Pupils are being prevented from taking same-sex partners to school balls unless they sign contracts confirming they are homosexual, a gay support group says. … Rainbow [Youth] education officer Serafin Dillon knows of four Auckland colleges that do not allow same-gender ball partners unless pupils sign contracts stating their sexual orientation.
She would not name the schools but said their policies were discriminatory and breached the Bill of Rights.
"If this was in the workplace it would be discrimination and it would be unheard of. But because it's a school they think they can somehow get away with it."
Sorry, I know that you have to be tried of hearing me talk about Matthew Mitcham, but the boy is an icon and a hero for many gays. I am proud to have him on our side. Rats off to ya Matthew!
HE KISSED him briefly in the stands and gave him his Olympic bouquet. Later, outside the glowing blue Water Cube, Matthew Mitcham and his partner, Lachlan Fletcher, firmly embraced, both shedding tears. Next it was his mother Vivien's turn to hold her golden boy, and more tears fell.
"Coming out publicly, that was a first," said Vivien. "The highest score awarded to an Olympic dive ever, another first. How many more firsts can this child get? Can you find something else to be first in? He's just done so well. He deserves it."
Just as he has shown flipping around at 10 metres high, Mitcham has shown no fear about disclosing his sexuality. He was the first Australian athlete to go to an Olympics openly gay.
Carefully nursing Mitcham's Olympic bouquet, Fletcher spoke of the incredible journey that
the diver had taken to the top. Fletcher has been the one constant over the past two years.
He was his rock when Mitcham retired in his late teenage years suffering anxiety and depression. He watched him become a stunt diver at the Sydney Royal Easter show, supported his fight back into the sport and now to win Olympic gold.
"It's been so up and down," Fletcher said. "When I first met him, he was pretty unhappy, he wasn't liking the diving in Brisbane at all, he didn't want to do it, wasn't happy being there.
"It took a lot for him to retire and stop doing it because it had been his life for so long. He wanted to try and be happy again. He took time to do normal things that people do.
"Then after five or six months he started to really miss it again and he had the opportunity to dive with Chava [Sobrino, his coach]. He started that and loved it ever since, every second of it, which is great to see him happy all the time."
"The biggest thing he was worried about was people paying more attention to that than his actually diving," Fletcher said. "And I suppose that kind of did happen a little bit. Hopefully, now it won't be so much of an issue any more."
Mitcham was 30 points behind top Chinese favourite Zhou Luxin before the last attempt. Fletcher said he felt "stupidly nervous" as Mitcham went for his final dive.
Sobrino, who was instrumental in reviving Mitcham's career, was gobsmacked by the final dive. "It was his best dive and that's why we put it at the end," Sobrino said.
"The expectancy of that dive was around 106 to 108 points. But not 112, never. He did it at the right time, at the right moment, in the right pool with the right crowd, so I'm pretty happy and we got the right medal."
It was the eighth and last medal in a sport that China dominates and was expected
to sweep. Mitcham cried and bounced around the pool deck before climbing up to the stands to embrace Fletcher.
"It's going to take a while to sink in," Mitcham said. "My cheeks hurt from smiling. My face hurts from the chlorine. My legs are sore from jumping up and down. I'm in pain and I'm tired. But I'm so happy."
The head of Olympics at American television network NBC has apologised for the way in which they reported the story of Matthew Mitcham.
The 20-year-old Australian diver won gold at the Beijing Games last week.
However, NBC caused outrage by appearing to censor pictures of the athlete celebrating his win with his boyfriend Lachlan.
After the Australian national anthem was played Matthew went into the stands to embrace his mother and kiss Lachlan, an event missed out of the NBC coverage broadcast across the US.
After protests led by gay entertainment blog AfterElton.com, the network initially claimed they were unaware that there was an issue over their coverage.
"Anyone watching NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Olympics is aware how much time the network devoted to many athlete’s personal stories," said AfterElton.com.
"Michael Phelp’s record setting eight Olympic gold medals and his relationship with his mother, Usain Bolt’s gold medals and world records, and even Sanya Richard’s relationship with her fiancée who plays for the New York Giants.
"Was Mitcham's win simply not that noteworthy? Given that he single-handedly kept the Chinese from winning every men’s diving gold medal, that explanation is highly unlikely."
NBC responded: "It's not possible to cover the entire personal story of every athlete regarding their performance. It’s just not possible to single out coverage."
However, yesterday the network's head of Olympics conceded that NBC had been at fault.
"We regret that we missed the opportunity to tell Matthew Mitcham's story," Gary Zenkel told AfterElton.com
There are only ten openly gay competitors in the Beijing 2008 olympics, but that is more than we could ask for. I want to say thank you to all that stand up and say "Here".
Of the 10,708 athletes who will march into Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium on Friday, Outsports is aware of only 10 who are publicly gay, on par with the 2004 Games. There is also a bisexual American softball player.
Of the 10 publicly gay Olympians this year, only one is a man: Matthew Mitcham (Australia, diving). Mitcham stunned the diving world by winning the gold medal Aug. 23 in the 10-meter platform.
The out lesbians are: Judith Arndt (Germany, cycling), Imke Duplitzer (Germany, fencing), Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg (Norway, handball and a lesbian couple), Natasha Kai (U.S., soccer), Lauren Lappin (U.S., softball); Victoria "Vickan" Svensson (Sweden, soccer); Rennae Stubbs (Australia, tennis) and Linda Bresonik (Germany, soccer).
Simple math illustrates the likely range of gay athletes in Beijing, using the 10,708 total participants. If 10% were gay, this would mean 1,070 athletes. Even the extremely low range of 1% would leave 107 gay athletes. Researchers such as Eric Anderson of the University of Bath in England (and a longtime Outsports contributor) say that the percentage of gays in sports mirrors the percentage in the entire population (estimated at between 2% and 10%).
From gay icon, to Olympic champion, Australian, Matthew Mitcham has won his first gold medal. He is the only openly gay male athlete competing in Beijing. There are 9 lesbians and one bisexual woman competing alongside him.
In the last moment he snatched the gold from China's Zhou Luxin, achieving earning four perfect 10s on his last dive, a back two-and-a-half somersault with two-and-a-half twist and a difficulty of 3.8 earning him four perfect tens and a total of 112 from that dive alone. He finished with 537.95 points
British Prime minister, Gordon Brown was among the spectators, primarily to watch 14-year-old Tom Daley who came in seventh place.
Mr Daley said: "It was an unbelievable finish from Mitcham. To get all those 10s, that is probably the highest score I have ever seen in one dive."
The final scores were:- 1. Matthew Mitcham (Australia) 537.95 points 2. Zhou Luxin (China) 533.15 3. Gleb Galperin (Russia) 525.80 4. Huo Liang (China) 508.40 5. Jose Antonio Guerra Oliva (Cuba) 507.15 6. Mathew Helm (Australia) 467.70 7. Thomas Daley (Britain) 463.55 8. Rommel Pacheco (Mexico) 460.20 9. Patrick Hausding (Germany) 448.30 10. David Boudia (U.S.) 441.45 11. Juan Guillermo Uran (Colombia) 414.80 12. Thomas Finchum (U.S.) 412.65
Barack Obama has chosen Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate, a pick designed to shore up the Illinois senator's foreign policy credentials in advance of the November election against John McCain.
Biden's selection was confirmed by a Democratic source after an evening of speculation that centered on the Delaware senator when it was reported that the other top contenders were no longer under consideration. Biden had been considered the frontrunner for the job in recent weeks -- a position confirmed by a last-minute, unscheduled trip last weekend to meet with the president of Georgia.
News of the pick was reported in advance of the Obama campaign's planned Saturday announcement to supporters via email and text message.
Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972 at the age of 29. A month after his election, his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. Biden has not been seriously challenged since that first election -- a reflection of both the Democratic roots of the state and Biden's skillfulness as a politician.
The 24-year-old's journey to the start line in Beijing has been an achievement worthy of any Olympic medal. Du Toit yesterday made history as the first amputee to compete at the Olympic Games, finishing 16th in a field of 25.
Du Toit lost her left leg in a motorcycle accident in 2001, a year after narrowly failing to qualify for the Sydney Games. Her leg was amputated at the knee after it began to turn gangrenous.
She was back in the water three months later and yesterday's 10km race was the culmination of her life-long dream to compete at the Olympics.
The five-time Athens Paralympic champion, who gives motivational speeches for a living, admitted she was overcome by emotion before the race and was almost choking up as she later spoke about her journey.
"For me to come to the Olympics Games has been a dream come true," du Toit said.
"To be here, it's been a long road. I have worked hard to get here. I deserve to be here on merit. I don't want to get anything free."
"For my first Olympic race I am a bit disappointed. I didn't have such a good race," said du Toit, who finished 1min 22.2sec behind Russian gold medallist, Larisa Ilchenko.
"Placing 16th is not too bad, but I wanted to come top five.
"But I tried my best and I still have the Paralympics, so I have to keep focused."
Du Toit admitted she had proven doubters wrong that she would never make it to sport's biggest stage, but did not consider herself a campaigner for athletes with a physical disability.
"For me it's not about being able-bodied or disabled, it's all the same to me, I get up and I race. I am not a campaigner, it's just my personal dream and my personal goal," she said.
