MIT Fellowship and Relocation
9 years ago
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Golden Girls Star Passes at 86
Beatrice Arthur, also known as "Dorothy" on the hit television series The Golden Girls passed away this past Saturday at the age of 86. This was definitely someone who made an impact in the gay community. I remember as a child looking up to her and the other "Golden Girls" for a laugh and more importantly for universal truth and light. Its interesting how as an adult, I can now look back on my life to see where I often received my cues from.Bea, you will truly be missed. You provided a voice for and inspired many.
I pray for the family that they move through this experience with ease, support, and encouragement.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
A Virtuous Cycle
April 13, 2009
A Virtuous Cycle
The Ripple Effect
www.dailyom.com
In a world of six billion people, it’s easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. You can use the ripple effect to make a positive difference and spread waves of kindness that will wash over the world.
Should the opportunity arise, the recipient of a good deed will likely feel compelled to do a good deed for someone else. Someone feeling the effects of negative energy will be more likely to pass on that negative energy. One act of charity, one thoughtful deed, or even one positive thought can pass from individual to individual, snowballing until it becomes a group movement or the ray of hope that saves someone’s life. Every transformation, just like every ripple, has a point of origin. You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin if you want to use the ripples you create to spread goodness. Consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and try to act graciously as much as possible.
A smile directed at a stranger, a compliment given to a friend, an attitude of laughter, or a thoughtful gesture can send ripples that spread among your loved ones and associates, out into your community, and finally throughout the world. You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with and everyone those people come into contact with. The momentum of your influence will grow as your ripples moves onward and outward. One of those ripples could become a tidal wave of love and kindness.
What do you think?
A Virtuous Cycle
The Ripple Effect
www.dailyom.com
In a world of six billion people, it’s easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. You can use the ripple effect to make a positive difference and spread waves of kindness that will wash over the world.
Should the opportunity arise, the recipient of a good deed will likely feel compelled to do a good deed for someone else. Someone feeling the effects of negative energy will be more likely to pass on that negative energy. One act of charity, one thoughtful deed, or even one positive thought can pass from individual to individual, snowballing until it becomes a group movement or the ray of hope that saves someone’s life. Every transformation, just like every ripple, has a point of origin. You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin if you want to use the ripples you create to spread goodness. Consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and try to act graciously as much as possible.
A smile directed at a stranger, a compliment given to a friend, an attitude of laughter, or a thoughtful gesture can send ripples that spread among your loved ones and associates, out into your community, and finally throughout the world. You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with and everyone those people come into contact with. The momentum of your influence will grow as your ripples moves onward and outward. One of those ripples could become a tidal wave of love and kindness.
What do you think?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Bow Wow Goes Into Retirement???
According to several sources, the artist known as Bow Wow will be stepping into retirement. Interestingly enough, there is widespread speculation (which has yet to be validated by his management) that he was/is currently engaging in a quasi-romantic/sexual relationship with a transgender woman who goes by the name Nadia who is also connected to the house/ballroom scene as a member of the House of Prodigy.
Personally, I say to both of them fuck the reporters and media and do what you do! I am tired of people hiding in silence about their private lives in this way. When opposite sex couples are seen together there is hardly this much desire to sweep it under the rug. Don't get me wrong now, I definitely feel that people have a right to privacy, but as one of my favorite lesbian's (Audre Lorde) once said, "Your silence will not save you...".
You can read about Bow Wow's retirement here.
Blogger Sandra Rose seems to have a personal vendetta against Bow Wow supposedly for some form of disrespect that was given to Rose previously. On her site, she discusses the alleged relationship between Bow Wow and Nadia. If you want, you can read about that here.
I have some other thoughts on this whole thing as well, but I will reserve until I can do some more fact finding. Regardless of how it goes, I support Bow Wow and wish him well in all of his future endeavors.
Personally, I say to both of them fuck the reporters and media and do what you do! I am tired of people hiding in silence about their private lives in this way. When opposite sex couples are seen together there is hardly this much desire to sweep it under the rug. Don't get me wrong now, I definitely feel that people have a right to privacy, but as one of my favorite lesbian's (Audre Lorde) once said, "Your silence will not save you...".
