Beto O’Rourke, Mike Pompeo and Commas, Peter Thiel, Modern Family, David Lynch, Super Bowl, Greg Berlanti, Marijuana: HOT LINKS

Beto O’Rourke, Mike Pompeo and Commas, Peter Thiel, Modern Family, David Lynch, Super Bowl, Greg Berlanti, Marijuana: HOT LINKS

CRUZ VS O’ROURKE. Ted Cruz thinks he will beat Beto O’Rourke.

IF KAVANAUGH FALLS. Democrats planning massive campaign: “In what Republicans believe is an increasingly unlikely scenario where Kavanaugh tanks, Dems believe they can juice turnout — already hitting record levels — by playing off the huge public attention to the court, and Roe v. Wade in particular.”

MICHAEL FLYNN. Sentencing on December 18: “POLITICO previously reported that lying to the FBI carries a maximum of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000, but defendants usually get less than the maximum. Sullivan, a Clinton-appointee, is not bound by Flynn’s plea agreement which signaled a sentence between zero and six months in custody.”

DRAMATIC BREAKOUT. Bear busts out of mini-van.

SUPER BOWL. And this year’s halftime performer is

PETER THIEL. Marijuana company surges then crashes: “Shares of Peter Thiel-backed marijuana grower Tilray soared as much as 94 percent on Wednesday, briefly hitting a market value of $28 billion, as bullish comments from the company’s chief executive stoked Wall Street’s growing euphoria over marijuana stocks. But late in the afternoon, the shares crashed, falling briefly into negative territory before spiking in the final minutes to close the day at $214.06, up 38 percent.”

MIKE POMPEO. Cracking down on comma usage: “The Secretary has underscored the need for appropriate use of commas in his paper (both their inclusion and omission),” the email declares. It also notes that Pompeo prefers adherence to the Chicago Manual of Style, which states “effective use of the comma involves good judgment, with the goal being ease of reading.”

TENNESSEE. Nashville violated 1st amendment rights of anti-LGBTQ protesters, court rules: “John McGlone and Jeremy Peters filed the federal lawsuit against Nashville in April 2016, alleging the city violated their freedom of speech when police ordered the men to leave the sidewalk in front of Public Square Park during the June 2015 pride festival. ”

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. Greg Berlanti assembles all-star cast for benefit reading at Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles on Monday, October 1, to benefit Stand Up To Cancer: “…the reading will feature Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist Calista Flockhart and Chris Wood as well as Alfred Molina (The Front Runner, Spider-Man 2), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Silicon Valley), Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians, Fresh Off The Boat), Willie Garson (White Collar), Kate Burton (Scandal) and Italia Ricci (Designated Survivor).”

MODERN FAMILY. An 11th season? “Behind the scenes, groundwork continues to be laid out for an eleventh season of the Emmy-winning family comedy, and all sides appear optimistic that it could become a reality.”

THOUGHT GANG. Lost David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti album to be released: ‘Due out November 2nd through Sacred Bones, the long-lost LP features a total of 12 tracks, many of which were recorded separately over the course of years. “It’s sort of like jet-fueled jazz in a weird way…but it’s all based on stories,” Lynch described Thought Gang’s sound in a statement. “It’s Modern Music.”’

SKY VIEW OF THE DAY. NASA mission observes electric blue clouds.

THIRSTY THURSDAY. Julian & McFly.

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Beto O’Rourke, Mike Pompeo and Commas, Peter Thiel, Modern Family, David Lynch, Super Bowl, Greg Berlanti, Marijuana: HOT LINKS

Skype calling is coming to Alexa devices

Skype calling is coming to Alexa devices

Today’s post was written by Gaurav Sareen, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft.

We are excited to bring Skype calling to Alexa devices, so users can easily communicate with their friends and family from their Echo devices, simply using voice.

Users can make outgoing Skype voice and video calls, accept incoming Skype calls, and even make SkypeOut calls to most phone numbers around the world. For example, simply say, “Alexa, call Jimmy on Skype,” or if Jimmy is calling you on Skype, say, “Alexa, answer.”

Alexa users will soon be able to take advantage of the high-quality Skype network across the globe to easily connect with others from any device type such as PC, mobile phone, and Xbox.

Image of a father and daughter enjoying a Skype call to a woman from an Alexa-enabled device.

This is the next step in the collaboration between Microsoft and Amazon to deliver delightful customer experiences through voice, which began with joining Cortana and Alexa. Since then, we’ve added Alexa integration on Xbox and are continuing to work together to bring the best of Skype and Alexa together to enable intelligent communications for our users.

We’re excited to continue bringing the best of Microsoft and Amazon together.

Skype calling on Alexa will begin rolling out later this year. Feel free to share your feedback and get the latest news and tips by following us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram. Also, please join us in the Skype Community.

The post Skype calling is coming to Alexa devices appeared first on Skype Blogs.

blogs.skype.com/news/2018/09/20/skype-calling-is-coming-to-alexa-devices/

Human Rights Campaign Endorses Joe Radinovich for U.S. Congress (MN-8)

Human Rights Campaign Endorses Joe Radinovich for U.S. Congress (MN-8)

HRC announced its endorsement of Joe Radinovich (D) to represent the people of Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District.

