¿WHAT IS THE NEXT ERA OF HIV PREVENTION?

HIV prevention has had two previous "eras" of prevention. When HIV/AIDS first broke, the primary message was "don’t get HIV or you’ll die." This era was before the time of effective medication (pre-1996). Once the field discovered some basic medications, the second era of HIV started where prevention attempts had an implicit assumption that we would be able to eradicate the spread of HIV.

However, today we need a third era of HIV prevention and I have a few ideas on what the new era should look like. We need an approach that affirms the importance of HIV prevention without using fear as the primary motivator. We also need to acknowledge the reality that HIV is no longer considered a deadly illness but is now a chronic illness. Don’t get me wrong; HIV is extremely serious, but, we might be able to learn from other prevention programs, smoking for example, in developing better HIV prevention.

We also need to see risky sexual behaviors as a symptom rather than the problem. Co-occurring problems such as drug and alcohol use, mental health concerns, sexual compulsivity, and poverty are but a few of the related issues that need to be addressed in prevention.

SO HOW DO YOU THINK THE COMMUNITY SHOULD MOVE FORWARD?

¡THAT'S SO GAY!

TODAY IS ALL ABOUT THE GAYEST THING(S) YOU’VE DONE…SO I AM WONDERING WHAT ARE SOME OF THINGS YOU GUYS HAVE DONE THAT COULD BE CLASSIFIED AS BEING SO GAY?

ASK THIS BEFORE HOOKING UP…

The Internet has become a breeding ground for people to lie about everything and one has to be careful. Just because it looks good doesn't mean that is what you are going to get when you meet.The picture is HOT!!! The conversation is flowing and he has just offered to come over your house. You are ready to get some serious action going. You give him your address and in twenty minutes exactly as he promised, Mr. Right Now is at your door. You open it and all hell breaks loose. Your fantasy man is nothing like the picture or as he described himself. To make matters worse, he is trying to act as if pictures were recent but just have slacked off from the gym in a few weeks, but you know that gaining 50 pounds in that span of time is not possible. This connection is not going to happen at all. Pissed at what has transpired, you vow not to use the internet to hookup. Could you have saved yourself the hassle? So here is how you can alleviate the games that come with online hook ups with these questions.

• HOW RECENT IS YOUR PICTURE? Online dating is about cutting to the truth. And that truth begins with the way people portray themselves. Asking this question will let you know how long it's been since the picture was taken. Generally, people should update their pictures every 6 months unless they have gained weight or changed physically. If either one is the case then the person needs to update ASAP! If the response to this question is, "This picture is a year old but my friends tell me that I look the same". Then ask for a recent picture and don't meet the guy without getting one. Yes this may seem like a harsh request but when you have driven an hour to meet someone that clearly had a deceptive picture, you will value this advice.

• DO YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR PICTURE? This question may seem like the same but it clarifies the first. I have meet men that have had recent pictures but decided to shave their head, started to grow twists, gained some weight recently , etc. My goal is to find out if I am going to get exactly what I am talking too at the moment. If you are dealing with a legit person, he will tell you if there have been since the last picture was taken.

• DO YOU LIVE ALONE? I am not a fan of room mates. Men have confided in me that they have gone to meet men only to find out that the "mate" was an ex-lover. If you are hosting, then be prepared to let people know if there are others that share your space. Understand that many people are freaked out to some level about meeting anonymously. For them to come to your house and find it packed with people, elevates their fear. Keeping safety in mind I offer this advice, do not visit anyone on a first meeting that has a room mate. Meet in a public place or have him visit your home.

• HOW OLD ARE YOU? Some guys online have two ages: the Interntet Age & the Real Age. Your job is to find out the real one. This may not be a major issue for some but imagine driving two hours to meet a man that has a picture and age that says he's 42. When you meet him, he tells you that is really 57. It's obvious that he's older but you are now pissed because you didn't get the facts. Some people may lie about the questions that we suggest you ask. Always let you potential hookups know that if anything is false when you meet that nothing is going to happen. The response will either be favorable or communication will stop. Either way you would have saved yourself the hassle. Use these questions and watch your connections improve.

TRUE BLOOD: SEASON 2, EPISODE 6 - HARD-HEARTED HANNA

On this episode of True Blood, we learn more about Bill's history with Lorena, Sookie and Hugo attempt to infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun, Tara and Eggs stumble upon more of Maryann's shenanigans and Sam and Daphne take their relationship to a whole new level.

BILL & LORENA: Eric has summoned Lorena, Bill's maker, apparently in an effort to bend cranky Bill to his will. Her presence triggers a flashback to Chicago in 1926. Playing the part of a French woman named Fabiane, Lorena is charming the pants off a boorish, nouveau-riche couple while her partner-in-glamoring, Guillaume (aka Bill), plays the piano and sings "Hard-Hearted Hannah" (subtitle: "The Vamp of Savannah"). It's a song made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, but Bill's Jazz Age rendition is also pretty sweet.

Bill and Lorena's seductions are successful, but instead of a hot fourgy, the vampire pair drains the poor couple so they can steal their house. And then Bill and Lorena do it in the resultant pool of blood….EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

SOOKIE & HUGO: Isabel volunteers her human boyfriend, Hugo to accompany Sookie on her mission to infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun. This gives the pair the opportunity to chit-chat about the pros and cons of dating a vampire, but when Hugo brings up the subject of Isabel "turning" him, Sookie clams up.

They pose as Holly and Rufus, an engaged couple looking for a place to get married, and they're greeted by Sarah Newlin herself. "Aren't you just a cool breeze on a summer day?" Sarah coos when Sookie-as-Holly tells her she's cute as a button. Actually, before they meet, Sookie compares Sarah to vanilla pudding, but for my money I'd say she's more of a lemon meringue.

The Newlins (the Rev. joins them) show Sookie and Hugo the Light of Day Chapel, which is, indeed, full of light. Symbolically, it's there that Sookie sees the light by reading the Newlins' thoughts and figures out that they're up to no good, and are going to stake a 2,000-year-old vampire at sunrise.

But Rev. Newlin is doing some keen observation as well, because he's already on to Sookie and Hugo. He offers to show them his father's tomb in the basement, and soon enough, Drill Sergeant Gabe and the Rev. are forcing Sookie and Hugo down the stairs and into the darkness.

@ JESUS CAMP Meanwhile, Luke and an oblivious Jason have a special assignment from the Rev.: to build a platform for a Meet the Sun ceremony, in which a vampire is nailed to the cross and then an audience watches as he or she bursts into flames as the sun rises. Fun! The Newlins present it as some big honor, but it's kind of a pain in the butt to Jason, as his tiny brain is occupied still processing the close encounter he had with Sarah the night before. He asks Luke about abstinence, and concludes hilariously that it's the right choice for him.

Without knowing that his sister is now locked in the basement, Jason enters the church to tell the Newlins that the platform is done. Up in the balcony, Sarah is having a moment. You see, Steve is not just preparing an army to defend themselves against vampires; he's planning to start a war with vampires. "He's vicious and he's cruel and he uses the C word," Sarah says. She goes in for a kiss, but Jason is skeptical. "I was put here on Earth to be that great woman behind her great man," Sarah says. "I'm supposed to be with you. How can this be wrong if it's what God is commanding me to do?" And then of course they get BIZ-AY. I think we need one of those safety calendars like they have in factories that say, like, "16 Days Since Our Last Accident" for Jason's adventures in abstinence.

LAFAYETTE: Andy questions Lafayette about his disappearance. Andy is suspicious because since his return, Laf has "lost some of his pizzazz," and if he had gone on a gay cruise like he claims, he would have come back with more pizzazz. Laf is clearly spooked by his time in the dungeon, and sees Eric questioning him instead of Andy, which naturally freaks him out. Terry intervenes, scolds his cousin and reassures Laf. He even gives him a hug, telling him to imagine a "golden glowing ball radiating warmth."

Just when Laf thinks things are back to normal, Pam shows up at Merlotte's to inform him that he is back in business selling V. No explanation is forthcoming for why he should resume committing the very crime that got him in trouble with Eric in the first place, but I'm guessing it's some more Godric-related reconnaissance.

HOYT & JESSICA: Hoyt's mother, canceled his cell phone to prevent him from talking to Jessica, who calls at all hours of the night. Hoyt lets the vampire girlfriend out of the bag, and this makes Maxine clutch her pearls. Hoyt is so emboldened by this conversation that he drives all the way to Dallas apparently to see Jessica. It's a romantic moment for the pair, and it made me really root for them.

SAM & DAPHNE: Sam and Daphne are basking in the glow of sex on the pool table. He finally asks her about the scratches on her back, and she says that she never saw who or what did it to her, but she was sick for weeks. She changes the subject and asks Sam who knows he's a shifter. For a moment, I think it's nice that they have this odd backstory in common, but then I remember that I've already convinced myself that Daphne is totally evil, so I keep my emotions in check.

It's hard not to be charmed when Sam suggests they leave work, shape-shift and go "run and play." So they do, playing chicken with poor Andy Bellefleur's car. "I know that pig!" grunts Andy, when he sees Daphne's go-to shift toddling along with Sam-as-collie. Andy's mind is obviously reeling as he remembers all the other out-of-place pigs he's seen recently.

@ THE ORGY: Uh-oh, the water heater is broken at Chez Stackhouse, and Maryann is kind of cranky because both her shower and her coffee are cold. So Tara and Eggs have to leave to go pick up a part or something. Along the way, Eggs starts acting all medium-like, asking Tara to turn off the road at a diner built in an old red barn. This leads Eggs into a field to which he insists he has been. There are discarded clothes, an extinguished fire and a rock that appears to be caked in dried blood. It's disturbing that he can't remember when he was there, but then again, we've seen how the average Maryann party alters its attendees, right?

Eggs is shaken up, so they head back to Sookie's house, where a familiar scene is unfolding. The house is trashed, like there's been a party, and there's a trail of clothing leading out to a back field. There's a fire burning, Maryann is vibrating and — oh, right — everyone there is totally doing it, including Arlene and Terry.

Daphne apparently has a kinky streak because she is taking Sam to the orgy as well. But! Just when things start to get interesting — oh hey, there's Tara and Eggs with big black pupils doing it in the field as well! — Daphne has an announcement to make. "It's the end of the road," she tells Sam, and with that, she approaches Maryann and helps her put on her ceremonial bull head as she starts chanting in Greek and Karl brings over the ceremonial dagger. What do she and Maryann have in store for poor Sam?

What did you think of "Hard-Hearted Hannah"? Was it good to see Bill's evil streak? Do you think Jason will save his sister from Rev. Newlin? What do the vampires have in store for Lafayette? Are you rooting for Hoyt and Jessica? And what on earth could Maryann's possible endgame be for the people of Bon Temps?

REMEMBERING E. LYNN HARRIS...

E. Lynn Harris, whose novels about successful and glamorous black men with sexual identity conflicts (and the women and men who love them) made him one of the nation’s most popular writers, died in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was 54 and lived in Atlanta.

