Tuesday 23 April 2019
Your Top Excuses NOT to Exercise: Busted
Everyone knows that regular exercise is good for you. Exercise is not only a key ingredient in maintaining a healthy weight, it also helps many of the body’s systems function better. It can ward off heart disease, help control blood pressure and cholesterol, fight type 2 diabetes, and even keep certain forms of cancer at bay. Plus, exercise has been shown to improve energy, boost libido, and alleviate anxiety and depression. So, what’s your excuse for not breaking a sweat? Here are some common reasons guys use for not exercising and why you should keep from falling into these ruts.
“I’m too tired.” Whether you drag yourself out of bed an hour earlier to exercise or make yourself get to the gym after a dog day at work, you won’t be sorry. Once you lace up your running shoes or get through the front door of your health club, you’ll feel the rush of exhilaration in no time! Working out improves muscle strength and bolsters endurance by getting blood flowing to your heart, lungs and other tissues. The more oxygen and nutrients you get into your system, the more energy you’ll have.
“I’m hurting too much to exercise.” When your body is hurting you’ve got to pay attention to it, take care of it, and if necessary, consult your doctor. But when done right, exercise is a perfect remedy for most daily aches and pains. Yoga, stretching, water aerobics and walking can greatly strengthen muscles that support your joints. Light weight training at any age and almost under any condition can help preserve lean muscle mass, improve flexibility, and maintain healthy bone density.
“Exercise is boring.” Sure, an hour on a tread mill can be an intolerable bore. Maybe pumping iron in a crowded gym is not your idea of a picnic in the park. But exercise doesn’t have to be tedious. Swimming in the ocean, yoga classes, Zumba, even walking your dog are all popular activities in South Florida. If your program is more structured and centered around doing regular cardio and weights, make sure to change it up every 3 months or so. Keep a journal to assess your progress, set new goals, try new routines and equipment. Don’t be afraid to raise the bar and challenge yourself to achieve greater and healthier heights.
“I’m too busy.” We all have work and commitments and stuff that take up time and attention. But your health and well-being cannot be placed on the back burner without paying heavy consequences later. Schedule your gym time, walks or runs, exercise classes, and any other form of activity that tickles your fancy into your day. Don’t let meetings, conferences and other work take away the great fun and healthful benefits you’ll accrue from an active lifestyle.
So, what’s your excuse for not exercising? Shoot it to me in a text or e-mail and I’ll put holes in it and have you back into a routine in no time!
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/23/your-top-excuses-not-to-exercise-busted/
Bryan Fischer: ‘It’s Not the Equality Act—It’s the Homosexual Supremacy Act’
While scrolling through my Twitter feed I stumbled upon a photo of Jonathan Van Ness walking hand in hand through Capitol Hill with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Van Ness, one of the stars of “Queer Eye,” was wearing a pink sweater and skirt, Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat representing New York, was wearing a magenta pantsuit. Someone had Tweeted, “THIS is the future Democrats want.” My first thought: Oh, hell yes. That future cannot come soon enough.
Van Ness, who was joined by three of his “Queer Eye” co-stars, also visited Nancy Pelosi’s office. But they weren’t there just for photo ops. The Queer Eye guys were in D.C. advocating for the passage of The Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Because even though Van Ness can twirl his beautiful brown locks through the halls of Congress, the fact remains that in too many states he could legally be fired for being gay. Marriage equality may be the law of the land (for now. You’d best believe that all of the right-wing judges Trump is getting rammed through are working hard to undo that), but legal discrimination is, too.
So it’s about time we right this wrong so that LGBTQ people can live their life with dignity and the protection they deserve.
Oh, but what’s that I hear? Somebody’s upset about the idea of LGBTQ people being protected from discrimination? Yes, yes. You, sir, in the back. What’s your name?
“Why my name is Bryan Fischer and as I wrote on the internet: ‘It’s not the Equality Act, it’s the Homosexual Supremacy Act.’”
Ugh. I should have known.
On April 7, Fischer, who is part of the American Family Association, wrote on the BarbWire site, “Don’t let the left and the Talking Snake Media (sic) lie to you. They lie to us all by the words they hope will drive and dominate the narrative. One of those words is ‘equality.’”
As Fischer points out, the left is just so darn tricky with their words since “equality” sounds like a good thing and makes people who are against it seem like bad people! It’s just not fair!
“If we oppose it they tag us as people who are against fairness and equal rights for all and as people who are nothing more than blackguards and bigots,” Fischer writes.
Exactly A guy who believes that LGBTQ people are not human and are thus incapable of feeling love or contributing anything positive in the world just can’t get a break these days!
“But the reality is that not all behaviors are equal in moral value and should not be treated the same,” he continues. “The behavior of a man engaged in the act of sodomy with a homosexual partner is not morally equivalent to the behavior of a man who is engaged in loving and conjugal union with the wife of his youth. It is moral blindness and even stupidity to pretend otherwise.”
Well, color me morally blind and stupid then.
What confuses me most about what Fischer is saying here is the use of the word “youth.” What is he saying? That only young people can get it? Can’t the olds get down? Right-wingers are so confusing.
“There is no equality in this bill for anyone who believes that homosexuality is non-normative sexual behavior and something that should not be promoted, subsidized and celebrated, especially in our schools,” Fischer writes.
Subsidized? Is there an LGBTQ tax break I’m missing here? Oh, wait. I think he means that he’s opposed to taxpayer money being used to enforce laws that protect LGBTQ people. Damn, he almost had me supporting the Trump tax cut (just kidding. I would never).
Also, boo-hoo, dude. You can think LGBTQ people are gross or immoral or whatever you want. But you don’t get to demand that your feelings trump another person’s humanity.
“I call this bill ‘The Homosexual Supremacy Act,’ since it elevates homosexuality and gender confusion above anything and everything else in the moral universe,” Fischer writes. “Everyone will be required to bow the knee before the Baal of Sodom or face punishment.”
Oh, please. Accusing supporters of the Equality Act of being “Homosexual Supremacists” is ugly and an especially ignorant thing to say at a time when white supremacy, an actual problem that does real, measurable harm to more than just feelings, is on the rise and supported by the White House.
“The reality is that in any circumstance covered by this bill, somebody is going to be discriminated against, either a Christian vendor or a member of the LGBT community,” Fischer writes.
Right now in many places in the United States, a lesbian can be fired for marrying her wife. Fischer is crying, when LGBTQ people have had every aspect of their lives policed. So as far as I’m concerned, Fischer can point at two women and their children and say, “Your family isn’t real,” but he doesn’t have a right to have his hatred enforced by policy.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/23/bryan-fischer-its-not-the-equality-act-its-the-homosexual-supremacy-act/
Monday 22 April 2019
RECAP: ‘Drag Race’ Season 11, Episode 8 – ‘Snatch Game at Sea’
In Week 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11, the premise of the mini challenge was to pitch your own self-help book, which needed to be filled with inspirational messages and gorgeous photos with only 20 minutes to get into quick literary drag. The winner was Silky who won a $1,000 credit from Post Mates. The theme for the Maxi challenge was the Snatch Game at Sea.
Ru brought in Jinkx Monsoon, who slayed The Snatch Game in her season.
The girls impersonated:
Silky – TS Madison
Nina – Harvey Fierstein and Joanne Worley
Yvie – Whoppi Goldberg
Shuga – Charo
Brooke – Celine Dion
A’keria – Tiffany Hadish
Vangie – Danielle Bregoli
Plastique – Lovely Mimi
This week’s special guests who were the contestants for the Snatch Game were: Clea Duvall and Tony Hale. The runway category is “Sequins.”
The top three this week were Shuga, Silky and Nina with Silky taking the win and a $5,000 gift certificate from Vacaya toward a LGBT vacation. The bottom two were Brooke and Yvie.
The lip sync will go down in RuPaul history with the girls flipping and splitting and killing it. As Shugah Said “Come on Cirque Du Soleil.”
There was no way Ru could send either of these two home after this lip sync.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/22/recap-drag-race-season-11-episode-8-snatch-game-at-sea/
Thursday 18 April 2019
PREVIEW: ‘Lion King,’ ‘Anastasia’ Hit South Florida & More!
Host Shawn Palacious dishes on the hottest cultural events, appearances and live performances in South Florida, including the documentary “Penguins,” Aziz Ansari live at Hard Rock Event Center, Carlos Santana live and the Top 3 picks of the week.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/18/preview-lion-king-anastasia-hit-south-florida-more/
Movie Schedule: The 2019 OUTshine Film Festival – Miami
Outshine Film Festival Miami Edition takes place from Thursday, April 18 through Sunday, April 28. During the first week (through Wednesday, April 24) the festival is showing 31 films plus 2 Men’s Shorts compilations. Here are some of the highlights, but to see a complete list of films and parties go to: OutshineFilm.com.
Thursday April 18th
Opening Night Film – Tell it to the Bees – 7pm
The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex
Gripped by a failing marriage and the responsibilities of having a young son, Lydia (Critic’s Choice Nominee Holliday Grainger) finds solace in her growing bond with the town’s recently returned female doctor Jean (Academy & Golden Globe Award Winner Anna Paquin). But this is the 1950s in post-WWII rural Scotland, and the women’s relationship prompts raised eyebrows in their provincial circles. Based on the novel by Fiona Shaw, Tell It To The Bees is a story of courage in the face of terrifying intolerance and a heart-wrenching portrait of a love against all odds.
From here down all films are at the Regal Cinemas South Beach.
Friday April 19th 2019
(Work-In-Progress) – Sell By – 6:45 pm
Does every relationship have an expiration date? Adam and Marklin are about to find out. Their 5-year relationship has gone from a passionate flame to a medium burn, forcing them to reconcile with each other’s shortcomings all while watching their support network crumble around them. But in this mess, hope springs eternal as they all muddle their way through to try and make life work. Featuring Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Kate Walsh, and Academy Award Nominee Patricia Clarkson; Sell By asks the timeless questions…how do you know who’s right for you and how do you know when to let go? In attendance will be writer/director Mike Doyle.
José – 9pm
José lives with his single mom in cramped quarters in Guatemala, a tough life in one of the world’s most dangerous, religious, and impoverished countries. His mother sells sandwiches, and he delivers food at the drive-by diner. Resigned and aloof, the one bright spot in his life is the face of his mobile phone – it literally lights up his evenings and helps him find men to hook up with in pay-by-the-hour hotels. That is, until construction worker Luis enters his life and José is thrust into a dimension of passion, pain and self-reflection previously unimaginable.
Saturday April 20th
The Ice King – 2:30pm
John Curry transformed ice-skating from a dated sport into an exalted art form. Coming out on the night of his Olympic win in 1976, he became the first openly gay Olympian in a time when homosexuality was not even fully legal. Toxic yet charming; rebellious yet elitist; emotionally aloof yet spectacularly needy; ferociously ambitious yet bent on self-destruction, this is a man forever on the run from his father’s ghost, his country, and even his own self. John Curry was no activist, but an artist expressing his authentic self – yet in a world where his existence was taboo, his life was unavoidably political.
Rainbow’s Sunset – 4:45pm
Elderly Senator Ramon, the pride of his small, provincial hometown, moves in with his terminally-ill best friend Fredo in his final days. It turns out that their connection goes beyond mere friendship, and the revelation of their relationship brings scandal to the town and conflict among his three adult children. It’s up to his saintly wife to restore harmony. Like the most polished of family melodrama, Rainbow’s Sunset bursts with generosity and heart, and yet veteran hit-maker Joel Lamagan subverts the genre, touching on old age, a subject that LGBTQ cinema has yet to explore.) In attendance will be executive producer Harlene Bautista.
Erik & Erika – 5:15pm
The true story of Erik/Erika Schinegger – the ski sensation that became a media sensation. Declared female at birth, Erika is raised as a girl until a gene test proves that she is genetically male. Athletic success turns to heartbreak as he is disqualified and accused of fraud. The National Ski Federation insists that he undergo a medical procedure to make him fully female. Erik finds himself alone, facing the most important and agonizing decision of his life. Erik & Erika follows his life as a woman, his ultimate transition to manhood and his fight for recognition in 1970’s Austria where there was no place in the social dictionary for a word like transgender.
An Almost Ordinary Summer (Croce e Delizia) – 7pm
Two very different families spend their holidays in the same seaside house: the aristocratic Castelvecchio’s – open-minded, eccentric, but quite selfish – and the working-class Petagna’s – very tight-knit and united around solid conservative values. What brought such distant worlds together? Only Tony and Carlo, the two middle-aged heads of the families, know! The unexpected announcement of their engagement will disrupt an apparently ordinary summer and turn the lives of everyone around them upside down. With the wedding already set for three weeks, even more chaos will ensue.
Ppapi Chulo – 9:15pm
Cast adrift in Los Angeles, lonely TV weatherman Sean (Golden Globe Winner Matt Bomer) drives past a middle-aged Latino migrant worker standing outside a hardware store looking for work. He decides to hire this kind-looking man – to be his friend. Sean is young, gay and white; Ernesto is portly, straight and married. Despite the language barrier and having nothing in common, they build a sort of friendship – until Sean becomes consumed with a deeper obsessive need. Papi Chulo is a black comedy about loneliness and the desire to find connection across clear racial and socio-economic lines.
Euphoria (Euforia) – 9:45pm
Matteo is a young successful entrepreneur who is open-minded, charming and dynamic. His brother Ettore, who still lives in the small provincial town where they were born, is a cautious and honest man who has always stayed out of the spotlight out of fear of making mistakes. They are two apparently very distant people. However, a difficult situation results in the two brothers being given the opportunity to get to know each other, and they soon discover that they have a surprisingly close bond in a vortex of fragility and tenderness, fear and euphoria.
Sunday April 21st
Tackling Life – 12:15pm
Adam, Nico and Su are members of Germany’s first gay rugby team. Tackling Life portrays their everyday lives and follows them into the world of the sport, showing their struggle for recognition – in competition with the hetero regional league teams – as well as their community involvement: gathering money at colorful fundraisers and visiting schools to give anti-bullying workshops. Looking beyond the surface of self-presentation and cliché, we focus on how our trio copes with the challenges of everyday life and their search for belonging. Alternating aggressive, vibrant athletics with quiet observation, the film is fragile and profound, but also spectacular and loud.
Birds of the Borderlands – 4:45pm
Genderqueer Australian filmmaker Jordan Bryon’s intense and compelling piece of guerrilla filmmaking powerfully illuminates four queer Arab stories: Jordanian teenager Hiba is transitioning in secret, fearful of being killed by her Bedouin tribe; Gay Iraqi refugee Youssef fled Baghdad and is living in limbo in Bryon’s safe house in Amman; Lesbian feminist Rasha hides her sexuality and her relationship with Bryon from her family while striving for LGBTIQ visibility; and Khalaf, a gay Imam turned activist, lives a lonely life in Beirut. As Bryon becomes more entangled in their struggles blurring the lines between lover, friend, filmmaker, and activist, tensions explode and a dangerous crisis emerges.
