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The FAMiLY Leader Rallies in the Cold -- One Iowa Speak Out for Iowa's Gay Families!

January 28, 2014, 4:17 pm
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The FAMiLY LEADER is Iowa's official anti-gay family group. It is led by thrice-failed gubernatorial Bob Vander Plaats and has been working to outlaw same-sex marriages in Iowa since they became legal back in 2009. If you were unfortunate enough to be in Des Moines earlier today, you would find yourself witnessing their annual "Life, Marriage & Family Rally" -- although on a perversely fortunate note, this rally took place on the tail end of Iowa's latest deep-freeze!

The purpose of today's rally was to pray with and encourage Iowa's anti-gay legislators and to push them to promote anti-gay and anti-abortion policies.

The FAMiLY LEADER identified two main goals that they will be pushing during the coming year:
* They want Iowa legislators to pull legislation that would allow businesses and individuals to legally discriminate against LGBT people and our families.

* The FAMiLY LEADER also wants legislators to amend our state constitution to ban all recognition of same-sex marriages in Iowa.
It's been nearly five years since marriage equality began in Iowa. There have been a few minor hiccups -- usually involving a literal handful of anti-gay cake-makers -- since same-sex marriage began, but how much longer can Iowa's social conservatives seriously push this meme that Iowa will suffer until gay and lesbian families get struck down??

Fortunately, we have folks like Donna Red Wing of One Iowa speaking out for all of Iowa's families:
Iowa has enjoyed marriage equality for nearly 5 years. While the laws have changed, we recognize that it will take a little longer for the culture to change. Unfortunately, the Family Leader continues to use the LGBT community and our families as a divisive political wedge. I suggest we find a way to work together to find common ground and create the space to have civil dialogue around issues important to us.

While One Iowa recognizes and respects the religious beliefs of all Iowans, it is imperative to separate our appreciation for those beliefs from the Iowa Civil Rights Code. The law states clearly that all public venues and businesses must accommodate individuals regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

We hope that the Family Leader and its supporters will recognize that our families are really not that different from their own. We pay our taxes, we take care of our loved ones, we go to worship, and we are contributing members of society. Instead of the hostile posturing that we have seen on both sides of the issue of equality–especially marriage equality–we should broaden our conversations through ongoing civil dialogue about what’s important to all Iowans, and what we can do together to make this great state an even greater one. Will we continue to disagree? Yes. But let us do so from a perspective that respects both religious and individual freedom. As we move into the New Year, and into a fresh political landscape, we extend an invitation to our friends and to our opponents to meet and engage in honest, respectful dialogue.
One Iowa recently announced its own legislative advocacy day. It's called "Day on the Hill" and it's scheduled for Tuesday, February 11, 2014. Participants will participate in a training at the One Iowa office in Des Moines from 8:30 - 10:30 AM, which will be followed by a Legislative Luncheon at the Iowa State Capitol from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM.

The 2014 "Day on the Hill" will be a joint effort between One Iowa and Community HIV/Hepatitis Advocates of Iowa Network (CHAIN).
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"Archie: Riverdale Rescue": Valentine's Day!

January 28, 2014, 6:13 pm
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I began writing back in October 2013 about the "Archie: Riverdale Rescue" iOS gaming app. It's an oddly addictive game where you are tasked with the improvement and beautification of Riverdale USA using a variety of recognizable characters, such as Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. A big part of the game also involves building emotional bonds between the various characters, leading to romantic couples, BFFs, and overall friends. I thought it would be fun to discuss aspects of the game that I find exciting, disappointing, and/or note-worthy.

The "Riverdale Rescue" game was upgraded just yesterday. The biggest part of the upgrade was to introduce a bunch of new Valentine's Day content to the game (similar to the recent Halloween and Christmas/Winter upgrades).

Riverdale in "Riverdale Rescue" is still experiencing winter -- which makes sense given the current polar vortexes that keep engulfing North America. But now the snow is decorated with all sorts of red and pink heart designs. Check this out:


But the funnest part about this upgrade has been the various Valentine's Day-themed costumes that people can purchase through iTunes. Check these out:

Archie // Veronica // Reggie // Betty
Jughead // Big Ethel // Moose // Midge
Ginger // Kumi // Kevin // Jason
Cheryl // Dilton // Nancy
I love Kevin Keller's pink tux. Jughead as Cupid is pretty cool, too. But I don't get either Dilton's superhero costume or Nancy's bear costume. I mean, they're cute. I just don't get how they fit into the theme.

Meanwhile, even Hot Dog is getting into the act. I'd noticed after my last "Riverdale Rescue" blog entry that they gave him a winter look. It really doesn't have anything to do with Valentine's Day, but I thought he was too cute to ignore!:


Lastly, there is one unique new element that was introduced with the Valentine's Day upgrade yesterday. It's Spin the Bottle:


Let's imagine me getting ready for bed. I re-visit "Riverdale Rescue" one last time before catching a bit of shut-eye. I am given an assignment for a couple of my characters. I take them to the location of their latest task, but before I put them to work, I'm asked if I want them to Spin the Bottle before the start their new task:


It costs one soda in order to Spin the Bottle. But -- depending on where the bottle lands -- you could end up with a pretty sweet deal. If it's a shared task, the kids might bond together extra well. Or they might finish the task instantly. Or the task might speed up. Or you might receive an extra-large cash prize. I've spun the bottle a few times and it usually works out positively for me. Then again, I have a lot of excess soda. If I only had a handful of soda bottles, I'm not sure that I would want to spin the bottle too often!

Incidentally, players are only offered the Spin the Bottle option for assigned tasks. If you decided to send a couple kids to a random house in order to prepare it for upgrading or to build up a relationship, the Spin the Bottle prompt won't show up.

I'm really curious about what comes next. Spring? Summer? Groundhog Day? Memorial Day? Fourth of July? Also, I wonder if we will ever get to the point where new characters will be created to join the game? Imagine if a future upgrade introduced Josie & the Pussycats! Or Sabrina the Teenage Witch! Or Jinx! Or Cosmo the Merry Martian! That would be a lot of fun!

Either way, it's pretty clear that the game-makers behind "Archie: Riverdale Rescue" have plans for periodic upgrades designed to tweak the game and to excite its fans. Enjoy!
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Utah Legislator Introduces Bill to Fund Anti-Gay Legal Bills

January 29, 2014, 3:48 pm
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Rep. Merrill Nelson (R) of Grantsville, Utah, has just introduced a bill that would allow taxpayers to check off a box on their tax-form and donate a portion of their state income tax refund towards the state's legal fight against same-sex marriage:
His HB48 would create a check-off on forms for a "Marriage Defense Fund." It would also allow direct donations to the fund via cash, check or credit card — and would direct the state to conduct a marketing campaign to help raise money.

This check-off would be a bit different than most of the efforts that taxpayers may choose to help fund on forms now, including the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the Utah Nongame Wildlife Account or the Pamela Atkinson Homeless trust fund.

"I see it as a way to placate proponents of same-sex marriage who have complained about the cost" to taxpayers for the state’s ongoing appeals to defend Amendment 3, said Nelson, an attorney for Kirton McConkie, whose clients include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "I see it as a peacekeeping measure.... I see this as a way to placate both sides..."

Nelson said that since his bill does not address marriage policy — but focuses instead on how to help pay for the state’s ongoing legal battles — he hopes that it can move forward.
Note the bolded quotations.

One might see it as more of a peacekeeping measure if Nelson's bill allowed Utah voters to direct their tax refunds (as well as their additional cash, check, or credit card donations) to be placed in this "Marriage Defense Fund" or another alternative "Marriage Equality Defense Fund," complete with a dual marketing campaign to help raise money. Somehow, I don't think Nelson cares about all of Utah's families -- only the hets.
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Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina Reverses Insurance Cancelations to Gay Couples Following Bad Publicity

January 30, 2014, 5:49 pm
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Remember Thomas Hafke and Chad Higby of Moore County, NC? They are a married same-sex couple who applied for family health insurance through that state's insurance exchange, they got approved for benefits, they paid their premiums, and then they received their new Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance cards. And then they received a call from Blue Cross Blue Shield's customer service office -- along with roughly 19 other same-sex married couples -- informing them that their family health plan was being canceled because North Carolina doesn't consider them to be a "real" married household due to the recently passed Amendment 1. They were essentially told that there was nothing to do about it except re-apply for two separate individual health insurance policies.

It's amazing what can be changed when provided enough negative publicity. Blue Cross Blue Shield reversed its policy of refusing family health policies to married gay and lesbian households:
In mid-January, Blue Cross systematically canceled 20 family policies and notified the affected customers they would have to reapply as unmarried single individuals. Some were married legally in other states and feared they would be required to lie on an insurance application form by denying their marriage.
The controversy rattled Blue Cross, the state’s largest insurer, and created a sense of embarrassment among many employees. CEO Brad Wilson extended a public apology in the company’s announcement. 

“We should have more thoughtfully considered this decision, with full appreciation of the impact it would have on same-sex married couples and domestic partners,” Wilson said. “We’re sorry we failed to do so...”
According to this article, couples like Hafke and Higby whose plans had been canceled will be retroactively restored. And new household applicants can purchase family coverage on Monday, February 3rd, and those plans will go into effect on March 1st.
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Salt Lake City School District Promotes Mixed Messages Regarding Child Hunger

January 30, 2014, 6:27 pm
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The Salt Lake City School District posted the following message on its Facebook page yesterday:
Help fight child hunger through the Souper Bowl of Caring! Child poverty and hunger are reaching alarming levels in Utah. More than 170,000 Utah kids are eligible for free school breakfasts and lunches and another 50,000 are eligible for reduced cost meals. School breakfast and lunch programs help, but what happens on the weekends?
Feel free to follow the above link to encounter another link to the Souper Bowl of Caring link.

