The Daily Sheet May 1 - 15, 2009

[Stilllearning]

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

Columbine Rises to the #3 Spot

It seems there's no stopping Columbine!! It was announced yesterday on the New York Times website that Dave's book is now in the number three position in the Best Sellers category of hardcover nonfiction books -- just one slot ahead of Michael J. Fox, and right behind Malcom and Mark. Take a look for yourself.

Be sure to scroll down to Forum Footnotes for information regarding
Dave's Columbine interview with Book TV at the LA Times Festival of Books.

Dave Cullen Talks About the Myths of Columbine

"Author Dave Cullen spoke with [LA Times Book Editor David L. Ulin] on Saturday afternoon at the L.A. Times Book Festival about the book, which hit stores this month. "Columbine" marks the 10th anniversary of the tragic shootings that unfolded in the Colorado town. "Cullen recalled the moment he learned of the school shooting: He was at lunch “eating a budget gourmet frozen dinner,” and turned on the TV news to learn what had happened. As a journalist, he said, his relationship with the tragedy began that day, when he began covering the event. "Though a decidedly tragic topic, there were lighthearted moments during the session. The audience burst out in laughter when Cullen, without using names, compared a psychopath with those who run Ponzi schemes and with a certain recently impeached governor. "At the end of the discussion, Cullen addressed questions -- including one about how to know who will be the next Dylan and Eric. He responded by saying that 83% of school shooters tell someone of their plans beforehand. The difficulty is in taking the threats seriously enough to alert school officials." Read more. Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Annie Proulx in The Paris Review

INTERVIEWER: You’ve said that the characters of Jack and Ennis from Brokeback Mountain were the first two characters that started to feel “very damn real” to you. Has it happened again since then? PROULX: That was true of a number of the characters in Fine Just the Way It Is. But I think it happened with Brokeback Mountain because it took me so long to write that story. It took at least six weeks of steady work, which is not my usual pace. So yeah, they got a life of their own. And unfortunately, they got a life of their own for too many other people too. INTERVIEWER: What do you mean? PROULX: I wish I’d never written the story. It’s just been the cause of hassle and problems and irritation since the film came out. Before the film it was all right.

INTERVIEWER: Did people object to the fact that gay characters were in the center of a story about Wyoming? PROULX: Oh, yeah. In Wyoming they won’t read it. A large section of the population is still outraged. But that’s not where the problem was. I’m used to that response from people here, who generally do not like the way I write. But the problem has come since the film. So many people have completely misunderstood the story. I think it’s important to leave spaces in a story for readers to fill in from their own experience, but unfortunately the audience that Brokeback reached most strongly have powerful fantasy lives. And one of the reasons we keep the gates locked here is that a lot of men have decided that the story should have had a happy ending. They can’t bear the way it ends—they just can’t stand it. So they rewrite the story, including all kinds of boyfriends and new lovers and so forth after Jack is killed. And it just drives me wild. They can’t understand that the story isn’t about Jack and Ennis. It’s about homophobia; it’s about a social situation; it’s about a place and a particular mindset and morality. They just don’t get it. I can’t tell you how many of these things have been sent to me as though they’re expecting me to say, oh great, if only I’d had the sense to write it that way. And they all begin the same way—I’m not gay, but . . . The implication is that because they’re men they understand much better than I how these people would have behaved. And maybe they do. But that’s not the story I wrote. Those are not their characters. The characters belong to me by law. INTERVIEWER: Did you get the same sort of reaction to your characters when The Shipping News was made into a film? PROULX: No, I haven’t had the same sort of problem with anything else I’ve ever written. Nothing else. People saw it as a story about two cowboys. It was never about two cowboys. You know you have to have characters to hang the story on but I guess they were too real. A lot of people have adopted them and put their names on their license plates. Sometimes the cart gets away from the horse—the characters outgrew the intent. Read more. Source: theparisreview.org

Gregory Dons Producer’s Hat

"Part-time Southampton Village resident Tom Gregory wears many hats: Actor, internet and radio personality, socio-political commentator, columnist, curator, and now, having helped bring the classic 1950s musical Guys and Dolls back to the Great White Way last month, Broadway producer. '“Guys and Dolls really resonates when you walk out of the theater,” Mr. Gregory said in an interview at his home on Lake Agawam. The story of street gamblers and romance features a high roller’s bet that he can take a Salvation Army-style missionary to Cuba for the weekend and a showgirl’s bid to get her longtime boyfriend to curb his career as a floating craps game impresario and tie the knot. '“I was always intrigued by old film, and that’s why Guys and Dolls, interested me,” Mr. Gregory said. “In the old days, it was all about heart and what the heart has to say.” "He traced his involvement in the musical to a party he attended four years ago in Sag Harbor, where he met Sweeney Todd producer Darren Bagert. He recalled telling Mr. Bagert that night he would like to work with him sometime; on March 1, 2009, they opened Guys and Dolls at the Nederlander Theatre. "Mr. Gregory also collects 1930s American clothing and, when they catch his eye, outfits from films. In fact, one of Mr. Gregory’s claims to fame is his payment of $101,100.51 in 2006 for two cowboy shirts Heath Ledger hugged at the end of Brokeback Mountain. And just last month, he was the high bidder on a suit that Sean Penn wore in Milk as gay rights activist Harvey Milk.

"After he bought the Brokeback Mountain shirts, he received a wave of media attention that led to him being invited on cable news networks as a an entertainment commentator and earned him regular gigs as a columnist for The Huffington Post and as a guest on Leeza Gibbons’s radio show, Hollywood Confidential." Read more. Source: 27east.com

Brokeback Mountain Becomes an Opera

"When the film Brokeback Mountain ... premiered, it led to a heated debate about the subjects being tackled by mass film industry. The winning of more than 45 awards -including three Oscars (Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score) and the Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival (Best Film)- was supported by an indisputable success in movie theaters. Its main characters, Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, were considered as tragic heroes immersed in a hostile world and the actors, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, became sex symbols without frontiers. "Now a new step is being given in dealing with love between men due to the fact that Gérard Mortier, artistic director of the New York City Opera, commissioned an opera about this subject to composer Charles Wuorinen. It should have premiered on that theater's stage, but the composer himself explains: "Mortier had a rift with the theater and left. He is now working at the Teatro Real in Madrid. And 'Brokeback Mountain will make its debut there in June 2013."' Read more. Source: emol.com

