Another Day In AC....Not A Penny Spent On Slots

Had another great day in Atlantic City and never spent one penny on slots or tables. Did some shopping at THE WALK, THE AC OUTLETS. Got several good buys on some new digs and some new running shoes. Then went to THE PIER AT CAESARS and did some looking, but no shopping. However, I tried Souzai Sushi and Sake. That's me above lounging with an ice tea while eating sushi. This is a nice place to just sit and eat a small meal. The menu includes Sushi and Sashimi, cool dishes and hot dishes, and tempura, all reasonably priced. Of course, Souzai has many unique drinks which I passed on since it was afternoon and I had to drive back home. I would highly recommend Souzai and all the other eateries at THE PIER AT CAESARS. From where I was sitting, I could see the spot where Trump Plaza places its Beach Bar. I can hardly wait for summer to sip a few drinks under the stars while listening to some good music and maybe even dancing!

There is so much more to AC than gambling and sitting in the smoke filled casinos, which by the way go 75% smoke free as of April 15th.

Disney + Gays = Committment

The Walt Disney Company is now allowing gay couples to have committment ceremonies performed in the parks and on its cruiselines. Couples at Walt Disney World can exchange vows in front of the park's iconic attractions, including Cinderella's castle. I applaud the Disney Company for its committment to gay individuals. I am sure there will be a backlash by conservative Christian groups that will threaten boycotts and the like.

But to me this is another small but significance of gay rights. Disney, by allowing such an events to occur, has acknowledged that gays have the same rights as their hetero counterparts. Another victory for gay rights!

Murderous Doctor?

I have never weighed in on the Anna Nicole Smith story, quite honestly because, I JUST DON'T CARE!! However, today when I read that according to documents released by the Broward County, Florida, medical examiner's office Wednesday, Smith had 11 prescription medications in her system, causing an accidental death, that were prescribed by friend and psychiatrist, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, I just had to add my opinion. My opinion is that Dr. Eroshevich should be charged with murder!

Too many physicians simply prescribe whatever medication a patient wants. I have read case after case of medication complications due to inappropriateness of doctors! Adults are effected; kids are effected. Why is it that a physician can become a legal drug dealer and get away with it? Dealers on the streets are arrested, but when someone with a M.D. after their name can deal any drug or combination of drugs they so desire. It is time doctors are held accountable for their actions as well.

Positive Progress

THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY today reported that a Ku Klux Klan rally scheduled to be held in Hammonton, NJ has been cancelled. The reason: self-proclaimed Imperial Wizard of the local KKK, Joseph Bednarsky (left-looks scary, doesn't he?), Millville, has resigned. "It's going nowhere," Bednarsky said of the movement. Thank God this moron has finally realized this!

I would guess Bednarsky is about 45 years old. He joined the Klan when he was 18, so he's been a KKK member for almost 30 years. When I lived in Cumberland County years ago, Bednarsky would every now and then raise his ugly head. When I was a kid it was a guy named Ed Reynolds. I remember an incident at a Millville bar once when I was still in school in which Reynolds and a few of his assholes came in. I was with a group of friend consisting of whites and minorities. While the band played, rumors started that there would be trouble. (I remember grabbing a beer bottle to keep just in case! What the hell I was going to do with it, I had no idea). The band then began, "Black Magic Woman" and Reynolds and his gang got up and left. That is about how much trouble the KKK has given for many, many years in south Jersey.

Finally, Bednarsky and hopefully other so-called KKK members, have realized that their message falls mostly on deaf ears. I know most south Jersey towns, such as Millville and Vineland, are now made up of a good number of minorities, mixing with the majority. And this is a good thing! So Bednarsky, Reynolds, and the likes of you: It's time to give it up! If you don't like a certain group of people, just stay away!

Never Mind, Dr. Mohler

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary started a tempest the other day when he said that, “The general trend of the research points to at least some biological factors behind sexual attraction, gender identity, and sexual orientation....We would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin.” In other words, if it is known that a fetus will be gay, everything possible should be done to change this. Isn't that like playing God? The Equity Forum response was, “Fetal invasion to alter sexual orientation is reminiscent of the Nazis. It reflects a theocratic and Taliban-like plan that should frighten all Americans,"said Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of Equality Forum. I cannot agree more with Lazin and other gay humans around the world.

I am PROUD to be gay! I am HAPPY to be gay! I have never been happier in my life than when I finally reconciled with myself and everyone else that I am indeed GAY! If I had only known the freedom and release that came with coming to grips with my sexuality, I would have done it much sooner. (For my gay brothers and sisters who did accept who they were at an early age in life, I say I'm proud of you). I would not want anything to change who I am!

