Iran's "Diagnosed Transexuals"

Crazy: so being gay is illegal in Iran, but if you have a sex change so that you can be with the sex you are naturally attracted to, it's OK. So for example, if you're a gay man and become a woman, then you can be with your boyfriend because then you'd be like....heterosexual. And because the government believes so strongly about this, they'll even pay up to 50% of the operation costs for those who need financial assistance. The religious cleric responsible for gender reassignment stuff in the country views changing genders as something simple as "changing wheat to flour to bread".

Hmph.

BBC Doc explores it all.

Stuck in my head - Twin edition

Tegan and Sara: Canadian, twin lezzie indie rockers. "The Con" from their new album, "The Con".

Dew Tour returns to Cleveland

Sweet, dude. Sweet.

Proud Eats

Got this from Crain's Cleveland who got it from Esquire.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here’s more evidence that you should be glad you live in Cleveland.

Esquire magazine’s feature on the best sandwiches in America (excluding hamburgers) includes no less than five mentions of local spots or chefs.The Beachland Ballroom at 15711 Waterloo Road makes the list for its Trailer Park Monte Cristo. It’s not for the diet-minded (nothing is in this feature, even if Jared makes you think sandwiches are health food), but it sounds delicious: “Bobbing in a sea of Blue Ribbon, battered by gale-force amps, you need something solid to hold on to — and hold down. So: Dip a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich in pancake batter, dunk it in a deep fryer, and dust it with powdered sugar. Voilà: Bar eats supreme. The crisp, cakey crust conceals a molten heart as sweet as Cleveland’s own.”

The corned beef sandwich at Slyman’s, 3106 St. Clair Ave., also makes the cut.“Bernie Kosar jerseys outnumber the business suits, but just barely,” Esquire says. “The corned beef is why you go: a softball-sized lump of lean the color of a Great Lakes sunset, kissed with fat and slow-cooked to succulence, then nestled between clouds of fresh bread.”

Also earning Esquire’s approval is the Polish Boy at Freddie’s Rib House, 1431 St. Clair.“Soul on white,” the magazine says. “A pipe’s length of kielbasa is wrapped in a bun and mounded with french fries, then dressed with coleslaw and barbecue sauce. Ignore any toxic runoff: Locals consider cuff stains a red badge of courage. The genteel can request a fork, because, yo, every circus needs a clown.”

Celebrity chef Michael Symon of Lola and Lolita also contributes a recipe for an Italian breakfast sandwich that looks and sounds absolutely incredible, if eggs, salami, prosciutto and mozzarella cheese on sourdough bread is your thing.

He also makes a recommendation. His favorite sandwich is the D7 pork bánh mì from Superior Pho in Cleveland.

We have so many things to be proud of

If it's not unemployment or foreclosures, it's got to be something else with Cleveland. Apparently not only are we poor, we're very stressed. I wonder why...

A study released recently looks at the most stressful places to live and we're number 2 in the country. The first? Detroit. Researchers looked at things like number of days with sunshine, days with unhealthy air, commute, income and crime to arrive at their conclusions.

The least stressful place to live? Virginia Beach.

Another point of disparity

So minorities get the short end of the stick again. This time with the whole digital TV conversion fiasco. According to a study by Nielsen, Latinos and Blacks will be impacted the most by this conversion because these households have the highest concentration of non-digital compatible televisions.

Eh.

Reason why I love living in America

A Nigerian hospital was burned down by arsonists. The new facility was yet to be used. Why?

"The General Hospital in Maiduguri was built in 2006 but the state government refused to open it until the president came to cut the ribbon."

Yes, people had to go without service over some bullshit. In America, while we all don't have health coverage, at least we don't have unused hospitals.

Really, people? Really?

People from this survey can go fuck themselves. Over 60% of them think that nonprofits spend to much on overhead costs. So I guess nonprofit professionals should operate in shacks with outdated computers and low pay. Oh wait, many of us already do. How the fuck are we supposed to achieve missions when we can't cover our own living expenses, get healthcare, use up to date tools and resources and be overall comfortable and capable to do our jobs?

Really? Really.

Mayoral Wishlist for Dem Candidates

Our primary here in Ohio is fast approaching. In an effort to woo voters, the presidential candidates are swooping down on our fair state and in response to these political vultures comes a wishlist for Northeast Ohio from Frank Jackson, Mayor of Cleveland. Jackson sent both democratic senators a letter outlining his wishes for the next POTUS. Assumingly, whomever gives him the best response wins his much-desired endorsement.

The first Democratic contender to respond: Barama. Um, Clintonites, where are you?

Some stuff from his $6.3 billion, 14-page wishlist (the link above has cost breakdowns):

- money to combat the foreclosure crisis
- improve education in urban centers
- beef up law enforcement
- fix roads
- expand public transportation
- provide health care
- energy from renewable sources

Barama's two-page response letter said: "Your blueprint for America shares many features with the urban agenda that I have outlined in my campaign."

Nice.

This is progress, I think?

"The era of rampant lynching is a shameful chapter in American history," Bush said at a black history month event at the White House, which began with serious comments about prejudice and ended with music performed by The Temptations.

Um...

Tempaaaay

From the 80's Fiesta Art Deco to the forced Tex Mex cuisine, Tempe, Arizona has a place in my heart....or something like that.

Finally!

You may recall my excitement here.

Maximus the Cat: Update

Max likes birds. Birds are his friend.

For New York.

For New England.

Why I won't be seeing Knocked Up, Waitress, Juno or Bella

Hollywood, in it's success with unplanned pregger chicks, seems to forget that abortion is a legal, viable option for women. It also seems to think that unplanned pregnancies are funny, quirky and romantic. Couple this with all the bored actress/singers having offspring.

This isn't reality and I know Hollywood isn't in the business of highlighting reality, but all these recent movies about women getting pregnant, out of wed-lock and with little options makes it seem as if it will always work out. For a real world girl like me, it's troublesome.

In this article, two real women talk about these movies and their personal experience as pregnant women, movie-goers and abortion. They make some valid points about the fallacies that many of these story lines and contrasts them with the real world and how the taboo subject of abortion is often dusted over in celluloid.

Not to mention the stereotypical portrayal of men in these films as stupid or absentee fathers/jerks/assholes...a point I almost overlooked. (See how patriarchy hurts everyone?)

Point being: I am over the Hollywood baby propoganda. Over it.

Wish you were here and I'm not even there yet

Going on a jet plane...

To Tempe, Arizona this Tuesday. The weather looks promising, but I will be indoors mostly for a work conference. Luckily for me the dress is biz cash, so no blazers! The Lenten season will be upon us while I am away in Arizona. I welcome this time, but part of the conference involves a group dinner at this place. Yeah...I give up meat from Lent every year. Surprisingly, Tempe is pretty G-A-Y! I may even come back for the Gay Rodeo.

And then there were three

So two of the blondest, cutest Gays at the "alternative lifestyles" bar/restaurant that I work at brought a cake to work for me this weekend. It tasted like a twinkee. Not this kind, but this kind.

They hand decorated it and it was supposed to say: "Happy Birthday, You Beautiful Ebony Goddess", but they ran out of room and had to start over.

And this year I thought I would have to buy my own cake

As I type this, I am having brunch which consists of two different pieces of birthday cake and leftover pizza. Why? Because it's a cake fuck fest this week as I have TWO birthday cakes to help me celebrate the big day. The first was from the g-parents who got this delicately delicious cake from Casa Dolce on the eastside.

Now Miss Fixx It, if you recall her, invited me over for what was going to be a housewarming crock pot celebration with pot roast. Alas, she managed to overcook the meat leaving us with pizza as the only viable meal option. We got it delivered from this place. Yeah...buttery as fuck crust, bitches. And the boneless wings tossed in bourbon sauce were a welcome addition to the meal.

As usual on occasions like these, I offer to bring the dessert and the alcohol, but she said she had it covered. To my surprise, there was a chocolate whipped buttercream pink and white birthday cake complete with my name on it waiting for me after dinner. Hell yes. Nothing says Moxie like a pink and white chocolate cake. I AM pink and white chocolate cake.

So much for going to the gym first.

(sorry for the dark pics, but i never said i was a good photographer.)

She's Jewish so close enough

Moxie: ...yeah, I hate Ann Curry and I hate Sheryl Crow. I started hating her around the time "Soak Up the Sun" came out.

Bama Girl: Aww, she's OK.

Moxie: I hate her smugness. Plus her lips are annoying and weird. And not weird sexy like Gina Gershon's lips.

Bama Girl: Gina Gershon?

Moxie: You know: Showgirls the movie?

Bama Girl: Oh yeah! That reminds me I was reading this blog I like and there is going to be a all-Black version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof!

Moxie: What does that have to do with Gina Gershon?

Bama Girl: Well she's in it.

Moxie: (turns to computer and searches for image of Gina Gershon. Points to picture.) She is going to be in the all-Black version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof? Really?

Bama Girl: Dammit. I guess I was thinking of the actress from Dreamgirls.

Laughter ensues.

Speaking of sick in the head...

If you live in Ohio, you will have two less mental hospitals to go to thanks to Gov. Strickland.

He is cutting spending to deal with budget woes and I like how the cuts are coming from things like:

- mental health
- drugs and alcohol addiction services
- rehabilitation and corrections
- education
- jobs and family services
- argriculture (hello Ohio!)

and line items like these AREN'T getting cuts:

- budget and management
- elected officials
- administrative services
- old people
- young people

I cannot wait until crime rates and such go up so that I can kindly point to all the programs that got slashed that are designed to improve systemic problems.

Ugh.

You need a sick day because you're sick in the fucking head

This is sickening. So there are actually people in this god forsaken state that think a law requiring business owners with 25 or more employees to have a mandatory minimum of seven days of sick time is a bad thing.

Yes, apparentely giving people a paid day off from work to deal with being a mortal is not cool. I guess this means that sick employees spreading their sickness to other employees does good for the bottom line.

DOUBLE U TEE EFF, PEOPLE? You make money off the blood, sweat, tears and backs of these people and yet you can't give them SEVEN DAYS out of THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE? They don't even deserve that? Where are the morals and plain human compassion? It's not like these business owners are paying their people well in the first fucking place. It is disgusting that we even have to have a law for this. Taking care of your employees should be a priority and sound business practice. Happy employees mean effective, loyal employees.

Jesus Christ on a crutch. Oh wait: if he worked for these people, he couldn't take a damn day off to see his orthapedics doctor.