You can read about Bow Wow's retirement here.
Blogger Sandra Rose seems to have a personal vendetta against Bow Wow supposedly for some form of disrespect that was given to Rose previously. On her site, she discusses the alleged relationship between Bow Wow and Nadia. If you want, you can read about that here.
I have some other thoughts on this whole thing as well, but I will reserve until I can do some more fact finding. Regardless of how it goes, I support Bow Wow and wish him well in all of his future endeavors.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
NY: Governor Paterson Set to Introduce Same-Sex Marriage Bill
I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!!
SC
**********************************************************************
April 14, 2009, 8:52 am
Paterson Will Introduce Same-Sex Marriage Bill
By Jeremy W. Peters
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/author/jeremy-w-peters/
Gov. David A. Paterson on Thursday will announce plans to introduce legislation to legalize same-sex marriage, according to people with knowledge of the governor’s plans.
Mr. Paterson’s move, which he first signaled last week after Vermont became the fourth state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed, reflects the governor’s desire to press the issue with lawmakers in Albany as other states move ahead with efforts to grant more civil rights to homosexuals.
The action in Vermont, where state legislators overrode Gov. Jim Douglas’s veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, came less than a week after the Iowa Supreme Court granted same-sex couples the right to marry.
Mr. Paterson has said in recent days that the State Legislature should move ahead now with the legislation regardless of whether it can muster enough votes. His reasoning, which some gay rights advocates have challenged, is that New York should make a statement that it is committed to treating same-sex couples the same way it treats opposite-sex couples.
The announcement will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday at Mr. Paterson’s office in Midtown Manhattan, said people who were briefed on the governor’s plans but who asked not to be identified because they did not want to upstage the governor.
The fact that Mr. Paterson is introducing a bill does not, however, mean that action in the Legislature is imminent. It could take months — even longer — before the bill makes its way through the appropriate committees and onto the floor of the Senate and the Assembly.
“This is not a guarantee of anything,” said Assemblyman Micah Z. Kellner, a Democrat from the Upper East Side who noted that it took two months for legislation legalizing same-sex marriage to get through the Assembly in 2007 before it ultimately stalled. The Senate never acted on the bill.
The legislation is likely to have an especially bumpy ride in the Senate, where more lawmakers oppose same-sex marriage than support it. Gay rights advocates are now actively seeking more senators, both Democrats and Republicans, to vote for the bill.
While Mr. Paterson has said he would like to see lawmakers “fight it out” and debate the bill on the floor of both houses even if it fails, Albany tradition dictates that the bill is likely to come to a vote only when it has enough support to pass. Senator Thomas K. Duane, a Democrat and the bill’s chief supporter in the Senate, has said he opposes the governor’s notion of fast-tracking it. And the Senate majority leader, Malcolm A. Smith, has said he would bring the bill to the floor when it has enough support.
The same-sex bill Mr. Paterson plans to introduce is the same piece of legislation that former Gov. Eliot Spitzer introduced in 2007, said Assemblyman Daniel J. O’Donnell. The Assembly passed it by 24 votes, 85 to 61, a wider margin than expected.
Mr. O’Donnell said there was some discussion among lawmakers, gay rights lobbyists and the governor’s office about whether the legislation should include any new language that would, for example, allow city clerks to refuse to marry same-sex couples. But Mr. O’Donnell said that the decision was made to leave the bill as is.
“Whether or not the bill should be amended is a political question,” he said, “but it is a political question that would take more time than it’s worth to resolve. So we decided to leave it.”
SC
**********************************************************************
April 14, 2009, 8:52 am
Paterson Will Introduce Same-Sex Marriage Bill
By Jeremy W. Peters
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/author/jeremy-w-peters/
Gov. David A. Paterson on Thursday will announce plans to introduce legislation to legalize same-sex marriage, according to people with knowledge of the governor’s plans.
