Word: locales
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...says David Rayside, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto. He believes that the relative strength of incumbency in the U.S. creates a barrier to the corridors of power, as does "the strength of religious conservatives." Of the 511,000 elected offices in the U.S. - from local school boards way up to President - openly gay men and women occupy just 450 of them, according to the U.S.-based Victory Fund, an organization that offers financial support to gay political candidates. No openly gay person has ever sat in the Senate, and only three hold seats...
...larger countries like Britain, with relatively deeper pockets of conservatism, progress has come more slowly. In 1988, Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government passed a Local Government Act, Section 28 of which barred the "promotion of homosexuality" in schools and defined gay partnerships as "pretended family relationships." Such homophobia emboldened both gay-rights advocates and future politicians. "People came out who otherwise wouldn't have, and it woke up our heterosexual friends and family," says Michael Cashman, now a Labour Member of the European Parliament. In 1989, Cashman and actor Ian McKellen co-founded campaign group Stonewall. Around the same time...
...start for Hollywood in Bollywoodland. As expected, the global success of James Cameron's Avatar is also playing out in India: it's slated to become the biggest Hollywood grosser of all time in the country. The 3-D extravaganza, also released in 2-D and dubbed in three local languages, has already grossed $15 million across the country, and is expected to edge out Columbia Pictures' doomsday epic 2012, which has made $20 million since its opening on Dec. 18. What's more, in a rare show of heft, the film continues to draw crowds despite the release...
...expected showing at the end of 2009, and it remains to be seen if the Jetstar Pacific imbroglio will significantly deter new foreign investors. Even though Communist hardliners have clamped down on some freedoms, the government nonetheless promised in November it would soon allow foreigners to own 49% of local businesses, up from 30%. As Vietnam's Communist Party encourages economic growth without wanting to let go of power, it's only setting itself up for more clashes with foreign partners...
Intelligence officials have said Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud appeared to have escaped the strike, while a local Taliban commander also denied rising speculation Friday that Mehsud was wounded...