This is what they posted on their Facebook page last evening. It's quite the contrast in messages:
Dear patrons and Uintah Elementary parents,

We have been investigating the lunch situation at Uintah Elementary School and would like to share the following information.

On Monday, a district Child Nutrition manager was sent to Uintah Elementary School to investigate the large number of students who had zero or negative balances in their school lunch accounts. That same day, the district manager and the local school kitchen manager started making calls to inform parents of the negative balances.

On Tuesday, the calls to parents continued. When lunch time came, students who still had negative balances were told they could not have a full meal but were given a piece of fruit and a milk for lunch. The district does this so children who don’t have money for lunch can at least have some food and not go without.

Unfortunately, children are served lunch before they get to the computer for payment. The children who didn’t have enough money in their accounts had their normal food trays taken from them and were given the fruit and milk.

This situation could have and should have been handled in a different manner. We apologize.

We are also investigating what type of notification parents may or may not have received prior to this week. The schools says they inform students when they go through the lunch line if they have a low balance. They say they also send notes home in the student’s Monday folders. However, when contacted Monday or Tuesday, many parents were surprised by the news. The district has specific guidelines for school kitchen managers on how parents should be notified, and we are currently investigating to see if these guidelines were followed correctly.

We understand the feelings of upset parents and students who say this was an embarrassing and humiliating situation. We again apologize and commit to working with parents in rectifying this situation and to ensuring students are never treated in this manner again.
To summarize: The Salt Lake City School District implemented a new meal tracking system and there are still bugs when it comes to notifying parents of low/negative balances. Meanwhile, the school district became concerned that several students at Uintah Elementary School have negative balances and they began the process of reaching out to several -- but not all -- of the parents. 

Before they completed the process of contacting parents, the district decided to refuse meals to the children whose records showed negative meal balances. But the district cannot figure out which kids have positive or negative meal balances until they get their food and go to the cash register.

So these kids got their meals, went to the cash register, had their lunch trays taken from them by school officials, and then their lunches were dumped in the trash. Each kid was given a carton of milk and a "piece of fruit" to replace the meal that was just dumped in the garbage.

I have read news accounts that anywhere from 30-40 children were affected by this decision. I have also read interviews that at least some of the parents involved actually had positive meal balances.

If the school district was truly concerned about the expense of these unpaid meals, then how is the value of those meals regained by dumping them in the garbage?

And how did this process of taking food from confused children reinforce the Salt Lake City School District's support for overcoming child hunger via the Souper Bowl of Caring?
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Oregon Woman Convicted of Obstructing Justice in Hate Crime Against Gay Couple & Their Poodle

January 31, 2014, 8:29 pm
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Here is a story that I missed last year. A young twentysomething gay couple was walking their pink poodle -- named Beauty -- in Hillsboro, Oregon, back on March 1, 2013. An SUV pulled up next to them and the driver began yelling anti-gay slurs at the men and making fun of their dog. The driver then got out of his SUV and began punching one of the men in the face with his fist. He then hit the same man in the back of his head with a foot-long metal wrench. Fortunately, the victim was not severely injured from this attack.

Better yet, several witnesses managed to write down the license plate number of the SUV and police eventually arrested 23-year-old George Mason Jr. and charged him with 2nd degree intimidation, 2nd degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, reckless driving, and federal hate crime charges. That trial is still winding its way through the court system.

But Mason's wife, Saraya Gardner -- also found herself facing charges related to this case. She was charged with obstructing justice after federal officials said that she lied about Mason's whereabouts to police officers and then repeatedly misled them regarding the assault.


We learned earlier this week that Gardner was found guilty of one count of obstruction of justice by a jury of her peers. She is understandably upset about the verdict and believe that the jury was tainted by evidence of her husband's anti-gay slurs.

Gardner's sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 12, 2014. She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. She and her attorney are already planning to appeal this conviction.
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Puppy Bowl X To Feature Several Puppy Athletes from Iowa

February 1, 2014, 12:19 pm
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I've written before that I don't watch the Super Bowl. I know who's playing this year, but I couldn't care less about watching this football game. But I'm a pretty big fan of Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl X and definitely plan to watch the excitement. For those who don't know, Puppy Bowl is an annual romp-fest of puppy cuteness. The dogs race around the field and tackle each other and score goals. They have kitty cheerleaders and a Twitter bird and hamsters in a blimp and then there are the tailgating fans. The show gets a little more commercial each year, which gets annoying. Hopefully they will tone down that element a bit this year.

