What I am amazed by is the complete insensitivity of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty to the fact that we’ve had a domestic terrorist attack against the government. Does Pawlenty, while at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.,  not see the same images we see on our computers and TVs this morning? What was he thinking when he said this?

(Pawlenty) even compared Democrats to Tiger Woods, saying “we can learn a lot” from his news conference Friday.

“Not from Tiger, but from his wife,” Pawlenty said. “She said, ‘I’ve had enough.’ She said, ‘No more.’ I think we should take a page out of her playbook and take a nine-iron and smash the window out of the big government in this country.”

"I think we should ...smash the window out of the big government in this country." - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, February 19, 2010, one day after a domestic terrorist smashed his plane into the side of the glass IRS office building in Austin, TX.

Yeah. That damn government: taking our taxes and paying for roads, bridges, teachers, and the damn stimulus saving countless American jobs. Instead we need to keep our money to pay for McMansions and private planes that we can use to knock out the windows of big government, just like the new right-wing hero, Joseph Stack.

YouTube – John Denver and The Muppets sing Poems Prayers and Promises

I’ve been lately thinking
About my life’s time
All the things I’ve done
And how it’s been
And I cant help believing
In my own mind
I know I’m gonna hate to see it end

I’ve seen a lot of sunshine
Slept out in the rain
Spent a night or two all on my own
I’ve known my lady’s pleasures
Had myself some friends
And spent a time or two in my own home

And I have to say it now
It’s been a good life all in all
It’s really fine
To have a chance to hang around
And lie there by the fire
And watch the evening tire
While all my friends and my old lady
Sit and pass the pipe around (“watch the sun go down” for the Muppets)

And talk of poems and prayers and promises
And things that we believe in
How sweet it is to love someone
How right it is to care
How long its been since yesterday
And what about tomorrow
And what about our dreams
And all the memories we share

The days they pass so quickly now
Nights are seldom long
And time around me whispers when its cold
The changes somehow frighten me
Still I have to smile
It turns me on to think of growing old
For though my lifes been good to me
Theres still so much to do
So many things my mind has never known
Id like to raise a family
Id like to sail away
And dance across the mountains on the moon

I have to say it now
It’s been a good life all in all
It’s really fine
To have the chance to hang around
And lie there by the fire
And watch the evening tire
While all my friends and my old lady
Sit and pass the pipe around (“watch the world go ’round” for the Muppets)

And talk of poems and prayers and promises
And things that we believe in
How sweet it is to love someone
How right it is to care
How long its been since yesterday
What about tomorrow
What about our dreams
And all the memories we share

No really I mean it, life is frickin’ nuts. It’s great. It’s been busy. The Bear Scene in DC has moved into my neighborhood, and I’ve met so many new people. And I’ve been finally seeing people I already know and hanging out again.

The DC Bear renaissance is why I started to blog at dcbearscene.com. I really want to get more people involved blogging there. Especially since when my work picks up, I usually can’t spend much time focusing on blogging. People can post about their own events. I’ve started to set that up, but now it’s time to show my fellow bloggers how to use things like the photo upload and event calendar. I have my own personal opinion about the Bear explosion that’s been happening in DC. I think it has its good and bad points, and I’m curious to hear what others have to say.

Bearnakedjoe.com is my most personal blog, so I suppose I should write and try to explain all the things I’ve been doing. I don’t really go into all of my personal stuff online much, and I’ve been doing a lot of personal stuff. That’s really the main reason I’ve not been updating on here. I tried to blog more newsy type stuff there for a while, but my full-time job and my photography really don’t leave me much time to break news on a blog, certainly not as well as other gay bloggers in the field. And I promised myself to not get outrage fatigue, which is something that comes all too easy if you blog about LGBT newsworthy items. But I know photography. And I know DC.

And I kind of know Philly. I recently visited Philly with my good friend Chris. I lived there for 8 years – it’s where I coined my nickname Bearnaked Joe. I should tell some of the tale in a future post, since it was an amazing weekend of just-in-time connections. Chris and I wandered the streets and I showed him places I hung out in the past with some of my best friends in Philly. We saw strongmen and puppish cops, including my new favorite. Yes, hanging out with Chris, aka “Bullneck,” has taught me to have a favorite cop. It’s true: We are the sum of the people we know.

I also went home with Dave to visit Ohio. It was a great trip seeing the family, having some of my favorite food, and marching with my alumni band in the Memorial Day parade. We got an Air Force flyby that almost made me wet my pants.

On the photography front, I had an exciting evening being part of a panel discussion about the use of metadata and photography workflow as part of a tour being hosted by Stock Artists Alliance and Photoshelter. I’ll always remember that’s where I was when I heard that Michael Jackson had died.

I also got an iPhone 3GS. I liked the way my review of the Shuffle worked out, so I may review the iPhone 3GS as well. Yeah I’m sure you’ve read a lot already. You can skip it if you want. But some people might like my detailed look at the thing.

I joined a gym. OK, I haven’t gone yet, but I joined a gym.

