BLAH. Need help funding school... uh, a situation that's really gross. Any suggestions?

By Andrew Garber
Seattle Times staff reporter

Tim Eyman filed an initiative and a referendum this morning aimed at
getting rid of the gay rights bill passed by the Legislature on Friday.

State law bans discrimination based on race, sex, religion, marital
status, disability and other categories. The gay rights measure passed
by the Legislature adds sexual orientation to that list. Gov. Christine
Gregoire plans to sign the Legislation Tuesday.

"Politicians are deciding based on special interest group pressure
and their own reelection calculations," Eyman said in a statement
emailed to reporters. "The voters have watched this disgusting display
of arrogance and selfishness for weeks."

The gay rights measure passed by the Legislature has been around in
some form for 29 years. Gregoire today said she'll fight any effort to
undo the new law.

"I'm surprised someone would file an initiative to say let's
discriminate against our fellow citizens," Gregoire said. "It strikes
me as counter to the values of the state of Washington to have an
initiative now that would say to the people of the state of Washington
it's ok to discriminate... against gays and lesbians."

Referendums, intended to give voters a say on laws passed by the
Legislature, need 112,440 valid signatures to get on the ballot. The
signatures have to be turned in within 90 days after the session ends.
March 9 is the final day of this year's regular session.

Initiatives, on the other hand, are generally used to get new laws
on the ballot but can be used to change existing law. Eyman would need
224,880 valid signatures to get an initiative to the people on the
ballot, but has more time to do so. The signatures for an initiative
don't have to be turned in until July 7.

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

Mr. Black
  forgot who I was and who I am supposed to be.

Mr. Black
  made me cry and realize that I am different than everyone else.
  made me feel less than I really was inside

Mr. Black
   made me feel like I was on the outside looking in
   when there were others that were just like me.
   he never, spoke of anything but the things that I did wrong, never praising my rights

Mr. Black
    has left me in the cold
    he left me alone with nothing to be or an image of something to live up to
    now, I am living without you and feeling much better.
    I am living the better life, making my own image of who I need to be.

Mr. Black
    I have left you with nothing.. no one
    I am gone, out of the picture and never to return
    Away from the abuse.
    Hurt me, no you can't, anymore.
    I swear to return there again. Farewell and burn in hell

Mr. Black.

I know it's been awhile but I am trying to get some things done and have been uber busy with school and stuff.

+ Mariah.. Mariah.. Mariaaaaah!

>> I went to the club last Sunday and they played three Mariah songs in a row. No joke. One right after another. It was freaking great and everyone was singing along it was awesome that people still in Mariah and celebrating her. They played It's Like That, Fantasy and Honey. It was extreme. Plus I was a little bit drunk and I was having a blast. Yeah definitely the highlight of my evening. Too bad I was an hour late for work the next day. I've just been hearing all sorts of good things about her. I really love it. I can't wait for the Grammy Awards. I am praying that she gets at least all of them.

+ Working

>> I am still working at CVS. There was one day in particular that I got up and complained about how I was not an employee. I raged about not getting my discount card and getting my fair lunches and stuff like that. The next day I had a little meeting with my store manager.. thinking that I was going to get fired. Ha. It turned out for the best. I got my discount card in the mail after working for the company for about five months now. That's so disgusting. And they are going to send me back/retro pay in a couple of weeks. I am stoked.

+ Learning

>> I am back in school. Yes, this bro that said he was going to take the whole year off has returned to school. It was something that I felt that I had to do. I feeling so stuck and weird because everyone was in school and a couple of people I know have already graduated and have these nice jobs.. or way nicer than what I am doing and able to buy cars and start families and stuff. Anyway, I am going to Collins College in Tempe. I am right now in the middle of a financial dilemma and trying to get someone with good credit to cosign on my loan. If I could that would be totally great. If that's you .. call me. I'd appreciate it. But you can't be on financial aid assistance either.. cos I've tired a couple of people and it got rejected. So yeah, I working on that.

I am going there.. well, actually I am here right now. But, I am working on Visual Communication and I am having so much fun. It's not like those boring like general elective classes that really get on my nerves man. I don't know if anyone understands that. I'll also be done with school sooner than if I would have tried to do the G. Design program at ASU and majorly cheaper. MMMMMaj-or. Yeah.. I am going to miss all my ASU classes.. hahaahaha. Not really. I'll miss all the people that I've met there because they rarely call me or anything. We never hang out. I guess they have their own lives. It's all good.

+ Love

>> I have been going out with Shane for three months officially on the third of Feb. Yay! I've never had a relationship that's lasted this long. I am in a happy place. Yeah. Some people have been really cruel about me and Shane going out for so long. It's really been something that I've resisted from hitting people in the face.. and I swear I am not the violent type. Really I am not.

---- I think that's all that I have to report at the moment. And yes.. I've updated. Hehe.

The Ministry of Health says it will be happy to review the issue of gay men being rejected as sperm donors if it is asked to by the Human Rights Commission.

A Wellington man says he felt humiliated last week after he was told he could not become a donor because of his sexual orientation.

He says the experience left him feeling like a second-class citizen.

