Pink Sauce

Controversial author, John Perkins, a man who says he knows because, often, he was there, reveals the real reasons behind the Iraq War (part 1) and what is currently happening in South America (part 2) before answering a few questions (part 3). This was recorded at the Veteran for Peace National Convention in Seattle on 11 August 2006 (lasts about 1hr). And it all rather makes sense... part 1 | part 2 | part 3 This interview by DemocracyNow.org summarises his thesis and gives some background on Perkins in about 10min. John Perkins - Wikipedia

The view from the stage of the Palladium during the technical rehearsal on Sunday 16th, showing the gobo whose artwork I put together. The concert went very well. I am glad to say I made very few mistakes and as usual the next day the back-slapping emails were flying fast on the Chorus' mailing lists. The good news is that, having sold out we will be giving I think £5000 to the Terrence Higgins Trust and they got another £2000 from the raffle and bucket shake organised on the night. For fuller reviews of the show click here , here and here . More pictures available here

The camera I bought in 2002 just before going to Sydney with the Chorus, has died on me. It doesn't switch on any more and remain miserably stuck as if it was on (the zoom in unfolded). This was my first digital camera. It wasn't perfect but it helped me learn a lot. It's ease of use and flexibility not to mentioned the great results I got from simply pressing the button (compared to my previous camera: a cheap and nasty autofocus), really encouraged me to take more pictures and gave me a taste for it. No more pics for me until I can buy a new one... (everybody sigh of relief here) that will take a while :O( Unless some generous Santa gives me a nice new SLR... As if!

For those who don't fancy sitting through two hours of choral music, watching Accentuate the Positive in support of the Terrence Higgins Trust, on 16th December at the Palladium, but would still like to see a bunch of gay guys make a fool of themselves in public for Christmas (and yes that includes moi), a few opportunities present themselves to view parts of the London Gay Men's Chorus in action (and for free, apart from the Barbara Cook gig). World AIDS Day Saturday, December 1 St. Pancras Church, Euston - 12 Noon Barbara Cook and friends Word AIDS Day Concert Sunday, December 2 London Coliseum - 7:30 pm Covent Garden Carols December 13, 18, 20 Covent Garden Piazza - respectively 6.30, 7.30 and 9 pm on the 13th and 5.30, 7, and 8.30 pm on the other two dates. (I won't be there on the 13th) Selfridges Carols December 22 & 23 Oxford Street shop - 12.30, 2.00, 3.30, 5.00 (and 7.30 on Saturday only) first published on 28/11, updated on 10/12

I was going to simply post the picture of a red ribbon to mark the day today. But then a friend of mine told me yesterday about World AIDS Day: "Don’t really have any response to it, I’m afraid. Feel like I’ve done my bit." His former partner is HIV+ My response was:"It's not about response, it's about taking part. The response is expected from governments and society. It's a way to remind them that there is still work to be done I think while remembering "our" dead." More controversially perhaps, and with reference to Armistead Maupin's ideas on Desert Island Discs this morning, the day could also almost be seen as a day of thanksgiving for what the advent of the "gay placgue" did to advance the LGBT cause. AIDS both forced and allowed society to talk about LGBT lives. It made us visible and showed us as caring and grieving people not that dissimilar from members of the norm. The epidemic also had positive repercussions within th...