So this is my blog entry for today. It’s representative of my feelings about being on the Web. I want everyone to read my site and have wonderful things to say, sure. But then I turn to Facebook and think “who is this person and why in the heck do they want to friend me?” It’s an odd thing being part of an online culture where everything we do now we voluntarily published. We only let others see what we want them to see. Sometimes I don’t want you to see anything. Some people show us too much.

It reminds me of my favorite Facebook status update I’ve made so far. In a purely digital forum and in the most pubic place I know, I stated “Joe secretly longs for an analog world.” I miss when bells were real bells, and when you actually dialed a phone. But I still don’t want to give up my iPhone 3GS.

Here’s why I bought it:

It’s tiny. I keep my earbuds in a bag on my keychain, and this will fit in with them without adding any bulk. It’s like I’m carrying nothing at all. This allows me to free up space on my iPhone for video, photos, apps. etc. Or it lets me keep special playlists handy for special occasions (like my “Friday is almost over and it’s time for the weekend” playlist) or things I don’t listen to often but like to have handy, or podcasts or audiobooks.

The controls and the Voiceover is cool. I love being able to change the song with just a click from my chin. As always with Apple, the use is natural highly intuitive once you browse it for a bit. The Voiceover feature – the feature that allows you to gently hear the name of the song or playlist over the playing music – works great as a simple way to navigate without a screen. I can also use the headphones on my iPhone. Though the controls don’t work 100% the same on the iPhone, they still are useful.  (With the iPhone, you have to activate the phone by clicking the phone’s home button first. Once you do that, you can use the headset to start the iPod program, advance songs, fast-forward, go back,  and rewind.)

The New Apple iPod Shuffle in silver and charcoal

Apple haters are hating on the new iPod Shuffle because of a variety of reasons, all of which are nonsense.

Haters: “The controls are in the headset. What a stupid idea. Fail.” You must realize the headphones are not just a swappable accessory with the new Shuffle, they are part of the core product. These new remote-controlled earbuds have been around now for a few months in the form of Apple’s new two-driver in-ear earbuds available for $79 (pictured below right). They were introduced for use with iPod Classics, iPod Touches, and iPod Nanos.They allow the user to click a few buttons on the earbud in order to control the playback and volume level of the iPod. This means no more fishing into your pocket to advance to the next song, rewind, or change the volume. Until now, these controls have been a happy bonus accessory. The primary controls were still on the iPod, but the new earbuds gave you additional controls.

New Apple In-ear Earbuds

The new Shuffle, however, takes this one natural step further by removing the controls from the iPod while keeping them on the headset. For a compact iPod like the Shuffle, this is perfect. This allows the Shuffle to be unbelievably tiny in size and weight. It also has a strong durable clip on the back making it a handy iPod for clipping on and forgetting – perfect for commuting, running, working, etc. The controls on the earbud cable make this all possible.

Haters: “But I have a pair of ‘favorite’ earbuds that I can’t live without.” A remote control accessory will be available soon, if you must have a Shuffle. Don’t complain, either. If you can afford to commute with $300 earbuds, is a $30 remote really gonna kill you?

Haters: “But I shouldn’t have to have a remote.” And you don’t “have” to have a Shuffle either. But if you want a new Shuffle and you want your existing earbuds, you gotta make a choice. Or stop complaining and buy something better suited to your needs.

Haters: “Apple is just trying to make extra money. Third party manufacturers will have to pay for a chip.” Apple is innovating. They are creating something new. It’s unique, and that is why the haters hate and even feared it.  Nobody is “forcing” you to buy a Shuffle. And if you do nobody is “forcing” you to buy another set of headphones. Apple isn’t “forcing” any headphone manufacturer to make headphones for its products. If a headphone manufacturer wants to create a set of remote controlled headphones that can be fully used with the Apple iPod Shuffle, it only seems fair that they pay for the technology that makes it work. When you go to work each day, don’t you want to get paid for your innovation? Apple has had this technology public for months now. But with the introduction of the Shuffle, the demand for it has finally enticed headphone manufacturers to get on the ball.

Haters: “The controls are too confusing.” When you want to try the next song, you simply reach for your chin and double-click. Fast-Forward? Double-click-hold. Back? Triple-click.  Rewind? Triple-click-hold. Pause? Click. Want to know what you are listening to? Click and hold. As I said earlier, the use is natural and highly intuitive once you use it for a bit. Haters using this excuse are just looking for drama. Sure the controls aren’t ideal for navigating a huge library or constantly looking for a specific song. If these are what you want an iPod for, you should get something with better nav controls and a screen like a Nano or Classic. A Shuffle is for simple playlists and simple continuous use.

Haters: “It’s not the perfect player for everybody.” It’s not supposed to be. Your 80-year-old grandmother or dumbass uncle with fat fingers may not be able to use this particular product with ease.

.

The new iPod Shuffle has other benefits, too, that you don’t read much about.

