About Town With Boy....Madison Wisconsin

As many of you know I have always been a fan of travel.  From the time I was a child my parents dragged us all over the globe & exposed us to many different places.  Even as a "little Boy About Town" I knew that each experience was unique. And being me, I knew my opinion was meant to shared.  My poor family.  So when I suddenly found myself booked on a flight to Madison, Wisconsin I figured this would be the perfect chance to kick off a new segment "About Town with Boy"....

First lets cover a few basic facts, Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the Dane County seat. As of July 1, 2012, Madison had an estimated population of 240,323, making it the second largest city in Wisconsin.  Now, I am going to be honest, the thought of visiting this mid-sized, mid-western town in the middle of the winter wasn't on the top of my things to do list.  But as I found out there is no welcome like Madison welcome! The cast of characters I met while there reflect the city it's self.  Lily & Felipe met us at the airport with an arm full of winter coats.  Now let me get one thing outta the way.  Madison in the winter is cold.  There I said  it....cold.  But my little posting here is meant look beyond all that and look into what makes Wisconsin's second largest city tick.  For many of us the words "Madison, Wisconsin" bring up images of over fed, white, cheese loving, mid westerns screaming for some football team to make a goal...or hoop.....or whatever.  But what struck me right off the bat was the young, urban feeling as well as "non white" make up of the area.  The University of Wisconsin which is located right downtown, gives the city a boost of young blood & energy.  This one factor, the

school, brings an estimated 60,000 people from all over the world into close contact with each other. I came to see that this young, exciting crowd adds to the reputation Madison has hung onto over the

years as a liberal, forward thinking city.  The U of W population, made up of the support staff along with those feisty, party animals called students, tend to live close to the University. And in doing so they spend their spare time as well cash in the direct surrounding area.  So of course there is an active bar/party scene, which we like to call State Street. While the crowd tends to be younger and shall we say messier, you get the feeling all are welcome as long as you come to party.  They love to party in "Maddy", that's what I call Madison! They love to party & they do love to eat.  Some of the local favorites, that I was told by many of you, were the fired cheese curd followed by frozen custard. This is not a joke people. And being your Boy About Town I flew off to Wisconsin and got off the plane a headed straight to Michael's Frozen Custard, which also had the a aforementioned cheese curds.  And let me lay it on the line for you folks, I gained 10 lbs in 20 mins but it was worth it.
Just steps from all the chaos....I meant higher education, is the State Capital. I thought "this is going to be some sad attempt at being a classic, decorative show piece."  Ladies & gentlemen.....I stand corrected.  Boy About Town here has been to see the seats of power for many different governments

all over the world AND I've even been kicked out of some, but the Capital of Wisconsin is truly breath taking.  Built between 1907 and 1917 at a cost of $7.25 million, this timeless, working seat of power is well worth a visit.  One thing I couldn't help but to notice on my weekend visit to this historical landmark, was the number of homeless people huddled in the hallways to escape the bitter cold. The irony was not lost on me. How could this clean, brimming city not do more to protect it's own against the coldest winter in 30 years....I'm telling ya I know when to travel. 
In doing a some research I found a bit of struggle going on within the city it's self. On one side is the "old guard." From what I could see, this group tends to be upper middle class, white collar & maybe bit on the older side.  On the other side would be what I am going to call "hipster voters".  This is a mixed bag of young, new to the area urban professional, a booming Latino population & the U of W crowd, amongst others.  Once upon a time Madison was truly a liberal, yet not to liberal town where the Vietnam War was protested and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation was made illegal in 1982, well before Will & Grace.  However, since then there seems to have been a shift. Maybe it is due to the increase in the Hispanic population.  Maybe it's because around 50% of the public school system is now made up "non white" children, a sharp increase over the past few decades. Whatever the cause, the effect has been the same, a divide has sprung up between those that where, and those that are in the mist of becoming. It's called progress baby! I sat down with city council member Shiva Bidar to talk about how the city has been dealings with it's hunt for a new, clear identity.  As soon as I met this outspoken, elected official it was clear she was part of the New Madison. Iranian born and having been raised in Spain, Shiva lived elsewhere in Europe & on the west coast of America before settling in Madison. Although she came to Madison for love she stayed on after the relationship had ended. So here is the face of the other Madison. Born in a land