One of my biggest complaints in the past had to do with the lack of poodle athletes. This year's Puppy Bowl X line-up is pretty exciting. It features three poodle/poodle-mix puppies, plus one Pekingese-mix puppy! Check these out:

(Alvin // Coco // Lucy // Jillian)
But there is another reason for folks to check out this year's Puppy Bowl X. Several of the puppy athletes are competing from Iowa! Check this out:
Siberian husky Suri and German shepherd mix Cici, both from Last Hope Animal Rescue, will star on the televised event.  Last Hope Animal Rescue has a network of animal foster families around Cedar Rapids and a shelter in Shellsburg...

“It’s just a really fun, kind of silly event as an alternative to the Super Bowl,” said Last Hope Animal Rescue volunteer Carl Bromberg. “Not everybody is into football.” Bromberg and a few other volunteers traveled with Suri and Cici to New York in October to film the show after Animal Planet liked a photo of Suri the shelter submitted.

Bromberg has since adopted Suri, and Cici has also found a home. But Last Hope Animal Rescue, which often takes animals from shelters that would otherwise euthanize them, has about 80 to 90 dogs and 10 cats waiting for adoption...

The Puppy Bowl will also feature several other Iowa puppies, including Taser, an Italian Greyhound recently adopted by a Des Moines family from Romp Italian Greyhound Rescue in Chicago. AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport of Des Moines also sent five puppies to the Puppy Bowl. They are Cody the spaniel, Opie the schnauzer/terrier mix, Farkle the mastiff, Jack the German shepherd/husky mix and Rudy, a schnauzer/terrier mix.
Puppy Bowl X starts at 2:00 PM tomorrow afternoon on Animal Planet. It generally lasts for two hours and then repeats a few times before the end of the day.
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2013's Most Popular American Breed? It's the Labrador Retriever!

February 1, 2014, 2:01 pm
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The American Kennel Club announced the 10 "Most Popular Dogs in the U.S. in 2013." The most popular dog last year? It was the Labrador Retriever! This particular breed of dog has been the number one American dog for the past 23 years.

Curious if your dog made the cut? Check this out:
2013 Most Popular Dogs in the U.S.
1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd Dog
3. Golden Retriever
4. Beagle
5. Bulldog
6. Yorkshire Terrier
7. Boxer
8. Poodle
9. Rottweiler
10. Dachshund
The AKC also noted renewed interest in a variety of other breeds, including Giant Schnauzers, Keeshonden, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Irish Terriers, Kerry Blue Terriers, Lakeland Terriers, Sussex Spaniels, and Dandie Dinmont Terriers. Yeah, I've never heard of most of the dogs from that latter bunch either. But it's still cool to see others taking an interest in them!
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"Archie: Riverdale Rescue": Archie Babies!

February 2, 2014, 5:10 am
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I began writing back in October 2013 about the "Archie: Riverdale Rescue" iOS gaming app. It's an oddly addictive game where you are tasked with the improvement and beautification of Riverdale USA using a variety of recognizable characters, such as Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. A big part of the game also involves building emotional bonds between the various characters, leading to romantic couples, BFFs, and overall friends. I thought it would be fun to discuss aspects of the game that I find exciting, disappointing, and/or note-worthy.

I decided to take a step backwards in time and revisit a limited series of "Riverdale Rescue" character skins based off the old Archie Babies comic book. ARCHIE BABIES was a graphic novel that came out in early 2011. This was a period when I was reading very few Archie Comics titles, so I missed out on this title.

It's a pretty simple concept. It shares a chapter in Archie's life before he attended Riverdale High School and before he became Little Archie. I've only read the first chapter of ARCHIE BABIES. In it, he starts his first day at daycare and meets toddler-versions of several Riverdale kids, including Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Moose, Dilton... and Fang! (Fang was a bully who enjoyed tormenting Little Archie, Little Jughead, and Little Reggie) Interestingly, there was no baby version of Reggie in the story I read.


The Archie Babies spent the first chapter of their story contending with Fang and exploring their imagination. It was a cute adventure filled with lava pits, laser beams, giant squids, and cheerleading mermaids. In other words, it was a lot of fun!


Getting back to "Riverdale Rescue," they introduced the Archie Babies skins along with the Halloween upgrades. You can choose to change the appearance of certain characters to look like the Archie Babies -- which is kind of awkward if you decide to have Baby Chuck working alongside Teen Nancy. Not only do the baby characters have a chibi look to them, it feels kind of illegal to accidentally romantically mix the teens with the babies. So when I feel in the mood to play with the babies, I try to assign them tasks with each other or with one of the adult characters!

