I’ve thought about Jim Obergefell often since we first spoke nine years ago, after his historic marriage to his husband on an airport tarmac outside Baltimore. He’s come to mind mostly during big moments in my own life as a gay man in America. I thought of Jim and his late husband, John Arthur, when I first considered proposing to my husband, Aaron, and the promises — in sickness and in health, till death do us part — that I’d be making. I thought of Jim and John again when Aaron and I exchanged vows in San Francisco City Hall in 2018, with our families around us and the bust of Harvey Milk nearby . We chose City Hall for its beauty and ease, but could have been anywhere in the country — a right Jim and John won us by overcoming a mountain of obstacles just to reach that tarmac. Advertisement I thought of Jim again last week, around the time I was emailing our lawyers about the next set of paperwork to file in our pursuit of U.S. citizenship for Aaron, who is … [Read more...] about Hearing threat to Roe vs. Wade, I thought of my gay marriage — and Jim Obergefell’s fight
University of arizona vs arizona state university
Tens of thousands of dying Brits would get state pension early under charity’s plan
Tens of thousands of dying Brits should be given their state pension early, a charity demands today. Marie Curie called for terminally ill people to be given the £185.15-a-week payment to stop 25,000 working-age people per year dying in poverty. It comes after fast-track benefits were extended for the terminally ill as part of a pledge first made in 2019. Special Rules for End of Life now apply within 12 months of predicted death, rather than six months, for Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance. The Queen’s Speech confirmed plans to extend them to Personal Independence Payment too, likely next year. Marie Curie chief executive Matthew Reed called for ministers to go further and extend the state pension to the same group. Fast-track benefits were extended for the terminally ill as part of a pledge first made in 2019 (stock photo) ( Image: Getty Images) This would replace Universal Credit and ESA but be paid on top of PIP for those affected. … [Read more...] about Tens of thousands of dying Brits would get state pension early under charity’s plan
Baseball players killed in crash after winning title mourned by university
A Georgia university is in mourning after the sudden deaths of two student-athletes who recently helped the school win a title. Stephen Bartolotta and Jacob Brown, freshman pitchers at LaGrange University, were killed in a car crash on Saturday, only hours after their team, the Panthers, won the conference championship. The team defeated North Carolina Wesleyan and won its way into the NCAA Division III national championship, according to 11 Alive News. The pair had been celebrating with the rest of the team before the crash took place. Georgia State Patrol responded to the incident at around 9:15 p.m. local time, finding that three vehicles had been involved in the crash. Alongside Bartolotta and Brown, the Troup County coroner confirmed one other death caused by the crash, that of 24-year-old Rico Dunn. Brown and Bartolotta were pronounced dead at the scene. "Coming on the heels of the team's conference championship win yesterday, this news hits our baseball players … [Read more...] about Baseball players killed in crash after winning title mourned by university
Chief Minister wants his tenure to be a golden era for higher education
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday said his government was taking several measures to improve the employability of youngsters. Delivering his address at the 164th convocation of the University of Madras, he said many industrialists were of the opinion that it was difficult to find employable youngsters. “The government wanted to ensure that no youngster is without a job, and industries are able to find the right talent. The Naan Mudhalvan scheme is one such initiative,” he said. Noting that the Chief Ministership of K. Kamaraj was a golden era for school education, and that of M. Karunanidhi was a golden era for colleges, he said his government was planning initiatives to make the current dispensation’s tenure the golden era for higher education. Delivering the presidential address, Governor R.N. Ravi urged the Chief Minister to take measures to set up Chairs for Tamil language at universities in other States. There should be an endeavour to see to it that Tamil is introduced … [Read more...] about Chief Minister wants his tenure to be a golden era for higher education
Payment of Fine Does Not Mean I Have Accepted SC Verdict: Bhushan on Contempt Case
Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan said on Monday that paying off the token fine of Re 1 imposed on him by the Supreme Court in a contempt case does not mean that he has accepted the verdict and would file a review petition against the judgement. Bhushan, who deposited the fine with the apex court Registry over his two tweets seen as contempt of court, said that he has received contributions from several corners of the country for paying the fine, and a "truth fund" will be created out of such contributions to provide legal aid to those who are prosecuted for dissenting opinions. "Just because I'm paying the fine does not mean I have accepted the verdict. We are filing a review plea today. We have filed a writ petition that there must be an appeal procedure created for conviction under contempt," Bhushan told the media before submitting the fine. "The State is using all means to silence voices of dissent. The 'truth fund' will be used to protect the personal liberty to those persons … [Read more...] about Payment of Fine Does Not Mean I Have Accepted SC Verdict: Bhushan on Contempt Case