If we could just let people be who they are instead of trying to make them what they're not, what a great place the world would be! I had a coworker a few months ago tell me she would like me to speak to her kids about gays because, "You don't act gay." My response, "I am who I am. I may not be effeminate, but if I was, so what?" I know what my coworker meant, but why can't kids just grow up allowing other kids to be who they are; masculine, effeminate, whatever?

Get a life, Dr. Mohler! Leave me and the rest of my gay brothers and sisters alone. If you don't like what and who we are, oh well! That's what life's all about!

What It Sometimes Takes To Get Your Bananas

Chiquita Brands International, the company that brings us bananas, has admitted to paying off terrorists to protect its workers in Colombia. Chiquita agreed to pay about $1.7 million between 1997 and 2004 to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, known as AUC, for its protection of Chiquita workers. Chiquita also made payments to the National Liberation Army, or ELN, and the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, as control of the company's banana-growing area shifted. Chiquita, in its guilty plea will pay a $25 million fine.

Did you ever think that it took so much protection to bring us bananas? I wonder if Juan Valdez also pays for protection of coffee from Colombia?

Only One Way You Can Go

There's one thing, among many, I always say: "You can't go back, once you've gone....... (Stop! I know what you're all thinking)....forward!" You can never go back! You can only go one way: Forward! On the heels of my "Changes" post, I go forward with another of my other philisophical disertations. No matter how hard you try, if you attempt to go back, it's never the same. You can never be in the same "water" twice.

This is true of almost anything in life. Ever been in a relationship, called it quits, I mean really called it quits, then tried months or years later to start the relationship again? It doesn't work! It's never the same. Ever worked somewhere, left, then gone back? It too is never the same! Life is only made up of the present and the future; the past is done, gone, kaput!

Spring will be here this week. The winter is gone, as is the past autumn and summer. Who knows what the Spring will bring? Who knows where Autumn 2007 will find us? Life moves one way, forward. We can move forward with it or we can be unhappy and miserable trying to live in the past. And no matter how hard you try, it can't be!

Good luck in your present and future!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

"...(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes...
Just gonna be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time..."
(Changes, David Bowie)

Tomorrow marks an end of an era in the office in which I work. The group that I have been part of, give or take a few, for over 10 years, is leaving and going to another office. The remainder of the people in that office will be leaving in another 2-3 weeks to locate elsewhere and the current office will be no longer. For the most part, the staff in that current building have been there for 25 years or more, me for the past 20 years. Although it is going to happen, it still seems surreal to me, and only recently did it hit me that a good number of those men and women I see everyday and work closest with, I will only see on occasion. Come Monday morning, things at my office will never, ever be the same.

I heard it said once that the only constant in life is change, and that if you stood in a brook of running water, you'd never be standing in the same water twice. Change is inevitable; it is the only thing we can count on in life. For some changes come and they move on with little or no problem. For others, change can create great difficulty. For the most part I fall into the former group, but I still become a bit anxious when I really think about change. And maybe that's why I don't dwell on it too much. It is what it is. Can't fight change. It's going to happen, like it or not. We can only adjust to it and move with it as it occurs. "Go with the flow." Such a simple little statement, but so true.

I wish all my colleagues the best of luck in their new lives. And as I told one of them recently: when we do get together on occasion, it will be that much more special. You don't know what you have until it's gone!

Not A Good Answer, Hillary

When asked if she thought homosexuality was immoral, Hillary Clinton today sidestepped the question and answered, "Well, I'm going to leave that to others to conclude." The question came as a result of the recent comment by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace who stated that "I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral, and that we should not condone immoral acts." Other public figures have been more forceful in taking issue with Pace's comments, making Clinton's non-answer even more problematic. John Edwards, one of Clinton's rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, said, "I don't share that view," when asked about Pace's comments.

It is assumed that Clinton supports gay rights. She recently spoke at a Human Rights Campaign dinner, lending her support to the LGBT community. "I assume that Senator Clinton -- who has spoken out strongly against military discrimination, who stands for civil unions and respect for same-sex couples -- understands that gay Americans are not immoral, and she ought to say so clearly," said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, a group that advocates same-sex marriage.

It is this kind of stuff that causes me concern when it comes to Hillary Clinton. She loves to play politics! She voted for the war in Iraq and has never said she was wrong, only that if she knew now what she did not know then, she would not have supported the war. Come on Hillary! You cannot please everbody.....no matter how hard you try!

The HRC and Cyndi Lauper...Tell It Like It Is

The Human Rights Campaign has announced it has joined forces with Cyndi Lauper for her 15 city "True Colors" tours beginning in June. Cyndi has long been a supporter of the gay community and her tour is designed to give back to those who gave to her.

A local radio station in the Atlantic City area, WFPG, 96.9 (Lite Rock), has begun advertising for Cyndi's show at the Borgata Hotel and Casino. However, I found it interesting that not one word about HRC and Cyndi's motivation for her tour is mentioned in the advertisement for her tour. I am sure it is not just this radio station, but others like it as well as print media, that will run ads for Cyndi's tour, but not mention the reason behind her tour.

This is a shame! The public needs to know that Cyndi Lauper supports gay rights, including equal marriage rights for gay couples. The word needs to get out that Cyndi Lauper, and others like her, are fighting for our rights! Please pass the word around if you speak to anyone who asks about the Cyndi Lauper "True Colors" tour. And make it a point to support Cyndi.

Human Rights Campaign Update

This week's HRC update:

On Friday, Senator Hillary Clinton met with the HRC's spring board meeting. Clinton was well received, and the Senator in her speech promised to continue to have an open door policy to our community if elected President.

There was a scandal brewing in Washington, D.C. at the American Conservative Union conference. This is where bitch, asshole (my opinion and critique) Ann Coulter called Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, a "faggot." John Amaechi, out former NBA player, called Coulter out in a recorded video. Amaechi called Coulter's remarks callous and childish.

The HRC continues to fight outrageous displays of bigotry. Also, HRC is joining forces with legendary performer Cyndi Lauper to launch a "True Colors Music Tour" in support of GLBT equality. Stay tuned for more on this.

Time For Her To Resign?

I am a State of NJ employee and a member of the CWA Union, Local 1034. I am not a "super" union member, but I believe the union is necessary to prevent mistreatment by the State and in these days, the public. However, with the controversies surrounding Local 1035 President Carla Katz and the gifts given to her by Governor Corzine (pictured), I now believe it might be a good time for Ms. Katz to resign. Not only is Jon Corzine's reputation in question, Katz is making it look bad for herself and the Union. When someone in Katz's position can pay $1 million in CASH for a condo, there's a problem!

No Support For Giuliani

Looks like former NYC Mayor and Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani will have a hard time getting the support of evangelical Christians. Calling the messy breakup of Rudy Giuliani's second marriage "divorce on steroids," a Southern Baptist leader said the Republican presidential hopeful's personal life may be too tempestuous for evangelical voters to tolerate.

It's hard to believe evangelical Christians will support former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney as well. Romney is a Mormon, and evangelical Christians consider Mormonism to be a cult that is contrary to Christian beliefs.

So I'm not sure who evangelical Christians will support in the 2008 presidential election. The democrats are all sinners going to hell, so it'll be interesting to see.

Pan's Labyrinth Review

I finally got to see Pan's Labyrinth last night. I have been meaning to see it since saw the review in NYC when the movie first came out Christmas week. As described, it is an adult farie tale. (Not "adult" as in the word, "pornographic" but "adult" as in it's definitely not for children). It is a film by Mexican director, Guillermo del Torro (spanish with english subtitles), that takes place in the mid to late 1930's during the Spanish Civil War. Young Ofelia lives out the conflict in her own little fantasy world as she tries to cope with the violence all around her.


The movie is very sensory stimulating and keeps you engrossed the entire time. There is the fairy that guides Ofelia, of course Pan, the creature that leads Ofelia on her conquest to live forever as Princess Moranna, a giant, quite disgusting, rather large toad, and the Pale Man (pictured to the left), who is awakened when Ofelia eats of the food at his feast, and takes his eyes from a plate and puts them into his hands to see. The special effects brings all these creatures to life. I could feel my heart go from happy to extremely intense in just a matter of seconds. The brutality of the time, and any war/conflict is a definite part of the movie. It is not a movie that has a "and they lived happily ever after" ending, but it leaves one thinking!

Go see Pan's Labyrinth for yourself.

Ann Coulter Strikes Again!

Yesterday, at the Conservative Political Action Conference sponsored by the American Conservative Union, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter spoke saying, “I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I — so kind of an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards.” The Human Rights Campaign, as should every presidential candidate and concerned American citizen, strongly condemned Coulter’s remarks.

If you look up the word BITCH in the dictionary, you should find the above picture.

