PT NEWS PT NEWS PT NEWS PT NEWS PT NEWS PT NEWS PT NEWS _____________________________________________________________ An Interactive Weekly Newspaper full of stories, weekly articles, gay news, news from the Pink Triangle chat room, trivia, BIOS, screen names, and much, much more! Without YOU, the reader. the PT News would not exist! _____________________________________________________________ Pink Triangle News - Issue No. 63 - July 2,1999 - Circulation: 261 [email protected] Editors of the PTNEWS Alladdinn (Co-Editor, PT Birthdays) [email protected] Freddieb (Co-Editor, Up Close & Personal) [email protected] ____________________ QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Submitted by Maxam) "Blessed is he who has learned to laugh at himself, for he shall never cease to be entertained." John Powell ______ Howdy Guys and Gals! Welcome to the PT News! In this week's issue, we offer you stories of PRIDE festivals and events from around the world from some of our readers, lots of news worthy material of happenings around the country, as well as several of our regular weekly articles, and events from within the Pink Triangle chat room! Freddie & I hope you enjoy this week's news, as well as keep sending us your articles and submissions, which make our paper something worth reading! ____________________ NOW.without any further delay.We proudly bring you this week's edition of the PT News! _____________________________________________________________ DISCLAIMER: It is the intent of this paper to provide an enjoyable, informational reading material to you, the reader. The opinions and/or advice given throughout this paper are those of the readers that submit, and may not necessarily be those of the editors! All articles and submissions have been accepted and printed here in good faith (without editing) and is not verified, or researched by the editors, therefore may not be true! WARNING: SOME ARTICLES CONTAIN SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL! _____________________________________________________________ WEEKLY CONTRIBUTORS OF THE PT NEWS: _____________________________________________________________ Misty - Misty's Drag Bag Goldie12 - THE Poetry Corner [email protected] Mamma_tat - Tats Tidbits [email protected]. Maxam - Our resident "Roving Reporter!" Joker - Various articles Ganymede03 - Various articles FreddieB - Up Close and Personal [email protected] Alladdinn - PT Birthdays [email protected] _____________________________________________________________ EDITORIAL (Alladdinn) ________ Howdy Guys and Gals! Let's see... What's on my mind this week? Hmmmm... well, it may bore you, but please bear with me for a bit and I'll tell ya! LOL I've had to do a lot of re-evaluating in my life lately. Just why do I do the things I do, both in PT as well as in real life? Here is what I came up with. I had to go back in my past to come up with the reason as to why I crave attention and friendship from those I meet online. You see growing up I did not consider myself to be attractive at all. I had girlfriends, or maybe I should say girls that I would like to become better acquainted with on a more personal level. However, I am very much a romantic, flowers, cards, notes, romantic walks and picnics, quiet dinners, holding hands at the movies and mushy stuff like that. Most of the girls I was attracted to, it didn't last long because they were not used to being treated this way without having something expected of them! LOL Even after I came out, it was the same thing. The guys I was attracted to mostly had an objective in mind when setting the romantic mood! You see... I am a tremendous flirt in the room (as if you hadn't noticed!) but in real life, I always seemed to blend in with the crowd, not being noticed, or even approached! This always bothered me, because I always felt I had a lot of qualities to offer the "right" guy... I just wasn't given the chance. Even after I was in my first real gay relationship, I wasn't given the chance, because we lived with his parents and they came first, leaving the romantic stuff, or time alone second in his eyes. In this relationship, I wasn't even allowed friends, and I became very withdrawn and eventually became very unhappy with my life. I feel that is why my online friends have become a very important part of my life, and I have become such a flirt when in the room. I love the attention that I get from people that I truly consider my friends, although I haven't actually met them in person. Those that I have met in person, I can see their faces and hear their voices when they type the words on the screen, in return making me feel like they are in the room with me. However, I have to take a step back every once in a while though, (like now) and re-evaluate myself, because I tend to get too emotionally close to my online friends, putting a strain on my real life and my relationship with Freddie. I can spend an entire day chatting online with all my friends, when I was only planning on being in the room for a short time! It just seems when one friend leaves, another comes in and we start up another conversation... therefore, spending the entire day online in the room! My flirting in the room has gotten me into trouble more than once, not with Freddie per say, because he knows how I flirt when in there, and it is a "harmless" sort of flirting. Also, he knows of my past relationship and the fact that I wasn't allowed to have friends. However, we both agree that there comes a time when it is time to turn off the computer for a while and spend quality time with each other. Leaving the problems within the room itself and the problems that my friends are having in their personal lives behind for the time being and focusing on my life here with Freddie. It seems more time than most, I spend the greatest part of my time in the room helping others in one way or another, or being an ear for them. I honestly don't mind this at all, actually, if I were completely honest, I enjoy the fact that others feel they can come to me for advice or just to listen! However, lately it seems some feel that they have been ignored because I haven't had time for them, or spoke to them when they come in the room. It's not that I am ignoring you at all, it's just lately I have spent lots of hours in IM. I am sorry if you have felt that you were being ignored, or that you had done something to make me mad, that is not the case at all, have just had a lot on my mind lately, as well as trying to help some of my other friends. I hope this helps you to understand me a little better, I kind of feel like it has helped me some in talking about it! Remember folks, I love ya! Ali ____________________________________________________________ LETTERS TO THE EDITORS [email protected] __________________ Send your letters to the editors to: [email protected] ALL comments and suggestions are valuable to us in providing you with the most enjoyable reading material possible! All will be taken into consideration! ___________ I totally agree with Mikey's letter last week. I was in PT today and Chuckie and some other basher were talking about going to klan meetings and hanging homo's. This in my opinion is uncalled for. It blows me away that people who are truly homosexual would stick up to people like that. They are also flashing the room nonstop. A host IM'ed me and told me that if you link up or iggy them they can't boot you with the flashing. I will from this point forward be iggying both these bashers as to not give them the attention they seek. Thanks for your time angelina_99 (aka...ang) ___________________ Ali's notes: Thanks Ang for this letter. We have gotten quite a bit of feedback from people lately concerning chuck, and this is what I suggest to everyone who chats in PT. We go to PT because it is a place for people of like interest to come together and chat openly about our lifestyle. Yes, we have that good ole iggy button, but for some in the room, they just won't use it and continue to feed chuck the attention he is craving. He is only in there to bash and try and make our chatting experience in PT as miserable as possible. Lately, he has acquired a new program, which flashes the room, making it impossible to chat, and booting some from the room. Hosts have been contacted on numerous occasions, but seem to have no authority to do anything to help prevent this from happening, nor do anything about chuck's presence in PT. (Although, they say they are working on the problem!) Therefore, this is what I suggest we do as a united community and chat member of the Pink Triangle... Excite needs to become aware of this problem in full force and our voices as patrons of Excite need to be heard for once! We have just as much a right to chat in a room that was developed for our lifestyle as anyone else in VP! Please take the time to write a letter to Excite about the problems we have encountered with chuck in the last several months. It is very important that our voices are heard in this matter, and we take back the room that was ours to begin with! Include in your letter chuck's many screen names and identities that you know. The ones that I know of are chuckie, chuckles (1- whatever the number is now) and frankiedaman. Please help us in this matter and keep our room chuck-free, as it has now become apparent that he is not there to contribute anything substantial to PT, but is merely there to bash in any way possible, to make our chatting a most unpleasant experience. Ignoring him hasn't worked, being nice to him hasn't