The Ying and Yang of Teaching: 6

For the past four weeks I've been teaching in a summer program offered as academic enrichment to rising high school seniors. The students are participating in workshops on studying/research skills, which I teach, poetry, health/wellness and student life.

All of the students are here voluntarily, and for the most part have been really great to work with. However, as the program reaches its final days, some students are deciding to drop out.

Why? Well, my final project required them to do a two-page research paper with a 3-5 minute presentation of their topic. I guess some students are not feeling good about one or both of the final project components.

Today, I told the core group of students that have remained that I applaud them for seeing this experience to the end. I stressed the importance and value of being committed to something.

I also told them that to let their friends that dropped out know that "quitting is a bad habit to take on, and even more difficult to break."

So Like Not Gross

Okay, so like, Aaron is like totally on the same like wavelength as me when it comes to music. Fer sure! Martina of Dragonette is like totally tubular, like oh my gawd. This song is like totally bitchen. It has like a super-super totally awesome beat that you can like dance to while like cruising the Galleria, with your Walkman on your ears.

Orlando

Film director Sally Potter, and actor Tilda Swinton, joined forces 18 years ago and created one of my favorite films of all time.

Orlando is a film based on Virginia Woolf's book of the same name. The film is about a character who changes genders and lives through four centuries.

The film is being re-released and I want to revisit the experience. I'm eager to see what new insight I might gain by reconnecting with a work of art with my new 18 years-older eyes.

If Orlando is not being shown in your hood, please rent the DVD. This film has beauty that will nourish your mind, eyes, and soul.

There is a wonderful interview with Sally and Tilda at the Village Voice website.

"Changing is precisely what Swinton worked hard to avoid when her male character wakes up a woman. "Transformation is not about changing," she laughs. "It's about a sustainable spirit." Or, in Potter's equally heady words: "[It's] looking for a state of being-ness through time and space and genders." As Orlando herself says while looking into the camera: "Same person, no difference at all. Just a different sex."

Click here to check it out.

What The Frak?

 
I have to admit this video gave me chills. I am always watching the skies and waiting for the signs. I've had vivid dreams of visitors from the sky throughout my life. Has the time arrived for the final proof that we are not alone to be revealed?

Click here for more information. BTW, look like the Chinese government is going to offer the cliche excuse that this was a military operation.

Slash and Burn

When I saw this recent clip of Chris, and thought about the video he posted before it, I saw a high-riding bitch slashing and burning, so that something new can grow. I'm glad he put down Barbie, or in his case Britney.

You have to be careful when slashing and burning. The journey should start at realizing that the forest has become to thick and entangled, and prevents you from being able to sow and harvest the things that will nourish you. You can't wipe it all away, because, in the small spaces there are rare things that are good.

My suggestions is to do it gradually and after careful consideration. There is good stuff in each of us, a lot of it, and we can't just think it all has to disappear. At the end of the day we choose a new path, we never truly start all over again. Instead the reality is one moves forward with an informed-hope.

I did this a few years ago, and started this blog in order to guide me through the process. I would be perfect, if it wasn't for me being human. Therefore, the me with flaws is focused on thriving, living within a purpose and being authentic; my version of perfection.

For Jun

The darling Jun is going to take some time away from blogging. Those of you in the know, are aware his blog is like good candy for me. He's all good, just going to live some life and come back to share his journey. This is for him:

Send Love To The GLBT Familia en la Isla Bonita

Thank you Kyle for this recent post. I am spreading the word. I may not always comment, but I always read your awesome blog.

A suggestion good people, after reading this post, send a note to annie.rodriguez@prtourism.com. Let her know that the good people of Puerto Rico need to get this madness under control. Oye, Ricky Martin, step up!

"A special committee to investigate hate crimes has been created in Puerto Rico, where advocates say gay and transgender people are the victims of an "epidemic" of violence.

