Ain't It Just Like The Night To PLay Tricks When You're Trying To Be So Quiet

Interesting: Women Lawyers Feel Betrayed When Female Bosses Aren’t Nurturing.  And from Above the Law, "here’s the provocative question laid out in a piece by Vivia Chen in next month’s American Lawyer: Are female bosses tougher for women to work for than are male bosses? And if so, why?"

Complete with a bumbling into from David Letterman, the incredible "Come Pick Me Up" by Ryan Adams.  Blows me away every time.

Some justice for Diane Schroer.

Stop the 'monster factories': "For decades, we've been told the best and only solution to this problem is to lock people up forever. But this isn't a solution many states can afford, nor one a society with two million people already festering in its prisons should desire."

Wired: Scott Brown on Sherlock Holmes, Obsessed Nerds, and Fan Fiction.

Hard to read but...necessary - the craziness of the "crisis pregnancy center." "We’ve covered Crisis Pregnancy Centers quite a bit here on Feministe, and regular readers are probably aware of their deceptive, manipulative and sometimes dangerous practices. Tina Dupuy’s investigation into Los Angeles County CPCs reveals that these centers haven’t changed their ways, despite increasing exposure."

Source.

And I'm Gonna Quit These Ramblin' Ways One Of These Days Soon

Interesting article from the NYTimes on the current state of higher education: End The University As We Know It.

Clipboard for hanging art?  I like it.

A quiet version of Ryan Adams' beautiful "Hallelujah."

Loving this blue tiered skirt from the Etsy shop Mary Savel.

Coming soon: The Boston LGBT Film Festival (25th Anniversary), May 6-17th in various locations.

Another great article from Bob Proehl: Killing Him Didn’t Make Her Love Go Away: Violence in music begets violence in music: female artists reclaim the murder ballad.

Ithaca Festival 2009 - decided to go, as an early birthday present to myself.  Almost jumping out of my seat with excitement!

From Queerty: "While we were celebrating the New Hampshire Senate's approval of a same-sex marriage bill in a 13-11 vote yesterday, there was some upsetting news that marred the joy: Those same senators shot down an anti-discrimination bill that would have protected transgender folks."

Image: source.

Ooooh, Oceans!  Still haven't seen Earth, maybe this weekend...

The most sweet-ass, tricked-out treehouse ever!

Image: source.

Gram Parsons and EmmyLou Harris, "Love Hurts."

Tomie DePaola is one of my favorite children's illustrators, glad to see he got a shout out.

The multiple uses of mug shots: "Police mug shots are still used to identify suspects, but they are also used to punish, deter and entertain, an article says — often before anyone’s been convicted."

Dora The Explorer Matters To Boys: ”When my boys watch and embrace Dora, they learn that masculinity is not the center of the universe even though so many things around them attempt to confirm this as a universal truth. It further becomes apparent to them that girls don’t all want to play dress up and mommy; they want to have adventures as well.“

Image: source.

Stunning, low-key beauty.

ArtLab's fashion design.

Image: source.

The stunning Adirondacks.

Frommer's picks for food and wine lovers.

Progress in Florida - yay Susan Stanton!

Solitary confinement is torture. "Wired Science interviews UCSC's Craig Haney, a psychologist who's an expert on long-term solitary confinement, and concludes that solitary confinement is unequivocally torture. It makes people go insane. And 25,000 Americans are in long-term solitary in the US penal system."

“What we think, we become.” - Buddha

Public School 37 is alive again with the sound of music - thanks to one gifted young boy. For more than a year, the Queens elementary school went without a music program after its band teacher left and the school couldn't afford a replacement. Now, the school has a thriving band that plays Ben E. King, Bow Wow and Bob Marley. And it's directed by one of its students, an 11-year-old pianist and saxophone player who knew his classmates needed music in their lives. "Music makes this school more alive," said sixth-grader Paul Sheriff, leader of the Cynthia Jenkins School Band. "The school is better with music in it."

- NY Daily News

"Human footprints worn into a wooden floor mark the spot where a 70-year-old Buddhist monk named Hua Chi, has said his prayers in a temple in Tongren, China, for over twenty years."

The cuteness that is the Free Encouragement Project.  I should send way more postcards.

Wooo New Hampshire!

Left: Penguin sci fi covers, past and present.

The best burger in Boston?

All about Pale Ale.

Harry & Davids, the pride of Medford...

Great news: "The movement to reform federal cocaine sentencing laws got a big boost from the Obama administration today, as a top Justice Department official testified before Congress in support of reducing the difference between punishments for crack and powdered cocaine."

The battle over custom license plates in Illinois: "For an extra fee, the state issues plates representing and benefiting numerous organizations and causes -- everything from remembering fallen soldiers to encouraging mammograms -- but it has denied Choose Life Illinois' petition for its own moving billboard. Predictably enough, the group's desired slogan is "Choose Life" (which kinda takes on a double meaning, given the message's medium). It's the kind of rallying cry you might expect on a bumper sticker, but should it appear on a state-issued license plate? Well, the group certainly thought so and challenged the state, but Chicago's federal appeals court disagreed. Now, Choose Life is asking the Supreme Court to intervene."

Image: source.

Gavin Newsom stays committed to gay rights.

National Geographic picks the top 10 American adventures.

Happy Equal Pay Day from Lipstick Lobbyist!

Check out Alexandra Gjurasic's beautiful new website!

Image: source.

Where to find Shepard Fairey's work in Boston.

The best hotel rooftop bars (there's nothing like drinking outside).

"The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled a convicted murderer deserves a new hearing to assess whether evidence withheld before trial would have changed jurors’ decision to impose the death penalty."

Chalkboard animation.

Despite Attacks from the Right Wing, El Salvador's LGBT Movement Continues the Fight for Human Rights and Dignity: "On April 20, 2009, various organizations and individuals from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community of El Salvador rallied in front of the Legislative Assembly to protest an unwarranted attack on their civil rights. Legislative Assembly Deputy Rodolfo Parker has reignited efforts to pass an amendment that would specify that marriage only be between a man and a woman and deny same sex couples the right to adopt a child. Activists from various NGOs and LGBT networks joined to demonstrate their presence and present a counter-amendment that would expand constitutional rights in the country rather than deny them."

Image: source.

"Pep Talk: You are brave and clever. Those qualities will take you very far. You’re also kind. Kindness will be the key to your happiness. “Brave, clever, and kind” sounds like the mantra of a champion. I have no doubt that that’s what you are.

Today remind yourself: I’m a champ."

- Daily Pep Talk From a Best Friend

Huh. Macy Gray covers "Creep."

A year in hamburgers.

Image: source.

The New Yorker on Dolly Parton.

"Fortune Small Business magazine put out an article on transgender workers today, available on the CNNMoney.com site. Entitled 'When a staffer switches genders,' the subtitle emphasizes tolerance and respect: 'Coping with major changes can flummox a workplace, but you can protect your bottom line and your employees by promoting tolerance and respect."'"

Janes Addiction comes to Rock Band.

“This might have been a funny story if it weren’t for the fact that people need a little loving and, God, sometimes it’s sad all the shit they have to go through to find some.” - Richard Brautigan

“In the end, only three things matter — how much you loved, how gently you lived and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” - Buddha

Image: source.

Image: source.

Beautiful images from the Pacific Northwest.  A.k.a. home.

3 amazing pages - Rules For Saying Goodbye.

I love Pad See Ew, but making my own? Daunting...

Image: source.

Oh yeah. The Museum of Online Museums.  Of course.

Sex Was More Fun in the 1970s: "The original "Joy of Sex" emphasized pleasure. The new version of the book seems like one more manual on how to perform and impress."

Not earth shattering, but as far as I'm concerned this article should be published every day until something changes. Daily Mail Writer Says Drive To Be Thin Holds Women Back: "making us think about what we ate today and what we will eat tomorrow is a great way of ensuring women don't have the energy to succeed. We don't need 'gender pay audits' [...] to find out why on earth women are paid less than men."

“Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life’s cruelest irony.” - Douglas Coupland

"Although its capital is notorious among stoners and college kids for marijuana haze–filled "coffee shops," Holland has never actually legalized cannabis — the Dutch simply don't enforce their laws against the shops. The correct answer is Portugal, which in 2001 became the first European country to officially abolish all criminal penalties for personal possession of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

At the recommendation of a national commission charged with addressing Portugal's drug problem, jail time was replaced with the offer of therapy. The argument was that the fear of prison drives addicts underground and that incarceration is more expensive than treatment — so why not give drug addicts health services instead? Under Portugal's new regime, people found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for appropriate treatment (which may be refused without criminal punishment), instead of jail.

The question is, does the new policy work?"

- TIME, "Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?"

Image: Portugal.

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” - Dalai Lama

Image: source.

"Pep Talk: Your life has taken some unique twists and turns. Sometimes you’ve made brilliant choices and sometimes you’ve had no choice in the matter. If you’d been handed everything you thought you wanted, you wouldn’t be this kick ass person we all know and love with this kick ass life full of promise and independence. Today (everyday, really) is a great day to count your blessings for things you did and didn’t get.

Today remind yourself: I dodged a bullet."

- Daily Pep Talk From a Best Friend

From Lipstick Lobbyist: "I was so proud to see Hillary testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week. She was smart, articulate and never wavered in her testimony before a not-always-friendly audience, as some of the Republican Committee members took this as an opportunity to beat their pro-life drum about foreign aid for women’s health." Watch the video!

Urban homesteaders!

Image: source.

Canvas goods from Oregon.

Grilled cheese deliciousness.

The airlines least likely to lose your luggage.

Bright colors and bling - love it.

Creating literary soundtracks.

Mmmm....caramelized onions....

On taking a temporary job.

The Ethical Slut returns.

Sexual fluidity - so hot right now.

A beautiful "origami" bag.

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." - Buddha.

“To love solitude and to seek it does not mean constantly traveling from one geographical possibility to another. A man becomes solitary at the moment when, no matter what may be his external surroundings, he is suddenly aware of his own inalienable solitude and sees that he will never be anything but solitary. From that moment, solitude is not potential – it is actual”. - Thomas Merton

Source.

Image source.

Jezebel: "A mystery is building around an anonymous donor who has given over seventy million dollars to colleges run by women. The donor is also sending in funds to ensure scholarships for women and minority students."

To add to the queue: "Transgeneration is a 2005 documentary by filmmaker Jeremy Simmons that spent a year following the lives of transgender students Gabbi, Raci, Lucas and TJ."

Image: source.

"[T]he Dominican Republic has approved an amendment to the Constitution that outlaws all abortion. The amendment states that 'the right to the life is inviolable from conception until death' - just not if you’re a woman who needs access to a safe medical procedure. Even if you’ve been raped. Even if your life is at risk."

Beautiful, revamped vintage bags.

Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible" live in an elevator (oh, those kooky kids!).

Where I'd like to be right now.

Seeing jazz in New Orleans.

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” - Andy Warhol

Amazing: "Andrea sends a stripper to her high school reunion in her place."

Bacon pops?  Yes please.

Left: image source.

Right now I'm reading Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion's collection of essays, and really loving it.  In the intro she writes "My only advantage as a reporter is that I am so physically small, so tempermentally unobtrusive, and so neurotically inarticulate that people tend to forget that my presence runs counter to their best interests.  And it always does.  That is one last thing to remember: writers are always selling somebody out."

Poughkeepsie Journal: Restoring a Rail Bridge, Without the Rails: "A historic crossing over the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie is being converted into a pedestrian walkway."  I love the Hudson River Valley...

Gender and the Supreme Court “Vacancy”: "Last week, Dahlia Lithwick wrote an intriguing article in Slate magazine regarding the frequently heard argument that President Obama’s first nominee to the Court should be a woman. Lithwick quotes Justices Ginsberg and O’Connor lamenting the dearth of women on the Court and also examines the arguments concerning whether women are different jurists than men."

Yale's Conspiracy of Silence: "Twelve years after Yale rejected a $7 million endowment for a gay student center, the school's Gay and Lesbian Association invited legendary playwright and gay-rights activist Larry Kramer back to campus to receive its first Lifetime Achievement Award. The following is his speech."

"At 100, I have a mind that is superior – thanks to experience – than when I was 20." - Rita Montalcini, neurologist and Nobel Prize winner in medicine (left), via Jezebel.

The newest installment of the Bitch Tapes, this time a gender-bendy version.

Another great Etsy find - love this gold covered quartz necklace.

Left: image source.

Great sale at Tulle.

From BlogHer: on butch and femme identity.

Feminist Law Professors: Is tenure a trap for women?

Welsh heath service to pay for gender reassignment: "Transgender patients in Wales will now be able to access funding for gender reassignment therapy. Previously, "exceptional circumstances" had to be applied to funding applications for treatment of gender dysphoria."

"Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others." - Buddha

More awesome non-metal necklaces...

A gorgeous chandelier.

More on Arizona v. Gant.

Christian Group Ousts Leader at Cornell University for Being Gay.

New luxury resort in Oregon's wine country.

Amazing embroidered art work.

"The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation Hosts the 6th annual Boston Cyberarts Festival from April 24th to May 10th. The Boston Cyberarts Festival is the largest collaboration of artists working in new technologies in all media in North America, encompassing visual arts, dance, music, electronic literature, web art, and public art."

Left: source.

Bacon salt...of course.

Sort of brilliant: 'Green' Pizza Box Breaks Down into Plates, Storage Container.

"If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." - E.B. White

Image: source.

You Seem So Out Of Context In This Gaudy Apartment Complex

Oooooh, vertical gardens in Paris.  Damn, I love that city...

Boston cabbies blogging.

Jenny Lewis' longtime stylist comes out with her own clothing line.

Image: source.

More amazing clothes out of my budget: these lovely dresses from Candystore Collective.

Beautiful tattoos from Audrey Kawaski.

I love these crazy chandeliers.

A stunning house (and ex-synagogue).

"A woman in Northern Ireland has attracted a following on Twitter by sharing recipes and compressing them to fit within a tweet’s 140-character limit." h/t Serious Eats.

“A long, long time is needed to be young.” -Picasso

<3

Sort of obsessed with this painting. I feel like this will be me as a parent - no pants on, stuff strewn on the floor, kid wearing a weird hat, stars hanging from the ceiling...Source.

Come Here, Stand In Front Of The Light

Who doesn't love a secret message?

Gonna see Earth this Friday on the big screen - so excited!  I hope there's lots of whale and shark footage...and Alaska footage...and baby animal footage...

Gorgeous street art.

I dislike about 90% of tattoos I see but this one (left, and another shot here) is beautiful!  I'm really digging on shoulder tats right now - there are a few in my yoga class and I keep being drawn to them.  It could also be the fact the people are ripped too, of course...

Ugh! Judge Orders Man’s Mouth Taped Shut: "There were apparently just one too many outbursts from Nicklas Frasure for a southeast Idaho judge to tolerate. So he ordered that Frasure, who has a history of mental illness, have his mouth sealed with duct tape during an evidentiary hearing Monday."

Sweet. "A public hearing on allowing gay marriage in Maine has opened with a standing ovation for the bill's sponsor."

Yay!  Drinking outdoors in NYC!

Pretty cool: "the door to hell, is situated near the small town of darvaz in turkmenistan. thirty-five years ago, geologists were drilling for gas when then encountered a very large cavern underground filled with a poisonous gas. they ignited the gas expecting it to burn off in a few hours. thirty-five years later, the gas is still burning. its 60 meters in diameter & 20 meters depth have not been caused by volcanic activity or a meteorite impact. this crater was created sometime in the 50’s when the soviets were prospecting for natural gas in this area & it’s been burning since then."

Great news: "The Food and Drug Administration, in a reversal of former policy, will loosen restrictions on the 'morning after' pill, allowing 17-year-olds to get the birth control without a doctor's prescription, a health official said Wednesday." via CBS h/t Jezebel.

Wow, the frustrating news never ends... this case is just unreal. Strip Search at the Supreme Court: "Thirteen-year-old Savana Redding of Safford, Arizona, was strip searched by middle school administrators, on a tip from another student who claimed she had contraband Advil hidden in her bra. Her lawyer argued to the Supreme Court this week that school officials violated the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches. School officials didn't bother to search her desk or locker, or even question additional students before they made her strip down to her skivvies." from Feministing.

Word.

Image: source.

Allen Andrade found guilty in the murder of Angie Zapata

"A Colorado man was convicted of first-degree murder and a bias-motivated crime in the slaying of a transgender teen he met on an online social networking site. Allen Andrade was convicted of murder and a hate crime for killing a transgender teen. It the first time in the nation that a state hate crime statute was used to prosecute a transgender person's murder, the advocacy group Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said. Seated in the front row of the courtroom, the family of Justin "Angie" Zapata broke out in tears as the verdicts were read." From CNN.

Left: image source.

I'm feeling so sad and heartbroken about this. I'm glad that he is being held accountable, but heartbroken that this verdict will not bring Angie Zapata back, will not address the rampant and pervasive homophobia in our society, and will mean another life is spent in the prison system. I hope this verdict brings peace to the friends and family of Angie Zapata. And I wish it was going to be the last trial of someone who committed a violent crime due to their own fear, hatred, and ignorance.

“Let us toast to animal pleasures, to escapism, to rain on the roof and instant coffee, to unemployment insurance and library cards, to absinthe and good-hearted landlords, to music and warm bodies and contraceptives… and to the ‘good life,’ whatever it is and wherever it happens to be.” - Hunter S. Thompson

Image: source.

What Doesn't Bend, Breaks

Adorable idea: recycled magazine dollhouse.

Really, really appreciated this article, Perez Hilton: Calling Women Bitches Is Unacceptable, for what it says about the word bitch, Perez Hilton, and white male privilege.

A promising, early rave for the Star Trek movie.

Left: source.

Love these big bright scarves.

From Gridskipper: LA's atypical museums: "Hey, you can see oil paintings of the saints anywhere. You don't go to LA for that sort of thing...So what temples of high culture should a tourist visit? How about a museum dedicated to neon signs? Or maybe stuffed bunnies. Anyone with a collection can say they have a museum, but only the truly obsessed can attain a steady stream of looky-loos. Having a big screening room for Johnny Carson archives helps. It really does."

Is it weird that I think the idea of Scrabble Cheez-Its is sort of fun? It is, isn't it...

Ani, "Joyful Girl," (1999, Live).

"We are fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." - Japanese proverb

I have lots of mixed feelings about Ani, but the fact that she was one of the only things that got me through my adolescence will never, ever change. Nor will the fact that she writes (wrote...) some amazing music.

Think I'm gonna rent and watch this tonight. I sort of hate everything else Wes Anderson has done, but this movie is in my top 20, for all time...

Supreme Court Limits Warrantless Vehicle Searches: "The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police need a warrant to search the vehicle of someone they have arrested if the person is locked up in a patrol cruiser and poses no safety threat to officers."

Jaunted rounds up the best Jewish delis in the world.

Image: source.

Love these bright yellow curtains.

On Stacy London and makeovers without body shame.

More on the recent bully-induced (homophobic bullying specifically) suicides.

A new collection from Nat & Mat.

From the Kitchn: Know Your Age: How Understanding Ripeness Can Help You Pick Better Cheese The Cheesemonger.

From Vagablogging, a website to make sleeping in airports a little less miserable.

You'll Look Like A Photograph Of Yourself, Taken From Far Far Away

Word. "In the quest for better health, many people turn to doctors, self-help books or herbal supplements. But they overlook a powerful weapon that could help them fight illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging and prolong life: their friends."  (NYTimes)

The Beatles, "If I Fell."  Classic.

Another great Bitch Mix Tape! This time, the Wishful Springing Edition. 

Left: source.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” - Charles Darwin

More on the "immersion" approach to bilingual educaiton.

AlterNet: Why Love Is Our Most Powerful, Lasting Form of Activism: "Who you love and how you love them is as much a statement about your social conscience as the letters you write to Congress or the votes you cast. It's harder to be good to someone else."

NPR: Supreme Court To Hear School Strip-Search Case: "The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday on whether school administrators may strip-search a student based on mere suspicion that the student may possess drugs. The case involves the 2003 strip search of a 13-year-old student in Safford, Ariz."

“And the crazy part of it was that even if you were clever, even if you spent your adolescence reading John Donne and Shaw, even if you studied history or zoology or physics and hoped to spend your life pursuing some difficult and challenging career - you still had a mind full of all the soupy longings that every high-school girl was awash in.” - Erica Jong

Image: source.

You're Saying Don't Look At Me, I Say Then Don't Look So Good

A Boston Marathon photo gallery - congrats to all the runners!

Dylan, "All I Really Want To Do" (Live, 1965).

Another amazing nook.  Light, a large bed, and lots of storage = all I need.

Left: source.

If I got into DIY studding, my entire closet could be in trouble...hm...

Loving this necklace from Cupcake and Cashmere's new Etsy shop.

Once again proving my dorkiness, I'm pleased by the aesthetics of this new computer case line...

Lucero, "Sweet Little Thing."  Gets me every time.

From The Best Part: Small Churches of the Motor City: This series of photographs of the small churches of Detroit really captures the sense of community that exists even when families face tough times.

"Work hard to improve your mind and body. Nourish your spirit. Do the things you fear." - Robin S. Sharma

image: source.

Image: source.

God, I love her voice...(and, yes, I'm aware the video sucks)

The Littlest Birds Sing The Prettiest Songs

More on Rhinebeck - Rhinebeck restaurants, including my past employer Bread Alone!

And more on the "trans panic defense" from The Curvature.

Feministing rounds-up some of the current blogosphere discussions on gender.

Ray LaMontage covers "Crazy." 

Paul Simon, "You Can Call Me Al" (live).  If I don't get to see him in concert someday, I know I'll regret it, even though tickets are so expensive...

Image: left.

Apparently Steve Buscemi and his son are too cool for our Gehry building...I guess I don't blame them.

Elaborate Japanese manhole covers...who knew.

Another "to read": "Dreams from the Monster Factory: A Tale of Prison, Redemption, and One Woman’s Fight to Restore Justice to All"

The Housing Revolution in the Bronx: Green, Affordable and for Low-Income Women: "Green and beautiful low-income housing? This sounds like an oxymoron. The usual standard for housing for the poor has been cheap and functional. But only this year came Intervale Green, a low-income apartment building in the South Bronx that might just be a model for developers."

“Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Source.

Don't Know That She Knows What It Is She's Doing

More new Sarah Haskins, yay!

AlterNet: Want to Have Great Sex? Smoke a Joint: "Marijuana has been used as an aphrodisiac for thousands of years. So what exactly is it about weed that turns people on?"

Um, super want these hot red boots.

Left: source.

My next kitchen experiment!  Samoa Bars....mmm...

More on the Angie Zapata case and "trans-panic" as a defense: "It's been a while since trans-panic and gay-panic pleas have shown up on my radar, but this case -- as have many cases before -- serves as an enraging reminder that those defenses are so often only euphemisms and apologies for hate."

