Obama does HMS Pinafore!

Fucking hilarious!

Rangers Head to World Series!

OK, my inner jock just came out.  I am not much of a sports enthusiast, but I do enjoy watching baseball, especially live at the ballpark.  If you have only seen it on TV you are not seeing baseball!  Anyway, our local team, the long suffering Rangers has finally made it to the series.

After beating the New York Yankees 6-1 in game 6 last night they won the AL pennant.  Now hey will go up against either San Francisco or Philadelphia.  I am rooting for SF since I would love to see the Rangers play in San Francisco.  That dream will have to wait, since tickets are sure to be impossible to get. 

Go Rangers!

Christine O'Donnell Claims To Be Constitutional Scholar - Has No Idea What's In The 1st Amendment

In an amazing show of ignorance and complete air-headedness Christine O'Donnell can't recall the First frigging Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America?  In this segment by Anderson Cooper she gets an education.

"Hoot Man" - Scots Support Gay Marriage!

An article in the Harborough Mail shows results of a recent poll in Scotland.  Scots support the rights of same-sex couple to marry.  A majority, 58%, support the idea while only 19% are against.  Read more here.

Gay Bashing Increasing in NYC, too!

I am not sure if the statistics bear this out, but anecdotal it seems that the number of gay bashing s has been on the increase in Dallas.  Now after three separate cases in NYC, one at Stonewall Inn and two more at other local gay bars,  it looks like it might be a nationwide trend.  I have to believe this is due to the increased rhetoric from politicians and talk shows who during an election cycle use LGBT rights as a punching bag. Again, the level of crazt talk has gotten out of hand and I suspect it is having real-world effects.

More reason than ever for the Rally to Restore Sanity.

Carly Fiorina - Can't Name One Spending Cut to Pay For Bush Tax Cuts for the Rich

On FOX News, no less, Carly Fiorina babbled and babbled but refused to give Chris Wallace a single idea for cutting spending that would reduce the $4 trillion deficit and continued to defend the Bush era tax cuts for the rich.

Like most Republicans they can spout rhetoric, but don't really have any ideas.

Watch and be as confused as I am. She was asked 7 times and never answered.

Yankees Fans Sing Hate Lyrics to YMCA - Classy!

At a 2007 Yankees game fans in the stands sing to a Mets fan.  They do a version of YMCA with their own "charming" words.  And we wonder why our kids get bullied at school?  Would these same people sing a song with the "n" word in the lyrics as a joke?  Yea, I guess they probably would.

The point is until we make it unacceptable to use the word "gay" as a put down and synonym for "lame" or "bad" we will have an uphill fight. I hope these bigots see themselves on YouTube and someday realize how ignorant and crass this makes them look.

Then again they are Yankees fans, so I kind of doubt that. How does that joke feel?

Vamos al Circo - One of My Early Musical Endeavors

Sometimes the web can be a time machine.  I found this while surfing and it is one of the first albums I composed and produced for Televisa when I worked in Mexico back in 1981.  Though the credits shows me as producer, and Esquivel as the composer, I actually wrote all but one of the songs on this album including the title song which is what I found on YouTube.  It is a truncated version , but still brings back memories of long nights in a studio with a full orchestra and some very talented actors.  The album was recorded in Dallas, Texas and Mexico City and mixed here in Dallas at Platinum City, a studio now long gone.

Enjoy my trip down memory lane.

Oprah Gives Plane Tickets to Jon Stewart's Audience

In typical over the top Oprah fashion, the studio audience for he Daily Show tonigt found gifts under their seats.  Tickets to Washington, DC for the Rally to Restore Sanity.  Oprah and Stephen Colbert made cameo appearances on tonight's show to plug the rally.  During her remote feed appearance, the queen of daytime television announced the gifts for the audience.

From the looks of genuine surprise I think they had no idea.

The Rally to Restore Sanity looks like it's going to be quite a big event.  Moderates Unite!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Announcement
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Ft. Worth City Councilman Joel Burns to gay teens - "It gets better."

Heart wrenching speech by Joel Burns.  Speaks out against bullying in school.  Where are the Dallas City Councilpersons speaking out on this issue?

Christine O'Donnell, Deleware Senate Candidate - "What I believe is irrelevant."

If only it weren't so Christine.  What you believe is absolutely relevant to everything in this race for Senate. 

Now why did she say this?  Well in the debate with Chris Coons, her Democratic opponent, O'Donnell was asked by Wolf Blitzer if she believed in evolution.  Her answer was, "What I believe is irrelevant." What she meant was, "please don't ask me questions that might make me look like a kook."  Well, you can dress up a kook, but she is still a kook.

She got a nice softball question about which Supreme Court decisions she disagreed with.  Much like Sarah Palin she came back with a befuddled and vapid reply.  "Right off the top of my head, I know there are a lot...I'll put them on my website."  In other words, "Supreme Court?  How am I supposed to know that? I'll get my people to come up with something and print it later."

O'Donnell, the GOP candidate for this race to fill Joe Biden's seat in the Senate won because of voter apathy, she beat the favored Republican candidate and now the GOP has to live with her.  Her opponent, Castle says he is staying out of the contest, in other words, "you are on your own."  Now it is up to the voters o Delaware to decide whether they want a Senator or an "everywoman" to represent them.  O'Donnell is cute and perky and seems nice enough, but she is so far out of her league in politics that she will be eaten for breakfast in the Senate. Delaware will be ill represented by her and I sincerely hope its citizens come to their senses and elect Chris Coons.

Dating Site Releases Demographics - Gay vs. Straight

The online dating site OKCupid has released some of the voluminous data they collect regarding differences between gay and straight users.  The figures are very interesting and very revealing.  No private info is included, but the gay vs. straight  data is fascinating.  This is taken from a sample of 3.2 million users, so it's statistically valuable, too.

Check it out here at OKCupid's Blog.

Of Theme Parks and Florida

Having returned from vacattion in Orlando and environs it's nice to be back at a working internet connection. Though our hotel claimed to have wireless internet, it was apprently only in the lobby and by the time we got back to the room after a day of trudging around the theme parks, the lobby with it's chattering children was the last place I wanted to be.

And while I am on the subject of theme parks here are a few observations about the Orlando/Kissimmee attractions. First the season we went was the best one. Between the Summer crush and the winter rush. In general the lines for attractions were moderate and the crowds were not overwhelming. Second, there are few if any African Americans at the theme parks in Florida. The was a bit disconcerting but maybe it was a seasonal anomaly. Third, an amazing number of parents apparently are willing to pull their children out of school to go on vacation. The number of families with school aged children was astonishing for this time of the year.

Finally, my observation about straight families behaviors is perhaps a bit overreaching but here it is. They are like water, they will fill up any and all available space, particularly if it is space in a doorway or tight spot in the road. They and their children flow outward and just blockade everything! I saw LGBT or at least what I assume were LGBT people at the parks and they seemed aware of people around them and respected each others personal space. Straight people do not understand that concept. They figure they own everything anyway so why bother with politeness or even consciousness of anyone around them. Additionally, they feel their little Aryan brats are the cutest and most adorable things in the world. Everyone should love their kids and put up with their bratty behavior, crying, running, screaming, etc. If you take note of a child trying to smear your leg with a melted ice cream cone, you are just supposed to praise them and laugh it off. Indeed!

As to the parks themselves, Disney certainly has done it best. The four parks we visited were immaculate, well run and absolute perfection. They are so well designed you don't notice the outside world at all. For adults, EPCOT and Disney Studios are particularly fun. Delicious and world-class cuisine and plenty of places to sit and recuperate from the walking and waiting of the attractions. As I grow older I really appreciate this!

Universal on the other hand has some nifty rides, but in general I felt I was being fleeced at every turn. There are extra charges for everything and food and drinks were even higher than at the movies. My suggestion, see the real studio tour in LA and skip Florida Universal entirely.  Yes Harry Potter's Wizarding World is interesting but $10 for a "butter beer" is not a very good trick. (butterscotch soda)

If you are going to the Disney parks, I strongly suggest getting a Park Hopper Pass prior to your vacation. They save money and allow you to go to any park as many times as you wish each day.

While we were there we made a side trip to visit friends in Palm Coast and St. Augustine, (wonderful charming city) and a day trip to the NASA Kennedy Space Center. That was one of the highlights of the visit. Don't miss it.

Now, much needed naps before getting ready for a full work week tomorrow. Ta!

Tony Curtis in "Some Like It Hot"

He was a great actor and a fine gentleman.  Thought this scene might give you a few smiles.

It's A Rainbow, Stupid Baker, Not Porn!

