OMG! Madonna is Rich!

Some people can find a way to complain about anything. Seems like some folks have their undies in a twist because Madonna showed up in Malawi wearing a $2800 black velour track suit and white fedora. Here's some of the comments:

"disgusting. Her outfit could pay to feed a hundred Malawian families"

"It's not about Madonna and where she can afford to shop.Imagine the starving children ads featuring a kindly old bearded guy pointing out hungry tots as he sucks on a cold beer.Judgement and sensitivity should come with the ability to fund good works. She should have known this would get media attention and would detract from the real issues she is trying to address... hunger, poverty and ignorance in epic proportions."

"It's not so much that it is inapproriate wear, it is that she is unaware that it's inapropriatte that is the the problem."

No what's really the problem is that people are paying attention to something so trivial, instead of the fact she's working to build a school to benefit Malawi's children, raise funds, hell raise awareness that Malawi even exists (I'd never heard of it before, did you?). What did they expect Madge to do, show up in a burlap sack with her hair in a jheri curl cap? "Well I guess I betta dress po' since I'se goin' down to Africa to get a negro child! Let me pick up some dish rags from the Goodwill." Puh-lease! These people might have had a point if she showed up dripping in diamonds and high fashion threads and posed for the paparazzi, brandishing an African child like it was the latest accessory. Or looked like this:

or this:

But she didn't. And I seriously doubt any of those kids sucked their teeth and said "I know Ms. Girl didn't show up here in a $2800 tracksuit!" Guess sometiimes you can't win for losing. Get into Madonna's documentary I Am Because We Are below:

What is Good Sex?

Stop the track, let me state facts: this is not going to be porno post lol! Now that we've gotten that straight, let's get to answering the question at hand. What is good sex?

For some people, it's as simple as I'm hot, your hot, let's f*ck. For others, including some of my friends, sex is a game of conquest and collecting stories of sexual exploits to hold up as trophies, a laundry list of examples used to prove one's sexual prowess. And some view sex as merely a bargaining tool (aka trade/tricking), using what Blanche Devereaux once famously described as "nature's credit card" to get clothes, cars, jewelry or a rich partner.

Now of course, everyone's views of sex, love, and relationships are different. Some people have no problem fooling around on the first night, slabbing everything that moves or getting a midnight package via Adam for Adam or BGC, while others can't even conceive of letting another touch their body until they've heard the L word first. Having dabbled in quickie sex as well as committed relationship sex, I feel qualified enough to compare the two. While doing the do with no strings attached felt exciting and gratifying(obviously so;), the next morning didn't. There was no sense or sharing or feeling like I had truly connected with someone else. It just felt more like I had an itch that need to be scratched and had found the right cat for the moment.

Sex in relationships however, has ultimately been more satisfying and more erotic. The slow, romantic kisses that release that mysterious combination of love, passion, and lust. The touch of your partner's hands as they caress the private spots and crevices of your body that they know drives you into fits of ecstacy.The rhythm that the two of you make as your drift off into your private world, so lost in your hunger for each other that the rest of world fades away.

All other thoughts, sounds, and distractions vanish with each deep moan and blissful sigh, before erupting in a volcano of intense, orgasmic pleasure. Afterwards I felt like I had truly gave something of myself, not just physically, but emotionally, and had received the same from the other person in return.

In the end sex(making love, the monster mash, midnight fun, knocking the boots, playing in the garden, whatever you want to call it) for me is more than just, in the words of Rose Nylund (what is it with me and the Golden Girls today lol:) "two clunky old bodies thrashing up against each other." Good sex is more than just sex. It's love. Yeah yeah, a little sappy I know, but I'm allowed some sappiness once in a while lol.

So what is good sex for you?

P.S. This is my 100th post! I never thought I'd be blogging this long, so I figured the 100th post should start with a bang(pun intended;).

Miracle Water=Blessings?

Damn maybe I should stock up on some Dasani. According to the good "reverend" Peter Popoff if you guzzel his miracle spring water (Now in a bigger size!) the Lord's blessings will be on you like white on rice. *Ugh* Stuff like this sometimes makes me hope the afterlife has a V.I.P. section lol:). Apparently Peter was a popular "healing" (and I use that word lightly) televangelist back in the day, but was exposed by skeptic James Randi and declared bankruptcy in 1987, before making a comeback with his Holy Vitamin Water in 2007. Watch the craziness unfold below, and watch Randi expose him:

Throwback Mix: 90's Dance Music

Remember when the lines between hip hop, R&B and dance music weren't so rigid? A rap track could have house, trip hop or drum and bass elements and still be considered hip hop. An R&B song could have a little techno in the mix and no one would raise a ruckus. While that's still somewhat true (Kanye's "Stronger," Busta's "Touch It," which both sample Daft Punk, Rihanna, Fergie and Nelly Furtado have mixed some genres together), folks just ain't mixin' and matchin' like they were in the nineties. I guess I'm in a nostalgic mood lol, so enjoy these dance tracks.

