Buyers are Aware

Finally, somebody is stopping the con artist madness on eBay. Today, a Paris court on ordered eBay to pay $63 million in damages to Louis Vuitton for selling fake luxury goods online.

According to CNN.com.
eBay, the world's largest online auctioneer, said it would lodge an appeal and said the decision was not a victory for copyright law.

A spokesperson for eBay said: "This decision is not based on combating counterfeit material. It is based on LVMH's desire to protect its commercial practices and exclude competition,"

"This is being done at the expense of the consumers and sellers to whom eBay is always offering opportunities,"

I understand eBay's point, but they had no way in regulating the huge number of fake louies they were posting. Usually, if they had 25 LV items, maybe one of them were real. The others were fakes, very bad fakes I might add. I think it's good Louis V is protecting their image. There should be some sense of respect for their label. eBay should have been mindful of this when they received 100s of complaints for harboring fake louies. Maybe now, after the $63mill-mill fine, they will be more aware.

Yes, in Arizona

Less than a week, Arizona has made Foolishness their state's motto.

In AZCentral.com

PHOENIX - In the final hours of one of the longest state legislative sessions on record, state Senators approved a measure sending a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to the fall ballot.

The long-anticipated vote on the measure followed hours of angry, raucous debate, in which the legislative rule book was used as a weapon to both stall the vote and cut short debate. Senators on both sides of the aisle and the issue lamented a melt-down in the higher chamber, as most of the day's work was scrapped so that the marriage amendment could be voted on while key senators were present.

Senate President Tim Bee cast the decisive, 16th vote in favor of the referendum that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman – the only referendum likely to be on the fall ballot from lawmakers, as the session draws to a close.

I don't get these people, but I should've known. Arizona has always been a state of confusion. But to those who are LGBT, SGL, and questioning living there, my heart goes out to you.

There's more in the title

Apocalypse Warning

In two different cities, around this time of the year, I was reminded by two different homeless men that the Apocalypse is coming. Now, I'm sure they tell everyone this stuff everyday. But what if they are aware of something we're not. The 1st message was in NYC in 2005, the second was today in downtown L.A. Again, within the same week, 3 years apart.

The homeless prophet told me that I will see the signs on T.V. and I will know when I see them. I wasn't given this much info from the NYC guy. So, I start to ponder on the signs and I think I figured them out.



T-Pain




The Lair



Family Guy



Deep V-Neck Shirts


90210


Yep, with these images on the tube, the big bang is inching closer and closer. I'm a believer.

Dream Date VP...Mitt Romney

Some people believe in unicorns. Some people believe in elves. And then some people believe that Mitt Romney is the best VP candidate for McCain.

Possible? Well, that's what some Repub insiders are saying. Mostly for his ability to raise money and bringing strong conservative base to vote. But seriously, he would only continue the same rhetoric we've already seen for the past 8 years. Romney jumped back and forth in his beliefs, tried to appeal too hard to people, and banked on his business background, which sent a message that he would protect big businesses and corporations.

But one of the glaring problems would be his religion. He's Mormon, which is fine with me, but in the Republican Party? I don't know about that one. I don't want to sound mean, but when you think about the people in the Repub party, you don't get the all-inviting team players. Some of them are a part of the Super-Christian right that fails to acknowledge other religious groups. Then you have the morons who may think that Mormons are scary people with demons as pets. Sounds crazy, but if you lived in Tennessee and Kentucky like I have, you would understand.

I know he's cute and younger, but this could hurt McCain more than...well, McCain. Especially, if he does this again

More Terror

This looks interesting, and good. It has Kiefer in it so I hope it's something

More puzzles, More Terror

I'm not sure about this, but there will be a Saw V.

The NYC Pride in Trouble?

My friend told me about how New York City is slipping when it comes to the gay life. Several venues were closed and this Pride weekend was filled with cops and raids. Less than 7 years ago, I was at Pride. In fact, I've marched in the parade, representing Cornell University and Proud, Black, Gay men. My best friend and I marched proudly with our signs for 40 blocks. I never felt so happy and proud in my life.

So, I went online to find more about the mess of the weekend and apparently it was worst than I thought.

According to edgenewyork.com:
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The City of New York, which has been cracking down hard on gay sex venues, moved in with a vengeance on nightclubs. Splash was reportedly overrun by police, although no one from the city or the club returned calls for comment. The club has, however, remained open.

The other club was shut down. Pacha, the megaclub on the western edge of Hell’s Kitchen, was scheduled to hold two major dance parties for Gay Pride: Victor Calderone’s Pride Evolve on Saturday; and the Saint at Large’s Champions on Sunday night.

Champions has been moved to Capitale, a large space on the border of the Lower East Side and Chinatown where Saint at Large has held parties in the past. Mike Peyton, of the Saint at Large, said that anyone with a ticket for Pacha party should simply show up at Capitale, which is the Bowery a few blocks above Canal Street, and the ticket will be honored.

Moving the party has cost the Saint at Large probably much, if not most, of the proceeds, which were to go to Heritage of Pride, the organization that runs the march down Fifth Avenue.
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With all of these changes, raids, and shutdowns, I have to wonder what's really going on in NYC. It's like a smog-like message being sent all through gay New York saying "enough". Has the lavish, unabashed, decadence caught up with them? Is this a bigger issue with Bloomberg? Or could this be the dark plan of the Gay Mafia?

Anything is possible, but something is going on. I was just there during Christmas and I noticed how Chelsea and Christopher St. has changed. A lot of businesses were closed and certain bars were gone. What will it take to get it back on track? Is there anything that can be done? I just hope this don't ruin everyone weekend in NYC. Pride there, is the best celebration New York has to offer.

The Rose II: Amy Winehouse

After seeing this clip, I'm worried for this woman. Will her family or someone save her before it's too late?


In fact, the clip almost reminds me of this scene from The Rose, my favorite piece from this movie.

Interesting Quote: 14 year old girl

"I wanted to feel loved. ... I wanted to feel important"

said the 14-year-old girl who started selling herself as a prostitute on Craigslist at the age of 11.

CNN.com has reported that undercover cops on the Sacramento Police Department's vice squad have been trying to crack down on online child prostitution, which has gotten really bad in the past two years.

For more info, click the title

Randomness Saturday: Ed Hardy's T-shirts

For some reason Ed Hardy has taken over Los Angeles and given wannabe playas hope. But I still haven't figured out the appeal of these $40 or more T-shirts. You can go to Old Navy and find cute shirts with a similar style for $7.50.

A Great Loss

Michael Turner, artist, writer, and creator died last night from cancer. He graced us with beautiful covers and stories. He created his own comic book, Fathom and worked with DC and Marvel over the years. His art and passion for comics will be missed

for more, click the title

The Housewives of the Dirty South

Well, some of y'all know I've talking about more color on TV, well I think I got my wish.
Bravo, the channel for the gays and the arts, are bringing us the Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Yes, it's real. Now we get to how the rich, Southern belles do it in the dirrty dir (an old gay slang for the South). And these women actually do something.

Here's more on this:

The cable network confirmed Thursday that it is planning to set the third installment of its hit reality series in Atlanta.

A preview of what audiences can expect from the privileged southern belles who producers have picked to represent what living in Georgia's capital is really like is scheduled to air July 30 at midnight.

"Bravo's Real Housewives franchise has resonated with our viewers across the country, and we think they will be equally fascinated by the lavish lifestyles and personalities of these Atlanta wives," Bravo executive VP and general manager Frances Berwick said Thursday. "They let us peek inside their exclusive, affluent community and see how they live their often-dramatic lives and manage families and careers. There is truly never a dull day for them."

The camera-ready hausfraus this time around:

• Deshawn Snow: nonprofit founder, wife of Cleveland Cavaliers baller Eric Snow
• Kim Zolciack: single mom, aspiring country-music singer
• Lisa Wu Hartwell: real estate firm owner, jewelry and baby-clothing designer, model, actress, writer...and wife of Oakland Raiders linebacker Ed Hartwell
• NeNe Leakes: nonprofit founder, wife of real estate investor, two sons
• Sheree Whitfield: single mother of three, clothing-line owner

And there's rumor that my favorite singer, Monica will be in the show as well. Hell Yes! Thanks for Stereohyped.com and Eonline for posting this.

She trying to change the world

A little girl, Jaiden Haber, wanted to make a change. So in the spirit of controversy she wore a shirt that read, "N the 'N' Word" and "It's time!"

Jaiden's mother, Karen, hoped this would encourage tolerance, instead it got her daughter sent to the principal's office. Later the district superintendent John Williams said:

"To send a little white girl wearing this shirt into a very diverse district that is almost 90 percent nonwhite was not the way to address this word," he said yesterday. "It's a lightning rod."

Well at least she tried, she could preparing to be a selfish teen-ager who wants her birthday on MTV. Maybe she can be social change leader. Let's not crush her daydreams.

For more, click the title

In Arizona?

My former place of employment and one year nightmare state has shocked me.

In the AZ central:

A measure to place a constitutional ban on gay marriage on the fall ballot was narrowly voted down in the state Senate on Wednesday, but the referendum could still come back for a revote in the final days of the legislative session.

It's a start, but who knows. That state was an eye opening experience for me. I've never been exposed to such foolishness in my life. And I'm from Tennessee. So much ignorance, racism, and sexist views ran like running water, which they barely have. But, maybe things are changing up in the Sun-dried state.

For more, click the title

TV Parents

To change the mood a little, I'm going to play a game. If you had a choice to choose your parents from TV shows, who would it be?

Well, my parents would be.

Dominique Deveraux from Dynasty




Gomez Addams from the Addams Family

The Bronx in Crisis

I'm trying to understand this one here, health officials are trying to get doctors to offer HIV tests to every patient in a New York City community hit pretty hard by AIDS.

According to AP:
Under a new program announced Thursday, officials have set an ambitious goal of testing a quarter million adults in the Bronx, one of five boroughs that make up New York City, within three years.

So they want everyone in the Bronx to get tested, but why the Bronx? Well, AIDS killed 357 residents of that borough in 2006, about a third of all AIDS deaths in the city. Of the New Yorkers infected with HIV, more than 21,000 of them are in the Bronx.

Okay, but I'm not sure that targeting the Bronx this strongly is the best way. It's like saying that the reason why NYC has a epidemic is because of the Bronx. I see importance the initiative, but they should do more than pushing the test. There's a lack of education and some sense of compassion in the Bronx. What has happened in the Bronx that so many people are infected?
And what will change after this initiative is done? What are the plans to reverse the damage? I hope this plan really get to the heart of matter and truly save lives.

For more, click the title

Wonder Woman movie is coming...on DVD

WB/DC will release an animated movie all about Wonder Woman soon. The lead voices are Keri Russell (Felicity) who plays the Amazon princess and cutie of forever, Nathan Fillion (Firefly who's below) who voices Steve Trevor. Other actors/voices include Virginia Madsen (Candyman) as her mother, and Rosario Dawson as Artemis.
It's going to be based from George Perez's run in the late 80s and hopefully it will be good.

Everyone please be careful

In the US News today, there are starling reports about HIV.
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The latest data on HIV infection across 33 states finds new diagnoses jumping by 12 percent annually between 2001 and 2006 among young gay and bisexual men. Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say the rise is "especially concerning" for young black men aged 13 to 24 who have sex with men.

For this group, the annual rate of new HIV diagnoses rose by 15 percent annually, compared to a 9 percent and an 8 percent annual rise among their white and Hispanic peers, respectively. The CDC researchers reported that, "during 2001-2006, an estimated 214,379 persons had HIV/AIDS diagnosed in the 33 states."

Almost half (46 percent) of these new cases were diagnosed among men who have sex with men, and there was a noticeable decline in HIV transmission for the time frame in all categories except for this high-risk group, the report found.

Overall, gay and bisexual men comprised 63 percent of all cases of new infection among U.S. males, and almost two-thirds of new cases among men who have sex with men occurred in the 25-to 44-year-old age group, the CDC said.
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So please, please keep it real and keep it safe.

Back Flash Video Thursday

I get excited when I hear this song. This is Patti LaBelle's, Stir it up

Conspiracy Question of the day

Are the Amazons causing Gay Men to have public sex, in hopes to strip them of Fire Island and make it into the new Themyscira?

Reasons why Hip Hop is dead...Zombie Dead

Reason one: Instead of tackling injustice, racism, lack of jobs or anything of real concern, the rap group, Thug Slaughter Force with members named Drama, Filthy, Tempa, Rebel, and Blanco the Don, are trying to stop...tight clothes.

Yes, when you thought T-Pain has sealed the fate of Hip Hop shut, this group supplies the glue to keep that way. These fools are walking the streets of Brooklyn in super big T-shirts with the words "Tight Clothes" with a red slashed through the words. This is their point of protest against the tighter-fitting outfits in the Hip-Hop game. The "No Tight Clothes" campaign is their latest idea in a decade of trying to make it in the rap game. Well guess what Thug Fugs...you failed!

Who's going to take this seriously? Nobody, and they should be banned for this foolishness. Especially with this as a beginning

"Slaughter General's Warning": "Wearing tight clothes by men may result in feminine tendencies, homosexuality, possible yeast infection, severe hemorrhoids, permanent wedgies, and genetically inherited transsexual characteristics in your son."

Hera, lay hands on them and Brooklyn.

Interesting opinon: Ralph Nader

"Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards," -Nader claiming that Obama's talking White.

I got "Spaced" last night

I was introduced to a classic British series called Spaced at the L.A. Film Festival yesterday. Spaced stars my crush, Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes. Here's a synopsis of the show, via wiki

Tim Bisley and Daisy Steiner are two London twenty-somethings who meet by chance in a cafe while both are flat-hunting. Despite barely knowing each other, they conspire to pose as a young professional couple in order to meet the requisites of an advertisement for a relatively cheap flat in the distinctive building at 23 Meteor Street, which is owned by and also houses the landlady, Marsha Klein Also in the building is Brian Topp, an eccentric conceptual artist who lives and works on his various pieces in the ground floor flat. Frequent visitors are Tim's best friend, Mike Watt and Daisy's best friend, Twist Morgan.


I've never seen the show until last night, but I found it to be really funny, cute, exciting. After 3 episodes, the director, Edgar Wright came out, talked about the show, and answered questions. One of those questions mentioned a possible America version of the show. The minute the question was asked, it was met by a series of boos. Wright said that the US version is pretty much dead.

And thank Hera it is; US versions of British shows are bad. But before I start my hater tirade, take a look at the clip from a funny moment in the show

5 facts redux pt 2

Last week, I posted 5 facts about me. I was asked to prove 2 of my facts. I talked about the magazine guy, now I will prove the straight hair and blonde highlights from the mid 90s.

here they are

Show's over Synergy

Is Lil Kim and Fergie one in the same? I can't find the Jem Star earrings to prove my point.

Random view of Sport Entertainment TV: USA vs Japan

Last Night I watch the premier of Wipeout, a reality game show that has people trying to complete crazy obstacles to win 50 thou. Basically it's a copy of Japan's Ninja Warrior or SASUKE, which you can see on G4.

After wasting 20 minutes, it occurred to me the how different the two shows are. Ninja Warrior takes the competition very seriously. Some of the contestants are either real athletes or Olympic winners. I don't think it's about the money for them, it's about honor and completing a task. Wipeout seemed to be about humiliating people. It was more about watching the heavy set person fall into the mud or the pool of water.

In Ninja Warrior, you see people fail, but you also see the contestants win. Wipeout, they mostly showcased the failure of the contestants. So with that in mind, I wonder if we in USA, encourage failure as a form of entertainment vs. other countries. I know it's crazy to take this seriously, but it was an interesting observation at the time.

Orange Crush on Shaun

I have a crush on Simon Pegg,. I can't explain it, I just do.

G.I. JOE will be there in 2009

Cute posters for the movie. I hope it will be good. I always loved the JOES.

News to Me

The founder of Focus on the Family, James Dobson is accusing Sen. Barack Obama of distorting the Bible "to fit his own confused theology."

Really, I thought that was the norm. It's been done to me.