 
Mr. Harris fell briefly ill earlier in the week on a train to Los Angeles, said Laura Gilmore, a publicist for Mr. Harris, but he had seen a doctor and everything seemed fine. She said she had spoken to him by phone at his hotel Thursday evening and had no inkling of a problem. He died shortly thereafter.

 
“A doctor was called and couldn’t revive him,” Ms. Gilmore said.

 
Mr. Harris clearly tapped a rich vein of reader interest with his racy and sometimes graphic tales of affluent, ambitious, powerful black men — athletes, businessmen, lawyers and the like — who nonetheless struggled with their attraction to both men and women. His books married the superficial glamour of jet-setting potboilers with an emotional candor that shed light on a segment of society that had received little attention: black men on the down low — that is, men who are publicly heterosexual but secretly have sex with men.

 
Mr. Harris, who was openly gay but who lived for many years in denial or shame or both over that fact, was able to draw on his own experiences to make credible the emotional conflicts of his characters, and his readers, many of them women, were drawn to his books because they addressed issues that were often surreptitiously pertinent to their own lives.

 
Mr. Harris’s leap to fame was an unlikely success story. He was in his mid-30s, making his living as a computer salesman, when he began to write. His first book, “Invisible Life,” was self-published in 1991 — and he sold it himself, too, out of his car, on black college campuses, in barbershops in black neighborhoods — until it was discovered and published as a trade paperback in 1994.

 
After that Mr. Harris wrote 11 other books, including “Just as I Am,” “If This World Were Mine,” “A Love of My Own” and “Any Way the Wind Blows.” A memoir, “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” underscoring how far and how fast Mr. Harris’s star rose, begins with his suicide attempt in August 1990. According to his publisher, Doubleday, Mr. Harris had 10 consecutive books on the New York Times best-seller list, and more than four million copies of his books are in print.

 
Everette Lynn Harris was born in Flint, Mich., on June 20, 1955, and grew up in Little Rock, Ark. He met his father only briefly, when he was 14, and for years had believed that Ben Odis Harris, who had married his mother, was his biological father. In his memoir Mr. Harris wrote that his stepfather, a sign painter by trade, was a drinker who beat him and his mother, Etta, and who routinely humiliated him for any behavior he deemed “sissy.” His first homosexual experience occurred in the ninth grade; it and many others ended badly. The confusion and alienation he felt as a boy and as a young man would become the fuel for his fiction.

 
“There was no category for someone like me,” Mr. Harris said in an interview with The New York Times in 2003, “who wanted everything I saw on TV and who wanted everything I thought the world wanted for me — a relationship with someone, a home, to achieve a certain degree of the American dream.”

 
Mr. Harris studied journalism at the University of Arkansas, where he was a cheerleader, a pursuit that became a lifelong passion; he later coached cheerleaders at his alma mater. After college he went to work as a salesman for I.B.M.

 
In addition to his mother, who lives in Little Rock, he is survived by three sisters, Anita Harris-Nelson and Janetta Ogbulafor, both of Little Rock, and Zettoria McDaniel of Irving, Tex.

 
In one way, Mr. Harris owed his success to a stranger. One day in the early 1990s, he walked into a bookstore in Atlanta to try to persuade the store manager to carry his self-published book and was given some advice from a saleswoman on the floor whose name he never learned. She told him that he needed a New York agent and that the agent he needed was a man named John Hawkins.

 
“I have no idea who she was or how she knew of me,” Mr. Hawkins said. “But he contacted me, and I read his book, and I said ‘Sure.’ ”

 
He inspired many that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. E. Lynn, you will truly be missed!

ANYTIME YOU NEED A FRIEND

ANYTIME YOU NEED A FRIEND is a song written and produced by American singer Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, and recorded for Carey's third studio album Music Box (1993). It is a gospel-tinged ballad whose protagonist informs a friend that anytime they need a friend she will be there. It was released as the album's fourth and final single in the second quarter of 1994. All of Carey's previous singles had been top five hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but ANYTIME YOU NEED A FRIEND ended this streak entering at number 45 and peaking at number 12, remaining in the top forty-twelve for eighteen weeks and on the chart for twenty-one. Despite this, it was popular on the radio and was ranked number 47 on the Hot 100 1994 year-end charts, giving Carey three singles in the top half of the chart. When I hear this song I am reminded that sometimes the best thing you can give another person is the GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP…When we give ourselves in this way we tend to do so much more for another; ESPECIALLY when it done free of misgivings AND thoughts of compensation.

¡I DEFINE ME!

I am a beautiful Black man

Living in a society that wishes to mold me
But my self-respect won’t allow anyone but myself to define me.
I don’t have a need to be trendy
Insubstantial judgments rarely do offend me

I am who I am I choose freely who I wish to be

It is not hard to fathom how I define me.
I don’t need to prove I am smart ass

Just to show that I have class

So I can fit in with the shallow cliques and deceitful friends
God made me beautifully articulate,

Do you see & I define me?

I don’t need a man standing by my side

To attain a sense of self-pride

A strong man’s love is a commodity to be known

But before a man undermines my strengths I’d gladly stand alone.

Do I possess weaknesses
Yes, that’s for sure,

But what makes me the king I am is my ability to endure.

You see, I define me
Though it’s not always done easily
because the perils of a weak society
often catch me in an unjust propriety.

They say a GAY man is something to be feared!

Because I choose my own path,

Shouldn’t be something that’s revered?

I was not presented with a silver spoon @ the time of my birth
but I didn’t wait around for the world to determine my intrinsic worth.