Now it’s just a module. What I haven’t seen much of on the Web is talk about how the new Shuffle size and external controls will revolutionize the iPod accessory market. Now you can create a set of headphones that are just headphones – no cord, barely a player. Just plug in the tiny iPod Shuffle and it sits lightweight on your ears. (I know this exists for the old Shuffle, too, but in my opinion that was too bulky. This will be like nothing at all.)  Or you could create a small high-quality stereo amplifier or clock radio with the iPod controls built in – all you’ll need to do is swap out your iPod Shuffle for different playlists (this would be perfect for an office desk). Or someone can create a dock with a remote control to use the new voiceover feature so you can plug it into your stereo or car.  Will there be some way to visually read the playlists within an accessory? The tiny size and external controls makes it more of a module component for use in other products. This opens up countless ingenious possibilities.

The ipod Shuffle automatically compresses your high-quality files for use on the Shuffle. This I love. I want higher quality files in my iTunes library so when I play it on the stereo or make CDs, it has a better file. But that better file takes up more space. I don’t necessarily need these high-quality files for my commuter music. The new Shuffle will (if I choose) automatically reduce my files to 128 kbps AAC upon the transfer to the Shuffle. This leaves the files in my library at a high quality while allowing me to max out the space on my Shuffle (with perfectly-fine if not high-quality files).  This is really cool. I hope Apple retrofits 1st gen iPhone software so it will do the same. As of now, it does not.

You can skip through the names of songs and playlists, even when paused. When you are listening to the voiceover, you can tap the volume buttons to move bewteen and quickly hear playlists or song names. There is no need to listen to the whole name of the playlist in order to move to the next. Just click. You dont even need to be playing the song to use the voiceover. It works when paused too.

It’s an iPod for the blind. Voiceover isn’t perfect, but it works pretty well.

.

The new iPod Shuffle has a few drawbacks.

Remember: It’s not ideal as your primary player. It’s best used as a secondary player or for commuting, jogging, etc. when listening to your favorite playlists.

It doesn’t stop. You can only listen in “shuffle” or “loop” mode. This is fine for continuous use, but if you wanted to just plug and play an album or playlist and stop when complete, you can’t. To stop, click once to pause or flip the power switch on the Shuffle.

You can’t browse by album, artist, genre, etc. But then again you’re not really meant to on the Shuffle. It’s not an iPod to browse; it’s an iPod to plug, play, and forget. You browse by playlist though, so you can always just create a playlist in advance for a specific album.

Switching on and off to hear the battery level isn’t all that easy. It works, but it’s not simple. And you may have to try it a few times to get it right.

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Ultimately I decided that the Shuffle was pretty cool and will come in handy provided I don’t lose it. I ended up splurging on the in-ear earbuds too because they fit better (and I needed better quality buds anyway since my Sennheiser IE4s died). They sound at least as good as the $50 Sonys I’ve had that melted four months into owning them, plus they have the new controls that will work with the Shuffle and my phone and a microphone for use with the phone and the voice recording feature in some iPods.

This was one of the first thoughts in my head as I sat in the audience while the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar began its show last night at the Warner Theatre. Shortly followed by:

“Oh good, Jesus is going to heal that hot Bearcub that just got stabbed by the Roman Guard.”

It turns out that hot Bearcub was Simon Zealot, one of Jesus apostles, and he would thankfully be seen onstage often – which is a good thing because he was totally gorgeous while Jesus was really old. I mean like so old I couldn’t even look at him. But then again we were in the 3rd row – pretty close. I often found myself blocking the always-brightly-lit Jesus behind the head of the man sitting in front of me. But between Simon and a handful of other muppet actors on stage, I had some nice things to look at.

OK, I’m being a little unkind to Jesus. Jesus was played by Ted Neeley, who famously played the part in the original tour and the 1973 film when he was 30. He’s still got great talent, but this was more of a reprise role. Seeing a performer who is so famous for a part but should no longer be playing it is kind of like going to an old-timer’s baseball game: You’re not necessarily going to get the best show, but you get to experience at least some of the glory that shines through the famous faces on the field. And you can always say “I saw him play that part.” Neeley is talented, no doubt about that. But at 65, Neeley is also likely twice the age of the next oldest cast member, not to mention twice Jesus’ age at his crucifixion.

The production is a bit haphazard. The show book and score itself was laughable, sorry. It doesn’t help that I’m not an Andrew Lloyd-Webber fan, but I knew what I was getting into. I had never seen JCS before, but I enjoyed it for what it was. Really, some of the lyrics were so basic that I’ve lost a little respect for Tim Rice. My ears desperately long for “A Little Night Music” to soothe the assault from last night’s bombardment of sound.

But back to the Bearcub. He is Matthew G. Meyers. A tenor, he’s about 30, not a big bear but a strong stocky build, brown hair and light beard, and cute pug nose. He was actually one of the better performers on the stage, bringing more life even in his background parts than most of the cast. His performance singing Simon’s song was excellent. He also acts as the understudy to Judas, as well as some management parts on stage (I forget the titles; my Playbill isn’t here next to me). Looking at Meyers’ bio in the Playbill though, Dave noticed that he won the Best Actor in a Musical in “NYC’s Fresh Fruit Award.”

Hmmm. “Fresh fruit.” In NYC? Sounds kinda gay. Sure enough, it is! A little Googling will find a lovely photo of Matthew with his husband at Disneyworld (or land) in front of Cinderella’s castle. So this is one of the few times I’ve seen a hot bearcub actor who actually turns out to be family.

I’d include a photo for you here, but I didn’t find any publicly online that does him justice in his Bear-esque look. In his headshot he looks way too pretty and thin. I find that to be a problem with hot bearish actors. Their headshots make them look too much like “actors” than people.

It was a welcome change to see a cast that didn’t all look like buff chorus-line dancers in period costume. On the flip side, they looked like they were still in high school or college – with Jesus as this kind of creepy old janitor that shuffled along with them. The high energy that the cast shows compares strikingly to the low energy Neeley brings as Jesus, making him appear that much older.

I enjoyed the show for what it was. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it unless you want to see Neeley reprise the role for which he is famous. The staging looks inspired by Les Miserables, with the arched bridge set and the chorus blocking. Even the actor who plays James looks like he should be playing Jean Valjean. If you have a need for bombastic sound and incomprehensible material that takes itself too seriously, JCS might do until the next tour of The Phantom of the Opera comes to Wolftrap. If you want to see a hot Bearcub on stage, see if you can get cheap walkup one-off front-row seats a half hour before curtain. (Not sure if you can.) The show is at the Warner til Sunday.

Here’s a piece on “Rumpology.”

Stallone claims that the left and right butt cheeks reveal a person’s past and future, respectively. She says she has a degree in chemistry, but she must not have studied anatomy or physiology. She claims any doctor will tell you that the body is like a warehouse which stores everything. She thinks that the right buttocks represents the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain, while the left buttocks represents the right hemisphere. Her rump report, she says, can tell you “whether you are going ass-backwards (into that little closet called the left brain)” or are going forward with the right brain.

She even teaches others how to read the future by looking at behinds. José Miranda, for example, learned rumpology from Stallone. The Little Havana (Miami) soothsayer became a hit on the “phenomenally popular and raunchy late-night talk show ‘La Cosa Nostra’ on Spanish-language WJAN-TV Channel 41.”*

Miranda says that rump reading is “no different than reading a palm or someone’s eyes.” That’s no exaggeration. Rumpology works the same way as astrology, cartomancy, metoposcopy, palmistry, and getting messages from ghosts. Although Miranda’s live readings of scantily clad models adds a new dimension to the expressions cold reading, subjective validation, and sympathetic magic.

via rumpology – The Skeptic’s Dictionary – Skepdic.com.

I recently returned from a weekend trip with Dave and met a ton of his friends from school, who are now my friends. It almost feels like I went to school with them. I got to spend some time in Lawrence and was on the University of Kansas campus during the Jayhawks final victory of the season. I got a t-shirt, but I still don’t quite understand the endearing aspects of the phrase “Rock Chalk.”

Over Lunch at Buffalo Bob’s BBQ Smokehouse I thought about my two schools – The University of Cincinnati (UC) and Temple University. I suppose if I were to root for a team, it would be Cincinnati. I enjoyed the school and often regret leaving it to go to Temple. Even the school mascot is a Bearcat, which means my being a Bearcat predated my being a Bear by about 5 years. If I recall correctly UC had a pretty decent basketball team (historically – I think they sucked while I was there).

Looking at the brackets, I see that KU is in there of course. But no UC. I don’t even know how well they play anyway, and couldn’t tell you if they are worthy. But wait, here’s Akron. I grew up next to Akron, and while I skipped going there I still had a good number of college experiences, including being part of the Gay and Lesbian alliance. I’m not really a big Akron sports fan, but the “Zips” are one of the few teams I’d know by name without taking to Google.

Temple is also in the brackets. I’m torn about this one. While I went to Temple, I also credit the school’s lack of life with my growing disinterest in college while I attended. Like I said, I regret leaving Cincinnati. When I was there, I felt like I was at school. At Temple, I just felt like I lived in Philadelphia. I loved Philadelphia, but it wasn’t school. Philadelphia taught me an independent city-living life. But it robbed me of feeling like I belonged to a university. I last felt that at Cincinnati.

It’s tough being indifferent when March Madness rolls around. I guess it doesn’t really matter. Everyone has their favorites, but I’m not really a big basketball fan. So I’m not really rooting for a team, but Akron and KU will be my picks in case I’m stranded next to a water cooler with nothing to talk about except the Daily Show/MSNBC feud or how I missed the last Bear Tea Dance because I was in Lawrence, Kansas learning the Jayhawk chant.

As anticipation builds toward a high court hearing on gay marriage, actor Sean Penn added drama Tuesday by urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger – a fellow actor – to reverse his opposition to a day honoring slain gay activist Harvey Milk.

“I trust that Governor Schwarzenegger is an increasingly reasonable man, and that he understands that passing on prejudices as surround this issue and so many others is poisonous to future generations,” said Penn, according to a video of his appearance. The actor won an Oscar last month for his portrayal of Milk in a film.

Penn appeared at a press conference in San Francisco with state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who is reviving a bill the governor vetoed last year that would have declared May 22 as Harvey Milk Day.

via Actor presses for a Harvey Milk Day – Sacramento Politics – California Politics | Sacramento Bee.

