ANTHONY Callea has admitted he was terrified before being outed as gay earlier this year. In a frank interview, the former Australian Idol star reveals that despite the controversial circumstances - a radio traffic announcer blurted out that Callea was homosexual on air - admitting his sexuality has given him new confidence. "Part of me was scared," he says of keeping it a secret. "Releasing that weight off my shoulders has made me feel comfortable with myself; comfortable with anyone around me too. It's a lot easier for me to walk into a room." Callea tells how he was most ...

Quote of the day from The Economist: "The Republicans have failed the most important test of any political movement—wielding power successfully. They have botched a war. They have splurged on spending. And they have alienated a huge section of the population. It is now the Democrats' game to win or lose." ...

Equality Forum Condemns Philadelphia School District, District Drops GLBT History Month and All Celebratory MonthsPHILADELPHIA,  PA --- Following protests by a small number of parents who wanted GLBT History Month removed from the 2007- 2008 calendar, the Philadelphia School District dropped all celebratory months including Black History Month and Women's History Month.  Last year, for the first time, school officials produced about 200,000 calendars designating October as "Gay and Lesbian History Month." "It is appalling that a school district would drop months that recognize and educate our school children about the history and contributions of America's diverse fabric," stated Malcolm ...

But it's not. The earlier story was that the former chairman of the Michigan Federation of Young Republicans pleaded guilty to raping a woman. Today's story is that Glenn Murphy, who had just been elected president of the whole goddamn Young Republican National Federation last month has resigned his position after being accused of fellating another Young Republican while he was fast asleep. Juicy police report here [PDF]. "He was holding my dick with one hand and sucking my dick with his mouth." The last couple of pages of that PDF include a 1998 ...

"Time to die." Blade Runner. ...

After falling in love with Liam Sullivan's video, Shoes, AND getting to see his alter-ego, Kelly, in concert last summer, it's only obvious that I'd love his latest project, I Hate My 30's, on VH-1. The show is basically a "sitcom making fun of sitcoms" with voluminous references to pop culture from the late 1970's & early 80's.  Being from that generation, I absolutely adore the show, but if you're not "in your 30's" you may not be able to relate.  As one reviewer put it, "...its target demographic is so precise... some will ...

There's an article in this morning's New York Times about the growing popularity of cable series such as "The Closer." Despite the fact that such programs don't have nearly as much availability as major network programs, they are growing both in quality and ratings. One of these cable-only programs that I enjoy is one called "Mad Men" on the AMC channel. A new episode will appear tonight. It's about some Madison Avenue advertising executives in 1960. So far, there's not much of a plot. But as a sociological study, the show is absolutely fascinating. It's about an era when everyone ...

New story: Return of the Barber 14: Character Issues by Texzilla Just The Facts About Online Youth Victimization--Basically, the "victimization" is overblown, but parents and guardians still shouldn't shirk their personal responsilibities. Also, all the OMG-think-of-the-children hysteria ought not trample on adults' rights. Kids these days

• 19-year-old allegedy rapes 14-year-old--"I’ll rape him if he doesn’t have sex with me."
• 16-year-old pointing loaded gun for fun arrested
• 11-year-old girl arrested for DUI
• 8-year-old boy accused of three murders
• 3-year-old shoots 6-year-old--Startin' 'em young, huh?

Unruly schoolboys or sex offenders? ...

In this morning's Wall Street Journal, my friend Brian Wesbury complains about the "talking head" culture on business television where every interview seems designed to provoke debate. If one of the guests is a bull, Brian says, then the other has to be a bear. If there is only one guest, he says, the interviewer generally plays Devil's advocate. The result, Wesbury says, is that viewers are often misled into thinking that there is a great deal of disagreement among economists when in fact there may be a virtual consensus. By seeking out a few incompetents or cranks just to have ...

It's the summer of covers and artists just don't seem to get enough of Rihanna's "Umbrella." After Swivel, Scott Simon, Biffy Clyro, Ben Deignan, Ross Copperman and all those others, the next singer to remake the summer smash is Marie Digby. The UC Berkeley philosophy student gave the song an acoustic, folky spin. It once again underlines how genius the original is and how easily it can be molded to different genres. Digby is very talented as well. Head over to her MySpace page to hear covers of Linkin Park, Maroon 5 and others. You can ...