The Man Who Surprised Everyone (Tchelovek Kotorij Udivil Vseh) – 5:15pm
Egor is a fearless state forest guard in the Siberian Taiga. He is a good family man, respected by his fellow villagers. He and his wife Natalia are expecting a second child. But one day Egor finds out that he has cancer and only two months left to live. No traditional medicine or shamanic magic can save him. As a last resort, he chooses to take the identity of a woman so death can’t find him. He finds that his new identity is his true self and his family and the local society now have to accept the new Egor.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – 7:30pm
Sixteen-year-old Jamie New lives on a council estate in Sheffield and doesn’t quite fit in. He is terrified about the future, but little does he know – he is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness into the drag queen spotlight. Filmed live from London’s West End, with songs that have the wow factor, this funny, fabulous, feel-good, musical sensation will sweep you away on a tide of mischief, warmth and exuberance.
The Harvesters (Die Stropers) – 6:45pm
A raw, atmospheric drama about masculinity in South Africa’s “Bible Belt”. The central province of Free State is a stronghold of the white Afrikaner minority. In this conservative farming territory obsessed with strength and masculinity, Janno is different – a delicate and sensitive boy. When his religious mother takes in a Pieter – a hardened street orphan – to save, she asks Janno for help. Janno is supposed to accept Pieter as a brother, but the two boys struggle for power, tradition, and parental love.
Memories Of My Body (Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku) – 9:15pm
Juno is just a child when his father abandons him in their village of Center Java. Alone now, he joins a Lengger dance center where men shape their feminine appearance and movement. But the sensuality and sexuality that come from dance and bodies, mixed with the violent social and political Indonesian environment, force Juno to move from village to village. If on his journey Juno gets attention and love from his dance teachers, his weird aunty, his old uncle, a handsome boxer, and a Warok, he still has to face by himself the battlefield that his body is becoming.
Third Wedding (Troisièmes Noces) – 6:45pm
US PREMIERE – Recently widowed Martin is overcome with grief after his beloved husband dies in a car accident. When a friend asks him to marry Tamara, a 20-year-old young Congolese woman who doesn’t have any papers, the gay 50-year-old refuses at first, then agrees when he’s offered a sum of money that will allow him to keep the house he shared with his husband. Different on every level, they’ll need to make their love believable to the authorities – but if they pretend long enough, they might learn to love each other… in their own way!
17-year-old Jakob wants nothing more than to feel alive, yet uncontrollable anxiety attacks force him to escape into fictional and virtual worlds. A chance encounter in a sex-cam-chat marks the beginning of an online relationship with the gorgeous and seemingly perfect 26-year-old Kristjan. It’s not until the death of Jakob’s only true emotional attachment, his grandfather, that he is willing to meet up with Kristjan in real life. Over the course of one night, they embark on a transpersonal journey to the wounds of their soul where Jakob must face his biggest fear.
Centerpiece Film – Retablo – 7:00 PM
14-year-old Segundo is following in his father’s footsteps in the traditional folk art of crafting intricate, artisan story-boxes. Segundo reveres his father, and when he stumbles across a heartbreaking secret his father is harboring, Segundo will come to face the raw reality of his deeply religious and conservative landscape, as well as a more profound connection with his father than he’d ever imagined. Retablo masterfully explores the weight of heritage, the boundaries of love, and the burdens of family expectations, as well as the complexity of accepting our parents for who they really are.
In 2018, the second edition of the Mr. Leather Brazil competition was held. Five individuals vie to wear the sash, each with their own backstory. The winner will be crowned by Brazil’s first Mr. Leather, Dom Barbudo, the person most admired within the country’s leather community. Along with the title comes a year-long commitment to promote the culture of the leather community throughout the country. Whether part of the leather and/or fetish lifestyle or simply intrigued by it, Mr. Leather will raise the spirits and the understanding of an often-misunderstood community.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/18/movie-schedule-the-2019-outshine-film-festival-miami/
San Francisco Weekend in the Historic Castro
Spring has sprung in San Franciso and after a winter of heavy rains, the hills are emerald green and filled with wildflowers. The City by the Bay makes for a fun long weekend or even a vacation.
GETTING THERE
I took Southwest nonstop into nearby Oakland. Oakland International which suffers fewer weather delays than SFO where the parallel runways are too close together making for frequent issues. (FYI….my flight out was at SFO and was delayed 2 hours by a light rain which backed up all the fights all day.)
Both airports are served by the BART subway where you can buy a Clipper Pass good on all transit in the region. You transfer in the City to the Muni Metro (to the Castro Station). You won’t need a car in SF.
WHERE TO STAY
I always stay at Beck’s Motor Lodge at 2222 Market in the Castro neighborhood, still one of the best LGBTQ neighborhood’s in the world.
You can walk everywhere from the motel and it is near transit including the F historic street car line which uses street cars from around the world to make the journey from the Castro to Fisherman’s Wharf. Peet’s Coffee is across the street and you can work out at the nearby SF Fitness or 24 Hour Fitness. If you have a car, the parking is free (unheard of in the City). Book your room at Becksmotorlodge.com. Tell Britney Beck I sent you.
Other Castro lodging options include the Parker Guest House at 520 Church Street and The Willows Inn at 710 14th Street. Check out Airbnb as well.
Other affordable hotel options outside of the neighborhood include the new Yotel Hotel on Market Street or The Harbour Court Hotel in the Embarcadero waterfront area. There are also lots of hotels around Union Square. Check TripAdvisor for recommendations. However, I always try and stay in my old neighborhood away from the touristy areas.
WHAT TO DO
I went hiking out in the East Bay with the San Francisco Hiking Club (which I co-founded) to see the incredible display of spring wild flowers at Black Canyon Mines East Bay Regional Park. The Rainbow Chapter of the Sierra Club also has hikes. Don’t miss the display of California poppies and lupines which cover the green hill sides.
From Beck’s you can easily hike up to Corona Heights and Buena Vista Park for great views as well as up to Twin Peaks. You can also head over to Dolores Park which also has incredible views of the Bay.
A walk along Upper Market and the Castro Neighborhood is another must. You will find Victorian homes everywhere including on 20th Street above the Castro as well as stairs that climb to mini parks.
Experience LGBTQ history at the GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th Street (glbthistory.org) to learn about the rich history of the gayborhood where slain supervisor Harvey Milk ran his camera shop (now a HRC store).
Plaques on the sidewalk of the neighborhood commemorate LGBT icons (rainbowhonorwalk.org).
Take the F Street historic street car (streetcar.org) to the Ferry Building (think upscale farmer’s market) and have great Thai Food at the Rincon Center.
WHERE TO EAT
There are restaurants everywhere. We tried Eric’s, a Chinese place at 1500 Church in the Noe Valley (accessible via the J Church Line).
La Mediterranee at 288 Noe is always good as is Cafe Flore at 2298 Market. You will find Hamburger Mary’s at 531 Castro.
Marcello’s Pizza at 420 Castro is good for a quick slice.
NIGHTLIFE
Don’t miss a movie at The Castro Theatre, a historic gem on Castro Street. They often feature sing a longs and other interactive events complete with props as well as a great organist before the show. Check out what’s showing at castrotheater.com.
There are a lot of great bars. The Lookout on the second floor on Market Street (3600 16th Street) features a drag brunch every Saturday and has great views of the street scene. Nearby you can dance the night away at Beaux at 2344 Market. Toad Hall and Badlands on 18th Street are also fun. The Moby Dick at 4049 18th Street is another must. The Midnight Sun at 4067 18th Street is good for a cocktail or two as well.
IF YOU HAVE A CAR
Don’t miss Pt. Reyes National Seashore north of the City as well as Mount Tamalpais State Park. In the East Bay, Mount Diablo State Park is another must. Drive south along the Coast to Santa Cruz on Highway 1 and then take Highway 17 back through the redwoods to San Jose where you can come back to SF on I-280, the world’s most beautiful freeway (with more views of the coastal hills). Yosemite National Park with its spring water falls and Lake Tahoe are other options if you have time and wheels.
