R. KELLY TRIAL IN MAY

R. Kelly (born Robert Sylvester Kelly on January 8, 1967 in Chicago) sang songs that often included explicit sexual references, such as "Bump N' Grind", "Feelin' on Yo Booty", and "Ignition." Although his choice in songs doesn't make him a child molester, that video tape just might.

You probably remember that on June 6, 2002, Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of having sexual intercourse with a minor. The charges, which were later reduced to soliciting a minor for child pornography, stemmed from a video tape allegedly showing Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

The Kelly case has dragged on for five years without a trial and originated with 14 counts of child pornography filed against him in 2002 for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with an allegedly underage girl.

Kelly, 41, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
The judge in his case has set the start of his trial on May 9, 2008.

DO BLACK GAY PEOPLE HAVE MORE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS?

DO BLACK GAY (LGB) PEOPLE HAVE MORE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS?

Not according to a 2007 study conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

In what is being billed as the first population based study of its kind among lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations, blacks and Latinos do not have more mental disorders than whites. Based on the theory that stress related to prejudice would increase risk for mental disorders, researchers typically expect that black lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals face prejudice related to both racism and homophobia and therefore would have more disorders than their white counterparts.

Contrary to this expectation, however, the Mailman School study found that black lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals had significantly fewer disorders than white individuals. Latinos had a prevalence of disorders similar to whites."

"These findings suggest that black lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals have effective ways to cope with prejudice related to racism and homophobia" noted Ilan H. Meyer, PhD, associate professor of clinical Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health and principal investigator of the study.

The study of 388 white, black and Latino New York City residents aged 18 -- 59 who identified themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual is the first population-based study of its kind to examine the prevalence of mental disorders among black and Latino, versus white, lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals.

By contrast to the findings about mental disorders, more black and Latino gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals than whites reported a history of serious suicide attempts. "Because these suicide attempts occurred at an early age, typically during the teenage, we can speculate that they coincided with a coming-out period and were related to the social disapprobation afforded to lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities," Dr. Meyer said.
More on Study Here>>>>

Note: It would be interesting to see what the outcomes would be for Transgenders or people who don't identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, yet engage in homosexual sex.

Joe

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BARACK OBAMA AND TED KENNEDY IN OAKLAND THIS WEEK

Please join Senator Ted Kennedy in Oakland and Senator John Kerry in San Francisco, where they will lead a rally for Senator Obama and explain why he is the one candidate who can bring about the kind of change we can believe in.

Beebe Memorial Cathedral
3900 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
Friday, February 1, 2008
Doors Open: 2:00 p.m. Directions & RSVP:http://my.barackobama.com/page/m/f9a37de20ab6dda4/yfuZdb/VEsH/

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OUTING CELEBRITIES: Barbara Walters Remembers

The picture above is a photo of Ricky Martin on a beach with a "friend."

Barbara Walters showed clips on her show The View in 2006 of interviews where she outed celebrities. Barbara stated that her past interviews where she attempted to out celebrities were mistakes and they unless a celebrity was happy to discuss being out, it was none of her business.

The clip below features Ricky Martin, Ellen Degenerous & Boy George.

CELIA CRUZ AFRO CUBAN DIVA REMEMBERED

Celia Cruz was one of Latin music's most respected vocalists. A ten-time Grammy nominee, Cruz, who sang only in her native Spanish language, received a Smithsonian Lifetime Achievement award, a National Medal of the Arts, and honorary doctorates from Yale University and the University of Miami. A street in Miami was even renamed in her honor, and Cruz's trademark orange, red, and white polka dot dress and shoes have been placed in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute of Technology. The Hollywood Wax Museum includes a statue of the Cuba-born songstress.

According to the European Jazz Network, Cruz "commands her realm with a down-to-earth dignity unmistakably vibrant in her wide smile and striking pose." One of 14 children, born in the small village of Barrio Santos Suarez, Havana, Cruz was drawn to music from an early age. Her first pair of shoes was a gift from a tourist for whom she sang. In addition to spending many evenings singing her younger siblings to sleep, Cruz sang in school productions and community gatherings. Taken to cabarets and nightclubs by an aunt, she was introduced to the world of professional music. At the encouragement of a cousin, Cruz began to enter and win local talent shows. Although her father attempted to guide her toward a career as a teacher, Cruz continued to be lured by music.

In a 1997 interview, she said, "I have fulfilled my father's wish to be a teacher as, through my music, I teach generations of people about my culture and the happiness that is found in just living life. As a performer, I want people to feel their hearts sing and their spirits soar." Enrolling in Cuba's Conservatory of Music in 1947, Cruz found her earliest inspiration in the singing of Afro-Cuban vocalist Paulina Alvarez. Her first break came when she was invited to join the band la Sonora Matancera in 1950. The group was revered as the Latin equivalent of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Cruz remained with the group for 15 years, touring throughout the world. She married the band's trumpet player Pedro Knight on July 14, 1962.

With Fidel Castro's assuming control of Cuba in 1960, Cruz and Knight refused to return to their homeland and became citizens of the United States. Although they initially signed to perform with the orchestra of the Hollywood Palladium, Cruz and Knight eventually settled in New York. Knight became Cruz's manager in 1965, a position he held until the mid-'90s when he began to devote his attention to serving as her musical director and conductor of her band.

Leaving Sonora Matancera's band in 1965, Cruz launched her solo career with a band formed for her by Tito Puente. Despite releasing eight albums together, the collaboration failed to achieve commercial success. Cruz and Puente resumed their partnership with a special appearance at the Grammy Award ceremonies in 1987.

Signed by Vaya, the sister label of Fania, Cruz recorded with Oscar D'Leon, Cheo Feliciano, and Hector Rodriquez in the mid- to late '60s. Cruz's first success since leaving Sonora Matancera came in 1974 when she recorded a duo album, Celia and Johnny, with Johnny Pacheco, trombone player and the co-owner of Fania. She subsequently began appearing with the Fania All Stars. Cruz's popularity reached its highest level when she appeared in the 1992 film The Mambo Kings. Cruz also appeared in the film The Perez Family. She sang a duet version of "Loco de Amor," with David Byrne, in the Jonathan Demme movie Something Wild.

In 1998, Cruz released Duets, an album featuring her singing with Willie Colon, Angela Carrasco, Oscar D'Leon, Jose Alberto "El Canario," and la India.

Cruz continued to record and perform until sidelined by a brain tumor in 2002. While recovering from surgery to remove the tumor, she managed to make it in to the studio in early 2003 to record Regalo de Alma. Her surgery was only partially successful and she died July 16, 2003. The passing of the "Queen of Salsa" left a huge gap in Latin music, but also a remarkable catalog to document her reign.

You are not forgotten.

Joe

Tribute To Celia Cruz

Ricky Martin, Tito Puente, Gloria Estefan Sheila E & Celia Cruz

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Homosexual Behavior Among Animals Stirs Debate

Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it. So go the lyrics penned by U.S. songwriter Cole Porter. Porter, who first hit it big in the 1920s, wouldn't risk parading his homosexuality in public. In his day "the birds and the bees" generally meant only one thing—sex between a male and female.

But, actually, some same-sex birds do do it. So do beetles, sheep, fruit bats, dolphins, and orangutans. Zoologists are discovering that homosexual and bisexual activity is not unknown within the animal kingdom.

Darwinian myths that sex is merely a means to reproduce are set to be truly disproved by a National Geographic special that observes sexuality in the wild.

Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at New York's Central Park Zoo have been inseparable for six years now. They display classic pair-bonding behavior—entwining of necks, mutual preening, flipper flapping, and the rest. They also have sex, while ignoring potential female mates.

Wild birds exhibit similar behavior. There are male ostriches that only court their own gender, and pairs of male flamingos that mate, build nests, and even raise foster chicks.

Filmmakers recently went in search of homosexual wild animals as part of a National Geographic Ultimate Explorer documentary about the female's role in the mating game. The team caught female Japanese macaques engaged in intimate acts which, if observed in humans, would be in the X-rated category.

"The homosexual behavior that goes on is completely baffling and intriguing," says National Geographic Ultimate Explorer correspondent, Mireya Mayor. "You would have thought females that want to be mated, especially over their fertile period, would be seeking out males."

Well, perhaps, in a roundabout way, they are seeking males, suggests primatologist Amy Parish.
She argues that female macaques may enhance their social position through homosexual intimacy which in turn influences breeding success.

Parish says, "Taking something that's nonreproductive, like mounting another female—if it leads to control of a resource or acquisition of a resource or a good alliance partner, that could directly impact your reproductive success."

More>>>>>

Indiana Senate Passes Anti-Gay Amendment

(Indianapolis, Indiana) Indiana's Senate has approved a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would limit marriage to opposite-sex couples.

The Republican-controlled Senate passed the measure on a 39-9 vote.

Indiana already has a law restricting marriage but state conservatives fear it could be overturned in court. Republicans say that only a constitutional amendment would prevent the courts from doing that.

The Senate sponsor of the amendment, Sen. Brandt Hershman (R) said marriage should be up to the people not the courts to define.

The proposed constitutional amendment defines marriage only as the union of one man and one woman. But, it goes to say the state cannot provide the "incidents" of marriage on unmarried couples or groups.

The second part of the amendment would block domestic partner benefits from being offered state employees or institutions funded by the state, say opponents.

The Senate vote sends the measure to the House, which is controlled by Democrats.

