Mind over Matter: M&Ms into Art

How we as humans can adapt to stressful situations has always amazed me. I am an extremist; I either blow up or slink quietly into the woodwork, preferring to suffer alone. I find as I get older, I do more of the latter than the former. But when faced with the unthinkable or the prospect of loss of freedom, the mind can do wonderful things. There is evidence that in the concentration camps in WW II, prisoners created art, performed music and plays, married, and kept their cultures alive. Some actually emerge as better persons from their ordeals.

This musing was prompted by this article BEHIND BARS, HE TURNS M&Ms INTO ART FORM (if the link to the New York Times does not work, a snippet is here) about a prison artist in one of the toughest prisons in the US, Pelican Bay Secure Housing Unit in Crescent City, CA. Despite its bucolic name, Pelican Bay is no resort. The secure unit inmates, mostly in for murder, gang activity or crimes committed while in prison, are out of their cells only 1 hour a day. Rarely are they even outside, their recreation yard has a Plexiglas covering over it. Privileges are few and the atmosphere is always chaotic and dangerous.

But with little to do and facing life in the unit, Donny Johnson takes candy (M&Ms preferred), melts them in water and uses a brush made from his own hair to paint intense, colorful miniature paintings that have been recently displayed in the tony artist colony of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The lack of sensory stimulation (SHU is uniformly white and gray and inmates are not allowed to have contact visits nor to touch other inmates) is tantamount to torture. Yet Johnson has found an outlet, his mind finding ingenious ways to keep his humanity alive.

Some of the inmates I write to discovered instead of sinking into long term despair and depression their used their time and innate and unknown ingenuity to survive, keep their sanity and even better themselves.

Jon has used his time to write volumes in his blog, read over 200 books in a year and learn Chinese. Another inmate pal admits to not being a good student in school and never finishing high school but can do a sudoku puzzle, even the most difficult in minutes. I have never finished one of them, even the simple ones. Michael has gotten his GED and is working on two degrees in English Literature and Computer Science. He’ll be 68 when he is released, he is 31 now.

I am not sure how I would react if that happened to me. I tend to think I would be a blubbering fool who would do what I could to end my misery. But, the mind is powerful; the will to survive and flourish is strong. I hope not to find out.

Jon's Jail Journal

Faithful readers and casual visitors: It has been a busy weekend and Monday will be no better. Look for an update and more rants from Pato on Tuesday. Meanwhile, I want to introduce you to my friend Jon's blog Jon's Jail Journal. A fascinating glimpse of life in Prison. Jon is very intelligent, honest and sometimes brutal in his description of life inside the Arizona State Prison in Tucson.

See you Tuesday ~ Pato

The Rains Came

It is finally raining and Dante and his inferno have left for a few days. The heat here was beginning to get out of hand. It was over 100 for the last week with humidity to match. With Mr L's front AC unit out, I had to rescue his wine collection, over 300 bottles successfully evacuated to a cooler part of the condo.

The rain started at about 7;30 with a wonderful clap of thunder. As I looked out, a hard but not driving shower filled the sky and drenched the lawn. I was afraid we would break the heat wave with a horrible storm such as the one that pummeled St Louis. Puggles had a quick potty break (she hates rain) and I closed the slightly opened window to the Queen Mary.

No watering the yard today, no running up to 4th floor to see if I can get the recalcitrant AC to work. Maybe an easy day for a change?

It Can Happen Here

Found this on LostVault.com (see link on this page). From the Washington Post 7/20/06. If anyone is upset or offended, they should be. Remember, this can happen here.... When this act of relgious violence occured, human rights groups implored the Bush administration including Condolezza Rice to make a statement denouncing this. NOT A FUCKING WORD FROM THEM.

Remember Mahmoud Asgari and Ayez Marhoni murdered for being gay July 19, 2005.

Not since they confronted snapshots of a slightly built young man named Matthew Shepard and the fence where he was left for dead in 1998 by two drug-addled no-hopers in Laramie, Wyo., have gay people been so agitated by a set of photographic images. Protesters brought black-and-white reproductions of the pictures -- which show the public execution last year of two teenage boys in Iran -- to a rally in Dupont Circle yesterday afternoon. The images were also used in other protests, at least 26 in countries around the world, according to bloggers involved in organizing them, and the images are displayed in the windows of Lambda Rising bookstore, near Dupont Circle.

The pictures show a dismally sad drama: Two young men, identified by the Associated Press as aged 16 and 18, are seen shackled in a prison van, sobbing; one of them is then seen being led to a scaffold; other shots show the boys together with dark-hooded men placing nooses around the boys' necks; and two final images show their bodies hanging from ropes, in a large public square, as a crowd watches from a distance.

The hanging images, taken in the large northeastern city of Mashhad, raced across the Internet after the July 19, 2005, execution was reported by the Iranian Student News Association. There was a brief burst of very angry reaction among gay rights leaders, politicians in Europe and some human rights groups in the United States and abroad. Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her human rights work, protested the execution of minors. The two boys quickly became gay martyrs, killed, said activists, only because they desired each other and acted on that desire.

But as human rights groups looked into the initial Iranian accounts, the waters muddied. The boys, identified as Ayaz Marhoni and Mahmoud Asgari, were said to have been convicted not for homosexual conduct but for raping a 13-year-old boy. Gay journalists, writing on blogs, cited sources in Iran who said that claim was a smoke screen used by the Iranian government to deflect outrage over the execution. One account, again based on unnamed sources in Iran, suggested that a group of boys had been involved in consensual sexual activity and that the youngest of them (or members of his family) may have claimed he was coerced to avoid trouble for himself. In a country where an accusation of homosexuality is certain to bring harassment, often brings brings prison and torture, and occasionally brings death (by stoning, hanging, bisection with a sword or being dropped from a height, say gay rights groups), that scenario is plausible.

Scott Long of Human Rights Watch says that even a year later international groups know "very little" about what happened. The images are horrifying enough, he says, even if the boys were guilty of rape. And his group has documented plenty of "horror stories," including executions, that have been visited on people caught in same-sex activity in Iran. But can his group say anything about the rape charges?

"Nobody should trust the Iranian government on its face, but we can't document that," he says by phone from his office in New York.

Perhaps the saddest thing about these pictures is that no major news organization outside Iran has tracked down what really happened. The final indignity of these boys' short lives was that they didn't matter enough to spark a serious investigation. And yet, even with the particular facts of the alleged crimes in dispute, the images have haunted gay people in the West and become part of a larger debate about the political alignment of gay rights groups. Should Western activists engage with gay rights issues across cultural and religious borders? And do they risk being dragged into a crude anti-Islamic fervor popular among some fundamentalist Christians (who are no friends to gay people) and right-wing political groups?

Rob Anderson, 23, organized the Dupont Circle protest of about 40 people. He is a researcher and reporter for the New Republic, and he describes himself as part of a "network of lefty friends" who have no interest in the idea of war with Iran. But when the images of the hangings went up last year on the Internet, he printed them out and put them up near his desk. He says that all the friends he's shown the pictures to have had "a shift in consciousness," a realization that they live sheltered lives, that evil exists in the world and that despite the vast cultural difference between Iran and the United States, there have to be moral absolutes. And killing children for homosexuality is one thing that is absolutely wrong.

Over the past year, the ambiguity about why the boys were hanged has mostly faded from discussions on gay Web sites. Gay conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan, who organized a protest in Provincetown, Mass., yesterday, referred to the boys recently as "two gay teenage lovers." A Romeo and Juliet glow has come upon them, two young people killed because of the cruelty and ignorance of an unjust world. As the two boys have taken on iconic status, the cultural difference between them and the rest of the gay world has evaporated. When Anderson looks at the pictures, he feels a powerful connection with the young men.

"For gay people, I think all of us have a fear of being killed, and of being killed for who we are," he says. What he sees is two young men being "executed for something you see in yourself."



The force of the images, for many gay people, has cut through any doubt about their particular meaning. Even if these boys were guilty of rape, there is no doubt that others have been killed simply for being gay. So the pictures are not so much forensic documents as they are dramatizations of something that almost certainly exists. And their power is undeniable.

Images of people who are about to die tell us little about what we really want to know: What is death? How do you pass into it? Is it fearful? And so, unable to learn about death, we query the photograph itself, down to its most mundane details. Looking at these boys, you wonder who brought them the clean white shirts in which they were killed. It seems the sort of thing a mother might attend to. And what of the man, said to be a journalist, who is interviewing them in the police wagon as they cry? Does he sleep at night? And the sandal that has fallen from one boy's foot as he swings on the rope -- did anyone collect it afterward?

Although they have circulated widely on the Internet and were printed in some European newspapers, as well as the New York Times, the images have not been seen in most newspapers here. There is nothing in the pictures taken before the execution that contains blood, or explicit violence, or nudity, the usual taboos of imagery in the United States. And yet something about them is so deeply disturbing that they have had little mainstream circulation.

It is, perhaps, the very blunt and painful confrontation with homophobia that they force upon any viewer who chooses to believe that these are, indeed, images of youth executed merely for being gay. Rarely is the hatred of homosexuals, which flourishes within many of the world's fundamentalist religions, seen so starkly. If the Old Testament, a font of three of the world's major faiths, is the inerrant Word of God, then why should these images trouble you? For God, in Leviticus, says that the killing of homosexuals is justice and pleasing to him.

But if the images trouble the conscience nonetheless, then the viewer finds himself in exactly the position of every gay person who has wrestled with traditional morality and its often harsh absolutes. You find within yourself a moral consciousness that is wider than the wellspring of ancient religion. It is a dizzying sensation of liberation, and its power pulses through every line written by Walt Whitman. But it is, for many, a terrifying thought, and so images are suppressed. And the wasted lives of two young men are ignored by all except those who, through the strange ether of the Internet, feel a powerful kinship with them.