INSIDER TIPS
Under no circumstances go to San Francisco General Hospital or take an ambulance there. They do not take any insurance and the local paper had a story on a resident having to pay over $50,000 out of his own pocket for an emergency appendectomy even though he had insurance. A friend from Detroit was slapped with an $11,000 bill when he went in for observation after a fall. He had insurance as well, but to no avail.
Similarly, never park in a bus stop area as the parking fines are ridiculously high. Better yet, do not rent a car and skip the stress all together.
Apparently the City raises revenues in strange ways.
Do get a Clipper Transit pass for use on all the transit agencies (Muni Metro, BART, F Street Historic Streetcars, Cable Cars, etc.).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
The weekly newspaper, the Bay Area Reporter, is still going strong (ebar.com). Bay Times is the monthly LGBTQ publication that lists what is going on. You will find it at sfbaytimes.com. The Castro Guide is another source of what to do plus the history of the gayborhood. Another monthly is Gloss Magazine which features left coast nightlife and more.
You can’t beat the Bay Area for a vacation, especially in the spring when the wildflowers are everywhere on the green hills.
Bill Malcolm’s syndicated travel column appears in publications in Chicago and Florida and other cities. Based in Indianapolis, he is a former resident of San Francisco (the Castro), but resides in Indianapolis. All or part of his column may appear in other publications. His opinions are his own!
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/18/san-francisco-weekend-in-the-historic-castro/
High-Heeled Divas Vie For Victory in Key West ‘Drag Race’
Female impersonators are to transform the 700 block of Key West’s Duval Street into an improvised speedway Saturday, April 20, entertaining crowds of spectators during the wacky Great Conch Republic Drag Race.
The eclectic event features racing drag queens dressed in their highest heels and most stylish racing attire as they sprint from Petronia to Angela streets. The first qualifying heats are scheduled for 2pm with finals around 5pm.
Hosted by the Bourbon St. Pub, the event typically spoofs an auto-racing spectacular with a starting gate, pit stops, finish line, and viewing areas. Organizers are outfitted as pit crew and race officials, while an island DJ blares the sound of air horns and revving engines.
A large crowd generally gathers to watch the often-hilarious drag performers test their high-heeled sprinting abilities on the asphalt — many wearing full makeup and elaborate wigs.
Rules of the road require the racers to navigate various street hazards including an obstacle course of tires. They also typically get a high-speed “diva-style” ride up the track in super-charged shopping carts propelled by local male dancers.
The action gets increasingly intense as the “dragsters” speed along the street, attempting to outpace their rivals while trying to avoid overheating, high-heel blowouts and wipeouts that might cause a dreaded wardrobe malfunction.
Registration for the all-welcome event is free of charge. Bourbon St. Pub plans to provide costumes including high-heeled shoes for entrants that don’t have their own.
Donations are welcome in return; according to event organizer and Bourbon Street Complex owner Joseph Schroeder, the race is to benefit the local Petronia Street Neighborhood Association.
The drag competition is part of Key West’s 37th annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration. The 10-day festival commemorates the Florida Keys’ symbolic 1982 secession from the United States and formation of the independent island republic.
The celebration runs from Friday, April 19, through Sunday, April 28. The schedule is packed with events on land and sea including a lighthearted sea battle and a “Barks & Brews Block Party” benefiting the Florida Keys SPCA.
Drag Race information: New Orleans House Guest House at 305-293-9800.
Key West visitor information: fla-keys.com/keywest or gaykeywestfl.com.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/18/high-heeled-divas-vie-for-victory-in-key-west-drag-race/
Wednesday 17 April 2019
What’s Hot South Florida Apr. 19 – Apr. 24
Friday, April 19
The Pub presents the triumphant return of Lady Bunny to their stage at 9:30pm. Bunny’s filthy mouth offers scowling, spiked comedy, with political jabs sweetened with southern-fried gregariousness. If you can’t catch her tonight she will be back at the Pub on Sunday for one more performance at 9pm.
Sage/Prime Gentlemen monthly film presentation presents: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ at 1:30pm at The Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors. Winner of Four Academy Awards including Best Actor – Rami Malek, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture-Drama. The film is a celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and convention to become one of history’s most beloved entertainers. The film also chronicles the band’s reunion and one of the greatest performances in rock history. This is a FREE event with free soda and popcorn.
Saturday, April 20
The Pet Project presents their annual Easter contests at the Pub from 4-6pm, where they invite you to go and watch the pet competition for best bonnet, best costume, and best owner look-a-like. Featuring lots of prizes, great fun, a silent auction, and no charge to enter your pet.
The WMAE (Wilton Manors Art Expo) presents their monthly Art Walk from 5-8pm. South Florida’s fine artists will be displaying paintings, photographs, jewelry, and sculpture at various locations up and down Wilton Drive. For more info, go to: WMAE.org.
Female impersonators are to transform the 700 block of Key West’s Duval Street into an improvised speedway entertaining crowds of spectators during the wacky Great Conch Republic Drag Race. The eclectic event features racing drag queens dressed in their highest heels and most stylish racing attire. The first qualifying heats are scheduled for 2pm with finals around 5pm. Hosted by the Bourbon St. Pub, the event typically spoofs an auto-racing spectacular with a starting gate, pit stops, finish line, and viewing areas. Organizers are outfitted as pit crew and race officials, while an island DJ blares the sound of air horns and revving engines. The drag competition is part of Key West’s 37th annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration. Drag Race information: New Orleans House Guest House at 305-293-9800.
The Club Fort Lauderdale features their bi-monthly (1st and 3rd Saturday of the month) Res-Erection Naked Blackout event at 10p.m. This is always a sold-out event, so get there early!
Noche Latina Saturdays inside the Ivy Dance Room and Patio, at the Manor Complex celebrates Easter starring Kalah Mendoza and Carmen Adore. We will also be celebrating the birthday of King Jomar. The night will also star DJ Larry Larr and sexy Latin Go-Go papi’s. Doors open at 11pm to 4am, and feature NO COVER before midnight (FL Res) and only $7 for members after midnight and $10 for non-members (18-20 – $12 all night).
Sunday, April 21
The Ramrod presents their monthly E.D.C. (enforced Dress Code) from 9pm to 12am on the patio hosted by the Minotaurs.
The Pubs Sunday Brunch is expanded today in honor of Easter. At 1pm catch Skye and her girls performing and Easter Drag Brunch and then at 3pm they feature a most outrageous bonnet contest and a hottest gym bunny contest. This event will be a benefit for Julian’s Fountain of Youth.
Tuesday, April 23
The Broadway Across America touring company of Anastasia come to the Broward Center starting tonight and going through Sunday, May 5. This dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family. For tickets, which start at only $35go to: BrowardCenter.org.
Wednesday, April 24
The Broadway smash hit, The Lion King, makes 2 stops in South Florida as part of its Broadway Across America tour. Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, this landmark musical event brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway. This show also features some of Broadway’s most recognizable music, crafted by Tony Award-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice. Starting tonight through May 5th at the Kravis Center in Palm Beach and then moves to the Arsht Center in Miami from May 8-26.
Hot Stuff
Broward House presents their annual “Dining Out For Life,” on Thursday, April 25, where restaurants donate a portion (up to 50%) of their sales back to the organization. For a list of participating restaurants and what they are giving back, see the ad in this week’s mag or go to: BrowardHouse.org/DOFL.
This is HOT
The original cast album to the Broadway hit The Cher Show was released digitally this past week via Warner Bros. Records (you can download it on Spotify, Amazon or most music streaming services) with the physical CD album release scheduled for Friday, May 10th. The bio-musical, which opened on December 3rd at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York, is a celebration of the one and only Cher and her amazing six decade career and life story.
