George W. Bush to raise cancer awareness in Africa (AP)

DALLAS ? Former President George W. Bush will travel to Africa next month to raise awareness about cervical and breast cancer, an effort he calls a "natural extension" of a program launched during his presidency that helps fight AIDS on the continent.

Bush, former first lady Laura Bush and officials with the George W. Bush Institute are heading to Tanzania, Zambia and Ethiopia from Dec. 1 through Dec. 5, where they'll visit clinics and meet with governmental and health care leaders.

"We believe it's in our nation's interest to deal with disease and set priorities and save lives," Bush told The Associated Press.

In 2003, Bush launched the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, to expand AIDS prevention, treatment and support programs in countries hit hard by the epidemic.

The new program, called the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative, seeks to expand the availability of cervical cancer screening and treatment and breast care education in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

Bush said existing AIDS clinics will be used to screen and treat cervical cancer, which is four to five times more common among those living with HIV than those who don't have the virus. Last year, 3.2 million people received antiretroviral treatments as a result of PEPFAR.

The initiative is a partnership that includes the Bush Institute, PEPFAR, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the United Nations' program on HIV and AIDS. Its goals include reducing cervical cancer deaths by 25 percent in five years among women screened and treated through the initiative.

"We want to show what works and hopefully others across the continent of Africa will join us,'" Bush said.

Dr. Eric G. Bing, director of global health at the Bush Institute, said it's often more difficult for African women to reveal they have cancer of the reproductive organs than to reveal they have HIV. There are more support groups and treatment available for HIV than cancer, he said.

"There's silence around cancer for many of these communities and in many of these nations. And that's one of the things that we hope to change," Bing said.

Bush moved to Dallas after leaving office in 2009. The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which is set to be completed in 2013 on the campus of Southern Methodist University, will include his presidential library and the already-operating policy institute. Besides global health, the institute focuses on education reform, human freedom and economic growth.

Bush said he and the former first lady will be "pouring our hearts" into the Bush presidential center as it grows.

"This is where we will spend the rest of our lives in the sense of being involved with public policy," Bush said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_re_us/us_bush_africa

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Romney scores a key endorsement in NH (AP)

NASHUA, N.H. ? Mitt Romney's Republican presidential campaign steamed forward this weekend, scoring what is one of New Hampshire's most significant political endorsements and fueling a growing sense of inevitability surrounding the former Massachusetts governor's White House bid.

A beaming Romney stood shoulder-to-shoulder with New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte Sunday afternoon, several hours after the popular Republican senator's decision became public.

"There's one person in this field who is prepared to lead the United States of America and that is Mitt Romney," Ayotte told cheering supporters gathered on the city hall steps. "And most importantly, there is one person who I know will ensure that Barack Obama is a one-term president and that is Mitt Romney."

The freshman senator is the latest high-profile addition to an organization that already included Granite State Republican heavyweights like former Sen. Judd Gregg and former Gov. John H. Sununu. But even in a world where the impact of endorsements is often exaggerated, Ayotte's public support is a significant step forward for Romney in New Hampshire. It's led prominent Republicans to suggest that Romney ? who already enjoys tremendous advantages in the first-in-the-nation primary state ? has become so strong here that the real contest on Jan. 10 will be for second place.

"It's certainly going to push him even further ahead. I think this is a very big deal," said Jennifer Horn, a leading Granite State conservative who isn't affiliated with any campaign. "I think it would take something fairly cataclysmic for someone else to come in first in New Hampshire at this point."

Romney hasn't begun to run television advertising yet. Instead, he's been steadily raising money and adding campaign muscle as his Republican opponents struggle to overcome weaknesses. Romney is expected to join the television ad war soon, however.

His campaign had a video crew following the former governor this weekend to gather footage for his first advertisement. He wouldn't share any details when asked about timing.

"As we get closer we will go up on the air. This is a calculation of how much money we have to spend and when is the right time to go up," Romney told reporters following a Saturday night campaign stop in Peterborough. "But I wouldn't expect to be waiting weeks and weeks. It's got to come relatively soon, and it'll happen in the early primary states."

Republican operatives here note that Ayotte is perhaps the most popular politician in the state, having won a resounding victory just one year ago. She brings a network of roughly 3,000 volunteers and 7,000 donors, according to Steve Duprey, a New Hampshire member of the Republican National Committee.

"I don't think you can say Governor Romney has it wrapped up because that last month will be intense and Iowa will have some impact," Duprey said. "But this gives him tremendous campaign muscle."