worked, and trying to accept him hasn't worked either. Let's see if Excite will listen if they become flooded with letters from our room! Thanks guys! ___________________ Dear pinkies- I really enjoy reading the PT news every week even tho I don't come into the room that often...but I wanted to point out a few problems with links. Misty and Isa's site I couldn't connect to...and the links at the very end of the paper I can never connect with... but the ones earlier on in the paper I don't seem to have too much problem. Thank you for keeping me connected with a wonderful resource... a wonderful Gay and Lesbian chat area... Catbowl _______ Ali's notes: Thanks Catbowl! We sincerely appreciate this info. We don't know if there is a problem unless people like you let us know that they can not link to the information we provide! We always try to make sure that the links are hyperlinked, but there are times that we may miss something, thus making is difficult for you, the reader to link to those sites we are trying to provide for your enjoyment! _____________________________________________________________ GAY NEWS AROUND THE WORLD _____________ 1. German Holocaust Museum to Exclude Gays? 2. McKinney "Didn't Know" Shepard Was Gay. Yeah Right 3. Right Wing Likes Religion...When It's Their Religion (Submitted by Kalii) ________________ GERMAN HOLOCAUST MUSEUM TO EXCLUDE GAYS? The German government has finally approved a controversial plan to build a Holocaust memorial in Berlin. But according to reports in Newsweek and the New York Times, guess who might be missing? You go it. Gays. According to Newsweek, German lawmakers "voted to dedicate the memorial specifically 'to the murdered Jews of Europe,' excluding other Nazi victims such as Gypsies and gays." Newsweek quotes Bundestag (parliament) president Wolfgang Thierse as saying: "with this memorial there can be no more denial or indifference." Well, I beg to differ. While I fully agree with the importance of such a memorial, I'm not a big fan of the German parliament voting 325 to 218 to legislate away other victims of the Nazis. Neither Newsweek nor the New York Times reported on whether the museum would include any mention of other Holocaust victims, including the disabled. Judging by the lopsided vote, there is certainly cause to worry. Let's not forget that the Georgia Holocaust Commission recently tried to have gays expunged from teacher training materials in that state, so this isn't an idle concern. I'd suggest we all send a quick email to Bundestag president Wolfgang Thierse via the German Parliament home page (http://www.bundestag.de/btengver/mail/mail.htm) and ask him to make sure Germany doesn't erase the memories of gays, the disabled, Gypsies and other victims of the Holocaust. And while you're at it, you might want to send an email to Newsweek expressing concern that Germany seems to be denying ALL Holocaust victims their due. Newsweek's email: [email protected] ______________________________________________________ MCKINNEY "DIDN'T KNOW" SHEPARD WAS GAY. YEAH, RIGHT. In an apparent effort to deny the fact that Matt's death was a violent anti-gay hate crime, Aaron McKinney is now trying to claim he didn't even know Matt was gay. Well, read what he's saying now, then read what he said before. You decide. Associated Press, June 24, 1999: "One of the men who allegedly killed a gay Wyoming college student says all that talk about it being a hate crime is nonsense. Aaron McKinney says he didn't know Matthew Shepard was gay." Rocky Mountain News of April 7, 1999: "McKinney confessed to sheriff's Detective Sgt. Rob DeBree in an Oct. 9 interview that he had lured Shepard out of the bar, robbed him and repeatedly hit him. McKinney said he knew Shepard was homosexual, and that the University of Wyoming student never made any advances to him, according to testimony at McKinney's preliminary hearing last fall. 'Guess what? We're not gay. You're going to get jacked,' DeBree testified, relating what McKinney said he told Shepard seconds before landing the first blow with a stolen .357-caliber pistol." Rocky Mountain News, April 7, 1999 (a separate article): "When Aaron McKinney learned that Matthew Shepard was gay, he 'flipped out' and beat the college student with a gun, two letters attributed to the murder suspect reveal. Shepard 'said he was gay and wanted a piece of me,' according to one letter, both of which were obtained by News4 reporter Rick Sallinger from an attorney in the case. 'Being a verry (sic) drunk homofobick (sic) I flipped out and began to pistol whip the f-- with my gun,' said the letter, written to a cellmate's wife." Associated Press, November 19, 1998: "McKinney and Henderson lured Shepard from a campus bar Oct. 7 by telling them they were gay and that they wanted to get 'better acquainted,' [Prosecutor] Rerucha said. As they drove away in McKinney's truck, McKinney pulled the handgun and said, 'We're not gay, and you're jacked,' Rerucha said." Denver Post, October 11, 1998: "McKinney, 22, was embarrassed that Shepard made two passes at him in front of his friends Tuesday night at the Fireside bar, said Bill McKinney [the defendant's father] and Kristen Price [one of the two girlfriend/accomplices]." ___________________________________________________ RIGHT WING LIKES RELIGION...WHEN IT'S THEIR RELIGION According to the Village Voice, the Christian right is up in arms because their attempts to inject religion into every aspect of American life has finally backfired on them. Seems the US Army took their demands serious and is allowing service members to practice the Wiccan religion. The Christian right considers Wiccans to be "witches." In a June 22, 1999 article, the Voice quotes fundamentalist activist Paul Weyrich as saying: " 'Until the Army withdraws all official support and approval from witchcraft, no Christian should enlist or reenlist in the Army, and Christian parents should not allow their children to join the Army,' Weyrich said. 'An Army that sponsors satanic rituals is unworthy of representing the United States of America.' " While I admit to being no great fan of witchcraft, though I have no info to suggest the Wiccans really are witches, I must admit to cracking a grin over this story. Gays have known for years that the Christian right doesn't really care about religion - they only care about twisting God's words to defend an out of touch and extremist political agenda. And when someone else's God doesn't quite support their private jihad, then suddenly religious freedom isn't such a good thing anymore. ___________________ Just a PS from me. I am wiccan, and I call my self a witch, because witchcraft and wicca are one and the same, and its not a bunch of newt tongues, black majick, and selling your soul to the devil, in fact we don't even have a devil, he is a xian creation. I invite you to visit www.cog.org to find out more :) Thanx, Kalii _______________________________________ Taken from the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinal 6-25-99 Washington DC (Hearst News Service) (Submitted by Joker) For the first time, the federal government has recognized a gay and lesbian site, New York City's Stonewall Inn, as worthy of inclusion in the National register of Historic Places. The bar on Christopher street, in Greenwich Village was the scene of several nights of strident protests and fighting after police raided it in the early hours of June 28, 1969. After the arrest of patrons and employees, protesters assembled in the street and, by throwing pennies, beer cans and other objects, forced police to retreat temporarily back into the bar. The Stonewall is widely viewed as the birthplace of the gay civil rights movement. In March the New York State Board for Historic Places voted unanimously to recommend the Stonewall's listing in the national register. Interior Department assistant Secretary John Berry officially announced the designation in a ceremony this week near the Stonewall site. He compared the uprising there to other historic American events such as the Boston Tea part, the battle of Gettysburg and the signing of the declaration of Independence. Opponents of gay rights denounced the historic place designation. "Even though it has now been listed in the National Register of Historic Places, there is no way the hearts of Americans will ever believe homosexuality is normal or viable, or should have a significant place in American history." said the Rev. Lou Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Colition, which is composed of 43,000 chuches nationwide. _________________________________ Taken from Wisconsin State journal 5-21-99 Ottawa Canada (AP) (Submitted by Joker) Canada's Supreme Court struck down a heterosexual definition of "spouse" Thursday in a landmark decision that could rewrite Canada's law books to give legal rights to same-sex couples. The ruling, which centered on the case of an Ontario woman seeking financial support from her former female partner, does not address the issue of homosexual marriages. But by rulling 8_1 that the heterosexual definition of spouse is unconstitutional, the court's decision could give same-sex partner's all the legal benefits of a common law marriage. "It's a huge decision," said Ian Brodie, politcal science professor at the University of Western Ontario. It "stops short of saying same_sex couples can get married, but that's almost a secondary issue now," he said. The court gave Ontario six months to amend it's laws, noting that dozens of its laws use the heterosexual definition. The