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FINALLY, the Governor of New York, David Paterson, is putting all his political capital behind the legislation to legalize Gay Marriage in New York. At a press conference in Manhattan, Gov. Paterson stressed his commitment to bring equal rights to all new yorkers while calling for an end to “a legal system that has systematically discriminated against all of them.” He added: “We have all known the wrath of discrimination, we have all felt the pain and insult of hatred. We stand to tell the world that we want equality for everyone. We stand to tell the world that we want marriage equality in New York State.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senator Thomas K. Duane, State Assemblyman Daniel J. O’Donnell, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn ( the previous three openly gay) and Representative José Serrano were by his side. Schumer, Gillibrand and Smith, all in favor of the legislation, were absent.


Mayor Bloomberg said that “tide is turning” on same-sex marriage and that while people with religious beliefs may differ in their views on marriage, “it is not the state’s place to define marriage in a way that excludes a segment of the population from the legal benefits associated with marriage, and that’s why I’m here today”.
Senator Daniel O’Donnell, who sponsored a previous bill to authorize same-sex marriage, noted that there were 85 votes in the Assembly for the 2007 bill and added with conviction “I was born in this state, I was raised in this state, I was educated in this state, I’m an elected official in this state, I pay taxes this state, I want a piece of paper from this government just like the rest of you.” Senator Thomas Duane vowed to carry the bill in the Senate and said “I absolutely look forward to standing with you governor, when you sign this wonderful piece of legislation into law.”
Opposition is already coming from State Senator Rubén Díaz, Jr., who is mounting a campaign to derail the approval of the legislation. Another sure foe is the new head of the New York Archdiocese, Timothy Dolan. They are on the loosing side of history.

Nuestro alcalde sigue hablando más y más en castellano. Evidentemente sabe que lo ayudará muchísimo. Aunque se le entiende, debe mejorar la dicción. Hoy en la mañana dijo "doce mil cinco' (12005), "la origen" y al pronunciar 'olor' no le daba la lengua! Que siga practicando que asi es que se aprende!
Ahora, es posible que llame a una conferencia de prensa para revelar el origen del olor que ha aparecido en la ciudad en los ultimos años? Media hora para eso? La mención que hizo sobre el continuo crecimiento del porcentaje de alumnos que se graduan en secundaria, ( 55.8 % ) sobre todo el éxito de latinos y minorías solo le tomó dos minutos. Prioridades? endulzando a la prensa? elecciones?.

Bloomberg News dips into the Venezuelan mess. A brief on top news today goes like this:
" Chávez Bonds Worst in Latin America Amid President-for-Life Bid, Oil Drop. Bond investors are telling Hugo Chavez he should be voted out of office instead of winning his campaign to serve as Venezuela's president another 10 years. Venezuelan bonds fell the most in Latin America since December, when Chavez began pushing for a referendum to abolish term limits so he can serve
through at least 2019. The average yield on the government's dollar bonds rose to 17.33 percentage points more than Treasuries, from 14.74 points when he took office a decade ago,
according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. The combination of Chavez's political strategy and the 72 percent plunge in oil from a July record is increasing investor concern about the country's
ability to pay its $46 billion of debt. Venezuela, the biggest oil exporter in the Americas, raised government spending to the equivalent of 36 percent of gross domestic product in 2007 from
23 percent in 1998, according to Standard & Poor's. ``The Chavez model is based on the idea of spending lots of money,''said Michael Atkin, who helps oversee $12 billion in fixed-income assets as head of sovereign research at Putnam Investments in Boston. ``The credit quality is deteriorating. It's hard to want to own Venezuelan debt even at these spreads.'' To read the article