Do you live in or have friends in Australia? This is a great video to share with them and to post on your facebook page. The video explains why legalizing marriage is important and repudiates the same tired, homophobic arguments we hear in the United States.
Join the campaign for marriage equality in Australia www.ido.org.au
Thank you to Brenton for posting this on his blog Aussielicious.
Are you a beer lover? You may want to check out Pop Chart Lab’s Breweries of the United States. They claim this is the most comprehensive mapping of the breweries of the USA.
All told the map charts over 1,000 breweries from craft to macro and everything in between. The map of breweries is $30 and may be purchased online here.
Above is an image of the map of the USA, and below I’ve included a blow up of the breweries in and around Boston. 
American Express seems to love social media and that makes me love my American Express card even more. A couple of years ago Amex created Small Business Saturday as a response of sorts to Black Friday.
They must have liked what happened because since that time they more than any other credit card has embraced social media with innovative and interesting campaigns that have encouraged me to sync my card with their social media sites / accounts.
I think what American Express has done is genius, and I’d love to see other companies take a page out of Amex marketing handbook. Do you have a Facebook, Twitter and or Four Square account and an American Express card? Definitely take advantage of these programs.
Amex Facebook campaign: Link, Like, Love
It is Labor Day in the United States, and I’m going to sleep in. No matter where you live or call home, I hope you have a wonderful day.
Last Saturday I was a judge at The Taste of Provincetown. All the great cooking along with the chef’s competition inspired me to go back into the kitchen and pull together this meal.
This is an easy to cook, nutritious meal that takes 20 minutes and cost approximately $15 in ingredients. Substitute ingredients you may not have or do not like for something that appeals to you.
Tip: If you do not care for mushrooms substitute the vegetable with something similar that will absorb some of the juice and flavoring of the mango salsa; refrain from starches – vegetables work best.
PBS will premiere a three part series that will air during prime time called Broadway or Bust. The show starts on Sunday, September 9th at 8PM ET. The show features the “real life” stories of some of America’s best high school musical performers, competing. According to the PBS site the series is described as follows.
Part competition, part performance, and part non-fiction drama…where judges select the best performers in the country. The 60 finalists then descend on Broadway, where they plunge into the eye of the theatrical storm for one intense week of rehearsals, coaching, mentoring, performance and competition.
For all you theater queens, I’ve included a quick promo video. Start programming your cable /TiVo now.
Talk to a Republican and you are likely to hear them talk about the virtues of Reagan and Trickle-down economics.
In a nutshell, this theory says the wealth of the richest Americans and businesses “trickles-down” to the middle and lower class, creating a rising tide. So in theory, to ensure the trickle keeps dripping, one should decrease tax rates on those most able to afford to pay them. It’s an interesting concept and some money or wealth does indeed get spread through out the economy, but there is a reason it is called “trickle-down” and not “fair flow”… The amount of money that comes back into the economy is so finite that it only trickles; never flows.
if Reagan was so great; lets return to his income tax rates
The wealthiest individuals and corporations spending habits are now global. Tax shelters and shadow corporations set up outside the US ensure the trickle will never flow or be fair. I can appreciate and understand why people are skeptical of paying more in taxes to the US Government. I can also understand why people don’t want to pay more. While I’m hardly part of the 1%, I do have a good job and make a decent living but I don’t want to have to pay more in taxes either.
It is precisely because of my experience that I believe if the wealthiest do not pay more in taxes then there is little hope for decreasing our national debt. If I make a decent salary and I find it hard to save for my retirement how can I expect people who make far less than me to save? Do we think that the Baby Boomers in the US will not need medical care or attention? Do we think the world is going to become a safer place devoid of warfare and terrorism? Do we think that we do not have an obligation to care for our poor and less fortunate? These are not the American values I remember being taught, and I believe there is a price to be paid for being lucky enough to live in the United States and have a good job that pays a good wage.
I’ve been mulling over Secretary Rice’s comments from her speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) earlier this week. Of all the prime time presenters, it was Condoleezza “Condi” Rice our former Secretary of State under President Bush, whom I was most interested in hearing. I view her as an intelligent, thoughtful and moderate Republican so I was surprised when she criticized President Obama’s foreign policy. I fully expected criticism on the economy and how that compromises our strength in negotiations with countries like China but her rhetoric was more strident and had less to do with economics.
“…But we can only know that there is no choice, because one of two things will happen if we don’t lead. Either no one will lead and there will be chaos, or someone will fill the vacuum who does not share our values. My fellow Americans, we do not have a choice. We cannot be reluctant to lead and you cannot lead from behind.”
Obama’s foreign policy record looks pretty damn good to me
Four years ago the US was embroiled in two land wars in the Middle East and Asia, we were the subject of scorn and the butt of many jokes around the world. Fast forward to today – both wars are either over or ending, America is well respected by its allies and men like Osama Bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi are dead. More over, Egypt (the Middle East’s most populous nation) had their first democratic election last year and the days are numbered for Assad (leader of Syria). Assad’s imminent removal of power could be potentially catastrophic for Iran who will lose their longest standing and best ally in the region.
If there has been a bright spot in the past 4 years for Obama, it has been his foreign policy accomplishments. In 2008 nobody expected Osama Bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi would be neutralized under Obama’s watch. Moreover, Obama with the help of Hillary Clinton has deftly repaired our relationship with key trade partners like Brazil, a country that plays an increasingly important role in this hemisphere as a rising economic power and geopolitical ally we can leverage against Chavez.
Naughty breads
Thanks to my friend Fréd-éric Nicol for the photo. I swiped it from his FB page. Those French are so pervy.
The Huffington Post recently included a slideshow of what they refer to as LGBT-friendly small cities and towns. The list they compiled included places like: New Hope, PA – Ann Arbor, MI – Asheville, NC – Ithaca, NY – Santa Fe, NM – Eugene, OR and Eureka Springs AR.
The Huffington Post list also included a few New England towns, but here are some of my suggestions (all worthy day trips from Boston or good options for an overnight).
Provincetown – with no traffic this is a 2 hour drive and worth every minute even after the busy summer season comes to an end.
Newport, RI – 70 miles to the south, this historic little town offers a lot to see and do and is some place I never get tired of visiting.
Portland, ME – anyone from Maine will tell you that while Ogunquit, ME is a great place to visit, one should also check out Maine’s largest city, Portland, no worries its still a town with only 66,000 residents.
Portsmouth, NH – a bit closer to Boston than Portland – one may drive to Portsmouth in about 1 hour. Portsmouth may have one of the quaintest downtown’s in all of NH.
Northhampton, MA – ask any lesbian and she’ll gush about this quaint town. The two hour drive west through the Berkshires makes this even more beautiful to visit in the autumn when the foliage is at its peak.
What town(s) near you would you suggest visiting?
It is a long weekend here in the United States. Labor Day Weekend typically signifies the end of the summer as students return to school and the calendar changes from August to September.
To all my American readers, have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.
Due to the large student population in Boston, many rental properties have a 9/1 lease. Since so many move on the same day in Boston, one must be prepared so I’ve included a few tips to share for those packing today.
1. Find a parking spot near your new apartment and get your car/ van / truck there ASAP. By the time this post publishes people will be double-parked along the main streets of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway and Kenmore, Allston, Brighton and through out Cambridge.
2. Call your friends and bribe them heavily to help you move. You’ll need all the help you can get so plan on buying a lot of beer and pizza.
3. If you have not already, call your utility company to schedule hook-ups for services like internet. If you wait until you are already moved in you might be left waiting a lot longer than you expect as half the city calls Comcast and Verizon.
Best of luck
Source: Tales of the Sissy Blog
Won’t someone give this poor guy a ride? I never see guys like this stranded. Hope you enjoy this week’s Furry Friday post.
BosGuy 