federal government and other provinces will also have to be in accordance with the ruling or face law suits, and several provincial premiers said their laws would change. "It's 1999 and it's time that we treated people with equality and dignity regardless of their sexual orientation," said British Columbia's Premier, Glen Clark. Justice Minister Anne McLellan said federal government "had developed a strategy by which we will be compliant with existing jurisprudence in this area." Gay and lesbian groups welcomed the ruling. " The courts, governments and I think, public opinion, are converging on a point where it's recognized that lesbians and gays are entitled to basic equality-no more no less." said John Fisher of EGALE, a Canadian gay rights group. The case began when a Toronto woman discovered she couldn't seek alimony from her ex-partner because Ontario law defined a spouse as someone of the opposite sex. She sued to have the definition struck down and two lower courts agreed with her. When a conservative government took over in Ontario in 1995, it appealed the case to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court backed the lower courts, saying, "It's clear that human dignity of individuals in same-sex relationships is violated by the definition of "spouse". " The exclusion of same-sex partners (from the benefits of spousal support) promotes the view that... Individuals in same-sex relationships generally are less worthy of recognition and protection," the courts ruling said. US courts have considered similar cases. In Dec., an appeals court in Oregon ruled that partners of lesbian employees are entitled to the same benefits given spouses of heterosexual employees. Since the ruling does not recognize same-sex marriages, it does not mean same-sex couples in the US could cross the border to get married, Brodie said. The two women in the case, who had lived together for more than five years, had settled out of court, but the high court's review of the law continued. Note: I know this news is old, but I for one feel its worth mentioning again, thanks _________________________________ Taken from Milwaukee Journal 6-30-99 Reuters (Submitted by Joker) Secretary of State Madeleine Abright applauds Tuesday after swearing in James C. Hormel as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. Hormel, 66 is America's first openly gay ambassador. Sen. Edward Kennedy joined the two minutes of applause during the ceremonies in Washington, D.C. It's usually a private, low keyed affair when an ambassador is sworn in, but the pattern was broken as Hormel became ambassador before a raucous gathering of supporters. _________________________________ Taken from Wisconsin State Journal 6-30-99 BOSTON Mass. (Submitted by Joker) Gay people who help their partners raise a child have visitation rights after the couples break up, the state's highest ruled Tuesday. The Supreme Judicial Court ruled in a case of a lesbian who helped her partner raise her son, saying the woman was "de facto"--or "in fact"--a parent of the child. _________________________________ Taken from the Oshkosh Northwestern Los Angeles (AP) (Submitted by Joker) A man who said he killed five gays to stop the spread of AIDS was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole. Juan Chavez, 35 got five consecutive life sentences for the 1986 and 1989 killings. He avoided a possible death sentence in March pleading guilty during his trial. Prosecutor Mike Durarte said Chavez used the promise of sex to lure the men to their homes. Then, he forced them to disclose their ATM access codes, strangled them and stole their vehicles. _________________________________ Taken from the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinal 6-25-99 Rockford, Alabama (AP) (Submitted by Joker) One of two men accused of beating a gay man to death with an ax handle for allegedly making a pass at them pleaded guilty Thursday to murder in hopes of avoiding the electric chair. District Attorney Fred Thompson said that in return for the guilty plea, he would recommend a life sentence in prison without parole for Steven Eric Mullins, 25. A judge will make the decision after a trial like hearing set for Aug. 2. On the same day, co-defendent Charles M. Butler jr. 21, will go on trial on capital murder charges in the slaying of Billy Jack Gaither 39. The textile warehouse worker was abducted Feb. 19, stuffed into his car trunk and later beaten to death. His body was found burned on a pile of old tires. Police said Mullins and Butler confessed to plotting Gaither's slaying, for two weeks after he allegedly made a sexual advance on them. President Clinton compared Gaithers murder to the dragging death of a black man in Texas and the fatal beating of Matthew Shepard, a homosexual college student who was lashed to a fence in Wyoming. _________________________________ Taken from the Daily Citizen 6-23-99 Fort Worth, Texas (AP) (Submitted by Joker) Gays and Lesbians are one step closer to becoming part of the Presbyterian church's leadership. In a 24 to 14 vote on Tuesday, the Church Orders and Ministry committee recommended striking a clause from the church's constitution that forbids the ordination of "self-affirming, practicing homosexuals" to the ministry. " I am pleasantly surprised by this," said the Reverend Don Stroud, a gay man who was ordained before the 1978 amendment that prohibits gays from ordination. The issue now goes to the full 560-member assembly later this week during the denomination's annual meeting. Approval would require a simple majority. _________________________________ Taken from USA TODAY (Submitted by Joker) IOWA: Des Moines The American Baptists Churches USA's board expelled four California churches for "welcoming and affirming" homosexuals. The board's votes were taken in a weekend meeting just before the denomination's nationwide biennial meeting. _____________________________________________________________ TECH TIPS and CYBER NEWS [email protected] (Techmaster) _____________ CANADIAN DOMAIN (Submitted by Maxam) How do I go about registering a Canadian domain (.ca)? The on-line forms are here: http://www.xenitec.on.ca/ca.regform.html __________________________________ T.V. DIRECTORIES (Submitted by Maxam) Are there a site anywhere where one can go to find a particular movie or TV show among the various networks' upcoming schedules? http://listings.tvguide.com/Search/Search.asp Will let you search listings for the next week for actors, shows, or movie titles. Mark Roedel Systems Programmer LeTourneau University Longview, Texas, USA _________________________________ HERE'S THE ADDY FOR DOWNLOADING THE SOFTWARE FOR VP. Several people have been asking for the addy to download the free software in helping "mugs" view VP in all its glory, here is the download addy: http://www.excite.com/communities/chat/download/ _________________________________ TECH FUNNIES (Submitted by Maxam) _______ HELP... MY MOUSE IS MOVING! Another user was all confused about why the cursor always moved in the opposite direction from the movement of the mouse. She also complained that the buttons were difficult to depress. She was very embarrassed when we asked her to rotate the mouse so the tail pointed away from her. _____________________________________________________________ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! ______________________ PT BIRTHDAYS [email protected] (Alladdinn) ______ Howdy Birthday guys and gals! Let's take a quick look at our PT Birthday's that are on our list for last week... July 2,1999. ____________________ Thatgirl.............. June 27 bluetulip1...... June 29 plato____..... July 01 ____________________ HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PT'ERS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOO YOU!!!! ____________________ OK, now here's our only PT Birthday for the week ending July 9, 1999. lasher18........... July 06 ______ HAPPY B'DAY LASH... Hope it's a good one! (Stay outta trouble! LOL) ____________________ Here's the PT Birthday's that are on my list for the rest of the month of July. Mandy (PT Mom's daughter) 16 July Art Boy.........27 July ____________________ Well gang... that's our Birthdays for last week, as well as our upcoming birthdays for the rest of JUNE and beginning of JULY. I hope everyone is enjoying their Birthday greetings, and if anyone would be interested in having the Birthday Horoscopes return to the paper, please let me know! Until next week's list of Birthday guys and gals... Much Love and Happiness, Ali PS I have a list compiled of all the PT family birthdays. If, for some reason you hadn't sent in your Bday previously (perhaps you are a newbie, or just thought: "Hey, I haven't sent my Bday in yet!", then please send it to [email protected] and I will add it to my list of Bday Guys and Gals! _____________________________________________________________ THIS WEEK'S FEATURE STORIES FROM OUR FAMILY MEMBERS _____________ THANK YOU (Maxam) Hey All: I asked around for the many ways to say thank you in different languages, and received many. It has been fun. Here are the different ways to say thank you received so far (some humorous)... Maxam (Africa) Afrikaans - Dankie (Africa) Xhosa - Nkosi (Philippine Islands) Tagalog - Salamat Australian - Thoinks, Moite! Bulgarian - Blagodaria Cantonese - M'goy (sp? -- thank you for the service) Cantonese - Do jey (sp? -- thank you for the gift) Chinese - Che Che Chinese - Xie_Xie Danish - tak Dutch - Dank u English - Thanks awfully, old boy ___________________________ This is neither an appropriate way to say thank you in English (as spoken in England) Nor it is humorous. In fact as an Englishman I find it quite offensive. Try: English - Thank You Finnish - Kitos French - Merci mon p'tit monsieur - Directed at a man French - Merci French - Merci ma p'tit dame (Mer-SEE Mah p'tit Dahm) - Appropriate only if directed at a woman German - Danke (Thank you) German - Danke schoen (literally: nicely thank you, outdated) German - Danke sehr (Thank you very much) German -Vielen Dank (Many Thanks) Greek - Efkaristo poly Greek - Efharreesto Hawaiian - Mahala Hebrew - Toda Hebrew - Toda raba (thank you very much) Italian - Grazie (Thank you) Italian - Grazie tanto (many thanks - cordial version) Italian - Mille Grazie (a thousand thanks) Japanese - Arigato or A_Lea_Ga_Tou_Go_Zai_Ma_Su Japanese - Domo arrigato Jive - Thanks mon - Appropriate only if directed to a male Korean - Kamsa hamaida (sp? Pronounced Kam_Sa_Ham_Nea_Ta ) Latvian - Paldis Norwegian - Takke Polish - Dziekuje Portuguese - Obrigada (Female) Portuguese - Obrigado (Male) (Pronounced Oh bri gah doo) Romanian - Multumesc (phonetic: mooltzoomeask) Russian - Spasiba (Pronounced Spaseebah) Serbo-Croat -Hvala Spanish -Gracias Swedish - Tak Swedish - Tak so myckett Tahitian - Maururu U.S. & Canada - Thank You Ukranian - Dyakuyu _____________________ Why It's Great to Be A Guy (Submitted by Viking) Phone conversations last 30 seconds You know useful stuff about tanks and airplanes A 5 - day vacation requires only one suitcase Bathroom lines are 80% shorter You can open all your own jars Old friends don't care if you've lost or gained weight When clicking through the channels you don't have to stop on every shot of someone crying You don't have to lug a bag of "necessary" items with you everywhere you go You can go to the bathroom alone Your last name stays put You can leave a hotel room bed unmade You can kill your own food The garage is all yours You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness You see the humor in "Terms of Endearment" Cleaning the toilet is optional You can be showered and ready in 10 minutes Wedding plans take care of themselves If someone forgets to invite you to something, they can still be your friend Your underwear costs $7.50 for a pack of 3 None of your co-workers have the power to make you cry You don't have to shave below your neck You don't have to curl up next to some big, hairy guy every night If you're 34 and single, no one notices Chocolate is just another snack You can quietly enjoy a car ride from the passenger seat Flowers and/or Duct Tape fix everything You never have to worry about other's feelings Three pair of shoes are more than enough You can say anything and not worry about what people think You can whip your shirt off on a hot day Car mechanics tell you the truth You don't care if someone doesn't notice your new haircut You can watch a game in silence for hours without your buddy thinking "He must be mad at me" One mood, all the time You can admire Clint Eastwood without having to starve yourself to look like him Grey hair and wrinkles add character Wedding dress $2000, Tux rental $100 bucks You don't care if someone is talking behind your back You don't pass on the dessert and then mooch off someone else's The remote is yours and yours alone You need not pretend you're "freshening up" when you go to the bathroom If you don't call your buddy when you said you would, he won't tell your friends you've changed If another guy shows up at the party in the same outfit, you might become lifelong buddies The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected If something mechanical didn't work, you can bash it with a hammer and throw it across the room New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet You think the idea of punting that small, ankle-biting dog is funny If you retain water, it is in a canteen _____________________ TEN SECRETS TO BE A BETTER PERSON (Submitted by Goldie) The FIRST secret - the power of THOUGHT. Love begins with our thoughts. We become what we think about. The SECOND secret - the power of RESPECT. You cannot love anyone or anything unless you first respect them. The THIRD secret - the power of GIVING. If you want to receive love, all you have to do is give it. The FOURTH secret - the power of FRIENDSHIP. To find a true love, you must first find a true friend. The FIFTH secret - the power of TOUCH. Touch is one of the most powerful expressions of love, breaking down barriers and bonding relationships. The SIXTH secret - the power of LETTING GO. If you love something, let it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours, if it doesn't, it never was. The SEVENTH secret - the power of COMMUNICATION. When we learn to communicate openly and honestly, life changes. The EIGHTH secret - the power of COMMITMENT If you want to have love in abundance, you must be committed to it, and that commitment will be reflected in your thoughts and actions. The NINTH secret - the power of PASSION. Passion ignites love and keeps it alive. The TENTH secret - the power of TRUST. Trust is essential in all loving relationships. _____________________________________________________________ INACTIVE ARTICLES IN THE PT NEWS ______ Here are some of the articles that are temporarily on the inactive list, but if you have something you'd like to submit in any of these, please do so! _____________ COMING OUT - Coming OUT is personal stories from our readers about their Coming OUT, how they dealt with it in their families and also some letters from family members, as well as some members of OUR family that have chosen to stay in the closet for professional reasons. __________________________ PT SCREEN NAMES - If you'd like to share how you chose your screen name, please feel free to send in to the pinktrinews email __________________________ ROUND 'EM UP - The newbie corner. __________________________ THE PT AVATAR CONTEST - We each chose an AV to represent us from all of the rest of the chatters in VP. Some of our family have gotten creative and started making their own personalized AV's, which is why we started this contest. This is not a popularity contest, but merely a means to give our family members the credit they deserve for the talents they have and the good taste that they show! __________________________ PT SCREEN NAMES - If you'd like to share how you chose your screen name, please feel free to send in to: [email protected] __________________________ BIOS BIOS BIOS BIOS BIOS BIOS - Everyone enjoys discovering more about the people we see in the room on a daily basis. If you have not sent in your BIO.we'd love to hear from you, and for those of you who are new to PTN, a BIO is merely a little about yourselves to introduce you to our PT family. __________________________ PT Classifieds are meant to not only be humorous, but also used as a means of placing advertisements for things you might be looking for, possibly used for personals, as well as letting missing people know they are missed! __________________________ If you'd like to submit to any of these articles, please feel free to send to [email protected] ______________________________________________________________ ATTENTION PLEASE.I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!!! ______________________________________ Just a little note to let you all know and remind you That Misty and Isa have a site that is regularly updated with all the pics from the shows each month. Please feel free to browse the pages of the gallery and let us know what you think! You can find it at: www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Chelsea/5977 That's all for now, till next we chat Isa!! *kiss* *hug* ______________ Hey all, this is Ali. Thought I'd drop a quick advertisement about our updated PT Reunion page on the web. Included in this page are the detailed events of the weekend, links to letters from those that attended, as well as an up close and personal look into the commitment ceremony of Freddie and I. You can locate this page at: http://www.hotyellow98.com/ptreunion.html Please let us know what ya think! FreddieB & Alladdinn ______________ Here's a great site of Pride cards :) also www.egreetings.com has lots of great gay/les/bi cards too (mainly cards for couples) http://www5.bluemountain.com/ref/planetout/index.html I have a few other sites for greeting cards... but I can't seem to find them! LOL when I do, I'll send em in. Http://www.angelfire.com/or/luanbeam is my homepage! Go see me in all my glory LOL Http://www.angelfire.com/or/Avatars.html Is my page of avs. It's pretty skimpy for now, till I get more time to work on them. Anyhoo keep it comin boys, I am lovin every word :) *higges* to all you cuties! Heidi... AKA Kalii2 ______________________________________________________________ AIDS INFORMATION AND SUPPORT ____________________ NYC Gays Try To Reduce Risks of HIV By BETH J. HARPAZ Associated Press Writer (Submitted by Maxam) NEW YORK (AP) More than a third of homosexual men in New York City don't use condoms when they have sex, but most of those who have unprotected sex are trying to reduce the risks of HIV infection in other ways, according to a new study. The survey of more than 7,000 homosexuals, conducted last year by the Gay Men's Health Crisis, is the biggest of its kind in the nation's largest city. As in recent surveys of other cities with large homosexual populations, the New York survey found a substantial group of men had unprotected anal intercourse in the past year _ 39 percent. The rest said they either are having sex with partners whose infection status matches their own or are limiting their sexual activities to certain practices that reduce the risk of infection. Fifteen percent overall said they abstained from anal sex altogether and 35 percent said they always use condoms for anal sex. Only 11 percent of men who have unprotected anal sex said they do so with a partner whose HIV status they did not know. Only 2 percent admitted being HIV-positive and having unprotected anal sex with someone whose HIV status was not known to them. About 5 percent also acknowledged having unprotected sex with women. The survey, first reported on Monday, has been accepted for presentation at a conference in Atlanta this summer by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey was compiled from 7,065 questionnaires handed out at bars, clubs, bathhouses, street corners, beaches and other venues where homosexual men gather. To reach blacks, Hispanics and other minorities, a peer system was used in which volunteers attempted to reach out to men of similar ethnic backgrounds. The survey is not as scientific as a random poll that is then weighted to reflect the actual population by age and ethnicity. White, middle-aged, educated men were over-represented in proportion to their actual numbers. Young black and Hispanic men were underrepresented. But the methodology _ using volunteers enlisted by a gay organization to reach out to their peers _ has been used in other cities. In January, the CDC cited as significant the findings of a similar street survey by STOP AIDS, a San Francisco-based advocacy group. That survey of nearly 22,000 homosexual men found that 39.2 percent reported having unprotected anal sex in 1997, up substantially from 30.4 percent in a 1994 STOP AIDS street survey. Other alarming trends were also reported earlier this year, such as increases in rates of other sexually transmitted diseases in some cities and a rise in risky behavior like sex parties for HIV-positive men where condoms are banned. Data from New York City, however, have been scarce. Although a law has been passed requiring clinics to report HIV infection rates, the regulations have not yet been implemented, and the city Health Department, unlike other Health Departments around the country, does not issue monthly reports tracking other sexually transmitted diseases. The GMHC study, being the first of its kind, does not indicate whether risky behavior here is increasing, decreasing or remaining steady. ___________________________________________________________ THE JOKE SHACK - A dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste. ______________ COMING OUT TO MOM (Submitted by Maxam) A gay man, finally deciding he could no longer hide his sexuality from his parents, went over to their house, and found his mother in the kitchen cooking dinner. He sat down at the kitchen table, let out a big sigh, and said, "Mom, I have something to tell you: I'm gay." His mother made no reply or gave any response, and the guy was about repeat it to make sure she'd heard him, when she turned away from the pot she was stirring and said calmly, "You're gay -- doesn't that mean you put other men's penises in your mouth?" The guy said nervously, "Uh, yeah, Mom, that's right." His mother went back to stirring the pot, then suddenly whirled around, whacked him over the head with her spoon and said, "Don't you EVER complain about my cooking again!!" _____________________________________________________________ "TAT'S TIDBITS" A Weekly Entertainment Column HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!! HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!! HAPPY *fill in the blank* DAY!!!! Here is installment #4 of this silly article. I have no idea if anyone likes it because I'm not getting any feedback. *HINT HINT* I know it is summer time people, but really. How hard is it to send me a quick e-mail. Jot this down... [email protected]... remember that and use it. *S* (pushy aren't I). I am still messing around with the format of this thing 'cause the charts are still coming out wonky (at least thru my e-mail) so bear with me. One day I will have this little problem fixed. Ok.. on with the gossip. Celebrity News Let's Go To The Movies Billboard's Top 10 Singles Billboard's Top 10 Albums Musical Rewind New Releases Read A Book, Expand Your Mind (amazon.com's Top 10 List) "OH PUH-LEEEEEEEZE" of the week Tat's Tummy Tickler Weekly Blowhard (PSSST!!!! LADDY !!!! Thanks for adding me to the "Weekly Contributor's" list... *blowjobs and kisses*) ____________________________________________________________ "CELEBRITY NEWS: JEWEL GETS A HAND FROM AN AUDIENCE MEMBER" (taken from: MTV News 1515) If you really want to meet Jewel face to face, you might consider bringing her CD with you to one of her concerts. Last night at Jewel's sold-out show in Mountain View, California, she invited one lone audience member up on stage just because he had her debut album, "Pieces of You," in his backpack. Halfway through the show at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, Jewel paused between songs. "Does anyone out there have a copy of 'Pieces of You,'" she asked unexpectedly. "With the case and the front cover?" A boy came to the front row, pulling the CD from his backpack. "I forgot the lyrics to this song," Jewel explained to him and the audience. "Will you hold them up for me while I sing?" He did so, happily mouthing the words to "Little Sister" while holding the lyric sheet up for Jewel. Aside from this and her three big hits "You Were Meant For Me," "Foolish Games," and "Who Will Save Your Soul?" Jewel offered little from her earlier album of songs composed at the age of nineteen. Most of the night's material came from her latest release, "Spirit." The quiet, well-behaved crowd listened intently for most of the show, except for a few passionate shouts from audience members professing their love for the singer. Later in the show, Jewel invited her fans who were sitting way up on the lawn to come closer. As young concert goers began flocking to the stage, she asked one thing: "Just be gentle and don't smash each other." Jewel heads on to Portland, Oregon for a show tomorrow night. ____________________________________________________________ "LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES" (Weekend Box Office Grosses) 1- Tarzan - Total gross - 34,361,342 / weekend gross - 34,221,968 2- Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me - Total gross - 116,148,215 / weekend gross - 31,406,630 3- The General's Daughter - Total gross - 22,332,053 / weekend gross - 22,332,053 4- Star Wars: Episode 1-- The Phantom Menace - Total gross - 328,072,869 / weekend gross - 18,859,021 5- Notting Hill - Total gross - 79,748,215 / weekend gross - 6,909,208 6- Instinct - Total gross - 27,138,982 / weekend gross - 3,224,513 7- The Mummy - Total gross - 142,006,580 / weekend gross - 3,206,500 8- Entrapment - Total gross - 82,001,519 / weekend gross - 1,347,539 9- The Matrix - Total gross - 163,869,151 / weekend gross - 1,315,856 10- Tea With Mussolini - Total gross - 8,693,336 / weekend gross - 614,000 ____________________________________________________________ "BILLBOARD'S TOP 10 SINGLES" (www.billboard.com) #1 - "If You Had My Love": Jennifer Lopez - Last week - #1 / weeks on charts - 8 #2 - "Livin' La Vida Loca": Ricky Martin - Last week - #3 / weeks on charts - 12 #3 - "Last Kiss": Pearl jam - Last week - #2 / weeks on charts -6 #4 - "It's Not Right But It's Ok": Whitney Houston Last week - #11 / weeks on charts - 9 #5 - "The Hardest Thing": 98 Degrees - Last week - #7 / weeks on charts - 15 #6 - "I Want It That way": Backstreet Boys - Last week - #6 / weeks on charts - 11 #7 - "Fortunate": Maxwell - Last Week - #8 / weeks on charts - 13 #8 - "No scrubs": TLC - Last week - #4 / weeks on charts - 20 #9 - "Where My Girls At": 702 - Last week - #5 / weeks on charts - 10 #10- "Kiss me": Sixpence None The Richer - Last week - #9 / weeks on charts - 22 ___________________________________________________________ "BILLBOARD'S TOP 10 ALBUMS" (www.billboard.com) #1 - Backstreet Boys: "MILLENIUM" Last week - #1 / weeks on charts - 5 #2 - Ricky Martin: "RICKY MARTIN" Last week - #2 / weeks on charts - 6 #3 - Sarah McLachlan: "MIRROR BALL" Last week - new / weeks on charts - 1 #4 - soundtrack: "WILD WILD WEST" Last week - new / weeks on charts - 1 #5 - soundtrack: "AUSTIN POWERS, THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME" Last week - #8 / weeks on charts - 3 #6 - Britney Spears: " BABY ONE MORE TIME" Last week - #4 / weeks on charts - 23 #7 - Red Hot Chili Peppers: "CALIFORNICATION" Last week - #3 / weeks on charts - 2 #8 - Shania twain: " COME ON OVER" Last week - #7 / weeks on charts - 85 #9 - Kid Rock: "DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE" Last week - #6 / weeks on charts - 25 #10- soundtrack: "TARZAN" Last week - #30 / weeks on charts - 5 ____________________________________________________________ "MUSICAL REWIND" 1 year ago this week the number one album on Billboard's Hot 200 was: soundtrack: "CITY OF ANGELS" 5 years ago this week the number one album on Billboard's Hot 200 was: Stone Temple Pilots: "PURPLE" 10 years ago this week the number one album on Billboard's Hot 200 was: Fine Young Cannibal: "THE RAW AND THE COOKED" I highly recommend going out and buying Stone Temple Pilots and the City of Angels CD's. They are both worth the $20.00. As for the Fine Young Cannibals ... OY VEY!!! If you have the