The Archie Babies skins aren't limited to the kids from the comic book. Reggie, Midge, and Chuck got into the act. So did Kevin Keller and the other buy-in characters. Check these out:

Archie Babies: Archie // Jughead // Betty
Archie Babies: Veronica // Dilton // Moose
Archie Babies: Reggie // Chuck // Midge
Archie Babies: Kevin // Cheryl // Jason
Archie Babies: Ginger // Kumi
Unfortunately, I'm pretty late to the game with this particular chapter of "Riverdale Rescue." I could be mistaken, but I don't believe that game players can still purchase the Archie Babies skins. But it's possible that they will become available again at some point in the future. Plus, they are just too cute to ignore any longer!
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How to Use the Toilet at the Winter Olympics in Sochi

February 3, 2014, 5:25 am
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Whether it's attrocious new anti-gay laws or the detainment of reporters, the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, really seems like a train wreck. Check out this visual guide for acceptable toilet use while in Sochi, as tweeted by snowboarder, Sebastian Toutant:
I know it's kind of comical, but it's also pretty symptomatic of the reason why I'm going to hate the Sochi Olympics just as much as why I loved the London Olympics!
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"Stan Lee's Mighty 7" on The Hub!

February 3, 2014, 5:03 pm
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Archie Comics briefly published a superhero comic book called STAN LEE'S MIGHTY 7 a couple years ago. It's the story of the time that comic book legend Stan Lee mentored a group of alien superheroes and then sold the story to Archie Comics. In a nutshell. The comic book series was originally scheduled to run for six issues, but ended after only three issues.

I always assumed that poor sales killed the series. But multiple sources indicate that the comic book ended because there was interest in making the comic book into an animated series and/or animated television movie. Last year, it was announced that "Stan Lee's Mighty 7" would be premiering on The Hub with an all-star cast of voice actors and that animated movie finally aired this weekend.

And I really enjoyed it!

Some of the characters experienced some cosmetic changes during their transition from comic book to cartoon, but the animated movie featured the following characters: Strong Arm (a super strong space cop, played by Arnie Hammer); Lazer Lord (a laser-shooting hero, played by Christian Slater); Silver Skylark (a winged warrior, played by Teri Hatcher); Lady Lightning (a super fast hero, played by Mayim Bialik); Roller Man (a chubby guy who rolls like a wheel, played by Flea); Micro (a former thief who can shrink, played by Darren Criss); Kid Kinergy (a bald-headed telekinetic played by Sean Astin); and, of course, Stan Lee himself (who proved to be quite nimble for a 91-year-old man in more than one scene!). The Mighty 7 found themselves fighting against two separate enemies: military-based alien hunter Mr. Cross (played by Jim Belushi) and Xanar (played by Michael Ironside), the leader of the reptilian Taegon aliens!

There were a couple minor plot-issues that really got me laughing throughout the movie.

First, I'm glad that they didn't try passing Stan Lee off as a young guy. While he's probably more fit in the cartoon than he is in real life, they didn't try pretending that he's a youngster. Like the one time he quipped about needing to take an extra pill for his high blood pressure! Stan Lee is a 91-year-old man and he should be proud to play a 91-year-old man.

Secondly, people over at the Archie Comics Fan Forum were curious if Stan Lee was still going to try selling the story of the Mighty 7 to Archie Comics in the movie. The general opinion was that this detail would be dropped. But it wasn't! Archie Comics co-CEO Jon Goldwater showed up several times in the movie (though I'm not sure if he actually played himself). References to STAN LEE'S MIGHTY 7 artist Alex Saviuk were made in the movie. They even showed images of Archie and his friends early on in the movie. It was fun to see Archie Comics getting some props in the animated movie, even if we don't get to see the rest of the comic book.

But like I said, I enjoyed this animated movie. The characters were fairly interesting and they boasted a wide range of abilities. Not only that, but seeds were planted for future animated programs featuring the Mighty 7.

"Stan Lee's Mighty 7" airs on The Hub, which appears to be the go to place for Archie Comics-related cartoons these days. I missed the premier date, but caught the movie when it reran on Sunday afternoon. I assume that it will air again in the near future. You should check it out. It's a lot of fun.
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Nero at Daycare -- 02/04/14

February 4, 2014, 3:44 pm
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Nero had a great afternoon for romping with his friends before the snowstorm began. Lots of running and a bit of chasing today. Just what my poodle needed. Check this out:


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Gay Norwegian Minister of Health to Bring Husband to Sochi

February 5, 2014, 7:24 am
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(Solvang & Høie)
Norway's Minister of Health and Care Services is a man named Bent Høie. He will be Norway's official representative to the Paralympics Games that will be happening next month in Sochi, Russia. Oh, and he's gay... and married to another man... and will be bringing his husband to Sochi to attend the events:
Norway’s Minister of Health and Care Services, Bent Høie, has decided to comment on the Russian propaganda laws by taking his husband, advertising exec Dag Terje Solvang, to Sochi...
“It’s natural to take Dag Terje along when attending this type of event,” Minister  Høie told reporters. “Having said that, everyone understands what two married men think about gay rights...” I cannot wait to watch and support all the Norwegian athletes.”  Minister Høie said. “These are athletes with disabilities who perform at a very high level.”
Minister Høie and his husband Dag Terje Solvang, plan to arrive in Sochi today, expecting to be received like any other foreign minister and his spouse would be.
Minister Høie has been a longtime Paralympics Games supporter and enthusiast.

