PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN FIRST EVER GAY DEBATE, AUGUST 9TH

For the first time the leading candidates for the presidency will hold a televised debate devoted solely to LGBT issues. The one-hour event will be held on August 9 and broadcast on gay network LOGO at 9:00 pm ET (6:00 pm ET) and through live streaming video at LOGOonline.com. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards have confirmed they will participate. Several other Democratic candidates also may join the debate. The debate will be conducted with a live audience in Los Angeles. On the panel questioning the two Democrats will be Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese and singer Melissa Etheridge. The debate was put together by LOGO and HRC. "In the 2008 presidential election, issues of concern to the LGBT community have already been at the forefront of the national conversation,” said Solmonese. "From the repeal of “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell” to the recent signing of a civil unions bill in New Hampshire, there is no doubt that voters will demand answers to important questions affecting our community." The panelists in a statement said they plan to cover a range of issues including relationship recognition, marriage equality, workplace fairness, the military, hate crimes, HIV/AIDS and other important issues. The LGBT vote is considered a decisive electoral force and according to exit poll data make up approximately 4 percent of the voting population. Los Angeles was chosen as the site for the event because of the state’s early primary election, on February 5th, 2008. "We're honored to give the presidential candidates an historic opportunity to share their views directly with the LGBT audience," Brian Graden, President, Entertainment, MTV Networks Music Group, and President, LOGO said in a statement. "This forum continues MTV Networks’ tradition of engaging vital niche audiences with voting and the electoral process." In addition to questioning by Solmonese and Etheridge people will be able to pose their own questions through LOGOonline.com and HRC.org. ---source (365Gay.com)---

PAZO, Club Hippo, & Junior Vasquez (Baltimore, MD)

This past weekend I actually flew out to Baltimore, MD to meet up with my friend Stuart who had been out there since earlier in the week. It was a pretty quick flight, about 1 hour in the air, 30 minutes taxi time. My flight actually arrived fifteen minutes early, however it did take almost 30 minutes for the baggage claim from the flight to even start it's circulation. After retrieving my bag, Stuart showed me around the city of Baltimore and then we met his friends Charles and Eric at PAZO Restaurant (A Tapas Restaurant). Until this point, I was a "tapas virgin". This place was magnificent. Imagine an old vast revamped factory warehouse, restored on the inside with very modern, yet nostalgic design that feels like an old Spanish cathedral . Pazo is located in a rustic yet chic two-floor venue with an open kitchen, plush booths, mezzanine dining and a posh-meets-earthy bar/lounge. After Dinner and a quick tour through the downtown Baltimore area, we entered Club Hippo for the owner's 35th Anniversary party for it's patrons. Free drinks and Hors D'oeuvres, Hell Yeah, you can't beat that. Needless to say, I was pretty lit by 10:00PM. After a break and 2 bottles of water, I was ready to see the other side of the club and to experience what would be the best night out that I've had in quite some time. I practically danced the entire evening. www.clubhippo.com

Junior Vasquez @ CLUB HIPPO (Baltimore, MD)

On Saturday afternoon I will be flying out of Indy to Baltimore, MD to meet up with my friend Stuart and join him at Club Hippo for their 35th Anniversary VIP Party, prior to the club opening later that night. I figured this is as close to New York that I'll probably get, at least so far this year, anyway, and my first and probably only opportunity to hear one of the great DJ pioneers of east coast club music, Junior Vasquez. Me, Excited? Hell Yes.....

http://www.clubhippo.com/HippoClub/hippo.html

SiCKO

Synopsis: 'SiCKO'

The words "health care" and "comedy" aren't usually found in the same sentence, but in Academy Award winning filmmaker Michael Moore's new movie 'SiCKO,' they go together hand in (rubber) glove. Opening with profiles of several ordinary Americans whose lives have been disrupted, shattered, and—in some cases—ended by health care catastrophe, the film makes clear that the crisis doesn't only affect the 47 million uninsured citizens—millions of others who dutifully pay their premiums often get strangled by bureaucratic red tape as well. After detailing just how the system got into such a mess (the short answer: profits and Nixon), we are whisked around the world, visiting countries including Canada, Great Britain and France, where all citizens receive free medical benefits. Finally, Moore gathers a group of 9/11 heroes – rescue workers now suffering from debilitating illnesses who have been denied medical attention in the US. He takes them to a most unexpected place, and in addition to finally receiving care, they also engage in some unexpected diplomacy. While Moore's 'SiCKO' follows the trailblazing path of previous hit films, the Oscar-winning BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and all-time box-office documentary champ FAHRENHEIT 9/11, it is also something very different for Michael Moore. 'SiCKO' is a straight-from-the-heart portrait of the crazy and sometimes cruel U.S. health care system, told from the vantage of everyday people faced with extraordinary and bizarre challenges in their quest for basic health coverage. In the tradition of Mark Twain or Will Rogers, 'SiCKO' uses humor to tell these compelling stories, leading the audience conclude that an alternative system is the only possible answer.

From:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/about/synopsis/

07.04.07

In an E-Mail Forwarded (By Me) to the United Flight 93 National Memorial Website:





http://www.flight93memorialproject.org/

I have witnessed this memorial site for the past year, and have seen great progress in the support for this memorial, so as a citizen of the midwest I still wonder why, why has something of this magnitude, not even been recognized by the federal or even state government to help support or fund such a pertinent cause and establishment of history? Concerned? Yes, I am. If I had the money to give, I would, but it saddens me that this country is so disconnected and focused, even this July 4th, on this so-called war, and election, that this memorial, as well as the ground zero memorial project, have been all but, forgotten about, and it just doesn't seem right. Have we forgotten what July 4th really means? Fireworks? Yeah, there will always be fireworks, all you need is a fuse and some gunpowder. Have we forgotten what July 4th actually represents? So, as a citizen here from the midwest, I commend you, and acknowledge you for this effort, it "WILL" move forward, and I will live to see the day that I walk the grounds in Shanksville, PA, as well as New York. Stand your ground, as we always have. Peace & Love, -Jared S. Curry- Indianapolis, IN, USA

Jon McLaughlin on NBC TODAY SHOW 06.27.07

Jon McLaughlin on NBC TODAY SHOW - June 27th

American heartland singer-songwriter and pianist Jon McLaughlin will perform live on NBC’s TODAY SHOW on June 27th. McLaughlin performed the single “Beautiful Disaster” which currently is climbing the mainstream’s Top 30 to the #28-bullet on the Hot AC chart. The single is from his first album for Island Records, Indiana, released June 19th to the CBA market via EMI CMG. “Beautiful Disaster” is also building a strong base at Pop radio, with spins on more than 30 stations. The song was recently highlighted by USA Today, which wrote: “The title’s first word is how he sees her. The second word is how she sees herself. The sad thing is he’s right.”On Sunday, June 10th, Jon was featured on the prestigious NPR (National Public Radio) program “Weekend Edition,” which resulted in Indiana rocketing up the Amazon charts. Jon’s online presence is also rising; McLaughlin won the prestigious AOL Music Breaker program and is currently up for voting on Yahoo “Who’s Next” program.Jon moves into the final handful of dates on his month-long tour with Grammy award-winning guitarist Jonny Lang. Indiana’s title tune pays tribute to Jon’s hometown of Anderson, IN. Jon will make his own big screen debut in Enchanted, the new Disney animated-and-live comedy starring Idina Menzel, Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams scheduled to open in the fall 2007. Jon will be singing (onscreen) a song written for the movie soundtrack by Ric Wake. Check Out:(www.myspace.com/jonmclaughlin) You can currently access four of his tunes: “Beautiful Disaster,” “Indiana,” “Industry,” and “Human.” Jon has 1.4 million plays on his myspace site and can also be reached via http://www.jonmclaughlinmusic.com/. CBS NEWS 6/26/2007 3:39 PM GMT (FINDITT)

Chicago Pride 2007

What else can I say? Every year is A personal journey and an experience.

FAST TIMES

Last Thursday I met up with some of the group from Talbott Street at Fast Times Indoor Go-Kart Racing. To the left you can see us all decked out, preparing for our action packed 8-minute race. I did happen to spin out twice, losing quite a bit of time, so of course, I did finish last out of the group, but it was all in good fun. It was hard for anyone to get a good picture, due to the fact that cars go by so fast, but that is me, the blur zooming around the corner.

