Just watched the movie "Ides of March". Not a great movie but Ryan Gosling is a sight to behold. He's got young Brandon-like qualities: emotionality and masculinity with a dark boyish streak.
1/31/12
American Gosling beauty
Just watched the movie "Ides of March". Not a great movie but Ryan Gosling is a sight to behold. He's got young Brandon-like qualities: emotionality and masculinity with a dark boyish streak.
To "kill the Buddha" is to be the Buddha
The Zen expression "Kill the Buddha" means to kill any concept of the Buddha as something apart from yourself. To kill the Buddha is to be the Buddha.
--Peter Matthiessen
via Zen Calendar
Sullivan: "Why Clinton was a complete shit (but a good president)"
I agree. His ethics, lies, and addictions are legendary. But his policies were good and worked.
1/30/12
Chris Christie's comments about holding a referendum on marriage equality land him in political hot water
From Think Progress:
– NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL: To turn what is a matter of civil rights over to voters would be an abdication of lawmakers’ duty. It would also be a sharp break with New Jersey tradition. The last time the state held a referendum on civil rights was 1915, when a majority voted “no” on granting women the right to vote.
– STAR-LEDGER EDITORIAL: Take race relations. If Southern states could have held a referendum on free speech rights for Martin Luther King Jr., can anyone doubt how it would have turned out? How long would it have taken for voters in Mississippi to integrate its public schools? Gallup has traced attitudes toward interracial marriage for decades. Note that when the Supreme Court struck down Virginia’s ban in 1967, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans supported the court’s position. If Christie’s philosophy had carried the day, the ban would have remained in place until the late 1990s. The point is that minority rights should not be subjected to majority vote. That misses the gist of constitutional rights.
– MYCENTRALJERSEY.COM EDITORIAL: There is, however, a reason we elect representatives, to conduct the business that cannot be done by the masses at every turn. And sometimes, that means transcending public opinion to do what’s right, to overcome prejudice and ignorance that can die hard.
– BERGEN RECORD COLUMNIST ALFRED DOBLIN: Civil rights should not be determined by popular vote. Our nation has failed at that task almost every time. The public is swayed by emotion. Today it is manipulated by slick, expensive advertising campaigns. California’s Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage was all about politics and money. I marvel how the governor kept a straight – pun intended – face when he said putting marriage equality on the ballot in a presidential election year would make the issue non-political.
– PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER COLUMNIST KEVIN RIORDAN: In calling for an American Idol-style yea-nay about the private lives of thousands of New Jerseyans, Christie seems to have forgotten something. “We are debating about the lives of real people,” the bill cosponsor, Sen. Loretta Weinberg, told the hearing. Marriage equality, the Bergen County Democrat added, is about “people we all know, love and respect.”
The new prince of tennis, Novak Djokovic, is pushing aside Federer and Nadal. He's another sexy prince...
This video shows the final point and resulting celebration from Sunday's epic final at the Australian Open, which lasted almost 6 hours.
Worrying quote of the day
"The right-wing coalition government of Israel is trying to secure support, with the help of an American party in an election year, for an act of war that it could not hope to accomplish unassisted; while an American opposition party complies with the demand of support by a foreign power, in an election year, to gain financial backing and popular leverage that it could not acquire unassisted,"
--David Bromwich
Via Andrew Sullivan
1/29/12
Young male beauty for a Sunday
I don't date or have sex with "twinks" but this beautiful young man reminds me of myself at that age: a runner who is all legs.
Zen lesson: Forgive, but not necessarily forget
To forgive does not necessarily mean to forget. Sometimes to forget is not wise, but to forgive is wise. And it is at times not easy. It can, in fact, be quite challenging. It will come as no surprise that one of the most difficult people to forgive can be yourself. Yet with patience and gentle determination, it can be done.
--Allan Lokos
Via Daily Dharma at Tricycle.com
"Low IQ & socially conservative beliefs linked to prejudice," according to a new scientific study
From LiveScience.com:
There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.
The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice, Hodson wrote in an email to LiveScience.
1/28/12
While Obama has not "evolved" yet on marriage equality, his administration just announced a number of key housing protections for the LGBT
Yesterday, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan made the big announcement in front of LGBT activists at a conference in Baltimore.
Most importantly for me is that Obama gets re-elected, continues his progressive policies for the LGBT, and announces his support for marriage equality in a second term.
