Hello and Happy Hump Day to all of you out there. It is another brilliantly sunny day here in Texas with just a slight cool breeze, one of the many pleasures of Autumn here in the South. While the weather is rather inspiring, I have not been lazing about in the sun like yesterday. There is, however a lot of 'sunshine' and a few clouds in the news cycle today. So let's look at some of today's top stories.
Let's start with the US Senate, whose members are not always a ray of sunshine, ended the long journey to confirmation of openly Gay Foreign Service Officer Ted Osius as Ambassador to Viet Nam. Osius is one of 7 openly Gay persons to be nominated by the President to serve as a US Ambassador. Confirmed in a voice vote in the Senate on Monday with 4 other Ambassadors, Osius was first nominated in May of this year and his confirmation was anything but assured lo these many months. However, the Senate finally did the right thing in confirming him. This may be the last good news out of Congress we get for a while as the new Congress will definitely not be in the forefront of our march towards Equality for All.
Meanwhile in South Carolina, the office of Probate Judge Irvin Condon in Charleston has issued six licenses to same sex couples in anticipation of Marriage Equality coming to the Palmetto state starting at noon tomorrow. The SC Supreme Court had ordered no licenses to be issued until a resolution to the court case regarding the recognition of marriages performed in other jurisdictions was issued. On Tuesday a federal judge ruled SC must recognize out of state same sex marriages thus clearing the way for licenses to be issued. But all is not sunshine and roses in the SC as their nut job Attorney General, Alan Wilson, continues to but his head against the brick wall of Equality trying to stem the tide. Yesterday, Wilson filed a request of Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a stay of the ruling scheduled to take effect at noon tomorrow. Given recent precedents, it is unlikely to be a successful bid, but we won't know until Justice Roberts either makes a ruling himself or sends it on to the full court for a decision. In the words of Alvin McEwen of the blog Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters who lives in SC, Wilson "has lost the battle and would be better served to not act like Pickett during the Battle of Gettysburg." I could not have said it better myself. **update** The first same sex marriage in SC is happening now on the Courthouse steps in Charleston.
Turning to the world of sports, the recent playoff run by the Kansas City Royals all the way to Game 7 of the World Series has inspired a definitive action by one life long Royals fan who is now the Marketing Director for KC's MLB franchise. Matt Schulte was born two years after the last Royals World Series Championship in 1985. He has heard about it all his life, sometimes ad nauseum, however during this years playoff run, Schulte was inspired to come out of the closet to the whole world at the same time in the pages of Outsports. Schulte says in the article "The Royals' success just made me decide to be proud and just own it, to just be who I am.". Schulte is one of but a handful of openly Gay persons in administrative roles in any of the 4 major pro sports leagues. His story is inspiring and marks another step forward for LGBT athletes and those who support them be they fans and/or part of the infrastructure of pro sports.
Earlier this year, I introduced you to four handsome gentlemen who form the singing string quartet known as Well Strung. In a video released yesterday, Well Strung's performance at Kristin Chenowith's August show at debuted their arrangement of a song that keeps cropping up in my life, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Arranged for string quartet by first Violinist Edmund Bagnell, it is a powerful remake of Cohen's composition. I think it will replace the K D Lang version of Hallelujah which has served as my favorite version since I ran across it in the Marcus Mcnally Love on the Rocks story on CRVBoy. I have posted the video below as a special Musical Moment in addition to my regular Midweek Musical Moment. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Speaking of the Midweek Musical Moment, this week's edition features three Opus 14 Cello Concerti, Numbers 3 in D major, 4 in B Flat Major and 6 in C Major by Italian Composer Giovanni Battista Cirri. The performance is by Aura Musicale under the baton of László Paulik featuring Balázs Máté as the Cello Soloist. Over on my tumblr, you may also hear Trio Estonia's violinist and cellist (Arvo Leibur and Aare Tammesalu) play Giovanni Battista Cirri's daredevil Duet for Violin and Cello recorded live in the intimate setting of the sanctuary of Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Canada.
