tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36749968704878052142024-02-06T22:30:38.047-05:00Undoing The Damage: Mr. C's Wild RideJust SOME of the stuff rolling around inside my noggin.Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.comBlogger284125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-13651258360591796112011-05-02T19:15:00.009-04:002011-10-23T12:04:35.852-04:00Reaping The Whirlwind...<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">I won't lie to you: I cannot even begin to feign sorrow over the death of Osama Bin Laden.<br /><br />I can't even muster up crocodile tears to shed for this very personification of death and evil.<br /><br />I must say that-Osama Bin Laden aside--I am probably more close to being anti-Death Penalty than I have ever been (that subject is one of the few of which I can say I am a fence-sitter...but, not so much any more...but that is another subject, of course).<br /><br />But we all know that this "man" perverted the Islamic faith--the vast, vast majority of whose adherents are peaceful, loving people (just like Christianity)--and twisted it to justify killing human beings about whom all he knew was that they happened to be walking on American soil--a soil that he hated with all his black, black heart.<br /><br />And the "sin" for which they paid with their lives?? They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. This evil "man" hated with a passion that no one with even the slightest bit of true humanity in them could even begin to understand.<br /><br />When I think of all the broken families, all the children whose moms and/or dads never came home to them, and the mothers & fathers who had to endure the unspeakable agony of having to bury (whatever was left of) their children, and the many heroes of Sept. 11, 2001 who were hurt or killed doing what they were trained to do--SAVE LIVES--I just cannot find it in myself to wish this situation had turned out differently. We can only hope that God takes mercy on his eternal soul.<br /><br />While I can't take real joy in <b>anyone's</b> death, I CAN (and do) take comfort knowing that justice may sometimes be slow-in-coming, but that those who live by the sword cannot escape that same sword forever, and that just as 2 + 2 ALWAYS EQUALS 4, it will <b>ALWAYS</b> be a whirlwind you reap when you spend so much of your life & your energy sowing the wind.</div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-22527560759649257102010-12-18T16:21:00.001-05:002010-12-18T16:24:42.159-05:00D.A.D.T.? R.I.P.! :-)<div style="text-align: justify;">As Jarrell pointed out to us in his post, following similar action earlier this week in the House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate today cleared the way for a final up-or-down vote on the repeal of the military policy of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT)<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/18/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal_5_n_798636.html"> by voting 63 to 33</a> in favor of cloture (that's political-speak for stopping the debate on a specific subject, in this case DADT).<br /><br />All Democratic senators voted for cloture except for one, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia (who now holds the seat of Senator Robert Byrd who died earlier this year), who did not vote. Voting "YEA" with the 55 Democratic senators, were 6 Republican senators (Susan Collins & Olympia Snowe both of Maine, Mark Kirk of Illinois--who holds President Obama's former seat, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, George Voinovich of Ohio, and Scott Brown of Massachusetts--this is Senator Ted Kennedy's former seat. A fact that is particularly satisfying for me--being a longtime Kennedy fan), and the 2 independent senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont & Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.<br /><br />I found a few quotes from some of the senators who voted today:<br /><br /><i>As Barry Goldwater </i>[former conservative Arizona Republican Senator and 1964 US Presidential candidate]<i> said, 'You don't have to be straight to shoot straight. </i><br /><i><b>Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada</b></i><br /><br /><i>I don't care who you love, if you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you shouldn't have to hide who you are. You ought to be able to serve.<b> </b></i><br /><i><b>Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon.</b></i><br /><br /><i>I can't think of something more egregious to our fabric, to our military... If you care about national security, if you care about military readiness, you will vote against this corrosive policy.</i><br /><i><b>Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York</b> </i>(Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's former Senate seat)<br /><br />And from President Obama (who will hopefully be signing the repeal very soon):<br /><br /><i><b>By ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay, [a]nd no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.</b></i><br /><br />Compare these statements with comments from two of the opponents of ending the 17-year-old injustice of DADT:<br /><br /><i>I was shocked at how well this [DADT] has worked for a long period of time. We have a saying in Oklahoma, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' Well, this isn't broke, it's working very well.</i><br /><i><b>Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma</b></i><br /><br />And Arizona Senator John McCain, DADT's one-man cheer-leading squad???? <br /><br />He made it very short-but-not-so-sweet:<br /><br /><i>Today's a very sad day.</i><br /><br />Yeah, a sad day for homophobia, and fear, and ignorance and official government sanctioning of lies & deception (at least for the military personnel charged with keeping our country safe).<br /><br />While he wasn't a Senator or citizen of the U.S., and while he lived in the 18th century as an Irish author, Oliver Goldsmith, I think, had some good advice for Senator McCain and his political blood brothers:<br /><br /><b>Don't let us make imaginary evils, when you know we have so many real ones to encounter.</b></div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-48608968727015058522010-08-07T16:59:00.001-04:002010-08-07T17:00:59.699-04:00Ten Most Fattening Foods Of Summer<div style="text-align: justify;">1. High-Fat Meats on the Barbecue<br /><br />The bad news: barbecue can sabotage your waistline. A 20 ounce T-bone can weigh in at 1,540 calories and 124 g fat; an average cheeseburger has about 750 calories and 45 grams of fat; and pork or beef ribs? They come from the fattiest part of the animal. The good news: You can go lean with cuts like pork tenderloin, skinless chicken breast, and lean ground beef.<br /><br />2. Take Me Out to the Ball Game<br /><br />Hot dogs and sausages are favorite summer treats for many of us, but you might want to save them for baseball games. It’s not just about fat or calories (after all, you can choose lower fat varieties) but hot dogs, bratwursts, sausages and most dogs are high in sodium. A typical hot dog has 280 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 1,250 mg of sodium, while a 6-ounce kielbasa has 330 calories, 24 grams of fat, and 1,590 mg sodium.<br /><br />3. Mayonnaise-Based Salads<br /><br />A small half-cup portion of typical potato salad has 180 calories and 12 grams of fat; the same amount of coleslaw has about 150 calories and 8 grams of fat. To cut calories, try making your salads with light mayonnaise; or mix mayo with low-fat yogurt, light sour cream, or chicken stock. Or why not try a German-style potato salad, using more vinegar than oil? Then toss lots of veggies into any salad to increase the fiber and nutrients.<br /><br />4. Frozen Concoctions<br /><br />Sweet, fruity alcoholic drinks (the kind often served with an umbrella) may go down easy, but the calories add up in a hurry. A piña colada can range from 245-490 calories, a daiquiri from 300-800 calories, and a Long Island iced tea can set you back 520 calories or more -- with much of it from sugar. Instead of high calorie drinks, try wine, a wine spritzer, or a mixed drink with seltzer and a splash of 100% fruit juice.