NPR and Gay Athletes

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Friday May 20, 2011 · 4:55 PM PDT

2011/05/20 · 16:55

Frank Deford's commentary on NPR recently on Gay Athletes highlights the continuing problem of even what seems liberal, or even-handed consideration of opposition to gay marriage as a kind of "opinion" about "divisive issues". Which it isn't. It's continuing support for denial of civil rights. Wish NPR and Frank Deford could get that right.

Peter Vidmar, a gold-medal gymnast, felt obliged to resign a very prominent position with the American team in next year's Olympics because he was criticized for speaking out against same-sex marriage.
What is this? To serve our Olympic team, you can't have any personal opinions about divisive issues?

joetex

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Monday August 24, 2009 · 3:41 PM PDT

2009/08/24 · 15:41

Noted travel guide writer and publisher Arthur Frommer today on a news program I happened to see indicated that he would boycott Arizona because of their policies of allowing open gun display during public discussions of Obama's policies. Interesting because his rationale is the same that I posted some time ago on a discussion of guns, 2nd amendment rights, danger from gun violence and what gun display is really about.

joetex

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Saturday July 11, 2009 · 7:18 AM PDT

2009/07/11 · 07:18

In the vein of "it's not how you pay, it's what you order" postings I'm making, I'll continue with some interesting breakdowns of excess cost. From the McKinsey research on US healthcare costs, the staggering cost of Scanning Humans in the US is phenomenal, and has not led to improved outcomes.

How prevalent is scanning? Start with these statistics. In 2006, around one out of four people in the US will have a CT scan. Scanning one of the fastest growing cost segments for healthcare. Some estimates show that a third of all scans are pure waste.

So, I'll start with a story of a bad knee.

joetex

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Thursday July 09, 2009 · 2:35 AM PDT

2009/07/09 · 02:35

I've stated in comments for some time that when it comes to controlling healthcare costs, it's not convincing to me that changing the way you pay is a substantial root-cause issue. I think the fundamental issue is what's being ordered up by doctors.

When you're at a restaurant, it's what you order that determines the bill, not how you pay it. And when it comes to healthcare, it's doctors who do the ordering.

Imagine you go to a restaurant with your friends. This restaurant has a special "monthly billing" program. You eat together, and once a month then get the bill and split it proportionally because you've used "restaurant insurance". Unfortunately, a couple of people have items that are 10x or 100x higher than the other people, and the items were ordered by the waiter! When you get the bill at the end of the month, you blame the cashier!

Why are some items so expensive?

The NY times had a fascinating article on this very subject tuesday. It studied the costs of therapy for one of the most common cancers in men - Prostate cancer.

joetex

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Saturday July 04, 2009 · 3:20 PM PDT

2009/07/04 · 15:20

I noticed in the Conservapedia that finally we have a definitive Homosexual Agenda. Parts of it are silly, in ways that only irony can create, but a large part of it is, in fact, a great blueprint for what life in an Enlightened Society could be like.

joetex

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Wednesday July 01, 2009 · 5:32 PM PDT

2009/07/01 · 17:32

There's a particular attraction to finding out that in "Real Life" a celebrity figure is vulnerable: Perhaps the basis for the evergreen game of "who's gay in Hollywood". The game has moves as stereotyped as kabuki. Let's look.

joetex

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Tuesday June 23, 2009 · 4:05 PM PDT

2009/06/23 · 16:05

Rumination: My friends and I have been mystified for some time about those strange garments called "Shorts" when in fact they should be called "Longs". But thankfully, trends for men seem to be moving back into the territory of what looks more natural and comfortable. Sometimes 11" is just too much. More below the fold.

joetex

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Sunday June 21, 2009 · 10:19 AM PDT

2009/06/21 · 10:19

Let's forget LGBT Rights for a moment, and think about individuals, about people, and then extend a particular example to the general of what many will go through for years, and why a time for fierce patience is over. Let me give a brief view of what living with DOMA has been like for 10 years - not the couple of years (or months) that other same-sex married couples have felt it, and why I'm not I'm not very angry at Republicans (who are certainly no leaders with DOMA), but contemptuous of Democratic claims of solidarity rather than their actions (at least Republicans are predictable!)

joetex

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Friday June 19, 2009 · 3:34 AM PDT

2009/06/19 · 03:34

Let's look at one of the simplest things Obama can do to begin to organize an approach to the LGBT community. Perhaps he can set up an obudsman, an advisor, or advisory panel, or perhaps another CZAR- because that's what he's done for others. LGBT community is an important enough group that we've been addressed multiple times throughout his campaign in speeches and in his presidency.

However, actions speak louder than words.

joetex

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Thursday June 18, 2009 · 2:25 AM PDT

2009/06/18 · 02:25

It starts with:

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Tuesday abruptly abandoned his nomination fight for Tom Daschle and a second major appointee who failed to pay all their taxes, telling NBC News: "I screwed up."

"I’ve got to own up to my mistake. Ultimately, it's important for this administration to send a message that there aren't two sets of rules — you know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes," Obama said on NBC’s "Nightly News with Brian Williams."

(MSNBC)

joetex

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Tuesday June 16, 2009 · 12:13 AM PDT

2009/06/16 · 00:13

With the discussion about the disgust over the DOMA legal filings, and a recent post over people flying away from the possibility of attending a DNC fundraising dinner, I would like to bring up again a question about the concept whether the LGBT community has fared better politically under Republican or Democratic leadership at the federal level - under those Republican/Democratic presidencies.

joetex

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Monday June 15, 2009 · 5:23 AM PDT

2009/06/15 · 05:23

A fascinating debate has gone on on a rec'd blog about definitions of Atheism and Agnosticism, and "belief systems". Perhaps a bit of a more tangential perspective might help, to understand that there are ways of thinking about the real world, and imaginary worlds at the same time, that aren't value-saturated "belief systems".

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NPR and Gay Athletes

Frommer, Guns & Arizona

Healthcare Cost: A Scanner Costly

Healthcare Cost: It's What You Order

Embracing the Homosexual Agenda

Liberace, Elton John, Michael Jackson

Lighter Side: Why Don't They Call Them Longs?

Fierce Patience: Marriage Under DOMA

Fierce Advisor: LGBT Not at the Table

Fierce Apology: The Dream Obama Statement

Fierce Advocate: Democrats and LGBT

Musings on the Supernatural