Former Member

I struggle with writing reviews, especially for poetry, but my goodness, you are very talented. There is nothing wrong with being humble my dear, but I think you underestimate yourself. For me, poetry, like art can be interpreted through the eyes of the beholder. I see a struggle with oneself. I see someone who falls down, but claws her way back up to once more see the blue skies, after being down in the hole for so long. What a beautiful soul you have.

I am not well versed in politics, but I know what the 4th of July has represented to my people in the past. I know hush, hush, let's not pull the race card. lol I'm not pulling that one, but I can pull the US citizen one. Well...um...in order for me to do that, I guess <reachs into pocket and pulls out race card.> From the perspective of a minority I don't believe my ancestors were jumping for joy, because the documents that were so meticulously put together, did not represent all Americans. And what about the masses of immigrants who flocked to this nation in search of streets paved in gold? The men and women whose backs carried the weight and work of building our fine nation. This is why I celebrate the 4th, as a reminder that those who came before us, from the African American slave who damn near propped up the Southern economy, to the many immigrants who were spit upon and sent off to fight in a civil war straight off the boat, and the many more who made their way here to provide a better life for their families. The United States is like that dysfunctional family where we can pick on one another, but we'll be damned if someone outside the family can take a swing at us! That is one of the things that I love about our nation. We many gripe and moan, but we must also remember that our nation is a melting pot, or many diverse people. And to be honest, because I'm not a flag waving patriot, the 4th is also a day off from work to get drunk, overeat grilled meats, and whoop and holler at the pretty bursts of pyrotechnics. We should raise our voices and be heard, whether our opinions are popular or not, isn't that what freedom is all about? And brother Carlos, when it comes to important causes, you always speak with such passion. Put it this way, if I am ever in need of an advocate, I would want you in my corner with boxing gloves on when the bell rings. We should be reminded of what our nation stands for, or at least before it became a running theme for Late night shows. LOL I was fifteen in 1976 and could care less about the Bicentennial, I was too busy trying to score a dime bag of Colombian Gold, and talk someone who could buy a bottle of Thunderbird wine, so me and my friends could enjoy the pyrotechnics in the right state of mind.. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY AMERICA!!!

But do we know where their families live? They might not live in town, they might live hundreds of miles away. That’s not necessarily an issue… ;-)

Although 'The Killing of Georgie' was released in 1976, this song is still very relevant today. Rod Stewart's story starts with Georgie being rejected by his family for being gay, and ends with Georgie (who finally finds his place in the world,) being killed by a group of homophobic teens. Of course there have been other songs from that era and even earlier, like The Kinks 'Lola.' and Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side.' But for me, Georgie's story is more than camp and partying. I think it was an honest attempt to bring attention to the hatred that people in the LGBTQ community face. As a matter of fact, if anyone knows of a song/songs that deal with this serious topic, I would appreciate if you can send me a PM with the title and artist/artists. Actually the older, the better.

It seems to me that Nissan’s use of John Cougar Mellencamp’s R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. is kind of ironic for a Franco-Japanese company… And I wonder if Walmart really intends for us to hear the Aerosmith lyrics ‘Dream On’ in their ad intending to promote the fact that Walmart actually does sell some products that are made in the US even though they are the single largest exporter from the PRC. To me, it sounds almost sarcastic…

4 hours behind you in Pacific Time! (GMT -8?) I’m still catching up after being mostly away for a week and a half watching movies at Frameline41… ;-) I like Michael!

Oh, Zubin Mehta, very nice

I have heard covers of this song, but no one does it up like Mr. Jimmy Cliff. It's such a soul stirring song.

A really nice performance too! Thanks for posting this. I'm one of those guys who still thinks of Bo Derick and the movie 10 when I hear this.... Played it on TV when I was a kid....okay, when I was a teenager

I love discovering obscure musical gems. Thank your for sharing this one. What a beautiful voice. And the song although very heart wrenching is at the same time very calming.

Mark is right. Money talks. It’s the real international language! They really should have gotten a few suits made in London while they were in the UK… ;-)

Speaking of sheep… I saw a movie at Frameline41 called God’s Own Country which was set on a Yorkshire sheep farm. I enjoyed it very much. Keep an eye out for it in about six months to a year when it’s completed the festival circuit.

The big BART parking structure in Richmond has vacant retail space on the ground level facing the main street. They’d been placing children’s artwork inside the windows to prevent the space from looking empty. For June they placed some large Richmond Rainbow Pride posters in the windows, very visible from the bus as it enters the BART station transit area. I decided to take a few pictures of the posters on Friday before they could take them down. I was saddened, but not surprised to find homophobic graffiti on the windows over the signs describing the meaning of the posters. Clearly, the graffiti is not my personal opinion. I’m not sure why the images look like they haven’t been completely drawn since I got them off my phone. I’ll leave the images up for a few days and then take them down to save space. I am not posting these to make any sort of statement.

