Politics

We saw this video last night at the Democracy for America MeetUp. You've got to see it. Buy several copies and give them to your friends.

I’ve joined the board of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.

GLMA is a national organization committed to ensuring equality in health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and health care professionals. GLMA achieves its goals by using medical expertise in professional education, public policy work, patient education and referrals, and the promotion of research.

Contamination of water supplies by arsenic in Bangladesh

Allan H Smith, professor of epidemiology at the University of California at Berkeley, USA, et al report that a long-term epidemic of cancers and other fatal diseases is facing Bangladesh because of contamination of water supplies by naturally-occurring arsenic. The catastrophe is on a vast scale and needs to be declared a public health emergency, the article’s authors warn.

Arsenic contamination of ground water has been found in many other countries, including Argentina, Chile, China, India, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States, and is a global problem. But Bangladesh’s plight is unprecedented, the article says - between 35 and 77 million people of the country’s total population of 125 million are at risk of exposure to arsenic in their drinking water. At least 100 000 cases of debilitating skin lesions are believed to have already occurred.

From the New York Times: "The central tenet of Mr. Bush's communications operation is on a sign on the office door of Nicolle Devenish, Mr. Bush's campaign communications director, which says: 'It's the Hypocrisy, Stupid,'"

Does Kerry have a sign that says: 'It's the Stupidity, Stupid?'

From the New York Times: "...ceremonies conducted last week in the village of New Paltz by its mayor, Jason West, who last week solemnized marriages for 25 gay couples who did not have licenses.

Mr. West was given a summons on Tuesday at the village hall in New Paltz, charged with 19 criminal counts, fewer than the number of ceremonies he performed on Friday because the police on the scene provided eyewitness accounts of only 19 ceremonies. The charge is a misdemeanor under state law." http://nytimes.com/2004/03/03/nyregion/03CND-GAY.html?hp

Weddings in Portland and also news about New York: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/a/2004/03/03/national1319EST0647.DTL

This is the certificate of our marriage, issued by the City and County of San Francisco, February 12, 2004.