Nathan Pacheco Sings for HRH Prince Charles

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Nathan Pacheco at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.

 

Nathan Pacheco Sings for Prince Charles at the British Embassy

Disney Artist Sings for Prince Charles

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I Never Blogged About Lingerie Before

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Following RuPaul With Lingerie

It seems only right to follow RuPaul’s drag show post with a post about a lingerie ad. At the least, it’s a convenient place for me to put this post.

Sexiness for Everyone

That’s the name of this lingerie ad. It’s definitely breaking new ground and pushing the limits. It achieves the sexiness goal. The limits it is pushing are possibly religious and political.

Count on the Europeans

I used to expect the next new thing to come from California. It seemed to be the way things happened. They’d start in California and move east.  But, in matters of sexiness married to religion, I don’t expect to see it in the USA. For all the simulated and suggested sex on television and in movies, there is still an underlying conservative attitude in many  places. The lingerie company that put out the ‘sexiness for everyone’ ad is based in Germany. Daily Finance had the story.

Glow Berlin

I think the company took a huge risk and stepped way outside the usual lingerie imagery. If you liked the ad, they’d like you to visit their Liaison Dangereuse page, too. It helps if you know German.

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RuPaul Is His Own Man

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RuPaul As A Man

I look at the stats for this site, and very often there will be a search for “RuPaul As A Man”.  I think that’s funny. RuPaul IS a man. He does not have to dress up in order to pretend to  be a man.

RuPaul As A Woman

We, television viewers, know RuPaul as a woman, or at least as a drag queen. The first time I ever heard of RuPaul, he was on some late night show. Maybe he had his own show. It seems like it was ten or fifteen years ago. He was a tall, blonde, glamorous drag queen. He was really going against the grain then. But now, his drag queen persona hardly raises an eyebrow.

RuPaul Is Bold And Beautiful

RuPaul is a gay man, and does not try to hide it. He’s bold and beautiful when he is dressed as a woman, but is not a woman. Nor, is he a transgendered person in transition. He is a gay man who performs as a drag queen.

RuPaul As An ‘Ex-Gay’

I’ve written about this before. RuPaul was not personally ‘ex-gay’, but he played an ‘ex-gay’ counselor in a campy movie that exposes the lies and manipulation of the ‘ex-gay’ movement in a comedy that plays on every stereotype (just like the ex-gay movement does).  He plays a man in that movie, But, I’m A Cheerleader, a gay man trying hard to be ‘ex-gay’ while trying to teach young gay men how to be ‘ex-gay’.

I Like RuPaul

I’ve not seen RuPaul’s Drag Race, so I can’t comment on it. But, I like his larger than life drag queen persona. I like that he is not afraid to live out loud and draw attention to himself. I don’t know what effect he has on young gay people, but I hope what he does for them is to give them the courage to be themselves and love themselves as they are.

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Martin Luther King, Jr in Memphis, TN

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Singing to the Congregation

He did not really sing his speech, but the Gregory Brothers have autotuned and edited the movie of Dr.King speaking.

I May Not Get There With You

… but, we as a people will get there. I’ve been to the mountain top. (It’s good.  Take a moment and watch it.)

The Original Speech

Listen and watch as it really was.

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The Ven of Haiti (How the Bubbles Intersect)

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All In Separate Bubbles

I wrote the other day about how we are each in our own ‘bubble‘, living our own separate lives, not really knowing each other or what the other’s life is really like. I wrote from the perspective of how easy it is to think that what we do is a cause for what others do or say.  I said that we each live in our own reality, in our own ‘bubbles’, and we don’t realize that others experience a different reality. I used the example of ven diagrams to say that we share tiny bits of our lives with those around us, but for the most part, we pass like so many soap bubbles on the breeze.