<br /><br />5. Satisfying Thirst Quenchers<br /><br />Staying hydrated is essential in summer, but those cold drinks can wreak havoc with your waistline. Be careful what you choose -- if you're drinking 12-ounce containers of sweet tea, sweetened soda, energy drinks, juice drinks, or beer, you're probably taking in about 150 calories a pop. Smoothies, milkshakes and cold coffee concoctions can go much higher. Keep liquids in check and drink water or light versions of your favorite quenchers.<br /><br />6. Refreshing Frozen Treats<br /><br />A cup of soft-serve ice cream can have 380 calories and 22 grams of fat. Make it a Dairy Queen chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard and the calories soar to 720, with 28 grams of fat! You don’t need to give up frozen treats, just pass on the giant portions or high fat toppings. Look for frozen desserts like sherbet, fudge bars, fruit bars, or other treats under 150 calories per serving or fruit desserts like strawberry shortcake.<br /><br />7. Frighteningly Fattening Fair Food<br /><br />Fairs, carnivals, and boardwalks serve up some of the most fattening deep-fried diet disasters. From fried cheesecake (around 500 calories), fried macaroni and cheese (610 calories) to gigantic turkey legs (1,136 calories and 54 g fat), most eat-while-you-walk foods will give you calorie overload. Skip the fried foods and choose cotton candy, caramel apples, or a simple grilled meat or share your treat with a friend.<br /><br />8. Salad Toppers<br /><br />Salads can be the perfect summer dinner: light, refreshing, and a perfect way to get your produce and lean protein. If you top your salad with high-calorie items, it can go from lean to fattening in a hurry. High-calorie dressings, fried chicken strips, bacon, cheese, and croutons are among the biggest offenders. Instead, top your greens with grilled chicken, strips of lean meat, or eggs, then pile on the veggies and top with a light dressing.<br /><br />9. Mindless Munching on Snacks<br /><br />A handful of any kind of snack won't do much harm, but eat too much and it can sabotage your diet. Each ounce of potato chips or cheese puffs is roughly 160 calories and 10 grams of fat. Cheese nachos will set you back 692 calories (plus 38 g fat and 1,632 mg sodium); and a 10-cup box of movie theater popcorn has 550 calories, 31 g fat, and 972 mg sodium. Try snacking on fruits, veggies with light dip, or small portions of fat-free popcorn.<br /><br />10. Finger-Licking Fried Chicken<br /><br />A bucket of fried chicken is an easy way to feed a crowd, but it can wreak havoc on your waistline (and arteries), especially when you eat more than one. So forgo fried and toss boneless, skinless chicken breasts on the grill. A 3.5 oz. skinned chicken breast has only 167 calories and 7 grams of fat, compared to a KFC fried chicken breast with 360 calories and 21 g fat. Add flavor with marinades, spice rubs, or top it with fresh salsa.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Source: www.WebMD.com</span>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-42465295601955750522010-05-22T17:02:00.004-04:002010-05-22T17:06:36.860-04:00There's A New World Coming<center><lj-embed id="49"><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qlOFN2SYaEk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qlOFN2SYaEk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="290" width="390"></embed></object><br /></lj-embed></center><br /><br /><b style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">New World Coming<br /><i>Sung by "Mama" Cass Elliott</i></b><i style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"><br /><br />There's a New World Coming<br />And it's just around the bend<br />There's a new world coming<br />This one's coming to an end<br /><br />There's a new voice calling<br />You can hear it if you try<br />And it's growing stronger<br />With each day that passes by<br /><br />There's a brand new morning<br />Rising clear and sweet and free<br />There's a new day dawning<br />That belongs to you and me<br /><br />Yes a new world's coming<br />The one we've had visions of<br />Coming in peace, coming in joy, coming in love.</i>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-39000904919831527772010-03-27T03:56:00.000-04:002010-03-27T03:56:24.081-04:00Florida Coalition for a Competitive Workforce<a href="http://eqfl.org/competitiveworkforce/">Florida Coalition for a Competitive Workforce</a>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-66610898110189673682010-03-25T17:51:00.004-04:002010-03-25T17:58:48.261-04:00Yes We Can Redux<div style="text-align: justify;">So, on the floor of the US House of Representatives in debating the health care bill (which, as you know was just passed by Congress & signed by the President), Minority-Leader-In-Perpetuity, John Boehner took to the floor of the people's House & seemed to simply delight in reminding the American public that the GOP is still the Party of No.<br /><br />Now, that reminder has been set to music. The video below may seem familiar to a lot of people, but--with a little inventive editing--someone created a new version of Will-I-Am's awesome musical tribute to our President, and I hope it gets played on every computer in every household in the Land of the Free:<br /></div><br /><center><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DmlgwwCHof8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DmlgwwCHof8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></center>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-61563564859239578222010-03-08T08:38:00.002-05:002010-05-19T13:28:57.213-04:00Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star<div style="text-align: justify;">Below is a beautiful time-lapse video of the night sky from somewhere in Hawaii, accompanied by an equally-as-beautiful sound track. The video is about a minute long, but you get to see so much in that one minute!<br /><br />The creator of the video is a person named <a href="http://vimeo.com/8918647">"Charles"</a> from a website called <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>, which describes itself as <i>a respectful community of creative people who are passionate about sharing the videos they make.</i><br /><br />If you watch the video, you should really do so in the full-screen mode (and in HD, if your computer is capable), which allows you to see so many details. I, for one, was surprised to see SO MANY STARS in the night sky! Living in suburbia with so much man-made illumination at night, it's easy to miss the sublime beauty of a clear night sky.<br /><br />It also helped to remind me of the beauty God has placed all around us, if we only take the time to see it...REALLY see it.</div><br /><br />Enjoy...<br /><br /><center><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10116116&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10116116&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10116116">The White Mountain (extended)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/charlesleung">charles</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></center>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-53286950178018506832010-01-03T06:47:00.013-05:002010-05-19T09:16:29.161-04:00Show Me What I'm Looking For<center style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"><i><b>Show Me What I'm Looking For</b><br />by Carolina Liar</i></center><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hL61xrUJFqw&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hL61xrUJFqw&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Wait, I’m wrong.<br />Should have done better than this.<br />Please, I’ll be strong.<br />I’m finding it hard to resist.<br />So show me what I’m looking for.<br /><br />CHORUS<br />Save me, I’m lost<br />Oh Lord, I’ve been waiting for you.<br />I’ll pay any cost.<br />Save me from being confused.<br />Show me what I’m looking for,<br />Show me what I’m looking for…oh, Lord.