Mr. Paterson’s move, which he first signaled last week after Vermont became the fourth state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed, reflects the governor’s desire to press the issue with lawmakers in Albany as other states move ahead with efforts to grant more civil rights to homosexuals.
The action in Vermont, where state legislators overrode Gov. Jim Douglas’s veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, came less than a week after the Iowa Supreme Court granted same-sex couples the right to marry.
Mr. Paterson has said in recent days that the State Legislature should move ahead now with the legislation regardless of whether it can muster enough votes. His reasoning, which some gay rights advocates have challenged, is that New York should make a statement that it is committed to treating same-sex couples the same way it treats opposite-sex couples.
The announcement will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday at Mr. Paterson’s office in Midtown Manhattan, said people who were briefed on the governor’s plans but who asked not to be identified because they did not want to upstage the governor.
The fact that Mr. Paterson is introducing a bill does not, however, mean that action in the Legislature is imminent. It could take months — even longer — before the bill makes its way through the appropriate committees and onto the floor of the Senate and the Assembly.
“This is not a guarantee of anything,” said Assemblyman Micah Z. Kellner, a Democrat from the Upper East Side who noted that it took two months for legislation legalizing same-sex marriage to get through the Assembly in 2007 before it ultimately stalled. The Senate never acted on the bill.
The legislation is likely to have an especially bumpy ride in the Senate, where more lawmakers oppose same-sex marriage than support it. Gay rights advocates are now actively seeking more senators, both Democrats and Republicans, to vote for the bill.
While Mr. Paterson has said he would like to see lawmakers “fight it out” and debate the bill on the floor of both houses even if it fails, Albany tradition dictates that the bill is likely to come to a vote only when it has enough support to pass. Senator Thomas K. Duane, a Democrat and the bill’s chief supporter in the Senate, has said he opposes the governor’s notion of fast-tracking it. And the Senate majority leader, Malcolm A. Smith, has said he would bring the bill to the floor when it has enough support.
The same-sex bill Mr. Paterson plans to introduce is the same piece of legislation that former Gov. Eliot Spitzer introduced in 2007, said Assemblyman Daniel J. O’Donnell. The Assembly passed it by 24 votes, 85 to 61, a wider margin than expected.
Mr. O’Donnell said there was some discussion among lawmakers, gay rights lobbyists and the governor’s office about whether the legislation should include any new language that would, for example, allow city clerks to refuse to marry same-sex couples. But Mr. O’Donnell said that the decision was made to leave the bill as is.
“Whether or not the bill should be amended is a political question,” he said, “but it is a political question that would take more time than it’s worth to resolve. So we decided to leave it.”
Monday, April 13, 2009
1st Ever NY State LGBT Needs Assessment
LGBT New Yorkers: Don’t be invisible to New York State! Be counted!
Take a short survey on LGBT health and human services issues at:
www.nylgbtsurvey.org
Be a part of a historic effort to research and document the needs of LGBT New Yorkers, to ensure those needs don’t go unaddressed by government and health and human service providers. The information you provide will go toward fighting for policy changes and funding to make services to LGBT people in New York equitable and LGBT-friendly.
This survey is open to all LGBT New Yorkers ages 18 and over. We’ve never been counted before. This is a historic opportunity. Please participate!
Enter for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card with your completed survey! Information provided for the raffle will be confidential and not linked to your survey responses.
For more information, e-mail Somjen Frazer at consulting@somjenfrazer.com
This survey is a project of the Empire State Pride Agenda, the NYS LGBT Health and Human Services Network, and Somjen Frazer Consulting.
Take a short survey on LGBT health and human services issues at:
www.nylgbtsurvey.org
Be a part of a historic effort to research and document the needs of LGBT New Yorkers, to ensure those needs don’t go unaddressed by government and health and human service providers. The information you provide will go toward fighting for policy changes and funding to make services to LGBT people in New York equitable and LGBT-friendly.
This survey is open to all LGBT New Yorkers ages 18 and over. We’ve never been counted before. This is a historic opportunity. Please participate!