CD I suggest burning it. ____________________________________________________________ "NEW RELEASES" (www.mtv.com) Alice In Chains: "NOTHING SAFE: BEST OF THE BOX" (Sony/Columbia) Craig Armstrong: "PLUNKETT AND MACLEANE" (Astralwerks) The Art Of Noise: "THE SEDUCTION OF CLAUDE DEBUSSY" (Universal) The Beta Band: " THE BETA BAND" (Astralwerks) Drain S.T.H: "FREAKS OF NATURE" (Enclave/Mercury) Genius/GZA: "BENEATH THE SURFACE" (MCA) Luscious Jackson: "ELECTRIC HONEY" (Grand Royal) Lyle Lovett and His Large Band: "LIVE IN TEXAS" (MCA-Nashville) Mercedes: "REAR END" (No Limit/Priority) Profyle: "WHISPERS IN THE DARK" (Motown) Slipknot: "SLIPKNOT" (Roadrunner) Tracie Spencer: "TRACIE" (Capitol) Donna Summer: "LIVE AND MORE" (Sony/Columbia) Todd Terry: "RESOLUTIONS" (Astralwerks) soundtrack: "AMERICAN PIE" (Universal) soundtrack: " SUMMER OF SAM" (Hollywood) Weird Al Yankovic: "RUNNING WITH SCISSORS" (BMG) ____________________________________________________________ "READ A BOOK, EXPAND YOUR MIND" (amazon.com's Top 10 List) #1 - "Suzanne Somers Get's Skinny On Fabulous Food" By: Suzanne Somers, et al #2 - "Hannibal" By: Thomas Harris #3 - "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" By: J.K. Rowling and Mary Grandpre (illustrator) #4 - "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" By: J.K. Rowling and Mary Grandpre (illustrator) #5 - "Mother of Pearl" By: Melinda Haynes #6 - "Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Fitness Forever" By: Bill Phillips #7 - "The Outlandish Companion: In Which Much Is revealed Regarding Clair and Jamie Fraser, Their Lives and Times, Antecedents, Adventures and Companions" By: Diana Cabaldon #8 - "Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, 1974 - 1999" By: Bob Woodward #9 - "Tired of Yelling: Teaching our Children to Resolve Conflict" By: Lyndon D. Waugh and Letitia Sweitzer #10- "Dr. Atkins' New Diet revolution" By: Robert C. Atkins ___________________________________________________________ "OH PUH-LEEEEEEEEEEEZE" (Weekly "Razzberry" Column) This week's "OH PUH-LEEEEEEEEZE" goes to a bunch of whiney celebrities. Read on and you will find out why. I don't need much of a "pump up" to the goods this week. These comments are pretty self explanatory. SYLVESTER STALLONE: " I was told by my teachers that my brain was dormant, and I took it to heart." CINDY CRAWFORD: " During all the cover sessions for Vogue (back in 1986), I think of one particular person from back home, someone who said I wouldn't make it as a model. I look into the camera and say "Ha Ha -- I'm here and you aren't" BARBRA STREISAND: "I love my mother but I used to resent her for never encouraging me in my acting ambitions. The more she said I'd never make it, the more determined I became." EDDIE MURPHY: (A white SNL co-star said)" You know it's good you're not educated"... as if my ignorance made me funny." CAMRYN MANHIEM: "I was told things like 'Your body is your instrument and you show lack of interest in your art.' " OK!!! Maybe they don't deserve the "razzberry" award, but I thought these comments were amusing. I feel like I am slacking... LOL !!! ____________________________________________________________ "TAT'S TUMMY TICKLER" "Who you callin' an oxymoron????? JERK !!!!" All of us at one time or another have said some of these contradictions thinking we were really intelligent. But after they pop out of your mouth you are left feeling pretty stupid. At least I know that is how I felt. :) Jumbo Shrimp guest host mutually exclusive first-strike defense Department of Interior (responsible for everything outside ..???...) pretty ugly a little big Recently new Severely killed Union workers good grief friendly competitor Decent Lawyer quick reboot quick fix committed schedule clean hack Violent Agreement THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK "Thank God I'm an Atheist" Better than New One Size Fits All Tax Return Constant change Same difference Paperless Office Rapid Transit (Is it just me or is this submission lame this week ? OY VEY !!!!) ___________________________________________________________ "WEEKLY BLOWHARD" (Weekly piss, moan, cry, complain, gripe, bitch column) OK!!!!! I still haven't gotten a complaint people? What's up? Not everyone is always blissfully happy. The world doesn't work that way. Perhaps you people are just crankier in the winter. But I know all of ya and you are capable of being bitchy at the drop of a hat... LOL!!!! So get typing and send your gripes to [email protected]. ____________________________________________________________ Yet another week has gone by ... *yawn*, and my life is still dull as dishwater. Good thing I have this to occupy my time or I would go insane. And yes Freddie, I can get crazier ... };-> Til next week kiddies... Your Mamma _____________________________________________________________ IT'S A GAY WORLD ___________________ June is GAY PRIDE month here in the states! If you would like to let the rest of us know about the events that are planned in your area, please feel free to send it in for us to publish throughout the month, as well as the following months for the rest of our readers outside the states! Send to [email protected] We are looking forward to hearing from you all! Alladdinn ____________________ GLBT Pride/Twin Cities 1999 (Submitted by Drade) This year's pride festival was a good turn out. We had great weather! On Sat. it was hot out. It was about near 90 or more. The humidity index was unbearable. Semisweet and I went together. This was my second year going and Semisweet's first one. This year's pride for me was the best ever! On Saturday at Loring Park, there were a few people there about maybe 50,000 people there. On Sunday, there was the parade that started at 11am. The parade lasted about two hours. After the parade, everyone went to the park. There were about 100,000 people there. It was so crowed there Sunday. Now I'm a fast walker so the slow moving crowds were starting to piss me off...LOL There was long lines too for the Biffy's (outhouses...hehe) We both had a great time there both days. Sunday, Semi and I sat by the main stage relaxing on the blankie and listing to the live bands they had. Sunday evening was the block party. You can find pictures of the '99 pride festival. It is at: http://www.qcommunity.com Scroll down the page and click on Images of Pride. We met up with some of my friends and walked to the block party. There was three entrances there. The first one we went to was a 21+ door so I couldn't go in that way. I went to the front entrance hoping that they wouldn't card me so I can get a wristband to drink. I got up the person that was taking the money, he didn't card me so I got a wristband. I was happy then! hehe... There was whole bunch of people in there. It was like a tin of sardines... LOL I got a rum & coke. I had a empty stomach too so that drink hit me hard... hehe Semi left the block party early. I stayed for the whole thing. After the when the party was over, my friend and I went over to the Gay 90's. The 90's is a night club with seven bars in there. We both went to six of them because the karioke bar was closed. The bar I liked was the 70's-80's bar. There wasn't really much people in there. The other bar that also liked was the drag shows. I didn't want to sit in there watch them cause I saw allot of drag queens that whole weekend... LOL Well, that pretty wraps up the weekend up for me. I had a blast! Till next time, take care! Drade ________________________________ Pride day in Paris 26th of June 1999 (Submitted by Twink) It was a muggy and cloud covered day. We assembled at assigned spaces starting at 10 a.m. This gave us time to meet the other groups, drink coffee and eat baguettes. There were 80 floats and camions. First came the political people - me among them who were going to demand that PACS be passed next week. Another demand was an anti-hate law. Its necessity had been shown in some incidents around the discussion of pacs. I met some of the political people, even mme. bachelot who is a bourgeoise deput�e; but she was nice to me although we do not share political beliefs. Everybody was in a very good mood and there was already lots of music - mostly disco and musette. In the end there were 100'000 people marching. The police said we were only 75'000 but then they always lie. While walking up and down the line-up I got many kisses and gropes. It was really fun. And all of a sudden, with the group of parents of lesbians and gays - there was my mother. This was the final frosting on an already sweet cake. I was so happy I cried. She did not but scolded me for my costume - or lack thereof (I wore a pink triangle as cache-sexe and had a rainblow body paint). But the other parents told her that this was alright. I got kissses here to but no gropes *giggle*. Then I got to the disco vehicles. This was so much fun I danced with the others and got caught there while the march began. I had forgotten all about the time so I just stayed with my new friends. Just behind us were the drag queens. They were gorgeous - almost gorgeouser than misty. Sorry misty. The march lasted almost 4 h. During the march I discovered my brother and my sister in the onlookers. They gave me roses!!! That was so sweet of them and the other spectators applauded. Sur la place de la r�publique there were good speeches around the theme 'against homophobia and for the pacs'. I sat with one of my new friends through them and was bad. But otherwise I listened well. Thereafter there was dancing again and more