Study Urges Overwhelmed Attorneys for the Indigent to Reject New Cases: "Many studies have documented problems with indigent criminal defense, but a new study recommends that defenders reject new cases when faced with excessive caseloads. "In most of the country, notwithstanding the dedication of lawyers and other committed staff, quality defense work is simply impossible because of inadequate funding, excessive caseloads, a lack of genuine independence, and insufficient availability of other essential resources," says the report by the Constitution Project's National Right to Counsel Committee."

"We show up, burn brightly, live passionately, hold nothing back, and when the moment is over, when our work is done, we step back and let go." - Rolf Gates

MA House Committee eliminates earmarks for LGBT Programs

"MGLPC [the Massachusetts Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus] is fighting to restore LGBT-specific language and funding for the most vulnerable in our community - our youth, elders, and victims of domestic violence. And we need your help.

The just-released House Ways & Means budget makes drastic cuts in budget areas which include support for the LGBT community, and it eliminated all earmarks, making it impossible to know what level of funding LGBT programs will receive.

Representatives Alice Wolf, Liz Malia and Carl Sciortino have filed important amendments to restore the earmarks and specific funding amounts for critical LGBT Community programs. MGLPC is strongly advocating for four budget amendments to earmark LGBT programs and you can help.

We need you to email your Representative and ask her/him to co-sponsor these amendments. Our email is already set up with the details - it's fast and easy." Click HERE for the form.

You Like Me And I Like It All, We Love Dancing And We Look Divine

What a voice, what a voice...

If She's Woman There's A Chance That She Maybe Likes To Dance

Awesome: 10 Cheesy Opening Credits.  That freaking Full House song is probably stuck in my head forever.

Left: Love this pic.  Oh, Bob.

On Sarah Palin and abortion: This short article is RIGHT ON - bottom line, it's about CHOICE (sorry for the caps but...well, they are warranted).

Oh!  Totally having felt crown-making time at my next birthday.  Rock on.

David Bowie and Arcade Fire, together: "Wake Up."

Fun facts!  "Did you know that in 1965 the U.S. Department of Agriculture planted a particular variety of lilac in more than 70 locations around the U.S. Northeast, to detect the onset of spring - in turn to be used to determine the appropriate timing of corn planting and the like?" No, no I did not.  (h/t to Bill).

Listening to the both of the Wainwrights sing their versions of "One Man Guy"  (also loving Loudon's "New Paint," and always loving Rufus' "Imaginary Love.")

“If you ask me what I came into this world to do, I will tell you. I came to live out loud.” - Emile Zora

Is It Much Too Demand, I Want A Full House And A Rock 'n' Roll Band

I mean, it's not as good as our hootenanny version but...xo

Annie Hall on the bigscreen! 

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Mon, April 20 @ 7:00

Oh, I'm there.

That's A Fine Motorbike, A Girl Could Feel Special On Any Such Like

More on the Angie Zapata trial...including some defense tactics that remind me while criminal defense doesn't feel like the...right field for me.

Salon: on bullying, homophobia and the National Day of Silence (and from Feminist Law Professors)

Tina Fey on Sesame Street.

Book covers in the US v. UK.

On Prince, his sexuality, and homophobia.

Image: source.

The recently released Justice Department "torture memos."

Jezebel: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai has officially decided to rescind the parts of Afghanistan's new law on its Shia minority that severely restricted the rights of Shia women and legalized marital rape."

Alternet: "Why I'm Standing Up Against Random Drug Testing at My High School"

Listening to (actually two songs, but they are blended together in this recording...perfectly): "Brand New '64 Dodge/1952 Vincent Black Lightning" by Greg Brown (from "The Live One").

“I used to apologize for every little thing I said or did, or hadn’t said or hadn’t done, or forgotten to say, etc.; I used to apologize for living. Now I’ve given it up — I mean, apologizing. Not living; I’ve only just started that.” - Cary Grant

“may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it’s sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there’s never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile”

e.e. cummings

Image: source.