many American high school kids can't find on a map, living and working hard to carve out a bit of the American Dream mid-western style for themselves.  After working in the community for a number of years getting things done from the outside our Shiva made a run for office, there by making it official,

the charge of guard has begun. The "hipster voters" have a face to which they can relate on the council. As Shiva and others in the Madison community begin to deal with issues such as school lunches, the job market and everyday things that a mid size city deal with, I heard there where rumblings of unhappiness with this new wave of people and their wants & needs. But as I asked for more details, pen & paper ready,   
everyone seemed unwilling to make clear their ideas. I think it was mid western manners that gave them the a sudden case of the shut ups. 
Something that could not be ignored was the fact that Madison, unlike most American cities or even towns seemed to have no neighborhoods in which certain communities claimed as their own. Although there is a large Mexican population, there was no clear "Mexican" area.  I was told repeatedly that was a large Gay population in Madison, yet there was no "Gay District".  As Shiva and I chatted about how this can make it difficult for a group of people to find footing in an area and can, at times, lead to feelings of isolation even in a city the size of Madison.  One person that deals with this on the daily is Patrick Farabaugh. He saw a market for a high quality, publication serving the Gay folks of Madison.  And I have to say that his "Our Lives" is a well put together, glossy mag that truly is well worth a read. Patrick thinks the lack of "ghettoanation" speaks to the fact that Madison does not need to place people into boxes as it where.  That the Gay community, which for decades has been focused around the dance floor of the discos, has grown into a a mature, integrated community which is everywhere and does not need to be pigeon holed into a few blocks.  While that is true in many respects, I truly believe there is something self affirming by living, working and yes partying in a corner of the world that is yours and you know you are safe in. Not to say that small world should be your whole world, but clearly it is key part to saying "I am here. My culture counts and is celebrated." And one of the many things I did notice that while there was a great sense of community in Madison as a whole the pockets of fun, interesting mini worlds seemed to

be lacking in this modern day town. That is not to say that Madison is in anyway lacking in a diverse make up.  By just being still and watching you can learn so much about a place, but lets face it that is just not the way Boy About Town does things. On our last morning in Madison a group of us gathered to share a final meal at "The Original Pancake House".  As I made my way across the room I was greeted by most every table with a warm & genuine "Good Morning".  Now to be fair, I was wearing a large, red hat that some say looks like a fox.  It was warm & stylish! And as we sat down I looked around at the table and saw 5 very different people. They all had walked a different path to get here and at night they rest their heads down in different circumstances, but all of us were brought together there, in Madison.  That breakfast best sums up Madison. With no pretense, no big fuss they greet all of the world with "Good Morning"
Stay Fabulous
Boy About Town

A New Era For The GOP Or Just Death Throes?

We here in America live with a two party system that has for years waged an on going battle that has come to define modern politics. On the one side is the Democrats. They have been in the White House for two terms now with, some would say, mixed results. What they also have is great prospects in the coming years, not least of which is Hillary Clinton. On the other side of the ever flipping coin is the GOP or the Republicans. GOP= Grand Old Party and at one time it truly was a great, solid, united forward thinking party. That can not be said about the present day Republican Party.
In the past few years they have tried time & again to revamp themselves to fit the rapidly

changing voters. With different groups within the GOP fighting for control there has little, if any cohesiveness coming from the Republicans.  The term "staying" on message has no meaning to this group because at this time there is no message on which they can agree! Let's look at some of the groups that are playing a part in this soap opera.
 The Tea Party or Tea Baggers as they are know to everyone else.  The Tea Party movement is an American political movement that is primarily known for advocating a return to "The Founding Fathers" blueprint for America, or at least what they see as the blueprint because NONE of the Tea Baggers were there.  Now lets all keep in mind that the Fathers were all White, rich, male slave owners, but our friendly Tea Baggers, umm Tea Party People,  don't believe we should all return to that.  At least they don't say as much.  But what they do clearly believe in is a more conservative approach to EVERYTHING.  From social issues like gun rights, to abortion to limited government & of course Gay marriage. Theirs is a grassroots movement that started in the mid 90's.  As with most movements the T.P.'ers was started out of frustration with what they thought was an America fast approaching the end.  The number of people that are actual members seems to vary according to who you ask, but one thing that is clear is the most, not all, seem to be older, white people that think that the Republican party was starting to become to liberal. No really, some people actually thought that. So the movement was hailed by many as a saving grace.  At last getting back to core values & fiscal responsibility.  And they found great spokespeople like my good friend Sarah Palin. I wanted to insert a photo of Sarah & Myself here but everytime we have been in the same room she runs in the other direction. And by that I means she literally runs! I guess she was having a bad hair day.  Members of the Tea Party have made themselves a force to be reckoned with. However if you, as a card carrying conservative, step outta line there is a price to pay.  As Sen John McCain learned earlier today. The Arizona Republican Party censured longtime Sen. John McCain for what it called his “long and terrible” record of voting with the liberal, left wing. #told 

