It's Giuliani Time for Rudy

"Caroline Giuliani, daughter of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, was warned today by a judge to "stay out of trouble."

And she was told that if she completes one day of community service, her shoplifting charge -- she stole $100.50 worth of makeup from a Sephora store on E. 86th St. earlier this month -- will be dismissed.

Giuliani will most likely mop floors and clean toilets at the Sanitation Department's Manhattan District 3 garage at Pier 36 on the Hudson River, reports theDaily News. That's the same place Naomi Campbell and Boy George toiled after they ran afoul of the law. She has to complete the sentence by Nov. 4. She is due back at Harvard for classes tomorrow."

Source: USA Today

Here are some of the moments I recall about Giuliani's term as mayor of New York City.

I have memories regarding allegations of civil rights abuses and other police misconduct involving unarmed suspects, such as the scandals connected to the anal torture, with a plunger handle, of Abner Louima and the unjust killings of Amadou Diallo and Patrick Dorismond.

He put salt on the wound of Dorismond's family, when Giuliani supported the New York Police Department's shady business of releasing what he called Dorismond's "extensive criminal record" to the public, including a sealed juvenile file.

Oh, and let's not forget Rudy's appointed NYC Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, now a convicted felon. Hey and what about Rudy's slide-off action becoming his second wife.

Silly Giuliani, he thought he could win the hearts of Republicans when he ran for president under the Republican ticket. Rudy forgot he was raised as a Roman-Catholic and his name ends in a vowel. Silly boy!

Wasn't he such a morally-corrupt wolf in sheep's clothing, while never looking cute.

Glenn Preaching To His Choir

Okay, so I'm watching the opening moments of Glen Beck's Restoring Honor rally. Glen opens up by saying how this nation needs to return back to God, and us working together, regardless of our different faiths.

He then introduces a rabbi, two Native-Americans, and a pastor. Sounds like the opening of a joke. Anyhoo. The good Rev. is brought to the microphone and gives an impassioned prayer where he states that salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ. He ends by saying "amen" and then he along with the rabbi, and two Native-Americans are escorted off stage.

Yup, there ya have it. Glen Beck's version of working together and respecting different faiths. I wonder if the Rabbi and Native-Americans were backstage concerned to learn that they are not the chosen ones, and won't be saved, because they are not down with Jesus Christ.

Then after all this talk of God and Jesus, Glen goes into a speech about honoring the military. Yup, there ya have it. Glen's choir loves their guns and Jesus. Oh, and Jews and non-whites can show up, but they should expect to be seen and not heard, well, only if they accepted Jesus Christ as their lord and savior.

These types of spectacles where God is used for political agendas, always reminds me of Margaret Cho's joke, where she said that she believes Jesus Christ looks upon what's going on and screams, "That's not what I meant!"

Later in the day Sarah Palin and Alveda King will speak. We all know Palin is basically out and about so she can make money and keep her face in the public arena. As for Alveda, one day Coretta Scott King had to step to her at the King Center and put her in check for spewing anti-gay marriage rhetoric. Nuff said.

Couture Junkie Rides The Late Train

The Fall 2010 couture shows have come and gone several weeks ago. Yes, I know I'm on the late train with this newsflash. Give me a break good people. I was mad busy teaching summer school.

I find it funny that each year fashion folks declare the pending demise of couture. However, each season the magic of couture emerges from the imagination and hands of the devoted few in Paris.

Go, view, and have fun by clicking here. Think of color, cut, silhouette, fabrications and how you can translate it into a head-to-toe look within your sensibility and budget.

Less Ewww!

Good ol' Todd probably called it when he commented the following, "She's prolly scared to death... And this is her defense.." in the Eww! Yet, I Pity Her post.

The following day I kept my distance from this new colleague. Which I'm sure communicated something to her. Then we chatted and when I spoke she was giving me stank face. I asked her, "Ms. So and So, did I say something to offend? Your facial expression is saying "annoyed" to me.

She quickly followed up with eyes wide open and said "Oh no! Mr. S" She then stroked the side of my arm and smiled. Over the following days she relaxed and a smile seemed more at place on her face.

We ate lunch together and had a nice chat with some laughs. Yes, I know, first impressions are not always the lasting impression.

Ewww! Yet, I Pity Her.

So, good people, I met a new teacher coming to work at my school today. Her body language, gestures and facial expression conveyed an acrid personality.

She presented herself as someone that most folks would look at and say "needs a good fuck." I told my sister about it, and without prompting her, she said "Oh, she needs a good fuck."

I take issue with that remedy. There have been times that my valley of good and plenty went neglected, and I went into bitch mode. However, I've seen the errors of those ways and realized other parts of my being needed to be stroked in order to shed the hard exterior of acting, not in a good way, like a cunt.

I do this by looking for beauty, engaging with family and friends, finding something new to learn and wonder about. Basically, I cancel the pity-party and look for ways to celebrate that I'm still here. It works, most of the time.

This new co-worker showed an occasional glimpse of her humanity, which she was not comfortable doing. Her smiled seemed forced, and out of place, on a face that looked bitter most of the day.

Her actions resulted in one person leaving our table and her being impolite to me. I took note and will take action at the right moment. I pick my battles wisely.

What I plan to do is to let her be her, and call her out by saying "Ms. So and So, that tone, facial expression, and/or body language makes me think X. Is that your intentions?"

This being is in desperate need of a learning moment. She needs to get over herself and join the party. If she chooses being part of life, then, and only then, she might make friends and encounter a good fuck.

A Forgotten Film You Should See

There is a wonderful, yet forgotten, film that I'm going to go and find. I saw it when I was very young, and it has always stayed with me. This film is something special.

Pennies From Heaven starred Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters. Pennies From Heaven was initially born as a song, then twice became a film, and a TV show for the BBC.

The story takes place in 1930s Depression America. "Arthur Parker, a sheet-music salesman, is having a hard time, both in his business and at home with his wife Joan.

His business is failing and Joan is not amorous enough for Arthur and refuses to give him money to start his own business. His dream is to live in a world that is like the songs he tries to sell."

It is one of the most underrated films of its time. The cast was amazing and the music is sublime. The film has many flights of fantasy. Here is just a taste.

I've always wondered how Bernadette would have turned this number out with her own voice, instead of lip-synching.

Yes! That is Christopher Walken stripping.

For Wayne - Update

Update - This was Wayne's favorite quote:

"Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. How far I shall succeed in gratifying this ambition, is yet to be developed." -Abraham Lincoln

A former student of mine died today. He was struck by a car and the injuries were too severe for his body to take. Wayne Campbell was his name. He was no longer a minor or a student of mine so I feel free to post openly about our shared, yet brief, journey.

Wayne came to me for after-school academic and college-readiness services. He wanted to go to Yale. However, on all IQ test and assessments Wayne scored 76, which placed him just barely above a label of Intellectual Disability, which use to be called Mental Retardation.

With that said, I never treated him like his dreams could not be possible, just focused on how to make what he has work for him and his goals.

Wayne's mind ran a mile in a minute within a fog. Wayne wanted to know everything, and do everything his heart desired. However, he was truly challenged with thought-processing issues that made it very difficult for him to follow sequences and generalize academic skills.

This reality did not stop Wayne from always having textbook, notebook and pencil in hand. He was determined.

This is also why I went off and called out some students not receiving special education services during summer school, that thought is was cute to take their abilities for granted and slack off.

Wayne required me to give patience and perseverance. He also taught me that I would not be a good teacher, if I did not always find new ways of creating learning moments that worked with the learning styles of my students.

Wayne challenged me during my very green moments of serving as a teacher to students receiving special education services. I've already winced and forgiven myself for my lack of expertise while serving him.

My two favorite memories of Wayne are as follows:

Wayne: Mister, how can a person make money without working?
Me: When you find out let me know!

This then lead to a conversation about the stock market and investing.

At the prom I see Wayne come in looking mad sharp (see picture above). He sang and danced. He was part of the mix. Wayne even bumped and grinded with a few of the ladies. Wayne was just one of the fellas.

Thank you Wayne. I won't miss you because I will always be aware of your spirt that will continue to teach me. I pray for peace to my young brother.

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.