Tragedy Beyond Comprehension

Even though we live like bubbles on the breeze, each in our own reality, we see bits of each other’s lives. In the case of disasters, we often see into each other’s world on television and online. This disaster was so sudden and so devastating, it was almost beyond comprehension. We live in different places, but we are connected by the need created by this loss of life, and loss of basic needs (access to clean water, food, and safe shelter).

The Ven of Haiti

Even with the horror of the stories we see and hear, we cannot possibly know the personal tragedy experienced by those we see in photos and on television. We do, however, have the opportunity to connect in some way and offer assistance.  I am glad that there are governmental and non-governmental organizations that have stepped in to help. For most of us, going in person to places that have suffered terrible loss is not an option. For those of us who cannot provide assistance in person, we can participate through the organizations that are already there offering help to the survivors.

I Did Not Write About Haiti

I tend to write posts and schedule them for days ahead. When something happens in the world, sometimes I move posts and write about current events.  In this case, the scheduled posts have continued to  show up on schedule. I did not interrupt the schedule, because I really did not know what to say. I still don’t know that I have anything to offer other than to provide links to articles with information about how we individuals can help.

How We Can Help the People of Haiti

Wealthy People Sending Aid

Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes Win: Tears And Thanks (VIDEO)

My Tweet Challenge: Will A Corporation Match My Donation?

Sandra Bullock Gives $1 Million To Haiti

How the Rest of Us Can Help

Haiti Relief: Aid Gets To People Most In Need

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Precious water, food and early glimmers of hope began reaching parched and hungry earthquake survivors Saturday on the streets of this shattered city, where despair at times turned into a frenzy among the ruins.

…

A U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman declared the quake the worst disaster the international organization has ever faced, since so much government and U.N. capacity in the country was demolished. In that way, Elisabeth Byrs said in Geneva, it’s worse than the cataclysmic Asian tsunami of 2004: “Everything is damaged.”

…

Despite many obstacles, the pace of aid delivery was picking up. The Haitian government had established 14 distribution points for food and other supplies, and U.S. Army helicopters were reconnoitering for more. With eight city hospitals destroyed or damaged, aid groups opened five emergency health centers. Vital gear, such as water-purification units, was arriving from abroad.

Haiti Earthquake Relief: How You Can Help

… comprehensive list of links to donate and get involved in relief efforts for victims of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake. You can also go to The Goods: Help Send Relief To Haiti, an online store by Causecast and HuffPost Impact, where you can purchase products for organizations that will be directly used on the ground in Haiti.

The U.S. State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747

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I Hereby Resolve To …

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During the Month of January …

Where I live, January tends to be cold with a lot of gray days, some clouds, some rain, some ice, and occasionally some snow. The trees are bare. There are few flowers. Hummingbirds are nowhere to be seen.  I suppose it could be called a dreary month, one that could lead one to feelings of gloom or pessimism, depression or despair. These are not feelings I want for myself or for you.

Therefore, I Have Decided …

January will be the month (this year, 2010) for posts about ‘feel good’ things. Unlike certain friends, I like self-help books and articles. I like analysis of the human psyche and insight into what makes us tick. We are, afterall, bio-psycho-social-beings (as some would say).  ;)

So, That’s the Plan

This month, January 2010, is hereby designated ‘feel good’ month. You don’t have to feel good to read this blog this month. And, I might not always post ‘happy’ or ‘feel good’ posts. But, I do want something that will give us all a glimpse of the sunshine on the other side of the clouds.

Speaking of Grey Skies …

Have you ever been in an airplane on the ground, ready to take off, and the day is dark and gloomy? The clouds completely cover the earth for as far as you can see. Maybe the rain is pouring down. This, to me, is how life seems when all the bad things in life are largest in our vision. Now, do you remember how it was when the plane took off? Was it a little scary to be zooming down the runway and lifting up into that rain and into those dark clouds? What happened after that was amazing.