I chose to stand out never waiting for a hand out

I chose never to wait on destiny when I was perfectly capable of defining me.
So please take off your blinders and see this world won’t give credit where it’s due
Until you stand on your own & decide to define you.

 © tgk

¿WHAT AM I?

SKIN MEETS SKIN,

HAIR MEETS HAIR

& BALLS DISAPPEAR…

¿WHAT AM I?

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIFE ~ WORDS BY DALAI LAMA ~

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

Memorize your favorite poem.

Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

When you say, “I love you”, mean it.

When you say, “I’m sorry”, look the person in the eye.

Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

Believe in love at first sight.

Never laugh at anyone’s dreams.

Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

Don’t judge people by their relatives.

Talk slowly but think quickly.

When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”

Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

Call your mom.

Say “bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.

When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.

Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

Smile when picking up the phone, the caller will hear it in your voice.

Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

Spend some time alone.

Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Read more books and watch less TV.

Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll get to enjoy it a second time.

Trust in God but lock your car.

A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.

In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

Read between the lines.

Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

Be gentle with the earth.

Pray. There’s immeasurable power in it.

Never interrupt when you are being flattered.

Mind your own business.

Don’t trust a man/woman who doesn’t close his/her eyes when you kiss.

At least once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth’s greatest satisfaction.

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.

Learn the rules then break some.

Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Remember that your character is your destiny.

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

TRUE BLOOD: SEASON 2, EPISODE 5 – NEVER LET ME GO

On last night’s episode of TRUE BLOOD, Jason continues to impress his brainwashers with his promise, most significantly the delightful Sarah Newlin. Lafayette is back at Merlotte's, which Maryann has turned into a wasp's nest of discord in an effort to get back in Tara's good graces. In Dallas, Sookie hopes that fellow telepath Barry will help her in her plan to find the 2,000-year-old vampire Godric — a plan that will unwittingly reunite her with her brother.

@ JESUS CAMP: Jason starts boot camp for the Soldiers of the Sun, and quickly becomes Luke’s ally when he couldn’t climb over the fence and he begins to cry; which pleases Sarah in ways that will she will take in hand later (especially since her husband dismisses her in front of Jason)….The Newlin are hatching some evil plan that Sarah thinks "goes too far." It's looking like Sookie and her brother are going to cross paths soon, so it's a fair assumption that it has something to do with the missing vampire Godric.

For some odd reason women don’t take humiliation too well and Sarah being Sarah recovers by washing Jason while he's in the bathtub. She offers him a VERY thorough bath AND a little story about Mary Magdalene bathing Jesus as a sign of her devotion. "Let me reward you, Jason," she says. "Let me help you find your way back to joy." But! Instead of drying his feet with her hair or whatever, she gives Jason a hand job in the tub…SWEET JESUS!

@ MERLOTTE'S: So this week we found out that Daphne is a shape-shifter and her animal of choice: a doe…The trusting Sam appears to dig their new secret kinship, which only makes me more suspicious that Daphne is actually a plant, sent to Merlotte's by Maryann to keep an eye on Sam. Am I crazy? She does have the scratches on her back that says so…

Lafayette is back! He remains mum on the details of his disappearance, but it's clear that he is a changed man. So for like 30 minutes or so, everything is hunky-dory at Merlotte's. That is, until Maryann and Eggs pull up outside the bar. Maryann stays in the car and did her thing which causes problems for Tara. As the insults, accusations and judgments fly, it's clear that Maryann is able to spread discord as well as euphoria. Also, did anyone notice that whatever Maryann was doing to Tara, Sam, Arlene and Terry appeared to have no effect whatsoever on Lafayette?

Later that evening Sam and Daphne had their way with each other on the pool table…guess he should enjoy himself a bit.

@ SOOKIE'S: Maryann, Karl and Eggs have moved into Sookie's house, uninvited. Apparently, Maryann’s home was just a loaner, and now the trio is homeless. Naturally, Tara shoots down the idea, as she herself is a guest in casa Stackhouse.

After having a really bad night at Merlotte's, Tara comes home and tells Maryann, who is now wearing an apron and dressing the part of the mother Tara so desperately needs, that she and her merry men can stay for now.

IN DALLAS: After her accidental meeting with also-telepathic Barry the bellman at the vampire hotel, Sookie is excited to meet someone who shares her gift. Barry is not as chuffed, as he sees it as a burden. In fact, he's had to surround himself with vampires to silence the voices in his head. Sookie so spooks him that we find out later that he quit his job at the hotel, and is now missing.

Bill is (what else is new?) upset that Sookie has revealed her gift to someone else, as her safety is vital. He's also cranky about Jessica having ordered a man on which to feed from room service. His mood is momentarily lifted as Sookie suggests they have sex. With Fake Mommy and Vampire Daddy off fang-banging in the other room, Jessica calls Hoyt, and they have a sweet conversation in which he tells her about the comic book he's reading.

Sookie, Bill and Eric meet with Isabel and Stan, high-ranking officials in the Dallas vampire hierarchy. Sookie points out that only Isabel and Stan knew that Sookie, Bill and Jessica were coming to Dallas, so there must be a traitor within their organization.

I like seeing the interaction among Isabel, Stan, Eric and Bill, as it underscores the fact that some vampires are good and some vampires are not. And just like humans, their relative merits and drawbacks all exist in shades of gray. Eric is visibly incensed that their squabbling is distracting them from their mission: finding Godric. Bill picks up on his excessive concern, which propels us into a 1,000-year-old flashback, in which we learn that a young Godric was Eric's maker.