India grants e-visas for Chinese nationals
To the cheers from the audience of students at Tsinghua University here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that India has decided to “extend electronic tourist visas to Chinese nationals.” The announcement was anticipated for some weeks, and The Hindu had reported last month on the Chinese government’s repeated requests to India to cut some of the security and visa regulations for Chinese businessmen and tourists. The Prime Minister said it was part of a concerted effort by his government to bring the “world’s two largest populations in closer contact.” “Thirty-three per cent of the world is either Indian or Chinese, and yet we know so little about each other,” he said. The e-visa facility would enable Chinese applicants to apply for visas online a few days before they travel. Accent on people-to-people Shortly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on Friday of the extension of e-visa facility for Chinese nationals, Foreign Secretary S. … [Read more...] about India grants e-visas for Chinese nationals
Religion, Personal Beliefs Influence Judges in Matters of Life and Death: Report
New Delhi: A judge is expected to be completely objective and weigh the facts of the case, and only the facts, for the judgment, but a survey of former Supreme Court judges has revealed the extent to which personal opinions and beliefs shape the rulings, even when it is a matter of life and death. The report, “Matters of Judgment”, by the Centre for Death Penalty, National Law University of Delhi, shows the background of judge, including their religion, were factors that influenced the choice between death penalty and life imprisonment and delves into the various grounds on which capital punishment is handed out. A total of 60 former Supreme Court judges were interviewed, including Justices Arijit Pasayat, Ashok Bhan, BN Srikrishna, Jeevan Reddy, MN Venkatachaliah, Swatanter Kumar, Ruma Pal and also late Justice AS Anand. According to the report, more than half of the judges believed the background of a judge influenced rulings in death row cases. “There appeared to be no … [Read more...] about Religion, Personal Beliefs Influence Judges in Matters of Life and Death: Report
Donald Trump’s enemies flock to Brian Kemp in bid to thwart MAGA surge
Former President George W. Bush is reported to be attending a fundraiser in support of Georgia governor Brian Kemp in another example of recent and longtime enemies of Donald Trump publicly rallying against the MAGA president's endorsed candidate, David Perdue . Bush is scheduled to appear at a Texas fundraiser on Monday for Kemp at the home of real estate developer Harlan Crow, according to Politico. It was previously confirmed that former Vice President Mike Pence , whose relationship with Trump fell apart after the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, would be supporting Kemp as the Republican candidate during a rally held one day before the May 24 primary. Charles Bullock, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia, said that with Kemp being "target number one" for Trump, Republicans who do not support the former president and his vision have seen that "the biggest blow they could deliver to begin freeing the GOP of Trumpism" would be to beat his candidate … [Read more...] about Donald Trump’s enemies flock to Brian Kemp in bid to thwart MAGA surge
Opinion | Gyanvapi: Fading Minorityism in India and Zealots’ Last Stand
Turning on the news these days usually entails listening to shrieking voices over the Gyanvapi Mandir in Kashi. The mosque’s name is said to have come from an adjacent well, known as the Gyanvapi or the Well of Knowledge. The fact that it — ostensibly — is the only mosque in the world with a Sanskrit name eschews human logic, but it is what it is! The present-day debate over the Gyanvapi temple is not the first. Since 1194, the masjid has been a bone of contention. The so-called ‘flag-bearers’ of Nehruvian secularism, the ‘devotees’ of the Constitution and the ‘believers’ of Islam, especially the ‘chieftains’ — the clerics and ulema — have been caught on the wrong foot this time. Part of this trepidation arises from the fear of losing the VETO they have enjoyed hitherto. Part of this nervousness comes from the fact that the Constitution is being followed verbatim, upholding its true spirit — with no compromises. Using acrimonious and obscene language on national television no longer … [Read more...] about Opinion | Gyanvapi: Fading Minorityism in India and Zealots’ Last Stand
China Declares America ‘the Source of White Terrorism’
Chinese state media jumped on the weekend’s mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, with gusto, touting it as evidence that America is the “source of white terrorism,” a world-threatening problem the U.S. government is supposedly covering up by “focusing instead on marshaling allies” against friendly nations like Russia and China. On Sunday, China’s state-run Global Times crowed that America’s alleged disintegration into a white supremacist bloodbath demonstrates the superiority of Chinese Communist authoritarianism at maintaining social order: From the 2017 Las Vegas shooting in which a 64-year-old white man from Mesquite, Nevada opened fire on the crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada to the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings in which the gunman killed eight people, six of whom were Asian woman, white terrorism has been prevailing on the US soil. The US had been engaged in overseas anti-terrorism for 20 years, but now the … [Read more...] about China Declares America ‘the Source of White Terrorism’