Given the broad scope of Russia's new anti-"gay propaganda" laws, it should be interesting to see how Russian authorities respond to a government representative from another country who comes to their country with his husband.
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Polk County Judge Orders Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo to be Re-Opened

February 5, 2014, 2:17 pm
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On December 9, 2013, the Iowa Department of Human Services and Governor Terry Branstad announced that they were going to close to Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo, IA, as soon as possible. The 21residents receiving treatment there were discharged from the facility in Toledo in the rough span of one month. Six were sent back to their homes. 15 were sent to other licensed and/or accredited facilities throughout Iowa. One was sent to a temporary shelter placement. And the final resident was placed in a temporary juvenile detention program. And the IJH program ended up closing down by January 16, 2014.

IJH was a residential treatment program for delinquent and CINA (child in need of assistance) girls who it had been determined could not be treated safely elsewhere. They stayed within the treatment program for 5-9 months on average and most had mental health diagnoses.

Concerns have been expressed about IJH's closing. Correctional officers and DHS case workers were particularly concerned that they just lost one key placement option for troubled youth in this state. Several of the former IJH residents were sent to less intensive facilities who had previously rejected them and asserted that they weren't capable of meeting their needs. And, of course, there's now 93 Iowans who just had their careers snatched from them.

A lawsuit was filed on January 2, 2014, to stop the closure of IJH by Danny Homan (president of AFSCME), Senator Steven Sodders, Senator (and Democratic gubernatorial candidate) Jack Hatch, Rep. Pat Murphy, and Mark Smith, and Rep. Mark Smith.

Today, Judge Scott Rosenburg ruled against Gov. Branstad and DHS Director Charles Palmer and ordered that the IJH program in Toledo be re-opened:
"The legislature intended that the Toledo facility be established and operate and that the money so appropriated be used for salaries, support, maintenance and miscellaneous purposes," reads the court documents. "But to totally eliminate the operations of the Toledo Home under the guise of the language 'or so much thereof as is necessary' is to essentially ignore the laws of the State of Iowa as enacted lawfully by the General Assembly and allows the Executive branch to unilaterally decide which laws it will obey and which laws it will not...

"If the Governor of the State of Iowa decided that the Toledo Home should not operate, he had the opportunity to end its operation when the appropriations bill was placed upon his desk for signature. At that point the Governor could have vetoed the bill. To later, however, decide that the Toledo Home should no longer operate under any circumstances is not only a failure to carry out his Constitutional duties to take care that the laws are faithfully executed, but is an affront to the very purpose and establishment of our governmental institutions as adopted by the Constitution of the State of Iowa with the approval of the people of the State of Iowa. The danger in allowing such an action to happen is the destruction of our republican form of government itself and the democracy which it is designed to serve for the general welfare of all of its citizens."
Danny Homan of AFSCME issued the following response:
We are pleased that the court has sided with the plaintiffs by opening the Iowa Juvenile Home. Iowa’s young girls are the real winners in this decision. For the sake of the safety of Iowa’s children, the governor should immediately comply with this court order and reopen the Iowa Juvenile Home as instructed by the District Court.
Senator Jack Hatch also responded to the news:
Today an Iowa District Court judge ruled Governor Branstad must reverse his reckless, ill-considered decision to close the Iowa Juvenile Home at Toledo, which housed some of the state's most troubled youth. This is a victory for the girls Terry Branstad put in jeopardy of serious harm to themselves or others, but it reveals a scary pattern in the way this Governor does business.
The judge is the latest in a long line of Iowans who have tried to get Terry Branstad to follow the law. The ruling is another example of how this Governor operates above the law, without accountability or respect for the rule of law. As the judge wrote, the Branstad administration cannot unilaterally decide which laws to obey and which laws it will not.
So far, the Governor's actions have resulted in at least two girls running away and going missing, and we still don’t have a handle on exactly how many may have been lost. Keeping track of at-risk children who are in the Department of Human Services (DHS) system is one of the most serious core functions of government. At this, Branstad has failed. A complete accounting of the whereabouts of the girls who have been lost should be provided immediately by DHS.
My colleagues and I in the Iowa Senate will continue to investigate and seek answers, above all to protect the children involved. But we’ll also continue to ask what so many Iowans have asked this Governor: when, sir, did you start believing you no longer needed to follow our laws?
I haven't yet seen any statements from Gov. Branstad or from DHS Director Charles Palmer.