Enter for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card with your completed survey! Information provided for the raffle will be confidential and not linked to your survey responses.
For more information, e-mail Somjen Frazer at consulting@somjenfrazer.com
This survey is a project of the Empire State Pride Agenda, the NYS LGBT Health and Human Services Network, and Somjen Frazer Consulting.
MAC AIDS Fund Announces Major Collaborative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For further information , please contact:
Krishna Stone, GMHC, 212-367-1016
Cathy Renna, SAGE, 917-757-6123
MAC AIDS FUND ANNOUNCES MAJOR COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS IN OLDER ADULTS
April 6, New York, NY— The MAC AIDS Fund announced today that it is granting a total of $475,000 to four AIDS service organizations to launch a collaborative effort to fight HIV/AIDS in people over the age of 50. The grants include $150,000 for the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), $150,000 for Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), $150,000 for Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) and $25,000 for GRIOT Circle. Together, the four agencies will employ their respective areas of expertise – including education, advocacy, research, capacity building and direct services – to combat the alarming rates of infection among people over the age of 50.
“This visionary grant from the MAC AIDS Fund shows that no matter how challenging the economic environment might be these days, we can still find creative solutions to our most urgent issues when we partner together,” stated Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of GMHC.
The dramatic spike in infections among people over the age of 50 is of serious concern to AIDS service and LGBT aging organizations across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported earlier this year that HIV infections among this age group increased by 25% between 2006 and 2007. In fact, according to a recent ACRIA study, within 5 to 7 years, more than 50% of all people living with HIV in the United States will be over the age of 50.
“The critical story behind this collaboration and this path-breaking grant from the MAC AIDS Fund is that we are finally starting to tackle a new reality: aging and HIV are inextricably linked, and our programs and strategies need to reflect that,” stated Michael Adams, Executive Director of SAGE. “As an organization that specifically serves and advocates for older people in one of the communities hardest hit by HIV, SAGE is especially proud of this collaborative and MAC AIDS’ support.”
Community response has been overwhelming enthusiastic. “As an older individual living with AIDS, I believe the range of proposed services will address the HIV/AIDS challenges for people over the age of 50 and impact the community in a very positive way,” said community leader Ed Shaw.
The collaboration seeks to improve health outcomes for people over the age of 50 by inserting aging issues into HIV/AIDS public policy at the federal, state and local levels. By bringing the unique HIV prevention needs of older adults into the conversation around health policy, the groups plan to ensure that people over the age of 50 receive adequate HIV prevention services. While all four groups are located in New York City, the collaboration is national in scope, and promises to produce positive outcomes that have enormous implications for HIV advocacy and prevention throughout the United States.
“These are the kinds of integrated partnerships and collaborations that leverage and maximize resources, exponentially increasing overall impact and really making a difference in both the policy and direct service front," said Nancy Mahon, Executive Director of the MAC AIDS Fund.
The bold show of support from the MAC AIDS Fund seeks to build on a previous collaboration between the four organizations, also funded by MAC AIDS, which took the first steps toward addressing the HIV/AIDS needs of this crucial demographic.
Some examples of the work accomplished during the original collaboration include a first-of-its-kind HIV social marketing campaign targeting older adults spearheaded by GMHC; a SAGE and GMHC collaboration to sponsor HIV testing days at SAGE’s Harlem site; the GMHC and ACRIA joint publication, Achieve; and HIV trainings at senior-serving organizations throughout New York City conducted by all four organizations.
ABOUT THE M•A•C AIDS FUND
The M•A•C AIDS Fund, the heart and soul of M•A•C Cosmetics, was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. MAF is a pioneer in HIV/AIDS funding, providing financial support to organizations working in underserved regions and with underserved populations. As the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical funder in the arena, MAF is committed to addressing the link between poverty and HIV/AIDS, by providing support to diverse organizations around the world that provide a wide range of services to people living with HIV/AIDS. To date, MAF has raised $139 million (U.S.) exclusively through the sale of M•A•C’s VIVA GLAM lipstick and lipglass, donating 100 percent of the sale price to fight HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit www.macaidsfund.org.
