National Equality March - October 11, 2009

Thousands of people marched today for the National Equality March in Washington and called for greater legal protection for gays, lesbians and transgenders. 

Last night President Obama spoke at the annual dinner for the Human Rights Campaign with 3,000 people in attendance.  Many gay rights activists have grown frustrated with Obama’s lack of support.  Before getting elected he spoke of support for the gays in the military and made promises, but he has not addressed the issues since becoming President.  In June, he acknowledged the slow progress, but nothing has been done.  Last night, he said that he will eliminate the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that Clinton put into effect during his term as President. 

Thousands of people from across the country came to Washington DC today to march in the National Equality March, which moved past the White House and down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. People involved in the march chanted “Yes we can” in English and Spanish; which was Obama’s campaign slogan while they waved signs and banners.

The LGBT community, which encompasses lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgenders are demanding “full federal equality” and want the equal rights for marriage, adoption, military service and the workplace.  Today also marks a National Coming Out Day for gays and lesbians to ‘come out of the closet’ and reveal to friends and family that they are gay.

Christopher Columbus (Wikipedia)

The first recorded event in history of a Columbus Day celebration in the United States was on October 12, 1792, and it celebrated the 300-year anniversary of Columbus discovering the United States.

Columbus Day officially became a state holiday in Colorado in 1905, but didn’t become a federal holiday until 1970.  In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison announced a celebration of the 400th Columbus Day anniversary. Teachers, preachers, poets and politicians used Columbus Day rituals to teach patriotism to their classes.

In the US the celebration varies greatly from city to city and state to state.  Parades, festivals, and events occur mainly on the holiday itself, but sometimes on the Sunday before. 

Government offices, public schools are closed, but the stock market remains open on Columbus Day.  This day is celebrated by Americans and some other countries celebrate it in honor of the United States.   For more information about Columbus Day, click here.

Klitschko vs Arreola boxing on HBO

HBO Sports presents a heavyweight title fight between two ring giants in World Championship Boxing: Vitali Klitschko vs. Cristobal Arreola will be live Saturday, September 26 at 7 pm pacific time from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will be aired exclusively on HBO.  The World Championship Boxing team will be ringside for the event, which will be presented in HDTV and in Spanish on HBO Latino.

HBO Klitschko bio: 

HBO Arreola bio:  Hailing from Riverside, California, Cristobal “Nightmare”Arreola (27-0, 24 KOs) hopes to use his hometown advantage to take down the taller Klitschko. At 6′4″, Arreola is hardly undersized or underpowered, impressively knocking out 24 of his 27 opponents while going undefeated against the likes of Travis Walker, Jameel McCline and Chazz Witherspoon.  Now, the fast-rising 28-year-old has a chance to send shockwaves through the boxing world and become the first heavyweight titleholder of Mexican heritage.

iPhone mms update available September 25, 2009

US 3G iPhone users will finally be able to receive Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) through an AT&T upgrade.  By downloading the update from iTunes, AT&T 3G iPhone users will be able to send pictures and videos to friends, just like text messages.

Get instructions (and questions answered) for downloading the update at: The iPhone Blog

Download MMS at: iTunes

Check status of the update: AT&T Facebook page

AT&T reported on its Facebook page that MMS should be enabled by late morning, Pacific time on Friday, September 25.