press release from christine quinn

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
CITY HALL
NEW YORK, NY 10007
(212) 788-7116
**For Immediate Release**
May 4, 2007
Contact: 212-788-7116
Release# 042-2007
Statement by Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn
Re: Passing of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act
Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives passed landmark legislation creating federal hate crimes protections that extend to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. With nearly one out of every six hate crimes relating to sexual orientation or gender identity, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 sends a powerful message that we, as Americans, will not tolerate discrimination or violence against the LGBT community.
The passing of this legislation is a testament to the ongoing existence of hatred, intolerance, and ignorance in our country. Furthermore, the tragic death of Michael Sandy reminds us that as New Yorkers and as Americans, we must come together to condemn such violence and renew our efforts to build a place where tolerance, understanding and respect guide us.
I applaud Speaker Pelosi and members of the House for focusing on an issue that affects all American citizens: the right to live in a society free of persecution and free of hate. I urge the U.S. Senate to pass this vital legislation, and urge the President to sign it into law.

shame on those who choose to not see SHAME

tonight tiff and i saw the new york city premiere of shame in chelsea. ironic that they premiered a documentary about the fight for human rights in chelsea, as the fight continues for basic freedoms daily there as it is known as a gay haven of new york city. in choosing the films that we were going to see, we compromised on seeing one of the shorts since it was on tiffs list, a celebrity movie, and one that i was passionate about. i got to choose the last since i compromised with the shorts and let her chose the celebrity movie.

as we chose movies weeks ago, i hardly remembered what we were going to see tonight. all i knew was that it had something to do about rape, a cause which i feel strongly about and would consider myself rather knowledgeable about here in the united states. little did i know that we were about to walk into the documentary made about the life of mukhtaran mai, a pakistani woman who was gang raped as punishment for her brother’s alleged affair with another woman of an upper village caste.

i remember reading about the story in the times a few years back and even seeing a feature article in glamour magazine about mukhtaran mai, as they named her one of glamour’s most courageous women. what i failed to read about was that there was a documentary being made about not just the initial trauma she faced because of the gang rape in her village but her progression through the following six years.

although critics would say the documentary lacked technical expertise, that is the filming and the editing, i would say it rather suited the story, the environment and the perspective of the film. the shaky camera filming the village intensified the images of impoverished children, mud brick houses, and the lack of modern day civilization, and just how something like this could happen in this century. the audience was brought from the urban center of the world to a village in the middle of an underdeveloped country, giving perspective to the crime.

what troubled me most about mukhtaran mai’s story, was not just that she was a victim of gang rape and governmental manipulation and fraud, but that she seemed to harbor no resentment or bitterness towards her family who failed to protect her and stand up for her. she never seemed to mention how her relationship with her family was changed after the rape. i have to assume that when that happens one would question their mother or father’s love for them. when everyone was asking questions during the q and a regarding how she moved past her depression from being raped, i wanted to stand up and scream that yes although that is honorable and courageous, what about how she continued to live and support her family despite their apathy the night she was raped, despite their knowingly giving her to the rapists, despite their obvious over concern for the perception of themselves rather than her mental health?
how did she continue after the faith in her family and their love disappeared?

and oh fyi, my ballot was for excellent, and the film will be aired on showtime on may 31st at 9pm.

capturing moments

this is how they do it in newark

"shove it"

i read the rosie blog pretty regularly and admit that i pay most attention to the questions and answers section. my favorite by far (the response that is):

keri writes:
Why do you only answer questions that make you lookl good?e.g., sycophants that praise you. Or inarticulate attacks. You’re so intellectually dishonest that you won’t print an intelliglble critique!
(rosie writes:)
shove it keri

i wish i had the cojones to say that every time i was under attack… my new phrase of the week, “shove it”.

if i were...