Leaders in the House say the amendment is not needed.

House Rules committee Chair Scott Pelath (D) said he is not planning on holding hearings on the measure.

"We have a very serious problem with the property tax system and we don’t have any gay marriages in Indiana," he told reporters earlier this month.

Speaker Patrick Bauer (D) has said repeatedly that an amendment is not needed because same-sex marriages are already banned under Indiana law.

Democratic stonewalling has angered House Republicans.

Amending the constitution is a two stage process in Indiana, requiring votes in two consecutive separately elected sessions of the legislature.

It already passed the first phase in 2005, but last year Democrats killed the measure in the House.

This year if it does not pass before the March 14 deadline, amendment supporters would have to go back and begin the whole process all over. That would mean the earliest it could go to voters would be 2012.

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Edwards And Giuliani Drop Out of Presidential Race

Former Senator John Edwards, D-N.C., surrounded by his wife Elizabeth and his three children, announced Wednesday his presidential bid has come to an end.
"It's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze it's path," Edwards said in New Orleans on the site of a Habitat for Humanity home-building project.

Once the front-runner himself, Giuliani decided to abandon the race after a dismal performance in Tuesday's Florida primary, a contest on which he had bet his political fortune. Instead, McCain won and Giuliani came in a distant third.
Giuliani recalled he had said in an earlier debate that McCain would be his choice for president if he were not running himself.
"If I'd endorsed anyone else, you would say I was flip-flopping," he said, mentioning an oft-repeated criticism of McCain's chief rival, Mitt Romney.

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MITT ROMNEY GETS GHETTO FOR BLACK VOTES

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney courts black vote with dumb ass, stereotypical remarks, "Who let the dogs out?" and "Bling Bling Baby."

Enjoying The View

Religious Leader Launches Anti-Gay Attack On Heath Ledger

The anti-gay religious leader who announced plans to picket Heath Ledger’s funeral has launched a scathing attack on the actor and his native Australia.
Fred Phelps has targeted Heath over his Academy Award-nominated role as a gay cowboy in the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain.

The 78-year-old pastor of a U.S. homosexual hate group known as the Westboro Baptist Church has called Heath’s tragic death at the age of 28 "the best thing that ever happened" to his family. He also hit out against Australia, branding it "the land of sodom".

The comments were made in an interview with Australian news program, A Current Affair.
"Dying time is truth time," said Phelps. "This is the best thing that ever happened to that family.
"The bottom line is that guy went out of his way to spend his time and make a little money, and glamorise and glorify that filthy, deadly sin of sodomy.
"And you're (the public) making the hero out of him!"

Phelps also takes a swipe at the Aussie actor's home land.
"Australia, the land of the sodomite-damned. Australia, which passes draconian laws to put Bible preachers in jail if they peach the proof about fags, " says Phelps. Phelps and his small band of followers are well known across the U.S. for protesting the funerals of fallen American soldiers, gay rights parades and other public events.

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WORST PLACES TO BUY A HOUSE 2008

A report just out by realistate investor & specialist Danielle Babb for entrepreneur.com gave the skinny on the best and worst places for housing realistate in America.

Here are some areas that she recommended to avoid:

Detroit, Michigan: The job market is in chaos. People are getting laid off left and right. National statistics seem to point to a significant problem with job loss and job income not keeping up with inflation. As a result, many nice neighborhoods are now abandoned due to people leaving their homes. Inventories exceed one year (under six months is what we want to see), and the foreclosure problem hit Detroit hard. With fewer jobs to support home purchases, I don't see Detroit turning around anytime soon.

Miami, Florida: Palm Beach is different than Miami, which sits in its gorgeous aqua water with half-built and abandoned condos, a shrinking job market, a tough time getting insurance against hurricanes and a job problem. Yes, you can get a good deal, but do this only if you don't need the appreciation from the home in the next decade.

Riverside/San Bernardino, California: Even those lucky homeowners that bought before the boom are feeling it now. Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California consistently lead California in foreclosures and rank in the top three metro areas nationally. The prices have plummeted, and jobs in the area are scarce. People moved there due to lack of affordability in Orange and Los Angeles counties (where their jobs were), so it's a commuter's area. Now that prices in the two counties have dropped, people can live close to their jobs. Although I grew up in Riverside County, I could never recommend it to anyone looking to buy a home. More>>>>

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BARACK OBAMA'S SPEECH IN ATLANTA DURING MLK WEEKEND

Barack Obama gave a stirring speech at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s church in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday morning. See video below.

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Recession-Proof Jobs in 2008

Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs

A steady stream of discouraging economic news is bringing with it talk of the dreaded "R" word. Economists at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley say the U.S. is heading for its first-blown recession in 16 years, and a recent CNN poll found that 57 percent of the public believe the U.S. is in a recession already, with the economy topping the list of voter's worries.

A recession could hit some job-seekers hard. "A lot of people won't have the luxury of going for their first choice in a down economy," said Sophia Koropeckyj, an economist at Moody's Economy.com.

However, many employment sectors are expected to remain strong despite a possible recession, and job-seekers may have more success if they focus on recession-proof professions.

The Bright Spots
John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, told Yahoo! HotJobs that careers in the following fields may offer a good chance of weathering a storm this year. More>>>

BLACK ATHLETES TOP FORBES YOUNG AND RICH LIST

Forbes Magazine recently announced their "20 Under 25: The Top Earning Young Superstars" and all of the black people in the top 20 are male athletes who are also in the top 10!

#1. LeBron James, $27 million Born: Dec. 30, 1984

In addition to his collection of All-Star MVP and Rookie of the Year titles, LeBron James, the likable forward for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, can cram another honorific on his crowded mantelpiece. King James--as he is known by his army of fans--tops Forbes' 20 Under 25 list of the Top-Earning Young Superstars, thanks to the $27 million he banked between June 2006 and June 2007.

That paycheck could be the low-end of James' earning potential. James, who turns 23 on Dec. 30, is primed to outpace Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, 29, as the highest-paid player in the NBA this year, thanks to a rich new four-year $60 million contract that has the Cavs paying him $13 million his first year. Endorsement deals with Nike (nyse: NKE - news - people ), Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people ) and Upper Deck, among others, easily eclipse his on-court salary.

#2. Reggie Bush, $24 million Born: March 2, 1985

Bush entered the NFL last year with a Heisman Trophy and a scintillating game that had companies lining up to have him sponsor their products. Deals with Adidas, Subway, Pepsi and EA Sports net Bush $5 million annually. His big money comes from his contract with the New Orleans Saints, spanning six years and worth as much as $62 million. Last year Bush earned $19 million in base salary and bonuses from the deal.

#9 Carmelo Anthony, $10 million Born: May 29, 1984

Anthony took his game to a new level last season as he finished second in the NBA in scoring to Kobe Bryant. He averaged career highs in points, assists, rebounds and steals. This year Anthony kicked off a five-year, $80 million contract with the Denver Nuggets that he signed in the summer of 2006. His biggest endorsement deal is a six-year contract he signed with Nike when he entered the league in 2003, worth $3 million annually

Source Forbes Magazine More>>>

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OBAMA WINS SOUTH CAROLINA

By DAVID ESPO and CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writers

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the racially charged South Carolina primary Saturday night, regaining campaign momentum in the prelude to a Feb. 5 coast-to-coast competition for more than 1,600 Democratic National Convention delegates.

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina was running third, a sharp setback in the state where he was born and scored a primary victory in his first presidential campaign four years ago.

About half the voters were black, according to polling place interviews, and four out of five of them supported Obama. Black women turned out in particularly large numbers. Obama, the first-term Illinois senator, got a quarter of the white vote while Clinton and Edwards split the rest.

The victory was Obama's first since he won the kickoff Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, scored an upset in the New Hampshire primary a few days later. They split the Nevada caucuses, she winning the turnout race, he gaining a one-delegate margin. In an historic race, she hopes to become the first woman to occupy the White House, and Obama is the strongest black contender in history. More>>>>

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Simply Beautiful

SF Castro District Epicenter of New Strain of Staph Bacteria

A new variety of staph bacteria, highly resistant to antibiotics and possibly transmitted by sexual contact, is spreading among gay men in San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles, researchers reported Monday.

The study released online by the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found the highest concentrations of infection by the drug-resistant bug in and around San Francisco's Castro district and among patients who visit health clinics that treat HIV infections in gay men in San Francisco and Boston.

The culprit is a form of MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a bug that was once confined to hospitalized patients but, since the late 1990s, has been circulating outside medical settings, afflicting anyone from injection-drug users to elementary school students.

A strain called USA300 has been a leading cause of MRSA infection in this decade, and an exceptionally drug-resistant variant of it is now on the loose, researchers say.

The study estimated that 1 in 588 residents living within the Castro neighborhood 94114 ZIP code area is infected with that variant, which is resistant to six types of commonly used antibiotics. The risk of contracting this difficult-to-treat bug is 13 times greater for gay men than for the rest of the city's population, researchers found.

"We probably had it here first, and now it is spreading elsewhere," said Binh An Diep, a researcher at San Francisco General Hospital and lead author of the report. "This is a national problem, and San Francisco is at the epicenter."

The germ typically causes boils and other skin and soft-tissue infections and, despite its resistance to some drugs, is still treatable by surgical drainage and several classes of antibiotics. What is unusual in this case is the high percentage of infections - up to 40 percent - occurring in the buttocks and genitalia.

Although researchers have stopped short of declaring this form of staph a sexually transmitted disease, the infections are found where skin-to-skin contact occurs during sexual activity.

More SF Chronicle>>>

Oakland Host's National MSM HIV/AIDS Conference

NAESM, Inc. will host their fourth annual National African American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS on January 24 - 27, 2008.

The focus of this conference is to help strengthen HIV/AIDS research, prevention, and care strategies targeting African American men who have sex with men.

This years' theme,"Breaking Barriers.

Moving Forward., " encourages participants and supporters to eliminate barriers and move forward with new and improved HIV mobilization, prevention, and care strategies that ultimately strengthening the African American MSM community.

During this extraordinary conference in 2008, participants can choose to attend a number of institutions, workshops, roundtable discussion groups, and poster sessions to gain new insights or information about trends, studies, interventions strategies, research, or other topics.

This conference also provides attendees excellent opportunities for establishing collaborations between service providers, creating or improving networks with other organizations, sharing strategies that work, and improving prevention efforts for African American MSM overall.

Organizations, corporations, or other groups interested in supporting this unique endeavor can submit or provide sponsorships, in-kind services, volunteers, and donations.
More>>>

Heath Ledger of Brokeback Mountain Dead at 28

I just learned that a New York Police Department spokesman says the Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger has been found dead at a downtown Manhattan residence.

Ledger had recently separated from his wife, actress Michelle Williams. The couple have one daughter, Matilda, reports CBS station WCBS-TV in New York.

He is appearing in the next installment of the "Batman" movie opposite Christian Bale as the infamous "Joker" and was in the midst of filming "The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus." Ledger was 28.

CHILL BILL VOLUME 2

The bitter back-and-forth between former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama has led a prominent black lawmaker to tell the former president Monday to "chill a little bit."

As their campaign sparring continues, the Illinois senator seems to be spending almost as much time responding to Hillary Clinton's husband as he does to the candidate herself.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, one of the most powerful African-Americans in Congress, weighed in on the feud Monday, saying it was time for Bill Clinton to watch his words.

Bill Clinton has delivered full-throated attacks on Obama in recent days, accusing him of overstating his opposition to the war in Iraq, complaining about Obama's union supporters in the Nevada caucuses last weekend and blasting his relatively mild praise for Republican icon Ronald Reagan during a Las Vegas newspaper interview.

Obama adviser David Axelrod said the Clintons have been playing "good cop, bad cop," with him wielding the club while she stays positive.

And Obama said Monday that Bill Clinton "continues to make statements that aren't supported by the facts." More at CNN>>>>

Bin Laden's Son Speaks My Father Should Change His Ways

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Omar bin Laden has a message for his father, Osama: "Find another way."

The son of the most-wanted man in the world spoke Sunday to CNN in a quiet, middle-class suburb about an hour outside Cairo, Egypt.

Omar bin Laden, who works as a contractor, said he is talking publicly because he wants an end to the violence his father has inspired -- violence that has killed innocent civilians in a spate of attacks around the world, including those of September 11, 2001.

"I try and say to my father: 'Try to find another way to help or find your goal. This bomb, this weapons, it's not good to use it for anybody,' " he said in English learned in recent months from his British wife.

He said that's not just his own message, but one that a friend of his father's and other Muslims have expressed to him. "They too say ... my father should change [his] way," he said.

He said he hasn't spoken to his father since 2000, when he walked away from an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan with his father's blessings. He said he has no idea where his father is, but is confident he will never be caught because locals support him.

Asked if his father might be living along the Afghan-Pakistan border, he said, "Maybe, maybe not."
"Either way, the people there are different," he said. "They don't care about the government."

Now, he and his wife are preparing to launch a movement far different from the one his father, Osama bin Laden, launched. They are pursuing a movement for peace.

At first glance, Omar bin Laden appears to have little in common with the man who has eluded international efforts to find him. The 26-year-old's hair is bound in neat braids, he drives a Jeep and is married to a British national twice his age.
See CNN for more>>

Teen Water Polo Players Posted on Gay Porn Web Sites

A California newspaper is reporting that several gay adult Web sites have posted photographs of teenage water polo players from several high schools in Southern California.

Several gay adult Web sites posted photographs of high school water polo players from schools in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, the Orange County Register reported. Photos of male athletes as young as 14, were juxtaposed next to photos of nude young men and graphic sexual content, the Southern Californian newspaper investigation found.University of California, Irvine, police confirmed they are investigating whether a dispatcher, Scott Cornelius, photographed high school players for gay-oriented sites.

"We're looking into the matter," said police Chief Paul Henisey. "We're not exactly sure about what we have or what kinds of issues there are."Cornelius remained on active duty and did not respond to requests from the newspaper for comment.It was not clear if posting the pictures constituted an offense. Click here for investigative report>>>

Partly Cloudy....Mostly Another DL Story

Just when you thought the world was safe from more movies about the already over-done DL issue, another one has surfaced.

Endorsed by the king of the DLs JL King, this film directed by Atlanta based filmmaker Bobby M. Peoples Sr. and writer Jermaine Ka’mell began making the rounds in early 2007.

Unlike the stories presented in the DL Chronicles series on HERE TV, Partly Cloudy is a sort of soap opera meets the chittlin' circuit stage play presentation on video.

Below is the storyline as described in Partly Cloudy's official press release:

Ashley’s grief of her son’s death nearly destroys her chances of true love in her 10 year marriage to Ray. She constantly blames him for the death while he deals with the loss of his son through other outlets. He meets Darnell and together they realize that love has no boundaries. Taking advantage of this unique opportunity is the first challenge they face; dealing with the consequences is the next.

See trailer below.
Joe

Bayard Rustin's Civil Rights Story Comes To MTV LOGO

I just received an email from Nancy Kates informing me that MTV LOGO's LGBT network will air Brother Outsider, the documentary on January 19, 2008.

Directed by filmmakers Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer, Brother Outsider tells the remarkable story of master strategist and tireless activist, Bayard Rustin who is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. He brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American civil rights movement, and helped mold Martin Luther King, Jr. into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence.

Despite these achievements, Rustin was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era.

Five years in the making and the winner of numerous awards, BROTHER OUTSIDER presents a feature-length documentary portrait, focusing on Rustin’s activism for peace, racial equality, economic justice and human rights.Today, the United States is still struggling with many of the issues Bayard Rustin sought to change during his long, illustrious career. His focus on civil and economic rights and his belief in peace, human rights and the dignity of all people remain as relevant today as they were in the 1950s and 60s.Rustin’s biography is particularly important for lesbian and gay Americans, highlighting the major contributions of a gay man to ending official segregation in America. Rustin stands at the confluence of the great struggles for civil, legal and human rights by African-Americans and lesbian and gay Americans. In a nation still torn by racial hatred and violence, bigotry against homosexuals, and extraordinary divides between rich and poor, his eloquent voice is needed today.

In February 1956, when Bayard Rustin arrived in Montgomery to assist with the nascent bus boycott, Martin Luther King, Jr. had not personally embraced nonviolence. In fact, there were guns inside King’s house, and armed guards posted at his doors. Rustin persuaded boycott leaders to adopt complete nonviolence, teaching them Gandhian nonviolent direct protest.Apart from his career as an activist, Rustin the man was also fun-loving, mischievous, artistic, gifted with a fine singing voice, and known as an art collector who sometimes found museum-quality pieces in New York City trash. Historian John D’Emilio calls Rustin the "lost prophet" of the civil rights movement.


Brother Outsider

airs on MTV Logo
Saturday, January 19, at 8:00pm. more>>>

BLACK HIV RATES REMAIN HIGH FOR SAN FRANCISCO

The Bay Area Reporter, a San Francisco based news zine, recently reported that San Francisco's black community continues to decline at alarming rates as an increasing amount of African Americans move out of town. According to 2006 census estimates, there were only 51,000 African Americans living in San Francisco, accounting for just 7 percent of the city's population.
Yet African Americans accounted for 14 percent of the city's new HIV diagnoses last year, a rate that has remained stable for close to a decade. Black people living with HIV and AIDS last year totaled 2,146, or 14 percent of the total number of PWAs in San Francisco.
HIV researchers estimate African Americans comprise 8 percent of the city's more than 58,000 gay and bi men, about 4,439 in total. Whites are estimated to make up 65 percent of the total, at about 38,049 men who have sex with men. More on this story>>>>

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JANET'S OFFICIAL NEW ALBUM COVER

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Marcus Patrick Fired For Playgirl Spread

I didn't get to include this on my blog earlier because I was busy, but I really did wanted to blog something about Marcus Patrick.

Most West Hollywood bar hoppers know of Micky's bar and for those who know Micky's you also know Marcus Patrick. Striking good looks, a flawless body and a charming personality made Marcus Patrick one of the bar's most popular and desired go go dancers. In a heartfelt audio message on his MySpace page, Marcus talks about his life and his stripping exstensively.

Born and raised in Bath England, 33 year old Marcus is also an actor who has appeared on CSI Miami, Passions, and Young and the Restless.

In September Marcus was acting on the soap Days of Our Lives when the issue of Playgirl that he bared all for came out. The Globe ran an item that Marcus was going to be written off the show because of the pictorial.

Marucus then posted the following statement on his website (www.marcuspatrick.com): "To set the record straight, NBC is happy with Marcus's performance on 'Days,' and no one is going anywhere! (Sorry, Globe!)" the following month he was let go from the show.












In his MySpace New Year message, Marcus says that he wants to change what celebrity is and make it what it should be.

Ironically, Marcus is set to play a male stripper in the upcoming film Love & Other Four Letter Words.

Kudos to you Marcus for staying true to yourself and your personal freedom.

Joe

Staying In Shape...The Power Of The Struggle

The annual pilgrimage to the gym is in full effect!
New faces have populated the gym that I work out in and depending on when I get to the gym, I will most likely have to modify the order of my workout because the gym during this time of the year is packed.

The sad truth about most peoples annual trek to the gym is that it is just that, a period during the new year where people make a temporary comittment to getting in shape, instead of a long-term committment to a healthier lifestyle.

I believe that there is nothing more important or valuable in life than our individual health.

To be honest, I have never really "enjoyed" working out. Last year, I wrote in my blog about how inspired I was to reach my goal weight after interviewing L.L. Cool J about his then new Platinum Body Workout Book. I was also motivated to tighten up in 2007, because I was producing my first Blatino Oasis, Palm Springs event at the time.



















Being a middle aged man, I too face the very real daily challenge of battling the so called bulge.

Last year, I amazed myself by dropping my weight from 205 lbs in January 2007 to 175 lbs by June of the same year. I did it through self discipline, significantly modifying my diet and working out very, very, hard.

My weight has leveled off to about 185 lbs on my 5ft 11" frame. When I was 175lbs, I felt weak and was constantly hungry. I do however, enjoy 180lbs, i feel healthy at that weight and for a man in his mid 40's, I think this weight looks good on me.

Do you really want to be healthier and fit?

Without good health, you diminish your ability to help your parents, other family members and loved ones. Poor health and eating habits also reduces our body's ability to fight disease or recover from unforseen accidents.

Many of us tend to ignore messages to stay healthy until that first stroke, heart attack, cancer diagnoses, sexually transmitted disease or some other personal health challenge.

If you say you want to be healthy, then you have to take the journey towards conquering the demons that prevent you from choosing to be the healthy fit person that you claim you want to be. Discovery.com has a free and comprehensive online resource to help you stay motivated and focused. The site also offers a mental health section as well.

Start your journey to a healthier you right now... no matter how old you are or how difficult you believe it will be.

The benefits and the blessings of a healthy lifestyle are fully realized when you embrace the struggle.

Joe

Roseanne Barr Attacks Oprah...Later Apologizes

The Queen of trailer park trash Roseanne Barr has published a profane rant on her website/blog attacking Barack (misspelled "Barak") Obama as a supporter of "corporate racist anti worker bullshit." Barr also tears into Oprah Winfrey, who allegedly "plays the race card and the gender card" and is a "closeted republican."

Read excerpt below:

"barak obama is an empty suit selling "hope" in lieu of Truth. Oprah Winfrey helped to elect Arnold Swartzenegger. I have no doubt that she voted her purse by doing this, as she is a large land owner in California, and that ilk fears Dems because they do not want to pay their "fair share" of Cali tax. Oprah has given us Swartzenegger and Dr. Phil. If that was not offensive enough to decent thinking people, now she brings us Obama. He has no ideas, no plan and nothing to add other than the cynical pacification of the masses with bedtime stories about hope, while calling Unions "special interest groups" that need to be done away with.

Obama votes with Bush constantly funding this terrible endless war.
Oprah, you play the race card and the gender card too.

You are a closeted republican and chose Barak Obama because you do not like other women who actually stand for something to working American Women besides glamour, angels, hollywood and dieting!
When Americans find out that Obama backs right wing corporate racist anti worker bullshit, they will not vote for him, and the victory will go to the most racist right wing republican ever.... Mccain, who is a fascist!" >>>more

Then, a few hours later, under the headline "feeling pissed off," Barr writes:

"that a woman finally made it through the boys' club alive, to make history and that fact isn't even acknowledged. Hilary (sic) is the only woman who ever made it through this far. I have decided that having a woman president before any man of any color is what these times call for. i am a feminist, and I will die one. It matters that a woman made it through ..."

Roseanne is simply expressing the sentiments of a large number of white folks in America, with racist thoughts seething just beneath the surface of their composure, about the possibility of an African American becoming President.

Congratulations Roseanne, you have just solidified your place in the annals of history as a liberal racist fool.

Joe

Relationship Advice from DL Chronicles Creators

The creators of the DL Chronicles, Quincy LeNear & Deondray Gossett have created a new interactive myspace relationship service designed to:

Encourage SAFE monogamous partnerships and/or sex.

Keep it real - cause it ain't always peaches and cream.

Keep it fun - because laughter goes a long way.

Provide practical and working, real life advice for new and struggling relationships.