One of the other groups that is doing it's damnest to be heard in this never ending fight for a piece of the pulpit is....are you all ready for this?  Socially Liberal Black Republicans. Now I too did a double take on that one! I saw it on a friends facebook page & it sent my wheels a spinning.  Now as many of you may know Ab Lincoln was a proud Republican and also gained world wide fame for The Emancipation Proclamation.  He most likely would have gone on to mess up his reputation if he had not spent that night at the theater.  But, this one amazing event alone can not over shadow the years that followed.  For a long time fiscally conservative blacks have tried, some would say in vain, to return the Republican party to one that is more inclusive. This uphill battle, in my view, has lost a bit of steam with the the election of America's first half black President to The White House....twice. However the question is starting to be raised will the Republicans nominate a socially liberal candidate for the 2016.  Did the Republicans learn their lesson when they pushed hard right wing ideas?  This small yet growing group is is becoming a force to be reckoned with. Only a group taken seriously would be  having a luncheon at The White House next week. And that is just where the Black Republicans will be throwing down. One person that will making a grand entrance, because she always enters a room like that, is Miss Frenchie Davis. As she shares on her fb timeline, and everyone should check that out cause it is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S, she is a Socially Liberal Black Republican...and Bisexual. Pause for effect.  So as more & more young, Black Americans find their voice in the system is it possible that a younger, smarter, more liberal way of looking at the world will become the prevailing thought from the party?  Will Jay Z be hosting fundraisers for a Black Republican candidatee? And will Boy About Town be invited?

Now I want to close this topic out with a group I yet to be able to wrap my mind around, The Log Cabin Republicans! Let me break this down for you fine folks. The Log Cabin Republicans are a group of Gay Republicans. I know right?!  Now as some of you may know I have had many an interview with different members of the L.C.R. and still don't understand how anyone in their right mind could want to be a part of a group that has made it quite clear they want nothing whatsoever to do with anything Gay.  Point in case, Presidential candidate Bob Dole, remember him, returned money to our Log Cabiner's that they had raised on his behalf.  He wanted nothing to do with a group of Gays...or their money, which really says something!  In a time of changing views on Gay Marriage, polls show that a majority of Americans now support it, why oh why would you throw your time, energy & yes money behind a group that states clearly they stand opposed to your equal rights? But that is just what they are doing? I just can't....
Now there is also the growing Hispanic vote, which at this time has become the largest minority in the USA.  I did not over look them but am saving that hot topic for a coming posting! Now let's catch up on some entertainment gossip!  

It seems that AirFrance has pissed off the one & only Cher!  And as anyone in the free world knows Cher loves to share all her thoughts on twitter, so while looking up Frenchie's fb page make sure to hit @Cher!  It seems Cher's houseguest Heidi arrived but sans her luggage.  As she went on to share AirFrance later found the missing luggage half way across the globe but was making plans to have it brought to LA.  However the bags were not to delivered to Casa de Cher and her highness let lose on the airline, with both barrels! FAB!  Speaking of people that need to be taken down a notch, Phaedra Parks of the Real Housewives of Atlanta will finally get to use her law degree she is SO fond of telling us about.  Her husband, Apollo Nida, has been charged in federal court with identity theft! Now I know a thing or two about the court system, thank you very much, and I know that the feds only bring a case against you if they are sure they can win.  Hey Apollo, if you need any pointers on life behind the fence hit me up! 
Stay Fabulous!
Boy About Town

What Do Putin & A Teen Porn Star Have In Common? Boy's Attention!

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

A Hero Amongst Us.....Angela Madsen

For a while now I have wanted to write about people that I feel have effected the world in which we live but have failed to grab the attention of the mass media.  So every now & then I will be posting under the title "A Hero Amongst Us".  You folks have never been shy about emailing me your thoughts, both good & bad, so if you know of someone that might fit this mold please let me know RCRNewsBlog@gmail.com

At times even Boy About Town gets a tad tired of all this Hollywood fluff.  I mean how many times can you write about some untalented "starlet" getting out of a car sans panties. As many of you know my last blog "Boy's Buzz" was dedicated to just this type of  "news story".  And it made me well known & paid my bills, thank you Lindsay Lohan, Britney, and all ya Kardashian blood suckers. But during that time in my life, through my travels, both cyber & real world, I met some people that truly wowed me. People that, I believe, not only changed their world but changed the world we live in.  I would like you all to meet one such person, Angela Madsen. 
While on duty with the Armed Services of the United States Miss Madsen injured her back.  While the injury was not life threatening it was not a pleasant experience.  So in 1993 our little United Sates vet went in for surgery which while major, still had Angela heading straight home with a clear goal to be back on her beloved surf board within a year.  As you will soon learn Angela is VERY goal orientated.  But the doctors at the VA hospital made a "mistake" while performing this life changing operation on her back. Even I know that a "mistake" in the region of all that important stuff back there is never good.  And what do ya know, Boy About Town was right, please take note, it does happen. Angela was "informed" upon awaking  that she was now a paraplegic & would be requiring a wheelchair. That's it! No preamble, just BAM!   Now let's recap shall we folks?  Serve your country...yippee, hurt your back....ouch, become paraplegic.... WHAT!!
I have never been called lazy & I too have been handed a few curve balls in life but waking up paralyzed....Check Please!
And as many of you know that when something like this happens it seems to open the flood gates.  Your world begins to unravel...quickly!  Angela lost her job.  I mean your employee calls in one day saying "I can't come in today, I can't walk anymore need to deal with that real quick."  So no more income.  And funny thing, no one wanted to hire a middle aged, newly wheelchair bound, woman.  So she lost her house, there by becoming homeless. Speaking from experience I know how dehumanizing that can be. At this point,  many people would have thrown in the towel. But remember I said Angela was goal oriented, so she made some goals. 
At some point she began to look at all this as a gift.  In the coming years Angela seemed to think God was a major factor in what she did with her situation. That sounds good & maybe true too but I have met Mr. & Mrs Madsen.  And I truly believe this Florida couple need their own reality show.  He is a World War II vet that takes no gruff from anyone & she is a lovely lady that always has a quick comeback for every occasion. These two are the type you want to sit next to at a dinner party so you can rip the other guest to pieces together! But they expect you to work hard.  And that i just what Angela did!

As close as this crazy lady is getting Boy to a boat!

Now when I first heard about Angela her girlfriend, oh did I not mention that?  See how the adjectives are adding up? Anyway Deb contacted me and asked me to write about her lovely girlfriend that was a paraplegic, a vet & at the current moment rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny boat with no sail & no motor!  HOLD THE PHONE!  This woman, who by now is a Grandmother, is in a fibreglass boat of about 30 feet ROWING across the ocean without the use of her legs. One more detail, added Deb. The guy rowing with her is a French amputee with only 1 leg that does not speak any English.  And she speaks no French!  She had my attention.  Angela & her one legged buddy were getting next to NO press coverage!  It was not a sexy story.  Most vets did not like the whole Gay thing. Gay press was looking for a muscle bound sex god in a jockstrap to put on their covers. And mainstream press didn't know what to do with her.  I did a piece in which Boy's Buzz asked why this American Role Model was being over looked.  I was shocked by sheer volume of responses I received. The internet reached out to Angela & her story.  And she reached out to me.  One day shortly after printing the story I answered the phone only to hear Angela announce herself along with her ships present longitude & latitude.  Since that call and after spending 66 days on that boat Angela & Deb have always been in my life.  This amazing team is always doing something or going somewhere.  Angela has started an organization that helps differently abled people learn not only to row but to regain some of their self reliance. She speaks at both schools to kids that need to hear her message of over coming life's hurdles as well as larger venues aimed at fighting for human rights. Gone on to compete in the Paralympics.  Oh, and by the way, after her record setting row across the Atlantic Ocean Madsen has gone on to become one of nine women in the world who has rowed TWO different oceans AND become the only person to have rowed THREE ocean crossings AND row her hot little self around Great Britain.  
 Now Angela's story, like many of our stories, has many twists.  But unlike most, Angela does not allow  the adjectives used to describe her to define her. She looked at what she was handed and said it was simply not good enough. She then went about building a world which not only works for her but in which she excels in!  In her spare time....whatever that means to her....Angela has managed to pen a book "Rowing Against The Wind" which is now available for pre-order on Amazon! So, we have, as a community, over looked this strong, gifted, lady.  But let me say this.....My friend Angela Madsen is truly is a Hero Amongst Us!
Stay Fabulous!
Boy About Town

The Business Of Turning You On Fights To Survive!

At one point porn was America's dirty little secret.  A thing that was rarely talked about

but often viewed.  Well folks all that has changed with the internet. You now see little girls running around in shirts that say "Porn Star" right across their undeveloped chests.  And in area's like West Hollywood & Palm Springs every other guy you run into tells you he's a "porn star" (half the time he's wearing that same shirt as that 12 yr old girl!!) Now with the click of a few fingers you can pull up any kind of XXX images, movies, personal online chats. If you google "porn" over 389,000,000 hits come up in less then a second. Porn has come out of dark in the main stream in a big way. With all this content out there you would think that someone, somewhere would be making some serious cash. And you would be 100 percent correct.  But with this change in the way we view porn, shop for porn & buy porn there has also been a shift in the way the money has been changing hands. There is a lot of money to be made in the business of pleasure, but you maybe surprised at who is making that money.  The explosion of XXX all brings with it an issue that people don't talk about.  Millions upon million of dollars are being lost by the companies that make the movies, distributors of the movies & the actors in the films.  So lets walk through the rarely seen side of porn (that means the business side folks, nothing else in porn is rarely seen)
It's been said that "the industry" earns it's self  13 billion dollars a year.  That's billion with a "B"!!!! That is a lot of sex. So where is this money going? Well, first the movie has to be made and that cost cash.  There is cameramen to pay, actors to pay, editing, distributor,  promotion....all that there.  So a companies like Vivid, Treasure Island or Titan spend hundreds of thousands to get a finished product, in this case an adult film, into to your hot hands (pun intended)!  Now ask yourself when is the last time you walked into your local XXX store and bought a full length porn film? And don't act all holier-than-thou. Everyone has at onetime or another viewed some kind of porn.  My point is this, we now do most things online, and that includes buy adult themed movies. Some if you, like millions of other grownup boys & girls, go to sites like pornmd, xtube,  pornhub, youporn.....the list is endless, but these sites give you free content.  The issue is that the companies that make the films, and pay out large sums to produce them get nothing from these sites that show their films for free. The above listed sites make their cash, and make no mistake they make plenty, off advertising.  So when you go on those sites, if you do, you are viewing something that has been stolen from our hard working porn stars. Seriously, this posting is full of double entendre, loving it!

All Business Ms Jenna Jameson

Another whole side to this porno problem is that EVERYBODY has a smartphone! And with that data plan seems to come the idea that you are now Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian or Pamela Anderson.  After putting our iPhone to work, we can now upload our "Porn Star Work" to any of hundreds of sites that will make your home movie available to everyone with an internet connection for FREE! So you give your sexy time to the world and all you get in return is some "fans"?! Yup....but the site gets hit after hit and in turn charges for ads on their site. Again website scores while the person producing content strikes out.
With this new pattern showing no signs of fading the people of porn have had become mini moguls, branding & promoting themselves in ways that would make Madonna proud!  One example of such a person is our own Jenna Jameson. Jenna has been called the world's most famous adult film star.  Since she first appeared on film in 1993 she has gone on to star in hundreds on such movies, start her own adult themed business with revenues reported at $30 million annually as well crossing over into mainstream entertainment with gigs on "Family Guy" & "The Howard Stern Show".  Her battle with cancer was covered in every magazine found in the checkout line.  After chatting face to face with Jenna for even a few minutes it becomes very clear that she is more then a pretty face with a killer rack...hello people I am Gay, not blind!  She is a smart woman that had a long term plan & branded herself very well. After years of not making any movies Jenna has taken it all off again in November of 2013.. She is such a porn icon that even Boy About Town is excited for "The Queen Of Porn's" return!
Another such well know face of porn is Chris Neal. Although in all fairness it's not Chris's lovely face that has made him a Gay porn icon....read between lines people. Chris has made over 150 movies, that I forced myself to watch as I prepared to sit down with him for a heart to heart on life in front of the lens!  Once again the person I met was well put together, thoughtful, clearly well spoken & hot.  So how does one