Like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's endorsement earlier in the fall, Ayotte's support also offers a bridge to more conservative voters, who have been reluctant to endorse a candidate with a mixed history on some social issues. Romney has struggled to win over that voting bloc in New Hampshire and elsewhere, although some have begun to reluctantly embrace his candidacy in light of repeated stumbles by his rivals.

"Kelly is not an ivory tower establishment-type elected official," Horn said. "She brings a tremendous amount of credibility among grassroots conservative votes."

And with Romney looking on, Ayotte, along with her husband, promised to play an active role in Romney's campaign.

"Joe and I will be doing everything we can to make sure Mitt Romney is the next president of the United States," she said. "We cannot take four more years of this president."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111121/ap_on_el_pr/us_romney

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Rev. G. Jude Geiger: Transgender Day of Remembrance: Embracing Our Whole Human Family

It's heartbreaking to read the many reports of teens and young adults considering or committing suicide, or our young people bullied and victimized for being different. Many of these teens are struggling with sexuality and gender identity in a society that's not always accepting. With Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th, we remember all those lives who were brutalized or murdered for their difference. Since this is literally a life and death matter, as a religious people we ought to feel compelled to deepen our understanding of the causes of such pain.

Transgender and Gender Queer youth and young adults -- whether gay, lesbian or heterosexual -- are sometimes gripped in a vice that pressures them to conform to both sexuality standards as well as gender norms. This results in far higher than average rates of homelessness and suicide in our young people who identify as Transgender.

Transgender identities often elicit reactions of confusion, judgment and dismissal, even from progressive liberals. We sometimes hear people say that individuals undergoing these sorts of physical changes are dealing more with psychological problems than hormonal. That most of us have clear sexes, so we can have clear genders. That pushing the stereotypes around clothing, work and relationships are one thing, but pushing the boundaries around bodies are another. I will say to this that I have heard all of it before referring to gay and lesbian men and women. I have been told that my love for another man is a psychological problem -- that my hormones are not the real issue.

I imagine that most women may have heard the same sorts of things regarding their lives, their careers, their families. They are willful for seeking that job, or that position, or that relationship. They are disrespecting their family or their culture when they delay marriage, or move in with a lover before marriage, or postpone having children in favor of their career. Although some men certainly do hear the same sorts of critiques, I find that most males have another set of guidelines to live up to. Simply put, the rules are different for different genders. And while the situation is all the more confusing when gender isn't clear, we can choose to go a little deeper and find the commonalities to which each of us can relate.

Every generation has seen the gender line blur and break a little more. It is my hope and prayer that we've pushed against it hard enough that not only have glass ceilings started to crack, but also that our children are starting to grow up knowing that their gender or sex need not determine the scope of their dreams or the breadth of their lives, loves and hopes. Maybe we've finally reached a point where our own actions, responses and inclinations have ceased to place limits on one another.

But that's simply not true. Not yet. I'm not going to appear before my congregation in a skirt and blouse. Not only because it's not my style, but also because it would signal that somehow I'm less, or a freak, or that I've lost power. My ego couldn't handle it. Our identity as a religious community would feel shaken, and most of us still believe women's clothing diminishes men in a way that men's clothing doesn't lessen women but lifts them up. It's a shallow marker but a clear one for the malady that continues to plague us. It's a starting point for understanding why violence against Transgender communities continues.

I believe that American culture has been trumping our religious values of compassion and love. Transgender identity scares us because it suggests that maybe we've got it all wrong. Maybe women are just as good as men. Maybe relationships are defined by the horizon of our love. Maybe people ought to have agency over their own bodies. Maybe the world isn't all that clear right from birth. Maybe the phrase "men and women" is still leaving someone out.

Not fully understanding someone who is different from us isn't an excuse for denigration. My Unitarian Universalist faith tradition values personal human experience and reminds us that every soul has inherent worth and dignity. When we lack an understanding of another, it is a religious practice to seek to deepen our ties. It is a call to stretch our experience, widen our vision, and embrace our whole human family. In so doing, we reflect our own dignity and worth. This discipline speaks directly to the message of all religious scriptures - love is at the core of faith. When we know that cultural practices of dismissal foster environments where our young people feel unsafe and unloved, and we know that many of our youth are dying because of this, we are morally obligated to directly challenge attitudes, words, and actions that denigrate. Faith requires us to prioritize the safety of our young people over our opinions.

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Follow Rev. G. Jude Geiger on Twitter: www.twitter.com/revjudegeiger

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-g-jude-geiger/transgender-day-of-remembrance_b_1097622.html

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Kids of all ages participate in the annual Grandin Village Holiday Childrens Parade

Susan Bahorich reporter

1:37 p.m. EST, November 19, 2011

ROANOKE, Va.?

An annual Roanoke event brought out the young and the young at heart.