HRC Weekly Update

Weekly update from the Human Rights Campaign:

Some sad news to begin: the death of 72 year old Andrew Anthos in Detroit, Michigan. Two weeks ago, Anthos was helping a wheelchair-bound friend home when he was assaulted. The assailant was annoyed by Anthos's singing, then asked him if he was gay. The attacker then beat Anthos with a metal pipe, spewing anti-gay epithets all the while. Anthos survived the attack, but was paralyzed, then later slipped into a coma and eventually died. Sad to think in 2007 this crap still happens, isn't it?

Also this week, wounded Iraq war veteren, Eric Alva arrived in Washington, D.C. Alva has agreed to be HRC's new spokesperson in efforts to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. A man who served his country with no question and was wounded, but could never be who he really is because of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Another shame for a country that's so interested in the civil rights of other countries while the civil rights of its own citizens suffer!

John Amaechi, the former NBA player that recently came out, continues his tour around the country. This, while the Tim Hardaway's homophobic tirade seems to have fallen off the media radar screen, is a positive thing for the LGBT community.

What's your opinion of gay individual's you work with or live near? Is it one of acceptance or hatred? Do you "live and let live" or say, "Kill 'em all!"

"And the Next Academy Award Goes To.....

....THE BEST LIGHT BULB CHANGER ON A SET OF A DRAMA, INCLUDING NO COMEDY...." PLEASE!!!! What a friggin' bore the 79th Academy Awards was as far as I was concerned! Who cares about half the awards given? I had to give it up at 11:30PM, and I understand the Academy Awards went on much longer than that. Guess I'll read the news to find out who won Best Picture!

Chimps Now Hunting?

For the first time ever, scientists have observed chimpanzees making and using weapons to hunt. The chimps fashioned branches into spears, using their teeth to sharpen the instruments, then the chimps used the weapons to stab smaller primates hiding inside trees to kill and then devour the smaller creatures. The female chimps were involved in this process which is also unusual. Although this behavior has never been observed, "There were hints that this behaviour might occur, but it was one time at a different site," said Jill Pruetz, assistant professor of anthropology at Iowa State University. The prey in this case was a smaller primate known as the Bushbaby.

I have to thoughts on this. One, are the chimps planning on using these weapons on humans. Maybe The Planet of the Apes will come true indeed as was predicted in the movie. And who do we have to blame for this? American Idol's Simon Cowell of course! He was the one afterall that started the dislike of Bushbabys when he called one of the contestants a Bushbaby. Way to go, Simon. Now, not only do we have to worry about Al-Qeida, but spearing carrying chimps!

My Seat in Mexico?

Non-Gay, Kenny Chesney, (he had to call a news conference just to admit he's straight-how's that for secure?), has a new song out, BEER IN MEXICO, which I love, love, love. Gay or staight, gay I hope, the song really speaks to a cold day like today: "So I just ...Sit right here and have another beer in Mexico....Do my best to waste another day. Sit right here and have another beer in Mexico. Let the warm air melt these blues away." (Listen here). Maybe one of those chairs in the picture is mine waiting for me??

Weekly Update From Human Rights Campaign

For those of you that are not familiar with the Human Rights Campaign and do not receive the weekly update from Joe Solomnese, President, I thought it would be a good idea to post the information here for you to browse and hopefully keep up to date with important issues facing the gay world.

As most of you know, on Monday, New Jersey's civil union law went into effect. Gay and Lesbian couples around the state began registering Monday, February 19, 2007 to be civil unioned. There was a 72 hour waiting period after applying for the license so the civil union ceromonies did not actually start occurring until Thursday. "New Jersey is really just the start. Barely six weeks into the new year, legal recognition of our relationships is getting unprecedented positive attention in state capitals all over the country. Partnership recognition bills are up for consideration in Oregon, Washington, Hawai'i, New Mexico and New Hampshire, and marriage bills will be getting attention in Vermont, Connecticut, California, Illinois, and Rhode Island," according to Solomnese. Unfortunately in other states, Indiana in particular, there are efforts underway to stop gay marriage and unions.

There has been alot of publicity about John Amaechi, former NBA player, coming out. At the same time, the fallout continues for former Miami Heat player, Tim Hardaway, because of his nasty and homophobic reaction to John's coming out. I encourage you to watch the CNN interview with Sir Charles Barkley, also a former NBA player, and hear what he has to say about the Hardaway comments. Quite a difference of opinions on the gay subject.

The HRC continues to do a fabulous job on promoting and maintaining rights for all LGBT citizens of the US and around the world.