Chris Neal Looks Thrilled With Boy's Interview Skills!

keep relevant in the ever changing porn world?  Well if you are Mr Neal you keep it all in perspective.  Chris, I can call him that since I sat in his lap, lives on the East Coast & is not a full time "porn star".  By that I mean he does not depend on it as his only source of income, nor does he define himself by his job of having sex with men on film.  He does not live in the bars & clubs & bathhouses as do many of his counterparts.  He does however cash in on his status as "hot, hung porn star"! Not my words people, not that I am disagreeing.  Anywho, when I meet Chris he was in California to make a guest appearance at a party.  So there is a fee involved there somewhere, although even I was not tacky enough to ask what it was.  And at this party were his films for sale.  There were also men chomping at the bit to spend sometime with this guy. Add all this up and I am guessing my new bestie made some coins.  Not bad for a guy that hasn't released a film in a while. People like Chris & his friend and fellow adult entertainer Michael Brandon now use such guest appearances as a major source of income.  And they promote their travels via the very same internet that robs them of so much of their porn fame.  If you follow some of these people on twitter or fb you can see how much they are on the road.  Hell, Michael Brandon is on tour more then Lady Gaga! He is so busy he didn't return our emails to get his thoughts on this topic, just saying!
So whatever your thoughts are on porn you have to give people the due.  And all along the spectrum people are losing money on their investments, their time & their work.  Will the people of porn be able to keep up with the times & change or will the suburban couple next door be our new porn stars?  And if someone finds one of those baby tee "Porn Star" shirts in red, could you send it my way!
Stay Fabulous!
Boy About Town

Boy's Night With Brucci....Kinda!

So fun folks I was in the middle of finishing my piece on the billion dollar biz of porn when I had to dash out the door to meet my new friend Eric.  Mr. Eric had hit me up online and told me about his friend that was showing his art that night. Now a lot of you tell me about your own projects or maybe a buddies endeavor. And I would LOVE to get to everyone's event, premier or party but it is not possible. But the timing worked out here. So I took a break from researching smut to check out the art....have no fear the smut is coming, in the meantime check out this amazing artist that goes by the name Brucci Volpone. Like myself, Mr Volpone is new to our little desert paradise of Palm Springs, having just moved from NYC only 23 months ago. While he works in mixed media the pieces I saw tonight were paintings that jumped out at you & grabbed you from across the room. This Parsons School of Design trained artist wastes no time

in making an impact with his bold color choices & sharp designs.  While the show is hosted a dark bar, The Streetbar, the pieces seemed to vibrate right off the wall & stood on their own. If one has the chance you should pop to checkout the show as my poorly taken photo's don't do the many pieces justice. Okay folks I am off to do more "research" on porn....and yes that means exactly what you think it means!  Anything for you!!!
Stay Fabulous
Boy About Town

Overincarceration-America's Prison Population

730 people out of every 100,000 are locked up in the U. S. It has been reported that “no other society in human history has imprisoned so many of it’s own citizens”

With in keeping with the vain of laying Boy About Town’s most personal moments bare for all the world to see I want to pose the question “Why are America's Prisons reaching the popping point?” Given my state sponsored vacay that just ended I would like to touch on some facts of life behind the fence as well as the struggle to re-enter the free world. Now I am aware that many of you are saying people in prison are there for a reason & they deserve everything they get, and while I too believe if you break the law that there should be a price to pay but at some point life has to move on. I did break the law & I paid my price. What I want to talk about is how we figure the price to be paid, what happens while paying that price and at what point the tab is paid. This is not my story but I will draw on some of my own experiences to drive home a point, and we all know how much I enjoy doing that!

With that said the question needs to be asked “are we sending people to prison for crimes which may not warrant such an extreme punishment?” The Justice Dept. said in it’s annual report for the year 2012, that that public safety can be maximized without maximizing prison spending. While the Justice Dept was mainly speaking to the fact that the budget for the federal prison system is a shocking $6.2 billion per year the same train of thought can be applied to the over crowded state prison system. Ask yourself do you think it makes sense to send someone to a state prison for driving without a valid license? Even if someone has a record of driving without one do you, as a tax paying citizen of your state, want to pay for an inmate to “learn his lesson” while doing hard time in a dorm setting with murders? It cost, on average, $31,000 per year to keep an average inmate. That's average, meaning no big health crisis or sudden change in mental state. On the flip side we spend just $6000 per year to educate the average child in America. I firmly believe if those figures were reversed the number of people “needing” to be locked up would grow much smaller very quickly! In places like Broward County Florida, which has the largest sheriffs dept in the United States, the rate of prosecution had gotten so outta hand that during his swearing in newly elected Scott J. Israel stated that he wanted his term as sheriff to be judged not by how many people Broward County locked up but rather how many people they kept out of jail & prison. It remains to be seen if this rare outlook on crime fighting will catch on in both in Florida as well as the rest of the country but what is clear is that police forces can not continue to arrest people for every minor offence & the states attorney offices can not file charges on every piece of paper that crosses their desk! In short..... A post-it is not an indictment!