GLAAD Honors Best In Media in Los Angeles

"Civil rights group GLAAD honoured the movie "Milk" and singled-out Reverend Gene Robinson and comedian Kathy Griffin for their work at a Saturday [April 18th] night gala highlighting issues such as gay marriage and equality. "Talk program "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" was given a GLAAD Media Award for its episode "Ellen & Portia's Wedding Day," covering DeGeneres' wedding to actress Portia de Rossi. DeGeneres dedicated the honour to Carl Walker-Hoover, an 11 year-old Massachusetts boy who killed himself earlier this month because schoolkids bullied him and called him "gay." '"In my opinion, we are not fighting for gay rights, we are fighting for equal rights," DeGeneres told the black tie crowd at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre. "The 2009 awards marked the 20th year that films, TV shows, performers and others have been honoured by GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "GLAAD President Neil Giuliano spoke to the audience about the impact TV shows such as "The L Word" and movies like "Brokeback Mountain" have had on introducing audiences to all sorts of lesbian and gay characters and issues they face."' View the full listing of honorees and recipients. Read more. Source: uk.reuters.com

Working in a Hostile Environment

"A City of Passaic Department of Public Works employee alleged in state court today that co-workers’ false perception of him as a homosexual made him the target of remarks that created a hostile work environment. "Datrell McIntyre of Passaic, who is African-American, also alleges in his civil discrimination lawsuit that he was subjected to racially offensive remarks and conditions, including a stuffed monkey about a foot long hanging from a rafter in a DPW garage. "The “joking” went as far as for McIntyre’s sanitation truck to be nicknamed “Brokeback 17,” a reference to the film Brokeback Mountain about two cowboys who had a secret homosexual relationship, according to the plaintiff. But to McIntyre, it was anything but a joke. '"We work together. We shouldn’t be subjected to hearing things like that,” McIntyre testified Thursday before jurors and state Superior Court Judge Joseph J. Riva in Paterson, calling much of the behavior “unprofessional.” "Attorney Hamji Rifai of Rochelle Park, representing McIntyre, told jurors earlier in the day during his opening statement that McIntyre was simply bashed for not going along with a boys’ club mentality. “It all fell within a framework where if you accepted it you were one of the guys – and if you didn’t accept it, you were a fag,” he said." Read more. Source: northjersey.com

A New Look for Brokeback

Posted by BayCityJohn in Fan Art




Read more. Source: gidivigo.com

Dave Cullen on C-SPAN2's Book-TV 2009 LA Times Festival of Books: Interview with Dave Cullen, Columbine Interviewer: Peter Slen Upcoming Schedule - Eastern Daylight Time: Saturday, May 2, at 6:00 PM Sunday, May 3, at 3:00 AM Monday, May 11, at 2:00 AM Monday, May 11, at 7:00 AM Read more. Source: booktv.org

Brokies Gather in Mountain View

By Killersmom

Last Wednesday evening at Books, Inc. bookstore in Mountain View, CA, Dave completed his U.S. book tour and signing. Forty-seven people attended, seven of them Brokies from the Bay Area. When asked, "How many people attending make it a successful evening?", the manager said five; Dave (and the rest of us) were thrilled how successful it was. Dave started his discussion with one quote from the book, and then went on to discuss many aspects from his book. He gave a rundown as to how he went about gathering information and then touched on some of the main characters in the book. Of course, he spoke a lot about the killers themselves, but also wanted to emphasized the survivors as well. The talk was riveting and informative. It helped to have read the book beforehand, but he gave enough detail and background so that those who had not finished the book, or who had not read it yet, were able to participate in the discussion afterwards. Dave spoke for about 45 minutes and then opened the floor for questions. The questions were many and varied and very intelligent, and Dave answered them with great insight and sometimes with extra information that had not been included in the book. After many questions were answered, Dave signed his book for many of the audience who attended. He took the time to be personal with all the people taking part in the signing. We were able to extend the evening a little longer when the Brokies who attended gathered at a local Irish pub with Dave, and we lifted a few for the end of a successful book tour and the news that his book reached #3 on the New York Times Nonfiction Bestsellers list. It was a truly wonderful evening for all of us, made so much more extraordinary because we were able to share it with Dave. The hugs shared by our Brokie family were so very special. Thanks again, Dave, for allowing us to be a part of such a memorable evening.

Dave signed a flyer with a message to all his Brokeback friends. Click the image above for a larger view.

To all my Brokeback friends

It has been so wonderful spending the last three years with you guys.
I wish you all could have been in Mountain View tonight.  4-29-09

Dave Cullen

              

Dave discussing and his book, Columbine, in Mountain View, CA.


              

Attendees included CityGirl, Killersmom, michaelflanaganSF,
Melisande, BayCityJohn, Sid401k, and twistedude.

Click on images to enlarge

WikiWhat? Today's WikiWhat? answers the question posed by Alma Junior in last Saturday's photocaption of the week: Mama, what's "slash?" Needless to say, there are several pages on Wikipedia that can answer this question. "It is commonly believed that current day slash fanfiction originated within the Star Trek: The Original Series fan fiction fandom, with "Kirk/Spock" stories – generally authored by female fans of the series – first appearing in the late 1970s. The name arises from the use of the slash symbol (/) in mentions in the late '70s of K/S (meaning stories where Kirk and Spock had a romantic (and often sexual) relationship) as compared to the ampersand (&) conventionally used for K&S or Kirk and Spock friendship fiction." Confused yet? Starsky and Hutch? What about Dukes of Hazzard slash? Is there a mention of Brokeback Mountain Fanfic in Wikipedia's Slash fiction entry? Explore other genres of slash fiction, including real person fiction, and femslash, or the shotacon and yaoi fandoms.

Photo of the Day

By Trigger Hippie in Life Through The Lens 3

"The Skagit Valley in western Washington is world famous for its tulips."

Quote of the Day

“It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.”

~ Lucille Ball ~

Photocaption of the Day

By doodler in Photo Captioning Fun 4

Lureen:  Are you always running up there because I'm having an affair?

Jack:  You're having an affair? Who's catering it?

Contributors: BayCityJohn, Killersmom, Trigger Hippie, doodler

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Man Dance Company
San Francisco - July 10-12, 2009

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

Researchers: BayCityJohn, BrokenOkie, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Formatters: denim girl, gnash

Today’s edition formatted by gnash

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to tds@davecullen.com.

To subscribe to The Daily Sheet, click the “Notify” button at the top or bottom of the page.
When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail.

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[Stilllearning]

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Fanfiction Opens the Door to Professional Writing

By Stilllearning

Brokeback Mountain has served as a source of inspiration for many creative endeavors, not the least of which is fanfiction, written by a number of talented forum members. For several of these writers, their efforts have proven to be a springboard to professional writing, with the authors creating their own original characters and imaginative stories that captivate and entertain their readers.