Sookie volunteers to infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun to find out if they're involved in Godric's disappearance. Bill (what else is new?) resists the idea, but eventually agrees to it. While Bill and Sookie have sex Bill’s maker comes traipsing down the hotel hallway, listens in at the door, and exposes her fangs.

So, what did you think? Again, what is Maryann's endgame? And does Daphne have anything to do with it? What's up with Lafayette? And how will Sookie's mission be compromised once she discovers that Jason is the Fellowship's head vamp staker?

DEFINING MY DIRECTION…

Today the beauty of both the universe AND man have met @ an intersection and I give myself PERMISSION to bask in its loveliness as I lose myself to the grandeur AND beauty of FATE! Today I fulfill the intense desire that will consequently change my life in SO many ways…NO longer will the world see me through lens…Those of you that have been reading my blog for a while know of the struggles I’ve had with seeking employment that NOT only gives me something to live off, but that drives me to be the best that I can. So as I put on my shirt N’ tie and head into my future, I will walk knowing that the disappointment of jobs past has prepared me for today. This is one endeavor I consciously plan to pursue because for far too long I knew my purpose, but never had the chance to professionally make it real…So I am sending all the POSITIVE energy in the universe ahead into my day despite the FACT that human tendency is for us to focus on what we fear OR dislike…I REFUSE to miss out on the joy AND richness of this moment because I have cast off the fog of the past, taken several deep, grounding breaths and reaffirm the LOVE I have for myself…I don’t know about you, but I am EAGER to receive the blessings the universe has set aside for me…SO WATCH ME AS I GRADUALLY WIDEN THE CIRCLE OF THIS LIGHT UNTIL IT COVERS EVERYTHING & EVERYONE THAT READS THIS BLOG…WATCH ME TRUST THAT OPEN DOOR FOR THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR ME TO ENTER A NEW SPACE…AS I CROSS THE THRESHOLD INTO A NEW LIFE, BUT HOW ABOUT YOU MEET ME CAREER DRIVE N’ OPPORTUNITY BOULEVARD FIRST?

BEING YOUR OWN CHURCH…

What if you were born into a different culture? Would you have been conscious enough to find your way back to your current belief system? Or are your current beliefs merely a product of your environment AND NOT the result of conscious choice? Many churches are just a mixed of what came before AND MANY religious teachers (i.e. priests, rabbis, ministers, etc.) don’t have any REAL authority over our SPIRITUALITY, yet we believe the things they tell us…So how do we combat this? How do we navigate in a world when survival requires us to be in possession of SO many skills? Most individuals rely on the support of a church, whether populated by strangers OR community members, to effectively address the numerous ways they need spiritual assistance. This can mean anything from asking others to pray for them, leaning on members for support OR taking the word of a man that has a connection with God. Now I am all for community AND togetherness, but I am under the impression that each human being is born with the capacity to be their own church…Think about it, we embody many roles throughout our lifetimes, all of which are representative of our capacity for self-sufficiency and self-determination. In different moments in our lives, we are our own pastor, deacon, elder, mother, sister AND brother. Our willingness to joyfully take on these roles grants us the power to maintain control over the direction of our lives take. Hence I believe that us going to church shouldn’t be about what pastor say, but more about enhancing what we know is true to begin with…I find it SO interesting that SO many of us feel uncomfortable standing at the helm of our own existence when it comes to OUR spirituality. We question our ability to make decisions concerning our own happiness, welfare AND connection to God, which leaves us feeling dependent AND powerless. By BEING OUR OWN CHURCH, we ultimately take responsibility for our lives, which shows us that we have the NECESSARY faith AND intelligence to cope with any circumstance the universe chooses to place in our path. Hence this PROVES that we can exist AND worship on our own…However, BEING YOUR OWN CHURCH does not mean embracing isolation, for a balanced life is built upon the dual foundations of the inner and the outer church. Rather, BEING YOUR OWN CHURCH is a celebration of your wondrous inner strength and resourcefulness, as well as an acknowledgment of your natural ability to capably steer the course of your life…SO BEFORE YOU GO TO CHURCH TODAY, MAKE SURE YOU VISITED YOUR CHURCH FIRST…& JUST BECAUSE PASTOR SAY THAT HIS CHURCH IS DIVINELY INSPIRED DOESN’T MEAN IT IS…WE MUST ALL REMEMBER THAT THE TOP CHURCHES ARE DECIDED BY POPULARITY, NOT BY TRUTH! SO DOESN’T IT MAKE SENSE FOR US TO KNOW OUR TRUE CHURCH BEFORE STEPPING FOOT IN SOMEONE ELSE’S?

BEAUTIFUL LIFE

BEAUTIFUL LIFE is a hit song by Swedish band Ace of Base, released in Autumn of 1995. In North America it was the first single released from the band's The Bridge; in Europe it followed Lucky Love. The song was written on January 1, 1994 by band member Jonas Berggren while he was in the Canary Islands. His earlier song The Sign had just hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Berggren incorporated gospel elements into the song, and the single proved quite successful worldwide, reaching #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the UK Singles Chart. It also hit #1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. I was feeling a bit philosophical today and found myself reflecting on what really matters in life. I was thinking about my life experiences and examine the lessons I’ve gained from them and every time I hear this song, I am reminded that life is beautiful despite the bad things that happen.

THE MALE FORM (PART II)

TWO MONTHS AGO I POSTED (PART I) IN THIS SERIES & NOT HERE IS PART II…I HOPE YOU ENJOY THESE BLOGS AS MUCH AS I DO…THE DAILY MAN~CANDY IS WORTH THE TRIP…DO ENJOY!!!