“Joe Radinovich is a champion of equality who will fight for all of Minnesota’s hard-working families,” said HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof. “His commitment to justice and equality make him the clear choice for Minnesota’s fair-minded voters. As a state legislator, Joe stood firmly on the right side of history in a vote for marriage equality because he knew it was the right thing to do — even though he faced backlash from some vocal opponents. HRC is proud to endorse Joe Radinovich, and we look forward to working closely with him in Congress to advance LGBTQ equaltiy.

“Something that is at the very core of who I am is the constant drive to fight like hell for every member of our community. That’s especially true for those who have been denied the right to live a full and free life, just because they were born lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender,” said Joe Radinovich. “What we need in this country is a Congress full of people who are actually committed to fulfilling the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for ALL. That’s my promise to the people of the 8th District, that I’ll fight for equal education, healthcare, and aging with dignity for every American. I am so grateful for the Human Rights Campaign’s endorsement and I look forward to working with them to keep making progress on behalf of everyone in our community, and especially LGBT Minnesotans.”

Joe experienced personal tragedy in high school when his mother was shot and killed in their kitchen at the hands of another family member. It is an experience Joe describes as “another story about a woman who had a different plan for her life than a man did.” This experience showed Joe the importance of community, public education, and strengthening the middle class in hard times. It was because of his dad’s good union job that Joe and his family were able to get the care they needed to get through those hard times. Joe has pushed for expanding opportunities for everyone in Minnesota when he represented Aitkin and Crow Wing counties in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

In Minnesota, HRC has identified more than 750,000 voters as likely “Equality Voters,” meaning they are strong supporters of progressive LGBTQ policies including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Last year, HRC announced a coast-to-coast campaign to mobilize voters for the midterm elections called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.

www.hrc.org/blog/human-rights-campaign-endorses-joe-radinovich-for-u.s.-congress-mn-8?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Elite boys school rocked with major sex abuse scandal involving priests, staff, and students

Elite boys school rocked with major sex abuse scandal involving priests, staff, and students
Another day, another scandal involving the Catholic church. This time it’s Jesuit High School in New Orleans.

www.queerty.com/elite-boys-school-rocked-major-sex-abuse-scandal-involving-priests-staff-students-20180920?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Chicago Priest Defies Archbishop and Burns Rainbow Flag in Anti-Gay ‘Exorcism’ — WATCH

Chicago Priest Defies Archbishop and Burns Rainbow Flag in Anti-Gay ‘Exorcism’ — WATCH

Rev. Paul Kalchik, a Roman Catholic priest at Resurrection Parish in Chicago, held an “exorcism” with parishioners in which they burned a rainbow flag that had once been hung in the church. The flag-burning was held in defiance of orders from Cardinal Blase Cupich.

Kalchick wanted to hold the “exorcism” as a way to solve the clergy abuse scandal, falsely equating homosexuality with pedophilia in a footnote on his announcement of the flag-burning: “US Church homosexual scandal is a sequel to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Said Kalchick to NBC News: “We did so in a private way, a quiet way, so as not to bring the ire of the gay community down upon this parish. It’s our full right to destroy it, and we did so privately because the archdiocese was breathing on our back. So in a quiet way we took matters into our own hands and said a prayer of exorcism over this thing. It was cut into seven pieces, so it was burned over stages in the same fire pit that we used for the Easter vigil mass.”

Kalchick told NBC News he takes Leviticus 20:13 literally when it states: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: They shall surely be put to death.”

WGN reports on the flag-burning:



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Chicago Priest Defies Archbishop and Burns Rainbow Flag in Anti-Gay ‘Exorcism’ — WATCH

HRC Endorses Pro-Equality Candidate Dan Kohl for United States Congress

HRC Endorses Pro-Equality Candidate Dan Kohl for United States Congress

HRC announced its endorsement of Dan Kohl for U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District.

“Dan Kohl is a proven leader who will fight every day in Congress for the hard working families in Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District,” said HRC Wisconsin State Director Wendy Stout. “His leadership will be crucial in the fight to move equality forward and the Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse his candidacy. We look forward to mobilizing our thousands of members and supporters across the Badger State to turn out for equality in November.” 

“Every American should feel safe and valued in their community and have equal access to job opportunities, housing, and services,” said Kohl. “For decades the Human Rights Campaign has fought for equality for the LGBTQ community, and I am proud to have their endorsement. Now more than ever we must continue the fight for equality and defend against threats to the progress that has already been made.”

A longtime businessman and non-profit leader, Kohl has spent his career serving the people of Wisconsin. A strong supporter of the LGBTQ community, Kohl supports marriage equality and the Equality Act, which is crucial legislation that would finally add clear, comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people to our nation’s civil rights laws. He also opposes the so-called First Amendment Defense Act — divisive federal legislation that aims to grant a license to discriminate against the LGBTQ community by misusing religion as a weapon. In November, Kohl will face incumbent Rep. Glenn Grothman, who has a deeply disturbing record of undermining equality and peddling extremist, anti-LGBTQ ideologies. Grothman has scored an abysmal zero on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard, a key tool measuring members of Congress support for LGBTQ equality.

In Wisconsin, HRC has identified more than half a million Wisconsinites as likely “Equality Voters” — voters who support LGBTQ-inclusive policies. HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in Wisconsin in the 2018 cycle, and has staff and resources on the ground in the state as part of the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.

Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC (www.hrc.org) and authorized by Dan Kohl for Congress

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-endorses-pro-equality-candidate-dan-kohl-for-united-states-congress?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed