Jack Scribe

Happy Birthday Benji! 54 and going strong! Have a good one and many, many more! Jack

Wanted to share a creative moment. 120 images are sync'd with this great song and performance. Enjoy! http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html. Jack

From National Nine News - Australia: Kangaroo farts 'could fight global warming' Australian scientists are trying to give kangaroo-style stomachs to cattle and sheep in a bid to cut the emission of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, researchers say. Thanks to special bacteria in their stomachs, kangaroo flatulence contains no methane and scientists want to transfer that bacteria to cattle and sheep who emit large quantities of the harmful gas. While the usual image of greenhouse gas pollution is a billowing smokestack pushing out carbon dioxide, livestock passing wind contribute a surprisingly high percentage of total emissions in some countries. "Fourteen percent of emissions from all sources in Australia is from enteric methane from cattle and sheep," said Athol Klieve, a senior research scientist with the Queensland state government. Maybe goats will be next? Jack

I was most proud of the progress in gay/lesbian acceptance while attending the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected mayor and two city councilmen this week. The mayor and one of the councilmen are gay. Appropriately, the partners of the two gay elected officials were at their S.O.'s side. And in the case of the mayor, his partner was accompanied by their two, very young children - a son and a daughter. The hetero councilman was joined by his wife and their two children. Jack

The PA was made for UNAIDS World Organization for television...but obviously not for North America TV programming. "Heavens to Betsy" that a realistic portrayal of this problem would be shared on our morally-cleansed electronic portals. And media "suits" wonder why You Tube is so popular. The Internet and cable are rapidly making network TV in North America irrelevant.

Here is a most creative video record, with terrific music (especially if you enjoy Karl Orff) and hilarious footnotes, of the crazy rainstorm in Seattle a couple of days ago. . Jack

I was impressed at this UNAIDS public announcement tape concerning the necessity of using protection. It is suggestive enough to make the point. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur7lAE3i7RE. The spokesman is Francesco D'Macho - a Spanish adult entertainment actor. I share this because there is a younger generation that need to be reminded - like I was at that age - about the dangers of unsafe sex. HIV and STD are on the rise. Jack

S/F has a huge following, especially with younger readers. The newest generation - the "millenials" (those born between 1980 and 2000) - only know cutting edge technology and are very open to exloring the unlimited aspects of exploration beyond our planet. And approximately 1/3 of our citizens are convinced that UFOs are out there. Even one presidential candidate is a believer. Ever listen to the late night "Coast to Coast" radio program? I think the UT works for communication. I'm not sure I'd go as far as Graeme in suggesting a different sentence structure. Like the damned automatic telephone systems, the alien's electronic voice would be correct and stilted. Jack

I'm just not sure what "it" is. Is it like Clinton's "is, is"? Is "it" a fricton-ized event? Fun chapter. Jack

Here's a 9 minute You Tube clip from Kathy's Bravo television special last week. She does a number on the pious, uber right-wing "Catholic League nut/publicity whore Bill Donohue" (to use Towleroad's words). . I saw her concert yesterday afternoon in Palm Springs. Great 1 3/4 hours of non-stop comedy. Okay, I admit that her act is not PG-rated and may not be everyone's cup of tea. But fantastic entertainment. BTW, she did not repeat any of her material from the TV special four days earlier. For those not living in North America, I should explain that comedianne Kathy Griffin has purposely developed a huge gay following over the past several years. She skewers the public antics of celebrities with ass-biting satire. Jack

Here's a candid photo of CJ and an unidentified friend. Who says grazing is out?

Just in. I have a recent photo of the King of Evil Cliffhangers on vacation with an unknown friend. If CJ is the King, I'll leave it to others to identify the Queen and royal court. Check out the Lounge Forum for the picture. Welcome back, CJ. Jack

I hesitate to post this and warn the members that this disgusting You Tube video - up for 4 days - is scary homophobic. I flagged this as inappropriate. The clip includes punk homophobes verbally threatening death and physical abuse during a Halo game on XBox. Do not watch this if you are squeamish. I only pass this along as a sad reminder that we all have to watch our backs...even in the anonymous atmosphere of a video game after a player announced he's gay. I'm disappointed that this clip is still on You Tube. Jack

I agree that it would terrific for more CEOs and mainstream politicians to be out. I salute Congressman Barney Frank for his honesty. Quasi-tangible are the vaguely married executives. I speak of notables like Barry Diller, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, etc. God knows what kind of an understanding they have with their wives. James Savik is right on concerning alleycat, in-heat celebrities who are out. I file the all the Georges, Britanys and Hiltons all in one stinky scrap pile.

Here's a photo review of several celebrities who are proudly out: http://cbs2chicago.com/slideshows/gay.cele....20.228936.html. No big surprises but it is reassuring that prominent GLBTs are being more open about their orientation. BTW, in the group shot of the Frasier cast, there are two more guys pictured who fly the rainbow flag. Jack

George Clooney is superb in Michael Clayton. Here are two movies to definitely see that will be huge. First is Disney's Enchanted. This film has major buzz and comes to theaters this week. The Christmas release of Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd looks awesome. Go to the official site. There's a worthy clip. But on MySpace (there's a link on the site), there is a clip of Johnny Depp singing. OMG, this hunk can sing! http://www.sweeneytoddmovie.com/. Jack

Happy Birthday, Colin! Hope you're registering for the February primary. Have fun on your next passage (with apologies to Gail Sheehy). Best, Jack

OMG! Seriously, I agree with Kevin. Well done. Jack

Here's the latest stats from the FBI courtesy of Towleroad: http://www.towleroad.com/2007/11/hate-crimes-fou.html This includes hate crimes include victims involving race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic or national origin or physical or mental disability. Palm Springs (my home) had one of the highest per capita numbers of reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation in California in 2006. Our police say the report shows how seriously law enforcement takes protecting a population that includes a large percentage of gay and lesbian residents. They are very supportive of our community(But the mayor and three city council members are GLBT). Still a lot of work to do. Fortunately, the majority of people in Europe, U.K., North America, Oz and Kiwiland have become more accepting. It's the handful of whacko buttheads ya gotta watch out fer. Jack P.S. I just occurred to me that, while the U.K. is always well represented, I hardly ever see anyone on this site from Ireland.

HAPPY FIVE-ZERO, EMOE! Break out the Viagra...daddy's coming to town. Jack

Here's a comparison of gas pricing in Palm Springs and the increases this year. Still a bargain when you consider petrol costs in the U.K. and Europe. I assume Australia is in the same ballpark? In today's paper, there's also a story about hybrid SUV's coming on the market. GM's tank, the Escalade, will be able to get 18 mpg vs. today's conventional 12 mpg. Whoop-de-doo. As an example of having your cake and eating it too, here's a quote: "Americans shouldn't have to choose tiny little vehicles to get fuel efficiency. We ought to be able to offer a range of choice while still being sensitive to environmental impact," Mark LaNeve, General Motors Corp.'s vice president of North America sales, service and marketing, said. GM just doesn't get it. I hope Mr. LaNeve has other career options when the GM goes under because of its antiquated thinking.

For you, I'll celebrate your birthday on the Oz calendar. Have a good one. Jack

I'm a big fan of Dan Savage's journalism. The link concerns his trip to Spokane to recreate Washington state Rep. Richard Curtis's "big gay adventure". http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=433857. There's more than initially meets the eye. Jack

The outgoing Palm Springs Mayor Ron Oden, on the left, congratulates Mayor-elect, Steve Pougnet. Steve received over 70% of the votes cast in yesterday's election. Both men are openly gay. Another 'out' man, Rick Hutcheson, was elected to city council.

This tragic loss is a direct result of a drunk driver's reckless actions and Codey was the victim. Whatever support you can lend to groups like MADD might help lessen these acts of vehicular mayhem. Codey's short life was changed forever because of another's irresponsible stupidity. Jack