A first...of sorts

AOG, Madrid

Last night I was having dinner with some friends. We spent part of the evening watching videos on youtube (on my friend's amazingly large flatscreen GE television with internet connection) and then an episode of Titty Bang Bang- the British comedy series- to mixed reviews. Paula, my Improv teacher and as of late, confidant, found some of it a bit gruesome.

In-between coffee and dessert, one of my friends asked me an odd question. I was, to say the least, surprised and slightly bemused.

"Is it true that gay men are sometimes active, or passive, or both?", my friend asked out of the blue as he took some plates into the kitchen.

I replied quickly and, I thought, without batting an eyelid. He nodded, then went back to the kitchen to do the washing up. Nothing major, just a clarification. I was, however, surprised by the question.

When he came out, the rest of us were deep into sex talk. Couples, positions, feelings, etc.

The aftershock came a few minutes later. These guys are not 12 and I would have thought that by now they would have had a chance to ask someone about this. Wrong.

After thinking about it for a while (I never said I was the sharpest knife in the drawer), I asked, innocently, if he and our other friend had any gay friends that they knew they were openly gay.

"No. Not really. There was this guy at acting class, but he left", said one.

"Like you? No, not really", said the other.

I can't say I was flattered by their comments, though they were trying to say something else other than what they were saying (body language, smiles etc etc). I was, am, their first and they are cool with that. Perhaps because I don't fit into their definition of a gay friend/man/person.

On the way back to the car I mentioned this to Paula. She was not surprised.

"Many men in Spain don't have gay friends", she said.

"Not that they are aware of", I corrected her.

"True".

She then mentioned how she herself had some now that she was an adult, and excused our other two friends for not having gay people within the circles they move in. I, again, mentioned that gay people are in all circles. And that visibility, or lack thereof, is something which I, increasingly, look out for.

She agreed.

Gay marriage in California

AOG, Madrid

Ever since I was a small child, whenever I tried to conjure up a truly modern place, I often thought of Japan. And if I tried to conjure up a truly modern place which was like paradise, I would often think of California- and Trantor, but that is because of my love for Science Fiction and my slant towards Asimov.

Today, California has stood me in good stead. It has just become the second state to approve gay marriage. Its Supreme Court has overturned two state laws that had limited marriages to unions between a man and a woman, and instead ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

It cites: "An individual's sexual orientation — like a person's race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights."

The New York Times carries the story like this on this article.

The Los Angeles Times covers the story like this on this article.

USA today covers the story like this on this article.

And The Washington Times does it like this on this article.

The only other state thus far to carry similar legislation is Massachusetts.

Surprisingly perhaps, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has said that he respected the court’s ruling and did not support a constitutional amendment to overturn it.

Ever America's pioneering State, California's Supreme Court was also the first state high court to strike down a law barring interracial marriage. It happened back in 1948 with a decision called Perez v. Sharp.

The vote in Perez, like the one in Thursday’s decision, was 4-to-3. The United States Supreme Court did not follow suit until 1967.

ABSOLUT...ely....58% of Mexicans believe...

AOG, Madrid


An ad for Absolut vodka in Mexico has sparked a small outrage in the US because it, according to some, suggests that the border between both countries should be re-drawn.

Here is the ad itself:

As you can appreciate, it somewhat follows the border between both countries as it stood before the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.

A war in which Mexico lost more than 500,000 square miles (about 1,300,000 km²) of land, about 40% of its territory and for which the US Government paid Mexico US $ 15,000,000, — less than half the amount the U.S. had attempted to offer Mexico for the land before the opening of hostilities.

All other borders are, in fact, contemporary, so the ad plays a dangerous game between historical fact and concurrent political borders. Certainly not an oversight.

I first came across it a couple of days ago when my cousin, living in Cancún, sent me a petition of support on Facebook. I thought it was cute and rather daring on Absolut's part.

