Category Archives: WORLD WIDE: Gay around the Globe!

The extrordinary voice of Vitas Bumac – sexiest Russian since Nureyev.

Posted on April 17, 2010 by | 4 comments

Singer and composer Vitaliy Vladasovich Grachyov, known as Vitas, was born in the Ukraine in 1979. In 2002, he performed his Philosophy of Miracle at the Kremlin, becoming the youngest person to ever perform at the State Palace. Vitas, who designs his own costumes and staging, presented his fashion line, Autumn Dreams, later that year. Vitas’ performances easily move between and combine opera, synth-pop and rock genres. With hooded orchestras, hybrid processions and sartorial excess, his performances are underwritten with mystery, ritual and an erotic charge that explodes regularly into a spine-chilling male soprano that has little to do with the grating tones of typical falsetto. More here and here.

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Posted in Art and Artists, Music, Russia

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Sign of spring in SoIL: “Fleas & ticks are here be ready!”

Posted on April 16, 2010 by | 2 comments

Sign of Spring in SoIL. c. Jordy Jones 2010

Southern Illinois. SoIL. So Ill it’s practically Kentucky. Weather in the 80s has brought out both blossoms and bloodsuckers. Humidity is rising in the Mississippi flyway. Pink buds, strange signs and an impending exodus…we’re going going back back to Cali Cali. Thirty days and counting.

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Posted in Signage, Southern Illinois

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Smuggling songbirds up another man’s pants? OC man pleads guilty.

Posted on April 15, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Duc Le of Garden Grove has plead guilty and faces up to five years in prison for smuggling exotic songbirds from Vietnam. The LA Times reports that his co-defendant, Sony Dong, apparently the brains of the bird smuggling business, faces up to 20 years. Dong plead guilty last year after authorities discovered 14 songbirds strapped to his legs on a flight from Vietnam to Los Angeles. The birds, which survived the trip, would have brought $400 each on the black market. Another 51 birds were found at Le’s home. AP photo.

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Posted in Southern California, Strange News

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Houston press Hairballs says fire at gay-friendly church was arson

Posted on April 14, 2010 by | 2 comments

According to  Hairballs, the on-line journalistic branch of the Houston Press, a fire that destroyed the gay-friendly Servant-Savior Presbyterian Church was intentionally set. According to their mission statement: “We are a church with many artists…(we) have responded to God’s call to us to be a garden…we strive in all ways to be earth friendly…(and we) welcome people of any nationality, race, sexual orientation, or religious affilitation. Our mission is to promote justice, peace, and acceptance.”

A wall at the church displayed crosses from around the world. Many were destroyed, but a few were saved. To donate to rebuilding efforts, go here.

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Posted in Crime, Spirituality, Texas

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Justin Bond blesses the beasts…and the children.

Posted on April 13, 2010 by | Leave a comment

San Francisco impresario Marc Huestis has posted a video clip from Justin Bond’s “Close to You” show at the Castro Theatre. Justin dedicates his cover of “Bless the Beasts and the Children” to Lawrence King, the 15 year-old gay Jr. High School student who was shot and killed by a 14 year-old classmate in Oxnard, California.

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Posted in Drag, Music, San Francisco

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Rituals and Meditations: Personal Archetypes of Myth, Magic and Beauty from Richard Bolingbroke

Posted on April 9, 2010 by | Leave a comment

San Francisco artist Richard Bolingbroke has just finished his self-published book of watercolors called Rituals and Meditations: Personal Archetypes of Myth, Magic and Beauty. The beautifully produced edition features the artist’s introduction and commentary on all the works, and essays by David Duckworth, John Mendelsohn and Jordy Jones. The book is available to view on-line and for purchase in hard or soft cover versions here.

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Posted in Art and Artists, San Francisco

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A Quiet Revolution at Oxford with Fluxus Pioneer Yoko Ono

Posted on April 6, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Fluxus Pioneer Yoko Ono talks about god, chaos theory and quantum entanglement – without ever using those words.

An excerpt: “So now I call ourselves the small pebble people. Send small pebbles to the world. Don’t make big splashes with large stones. That will attract people and the wrong people as well. Our quiet revolution will not make announcements, but one day will be accepted by all people as the norm of life. The human race has done that with many things. Like we wanted to fly, and invented aeroplanes. We wanted to see the other side of the moon, and we have. This time, we want to heal our planet, and bring peace to this world. We can do that.”

The full text of her speech, A Quiet Revolution, delivered on March 10th at Oxford University, can be read here.

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Posted in Art and Artists, England, Uncategorized

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Earthquakes, Chile and Queer Spirit: Aidan Dunn preaches at MCCSF.

Posted on April 5, 2010 by | Leave a comment

The following is from Aidan Dunn of San Francisco. Aidan is a junior in Religious Studies at Stanford University and has recently returned from a semester in Chile, where he worked with MOVILH – the Movement for the Integration and Liberation of Lesbian Gay and Transgender People in Chile.

Dear Friends,

I have agreed to preach at the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco (MCCSF) about my experiences (spiritual and otherwise) in Chile, pre-and post-earthquake, on Sunday, 11 April, 2010. It would be great to see you there! Services are at 11am and 7pm…

MCCSF is located at 150 Eureka St, x 18th St., in the Castro, San Francisco. For directions, or more information about the church, please go to www.mccsf.org.

MCCSF is an interfaith queer spiritual community. The 11am service is more “traditional” Christian worship with traditional hymns; the evening is more high-energy, gospel-style music, and more interfaith. It would be great to see you at either one; please let me know if you can come! I hope I can put together a sermon that will make the trip worth your while…

Best Regards,

Aidan Dunn

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Posted in Chile, San Francisco, South America, Spirituality, Travel

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