andrew0816

Full results show AIDS vaccine is only of modest help By The Associated Press 10.20.2009 4:00pm EDT Fresh results from the world’s first successful test of an experimental AIDS vaccine confirm that it is only marginally effective. Yet, the findings are exciting to scientists, who think they may show how to make a better vaccine. The results also hint that the vaccine may work better in the general population than in those at higher risk of infection, such as gay men and intravenous drug users. It was the first time an AIDS vaccine was tested mostly in heterosexuals at average risk, and doctors have long known that how a person is exposed to HIV affects the odds of becoming infected. “This study becomes a landmark. You can put it on a map and begin to figure out where you go from here,” said Col. Jerome Kim, the U.S. Army doctor who co-led the trial. Read more at 365gay.com

^By the way, the dispute has been settled and the plans for demolition will go ahead. Jobless rate dips, but not for good reasons By ERIK SHILLING • News Journal • October 21, 2009 MANSFIELD -- If this month's jobless rate fell in Crawford and Richland counties, as it did in all 88 Ohio counties, why isn't that good news? State figures released Tuesday show a nominal drop-off from August to September in the number of unemployed workers, but an Ohio Department of Job and Family Services official says that's because the figure reflects only those still seeking work. "Ohio's unemployment rate declined in September as more Ohioans dropped out of the labor force," ODJFS director Doug Lumpkin said Tuesday afternoon. Lumpkin also noted manufacturing and service-sector jobs continued to decrease significantly, despite the improved rate. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

The plan you linked to does not show the esplanade on College St, however it does show the esplanade going through the block bordered by Main, Lincoln, College, and S. Willow (connecting Erie with Hilltop). I guess they want to create a connection between Hilltop Drive and Erie St.

Recent sale of vacant hotel in question By AL LAWRENCE • News Journal correspondent • October 16, 2009 MANSFIELD -- One week after it was sold at auction, ownership of the downtown Ambassador Hotel remains in question. GRE Enterprises, a recently formed corporation based in Mansfield, made a $77,890 bid at an Oct. 9 sheriff's auction where county officials were hoping to recover delinquent property taxes. However, the hotel's previous owners -- Ambassador Real Estate Group of Brooklyn, N.Y. -- paid the back taxes Tuesday, just before the sale became final under revised Ohio tax foreclosure laws. Richland County Treasurer Bart Hamilton confirmed payment on the back taxes of $83,306, which included court costs and fees for a title search. Ambassador Real Estate Group was allowed to make the last-minute payment under a state law change that took effect in April. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

I know, right? Hopefully some stuff will be finished before we graduate (assuming that we both graduate in 2012). However, I don't see why 10 houses have to be demolished for the esplanade extension (mentioned in the article) unless they are all falling apart as it is.

Rob- Thanks, I am glad that you liked my photos. Uh-oh, you know what that means...you caught the gay! ;)

I am not sure, I didn't see any protesters protesting our protest. I am not sure how they would have reacted. The only time I saw people protesting us was the day before. They were in a van that had all this anti-gay stuff written all over it. It was pretty brutal, but I it didn't bother me. The whole, "my god doesn't love you and you are going to hell," thing is getting kind of old. You would think that after all these years they could come up with something better. :)

This past weekend I went to Washington D.C. for the National Equality March. Here are some photos from the march. Some of the volunteers for the Akron Aids Collaborative, the group that sponsored our trip to D.C.

This past weekend I went down to Washington D.C. for the National Equality March. On Saturday my friend and I decided that we wanted to spend our evening walking around The Mall. Here are the photos from our little walk. Not a good picture, but I still find it interesting.