MadLori, author of BBM fanfiction Human Interest and Two Crows Joy, has recently become a published author with her story, Zero at the Bone. Zero balances riveting action with a passionate attraction between the two main characters, for a truly enthralling story. You can find Zero at the Bone through Dreamspinner Press, an online publisher of gay fiction in addition to her work with Dreamspinner Press, Madlori has mainstream publishing goals and currently has a novel with an agent. Fans are excited to learn that Lori plans to publish more stories featuring the Zero characters, as well as writing new fiction. Click HERE to learn more about Zero at the Bone and what's on the horizon for MadLori (pen name - Jane Seville). Cover design by artist Paul Richmond

Forum member Jenna - Jenna Hilary Sinclair - started writing back in 1991, and enthusiastically wrote in just two fandoms over the years: Kirk/Spock and Brokeback Mountain. In December 2008, she began her career as a professional author of tales about men-loving-men with the publication of Gifts of the Season, a short story available from Dreamspinner Press. Gifts remained on the site’s Best Seller list for more than six weeks. Dreamspinner currently offers that story and three more of Jenna's stories/novellas, with more coming. On June 25th a novella called One Marriage and Three Weddings will make its debut. Commentary from an early reader: “If I ever read a story about what love really means, it’s One Marriage. I’m absolutely in love with that story.” In addition, a novel that brings Broadway to Texas will appear later this year. Links to all Jenna’s work can be found HERE. Jenna tells us: “I want readers to smile when they reach the end of any of my stories. I want them to feel like they’ve traveled with the characters every step of the way, and that they believe in the story as if they’d lived it themselves. I aim to give readers a long, slow, wondrous exhale, right along with deep-down satisfaction."

Sienna, proliferative fanfiction writer (Best Friends Forever, Boys of Blue Ridge) has also forged a path into the world of professional writing with her story, An Inconvenient_Hankering which is currently available at Dreamspinner Press. Rainbow Reviews tells us: "This story rings so true, it’s sometimes painful to read. The author captures perfectly the longing, the bone deep need for that special someone, and the horrible reality that you can’t have him."

Baileymoyes, author of a host of BBM fanfiction including Just Another New Kid in Town and I'll Be Seeing You, has also authored original fiction, including True Blue - the story of two young men in love for the first time, and Miles to Go - an undercover cop story. Bailey's work has also been included in several anthologies and Dreamspinner has just accepted a manuscript for a story set in modern-day Japan (working title: The Shining One). Additionally, Bailey has a gay Regency romance nearly completed (working title: Madcap Masquerade). You will find all of Bailey's stories HERE.

Trekfan, pen name Lily Sawyer, rounds out our group of Brokeback Mountain fanfiction authors (writer of Milestones) who has committed her talents to writing original fiction with the short story The Finest Thing, which will be part of a wedding anthology entitled To Have and to Hold - featured at Dreamspinner Press. Look for Trekfan's individual story due out June 1st of this year, or the entire collection of short stories which is available for pre-order now.

"Wings" In San Francisco

Brokies will be gathering in San Francisco the weekend of July 10 through 12, with a performance of the Man Dance Company of San Francisco as the main attraction. A major highlight for Brokies will be a dance performance of "Wings" from BBM. Shawn Kirchner and Ryan Harrison will be performing a song from Meet Me On The Mountain at the performance. According to the Man Dance web site,  "Man Dance first premiered this passionate dance, bringing Jack and Ennis together again for the last time, with the Heartland Mens Chorus of Kansas City in the Summer of 2007.  Reviving the work again that fall with the San Francisco Gay Mens Chorus gave MDCSF the credibility to evolve into a company.  A company that would produce two local concerts a year and offer international touring opportunities to international GALA Choruses, State Symphonies, Opera companies and more." It isn't too soon to start thinking about hotel accommodations. The San Francisco July 10-12 thread has a number of leads.

Travelodge Central

Taylor Hotel

"We're just 4 blocks from the Civic Center/City Hall area, within walking distance of Union Square, the Moscone Convention Center, the Castro District, and our immediate location is literally surrounded by fascinating shops, restaurants, clubs and attractions. " "We offer cheap private accommodations near Union Square in San Francisco at discount rates to tourists and travelers on a limited budget. Our hotel offers ideal solutions for those who wants simple, no frill, clean hotel accommodations with private bathroom, free in-room wireless internet access in the heart of San Francisco to rest their weary head from few days to few weeks that does not empty their wallet. " Also check out the thread for brokebacktom's lists of hotels with rates ranging from $75 to $139 a night.

Marriage Equality Takes a Few More Steps

Forty-two percent of Americans now say same sex couples should be allowed to legally marry, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. That's up nine points from last month, when 33 percent supported legalizing same sex marriage. Support for same sex marriage is now at its highest point since CBS News starting asking about it in 2004.

Twenty-eight percent say same sex couples should have no legal recognition – down from 35 percent in March – while 25 percent support civil unions, but not marriage, for gay couples. At the same time, the ABC News-Washington Post poll reported a slightly higher percentage. Noting that the shift has occurred, to some extent, across party and ideological lines, ABC News reported that "at its low, in 2004, just 32 percent of Americans favored gay marriage, with 62 percent opposed. Now 49 percent support it versus 46 percent opposed -- the first time in ABC/Post polls that supporters have outnumbered opponents.  More than half, moreover -- 53 percent -- say gay marriages held legally in another state should be recognized as legal in their states."

These findings are consistent with noticeable shifts in specific states, with New Jersey being a good example.  On April 23rd, the  Quinnipiac poll reported that "By a 49 - 43 percent margin, New Jersey voters support a law that would allow same-sex couples to marry, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. And voters support 63 - 30 percent the existing law establishing civil unions for same-sex couples."  The numbers represented a dramatic change from a Quinnipiac poll in December 2006, in which voters overall opposed same-sex marriage by a 50-44 percent margin.  According to the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute,  the poll is "known for its exactness and thoroughness" and was "selected a 'winner' by the New York Post for the most accurate prediction on the Schumer-D'Amato Senate race in 1998; and results are featured regularly in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and on national network news broadcasts." See the the Quinnipiac poll for a detailed breakdown.

The Way She Was (in 1984)

Susan Boyle recently got international acclaim for her performance on the UK's "Britain's Got Talent" show. This week the Scottish Daily Record released a video of her that few fans have seen: singing the Barbra Streisand hit "The Way We Were" at a competition held at the Fir Park Social Club in 1984 when she was 22 years old.  In addition to the video showcasing Ms. Boyle's voice, the viewer can also see her developing her skills at connecting with audiences. Click on the image to view the video.

In The Blogosphere: "Brokeback Poetry"

Born in the early 1940s, Ennis and Jack were what World War II veterans called "war babies", the generation preceding the baby boomers. This was one of the in-between generations of history: people who saw all the rules start changing just as they came of age. In an essay titled "Brokeback Poetry that will 'Blaze the Trail' for TBP, Forum member Bobby Parker (bobby19in1963) uses the reactions of many gays in Ennis' and Jack's generation to Brokeback Mountain to showcase a friend's poetry. "The movie of our generation, the older generation, is Brokeback Mountain. It was a watershed movie especially for closeted gays. We immediately connect in our minds with that time when we were young and could have gone up on Brokeback ... and come down with the love of our lives. No matter that it is a starcrossed love. Those boys actually found what we are all searching for...as the song says, 'a love that will never grow old.' "I was born the same year as Jack and Ennis, 1944, and in 1963 when they went up on Brokeback I was a 19-year-old in my prime, a thin, lightly muscular water ski bum on the Colorado River in California. As we saw the movie and now contemplate what it did to our thinking, the biggest question in our lives...is it too late for us?" Bobby quotes a number of his friend's poems, including one about the differing perspectives of generations: "I was born too early," he lamented "I was born too late," his gay lover bemoaned. "Pearl Harbor was bombed when I was 2 years old." "I remember Operation Desert Storm" Read the entire essay at Bilerico.

Dave Cullen in the UK

Forum members in the UK will be able to catch two of Dave's interviews this week.  He'll be in Dublin, Tuesday May 5 for a live interview on The Gerry Ryan Show RTE Ireland at 11 a.m., as well as on The Last Word with Matt Cooper Show on Today FM at 6 p.m. In London on Wednesday, May 6, he'll have a live interview at 12 noon for BBC Radio Shropshire, and on Thursday, May 7, an 11:00 interview live on BBC Radio Bristol. (All times are local times.)

Getting To Know You

Many of us have friends we've met in cyberspace and it's always a special occasion to meet them in person. Forum senior advisor and chief moderator emeritus Melisande had this experience recently, and shared it with Forum members at Le Bar Slash:

Met Dave yesterday for the first time!  Amazing but true, we hadn't ever met in person after three-plus years of Forum fun. He was here in San Francisco for a signing. The two of us had lunch at the Ferry Building, where he was signing some books for a bookstore. The Ferry Building is a lovely, foody place, right on the Bay. We ate outside.  It was so wonderful to meet this person I've spent so, so, so many hours on the phone with. He's exactly the same in person as he is on the phone, and I think I am, too, so everything went swimmingly. Then we split up. I went down to Linda's for lasagna and salad and wine and Brokies: Michael, Grace, John, Sid, and Julie. Thanks, btw, Linda, for doing all that! Oh, and garlic bread ! That was the big hit. Linda and Sid drove us down to the signing, which was in Mountain View, a place I've never been. I very rarely leave the city, because, why? In fact, I rarely leave my neighborhood. But I'll brave BART and suburbs for a good cause. And Mountain View was quite nice.  We got there early. Coffee was suggested, but I countered with a martini suggestion, and we were off to an Irish bar. The night's special was Baby Guinnesses. Guinnii? A shot glass of Kahlua and Bailey's, and it looked just like a baby Guinness. Aw. Very cute, but I don't like sweet drinks, so I had beer. Then we went to the bookstore. Dave greeted us all (I think everyone else had met him before, in Colorado.) We settled in, and Michael and I exchanged evil observations while Grace made friends with a couple of dogs who were sitting next to her. She leaned across Michael to say, "Flea!" to me. They were Flea dogs. Dave talked for about 45 minutes, and then took questions for another 45. It was very interesting, and as I've probably mentioned a thousand times, were it not for Dave, I would have zero interest in Columbine. But it is Dave, so I read the book, and, to my surprise, enjoyed it. It's very well written, and he makes it easy to follow all the complicated threads involved. I didn't find it upsetting the way many - most? - people do. This might be related to me not having kids. I just found it fascinating. The question session went well, except, perhaps, for the first questioner who asked, rather accusingly, about the long history of bloodshed beginning with the Iliad. Or something. Dave said he wasn't qualified to comment, and then ignored the guy's waving hand for the rest of the question period. It was well-attended. There were about 50 people there, standing room only. People were leaning over the railing of the second-floor coffee shop to hear. Then, of course, we kidnapped Dave and took him to the bar. Beers were had, pictures were taken. Some of the pictures will be in TDS. We called it a night and Dave, Michael, and I got on BART back to the city. Dave was fading fast - I don't know how he kept up with his crazy tour schedule. It was so much fun! Let's do it again next week!

All About Alexander

Many forum members have put time and effort into sharing hobbies, interests and favorite subjects with the rest of us. Among the most ambitious and detailed is magicmountain's "Travels With Alexander The Great" thread in the "Start Your Own Threads" section.  It covers art, theatrical productions, movies, books, articles and other scholarly resources; archaeological excavations and even Alexander-related jewelry and tee shirts.

Handel's Allesandro: "Wars of conquest
are replaced by intercollegiate rugby"
Reviewer Gavin Dixon praised the production at
the Royal College of Music as being "several ranks
above the category of student production."

Mosaic by Kosmas Kroussos

Put Alexander on a tee-shirt!

Alexander cameo earrings

Fun Question of the Week

This week’s Question: What was the name of the first powered airplane flown at Kitty Hawk by the Wright Brothers, on December 17, 1903? Let us know the answer on the response thread. Last week's question and answer: How did the American football huddle originate? Gallaudet University is a university for the Deaf located in Washington D.C. The football huddle was invented at Gallaudet as a way to keep opposing teams from reading the instructions the quarterback gave his teammates in sign language. Kudos to chapeaugris, who knew this one and to fritzkep for his fun take on football. Also, Check out the links to the videos from our previous Westinghouse question that Jack provided for us.

Quote of the Day

“Cynicism is the intellectual cripple's substitute for intelligence.”

~ Russell Lynes ~

Photocaption of the Day

contributed by sparklemotion, at  Photoshopped BBM Images.

Contributors: Stilllearning, magicmountain, bobby19in1963, Melisande, sparklemotion

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Man Dance Company
San Francisco - July 10-12, 2009

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

Today’s edition by Marge_Innavera

Researchers: BayCityJohn, BrokenOkie, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Formatters: denim girl, gnash

Today’s edition formatted by denim girl

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to tds@davecullen.com.

To subscribe to The Daily Sheet, click the “Notify” button at the top or bottom of the page.
When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail.

The Daily Sheet Archives
Respond to The Daily Sheet

[Stilllearning]

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Inside the First U.S. Screening of Heath Ledger's Final Film "A little bit of the Cannes Film Festival came to Los Angeles Tuesday night when U.S. sales rep Cinetic Media hosted the first domestic screening of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Terry Gilliam's highly anticipated movie featuring the last performance of Heath Ledger. (The film is scheduled to have its world premiere at Cannes later this month.) All of the major independent buyers in town packed Hollywood's DGA theater for the screening, and while most left feeling a bit befuddled (as one often does coming out of a Gilliam feature) the consensus was that the movie is better than expected." Read more. Source: ew.com

Cannes Countdown: Coppola is Out. Ang Lee is In!