© 2006 The Washington Post Company
_________________

St Louis School Board Follies

The audience chanted "Hey, ho, Veronica's got to go" and "Reinstate, reinstate, reinstate." How intelligent.

Boos and jeers drowned out the pledge of allegiance. "We have traded in a Humvee of a superintendent, and we traded it in for a Pinto," said the Rev. Phillip DuVall.

"You got rid of a person who had a plan, Dr. Williams, and who implemented the plan and replaced him with a person who proved she could not run the Fox District," said Mary Johnson, a St. Louis resident and local businesswoman. "How can she manage the largest African-American school district" in the St. Louis area? Johnson asked.

So, what if Mary Johnson was white and she was referring to the hiring of a black administrator for a mostly white district and said “How can she manage the largest Caucasian school district in the St Louis area”.

Good golly Gertie, the lawsuits and shit would fly. I am sorry but racism is racism.

Hiring a black Superintendent for a white district is good for diversity. A white Superintendent for a black district is racism??? HUH?

And still Johnny can’t read…

TURMOIL IN ST LOUIS SCHOOLS

Being Blunt

As the world burns, people suffer, jobs disappear, kids fail in school, poor get poorer, uninsured reach record highs, and Katrina not far behind us, the Republicans worry about who I fuck, or if two lesbians want to legalize a relationship so they can care for each other when the going gets tough.

Vote the bastards OUT!

Transatlantic Call

I had finally gotten to sleep and was snoozing away in the comfortable bed of the nice but non-descript Docklands area hotel room in London. July 17, 1996. My first trip to the UK. 3 weeks in London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Lake Country, York, Chester, Wales, Ireland.

The phone rang at about 6AM. I thought it was a wrong number or a wake-up call or something. Maybe another member of my group (I had come with a group I did some travel with in the 90s, we'd been to Israel and were going to Turkey in 1997) was calling.

I absentmindedly picked up the phone and put it back down, as I did with all the automated wake-ups I had. It rang again.

"Hello?"
"Mr. Clark?"
"Yes...."
"You have a transatlantic call"
"Oh, thank you." ('Fuck....now what?' is what I was really thinking.)

It was my sister.

"Mom was worried you were in the plane crash."
"What plane crash?"
"The one in the ocean of of New York."
"I think it is pretty obvious I was not."

I turned on the TV to CNN International and watched the coverage of TWA 800 which happened 10 years ago today.

"Donna, I took United from Washington DC to London. This was TWA New York to Paris."
"I know, but you know mom."

So after assuring my mom I was safe in London and that I was more likely to die driving to Wichita than flying to London, (she thus forbid me to ever drive to Wichita again) we hung up.

TWA Flight 800 took off late in the evening from JFK Airport. Minutes later, the 747 exploded over the Atlantic Ocean and claimed the lives of all 230 people on board. Many believed that it was a missile fired from land that took the jetliner down or even a missile from a Navy ship 200 miles away that downed the plane. An edgy White House initially suspected terrorism and readied plans for military action in the Middle East. Conspiracy theories abound to this day.

But the official account from the National Transportation Safety Board concluded was the likely cause of the explosion was a spark from wiring that ignited fuel vapors in an empty center fuel tank of the Boeing 747 N93119 CN 20083/ LN 153. I tend to believe that.

We had a wonderful trip through the UK but the crash shadowed us and caused long delays on our return as security was still high.

There are memorial services all over the country and at the Memorial Site on Long Island this week for the 230 victims of one of this country's worst air disasters.

Dante, go home...

...and take your inferno with you!! It is supposed to reach over 100F (38C) here today. One of the unit's AC is on the fritz already. HM Puggles, Queen of All Pugs, etc, etc. is staying indoors today. I am heading off to church but if the AC is not on, then I am OUT!

I am supposed to see Shakespeare in the Park tonight with Barb and Ross. Maybe the sets will melt and it will be cancelled. Maybe Kansas City will melt and we'll all be cancelled.

Keep your pets (and your Grandma) inside today and make sure they have LOTS of water!

Rembrandt's 400th

Four hundred years ago today in the Dutch city of Leiden, Rembrandt van Rijn, one of the most enduring and fascinating western artists, was born.

The prolific Rembrandt produced nearly 3,000 paintings etchings,and scketches. Of these, nearly a hundred were self portraits, giving us an accurate picture of how he looked, how fashions changed and how his many troubles and tangled affairs wearied him. Biblical themes often inspired his works and many editions of the Bible use his paintings as illustrations. It is hard to escape his influence.

Most of us remember Rembrandt from our first introductions to art in grade school. He was often used as an example of the use of chiaroscuro, using contrasts of light and shadow to create depth and a range of emotions in his figures. Rich in detail, bold in strokes, dark yet expressive, his paintings still inspire and impress today.

Like Mozart, he was renowned in his day and was very successful financially. However, he lived beyond his means and died after becoming bankrupt and outliving his wife and son. Only a daughter born to his mistress survived him.

Festivals and exhibitions and even a new opera on his life are part of the celebrations in his native Holland. In his birthplace of Leiden, people in period dress led a torch-lit procession to the statue of Rembrandt, hung a garland around the statue's neck and toasted his memory. Let me join in the toast Rembrandt Van Rijn. Happy Birthday!

Quatorze Julliet

Joyeux Quatorze Julliet!

Aujourd'hui est La Fête Nationale ou Quatorze Juillet en La Republique Francaise.(Better known as Bastille Day in English.)

En l'honneur du jour, voici est L'Hymmne National Francais:

La Marseillaise:

Allons! Enfants de la Patrie!
Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
Contre nous de la tyrannie,
L'étendard sanglant est levé!
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes
Mugir ces féroces soldats?
Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras

Égorger vos fils, vos compagnes.
Aux armes, citoyens!
Aux armes, citoyens
Formez vos bataillons!
Marchons, marchons!
Qu'un sang impur...
Abreuve nos sillons!

Avez un joyeux jour, mes amis Francais!

(...and forgive my rusty French)

Roux Roux!!

I offered to host a small birthday gathering for my church and Pub buddy Bruce at the pool at the Towers. I thought wine, cheese, etc....

Well.... my friend Michael told everyone "Don makes the best gumbo. I have had gumbo in New Orleans and Ricky (his late partner) lived in Bossier City, LA and he even said Don's gumbo was superb". "Hey Don, make some gumbo..."

So I did.

Scene: Michael came by with the wine and beer just as I was finishing the gumbo. I am in the kitchen....

"Come on baby...uh-uh.... coooooooome on... that's it yeah Yeah YEAH... come on baby.... (strange bumping banging sounds in the background), you can do it....a little more....more... coooooome on... that's it... whoa... yeah.... Oh yeah YEAH....YEAH (going on for about 5 minutes now) yeah.... oh yes yes YES YES!!!! OH OH OH!!! YESSSSSSSSSSS. YEAH!!! NOW!!! DAMN!!!"

Michael: Can I ask what you are doing in there????? (looking cautiously around the corner)
Pato(Dripping with sweat and a smile to light up the world): My roux turned out PERFECT!

Such is the life of a gumbo maker.

The world of Roux

A Trip to Home Depot

Whoa!!! I know what you are thinking. Everyone's 2nd favorite Donald Duck (mom always liked him best) has run out of things to blog about. Never fear, fair readers, this evolves into a mildly amusing story and a rant about a big corporation. ~ Pato

I avoid Home Depot as much as possible. Big, ugly, and orange, the stores leave me cold with their ignorant staff (I know as much about hardware as most of them do)and poor customer service. In our store, there are 15 check-outs but usually only 1-2 are manned. Of course I am buying a light bulb and 2 screws and the person in front of me is buying enough material to build a house. They do have everything in stock, which to me is their only saving grace.

I also dislike how the big box stores rely on the largesse of taxpayers to build their monsters everywhere and drive away other businesses. Kansas City has given away enough tax dollars to rebuild the whole city just to get Wally World and Home Depot and others to build or stay. Can anyone say "blackmail"?

When I was still an HR type, I interviewed for an HR job at a Home Depot in St Louis. Every store has an HR manager and I thought I'd be a shoe-in handling one location after juggling up to 20 in my career. The annoying application began with a lengthy on-line application and then a telephone screening done by a contract firm. Then if you passed that, you got to interview with the regional manager. I got lucky.

Arriving and going in the back of the store, I was ushered in by a casually dressed young fellow who chatted to me about how things were, what I was here for etc. Imagine my surprise when he joined in the interview as the main fellow's assistant. I always wondered if I said something silly.

The head guy was a cocky, surly fellow (we would have clashed, I am sure) but the interview progressed as well as expected. I was then taken to an unoccupied room and given a set of essay questions to complete and told I had 30 minutes to complete them. 30 minutes went by, 40, 45, 50... so I got up and looked out in the hall. No one was there and went to the door where the interview took place. The two fellows were still there and were engrossed in a telephone conversation about an issue at a store. I listened for a bit. The person on the phone must have asked how the interviews were going. "Heh..." the main guy sighed, "not a damn one has come in that has impressed me yet." Cut your losses man. I retrieved my notebook and ducked under the window of the door and left. Sorry, boys, it was I who was not impressed from the start. First and only time I ever walked out before an interview was completed.

So with that baggage in tow, I went to Home Depot as we wanted some new large palms for the pool. Home Depot does have a fair selection of reasonable priced plants, although many are in poor shape. I bought an orchid there once (in my pre-hate days) that infested the rest of my orchids with aphids. So I took the Queen Mary and proceeded to the store. I found two nice palms that appeared to be $26.95 each so I went off to find a cart (all were in the parking lot) and took them to the check out. Not a long wait, luckily.