Finally for today, this being Wednesday it is time once again for a collection of sexy soaked studs as they frolic about the Pools, Beaches and Baths of the world at large in this week's edition of humpable hunks gathered for a Wet Wednesday celebration. Then there is also the handsome visage of Marcus Schenkenberg who is your Hotttie of the Day! over on my tumblr for your appreciation. Thanks for the visit, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Let's start with the US Senate, whose members are not always a ray of sunshine, ended the long journey to confirmation of openly Gay Foreign Service Officer Ted Osius as Ambassador to Viet Nam. Osius is one of 7 openly Gay persons to be nominated by the President to serve as a US Ambassador. Confirmed in a voice vote in the Senate on Monday with 4 other Ambassadors, Osius was first nominated in May of this year and his confirmation was anything but assured lo these many months. However, the Senate finally did the right thing in confirming him. This may be the last good news out of Congress we get for a while as the new Congress will definitely not be in the forefront of our march towards Equality for All.
Meanwhile in South Carolina, the office of Probate Judge Irvin Condon in Charleston has issued six licenses to same sex couples in anticipation of Marriage Equality coming to the Palmetto state starting at noon tomorrow. The SC Supreme Court had ordered no licenses to be issued until a resolution to the court case regarding the recognition of marriages performed in other jurisdictions was issued. On Tuesday a federal judge ruled SC must recognize out of state same sex marriages thus clearing the way for licenses to be issued. But all is not sunshine and roses in the SC as their nut job Attorney General, Alan Wilson, continues to but his head against the brick wall of Equality trying to stem the tide. Yesterday, Wilson filed a request of Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a stay of the ruling scheduled to take effect at noon tomorrow. Given recent precedents, it is unlikely to be a successful bid, but we won't know until Justice Roberts either makes a ruling himself or sends it on to the full court for a decision. In the words of Alvin McEwen of the blog Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters who lives in SC, Wilson "has lost the battle and would be better served to not act like Pickett during the Battle of Gettysburg." I could not have said it better myself. **update** The first same sex marriage in SC is happening now on the Courthouse steps in Charleston.
Turning to the world of sports, the recent playoff run by the Kansas City Royals all the way to Game 7 of the World Series has inspired a definitive action by one life long Royals fan who is now the Marketing Director for KC's MLB franchise. Matt Schulte was born two years after the last Royals World Series Championship in 1985. He has heard about it all his life, sometimes ad nauseum, however during this years playoff run, Schulte was inspired to come out of the closet to the whole world at the same time in the pages of Outsports. Schulte says in the article "The Royals' success just made me decide to be proud and just own it, to just be who I am.". Schulte is one of but a handful of openly Gay persons in administrative roles in any of the 4 major pro sports leagues. His story is inspiring and marks another step forward for LGBT athletes and those who support them be they fans and/or part of the infrastructure of pro sports.
Earlier this year, I introduced you to four handsome gentlemen who form the singing string quartet known as Well Strung. In a video released yesterday, Well Strung's performance at Kristin Chenowith's August show at debuted their arrangement of a song that keeps cropping up in my life, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Arranged for string quartet by first Violinist Edmund Bagnell, it is a powerful remake of Cohen's composition. I think it will replace the K D Lang version of Hallelujah which has served as my favorite version since I ran across it in the Marcus Mcnally Love on the Rocks story on CRVBoy. I have posted the video below as a special Musical Moment in addition to my regular Midweek Musical Moment. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Speaking of the Midweek Musical Moment, this week's edition features three Opus 14 Cello Concerti, Numbers 3 in D major, 4 in B Flat Major and 6 in C Major by Italian Composer Giovanni Battista Cirri. The performance is by Aura Musicale under the baton of László Paulik featuring Balázs Máté as the Cello Soloist. Over on my tumblr, you may also hear Trio Estonia's violinist and cellist (Arvo Leibur and Aare Tammesalu) play Giovanni Battista Cirri's daredevil Duet for Violin and Cello recorded live in the intimate setting of the sanctuary of Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Canada.
Finally for today, this being Wednesday it is time once again for a collection of sexy soaked studs as they frolic about the Pools, Beaches and Baths of the world at large in this week's edition of humpable hunks gathered for a Wet Wednesday celebration. Then there is also the handsome visage of Marcus Schenkenberg who is your Hotttie of the Day! over on my tumblr for your appreciation. Thanks for the visit, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
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