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Friday, July 30, 2004
One Committed Local Representative On the radio this morning,I heard for the first time that Michael Koplinka-Loehr, who represents the Town of Ithaca on the County Board, plans to swim the length of Cayuga Lake (42 miles non-stop) in order to draw attention to quality of life issues in the county, and raise money for the Tompkins County Quality of Life Fund. In his own words, the feat is '... an attempt to inspire each county resident to consider what action he or she might take to steadily preserve and improve our local quality of life.' Good luck, Michael. [The Ithaca Journal: Improving life here, stroke by stroke] | private feedback | (0) public comments Hope did arrive Sooner than expected, the 'hope' that John Edwards promised in his speech arrived... in the form of John Kerry's acceptance speech last night. I don't think anyone could have watched John Kerry's speech and still have questions about whether this man is the right man to be president. As I watched him, I just kept thinking... you know, he really was the best candidate to get this nomination at this time. He has the resume and he has the credentials. He is exactly what the Democratic party needed. The Democrats were able to pour the military, defense, and security talk on thick... effectively blunting the issue that the republicans thought they had the advantage on. The debate is now on our terms. And the Dems stayed so positive, they've left the republicans no choice but to be positive... If the republicans revert to their fear-mongering and attacking, the distinction between the conventions will be harsh and will not cut in the republicans' favor.  I am more optimistic today that Dubbya will follow in his father's footsteps... | private feedback | (0) public comments Thursday, July 29, 2004 I'm such a lesbian I just read that it's poor form, and just plain overdone to post the results to these silly internet quizzes that tabulate, oh so scientifically, what sexual position you are... what Golden Girls character you are... well, you get the gyst. But, true to form my friends would say, when taking the 'What famous homosexual are you?' quiz, I turned out to be...  Thanks to A Reality Check for leading me to temptation. | private feedback | (0) public comments Quote of the Day "You can call me Mama T anytime." Teresa Heinz Kerry, speaking Wednesday before the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transsexual Caucus. She wowed the crowd with her declaration that there would be "a mom in the White House who loves you." [CNN.com: Gay support for Kerry on display at convention] | private feedback | (0) public comments 'Hope is on the way'  As much of a political junkie as I am... I haven't sat in front of a television for even one minute of the Democratic National Convention. I've been following the speeches in written form and through blogs. The only ones I've actually seen were streaming video from cspan.org. So far, I've streamed Carol Moseley Braun... and Elizabeth & John Edwards.
And I gotta tell ya, I was moved and impressed by John Edwards. It is not hard to see why he did so well in the primaries, despite his experience. Unfortunately, he may have set the bar a little high for John Kerry's acceptance speech tonight. My favorite part of the speech... Mr. Edwards got some of his loudest applause when he declared that it was appropriate to talk about the problems of race, equality and civil rights "everywhere, everywhere, everywhere." Echoing the theme of unity that Barack Obama, the Senate nominee from Illinois, struck the night before in his keynote address, Mr. Edwards declared, "This is not an African-American issue, this is not a Latino issue, this is not an Asian-American issue, this is an American issue." The audience responded with its own chant, "Everywhere! Everywhere! Everywhere!" [CNN.com: Edwards: 'Hope is on the way'] | private feedback | (0) public comments Wednesday, July 28, 2004 Indoor/Outdoor "How excited are you about seeing this play tonight?" That was Cheri, sounding like she hoped I'd say, "Eh, I could take it or leave it." We had tickets to see Indoor Outdoor at the Hangar Theatre... the second to last play of the summer season. And really, who could blame her for not being super optimistic. After all, it's a play about a cat! An indoor cat, to be precise, who falls in love with an outdoor cat and needs to decide between her owner or freedom and her new love. Tough life choices to be sure, but still... they're cats! If I hadn't read a decent review in the Ithaca Journal, I probably would have said, "Eh." But instead, I said, "I'm kinda excited about it, actually." And I'm glad we ended up going. (And I think Cheri was too.) It was a complete surprise how good it was. It was hilarious, the lead (Samantha the cat) was fantastic... and besides being a little over the top at times, it was well written. The pop culture references were just perfectly sprinkled throughout... and at the end I was almost in tears. I say almost because it took everything I could muster to prevent them. I kept saying, "Shane, these are people acting like cats! Don't cry!" Samantha struggles to figure out who she really is... an indoor cat who needs stability and a home to call her own, or an outdoor cat who enjoys her freedom and for whom, "love is enough of a home." Some of the funniest moments in the play came when Samantha was frustrated with her owner who of course doesn't understand "cat" and so the two weren't communicating effectively... enough so that they needed a pet therapist. Her owner was in for a shock to find our what she really thought of him... Which leaves me with two questions... 1. Am I an indoor cat or an outdoor cat? and 2. What does my cat really think of me? | private feedback | (0) public comments The next big documentary The Hunting of the President... a movie about the concerted right-wing attempt to get rid of Clinton. | private feedback | (0) public comments Quote of the Day "Gay marriage. To be fair - I've been on the record about it - I personally believe in gay marriage." Vanessa Kerry, daughter of the Democratic presidential nominee, in a question and answer session with reporters to the Democratic National Convention. She was asked if there were any issues on which she was at odds with her father. [365Gay.com: Kerry Daughter Speaks Out For Gay Marriage] | private feedback | (0) public comments The Real Candidates to Watch Let's not forget, in all the excitement of the Democratic National Convention this week, that there are umpteen number of parties that would love to have your vote this fall. The best summary comes from one of my favorite web sites, Politics1.com. If you feel like neither the Dems, nor the republicans, and maybe not even the Greens represent your views fully... how about the Libertarians? Or maybe the Prohibition Party? How about my personal favorite, the Personal Choice Party which is running a boxing promoter for the top slot and an adult film starlet for its VP. Who says only the Dems can have sex appeal on their ticket? Here's what Politics1.com handicaps the Personal Choice Party ticket: Boxing and gambing are Jay's big passions in his professional life, and they clearly cross over into his political views. Jay explains, a candidate (like himself) who is pro-gambling should also naturally be pro-choice, pro-free speech, pro-privacy rights, pro-privatization, pro-personal responsibility, pro-business, pro-gun rights, and against legislating morality, high taxes, and wasteful spending. The PCP already has 2004 ballot status in Utah, so it ensures the Jay-Chambers ticket will at least appear on the ballot there. The Personal Choice Party was only launched in 2003, so Jay is their first Presidential nominee. Jay explains he selected Chambers -- a personal friend -- as his VP runningmate to "help close the publicity gap" that plagues third parties in the media. He also thought Chambers -- on behalf of the adult entertainment industry and its customers -- is a "symbol" of the first amendment fight currently waging in the US. [National Personal Choice Party Web Site] | private feedback | (0) public comments The Mormon Missionaries I ran into the Mormon missionaries again today. My first encounter was about three weeks ago while at the laundromat. I was a little hostile to them, told them I was gay and that I wasn't really interested in coming to their study group... Meanwhile, Rob and Lori (both Mormons, though different branches) invited me to join them for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. I'm an intellectually curious kind of guy and interested in things that interest my friends, so off we went. The Hill Cumorah Pageant is not only North America's largest outdoor pageant (literally, a cast of thousands), but it tells the story of the Book of Mormon in highly dramatic form. I learned tons about the Latter Day Saints that day between the car ride to Palmyra and the pageant... Did you know that the gold tablets that would become the Book of Mormon were found right here in upstate New York in 1823? Did you know that the church split into multiple sects of Mormonism when a feud erupted among the Latter Day Saints community about who the rightful 'prophet' was? Did you know that the Book of Mormon claims that some Native Americans descended from Isrealites that God sent to the new world who subsequently fell away from his teaching? Did you know there is incredible pressure on young Mormons to do their two-year mission and that your dating prospects as an eligible mate are closely tied with completing your mission? Fascinating stuff, this Mormonism. Anyway, so I saw the two missionaries today. This time I greeted them with a hearty, "Hi!" and the conversation went something like this (I say "them" but they obviously didn't speak in unison, that would be freaky): Me: Hi! Them: We've met before, haven't we? Me: Yes, we have. And since we met, I've gone to Hill Cumorah! Them (obviously excited): What did you think? Me: I liked it a lot. And they sold souvenirs! I almost bought a shirt that said, 'I Like Mormon Boys,' I thought that was fantastic. This comment was greeted with an awkward silence. Me: Wrong audience, I guess. Them: So, you want a Book of Mormon? You wanna come study with us? Me: Mmmmm, I think I'll pass. But have a good one! | private feedback | (0) public comments De-Friendstering  A friend (who shall remain nameless) is moving to New York City and can now begin his boyfriend hunting in earnest. Step #1 is updating his Friendster profile. During a recent visit to the city, he met a guy who claims to be a "Friendster expert" who volunteered to review his profile and give him advice on how to maximize responses.
There weren't that many pieces of advice, really... describe the 'someone you want to meet' as though anyone would see themselves fitting the description [so much for being selective], don't list any music preferences that might marginalize you [I guess he would tell me to remove Reba from my profile], delete testimonials that could even remotely hint at anything negative, and finally... delete friends who don't seem "cool enough." I think my friend opted not to delete any friends, that's "going a bit too far", but he did delete one testimonial (then left a glowing one on that person's page, "for karma's sake"). The conversation about the profile led us into a conversation about "de-friendstering" and the reasons why one might delete someone from their friend list. My friend said he had never "de-friendstered" anyone. The other guy who was hanging out with us said he "de-friendstered" one person to which my friend responded, "But he deserved it!" I didn't get the details, but apparently whatever happened was a clearcut case where "de-friendstering" was warranted. And of course the only time *I* had ever "de-friendstered" anyone was when my ex and I broke up... I wanted as few connections, electronic or otherwise, to him as possible. Ahhhh, Friendster. Good luck to my friend in his hunt to find a boyfriend in the city. | private feedback | (0) public comments Tuesday, July 27, 2004 For all you Big Brother fans out there... I don't watch this show... but I am pretty tempted after watching this video montage of Scott and Jase. ;-) Enjoy! | private feedback | (0) public comments No new passport for you... The passport office says American couples legally married in Massachusetts have no rights to have passports in their married names. [365Gay.com: Gay Marriage 'Meaningless'] | private feedback | (0) public comments Extreme Home Makeover: Baghdad "We've brought you a whole set of furniture! We're trying to compensate you for what you lost!" The host of Labor and Materials, Iraq's first reality television show. In 15-minute episodes, over six weeks, houses blasted by US bombs regenerate in a home-improvement show for a war-torn country. From the Christian Science Monitor: As the crew leaves, the family spills out on to the street for a joyous sendoff. Beside their door is a plaque: "On May 4, 2004, AL SHARQIYA TV rebuilt this house, which was destroyed by war." "Just wait," jokes Kadhim. "Tonight, there will be more fighting, and the house will be ruined again. And it will say 'This is the house that was rebuilt, and then rebuilt again, by Al Sharqiya television!'" Everybody laughs, but the joke is serious. The night before, US troops battled militants in their neighborhood, breaking one of Kadhim's brand-new windows. [Christian Science Monitor: Reality TV hits home in Baghdad] | private feedback | (0) public comments Monday, July 26, 2004 Call me partisan... ... but I do get a big grin on my face when I read about Teresa Heinz Kerry telling a conservative reporter to "shove it." For her part, Kerry says the paper misquoted her. But Hillary backs me up... her response?.. "[A] lot of Americans will say good for you -- you go girl. And certainly that's how I feel about it." [CNN.com: Kerry's wife to journalist: 'Shove it'] | private feedback | (0) public comments Bloggers storm the convention Follow the Democratic National Convention the cool way: conventionbloggers.com | private feedback | (0) public comments My Weekend My weekend started out well enough... went to the Common Ground for a few hours with Joshua Friday night. His boyfriend bagged out at the last minute, which is a real bummer cause I love hanging out with both of them. I had a good time, ran into some people that I know... some I hadn't seen in months. A lot of new faces out, a lot of new guys... "This must be the new fall line," I overheard someone say... Ahh, the joys of living in a college town. Saturday I was in a funk. I'm not sure what brought it on. I was supposed to go to a birthday party in the afternoon and then another party later at night. But Cheri called and wanted to go shopping out of town so I agreed to do that with her. I just wasn't in a party kind of mood and even though it would have been nice to see them all, I just couldn't handle seeing so many people all at once. I owe them all an apology email since I also didn't call to tell them I wasn't coming. Very poor form on my part. So Cheri and I went to eat at Olive Garden... I had the three meat ravioli. Then we walked Arnot Mall. On our way out of the mall I ended up getting the Shrek Sherbet from Baskin-Robbins which was a swirl of green apple and grape ice cream with pop rocks mixed in. (Would have been fantastic sans pop rocks.) Then, on to Sam's for a lengthy browsing... and where I HAD to get the HUGE, 32 ounce, Cola Icee. Back in Ithaca soon after, Jason and his friend invited me to join them for dinner... I wasn't super hungry but looked forward to the low-key company. A chicken souvlaki plate and a purity ice cream strawberry sundae was enough to put me out of commission and in bed by 10:30. I felt like such a pig! Sunday morning I talked to mom... she was telling me that my brother is having relationship trouble and that I needed to call him so he'd have someone to talk to. Ran into Jason and his friend again... got coffee at Gimme! Walked down to Jack's and helped him do yardwork for a little bit. (So much fun... I miss being someplace I can work outside and get my hands a little dirty.) After yardwork, Jack and I went to the LGBT Community Picnic at Treman park... definitely more 'G' than 'L'. The food was OK, and all they had for alcohol was beer... which I normally don't drink. I stuck to lemonade as much as I could... unless people were putting beers in my hand and then I sipped to be polite. But there were tons of people, more people I hadn't seen in a really long time... But even as I was trying to enjoy myself at the picnic, some people were just plain obnoxious. I will spare the details of the worst thing that happened. I hate drama... but I'll speak to some of the others for a moment. Please, please, please keep your penis in your pants... I saw more penises Sunday afternoon than I cared to. People showing them off in the bathroom... people with them out AT THE FRONT DOOR of the Common Ground. Have some decency, people. That's what they plant bushes for. And seriously... FYI, if you hit on me, I'll be flattered. But I'm not the kind of person that's going to stick my tongue down your throat or touch you inappropriately in the first five minutes. So if that's what you're looking for, I'll wish you good luck... and I'll point you in the direction of the guy that's trashed and barely wearing any clothes. *deep sigh* Sometimes, small city gay life drives me crazy... This is my dating pool. Anyway... I went back to Jack's and we listened to the new soundtrack to De-Lovely... great CD and I will probably get a copy of it myself. Following that, I was happy to take a long walk home, get some air, and really process my weekend. And now it's Monday... | private feedback | (0) public comments John Kerry responds... "Four more years of what?" ... to a group of Dubbya's supporters who greeted him noisily at his appearance in Columbus. | private feedback | (0) public comments Gay Marriage Quotes of the Day "I want to go to a registrar or a county clerk, just to see it. To me it's an extraordinary thing, to see human beings and their relationships being validated." Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco... discussing the one thing he wants to do while in Boston for the Democrats' nominating convention this week... witness legal gay marriage in Massachusetts firsthand. "Marriage -- I'm really -- I mean -- I say, `Gay people, knock yourselves out. If you want to get married, get married.' " Ben Affleck [SFGate.com: SF Mayor absent as convention speaker] [Boston.com: Celebrity News] | private feedback | (0) public comments Friday, July 23, 2004 Fun to play with... The 2004 Election Guide Interactive Graphic at NYTimes.com (registration required) | private feedback | (0) public comments Ithaca Journal Guest Columnist Gay marriage lets GOP duck issues | private feedback | (0) public comments Thursday, July 22, 2004 Raitt uses song to blast Bush Bonnie Raitt drew riotous applause from the crowd at the Stockholm Jazz Festival on Tuesday by dedicating her song "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" to Bush. Before the opening chords of the tune rang out, Raitt screamed, "We're gonna sing this for George Bush because he's out of here, people!" Her Bush-baiting was well received by the Swedes, who did not support the president's efforts in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. [SFGate.com: Daily Dish] | private feedback | (0) public comments The ridiculousness continues... Fresh from the defeat of the Federal Marriage Amendment, republicans in the House of Representatives are trying another tactic. Today, they passed a law that bars federal judges from hearing cases pertaining to same-sex marriage. (I.e., any case that might challenge the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act.) Now, the law moves to the Senate, where most are pretty sure it will suffer the same fate as the FMA. For being the party that is supposed to hold the constitution in such high esteem, republicans sure don't seem to have a problem passing willy nilly amendments and laws that are clearly, blatantly UNCONSTITUTIONAL. We have this amazing little system of checks and balances in our democracy that prevents different branches of the government from exerting absolute power... the federal courts, by design, were created to interpret the constitution and ensure through independent review that laws passed will fit within the intentions of the liberties promised in the constitution. Anyone who voted for this bill is making a mockery of one of the most fundamental strengths of our government. [Yahoo.com: House votes to curb same-sex marriage] [Final vote results for the Marriage Protection Act of 2004] | private feedback | (0) public comments So bad it was... OK My friends were right... Die Mommie Die! was good but not quite as good as you would expect it to be. The potential was definitely there... a lead played by a drag queen, Jason Priestly as a gigolo, the girl from But I'm a Cheerleader!, the woman who plays the mother on Six Feet Under (I'm terrible with names but remember faces) and a murder mystery involving a poisoned suppository...  The writing is witty and the costumes are masterful. Charles Busch was fantastic as the tragic diva... I could have easily watched another hour-and-a-half of this movie for the retro 60's style costumes and Mr. Busch alone. Rent this on DVD, because the "special features" are not to be missed. There's a downloadable pdf with more information about the costumes and, my personal favorite, a video with some of the better lines remixed to music from the movie.  America's Graphic Design Magazine  You do not have to be a graphic designer to appreciate this month's edition of Print magazine. You just need to have a healthy intellectual curiosity about SEX. (And really... who doesn't?) Combining my profession and another interest of mine... *big cute grin*... it's the "sex issue," on sale now!
An interesting write up about the mag from New York Observer: [F]or its July/August edition, Print magazine—a 42,000-circulation bimonthly aimed at the design profession—came out with its own "Sex Issue." The title, in bulbous and veiny pink letters, was concealed by a brown-paper belly band labeled "Graphic Content." Get it? "Graphic Content"? Alas, Ms. Kaye the Editor said, the readership didn’t necessarily appreciate the joke. Within a week of the magazine’s arrival in mailboxes, she said, her office had gotten dozens of phone calls and 60 letters—"extraordinary for a magazine our size." Usually, Ms. Kaye added, an issue of Print draws 8 to ten letters over a span of two or three months. Unlike most scandal-managing editors, Ms. Kaye would not claim the reader feedback had been mixed. It was, she said, overwhelmingly negative. "It’s been a bit disheartening," she said. | private feedback | (0) public comments Good news [AP: 'Fahrenheit 9/11' Making GOP Nervous] [CNN.com: Kucinich to endorse Kerry] | private feedback | (0) public comments Wednesday, July 21, 2004 Thanks, Charles [Harper's Magazine: Things Bush is NOT] | private feedback | (0) public comments Still outing people in Washington, D.C. Since my site traffic has shot through the roof, mostly because people are searching for information about the campaign by John Aravosis and Michael Rogers to out those who are helping to promote an anti-gay agenda, I feel compelled to update and provide commentary on the goings on. Michael Rogers was on the O'Reilly factor this week to discuss the outing campaign. (He's a brave soul for entering the 'no spin zone', you gotta give him that. And, as scary as this is, Bill O'Reilly and I agreed that perhaps the whole outing campaign is going a bit far. Even though agreeting with Bill O'Reilly should be reason enough to reconsider one's position, I'm not. I still think it's poor form to run around outing people who have made a choice to remain closeted but also aren't going around preaching hatred... Perhaps staffers of GOP legislators don't actually support gay marriage, they don't have to just because they're gay. "That is a personal decision," Lynden Armstrong, out staffer of republican Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico, says, "They're outing people who aren't in the place in their life where they're ready for that to happen. Besides, is outing a staff member going to really affect a senator's or a representative's vote?" Agreed. Which brings me to the new focus of the outing campaign, following the Federal Marriage Amendment's defeat in the Senate, Rogers said the campaign will be broadened to tack on a 'fidelity pledge' to expose lawmakers who promote 'family values' but have extramarital affairs and outing actual members of congress who have had less than stellar moral records despite their claims that the 'sanctity of marriage' needs protecting... and now! That's a strategy I can get behind. What's the difference? I've always believed an opinion is only that unless it makes you a hypocrite. And in your hypocrisy you feel the need to impose morality upon others that you haven't been able to follow yourself. For example... you preach that you want to protect the sanctity of marriage but you've had extramarital affairs? Revealing THAT hypocrisy is fair game. Heal thyself, and leave the constitution (and me) alone. [Chicago Tribune: O'Reilly scolds guest who outed gays...] [Data Lounge: Outing Campaign Continues After Marriage Equality Vote] [Boston.com: Some criticize campaign to 'out' gays who work in Congress] [Washington Blade: Gay Hill staffers should be outed by John Aravosis] | private feedback | (0) public comments Are you kidding me with this? i.e. Quote of the Day "I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign policy matters with war on my mind." Dubbya, quoted by the New York Times on February 8, 2004. "The enemy declared war on us, and you just got to know nobody wants to be the war President. I want to be the peace President." Dubbya, at an event in Iowa yesterday. | private feedback | (0) public comments Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Mourning the loss of a great internet tool... Does anyone remember the sloganator... on Dubbya's campaign web site? You could type in any slogan and it would make you a Bush/Cheney poster with that slogan on it. How long do you think it took before people started to take advantage of it and it got taken offline? A matter of hours... At least we have the montage of the best sloganator posters to keep us warm... | private feedback | (0) public comments Quote of the Day "I was a little bit worried about whether Arnold thought he was elected God or elected governor." California Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, venting the anger of Democrats following Governor Arnold calling them "girlie men." | private feedback | (0) public comments Where are your principles, now, Ralph Nader?  The man who claims to want no corporate special interest influence over Washington D.C. and wants to wrest power from the two major parties, doesn't seem to mind being used as a pawn by the republicans in their power-hungry quest to keep Dubbya in the White House by any means necessary.
Take for example, the fact that one out of every 10 donations of $1,000 or more to Ralph Nader's campaign is from a die-hard republican. Or how about the fact that he couldn't get himself on the ballot in Michigan, so he accepted the 43,000 signatures that republicans collected for him to make sure that he could siphon votes away from Kerry. republicans are also working to get him on the ballot in battleground states like Wisconsin, Oregon, Florida and Arizona. The republicans are being pretty blatant about it... “We are absolutely interested in having Ralph Nader on the ballot,” said Greg McNeilly, executive director of the Michigan Republican Party. “I’m circulating petitions (he says he’s personally collected about 1,000 signatures). It’s important for voters to have that choice.” But Nader just pretends to be oblivious... "We have no indication its Republicans that are trying to maneuver support for us," Nader said last month. Can he really be THIS stupid? [CNN.com: Nader accepting GOP signatures in Michigan] | private feedback | (0) public comments Monday, July 19, 2004 Another anti-bush celebrity casualty [SFGate.com: Vegas casino boots Linda Ronstadt after performance] | private feedback | (0) public comments Same script, different cast... err, country Reading the news today is like deja vu. Insert the name of the country you'd like to bomb in the brackets... [ ] is harboring members of al Qaeda, and the United States is investigating whether the government of [ ] had a role in the September 11, 2001, attacks. Then, Dubbya says, "I have long expressed my concerns about [ ]. After all, it is a totalitarian society where free people are not allowed to exercise their rights as human beings." On Monday, Bush accused [ ] of harboring suspected al Qaeda members and developing nuclear weapons. If the country's government is to improve ties with Washington, the president said, it must hand over any al Qaeda members to their home countries, abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program and end its support of groups which the United States considers to be a terrorist organization. This time, said country happens to be Iran. (Anything to distract us from any wrongdoing and manipulation of information in the White House.) Hey, why not? It worked last time... [CNN.com: Bush: U.S. probes possible Iran links to 9/11] | private feedback | (0) public comments Things you have to believe to be a republican today: Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing UN resolutions against Iraq. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness, and you need our prayers for your recovery. You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant. Friends don't let friends vote republican. | private feedback | (0) public comments Sunday, July 18, 2004 Quote of the Day "If they don't have the guts to come up here in front of you and say, 'I don't want to represent you, I want to represent those special interests, the unions, the trial lawyers... if they don't have the guts, I call them girlie men." republican Governor of California and poor actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a speech claiming that Democrats were delaying the budget by catering to special interests. [SFGate.com: Democrats say Schwarzenegger's 'girlie men' comment sexist and homophobic] | private feedback | (0) public comments Stories... Everytime I go out, someone feels the need to tell me just how awful my ex is... My stock response of late, "Yes, I'm aware. That's why he's my ex." The funny (not "ha ha" funny) thing is that it was common knowledge that my ex was a psychotic alcoholic scumbag. But the time to share this information with me, apparently, is after the relationship when I can really appreciate it as opposed to before or during when it might give me a heads-up as to what I'm getting myself into. Knowing what I know now, and looking back on all the stories... just about everything he told me had to be untrue. I honestly feel an entire year of my life was a sham. I don't even think he liked me so much as wanted someone because he can't stand to be alone. I clung so hard to an ideal in my head, which turned out to be only a highly-functional, but mentally unhealthy individual. Every single thing he told me has been called into question during the last four months by the stories I've heard since. If it was like one or two people, like when people first started telling me, I'd just dismiss it. But it's an overwhelming number of people. And it's not even like one story that everyone's telling me. There is some overlap, but everyone tells me something different and equally horiffic. And the worst part is that all of the stories, in hindsight, make sense. Every story I hear sheds some light on a part of our relationship or his life that just didn't add up for me. But just like all the red flags, I waved them away. I'm trying not to beat myself up over it, but I'm feeling a little bit like a fool. And its hard not to be angry. What made me so blind that I could put myself in such an unhealthy and ultimately dangerous situation? I have a lot of processing to do... ... and it seems that people are going to keep forcing me to confront the question if they don't stop telling me these stories. | private feedback | (0) public comments Saturday, July 17, 2004 "What'd I do?" You're gonna love this... Thanks, Adam! (Oh, and happy birthday, man!) | private feedback | (0) public comments Friday, July 16, 2004 Blasts from the past In my wandering around Ithaca this week I've been seeing a lot of gay guys that I haven't seen in years. (Three in the last hour while on lunch!) Earlier today I got an email which reminded me why they're all in town... Chris and Jeff have returned to Ithaca to get married this weekend. For the first time, I believe, a gay couple is having their wedding at Sage Chapel at Cornell. When I was an undergrad at Cornell, Chris and Jeff were the couple that everyone knew... sort of the social glue for the A-list gays... I'm thrilled to see they're still happy together after all these years. Congrats, boys! | private feedback | (0) public comments God I love Ben Affleck Despite his relationship with J.Lo, Ben has redeemed himself in my eyes. Check this out from New York Daily News: A big reason Ben Affleck turned down the role of Texas basketball coach Don Haskins is that he wants to do a full-court press for Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign. A pal of the actor tells us he nixed the starring role in Walt Disney's "Glory Road," about the first coach to win an NCAA championship with five African-American starters in 1966, because the studio wanted to start production next month, three months before the election. "His priority right now is John Kerry," an Affleck friend told us. "Ben's going to be very visible at the [Democratic] convention and afterward. He's been studying the issues and he's going to travel with Kerry." | private feedback | (0) public comments A little shameless self-promotion It's not everyday you get billed as "HOTTIE OF THE WEEK" by one of the best blogs around. | private feedback | (0) public comments Thursday, July 15, 2004 Quote of the Day “The president may be too busy to talk to you, but I have news for you: He's going to have plenty of time after Nov. 2." John Kerry, addressing the NAACP earlier today. [MSNBC.com: Where black voters count the most] | private feedback | (0) public comments Gephardt for President! Chrissy that is... not her dad. Showtime announced the ten candidates that will be competing in their new political reality series, American Candidate. Week-by-week, candidates will face-off against each other in a series of challenges designed to identify one individual who has the qualities to be President of the United States. And of the ten candidates, there is both a black gay man (Keith Boykin) and a lesbian (Chrissy Gephardt). | private feedback | (0) public comments Use the word 'bush' suggestively, get fired Whoopi Goldberg, comedian and rumored frequent visitor and/or resident of Ithaca (my friend swears she told her how to find ketchup in Wegmans), will no longer appear in ads for Slim-Fast following her lewd riff on President George W. Bush's name at a fund-raiser last week, the company has said. [Reuters: Slim-Fast sheds Whoopi Goldberg] [CBS: Slim-Fast Trims Whoopi From Ads] | private feedback | (0) public comments Wednesday, July 14, 2004 The wedge issue that divided the republicans Efforts to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage foundered Wednesday afternoon when the proposal failed to garner enough votes in the Senate to stay alive. republicans mustered 48 votes, not even a simple majority, and not enough votes to move the proposed amendment to the floor. [CNN.com: Senate rejects move to ban same-sex marriage] | private feedback | (0) public comments Tuesday, July 13, 2004 Can't We Do Better? I'm disappointed that some in the gay community have taken to dirty tactics in order to prevent the passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA). Mike Rogers and John Aravosis are spearheading an ongoing outing campaign on the Hill -- targeting elected officials and staffers. I don't like the FMA any more than Mr. Rogers and Mr. Aravosis, but blackmail is not an honorable way of doing business. We, as a community (and the elected officials we support), should rise above the pettiness. From many conversations and life experiences, I have come to the opinion that someone's coming out is a very life-altering and personal decision. Forcing someone out of the closet is never in anyone's best interest. And while I may disagree with others' choices to lead either completely (or just professionally) closeted lives, I have to respect those choices. As with any major life decision, it was reached after considering either real or perceived threats that may result from being out. Especially now that it seems FMA is dead on its own merits, this kind of campaign just comes across as childish and vindictive. [Washington Blade: Outed Hill staffer condemns campaign] [John Aravosis's Blog: Americablog.org] [Michael Rogers's Blog: BlogActive] | private feedback | (0) public comments republicans in disarray republican Senators are beginning to fear that not only will they fall short of the 67 votes needed to pass a constitutional amendment, but they may also fail to get a simple majority, which would be a major moral victory for the Democrats. As many as a dozen Republicans might bolt from their party on the issue. Many have expressed concern that the current wording of the Federal Marriage Amendment would ban civil unions and domestic partnerships. Amendment proponents floated the idea of offering an alternative version that might allay some worries about civil unions and improve the vote count. But Democrats refused to go along, noting that Republicans had already bypassed the regular committee process to get the amendment directly to the floor and now found themselves trying to rewrite the measure at the last minute. [SFGate.com: GOP senators in disarray over gay marriage] | private feedback | (0) public comments Love Me If You Dare  Last night I was pretty bored. I was reading our local indie theater's email update about what's currently playing and what would be coming soon. I normally don't read these emails very thoroughly, but... like I said, I was bored. It reminded all of us who might have been blinded to seeing other movies by our fanaticism about Fahrenheit 9/11 that three movies that began as recently as last week were going to end as of this Thursday.
One of the movies ending this week, Love Me If You Dare, caught my attention. I had seen the trailer for it recently at another movie and was intrigued by the concept. So, I was off to see a movie. And I'm glad I did... it was a touching (and oftentimes dark) story of two classmates who begin and strengthen a friendship through a game of dares. Whoever holds the merry-go-round tin can dare the other to pull a stunt. The other has no choice but to do it or they lose "the game". The game continues through college and adulthood... eventually blurring the line between what is real and what is part of "the game". The darker side of the movie comes when childhood dares give way to emotion-heavy adulthood dares which interfere with and complicate their meant-to-be-together relationship... ... that is, until the two figure out a way in which they can both win "the game". [Cinemapolis/Fall Creek Cinemas] [Official Love Me If You Dare site] | private feedback | (0) public comments The Honeymooners... From TIME magazine: "You ask me what I've learned [about Edwards]?" Kerry said. "This man drinks a lot of Diet Coke." The North Carolinian who would be a caffeine-and-sodium-buzzed heartbeat away from the presidency subsequently admitted that "on a good day" he has been known to open four before noon, at which point Kerry pronounced himself stunned, seized the can from Edwards and started reading the nutrition label aloud. "Sodium, 2%. Protein, John, zero," he called as Edwards scrambled for the door. Or how about this from Newsweek: Kerry and an aide were tossing a football when Sen. John Edwards arrived. Grinning, Kerry winged a pass across the table to Edwards. "Look at those soft hands!" Kerry exclaimed. "A good receiver." Seated at the conference table, the duo continued their cheerful, if still tentative, game, as the new No. 2 adjusted to his "receiver" role. When Edwards was asked for his views on nuclear proliferation, Kerry—with a polite but firm "Do you mind?"—stepped in to answer the question with an air of authority. Awwwwww, aren't they just the cutest couple? [TIME: The Gleam Team] [Newsweek: Warming Up Kerry] | private feedback | (0) public comments Monday, July 12, 2004 Thanks... I am long overdue in thanking the people who link to my site. So, in some particular order, the top three referrers are... 1. JaseWells 2. Blueberry Pie 3. Observe But Do Not Interfere Thanks, guys! And while we're on the topic of site stats... some of the things people searched for which led them to my site: 1. "pope hit by asteroid" [Mmmmm kay] 2. "distance between buffalo and ithica new york" [IthAca, people!] 3. "colin powell ymca clip" [Niiiiiiice!] 4. "dan savage joe biden" [Now THAT would be an interesting dinner party!] | private feedback | (0) public comments Shane Michael? The Library of Congress apparently thinks my last name is Michael. How do I know this? Because I finally got around to looking up my listing in the Library of Congress's electronic archive and it says the following: Election 2002 Web Archive Record Title: happily stuck in Ithaca... for now Name: Michael, Shane Abstract: All you wanted to know about Shane, a Web log produced by Shane Michael captured during the 2002 campaign. Date Captured: October 25, 2002 - November 25, 2002 Access Condition: Access restricted to on-site users at the Library of Congress. Active Site: www.geocities.com/shaneee/ Collection Title: Election 2002 Web Archive My middle name is Michael... Close enough. | private feedback | (0) public comments Signage  Friday, July 09, 2004 Top Ten George W. Bush Complaints About "Fahrenheit 9/11" Courtesy of David Letterman's Show 10. That actor who played the President was totally unconvincing 9. It oversimplified the way I stole the election 8. Too many of them fancy college-boy words 7. If Michael Moore had waited a few months, he could have included the part where I get him deported 6. Didn't have one of them hilarious monkeys who smoke cigarettes and gives people the finger 5. Of all Michael Moore's accusations, only 97% are true 4. Not sure - - I passed out after a piece of popcorn lodged in my windpipe 3. Where the hell was Spider-man? 2. Couldn't hear most of the movie over Cheney's foul mouth 1. I thought this was supposed to be about dodgeball | private feedback | (0) public comments Photos As I walk around this great little city, I see all kinds of photogenic scenes. And I always say, "Someday, I'm going to take pictures of all the cool stuff I see on my walks." Today during lunch, between running into people that I know, I took a few pictures... One is the building that is going up at the corner of Seneca and Tioga streets (soon to be a hotel and office building)... and a few of the newest graffiti gracing our sidewalks, streets, and parking lot gates... 
 Wow... I guess I'm going to the wrong concerts... Couple had sex on stage during concert... but at least it was for a good cause. | private feedback | (0) public comments Humor from the White House Press Room The Press Gaggle | private feedback | (0) public comments Thursday, July 08, 2004 Keep on Truckin', Winter! I can feel my friend Lori's envy... John "Winter" Smith is on a mission to visit every Starbucks on the globe. He's been to 4,122 stores in North America (including some that have since closed), 114 in Britain, and 53 in Japan. Just one problem... the company opens an average of 10.2 new, company-operated Starbucks a week around the world and has no plans to slow down. It isn't all fun and games. "After about four stores, the coffee loses all taste," says Winter, who's unconcerned about any long-term effects of so much coffee. "It doesn't taste good at all—I'm not enjoying drinking it. After an extreme number of stores, I have to wash out the taste with water after every sip because it's starting to make me sick." [Fortune.com: Seeing the World on Ten Coffees a Day] [Starbucks Everywhere (Winter's Personal Web Site)] | private feedback | (0) public comments Bush won't speak at NAACP Convention Bush has declined an invitation to speak at the annual NAACP convention. He is the first president since Herbert Hoover not to attend the event. [Bush declines NAACP invitation] | private feedback | (0) public comments They're at it again... Dubbya and Gang, obviously upset that John Kerry and John Edwards have dominated the news cycle for two straight days are out there warning us of generic and non-specific terrorist threats again... just in case you forgot that we're "always in danger." Keep an eye on Dubbya and Gang to send an implicit message for the next four months that if you vote for John Kerry you're handing victory to the terrorists. Today's announcement was the warning of "a large-scale attack on the United States in an effort to disrupt the democratic process before November's elections." Senator Bill Frist (R-Tennessee), said the intelligence was "very non-specific" and there was "no reason for panic, no reason for paralysis." But, apparently, there is reason to make a big deal and press conference of this... especially if it bumps the Democratic ticket down a notch in the headlines. | private feedback | (0) public comments Wednesday, July 07, 2004 What exactly did he ask John Edwards? To be his V.P.? Or his husband?  All credit to Wonkette... the bestest political commentary blog on the planet. | private feedback | (0) public comments Amazing Race 5 Last Summer, Cheri and I got together religiously to watch Amazing Race. She and I both love it, it's the closest thing to appointment television during the reruns and blahs of summer programming. The premiere episode of season 5 was on last night. 11 new teams racing around the globe to be the last standing. The last at each "pit stop" are eliminated. The teams are interesting, although no obvious gays or lesbians yet. This is a real bummer after last summer when there was not only a gay guy/fag hag team but also a gay couple team that CBS listed as "married" and who went on to win. (Maybe Reichen and Chip started the whole marriage equality revolution.)  This year, there's a widow and widower who met over the internet and are now dating (totally adorable)... one couple that includes this unbelievably annoying woman who came in second on CBS's other summer reality show Big Brother and her unbelievably forgiving boyfriend (if my partner said they knew they were smarter than me and liked it that way, I wouldn't just sit there smiling)... one team of identical twin sisters (they come the closest to giving off lesbian vibes)... a pair of models who are also dating (one was Miss Texas)... a pair of bowling moms (whose worst crime is their matching t-shirts)... and my favorite team, two cousins -- one average sized and one a little person.
I always root for the team that most people underestimate... and if this first episode is any indication, my favorite team has heart. | private feedback | (0) public comments This is what the internet was meant for... Check out this fun Flash game featuring music by The Polyphonic Spree, Quest For The Rest. Even if it takes you a while to figure out, turn up the volume and you won't mind. | private feedback | (0) public comments Tuesday, July 06, 2004 Quote of the Day "You said it, so don't back away from it." Dubbya's advice to Dick Cheney -- when Democrats called on him to apologize to Sen. Patrick Leahy whom he crudely put down last month using the F-word. | private feedback | (0) public comments And the V.P. Candidate is... NOT Gephardt! All those folks who thought it would be Gephardt... were... well, wrong. John Kerry announced this morning that he has invited John Edwards to join the Democratic ticket as the Vice Presidential Candidate. 
 Ooops. The New York Post actually went to print with the wrong headline [John Kerry's Official Campaign Site] | private feedback | (0) public comments Monday, July 05, 2004 The Boring - Boring-er ticket? The speculation about who Kerry will pick as his running mate is reaching a fever pitch. Rumor has it that Kerry would announce as early as tomorrow... which would be the earliest announcement (in terms of days before the convention) in either party's history. OK, I admit I dedicated a fair portion of my day to searching the web for any piddly rumors... and what did I find? I found an article that Joe Biden doesn't think he was vetted at all for the position (bummer, cause I love Joe Biden)... and a consensus that John Kerry settled on Dick Gephardt. One article said John Edwards interrupted a family vacation to go meet with Kerry and that this might be a promising sign for the young Senator from North Carolina. When you stack Gephardt and Edwards side by side, neither of them really get me excited. Gephardt is sort of Mr. Boring... establishment, entrenched, business as usual. But he might bring a state along with him, and he carries a lot of organized labor support. Edwards is good looking and energetic, sure... but with less than a full term as Senator under his belt, could he be President if called upon? And his non-commital responses to questions about gay rights during the primary don't exactly thrill me. And, could he even bring his home state into the Dem category? And then a real negative for both of them... hating to state the obvious, they're both white men. Can't we get some diversity on this ticket? Think how energizing it would be if Kerry came out with a surprise pick that was a minority or female... or both! Gephardt and Edwards would make GREAT cabinet members. :-) We might not have long to wait to find out... [Political Wire predicts Gephardt] [ArchPundit predicts Gephardt also] [At Politics1 has, uhm, another Gephardt prediction] [Kos Defends Gephardt Pick... if he ends up bein' the guy] | private feedback | (0) public comments Sunday, July 04, 2004 Express Train to Vegetarian-ism... Next stop Vegan! I saw two mildly disturbing movies today... Peacable Kingdom about the farm sanctuary in nearby Watkins Glen... and Super Size Me! about the guy that eats McDonald's three times a day for a month and documents the effects on his body. Sunday mornings I normally go over to a friend's to watch Meet The Press and then we sit around and talk about it. (No, really, it's more fun than it sounds.) But today, because of NBC's coverage of Wimbledon, an email went out to people signed up for the Meet The Press alerts (stop laughing!) that the show would air at 8 AM this morning instead of 10. So I woke up my friends at 7:30 this morning so that we could still see it. Yes, 7:30 on a Sunday morning! I'm lucky to still be alive. Well, we were horrified to find that our local NBC station just bumped Meet The Press altogether in favor of this terrible cartoon called Tutenstein. So now we were sitting around my friend's living room watching a cartoon... Oops. So we popped in thsi video, Peacable Kingdom that documents the work of the farm sanctuary... rescuing animals that are left for dead at slaughterhouses, factory farms, livestock yards, or otherwise abused by their owners. Peppy fare for an early Sunday morning, eh? I was expecting terrible scenes of mistreatment... and while there were some horrifying scenes, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. It mostly talked about how bad factory farming is... how when animals are considered "economic units" their treatment often becomes secondary or even tertiary to profit. And that really is sad. And how farming methods have changed to incorporate the industrial model of decreased labor costs and increased efficiency at the detriment to the animals' health. The most heartwrenching scenes were emotional, however. For example when you learn that you have to keep cows pregnant in order to keep getting milk... and that the babies are often taken from the mothers soon after they're born... and they who this mother cow trying to stay with her baby as she's shooed away and then finally this farm hand comes in and scoops the calf up. Awwwwwwwwwww. And if you can be unaffected by a dumpster full of chicks... yes a dumpster full of just born, fluffy yellow, easter card perfect chicks... you are truly heartless. (Some may call this stuff propaganda, but I was an animal science major at Cornell, I know some of these practices are common.) But there is hope... the farm sanctuary in Watkins Glen rescues animals that have been abused. I haven't made it to their web site yet, but a trip to the farm is planned.  So then, I'm just about ready to throw in the towel on meat... at least veal... when my friend says, "Let's go see Super Size Me!" Yes... a guy films the changes to his body and talks about the obesity epidemic that is happening in this country and underlines his point by eating the nasty stuff three meals a day for 30 days. His wife, a vegan chef, is mortified... (probably at least as mortified as I was when she got on camera talking about how he couldn't get it up and he was gettin' tired in the middle of sex at about day 14). He put on 20 pounds... his cholesterol levels shot through the roof, all these other indicators became dangerously high... and the doctors said he should stop if he didn't want to get liver failure.
Yes, the experiment is a little extreme but we all know people who eat fast food entirely too much. And that was only part of the movie. He got into some of the more horrific marketing tactics that fast food companies use to "win the hearts and minds" of the consumers... especially children. Playlands? (In urban areas where that might be the only playground around.) McDonald's toys? It's worse than the tobacco companies! I mean Target sells McDonald's playsets! Imagine if Target sold Joe Camel dolls?! And obesity is now the second-highest cause of preventable death following smoking. It's ok, let's sell more McDonald's toys!! Commercialism gone awry. *takes a deep breath* And the guy is actually pretty funny... the scene where he's sitting in his car and eating his first "super sized" meal... and riffing about it until he vomits... is cinema that is not to be missed. I'll probably still have a big ol' hamburger at some point in the future... and I'll probably still eat McDonald's every once in a while... but my consciousness has definitely been raised. [The Farm Sanctuary] [Super Size Me!] | private feedback | (0) public comments Saturday, July 03, 2004 I Wanna Be A republican By the Kinsey Sicks I wanna be a republican I'm tired of doing what I should Wanna do what I can, can, can, can Grab as much as I can Keep it all for me Cause life is a party and the Grand Old Party is the party where I wanna to be Lower taxes are god's plan Global warming helps my tan Give a gun to every man To protect us from non-Aryans When you know you're better than All those non-Americans There's no need to join the Klan Just become Republican I wanna be in the G.O.P I'm tired about thinking about you When it's all about me, me, me, me With values strong They fight the obscene Now I've found a place where I'm embraced for being selfish and mean Like things as they used to be Miss the old confederacy Government should let us be But not your bed or your body Tired of diversity Defund universities Set the corporations free Come and join the G.O.P God bless America Bland as I love Make her whiter Blue-eyeder To the right with a thousand points of light from above I wanna be a republican I wanna be, I wanna be a republican | private feedback | (0) public comments I couldn't resist... Colin Powell performs a version of the Village People's hit disco song 'YMCA' at the conclusion of Asia's largest security meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday July 2, 2004.  You can't make stuff up better than this... [CNN.com: Powell dumps diplomacy for disco] | private feedback | (0) public comments Friday, July 02, 2004 The day I've waited for has finally arrived... I have the new Kinsey Sicks CD, "I Wanna Be A Republican," in hand. How am I going to sit through a commitment ceremony this afternoon knowing that I haven't listened to it yet? That which does not kill us only makes us stronger... | private feedback | (0) public comments Picture Magic... I finally figured out how to email pictures to myself... unfortunately the lens must have been dirty or something when I took this so it's a little blurry. The line extends in BOTH directions of this picture... this ought to give you an idea of the frenzy that Fahrenheit 9/11 caused.  Quote of the Day "Let's face it -- there's a double standard when it comes to guy-on-guy as opposed to girl-on-girl. It's sexy to see |