C.M. Rubin's Blog, page 3

Josh A. Goodman: Why I Like Purim as a Queer, Secular Jew

Being queer and being Jewish aren't the same, but Esther's courageous decision to reveal a part of her identity, despite the fact that it may not be well-received, is something many LGBTQ people can relate to.
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Eliot Daley: The Keystone Hypodermic: One Last Fix?

The Keystone pipeline is like a gigantic hypodermic needle stuck into America. Its promoters know we are addicted to the wrong drug -- fossil fuels -- but they know we do not have the willpower to kick the habit as long as the pushers find new ways to slip us one more fix.
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AlaskaDispatch.com: Inside Look at Lobbyists in Alaska: Who's Spending, And How Much?

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), responsible for publishing campaign and finance disclosures in regards to Alaska's public officials and lobbyists, published its 2013 Lobbyist Directory last week, offering a snapshot of the movers and shakers in Alaska. As always, corporations, unions, social organizations, cities and municipalities and Native corporations all have major money invested in influencing the outcome of this year's legislative session.

According to APOC, more than 120 lobbyists are registered for this session, earning widely varying compensation, from $25 to $350 an hour, and up to $192,000 annually per client. So who's the top dog, at least financially?

According to APOC, the top-paid lobbyist this year is Kent Dawson, who has reported earning $964,000 from 17 different clients, including $84,000 from the city of Seward. The second-highest paid lobbyist is Wendy Chamberlain, who reported $891,500 in compensation from 14 different clients, including $120,000 alone from Pebble Partnership -- the organization advocating for the massive gold and copper mine in Southwest Alaska. Robert Evans and Jerry Mackie tied for third place, with each reporting about $794,000.

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Derrick Clifton: It's About Time We 'Wake Up' and Listen to Black Youth

We forget that black youth have important ideas to offer during critical discussions about issues directly affecting their lives. Black youth voices are routinely rendered invisible. It's a dilemma that the documentary Woke Up Black addresses head-on.
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Marc Nager: The Emergence of a New Industry Around Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship, the notion that anyone, anywhere, can pursue something they are passionate about, is something so innately human that its manifestation worldwide is nothing short of natural, rewarding, and sustainable.
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Rob Watson: A Gay Dad's Open Letter to Laura Bush on Quitting the Gay Marriage Ad

In 2010, you appeared on Larry King. It was during that interview that you endorsed families such as mine, and to be honest, it was my turn to be shocked. The cynical side of me wanted to say that it was "too little, too late," but mostly, I was warmly gratified. Now, you seem to want to pull it back.
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Dougall Fraser: Let's Get Vulnerable, Baby!

In always amazes me how often we are afraid to be vulnerable. I am guilty of this as well; expressing my own personal truths on national television brought up the fear that I might be judged or misunderstood. But every night I am so proud of our callers' honesty.
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Setareh Danesh: Exiting Argo

This absence of Iranian voices in Argo is mirrored in the real world of 2013 as a different wound is growing in Iran -- a wound about which most Americans hear very little.
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Rev. Dr. Cindi Love: How Beyoncé and Rihanna Saved an African Gay Rights Activist's Life

Ellen Chademana was in the worst place you could be in her home country of Zimbabwe: the Harare Central Remand Prison. The rotting jail was dark and overcrowded, with no toilets or running water. Her offense? Her work with Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ).
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Organizing For Action Ad Buy Targets GOP Lawmakers On Background Checks

Organizing for Action, the pro-Obama advocacy group formed last month out of the president's reelection campaign, is launching an online campaign urging Republican lawmakers to support universal background checks for gun purchases.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the ads will target 16 Republican lawmakers who have not publicly committed to stricter background checks, including Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) in ads on local news outlets' websites starting Friday. The LA Times reports that the group spent close six figures on the ad buy, which is the issue-based nonprofit group's first.

The ad launch coincides with the group's national "Day of Action," which encompasses 100 events in 80 congressional districts. According to the LA Times, Friday's events are aimed at building support for tougher background check standards, but future "action" days will focus on other aspects of the president's gun policy proposals.

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