Lewdness ain't cute

Fire Island, I think we have heard of it, right? But if you haven't, here it goes. Basically, it's a gay Hamptons, or a nice vacation spot for gays. So in other words, it's pretty much Themyscira (Wonder Woman's home) for gay men.

Well, recently the "Paradise Island" has been hit with some sexy arrest due to lewd conduct, or what I like to call it, the George Michael charge. Over the past two weeks, men are getting arrested for getting some do-it fluid in public.

And it gets better, according to Gawker.com, this weekend there's a event happening to stick it to The Man. A resident of the area has created the "a circle jerk for freedom" around the abandoned park service's building in the Meat Rack at the edge of the Pines. The goal is to show The Man that...I guess, sex is great and it should be shared with the public?

Classy, no. A mess, yes.

Ok, I know I sound like a prude sometimes, but this ain't cute. Not outside and not in abandon building, unless you own it. Fire Island is a gay safe space, we don't have to sneak around. I know it's exciting to play outside and maybe get caught, but it's not cute when you're arrested and blasted all in the news. Plus, this type of stuff could backfire and take away one few places we can truly call our own.

I think they should have their "rally" in a closed area with plenty of pillows and protection. Not everyone needs to see bad sex out in the open, it can scar someone for life.

For more, click the title

New. DVD. Olivia. Roller Skates

A new Xanadu DVD comes out today with bonuses and a cute cover. I will probably pick one up this weekend.

Do we prefer the D-List?

When it comes to movies, music, celebs, TV shows, and reality shows, why do we (gays) tend to go for the worst of them. If it's gaudy, trashy, shirtless, tragic, and a hot mess we love it. Why is that? Why do we want that?

This doesn't apply to all of us, there are some who are creative and look for more. It's cool to root for the underdog, but when we are rooting for the underdog's poop, it's an issue.

I think it's scary that we're considered the bottom b***hes, or the last resort. When the boat is sinking everyone should get off. But some will stay until the very end, or when celebs' careers crash and burn.

It bothers me that the D-List is the gay A-List. It's like shopping at the Dollar General Store when you're a millionaire. I mean, you can, but you don't have to. So we should want more, and not settle for less.

My Childhood and the Golliwog

Naomi Campbell’s “air rage” was the news this weekend. According to her, she only acted out because someone called her a “Golliwog supermodel". A Golliwog? What's that? Sounds like something in The Lord of the Rings.

A Golliwog: "via Wiki"

is a ragdoll-like, children's literary character created by Florence Kate Upton in the late 19th century. The Golliwogg was inspired by a blackface minstrel doll Upton had as a child in America.

After reading about it, I had to see this thing. And I wish I didn't because, I use to have one of these dolls. It was dark with a little suit, a little different than the pictures, but it was made in the same format. I guess somebody thought it was a Black Raggedy Andy doll. I never thought it was something else, hell what did I know about racism then. But this is so weird, I was carrying a racist doll. My family bought this doll for me. No wonder why I had light skin/dark skin issues as a child.

Funny what you can actually learn from a supermodel.

For more, click the title.

Will Gay Marriage ever be a Black thing?

I was asked if Black people were ready for gay marriage. And I had to think about it for a minute. Are we ready for it? Well we should be. At one time, there was a lot things we couldn't do, in fact, some would say it was God's law for us to be 2nd class citizens.

So with that in mind, I would like to think so, but I'm not sure. With the Black church being such a big, big string puller in our culture, it will take years before half or more are ready for gay marriage. Also the myth that anything LGBT is a White thing, is still prevalent. I can't tell you how it irks me to still hear that mess.

I'm hopeful; we are in a period of change. However, I really feel that Black religious leaders have a lot of clout. So, until they take on a more social change perspective or when people challenge their views and question themselves regularly, it will take years before its truly accepted in the Black culture. That's just my opinion, hopefully I'm wrong.

Urban Legend?

Good question

Who are they?
What are they fighting for?
What do they do?
And do they whack people in the woods or at the White Party?

I don't know, but I will read this article to find out.

For George

A great comedian is gone. George Carlin died today, he was 71.

I've always enjoyed his work ever since I was a kid, sneaking into my grandmama's room to watch his HBO special.

He will be missed

Rest in Peace