The man behind me was admiring the palms, which at about 5 1/2 ft tall and in a cart were hard to miss. "You keep them outside in the winter?", he asked. "No, they stay indoors, I have an indoor pool". "Oh...." thinking I was Ritchie Rich. I enjoyed the ruse and found it odd how people's attitude change when they think you have money!

With palms all paid for, I wheeled the cart out, looking much like Artie Johnson peeking thru the shrubs on the old Laugh-In Show. I ran into a few people along the way but caused no real injuries.

The Queen Mary being a Lincoln from the 80s is a cavernous auto thus I was not really worried about getting two 5 1/2 ft palms in her. The people in the parking lot were not so sure. I attracted quite a crowd as I placed the first palm in the front right footwell and gently bent the fronds to fit in. The second one was relegated to the back seat. She slid in the left back foot well and went across the seat, angled slightly to the front. Viola! Two palms in a Lincoln. I got applause. Getting home was without incident, although I felt I was in a jungle. Arriving at the Towers, I thought how the audience at Home Depot would have loved to watch as the palms magically sprung from the car to their full glory, much like a troupe of circus clowns piling out of a Volkswagen. The splendid palms were significantly taller than the Queen Mary.

The palms look lovely in the pool room, the Queen Mary needs a trip to the car wash to vacuum out a bit of dirt and my trip to Home Depot was a success.

With all that baggage and drama, no wonder I am not a frequent shopper!

Conservative Anger

Bill McClellan is just about my favorite columist with the exception of the brilliant Molly Ivins. Bill's column in today's St Louis Post Dispatch is a must read:

Bill McClellan: What have conservatives got to be angry about?

Emperor of the North

While spending the evening with my friend Michael, we came across an old movie 'Emperor of the North" (also released as "Emperor of the North Pole")from 1973. Starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, and Keith Carradine, the movie is an action tale set among the rail riding hobo communities of the Depression Pacific Northwest. The title refers to a hobo joke that the world's best hobo was "Emperor of the North Pole," a way of poking fun at their own desperate situation since an Emperor of the North Pole would rule over nothing.

Ernest Borgnine plays the sadistic conductor Shack who brags that no hobo ever rides his train. As the movie opens, he has just thrown a hobo off his train to his death. Lee Marvin plays A#1 the wise and wiley hobo who manages to hop Shack's train along with the pain in the butt and cocky young hobo Cigaret played by Carradine. At the next stop, A#1 evades Shack and escapes but Cigaret is caught. Shack threatens to kill Cigaret but he manages to escape and finds that A#1 has announced that he will be the first hobo to ride Shack's train all the way to Portland. Cigaret of course tags along behind.

Thus the fun begins as Cigaret and A#1 manage to out maneuver Shack. Shack manages to eject them once but they hop a different train and beat him to Salem where they sneak on for the final encounter. The film ends with a climactic battle between Shack and A#1. When A#1 has the defeated Shack at his mercy, instead of killing him, he just throws him off the train. Cigaret brags how great "they" are, how "they beat' shack and how "they" are the greatest of all hobos. A#1, finally having his fill of Cigaret, throws the testosterone laden boy off the train into a lake, lecturing him all while he rides the train on to Portland and to glory.

Good fun, compelling story, minor blood and guts compared to the movies of today, the good guys win and show that they can win without totally massacring their enemy. Certainly worth watching if you come across it.

Whining

The Muslims are whining again. I thought my former neighbor's dog in St Louis could whine, but she has nothing on the Muslim community. Incredibly, on the one year anniversary of the London bombings where bombs exploded on three underground trains and a bus in London, killing 52 and injuring hundreds, British Muslims say they have been treated with anger and suspicion, and that the whole community is being blamed for the actions of four individuals. The investigation concluded that the blasts were the work of four suicide bombers, members of Britain's Muslim community, not immigrants but born and raised there.

And that is sad in a way, of course the whole community is not to blame. But the Muslim community continues to offer its "we condemn this act, but...." routine. Excuses, excuses. The War in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestinians, the Muslim youth are alienated.... on and on. None of that excuses the killing of innocent lives. If the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is to be settled, then the Muslim world must curtail its desire to kill the rest of the world and stop the support of terror. If the Muslim world is poor, then the rulers of the Emirates and Saudi Arabia can forgo buying fleets of aircraft, building the world's largest shopping mall and largest buildings and prop up their economy. If the youth are alienated, it is due to Muslim immigrants intransigence to assimilate in the culture.

A dear friend of mine accepts all the excuses of the Muslim world without question. I told him, "dear... you are gay and a Christian clergy. They would lop your head off first." It did not seem to phase him.

The sides must meet in the middle. The West needs to look at some of the root causes of the hatred and the Muslims must be rational and put their hate aside and look at their own record. Stop blaming, stop excusing, be sincere. Maybe a step to peace will occur. Imagine that.

Time to Rumble

Following a Neanderthal ruling by the New York Supreme Court, angry gays and lesbians demonstrated across New York State Thursday. The ruling by the Court of Appeals criticized same-sex couples and said they had no constitutional right to marriage.

In its weak and buck passing ruling, the court said "at least two grounds rationally support the limitation on marriage that the Legislature has enacted. First, the Legislature could rationally decide that, for the welfare of children, it is more important to promote stability, and to avoid instability, in opposite-sex than in same-sex relationships." This has been proven wrong time and again, but the right wing fuckers chose to ignore anything that gets in the way of their prejudice. A favorite trick of the right to "protect children" from everything including having a loving family and proper healthcare.

The ruling went on to say "Heterosexual intercourse has a natural tendency to lead to the birth of children; homosexual intercourse does not." Duh! The ruling also noted that the Legislature could "rationally believe that it is better, other things being equal, for children to grow up with both a mother and a father." (See above)

The justices said in the ruling that the plaintiffs "have not persuaded us that this long accepted restriction is a wholly irrational one, based solely on ignorance and prejudice against homosexuals." Then what is it? Tradition! I guess, if we have always been prejudicial, then we always will be.

I was thrilled that people demonstrated in Sheridan Square in New York City, Albany, Rochester and other cities. According to polls, the majority of New Yorkers want to legalize same sex marriage.

Get with it courts, get on the streets everyone. It is time to rumble. It is the only way to get the entrenched powers to listen.

This Day in History

This day in history;

7/6/1942
In Nazi-occupied Holland, 13-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family are forced to take refuge in a secret sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse.

7/6/1944
In Hartford, Connecticut, a fire breaks out under the big top of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, killing 167 people and injuring 682.

7/6/1957
In 1957, 15-year-old Paul McCartney attends a church picnic where he meets 16-year-old John Lennon.

And the most momentous occasion to occur on July 6:

7/6/1956
Robert and Ida McDonald announce the birth of their first child, a son David in Decatur, Il. David survived Decatur public schools, graduated from Mc Arthur HS in 1975 and eventually graduated from Illinois State University in 1979. A long career in the film industry took him from the prairies of central Illinois to the metropolis of Chicago where he met and married Lynda Christiansen of Elmhurst. After managing the world through the company World Management, David settled in to a comfortable position with a large delivery firm, noted for their lovely brown color.

David and Lynda are parents of three children: Melanie, and twins Joshua and Jordan.

Best of all, David is my friend and the brother I never had. He must be special to put up with me, as we have known each other since *gasp* 1963. Our meeting may not have been as momentous and the meeting of Lennon and Mc Cartney, but it has been just as satisfying.

Happy Birthday my dearest friend! And to many more!

Herty Lewites

The unexpected death of Herty Lewites, who died from a heart attack Sunday in Managua, has thrown the Nicaraguan presidential elections, scheduled or November into even greater turmoil. Herty, as he was always known, was the candidate for the Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista (MRS).

Herty unfortunately had a slim chance of being elected; even though he was the most liked and trusted of the candidates. His split with the Sandanistas left him in the muddy middle waters with a new, untried party and a split base of support. Herty was involved with the overthrow of Somoza and spent the 1960s and 70s involved with arms smuggling along with positions in the Sandinista government. He was jailed in the US for arms smuggling at one time. His success as Minister of Tourism in the 1980s and as mayor of Managua 2000-2005 earned him a reputation for efficiency and honesty. Managua under his leadership became cleaner, safer and more modern, and is now one of the safest cities in Latin America.

Herty was viewed as a moderate leftist. He proposed to improve education and to spend more on health and housing. His goal was for Nicaragua to overcome its position as one of the poorest countries in Latin America through investment in alternative energy and tourism, not by rejecting CAFTA and embracing the Chavez/Castro model as Daniel Ortega has proposed.

Herty was expelled from the Sandinista Party in February of 2005 over a dispute with Ortega, regarding the party’s selection of a presidential candidate. The FSLN, once all powerful and unchallenged, lost its credibility due to corruption scandals and the "Pacta" between Ortega and imprisoned crook Arnoldo Aleman designed to divide the major branches of the government between the two parties. The pact, Ortega's dictatorial rule of the party alienated Sandinistas. Heroine of the Revolution and former Minister of Health Dora Maria Tellez formed the Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista (MRS) in 1994. They were marginalized until Herty rejuvenated the party.

Both the right and the left are split in Nicaragua. The PLC of Aleman is split between hardliners and more moderates as well. The PLC candidate Jose Rizzo is seen as a stooge of Aleman. As current defeated and powerless president Bolanos can attest, Aleman continues to call the shots. The more moderate candidate of the right Eduardo Montealegre is a US-educated diplomat running as the Alianza Liberal Nicaraguense (ALN) candidate on an anti-corruption platform. He is also considered a better candidate and is more trusted and liked than Ortega and Rizzo.

Sadly, the fight will be between Ortega and Rizzo. The question remains where will Herty's votes go, figured at about 15%. Will they stick to the left and go to Ortega or switch to the right wing but popular Montealegre?