<br /><br />Don’t let go.<br />I’ve wanted this far too long.<br />Mistakes become regrets.<br />I’ve learned to love abuse.<br />Please show me what I’m looking for.<br /><br />CHORUS<br />Save me, I’m lost.<br />Oh Lord, I’ve been waiting for you.<br />I’ll pay any cost.<br />Save me from being confused.<br />Show me what I’m looking for.<br />Show me what I’m looking for…oh, Lord.<br /><br />Show me what I’m looking for.<br />Show me what I’m looking for.<br />Show me what I’m looking for.<br /><br />CHORUS<br />Save me, I’m lost.<br />Oh lord, I’ve been waiting for you.<br />I’ll pay any cost.<br />Just save me from being confused.<br />Wait, I’m wrong.<br />I can’t do better than this.<br />I’ll pay any cost.<br />Save me from being confused.<br />Show me what I’m looking for.<br />Show me what I’m looking for.<br />Show me what I’m looking for.<br />Show me what I’m looking for…oh, Lord.Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-14970883915011283892010-01-01T08:01:00.007-05:002010-01-01T17:53:37.095-05:00Happy 2010...Every Single Day Of It!<div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">"I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's."</b><br /><i style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Henry Moore, British sculptor</i><br /><br />When I was a little kid, I remembered being simply terrified of the thought of death and dying. I can remember fearing what came after this earthly life; not necessarily because--at that time--my life on terra firma was all that wonderful or full of things & people I'd really miss. No, I feared death for the same reason most humans fear anything or anyone: because I didn't know anything about it. As a matter of fact, the first time I became intimately familiar with death was when my father died two weeks after his 69th birthday, on July 20, 1995, when I was 32 years old. He had died of complications of untreated hypertension (well, untreated until it was too late & his heart & kidneys had basically been destroyed). I will always remember seeing him lying in his coffin, with an artificial peace painted onto his face. The last years of my father's life were anything but peaceful, and anything but golden for him, or for his family.<br /><br />Up 'til then, somehow God had spared me of such an intimate knowledge of that thing that seemed to have always frightened me. Looking back at my early childhood, for a good long while, I think I became obsessed with the thought of death, and wondering what sort of horrible fate awaited me "on the other side"...if there WAS an "other side". I guess my life experiences at that point were not the happiest, so I automatically assumed that whatever came after life would be at least as unappealing.<br /><br />As I grew older, and as I learned about God and faith, and those famous streets of Heaven paved with gold, I (very slowly) came to understand that--trite as it may sound--death is simply part of the famous "Circle of Life", and that all who are born must--one way or another--face the end the of the world. To this primordial rule, there are no exceptions or exemptions, and no higher authority from whom we can seek a reprieve. We are all born to die, whether we are prince (or princess) or pauper; whether we are greatly loved or thoroughly despised. In the end, there is always an end. Always.<br /><br />If you've read this far, you could not be faulted for thinking that the subject about which I am writing is such a downer, especially for a post meant to welcome in the Baby New Year, but I hope you will be able to see the method to my madness.<br /><br />With the death of my father, came a realization for me that in pondering & fearing whatever awaits us all on the other side of the thin veil of this life, I was allowing my own life here to slip past me. I was concentrating on that one leaf on that one tree & missing the big, beautiful forest that surrounds us all. In devoting so much of my own time & energy trying to find a way to somehow prepare myself for the end of all things, I was leaving so much undone & unseen in the here-and-now. In that way, my father & I were exactly alike: in not seeking treatment for his illness until it was just too late, he didn't take care of his life; and I didn't take the time to enjoy & appreciate the time I have in each moment of life that was gifted to me--giving away time I can never again retrieve to fear instead.<br /><br />Like most people, I am quite familiar with that old saw, "Take life one day at a time". Until recently, though, when my world was shaken so ferociously by the end of my 13-year relationship, I don't think I really understood the true meaning behind those words.<br /><br />Now, as I learn to live my life alone (for a while anyway), I am almost forced to "get it". While I have noticed some marked improvements, the truth is that my new reality is still difficult for me to adjust to. I don't have the luxury any longer of planning my life years, months, or even weeks in advance. I HAVE to take my life "one day at a time"--sometimes an hour at a time.<br /><br />Even in this new uncertainty in my life, and even in the midst of a heartache that still feels too sadly fresh sometimes, I am beginning to see the glimmer of a redemptive purpose to all I have thus far survived. I've begun to notice the quiet miracle of each sunrise. I've quite literally stopped to smell the roses. I've begun looking up again toward the heavens at night & trying to count a sky full of stars. These, and and all the other "small things"--commonplace to so many of us--are the REAL stuff of life, yet most of us--admittedly by necessity sometimes--are just too busy <b>not</b> taking it "one day at a time" to really take note of all that quietly comprises our lives...and we do so at our own peril.<br /><br />In none of it, are we given a promise or a guarantee that what we have & whom we love will be ours tomorrow...we're not even promised a tomorrow. If I never understood that before, I do now.<br /><br />So, though I loathe all those yearly resolutions I have never before been quite able to honor past the the initial week or two, as we begin the first day of the second decade of the 21st century, I hope to learn to have my eyes opened even more to the blessings--great & small--that abound in my not-so-unique life.<br /><br />In being intentionally & even stubbornly cognizant of <b>all</b> the gifts in my life, I am now aware that the path I must tread to emotional & spiritual wellness is not one that I can even face one day at a time, but one small step at a time.</div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-72106059103835776492009-12-26T17:22:00.002-05:002009-12-26T17:50:25.372-05:00No (Fox) News Is Good News!<div style="text-align: justify;">I've been seeing a commercial recently from the cable provider where I live (in central Florida), Bright House, explaining that Bright House and the Fox Network have still not negotiated a new contract, which is set to expire on December 31st. The Bright House commercial states the cable company wants Fox to keep its programming on the air while they continue to negotiate, even if they haven't reached an agreement by the end of this year. According to Bright House, nothing would stop Fox from continuing to provide access to their networks while negotiations are still being conducted. Bright House doesn't ask their customers to call Fox & ask them to keep their programming, whether they meet the deadline or not, but they suggest awfully hard.<br /><br />I read in the online version of the local newspaper, <i>The Orlando Sentinel</i> that Fox claims that Bright House isn't negotiating at all; <a href="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2009/12/fox-bright-house-is-not-negotiating-at-all.html">they're having Time Warner Cable negotiate for them</a> (Bright House bought out Time Warner here in Central Florida a few years back), which I don't get, but (as the kids say nowadays), "Whatever..."<br /><br />Anyway I just had to point out that, as a Bright House customer, I don't know & am not even slightly interested in what the hitch is in their negotiations or non-negotiations, but I would personally be ECSTATIC if I didn't have to see any Faux News programming on my cable menu at all. I hate even scrolling past their name when I'm trying to find something to watch on TV. As you can imagine, even if Faux News is lost to us here in central Florida, I can honestly say that--on my part--there will <b>not</b> be any love lost!<br /><br />The only thing that I'd miss even a little would be <i>Family Guy</i> and <i>American Dad</i>, but I know that sometimes we must be willing to sacrifice things that are quasi-important (see the shows listed above) for things that are more important (less Faux in my life).<br /><br />So, this year, I have an EXTRA reason to look forward to 2010! :-)<br /></div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-46908593072735343062009-12-24T08:06:00.003-05:002010-01-16T17:54:12.980-05:00You Gotta Love How Dolly Loves The Gays<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkv-WA3mLvP4kJzkqwiAKUeCUKPeDhsscyI5FnrgharYxeNJiF-39RN0k0nf8RCHJ4KN-LGRfuZUJet9KyVIp_EuLwEwGSo44MpdSKN9E4PJHZ2GrJktWQ2k6Ecop1BtnEAq6cpZAMLs/s1600-h/Dolly+Parton+Backwoods+Barbie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkv-WA3mLvP4kJzkqwiAKUeCUKPeDhsscyI5FnrgharYxeNJiF-39RN0k0nf8RCHJ4KN-LGRfuZUJet9KyVIp_EuLwEwGSo44MpdSKN9E4PJHZ2GrJktWQ2k6Ecop1BtnEAq6cpZAMLs/s320/Dolly+Parton+Backwoods+Barbie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418796358318175266" /></a></center><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm sure that it's probably not surprising to hear that <a href="http://www.theboot.com/2009/11/17/dolly-parton-gay-marriage">Dolly Parton supports equal marriage rights for same-sex couples</a>, but it just warmed every last cockle in my big ol' queer heart to see that she feels a kinship with us homosexuals because, like us, Dolly knows how it feels to not be accepted in the "mainstream"--whatever the [bleep] that is.<br /><br />In my humble opinion, Dolly & God have at least one thing in common: they both (using Dolly's words now) <i>love everybody for who they are.</i> Now that's what I call <b>true</b> Christianity!<br /><br />Speaking of which, in the article linked above, Dolly gives her opinion on mega-church pastor Joel Osteen's contention that "homosexuality is not God's best," and she does it in her always-loving way.<br /><br />You'd be absolutely correct to note that, physically speaking, Dolly is loaded up with plastic and silicone topped off with some great fake hair (I'm pretty sure she'd be the first to admit it), but that big ol' country heart of hers? As they might say down south, it's as genuine & as big as all get-out...even bigger than her tallest wig & her world-famous bosom! :-)</div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-74828065732263302532009-12-09T06:46:00.002-05:002009-12-09T06:48:53.814-05:00Love For Sale<div style="text-align: justify;">Well, not really <b>love</b>, but the right to celebrate that love with a legally-binding civil contract called "marriage".<br /><br />If you haven't already heard about it, a heterosexual woman from New York named Jamie Frevele, who claims she doesn't have any intention on using her right to marry is actually "selling" her right to marry on <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Jamie-Freveles-right-to-marry_W0QQitemZ220520532631QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item33580c4a97">Ebay</a>!<br /><br />I know it sounds odd, but what she actually plans on doing with the money from the highest bidder is to donate it to a LGBT rights group. I personally think it's pretty ingenious! It attracts attention to New York state's failure to provide equal marriage rights to same-gender couples AND it raises money for a good cause!<br /><br />Who knows how long Ebay will allow this particular auction to go on before it pulls the plug, but here's a screenshot the "item" for "sale" as of 6:40 am, Eastern (US) Time (the high bid at this time is $307):<br /><br /><center><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/misterc/pic/000142k6/"><img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/misterc/pic/000142k6/s320x240" border="0" width="320" height="189" /></a><br /><b>Click on the pic to enlarge it</b></center><br /><br />I also love Jamie's description of the "item", part of which reads:<br /><br /><i style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">I'm an unmarried heterosexual woman, and since I probably won't be using my right to get married, I would like to give it away. I would like to sell it to the highest bidder and donate the proceeds to an organization that supports LGBT rights since the government designed to protect all of us is picking and choosing based on what they think is icky, weird, or unkown to them.</i><br /><lj-cut style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);" text="part of which reads:"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);" text="part of which reads:"><i>Bid now, and you can have my super wonderful privilege and legal ability to get married as many times as you want in a classy place like the one pictured. You don't have to know the person, you don't have to like them, you don't have to think through your decision to get married or anything - you can just do it! Because you can! Come on, it's cool to get married, and think of the pictures you'll have to show people of this person that they will definitely think is so wrong for you and probably is! But heavens to BETSY, do NOT marry someone of the same gender because that would be a mockery of the institution of marriage.</i></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);" text="part of which reads:"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);" text="part of which reads:"><i>And if it doesn't work out, just get divorced. Half the cool people who get married do that anyway.</i></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);" text="part of which reads:"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);" text="part of which reads:"><i>I will write you up a fancy, wonderful, articulate proclamation handing over my right to get married. I have no official documentation because this is something I was born with since I was born heterosexual. Unfortunately, this is only a symbolic gesture. However, since I'm picky and difficult, it's probably something that, if a physical object, would have been considered pristine and shiny after some dusting. Your bid, on the other hand, is real, and the donation you make to an organization that supports those who have been treated as second-class citizens will be well worth it.</i></lj-cut></div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-27105096233443285452009-12-08T06:35:00.003-05:002009-12-08T06:40:57.856-05:00The Right Is Wrong<div style="text-align: justify;">Political columnist, and mostly-conservative columnist, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Sullivan">Andrew Sullivan</a>, who writes for <i>The Atlantic Monthly</i> recently wrote an article, he titled <i><a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/12/leaving-the-right.html">Leaving The Right</a></i> writes why he thinks the party is over for American conservatives, and why he felt moved to make such a public break with his political blood brothers (and sisters). Sullivan's column in <i>The Atlantic Monthly</i> follows a few days after Charles Johnson, another mostly-conservative blogger who runs <i><a href="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/35243_Why_I_Parted_Ways_With_The_Right">Little Green Footballs</a></i> explained that <i>The The American right wing has gone off the rails, into the bushes, and off the cliff. I won’t be going over the cliff with them.