I gave it little thought and saved the image for a post. Then, this morning, doing a bit of online research for this post, I came across a few disparaging comments concerning the ad.

It appears that most Americans are surprised by it. Somehow they thought that Mexico was quite happy for things to stand as they are and thought nothing of the war they fought and lost against the US back in the XIX century.

How wrong they are.

I remember back to when I lived in Mexico as a child. I remember the text books where Mexico had two really bad enemies and it was because of them that Mexico was in the state it was: One, the main evil culprit, was Spain. And the other, the US.

I understand, now, as an adult, why Mexicans need these two countries to be their nemesis. How else would they explain the state of their country? I have to say that, since independence from Spain in the 1820s, Mexico and Spain have come a long way in reconciling their differences. Though that is not to say all is well in their particular little patio.

I am not so sure the same can be said about the US and Mexico. Economic power aside, it is painfully obvious that the US sees Mexico as a bit of an inferior country. Mexicans, unfortunately, are not the best treated foreigners in the US. And, while on a personal basis, most Americans have no problems with individual Mexicans, it is true that, as a whole, Mexicans get a bad rap in the US.

Part of this is America's ignorance of its neighbors. Most Americans think Mexico is a country which extends all the way down to the Tierra del Fuego. In the US, to most people, regardless of where you come from, you are Mexican if you happen to be Hispanic. Unless you are black. In which case most Americans don't know what to make of you.

This is not to say that Mexicans are better than the Americans at understanding their neighbor. Perhaps the only truly anti-American country in the Americas is Mexico. Their love-hate relationship goes back a long way.

I am not surprised to hear that it was a publicity agency in Mexico City which came up with Absolut's campaign. It obviously plays a part in the national conscience. It is not something which they came up with. It was already there.

I always stress the need for greater education. On both sides of the spectrum.

Here is CNN's take on the whole issue:

I have to say that at times I feel like slapping Lou Dobbs with an enchilada.

But I am not surprised to hear that to 58% of Mexicans, believe that the American West is rightfully their land. Even if they lost it in a war. Even if the US then paid them for it. Even so. It is that thing which is so in vogue these days in Europe, Historical Memory. We see it everyday in the Balkans. And here in Spain.

I have to say that such an advert in Spain would have caused a diplomatic row. But for now, all quiet on the Mediterranean front.

On the US front, however, many are calling for a boycott of Absolut vodka in the US. And here is a link to that little piece of madness combining national outrage, immigration issues, and a whole lot of ignorance.

The Los Angeles Times has dedicated this page to air the views of its readers regarding this issue. Some of the comments are frightening. On both sides of the spectrum.

No more Italians in America, thank you

AOG, Madrid

I have just read an article in the New York Times which I find amazing.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency detained an Italian citizen for 10 days and sent him back afterwards.

Apparently he, who spoke little English, and the Agency's agents, who obviously had no education, appeared to be asking for political asylum in the US.

Italy is a country in the EU and very much rooted in what today we call the "First World". A democracy and a member of the G-9. So, why would an Italian citizen be asking for asylum in the US? Boggles the mind.

It appears that Domenico Salerno, a lawyer by the way, has an American girlfriend and is fond of visiting her and her well-to-do and well-connected family. From the NYT's article, it appears that : "Ten days after he landed in Washington, Mr. Salerno was still incarcerated, despite efforts by Senator John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, and two former immigration prosecutors hired by the Coopers".

That is what I call well connected.

The photograph depicts Mr. Domenico Salerno and Ms. Caitlin Cooper, his girlfriend, who wrote an email to the New York Times detailing the situation.

Senator Warner has a big bad battleship on his website's front page. So he cannot be accused of not loving America. Furthermore, the Senator is a Republican and a war veteran.

I am truly baffled by the fact that a Senator cannot hold enough sway with a Governmental agency to hurry the release of an obviously innocent man. Thus far, according to all involved, he has not committed a crime and was, in fact, spending a lot of his free time volunteering in the US. This is how the current Administration thanks him for his troubles.