I am distressed, crying bitterly, and full of guilty questions like where did we go wrong. What did we do, or fail to do? I cannot close my eyes at night without crying out loud and wondering and worrying about him. How can we relieve this situation?

We have not discussed the issue with friends, although some close relations are aware of it. We feel we have to sell our small business and move away from here. I don’t think I can bear this any longer. Yes, we think of the anguish our son must have gone through/must still be going through, his loneliness and isolation. Yet he is happy to visit gay clubs and meet with other men.

We have talked, insofar as we are able. Yet he seems to jolly the whole thing along as if it were the ‘hip’ thing to do to be homosexual. It’s almost as if he’s delighted to say “I’m gay”.

Patricia responds:

You’ve reached an uncomfortable milestone in your life. Deal with it, like adults. This is your son you’re talking about. Irrespective of how he’s handling it — and it sounds like he has gone the somewhat brazen route — he needs his parents to be mature. It’s not just your dignity that’s at stake. Your son needs intelligent support.

This is no time for social philosophy either. We’ll talk some other time about the broader issues around homosexuality. The shock is surely receding now. Get a grip. Put your arms around your son and talk to him. His brazenness after all may well be no more than a defiant and desperate attempt to stay afloat.

via Devastated because our only son says he’s homosexual – Lifestyle, Frontpage – Independent.ie.

• Shiny Happy People
• It the Summertime
• The Night Chicago Died
• Seven Nation Army
• Son’s Gonna Rise
• Ball of Confusion
• Dashboard
• She’s Not There
• Eye of the Tiger

OK Cows! Let’s get on it!

Barry from Carbon Leaf

I’m sorry Barenaked Ladies, but Carbon Leaf is my favorite band now. Oh no, it didn’t happen with the recent resignation of BNL’s longtime voice Steve Page.

No, the realization moment was when I thought I was about to miss the first 30 minutes of a BNL show during Ships & Dip III last year because  I was at the last 30 minutes of a Carbon Leaf show. I wouldn’t leave. I’ve rarely felt as much joy as I did on the Lido deck listening to Carbon Leaf, who I’ve been a fan of now for about six years.

It turned out I was wrong about the timing. The concerts were scheduled properly and I saw the whole of both shows. But I knew then who I couldn’t bear to miss. I knew Carbon Leaf was my favorite band now.

The BNL "When I Fall" encore

I went on to the BNL show. The end of that show – a true demanded encore of “When I Fall” complete with full audience participation (pictured right) – was arguably one of the most incredible musical moments in the history of the band. And it would turn out to be the last time I would ever see BNL with the core group I’ve come to know.

Carter from Carbon Leaf

Carbon Leaf is performing tonight and tomorrow in Annapolis. We’ll be at the show tomorrow afternoon. The band has shed two of its members since I first found them, but three of the core members are going strong plus new musicians. They are a fun group of guys, and very talented.  I hope you check out Carbon Leaf. And I hope they realize how much their music means to people.

Martin says Asrani and the school board then opted to cancel the play. Asrani says the decision was Martin’s.

When students were told the production had been canceled, their outreach quickly led to mass media attention. Gay activists and alumni of the high school charged that the play’s cancellation was a form of intolerance and homophobia.

Martin in turn requested a rush copy of a toned-down version of the script, which he submitted to Asrani for approval.

via Canceled High School Production of Rent Back On  | News | Advocate.com.

Remember. When I was in high school we had a gay-straight alliance. It was called drama club.

The first song in today’s playlist featuring a cowbell is “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones.

A musical based on the Marvel comic book hero Spider-Man will open on Broadway in 2010.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark will include the story of the superhero’s origins and will feature music and lyrics by U2 members Bono and The Edge.

via BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Spider-Man musical set for 2010.

In response to a question from radio host Mike Gallagher today, RNC chairman Michael Steele used took a hard, dismissive line against slave emancipation.

“Do you favor slave emancipation?” Gallagher asked:

STEELE: No, no no. What would we do that for? What are you crazy? No. Why would we backslide on a core, founding value of this country? I mean this isn’t something that you just kind of like, “Oh well, today I feel, you know, loosey-goosey on slaves.” I mean, this is a foundational principle of this country. It is a foundational principle of organized society. It isn’t something that, you know, in America we decided, “Let’s have slavery; oh well now, let’s change our mind and make them whole persons and allow them the vote.” No.

Ben Smith’s Blog: Steele on civil unions: ‘Are you crazy?’ – POLITICO.com.

Sure there’s a part of me that’s pissed. But really Steve, Ed, Tyler, Jim and Kevin don’t owe me anything. Who am I to judge his life and relationships? I’m a fan – a good fan. But I know that the music comes from life. Life has to be lived or the music cannot exist.

So while I’m sad and pissed, I do wish him the best. Life goes on.

By mutual agreement, Steven Page will be parting company with the remaining members of Barenaked Ladies. Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart will continue recording and touring together as Barenaked Ladies. Steven Page will pursue solo projects including theatrical opportunities while the band enters the studio in April 2009, and hits the road in the fall.

via BNL :: Barenaked Ladies Official Website.