Du Toit finished one position behind Australian Melissa Gorman, who came 15th in 1min 05.9sec behind Ilchenko (1hr 59min 27.7sec) in only her second major international open water race.
No runner-up finish to her friend and rival this time. Nastia Liukin won the biggest prize of all. Liukin edged teammate Shawn Johnson for the all-around gold in women's gymnastics Friday in an intense matchup that lived up to its billing at the Beijing Games. Liukin finished with 63.325 points, a mere six-tenths ahead of Johnson, the reigning world champion who beat Liukin at the U.S. championships and Olympic trials only a few weeks ago.
Liukin paced back and forth while Johnson, the final competitor, completed her performance, clapping as her teammate floated high in the air. In the end, it was Liukin who soared. When Johnson's score was posted and Liukin realized she won, tears filled her eyes. Her father and coach Valeri grabbed her in a bearhug, squeezing her tight for several minutes.
Valeri Liukin was a double gold medalist for the Soviet Union 20 years ago, but came up achingly short in a rivalry with his own teammate in the all-around.
There would be no such disappointment for his only child.
"It's not possible to describe how proud I am," he said afterward.
Across the board, U.S. players seemed as disappointed that an important game was decided by a rule designed to speed games to a conclusion.
"They played well. We played well," said Tiffee, who doubled twice and is 6-for-12 as the U.S. has started 1-2 with a pair of one-run, last-inning losses. "The whole extra-inning thing I think is bogus, but that's the way this competition is. You've got to go out and play. They beat us today. Hats off to them."
"I'm not a big fan of it," Donald said. "I think that takes all the work out of it. Bascially, you get a base hit and you've got a good shot at winning the game. In a normal game you have a guy at first and you have to battle to get that guy home. But that's international baseball for you. Every game, every run, every pitch, there's so much riding on it."
"How things turned out, you're definitely not going to like it," Barden said. "They have to get the field ready for the next game and this game over with …. but it's not baseball. You should just play it out. It's not soccer where you go to kickoffs. No one plays like that. I don't know if they play like that in their (Cuban) leagues or Japan plays like that….Play a game like that and it's decided by one hit."
Johnson was on the record as disliking the extra-inning rule even before the tournament began.
"I have never been a proponent of the new rule but they're trying to quicken the games and that's what we have to live with," he said, following his postgame press conference. "I'm a dinosaur. I'm a baseball purist. I'm not really fond of putting guys on base, then trying to defend. They do things like that in football."
Extra innings will have a new look in what could be baseball’s last Olympic appearance.
Each team’s at-bat in the 11th inning and beyond will begin with runners on first and second bases. Teams may start the 11th at any point in their batting order under format changes announced Friday by the International Baseball Federation and adopted in time for next month’s Beijing Games.
Baseball and softball are making their last appearance for a while, after the International Olympic Committee voted to eliminate the sports from the 2012 London Games. Both sports are working to be reinstated for the 2016 Olympics.
Under the new format, the 10th inning will be played normally. At the start of the 11th, teams will have the option of beginning at any point in the existing batting order and placing the previous two batters on base.
For example, a team that opts to lead off with its No. 3 hitter would begin with its No. 1 batter on second base and its No. 2 hitter on first with no outs.
“It’s kind of the same thing (as the traditional extra-inning format),” said U.S. pitcher Jeremy Cummings of Triple-A Durham. “You just get two guys on, so more than likely, guys in the Far East will probably bunt them over. So you’ve got one out with guys on second and third, so that might make the bunt defense come into play a little bit more.”
The 12th inning and beyond would begin where the previous lineup left off, with the two hitters ahead of the batter scheduled to lead off that inning being placed on first and second bases.
Initially, USA Baseball executive director Paul Seiler was opposed to the format change, but he warmed to the idea after discussing it with general manager Bob Watson, field manager Davey Johnson and the rest of Team USA’s on-field personnel.
“The traditionalist in me says, ‘No way.”’ Seiler said. “The IOC is really managing-slash-massaging sports within the Games. We’re one of those few sports that baseball people or traditionalists would say, ‘We do have a tiebreaker—we keep playing until the game’s over.’
“But you know, in the Olympics, where you have (a) finite amount of time to get your program finished (and) the early game goes 15, 16, 17 innings, then what does that do? Television is affected, transportation is affected—a lot of logistical things that we don’t have to worry about on a Friday night in Durham. It’s a domino (effect).”
The new rules are being tested at a youth tournament this week in Canada and will take effect for all tournaments under the federation’s umbrella.