The release contains 22 songs including the legend’s biggest hits like “If I Could Turn Back Time,” “I Got You Babe,” “Believe,” “The Beat Goes On,” “Bang, Bang,” and “Strong Enough” and is performed by a stellar cast. Tony nominee Stephanie J. Block, Teal Wicks and Micaela Diamond (in her Broadway debut) all play Cher at various times in her life. The cast also includes Tony Award-nominee Jarrod Spector as Sonny Bono, Tony Award-nominee Michael Berresse as Bob Mackie, Michael Campayno as Rob Camilletti, Matthew Hydzik as Gregg Allman, and Tony Award-nominee Emily Skinner as Georgia Holt.
“I can’t imagine anyone else but this incredible cast performing my songs and telling my story. I truly love them all,” commented Cher.
Cher, currently on tour, is an Oscar, Emmy and Grammy award-winning star and recent Kennedy Center Honoree. She has enjoyed over 50 years of success as an actress, recording artist, producer and global entertainer breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. That story is told nightly on Broadway at The Cher Show.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/17/whats-hot-south-florida-apr-19-apr-24/
Christmas Terror with ‘NOS4A2’ and Zachary Quinto
Christmas is coming early this year and it’s going to be horrifying. AMC premieres the new series NOS4A2 on June 2, starring Ashleigh Cummings (this fall’s Oscar-bait, The Goldfinch, from which you’ll no doubt be hearing more) and, as the baddest Santa of all, Zachary Quinto. Cummings plays a young woman who discovers she has a supernatural gift for finding lost things, which puts her at cross purposes with and battling against one Charlie Manx (Quinto).
Manx is a creature who feeds off the souls of children before leaving them in Christmasland, a place where it’s literally Christmas every day and unhappiness is against the law. It’s all based on the best-selling 2013 novel by Joe Hill, and we’re pleased to know that it will serve as a vigorously dark rebuke to the Hallmark Channel’s insistence on showing bland, white bread Christmas-themed TV movies every other night of the year.
Viola Davis A-list status means she has a production company now. It’s called JuVee, and she and her production partner, Julius Tennon, have something in store for Amazon: a drama series based on the novel Wild Seed, the first of the Patternist series from legendary lesbian sci-fi author Octavia Butler. The story of two African immortals – one cruel, one healing – who travel from pre-Colonial West Africa into the far away future, it’s an epic of supernatural struggle that spans history and shapes life on Earth. No cast is set yet – though, obviously, we know we want Viola in there, please and thank you – but it will be co-written by Nnedi Okorafor and filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu, who will also direct. More on this one as it develops, because America is literally starving for lesbian-created sci-fi TV content and there will be no peace until that hunger is sated.
Romeo San Vicente loves anything from Viola Davis.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/17/christmas-terror-with-nos4a2-and-zachary-quinto/
My Boyfriend’s Partying is Ruining Our Relationship
Dear Andreus,
My boyfriend likes to party. He goes on binges and sometimes disappears. I know what‘s happening when he is gone, because he always comes back in the middle of heavy withdrawals. I love him, but I don’t know how much longer I can handle this. He told me that if I were to get it for him, that he would not disappear anymore. I know this not a good idea, but I don’t want to lose him. I also don’t want to feel guilty for supporting his habit. Is there anything I can do to help him without everything falling apart?
Sincerely,
Cody D.
Dear Cody,
I think you already know the answers to your questions. There is just no way that this a good thing. Why would you support something that you don’t agree with? Are you really helping him, or enabling him for your own agenda? Is it that important to keep your relationship with him, if it’s not healthy? I don’t condemn anyone for what they do, but we know the impact that partying has on our community. Speaking from experience, the only thing you can do is try to get him help. If he doesn’t want it, in lieu of losing yourself completely, you might have to just walk away. Best of luck.
Dear Andreus,
What do you do when you like someone and they steal from you? I have been single for two years after a very complicated divorce from my ex-hubby. I have been dating the past month and a half with a totally dreamy blond hippie boy from California. He has been amazing. He makes me laugh, is affectionate and attentive, and I love every moment we have together. He stays over at my place quite a bit and knows his way around my house. I have a particular spot where I keep extra cash on hand and noticed that $150 was missing. About three days later, he came to me with $150 saying that he had an emergency and had borrowed it from me and was paying it back. Even though he gave the money back, the point was that he didn’t ask. I feel violated. I really like him, but trust is everything. Where do we go from here?
Sincerely,
Don G.
Dear Don,
Trust is everything. It is commendable that he brought your money back, which does show integrity, but there is a bigger issue here. As we both know, the smart thing to do, would have been to ask for it. I understand that you feel violated, as you should. Someone you care for deeply made a decision about something that overstepped boundaries. You can talk to him and make it abundantly clear that this can never happen again and hope for the best. Or maybe restrict some time at your place so he is aware that it was not okay. Trust is earned, and maybe in time he can earn it back. It doesn’t seem like he meant anything by it, but you still must set boundaries.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/17/my-boyfriends-partying-is-ruining-our-relationship/
Tuesday 16 April 2019
Lifting Weights is Not Just for Muscle Heads
When most people think of lifting weights, images of muscular body builders come to mind. That’s why lots of clients, especially females and seniors, are ambivalent, at first, when I introduce weights into their fitness routines. They just don’t want “all those muscles”! Truth be told, bodybuilding is quite different from resistance training. While the first is greatly concerned with muscle hyper-trophy (building mass and size, using consecutively heavier weights), the latter has a much broader connotation.
Besides building and preserving lean muscle, resistance training using lighter weights, dumbbells, rubber bands, cables, etc., can benefit your heart, help you lose fat, improve balance and flexibility, strengthen bones and joints, as well as make you look and feel better overall.
Lifting weights can help you lose weight and keep it off. Yes, strength training with weights burns calories, but it also helps to preserve and build muscle. The more muscle you carry the more efficiently your body will burn fat and calories all day long – even when you’re asleep.
Pumping iron is a great way to promote bone health and prevent such degenerative conditions as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and osteopenia. Around the age of 25, men and women begin to lose about one percent of their bone density each year. According to most doctors, one of the best ways to prevent and even reverse bone loss is to add regular strength training to your workouts. For younger people, moderate but challenging weight training 2 – 4 times per week for half an hour is excellent. For seniors, over 55, shorter spurts, say 15 to 20 minutes 3 – 5 times a week is recommended.
Whether you’re a weekend athlete or an active senior citizen, strength training is a sure way to improve coordination, balance and even posture. Combine stretching with various weight training exercises and you’ll notice greater strength and flexibility in no time. Strength training can also help build and strengthen any muscle groups that may lag behind such as calves, triceps, etc. So, whether you’re playing sports, enjoying an active vacation, or just running errands, you’ll become stronger and more injury free. Having better balance has been shown to reduce the risk of serious falls in seniors by up to 40 percent.
Lifting weights is a super way to improve muscle tone and boost self- esteem. Lunges, presses and flies, etc. with free weights can tighten and reshape problem areas like sagging arms, a droopy butt, and jiggly tummy. And face it, when you look better, you just plain feel better about yourself and life in general. Many people who struggle with depression, anxiety, and poor self -image report that working out regularly with weights has improved both their mood and outlook on life.
Before launching into a new fitness program always be sure and check with your doctor. Working with a fitness professional, at least initially, will insure that you learn proper form and technique.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/16/lifting-weights-is-not-just-for-muscle-heads/
Mission America’s Linda Harvey Doesn’t Believe LGBTQ Are Being Bullied
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s annual Day of Silence was on Friday, April 12, and you know what that means. Silence.
Well, sort of. The anti-LGBTQ right is always very vocal this time of year.
According to GLSEN, the Day of Silence “is a student-led national event where folks take a vow of silence to highlight the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ people at school.”
It sounds, well, pretty tame to say the least (no pun intended!).
But to hear Linda Harvey tell it, the Day of Silence is a “weapon” in a “war on children.”