</i><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This certainly has been a long time in coming, but I am glad to see that some American conservatives (the REAL ones, not the neo-con type) are beginning to--as Dear Abby used to say--wake up & smell the coffee...but, I guess in this case, the smell is more akin to the fetid stench of a morally-poisonous, parasite-laden brew of faux ideology concocted by cynical, selfish, fear-driven-money-loving opportunists out to serve their own special interests by leeching off a valid political belief system (that I nearly always disagree with, but which I can respect because I know that--like me--they believe what they believe because they love their country, and want to make it better. These TRUE conservatives and I want the best for our country...we just disagree on how to do it).<br /><br />I know it may be hard to believe this--being as how I am as far away from "conservative" as Sarah Palin is from sanity--but I <b>really</b> do hope more true conservatives begin to smell the rot coming from the slow-but-sure death of their no-longer Grand Old Party, and get the fire in their collective political gut to not only stand up and say, "Enough is enough," but to fight to take back what was theirs.<br /><br />I am a (mostly) proud Democrat & progressive, but I am--first and foremost--a (mostly) proud American, and it is my country (& even the world) that would reap the benefits of a <b>strong</b> (at least) two-party system. A civil political discourse amongst people who may not hold the same point of view can only make this country stronger.<br /><br />With those who run today's American Right, it's impossible to have a real discussion of the issues of the day when they're not even interested in talking or compromising. Believing that they honestly know what's best for everyone else, bound-for-"glory", they proudly wear their blinders, cavalierly ignoring the will of all but the truest of believers, forcing their neo-con mirage of Utopia onto the rest of us--for our own good, of course! (<----Sarcasm)</div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-19628301014077780172009-11-28T08:41:00.001-05:002009-11-28T08:46:16.938-05:00And for this, I am truly thankful...<div style="text-align: justify;">Though I don't consider myself "elderly" (most days, anyway ;-), when I read <a href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/pet-health/pets-for-the-elderly.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyAging_20091128">this article</a> on one of my favorite websites, <i><a href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/">Everyday Health</a></i>, I thought about my own current situation--still trying to cope with the loss of my long-term relationship--and how much worse it all might have been had I not had my two loving beagles (Bela--named after the actor, Bela Lugosi--and Isis, the goddess) with me as I face a much different world than the one I had expected.<br /><br />If anyone who reads this has ever had the blessing of being a pet owner, then you probably know well what I mean when I say that, in my beautiful 4-legged family members, I find so much more than companionship, I truly find unconditional love. It doesn't matter how long I'm gone away (10 minutes or 10 hours) but when I come back home, my beagles are jumping for joy and wagging their cute little tails off, so happy to see me that they wear themselves out & have to take one of their patented beagle naps!<br /><br />On this first Thanksgiving without any of my human family, in the midst of trying to adjust to the not-so-sweet life of singlehood, I did as I have always done & took stock of all the blessings that I (still) have in my life, and (as usual) amongst the greatest of these blessings were those of the canine variety. :-)</div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-74646048091902461672009-11-18T07:21:00.004-05:002010-01-17T14:24:30.196-05:00Priceless: Gay Rights Activists Take Over Christian Right Hate-Fest in DC<div style="text-align: justify;">I am known to frequent a website called <b>Alternet.org</b>. <br /><br />Alternet was established in 1998 in part (to quote their website) <i>to confront the failures of corporate media, as well as the vitriol and disinformation of right wing media, especially "hate talk" media.</i> AlterNet is a two-time winner of the "Webby Award" for Best Web Magazine, among others, and it pulls no punches as regards their raison d'être. Again, quoting their website, <i>Alternet believes that media must have a higher purpose beyond the essential goal of keeping people informed. We insist on playing an active role in helping our community funnel its energy into change</i>; an important & necessary mission when you consider that people like Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh & Glen Beck are blaring out their fear-mongering, Us-vs-Them hate talk nearly 24 hours a day.<br /><br />Anyway, apparently a senior write for Alternet, Joshua Holland, writes in <a href="http://www.alternet.org/blogs/rights/144013/priceless%3A_gay_rights_activists_take_over_christian_right_hate-fest_in_dc">this recent Alternet article</a> about a group of conservative Christian ministers who came to Washington DC recently to protest the expansion of the federal Hate Crimes law recently passed in Congress & signed by President Obama to include sexual orientation & gender identity. In his article, Holland references a <i>Washington Post</i> column by <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111603248.html?hpid=opinionsbox1">Dana Milbank</a> about the happenings at this protest. Believe it or not, not only were they there to protest the law, they wanted to stand their & spew their lies & hate to prove the point that just by speaking the ugly things they believe they could be arrested. These people have always contended that allowing people like me to be protected from hate crimes meant that people like them could no longer freely speak their minds about the "threat" people like me represent to decent upstanding Americans (like them, supposedly), and to society in general.<br /><br />So sure of their belief that they would now be legally muzzled if they dare speak out against the homosexual threat that they came to the nation's capital in hopes of being arrested, so as to claim that--as a representative of the "Christian Anti-Defamation Commission"--"we'd have standing to challenge the law."<br /><br />But sadly (for them), not one person was arrested. They stood there on their Godly soap box speaking their alleged minds, and the few police officers that were there let them practice their freedom of speech unencumbered, of course. As Holland wrote, <i>To run afoul of the new law, you need to "plan or prepare for an act of physical violence" or "incite an imminent act of physical violence."</i> The same stipulations apply if you're speaking about people of color, disabled persons, or virtually any other group of Americans...including people of faith.<br /><br />For me, the best part of this story is that the man the conservative Christian ministers hired to set up audio equipment for their little get-together had taken the money they paid him for his work at the event & donated to gay rights activists. The AV guy also waited until after the ministers were done & then--before taking it all down--he allowed the gay activists to use the same podium & the same sound system to practice <b>their</b> right to free speech, too!<br /><br />After one of the ministers asked the AV guy if they were paying for the time "the homosexuals" were using (which they weren't, of course), he turned to one of the gay activists & asked "You guys gonna help us pay for the microphones?"<br /><br />Holland writes that <i>The gay activist smiled. "God," he said, "works in mysterious ways."</i><br /><br />Amen, brother! :-)</div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-71809671383323771002009-11-12T06:55:00.000-05:002009-11-12T07:02:20.997-05:00Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.<div style="text-align: justify;">The D.C. Catholic Archdiocese <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/11/AR2009111116943.html?hpid=topnews">has threatened to stop helping thousands of the needy</a> in the nation's capital if the District's City Council approves a <a href="http://www.glaa.org/archive/2009/b18-482committeeprint1110.pdf">pending bill</a> which states <i><b>that marriage between 2 people in the District of Columbia shall not be denied or limited on the basis of gender</i></b>, and which also <b><i>ensure[s] that no minister of any religious society who is authorized to celebrate marriages shall be required to celebrate any marriage...or solemnization of a same-sex marriage</i></b>.