a super hero, this would be me. check out the scar across her face with the raging fire in the back and her companion...
oh and don't forget her insigna.
her name you ask?
i wont introduce you because shes mine. go get your own at http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/heroMachine2/

t a o

wow, that’s a big budda statue i thought as we walked into tao. i met bonny at tao on 58th street thursday for lunch to catch up on office happenings and schedules. little did i know that i was in for a culinary adventure at 12:30 in the afternoon. i remember the hype a while back about the restaurant but never made it to try it ouf for myself until now. as bonny doesn’t eat sushi, we skipped tha whole piece of the menu and instead went for the new york sirloin with mushrooms and potatoes. no more than ten minutes later, our food was out. small portions for rather expensive prices. you pay more for the ambiance and to say that you went to tao than for the amount of food you are getting. welcome to new york. no knife needed for the steak as it was pre-sliced to perfection and melted in your mouth. did i walk away satisfied? i walked away not feeling sick from over-eating so maybe those small portions weren’t such a bad thing after all.

http://www.diningfordarfur.org/

raising money for a cause by doing what we do best... eating that is. we raise money by eating for those who cannot eat because they are being massacred and forced to flee from their homes and villages.

'Dining for Darfur 2007 will be held on Sunday April 29th to coincide with the release of Don Cheadle and John Prendergast's new book "Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond (Hyperion). This year, the charity dine out event will take place in restaurants New York City and across the country. All DFD restaurants have pledged to donate 5% of sales for one night to the IRC's lifesaving humanitarian work in Darfur and Chad. Mark your calendars to eat out and make a difference to thousands of survivor's lives.'

make reservations for the participating restaurants on open table. bring a group of people. make it a dinner party.

nyc spring top five

top five spring 2007 musts in new york city:

1. film festivals (tribeca film festival, gen art film festival, bryant park film festival...)


2. charity walks (aids walk, revlon run/walk for women...)


3. parades and street festivals (dance parade, mermaid parade, pr day parade...)


4. dedicated cultural weeks (pride week, fleet week...)


5. museum mile festival

don't miss out on new york city in the spring. check them out.

part three day three- the finale

"finish each day and be done with it. you have done what you could. some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. tomorrow is a new day. you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
-emerson

summation of parts one and two of day one

"so i guess this is where i tell you what i learned - my conclusion, right? well, my conclusion is: hate is baggage. life's too short to be pissed off all the time. it's just not worth it. derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. he says someone else has already said it best. so if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. so i picked a guy i thought you'd like. 'we are not enemies, but friends. we must not be enemies. though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. the mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
-american history x-

tired of the daily routine within the cubicle

i missed the train by just a few minutes, leaving me with a good thirty minutes to enjoy the sights once again at penn station. hell of a day it was at work. no shitty day at work sounds better. after two years of feeling as though i am a slave for the corporate big wigs and am making no difference in the world (everyone's dream is to somehow make a difference...) and on top of it missing the train by just a few minutes, i'm tired. i'm tired of not loving what i do, or even having a passion for it. im' tired of living paycheck to paycheck with nothing to show or to remember of it. what does this have to do with eat pray love? it has everything to do with it.

i picked up a copy of eat pray love that night from the bookstore in penn station (yes there are book stores in penn station) and couldn't put it down until i had read every word on every page. eat pray love was the tale of a life i wished i had the cojones to live.

after realizing that she is ultimately lost in life the protagonist decides to set out on an adventure of self discovery taking her across the world and across all emotional boundaries. her goals:

1. learn italian in italy

2. find inner peace in india

3. learn how to balance earthly life and spiritual life in indonesia

i suggested to victoria for her to take a read also since we both compare war stories and egg each other on to quit our jobs and travel the world. in fact we even joke that we should just quit our jobs and instead write travel guides. point is- vic couldn't put the book down either.

we both agreed that this book is an interpretation or a version of our lives (or at least the first few chapters of unhappiness and unfulfilled dreams).

this book allowed me to live out my dreams through the characters if only for my three hour commute each day of reading. it made me remember that i choose the life i live and i have the ability to change it. the problem is i'm a coward. i don't have the courage to be so decisive and careless of social perceptions and opinions.

pick it up and see how it challenges the way you live your life.

attack of the lesbians- this is no new york post article

dinah shore hit the cover of the sunday new york times style section, carmen electra publicized her relationship with joan jett, and the l word just completed its fourth successful season on showtime. whats the common theme here? lesibianism is becoming a cover story or the new hip in thing. gone are the days where you need a gay "boyfriend" at your side to help boost your social activity calendar and personal style temperature. now being a lesbian puts you in a whole new league.