Senate Committee Hearing On DOMA Repeal Today

Today on Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee met to discuss repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.  This awful piece of legislation, which defines marriage as between a man and woman and excludes federal recognition of marriage equality for gays and lesbians, was enacted back in 1996 during an election year. (Senator Al Franken (above) had some sharp questions for the Focus On The Family hate group which are up on Towleroad.)  DOMA's constitutionality has been in question since then and now, finally, the Senate may be poised to act after a boost from the White House.

In a remarkable statement that seems to have gotten lost in all the debate over the debt crisis, the Obama Administration came out yesterday in support of repeal of the law.  The President himself said that DOMA was unconstitutional last month, after the passage of NY's gay marriage law.  But he has been wary of making actual political moves on the federal angle of marriage equality.  But with yesterday's announcement, the President says he will now push like he did with the gays in the military to right a longstanding wrong.

The Word Of The Week Is "Haboob"

Yes, it is a real word. No, it doesn't refer to an idiot.  A "haboob" is the Arabic name for a dust storm and the word was being bandied about all over the news this week when a huge haboob hit Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday.  You can watch the incredible video which looks like something from an apocalyptic Hollywood thriller. In fact, it looks like the exact thing Tom Cruise is trying to out-run in the newly released MISSION IMPOSSIBLE trailer.

Anyway, here's the video of the Haboob Of The Week that hit Phoenix.  Note that this is time lapse to that makes it look a bit scarier than it really is. But the dust apparently did get all over everything....it even set off a lot of smoke detectors in people's homes.  Some think it was the large haboob to hit the city in a century.

Signs Of The Times in the TIMES

I've noticed that the NY TIMES has been getting pretty adventurous in the ways that it covers news. With its "grey lady" days long behind, the TIMES has recently taken to commissioning artists and illustrators for soft news and feature stories.

The TIMES recently put up a slide show of drawings by artist Jane Chiverton which grabbed my attention. It consisted of illustrations of store fronts in the city reflecting these brutal economic times. What I really liked about Chiverton's work is that it honestly documents what I have noticed walking around town in recent weeks; family businesses closing after decades (like this butcher in Chelsea), abrupt restaurant disappearances (like the Two Boots on Ave A and the famous Vesuvio's Bakery), and an ever growing number of "for sale/rent" signs in shop-happy hoods like SoHo and the West Village.

There is no doubt we are deep into this Great Recession. And, as Chiverton's drawings illustrate so vividly, the signs are literally everywhere.

Amazon Strips Sales Ranks of Gay Books

Amazon.com has apparently been pulling the Sales Rankings of books with gay content. The books have been labeled to have "Adult" content and removed from searches too. Though some Young Adult novels, like Alex Sanchez's "Rainbow Boys", have been involved, others like David Levithan's "Boy Meets Boy" have not. I just checked my books on Amazon and I have not been part of the purge....yet.

The #amazonfail came to light this weekend but has been going on for months apparently. This whole relabeling of gay books as "Adult" seems not only crazy but is apparently pretty half-assed as well. Jezebel.com has a current listing of titles that have had their rankings purged (like "Ellen Degeneres: A Biography") and some that have not ("A Parents Guide To Preventing Homosexuality"?!). So far the response from Amazon has been pretty BS boilerplate-y:

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.
Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us.
Best regards,
Ashlyn D, Member Services
Amazon.com Advantage

Sorry Amazon...but that is lame. I do have some further questions. I have even been invited to join two "Boycott Amazon" groups on Facebook. So if Jeff Bezos doesn't get on The Rachel Maddow Show to explain this whole mess soon, they are going to have a serious problem with their customers....namely me!