Beat the summer heat with some fresh and cooling tunes. Almost the entire continental Unites States is currently covered in a sticky blanket of heat and humidity that is making a lot of people very uncomfortable. But no worries. I've got just the chill you need to get that thermostat under control. I put together an iMix compilation of ice cream inspired tunes that will help you to cool down a little during this summer's heatwave. Whether you like it organic, light, creamy or gelato-style, I included a sweet, fruity flavor for every one to enjoy. (Click ...

Speaking of Republicans, you will recall that about a month ago I reported on the arrest of Florida Representative Robert Allen for soliciting sex from a police officer in a men's room in a public park. Now, Allen is claiming that he was inside the men's room due to his fear of the weather (I can't find a news report describing the weather conditions that day) and that he offered to fellate the police officer because that officer was a stocky black man "and there's other black guys around in the park that—you know!" I wish ...

The Mitt's kids meme Eric brought to our attention earlier today is making my friend Hugh Hewitt mad:The AP, with lefty bloggers in tow, is trying to make an issue out of an ambush question at a Romney campaign forum today.Lefty bloggers? Me? Liz Mair, who called it just plain stupid? James Joyner, who said it might "be the dumbest answer ever by a presidential candidate" and also rejected the Romney camp's spin by explaining that "the longer version is more harmful to Romney than the AP story"? Steve Benen, who ...

We aren't talking about a revival of the Temperance League. The California Department of Public Health has cracked down on illegal delivery of non-potable water in unlicensed, unsanitary trucks in the Lucerne Valley. (Google map here.) In Lucerne Valley, as in many desert areas, the only water you get is what's trucked in. Mary Lou Huffman, 50, of Lucerne Valley said it was no secret that most trucks delivered non-potable water. She uses the delivered water for her evaporative cooler, showers, toilets and laundry."We buy our drinking water," she said.Sharon Edwards of L&S Water Delivery in ...

"We're gonna need a bigger boat." Jaws. ...

It looks like none of us guest bloggers are Romney fans. Liz has been picking the guy apart in several posts (scroll down a ways). That quote Eric found, however, takes the cake.Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Wednesday defended his five sons' decision not to enlist in the military, saying they're showing their support for the country by "helping me get elected." I'm not saying his kids should have served. I'm saying that to equate serving in the military with helping out in a political campaign is the sort of thing only a guy dumb enough to ...

Coming back to Stephen, who's picked up the gay marriage thread again, I want to say first of all that this whole argument that the "full faith and credit" clause will mean that if a gay marriage is recognized in Massachusetts, it will have to be recognized in Utah, is totally off-base, in my view.  Here's the example I always use to refute that.  Nevada allows prostitution.  So, one could enter into a prostitution contract in Nevada and, hypothetically, seek to enforce it in Utah, were the "full faith and credit" clause deemed to work this way.  Yet the ability ...

Stumpspeak has put together this very helpful list of Republicans under investigation, indicted, convicted or worthy of a "Dishonorable Mention." For you nit-pickers, the Guilty category is the biggest. ...

Years ago, there was a silly movie called "Rollover." The premise of it, as best I can recall from wasting two hours watching this absurdity once, was a conspiracy by Arab countries to wreck the U.S. economy by selling all of their dollars at once. Although fanciful even by Hollywood standards, the idea that our creditors can somehow ruin us through this sort of action lives on among the conspiracy-minded. The latest version of the Rollover scenario comes from Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in this morning's London Daily Telegraph. Says Evans-Pritchard, whom some may remember for his lurid tales of ...

NEW YORK, NY  -- Truth Wins Out today called a lawsuit settlement between Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) and Arlington County (Virginia) schools a capitulation that puts the health and well being of students at risk. The agreement allows PFOX to hand out pseudoscientific fliers at middle schools that will urge students to visit a website that refers them to a troubled counselor who was permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association. "Arlington County failed in its responsibility to protect students and ensure that they are not harmed by disreputable therapists or dangerous practices," said Truth Wins Out's Executive ...