This war, Harvey writes on the Barb Wire website, “includes pronouns as a battlefield, schools secretly colluding with deeply disturbed children behind parents’ backs and even teachers encouraging students to join private ‘gay’ clubs on Instagram without parental knowledge.”
What? Teenagers on Instagram without parental knowledge? Can you even imagine?
The Day of Silence, which GLSEN has been sponsoring since 2001, is a textbook example of peaceful protest. What are people protesting, you ask?
According to GLSEN, “Nearly four in five LGBTQ students don’t see positive LGBTQ representation in their curriculum, nearly eight in 10 experience verbal harassment and almost a third miss school for feeling unsafe or uncomfortable. The Day of Silence is a national movement to highlight the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ students in school, which demands that school leaders take action to be more inclusive.”
Alas, “inclusive” is a dirty word to Harvey. In fact, she doesn’t believe LGBTQ kids are being bullied.
“Here’s how the bullying story goes,” she writes. “We are told that people who claim a homosexual or opposite-sex identity — which no one needs to do, so always keep that in mind — that these folks are relentlessly bullied, are perennial victims and are being ‘silenced’ everywhere. Are you laughing yet? Where and when have homosexuals and their allies been ‘silent’ lately? If only!”
LOL! Those big-mouth homos! Those loud lesbians! Those garish gays! Those booming bisexuals. Those thesaurus-using trans folks. OMG aren’t you laughing SO HARD right now about them supposedly being bullied? No? Well, Linda is. She’s not very nice.
I’m struck by her aside that “no one needs to [claim a homosexual or opposite-sex identity], so always keep that in mind.” First of all, I’m not sure what an “opposite-sex identity” is, but Harvey doesn’t know either, so at least we’re even. But I’m struck by her claim that her readers should “always keep that in mind.” It sure sounds like what she’s saying is that no one needs to come out as LGBTQ, and if people choose to come out, well, sucks for them and any bullying they experience they brought on themselves.
She admits that some bullying happens “and that’s never acceptable.” But then she says that LGBTQ oppression is a “phony narrative” and that it’s “quite a stretch” to accuse people of being bullies just because they don’t see LGBTQ bullying as a big problem but they do see the existence of LGBTQ people as a big problem.
“Any person can object to high-risk ‘LGBTQ’ behavior but also, never bully anyone,” Harvey writes (comma placement is all hers). “And of course, faithful Christians believe the Word of God, and so we know this behavior is wrong. So the Day of Silence is an event that, by definition, discriminates against Christians.”
Ah, yes. The old “not being allowed to insist that LGBTQ people are gross and damaged violates my religious beliefs” argument.
Harvey then asks, “Who are the real bullies here?”
You are, Linda. It’s still you. Why are you so bad at this?
Thankfully Harvey knows how to protect innocent would-be bullies from being unwillingly exposed to the idea that LGBTQ people are human beings worthy and deserving of respect and kindness.
“We are suggesting that parents keep kids home that day and away from the false messages that don’t help anything,” she writes. “Our children will not benefit from lies combined with a flagrant misuse of instructional time.”
OK, so if I’m understanding this correctly, the most hardcore anti-LGBTQ students will be skipping school on Friday, April 12, so that they don’t miss any instructional time. Got it.
It’s interesting that Harvey thinks that the Day of Silence doesn’t “help anything,” and yet she’s urging parents to keep their kids away from school that day lest they be tempted into humanizing or feeling any compassion toward LGBTQ people. Yep, sounds like the Day of Silence is totally ineffective at reaching people, then.
The Day of Silence is,” according to Harvey, “a huge con job” intended to normalize “sexual deviance.”
Oh, Linda. Shut up. Shut up for us all.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/16/mission-americas-linda-harvey-doesnt-believe-lgbtq-are-being-bullied/
Monday 15 April 2019
Top Five of the Week
MUSICAL – The Lion King
More than 95 million people around the world have experienced this phenomenon, and now you can to, as it makes two stops in South Florida. Winner of six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, this landmark musical event brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway. This show also features some of Broadway’s most recognizable music, crafted by Tony Award-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice.
April 24- May 5; Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Boulevard
West Palm Beach); Tix: start at $45; Kravis.org, and May 8-26; Arsht Center for the Performing Arts (1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami); Tix: start at $25; Arshtcenter.org.
ICON – Carlos Santana
Carlos is a Mexican and American musician who first became famous with his band, Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and Latin American jazz. Santana continued to work over the following decades. He experienced a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine listed Santana at number 20 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists. He has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards.
Fri, April 19; 8pm; Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood (1 Seminole Way, Hollywood); Tix: $71- $256; Seminolehardrockhollywood.com.
THEATER – Anastasia
From the Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.
Tues, April 23 through Sunday, May 5; Broward Center for the Performing Arts (201 Southwest 5th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale); Tix start at $35; BrowardCenter.org.
COMEDIAN – Aziz Ansari
The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning comedian is best known for his role on the sitcom “Parks and Recreation” and as creator and star of the Netflix series “Master of None” brings his “Aziz Ansari Road to Nowhere” to South Florida. This is a “Phone Free Event”. YONDR pouches will be used at entry for cell phones. For further information go to MYHRL.COM or Ticketmaster.com
Sat, April 20; 8pm; Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood (1 Seminole Way, Hollywood); Tix: $53- $128; Seminolehardrockhollywood.com.
MOVIES – Penguins
This is the story of Steve, an Adélie penguin, on a quest to find a life partner and start a family. When Steve meets with Wuzzo the emperor penguin they become friends. But nothing comes easy in the icy Antarctic. This 76 minute documentary stars Ed Helms and some of the most adorable penguins you have ever seen!
Premieres Friday, April 19; Rated G.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/15/top-five-of-the-week/
Friday 12 April 2019
PREVIEW: ‘Sauvage/Wild’ Hits Theaters, Bernadette Peters Live in South Florida & More!
Host Shawn Palacious recaps Miami Beach Pride 2019 and dishes on the hottest cultural events, appearances and live performances in South Florida, including the Top 3 picks of the week.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/12/preview-sauvage-hits-theaters-bernadette-peters-live-in-south-florida-more/
Thursday 11 April 2019
Isla de San Andres
La Isla de San Andrés es la más grande de las islas que forman parte del Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina, siendo su extensión total de 26 km Actualmente Colombia ejerce dominio sobre la isla.
Aunque Nicaragua, nación físicamente más cercana a esta isla, reclamaba también soberanía sobre la misma y las islas adyacentes, la Corte Internacional de Justicia dictaminó la soberanía total de Colombia sobre el archipiélago el 19 de noviembre de 2012. San Andrés se encuentra localizado a 80 km de la costa de Nicaragua y a 775 km al noroeste de la costa de Colombia. Los 26 km² de superficie la convierten en la isla más grande del archipiélago. Providencia, la isla que le sigue en tamaño.
El clima de la isla es cálido, oscilando entre los 26 °C y 29 °C. Los vientos ayudan a aliviar el calor, soplando generalmente del este; cuando se presentan tormentas en el Mar Caribe, los vientos soplan fuertemente del noreste. En general, durante el año las lluvias son definidas por una estación seca y otra lluviosa. San Andrés está cruzada de sur a norte por una pequeña serranía cuya máxima altura se encuentra en el cerro La Loma, de unos 85 m de altura. Los suelos de San Andrés indican que su formación se debe a la erupción de algún volcán antiguo que arrojó rocas del fondo marino a la superficie, creando la mayoría de islas del archipiélago.
Así mismo, la isla está rodeada en su parte noroeste por la tercera barrera de coral a nivel mundial y de varios cayos que son el hogar de variada fauna y flora marina, por lo que son visitados por multitud de turistas cada año.
