Hope for the future!

Sen. Barak Obama voiced yesterday his frustration with his own party's approach to the Alito nomination.

He is, like the rest of America, tired of their "over-reliance" on "procedural maneuvers."

"There's one way to guarantee that the judges who are appointed to the Supreme Court are judges that reflect our values. And that's to win elections," he said.

Sen. Joe biden agreed.

"I think a filibuster makes sense when you have a prospect of actually succeeding," he said on CNN's "Late Edition."

The two senators both expressed certainty that the filibuster effort being led by Senators Kerry and Kennedy would fail.

So far, 62 senators have pledged to oppose a filibuster, two more than is necessary to block it.

But Obama and Biden also both said they would support the move.

Alito will likely be confirmed by a vote before the full Senate today.....

Sploid.com

Giving King George something else to smile about during his state of the union address tonite, dammit!

Headache from HELL!

I'm not certain exactly when or how it started, but by the time I went to bed last nite, I had developed a migraine headache from HELL. Pain so bad I could hardly hold my head upright.

Could it have been the fact that I hadn't slept at all Saturday nite; hanging around bus terminals in Orlando, Tampa and Clearwater, or maybe the fact that when I finally arrived home, I was too tired to sleep...... or was that bottle of champagne I consumed prior to going to bed the deciding factor?

The pain was bad enough to keep me awake most of Sunday nite and continued as I was preparing for work today. I walked the dogs and suddenly felt a few raindrops. It was starting to rain. I coaxed the dogs to "get moving" and by the time we came back inside, the rain had begun to intensify. I checked the morning news and the forecast was rain most of the day. That was the final straw.

I called in sick and slept most of the morning on the recliner.

It's now 4:00 PM and pouring. The headache is slowly starting to go away. I'm drinking champagne and eating crab rangoon...... a prelude to the Chinese New Year.

After all, it's the year of the dog...... and the pugs are of Chinese origin!

The misadventures of 009

Why I torture myself like this, no one knows..

I could simply have driven to Orlando, met the boyz for dinner and come home; but of course no, there had to be drama!

Not wanting to drive that distance alone (97 miles each way) and come home alone in the middle of the night, I chose to ask two friends to accompany me to Orlando. One always wants to drive, so I said "fine, you drive", and off we went! My friends would go to a club, and meet me later at the Radisson.

On the way to Orlando, staying overnight became the topic of discussion. Both friends thought we should stay overnite and go to brunch Sunday morning. I said "no, impossible I won't leave the dogs alone that long; I'll return home by Greyhound." They were not amused, but I won the discussion and it was decided that my first stop would be Greyhound; to check out schedules, and purchase my ticket home. I got out of the car, my friends (not at all amused) went "on the town."

GETTING OUT OF THE CAR WAS MY FIRST MISTAKE!

It's now 5:30 PM and I'm happy that there is a bus leaving Orlando at 1:15 AM. This will give me time with the boys (who by the way are in their early 40's), and I'll at least get home before morning!

PURCHASING A TICKET WAS MY SECOND MISTAKE!

I purchased my ticket, called and was picked up for dinner (a lovingly sentimental time) ........ I knew they had two golf T-times for Sunday, so as reluctant as I was to leave them, I had them drive me back to Greyhound by 8:30 PM, knowing I would see them again in April.

RETURNING TO THE GREYHOUND BUS TERMINAL WAS MY THIRD MISTAKE!

First of all, I was over-dressed.... Imported Italian knit mock turtleneck jersey in a diamond pattern (black on black), Black wool slax, black Cole Hahn slip on's, and a black Bolle zip up jacket.....

Secondly, I was over-jewelled.... 1.20 carat emerald with .80 carat channel set diamonds on either side....

Third.... I was carrying way too much $$$$ and credit cards.

People were staring. I thought I had entered the "twilight zone" of Ghettos (white, black, mexican and anything in between). I hadn't taken much note of the people earlier.... This time, I had 4 hours and 30 minutes to kill "or be killed" so I took note of my fellow passengers.

I walked out the door to stand out front and one of the three security guards cautioned " don't go across the street to the gas station/quick serve; there are bad people (?) hanging around there, and you might get mugged." I assured him that I was only going out the door to smoke and would be fine, and his response was "you should be fine as long as you don't walk too far from the front door in any direction."

I turned the ring around with the stones facing the inside of my hand, making it look like a wedding band and out the door I went. There were several people smoking outside and I felt relatively safe, but a closer look further up the road, I could see people lurking in dark corners. I wasn't going further than 20 feet in any direction, and kept my word the 30-plus times I went outside to smoke.

Outside, I lent my cell phone out five times.... one guy called his ex wife in Tennessee, another called his mother to let her know he had just gotten out of jail and was returning home (he called three times), and the third was a beat up HO who was running away from her pimp! She called him, told him she missed him and to come get her.

Inside the terminal, I kept repeating to myself "do not fall asleep, do not fall asleep"; so I ate and ate some more. I had just returned from dinner but I ate to stay awake. I ate a slice of pizza, I ate a meatball sandwich, I ate a bag of chips, I ate a bag of peanuts, I ate an ice cream sandwich and a second bag of chips...... followed by two gigantic cups of coffee and two bottles of orange soda; which kept me going to the men's room every 15 minutes or so.

People who ride Greyhound do so for a variety of reasons; tonite poverty seemed to be the in the forefront. Instead of luggage, it seems that travelling with green garbage bags was the must have Greyhound travel accessory; with plastic flip-flops being the "in" fashion accessory. Missing teeth, (especially front teeth) was the overall "in" look. Most were travelling to Tennessee, Georgia or the Florida panhandle....... I was not fitting in very well.

Peoplewere staring, my discomfort was obvious and I was eventually "adopted" by a wonderful black family travelling to Tampa. A brother and sister (in their 20's)originally from Tampa along with her boyfriend and their 2 year old daughter. They were friendly, kind, polite.

At 1:15 AM we finally boarded the bus to Tampa and as I was taking my seat, the most ungodly smell permeated throughout, giving me an immediate headache. The Mexican woman sitting across from me was changing the diaper of her 2-3 year old daughter..... why the fuck she couldn't have done this in the ladies room before departure, I'll never know. Maybe she was just trying to kill me.

I could hear my new friends laughing and they motioned me to a seat by them towards the back of the bus; and off we went to Tampa........ where we arrived at 3:00 AM giving me another 3 hour wait for my transfer to Clearwater........ another terminal in a not very nice part of town. This time, the security guard kept the doors locked and we had to ask permission to go out to smoke, and only as a group........ safety in numbers.

A three hour wait for a half hour drive......... arriving in Clearwater at 6:30 AM with another hour wait for the bus downtown. Enough already, I called a cab.

I arrived home at 7:00 AM. I had left food for the dogs..... it was untouched. A friend had walked them the previous evening. Daisy had dragged some of my clothes into the living room and had made a bed. She was sleeping so soundly, she never heard me come in. I had to call her name to wake her up........ Muggs was in the bedroom sleeping on my pillow.

Home at last! "Daisy, come give daddy a kiss!"

NOTE: This was written as a travel experience I was totally unprepared for. Those readers who know me will understand that this is not a mockery of the poverty we encounter in our daily lives. DJM~

Ahhhhhh the weekend!

It's a wonderful life here in Florida (until hurricane season). The weather this morning is in the mid 70's with a nice breeze coming in off the Gulf of Mexico. The dogs are loving this; the're also loving jumping in and out of piles of falling leaves, which is making me crazy because they get filthy. This leads to bath time (which they both enjoy).

Of course, they could be jumping in snow; but I won't go there!

Today promises to be a very emotional day. My foster son was from a family of eight children; all different fathers, except for JR who had two natural brothers; Chris and Rick.

I always encouraged him to remain in close contact with his brothers and we've always been close. Both are now married with families and Chris, now the oldest is the one who made that horrific telephone call March 21, 2005 informing me of JR's accident.

Today, both men are flying to Florida. I will be meeting them tonite for dinner in Orlando. We're all aware that this will be a very emotional evening, but we all seem to be having a difficult time with closure.

Hopefully, tonight will be a new beginning.

A Sad Time to be a Democrat...

When George Bush was speaking at Georgetown University this week, a group of student protestors stood up and turned their backs to him.

Although he ignored the protestors, he might have learned something from the banner they were holding.

"Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither."
Benjamin Franklin


I've been upset with the ineptitude of the Democratic party all week. I've written, deleted, written, deleted and written again. I've just not been able to put my feelings into words the way Maureen Dowd (NY Times) has done. Today's article published in the St. Petersburg Times says it all so much better than I ever could.

"The Democrats will never win the White House as long as they're stuck in Bleak House. They're slipping and sliding in the same crust - upon - crust of mud and caboose creeping fog and soft black drizzle and flakes of soot that blackened the chamber of laws in the opening of the terrific Dickens novel."

"The Democratic party simply seems incapable of getting the muscular message and riveting messenger needed to dispel the mug, fog, frizzle and soot emanating from Karl Rove's rag and bone shop on Pennsylvania Avenue. "

"As the White House drives its truckload of lies around the country it becomes ever clearer that Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Al Gore are just not the right people to respond to the asministration's national security scare-a-thon."

Maureen Dowd
New York Times newswire

VISITORS

The Art of Michelle Sakhai

After finishing tonights' journal entry, I went back to proofread and edit. Scrolling down, I noticed that I had two visitors on my neocounter. One was from the United States and the other from Kuwait.

It made me wonder....... who the hell is reading this blog and how did they get here?
Can they even read english, or are they just looking at the pictures?

Maybe they just click on the [next blog] icon at the top right of this journal.... I tend to jump from blog to blog when I'm curious or just bored. It could also be that they click on the opening page of my blogsite where recently published blogs appear........ or they could have been redirected here from a blog where I appear on a link listing; or from one of the sites where I'm registered.

I guess it really doesn't matter where they come from, what matters is that they read, and hopefully enjoy what I have to say/reference; and come again.

I love my neocounter........ I love visitors to this blog; much more than I love visitors to my home (for whom I have to clean, shower and dress). The neocounter is free (the one that tells if anyone is visiting). The listing of recent visitors (the one with all the flags) costs .75 cents per month. Well worth it for a blog-addict like me (if you run your mouse over each flag, a small map appears showing exactly where each country is located. A plus for the "geographically challenged" like me.
If you want to install either one, just click on the word neocounter below each icon and it will take you to the site!

More important is the small counter at the bottom left of my blog (under "Thank You" ..... Not only does that count my visitors, it also tells me who visited this site. I've read blog entries where the author has been harassed. Registering with this site will give you the URL of every person who visits. Anonymous or not.... there is some comfort in knowing that "anonymous" is not really as "anonymous" as they think. Damn.... now I'm thinking like the dreaded republicans.

nuff said!

BELIEVE !

No longer sustained by visions of yesterday
a nation begins to slide -

as politicians continue to promise and praise,
uneducated citizens cheer them on and wave!

America, the fall has begun
Bring me your hearts, your courage and your dreams!

Unveil Americas' vision my dreamers!
Be heard, be strong, be seen!

Remember the story of the man who spoke, "I have a dream..."
And the other who wrote, "Ask not what your country can do..."

Our vision is desperately needed!
Awake my dreamers! Dream once again!

The leaders are lost, they need your input!
Stop spinning your wheels - silence can't be heard!

Awake my dreamers! Awake your dreams!
Your country is falling, can't you see?

Thank You, Kerry

The new anti-terrorism laws eroding our rights aren't about catching Osama Bin Laden. They are a preemptive strike against dissent and open rebellion. They are the removal of trial and due process for anyone even suspected of standing up to this regime.

Meanwhile, presidential authority over congress is being greatly expanded and the Supreme Court is certain to be headed by a proponent of the unitary executive theory. Lobbyists are now authoring legislation and funding election campaigns while the K street Project melds corporate and state power.

We are becoming exactly what we were fighting against when we signed the Declaration of Independence.

www.oldamericancentury.org

Emotions

I turned my cell phone back on this afternoon and the first message was from my sister. "We're on the boat and going past your house!"

"Sorry, sis but the reason my cell phone was off is because I was attending a funeral."

Actually attending the third funeral this month. The third funeral in 21 days. One a week for the first three weeks of 2006. Two were clients, the third was the guardian of another client. Leukemia, heart attack, cancer........ in that order. None were over 60 years old.

Today was a beautifully warm day. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze over the Gulf of Mexico. I would rather have been boating, but you do what needs to be done......... and hope that this is the last time I'll be attending a funeral this year.

I've been employed in my present position for almost 5 years now....... and every day brings with it amusement, excitement, joy, disappointment, sorrow.

My clients are adults with developmental disabilities. Most have a primary diagnosis of mental retardation; many are also autistic, schizophrenic, or have a wide range of beharioral issues.

As senior case manager, my caseload consists of the most challenging. Many were former patients of Florida mental institutions until those institutions were closed and they were placed in group homes. There are always issues.

There is success. One of my clients is a male in his 30's who has never spoken a comlete sentence. He's echolalic ..... if I say "how are you today?" he responds "how are you today?"

A few months ago, I suggested that he might benefit from speech therapy and although it had been tried unsuccessfully previously, I asked that we try one more time. Last month, when he arrived at program I met him at his bus and he said "hi Don, I slept well last nite." At first, what he had just spoken didn't register until another staff member brought it to my attention. I sat down and cried. For the first time in his life, he had spoken a comlete sentence. Now every morning, he finds me and repeats that one complete sentence.
Nothing more, nothing less......... one sentence at a time.

Although many of our clients are physically fragile, we haven't had a death in my department until this year. I came back to work on January 3rd from my 19 day Christmas vacation to learn that one of my clients had died. It wasn't totally unexpected, she had leukemia...... nevertheless, it was sad and I remained busy counselling my other clients, my staff and her family.

We were just beginning the healing process when I came in to work last Tuesday to the ringing of my office telephone. Another of my clients had died during the night. This client had Cardio Obstructive Pulmonary Disease but had attended her training program the previous day and had been in great spirits. She died of a heart attack. Shock, tears, more counselling. Two funerals in two weeks..........

Today I attended a third funeral. One of my clients' mother died this week and was buried today. This was not unexpected, she had been ill for several months but my client who although in her 20's functions on the level of a four to five year old, seems unaware of what has actually happened. While her aunts were heavily mourning, surrounded by a large group of attendants, my client was looking around...... and spotted me; not at all difficult since I was the only white man in attendance. Her face lit up in a wonderfully sad smile and she waved. I smiled back, and couldn't wait to give her a hug as soon as the service ended. I held her until they assisted her into a waiting limousine....... she continued to wave as they left for the cemetery. I hate funerals, today I am so glad I was there, for her; for myself.

Diversions

Thanks fot Blogzie for allowing me this opportunity to further embaress myself!

Four Jobs I’ve Had

Teacher - (English, History)
Social Worker - (Medical)
Director of Social Services - (Medical)
Case Manager - (Adults with Developmental Disabilities)


Four Places I’ve Lived

New Brunswick, Canada
New York
Boston
Tampa Bay

Four Movies I’d Watch Again

Evita
Mystic River
Schindler's List
Hotel Rwanda

Four TV Shows I Love To Watch

CSI - (New York, Miami, Vegas)
History Channel
Face the Nation
BBC America

Four Of My Favorite Foods

Creole
Cajun
Chinese
Comfort

Four Places I’d Rather Be Right Now

Palma, Mallorca
Torremolinos, Spain
Morocco (with Blogzie)
New Orleans

Four Albums I Can’t Live Without

Andrea Bocelli - Romanza
Sarah Brightman - Harem
The movie soundtrack - Evita
Bob Marley -

Four Bloggers I’d Like to Tag

Hypoxic
Hikaruland
Pobble Thoughts
Ruben
*One for good luck!
The Chaotic One (In Bratislava, Slovakia)

Political Humor at its finest!

"His mother should have thrown him away
and kept the stork." (Mae West)

SANTORUM BACKS BAN ON GAY WESTERNS

Golden Globes Win for 'Brokeback Mountain' Irks Pennsylvania Senator

Three days after the critically acclaimed film "Brokeback Mountain" won Golden Globe awards in four major categories, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn) called for a constitutional amendment banning gay westerns.

"We cannot sit idly by and watch 'Brokeback Mountain' sashay into the mainstream of American culture," Mr. Santorum said on the Senate floor today. "If allowed to flourish, gay westerns will destroy the sanctity of traditional westerns."

He added that if the film continued to gain acceptance in the heartland, several western states might soon legalize marriage between gay cowboys.

The Pennsylvania senator explained that his proposal of a constitutional amendment banning gay westerns was not a rash decision on his part: "I only reached this decision after watching 'Brokeback Mountain' ten, maybe twelve times."

Mr. Santorum added that it was "unconscionable" that the producers of the film had cast an actor as "hot and sexy" as Heath Ledger as one of the gay cowboys, since "he only makes the gay cowboy lifestyle seem more enticing."

In a sign that Mr. Santorum may have more constitutional amendments to propose, he said that he was also "very concerned" that Hollywood might someday produce a remake of the film "Benji" featuring "man on dog sex."

"I am going to be extra vigilant on this issue," Mr. Santorum said. "If there is a remake of 'Benji' featuring man on dog sex, I will be waiting in line for a ticket on the very first day."

Elsewhere, the Supreme Court voiced support for assisted suicide, and model Kate Moss voiced support for career suicide.

The Borowitz Report (Note: The Borowitz Report is a HUMOR blog!)

THREE reasons Alito should not be on the US Supreme Court!

"You poor, insignificant fools!"

(Little Mermaid)

Santorum, Dobson, Falwell speak at Justice Sunday III

PHILADELPHIA (BP)–Meeting in the city where America was founded, conservative leaders gathered in Philadelphia Jan. 8, 2006 to spotlight judicial activism and to demand an up-or-down vote on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.

"We are here to take a stand for our religious liberties and our religious freedoms. And they are under attack" Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said at the beginning of the rally, dubbed "Justice Sunday III: Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land."

(1.) Sen. Rick Santorum, R.-Pa., pointed to the religious freedom guaranteed in the Constitution and championed by America’s founders. "That freedom is at risk today because of the actions of liberal activist judges on the Supreme Court," Santorum said.

(2.) Focus on the Family’s James Dobson called the effort to get Alito confirmed "one of the most important issues that has occurred ... in recent history because of the issue of judicial tyranny."

Dobson asked the audience a series of questions, and each time elicited a loud "yes!"

"Do you believe that school children should be able to read the Bible in school? Do you believe that school children should be able to pray in school? Do you believe that there should be prayer at graduation activities and sporting events? ... Do you believe that every child in this country should be able to ... say the Pledge of Allegiance with 'under God' included" Dobson concluded: "The American people do not want what the court has done to them."

(3.) Jerry Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., said Alito's confirmation could be pivotal in the history of the pro-family movement.

''What we’ve worked on for 30 years – to mobilize people of faith and values in this country ... is coming to culmination, to consummation, right now," Falwell said. "... There could be a reconstruction of the U.S. Supreme Court in our immediate lifetime. What a wonderful thing that would be."
Published Janyary 19, 2006 Florida Baptist Magazine

Could you be next?

Click here: Related story in the New York Times

Breaking Free From The King!

A president who breaks the law is a threat to the very structure of our government. Our Founding Fathers were adamant that they had established a government of laws and not men. They recognized that the structure of government they had enshrined in our Constitution - our system of checks and balances - was designed with a central purpose of ensuring that it would govern through the rule of law. As John Adams said: "The executive shall never exercise the legislative and judicial powers, or either of them, to the end that it may be a government of laws and not of men."

An executive who arrogates to himself the power to ignore the legitimate legislative directives of the Congress or to act free of the check of the judiciary becomes the central threat that the Founders sought to nullify in the Constitution - an all-powerful executive too reminiscent of the King from whom they had broken free. In the words of James Madison, "the accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."

(Fmr. Vice President Al Gore, Address To American Constitution Society And The Liberty Coalition, Washington D.C., 1/16/06)

Taking them down, one bigot at a time...........

The Art of Joe Phillips

Another "holier than thou" on his way to hell!

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. -- Ralph Reed, the former executive director of the Christian coalition and now a candidate for lieutenant governor, had just finished his opening statement to the Dawson County Republican Party when retired pulp paper executive Gary Pichon sprang from his seat with a question that cut to the chase:"Did you accept any gifts, commissions or other payments of any kind from Mr. Abramoff, and are you likely to be a party in the unfolding investigation?"

Silence enveloped the 60 or so Republicans in the auditorium, and Reed's cheerful manner turned tense. "No," he replied. "No to all these."

As everyone knew, Pichon was referring to Jack Abramoff, whose outsize Washington lobbying scandal has reached down to Georgia. Abramoff and Reed have been friends for 25 years, and until recently it had been a mutually profitable association.

Now it is proving highly inconvenient for Reed, and threatens to stall a career that has been emblematic of the modern GOP.

Reed served as executive director of the College Republicans from 1983 to 1985 and led a revival of the Christian right in the 1990s. He founded a grass-roots lobbying firm in 1997, bringing in millions of dollars in fees, chaired the Georgia Republican Party in 2002 when the GOP took over the state, and served as Southeast director of the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign.

The first major dent in Reed's carefully cultivated image came with the disclosure in the summer of 2004 that his public relations and lobbying companies had received at least $4.2 million from Abramoff to mobilize Christian voters to fight Indian casinos competing with Abramoff's casino clients.

Similarly damaging has been a torrent of e-mails revealed during the investigation that shows a side of Reed that some former supporters say cannot be reconciled with his professed Christian values.

Read the complete story at the Washington Post:

Click here: In Ga., Abramoff Scandal Threatens a Political Ascendancy

Feeling Frisky!

REST seems to be the answer; along with a heavy dose of "over the counter" medication, soup, tea and of course antibiotics.

Although I was unable to get to Walgreen's to have photos put on disc for Photo Sunday, I did spend a considerable amount of time playing with this new template, and have still got to figure out how to install a header.

The PUGS, of course are the winners when I'm not feeling well; lots of time spent in bed. The remainder of the time is usually spent watching movies with both on my lap which also means calling out for pizza, chicken wings, chinese food and assorted goodies (accompanied by red wine during this two day football marathon).

ON THE POLITICAL FRONT.......

It appears that the Supreme Court is going to take a slow shift to the right as Alito is almost certain to replace Sandra Day O'Connor as a Supreme Court judge. I'm afraid because Alito displays a strong indication towards inclination towards executive authority, which I'm certain the emperor relishes. I'm disappointed with the Democrats for not beiing adequately prepared to confront this man more aggressively. BE AFRAID!

It also appears that the world's hatred for the United States will intensify after the bombing in Pakistan which killed at least 17 men, women and children. This was just the latest in a series of attacks on the side of the Afganistan/Pakastani border. Another attack on Monday killed 8 people.

Somehow, we have to make our voices heard; we've got to keep fighting!

It will never end....... Until the emperor is impeached!

And since I'm still feeling frisky:

ON THE GAY FRONT:
The American Family Association once again threatens Ford Motors with a boycott if the automaker does not pull its ads from gay media and end support to gay groups.

This time, the AFA brings 41 other groups to the table.

"We strongly suggest that Ford remove itself from involvement in the cultural war and apply its resources to building the best product possible," AFA chairman Donald E. Wildmon.

In December, Ford reversed its initial decision to capitulate to the boyvott threat.

Don't these people have anything better to do, like joining the military and going to fight the war in IRAQ?

TGIF

I'm physically and emotionally wiped out this week. I don't do sick well at all.....
it's like Academy Award for best performance in a dramatic role contender material.

Lysol spray all over the place to kill germs, Vicks Vapo Rub on the chest, antibiotics, nasal sprays, Mucinex and Nyquil....... followed by a vaporizer during the nite. It's HIGH DRAMA which means that not only do I make the PUGS misreable, I insist on going to work and making my co-workers wish I would simply disappear.

Thursday, I felt well enough to attend a two day seminar in Brandon, Florida......

No chance for drama here, until lunch. Several co-workers and I went to lunch at a Chinese Buffet. We sat down, ordered drinks iced tea and/or water and chatted briefly before proceeding to the buffet table. The waiter arrived with the much too large drinks and served two glasses of iced tea and proceeded to take my glass of water off the tray and place it on the table in front of me...... at which time, the tray flipped off of his hand and the remaining glasses of water and ice (FOUR) landed on my lap!

TGIF!

In today's e-mail.......

SONY launches gay label

The recording industry is coming out of the closet.

Sony Music on Tuesday said it was launching the first major music label dedicated to nurturing lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gendered artists.

The label, Music with a Twist, is a joint venture with Wilderness Media & Entertainment, the company led by Matt Farber, who founded Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks' new gay and lesbian channel LOGO, which is available in an estimated 20 million homes.

The label also comes as Wilderness Media plans this weekend to launch a syndicated national radio show called Twist targeting the gay and "gay-adjacent" communities, debuting on FM stations and the Web.

The weekly two-hour radio show will feature music, celebrity interviews, entertainment reports and relationship and lifestyle advice and news in a "morning show" format. "It's an idea whose time has come," Farber told Reuters, referring to the expansion of gay-themed media properties.

Music With a Twist's roster will feature gay artists who have mass appeal and hit potential across all musical genres. The label will collaborate with Sony Music's other U.S. labels and divisions, including Columbia Records Group, Epic Records, Sony Nashville and Sony Urban Music. Sony Music is part of Sony BMG, a joint venture of Sony Corp and Bertelsmann AG.

The label also plans to release various compilations geared toward gay and bisexual audiences, as well as music fans everywhere, featuring hit songs by established artists that have been embraced by gay, bisexual and trans-gendered audiences as well as tracks from emerging gay artists.

The first of these compilations will be released in June 2006 during National Gay Pride Month.

Sue Zeidler
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -

WHERE'S DONALD?

DONALD aka dondon009 has been feeling ICKY this week with a chest cold, sinus infection and sore throat .....

yes, we get colds here in Florida!

I am reading all of my BLOGMASTERS' journals daily but just don't have the energy to comment! I should be up and in rare form by the weekend.......

In the meantime Donald, Daisy and Muggs are hiding under the sheets!

ADAPTATIONS.....

I informed my family on Christmas day that I was going to make adaptations suitable to enhancing the quality of life for my PUG dog Daisy since she is now developing arthritis and continues to jump up and down from the living room sofa and my bed.

Daisy is now taking arthritis medication but in order to prevent further injury, I've removed the frame from my bed as well as all the cushions from the sofa. The next step will be to remove the sofa completely and the box spring from the bed, which will leave the mattress to sleep on.

I have a large square coffee table and I think an arrangement of pillows on the floor around the table should look quite nice. I'm not certain about comfort yet, and I'm beginning to think my guests may not stay very long..... which will be just fine. The dog remain the priority!

This new look will also give my family and friends another opportunity to comment about how "he's gone over the edge", which has already been said on more than one occasion.

The dining and computer areas will remain intact; the dogs don't go there.

And the AWARD goes to......... Part 2

On September 29, 2005 I made a journal entry congratulating my BLOGMASTER and friend POBBLE THOUGHTS on signing a three book publishing contract; one a non-fiction and the other two, novels.



This week, I received advanced notification from AMAZON.COM that Pobble's first book, under the pseudonym PT Shank will hit the shelves in August 2006! This is exciting, and I am blessed to have Pobble in my little circle of BLOGMASTERS.





CONGRATULATIONS my dear....... Doing what you love, and getting paid for it... what a concept!

I look forward to future similar notifications from fellow BLOGMASTERS playwrite HIKARU of HIKARULAND, writer and artist STEPHEN of BOUGIE BLACK BOY, and poet, lyricist THE CHAOTIC ONE, my young friend in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Life today is wonderful!

GUEST PREACHER SCHEDULED!

If you're planning on attending church at the SOUTH TULSA BAPTIST CHURCH today, you will find that today's services are conducted by a guest preacher.




Pastor who preached against gays arrested on lewdness charge

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A pastor who has spoken out against homosexuality was arrested after propositioning a male undercover police officer outside a hotel, authorities said.

As the Rev. Lonnie Latham, 59, left jail Wednesday, he said "I was set up. I was in the area pastoring to police."

EXCUSE ME Lonnie, but offering an undercover cop twenty bucks to suck his dick is not pastoring. I would call that propositioning!

Latham, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee, was arrested Tuesday and charged with offering to engage in an act of lewdness, Capt. Jeffrey Becker said.

Calls to Latham and his South Tulsa Baptist Church were not returned for comment.

Latham has supported a convention directive urging members to befriend gays and lesbians and try to convince them that they can become heterosexual "if they accept Jesus Christ as their savior and reject their sinful, destructive lifestyle."

The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation's largest Protestant denomination.

Excerpts:
KOTV 6

Reflections.......

"It's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all."
Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Lovers, I've had a few....... an eclectic mix of international males; all unique individuals.

The first was Niles, a customs police officer I was introduced to while vacationing in Bermuda. A beautiful black man who literally swept me off my feet; Niles was kind, generous, handsome, loving and a devoted father to his 11 year old son who he was raising as a single father. Move to Bermuda, he asked...... but I was young, living in Boston and not prepared for the quiet existence Bermuda had to offer. Decisions, decisions.... after several trips to and from Bermuda, I chose to finally make the decision that would probably impact the remainder of my life. I chose freedom.

I met Juan Rafael in a club in Boston. From the southern coast of Spain (Malaga/Torremolinos), Juan had been living in Boston a short while when we met. He could barely speak English and I spoke no Spanish (although I speak French fluently and the languages are somewhat similar). We spoke the language of love (otherwise known as "great sex") . Juan introduced me to a very different culture while I assisted him in becoming acclimated to the American lifestyle; although I was becoming much more proficient in Spanish than Juan was to the english language. We travelled to Spain where I was introduced to his family and friends. I was well received and his parents showered me with gifts including a wonderful collection of 18K gold jewelry and diamonds; gifts to thank me for embracing their son into my life (there was a time when jewelry was relatively inexpensive, especially in countries like Spain).
With and without Juan I travelled to Spain eleven times, always stopping in Madrid or Barcelona for a few days prior to embarking for Torremolinos.
After more than seven years, we parted ways. Juan was working evenings as a somellier for the Marriott in Boston. One evening, he went to work as usual and somehow, for some strange reason, I decided to call him at work. He was not there, and was not scheduled to work that evening. A mutual friend called to inform me that Juan was in a local club with a group of his Spanish friends....... he had lied, after seven years I chose to end the relationship. My attitude was "if you can lie to me once and get away with it, it can happen again and no was was I going to permit that. Juan was devastated, I somehow was relieved. We remain on friendly terms and for several years, I continued to visit Spain. I eventually ventured to the Balaraic island of Mallorca (Palma) where I had a brief two year affair with Miguel, a friend of Juan's best friend. Miguel would not move to the US and I would not move to Mallorca. End of relationship.

I spent the next seven years raising my foster son (JR). During this period, my parental instincts overshadowed any desire to enter into a relationship and it was not until JR got married that I once again became involved in a long term relationship. The lights went out when JR was killed in an automobile accident on March 21, 2005.


Juan Victoriano (another Juan) was from the Philippines. We met on the street in Boston; a look walking by each other, the "look" that says, turn around and take another look. Our eyes met again and we both began to smile. Without hesitation, I turned around and walked up to him and introduced myself. Juan swept me off my feet and I did likewise. It was a whirlwind romance. I was "in love" again! The relationship lasted several years until that fateful trip to New Orleans, the introduction to the city that would become and remains "my second home". Within the delightful decadence of the French Quarter, Juan was mesmerized. His eyes wandered like they had never done before...... that "6th sense" told me this was no good. Aids was at it's peak and I was concerned. During our last evening in New Orleans and after having observed Juan's wandering eyes for over a week, I ended the relationship. He cried, I cried but something was telling me "you can no longer trust this man."

I moved to Florida.