Ed sings, “Thanks, That was fun. Don’t forget. No regrets.”

Yeah, ok I’m crying now.

Let me repeat this: A 15-year old girl was taken from her parents and sent to a wilderness detention camp for writing something on MySpace.

Are we really surprised by this? Our for-profit criminal justice system trains more criminals each year than it rehabilitates. We invent crimes – including drug prohibition – to lock people up.  When every inmate is a dollar sign, children, like all citizens, become raw materials to be destroyed in the name of profit.

About 50 percent of the children who waived counsel before Ciavarella were sent to some kind of placement, the Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center reports. In comparison, the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission in Pennsylvania found that 8.4 percent of juveniles across the state wind up in placement.

via Pennsylvania rocked by ‘jailing kids for cash’ scandal – CNN.com.

We need change.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele

Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele plans an “off the hook” public relations offensive to attract younger voters, especially blacks and Hispanics, by applying the party’s principles to “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.”

via Washington Times – Steele: GOP needs ‘hip-hop’ makeover.

Presenting the top 10 all-time Republican hip-hop songs:

“Liberals Ain’t Shit” – Snoop Dogg DeLay
“De-Regulate” – Warren B
“Lobbyists Paradise” – Koolio
“Be the Power” – Public Enema
“Straigh outta the O.C.” – R.N.C.
“Strom” – Reaganem
“GOPP” – Corrupt by Nature
“Homos Just Don’t Understand” – Tearoom Jizzy Craig & the Foley Prince
“Nuthin’ But a “G.O.P.” Thang” – Snoop Dogg DeLay
“Republican’s Delight” – The Capitol Hill Gang

A Gay Man in the Military: First Post

It’s hard for people to understand why a gay man would join the military. In Clay’s case, he had been a civilian for many years and then rejoined in his thirties. We were out working in the yard one afternoon and he told me he wanted to enlist again. I thought he was crazy. We had been together for 10 years then.

via Diary of a Gay Soldier’s Husband: A Gay Man in the Military: First Post.

A high-school production of Rent has been shut down over concerns with the show’s “adult content.”

Corona Del Mar High School students found out last week from their drama teacher that after a meeting with the school’s principal Fal Asrani and a union representative, the play was canceled due to objections about the ‘gay characters.’

via High School Production of Rent Cancelled for Gay Content?  | News | Advocate.com.

Agreed facts: The script was requested for review. The decision to cancel the play was made by the teacher (however, they disagree about why).

Rent Script

The principal says (paraphrasing): “I wanted to review the script, something that is my responsibility. When I asked for it, the teacher canceled the play.”

The teacher says (again paraphrasing): “I was asked to provide a script because of gay characters. But I haven’t ordered scripts yet and they wont be here for two weeks. The principal told me we won’t have time to revise the scripts before the show starts April 23, and that she won’t like gay characters, so I’m canceling the play and doing something safe instead.”

I dunno, I don’t think it is a smart idea to start crying “homophobia” here. “Rent” has an implied group sex scene, lots of shown adult sexuality, and plenty of cursing. It seems perfectly responsible that a principal would request to see the revised script as offered by the licensing company. I”m not convinced bigotry is at play here.

This is one person’s word against another’s. And I’ve learned in the world of blogging to never make a homophobia judgment based on a stranger’s word. (I’ll call it the “Die fags” theory, based on the douchebag homos who vandalized their own place with “Die Fags” graffiti, blamed homophobia, and reported a hate crime.) The principal’s story seems lacking detail, but the teacher’s story seems hysterical.

The writers at Queerty, who automatically assumes homophobia, point to the students for help but the students only repeat what the teacher told them. That’s just hearsay.

So who do you believe? The teacher, or the principal? Why? Are you sure your opinion is objective? Or are you just instinctively crying homophobia?

But back in 1964, Valenti was a Houston ad executive newly installed at the White House as a top aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson. And J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI found itself quietly consumed with the vexing question of whether Valenti was gay.

Previously confidential FBI files show that Hoover’s deputies set out to determine whether Valenti, who had married two years earlier, maintained a relationship with a male commercial photographer.

via FBI probed sexuality of LBJ aide Valenti – Washington Post- msnbc.com.

Limbaugh is, without ambiguity, rooting for failure. In the midst of an economic crisis, Limbaugh quite openly admitted that if Obama’s economic policies are successful, it would undermine the talk-show host’s worldview. As such, Limbaugh wants desperately to see more Americans suffer, more workers unemployed, more businesses close up shop. The key here is philosophy — if government spending can stimulate the economy, as it always does, then the right is wrong. Limbaugh would much prefer a suffering nation than a reevaluation of conservative ideas.

via The Washington Monthly.

I received in my email today a note from photographer and Bear Frank Muzzy about the passing of Ron Henderson, the owner of Pulp.

via Ron Henderson of Pulp has died @ DC Bear Scene.

Artist rendition of Adam Dunn in a Nats hat.

Former (Cincinnati) Red and forever redhead Adam Dunn is joining the Washington Nationals. Between Dunn and Zimmerman, the Nats lineup is looking hot. We’ll see how they play. The 6′6″ power-hitter will be introduced at 3:00 in Nats colors.

WASHINGTON — The Nationals will make it official Thursday afternoon when they introduce first baseman/outfielder Adam Dunn at a 3 p.m. ET news conference at Nationals Park. Dunn agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract on Wednesday. Dunn, 29, and general manager Jim Bowden have a history together with the Reds organization. Bowden drafted Dunn in the second round of the 1998 First-Year Player Draft. Three years later, Dunn was in the big leagues and eventually would become Cincinnati’s best power hitter. Dunn, who will join Ryan Zimmerman in the middle of the lineup, has hit at least 40 home runs for five straight years. Although he has a .247 career batting average, he has a .381 on-base percentage and can play both left field and first base. via Dunn to be introduced this afternoon | MLB.com: News.

Bears Can Dance – 495 Bears new monthly “T-Dance” upstairs at the Green Lantern – is a sexually-charged, growling furfest with familiar and new faces, colorful alcohol opportunities, hot bellies on hot bears dancing to well-mixed familiar tunes in a visually stimulating environment. 495 Bears organizers installed the disco lights from their own homes onto the ceiling of the too-familiar second floor, bringing a needed new atmosphere and genuine Bear Dance Floor to Sunday afternoons. If you miss Titan Bar, or are longing for a true Bear Happy Hour in Washington, D.C. you owe it to yourself to check this out.

via “Bears Can Dance” Review @ DC Bear Scene.

I took the opportunity to open the discussion of music, because he plays the same five songs over and over every day, and they are the worst shit I have ever heard. They sound like the no-name band’s song with girlie teenage vocals that gets played at the end of made-for-TV Hilary Duff movies. He plays the newest Britney CD when he is in the shower. He also told me the new Pussycat Dolls record was available online, and that he was totally psyched. (Breathe … breathe…)

So, I asked, what is with a 22-year old man listening to that crap? His answer was actually really good: “I’m gay.” It sort of stopped me in my tracks, as I had forgotten this element. I tried to make an example of gay people who have great taste in music, of which there are many, but all I saw were pictures of gay faves like Abba, Madonna, and Erasure dancing through my head. This is the shitty music of a different generation, though, alas. Now the torch is being passed.

“You have to see The Women,” he said to me. “It was soooo good!” He had it on DVD. But it wasn’t my all-time favorite movie from 1939, which I already own; it was the recent, completely retarded remake. I pointed out to him that the original was an iconic gay film. “Huh,” he said.

So here’s when I realized that I was being really annoying, and that no one needs to hear how lame he is all the time. No matter how idiotic his taste is, ’tis far, far worse for me to keep pointing that out…

via San Francisco Music – Underwear Night at 440 Castro

I’m going through the author Katy St. Clair’s previous articles. Love her.

Bursting with indignation, legions of legalize-marijuana advocates are urging a boycott of Kellogg Co., including all of its popular munchies, for deciding to cut ties with Olympic hero Michael Phelps after he was photographed with a pot pipe.

via Pro-pot group smokes Kellogg for axing Phelps – Olympic Sports- nbcsports.msnbc.com.

Indignation? Let’s talk about indignation. For decades this country’s leaders have been riding indignation in order to fuel the prison industry. We criminalize and deny rights to otherwise law abiding citizens with a drug war that is financially cumbersome, and costs countess American lives through the violence that prohibition inevitably creates. Kellogg’s, after selling box after box with images of the record-breaking gold-medal Olympian, decides that his one-time private use of marijuana was “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.”

Well if marijuana use isn’t consistent with Kellogg, so be it, say the potheads. The website BoycottKellogs.net points to the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws (NORML) Kellog’s boycott page and over 70 Kellogg products to boycott:

Cereal and snack manufacturer Kellogg’s announced that it will not renew its sponsorship contract with 14-time Olympic gold medal champion Michael Phelps. A Kellogg Company spokesperson said that Phelps’ recent acknowledgment of marijuana use, and subsequent apology, was “not consistent with the image” of the company.

We disagree!

As NORML wrote earlier this week, it’s not Michael Phelps who should be castigated, but rather it’s the absurd and hypocritical laws that criminalize the behavior of Phelps and tens of millions of other successful and productive Americans like him that is worthy of condemnation.

Millions of Americans agree. In fact, in the past week dozens of high profile pundits and commentators — including Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post, Stanton Peele in the Wall Street Journal, and Doug Bandow in National Review Online — have demanded a repeal of America’s archaic and overly punitive pot laws.

Michael Phelps is in good company. Nearly one out of two Americans have admitted using marijuana. Whether or not the most decorated athlete in history chooses to unwind during his off time with a glass of wine or a bit of cannabis is really none of the government’s — or our — business.

Please take time today to contact the Kellogg Corporation. Tell them that you oppose their decision to drop Michael Phelps and that, as a result of their actions, you will not be purchasing any Kellogg’s related products for the next three months (or until the company decides to reinstate the Phelps as their spokesperson).

Maybe Kellogg doesn’t deserve Michael Phelps.