FDA panel backs expanded use of Pfizer HIV drug By The Associated Press 10.09.2009 10:00am EDT (Adelphi, Md.) Federal health advisers said Thursday that Pfizer’s HIV drug Selzentry should be approved for use by patients who have not already taken other drugs to combat the virus. The Food and Drug Administration’s panel of virus experts voted 10-4 in favor of the new use, despite some inconsistency in company studies of the drug. Selzentry is approved as a secondary option for HIV patients who are not responding to other antiviral drugs. New York-based Pfizer is asking the FDA to approve the drug as an initial treatment. Pfizer’s initial study comparing Selzentry with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Sustiva failed to meet the goal of showing it was at least as effective at suppressing HIV. Read more at 365gay.com

How do you think I feel? Why would those pics bother you more than anyone else? Oh wait, I get it. You were like, in your 20's then and probably have fond memories from that time period. ;)

Obama to take on military gay ban at `right time’ By The Associated Press 10.05.2009 8:52am EDT (Washington) President Barack Obama will focus “at the right time” on how to overturn the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gays serving openly in the military, his national security adviser said Sunday. “I don’t think it’s going to be – it’s not years, but I think it will be teed up appropriately,” James Jones said. The Democratic-led Congress is considering repealing the 1993 law. Action isn’t expected on the issue until early next year. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., recently wrote Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked to share their views and recommendations on the contentious policy. In Sept. 24 letters, Reid also asked for a review of the cases of two U.S. officers who were discharged from the military because of their sexuality. “At a time when we are fighting two wars, I do not believe we can afford to discharge any qualified individual who is willing to serve our country,” Reid wrote. Read more at 365gay.com

Good news: Hyundai Ideal Electric Company is generating business all over By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • October 4, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Passers-by will notice Hyundai Ideal Electric has a modern look outside the front doors of the 330 E. First St. brick facility. The 106-year-old company, known for manufacturing generators and motors for customers throughout the world, sports newly remodeled offices inside the manufacturing facility. A 25,000-square-foot building expansion south of the existing structure is scheduled for completion this month. An existing parking lot is being revamped, and employees are enjoying a new air-conditioned lunchroom. There's also a new, high-tech conference room. Jon Shearer, human resources manager, said Hyundai Ideal Electric has experienced a downturn like many other manufacturers. But that hasn't dampened the spirit of the business. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Walter won't pursue mayoral recall By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • October 3, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Barbara Walter says she won't keep trying to oust Mansfield Mayor Don Culliver from office. She has opted not to appeal the local board of elections' decision to remove the recall issue from the Nov. 3 ballot, she said Friday. Walter also said she won't start a second recall petition. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Area econ development group closing up shop By LOU WHITMIRE • News Journal • October 2, 2009 MANSFIELD -- After running through the little money it had left, Richland Economic Development Corp. will suspend operations Oct. 30, officials said Thursday. REDeC executive committee chairman Norbert Peiker said Thursday morning the continued decline in operating revenue and funding from the private and, in particular, public sectors forced the decision. "Despite budget cutting efforts, it is clear that REDeC's ability to fulfill its primary duties of retention, attraction and coordination of economic development countywide cannot be effectively met," he said in a news release. The plan, officials say, is not to dissolve the agency but to suspend operations. No decision has been made about how long that might last. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

Mansfield mayoral recall off Nov. 3 ballot Board of Elections reject recall petitions By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • October 2, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Mansfield residents won't vote on a recall of Mayor Don Culliver -- at least not on Nov. 3. Culliver's supporters broke out in applause Thursday morning after the Richland County Board of Elections unanimously rejected recall petitions circulated in Mansfield through mid-September. Barbara Walter, who led the recall drive, hasn't decided if she will appeal to Richland County Common Pleas Court or start a new drive. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

That is a great idea! I'll tell them to go down there for the sunset. Is 65th where the tunnel is that goes under the Shoreway to Edgwater? Has it been cleaned up a bit...from what I remember the tunnel was really neglected and full of mud. I really appreciate the feedback. You're welcome! :) Also, the dirty tunnel into Edgewater that you are thinking of is the Battery Park tunnel. The 65th St tunnel is really clean and nice. It is the one that slopes down and curves and is only underground for a short stretch. Sunset would be a great time to go there, hopefully when they go the weather is nice.

^^I have walked up W 65th to Gordon Square many times, it is not bad at all and it is about a 10-15 minute walk. And yes, I think that Gordon Square is worth a visit. After they have checked it out, they can just walk farther north on 65th and go to Edgewater Park, which is one of my favorite places in the city.