Herty Lewites has forever changed Nicaraguan politics by energizing the MLS and demonstrating that left can free itself from the domination by Daniel Ortega and his corrupt and bankrupt past.

As an interesting aside, Herty was Jewish, certainly an anomaly in Roman Catholic dominated Central America. He was the descendent of a Jewish family that settled in Nicaragua and became prosperous shop owners. The Mercado Israel Lewites still operates in Managua as does Hertylandia, his amusement park.

July 4th Redux

This was my July 4 post last year. See how little had changed. My 2006 comments are in bold:
I THINK IT WAS THE 4TH OF JULY

I am not in a patriotic mood this year. I am not pleased and proud of this country anymore, and see it getting worse. Therefore, the desire to sing the Star Spangled Banner (jibberish set to an impossible tune) was nil, as was the urge to see sparkly, noisy fireworks. I just hope the USA gets a grip on reality and sees the danger of Bush and his villains, coup leaders all. Or this will be the last 4th of July.(Well, maybe next one will be the last, Bush hangs on and I am sure is plotting to get his base of support out to keep his buddies in power. Democrats remain spineless and are becoming irrelvant. The war drags on and everyone hates Bush, we just don't seem to have the guts to get rid of him.)

Just look around you and you can easily see the complacency that has blanketed the USA likea pea soup fog. I pat myself on the back for using that metaphor as it is so accurate. As in a pea soup fog, we can't see much past our noses. Our mantra... it is all about ME!, stupid. If we are not personally affected, or our beloved home in the suburbs, our investments or our new Lexus are not in danger then who cares. In Cupcake Land the big worry is if mom can get Jimmy to soccer on time. Honey,wake up!! If you don't start caring what is happening around you, soccer will the least thing about which you worry. (Well, not much changed here, unfortunately.)

Our rights are eroding around us. Our Government has assumed an unprescedented arrogance, listening no more to those whose views differ, and indeed silencing all opposition. The moves to change the programming on NPR such as naming a former Republican Party chair to be the Chair of NPR, cancelling funding, railing about lesbian rabbits or whatever, is chilling beyond belief. The USA I used to know would never stand for this, yet this was page 15 news. NPR is too liberal, but hypocritically we ignore FOX and the pablum on the radio... that is ok, they are daring to speak the truth. I do not believe a thing I read anymore. (NPR survived again, but for how long?? FOX continues to spout every sound bite the Repubs' spin doctors think up. People believe them and quote their lies and innuendo. Pathetic.)

As I try to write this the emotions are pouring..the injustice, hypocracy, arrogance and greed are overwhelming. That is what they want.. to overwhelm us. They silently sneak in like the guerilla and plant the devastating grenade right in our beds. It is too late, we are powerless.

Complain?? TO WHO??? The spineless Democrats just wring their hands. Defeated, they are superfluous, irrelevant. Disagree with the majority... too bad, we don't have a "Government by the People, of the People for the People, we have a government of fuck the people, what does The Fuhrer want us to believe today?? Pant pant pant...throw me a bone...Arf ARF! Wagging their tails at the master... doing tricks and parroting his words to keep him happy. (Nothing new here either, see my bitching about spineless Dems above.)

As for passing the day, I did get invited to the Rockhill Tennis Club for July 4th BBQ by Scott Lindsay and of course Marcia and Will. It was totally underwhelming. The food was ok, and of course Lindsay complained the whole time. I got some shopping in at Wally World (shhhhhh officially I hate them) but hey, needed some stuff. Talked to Greg, I think he wanted me to go to the lesbians swimming, but I had the club invite first. Eve was swimming in my pool and laundry WOO HOO! (I am in rut, expect for the Wally World visit and the fact that Scott was in a good mood and we had more along than just Marcia and Will, the above was the duplicate of my day today.... I need to get out more! Almost went to the swim party but I was tired after the long AM and rich food.)

HAPPY 4TH! At least have yourself a treat. You could be somewhere worse.

Surprise Phone Call

I got a telephone call from my 22 year old son Daniel. He is a good kid, smart in a common sense way and has been enjoying himself by working in a music store and playing with his locally successful band.

So as I am walking in the grocery store Sunday eve, my cell rings and it is Daniel.

"Where are you dad?"
"Going in to the grocery store, why?"
"I have something to tell you"
"Oh???"
"Stephanie and I are engaged."

Fainting sounds....

Gotta hand it to him, he picked out a ring, arranged a dinner at a wonderful restaurant in St Louis, took her to the theatre to see his obsession "Phantom of the Opera" (he must have seen it 5-6 times that I know of) and proposed to her in the lobby of the Fox theatre after the show.

The girl was silly and said yes.

They are both smart young people. She works for Nordstrom's as an apprentice buyer after getting a degree in Fashion Marketing, Daniel runs the band instrument department of a branch of the Brook May's Music Co in Columbia, MO. He can transfer to a branch in St Louis if there is a position. They want to get married in St Louis and live there, which is fine with me.

I guess I am going to a wedding this time next year.

Or maybe not, I offered Puggles as a flower girl and he said no. If she is not invited then I won't be there! There, we have the first crisis!

Allez France, Allez!

Barb, Ross, Yohan and I ventured to Cupcake land on Saturday to watch the World Cup soccer match Brazil vs France. The setting was a nice English style pub complete with a good selection of scotch (I had two Laphroaigs, the smoky yet sweet Islay scotch)and good fish and chips. The English crowd had left after their defeat by Portugal so it was the Latinos rooting for Brazil, the last hope of the non-European teams. I being the lover of underdogs, and knowing French decided to be different and to root for France.

I am not much of a follower of any sport. I find the players most annoying and the sports Americans like basically boring, with the exception of a good baseball game. Soccer, as is well known, has not gripped the USA like it has the rest of the world.

I have found soccer is fun to watch and has its own charms. I was amused that they run the clock forward. They play for 90 minutes so the clock starts at 00.00 and runs up to 45.00 for the first half and then a second 45.00 for the second half. Unless.... There is a "secret" (Ross explained only the referees know the exact time) time kept when action stops or there are penalty stops. This time is added at the end, as a suspenseful encore. In this case it was 3 minutes.

The referees do not drop flags or hankies for penalties like in football, but wave little yellow and red cards they pull out of wallets. A yellow card is bad, a red card is the kiss of death. Too many yellows get you in hot water too. I think.

The game was good. The experienced and calculating French ousted the Brazilian favorites 1-0 in one-sided victory. They now go on to the semifinals against Portugal. France's 3-0 victory in the 1998 title match was the last time Brazil lost in the World Cup, so the Brazilians have found a real nemesis in La Belle France.

Much of the credit goes to Zinedine Zidane the French captain. It was Zidane who lifted France past Brazil the last time they met, scoring two goals for France's last World Cup. Since then, Brazil had won 11 straight World Cup games and another championship. Zidane, and Thierry Henry who scored the only goal took care of the Brazilian dream of another World Cup title.

Most everyone at the pub rooted for Brazil but I left happy and a little more educated in soccer. Now, I have a team to root for. As the pundits now favor Germany, I will continue to shout "ALLEZ FRANCE, ALLEZ!!"

The Night they Closed Ol' Dixie Down

What's with it that so many legendary establishments are closing this weekend? Well, two to be exact, so that does not establish a serious trend, but it is interesting and a little disturbing to those of us who detest change.

On the heels of the Brookside Dime Store (June 29th) comes the definitive word that one of the oldest and most established gay bars in town, the legendary and literally world famous Dixie Belle will close on July 2. A virtual icon in the community, especially among the leather and Levi community, the bar is open this weekend but according to their news release they will "drink the place dry" on Sunday.

I personally know several people who met their partners at the DB as it was usually called. Many a newly out gay boy got their eyes (and dare I say other things...) opened by the activity in the somewhat (ok really) sleazy down stairs. Leather men strutted, businessmen closed deals, relationships for a night or a lifetime formed, closeted, lonely men could be their true selves for a night, drag queens, men stripped to a leather jock carrying a whip, it was all there on display. The Sunday beer bust was a great way to spend some time with cheap beer, good conversation and a chance to meet up with a wide spectrum of the community.

I had not been there in a while, and there in may lie a reason for its closing. Demographics change; we are getting older and the thought of hanging around the DB till all hours of the night has lost its attraction, newer more intimate bars attract the younger "upscale" crowd and with a proliferation of more successful bars the DB is no longer the only place in town.

The DB was a pioneer in the upper midtown section of KC, once just old commercial buildings and the Hereford House Restaurant. Now, the Crossroads district makes the property and location quite valuable. There are no announced plans for the building. It moved across the street from its old location a few years ago. The old location is now a fancy restaurant.

I wonder if those enjoying their filet en croute there realize someone may have had their first gay sex experience at the very location of their elegant table? Maybe it was one of the diners, who knows?!

The gay community will survive, other bars will get a bit more business as loyalties move. But for some, the world will never be the same.

Local News

WHOOPS:

There was a fairly serious car accident at our corner of 38th and Baltimore this AM. I did not see it but heard it. An apparently east bound, possibly turning left on to Baltimore, Nissan hit an Isuzu SUV which turned over on its side. It was a bad day for Japanese autos. It appeared that the Nissan was from Minnesota. He may have wished he had stayed home. No one appeared to be very injured.

First on the scene were two tow trucks, followed by a 3rd from another tow company. A fourth showed up later. Next arrived the huge KCFD ladder truck in case one of the cars was on fire up in a tree. A smaller truck came in from the east but turned around and went back. An ambulance showed up a few minutes later. Finally, about 10 minutes after the accident, a single police car came by. Obviously Lamar's Donuts had closed for the morning or this cop had lost a bet. Finally work could continue on clearing the street, and all was quiet by 9AM.