So the owner of Just Cookies in Indianapolis, IN, apparently feels that "rainbows" = "porn".  The bakery refused to make cupcakes for Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) students last week.  First their excuse was they only do cookies, and when the students asked for rainbow iced cookies, they gave this response, “I explained we're a family-run business, we have two young, impressionable daughters and we thought maybe it was best not do that.” He went on to say,"We have our values, and you know, some things … for instance, if someone wants a cookie with an obscenity, well, we're not going to sell that."

So David Stockton, co-owner of the bakery, apparently believes that he would have to explain to his daughters that rainbows are obscene?  It's a frigging rainbow you jerk!  I believe that in the Bible, God use a rainbow to send a message to Noah.  You sell cookies in various colors, why not rainbow?


The students wanted them for National Coming Out day, now they have gone to a different bakery.  So, Just Cookies perhaps should rename themselves, "Just Cookies Without Any Significance Or Colors That Might Be Construed As Porn"?  Not a very catchy name.

Off to the House of Mouse

Friday, my partner and I will be winging our way to the sunny state of Florida for a pilgrimage to Disney World and the spawn of other attractions in Orlando.  I suspect we will walk our feet off and have a great time not only doing the tourist thing but visiting friends just a few miles away on Palm Coast.

I used to make a haj to Florida each year to visit the parks.  Now that focus has shifted to Fort Lauderdale and my friends at Beyond Leather which is one of my 3 "must" events every year.  I love that event, but it's nice to have a vanilla vacation as well, though I expect I will still find some kinky activities during the week.

Our cats are most likely delighted by our absence.  They will have the house to themselves, with the occasional visits of a delightful pet sitter and friends dropping by to collect the mail and check on the house.  I expect the kitties to be waiting eagerly when we return expecting souvenirs and extra attention.  I wonder if they make mouse ears for cats?

Another Teen Suicide From Anti-Gay Bullying

No sooner had I published my past post than I see an article about another 13 years old who committed suicide after being bullied for being gay. This time the victim hung himself.  This has to stop.

There are anti-bullying laws winding their ways through state legislatures, but they are being blocked by sanctimonious fundamentalists and right-wing legislators.  Contact your local representative and let them know that protections must be put into place to protect LGBT students!

Bullies Push Student to Suicide

As a child I was the victim of bullying.  I was a different child, prone to wearing my own personal uniform to school (black slacks and white shirts) and hung out with the "bookish" crowd.  I wasn't athletic at all, and pretty much tried to make as few waves as possible.

One day, after being teased and pushed around by a school "jock" in Junior High, I finally snapped.  I began slugging him fast and furious, and though my bad pugilistic style would probably be laughable, it was relentless.  I was finally pulled off him by the assistant coach.  The bully left bloodied and the rest of my classmates who happened to be present looked at me with wide-eyed amazement.  I guess adrenaline can really make you do strange things.

For the lucky part of the story was that I turned the pent up abuse I had suffered at the bully's hands outward and only injured my fists from hitting him so many times.  Had I turned that negative energy inwardly I might have ended up like the 13 year old Texas boy from Cypress.  He ended up committing suicide.

The point of my story is not to compare the gravity of what he faced with my own experience, I can never know the extent of the bullying he withstood before he was driven to taking his own life.  The point is, in both cases the school system should have tried to prevent the behavior that caused the problem.

In my day, bullying was just ignored and we were taught to just "suck it up and take it."  That attitude was as wrong then as it is now.  Schools should be safe places for all children.  Different kids may get singled out by other children, but the bullying must be stopped and the behavior should be deemed unacceptable, not just "part of being a kid".

Part of childhood is indeed coming to terms with the unfairness of the world, but it is the schools job to try to even that field as much as possible and in Cypress, Texas that system failed.  Sad lesson to learn and at such a high cost.  I can only hope the school and the parents of the students will use this sensless death as a wake up call.

Ann Coulter - Idiot or Ideologue?

Saying LGBT people have equal rights to marry since they can marry a member of the opposite sex anytime they want, Ann Coulter sums it all up for you. Is she an idiot or just blinded by ideology. Personally I think she is on crack!

Fresh from her stand-up comedy show at Homocon where she ridiculed the LGBT people who showed up, she debates that "civil rights is only a black issue".  I stand back amazed at the stupidity that passes for commentary in this country.  Why is this woman on TV?

Christine O'Donnell Thinks Monkeys Can Evolve While You Watch? What?

This clip from Bill Maher's show is astounding. To imagine her as a Senator is beyond appalling. Watch and try not to throw up.