"Bluebird" by Charles Bukowski
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?
via The Daily Dish
Check out these sexy mugs by acclaimed SF artist and ceramist Dewey Arsee
I might be sicker today, but I can still browse and shop. I saw Dewey's mugs at a friend's home and love their celebratory male nature, heft, and generous size. (Smiling) See a lot more at his gallery site.
Recently, I got an email from this brave gay couple who is advocating for marriage equality in the South. Meet Monroe Moore and Lupe Perez of the Campaign for Southern Equality
Watch Monroe and Lupe (with their 3 kids) demand to be married:
Introducing their organization: The Campaign for Southern Equality:
People like these are walking Buddhas, standing up for love and fairness and doing it in a non-violent way. Please help support them.
Introducing their organization: The Campaign for Southern Equality:
People like these are walking Buddhas, standing up for love and fairness and doing it in a non-violent way. Please help support them.
I won't be blogging much this weekend...I am sick as a dog
Gay tongues are wagging about Tel Aviv...
Just the other day, a good friend invited me to visit there with him. I appreciated the kind offer, but this year I am going to Poland.
1/27/12
A new study on the link between narcissism and stress
From the study:
The researchers found that men with high levels of unhealthy narcissism also had higher cortisol levels. Unhealthily narcissistic ladies had higher levels too, but the effect was much smaller. Higher levels of cortisol mean narcissistic dudes have a more active stress response, which could lead to cardiovascular problems — the study authors note that "future work might examine [whether] high narcissism in earlier life predicts poor health outcomes in later life." Though hanging out with a narcissistic person is certainly stressful, it's not obvious why narcissists themselves would be freaked out. Reinhard et al, however, note that previous research has shown that "narcissists are susceptible to a host of unrealistic self-views that are difficult and stressful to continuously maintain." Translation: convincing yourself that you're the most important person in the world is actually a lot of work.
"...at least he fails while daring greatly..."
49er Kyle Williams after fumbling in overtime on Sunday.
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
--Teddy Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic,
"Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
Via SFGate.com
1/26/12
Openly gay Anglican Bishop Gene Robinson preaches AND practices love. He is an American hero
Gene's Sermon on Gay Pride Day ALL (5m20s) from Auburn Seminary on Vimeo.
Watch this clip when he is confronted by a heckler:
Gene's Sermon : Heckler (2m35s) from Auburn Seminary on Vimeo.
Religious demagoguery on parade...Santorum, Romney, and Gingrich are reminding everyone of GOP views about gays
"It's pretty simple: marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and it's a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism. The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors, but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization,"
--Newt Gingrich, today in Florida
Cory Booker calls out NJ Governor Chris Christie for promising to put marriage equality to a popular vote
Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, was interviewed yesterday:
“I shudder to think what would have happened if the civil rights gains, heroically established by courageous lawmakers in the 1960s, were instead conveniently left up to popular votes in our 50 states,” Booker said in a statement. “Equal protection under the law – for race, religion, gender or sexual orientation – should not be subject to the most popular sentiments of the day. Marriage equality is not a choice. It is a legal right. I hope our leaders in Trenton will affirm and defend it.”
Zac, a 15-year-old adopted boy writes his dads a letter of love and appreciation. Beautiful
Read this letter from this uplifting article on the Huffingtonpost:
To my Family,
This is the first Christmas letter that I have ever written. I feel like since I am getting older, I should start writing a letter to the family or just talk about how I thought the family's year has gone until Christmas.
Ever since I ended up in this family people have told me that I was lucky. I have always known that I am lucky, especially when I have two dads that love me so much as Dad and Dadio. My family is very special to me. Even when we fight and even when we argue, I know they will always love me. Yes I am a lucky boy to have ended up here after spending so many years in foster care and not knowing if I would ever have a family.
I didn't grow with a dad. My birthmom had many boyfriends and she did a lot of drugs and partying. My sisters and me were taken from her on my eighth birthday. It was not fun to have police in my room on that day. It made me sad and this sadness I carried for many years and it got me in a lot of trouble. Then I landed in a great foster home after having lived in 12 different homes in three years. It was when I lived there that both my foster mom and social worker told me there was a family that wanted me. There was a catch: it was two dads!
Honestly, it didn't matter to me. I told them, "well, I never had a dad, now I get to have two!"
The start was tough and rough, and I put them through hell and back. I did awful and nasty things to them both. I stole their credit card and spent thousands of dollars online. When we went on my first vacation out of the country, I stole stuff from a souvenir stand - they found out and made me go back to the shop to return the souvenirs and made me pay the lady who owned the shop for the stolen property which then I had to give to a local kid. I didn't get it and thought they were being mean.
When I stole their American Express and maxed it buying stuff online I was only 12 years old. They were very upset, but Dad made sure I got the message of how serious this was. He took me to our local police station and reported me to the police captain for having stolen again. I was taken to an interrogation room and talked to by three police officers. All the time there I only wanted my Dad to come in and bring me home. I wanted to turn time back to before my stealing so I would not be there and I would not have hurt my parents so much. I learned my lesson and NEVER stole again!
But Dad and Dadio brought not just me into this family. They also added my brother Derrick. What I can say about Derrick is that he is really cool, he is funny, he is an awesome gay guy, he is a one of a kind guy, he is my bro. Next they added Nick. Nick can get on my nerves sometimes, but in the end he is pretty cool. He is a fast leaner when it comes to math and multiplying numbers. And with that said, I will go to the roots of the family.
Dad and Dadio. They are my parents and they are always here when I need them.
When it is dark they are the light,
When I feel frightened and chill's,
They are the warmth I feel.
When I am hungry they cook my meals.
I did not put a lot of time into the poem, but in the poem you see my parents. The people that show me the light. The people that warm my heart when it gets dark. The people that cook my meals. If I could only ask for anything for Christmas I would only ask for my family.
By Zac
Like in the movies "Lost in Translation" & "Up in the Air", this video depicts the isolation and alienation of extended business travel. I so understand
In the 1990's, I was away from home about 70% of the time...for years.
1/25/12
Male beauty...futbol style
Two North American soccer professionals, Justin Braun (above) and Mike Chabala (below), say no to H8!
Justin Braun's eye are just beautiful, too!
Starbucks does the right thing: fully endorses marriage equality in Washington state. Thank you
From Starbucks:
To: U.S. partners
Date: January 24, 2012
Re: A Message from Kalen Holmes: Starbucks Supports Marriage Equality
Dear partners,
Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Starbucks strives to create a company culture that puts our partners first, and our company has a lengthy history of leading and supporting policies that promote equality and inclusion.
This important legislation is aligned with Starbucks business practices and upholds our belief in the equal treatment of partners. It is core to who we are and what we value as a company. We are proud of our Pride Alliance Partner Network group, which is one of the largest Employer Resource Groups for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) employees in the U.S., helping to raise awareness about issues in the communities where we live and work.
For the last 20 years, our benefits program has offered domestic partner benefits in the U.S. These benefits include medical, dental, vision, prescription drugs and alternative health care coverage. All partners (part-time and full-time) in all work locations, whether in a store, a roasting plant or a corporate office, adhere to the same eligibility requirements for health coverage and have access to the same comprehensive health plans.
We are deeply dedicated to embracing diversity and treating one another with respect and dignity, and remain committed to providing an inclusive, supportive and safe work environment for all of our partners.
We look forward to seeing this legislation enacted into law.
Regards,
Kalen Holmes
Executive vice president, Partner Resources
Rhetoric vs. reality: Despite the Fox News narrative and Tea Party protests America is a low tax developed country
I am not saying our tax system can't be improved or simplified, but enough of these tea party distortions of reality. This chart also reminds me of what Dad says: you get what you pay for.
Money quote of the day...on the Romneys & this GOP race
Romney seems at first and second glance to belong to a more sober tradition, if only because he brings with him a penumbra of pragmatism and a moderate record as a one-term governor. But little that he says today deviates from the Party’s prevailing hard-line tenets: no new taxes, a blanket repeal of “Obamacare,” the appointment of Supreme Court Justices committed to repealing Roe v. Wade, a pledge to cut billions of dollars in unspecified spending for entitlements, little sympathy for gays.
In 1967, General Eisenhower said (of Mitt Romney's dad, George), “He has been on so many sides of so many questions that one begins to wonder just where he does stand. He sounds like a man in a panic. And a man who panics is not the best candidate for President.”
Republicans have left a little room for diverse views, such as the neo-isolationism and currency fixations of Ron Paul. But that’s about it for the “big tent” that the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater once celebrated; today, the only tent that comes to mind is one that houses a circus.
--Jeffrey Frank, The New Yorker
1/24/12
Celebrating "the love that dares not speak its name"
As you might have noticed, I have been adding photos of men loving each other because I grew up with the complete absence of these positive, affirming images. We need to loudly celebrate the love that, in the past, "dares not speak its name."
Photo: via Tumblr
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