There's a new sheriff in town, Scott J Israel.

There are crimes that truly cry out for a prison term. The length of those terms is at times decided by a judge or a jury or as is becoming the case more often, sentencing guidelines. These guidelines fail to take into account all the human factors that come in to play, such as age, either at the time of the crime or at sentencing,the effects a prison term would have on the either the family of victim (if there is one) or the family of the person being sent up the river. But people do end up in prisons everyday, all over this great land of ours. The purpose of that prison term is to keep the inmate away from society. The correction officers are not judge nor jury. Their job is to make sure no harm comes to any inmate as well as make sure that everyone is where they are supposed to be at any given time. For some reason this simply task seems to go to the head of a great number of these “professial C.O.’s” They use the position to abuse, mistreat & at times harm the very people they are supposed to be guarding. And we have all heard of prisoners have wine, cellphones & drugs at their beck & call. It’s all true & let me tell you folks folks, 99 percent of all of those things come in through the officers. They are making a small fortune in cash by walk these items right in the front door & hand delivering them to an inmate. Your tax dollars at work! There are also those that seem to get a sick kick outta the power position they find themselves in. They LOVE to call the the inmates names. If your Black they will call you nigger. Gay? You’re a punk. If you are of Latin descent then your are “Mexico”…even if your from Cuba. Clearly these tend not to be the smartest people working within the prison system. At Dade Correctional Institution where I was there were 2 such hot messes. Sgt Humphries & Ofc Forbes. Miss Humphries had a way of speaking to you that made it clear her education level peaked somewhere around 7^th grade. She had been moved from one end of the prison to the other due to the fact that she LOVED to threaten inmates with violence & fellow Dept of Correction employees with getting them fired. The administration staff dealt with this problem by giving her a promotion & moving her yet again…letsomeone else deal with her was the rule of thumb. Ofc Forbes spent his time explaining his world views to people. He was known to pull Gay inmates out of religions services to tell them that they were going to end up in hell. This fine, upstanding example of your tax dollars at work was treated with disdain by many staff, yet never reprimanded.  I left several messages for Warden Jerry Cummings & for some reason none of my calls were returned? Funny that. But in trying one more time I got a hold of Captain Thomas.  I think that was his name, hard to tell as he was in the middle of a meal the seems to have required a lot of smacking of his lips.  He seemed less then excited to chat about the misdeeds of his fellow officers.

As ones time in prison draws to a close, it never comes fast enough. But there is a great deal of work that goes into getting a person ready for release back into "the free world" and more often then not that work is not done. So for those of you that believe that there are programs that help inmates prepare to enter the workforce after they leave prison let at me explain something to you.....it's all a bunch of state funded manipulation.  Prime example is the "re-entry" program at our troubled Dade Correctional Institution.  What is supposed to happen is that in your last few months in prison the inmate is supposed to go to a class a few times a week that covers everything from job interview skills,

opening a bank account & budgeting to health lessons. In offering these classes the prison gets a grant from the Federal government.  In other words, more of your tax dollars. But really happens is you are handed the work book for the class and are told to complete it yourself.  Thats it.  Nobody checks it. There is no one you can ask questions of.  The only thing that is the same is that the grant is paid to the prison for offering the class, which, to recap, they do NOT do.
Lets bottom line it people. The system is broken, on that we can agree.  But what can we do to fix the problem? Why don't we redirect some of our money from uncaring, unmotivated staff & the programs that don't exists except on paper to hiring people that know what they are doing as well have enough sense to do it & funding programs that work to ensure that the number of people returning to prison is lowered.  Seems to make sense I to me.....
Stay Fabulous!
Boy About Town 
Watch for our upcoming posting on the business of porn