Sordid Lives

If you haven't seen it yet, you've got to watch Logo's new series, Sordid Lives.

It comes on Logo, Channel 163 in my area, on Wednesday nights at 10:00PM with a repeat on Friday night at 10:30PM. (I'm sure it will be on Logo on Demand as well). The show centers around Ty, a confused young adult, and his crazy family. It is a hoot!

Sordid Lives stars Bonnie Bedelia, Rue McClanahan, Olivia Newton-John, Caroline Rhea, Beth Grant, Leslie Jordan, with cameos by Margaret Cho, Carson Kressley, Candis Cayne and Georgette Jones. One of the funniest characters is Leslie Jordan as "Brother Boy," a crazy cross dresser living in a mental institute and obsessed with Tammy Wynette. Brother boy is in the mental hospital to be "dehomosexualized." And you're not going to believe Olivia Newton-John is the sweet Olivia Newton-John we all know.

So check it out. Click here to see a clip from the first episode. Margaret Cho is the therapist to the young Ty.

Obama's Date With Destiny

While John McCain sat in a German restaurant in Ohio stating he would rather speak in Germany as President of the US and not just a presidential candidate, Barack Obama was in Berlin, Germany speaking to over 200,000 people about the future of America, the world, and I might add, demonstrating Obama's date with destiny. McCain said, “Well I’d love to give a speech in Germany to– a political speech –or a speech that maybe the German people would be interested in...” Sorry John, you weren't invited to speak, so maybe you need to stop speaking!

Has anyone else noticed that this election has been predicated on what Barack Obama says and does? John McCain is constantly responding to what happens with Obama. His campaign already seems dead and going nowhere! Even young Republicans are worried about McCain's appeal to the younger generation.

Barack Obama has the momentum and I am so confident he will be the President of the US come January. But we need to keep up the work and encourage all who will to support him.

Learning To Appreciate The Pig

As I grow older, I have learned to appreciate the pig! I am talking about the piggy you eat. The picture was taken in LaLoma, Quezon City, Manila, Philippines. That is the home of Lechon, or the roasted pig. Throughout the small town of LaLoma there are shops just like the one shown selling the lechon for about $100.00US each. Lechon is one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines, and like in other countries, including the US, lechon is eaten mostly at parties and family gatherings. Although I did not eat any lechon while in Manila, it looked delicious. (Once you can get past the head on the piggy).

A few weeks ago while in New York City, I ate at the Bayan Cafe, a small Filipino cafe, which I love. While there, I had Chicharon Buklaklak, deep-fried pork intestines. They were delicious, served with a vinegar dipping sauce.

I have heard it said that everything on the pig is edible except the Oink. I admit there's much to a pig I haven't tasted like the tail, feet, or snout, but the older I get, the more I love pork. So give me a nice chunk of piggy, the other white meat, anytime!

A Confused Bush?

What's up with George W? Why all of a sudden a shift in US policy? I'm actually getting scared!

Firstly, the Bush has had a shift in his adherence to "no timeline" on the withdrawl of troops from Iraq. Now, Bush has accepted a timeline, well what he's calling a "a general time horizon", for troop withdrawl from Iraq. "Mr. Bush, who has long derided timetables for troop withdrawals as dangerous, agreed to at least a notional one as part of the administration’s efforts to negotiate the terms for an American military presence in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of the year."

Secondly, after years of refusing to do so, the United States on Saturday participated for the first time in international talks with Iran over its nuclear program. Perhaps to avoid military conflict with Iran? Who knows?

Why this change in policy? Why all of a sudden, after 7 years in office, has Bush realized what rationale Americans have been saying for quite some time? John McCain has bashed Barack Obama for his willingness to negotiate with countries that are not that friendly toward the US, Iran included.

Is it for real or is it politics as usual?

Isn't Idol Worship Idol Worship?

See any difference in this practice? One is the Mt. Carmel Festival in Hammonton, in which patrons pin money on the statue of St. Joseph. The other is the Babylonians worshipping a gold bull. What's the difference? Another of life's/religion's mysteries to me.

Summer Sights

Some sights of summer from Mays Landing, NJ.

Aging Baby Boomers

Click on this to put the Aging Baby Boomers into action.

A Few Scenes From NYC's 2008 Gay Pride Parade

Spent last weekend in NYC. The main event was the 2008 Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, June 29th. Here are a few of the sights from the parade.

Goodbye, Starbucks....(Well, Some Anyway)

So instead of a Starbucks on every corner, there will only be one on every other corner in our cities. Starbucks has announced the closing of 600 stores and the cutting of 7% of its staff. I for one, cannot say I'm sorry to see it happen.

First of all, Starbucks coffee is not the best coffee available. For me, no matter what kind I have gotten, it's always bitter and tastes like sewer water. Yes, the steamed milk and sugar make it a little more tolerable, but it still has that burnt taste. Secondly, the outrageous price of Starbucks coffee hinges on exploitation of the masses. There is no reason why a simple cup of coffee should ever cost over $2.00! Thirdly, there are already too damn many Starbucks around. Why does one mall need 4 Starbucks? Why do two city blocks each need their own Starbucks?

Personally I prefer smaller coffee shops which offer much better tasting coffee at a lower price. On my recent weekend in NYC, the hotel had a Starbucks in the lobby, but I found a coffee shop across the street that was much better. A good cup of coffee was about $1.25. I would also much rather drink Dunkin' Donuts of McDonalds than Starbucks coffee to be quite honest.

So goodbye Starbucks! Not all but some! Maybe if you stop exploiting people with your ridiculous prices and nasty tasting coffee, you'll stay in business a bit longer. Just don't stop making and selling your Java Chip Ice Cream! That would really disappoint me!