Well by now we all know John did it. Thats right he drilled that mill, but is the baby his? Well we will soon find out. My Question is, why the hell would he go to her hotel room in the middle of the night to see the baby? I think that John and that crack whore had a crack baby. Way to go John. Way to be a man of the people.
Bernie Mac, King of Comedy, Died today in a Chicago hospital of pneumonia related problems. The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.
He started his career as a stand-up comedian in Chicago's Cotton Pickin' Club. From there he went to do HBO'sDef Comedy Jam, which put him in the hearts and lives of many people. Mac also had a talk show on HBO called Midnight Mac. Later he started acting in movies and some television shows. He played a great roll in Friday, as Pastor Clever. He also had rolls in Booty call, How to be a player, Life, and Whats the worst that could happen?, Ocean's Eleven, Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, as the new Bosley. He also had a hilarious roll in Bad Santa and starred in Guess who?. He also had a cameo in Transformers. In 2000, Mac returned to his stand-up comedy roots, touring the country as one of The Original Kings of Comedy. In 2001, Fox gave Mac his own sitcom called The Bernie Mac Show.In 2004, Mac had his first starring role as a retired baseball player in the movie Mr. 3000. In the 2003 NLCS, Mac sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field with the Cubs leading the Florida Marlins in the series 3-2 and up in Game Six 3-0. Instead of saying "root, root, root for the Cubbies" Mac said, "root, root, root for the champions!" The Cubs would go on to lose the game and the series, with some fans claiming that Mac helped to jinx the Cubs. Mac later admitted that he has hated the Cubs his whole life, is a die-hard White Sox fan, and was seen during the 2005 World Series at US Cellular Field.
Mac was number 72 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time. On March 19, 2007 Mac told David Letterman on CBS Late Show that he would retire from his 30-year career after he finished shooting the comedy film The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Mac. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know".
I will always remember you. Thank you for making me laugh. Here is one of my fav parts of your stand-up, Milk and Cookies. Rest In Peace Bernie.
Westboro, God is saying to you, "depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
You are false prophets. You teach nothing but hate. God is love, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8). This passage is very simple and can not be twisted ,by people like you, people of the Devil.
When you put up websites like GodHatesFags and when you picket at peoples' funerals, you are not teaching love like Jesus and God wanted; you are being False prophets. Jesus taught love, not hate. Leviticus 19:18 "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."
Can you not read? Can you not understand the true teaching of your lord? Leviticus 19:34 "But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." Matthew 7:12 "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
This is the law and the Prophets. The true law and the true prophets, not you, you false prophets of hate. You are prophets of the Devil, not of God.
If you truely want to bring people to God, you need to learn the true teachings. If God came today to take his people you would not be one of them, for you did not follow the teachings of God. You followed the teachings of the Devil. You did the work of the Devil. You brought hate upon the land of the Lord. You divided his people.
I grew up listening to you Skip. You will be missed here in my house. The games will not be the same with out you. Thank you for all the great years and memories. "YES!,YES!,YES!...."
The Braves family lost one of its most beloved members on Sunday, when Skip Caray passed away at his Atlanta-area home. Caray, who would have celebrated his 69th birthday on Aug. 12, went to take a nap Sunday afternoon and didn't awake. He is survived by his wife, Paula, two sons, Chip and Josh, two daughters, Shayelyn and Cindy, and seven grandchildren.
"Our baseball community has lost a legend today," said Braves president John Schuerholz. "The Braves family and Braves fans everywhere will sadly miss him. Our thoughts are with his wife Paula and his children."
"I'm just in shock," Chip said. "I know he wasn't feeling good, but this was unexpected. He hung the moon for me. I got to talk to him [on Saturday], and the last thing I got to say to him was, 'I love you.'"
"I'm 68," Caray said on April 2. "If I go tonight, I've had a hell of a life."
While his presence may be gone, Caray's voice will continue forever live with the history of the Braves. His most memorable call arguably came when he exclaimed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" after Braves center fielder Marquis Grissom caught the final out of the 1995 World Series.
Caray's arrival in Atlanta allowed him the opportunity to develop a friendship and working relationship with Ted Turner, whose innovative media initiatives allowed Caray and his close friend, Pete Van Wieren, to broadcast Braves games to a national audience on a superstation that would become TBS.
Caray and Van Wieren began broadcasting Braves games together in 1976 and were still serving as broadcast partners during radio broadcasts this season. Both of them were inducted in the Braves Hall of Fame in 2004.
Last year, when TBS ended its 30-year affiliation with the Braves, Caray was saddened to know he was saying goodbye to a number of people that had been so good to him. He was always extremely grateful for the outpouring of sympathy he received after his father died in 1998.
"In essence, you're saying goodbye to people who you've been part of their life for a long time," Caray said last August. "My access to them will now be denied."
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