Heavy D & The Boyz - Now That We Found Love
by UniversalMusicGroup

Luke - Raise The Roof
by UniversalMusicGroup

Madonna - Deeper and Deeper
by foxysoul

News and Notables

Study Finds Transgender Youth Face Extreme Harassment

A study done by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network titled Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools, revealed that transgender face harassment more and victimization in high schools than their lesbian, gay and bisexual peers. However, they are also more likely to speak out about LGBT issues in the classroom.

In addition to comparing the two groups, the study also examined the lives of the 295 transgender students who took the survey. According to the study:

Nearly nine out of 10 transgender students experienced verbal harassment at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation and gender expression, more than half experienced physical harassment because of their sexual orientation and gender expression and more than a quarter experienced physical assault because of their sexual orientation and gender expression. These levels of victimization were higher than those faced by the non-transgender lesbian, gay and bisexual students who participated in the 2007 National School Climate Survey, GLSEN's biennial survey of LGBT students.

The high rate of victimization had a direct impact on school attendance and academic performance. Transgender students who experienced high levels of harassment were more likely to miss school because they felt unsafe and had lower grade point averages than those who experienced lower levels of harassment.

You can read the whole report here.

Louisiana Must Add Gay Couple's Names to Birth Certificate

It's so rare to here good news about gays in my homestate, so I had to blog about this. District Judge Jazy Zainey ruled that Louisiana had 15 days to add the names of Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith to the certificate of a boy born in Shreverport.

Under current Louisiana law, an umarried couple cannot adopt child. However since the adoption became official in New York, which ruled in January that same-sex couples could use both their names on birth certificates, Zainey ruled that the courts must recognize the adoption.

The state legislature is trying to fight the ruling by introducing bill that would make any adoption not complying to Louisiana's adoption laws illegal. Guess we'll have to stay tuned to see what happens next.

Mary Mary, Why You Buggin'?

Mary, I don't know about this one girl. Mrs. Blige is set to star in Tyler Perry's next movie, an adaptation of his stage play I Can Do Bad All Myself. Blige is playing the role of a nightclub singer(at least she'll have a homecourt advantage:) named Tanya and her friend April, played by Taraji P. Henson. Madea will also make an appearance (Lawd knows she's made some of his movies more bearable to watch lol!)

If you ask me, Mary and Taraji's roles should be reversed. Don't get me wrong I love Mary J., but her acting experience is limited at best. She's only guest starred in a few sitcoms and played a small role in one movie (Prison Song). At this point I don't think she's ready to carry a whole film by herself. Maybe she'll surprise me. But then again she is starring in a Tyler Perry movie. Hmm. I'll just leave it at that;).

P.S.- 5 points to anyone who guess what the song the headline of the Mary post references:).

Jamaica's Human Rights Record: FAIL!

In case you are unaware, Jamaica is more than just a popular vacation destination, but is also one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to LGBT rights. Incidences of a mob attacks, beatings, stabbings and discrimination against gays and lesbians are rampant in the country. Read the U.S. State Department report noting Jamaica's numerous human rights violation if you don't believe:

The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals, and Gays (J-FLAG) continued to report human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention, mob attacks, stabbings, harassment of homosexual patients by hospital and prison staff, and targeted shootings of homosexuals. Police often did not investigate such incidents. J-FLAG members also suffered attacks on their property, home intrusions as people demanded to know the number of persons and beds in a home, and in one instance, a fire bombing at the home of two men that left one of them with burns on more than 60 percent of his body.

In February a mob broke into the home of four presumed homosexual men, killing three of them. The fourth was missing and presumed dead. The men had reported being harassed for their perceived sexual orientation prior to the fatal attack. Police made some inquiries in the case but did not conduct a full investigation or make any arrests by year's end. There were numerous reports of violence against homosexual inmates, perpetrated by the wardens and by other inmates, but few inmates sought recourse through the prison system.

Homosexual men were hesitant to report incidents against them because of fear for their physical well-being. Lesbian women were subject to sexual assault as well as other physical attacks. Human rights NGOs and government entities agreed that brutality against homosexuals, primarily by private citizens, was widespread in the community.

You can read the full human rights report here. The hostile environment LGBTs face in Jamaica has lead some to considering a boycott of Jamaican rums and beers, as well as not taking cruises or vacations to the island. While I'm not sure how much a boycott would truly affect the country's bottomline, every bit helps, so don't count on me visiting Jamaica anytime soon (It's not like I have the dollars to anyway lol) or drinking rum or beer, which I don't drink anyway. Hopefully the Obama administration will continue to take a hard, critical stance against anti-gay governments. For more background on Jamaica and gays, look at the archives at Rod 2.0.

Exhibit A: Real Straight Men

Straight black men often have the reputation of harboring hatred and digust towards gay/bi guys. While I've certainly had those kind of encounters with straight men, I've also met those who have been empathetic, accepting and unthreatened by my sexuality. And these brothers don't always get enough shine. Via Living Out With Darian, here's a video of the Hodge twins, two straight guys giving advice to those who are afraid to come out to friends and family. The video is funny and encouraging. Not to mention the boys are easy on the eyes:).