Pink Sauce

Being one of them bloody foreigners, I will not be able to vote at this election and it is a damn shame, believe me! However, I have taken the test. The results are as expectedreally. Go Charles, go! Who should I vote for? Your expected outcome: Liberal Democrat Your actual outcome: Labour 16 Conservative -21 Liberal Democrat 66 UK Independence Party -32 Green 40 You should vote: Liberal Democrat The LibDems take a strong stand against tax cuts and a strong one in favour of public services: they would make long-term residential care for the elderly free across the UK, and scrap university tuition fees. They are in favour of a ban on smoking in public places, but would relax laws on cannabis. They propose to change vehicle taxation to be based on usage rather than ownership. Take the test at Who Should You Vote For

What a busy week! Four of my evenings this weeks are taken up by the Chorus. On Sunday evening, was a production meeting for the next show. On monday, we had rehearsal as usual and last night was the first meeting of the Steering Committee. It was quite interesting and I have to say I was quite favorably impressed by the new chair; both his ideas and the effecient way in which he seems to be conducting things. Let's hope this will be a lasting impression. On Thursday, is the first meeting of my very own committee and people are already dropping like flies! I have already received 5 apologies (out of the 18 people on the mailing list!). Let's hope this is not a comment on my election but rather on the fact that everything was decided at the last minute. I can't really wait to get going. This is promising to be very interesting work, especially if we manage to avoid the sort of drama I have witnessed recently. Tonight I have the night off and will try and make it to the gym b...

In this time of Papal upheaval, I thought it would be interesting to bring The Prophecies of Saint Malachy into the debate. Just for fun and to muddle things that tinny wee bit more. :O)

On Saturday I was toiling away in a dusty basement but on Sunday I was (almost) rubbing shoulder with the elite at the V&A . I work for the legal services of one of London's councils. Our organisation is one of the few among the London Boroughs' to have been granted the Law Society's LEXCEL accreditation. This was two years ago. Now, each year, Legal Services are submitted to an assessment to make sure that we still comply with the LEXCEL Standards. This is usually the occasion for some furious catching up by many people to make sure that everything they failed to do during the year looks like it has been done regularly after all. To be honest, we should have assessments every month to keep the service running as it should! Anyway, last week, my former manager, in a different position from the one I currently hold in this place, pleaded with me to help her sort out some of the archived files in the basement. I used to be in charge of that and she claims I am the only o...

Looks like I am now responsible for the image of the London Gay Men's Chorus. I did get elected last night and although it was not the landslide that other candidates enjoyed, the margin was comfortable enough. That was the easy bit though, it seems. This morning (the one after the night before), I already got sent back to my basket by members of the Committee who basically told me that they were the professionals and I knew nothing so I'd better shut up. This is technically true but I certainly feel that I was making a valid point (I had the support in this of another professional not involved with the Committee) and they did not raise any argument that convinced me of the contrary. I guess this will be my major problem in this position: my lack of legitimacy in holding it. People seem very timorous in the way they approach the Committee activities or is it just me being too earger and therefore not considering things enough? But hey! I asked for all this, didn't I? :O)

And what a choice it is!!! Benedict XVI aka Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a 78 year old german, is renowned for his rigid orthodoxy, making him once of the worst possible choices for those hoping that the Catholic Church would turn to a more liberal and open minded attitude. In addition to the fact that once again the "third world" (the most important congregation of the Catholic Church) is not represented, the chosen Pope is also clearly homophobe. Here is what Outrage! have to say: In 1986, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote the infamous Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. Ratzinger wrote that a homosexual orientation, even if the person is totally celibate, is a "tendency" toward an "intrinsic moral evil". Moreover, a homosexual inclination is both an "objective disorder" and a "moral disorder", which is "contrary to the creative wisdom of God". "Special concern and pastoral at...

In 1995, I think, I was elected as a member of the Town Council of my parents' village. I was asked by the mayor if I was interested and basically only had to say yes for it to happen as I was very much elected on my father's good name and reputation. I did not get to do much there, either. I was very junior with no real skills to share and the council's role was more to agree to the mayor's decisions than anything else. Not a very satisfying experience. When I left for this country, I had come to the conclusion that I was usurping someone else's place on that council who could perhaps have done more than I did. Two weeks ago, I made my first ever "political" speech. By a decision I am more and more starting to question, I was standing for the position of Chair of the Marketing, PR and Merchandising Committee of the London Gay Men's Chorus . I have never really had any dealings with the Committee other than the odd suggestion and the designing of the p...

With the General elections looming, the Tories trying to drum up poeple's xenophobias and Labour, seemingly following suit, not doing much to raise the debate by producing a different discourse on the subject, I thought these two articles from the Journal of The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce were very much worth reading. Welcome Opportunity Uk Immigration policy increasingly focuses on exclusion rather than inclusion. According to Satvinder Juss, however, migrant workers should be recognised as a vital economic and social resource for our society. Get Wise: The Value of Diversity As the Uk population gets older and more diverse, employers will have to think proactively about how to remain competitive in the international market.