"Contrary to trade paper speculation, Francis Ford Coppola won’t be bringing his new film, Tetro, to next month’s Cannes Film Festival... Meanwhile, Ang Lee, Jane Campion, Michael Haneke, Quentin Tarantino, Ken Loach, Pedro Almodovar, Bong Joon-ho, Marco Bellocchio, Lars von Trier and Johnnie To are on tap for the French festival, according to a Variety report late last week. "... Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock was offered an immediate invitation to screen in Cannes, according to Variety in [an] article about the Cannes lineup. Adapted by Focus Features CEO, and longtime Ang Lee collaborator, James Schamus, from a book by Elliot Tiber with Tom Monte, the film stars Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff, Emile Hirsch, Eugene Levy. Set in 1969, the film is described by Focus as the story of a man, “who inadvertently played a pivotal role in making the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival into the famed happening it was.” Focus is planning an August release for the movie." Take a look at the list of films competing for this year's coveted Palme d'Or. Read more. Source: indiewire.com Left to right, Kelli Garner, Demetri Martin, and Paul Dano.

Blue Valentine Open Casting Call in Pennsylvania

"The lure to get a role in a movie is powerful, especially when the movie is connected to Oscar nominees. The coming film Blue Valentine features two such stars, Michelle Williams who starred in Brokeback Mountain and Ryan Gosling of Half Nelson. So when the producers of “Blue Valentine” announced an open casting call at the Wayne County Visitors Center in Honesdale, area residents responded with a healthy turnout. "Male and female, young and old, in all sizes and shapes, stood on line for more than an hour in the chilly weather on April 13 for a chance to make it onto the silver screen. "Blue Valentine is described as a drama that jumps back and forth in time. It focuses on a couple when they were newly joined and excited at the prospects of life and love, and then on their 10th anniversary, when the wife is successfully moving forward but the husband is stuck the way he was a decade earlier and can’t accept his wife’s growth." The casting call indicates that the film, which was postponed due to the death of Heath Ledger, will now resume production. Read more. Source: riverreporter.com

Reverse Shot. "Proposition 24"

"Reverse Shot introduces "Proposition 24: Defining a New Queer Cinema": "We take the term 'queer' - so politically charged in its first incarnation under the new American independent movement, so increasingly old-fashioned and academic - as a starting point for an anything-goes exploration contemporary gay cinema.... The only true limitation we gave our writers was that their selected films hail from a year no earlier than 2000: this is an investigation into gay representation specifically in the Bush era." "Now, with the widespread achievements of the gay-rights movement continuing far beyond radical mobilization and the increasing regularity of homosexual representation in media, what is left of a verifiable queer cinema?" asks Michael Koresky in his piece on Broken Sky: "The battle for the right to marriage, visible on the nightly news, has established the desire for sameness, which makes the asserting of power through difference often seem a militancy of the past. "Matt Connolly has mixed feelings about "Queer Prestige Films" like Milk and Brokeback Mountain: "If you frame queerness as a public struggle fought on the streets or as a shame-infused secret to be whispered in the shadows, you never have to deal with the realities of modern queer existence: still political, still public, but cross-cut with the currents of private desires and interpersonal complexities."

Broken Sky, Strand Releasing

"As it opens, we see that "Milk, despite its personal and monolithic title, and a novel, humane central performance, will not be the portrait of a man but rather a movement, the radicalization of a time and place," writes Michael Koresky. "Politician Harvey Milk remains something of an abstraction, even as we see every step of his political ascendancy. The approach speaks to everything irrefutably right and somewhat lacking in Milk, its importance and its datedness, its simultaneous steps forward and back. In other words, it's the perfect film for a difficult, confused, but rich moment in a decades-long battle for civil rights." Read more. Source: ifc.com

First Woman Named as Poet Laureate

"Carol Ann Duffy, an acclaimed Scottish poet with an eclectic range and a flair for satire and humor, is also the first openly gay poet to hold the post. "For the first time since the post was created in 1668, Britain has selected a woman as its poet laureate, the long-acclaimed Scottish-born Carol Ann Duffy, who has written on topics including Shakespeare and Elvis Presley. Duffy, 53, won the Dylan Thomas Prize for poetry in 1989, and is known for tackling down-to-earth subjects such as crime, prostitution and housework. Her poetry has been hailed by fellow writers as original, imaginative and often bitingly satirical or plain humorous.

"She told BBC "Woman's Hour" interviewer Jenni Murray on Friday that her acceptance was not spontaneous. "I did think long and hard about accepting -- it's been talked about for months -- and I think my decision was purely because there hasn't been a woman and I kind of look on this as a recognition of the great women poets we now have writing, so I've decided to accept it for that reason." "Poetry is a transformative power, she told the BBC. "I think poetry's all about imagination, about looking at the ordinary and transforming it; it almost has a Midas touch. I think the monarchy has that. If you look at how the monarchy and the presence of the queen for the many, many decades she has been queen, can help, heal, transform, make something magic." Read more. Source: latimes.com

Carol Ann Duffy: 'Sexuality is a lovely, ordinary, normal thing'

"The new Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, has said it "fantastic" that she is an openly gay writer. "At her first conference since accepting the position, she said: "Sexuality is something that is celebrated now we have civil partnerships and it's fantastic that I'm an openly gay writer, and anyone here or watching the interviews who feels shy or uncomfortable about their sexuality should celebrate and be confident and be happy. "It's a lovely, ordinary, normal thing."' Read more. Source: pinknews.co.uk

What's Love Got to Do with It?

In an exhibit about the gay-marriage debate, the answer is: Everything. "By turns informative, celebratory and, occasionally, erotic, Historias de Amor/Love Stories, the exhibition at Miami's Centro Cultural Español (CCE) artfully engages the debate over gay marriage, but its straightforward point of view packs more punch than most of the works it encompasses can summon on their own. "Spain legalized same-sex marriage in 2004, a breakthrough the exhibition commemorates. Its presence at Miami's Hardcore Contemporary Art Space -- its sole U.S. venue in the middle of an otherwise seven-country Latin American tour -- is particularly timely in light of Florida voters' approval last November of a state amendment banning such unions. '''Above everything,'' curator Pablo Peinado says, "the collection deals with the themes of love, desire, sexuality and, in some form, the theme of identity. The exhibition is a way to claim visibility for homosexual affection.''' Read more. Source: miamiherald.com  Through May 16th, 2009 Shown: An untitled collage by César Fernández Arias

Tribute to Heath Ledger: The Unauthorized Story DVD Review "Heath Ledger's death January 22, 2008, at just 28 years of age, was a shock to Hollywood and movie fans worldwide. History will likely remember the talented and multi-faceted actor for his final act as The Joker in The Dark Knight, a role for which he won many posthumous awards, including an Oscar. The DVD Tribute to Heath Ledger: The Unauthorized Story, available from Infinity Entertainment Group on April 21st, attempts to present the larger body of work, and life, through a documentary that includes new footage." Read more. Source: movieroomreviews.com Purchase the DVD in The Ultimate Brokeback Forum Store.