For further information , please contact:
Krishna Stone, GMHC, 212-367-1016
Cathy Renna, SAGE, 917-757-6123
MAC AIDS FUND ANNOUNCES MAJOR COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS IN OLDER ADULTS
April 6, New York, NY— The MAC AIDS Fund announced today that it is granting a total of $475,000 to four AIDS service organizations to launch a collaborative effort to fight HIV/AIDS in people over the age of 50. The grants include $150,000 for the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), $150,000 for Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), $150,000 for Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) and $25,000 for GRIOT Circle. Together, the four agencies will employ their respective areas of expertise – including education, advocacy, research, capacity building and direct services – to combat the alarming rates of infection among people over the age of 50.
“This visionary grant from the MAC AIDS Fund shows that no matter how challenging the economic environment might be these days, we can still find creative solutions to our most urgent issues when we partner together,” stated Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of GMHC.
The dramatic spike in infections among people over the age of 50 is of serious concern to AIDS service and LGBT aging organizations across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported earlier this year that HIV infections among this age group increased by 25% between 2006 and 2007. In fact, according to a recent ACRIA study, within 5 to 7 years, more than 50% of all people living with HIV in the United States will be over the age of 50.
“The critical story behind this collaboration and this path-breaking grant from the MAC AIDS Fund is that we are finally starting to tackle a new reality: aging and HIV are inextricably linked, and our programs and strategies need to reflect that,” stated Michael Adams, Executive Director of SAGE. “As an organization that specifically serves and advocates for older people in one of the communities hardest hit by HIV, SAGE is especially proud of this collaborative and MAC AIDS’ support.”
Community response has been overwhelming enthusiastic. “As an older individual living with AIDS, I believe the range of proposed services will address the HIV/AIDS challenges for people over the age of 50 and impact the community in a very positive way,” said community leader Ed Shaw.
The collaboration seeks to improve health outcomes for people over the age of 50 by inserting aging issues into HIV/AIDS public policy at the federal, state and local levels. By bringing the unique HIV prevention needs of older adults into the conversation around health policy, the groups plan to ensure that people over the age of 50 receive adequate HIV prevention services. While all four groups are located in New York City, the collaboration is national in scope, and promises to produce positive outcomes that have enormous implications for HIV advocacy and prevention throughout the United States.
“These are the kinds of integrated partnerships and collaborations that leverage and maximize resources, exponentially increasing overall impact and really making a difference in both the policy and direct service front," said Nancy Mahon, Executive Director of the MAC AIDS Fund.
The bold show of support from the MAC AIDS Fund seeks to build on a previous collaboration between the four organizations, also funded by MAC AIDS, which took the first steps toward addressing the HIV/AIDS needs of this crucial demographic.
Some examples of the work accomplished during the original collaboration include a first-of-its-kind HIV social marketing campaign targeting older adults spearheaded by GMHC; a SAGE and GMHC collaboration to sponsor HIV testing days at SAGE’s Harlem site; the GMHC and ACRIA joint publication, Achieve; and HIV trainings at senior-serving organizations throughout New York City conducted by all four organizations.
ABOUT THE M•A•C AIDS FUND
The M•A•C AIDS Fund, the heart and soul of M•A•C Cosmetics, was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. MAF is a pioneer in HIV/AIDS funding, providing financial support to organizations working in underserved regions and with underserved populations. As the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical funder in the arena, MAF is committed to addressing the link between poverty and HIV/AIDS, by providing support to diverse organizations around the world that provide a wide range of services to people living with HIV/AIDS. To date, MAF has raised $139 million (U.S.) exclusively through the sale of M•A•C’s VIVA GLAM lipstick and lipglass, donating 100 percent of the sale price to fight HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit www.macaidsfund.org.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Message of the Day
"Don't allow your light to become dim through circumstances and challenges....when all the world seems to be hell....it may be your light that helps yourself and others to see their way through it...."~ Stephaun Elite
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