I think it's fair to say that this story isn't over yet. It is anticipated that the Branstad administration will appeal this decision and if that happens then the IJH facility won't immediately re-open.
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Clay Aiken Announces Congressional Campaign

February 6, 2014, 5:18 pm
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Federal Jury Deadlocks in Case of Man Who Assaulted Gay Men & their Pink Poodle

February 6, 2014, 5:51 pm
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Remember the woman who recently got convicted of obstructing justice in an assault case involving two gay men and their pink poodle? The two men were reportedly walking their dog in Hillsboro, OR, when a guy in an SUV began screaming anti-gay slurs at them and then, when he got out of his vehicle, he was accused of assaulting one of the men with his fists and a foot-long metal wrench. Several witnesses wrote down the assailant's license plate number and he was eventually arrested and charged with 2nd degree intimidation, 2nd degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, reckless driving, and federal hate crime charges.


His wife might have been convicted in this case, but a federal jury found itself deadlocked earlier this week on whether or not 23-year-old George Allen Mason Jr. was guilty of federal hate crimes:
The 12-person jury initially told U.S. District Judge Michael Simon on Monday afternoon that they were deadlocked, just three hours after beginning deliberations. Although Simon sent them back to continue discussions, they issued a second written note Tuesday indicating they could not come to a unanimous decision. Simon declared a mistrial after the presiding juror confirmed that the panel was hopelessly deadlocked. 

The trial stemmed from a March 1, 2013, incident in which Beltier and his partner, Jeremy Mark, were walking their pink-dyed poodle in Hillsboro. Mason and his wife were in their SUV at a stoplight when Mason yelled at the gay couple, saying their dog was "un-American." 

Mason then made a quick U-turn to circle back to the couple in the crosswalk, got out of his vehicle, and hit Beltier with his fists and a metal tool, witnesses testified. He was yelling profanity and anti-gay slurs before and during the attack, according to the victim, his boyfriend and an FBI interview with Mason’s wife.

Mason’s attorney had sought to portray his client as someone with behavioral issues made worse by a lack of medication — not “a gaybasher.” Mason in fact had a gay relationship himself, the lawyer noted, pointing to testimony by Rod Lange of Ohio about their two- to three-week relationship in 2010.

The “altercation” with Beltier occurred because Mason “has a hair trigger,” said his attorney, Jim Halley, adding that Beltier did not attack Beltier because of his sexual orientation. Citing testimony by Mason's wife, the lawyer said Beltier swore at Mason after hearing the "un-American" comment, and that the cursing set off Mason. Beltier had denied saying anything to Mason.
So nutshell: Mason yelled at the guys. He lost his cool (even more) because one of the victims might have swore at his for making fun of them and their dog. He jumped out of his vehicle and assaulted one of the men with his fists and with a metal tool. But it's okay because he forgot to take his meds and because he was in a relationship with another guys two or three years ago.

A new trial for Mason has been scheduled for April 28, 2014.
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ARCHIE #652: The Archies Goes Down Under!

February 8, 2014, 9:01 am
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Archie's Rockin' World Tour just made it to Destination #3 in "Blunder Down Under" in ARCHIE #652. That's right, the Archies, Josie & the Pussycats, the Bingos, the Madhouse Glads, Cheryl Blossom & Alexandra Cabot, Raj Patel, and Marcy Lodge landed in Australia. While the music might be rocking, but many of those touring are feeling unsettled. For example...

The Bingos and the Madhouse Glads are enjoying their musical adventure. However, they're feeling like third and fourth wheels compared to the more popular Archies and Pussycats. (I'll leave it to you to determine which of those latter two bands is the first wheel and which is the second!) Their luck changes when they get invited to fill in for a smaller Australian band tour. That concert was wonderful and these lesser-known bands are left with a quandary. Do they honor their earlier commitment and continue playing with the Archies and the Pussycats or do they strike out on their own? Or maybe there's a middle ground?...


And then there is also the on-again-off-again relationship between Archie and Valerie. Archie became smitten with Indian singer Amisha and got caught on camera professing his love to her. Cheryl and Alexandra revealed this information to Valerie, who promptly dumped Archie's red-headed butt. Amisha seems to have gone back to India, but Valerie can really hold a grudge! Now both Valerie is spending most of her time in Oz grumbling at each other while secretly missing Archie:


Josie and Melody from the Pussycats launch a plan to rekindle the romance between Valerie and Archie. But is it too late?

On a positive note, ARCHIE #652 re-introduces Archie Comics readers to supermodel Katy Keene. She's organizing the Rock 'n' Roll Fashion Palooza and is using Archie's Rockin' World Tour to raise money for charity. In a shocking turn of events, Archie doesn't go gaga over the lovely Ms. Keene. Instead, Raj immediately begins crushing on Katy!


The Rock 'n' Roll Fashion Palooza will feature musical performances by our bands (of course), but our friends will also strut their stuff on a fashion catwalk -- if Archie doesn't ruin things with his usual shenanigans!!

Katy didn't come to the party alone. She brought along another singer to help out with the fundraising event. This new singer has ties to Riverdale: It's Brigitte Reilly!