But Can You Read It, Man? "From a design standpoint, the new poster for this summer's Taking Woodstock is unquestionably far out and groovy. Director Ang Lee's movie is about the guy (played by Comedy Central star Demetri Martin) who pretty much made the seminal 1969 Woodstock music festival possible -- click here to catch the trailer -- and this poster is a pitch-perfect recreation of the kind of multicolored, collage-y psychedelia that made up so many concert posters from that era. The faux folds and weathering are an especially choice touch." Read more. Source: popwatch.ew.com Click image for a larger version.

Heath Reworked



See more. Source: worth1000.com

Dave Cullen on C-SPAN2's Book-TV 2009 LA Times Festival of Books: Interview with Dave Cullen, Columbine Interviewer: Peter Slen Here are two more chances to see Dave's CSPAN/Book-TV interview, which runs approximately 45 minutes. It's not exactly prime time viewing, but you can set your recorder on Sunday night to catch the program. Upcoming Schedule: Monday May 11, 2009; 2:00 am Eastern (Sunday 5/10 at 11:00 pm Pacific) Monday May 11, 2009; 7:00 am Eastern (4:00 am Pacific) Read more. Source: booktv.org

WikiWhat?

Today's WikiWhat? is Twitter. Yes, Twitter. Talk to Jake! (Although it seems he's having a little trouble twittering lately.) Sounds a little silly, to be twittering about, doesn't it? But before you whittle Twitter down to just another mindless online micro-blogging service, think about this: The Los Angeles Fire Department put the technology to use during the October 2007 California wildfires. Some NASA projects such as Space Shuttle missions and the International Space Station provide updates via Twitter. Several 2008 U.S. presidential campaigns used Twitter as a publicity mechanism, including that of Democratic Party nominee and President Barack Obama. ... Twitter use increased 43% on election day. ... The use of Twitter by victims, bystanders, and the public to gather news and coordinate responses to the November 2008 Mumbai siege led CNN to call it "the day that social media appeared to come of age." Want the scoop on the stock market? Try BreakoutStocks. Sport news? espn might help you keep score. TwitLit may twitillate readers and authors -- it posts the first line from a random book each day and provides a link for more information. Wonder if Columbine was featured yet? Offbeat provides bizarre news reports from around the world: "Ohio man charged with drunken driving on a motorized bar stool." For more serious information, try twittering CNN or Big Gay News.

Now, it doesn't have to be about business and news reports... You can Twitter about your dinner with friends, tweet your thoughts on the latest episode of LOST, or chirp over the outfit your favorite celebrity wore on the red carpet. How about following a gay trekkie? Sulu is known to twitter on occasion. Even Captain Kirk has been tweeting on the web's wild frontier. Will Wheaton twitters (madly), and Lance Armstrong tweets too, along with Oprah, Anderson Cooper, Snoop Dogg, Margaret Cho, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Phelps, Henry Rollins, Britney Spears, Erykah Badu, Al Gore, John Cleese, Ashton Moore and Demi Kutcher, Matisyahu (who?), MC Hammer, David Lynch, and more... Who knew?

Post of the Day

Posted by mcnell1120 in How Brokeback Affected Me

"Good morning from Chicago "Sitting here trying to catch up on the latest posts, PM's....deleting some old stuff...trying to be a good Forum member and getting rid of some old PM's and all...reading some of them brought me back again....it comes and goes but when reading these nice notes / thoughts from you all just gives me this warm fuzzy feeling inside. It doesn't matter how silly they are or even if it's a one-liner say "hello"....the thought that someone from another state or country is thinking about me is something I still can't explain. No one in my family or even the very few friends I did tell can't understand. I suppose they will never know. "I've been doing some "Spring" cleaning around the house....in my entertainment center I stored all of my Brokeback stuff....some things given to me from the Texas BBQ...the two beer bottles with Jack and Ennis' picture on them...that cute little stuffed sheep Linda gave me...bandanas....*sigh*.....my thoughts drift back to that year 2006. I can't seem to take those items and store them...I can't understand how silly I can be to think that if I store them in a safe place that I'm putting it behind me now...."forgetting" it all.... well, I won't...it's a big part of me now." Read the rest of Nellie's heartfelt post.

Joke of the Day

Posted by Nax in Bring Your Humor Here The testicles of a Texas midget hurt and ached almost all the time, so he went to the doctor and told him about his problem. The doctor told him to drop his pants and he would have a look. The midget dropped his pants. The doctor stood him up onto the examining table, and started to examine him. The doc put one finger under his left testicle and told the midget to turn his head and cough, the usual method to check for a hernia. "Aha!" mumbled the doc, and as he put his finger under the right testicle, he asked the midget to cough again. "Aha!" said the doctor once more, and reached for his surgical scissors. Snip-snip-snip-snip on the right side, then snip-snip-snip-snip on the left side. The midget was so scared he was afraid to look, but noted with amazement that the snipping did not hurt. The doctor then told the midget to walk around the examining room to see if his testicles still hurt. The midget was absolutely delighted as he walked around and discovered his boys were no longer aching. The doctor said, "How does that feel now?" The midget replied, "Perfect Doc, and I didn't even feel it. What did you do?" The doctor replied, "I cut two inches off the top of your cowboy boots."

Photos of the Day


By conny in Life Through The Lens 3



"early morning walk"


By michaelflanagansf in Life Through The Lens 3



"Going up!"


By huntinbuddy in Life Through The Lens 3



"...dogwood trees just on my block!"

Quote of the Day

“When you say 'I love you' to somebody, you are saying it to the Universe.
Keep saying. It's important. There is a drought.”

~ Yoko Ono (via twitter) ~

Photocaption of the Day

By LauraGigs in Photo Captioning Fun 4

From the long languid looks, ever slower
to the riveted jeans being lowered —
Finally screen satisfaction
for the straight female faction!
A total, erotic mind-blower!

Contributors: montezumae, pattieono, mcnell1120, Nax, conny, michaelflanaganSF, huntinbuddy, LauraGigs

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Man Dance Company
San Francisco - July 10-12, 2009

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

Researchers: BayCityJohn, BrokenOkie, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Today's edition by gnash

Formatters: denim girl, gnash

Today’s edition formatted by gnash

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[Stilllearning]

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Changes and Covenants

This week, forum member neatfreak gave an account of change occurring in her church and how she became part of it. Troubled by the persistent hostility of high-profile churches and other religious groups to gays and lesbians, and "after a couple of years of reading pretty much everything I could get my hands on -- with help from friends here and elsewhere -- I felt confident enough to schedule an appointment with my senior pastor of the church where I am employed as a Sunday School director. When we sat down a year ago in May, I had no idea where he stood on the subject. But I told him I believed it was time for our congregation to extend an intentional and grace-filled welcome to the gay community." After this meeting, neatfreak attended a workshop on becoming a Welcoming Church, and in November of last year attended the annual convention of Covenant Network of Presbyterian Churches. "Both were amazing and gave me hope. An interesting thing happened at a worship service during the Covenant convention in Minneapolis. The public was invited to the Friday evening service, and the music was provided by the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus. The chorus poured in through the aisles and took their place in the choir loft behind the chancel. There were so many singers that they overflowed up the flanking stairs and into the balconies on either side. The music was outstanding, as you might expect. But just prior to the sermon, the men put down their folios, grasped each others’ hands, and sang their signature song, “Walk Hand In Hand.” It was glorious. It took my breath away. Here I was, trying to learn how to make my church a welcoming place and amid all these people these men were making me feel more welcome than I’ve felt anywhere. This is what I want for my church.