What is happening in the US? Does it need to be such a Fascist regime?

There is a quote by Mr. Cooper, Ms. Cooper's father, in the article which, however, throws all goodwill out the window:

“They were pretty shocked that the government could do this sort of thing, because it doesn’t happen that often, except to people you never hear about, like Haitians and Guatemalans.”

I take it in the spirit in which it was said, but it does show a lot of the arrogance which First World nations have towards other less fortunate countries. He is surprised because it happened to someone from Italy, but would have been less surprised if it had happened to someone from Guatemala or Haiti.

And this is because....?

90210...again?

AOG, Madrid

I just read that Tori Spelling is going to take part in a new version of Beverly Hills 90210. She is now 34 years old.

Is this really necessary? She was not attractive back in the day, and now, well, just look at her. She looks increasingly like one of the Mon Calamari, albeit one with blond hair. From a bottle mind you.

So, I can understand that back in the early 1990s, her father, über producer Aaron Spelling, must have forced some poor producer to have Tori join the cast, or else.

But now? Again? I mean, if she were a good actress, she could be forgiven for the apparent nepotism, but, she is no Streep. She is not even a Monroe.

So, without looks, and with passable talent, should Miss Spelling be on television? Honestly, are there not more deserving and more talented actresses out there?

Very disappointing these news. Disappointing indeed.

London's Russian vogue

AOG, London

I have been here for a couple of days only. In these few days I have noticed that Russia is very much at the forefront of the British imagination. Not quite the fever pitch all things Russian acquired in Paris in the aftermath of WWI, but certainly something worth noticing.

The Royal Academy of Arts has just closed its "From Russia" exhibition. Itself caught in the middle of the on-going diplomatic row between the UK and Russia regarding the death of an ex KGB agent in the UK by the, supposedly, Russian secret service, something Moscow strongly denies and which the exhibition has gone a long way in defusing- at least according to some. However, the hangover still is being felt. Here and there I saw posters of the exhibition still in place.

Perhaps it didn't last too long?

However, the vogue for Russia, in my experience, has gone a bit beyond that in London town. It is common knowledge that, for a few years now, Russia's nouveau riche have set up shop in London.

Something about the city's ambiance marries quite well with the Russian spirit. Perhaps it is that in Russia, as in Spain, it is commonly believed that, if it is the most expensive you can have, it is also the best one you can have. It does not matter if we are talking about books, homes, cars, clothes, horses or what have you.

Expense equals quality. And nowhere in Europe is as needlessly expensive as London. Perhaps that is the interest of the Russia's newfound Anglophilia.

And the Brits return the favor by favoring a certain a la russe state of affairs. My most tangible example was walking into Waterstones and finding a whole section dedicated to Russian literature.

Leo Tolstoy and his "Resurrection"

Dostoyevsky's "The brothers Karamazov"

Olga Grushin's "The dreamlife of Sukhanov"

Yevgeny Zamyatin's "We"

Andreï Makine's "A life's music"

Viktor Pelevin's "The life of insects"

Nabokov's 'Collected Stories'

Andrei Kurkov's "Death and the penguin" (a copy of which I purchased one day later at a second-hand book shop in Victoria)

Nikolai Leskov's "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk"

A collection of "Russian short stories from Pushkin to Buida" and a couple of Gogol titles.

In short, Russia is almost everywhere in London these days.

For some reason, we decided to celebrate my sister's birthday in BALTIC, London's top notch Russian and Eastern European restaurant.

I didn't choose it because of the Russophilia. Instead, I think a slight zeitgeist was at play here.

I for one am quite happy London is so Russia-friendly. I hope it lasts, for everyone's sakes.

Hillary Clinton as Ceasar's wife...

