Delirium

The hubby and I went to see the Cirque Du Soleil show Delirium last night.

Tonight is the last night for the show and tickets are still available.

I HIGHLY recommend seeing this show! It was the first Cirque Du Soleil show I have ever seen and despite the guy behind me jabbing his knees into my back and the rock hard stadium seats at the Spokane Arena I still was captivated by the show!

The multiculturalism of the show is amazing! Fraught with eroticism and buff and tone men and women, there is something for everyone one. I loved the music and have to admit it is the first time we have ever bought a music CD after a concert (that includes the Cher concert we went to years ago in Seattle!)The show uses enormous projection screens and the acrobatics, music and antics of the cast are almost overwhelming.

There is one musical number that has two same sex and one opposite sex dance partners that was just incredible to see on stage in Spokane. I clapped until I thought my hands would bleed!

Go see this show! Your last chance to see it in Spokane is tonight, tickets are still available so if you have plans for the evening - cancel them and go witness Delirium!

You will thank me tomorrow...

RIP Jerry Falwell

Falwell dies at age 73

Choice Quotes from Falwell:

"god hates homosexuality" - Jerry Falwell

"[Vice President Gore] recently praised the lesbian actress who plays 'Ellen' on ABC Television...I believe he may even put children, young people, and adults in danger by his public endorsement of deviant homosexual behavior...Our elected leaders are attempting to glorify and legitimize perversion." People for the American Way, "Hostile Climate", 1998.

"Someone must not be afriad to say, 'moral perversion is wrong.' If we do not act now, homosexuals will 'own' America!...If you and I do not speak up now, this homosexual steamroller will leterally crush all decent men, women, and children who get in its way...and our nation will pay a terrible price!" - People for the American Way, "Hostile Climate," 1997.

Rev. Jerry Falwell, in an appearance on Pat Robertson's The 700 Club, accuses gays, lesbians, feminists, pro-choice advocates, civil liberties advocates and others of helping to cause the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.

"There are almost as many alcoholics as there are negroes."

"The idea of separation of Church and State was invented by the Devil to keep Christians From running their own country."

"If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being."

"He is purple - the gay-pride colour; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle - the gay-pride symbol." Falwell on Tinky Winky

"I know a few of you here today don't like Jews. And I know why. He can make more money accidentally than you can on purpose."

"The Jews are returning to their land of unbelief. They are spiritually blind and desperately in need of their Messiah and Savior."

"I think Mohammed was a terrorist. I read enough of the history of his life. He was a violent man, a man of war. Jesus set the example for love, as did Moses. And I think Mohammed set an opposite example."

"As a Christian I feel that role modelling the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children."

God speed Jerry!

Oregon civil rights under fire!

You would think the ass-clown wingnuts would have something better to do in Oregon oh... say, fight homelessness or poverty, Oh I know, maybe make sure all of the kids in OR have health insurance. Not so much. They are more interested in attacking gays and lesbians...

Coalition forms to stop gay-rights laws

A coalition of social conservative and church groups are ready to launch a campaign to ask Oregon voters to overturn two gay rights measures recently enacted by the Legislature.

"It's going to be a lot of citizens who are highly motivated to make this happen," said former state Sen. Marylin Shannon, a Republican from Brooks who's been involved in forming the coalition that will spearhead the effort.

They are aiming to block implementation of two bills that were signed into law last week by Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski, forcing them instead to the statewide ballot in November 2008.

One is a domestic partnership law that will enable same-sex pairs to enter contractual relationships that carry many of the benefits of married couples under state law. The other law will ban discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people in employment, housing and access to public accommodations.

Shannon said she and other social conservatives believe the measures, especially the domestic partnerships bill, go against the wishes of Oregon voters who approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage in 2004.

"We are offended that the Legislature voted to overturn the will of the people," Shannon said.

assholes

Boo hooo

Bush Becomes Pariah To Many Republican Lawmakers

Republicans in Congress are increasingly worried that their stalwart support of President Bush's Iraq war policy may cost them dearly in next year's elections. Should their solidarity crack, it could boost Democrats' efforts to start troop withdrawals.