 
 

1. SEXY HOT MALE MODELS – This blog proves his GREAT appreciation for THE MALE FORM with sexy glamorous images. An homage to the creatures God created, you feel as if you are in a steamy sauna because the models he selects look hot as hell. The often unusual angle used on this blog makes you feel that you are actually their, watching the sexy men relaxing, and the sweat that undoubtedly trickles over your forehead and between your shoulder blades by seeing the result of this photos only adds to the experience…YOU WERE WARNED!


2. SEXY BLACK DUDES – One of the nice things about this blog are the beautiful surprises that await you everyday. Just imagine, it is Sunday morning, and the sun shines through the curtains. You feel lazy and rested, and slowly wake up. The first thing you do is take a cup of fresh coffee and turn on your computer in order to see what is going on in blogosphere. This is one of those moments that everything seems nice and beautiful. You think it can’t get any better. Until you find this blog…WHAT SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU TODAY?


3. SEXY MALE CELEBRITIES – For most of us, being shy is a HUGE handicap. And it is TRUE that it is difficult to deal with. However, being shy can also lead to GREATNESS! It forces us to communicate in different ways…You would be surprised to know how many celebrities are actually shy, able to cope with it by pretending to be someone OR something else. But if you were to take a look @ this blog, you wouldn’t think that is ever the case with the male celebrities that are featured…This blog gives you art in motion, as the featured celebs use their bodies as a medium to speak to us on levels we could only dream of…


4. FIT SPORTS MEN – If there is ONE thing we could learn from the Greeks is the FACT they were the FIRST to recognize the beauty in sports and athletics. So when you view this blog you will undoubtedly be looking @ the human body in all its natural beauty as the piece of art it is…This blog presents an energy that cannot be ignored. There are other blogs that present men in the athletic arena, but this blog gives us that extra special something…this is what THE MALE FORM is all about...and what makes this such a good blog…


5. SEXY MUSCLE DUDES – Just imagine: a place with warm, sun-drenched rooms and an intimate pool, and it is full of beautiful, well-built sexy men, waiting for you to come home. An impossible dream? Not at all. You find it all in hand reach, with this blog. The title says it all and the men do NOT disappoint…They are sensual in the most masculine way. Their amazing bodies are real life sculptures, pieces of art. They seem unobtainable. But this blogger has placed them in an environment so well-known and recognizable, that these god-like creatures have become real human beings, and you only have to close your eyes to imagine them in your own house…SO CLICK THE LINK!


6.  THE NAKED BLACK GUY – This blog is all about ogling over hot pix of blogger himself, can anything be any hotter? He is the PRIME example of what a man should embody and he is NOT defined by HIS sexuality. He is a leader in my book because he chooses to create greater appreciation of THE MALE FORM by having us see a man living comfortably in his own skin… but don’t take my word for it, gaze upon his manhood with your own eyes…


7. BONE2BONE – I don’t know about you guys, but for me, there are certain blogs that are just like that a nice FRESH breeze that blows through your home and this is one of those blogs…The images are ALWAYS on point and this blogger’s style is ALWAYS fresh…SO PEEP HIS SPOT, I AM SURE YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID…


8. THAWICKEDONE – This blogger should be prized for his ability to capture the essence of man in such non-subtle ways. His erotic photographs of stunning men not only stir the contents of your trouser, but they captivate the soul as well. And like he says on his blog he is, “Addicted to subjective beauty, ordinary and extraordinary forms of men's sexuality.” So check him out, you won’t be disappointed…


9. SEXY & KOOL – Sometimes stylish and elegant, sometimes suggestive, provocative and erotic. Always sensual and never boring. That pretty much summarizes the images of this blogger. This blogger has a sophisticated style that allows us to realize our fantasies through the images he presents without ever losing that classy style which is so characteristic for THE MALE FORM. Looking at these images you can feel the sensuality, the sexual temptation, the urge to let yourself go and to give in to the pleasure of complete surrender. You feel moments SO full of passion that you can’t help but want more…ARE YOU READY TO GET TRAPPED IN THIS BLOGGER’S PARADISE?


10. SIR YELLOW BONE – I get the feeling that in order to preserve his own personal style, this blogger rarely looks @ the postings of other bloggers. The images he posts are unlike any other…His blog doesn’t give you a copy of OR have any influence from other bloggers. There are similar images on other blogs, but his presentation of THE MALE FORM ALWAYS leaves me wanting more…This blog ALWAYS create a DIRECT connection between the photos and the viewers…SO GET CONNECTED!!!.


11. THE BEST OF MEN – This blog would have you believe that THE MALE FORM, @ its physical peak, is the most pure and beautiful form of art. If you desire to escape the often clichéd depictions of man, discard what you think you know and allow yourself to be capture by the purity, sensuality and sculptural beauty of man. This blog lifts beautiful men from the two dimensional world of the photographic image to create images of the nude male that are timeless and which capture the true beauty, power and majesty of the male body…To say I can’t get enough of blog would be an understatement…


12. MR. BABEL – This blog reminds us that we’ve been there…in that place where fantasies, dreams and sometimes almost irresistible urges to do something different, collide. We are reminded that SEX does that to us and this blog gives us THE MALE FORM through Exhibitionism and voyeurism, SM, sex in public places and things that make us express ourselves in ways that are so contradicting to who we really are. The question is- when we act, in private OR in public, who are we really? This blogger is NOT afraid to post images that forces you to ask yourself these questions…He gives us the MOST vivid dreams and vision with his the images he posts on his blog…We have a world created for us where sexuality AND pleasure are NOT bizarre, everything is excepted and everyone is beautiful…SO GO & FIND BEAUTY…