<br /><br />Though the Catholic Church in general is not usually known as a great supporter of GLBTQI equality, apparently <b>this</b> Archdiocese on <b>this</b> issue, has chosen to demonstrate their obvious displeasure with this bill by revealing a predilection toward being particularly punitive: castigating not just same-sex-loving people & our "enablers", but anyone & everyone in need under their religious purview.<br /><br />According to the <i>Washington Post</i> article referenced above, <i><b>Advocates for same-sex couples said they could not immediately think of other places where a same-sex marriage law had set off a break with a major faith-based provider of social services.</i></b><br /><br />The article, however, goes on to say that <i><b>[t]he church's influence seems limited</i></b>, with one of the 13 council members stating that the Church was being <i><b>"somewhat childish"</i></b>, and another council member saying that <i><b>he would rather end the city's relationship with the church than give in to its demands.</i></b> Good for them!<br /><br />After the loss in Maine, a victory for equal marriage rights in the nation's capital would be particularly encouraging, of course.<br /><br />As for the Catholic Church in DC, apparently the answer to the famous question, "What Would Jesus Do?", is to hold "the least of these" as hostages to their beloved dogma.<br /><br />I guess that the world (outside the Catholic Church, anyway) has gotten it wrong all this time: sometimes the baby <b>must</b> be thrown out with the bath water...for the baby's own good, of course! (Please note the sarcasm dripping from that last sentence) :-/</div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-79723122320283026382009-11-11T07:28:00.002-05:002009-11-11T07:29:02.404-05:00Michelle on Sesame Street!<div style="text-align: justify;">Though I am nearly as old as our President, I have loved Sesame Street since I was a little kid (I don't think I know ANYONE who didn't watch Sesame Street growing up), and--of course--I think that Michelle Obama is the most impressive, awesome First Lady certainly in my lifetime.<br /><br />So, if you put Michelle on Sesame Street talking about eating healthy & planting your own garden, you get very close to awesomeness overload...but it's well worth it!<br /><br />As you'll see, Michelle not only loves vegetables, but they love her, too! :-)<br /><br />The only thing I think that would have made this clip any better is if she & Big Bird did the fist bump! ;-)<br /></div><br /><center><lj-embed id="2109"><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IDpGE_ZUkXQ&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IDpGE_ZUkXQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /></lj-embed></center>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-80187820800026281042009-10-22T06:34:00.004-04:002009-10-22T06:42:29.386-04:00What Do You Think I Fought For On Omaha Beach?<div style="text-align: justify;">Meet 86-year-old Philip Spooner. He lives in Maine & is a veteran of World War II, and has 4 children. He gave testimony earlier this year at a hearing regarding marriage equality for same-sex couples in his home state. His words are sometimes difficult to hear & understand, but still, he speaks so clearly & eloquently on why it's wrong to deny to equality to all citizens. As Mr. Spooner explains, equality for ALL of his children & ALL Americans is why he put his life on the line for this great country all those years ago. Please give Mr. Spooner a listen...<br /></div><br /><center><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GrEbJBFWIPk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GrEbJBFWIPk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></center>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-11336119237838737402009-10-17T07:25:00.008-04:002009-10-17T19:41:55.923-04:0017,167<div style="text-align: justify;">I am 17,167 days old.<br /><br />Don't worry about doing the math; I'm 47 years old today. I am not sure what a 47 year old is supposed feel or act like, but I would wager that most people my age act considerably more maturely than I do...of course, I'm pretty sure that's always been true, no matter what age the calendar says I am. :-)<br /><br />This will probably NOT surprise anyone who knows me, but on this minimally-auspicious occasion, my mind (such as it is) started rambling (I could tell it was rambling because the rusty gears in my head made such a loud clunking noise). I got to thinking about famous (or at least semi- to partially-famous) people in history that I've outlived now that I've reached this quasi-milestone. Through the magical <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2006/07/02/sen-stevens-hilariou.html">series of tubes</a> we call the Internets, I was able to find a list of some people of some interest to some other people who weren't fortunate enough to make it to the age of 47.<br /><br />The following people (listed alphabetically) died at age 46:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">American silent film actor</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Ted Cassidy</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">American actor and voice actor, best known for playing the part of "Lurch" on the TV series, "The Addams Family"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Pierre Curie</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">French physicist and husband of Madam Curie</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Perry Ellis</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">American fashion designer</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">John F. Kennedy</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">35th President of the United States</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">T.E. Lawrence</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">British military officer and author</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">H.P. Lovecraft</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Carmen Miranda</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">50's Brazilian samba singer and actress</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">George Orwell</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">British novelist and journalist, author of the book, "1948"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Paul I of Russia</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Emperor of Russia (1796-1801)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Howard Rollins,</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">American actor (starred in the film,"Ragtime" & the TV Series, "In the Heat of the Night")</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">André René Roussimoff</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Professional Wrestler, best known as "André The Giant"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Oscar Wilde</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Irish playwright, poet and author</span><br /><br />I found the foregoing relatively interesting, and--though 20 years ago, I saw things a bit differently--now that I've made it, 47 doesn't really sound old at all.<br /><br />Still...I think it might behoove me to start thinking about my age in terms of dog years...which means I'm not even 7 years old yet! <span style="font-weight: bold;">;-)</span><br /></div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-35925260355203011872009-10-05T18:51:00.006-04:002009-10-05T19:15:03.973-04:00The Beauty of Beyoncé<div style="text-align: justify;">Musically-speaking, I cannot get enough of Beyoncé Knowles. She has such an amazing voice, but from what I've seen, her voice cannot rival her beautiful, amazing heart. As a non-music critic, but a fan of all kinds of music, I feel it safe to say that if our Ms. Knowles is not a musical superstar, she is certainly on the cusp of being so.<br /><br />I mention this because I am sure that anyone who follows music at all knows what happened at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) recently. 19-year-old Taylor Swift beat out 28-year-old Beyoncé for <b>Best Female Video</b> for Taylor's video for her song <i>You Belong With Me</i>. Beyoncé's video for her song,<i>Single Lady (Put A Ring On It)</i>, is as awesome as you would expect one her videos to be, but--alas--she lost fairly & squarely to Taylor Swift, and, as they say, to the winner goes the spoils...except that Taylor's spoils were spoiled by Kanye West, who took it upon himself to walk up on stage & take the microphone from the winner of the award & proceeded to talk about how wonderful Beyoncé's video is. In one aspect, I agree with Kanye: Beyoncé is a huge talent, but the rest of it was embarrassing, not just for Taylor, but for Kanye, who acted like a child--or, worse yet--like those screamers at this summer's town hall meetings about Health Care.<br /><br />Kanye West had nothing at all to do with this award (it's certainly not like he was nominated for anything in this category), but he felt that his thoughts on the subject were more important than what the actual winner of the award had to say.<br /><br />I may be oversimplifying things, but that's how I see what happened.<br /><br />The story had a happy ending though when Beyoncé invariably won an award & recalled how wonderful it was when she had won her first VMA, and asked Taylor Swift to come out & speak so she could REALLY enjoy her moment in the spotlight. Beyoncé gave up her own time, so this new young artist could fully experience the thrill of earning such a prestigious award.<br /><br />In that one act of kindness, Beyoncé proved that not only does she have a beautiful voice, but a beautiful heart, too! As far as I'm concerned, that makes her not only a winner in music & video, but, far more importantly, a winner in life.<br /></div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-71826544897608669922009-10-04T07:44:00.000-04:002009-10-04T07:53:01.311-04:00On Faith<div style="text-align: justify;">When I look back on my faith walk thus far, I can remember so much that very nearly destroyed me. I remember feeling so alone sometimes, and so worthless. My experience in Christianity has not been easy & I've had so many reasons & so many chances to just give up & get out, but--somehow--I couldn't. <br /><br />I still struggle every day to "keep the faith" when there are still so many out there who are so sure that I am not "one of them" & that I cannot share their God with them unless I change everything about myself that they don't like.<br /><br />I have thought through all these years about how much easier it probably would have been had God made me heterosexual, or had I left their little club once it became evident that there was no place for me in Christianity, or had I never even known about God in the first place. Like any of us humans, I would have preferred a much easier life (faith-wise) than the one I have actually lived, but (as the old saying goes) you have to play the cards that life deals you.<br /><br />I'm sure that I could have "played my hand" better than I did, but I now know that everything happens for a reason, even if we don't know that reason is right now. In the midst of the hurricane, it's hard to think about the light of the sunny day that always comes afterward.<br /><br />So, while it would be tempting to wish I could wipe away all those memories & all those tears, and while I have not always felt this way, I can now honestly tell you that--as heavy as my burden has been, and as lonely as I have felt in my life--I wouldn't change a thing. Not one. It was part of God's plan for my life, and I can even say now that I am even thankful for how things have turned out in my faith walk.<br /><br />I'm not saying that my life has been any harder than anyone else's; we all have our own trials & our own burdens. As Olivia Newton-John sang in <b><i>Grease</i></b><i>: Guess mine is not the first heart broken; my eyes are not the first to cry...</i>. When I look back & see all I've endured & when I remember nearly every hurt "the Church" has caused me, I see now how it's all gone to making me more sure of my faith, and more steely in my resolve that I <b>am</b> a child of God, albeit an imperfect, still-hurting child of God. I have had what has felt like many baptisms of fire since my baptism in the water all those years ago, and I know that it is those fires through which God has brought me that allows me to understand that faith is never easy, and true faith can never be taken away; if it is lost, it has been given away.<br /><br />In so many ways, I have earned my deep faith, but I know that faith is not like a trophy: you don't find it & then place it up on a shelf. Faith is something that becomes a living part of your being & it is something to which you must tend every day, and it is that thing inside the truest part of you that motivates you to keep on going even when you don't feel like you can.<br /><br />Had the events of my life gone at all differently, and had my walk been a little less rocky, and had I collected any fewer scars on my heart, who knows where I'd be right now? There's no telling, and really, no sense in dwelling on what <b>might have been</b>.<br /><br />But I <b>can</b> tell you that the freedom I feel today comes from that faith that I just couldn't seem to shake, forged by fire, and earned through a river of tears & a world of pain. Though they toiled mightily to do so, not even the most self-righteous Christian soldiers, Bibles clutched in their hands & raised to the Heavens as the preferred weapons of choice, hearts & eyes filled with the lust of spiritual war-without-end could take my faith or my God from me.<br /><br />I am not naive in this: they stand constantly at the ready to fight on & on & on, and I know they will always try, but I also know that they will always fail.</div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-55279908626881555462009-10-03T12:41:00.003-04:002009-10-03T12:59:04.052-04:00Girl Power!<div style="text-align: justify;">Females just don't tickle my fancy (romantically-speaking).<br /><br />Coming from a gay man, that may not sound all that surprising, I know.<br /><br />Truth is, though, that I really <b>do</b> love women. I always tell my friends that I actually love women in every way but one. I'm sure if you think about it, you'll get my meaning! ;-) <br /><br />Anyway, I saw a commercial today for Dove (you know, the company that makes soap, etc.), but it wasn't trying to sell any specific kind of soap or any new product. It was explaining about Dove's commitment to helping ensure that today's girls become tomorrow's strong, independent women by trying to help re-define beauty, and helping girls understand how unique & how powerful they can be.<br /><br />Though "living" in the closet was a horrible, devastating experience that I would never wish on <b>ANYONE</b>, I personally never knew a time in my life (even during those darkest of days) when I wondered if I might actually be heterosexual. I have <b>always</b> been attracted to the male of the species, and I never had fake dates with females to try to throw people off my track. I like to think that, somewhere in the back of my mind, I not only didn't want to make some kind of show for "the world", I also didn't want to lead on a girl who might have thought I was interested in her. It was bad enough involving myself in my lie of a life, much less dragging someone else into it.