Remembering Matthew Shepard: 13 Years Later

October is LGBT History Month. It's also the month that we remember the life and tragic death of a young man that brought hate crimes into sharp focus for a nation that, at the time, didn't want to talk about the subject. Thirteen years ago, on Oct. 12, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard died after a brutal attack in Laramie, Wyo. In the words of his parents, who started the Matthew Shepard Foundation in his memory:

The story of Matthew Shepard began on December 1, 1976 when he was born to Judy and Dennis Shepard in Casper, Wyoming. He went to public school in Casper until his junior year of high school when he moved with his family to Saudi Arabia. Matt had to finish his high school education at The American School in Switzerland because there were no American high schools in Saudi Arabia at the time. In both high schools, he was elected by his peers to be a peer counselor. He was easy to talk to, made friends easily and actively fought for the acceptance of all people. Matt had a great passion for equality. His experiences abroad fueled his love for travel and gave him the chance to make many new friends from around the world. Matt's college career eventually took him back to Wyoming where he studied political science, foreign relations and languages at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

The horrific events that took place shortly after midnight on October 7, 1998 went against everything that Matt embodied. Two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, led him to a remote area east of Laramie, Wyoming. He was tied to a split-rail fence where the two men severely assaulted him. He was beaten and left to die in the cold of the night. Almost 18 hours later, he was found by a bicyclist who initially mistook him for a scarecrow. Matt died on October 12 at 12:53 a.m. at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado with his family by his side. His memorial service was attended by friends and family from around the world and garnered immense media attention that brought Matt's story to the forefront of the fight against bigotry and hate. The life and death of Matthew Shepard changed the way we talk about, and deal with, hate in America. Since his death, Matt's legacy has challenged and inspired millions of individuals to erase hate in all its forms. Although Matt's life was short, his story continues to have a great impact on young and old alike. His legacy lives on in thousands of people like you who actively fight to replace hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance.

The violent death of this young man catapulted LGBT-based hate crimes into the national dialogue and international spotlight. For the first time, many in our country and around the world saw the very real danger gay people faced from bias-motivated crimes. The public also got its first good look at odious organizations like Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church, who protested Matthew Shepard's funeral and the trial. The horrific reactions and protestations of people like Phelps put a public and televised face on pure hatred and bigotry, which really changed the dialogue around LGBT people. They saw what pure anti-gay hatred looked like, and it changed the debate about hate crimes and gay rights forever.

But the response against the brutal murder was also history-making. Hours after the death of Matthew Shepard, President Bill Clinton went onto the White House lawn to tell reporters: "In our shock and grief one thing must remain clear: hate and prejudice are not American values."

The senseless murder of a young man, combined with unprecedented media attention and an energized LGBT community, truly changed the course of the equality movement. The nation had a face to put on the nameless numbers and statistics about LGBT-based hate crimes and also had the opposition, and their incendiary rhetoric, thrust into their face on the nightly news and in newspapers around the country. It led to more attention to LGBT issues, including media attention to other hate crimes like the murder of Gwen Araujo for being transgender, or the shooting of 15-year-old Lawrence King for his sexual orientation and gender expression.

The effect of Shepard's life and his family's activism came into sharp focus on Oct. 22, 2009, when the United States Congress passed The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, adding gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to existing hate crimes laws. On Oct. 28, 2009, President Obama signed the act, the first ever piece of pro-LGBT federal legislation, into law.

On a personal note, the murder of Matthew Shepard was a defining moment for many LGBT people of my generation. As a young gay man, I looked at the pictures of his face and could see my own. His life and death inspired me, as I'm sure it did many others, to become involved in the fight against hate, bigotry and inequality.

It is important that we as a movement and as a society look back at our history, even dark times like the murder of Matthew Shepard. Learning from our past, seeing how keeping a memory alive can effect such dramatic change, and how a life can inspire generations are important moments for reflection.

What To Buy For Coming Black Friday And Holiday Seasonal Bargain

Slow economy cannot slow down the shopping season's coming, having covered Black Friday extensively for the past three years, the bargain finders at theblackfridaybargain.com are in a better position than anyone else to offer shopping previews for Black Friday 2011...

Note: Read More About Black Friday Deals and Black Friday 2011

Online Black Friday Shopping Tips

Shopping online has become successful over these highly crowded . Whether it is an Xbox games console, newly released Amazon Kindle, or Apple iPad, one will discover anything at good prices on Black Friday. Butyou have to be very careful, due to the fact “Everything that glittersisn’t gold”. So, below are great tips and Ideas for Online Black Friday Shopping.