The Sunshine on the Other Side of the Clouds

Do you remember? As you entered the clouds, you could see nothing at all, and it was that way for what seemed like a long time. But, before you knew it, the airplane rose above the clouds and everything was different. The clouds were below, and they were brilliant and beautiful! And the sky was nothing but blue, clear, bright blue. How did this happen? Everything changed. But, nothing had really changed.

Perspective

Perspective is something I enjoy thinking about. It is something I try to remember to notice. It is part of how I look for images I’d like to photograph. It isn’t that things change. It is that they way we see things changes. Good things happen and bad things happen. Happy things happen and sad things happen. People love us. People reject us. People are kind. People are cruel. We are healthy. We fight sickness and injury and disease. We live. We die.

What Makes the Difference in Our Experience?

What makes the difference in how events in life affect us? Is it all in our perspective? Is it all about being below the clouds or above the clouds? What is it in us that leaves us in the rain under the grey sky one day (or month, or year) and in the sunshine over the brilliant tops of the same rain clouds another day?

What’s Your Perspective on Perspective?

I’m thinking of a photo of a person looking in a mirror looking at a person looking in a  mirror looking at a person looking in a mirror … What does perspective mean to you? How does it affect  your life? How does it influence your choices (big and small)?

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Nathan Pacheco on Disney’s Christmas Day Special 10am on ABC (9am west coast)

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Christmas Morning

I hope you’re having happy, happy day.

Nathan Pacheco Sings Oh Holy Night on the Christmas morning special on ABC this morning.

Singer brings new life to Yanni’s music(interview with Nathan Pacheco, June 2009)

Nathan Pacheco on MySpace

DISNEY PARKS CHRISTMAS DAY PARADE (12/25/2009)

Celebrating the ‘Season of Giving,’ 26th Annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade Broadcasts from Both Coasts, Airing on ABC-TV December 25(earthtimes.org)

http://kathychicago.wordpress.com/

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“Just Don’t Eat So Much”

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Maybe AFTER Christmas

Those are not words we want to hear right before the feasting most of us do around Christmas. Maybe we can hold on to this one for January 1 of 2010!

But, Seriously …

Those are the words that stuck in the mind of a man who had eaten compulsively since he was in high school. He had passed 450 pounds, and he could not find a way to lose weight.

“Just don’t eat so much.”

A co-worker said those words, and they made sense. So, little by little he ate less and less. Now, instead of 9,000 calories of junk food and fast food each day he eats 1,700 calories of healthy food.

Wow! Congratulations!

Read the article and watch the video.

.

[UPDATE: What do you think of this?Students may not be allowed to graduate because they're obese]

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Pray For Obama

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Pray for the President? Really?

It would be a good thing if people prayed for the President to have wisdom, good health, strength, safety and plenty of other things. It is a different matter when “Pray for Obama” is a secret message saying people should pray for him to die.

What the bumper stickers say:

Pray for Obama Psalm 109:8

What the Bible verses say:

This is from ‘Pray for Obama’ Not What It Seems on Sphere.com

Psalm 109:8 “Let his days be few, and let another take his place of leadership,” NIV

The verses that follow are a different matter.

“May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.”

“May his children be wandering beggars … “

“May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.”

“May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.”

And so on.

Nauseating

It is sickening to see how people use a pretense of faith in God to mask hatred and advocate violence.  There is so much violence in this world, and much of it is done by people who claim to love God (violence between religious groups, violence between nations, acts of terrorism, hate crimes because “God hates … (name the group you love to hate)”, domestic violence done by a partner who believes he (she?) is the ordained head of the household and has a right to abuse the partner.

Violence Is Not True Religion

Calling for violence against one’s enemies is not the truth of any religion. Stirring up hatred and violence in the hearts and minds of the easily-influenced is also not an act of faith, spirituality or godliness.

On the Good Side

There are so many good people, of all religions, who have a strong faith that leads them to acts of kindness and compassion. That is true faith, true spirituality, true religion. Let us pray for each other, and pray for ourselves to be loving, accepting and compassionate.  That is true faith, spirituality and religion.

