This Monday Lady Gaga made an impromptu speech regarding the U.S. government’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy” regarding the sexual orientation of service men and women. The worldwide pop icon stood before thousands at Deering Oaks Park in Portland, Maine to speak out against the much debated policy. Attendees including students from the nearby University of Southern Maine as well as community leaders and activists.

Gaga pleaded for action from supporters saying,

“I’m here today in this park, in Maine, to say that, if the Senate and the president are not going to repeal this ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, perhaps they should be more clear with us about who the military is fighting for, who our tax dollars are supporting and, ultimately, how much does the prime rib cost?” she continued. “Because I thought this was an ‘all you can eat’ buffet. This equality stuff, I thought equality meant everyone. But apparently, for certain value meals, for certain civil rights, I have to pay extra, because I’m gay. … When it’s time to order my meal, when it’s time to benefit from the freedoms of the Constitution that I protect and fight for, I have to pay extra. I shouldn’t have to pay extra. I should have the ability, the opportunity, the right to enjoy the same rights — the same piece of meat — that my fellow soldiers, fellow straight soldiers, already have included in their Meal of Rights. It’s prime rib, it’s the same size, it’s the same grade, the same cost, at wholesale cost, and it’s in the Constitution.”

The singer goes on to say that “homophobia” is being used as a defense for senator’s arguments that the policy is warranted.

“Doesn’t it seem to be that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is backwards? Doesn’t it seem to you that we should send home the prejudiced? The straight soldier who hates the gay soldier? The straight soldier who has prejudice in his heart in the space where the military asks him to hold our core American values?” she asked. “I am here today because I would like to propose a new law; a law that sends home the soldier that has the problem. Our new law is called ‘if you don’t like it, go home.’ If you are not committed to perform with excellence as a United States soldier because you don’t believe in full equality, go home. If you are not honorable enough to fight without prejudice, go home. If you are not capable of keeping your oath to the Armed Forces to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic … then go home.” {MTV}

We think its awesome that Lady Gaga is using her stardom to touch on issues that are relevant and important to our society as a whole. As long as this policy has been in place, no mega-stars have stepped up to confront it. We say Go Gaga Go!

Image from Gizmodo.

According to Google’s head of translation services, Franz Och, the company should have speech-to-speech translation software in their phones within the next few years. Think of it as a little interpreter living in your phone, letting you know – in real time – that your Great Aunt Maria from the old country finally had her kidney stones removed. We know you’ve been dying to know.

Google plans to combine their already existing voice recognition system (that voice command thingy – which people actually use…?) and their text translator to create this super speech translation software.

If you’ve ever tried to pass off your Web-translated essay in a high school class (not that any of us would ever do that, ahem), then you are more than aware of the limited nature of technology when it comes to language. Hence our cynicism about this supposed speech translator.

We’d love to see this phone in action, but until then – we’re thinking this idea sounds more sci fi than fact.

Read More {TimesOnline}

Read More {Gizmodo}

Read More {MobileCrunch}