President Threatens veto of Hate Crimes Law

White House Issues Veto Threat Against Gay Hate Bill

Just hours before the House votes on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act the White House issued a statement saying that if the bill passes the House and Senate and goes to the President, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto it.

A statement from the Executive Office of the President said: "The Administration favors strong criminal penalties for violent crime, including crime based on personal characteristics, such as race, color, religion, or national origin.

"However, the Administration believes that H.R. 1592 is unnecessary and constitutionally questionable."

After 6 years of not vetoing anything - except stem cell research, this administration is now suddenly veto happy? The president it a bastard.

So many BAAAAAD puns so little time!

Too funny -

Ewe've been conned ladies

THOUSANDS of rich women were conned by a firm into believing LAMBS were valuable miniature POODLES.

Entire flocks were imported to Japan from the UK and Australia then sold by the internet company as the latest “must have” pet.

The bizarre scam was rumbled when Japanese movie star Maiko Kawakami complained on a talk show that her new poodle refused to bark or eat dog food.

She showed photos of the animal and was devastated when told that it was a lamb.

One couple found out the truth only after a dog beautician told them that she could not trim their poodle’s claws — because they were HOOVES.

This would be really funny if it were actually true! Unfortunately this is another urban legend propagated via email. I can't begin to tell you how many people send me email on a daily basis that are fake news stories. If you receive an email that is bizarre or too good to be true it most likely is.

The best place to verify is at the SNOPES web site. One of the most reliable urban myth busters that I have come across.

Case in point - the sheep story.

Check out the accuracy of that email before you hit the send button and you wont end up spamming your friends.

SOAP - somewhere around the U bend of the toilet

Seattle Out And Proud was a group of people who organized the 2006 Seattle Pride rally and moved the parade from the traditional Capital Hill route ending at Volunteer Park to downtown Seattle ending at the Seattle Center.

There was much back biting, boycotting and controversy over the move last year and now, with a short six weeks before the event, SOAP calls it quits.

Seattle Pride Files For Bankruptcy

For 32 years the festival was held on Capitol Hill, the center of Seattle's gay community. But with crowds exceeding 200,000 the decision was made last year to move to Seattle Center.

That raised the cost and Out and Proud still owes the city more than $102,000 for last year.

So now SOAP has scrapped the idea of a end-of-parade festival (and no wonder with booth fees in excess of $1500) and just have a parade, once again downtown. Registration fees for participating in the parade have tripled since last year.

It looks like the Seattle LGBT Community Center will again host "QueerFest" at Volunteer park on June 23rd. But details are sketchy on if they will also host a parade on Broadway.

The back and forth decision making by SOAP, I will even go so far as to say "flip flopping" has caused quite a stir and much confusion in the LGBT community in Seattle. First the parade and festival is going to happen, next they are declaring bankruptcy and so there won't be a parade, then, as of this AM at least, its back to having a parade but no festival.

Organizers vow to keep gay-pride parade going

The all-volunteer organizing group of the Seattle Pride celebration Tuesday night decided to go ahead with plans to stage the parade along Fourth Avenue downtown, but scrap the festival that traditionally has followed.

The vote by the board of Seattle Out and Proud came only hours after the group -- staggering under $102,000 in debt to the city of Seattle from last year's event -- announced it would cancel both the parade and festival planned for June 24, file for bankruptcy and dissolve.

Troy Campbell, a board member and spokesman for the group, said an outpouring of support from the community persuaded the board to change directions.

How many times are they going to change directions? Hard to say. I hope they pull it off this year and have a successful event (and actually plan well enough to pay all of their bills).

RIP Kitty Carlisle

Actress Kitty Carlisle Hart Dies at 96

NEW YORK - Kitty Carlisle Hart, whose long career spanned Broadway, opera, television and film, including the classic Marx Brothers movie "A Night at the Opera," has died at age 96, her son said Wednesday.

Christopher Hart said his mother had been in and out of the hospital since contracting pneumonia over the Christmas holidays.

SHHHHHHHH!!!

April 18th - National Day of Silence

The Day of Silence is an annual event held to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools. Students and teachers nationwide will observe the day in silence to echo the silence that LGBT and ally students face everyday. In it's 11th year, the Day of Silence is one of the largest student-led actions in the country.

What a day for the blogosphere

I was attempting to come up with something profound to address the tragedy at Virginia Tech and I am at a loss. There is not a word that goes beyond horrific.

Many are comparing this event with the daily deaths in Iraq which I think is asinine. Two separate issues which cannot be compared.

Take a moment of silence today and reflect on your life and loved ones. Then think how your life would be affected if one of your loved ones was brutally gunned down.

Spokane to Seattle in 45 minutes

If only we had forward thinking leaders that would fund this type of transportation technology.

This train in France broke the record - travels at 320 MPH. At that rate you could board in Spokane and get off in Seattle faster than you could fly.

Oh - and did I mention it runs on electricity?

The fall of a sick society

What kind of a society have we become that a 12 year old can die of a toothache? What have we done as a community that a child can be abused and tortured to death?

For Want of a Dentist (from the Washington Post on 2/28)

Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday.

A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him.

If his mother had been insured.

If his family had not lost its Medicaid.

If Medicaid dentists weren't so hard to find.

If his mother hadn't been focused on getting a dentist for his brother, who had six rotted teeth.

By the time Deamonte's own aching tooth got any attention, the bacteria from the abscess had spread to his brain, doctors said. After two operations and more than six weeks of hospital care, the Prince George's County boy died.

This is a fairly old story but I want to bring it back to the forefront. It seems that we, as a society, jump all over this type of issue and then it quickly fades to distant memory never to be discussed or mentioned again. The increase in our societal apathy is appalling.

Which brings me to the case of our recent local avoidable child death. Summer Phelps was tortured and killed by her parents. The outrage was quick and severe. People were becoming so abusive in the blog posts on the step mothers blog that relatives had to pull the site from MySpace.

Blogs foster the return of public pillory


The above blog from the Spokesman Review covers an interesting aspect of this abuse case.

How far we have fallen if a child can die of a toothache on one side of the country and a child can die of extreme abuse and torture on the other side. The quick, justifiably brutal online attacks are a quick release of the anger people felt over this tragedy.

But what does it accomplish? Not much. The outrage of the community is expressed in the time it takes to type a 100 word letter to the editor or jot a note on a blog.

How quickly will that outrage drift from our memory? - Just as quickly as we can hit the send button.

What is accomplished by the collective outrage? - nothing.

Will any of those who posted to the website or wrote letters to the editor do something more after they hit the send button? - not likely, that would require additional thought, action and time.

All that being said, you should not worry, have another cheeseburger, take another anti-depressant. As soon as you finish, everything will be right as rain.

I promise.

Welcome to the ranks Suze!

Photo credit

From 365gay.com

Finance Guru Orman Comes Out, Bemoans Gay Marriage Ban

Financial guru and best-selling author Suze Orman says she wishes she could marry her partner Kathy Travis, partly because it would save them both a lot of money.

I love it when celebrities come out! This is great, how many social conservatives has Suze given advice to? I wonder if they will give up the thousands of dollars they have made or the financial stability obtained from following her advice?

The Oscar Boys

Only 9 days until the Oscar Gala - Do you have your tickets yet????

I am moving the boys back to the top! Right where they belong...



Don't miss the SAN Oscar Gala fundraiser on Sunday February 25th! This year we have the hottest, hunkiest Oscar Boys EVER!

If you get the latest edition of "Exercise for Men Only" you will find John, one of this years Oscar Boys, on a six page spread! (Photo on the left)

OR If you know where to look, you can find Lukas, our second hot model Oscar Boy, (pictured on the right).

Either way, you can find them in the magazine or you can see them in person at the Spokane AIDS Network Oscar Gala! Come out and support the cause! Help fight HIV and AIDS in our region!

Tickets are going fast - last year the Gala was completely sold out!

Call now! 509-455-8993

RIP Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith dead

Reality TV star and former model Anna Nicole Smith is dead, a law enforcement source told CNN.

Smith, 39, collapsed at a south Florida hotel and was taken to a local hospital, according to news reports.

TMZ.com had reported that Smith collapsed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood just after 2 p.m. ET.

According to reports, Smith was found unresponsive in her hotel room.

A life filled with tragedy ends tragically. Anna Nicole finally is at peace.