<br /><br />So, while it's true that I have never had and could never have romantic feelings for women, I have always admired them, and found them (at least the ones that have crossed my life's path) to be strong people (not necessarily physically, but emotionally & spiritually) and fiercely loyal friends. I can genuinely tell you without hesitation and without a single doubt that my life is so much fuller & happier today because of the women in my life who have stood by me and who have reached out to help lift me up every time I've fallen. I can't help but respect, admire, and even love females...in the most honorable sense of all those words. <br /><br />Watching the Dove commercial today, I was reminded that strong, confident women start out as young, impressionable girls, and that all of us (gay, straight, bi, asexual, pansexual...however you identify yourself) owe it to these girls to do our parts to make sure they know that they are just as valued, just as important & just as capable as boys. No doubt there are differences between boys & girls, that's just how life is, but I personally don't want to do to anyone else what I did to myself & begin a life concentrating on all the things you can't do or can't be. Girls AND boys need to know that they only limitations to their success in life is how big they can dream & how hard they're willing to work for what they want.<br /><br />Getting back to my main point for this post, Dove explains on its website that:<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.dove.us/?dl=/Products/BarSoapBodyWash/BB_White.aspx/#/cfrb/selfesteem/">The Dove Self-Esteem Fund</a> was developed to help free the next generation from self-limiting beauty stereotypes. Committed to reaching 5 million young women by the end of 2010, we invite you to play a role in supporting and promoting a wider definition of beauty.</b><br /><br />Until Dec. 15, 2009, if you buy any Dove product, you can visit <a href="https://secure.dove.us/tyfmad/upc_donation.aspx?dl=/Products/BarSoapBodyWash/BB_White.aspx/&SessionUID=85e77502-2186-44d3-9f94-1f7b84d0fb8b">Dove's website</a>, enter the UPC from the package, and Dove will donate $1 to your choice of either the <a href="http://www.girlscouts.org/">Girl Scouts</a>, the <a href="http://www.bgca.org/">Boys & Girls Clubs of America</a>, or <a href="http://www.girlsinc.org/index.html">Girls Inc.</a>, up to a maximum of half a million dollars! Dove does ask your name & address & they are limiting the donation to 1 per household, but it's a great way to support some great causes, and help start creating strong, powerful women who know their own value.<br /><br />As the great Pink song goes, <i>Respect is just a minimum, come on girl, and get you some...</i></div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-36846034124175099172009-09-30T19:41:00.010-04:002009-10-01T18:11:00.211-04:00A Change For The Better<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxtGuvO1uuEmgn7Za5B91T1dn9qsAOBxj3G4z45ds1g_0Tvp0qFU26KTcxQava0vAVedGmk0fm7-sqwB8lOxYXVq3kE7PtuW98_TEBetGvGsSp3nr2odLJuxlMkJ_iO83U4qLxyRGc3s/s1600-h/XXXXXXXXXXXX12345.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 574px; height: 97px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxtGuvO1uuEmgn7Za5B91T1dn9qsAOBxj3G4z45ds1g_0Tvp0qFU26KTcxQava0vAVedGmk0fm7-sqwB8lOxYXVq3kE7PtuW98_TEBetGvGsSp3nr2odLJuxlMkJ_iO83U4qLxyRGc3s/s320/XXXXXXXXXXXX12345.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387757494747396802" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Sorry for the blurry chart (not sure how that happened) but if you click on the chart, you will get see it much clearer. Got some of blood test results a couple of days ago & was impressed by my Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL and my HbA1C (which was lower last time, but which is till under the ADA's recommendations).<br /><br />On advice of my doctor, I've been taking <a href="http://www.trilipix.com/?s_mcid=gops002">Trilipix</a> and <a href="http://www.crestor.com/c/home.aspx">Crestor</a>, and--together with more exercise & watching what I eat (most of the time) it seems I have made some headway in living healthier. I was so proud of these numbers, I had to post them.<br /><br />Just like me, isn't it?<br /></div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-16503396855704947742009-09-28T05:57:00.006-04:002009-09-28T06:04:33.616-04:00Not Only Does She Know Why The Caged Bird Sings...<div style="text-align: justify;">No commentary needed at all for this piece of wisdom from the magnificent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_angelou">Maya Angelou</a>:</div><p></p><blockquote style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”</span></blockquote><h1 style="margin: 0pt;font-family:georgia;font-size:12px;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></h1>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3674996870487805214.post-75346486529253542272009-09-23T20:15:00.002-04:002009-09-23T20:17:47.202-04:00The End of The Beginning?<div style="text-align: justify;">Nate Silver, the guru-in-chief at my favorite political prognostication website, <a href="http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/">538.com</a> has posted<a href="http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/09/gay-marriage-is-fading-as-values-focal.html"> an article regarding the slowly-but-surely withering impact that equal marriage rights (a.k.a. "gay marriage") is having on the so-called "Values Voters"</a>.<lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry">At the most recent "Value Voters' Summit" held at the nation's capital, former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, beat out Mitt & Sarah & Newt & (to quote the <i>Gilligan's Island</i> song) "the rest" in a straw poll. (As an aside, not that they'd want me there, but had I been in attendance, I would have SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO voted for Sarah Palin!! I really, really, really want her to be the GOP presidential candidate in 2012!! ;-) If for nothing else, I am a HUGE Tina Fey fan, and I cannot get enough of her Sarah imitation. They so look like they were separated at birth!! (No offense to Tina!)</lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry">Anyway, Nate points out in his article that when these "values voters" were asked about what social issues matter most to them, "gay marriage" (a.k.a. equal marriage rights) fell from its previous spot in 1st place all the way down to #3, beaten out by abortion & "Religious liberty".</lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry">Nate also notes that it's not that "values voters" have given up the ghost where the "gay marriage" fight is concerned, but it just doesn't cause the fire in as many bellies as it used to. I suppose the GOP used the issue so often through the years & really delivered nothing substantive since DOMA during Clinton's term, that they may have just slowly begun moving on. </lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry">Also, whatever disagreements I may have with the "values voters", I know that they can read polls as well as anyone else. With more & more people in general learning more & more about equal marriage rights & with the population as a whole just being more comfortable with those of us in the sexual minority, and the obvious fact that the up-and-coming younger generation of Americans completely unchained from the fears & lies of the past, it seems to me that even these "values voters" are slowly coming to see the light. I think they know that, for the most part, they've gotten about as much political & legal mileage out of this clunker as they're gonna get.</lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry">Please don't get me (or Nate's article) wrong: The battle for GLBTQI equality is not over by a long shot & there is still some fight left in a good portion of these "values voters", but it seems that some on the right feel like they've got "bigger fish to fry" as they say!</lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry">I think that the words spoken by Winston Churchill nearly 7 decades ago may best describe this situation: <i>Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.</i></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry"></lj-cut><br /><lj-cut text="Bigger Fish To Fry">One can only hope...and pray!</lj-cut></div>Mr. C (a.k.a. Clarence)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17457508599204395576noreply@blogger.com0