13. TROY – I find it interesting how some blogs can be less visible than others but still make an unforgettable impression. This blogger’s appreciation for THE MALE FORM speaks for itself and I am SURE that when you go to site you will agree with me. His everlasting quest for THE MALE PERFECTION is shown by the various types of men he presents to us in an almost narcissistic way. We are his audience and the daring looks we get from the images he post almost seems like an invitation to join them…

BLOGGERS UNION AUGUST 2010

SO THE MODERATORS & I HAVE BEEN TOSSING AROUND IDEAS FOR OUR UNION & WE ALL AGREE THAT THE BAHAMAS (MY PLACE OF BIRTH) IS GOING TO BE THE PLACE FOR OUR FIRST ANNUAL UNION...YOU CAN E-MAIL ME THEGAYTE_KEEPER@YAHOO.COM WITH COMMENTS, QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS...

¿IF NO ONE KNEW...?

¿WHAT WOULD BE THE ONE THING YOU WOULD DO IF NOBODY WERE TO FIND OUT?

TRUE BLOOD: SEASON 2, EPISODE 4 – SHAKE & FINGERPOP

On Sunday's True Blood, The Newlins have a special job for Jason, and he couldn't be happier — or more clueless — about it. Sookie and Bill decide to take Jessica with them to Texas, where they discover that finding Godric is very important to all of them. The cops make progress in Miss Jeannette's murder investigation, which appears to implicate the same person who attacked Sookie and Daphne. Sam continues to talk about leaving town. Lafayette and Eric create a bond. And Maryann helps celebrate Tara's birthday, in the process demonstrating why she's always the life of the party.

 
JESUS CAMP & THE SOLDIERS OF THE SUN…So the episode beings with Jason entering his dorm and he came upon a scene where all his bunkmates appear to have been attacked by vampires and left for dead. In shock, he's tackled by a hooded figure. Just as he too is about to be drained, the lights come on and we see that it's all a prank staged for Jason's benefit by Luke, his nemesis/potential repressed homosexual love interest. Jason, never one much for words, slugs Luke in the kisser and probably breaks his nose. "Vampires are not a joke," he announces and let them know that, "there's a war going on, or you're either on the dark side or you're on the side of the light — there ain't no in-between." Jason is such the Kool-Aid drinker. 

 
At breakfast the next day, the Jesus campers were mulling over the question: Who was the first vampire? Lazarus? Dracula? Jesus? Cain? Who was the first evil? "Eve, that's why it's called eve-il," spits Luke. I have to admit: I'm a heathen who hasn't read his Bible since, oh, ever, so I know that all this competing disinformation was meant to be funny and I TOTALLY enjoyed it. 

 
Rev. Newlin picks up Jason in a jeep, and he's packing heat and they head off for target practice. Jason proves quite skillful at vampire marksmanship, and when the rev starts talking about how to kill a vampire (wooden bullets, he says), Jason begs to differ, as he was there when Amy rendered Eddie into blood-flavored Laffy Taffy. The rev is suitably envious.

 
Back at the Newlins, something is heating up, and it's not just the grill that Sarah is using to make her famous ribs. It's Jason, who — finally! — uses that vivid imagination of his to have a sexual fantasy about Sarah (compliments once again to whoever is picking the country music: the use of Sammy Kershaw's "Louisiana Hot Sauce" while the reverend's wife wiggled for Jason was perfect). 

 
He snaps out of it just as dinner is being served. "You don't really eat Sarah's ribs; it's more like you take a bath in them," the Rev. says, letting rip his foolish/hearty chuckle. Rev tells Jason that he wants him to be "a true soldier of God" by joining his elite spiritual army called the Soldiers of the Sun. Jason enlists eagerly, thinking it's a great honor. "What a blessing," Sarah coos. Amen! (Is it just me that cringes when they go all church on us?)

 
As part of his new assignment, Jason is moving out of the dorm and into the Newlins' house, even though the other 14 guys and four girls chosen for active duty will live in a dorm. Luke and the boys joke that Jason is Sarah Newlin's new plaything. This makes the apparently-now-pious Jason nervous, because, well, we know the boy is kind of a sex addict, so the last thing he needs is a distraction in the form of Sarah helping him settle in. Mark my words: This will not end well for him, but for us this will be amazing…

 
THE STARS AT NIGHT/ARE BIG AND BRIGHT...Picking up from last week, Bill and Sookie catch Hoyt and Jessica necking (no, not like that) on the couch. When Bill threatens to throw Hoyt through a closed window, Sookie intervenes, calling him rude. "It's not her that I'm protecting, son," Bill says with a Confederate harrumph. It's clear that Jessica, their new teenage ward, needs some serious supervision, so Sookie convinces Bill to take her on their mission to Texas. 

 
WHO KILLED MISS JEANNETTE? The Keystone Kops of Bon Temps are examining Miss Jeannette's brutalized body, which has scratches across its back just like we saw on Sookie and Daphne. The coroner says that the scratches paralyzed her and that she was still alive when her heart was ripped from her chest. 

 
So we're looking at one suspect for all three incidents, and ironically, it's the off-the-wagon Andy who is hottest on the attacker's trail. He has some questions about that pig that Tara saw the night of her DUI, as he's wondering if it's the same one he saw "in a dollhouse" at Maryann's bacchanal last week. But he's also drunk, so Bud asks him to turn in his badge. (Poor Andy).

