Cool fellowship from Hofstra:

Fellowships for the Advocacy for the Equality of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered People

Each year, the Law School will award fellowships to up to three(3) incoming J.D. students with a history of advocacy on behalf of the LGBT community.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

1. A tuition fellowship of up to $20,000 for each year of law school.

2. A $5,000 stipend to support a summer externship related to LGBT advocacy.

3. A comprehensive course of study devoted to equality, including courses in Sexuality and the Law, Sex Discrimination, Jurisprudence, and an independent study and tutorial designed to address issues of particular concern to the LGBT community.

4. Experience in legal advocacy for the LGBT community through the Law School’s externship program which places students with nonprofit organizations, including those devoted to legal advocacy on behalf of the LGBT community.

5. Participation in a mentoring program with LeGal, the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Greater New York, representing one of the most diverse legal practice communities in the United States inclusive of LGBT individuals.

The Bush administration is arguing that the rich pay too much taxes, and the poor and middle class don’t pay enough.

I love how the GOP accuses the Democrats of encouraging “class war” whenever they’re questioned about giving tax cuts to the rich. Honey, we’ve had class war for 20 years, and the rich are winning.

Go congratulate James on his letter in the Daily News responding to Jonathan Capehart’s ridiculous column on SONDA and transgender protection.

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When they edited his letter, they messed up his grammar. He understands subject/verb agreement, in case you were wondering.

I did one of my only “holiday” things today. James and I went to the New York Public Library’s annual holiday open house: free wine and food, musicians, stilt walkers, dancers, and magicians were scattered around the main building at 42nd and Fifth.

Of course the musical highlight was the West Point Glee Club:

Mr. 3rd-from-the-left was wearing a Santa hat with little flashing lights — and had the most stripes, whatever that means. He was a star, and he knew it.

The NYPL is a great organization, and a $40 donation gets you an invitation for two ($100 gets four people in). It’s worth it!

There is a cool exhibit at the moment on the history of New York restaurants and food. It’s up through March 1, 2003 — and it’s free.

New US Visa Rules Force Foreign Artists to Stay Away

I didn’t know this:

Less widely know is that all would-be foreign male visitors to the US aged between 16 and 45 — but not women — must now account for every country visited in the last decade, in case they are terrorists.

There is a news story that Sen. Don Nickles of Oklahoma (no. 2 in the Senate) wants a new vote on the GOP Majority Leader. Look at this quote:

“I am concerned that Senator Lott has been weakened to the point that may jeopardize his ability to enact our agenda and speak to all Americans,” Nickles said in a statement. “There are several outstanding senators who are more than capable of effective leadership, and I hope we have an opportunity to choose.”

In an ABC interview, he added: “Can he be effective? Can he campaign in places like Chicago? I don’t want to squander our ability to get things done. We only have a short window this year.”

What’s with the Chicago bit? I guess he thinks the GOP has the blacks in Oklahoma and Mississippi under control, but they’re not as docile in some of those Yankee cities?

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Remember people, Nickles isn’t exactly a nice alternative. He was one of the main opponents of Hormel as ambassador to Luxembourg:

He said that President’s Clinton’s appointment of philanthropist James Hormel, who is openly gay, to an ambassador’s post in Luxembourg should be denied because Hormel promotes “immoral behavior.”

The Bible, according to the Oklahoma Senator’s calculations, teaches that homosexual behavior is “a sin” and “if one promotes that behavior…that person shouldn’t be a representative of this country.”

Here is some information on his voting record.

I haven’t seen it yet, but I plan to do so soon. Pete Hamill has column today in the Daily News that everyone should read before seeing the movie, reminding us that the history in the movie is bunk — go see it, but don’t think it’s real.

Like Dan’l, I’m a big fan of Luc Sante’s Low Life as a good history of the seedier sides of NYC. It’s another thing worth reading around the time you see the movie.

Cool:

Keeping Track of John Poindexter

The head of the government’s Total Information Awareness project, which aims to root out potential terrorists by aggregating credit-card, travel, medical, school and other records of everyone in the United States, has himself become a target of personal data profiling.

Online pranksters, taking their lead from a San Francisco journalist, are publishing John Poindexter’s home phone number, photos of his house and other personal information to protest the TIA program.

Cartoon

[via RubberNun]

In honor of my friend Jonathan, I present The Wau Wau Sisters’ cover of “C’mon Feel the Noise!”

MP3 (3MB)

Now he owes me the pictures of him in an S&M/Leather production of a Jean Genet play in grad school.