The two say that they decided to create the forum and talk show because "as we traveled with the DL Chronicles, people have constantly been fascinated by the fact that we have been in a 11yr relationship, although, we are relatively young. We receive hundreds of e-mails and Myspace message asking relationship advice, coping with their sexuality, and good ole sex. We realize that we serve to be an example for all LGBT men of color and we are willing to talk candidly and honestly about what it takes to keep it together through thick and thin."

Are you ready to learn what it takes to be in a serious and monogamous relationship? Then let Quincey & Deondray give you the skinny on "The OUTside of Relationships."

Joe

Book... This Place Of Men

THIS PLACE OF MEN -
novel by Doug Cooper-Spencer

Reviewed by Stanley Bennett Clay

Twenty years ago, two teenage boys, Otis and Terrell, fell in love with each other, physically acted on that love, and suffered very different consequences for their demonstrative affection. Otis is incarcerated for his part while Terrell is sentenced to the even crueler punishment of a churchified exorcism of his wicked ways and a false marriage to an always-suspicious wife, an outward ideal, replete with two beautiful children, that belies the rot within the lie he and they live.

Set in a close-knit Cincinnati community, where everyone knows everybody's business, whether they admit it or not, Otis, having served his sentence, followed by nearly two decades domiciled in the anonymity of New York City, prodigally returns.

Both men, older, not that much wiser, and still with deep, but oppressed feelings for each other, hopelessly resist that inevitable meeting, sparked on by beautifully rendered remembrances sprinkled throughout this mournful tale of innocent love damaged by societal condemnations and recriminations as sad, hypocritical, and emotionally crippling as anything out of 1600 Salem without the literal stake burnings.

Doug Cooper-Spencer's book "This Place of Men" is a bittersweet tale of love dashed against the rocks of a recalcitrant river of intolerance. It is a mildly enjoyable read that teases readers with all the elements of "grand operatic”reflective arias, sweeping dramatic movements, narrative orchestrated with sweeping arpeggios, gentle pianissimos, and thunderous fortes, strings and brass, woodwinds and kettle drums, but, alas, the author's use of all the instruments that he has brought to the concert hall are tentative, therefore less effective as they could be.

The story promises great passion upon which it does not always deliver, which tends to disappoint considering the rich possibilities engendered by the very idea of two innocents in love being robbed of their happiness, and living for so many years with all the unfair consequences visited upon them by hypocrisy, bigotry, and the greatest cut of all, polite indifference.

When it comes to the narrative, author Cooper-Spencer is just fine, at times poignant, but he is constantly hamstringed by a lack of emotional boldness and dialogue that has not been pruned of its ordinariness, that remains unadorned, oftentimes not compelling the reader to discover character through the clues shrewdly and compellingly left by things said.

This Place of Men takes a long time getting around to its reveal and ultimate denoucement, and when we are finally shown why Otis was incarcerated, what happens when these two men meet after all these years, we wonder if the set-ups were worth the wait. Nonetheless, there is much to admire about this brooding meditation that at least harkens toward self-love in spite of societies oppressive attitudes, therein lies its boldness.

Also, we are left with a sense of hope by the last page, which could easily spawn a sequel. I encourage Mr. Cooper-Spencer to make sure part two contains sharper dialogue, stronger conflicts, and a busier red pencil.

For a resource of black gay male authors, visit myspace/gbmbookclub

Dirty Laundry nominated for a 2008 NAACP Image Award

Hollywood, CA. - Highlighting a banner year in Black film, the 39th Annual NAACP Image Awards were announced in Hollywood this morning and indie hit "Dirty Laundry" was nominated in the Best Independent Film Category. Written and Directed by newcomer Maurice Jamal, the film garnered rave reviews at film festivals and will be released in select cities January 18, 2008 by Codeblack Entertainment and FOX Pictures. The dramatic-comedy starring Rockmond Dunbar (Prison Break), Loretta Devine (This Christmas, First Sunday) Jenifer Lewis, Terri J. Vaughn and Sommore follows a traditional southern family dealing with the return of an estranged son and the many secrets he brings with him.The film generated considerable buzz in the industry because it is the first major Black film to deal with themes of sexuality and orientation. Writer-Director Maurice Jamal says "I think the NAACP recognizing this film makes a powerful statement to the community at large. Black audiences want films that are intelligent, honest and bold. " Star Rockmond Dunbar added, "The story we've told here is being embraced by all audiences because it's funny and warm, but most of all because it's real."A true American dream in the making, "Dirty Laundry" was shot in just three weeks with funds raised from family, friends and dedicated investors. Among the Executive Producers were Nathan Hale Williams and Crystal McCrary Anthony. Williams says "I don't know if anyone knows how challenging this journey has been. But the reward is in seeing and how the film affects people for the better." Maurice Jamal concluded "I just give thanks to God for guiding this journey."