I am a big fan of documentaries. And having just attended Frameline41 (San Francisco’s Gay film festival), I can recommend The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson and The Lavender Scare as new documentaries about our history. Against the Law tells the story of the (non-drag) situation in the UK in the ‘50s. But I wouldn’t expect to find them available outside the film festival circuit for a while – eventually, you’ll find them possibly theatrically, and certainly from the usual sources (DVD or streaming from Amazon Prime, Netflix, iTunes, or YouTube). Check your local public library, you never know what they’ll have hidden on the shelves. However there are others that are already out there to view at home. Just check your favorite sources. I know that KQED (PBS in San Francisco) broadcast a doc about the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot. The narrative Stonewall was criticized for whitewashing the story to gain a more mainstream audience, but tells the basic story. There are also documentaries called Before Stonewall and After Stonewall. When We Rise was ABC TV’s 8-hour miniseries attempting to cover the Gay Rights movement from the ‘70s to the present – it doesn’t go into a lot of the details, it’s an overview for those who might not have heard the story before.

Not mad at all. I just noticed the misspelling was consistent in more than one chapter. And pointing out to those (not you) who denigrate drag queens and effeminate men without realizing just how much we all owe them. You’ll never see me in drag, no matter how many others have told me how good I’d look, it’s just not me. But I do enjoy sharing in their challenges of gender norms and conventions. I’m sorry I made you think that I was criticizing you. I didn’t realize my wording could be seen in that light. I’m more annoyed with NYC-centric people who think everything started in the Northeast.

Obviously you’re not a Chevy guy – GM’s tardy answer to the Mustang is Camaro. I’ve never been a Chevy guy, but I was subscribing to as many as seven different car magazines at the same time – including Car Styling, a Japanese magazine in book form most often subscribed to by automobile design studios and schools. I abandoned nearly two decades of Car Styling magazine (that I paid $15-20 per issue or $200+ per year) when I was evicted and became homeless. I had thrown away most of the other car magazines previously – I started reading them in the early ‘70s. My interest was always the styling and never really the engineering and mechanical aspects. I do remember a literal locker room discussion of the then-new Mercedes 5-cylinder engine. One guy was arguing that one of the cylinders was larger than the others. They were shocked that the wimpy nerd knew that all the cylinders had to be the same size because it was already rough-running due to the number of pistons and MB had to do some special engineering tricks to smooth it out as much as possible. Computers were just starting to allow exotic engine designs to become practical. We all owe our LGBTQ civl rights to Drag Queens and People of Color. In 1959, they rioted in Los Angeles’s Cooper Do-nuts! And in 1966, they rioted at San Francisco’s Compton's Cafeteria. They were the ones who rioted at Stonewall in 1969. But it didn’t start with Stonewall. (There’s more to history than what they taught you in school.)

It is wonderful and so true. Thank you for writing this. Thank you for sitting there, holding and caring. Thank you for being you. Love Sis

And one for myself This is the central ensemble from Paisiello's I Pittagorici, 1799. It's a really convincing performance - makes one remember why Paisiello was considered the world's greatest stage composer for most of Mozart's lifetime.

One for you, Sister Lyssa This is a very interesting performance.... Mozart's Fantasy in c minor

Of course they look alike. I never really thought about it, but if they are Eric and Daniel, they would look like each other too. Same with the guys in your other stories! ;-) Besides many in the rest of the US think that everybody in the South is inbred anyway! You don’t look like those Senators and Congressmen do unless a few siblings and cousins got married a few times. And why else are they so obsessed with legislating sex? ;-) I’ve never gotten a sexual reaction from being around new computer equipment, but maybe if I had access to Buddy and his accessories… ;-)

If that happens, I think it will be more from not being used to popularity and knowing how to deal with it. Theodore is very used to popularity and knows how to use it to his advantage. Their roles might reverse, but Teddy has at least had some experience disappointing the crowd at some point. ;-) Please don’t have Ryder cover that Canadian juvenile delinquent’s ‘music.’ I signed a petition to the Obama White House asking to have him deported from the US! They claimed his crimes did not rise to deportable levels.

We all know that Declan did the right thing. Even Bailey knows (somewhere deep down inside. But Bailey will still feel betrayed. How long that feelings lasts and whether he’ll allow Declan to fill the protector role that his father used to occupy is the real issue. In an ideal world for Mr Reed (and Declan, maybe), Chris and Eric will be expelled from school and Bailey will join the football team. But I can’t see that happening. Bailey has too many bad memories of football.

Now that's what I'm talking about! LOL I must plead ignorance because I've never heard of this beauty. I'll admit, I had to Google her. Going over her influences I can hear in her soulful voice, an echo of old school soul. She is more than pretentious music video glamour, and empty lyrics designed to make a quick buck. Thank you for introducing me to a true artist. I will be spending time checking out more of her songs.

VHS. I’m sure it has nothing to do with VCRs. Maybe Very Hot Stud because Seb is channelling what Beau is thinking… ;-)