Every year the Grandin Village Holiday Childrens Parade kicks off the holiday season.

No one really knows how old the event is, but organizers tell News7 it has been going on for more than 30-years.

Even though it has been a community staple, it's not your traditional parade.

No registration is required and kids of all ages are welcome.

"It's a children's parade, so no motorized vehicles. Try to make floats out of little red wagons and there are all kinds of kids groups- boy scouts, girl scouts, church groups- any kind of kid regardless of the size, age, whatever!" laughs Susan Stump of the Grandin Village Business Association.

The route takes parade participants less than a mile through historic Grandin Village.

The event is sponsored by the Grandin Village Business Association.

Source: http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-kids-of-all-ages-participate-in-the-annual-grandin-village-holiday-childrens-parade-20111119,0,7297668.story?track=rss

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Nearly 1 in 3 US children poor, Census says

WASHINGTON?? The number of children in the United States considered poor rose by 1 million in 2010, the U.S. Census said on Thursday, with nearly one in three of the youngest Americans now living in poverty.

"Children who live in poverty, especially young children, are more likely than their peers to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties, to complete fewer years of education, and, as they grow up, to experience more years of unemployment," the Census said.

In 2010, when the Census survey was conducted, 32.3 percent of children across the country were poor, compared to 30.8 percent in 2009.

That was mainly due to a rise in the number of children living below the federal poverty threshold, defined as an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four, to 15.7 million from 14.7 million in 2009.

The figures reflect the overall state of the economy. The national poverty rate stands at 15.3 percent and the unemployment rate is at 9 percent some two years after the recession that began in 2007 officially ended.

The number of people living in poverty has reached an all-time high in the United States, despite the country's position as one of the wealthiest in the world. Its gross domestic product per capita of $47,184 was 3,095 percent more than India's $1,477 in 2010.

In 24 states and Washington, D.C., more than 20 percent of those up to 17 years old lived at or below the poverty threshold.

Racial gaps
The Census found that the percentage of white children in poverty increased in 25 states in 2010 from the year before.

Overall, "white and Asian children had poverty rates below the national average, while black children had the highest poverty rate at 38.2 percent," it said.

"The poverty rate for Hispanic children was 32.3 percent, and children identified with two or more races had 22.7 percent living in poverty."

Children in some states fared worse than in others.

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"About one of every three children in poverty lived in one of the four most populous states, each of which saw increases in the number and the percentage of children in poverty between 2009 and 2010," the Census said.

There were 2 million children in poverty in California, followed by Texas, where 1.8 million children were considered poor. Slightly less than 1 million children lived in poverty in Florida and New York.

The Census found that the number and percentage of children in poverty rose in 27 states in 2010. Utah's rate increased the most, 11.5 percent.

Among states, Mississippi had the highest proportion of children in poverty, 32.5 percent. In Washington, D.C., and in New Mexico, child poverty rates also neared one-third.

In 10 states child poverty rates are 25 percent or higher, including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

New Hampshire has the lowest child poverty rate, 10 percent.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45346041/ns/us_news-life/

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Meg Ryan, America's sweetheart, turns 50

By Kurt Schlosser

America's sweetheart is 50 years old today.

Meg Ryan, the bubbly blond actress from all those?Nora Ephron movies that show up in multiple VHS copies at the thrift store, is 50.

That makes this as good a?time as any to share our appreciation for the work that earned Ryan that sweetheart label. "When Harry Met Sally" comes to mind, particularly for this bit of cinematic gold:

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I remember seeing "Sleepless in Seattle" before I moved to Seattle and thinking how lovely it might be to move to the Emerald City and live on a houseboat. Now I just wish I could go through the local airport and not see the film's title printed on oversized nightshirts in the bookstore. Let's all have a good cry:

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And here's Ryan and "Sleepless" star Tom Hanks reunited in "You've Got Mail." In 1998 the Internet was a little less creepy. You can thank Meg:

None of these films should be confused with the critical greats of our time. But?no doubt they hold a dear spot in the hearts of romantic comedy lovers, and Ryan gets the credit for that today. (Sorry, Hanks, it's not your birthday.)

We just spent a few minutes here trying to figure out who America's sweetheart actress is nowadays. We really couldn't come up with anyone who fits the bill the way Ryan did in the '90s. There are loveable actresses doing plenty of rom coms -- Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Ellen Page, Kate Hudson, Emma Roberts, Amy Adams -- but are they sweetheart material? Don't think so.

So, happy birthday, Meg Ryan. For those of you who have never used this "Top Gun" line, today would be a good day to start.

Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/19/8862929-meg-ryan-americas-sweetheart-turns-50

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