List Research:

Make a list for those items for which you would like to purchase. Then, just put important items at the top of list.And then, list-up famous online retailers like Amazon and Macy’s where those listeditems are available. As a result your online shopping simpler and less time-consuming.

Examine Costs:

Compare costs of items with the help of various price comparison sites like Bizrate and PriceGrabber. This can be one of the better advantages of shopping online – one has not to rush in the crowd or on stores to evaluate prices of a item.

Weekly Ads:

Continue to keep a watch at weekly advertising or online catalogs. Many online stores provide good discounts on some hand-picked products displayedinside their catalogs.

Online Coupon codes:

Online codes act as a cherry on cake on Black Friday. During christmas season manyonline retailers provide discount rates in order to attract as many customers as is possible. Using these special discount codes and promotional coupons,it’s possible to save more money on already discounted deals. Online codes have always been an awesome method for saving big during any season and event of the season.

Find Consumer Consideration:

Customer service may be the utmost importantsection of internet shopping just because it solves your concerns in a moment. Don’t be afraid to call at customer servicewhen you have any queries about the product or payment policies. It is usually a much better choice tomake your queries answered beforeputting in an order, rather than leaving all at God.

UseBank Cards:

Some stores provide unique cost savings while doing paymentsusing a particular visa or mastercard like American Express or Master Card.Wish to use one credit card while doing online shopping, so that you may know which credit card was used for doing payments for the online stores.

Some other notable findings about Black Friday deal-seeking include:

• The number of visitors to coupon sites on Black Friday grew 4 percent versus year ago to 3.6 million visitors, while the total number of visits to the category increased 16 percent to 7.4 million.
• BlackFriday.info was the most visited coupon site on Black Friday with 630,000 unique visitors, followed by CouponCabin.com (543,000), RetailMeNot.com (332,000 visitors) and Groupon.com (332,000).
• ShopLocal.com ranked as the most visited comparison shopping site on Black Friday with 2.1 million visitors, up 45 percent versus year ago.

Read More >> Black Friday Deals, Black Friday 2011

dealnews Unveils its 2011 Black Friday Predictions Report

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Sep 21, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- With only 65 days left until Black Friday, dealnews.com, the premier year-round resource for the best deals on consumer electronics, gadgets, computers, apparel, and more, today released its 2011 Black Friday Predictions report, which is intended to help consumers get the deal of a lifetime by shopping online this holiday season. High-end products such as tablets, HDTVs, laptops, eBook readers and select Apple products can be purchased for less than $250, while many more desirable items, such as Blu-ray players, tech accessories and apparel are expected to be priced up to 50 percent off.

"This year's holiday shopping season is a buyers' market, as technology innovation and growing competition among product manufacturers and retailers alike will drive Black Friday prices down to historic lows," said Daniel de Grandpre, editor in chief, dealnews.

These findings and more are part of dealnews' annual Black Friday Predictions report, an invaluable resource that outlines anticipated deals for a wide variety of the season's hottest consumer electronics and more. To date, the report has successfully projected the price for eight out of every 10 predictions made for many of the holiday's most popular product categories. Some of the findings from this year's report include the following:

Apple Products

-- For the fourth consecutive year, Apple's rumored Black Friday sale will generate significant media hype, but will disappoint shoppers with actual discounts reaching only five to 10 percent off.

-- Consumers wanting to purchase iPads, MacBooks and iPhones should avoid Apple stores, both physical and online. Instead, shopping online through authorized resellers like Amazon, MacConnection and MacMall will offer discounts that are up to two times better.

Tablets

-- Consumers can expect to see all-time low prices on popular tablet brands, even new models.

-- Tablets such as the Motorola XOOM and the 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab are predicted to cost $319 and $239, respectively. What's more, generic Android tablets are likely to fall to $75 this holiday season.

HDTVs

-- Retailers are predicted to slash prices for various sizes of 1080p LCD HDTVs, some as much as 50 percent off compared to sales offered during Black Friday 2010.

-- Shoppers in search of smaller HDTVs to furnish bedrooms, game rooms or dens will be in luck--prices for 32" 1080p LCD models are expected to fall to $199. Those looking for larger displays can also save hundreds of dollars, as 60" 1080p LCD sets may drop to just $699.

eBook Readers

-- This holiday season, eBook readers will be discounted more heavily than in years past. Shoppers will be able to take advantage of bundle deals offered by retailers, such as $25 book credits.