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Nathan Pacheco Disney’s Christmas Day Special December 25, 2009 on ABC

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Christmas Morning on ABC

Yanni and Yanni Voices will be the featured artists on Disney’s Christmas Special airing December 25th on ABC.

Yanni will bring his Yanni Voices to perform a reverent arrangement of “O Holy Night” featuring Nathan Pacheco. Watch Nathan, Chloe, Ender and Leslie perform with Yanni during this very special event.

Please check your local listings for channel information and broadcast times.

Singer brings new life to Yanni’s music (interview with Nathan Pacheco, June 2009)

Nathan Pacheco on MySpace

DISNEY PARKS CHRISTMAS DAY PARADE (12/25/2009)

Celebrating the ‘Season of Giving,’ 26th Annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade Broadcasts from Both Coasts, Airing on ABC-TV December 25 (earthtimes.org)

http://kathychicago.wordpress.com/

PHOTOS from the day they filmed the Christmas Day Speical

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Meredith Baxter (Family Ties)

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Meredith Baxter Says, “I’m a lesbian.”

Matt Lauer talked with Meredith Baxter on the Today Show (a few days ago) and gave her a public forum to reveal that she is gay. She said she realized late in life. She chose to announce it on national television, because one of the tabloids is about to print an article about her, and she wanted to tell it first and let it be in her own words.

She Seemed Very Nervous

I thought she seemed really nervous, but she forged ahead and shared her secret. It was not really a secret in her life. She lives openly in her everyday life. But, she was not publicly known as a lesbian.

Straight Spouse Network

I read what was posted on SSN (straight spouse network), and I thought they heard what M.B. said almost the opposite of how I heard it. I guess they heard it from the experience of someone who has been in a relationship they thought was with a heterosexual person, only to discover that their spouse was gay or lesbian.

Tried to Leave a Comment

The words just sounded a little sharp, as if she had intentionally harmed a straight spouse  (as if she had known all these years that she was gay).  I tried to leave a comment, but I could not, because I’m not a member. I also tried to send a message, but error message kept saying I had not typed the correct captcha.

My message to SSN:

I started to leave a comment, but I’m not registered, so I’m just sending you a note. I think I heard MBB’s coming out statement very differently than you did. I heard that she had no idea she was gay (all those years she was married). I heard that she got involved with a woman seven years ago, was surprised that it happened, and realized everything made sense all of a sudden. I didn’t get that she was in a 4 year relationship and just realized after 4 years that she was gay, not at all. What I got was that she has known she is gay for the past 7 years. She has been in a relationship for 4 years. She is very private, and she would have preferred not to make a public statement, but the gossip rags were about to out her, so she just beat them to it.

Watch Meridith Baxter on the Today Show

Meredith Baxter reveals SHE’S GAY

She Did a Good Thing

M.B. did a good thing by telling her story. She brought up the phrase, “The personal is political.” She told those watching that if they liked her before, they liked a gay person. And, she said she hopes that people who have liked her on TV will feel now like they know a lesbian, and they will think of her when they are able to vote for or against equal rights for gay people.

Resources for Straight Spouses

Since I read about this on Straight Spouse Network, and I watched the video there (embedded in that post), I want to also include here their list of links to websites they find helpful for straight spouses of lesbians or gay men.

• Closeted Straight Spouse
• DamnStraight
• Kidsofqueers
• My heart goes out…
• Outspoken
• Straight From The Heart
• Straight Spouse Connection
• Survival as a Straight Spouse
• Wildflowers
• Straight Spouse Network

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Happy 40th, Sesame Street! :)

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Google’s Great Logos

I love to go to google.com and see a special logo. This week, all week, the logos have been about Sesame Street’s 40th birthday.

Where Were You 40 Years Ago (and, years since then)?

Did you watch Sesame Street when you were growing up? I did not. I wonder if I watched TV when I was a toddler and preschool age. I doubt it.

