Matt Alber: Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” remixed

Matt Alber, who is currently touring his latest solo album, Constant Crows, following a debut at No. 2 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Chart first teamed up with Saul Ruiz for remixes on the soaringly romantic single “End Of The World” off Alber’s Hide Nothing (Tommy Boy Records) album.

The single was an international chart sensation with a video that went viral, garnering 500k+ views and winning Alber an OUT Music Award.

With Ruiz additionally riding high on worldwide #1 club remix success on singles including “Katy Perry – ET”, “Kelis – 4th of July”, and “Natalia Kills – Mirrors” to name a few, the two quickly decided to collaborate on new projects, with a vision and direction of producing dance covers of iconic female classics.

More info about Matt Alber on his website: www.mattalber.com
(from JMG)

San Diego may have first Harvey Milk Street

Via press release: Today, the San Diego City Planning Commission approved a proposal to rename a street after LGBT civil rights leader Harvey Milk. The proposal will now be sent to the full city council for approval. If approved, San Diego will become the first city in the nation to have a street named for the LGBT rights pioneer.

The proposal is particularly significant as Harvey Milk was stationed in San Diego while he served in the US Navy as a diving instructor.

If successful, Blaine Avenue, the street leading up to The San Diego LGBT Community Center will be renamed Harvey Milk Street in time for the anniversary of his birthday; May 22.

To make a donation supporting the Harvey Milk Street renaming project go to sdpride.org/harveymilk

The power of music – a man, an iPod and Cab Calloway

The brain amazes me everyday.

The fact that music – tone, rhythm, volume, lyrics – has the power to reach deep into our histories and emotions to awaken dormant parts of us is truly beautiful.

Sad to say, music classes – which I think played a big part in who I am, how I developed as a person and why I love music so much – are no longer a regular part of curriculum in public schools.

Daddy, may I please borow $25?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: ‘Daddy, may I ask you a question?’
DAD: ‘Yeah sure, what it is?’ replied the man.
SON: ‘Daddy, how much do you make an hour?’
DAD: ‘That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?’ the man said angrily.
SON: ‘I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?’
DAD: ‘If you must know, I make $50 an hour.’
SON: ‘Oh,’ the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: ‘Daddy, may I please borrow $25?’

The father was furious, ‘If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don’t work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.’ The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn’t ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door. ‘Are you asleep, son?’ He asked. ‘No daddy, I’m awake,’ replied the boy. ‘I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier’ said the man ‘It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s the $25 you asked for.’

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. ‘Oh, thank you daddy!’ He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. ‘Why do you want more money if you already have some?’ the father grumbled. Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,’ the little boy replied. ‘Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.’

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time s lip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

From BigIsTheNewSmall.com

I read this and had to post it in it’s entirety. My dad was a lot like the dad in this story. A great guy, but the daily grind of working sometimes made being a single dad his “second job.”   Like a lot of men of his generation, he started life in one gear, but at the end of his life, he was very demonstrative about how much he loved his family. 

Obama Administration will not be signing federal contractor nondiscrimination executive order

The Obama administration announced today that President Obama will not be signing an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity according to the Human Rights Campaign’s Joe Solmonese.

Metro Weekly reports: “Earlier today, we were told that the Administration is not ready to move forward with a federal contractor nondiscrimination executive order at this time,” Solmonese said. “We are extremely disappointed with this decision and will continue to advocate for an executive order from the president. The unfortunate truth is that hard-working Americans can be fired simply for being gay or transgender. Given the number of employees that would be covered by this executive order, it represents a critical step forward.”

The White House has endorsed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — a bill to prohibit sexual orientation or gender identity-based workplace discrimination for most private employers.

Video Q&A with Chris Evans – Details Magazine

Excellent video and interview with Chris Evans in the new Details Magazine.

From the article: “He talks about how close he feels to his family, how open they all are with each other. About everything. All the time. “The first time I had sex,” he says, “I raced home and was like, ‘Mom, I just had sex! Where’s the clit?'”

Wait, I ask—did she ever tell you?

“Still don’t know where it is, man,” he says, then breaks into a smile composed of equal parts shit-eating grin and inner peace. “I just don’t know. Make some movies, you don’t have to know…”

AP: George Zimmerman charged with 2nd Degree Murder

The Associated Press is reporting that, based on information from a law enforcement official, George Zimmerman will be charged with 2nd Degree Murder and is in custody.

The official with knowledge of the case says that the charge against 28-year-old George Zimmerman will be announced at a news conference at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The official says he’s in custody in Florida but wouldn’t say where. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to disclose the information.

Funny: Airplane lavatory photoshoot

When I’m on a long flight, I drink wine.  (Actually I drink wine just about any day but, I digress…)

To pass the time during long flights, artist Nina Katchadourian goes to the lavatory, adorns herself in tissue paper costume, and creates hilarious self-portrait photos in the style of Flemish Renaissance paintings. She calls the series “Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style.”

While in the lavatory on a domestic flight in March 2010, I spontaneously put a tissue paper toilet cover seat cover over my head and took a picture in the mirror. The image evoked 15th-century Flemish portraiture. I decided to add more images made in this mode and planned to take advantage of a long-haul flight from San Francisco to Auckland, guessing that there were likely to be long periods of time when no one was using the lavatory on the 14-hour flight. I made several forays to the bathroom from my aisle seat, and by the time we landed I had a large group of new photographs entitled Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style.

More pictures on her website.