Read the first part of this post. I was going to carry from where I left but I think I will just ask people to go and read this fantastic article by Polly Toynbee in the Guardian, which says what I still had to say so much better than I could put it. (thanks to Submit Response for this.) Finally a bit of comic relief with The Pope's Message From Hell and Saint Pope John Paul George Ringo II . Update - 13 April 2005 One wish this was comic relief too but unfortunately it is not.

It has not been the best of weeks for prominent octogenarians. After Pope John Paul II (84), it is the turn of Prince Rainier (81) and Saul Bellow (89) to go eat the dandelions by the roots (as they sometimes say in France). It is a sad thing when someone dies but at the same time nothing unusual or unexpected when people get to that age. Still the media are a-buzz with the shocking news when each day millions of other people die in resounding silence of far less natural causes than old age. As is always the case, too, in those circumstances, the departed are praised to high heaven for all the wonderfully good things they did in their life, while the bad things (they are humans after all) are quickly swept under the carpet. In Rainier's and Bellow's cases the praises, because limited mostly to their work and public personas, are probably quite reasonably given and deserved. Rainier did turn the fate of his small principality and Bellow (whom I must confess I had never heard ...

You will remember my frustration at trying to get any information from the dreaded French administration as to how to get a duplicate copy of my driving licence. In the end I came to the conclusion that I would have to just go there and ask them directly. With this in mind, I had taken today off and this morning got up an hour earlier than usual, got into a bus and faced one of the coldest days we have had for a while to queue in front of the French consulat. I got there a good half hour before opening time and there were already about 20 people shivering in the wind and drizzle. Finally, they opened the door and I got admitted unto this little bit of French soil. After a cursory search of my bag by a gendarme, I got to the reception desk where I explained my situation. The officer in front of me explained that I would have to make a declaration of loss with the consulat, send this to France to the prefecture which delivered my licence originaly to get some document or other from them...

I have found myself commenting a few times on this post recently; engaged in a debate on racism and white privileges.

One often hears that women are more superficial than men because they are the ones who are for ever worrying about their hair and what they are going to be wearing and " does my bum look big in this ". I have my own little theory that they probably are not but that men are (superficial that is). I think women are so conscious of their appearance because for centuries they have been "groomed" (!) by the socially dominant sex (those bastards!) to behave in this way, to try and appeal to them. And that in fact men are the ones obsessed with appearances. Do not women say that the don't really mind what their man looks like as long as he is nice and makes them laugh? Some even profess preferring the Teddy Bear look, whatever that is. Men are all focusing on boobs and bums (the straight and the transgendered ones that is). Of course this gender divide is now getting blurred by the current trend for cultivating the right image and everybody feels the pressure to look g...

I often talk about religion in here, so here is a way to clarify my position: You scored as agnosticism . You are an agnostic. Though it is generally taken that agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve in God, it is possible to be a theist or atheist in addition to an agnostic. Agnostics don't believe it is possible to prove the existence of God (nor lack thereof). Agnosticism is a philosophy that God's existence cannot be proven. Some say it is possible to be agnostic and follow a religion; however, one cannot be a devout believer if he or she does not truly believe. agnosticism 75% atheism 71% Buddhism 58% Paganism 54% Satanism 54% Islam 50% Christianity 42% Hinduism 42% Judaism 33% Which religion is the right one for you? (new version) created with QuizFarm.com

Now that the rush for the end of the financial year is over, our lovely management people are thinking about rewarding us for the hard work *cough* we did this past year. Today was a special day; we were given our increments directly by the Practise Manager. And very nice chocolates they were too. Since my line manger is so clueless that I haven't had one single assessment session or review of my Work Plan this year (out of the 4/5 session scheduled), and despite the fact that I have been doing things which did not appear in my job description, these are likely to be the only increments I (and my colleague) will get. Better enjoy them!

Going to the Blogs?

Due to the Pope's demise, with everything being cancelled from theatre and cinema performances in Poland to sports events in Italy and Parliament dissolutions in the UK, and now that the funeral date has been set for Friday , should The Wedding be postponed ? Perhaps the Pope's death is an act of God to prevent this alliance from happening?! More on the Pope soon.... (that is the plan at the moment anyway) Update - 2.45pm Looks like God's plan is starting to work ....

There are times when I wonder whether I am really gay or not. Well to be honest I know I am not, not really. I AM a big poof who fancies men, not doubts about that but as for being "gay"! I have been asked to give my Pink card back so many times now, that I know I can not be. Yesterday evening, I met up with My Friend. We went to Gay's The Word for the launch of a new book: Lust Unearthed - Vintage Gay Graphics from the DuBek Collection , by Thomas Waugh. The author was there with a collection of slides. It was fairly interesting to hear him talk about the little that was known about this worldwide (as in occidental) underground black market of reproduction porn drawings which seems to have flourished from the 1930's to the late 1960's. The drawing themselves, some of them not too bad some of them truely awful, were all quite reminiscent of Tom of Finland (although not inspired by him) and are all your filthy minds imagine they can be. They did not do much for ...