Sesame Street Logos All Week

Here’s the one from today:

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Health Insurance Reform Passed 220-215

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I’m Glad Someone Finally Called It Health INSURANCE Reform

This debate has been going on for far too long. People have been arguing about changing the health CARE system. But, it really is about how people can PAY for health care. It is all about ACCESS to affordable health care.

Why Do People Want to Protect Unethical Entities from Ethical Legislation?

I’ve been watching people get out-of-control about politics for a long time. And, I still do not understand why any working class or middle class American responds with fury to any attempt to do something that would benefit them and hold insurance companies accountable for their business decisions.

Why Would You Cut Your Own Throat To Put Money In A Rich Man’s Pocket?

That’s what people are doing when they oppose “health care reform”. This is not about health CARE reform. It is about reforming the less-than-ethical practices of too many insurance companies, and providing a way for ALL (almost all) people in this country to have access to health care.

What About Religious Beliefs?

So many people who are intensely opposed to “health care reform” claim to be devoted Christians. How is withholding access to health care ‘Christian’ (or Muslim? or Jewish?). Are we not our brothers’ keepers? Are we not to care for the sick? Are we not to love others as God loves us? Why would we oppose legislation that will allow all of us to have access to health-promoting wellness visits and basic health care?

The Debate Moves to the Senate

Now the debate will move to the Senate. I’m sure things will stay lively. Read more  here and here.

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Nathan Pacheco * Latin Grammys * November 5, 2009

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Nathan Pacheco Sings TONIGHT on the Latin Grammys!!!!

How cool is this!?!?  I am really excited about this.

Through the Grapevine

I heard it through the grapevine that Nathan would be singing at the Latin Grammys! Woohoo! 

I Hoped It Was True (and it IS!)

This is so great! Now the Spanish-speaking people of the world will know Nathan Pacheco and his amazing voice and his magnificent presentation.

Watch Nathan Pacheco Tonight On Univision

See the Latin Grammys tonight on your local Univision channel.

Here is the LatinGrammys post on Twitter (from last week)

Mas artistas a celebrar “De Fiesta con Juan Gabriel,” Bienvenidos JAS DEVAEL, NATHAN PACHECO y LAURA PAUSINI!9:18 AM Oct 29th from web

Latin GRAMMYs is less than a week away! If you can’t make it to Las Vegas watch it on your local Univision chan, Nov 5, 8pm ET/PT, 7pm CT/MT10:11 AM Oct 30th from web.

Will Someone PLEASE Record His Performance?

I don’t have access to Univision, so I won’t get to see  him perform. If anyone has information about where the performance is posted online (after the show), please leave comments with directions. Thanks!

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Patrick Swayze, Mary Travers and Susan Boyle

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Patrick Swayze

I want to say something about Patrick Swayze. He seemed like such a nice guy, genuine, with a good heart. That impression may have begun with his character in Dirty Dancing and continued with his character in Ghost. But, his decades-long love with his wife added the real-life component to his image.

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary

Mary Travers was part of a threesome that provided part of the acoustic soundtrack for the baby boom generation. Their performing years ended long ago, but the grandchildren of baby boomers still sing their songs in their elementary school classrooms.

Two Stars That Shot Across The Sky This Week

Both Patrick Swayze and Mary Travers left this world this week. Patrick Swayze died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Mary Travers died after a battle with leukemia. Their physical lives here have ended,  but their artistic contributions will live on and continue to influence people for good in the years to come.

Susan Boyle, Rising Star

I wanted to write about Susan Boyle when she first blasted to fame in her overnight stardom that began with her performance on Britian’s Got Talent. I waited, because it seemed like everyone was writing about her. I’m glad she survived those first few weeks and things are going well for her.  It looks like she has adjusted well to her complete change in lifestyle, and she is thriving again. She performed Wild Horses on America’s Got Talent final on 16th September, 2009.

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