La economía del departamento de San Andrés y Providencia está basada principalmente en el turismo y el comercio; diariamente llegan a las islas varios aviones procedentes de diferentes ciudades colombianas y algunos del exterior, en busca de esparcimiento y descanso; dichas actividades son complementadas por las propias de la agricultura y la pesca de cangrejos, pargos y camarones, que son insuficientes para abastecer las islas; ello hace que del interior del país se deban importar la mayor parte de los víveres de consumo cotidiano, tanto para los naturales como para los turistas. El principal producto agrícola que se explotaba comercialmente en el archipiélago era el coco, pero además se producía aguacate, caña de azúcar, mango, naranja, ñame, noni, yuca y bananos, producciones que fueron decayendo a través de los años por daños en el suelo y urbanización de muchas áreas.
De acuerdo con el censo 2005, el 55,1% de los establecimientos del municipio de San Andrés se dedica al comercio, el 29,9 a la rama de servicios, el 4,6% a la industria y el 10,5% restante a otras actividades. Uno de los problemas que más aqueja a los pobladores es la sobrepoblación, la cual sobrevino a la isla principalmente por la inmigración desde la Colombia continental, motivada fundamentalmente por el establecimiento de la figura de puerto libre para San Andrés por el gobierno del presidente Gustavo Rojas Pinilla en 1953, con el objetivo de dinamizar la economía de la isla y atraer turistas.
La población nativa raizal logró el reconocimiento de su identidad y derechos fundamentales en la Constitución de Colombia de 1991. Su lengua, el inglés criollo sanandresano, kríol o creole english, se reconoce desde entonces como oficial en el archipiélago. También se estableció la libertad e igualdad religiosa. Sin embargo, la pérdida de tierras de los campesinos isleños, el agotamiento de los pozos de agua, el saqueo de la pesca por grandes buques de Estados Unidos y el daño ecológico en las áreas marinas cercanas a la playa, constituyen una gran problemática aún sin reparar, especialmente si se tiene en cuenta que no todas las disposiciones constitucionales están operando.
El Archipiélago conformado por San Andrés, Providencia, Santa Catalina y los cayos cercanos se destaca por una culinaria basada en animales extraídos del mar y en frutas como el coco, el ñame, el plátano y el fruto del árbol del pan. Así que si deseas sentir en tu boca toda la delicia del Mar Caribe no te puedes perder este viaje por la deliciosa gastronomía sanandresana.
Uno de sus principales ingredientes es el cangrejo, inclusive se cuenta con el festival del cangrejo que se lleva a cabo en los primeros días de enero y ofrece a sus visitantes toda la variedad de platos típicos elaborados a base de este animal, algunos de ellos son:
Sopa de cangrejo, se hace con un cangrejo negro completo, leche de coco, albahaca y se le adiciona una combinación de tubérculos como papa, ñame y yuca.
Crabbacks, esta delicia se trata de carne de cangrejo en picadillo, se destaca porque se le presenta al comensal en la misma concha del cangrejo decorado para el disfrute del paladar.
Viene: en esta variación, la carne de cangrejo es guisada con pimentón, cebolla, ajo y aceite de coco. Crab Patty son unas exquisitas empanadas de cangrejo que funcionan perfecto como entrada o como snaks.
Para continuar con este recorrido, no podemos dejar atrás su plato más representativo: El Rondón o the Round Down como es conocido en el idioma inglés, éste se prepara a base de pescado, cola de cerdo y caracol; además, se le adiciona yuca, ñame, tortas de harina y leche de coco.
The Island of San Andrés is the largest of the islands that are part of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, with a total extension of 26 km. Colombia currently dominates the island.
Although Nicaragua, the physically closest nation to this island, also claimed sovereignty over it and the adjacent islands, the International Court of Justice ruled Colombia’s total sovereignty over the archipelago on November 19, 2012. San Andrés is located at 80 km of the coast of Nicaragua and 775 km northwest of the coast of Colombia. The 26 km² of surface make it the largest island of the archipelago. Providencia, the island that follows in size.
The climate of the island is warm, oscillating between 26 ° C and 29 ° C. The winds help to relieve the heat, blowing generally from the east; When there are storms in the Caribbean Sea, the winds blow strongly from the northeast. In general, during the year the rains are defined by a dry season and a rainy one. San Andrés is crossed from south to north by a small mountainous area whose maximum height is found in Cerro La Loma, about 85 m high. The soils of San Andrés indicate that their formation is due to the eruption of some ancient volcano that threw rocks from the seabed to the surface, creating most of the islands of the archipelago.
Likewise, the island is surrounded on its northwest by the third barrier of coral worldwide and several keys that are home to varied fauna and marine flora, so they are visited by many tourists every year.
The economy of the department of San Andrés y Providencia is based mainly on tourism and commerce; Several planes arrive daily from different Colombian cities and some from abroad, in search of recreation and rest; these activities are complemented by those of agriculture and the fishing of crabs, snappers and shrimp, which are insufficient to supply the islands; This means that most of the foodstuffs for daily consumption must be imported from the interior of the country, both for the natives and tourists. The main agricultural product that was commercially exploited in the archipelago was the coconut, but avocado, sugarcane, mango, orange, yam, noni, yucca and bananas were also produced, which were declining over the years due to damage in the soil and urbanization of many areas.
According to the 2005 census, 55.1% of the establishments in the municipality of San Andrés are engaged in trade, 29.9 in the service branch, 4.6% in industry and the remaining 10.5%. to other activities. One of the problems that most afflicts the population is the overpopulation, which came to the island mainly due to immigration from continental Colombia, mainly motivated by the establishment of the figure of free port for San Andrés by the government of President Gustavo Rojas Pinilla in 1953, with the aim of boosting the economy of the island and attracting tourists.
The native Raizal population achieved the recognition of their identity and fundamental rights in the 1991 Constitution of Colombia. Their language, Creole English, San Andrés, Kiri or Creole, has been recognized as an official in the archipelago since then. Freedom and religious equality were also established. However, the loss of lands of the island’s peasants, the depletion of water wells, the looting of fishing by large US ships and the ecological damage in the marine areas near the beach, constitute a great problem even without repair, especially if you take into account that not all constitutional provisions are operating.
The Archipelago formed by San Andrés, Providencia, Santa Catalina and the nearby keys is highlighted by a culinary based on animals extracted from the sea and fruits such as coconut, yam, banana and the fruit of the bread tree. So if you want to feel in your mouth all the delight of the Caribbean Sea you can not miss this trip for delicious San Andrés cuisine.
One of its main ingredients is the crab, including the crab festival that takes place in the first days of January and offers visitors all the variety of typical dishes made from this animal, some of them are: Crab soup is made with a complete black crab, coconut milk, basil and a combination of tubers such as potato, yam and yucca is added.
Crabbacks, this delight is about minced crab meat, it stands out because it is presented to the diner in the same shell of the crab decorated for the enjoyment of the palate. It comes: in this variation, the crab meat is stewed with paprika, onion, garlic and coconut oil. Crab Patty are exquisite crab pies that work perfect as an entrance or as snaks.
To continue with this tour, we can not leave behind its most representative dish: El Rondón or the Round Down as it is known in the English language, it is prepared based on fish, pork tail and snail; In addition, yucca, yams, flour cakes and coconut milk are added.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/11/isla-de-san-andres/
Anna Paquin Talks ‘Tricky’ LGBTQ Representation, Understated Queer Roles
Enough with the labels: Anna Paquin just wants LGBTQ people to be people. As star and executive producer of Pop TV’s Flack, Paquin’s celeb-PR spin doctor, Robyn, fascinates because her hyper-controlling nature at work is in sharp contrast to her out-of-control family life. Robyn’s bisexuality is a mere footnote.