Woman behind Mansfield recall drive reacts to mayor's challenge By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • October 1, 2009 MANSFIELD -- The woman who led the drive to recall Mayor Don Culliver said she'll be in attendance today when the mayor protests the inclusion of the issue on the Nov. 3 ballot. But unlike Culliver, Barbara Walter, 153 Elmridge Road, said she probably won't be represented by an attorney. "We are a grassroots organization. We don't have any big funding behind us," she said. "And I'm not sure a big city attorney ought to be coming into Richland County, questioning how the board of elections does their job." Culliver hired Donald J. McTigue, an attorney from Columbus, to represent him. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

A month later, Acorn Alley is booming Downtown stores say business is going well Ben Wolford Issue date: 9/30/09 Section: News Business has been so good at stores along Acorn Alley that at least two of them have lost customers because of it. "Some Saturdays we've had to keep people out of here because we were breaking fire code," said Jenna Heinaman, an employee at Off the Wagon, a novelty toy store. All 10 stores that are up and running have been flooded with consumer attention, Acorn Alley developer Ron Burbick said. In the month since RLB Phoenix Properties unveiled several of the stores at the beginning of the semester, "It's been excellent," Burbick said. Only two stores - Dancing Beta sushi restaurant and The Arctic Squirrel ice cream shop - have yet to open. He said Off the Wagon on East Main Street, a smaller version of two toy stores in Stow and Hudson, sold more in one week than the other two locations combined. Read more kentnewsnet.com

UN: 4 million on AIDS drugs, others still in need By The Associated Press 09.30.2009 3:37pm EDT (London) About 4 million people are now getting AIDS drugs worldwide – a 10-fold jump in five years – but 5 million others are still in dire need of the medicine, U.N. health officials estimated in a report issued Wednesday. The figures represented a major increase in rolling out drugs to patients across Africa, where the AIDS epidemic is focused, even though they were based on incomplete data and modeling. They were released in an annual AIDS report jointly published by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.N. AIDS program. “Even though some of the data are not fully clear and there are some unanswered questions, this is a dramatic improvement,” said Daniel Halperin, an AIDS expert at Harvard University. “It shows that all this money that has gone to treatment has made some difference.” Read more at 365gay.com

I couldn't find the equal rights thread that used to be in the politics section, so I created this thread for news and discussion about topics ranging from gay marriage, ENDA, DOMA, DADT, etc. Hopefully this thread can be merged once the other one is cleaned. Below is just one of many reasons why you should attend the National Equality March in D.C. on October 11th... Fed court dismisses lesbian hospital lawsuit By 365gay Newswire 09.30.2009 9:36am EDT (Miami, Fl.) The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida today rejected Lambda Legal’s lawsuit filed against Jackson Memorial Hospital on behalf of Janice Langbehn, the Estate of Lisa Pond and their three adopted children who were kept apart by hospital staff for eight hours as Lisa slipped into a coma and died. “The court’s decision paints a tragically stark picture of how vulnerable same-sex couples and their families really are during times of crisis,” said Beth Littrell, Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office based in Atlanta. “We hope that because of Janice’s courage to seek justice for her family in this case that more people better understand the costs of antigay discrimination. This should never happen to anyone.” While on a family cruise leaving from Miami, Lisa Pond, a healthy 39 year-old, suddenly collapsed. She was rushed to Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital with her partner Janice and three children following close behind. There, the hospital refused to accept information from Janice about her partner’s medical history. Janice was informed that she was in an antigay city and state, and she could expect to receive no information or acknowledgment as Lisa’s partner or family Read more at 365gay.com

Culliver protests recall, gets hearing By LINDA MARTZ • News Journal • September 29, 2009 MANSFIELD -- Mayor Don Culliver has filed a protest against the recall issue on the Nov. 3 ballot -- prompting the Richland County Board of Elections to schedule a Thursday hearing. County Elections Director Paulette Hankins said the four-member board likely will hear from both sides during the 10 a.m. meeting in the upper-level classroom at Longview Center, 1495 W. Longview Ave. Both sides will be given time to argue about whether the petitions Barbara Walter turned in this month were legally sufficient to force a recall vote. "It's up to the board to decide," Hankins said. Either side could appeal the board's decision in Richland County Common Pleas Court, she said. Read more at mansfieldnewsjournal.com

That is Severance Hall in Cleveland.