The announcement by the attorney general was cheered Saturday by activists who complain the government has yet to invoke 2002 legislation establishing harsher penalties for crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

"I think this is a step in the right direction to start to collect statistics that are vital to curb the crisis of violence against the gay community in Puerto Rico," said Pedro Julio Serrano, a native of the U.S. territory and spokesman for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Serrano said 25 slayings of gay and transgender people in the past eight years may have been motivated by bias -- including the decapitation in November of gay teen Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, whose killing inspired vigils as far away as New York and Chicago.

The new government committee involves agencies including the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Juan, police officials and the island’s civil rights commission, according to a statement release by the attorney general late Friday.

"With the creation of this committee, we will document the extent of hate crimes," said Attorney General Guillermo Somoza Colombani, who added that the data will help develop policies to attend to the victims.

Puerto Rico is known as a welcoming place for gays, particularly in comparison with more socially conservative Caribbean islands where LGBT people often live in hiding.

A recent string of high-profile slayings, however, has put pressure on the government. Some of the cases have received broad local news media coverage, including the April killing of a 31-year-old transgender beauty salon owner.

"It’s sort of an epidemic," Serrano said. "It’s too much to be ignored."

Source: Bay Windows

The Evolving History of Getting Married

Perhaps retail giants should lobby for same-sex marriage. They had a hand in creating the need for elaborate wedding productions in America, and created a lucrative cottage industry. Check this out.



Since May 17, 2004, over 15,000 marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples in Massachusetts.

Nancy Gill and Marcelle LeTourneau, along with six other same-sex married couples in Massachusetts, filed suit in 2009, claiming that DOMA denied them certain federal marriage-based benefits that are available to similarly-situated heterosexual couples in violation of the equal protection principles embodied in the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

In a pair of opinions issued this afternoon (Gill, Commonwealth), The Hon. Joseph L. Tauro agreed with Gill and the Commonwealth and held Section 3 of DOMA -- the part forbidding federal benefits to same-sex couples -- to be unconstitutional. Source: Daily KOS

Summertime

So it's now really official, summer is up and running. I just got back from the traditional family BBQ get-together for the 4th. I am the official grill master at our gatherings. I did a good job, but overcooked the chicken wings. I got caught up in a card game of Spades. It was worth it, because I won!

BTW, there is a really cool photo essay at motherjones.com. The picture above of the young Boriqua is just a sample. Click here to check it out.

When Puppetry Goes Wrong

Oye, Michael Steele, this article urged me to tell you the signs that show when you are a puppet:

- You go into life with knowing half the story, yet you signed up for a one-sided world view and left unbalanced.

- You accept a culture and systematic approach that spreads a lie that some are better than others. You then to choose to be on the side of the ones that are deemed better by a lopsided world view.

- You mingle among a circle of people that say you are better than your brother man, because, you have obtained the speech, tone, and form that is most pleasing, while delivering their message.

- You understand the acceptance of the inner-circle is conditional, and you condition yourself to be acceptable.

- You see faces that smile at you bet yet never really know you.

- You choose to let others take your unique you to redefine you.

- You get talking points which at times you are not sure if you agree, then you are consoled by them by being told to look at it from the unbalanced perspective tethered to their clear agenda.

- You finally find yourself pulled in many different directions, and not feeling grounded.

- You are told to apologize to Rush Limbaugh.

At this point you have become the puppet. Don't step down, just step forward, release the strings and go from puppet boy to man.

Activists are often born from places where they were robbed of their intellect, humanity and voice.

And The Beat Goes On

Hey good people, I finally had my long overdue meeting with my newest nephew. My brother and his family came up to NYC for a visit. This was very significant for our family because, my brother had wanted a family of his own for many years. At the age of 43 he finally was blessed with a wife and child.

It was a gorgeous day in NYC and little Anthony Jose was in good spirits. He loves to smile, and only made the smallest fuss when he was hungry. He had yogurt and hummus that day, with a side order of love from his tio and titi.

My first memory with my nephew will include dipping his feet into the fountain at Washington Square Park. This is very significant for me for this is a place where I found enlightenment, community, and water is one of the essential elements. God was present.