-- The Kindle 3 WiFi Reader is expected to drop to just $99 on Black Friday, while the NOOK Color Reader will be offered for as low as $179.

Laptops

-- While laptops may appear to be overshadowed by the high market demand for tablets, they remain one of the most popular gifts and will be offered at historically low prices this holiday season.

-- 16" dual-core processor systems, with basic features and functionality for the average consumer, will be on sale for just $189.

"Instead of battling long lines, rowdy crowds and sleep deprivation to get in-store deals, we're encouraging consumers to start new Black Friday traditions," de Grandpre continued. "Shopping online from home will result in discounts that match, if not exceed, in-store reductions, plus the ability to compare prices before buying. Our Black Friday Predictions essentially puts the retailers' playbook in shoppers hands, giving them the foresight needed to determine what and when to buy online to stretch their shopping budgets."

The dealnews 2011 Black Friday Predictions report also includes buying advice, shopping tips and other projected deals on Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, external hard drives, solid state drives (SSDs), apparel, and other must-have items to help consumers save money.

Methodology

For its Black Friday predictions, dealnews uses up to three years of historical data based on deals listed on dealnews.com. Using that data, dealnews extrapolates expected sales for Black Friday by applying current trends to historical Black Friday price drops. In so doing, the company corrects for anomalies such as outliers, floor effects, and disruptive new technologies that influence pricing trends.

SOURCE: dealnews.com, Inc

 

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Film Review: Bodyguard

Yet another South Indian-inspired masala film, but this one crashes fast.

Just when we were beginning to admire the progress in narratives, style and technique in recent Hindi cinema, there comes along a sucker punch like Bodyguard to push us backwards several steps. South Indian director Siddique holds the distinction of making the same film four times. When his original Malayali film of the same name became a massive hit, Siddique then decided to remake it in Tamil as Kaavalan, in Hindi as Bodyguard, and the upcoming Telugu version titled Ganga. While the Malayalam and Tamil versions garnered significant box office and critical success, the Hindi remake – starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor – is an exercise in redundancy. Bodyguard tries to build on the current resurgence of the full on masala film that has been doing surprisingly well lately. But it ends up simply as an exhausting experience, offering painfully little by way of entertainment, plot or performances. Or anything else you might expect from a film.

For a film that has the biggest of India’s film factories clamoring  for remake rights, you would naturally go in expecting some sort of novel experience and plot. But the story is predictable from the start and resorts to every possible stereotype and plot device that has been used umpteen times. There’s a fearless (and feared) one-man juggernaut, Lovely Singh (Salman Khan), who beats up evil goons for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then there’s an omnipotent wealthy man Sartaj Rana (Raj Babbar) whose daughter Divya (Kareena Kapoor) faces some sort of vague danger. We are never told why. But this seems enough for the scared father to call in the brawny nice guy to look after his little girl as she moves to college.

In a bid to loosen up the robotically loyal bodyguard, Divya begins prank-calling him pretending to be a long lost girlfriend. Surely enough, the prank backfires and Divya falls for her bodyguard, while he falls for the non-existent girlfriend he’s been speaking to on the phone. And a gimmicky move to use Karisma Kapoor’s voice for Divya’s alter-ego on the phone oddly results in the older Kapoor sister having more interesting speaking parts than the actual female lead in the film, Kareena.

Such seemingly hasty moves define Bodyguard as it unravels, one dud slapstick joke after another. The film also checks off every cringeworthy stereotype in what becomes a desperate move to evoke laughter. At any cost. There’s an obese sidekick named Tsunami Singh who grunts, makes weird noises and is a bumbling, overacting fool. A dwarf character is thrown in just so Lovely Singh can make some flat jokes about a “half human” who needs to drink Complan. And when a flamboyantly gay man (wearing all pink) flirts with the hero, he gets scared and avoids any sort of contact as if a mere touch would bring on the “gay disease.”

To his credit, Siddique employs some of the requisite elements of a masala film. Khan’s introduction – grand song sequence, silly-cool dance moves and an afterthought appearance by Katrina Kaif – is engineered for mass appeal. The fight sequences are creative, to say the least, and the anticipated climax scene where Khan must inevitably lose his shirt as he readies for one last smack down is actually funny in its outlandishness. However, the film suffers overall from bad dialogues, a sorely punctured script, and half-hearted performances.

Khan tries hard to revisit his Chulbul Pandey of Dabanng but fails to do much in Bodyguard. His expressions and dialogue delivery both remain monotone throughout. There are a few moments when he successfully moves beyond his usual range of histrionics; for example, the scene where he is nervous about meeting his telephonic girlfriend in person is suitably executed. But for the most part, Khan hardly moves his lips to mouth the dialogues and then resorts to overacting when a scene demands some level of intensity.

Kapoor, while she looks radiant, offers shockingly little in terms of substance. Perhaps more at fault is the writing, which makes her an incredibly mundane character that could have been played by absolutely anyone. Yes, a masala film heroine is usually a mere trophy, but even Sonakshi Sinha had depth in Dabanng. Here, the be all and end all of the Divya character is Lovely Singh. She is first angry with him, then she teases him, then plays a prank, then falls in love with him. She has no other purpose in her life besides doing something related to Lovely.

The villains – special appearances by Mahesh Manjrekar and Aditya Pancholi – seem unnecessary since we never know exactly what they want or what their motives are. The songs aren’t exciting enough and are forcefully inserted without much regard to the plot or visual themes.

With Bodyguard, Khan hopes to continue his winning streak at delivering successful masala films after Wanted, Dabanng and Ready. However, this film by Siddique goes wrong in numerous places, most of all in the script. The best dramatic point in the film only comes at the end, which is when the film finally begins to get interesting. If only the same innovative dramatic streaks ran throughout the film, Bodyguard would have veered away from becoming the bumbling, unfunny and bland film that it is. This bodyguard won’t save anyone!

Read More >> Latest Baraking News, Latest India News

PATNA

Patna is the gateway city for places of Buddhist importance such as Vaishali, nalanda, Rajgir, Gaya and Bodhgaya. Situated on the banks of the River Ganga, has a history which goes back well over two millennia. The city has been the capital of many kingdoms and each ruler gave it a new name.Today Patna is undergoing tremendous changes in the commercial as well as the tourism sector.
PLACES OF INTEREST:

Gaya: Gaya is 125 km from Patna. Situated at the banks of the River Phalgu many Hindus visit Gaya to pray for the well-being of the departed souls. An important Jain & Hindu pilgrimage.
Bodhgaya: Situated 16 km from Gaya & 140 km from Patna. It is here that Buddha attained Enlightment under the Bodhi tree, the saplings of which can still be seen in the temple premises.
Nalanda: Nalanda is 90 km from Patna. The centre of one of the oldest known universities of the world. Its ruins show that over 2000 teachers and 10000 students from all over the Buddhist world lived and studied here.An international centre for Buddhist studies also functions here. The Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang who came to Nalanda as a student in the 7th century AD has left extensive description of the university.
Museum: Situated 2 km from the railway station & 12 km from the airport. Contains a first World War period Cannon, metal & stone sculptures of the Maurayan & Gupta periods. Buddhist sculptures & terracotta figures. Special attractions include the famous Didarganj Yakshi of the 3rd century B.C and a 16m long fossilised tree. It has a unique collection of Jade, Chinese paintings & Mugal glass & silver filigree carvings.
Season: September to March.
Getting There: By Air- Various Domestic Airlines flights connect patna with Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Calcutta, Varanasi , hyderabad and Ranchi . By Rail- Patna is well connected with major cities such as Delhi, Lucknow, Calcutta, Varanasi etc. By Road- Being the take-off point for the Buddhist circuit, patna is well connected with places such as Kathmandu, Gaya, Bodhgaya, Rajgir & Nalanda via road.

New rumor says iPhone 5 launches just days ahead of Black Friday.

It is pretty much consensus in the Apple rumor mill that Apple will unveil the iPhone 5 in September. When the iPhone 5 is actually shipping has not been discussed much yet. UK's gadget magazine T3 picked up a rumor that the iPhone 5 launches on November 21 in the UK. The information comes from a representative of phone retailer Phones4U. It is hard to say how much time will pass between the iPhone 5 (or is it just an iPhone 4S) announcement and the release. If this iPhone 5 UK release date would also be true for the US, it would put the iPhone 5 launch in the crazy Black Friday week (Black Friday 2011 is Nov. 25).

My guess is though that Apple is not waiting that long with the iPhone 5 release. Next month they will unveil iOS 5 at the WWDC 2011. Developers will then have all summer to prepare their apps for iOS 5. So there is no need for Apple to unveil the iPhone 5 and than wait for developers to adjust their apps. I think Apple will start the sale within a week or two after the September announcement.

Read More >> Black Friday Deals, Online Black Friday Deals