This being the second such accident in 3 months on a not really busy intersection, I wonder if the city would even consider looking at putting up a 4 way stop? Nah...

RIP:

IGOR THE BAT:

A rather sadder tale involved the reappearance of Igor the Bat to Apt 2S. ("Batty" May 22)This time Lois phoned to inform me that Igor had passed away in the same spot we last found him, in the sink under the dish strainer. How he got back there is a mystery. I had thought he may have found his way up the drain, but since the drain on both sides had stoppers on them, he would have had to remove the stopper and replace it; quite an accomplishment for a Pipistrellus pipistrellus. Funeral arrangements are Fri AM with Deffenbaugh Disposal, curbside.

BROOKSIDE DIME STORE:

It was reported today that one of the last independent, wood floored, “if we don't have it you don't need it” Dime Stores has closed, possibly for good. Rumor had been that the landlord wanted the space occupied by the appropriately named Brookside Dime Store for more "upscale" retail and people began to complain that they could get things cheaper at Wal-Mart, even though the closest one was 2 states, 4 cities and 3 counties away. The store's original owner died in 2002 and the store was on thin ice since then. But people came for miles around to marvel at the collection of everything. Enough ribbon to circle the earth, best selection of greeting cards in the city (any of you who have received cards from me likely had received a Brookside Dime Store card, and enough cheap plastic toys to delight any youngster. Those nostalgic for the days of Woolworth’s, SS Kresge or WT Grant could find solace in the Dime Store.

The sign says "temporarily closed", but no one believes that the venerable store will reopen.

One Man's Opinion

When discussing the "controversy" of gay marriage my friend Shannon had this to say:

"Throughout my entire childhood, I was beaten, tortured, abandoned, neglected and simply abused. (this is no exaggeration ~ Pato) These crimes were perpetrated by my birth parents foster parents and adopted parents, all heterosexual married couples.

But I had a couple of gay friends and a lesbian couple who were always there for me. They gave food, shelter and clothes to the poor abused kid. Why? Because they cared and because they wanted to. Those who abused me were paid to take me and spent the money on themselves. My friends spent their own money to help me, never asking a thing in return from me.

In my opinion, sexual orientation should not be a basis for denying adoption. Heterosexuals are more than capable of abusing children, and I am sure the statistics show that. Had my non-heterosexual friends been given custody of me, things might have been a whole lot different for me. I could keep a job, I could stop trying to kill myself, I would not be in prison for the 4th time."

Need anymore convincing?

What's Your Sign?

You are 100% Pisces

How Pisces Are You?

I am not sure if astrology has any basis in fact or truth, BUT I am 100% of my sign! So, how Pisces are you? Even if it is not your sign, take the quiz and see how fishy you are!

Brave Combo

Many of the bands I hear on my occasional outings to live music are at best entertaining and mostly forgettable. One band however, is a stand out and thus I am sure to catch them anytime they visit Kansas City.

Brave Combo defies description. A Polka/rock/folk band is the best I can muster. Based in Denton, Texas and founded in 1979 by lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, accordionist Carl Finch, BC has a good sized and loyal following. BC won a Grammy award in 1999 in the Polka album category for their album Polkasonic, and again in 2005 for their album Let's Kiss. Their music incorporates every conceivable style of dance styles, mostly polka, but also rumba, cha-cha-cha, waltz, two-step, twist, meringue, etc. Their style leads to radically different versions of the original. Examples include polka versions of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and "The Coventry Carol Twist", and The Rolling Stones' "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" as a cha-cha. They recently added a wicked fun instrumental combining the driving "Peter Gunn" theme with Khachaturian's Saber Dance. While their performances have a sense of humor, and frequently include audience participation performances of the "Chicken Dance" and the "Hokey Pokey" they are not a joke. These guys are consummate musicians.

For example, take Jeffrey Barnes the second most senior of the group. Barnes is friendly, he usually can be found at the bar drinking a beer and eating a sandwich before the performance, talking with fans and enjoying himself. Usually dressed in a colorful "hippie" outfit, he plays an astonishing array of winds, harmonica and whistles sometimes in multiple, simultaneous combinations. Yes, he usually plays a melody on one recorder while accompanying himself on the other... truly amazing. Rounding out the current line-up are trumpet and flugelhorn player Danny O'Brien, drummer Alan Emert and Ann Marie Harrop on bass guitar. Last visit we spoke to Ann Marie, the newest member and she professed to be thrilled to death to play with these incredible, yet unpretentious musicians.

You have to hear these guys to believe them. They are funny, amazing, entertaining and talented. Garrison Keillor calls them "entertainers who just won't take no for an answer."

Check out their website for more information and take in a bit of Brave Combo magic. Polka Band, Dance Band, Latin Combo, Night Club act, whatever your musical inclination, I bet you'll be hooked.

Last One

From the Intergalactic Times:

T’Dwarkaq City, Rigel Stardate 2354.06 (w)

Museum to Put Rare Earth Vehicle on Permanent Display

The Intergalactic Museum of History and Technology has announced plans to put the last known internal combustion powered Planet Earth land vehicle, commonly known as an auto-mobile, on permanent display in the new wing of the museum. The new wing and display will be open in about .5 Stardates.

“This is the only known, complete and functioning auto-mobile from the Planet Earth” said Rwety~Qjada, curator of Extra-Rigelian Technology at the museum and the foremost expert on Earth vehicles. “We have parts and pictures of other vehicles, but this is the only one that is complete and still functions.”

The vehicle, estimated to be around 550 Earth years (45.65 Stardates) old was discovered and transported to Rigel in Stardate 2353.54(w) (about 2 Earth years) during the last expedition to Earth. Ironically it was the dependence on the internal combustion auto-mobile that ultimately made the Earth uninhabitable.

Internal Combustion automobiles were popular on the planet for about 200 of its years. Evidence of their use has been found in every land mass on the planet, including the uninhabited Polar Regions. In the late 21st earth century, dwindling supplies of the fuel used to power the machines caused them to be abandoned and alternate sources of power found. But by then, the damage to the atmosphere had been done. The resulting lack of livable space and clean air and water led to the massive wars that destroyed much of the population and scattered the survivors. In the last .2 Stardates, the planet has lost all remaining atmosphere and is now a barren rock, too hot to inhabit.

The vehicle has run since its arrival on Rigel but with the small supply of the necessary fuel confined to laboratories, it is unlikely the vehicle will function again soon. “It could” Said Rwety~Qjada, “and it is ready to function, all we need is some fuel.” It last ran about .005 Stardates ago (6 earth weeks) for about 22 Paktaseu (30 minutes) until the fuel was exhausted. “I can see how the Earth’s atmosphere was destroyed by these auto-mobiles” said Rwety~Qjada, “the oily blue fumes were quite noxious. A series of buttons, pedals and levers make the auto-mobile move. It moved about 23 R-utw (3 miles) and was hard to control. I am sure many Earth people were killed or injured by these machines.”

The large, black and gray auto-mobile has been identified through markings as a “Packard Clipper” and likely built in the middle of the Earth’s 20th century, according to Rwety~Qjada. A small piece of metal attached to the auto-mobile indicated that it came from the "Kans WY" region of the planet. Papers with the word “Sneed” on it may have indicated the owner of the auto-mobile. “Earth People were very possessive of their auto-mobiles”, said Rwety~Qjada. “They loved them to death, literally”.

* A bit of explanation*

Kansas City is the home base for the Mid-America Packard Club. Owners of the magnificent autos that were made by Packard from 1899-1958 gather to show off their prized survivors. Many are stunning autos, like the sporty and elegant Caribbeans, the Haupt's massive 1927 Rollston bodied tourer, the Patricans of the 50s and even a 50s hearse. An then there is the Sneed's 1954 Clipper. Black and gray and far from the most elegant Packard ever made, she is nonetheless an incredible survivor. Starts every day and even drives across country with not a bit of problem. Most of her parts are original, even the engine is as it was made in 1954. She is as wonderful and incredible as a Caribbean Convertible and just likely would be the last auto left on earth.

Don't let anyone tell you she is not a true Packard. She has all the craftsmanship and reliability that were the hallmarks of the marque.

Nothing

No one has visted today, so I am not going to bother with a post... see you tomorrow.

Nothing to Fear

One of the most fascinating of all psychological phenomena are phobias or irrational fears. There are true psychological phobias, the main symptom being the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one's control, or if the fear is interfering with daily life, then the person is diagnosed with anxiety disorder.

It is possible for an individual to develop a phobia over virtually anything. The name of a phobia generally contains the Greek for the person's fear plus the suffix -phobia. Creating new phobia can be fun. One can suffer from Lutraphobia- Fear of otters, or be paralyzed by Sesquipedalophobia- Fear of long words, of course you would be afraid to say or even spell your phobia... leading to Phobophobia- Fear of phobias.

My irrational fears do not affect my quality of life all that much, but to me they are real and sometimes cause me to do things to avoid my phobia. I am working on conquering my phobias, and have actually had some success.

I used to fear swimming for ever since I was 6 or so and the first time I got in a pool I sank to the bottom. The resulting drama led me to avoid pools for over 40 years. But one day, (since a fairly safe and shallow pool was right across the hall from me at the Towers) I decided that I wanted to learn to swim. I had made some progress in getting into a pool, but the act of swimming was still fearful. Working with the little floaty tube I got the hang of it and now swim at least 4-5 times a week. I still respect the water and do not dive in to the ocean or an unfamiliar lake. Maybe when I feel a bit more confident in my skills I will.

I also hate ladders. I unfortunately have had to get past that fear so I can change light bulbs here in the Towers. I get all woozy and shaky even thinking of getting up on a tall ladder, tall being anything above a step stool. I just look at the ladder, tell it that I am not scared of it and then quickly hold my breath as I climb and change the bulb. So far so good.

Probably my strangest fear is that of parking garages. I would go out of my way and park miles from the venue to avoid a parking garage. One time, a long time ago, I parked my car in a garage in Springfield, Il and went to a late show or something, only to find the garage closed upon my return. My car trapped and me stuck in the desolate downtown late at night was not a pleasant experience. It turned out ok, I got a ride home, got my car out the next day. Since then, the entrances of these edifices appeared as a giant maw, ready to swallow me and my auto and trap me in their sterile confines forever. I risked parking in one last year and I had a hell of a time getting out. It was automated, I could not find the correct $$, a line of cars was growing impatient and my anxiety growing. I somehow got out and vowed never again. The damn things hate me.

But a whim combined with a "quit being a fool" voice in me led me to park in the garage next to the Folly Theatre at the last HMC concert. It was supposed to rain and I did not want to walk the 6-8 blocks I usually walked to find a street parking space. I ventured in, found a place and kept my ticket close. As soon as the concert was over, I rushed to get my car out and was relieved to see the sky and relieved that I did not have to walk through the raging storm. I am not sure if I will do it again... but count another fear at least abated!

Now if I could just stop being afraid of the #13 (Triskaidekaphobia) but that is rational right??? Even MS Word spell check recognizes it.

Witch's Hat

I finally had the opportunity to hear a band I have wanted to hear for a long time. The theatrical rock (somewhat like Queen) quartet Witch's Hat has been around in Columbia, MO and vicinity for a couple of years now, but even though they have played Chicago, Omaha, St Louis and even Dubuque for God sake, they have not made it to Kansas City. The closest they have been was last night (6/20) at the funky Replay Lounge in Lawrence, KS. Lawrence is an island of progressive thought and culture in the vast wasteland that is Kansas. Therefore it is fitting that they would host Witch's Hat first local performance.

So, Barb, Jeff, Ross, our new friend Yohan visiting from Venezuela and I got in the venerable Queen Mary and motored off to catch Witch's Hat.

A small bar with a large patio, Replay is far from an ideal location to hear a band. but Witch's Hat made it work. Unfortunately they played only a short set that only whetted my appetite to hear more. Their lyrics celebrate such things as dragon slayers, androgynous aliens, a Moldovan Vampire and a time-traveling dinosaur called Rockasaurus. Full of boisterous energy and solid musicianship, Witch's Hat is as much fun to see as to hear. As was noted their lyrics tell a story, take you on a journey and are refreshingly literate and interesting. Their theatrics never get in the way, even when wildly over the top. But that is the way they want it. The crowd at Replay, never having heard the band before, responded with genuine enthusiasm.

Greg Linde is the lead singer and really enjoys belting out the songs. Again, refreshingly, you can even understand them. The other members, on guitar and bass and drums provide a high energy, solid support.

The star is Bert on drums. Always wired and always ready to rock, his beat is solid and driving without being overbearing. He can make the drums whisper and accentuate a point of the lyrics and just as easily drive the song home with enough power to light the night. Bert was born to play drums, as I can attest since I have known him for a looooooooooong time! (OK, this review is written by Bert's (not his real name thankfully) dad, so it is prejudiced, OK??)

More than just superficial theatrics by college kids, Witch’s Hat has the potential to become the real thing. Witch’s Hat always puts their audience in a party mode and makes each show a little different by incorporating guest musicians or giving performances with themes. You also can't miss the jingle for the energy drink Bacchus-F and the free samples they pass to the crowd. Worth the show.

We thoroughly enjoyed the show and a copy of their CD "Mastery of the Steel" is headed to Venezuela. Their website (under construction due to a recent personnel change in the band) has samples of the songs and links to more info on the group.

You have to check these guys out who are for sure a cut above most of the bands out there either in Columbia or elsewhere. Fun, intelligent, energetic and most of all down to earth, Witch’s Hat loves what they do and their performances show it.

Catch them when you can.

Mighty Thirds

Due to Pugtona weekend, I had to hear the last performance of the 2005-2006 Kansas City Symphony season at the Sunday matinee at Yardley Hall in Overland Park, KS. Newer and more sterile than the lovely Lyric Theatre, Yardley has some excellent acoustics but lacks the charm and elegance of the Lyric.

But of course I had to hear the last concert (in this case the very last) featuring two monumental 3rds; Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto # 3 and Beethoven's Symphony # 3 "Eroica". The brilliant Yefim Bronfman was soloist for the Rachmaninoff.

Written for his own use in a 1909 tour of the US, Rachmaninoff's 3rd has acquired an almost mythic reputation. Fueling the reputation was the 1996 movie "Shine" which tells the true story of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. The movie insinuates that Helfgott's obsession with the 3rd contributes to his mental breakdowns as he tries to grasp the scope and complexity of the piece.

It seemed not to faze Bronfman. Bronfman performed with breathless excitement that never boiled over in to histrionics. Through his effortless phrasing and command of the piano, he made the piece look easy. For example the opening theme emerged solid but easy and natural. Paul, our musical letter carrier, described the return of the theme at the end of the movement as "a meditation". Bronfman avoided the flashy technical display that the current generation of wunderkind pianists love. Rather than a flashy, barely containable Ferrari, Bronfman assumed the guise of a suave, sophisticated and awesomely powerful Mercedes-Benz V-12. You could see the piano quake under his command. Simply a revelation and a performance I will never forget.

The orchestra wisely provided a sophisticated, solid support showcasing the extraordinary piano part. Sadly, I did not hear the piece performed on the new Steinway, as she stays at the Lyric. Yardley's piano was just a bit brittle but did not detract from the performance. The audience at the sold out performance cheered as Bronfman playfully tried to steer the cheers towards Stern and vice-versa.

Beethoven’s “Eroica” was the second half of the program. A solid, exciting performance, showcasing how far the orchestra has come in the last year. The winds were great; the horns in the trio of the scherzo were heroic and well focused. The orchestra was more polished and fuller sounding than ever before. Not a performnace that would knock the legendary Szell performances off a shelf, but an assured exciting performance that would hold its own among contemporary performers.

What an exciting season. When the whole town is talking about the symphony. When 40,000 come to hear a free concert. When we hear giants like Leon Fleisher and Bronfman perform. New pieces, a new recording. Can next season start tomorrow? Please??

Pugtona

Three days away from the blog... it is hard to get back into the swing of posting. We have been a tad busy with silliness at the Towers over landscaping, Pugtona weekend and a KC Symphony concert on Sun. At least it gives me plenty of fodder for writing.

This weekend’s newspaper headline in Springfield, MO could have read: "Loud Snorting Heralds Arrival of Pug Invasion". For the 7th year in a row, Springfield MO has been invaded by pugs and pug people. Pugtona weekend has become as important to pug people as Daytona is to race people. The attendance figures were not in as of this AM, but I am sure there were 2-300 people there and at least as many pugs all running around the Best Western Coach House Motel.

The purpose is two fold, to raise money for Southeast Pug Rescue and for pug people and their pugs to meet and have a good old time. Many of us met over the internet in some of the various Pug web forums like the now defunct PugZone, Pugzoners, and the current Pug Village and PugStories. What started out as a Pugnic among some local friends has become the premiere national pug event. People and pugs have come as from as far as California, Oregon, Arizona, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Oklahoma, Illinois and this year even Ontario. All united in our devotion to our dear little creatures that have taken our hearts.

The main event is a picnic, silent auction and party. We set a large penned off area, set up our chairs and socialize all day. Pugs weave in and out of the mass of legs. As Susan put it, "anyone who has not been there will not understand through a picture, most pictures are just of ankles and pugs." It is one of those events that a picture can not capture.

We had a grand time this year. The rain stayed away for the most part, it only dampened the area before and after the main event. The pugs were well behaved as were the people. I saw many of my old friends like Joy, Gail, DeAnna, Susan, Leah and Linda. Linda from Memphis, brought me some good Memphis style dry rub for my pork chops YUM!

Every year a group goes to Lambert's restaurant on Sat night for dinner. This is another place that has to be seen to believe. Always packed, it serves down home country food, no diet plates here. The main draw is that the wonderful hot rolls are wheeled out on a cart and then thrown to the customers. Other servers come around with "pass arounds" like fried potatoes, okra, macaroni and tomatoes, etc and give you a scoop or two. No one leaves hungry. We have a blast.

The admission fee, the proceeds from the meal tickets, the silent auction, the live auctions and such raise a ton of money for rescue. Abused, abandoned and puppy mill pugs have a chance at a better life through the efforts of Pugtona. When one sees pugs like Howie, his legs bent because he spent 4 years in a cage, riddled with cancer or Candy Man, a big black pug 18years old, tongue hanging out because he has no teeth, who spent nearly 13 years in a cage, or maybe one of Linda's latest rescues, afraid of people through abuse. One can then see the beauty and true purpose of Pugtona and why people of all walks of life travel hours and even days for an afternoon pug party.

You can check out some Pugtona pics here:

www.shutterfly.com

email sign in address is yjacobson@gmail.com

password is pugtona06

What Will They Think of Next?

This is an item from both the "wish I thought of that" and the "what will they think of next" files:

Viagra ring

Sort of an update on secret decoder rings. Except it carries a different type of secret.

No I am not getting one, I don't need it...yet, thank goodness.

Life After Prison

There finally may be some good news for ex-offenders. The public supports job training and other pre-release services. A recent survey found that a large majority of voters feel that a lack of job training seriously affects ex-offenders chances of re-establishing themselves in society. A proposed law, “The Second Chance Act” now before Congress, would assist. Moreover, former prisoners want to work and want to be productive. Politicians (even Republicans) are starting to see that restrictions on employment, where ex-offenders live and other restraints are contributing largely to the failure of ex-offenders to reintegrate.

Life after prison is tough and frightening. Finding housing, securing health care, re-establishing family relationships, getting a job and having to readjust is a daunting task for even the most educated and stable ex-offender. Many have little work experience and few work skills. Many never finished high school. In many cases, a criminal record, make ex-offenders either unattractive job candidates or legally off limits to most employers. Over the years, many states and companies have prohibited felons from employment in health care, financial services, transportation, and other fields. When I worked for the former Beverly Healthcare, we were prohibited by law in most states and by company policy everywhere from hiring almost any one who had any criminal record in the last 10 years. I could not get my job here at the Towers if I had a criminal record.

Over 2000 ex-offenders are released each day, over 700,000 a year. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming obstacles, most return as they are unable to reintegrate. Not able to support themselves, they turn to what they know. Meaningful and gainful employment allows ex-offenders to re-enter mainstream society, boosts self esteem. stabilzes families and benefits society much more than all the restrictions will ever accomplish.

Doing this saves state Governments a ton of cash. Incarcerating a person for one year costs on average $25,000 or more. The result could well be fewer new prisons, arrests, prosecutions, and incarcerations. The states can use that now wasted money for education, health care, transportation and other cash strapped services.

States will look at reducing the restrictions on ex-offender employment more as a money saving tool than the right thing to do for our society. So be it, if it results in more ex-offenders being re-integrated and no longer wearing the scarlet letter, or worse an orange jumpsuit, for the rest of their lives.

Choral Reflections

Looking back, I have enjoyed my first 3 concerts with the Heartland Men's Chorus. The hours of rehearsal, the drama of the guys, my aversion to and awkwardness in large groups are all worth the trouble when the curtain rises and you realize a whole community loves us.

My first concert with HMC was "Life is a Cabaret" ironically, the same title as my first St Louis Gateway Men's Chorus concert. Our concert was a wonderful program paying tribute to Kansas City composer John Kander, who, along with his late lyricist Fred Ebb, has written some of the most memorable shows in the history of Broadway.
Kander was in the audience Saturday evening, and was very appreciative and complimentary. He signed my program, adding to my collection.

"Life Is a Cabaret" was co-commissioned by the Heartland Men's Chorus and the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles and features more than 20 of Kander & Ebb's songs from musicals such as "Zorba," "Steel Pier," "Cabaret," "Chicago," "Woman of the Year" and "70 Girls 70." We were joined for this program by special guests Angela Hagenbach and the Central Dance Theater of Omaha.

The phenomenal Hagenbach, best known as a superb jazz singer, demonstrated her scene-stealing charm in several numbers, notably "When You're Good to Mama" and "Razzle Dazzle."

The Star wrote:"'Life Is a Cabaret' was a smashing success, and as it enters its 20th anniversary season this fall, the Heartland Men's Chorus has proven itself an irreplaceable part of Kansas City's diverse and vital arts community."

For the Holiday at Home Concert in December, both nights sold out and the audiences were lively and appreciative. The second 1/2 was more silly than funny, but the audience loved it. They especially enjoyed the cheerleaders in a "Christmas Cheer" and Granny's "performance" which was as off key and confused as a Florence Foster Jenkins recital. The first 1/2 was more traditional pieces including and African anthem "Betelehemu", "I saw Three Ships", A fantasy on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and a ethereal Latin hymn "Lux Arumque". I saw lots of friends and that made it worth while.

I did not do the Judy Garland "No Place Like Home" and glad I did not. More of a play and featuring a soloist as Judy, the chorus was more of a back-up. I had several people tell me it was not the best program and that even the chorus looked like they were not enthused. These types of concerts always cause a bit of controversy. People love the big choral concerts, however even a steady diet of them can turn stale. The problem with Judy, from what people told me, is that it was too focused on the solo.

A Homecoming, our official 20th anniversary concert was a smashing success. With all the publicity surrounding Joe Nadeau's firing by St Agnes Roman Catholic Church for being gay and associated with us as a "gay positive" organization, the audience was charged. Joe received a ton of applause and handled it well. We were charged, the music was great, the show well put together, the soloists right on target, the sound was spot-on so all came together for a great show. A friend of mine commented that this more than made up for the "Judy fiasco". I had two special friends Barb and Ross in the audience for their first concerts with us and I think they were 100% impressed. Ross commented that is was incredible and a thousand times better than he thought it would be. He envisioned a dry church choir like concert but we put on a real show.

Next season will be upon us soon. A fall visit to Dallas is planned to sing with the Dallas chorus, I plan on going. I think I am a part of this group for a while. Some of the guys get real involved and their whole life and circle of friends revolves around the chorus. That is not me, but to sing with this incredible group is a challenge and a privilege.

Church Shopping

Faithful blog readers have likely noted my uneasy truce with organized religion. I unfortunately see most god worshiping in the world as a negative force, behind most of the conflict, hatred and discrimination we face. Look the Christian-Islam battle being played out today, committing atrocities comparable to the Old Testament battles. Closer to home, “Christians” are the sponsors of or support legislation that codifies discrimination, death, punishment and war. That I just do not understand. The church continues to be the most discriminatory and segregated institution in the US. Finally, I find most of the church leadership in all denominations to be hypocrites and power hungry, two sins that the Christian Bible speaks out against regularly.

I, at almost 50 years old, find myself questioning almost everything about religion. All the dogma, the divinity, the laws are suspect. I do not doubt Jesus lived, I do not doubt he was morally and intellectually superior to many of his contemporaries. He was a true liberal (take THAT Pat Robinson, et.al.) revolutionary and radical. If he were a contemporary citizen, I am sure he would be in the ghettos and gay pride parades and not at Liberty University or on the 700 Club. All the divinity and miracles and such I think of more as mythology than fact.

Maybe you find it surprising then that I attend church pretty regularly. I find going to church can be constructive if you approach it humbly and adapt a willingness to learn. Although ancient, the words of the Bible have a lesson to teach us about compassion, humility and service. I just refuse to get involved in the “my god is better than yours”, the “my holy word says to kill you” or “I am forgiven therefore I can judge you” BS that permeates most organized religions today. For many communities, a church can be a social center as well. Frankly, I use my church as a social organization as much as anything. I have met many people who are important to me at church.

I am, however, about to embark on a “church shopping” expedition. As much as we do not like to admit it, a church is also an organization, subject to the intrinsic characteristics of any organization be they sacred or secular. Just as in a business organization, when the leadership of the organization is weak and burned out, the rank and file suffers. They are less productive, leave or stand around the water cooler and complain. My church is suffering from a crisis of leadership both universally and locally.

Locally, our pastor is losing respect. The services have become drawn out affairs, with no message or focus. The previous pastor was an unmitigated disaster and destroyed the place, driving off people with her lack of sincerity and hard handed leadership. We used to be full, now the congregation is dwindling. No one is coming to replace them. Visitors see and feel the tension. Those who left in the previous regime have not found that things have improved. It is not as welcoming a place as it was when it welcomed me in 1997.

In the larger picture, the mother church keeps “dealing” with the “controversy” of homosexuality. They waste time and energy conducting trials and having court rulings. Is this a “church”???

This came to a head Sunday, after listening to a rambling 25 minute long yap followed by a pitiful choral anthem, slapped together at the last minute and a sparse crowd. As I was in the dressing room getting ready for the matinee performance of the Heartland Men’s Chorus several of the men where talking about church. When one fellow mentioned he went to a church that he had been a member of for years but was not happy with their opposition to GLBT people,(the old love the sinner, hate the sin crap) several men piped up touting their churches. I found that mine, though supportive of GLBT members in spite of the mother church, really had little to offer.

Sadly it may be time to go. I will miss a lot of people, but I can keep up. I can visit. Maybe some new scenery and a fresh outlook will be good for me. I’ll let you know what happens.

On Stage

I bitch and moan about the long rehearsal schedule for the Heartland Men’s Chorus; every Tuesday 3, sometimes 4, hours if you attend an optional sectional or lesson, for 6 to 8 weeks or so. I am not a social animal in large groups so I tend to keep to myself and chat with a few who I know. I attend to sing, not to get involved in all the drama and gossip. I see attending rehearsal as a duty and obligation to the cause. I do it because I want to be a better singer, and to work as part of the team to make glorious music.

It is all worth it for the outcome. The rush of being on stage. The curtain rising, the audience immediately bursting into cheers. They love us. Of course many have friends and family in the chorus. But they can be a critical audience too. The audience will tell us if the show was not what they expected. This is not a free concert, like the orchestra one I went to this summer and the friend-filled audience applauded a most ghastly affair. These folks pay good $ for a ticket. Cheapest is $15 for the nosebleed most are $25-30. The applause and admiration is genuine.

And we give them our all. It is always a thrill to see it all come together. Tough passages nailed, notes above reach ringing out clear and strong. We come together, the silliness and the pettiness disappear as we go about our mission to inspire, heal and transform.

Despite my “this is my last concert” mantra, I am sure I’ll do it again.

Million Dollar Baby

Mrs. S was ecstatic this PM when she picked up her mail. "OH! My People Magazine is here, it has the Brad and Angelina baby!!" She looked at the sweet pic of the two stars looking at a little baby girl drooling and cooing. "They paid $4million for this" she shook her head. "$4 million for what, the baby?" I asked somewhat bored. No, there was a bidding war to get the first pics of the baby and People paid $4million for them." I was further bewildered by the human race.

Why? They are just baby pictures. Is this the only time we will ever see the kid? Is she going to be proclaimed as Divine and secluded in a remote temple until she emerges as the new Goddess? If not, new pictures will undoubtedly appear and in a few years we will be sick of the kid.

I do not know her parents well. I have seen a movie with Brad Pitt (don't remember the name but it was awful) and know he is originally from Springfield, MO and left the University of MO to go to Hollywood. He must have made it big. As for Mrs Pitt, Angelina Jolie (that has to be a made up name), I do not have a clue who she is or know if I have seen a movie or show she has done. All the hoopla baffles me. Mrs S was quite happy to be the first on our block (or at least in the towers) to see the little tyke. Is there now a bounty for the first picture of the baby burping? Would you like to see my first born's first picture. I have copies for $1.25 or 2 for a dollar.

I hope the Pitts are happy with their millions, I am sure they need it. I guess I need to start taking more pictures, and maybe someone will pay me for them. Somehow I doubt it.

UPDATE: My faithful reader Zaine enlightened me about the whole deal. Apparently they are giving the money to African charities and had the baby in Africa to publicize the plight of African children. So some good is coming from all the hoopla. I also read that People Magazine increased the cost of this issue by about 50cents, I guess the readers are the ones to pay for it all. I don't know the monthly sales of People Magazine but I am sure the $ will make at least a dent in the $4million figure.

Inky

OK, what is it with the craze for tattoos? I am on record here as absolutely despising them. If, on that first night of sex crazed passion, my partner undressed and revealed a tattoo riddled body, I would likely lose all interest completely. So far I have not had the opportunity to test my theory, but I feel that strongly about it that I think it would be a good bet.

It used to be tattoos were reserved for those serving time in San Quentin, those in the shallow end of the gene pool or a souvenir of a drunken night in Bora-Bora while in the Navy. Now they are sported by men and women of all ages and backgrounds. Digital cameras and web forums allow the newly inked to show off their “art” to everyone. In the PugVillage web forum, several threads have been started over the past years showing off member’s tattoos, several of them pug tattoos.

It seems the more colorful, outrageous and gaudier the better. Why do people insist on having ugly snakes, skeletons and ghoulish creatures indelibly stamped on their arm or other places? I remember the guy who used to wash our office windows in Independence. He and his wife must have been covered in the things. He sported a huge eagle on the back of his neck and bald head. Fuck that had to hurt. Today while in HyVee getting lunch, two skinny Latino men with tank tops came in, every exposed part of their body covered in some scary looking scribbling. Do they really think that is attractive?? Maybe we should adopt Arab dress and cover them in long robes… One can’t tell if an Arab is scribbled on.

Whatever has started this trend, I wish it would go away. And don’t get me started on the piercings.

"House Lights Down and Spot Light on the Piano.."

Known interchangeably as "Hell Week" or "Production Week", we are counting down the days until the performances this weekend of "A Homecoming" the final production of the current Kansas City Heartland Men's Chorus. It the 20th anniversary of the group, therefore this is a concert of favorites, chosen in large part via audience survey. I think they did a decent job; surprisingly, many of the songs are the more serious "political" or tear jerker songs. A couple of the fun songs creep in to liven up the thing.

Tonight was the Technical Rehearsal. Lucky for us, this show is not technically demanding. Sort of "HMC Unplugged" as Joe our music director stated; just Lamar on the piano and us. There are a few solos, but no production numbers, dancers or all that. These are the ones I like, as my clumsiness and my cluelessness on left and right get me flustered. The rehearsal went ok. The lights were not right, and the projections onto the screens were too big and bright, but that is what the night is for, to work out the bugs. It is also our first rehearsal at the actual performance venue, the Folly Theatre.

Tomorrow is Dress Rehearsal, the final go through before the opening. We try to run the show as if we were actually doing it. We are not in our full dress, except those who have specific costumes and props. Standing all eve renders my legs jelly and gets my poor abused arm tired. Since there are a lot of us this time (135 or so) we are a bit squished in. Thankfully, I scheduled a chiropractor apt for Thurs.

The demeanor of the chorus members change as well. They focus, are less silly (just a bit less, and tend to come together as a group. There are more handshakes, hugs and pats on the back to each other as we prepare for what we have fretted about and sacrificed our time for: our concert. We will sing proudly, boldly and live our mission statement: Our voices enlighten, inspire, heal, and empower.

In Walks The Dog (CENSORED VERSION)

So ....

there you are having a dinner party..

Your parents are there

Your in-laws are there

Your boss and his wife are there

The minister and his wife are there

You're all settling down for a nice relaxing evening dinner

Then

in

walks

the

dog ....

(for some reason the pic disappeared and you had to click on a box to see it. So as to not get thrown off Blogspot, I guess you have to imagine the scene: a cute golden retriever type of dog enters the room, eyes bright and tail wagging, carrying your large, life-like dildo.)

Get the picture???

Life is a Whirly-gig

I am on the whirly-gig again.

1)This week is production week for the Heartland Men's Chorus Summer production, A Homecoming. Long evenings, stress, does the tux fit, where and when I am supposed to be somewhere, music memorized, the damn movements on "Razzle Dazzle" memorized on and on and on. But the applause and comments of the crowd is worth it in the end. So look for more sporadic than usual blog entries this week.

2)I made a quick trip to Illinois this weekend to attend the funeral of my ex-mother in law Eloise Gooden. She was, to put it mildly, quite a trip. Sadly, this energetic and kind (in her own way) lady spent years in a nursing home with brain damage, dementia and then alzheimer's. RIP Eloise.

3)Looks like we are going to have some work done here at the Towers this week. Our front walk is finally being repaired. I am sure that will set someone off.

4)There has been a wonderful program on the History Channel on the untold story of the space race. I missed the last half as I was heading home tonight. I am anxiously awaiting the VCR to turn on to tell me if I have successfully programed it to capture the repeat. Cross your fingers. Whoops not right, try again.. It is recording static. This is a new machine and I have never used it. The directions are confusing. I guess I'll give up and watch it.....guess I'll be up late.

5)When I get on the whirly-gig, I usually forget or otherwise mess something up... so stay tuned for the fun!

Jazzoo!

I got invited to go to Jazzoo!, an annual fundraiser for the Kansas City Zoo. On the hoity-toity scale of fundraisers, this one is definitely middle brow. The Hoity-toityist of fundraisers are by invite only to the elite of the city. Jazoo! is not cheap (basic tickets are $175/person) but open to any who plunk down cash. They also sell t-shirts and ball caps (yes I bought one of each), definitely low brow.

My friend Mike got the tickets from his sister who got them from her employer, the candy company Russell Stover. He kindly invited me and I decided to go for the heck of it. The dress code was "creative black tie", Mike said since I had a tux, I was a prime candidate. The edict of "creative black tie" aroused my curiosity so I asked my neighbor (who goes to the higher level hoity-toity events) if he had any interesting accessories for a tux. As luck would have it, he had a leopard print tie and cummerbund. His collection of old jewelry produced a suitably gaudy brooch for my lapel. When I mentioned I was going to a friend, he informed me that a lot of the attendees wore shorts. Hello! Permission granted.

So here I had my tux jacket and ruffled shirt with studs, leopard accessories and khaki shorts and my Nica-made sandals. All fit for a Jazzoo.

When I arrived at Mike's his look was one of astonishment. "You did bring pants I hope?" NOPE! I replied. He was not amused but the others in the group that went with us told him to just get over it. As it turned out, most of the other men that attended followed my lead and I fit right in. It was Mike and Bruce in their long pants who looked out of place.

There was tons of food and drink, (good margaritas, horrid mojitos) and dancing and fun. I had a great time on someone else's largess. It was comforting to know the proceeds would help provide food and such for the zoo citizens.

I guess getting to go to a middle-hoity event is a start. But rich people pretty much annoy me so I'll stick to the low class. I had just as much fun at Davy's Midtown Rambler's Club with Ross and Jeff and Barb. That is even lower than low brow.

Bambi Goes Shopping

Interesting that this is the second story I have read in the last few months about deer wandering into retail establishments. Earlier this year, a big doe got in to Dillard's at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, KS. She was looking for bargains in winter fashions as she overturned a couple of sale racks in the Ladies' Dept.

On Thursday, a deer wondered into the St. Louis Galleria mall and made his way into the Crabtree & Evelyn store. Obviously, this young buck was looking for something for that special someone in his life, or else has a preference for lilac soap.

The funny thing about this incident is that mall management think the deer just walked in. "We have automatic doors that opened for him," said Jenny Koch, director of marketing for The Galleria in an interview with the Post Dispatch.

Unfortunately, Bambi could not pay and was held until picked up by authorities who took him home.

License to Steal

I get totally disgusted at the frat-boy, arrogant, Me first behavior of the younger members of the Republican Party. Out only for themselves and power, they rule through fear and slander, supported by rich daddies and power brokers who skim profits from them like an old fashioned pyramid scheme. Yes, our government is being run like an AMWAY scheme.

This is no where more apparent here in Missouri where the Boy-Gov, bankrolled by his disgraced daddy House Whip Roy Blunt, and his college Republican country-club boys continue to pillage the state.

Boy-Gov has taken health care from the poor, cut children's services, laid off employees all while enriching a few of his and his party's cronies in a scheme that may never be unraveled. The arrogant little prick even had the audacity to say in an interview that he has not made a single mistake while Governor.

I shake my head. I don't get it. Humility, compassion, honesty have been replaced by arrogance, brutality and corruption.

Yet the voters elect these idiots and as long as their SUV and home in Cupcake Land are not threatened, do not seem to care. The Republicans trot out their scare tactics; turrerism (sic), threats to marriage from gays and lesbians and taxes to whip the ignorant public into shape. They control the TV media; if in doubt watch the news shows for a few minutes; where are you Walter Cronkite???

This rant was prompted by an editorial in the Post Dispatch blasting the Boy-Gov's administration and policy on Fee Offices. Another scheme to enrich the Republican elite. Read it for yourself:

License To Loot

Like the arrogant Emperor Bush, I hope he gets kicked to curb. Or better yet, join his friends Bill Webster and Adam Taff as young Republican ex-cons.