The proud father, my brother Anthony (left), happy baby in the middle, and me wanting to steal little A.J. on the right.

My sister Jenny and me with our nephew we been waiting for.

Glee Is The New Fame

Glee is the new Fame. How do I know this to be true? Well, watch some old episodes of Fame on hulu.com and you will understand. We have a bunch of kids that want to be stars, while each of them have some drama going on in their lives.

I was surprised to see I recalled a lot of details about the episodes of Fame. Like most kids in the early 80s, I wanted to go to that school. I opted instead for the High School of Fashion Industries, which was equally genius in terms of the creativity of the students.

BTW, a lot of the Fame's episodes didn't really hold up. I actually now feel most of the singing is really mediocre, and Bruno's original music sucks! However, it is great to see Debbie Allen in action. She always reminded me of my Titi Maria. Oh, and Leroy's body and moves still hypnotize me. I was also pleased to see that Doris and Danny still made me kiki.

The Ying and Yang of Teaching: 5

Tomorrow is the last day of school. I'm ready for the break, but will miss my time with the boys and girls during lunch. They are fascinating, interesting, funny, and full of life. Yeah, from time to time the kids do press my last nerve, but I find I quickly forgive.

As you may recall from an earlier post, the school I'm in serves a community challenged by poverty, drugs, and violence. So, I spent the day talking to all the kids about how to be safe during the summer. I reminded them to:


- Go in the opposite direction of any type of fight, argument, or situation where the police are present. Over the summer we lose a lot of people to gun violence. Many victims are just at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

- Speaking of guns. I told all my kids if they hear gunshots, to go straight home and wait till things calm down.

- I'm telling the really young kids that when the sun goes down, that means it's really late, and they should be home.

- I also told the kids that I want all of them to get a library card over the summer, and spend as much time as possible reading.

The children at my school face a lot of challenges and potential for danger. Today, was the graduation for 8th graders. One of my students assigned to me was part of the ceremony. This student is living with emotional and behavioral disorders. She rarely access her internal governor and often chooses aggressive behaviors to deal with life.

She showed up to graduation today, with movie star sunglasses. She wore them in order to hide a swollen blackeye. She got into a fight with an adult man the night before! I told her to hang in there. She went on stage and got her diploma.

She and I really bonded and she will always have a place in my head and heart. She is very honest and rarely censors herself. She is also a very talented artist. I spent a lot of time talking to her about becoming a graphic designer. She is very fascinated with fonts and type. I also dig her because she is a fierce bulldyke in training wheels.

I shivered for a moment today, because a horrible thought crept into my head that told me she will not live to see her 21st birthday. I pray I was wrong and that she will positively surprise the world.

Gen. Petraeus' War Fatigue

Dear. Gen. Petraeus,

Today you fainted while given testimony to the U.S. Senate regarding drawing down forces in Afghanistan. It is being reported your moment of feeling the vapors, was due to dehydration and lack of food. I'm assuming you have been consumed with burning the midnight oil to find a solution to the military quagmire U.S. forces are in on the other side of the planet.

I hope you are okay, and that within that moment of complete surrender to a power mightier than yourself, you experienced enlightenment. May divine forces have crept into your heart and mind, while you was briefly relieved from your programming.

In my most optimistic flight of imagination and hope. I see you will soon say that the act of war is criminal. May your mouth utter words that speak of war being the resulting acts of greed for resources and lust for power, that ultimately benefit in the long term, the already wealthy among the populace. Imagine your voice spreading the word the peace and love is truly the answer. Your voice and mind being part of solutions that show how we can share, learn, and live together, without guns to our heads.

May you also realize the fatigue that plagues the men and women that have served several tours in this war. I hope this is the realization rather then believing those in service need to suck it up, and come back for the cameras as if nothing is wrong.

If we had a war and not one single body showed up, you would be out of a job. It is perhaps of this reality you have not let the sunshine in. Instead you see the world as us and them, and now your body failed you to reveal your own vulnerability and dare I say it, humanity.

Peace my brother and I offer you this:

Do These Shoes Make Me Look Fat?