Kellogg’s statement rejecting Michael Phelps wasn’t just a business decision. They could have quietly let the contract go. No, they had to make a point to say that Phelps – who trained hour upon hour a day, who pushed himself to be the best he could be for the country and who likely had a goal of being on a Wheaties box – because he was caught with one bong hit was “not consistent” with Kellogg’s. What is consistent with Kellogg except sugar coated breakfasts and the rise of diabetes in America? Fuck Kellogg.

And Michael, stop apologizing. Be a leader.

Stephen Moller who is serving a prison sentence for killing Sean Kennedy, a young gay man in Greenville County, SC, was denied request for parole Wednesday morning. He will complete his sentence in July.

via No Parole; Stephen Moller Will Remain in Prison | WSPA.

(Demetri)  Martin’s profile will rise even higher next August when he stars in Ang Lee’s new film Taking Woodstock. Martin isn’t just in the movie – he is the movie, appearing in virtually every scene as Elliot Tiber, the gay man who inadvertently helped launch the Woodstock concert in the summer of 1969.

via Exclusive: Demetri Martin takes on “Taking Woodstock” | AfterElton.com.

When Dr Justin Varney started out in his medical career he was advised to become a GP, not because his skills were better suited to this particular branch of medicine, but because he was gay.

His tutors felt that a career in paediatrics, the area he was interested in at the time, would be inappropriate because of his sexuality.

Tutors said parents might not like him working with their children, nor might other staff.

Today, more than a decade later, attitudes have changed greatly and Dr Varney is a consultant in public health medicine with responsibility for the health of 40,000 children in the Barking and Dagenham area of London.

via BBC NEWS | Health | ‘It’s much easier to be open now’.

Thumper took great pains to point out that even though there are two new Bear groups forming in the DC region at the same time – the other group having virtually the same name with “495 Bears” – the groups are not at odds with one another. “As long as no one thinks it’s a competition,” he told me.  There is room for everyone.

Would a Bear Vacuum get clogged with hair?

Titan Bar

Until Titan Bar’s closing in December, 2007, which left a Bear vacuum in the national capital region, the second-story bar above Hamburger Mary’s/Dakota Cowgirl served as a central  hirsute meeting place every Friday night. Cobalt has been a recent substitute, but many Bears just don’t feel at home in the 17th street night club where the bartenders are more likely to sport shiny abs of steel than furry beer bellies.

Of the three major Bear groups in DC’s history (all of which I have at one time been a member of), only one is still active, but in smaller numbers.  District of Columbia Bear Club (DCBC) changed its focus years ago to be more of a small fraternal organization instead of a club with a large membership (pun intended). Chesapeake Bay Bears (CBB) has been off the radar for I don’t know how long. A search of Google and Yahoo found nothing new, and their website is gone.

And GenXDC, the group I am most associated with (I coordinated for a few years and I maintain our web presence), has been pretty much on hiatus. We weren’t a formal club in that we didn’t have bylaws or regular meetings, but we were pretty regular with email and events. When the web shifted away from mailing lists and towards journals, blogs, and other social interaction sites, it became tough for us to communicate as a group. I think we all felt like we needed something new in our lives, too. Though the community is still around – many of us still have dinners, vacations, and parties together – we just don’t consider ourselves an organized group.

“Beltway Bears” Structure

So this vacuum has inspired new Bear-on-Bear action in the form of two new groups. Of the three prior groups, only the Baltimore-based CBB was a chartered club with an open membership – you just pay your dues and you are in. This is how Beltway Bears are organizing themselves right away with their meetings and elections, with bylaw adoption to shortly follow.

“We’ll see how the community reacts to these new clubs,” said Nick Bullock, who is considering a run for Vice President of Beltway Bears.

“495 Bears” Structure

The 495 Bears are taking a less-structured approach, first intending to have a few Tea Dance events and others, without officers,  by-laws, membership,  newsletters, dues, or meetings. While it is inevitable that people will view this as a competition, the 495 Bears list owner also pointed out  in an e-mail to me that even the names were not on purpose. “It is rather funny about the names of these two groups but it was all coincidental and cordial,” he said. His group is focusing first on building membership instead of a charter or bear run. Without officers, dues, or membership forms, they are following the online GenXDC model: “We are taking a new approach… to keep a club relevant these days,” Jones wrote.

I’ll be blogging more about DC’s new Bear Renaissance here and at a new blog “DCBearScene.com.” which is coming soon.

Are you a Bear in the DC area and you wanna talk about what’s going on?  Write to me about becoming a blogger on  “DCBearScene.com.”

Additional notes from the Beltway Bears meeting:

Join Beltway Bears at  the newly renovated American History Museum – Mall entrance – on Saturday, February 21st at noon.

• Join the Yahoo Group List  by 11:59 p.m. on February 21st to be eligible to vote/run in elections.
• Nominations/ self-nominations must be made by by 11:59 p.m. on February 21st , 2009
• Elections will begin on February 25 and close “Super Tuesday” 11:59 p.m. on March 3.
• New officers will take their positions (pun intended) for the March meeting at the Eagle on March 4.
• Tentative outing planned for March – The US Capitol – it has a new visitor’s center.
• A Teddy Bear “Share a Bear” event is in the planning stages.