"Upon my return, I emailed my pastor to make an appointment to debrief about the events. He told me that four of our associate pastors would be there too. My debriefing became a presentation. Armed with folders, books, and an action plan, I sat down last December with five pastors and told them what I’d learned." She learned that change was already happening.  "Our senior pastor would bring the topic to our pulpit in February for the first time in 170 years of our church’s existence; and a class leader had asked permission to offer a discussion series on faith and homosexuality. I was put in contact with that member and we planned the strategy and content for that course, to immediately follow the sermon. People were going to talk, and we needed to guide that discussion. "The class series was wonderful. Normally attended by 20-25, over the four weeks we had attendance from 55 to 81 people. While of course we had a few who disagreed respectfully with the “left” point of view, far and away most were supportive and vocally so. This, in a church that is recognized for its conservative politics."

Church service at the Covenant Network's 2008 convention

The Presbyterian Church, like many others, has been debating its policies toward LGBT members for several years. Several have been unequivocably rejecting; others have taken the route of redefining homosexuality as "same-sex attraction" and approaching it as a disorder comparable to alcoholism.  To date the Presbyterian church's policies about gay deacons, elders and ministers in particular is tied to its specific requirement “to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness.” So far, the ordination of “self-affirmed practicing homosexuals" has been prohibited but efforts are underway to change that. Currently the church is voting on Amendment 08-B to its constitution, replacing the language specifying opposite-sex marriage with the more general requirement to "pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, striving to follow where he leads through the witness of the Scriptures".  As of May 7th, the amendment was being narrowly defeated by a vote of 74-90. However, that number reflected 31 presbyteries that had switched votes in favor of the amendment. The Covenant Network's website commented that "the general direction. . .  makes it clear that change is coming."

In April of this year Rev. Tricia Dykers Koenig (Forest Hills Church, Cleveland Heights, Ohio), in a speech to the Lehigh Presbytery, asserted that "there is an enormous human cost in maintaining the stigma against homosexuality that comes from the teaching that all same-sex practice is sinful", including divisions in families and "the spiritual corrosion that comes from harboring hateful attitudes".   Rev. Koenig noted the enthusiastic applause that a testimony from a self-described ex-gay man had generated at the last Presbyterian Coalition gathering and wondered "this man's audience [would] prefer him to have suffered through the years of isolation and agonizing struggle, the self-loathing and doubt" and discount the stories of other gay men and lesbians whose stories had "different conclusions." "I sometimes fear that it’s too late for those of my own generation" neatfreak wrote.  "They’ve been hurt too much for far too long. But we have children growing up gay in our churches, and they need to hear that God loves them too." Read neatfreak's whole story in the The Third Anniversary thread. Click here for more information about the Covenant Network. Read the full text of Rev. Koenig's speech here.

Harvey Milk and the San Francisco Scene

Gus Van Sant's Oscar-winning biopic Milk premiered at San Francisco's Castro Theatre last fall, just two weeks before election day; and retrospectives of Harvey Milk's life, death and impact will be showcased in Los Angeles this month and during the month of June -- one year after the still-disputed court decision in California granting marriage equality to same-sex couples. The Overtones Gallery in Culver City will host an exhibition of photographer Daniel Nicoletta's work.  The gallery announced that the exhibition will include "some of [Nicoletta's] favorite iconic images from his documentation of the vibrant lesbian gay bisexual and transgender civil rights movement, as well as photographs Nicoletta made on the set of the Academy Award-winning film Milk. . . .  It is our hope that the power of Nicoletta’s imagery and the humanness of the stories his images tell will aid in bringing about a world where equality is enjoyed by all."

Nicoletta photo of Harvey Milk

There will also be an artist’s talk and booksigning for Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk on June 7th. Overtones is requesting an RSVP by June 3rd, and can be reached at 310.915.0346, or via email at word@overtonesgallery.com The Silver Screen Theatre, in the Pacific Design center in West Hollywood will host another lecture and slide presentation, on Saturday, June 6th.  The event is being sponsored by the City of West Hollywood and PEN USA. Contact PEN USA's event coordinator Michelle Meyering, at michelle@penusa.org . The Pacific Design Center is on 8687 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, and can be contacted by phone at 310.657.0800

Purchase a copy of Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk at the Ultimate Brokeback Store   

For Forum discussions about Harvey Milk, see The Mayor of Castro Street and Milk: The Movie.

Weddings, Maine (and Iowa) Style

Maine Becomes the Fifth Last week on May 6th, Maine became the fifth state in the US to legalize same-sex marriage, bringing the "States of equality" up to 10  percent.  Maine's Senate approved the legislation by 21-13, following an 89-57 vote by its House of Representatives. Governor John Baldacci told reporters that although he had previously opposed same-sex marriage and advocated civil unions instead, he had become convinced "that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.  He also cited the state constitution's Article I statement that 'no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person's civil rights or be discriminated against' as a basis for the decision. Gov. Baldacci emphasized that the new state law would not require any religious group to perform same-sex ceremonies.  He added that this affirmed the separation of church and state, and "guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine's civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government." However, Maine may be a state in which combating efforts to roll back the progress is half the battle. Opponents have already filed a challenge as a "people's veto", by which signatures from 10 percent of the number of total votes in the last governor's election can force a referendum this fall. The opponents have until September to get petitions together.  It will take energy and dedication to counter the "people's veto", as the the Portland Roman Catholic Diocese intends to be active in organizing the campaign to repeal the civil rights legislation. Read the full text of Governor Baldacci's comments here.

The Equality Express In the meantime Iowa, which also legalized same-sex marriage recently, was the destination of a bus carrying 17 engaged couples plus family, friends and clergy, who had boarded in St. Louis, Missouri.  They headed for the Unitarian-Univeralist Church in Iowa City, where Rev. Rev. Benjamin Maucere and Rabbi Susan Talve performed the ceremonies.  Rabbi Talve officiated at the wedding of the bus trip organizer, Ed Reggi, and his partner of 10 years, Scott Emanuel.  The arrival of the equality express didn't escape the notice of Josh Schamberger, president of Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, who announced that the organization has formed a committee to put together an ad campaign and said he hoped that more couples would make Iowa City a destination.       Ryan Barker (R) and Lawrence Miskel (L) with their son William Miskel Barker One of the couples included a member of the Missouri legislature, Jolie Justus (D-Kansas City) and wife-to-be Shonda Garrison (to the right in photo). Justus was among the speakers at the Join The Impact marriage equality demonstration in Kansas City last November. Reaction to Justus' and Garrison's marriage was generally positive, although the Missouri Bushwhacker Blog  referred to Justus as "an insurrectionist. Missouri is surrounded by free-loving Yankees in Illinois, Iowa and Kansas."

