First off I gotta say thanks for all the amazing love you guys sent my way after our posting on
Angela Madsen the other day. It's good to know that a piece written about someone that has taken life on and risen to the occasion with grace still strikes a cord with so many of you. With that said, today's posting is going to have none of that.....Today we are just going to cover stories that, for whatever reason, have grabbed my attention and refused to let go. So if someone would please help me on to my soapbox....
For some reason The 2014 Olympic Committee thought Sochi, Russia was the perfect place to host the Winter Games. Now they turned a blind eye to Russian laws cracking down on freedom of the press as well as freedom of speech...Pussy Riot anyone? Putin has made his distaste for Gays well known and made no apologies for his actions. He has locked up political opponents for having the gall to give their personal money to those running against Putin. Which, in all fairness, was a waste of a Ruble, the election was fixed. Anywho, with all this said "The Committee" said that this was the place to bring the world together to celebrate unity & peace. So is it any wonder that this same committee, I am no longer using a big "C" as I am losing respect for them by the second, is downplaying the handwritten messages containing terrorist threats against the athletes themselves. Now the very same President Putin that was so quick handle all his own problems is taking the offer of the committee to help with security. Knowing that any incident at the games in Sochi would make for a PR disaster, which after an already bruising turn in the media he is anxious to avoid. One group Putin does not have to worry about protecting is the French President Francois Hollande & other officials. They have decided to pass on the Russian hospitality in light of the non-stop human rights violations. EVEN the French are taking a stand! Wow!
Now I was a piece I was not sure about writing about. This headline would grab anyones attention "Teen Expelled From High School For Doing Gay Porn". Now let us get one thing clear, this teen is 18 years old. He did all his film work as a legal adult. Robert Marucci, of Cocoa Florida, was expelled from his high school after students became aware of his career and of course, passed the images around like wild fire. Robert was sent home after the school said there were creditability threats in regards to his safety. Remember, we are talking about Florida, not the bedrock of forward thinking! Maybe they could look to Mr Putin for help? But the school instead thought it could make the situation go away. They thought wrong. The story blew up on the net and the school seems to have had a change of heart. I am guessing the threats of costly lawsuits & more bad press had something to do with that. But what really impressed me was Roberts Mom! Melyssa Lieb came out swinging for her son. This woman dares anyone to say he did anything wrong. And from watch footage of her I would never disagree with Mom! She raised a well spoken, smart and yes hot young man, that made a business decision and makes no apology for it! Good for both of them!
Stay Fabulous!
Boy About Town
To some it's the Sunshine state or home of Mickey Mouse. Or maybe God's waiting room, amazing fishing or Margaritaville. How ever you know the state of Florida the fact remains you know it because this state can promote like nobody else. I have spent the summer here taking care of wreckage from my past & closing the door on a part of my life REALLY needed closing. However, while spending my 3 months bouncing around being fabulous & fun...and yes a bit annoying (I am not blind to myself people!) Boy About Town has found that this little corner of the world seems to be a war with it's self as Florida struggles to find an identity.
We all know that the world loves to flock to the beaches of Ft Lauderdale & South Beach to partake in all the fun both of these places offer, which Boy has enjoyed this summer to the dismay of his dermatologist. But are most of these fun loving adults aware that Broward County (Ft Lauderdale) & Dade County (South Beach) have rated number 1 and 2 in the nation for new HIV infections? And with a system that is already overwhelmed with huge numbers of people in need the local, as well as federal, goverments have picked now as the time to cut budgets that help combat this very issue. And these people come to enjoy the sun & nightlife only to find that the famed nightclubs and dance scene no longer the celebration of life they once were. The employment front is not a whole lot better. The largest employer in the southern most state is non other then the state it's self! And within this machine The Department Of Corrections is the king of the hill. Which is easy to understand since 1 in 5 adult males in Florida has or will be incarceted or on some kind of supervision. And that fun fact is easy to understand when you consider that Florida is at the LOW end of the high school graduation scale while at the HIGH end of the drop out rate.
With all this said I have to say congrads to those that fight the good fight both on social issues as well as the dance floor! Poverello, in Ft Lauderdale, provides life-saving food and basic life essentials to almost 2500 youth, women and men living with HIV/AIDS. This much needed & much loved agency has been backed by the local community, which defines the word diversity, for the past 25 years! Save Dade is an organization working to defend the Human Rights Ordinance which opposes discrimination, because this is the south & Florida does have it's own ghosts in that area. The Department Of Corrections is in an ongoing and never ending battle with the federal goverment as well as the ACLU over it's criminal treatment of the state's inmates and the EX offenders that find their road to rehabilitation blocked at every turn. And outstanding DJ's like Jeffrey Jacobs, pictured here with Boy, are leading the way back to the tribal feel of house music at smaller and yet fabulous venues like The Ramrod & Torpedo. And in all fairness, what was one of the most amazing parties Boy About Town has attended in years was Ryan Salazar's B-day bash this past weekend right off Ft Lauderdale Beach. So there is hope for Florida & I am praying the good guys win this one....Yes I do pray!
I am throwing in some of Boy About Town favorite photos from this summer...enjoy! Next stop California!