The Human Rights Commission says the man was refused on the basis of his sexual orientation, which is one of the grounds for complaint, set out in the Human Rights Act.

The ministry's deputy director general for clinical services, Dr Colin Feek, says many people are not able to donate sperm or blood, not just gay men.

New Zealand sperm banks are bound by regulations issued by an Australian Committee which controls accreditation in both countries, and prohibits gay donors.

BLAH. What's going on with everyone?

By Katie Hasty

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Sony Music and Wilderness Media and Entertainment are launching what appears to be the first record company with major-label backing to focus on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender artists.

Music With a Twist will recruit GLBT artists who appeal to mainstream audiences and the gay and lesbian community.

The label has not yet signed any artists but plans to release the first of a series of compilations in June during National Gay Pride Month. The release will feature tracks from its roster of artists as well as "gay- and lesbian-friendly" acts, according to Wilderness president Matt Farber. He says the label is not barring straight artists from joining the label, though the focus will remain on GLBT artists.

Wilderness has introduced several gay and lesbian media initiatives including MTV's cable TV network Logo, now available in some 20 million households.

Wilderness also is launching a two-hour syndicated radio show on January 15-16 on nine FM stations, including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco markets. The Music With a Twist programs will feature interviews, entertainment news and lifestyle advice -- and provide another outlet for Twist artists. Plans for more affiliates in major markets and markets with prominent GLBT communities are in the works. AOL Radio has also signed on to air the program.

Reuters/Billboard

I have no where I am going
How I live is how I let other people let me
Live

Oh yeah
I am supposed to live my life to the fullest
   The way that I feel that I should be living
   and not the way that other people feel that it's
   appropriate in their eyes.

Uh yeah
That's got to be changing.
    I've definitely got to stop being what you want me to be
    Because I am totally unhappy being what you want me
    To live like and be like, your absolute fantasy that doesn't fit me

Oh yeah
Get wound up in anger and emotion
    Take it up with me and let me know how you feel
    And I'll let you know how I feel and strike you one 
    You might try to fight back but I'll duck and not dare to run
    Just knock you on the ground and let you feel the pain and rage from
    This pressure that you have been laying on me and placing on me and 
    Telling me that I am not good enough for you.

Uh yeah.
You have risen to a new me, a new era
    A new life and new shut the hell up and let me live my life
    Give advice when I need it and when you see me falling
    Pick me up when I scratch my knee and tell me everything will be all right.

Last year about this time songs from the Emancipation started to leak. I was like whoa! What! Is that right? And she proved that it was like that. Everyone was doubting the return the diva. Now that diva has returned it seems that she has two hits on her hands and eight Grammy nods. Freaking amazing.. yeah. Its fun to hear "Don't Forget About Us" and "We Belong Together" within the same hour.

The questions rise in my mind. Will she do a tour? Will she do another album? How soon will it be coming out? Has she already started working on material to surpass the Beatles. From the sound of things.. it sounds like the diva is chilled about it and worried about making number one when she writes/produces a song. She just gives it her all.

I still wonder why I don't have that many friends that like her or only like her a little bit. It's very weird to me. Most of the people that agree with my Mariah viewpoints are mostly online friends/penpals and frequent visitors to my site. Oh speaking of my site, I have registered Club. Mimi at it's own domain and should have the new layout up by tomorrow. The new web address is: http://www.clubmimi.net. Let me know what you think.

After I do that layout I plan on doing my start page over, yeah.. I customize my own. It's been Mean Girls for like four months. Then I will have to see what my next project will be. I still have to finish up a site that I partially started in June/July of last year. I haven't gotten any materials from the client that's requesting it. So if they don't speak up soon. I'll make it like a music news site or something. That'd be kind of cool uh? Yeah. If you know anyone that wants a website.. or if you want a website I can do them for 'budget' customers. Hehe.. friendly discounts. Talk to me and we'll see what I can come up with.

Missing you.

*christie: I miss you like nobody's business. *big f in ar: what's up? miss me. you can call me sometime. what happened to my message?  *hanna!: hi hi *jp: when's this wedding? hmm.. how are you? Miss you and your husband mucho. Tell Lisa and your bro I said Hi. *zach: what's up? *pad.maxi: miss talking to you dude! how have you been? you are looking sexy these days, geesh. LOL *nicoles: come back, come back.. we belong together. hehe. *scott: you're the greatest!

IANS

LONDON: Actor Heath Ledger is happy that his new role as a gay cowboy is being received warmly because he was mercilessly bullied in his native Australia after his first experience playing a homosexual.

Ledger’s role in “Brokeback Mountain” has been acclaimed and Ledger is even tipped to win an Oscar. But he still remembers the teasing he had to endure when he first played a gay man, reported contactmusic.com.

Ledger had played a gay man as his acting debut on the TV show “Sweat” and confesses that his role was terrible.

He said: “I had no idea what I was doing. It was a terrible performance. It was a terrible TV show I am awful in it. It’s just a teenage kid who confesses to his friend that he is gay.

“It’s not really that interesting. I had small occasions where I would get bullied on the streets for it. But I was never out to prove myself or my sexuality - it didn’t really bother me.”