer, including Sweetwater?s award-winning Exodus Porter, Terrapin?s Belgian-inspired 10th Anniversary Ale and Moon River?s Dixie Crystal Belgian-style tripel.

On Sunday, Wong brought Highland?s Thunderstruck Coffee Porter, brewed with organic coffee from North Carolina?s Dynamite Roasting Co. Scott Witherow, the founder of Tennessee?s Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co. was on hand, too. And his Barrel Aged Bourbon Nib Brittle proved to be a sensational pairing for the deep roasted flavors of Thunderstruck.

While discussions of the state of the Southern craft beer business turned serious at times ? especially when the brewers explained laws that have sometimes kept the region from growing as fast as other areas of the country ? there was also a great sense of pride and fellowship and fun.

?My biggest thing was the camaraderie in the industry and how it differs from almost any other,? Terrapin?s Cochran said. ?I think the real reason for that is that none of us got into brewing to start a business. We did it because beer is our passion and we learned about business along the way.?

Highland?s Wong thought the entire weekend was an exceptional opportunity to present Southern craft beer to a sophisticated food and drink audience.

?Being included in the festival was a big plus and much appreciated, as we got to go up against fine wine, liquor and exceptional food,? Wong said. ?The event has spoiled me for the standard beer festival cuisine, which won?t measure up in the future.?

? Bob Townsend, AJC Drink blog

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