 
ERIC & LAFAYETTE’ S GROOVE…Tara goes to see Lafayette, who is self-medicating at home so he is he's irritated — "Damn, hooker, shit," he tells Tara when she tries to mother him — and ultimately he throws her out... on her birthday. "If you die, I'm going to be really pissed," Tara says upon exiting.

 
His next visitor… Eric offers him the healing elixir that is his 1,000-year-old blood. Naturally, he is suspicious, but accepts Eric's feeble excuse for caring about his well-being: "What Sookie finds meaningful, I find... curious," he says. (Homoerotic overtones anyone?)  

 
WHEN IS SAM ACTUALLY GOING TO GET OUT OF TOWN? While they're swimming together in the altogether, Sam and Daphne argue sweetly about whether or not Bon Temps is a good place to live, and then they go get pancakes. Also: Sam sees the scratches on Daphne's back but doesn't say anything.

 
The next day, before Sam can leave for wherever, he squeezes in one last fight with Sookie. It's unclear where he's going and why, but they're kind of dragging out this plot point: Why doesn't he just leave already, you know? Andy is there too, getting wasted, and when Arlene suggests they close early so they can go to the party "that really elegant woman" is throwing for Tara, Sam has no choice to relent, and off they all go.

 
TARA ALWAYS CRIES ON HER BIRTHDAY Tara breaks the news to Maryann that she's moving in with Sookie. Rather than slap her or something, she is supportive. "Go, flourish and don't ever say no to yourself," she advises. (Plot point anyone?) 

 
Since Sookie has left for Dallas, Tara is alone at her new house, on her birthday, crying. She hears a noise on the front porch, and — surprise! — it's Maryann, Eggs and Karl there to surprise her for her birthday. You see, Maryann was planning a party, but Tara moving out "threw a major monkey wrench in the works." Oh, fiddlesticks!

 
Maryann is dressed in a very Grecian gown with flowers in her hair while Tara and Eggs are dancing as they are entranced by the beat. Tara points out that she doesn't know any of the people there, but among the crowd we see that Sam, Daphne, Arlene, Terry and Andy have all showed up. Just as things start kicking into high gear, Maryann removes a box from the present table (which Sam brought from Tara's mom) and tosses it into the garbage and wanders off into the forest. We cut back and forth from various innocent scenes of party revelry to Maryann, who is now out in a clearing doing her vibrating thang, speaking Greek and she shows us the same set of claws that attacked Sookie earlier. Can we now deduce that Maryann attacked Miss Jeannette AND Sookie? And Daphne, But why? 

 
Meanwhile, back at Sookie's house, people are going nuts, sexing each other up, gorging on food and wine (and, in one case, dirt). Talk about acting on their basest instincts and indulging their vices. Their eyes go big and black, as if to indicate that their actions are not their own, but rather that they are very much under Maryann's spell.

 
Two love connections are made. While Tara get her some EGGS for her eggs…we FINALLY got to see some more of Mehcad Brooks body that presents us with a nice pair of pumping chocolate cakes…Can Sarah say Amen? Sam and Daphne smooch a bit in the kitchen. "I need to tell you something," Sam says. "No, you don't," she responds, whispering in his ear, "I know what you are." She says this simply, without menace, but this one line of dialogue made me suddenly suspect two things about Daphne: a) she is almost certainly also a shape-shifter, which is why she's so clued in to Sam's condition and b) methinks her showing up at Merlotte's was not an accident and that perhaps she's Maryann's plant.

 
...DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS! "I've always loved these. They're like booze for dolls. They gave me 10," Sookie chirps at the limo driver at the vampire-airlines hangar in Dallas. He's a shifty type, so Sookie reads his thoughts and finds out he's up to no good. Bill springs from his travel coffin which is a cool way for flying…if you are a vampire and comes to the rescue. Jessica, on the other hand, can't get out of hers, which is kind of funny in a tense moment (I LOVE THIS GIRL!)

 
Bill and Jessica tag-team Leon, the driver, by glamouring him and discover that the Fellowship of the Sun sent him to abduct the human flying with the Compton party, who, he says, is helping to locate the vampire Godric. This is an interesting development for Jason, because it means that his shooting buddy Rev. Newlin probably knows that he's Sookie's brother, and he also probably knows about her special powers. Methinks Jesus camp is going to be a lot more than comic relief in the near future.

 
After their run-in with Leon, Eric comes to Dallas to see Bill. Bill wants more information about Godric, and Eric gives it to him. He's twice as old as Eric and very powerful; his kidnapping is a bad sign, as it means that none of them are safe. "Vampires here are like cowboys," Eric reports. "If they don't get Godric back, they'll want justice." Uh-oh!

 
Meanwhile, back in the room, the girls are busy. Sookie is checking out the vampire-porn pay-per-view options. Jessica, on the other hand, has ordered herself a snack: a male, straight, B-negative snack, who arrives in a robe and nothing else.

 
Barry, the hotel porter who delivers said snack, also brings something else with him: his mind-reading abilities. Sookie and Barry have a funny moment where their thoughts have a conversation, but just as poor Sook is about to throw her arms around his neck — hooray! There's someone else like me! — he dashes off, and Sookie is in hot pursuit.

What did you think of "SHAKE & FINGERPOP"? Will Jason make a good soldier? Why won't Sam leave town already? Did Lafayette make the right decision? Were you surprised by the reveal about Maryann's true identity? Will Sookie recruit Barry in her efforts to locate Godric? In short, I felt this highly satisfying episode may have been the best one of the season so far…What do you think?