bad fun. I was so glad that I am in good shape - else I would never have hold up for all of 12 h. after the party I went home and told some of my friends in PT about how great it has been. This was a very happy day for me. I was most grateful for the many str8's who marched with us because they see our concerns as a human right. They reminded me of Mikey and some of the other wonderful str8 people in PT. The only shadow was that 'toin, my bf did not participate. Sometimes he is such a prick. He said the str8's don't demonstrate either so why should he. I think one day I have to confess to him that I had been bad and then perhaps he will come next year too. Georges aka twink211 __________________________ Ali's notes: Goose & Gander, Freddie and I are going to Tampa Bay's Pride Festival tomorrow, Saturday, July, 3 1999. I'm sure we will have lots to tell next week of the sights and sounds of Pride in Tampa Bay! _____________________________________________________________ POETRY CORNER [email protected] ____________________ When things are down and you need to release, a poem is a perfect way to feel because it can't talk back or try to give solutions to your problem. (Krymsyn) ____________________ Hello Pinkies, Another week has gone by, summer is in the air, and many jerks in the room, lol. I need some submissions here people, get to writing... Here is a little quote from me to you. Never had none ever. When you walk with out ease on these, the very street where you were raised I had a really bad dream, it lasted 20 years 7 months and 27 days. Never had none ever. Goldie _______ It happened, it happened today, and it hurt. Chat, I can deal with, egg it on and laugh. But in real life OMG what a dose. I had nowhere to go, nobody to talk to, feeling the hate reverberating in my head. I cried, I cried until I almost puked. My action was harmless, the words were knives. No where to run, nowhere to hide. I wear it with PRIDE I wear it without fear. Don't try to stop me Don't even come near. You cannot make me hide You cannot take my power For all the world to hear For all the eyes to see My message is a plain one Just love, and let me be You cannot take my power My words will set me free. Written after being verbally attacked by my parents today, for leaving a lesbian magazine (curve) lying by the computer. Kalii2 Heidi ______ " Wanderlust" O'er my mind wanders To a place far from my reach Where the azure sky seems endless And the turquoise waters crystalline. Where the mountains meet with the sea And the mangroves swallow the bay I call unto my God casting my desires upon the sand. Where is my swain? My young, bucolic lover. For he comes to me in my dreams Haunting my slumber. His hair the colour of spun gold Eyes the purest shade of blue Marking his face is a certain wisdom Making him wise beyond his years. Is this man the one? As he walks towards me In the silken mist of midnight Effortlessly moving. Calling to me His voice like a caress carrying over the lull of the cassowary Asking me to join him, ... I follow. Candice Lynne Chadwick June 17th, 1999 ____________________ And now, another poem from our very own POETRY CORNER HOSTESS: Goldie, our Peculiar Poet. Last night I dreamt That somebody loved me No hope, no harm Just another false alarm Last night I felt Real arms around me No hope, no harm Just another false alarm So, tell me how long Before the last one ? And tell me how long Before the right one ? The story is old - I KNOW But it goes on The story is old - I KNOW But it goes on Oh, GOES ON And on Oh, goes on And on Goldie ;-) _____________________________________________________________ UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH FREDDIEB (Freddieb) [email protected] _____________ Howdy folks... Here are the questions that were asked last week and the answers that were sent in. _______ 1. FOR A PERSON YOU LOVED DEEPLY, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY KNOWING THERE WOULD BE LITTLE CHANCE OF SEEING YOUR FRIENDS OR FAMILY AGAIN? 2. DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS OR EVIL SPIRITS? 3. YOU DISCOVER YOUR WONDERFUL ONE-YEAR OLD CHILD IS, BECAUSE OF A MIXUP AT THE HOSPITAL, NOT YOURS. WOULD YOU WANT TO EXCHANGE THE CHILD TO TRY TO CORRECT THE MISTAKE? 4. WHICH SEX DO YOU THINK HAS IT EASIER IN OUR CULTURE? AND WHY? 5. HAVE YOU EVER WISHED YOU WERE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX? 6. WHAT WOULD YOU CONSTITUTE A "PERFECT" EVENING FOR YOU? 7. WHOM DO YOU ADMIRE THE MOST? IN WHAT WAY DOES THAT PERSON INSPIRE YOU? 8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST TRESURED MEMORY? _____________ FROM VIKING: Please refer to the master re questions asked. 1) YES 2} Karma-evil spirits-yes-body language 3) No and Yes 4) Male-history says so; male dominated society although it is changing ever so slowly. 5) Yes - the odd time. 6) Perfect PM would be no stress or paranoia bi the fireplace in the wintertime - reminiscing (sp) 7) My grampa-inspires me to excel-DO YOUR BEST!!!!!! 8) Grampa and me at 5:30am going fishing at the cottage when I was about 8 or so (he has since passed away) HEY HEY ROOM, Love y'all, VIKING (XV666boyiking) ____________________ 1. Yes, and I do not have THAT many friends anyhow. And I hope I would make new friends fast. It would be hard on my mom though. I would miss my parents, although dad would be glad if I disappeared from sight, and I would miss my brother and my sister. But still - love comes first in life. I think. 2. My philosophy does not allow for such things. But there are evil people. chuckster is evil. 3. hm - that could not happen to me but theoretically - I believe if I would have cared for a child for one year it would not matter whose genes it carries. 4. Easy - st8 males. They rule the world. Then str8 females. For gays it is just the other way around. Why? I am too stpid to answer this question. perhaps because of power - when I talk with str8's about 'love' there is more power involved than anything else. Rape is a feature of str8 males - and this is power not sex. Certainly not love but perhaps then they do not want to talk to me about that. If the world were ruled by gays it would certainly be a better place- less hurt - no hate - no wars. 5. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Ewww @ the thought of me with bbbbbbbs. 6. *Smile* I had it. *Dreaming* and I describe it under 8 *smile*. 7. My dad. He brought up 3 children on a small salary. We had everything we needed, and he thought us a lot. I am so sorry that I did not turn out the way he expected, and that I hurt him. I wish he'd speak to me again. 8. My first op�ra - just recently. I shall never be that happy again. It was a double surprise: I thought I was going to be alone again on a Saturday, and then 'Toin comes and takes me to a store and buys me a suit... my first suit!!! He says nothing - and then we go out for a small dinner and he is also all dressed up. Wow - he looked sooooooo gorgeous!!! Even gorgeouser than me - although I was cuter (jk 'toin). Then he takes me to the Bastille and has two tickets!!! I could not believe my luck - and the people smiled at us because we were so beautiful. The op�ra was don giovanni. It was heavenly - the voices - I had heard some of them on CD - but in a beautiful place like the Bastille - I cried it was so beautiful. Misty - you should have seen the costumes!!! I am a very lucky person to have had that experience, and I did show my gratefulness - so after the op�ra, the evening, and night and morning were also perfect... or is that tmi already? Thank you for these questions - there was only one which hurt a bit this time and no tough one. twink211 ____________________ 1) I don't think I would move, No, My family and friends mean to much to me to move away to another country, plus, I have a fear of being in a another country and being hijacked by terrorists. 2) Yes, I believe in ghost and spirits. I did happen to cross a path of a ghost/ spirits before, I'm not sure what one it was, all I know is that it did not want me in its house, sleeping in its bed. 3) NO, I would keep the child either way, if it fell into my hands, that's the way it was intended to be regardless of the mix-up. 4) I think that men have it a little easier due to the fact that, a woman does not have the ability to exert herself the way a man can. 5) Oh sure, lol, I wish I was a man sometimes, I would love to just have a penis, I' m fixated by a penis. 6) A perfect evening? Let's see, to me, a bottle of wine, My boyfriend and sex all rolled up in one. 7) My grandmother inspired me the most, she is no longer alive, she inspired me, by telling me when I was younger that, its just fine to be who I'm and that, no matter what, I'm always gonna be loved. 8) This is really a tuffy, my most treasured memory, once again I will have to say, my grandmother, once, before she died, she just came home from the hospital, and was sitting in her room, and was smoking a cigarette (she was sick from heart problems) , she was smoking and, I sat next to her on her bed, and started to cry , for her, and she looked at me and told, me, don't cry, BIG Girls Dont Cry, and she held me , as I cried. Goldie ____________________ 1. Yes I surly would go wherever my lover was, family or not! 2. Not as much as I believe in good ghosts and good spirits 3. I sure would want to correct the mistake, even if it meant giving up the child and not getting mine in return, the child belongs to his real parents, unless they are serial killers...or that type. 4. This is a tuff one, I always said if I were female, I would be rich for they sit on a Gold Mine, but as I got older I see its not always so easy for them, I hope I don't offend, but that gold mine hasn't any gold , it's just another smelly hole. 5.NEVER 6.Cumming multiple times and then being handed a thousand bucks and having him say, can I call you? 7.His name is James, cause he thinks I'm handsome. 8.The birth of my son and then 11 yrs later he was with me when my daughter was born, and I swear the look on his face when she was born was my face when he was born. ____________________ Up Close and Personal Answers submitted by Mamma Tat I figured I would add the questions being asked this week along with the answers I am going to give. ( I used cut and paste and just squeezed the answers in behind the questions 'cause I am too lazy to print it all out and then write it down.. LOL) 1. FOR A PERSON YOU LOVED DEEPLY, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY KNOWING THERE WOULD BE LITTLE CHANCE OF SEEING YOUR FRIENDS OR FAMILY AGAIN? If the love is that strong, then yes. True love comes around only once (to my way of thinking at least) and if you have the opportunity to be with that person, then I think you should jump at it and take the risk. You only live once. I know I don't want to die wondering what would have and could have been. Besides, your family will always be your family no matter how far apart you are. At least that is how my family is. And my friends are the same way. That is what love is. And I know they would want what was best for me, and as long as I was happy they would be happy too. 2. DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS OR EVIL SPIRITS? Yes I do. I believe in all that bad karma, good karma, dogma, and bad ju ju shit too. I don't think that when you die your spirit dies also. I like the idea of being surrounded by all the people that I have loved that have passed on. It makes me feel safe and secure. As for evil spirits, I believe that there is a negative entity that surrounds everyone. Just some of us are strong enough to resist the urges. GOD !!! That sounded hooky. 3. YOU DISCOVER YOUR WONDERFUL ONE-YEAR OLD CHILD IS, BECAUSE OF A MIXUP AT THE HOSPITAL, NOT YOURS. WOULD YOU WANT TO EXCHANGE THE CHILD TO TRY TO CORRECT THE MISTAKE? OY!!! That is a tough one. I'm not sure what I would do, but no matter what I would like to have a close relationship with both children and the other parents. after all it's the hospital's fault and not the fault of the babies, or the parents. But I would make damn certain that the hospital would be fined and that the idiot that did the mix up was never able to work in the medical field again. 4. WHICH SEX DO YOU THINK HAS IT EASIER IN OUR CULTURE? AND WHY? I don't think either sex has it easier. Both genders have their pro's and con's. 5. HAVE YOU EVER WISHED YOU WERE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX? Nope.. I like being a girlie, although I do wish men would get menstrual cramps once in a while.. LOL !!! 6. WHAT WOULD YOU CONSTITUTE A "PERFECT" EVENING FOR YOU? Someone over in Pennsylvania knows the answer to this 'cause he still owns me a date... LOL!!! (you know who you are) Let me see .. hmmm ... Good company for starters (someone intelligent and worldy that I could learn something from) a good bottle of chardonnay, candles, a basket of seasonal fruit, breads and cheese, an old movie (Hepburn and Tracey or Charlton Heston movies are the best) some pillows on the floor, a roaring fire and a cozy blanket for two, and it has to be raining outside. Rain is romantic. Perhaps a walk in the rain after midnight, stopping at a little cafe for cappucino and cheesecake, then going back home and falling asleep in eachother's arms with the soft sounds of Mozart in the background to carry us off to dreamland.. No sex has to be involved. Sometimes the most erotic moments in our lives don't require sex to be included. Anyone wanna date me now? LOL 7. WHOM DO YOU ADMIRE THE MOST? IN WHAT WAY DOES THAT PERSON INSPIRE YOU? I admire my mother the most. She grew up in a large family, sometime having to play mother to her 9 siblings. She has a deep-rooted sense of family and she is the strongest woman I have ever known. She has endured a lot of hardship in her life, and every mountain she has had to overcome has made her stronger and not weaker. If I could be one tenth the woman my mother is, I would be happy. No one compares to my mom. She's priceless. someone please pass me a hanky now. I'm verklempt beyond words and I'm kvelling like crazy. OY!! 8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST TRESURED MEMORY? I would have to say the day that my kids were born. Nothing compares to becoming a mother. The bible says that giving birth is as close to death that a woman will come without actually dying. I would die a thousand times over to experience the feeling that motherhood has given me. Seeing their little faces in the morning gives me a reason to be alive. Gives me a sense of purpose in a world that seems void of purpose and love these days. I could share every little moment that I have had with my kids because to me they are all treasured memories, but that would take a lifetime. So their coming into the world seems the most fitting answer for this question. There you have it. Pretty soon I'm not going to have any secrets if I keep answering these questions every other week. LOL !!! (PS.. I'm serious about the date thing... call me, we'll set something up.. ROFLMAO) Til next time... Tat XOXOXOXOXO ____________________________________________________________ Answers to questions most profound, I searched my heart and these are the answers I found. 1. Yes I would move. To move heaven and earth is no mean feat for with a true love at your side you'll never face defeat. 2. I believe the spirits that wander are neither good nor bad, simply those searching for the life they had. 3. Though my heart would be heavy indeed, I must first think of the child's future need, for it's true parents it should know, for it to live its life and grow. 4. Neither sex has it that good, but the one I live is rather good. For I am a drag queen, and as either a male or female I am seen. 5. I wish not for that I shall not be, I only wish to be forever me. 6. A quiet night all at home, calling all my friends on the computer or phone, then going out to catch a show, yeah that would be the go. 7. Inspiration comes from far and wide; I admire those who do not hide, from themselves or others too, so for this I must admire me and you. 8. My mind is a terrible thing, it takes the memories and does the fling, to those, which cause me hurt and pain, and takes me from yesterday and back again. The one I like the most, Is the memory of the ghost. Not dead in the real sense of the word, just no longer to me shall be heard. A love I once held so near and the man who was so dear. Gees that was not an easy task, to have rhyme and still answer the questions you ask, Yet now this is complete, and because I have my love, I did not face defeat. Lots of Luck and Love Misty ____________________ tenordan's answers: 1. I would, yes. There are ways of keeping in touch, but being with someone I love deeply is very important. 2. Yes. No. I don't know. 3. Depends on how ugly my real child is. (joking) 4. Men, by far. People assume men know what they are talking about, they take a man's "no" as a final word, there are much fewer places that a man would not feel safe alone, etc. Plus, there is less of a wait in public toilets. 5. Yes. When I was very young (5 years old) I was sure I would grow up and be a woman. Freaked my father out. 6. Lovely dinner, wonderful concert, play, or movie- then hot steamy sex! 7. My mom. Because she does it all- alone now since my dad died- and she still has time to have fun. 8. My first date with my sweetie (9 days long!) Fun as always- love you! tenordan _____________________________________________________________ SITES WORTH SEEING Websites from a few of our "Family" members for you to check out! (Maxam) ____________________ CHECK IT OUT! ~ "The Pink Pages" (Kinda like the yellow pages!) You can use this page to link to everyone else's pages!!! (Note: Freddie & Ali's page of pics is still not completed yet, so you can't view any of the pics. but I am working on it!) Here's the addy: http://www.hotyellow98.com/ptreunion/pinkpages.html _______ MORE PAGES TO CHECK OUT! _____________________ MISTY & ISA'S PAGE: www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Chelsea/5977 PT REUNION PAGE: http://www.hotyellow98.com/ptreunion.html _______ REMEMBER folks.Please let us know if you CAN NOT link to these sites. We are trying to make it so that it is easy for you to use the PT News as an informational tool to go to these sites! ____________________ If you have a personal website you'd like to include in your list, please fell free to send us the site address: [email protected] and we will gladly add you to our list! __________________________________________________________ EMAIL LINKS AND INFORMATIONAL MATERIAL: [email protected] (Letters to the Editors, Opinions, Comments, Complaints, Submit an Article, Classified Ads, Birthdays) [email protected] Tech Tips (Tech Master) [email protected] Mamma_tat - Tats Tidbits [email protected] FreddieB [email protected] Alladdinn _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS ____________________ Now that you have finished reading the PT News.NOW is the time to respond! 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