In an effort to lighten things up, I am on the hunt for my summer sandal, I don't do flip flops in public. I was raised as to call them chancletas, and they were meant only to be worn around the house. Oh, and I'm also looking for an all-white sneaker!

I want my feet to look cute in the heat. However, I am not finding what I want!

Why lord must acquiring footwear be such a challenge! Damn it!

The Calling

If you believe in awareness then you might believe there is always a calling. A divine force from outside connects with your inner-self and when the two merge a vision of purpose is created. Please excuse my Oprah/New Age/Make me feel good/There is a meaning to all this-ness, for a moment.

I just know that I wasted a lot of time disregarding the messages sent to me that moved the essential parts of my inner-me. Then when I paid attention, quietly, I got the most powerful messages. The most damaging directions came loud and blazing. The most lovingly powerful messages came with a whisper wrapped around the most honest experiences.

My challenge is figuring out what messages are authentic and what messages are self-created lies.

My solution has been to know that messages that leave me empty must considered and if necessary be discarded, and the ones that fill me up with optimism must be evaluated, and if true at that point and time, be pursued with courage and determination.

Lady Gaga - Canta en Español

So here is Lady Gaga's new offering Alejandro. I was reminded of ABBA's Fernando, with a touch of Ace of Base, meets Madonna's La Isla Bonita.

Gaga is truly a popstar reaching into the tried and true book of pop recipes. However, there is still an edge to it, and her references come from a smart place. I digged a lot of the imagery, and the Central American bob cuts on the dancers. Also, check out the wink to Liza in Cabaret towards the middle of the video.

My overall take on the song is that it has a nice beat and you can dance to it. Or, at the very least enjoy a car ride while it played on the radio. Which it will, over and over, and over again.

Be Water

When my spirit experienced life as a child in the 70s, I believed I was new to the the human experience. I struggled. I felt out of place, time and reality.

To my rescue was a being named Bruce Lee. He embodied for me someone that figured out the Earth journey by connecting to a part of himself that was truly authentic.

In my mind he was an ancient spirit that took the Earth trip before and understood the allusions. Bruce used his gifts to fight for justice by balancing the act of someone ethereal revisiting familiar ground.

He would smirk and wink and, when needed, gave the eyes of a tiger. His wisdom ran deep. Good people, here is proof.

Let his Be Water speech put you in the right frame of mind. Please consider how water gives life and changes worlds while appearing mostly docile and then changing into a spine tingling force that can quickly overwhelm then vanish.


Please click on the following links to experience a thoughtful conversation that gives further insight into our brother Bruce Lee.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Should I Add "Gleek" To My Descriptor?

In the grand lobby of Radio City Music Hall getting ready to see Glee Live!
Good people, Princess Rei Rei gave me an awesome graduation present. I was in attendance at Radio City Music Hall for the final performance of the Glee Live tour!

It was an awesome experience. The yungins did one hell of a show that was so much fun to watch. They sang live and were on point. The numbers consisted of all the highlights from the show. My favorites were The Boy Is Mine, Don't Stop Believing, Defying Gravity, and True Colors.

All of the Glee kids received tons of love from the audience. The breakout stars were Chris Colfer (Kurt) and, believe it or not, Heather Morris (Brittany). Chris was campy and gave so much to the audience. Heather was just amazing with her dancing and energy.

Heather and Chris also had a little skit they did together that was hysterical. They were in character and Chris/Kurt had on a cape that would have put Liberace to shame. It was made completely out of peacock feathers. Heather/Brittany made her moves on him and was quite risque.

The audience ages range from tweens to your 40 somethings. I thought this was awesome and proves how music and comedy can bring people together.

I'm glad there is something like Glee out there. I love that it is gay positive, and promotes the message that we all have to be authentic and let our little light shine.

BTW, did I ever mention I was a member of a Glee club from grades 2 through 6? My highlight was singing I'll Do Anything from Oliver to my homegirl Elaine.

For The Transitioning Brothers and Sisters

Thank you Chris Crocker for excavating and filtering.