It’s 2019. This is the queer-is-human moment Anna Paquin has been waiting for. This explains why, though she plays a lesbian character, she appreciates that her love interest (Holliday Grainger) in her upcoming film Tell It to the Bees, out May 3, eludes any kind of fixed sexual identity.
Openly bisexual herself, Paquin came out in 2010 in a public service announcement for Cyndi Lauper’s Give a Damn campaign, dedicated to LGBTQ equality. At the time, she was portraying southern heroine Sookie Stackhouse on HBO’s vampire queerfest True Blood; she married her co-star, Stephen Moyer, that same year. (The couple has 6-year-old twins, Poppy and Charlie Moyer.)
But the 36-year-old actress’ precocious career in film and TV goes back decades to her childhood, when, at just 11 years old, she won the best-supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Flora McGrath in 1993’s The Piano. Cross-genre roles abounded: Fly Away Home (1996), She’s All That (1999), Almost Famous (2000) and three X-Men films. In 2017, Paquin starred as a detective investigating the disappearance and murder of a trans woman (Sadie O’Neil) on the short-lived drama series Bellevue.
Nearly 10 years later, Paquin still gives a damn – about inclusivity in her work, entertainment as a way to open close-minded minds, and actors who are forced out of the closet in the name of representation.
In Flack, there’s a gay scandal, a trans scandal and a lesbian sex tape, and that’s all within the first three episodes. I mean, this show was made with the LGBTQ community in mind, right?
I mean, not intentionally. It was just made more with, you know, the human race in mind. And that includes all of us (laughs). There’s humor and drama to be found in all of our communities, but, yes, there is definitely something to be had for our LGBTQ community in the world of Flack. Although a lot of people ask me if that was me, because obviously it’s important to me, but that was just always part of the fiber of the show in those episodes, and that was our writers. I wish I could take more credit for that, but I really can’t.
As an actress, are you drawn to stories that tell our stories?
Yes, but I’m also just drawn to really amazing writing, and I think especially when there are stories that are our stories but are also written in a beautiful and eloquent way, that, to me, is a twofer. I mean, I love the fact that Robyn being bisexual just kind of casually drops in; it’s not a thing because it shouldn’t be a thing. And I feel like so many movies and shows, if they have characters who are leading anything other than heteronormative lives, it’s made into a big deal. It really shouldn’t be and isn’t. So I do love that part of the show.
It sounds like you don’t think we’re at a place where LGBTQ characters can simply live within the fabric of the world, and maybe that’s because LGBTQ people can’t just yet either.
Are we? (Laughs) I mean, I think everyone has different experiences. I really think it depends what part of the country you’re in and what kind of community you grow up in. Look, I’m a non-American-born Canadian-Kiwi living in liberal California, so my experience of the world as a bisexual woman is probably incredibly different from someone who lives in – not to single anyone out in particular, but let’s say a less progressive state. So I feel like we still have a ways to go, but we’re obviously going in the right direction.
Where do you stand on the debate that exclusively LGBTQ actors should be playing LGBTQ roles?
In casting all the characters in this show it would never have occurred to us to look at anyone other than trans actors for trans roles. I frankly did not ask the actress who plays Robyn’s ex-girlfriend because I also don’t really think it’s any of my business. What’s tricky around some of that stuff is that, while I think representation of people within our community is incredibly important, I think it’s also putting a lot of pressure on people to come out in a public way that they may or may not be ready to do yet. I don’t think it’s anyone’s place to force people out of the closet, to be like, “Hey, you shouldn’t be playing this role because you’re not gay.” Well, what if that person is but isn’t comfortable coming out? Where does that leave us as far as representation, but also respecting people’s own timeline for their own lives and what they’re comfortable with? I think it’s incredibly complicated.
Was there pressure on you when you came out?
If there was, I certainly didn’t experience any. Everyone in my private life knew. It wasn’t a big deal. But also, things aren’t a big deal if you don’t make a big deal of them.
I’d like to note that your show Bellevue represented the trans community in a very real way. I know you really bonded on the set with actress Sadie O’Neil, who played a trans character.
What an awesome, smart, talented actress and writer and poet. She was incredibly patient with all of us who know less about her community asking quite specific questions as far as how we’re representing the community on the show. Because the script, you can do a good approximation, but if that’s not the life that you have lived then, obviously, you’re not gonna get all of it right. And being patient with the fact that we had taken a good stab at it, but then wanting to actually get it right, was something we were really very grateful for, and we obviously very much deferred to her on a lot of it.
In what ways was the show and being with Sadie on set a teaching moment for you?
It’s one thing to conceptually support all members of our rainbow community, it’s another thing to pretend that you know what somebody else’s life experience is like, and I don’t pretend to know things I don’t know. So, to me, getting more information is something that I just think you can’t have enough of. And the more you know, the more helpful you can be. It literally had never even occurred to me that feminism could exclude trans women. That, to me, just doesn’t make any sense, and that’s a huge deal and kind of blew my mind. You know, these kinds of conversations that end up casually happening because you’re working with them and getting to know them, it’s like, “Wow, I feel a bit embarrassed that I didn’t know that and I’m glad I know that now.”
Does it mean something to you that a role such as Robyn or your role as Dr. Jean in Tell It to the Bees is creating greater visibility for the LGBTQ community?
Absolutely … absolutely! Yes. I think that people learn about people they don’t understand through entertainment. That’s one of our most powerful tools for bringing people out of their own bubble and their own world, because if you see somebody depicted on screen you sort of are emotionally connected to that person and their story and their life, and maybe it can change people’s minds about how they sort of snap-judge other people and their sexual orientation or gender identity or whatever it may be. I think entertainment is a very powerful tool for that, so yeah, it’s very meaningful to me.
When were you first aware that entertainment had that kind of power?
Honestly, not really until I was a grown up because when I was a teenager just, you know, doing my thing and going to school, I wasn’t massively conscious of it. Becoming a parent I think also makes you more aware of that, the cause and effect when your kid watches something and repeats something back that you’re like, “We don’t speak like that.” You get to see a very tiny microcosm of what its effect is, just even on little humans, because they don’t know. But it’s all around us. That’s not to say that all entertainment that I do (laughs) can be watched by all people of all ages, because I do some stuff that is, obviously, very adult-oriented, but it has made me think about what kind of things I put out there into the world.
In Tell It to the Bees, you play your first explicitly queer character in film.
In a film, yes. But my character in (2017’s sci-fi anthology TV series) Electric Dreams was also a lesbian.
Why did it take so long?
It wasn’t really a conscious thing. A lot of times with choices it kind of depends on what material comes your way and when. I hadn’t happened to have a proper lesbian love story of any sort really come my way prior to that. I think I was probably somewhat obvious casting for that (laughs). But it’s a beautiful love story, it’s set in the 1950s in Scotland, my character is adopted, basically got outed as a teenager and left her community under quite traumatic circumstances. (She) falls in love with another outsider, a young mother in the community who is – we don’t ever really put a label on her sexuality, but it’s probably more on the bisexual-to-straight-but-falls-in-love-with-the-human. It’s about what they bring out in each other.
I’m surprised to hear that you haven’t been offered more queer film roles.
I was on a TV show for, like, the entire time surrounding (coming out), so I wasn’t really available to do anything else (laughs). And also, True Blood reps hard on the Pride front.
How aware were you of what True Blood was doing for the LGBTQ community at the time it aired?
Vampires coming out of the coffin: the metaphor was pretty specific! (Laughs) And also just the sexual fluidity of all the vampires. Obviously, we would have to have been living under a rock not to have felt the support and love from the community.
Do you hear from gay fans about Flack on Twitter?
In general, yes. Whenever I’ve done work that has any representation of our community, yes, I always end up hearing really cool, nice feedback from people who are appreciative of conversations being easier to have because they’re happening in the public eye.
source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/11/anna-paquin-talks-tricky-lgbtq-representation-understated-queer-roles/