Fathers Day 06.17.07

This weekend was a pretty relaxing weekend. I needed a break from a lot of things so I actually spent some time at home and with my family. On Sunday I drove down to my Sister's near Greenwood for a Fathers Day BBQ for our Dad. My 4 year-old niece, Railyn (pictured left) is such a delight to see and the sweetest thing, so full of energy and pep. Smart, too. I also got to see my younger brother Grant and my sister-in-law, Erin (pictured left with my new nephew, Preston). After filling up on Hamburgers and Hotdogs fresh off the grill (not to mention a few pieces of sugar cream pie, yum!!) I joined everyone (Including Mr. Rubber Ducky) in the pool to cool off after being outside for the majority of the day.

INDY PRIDE 2007 (from my vantage point of view)

What a great day!! It was a long one, but a perfect day, overall. Clear Blue skies, a gentle breeze. The weather was perfect. The day started with me walking along side the Talbott Street float (The Swan) for the parade which started at 10:00am. It was great to see such a great turnout and participation for the parade. It seems that it gets bigger every year. While walking with the float, I helped to toss and hand out beads and various promotional items to the spectators. After the parade was over, I actually walked back to my car (the reverse of the entire parade route) and headed home to rest for a little while until meeting with Justin and Mykal a little bit later. I met up with them a little after 2:00pm and hung out for a little while and then walked around the festival. I checked out and visited the Talbott Street and the JPMorgan Chase booth, as well as checking in at the stage to see if anything was needed. Here are a few of the pictures that I took throughout the day. I met David and Aaron over at the beer tent, closer to, well, by that point I had lost track of time, but anyway, we went back to sit in the grass to relax for a little bit with Justin and Mykal. After that we went over to the stage area and watched the Ultra Nate performance, and ran into several other people while checking out the performance. Here are a few of those shots. After a 2 hour disco nap, I headed out to Talbott Street to meet up with Stuart and check things out and to meet the DJ, Randy Bettis. Here is what I experienced. Overall, another great Pride Day here in Indy. (06.09.07)

Therapeutic

Last night, after getting my haircut, I headed over to my friend Justin's and checked out his new back patio area that he and Mykal have been working on for the past several weeks. I must say that it is quite impressive and that it is an amazing difference from what it was before. It is almost complete and is now garnished with assorted shrubs, bushes, trees, a fire pan, and currently two water fountains. Once completed, it will be the perfect "Garden Of Eden", and great for a nice cocktail party, as well. I'll be the DJ, Cheers!! After heading out from there I went to check out the Pride week event at Therapy Night Club and met up with some of the Talbott Street crew to check out our girl DJ Deanne. I had a great time, even danced a little bit, yeah, a little bit. Well, It's Friday and it's Pride weekend. I'm excited and ready for a great weekend. It's going to be a good day, I can feel it. I'll have pictures posted next week to prove it.

INDY PRIDE 2007

SATURDAY, JUNE 9TH IS INDY PRIDE AT UNIVERSITY PARK IN DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS. At 10:00 am The parade will step off at the corner of Mass Avenue & College and proceed down Mass Avenue to Vermont Street. The parade will turn right onto Vermont and end at University Park. This year's festival will begin at 11:00am and will feature over 130 informational booths and vendors, a food court, alcohol/beverage tent and local, regional and national entertainers. CLICK HERE for further event and entertainment information.

Yoga, Wraps, Fashion, And A Sweet Escape

This weekend was a busy one for me. I actually got up on Saturday morning at a decent time and met up with my friend Stuart for the noon yoga class at NIFS. I definitely needed a good stretch after the week. After the class we grabbed a bite to eat at HOAGLIN TO GO on Mass Ave. I had the Bacon and Egg Salad Wrap, a nice and light after yoga treat. Thank you for the recommendation, Matt (Our Server). After a mid-afternoon lunch, I headed back home and immediately got prepared to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony and hair and makeup show for SNIPS in Irvington on east Washington Street. I was asked by the owners (Kevin and Anthony) to put together the music to be used for the runway portion of the show which was entitled "Up From The Dirt". The show was a success with a great turnout, helping to raise money for improvements made to the area. After the show I proceeded back home to get ready to head up north for the Gwen Stefani concert at Verizon Wireless Music Center as part of the Sweet Escape Tour. I went with my younger sister and a couple of her friends. We had a great time!! The show was amazing and was completely sold out (Just over 23,000 people). CLICK HERE for a full write up at Indystar.com.

The show ended closer to midnight and the majority of the crowd stayed for the encore, which means that we were faced with the inevitable, the rat race to get out of the parking lot. Needless to say, I didn't get back home until about 1:00am, but it was well worth it.