AOG, Madrid

I remember listening in a radio interview in Spain a couple of years ago a quote which I agreed with wholeheartedly. Although in Spanish, it went along these lines:

"Ceasar's wife must not only be his wife, she also has to look like she is his wife"

The quote was a reference to a scandal which happened to Ceasar's second wife, Pompeia, whereby she was accused of doing something which brought great shame to Ceasar: a scandal that occurred during the rites of Bona Dea.

Although, as it turned out, she was innocent, nevertheless, the whole episode was used as ammunition to deliver a divorce veredict. It is from that court case that in the English-speaking world we say "Ceasar's wife must be above suspicion".

Caesar divorced Pompeia and an inquiry was held. Although several members of Caesar's family gave evidence, Caesar himself did not and the court asked him why he had demanded a divorce when so much uncertainty surrounded the incident. "Caesar's wife," he replied, "must be above suspicion."

I mention this because I have been paying a bit more attention to the Democratic primaries in the US. And in particular to Hillary Clinton.

On paper, she is a super candidate. She has (or claims to have), great experience. She certainly is intelligent and she has some good ideas to help the country.

But then, I look at her. How she speaks. How she moves. Her appearance. And then I don't buy it. Especially when compared to the package Mr. Obama sells.

When I listen to them debate, I often think I am witnessing a debate between a PTA Mom and a politician. Silly. Untrue. Unfounded, because they are both great candidates.

But...

Ms. Clinton does not look the part. She does not look like the President of the US. He does. And so does McCain.

Am I the only one who thinks this? Surely not.

May the best person win, of course, but this will not be the case. The best person will not win. The person who most looks like the President of the US will win. Like Reagan did. Like Bush Sr. did. Like Gore did- although we all know what happened there. Like Bush did the second time around.

I am not for a second suggesting Ms. Clinton is not a great candidate. She is. And I would vote for her over McCain any day. But I would have trouble picturing her in the White House sitting as Madam President.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

Obama, despite Tuesday's 10-point defeat, appears all but certain to finish the primary season with more popular votes and more pledged delegates than Clinton.

And then, there's this:

Settling in

AOG, Madrid

Yesterday I was at Gran Via station in Madrid. Up until yesterday I always had to look which way to go and I was forever trying to find the exit sign.

But yesterday, I got out of the carriage and headed without giving it a second thought towards the outside.

Just before I got to the turnstiles, I realised I had not once looked up to find the exit sign. After 2 years and 4 months, I think I might be settling in Madrid.

I rememeber when I first moved to London. It took me almost 6 months to understand the Underground. All those lines passing through the same station; trains from the same line stopping here and there; trains and Underground stations all in one place.

Looking back, it all makes sense now. So much so that I wish Madrid's Metro had this station-sharing idea. But at the time, I used to get lost and frustrated a lot. Wrong train; wrong direction; wrong line.

I don't remember when it was that I finally settled in London. Maybe I never did. Perhaps that is why I left.

Is that a bull on the road or are you happy to see me?

AOG, Madrid
This midday, Spain's AP-6 highway, which runs near the beautiful city of Segovia (where Spain's answer to Fairy-tale castles is perched against a raveen), had to be close for about an hour. The reason?

Six fighting bulls had escaped from a nearby ranch and they were attacking passing cars.

Did it make the news? Indubitably, yes. Eventually, Spain's Guardia Civil had to, somehow, chase them back into their pasture.

Thankfully, no major injuries or accidents were caused by the animals...or the bulls! (ha ha bad joke, but Spain's Civil Guard are infamous for behaving like troglodytes most of the time).

The ranch's owner will be charged with causing a traffic hazard.

I wonder what would have happened if these same circumstances had taken place in the US?

Here is one of the videos taken on the highway.

Close call at the end....



Remember, these animals are very dangerous. They aren't called fighting bulls for nothing!

Shaving a Beaver

AOG, Madrid

I came across this cartoon and it made me laugh.

Thing is....

She is so right!