Around the Cyber-Neighborhood

This is the first of a series of features about useful, educational or just oddly interesting websites. If you're looking at a recipe with metric measurements and need to translate milliliters into tablespoons, or planning an international and wondering how far in "150 miles" is, check out the conversion calculator at Science Made Simple. On the home page, select the type of units you want, such as distance, temperature or liquid measurements. Then enter the number of the measurement, distance or degrees (in Celsius or Fahrenheit) you want to convert and select the types of measurements from the drop-down list. No calculator or double-decimal math needed!

Ketchup and "Green" Living

You know about this stuff, Monroe --
is there REALLY such a thing as green ketchup?

The  Daily Green News  notes that "Ketchup has been satirized, politicized (W Ketchup anyone?) and considered for reclassification as a vegetable. Many folks can't even agree how it should be spelled (catsup or catchup perhaps?). "Ketchup's basic ingredients are typically tomato concentrate (duh), the ubiquitous corn syrup or another sweetener, vinegar, salt, spice and herb extracts (including celery), spice and garlic powder. Some brands also include allspice, cloves, cinnamon, onion and other vegetables. While none of us should be eating too much salt or corn syrup, it's hard to argue with the fact that the ingredients list is decidedly non-toxic, especially when you compare it to the chemical-laded conventional cleaning products and shampoos that it can replace." Five uses for ketchup, other than as a condiment: Shine your copper  "Massage ketchup over the copper and watch it dissolve the tarnish away (thanks to the acid). In the event that you have stubborn spots, add a pinch of table salt while you polish. " Get those auto parts gleaming  "The condiment does a good job cutting tarnish, but not so well in removing dirt. Sounds like you may need a multi-step process, with some soap and water as well. " Fight snunk odor  "Although some experts have cautioned that the technique may not actually work well (beyond a masking sensation), many people still swear by tomato juice as a way to remove potent skunk odor. . . . in the event you don't have any tomato juice on hand you can try using plain ketchup instead." Get back prettier hair from chlorine damage  "Ketchup can also be used to correct limey-hair-highlights-gone-green, which can sometimes occur from exposure to chlorine found in swimming pools." Soothe wounds  A blogger reports that "she freezes leftover ketchup and soy sauce packets to use on her children's 'small booboos and bumps.' She claims, 'The kids LOVE them.' Apparently even the mere appearance of the packets often makes their hurts go away." For detailed advice on 'green' living, see The Daily Green.

Post of Note: The Two Brokebacks

Brokies have recently been discussing and proposing various interpretations of disputing Annie Proulx' remarks in her Paris Review interview. In a Question of the Week discussion last month, Forum member tonydude posted an interpretation of Annie's remark that "People saw (Brokeback) as a story about two cowboys. It was never about two cowboys. You know you have to have characters to hang the story on but I guess they were too real. A lot of people have adopted them and put their names on their license plates. Sometimes the cart gets away from the horse—the characters outgrew the intent."  tonydude's insight: "It seems to me there are two possible answers, because there are two BBM stories.  In the first, AP used an affair/love story as a literary device to explore rural homophobia.  That love story was, frankly, little different from the entanglements of most people, whether gay or straight.  They loved, but it was not so much more than the modern world allows, and, as we all know, the survival rate of love these days is more than a little challenged.  In that BBM, then, it was not impossible, but not particularly likely, that Ennis would have caved in and gone past his fears. "But there is the other BBM.  There, AP's literary device, or format, of the love story, took on a life of its own, pushing her original themes to the side.  The choices made by the author inexorably moved the love between Ennis and Jack into an historic dimension, of perhaps one of the greatest love stories ever told.  Their love certainly ranks up there with the other great loves, and, clearly, the initial reaction of the audiences was to the emotional impact of a great love, leaving the anger over the ignorance of what had troubled that particular love to a second wave of feeling. "In that second BBM version, an historic love that transcended mere gender, there was always the possibility Ennis loved enough to make the needed changes.  On another forum, one writer has pointed repeatedly to the Diner scene with Cassie, as the turning point when Ennis was finally confronting the meaning of his love, and was, therefore, headed into their next meeting with a willingness to begin the changes necessary to keep Jack.  He was ready to change course.  He had, after all, before.  Several times. "My own preference is for the Great Love Story, and so, IMO, yes, Ennis would have loved enough to conquer his fears and made some arrangement and was ready to do so, but it was too late.  Jack was already dead." CellarDweller115, co-moderating with Nax and tellyouwhat, explains how the Question of the Week thread works: "A thread will be started, with a specific topic set, based on the original short story, or movie, or both. The discussion will be open for one week. After that week, the thread will be locked, and archived as "read only". A new thread, with a new topic, will be started the following week."  Suggestions for topics are welcome; send a personal message to CellarDwellar115, tellyouwhat or Nax. Weigh in on the May 10th topic: FROM THE MOVIE, JACK: "We could a had a good life together, a fuckin real good life. But you didn't want it, Ennis. So what we got now is Brokeback Mountain. Everthing's built on that. And that's all we got, boy, fuckin' all, and you better know that if you don't never know the rest." What does Jack want Ennis to "know"? What does Jack mean by "the rest"?

Fun Question of the Week

This week’s Question: Where do the highest tides on earth occur? Let us know the answer on the response thread. Last week's question and answer: What was the name of the first powered airplane flown at Kitty Hawk by the Wright Brothers, on December 17, 1903?  Bird of Prey, according to our source.

Quote of the Day

“At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas of which it is
assumed that all right-thinking people will accept without question.”

~ George Orwell ~

Forum photos: Life in Venice

acquaalta posted these and several more photos from a visit to Venice, Italy in Life through the Lens 3

                 

gondolas and gondoliers

       

Taken at Carnival, "a serious but colorful event in Venice"

 Photocaption of the Day

Some of our posted photocaps in "Photo Captioning Fun" are moving and
thought-provoking -- such as this one from BrokenOkie's  "Biblical Brokeback" series:

Biblical Brokeback



I was like one who comforts mourners.  Job 29:26  (NIV)

Contributors: neatfreak, tonydude, michaelflanagansf, BrokenOkie, acquaalta, CellarDweller115

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Harvey Milk and the San Francisco Scene
Los Angeles, Overtones Gallery- May 9-June 20, 2009

Man Dance Company
San Francisco - July 10-12, 2009

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

Researchers: BayCityJohn, BrokenOkie, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Today's edition by Marge_Innavera

Formatters: denim girl, gnash

Today’s edition formatted by denim girl

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