I don't know much about Brigitte. I know that she is a good singer, that she threatened to break up Frankie and Maria, and that she was designed to be a plus-sized character. But she kind of disappeared from the comic books before I got back into Archie Comics. I just figured that she faded into the background to make room for Kevin Keller, the zombies, and the fairy tale princesses. But I guess she graduated from high school early in order to become a world famous singer.

Was that part of an earlier storyline or was that an explanation of why she disappeared from the comic book? Feel free to educate me in the comments section. Thanks in advance!

Either way, Brigitte has a famous hit song called "End of Time." And the people of Australia love her! She's warmly welcome back into the Riverdale Gang and invited to perform for the joint Rockin' World Tour/Rock 'n' Roll Fashion Palooza.


"Blunder Down Under" is written and pencilled by Dan Parent and inked by Rich Koslowski.
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Feud Between Batman and Bee Sting Threatens to Destroy the Michigan Protectors!

February 9, 2014, 4:04 pm
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I learned earlier today that Petoskey Batman and Bee Sting are feuding and their once-close friendship has created a schism within the membership of the Michigan Protectors.

(Michigan Protectors)
The Michigan Protectors are a team of real-life superheroes who wear costumes and fight crime. The Protectors have been around for three years and the two heroes -- Petoskey Batman (AKA Mark Williams) and Bee Sting (AKA Adam Besso) -- were reportedly tight allies. Williams got in trouble with the police during a solo superhero mission back in 2011, which grabbed Besso's attention. He subsequently invited Williams to join the Michigan Protectors.

The problems came after Besso found himself jailed following a shotgun-involved mission. Once out of jail, he tried rallying the team, but many of the Michigan Protectors said that Besso was too strict. They wanted Williams to co-lead the team. And Besso did not want to share the leadership duties.

Ever since, Bee Sting and Petoskey Batman have been sniping at each other back and forth. Not only that, but they have both taken to the pages of the Detroit News to accuse each other of everything from romantic impropriety, welfare fraud, and driving without a license.

And I'm left wondering who's looking after the innocents of Michigan??
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Missouri Lawmakers File Articles of Impeachment on Gov. Jay Nixon Over Gay Marriage Income Tax Executive Order

February 10, 2014, 3:58 pm
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Eight Republican lawmakers have filed two articles of impeachment against Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon because of a November 2013 executive order allowing married same-sex couples to file their state taxes jointly despite a 2004 constitutional ban against the recognition of same-sex marriages:
Representative Nick Marshall (R-Parkville) has filed two articles of impeachment. He says Governor Nixon’s executive order instructing the Department of Revenue to accept joint tax returns filed by same-sex couples legally married in other states “is a direct violation” of Missouri’s Constitution. Further, he says Nixon “misstates and misrepresents the meaning and requirements under Missouri’s constitutional and statutory law and thereby misleads the citizens of this state...”

The articles of impeachment have been co-signed by seven Republican members of the House: Ron Schieber, Ken Wilson, Jeff Pogue, Kurt Bahr, Mike Moon, Rick Brattin & T.J. Berry.

Moon (R-Ash Grove) has said he will seek to impeach Nixon for not acting quickly enough to set special election dates for vacant seats in the House and one in the Senate.  Moon told Missourinet earlier this week he would file articles of impeachment this week, but that has not happened and calls to his Capitol office today have not been answered.

Articles of impeachment move through the legislative process in the House similarly to the way a bill would. They would have to be first referred to a committee. If the the articles are passed in the House, Nixon would be tried by a commission of seven jurists elected by the Senate.
Gov. Nixon justified his executive order by pointing out state tax law that indicates that state tax filing should match what is filed at the federal level. If a married same-sex couple living in Missouri files joint federal tax returns, state law requires that they should also file state taxes jointly.
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Iowa's Governor & Advocacy Group to Investigate Eldora State Training School

February 11, 2014, 6:49 am
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Disability Rights Iowa instigated an investigation that ultimately led to Gov. Terry Branstad closing the Iowa Juvenile Home for girl in Toledo, IA -- despite evidence that their earlier concerns had actually improved during the past year. The decision to close IJH is being decided in the courts, but Disability Rights Iowa has now focused in on a new target: the Eldora State Training School:
Jane Hudson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, says her watchdog group is looking at the education services at Eldora. The Eldora State Training School is for boys between the ages of 12 and 18 who’ve been charged with a crime and sent to the Eldora facility rather than to prison...

The State Training School for Boys and the now-closed Iowa Juvenile Home for teenage girls have both been under the jurisdiction of the Iowa Department of Human Services. Governor Terry Branstad says he agrees with Disability Rights Iowa that Eldora’s operation should be scrutinized, but he’s not calling for closure of the facility.

“I think it would be appropriate to look at all of our institutions and are they meeting the needs of the children that are placed there and is there better options or alternatives, so I’m not advocating that we change or close that institution,” Branstad says.
I have no doubts that they are working towards the closure of the Eldora State Training School.
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