Sunday, December 20, 2009

Holiday Greetings from The Golden Gate

It's been awhile since I posted anything here. I've been taking a small break from the internet. Sometimes I feel caught up in the impersonal connections that we've become accustomed to on the internet. I like to disconnect, and introspect, for awhile.

Tomorrow, I'll be traveling to Oklahoma to be with my family for Christmas. As much as I love San Francisco during the holidays, Christmas-Time is about family, and that is where I belong. Before I go, I thought I'd share some of my adopted hometown's holiday spirit with my limited, but much appreciated audience. Enjoy...and Merry Everything!

This beautiful song is called "Christmas by the Bay" by Tim Hockenberry. The link on the song title is to the album on Amazon. This video has some beautiful photography to accompany the song. (3:44)

Quote of the Day: Muhammad Ali

"The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20, has wasted 30 years of his life." ~Muhhamad Ali

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Happy Birthday to Bette Midler, The Divine Miss M

If you ever start feeling old, just play this clip of 'The Divine Miss M', Bette Midler. Filmed about a year ago, Bette was 63 years old in this performance. Today, she turns 64. You look fabulous Bette...and we will still need ya...and we will still feed ya...when you're sixty-five! Be sure you watch the very end of the clip.


Bette Midler's early career started out playing the bathhouses of New York City. In an interview years later, she was asked about the friends she made while living there. She replied: "They're dead...they are all dead. I never knew I'd be on such intimate terms with death at such an early age." It's ironic, but somehow befitting that Miss Midler shares her birthday with World AIDS Day. The following clip is from an AIDS benefit in approximately 1994. She sings two of her standards. Very moving. Happy Birthday Bette...and many more.

World AIDS Day: Honoring Pioneers

Typically when we think of AIDS activists, or symbols of the Anti-AIDS movement, Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John and Bill Clinton come to mind. This article takes a moment to honor just three of the less-known, less-celebrated pioneers in the movement, before AIDS activism was fashionable.

Louise Hay: Over three million copies of her book "You Can Heal Your Life", have sold worldwide. But it was in 1985, before supporting AIDS causes was popular, that Louise began a support group known as "The Hayride" with six men diagnosed with AIDS. By 1988, the weekly meeting drew a crowd of 800 people, and had to be moved to an auditorium in Santa Monica. During that time, she wrote "The AIDS Book: Creating a Positive Approach".

Louise went on to establish two nonprofit organizations, The Hay Foundation, and The Louis L. Hay Charitable Fund. Both charities support many diverse organizations, including those dealing with AIDS. Ms. Hay was considered highly controversial at the time she began working with AIDS patients, as were many who fought this highly politicized disease. Hats off to Louise.

Nkosi Johnson: When Nkosi died at the age of twelve, at the time he was the longest-surviving HIV positive child. Born with HIV, he first became widely known in 1997, when a primary school near Johannesburg refused to accept him as a student because of his status.

During his struggle, Nkosi was eventually credited for his huge impact on public perceptions of AIDS/HIV in South Africa. Before his death, he was the keynote speaker at the 13th International AIDS Conference. Nelson Mandela referred to Nkosi as an "icon for the struggle of life". Rest in peace, Nkosi.

Judith Light: Among all of the celebrity activists now out there fighting AIDS, one in particular stands out. Judith Light was not only there in the early days of HIV/AIDS, but has been a long-time supporter of equal rights for gays and lesbians. When asked about her passion for AIDS causes she replied: "I'm losing my friends. There's a very real epidemic out there that is preventable and I will not sit by passively and watch my friends die."

Judith's impressive resume includes work with the following causes: The Names Project, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Heart Strings, Northern Lights Alternatives, AmFAR, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Project Angel Food, Hollywood Supports, Shanti, and more. She has received numerous awards for her longstanding and devoted commitment to ending this disease. We love you Judith. Keep up the fight.

Quote of the Day: Eskimo Proverb

"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy."

~Eskimo Proverb

Clip of the Day: Judith Light PSA

Why does Judith Light care about AIDS? Watch and find out:


Here is another great PSA I found on YouTube...chilling:


And finally, this shocking but important PSA from MTV: