Punk Smurf pens a bilingual blog

Time flies, eh? Last April my friend Tweety and I visited NYC, and - amongst other things - checked out Avenue Q. We both enjoyed it very much (we were singing and quoting lines from the show on our way back to the hotel). After a six-year run, the curtains will close on Broadway. Read an interview with the cast and creators on the birth of Avenue Q.

UK rock band Skunk Anansie is about to release their new single “Because of you“. Reunited they are embarking on a massive European tour - with dates frequently added as their shows sell out like hot cakes. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to the new single, but I really like it now.

Also touring and about the release her latest album, “From dusk ’til dawn”, is Canadian rocker Sass Jordan. Be quick if you want an autographed copy! (You can pre-order “From dusk ’til dawn” at MapleMusic.)

If these don’t spell “dyke” I don’t know what does… I wouldn’t do that. Ever.

Protect Maine Equality released two simple but shining tv spots. Watch them here. And my friend Stacey alerted me on to this (thanks!). It’s pretty much Milwaukee based, but very inspiring - and educational, too.

One of the contributing bloggers at 8Asians.com writes about the late Senator Edward Kennedy’s legacy to the Asian American community. An interesting post, in my opinion.

The bay of Fundy may be turned into a huge power plant. Not surprising, really, if you see the massive tides rolling in and out twice a day (yep, it’s a tourist attraction). It will affect animal and plant life, that I can tell. Maybe they should talk to the Dutch about this. They’re pretty much experts on things like this, aren’t they?

By the way: can anyone tell me what American idiot thought it was a good idea to start taxing tourists?! Read about it here.

Well, that’s it for this week. Short but sweet. Oh, lest I forget: A HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND TO Y’ALL!

As read on towleroad.com:

Reverend David Weekley of the Epworth United Methodist Church in southeast Portland, Oregon, took a big step on Sunday:

“Just months after telling his own children that he was not their biological father, Weekley, who is in his late-50s, came out to his congregation of 221 members. Standing behind his pulpit, Weekley began his usual worship service. About halfway through, he paused to share a personal message he called ‘My Book Report.’ He told them that in 1984, just nine years after undergoing extensive sex-reassignment surgeries, he was ordained by the Methodist Church without telling anyone of his original gender at birth. Following his story, the congregation, who had remained silent throughout his talk, broke into thunderous applause. Church members then proclaimed their support for their pastor.’ It doesn’t change him; he’s still Reverend David, and that’s what counts,’ says congregation member Robbie Tsuboi, who has been attending Epworth since 1964.”

Weekley has been married to his wife Deborah for 13 years and has served as a clergyman for 27.

And: Shalom Sesame!

Jake Gyllenhaal, Christina Applegate, Debra Messing, Greg Kinnear and Cedric the Entertainer are among the stars slated to appear in Shalom Sesame, a 12-part series of Sesame Street episodes geared at teaching Jewish-American children about Jewish culture. The series will debut around the Hanukkah holiday in December 2010.

Happy Harvey Milk Day! Apparently, the California Senate has passed legislation and created Harvey Milk Day in honour of the state’s first openly gay official. The assassinated civil rights leader will be honored yearly on May 22nd, his birthday.

Unfortunately, earlier this week a San Diego-area sixth-grader’s report on slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk was not welcomed by the school’s principal, the L.A. Times reports:

“Instead, the principal sent letters to parents giving them the option of not allowing their child to listen to the presentation by classmate Natalie Jones. Officials cited the district policy requiring that parents be notified before any classroom instruction about sex, AIDS or ‘family life.’ About half the class received permission and listened to the report, which was given during lunch hour rather than regular classroom time like other students’ reports, the ACLU said…The ACLU of San Diego and Imperial counties asserts that officials misinterpreted the district’s policy on sex education and, in the process, violated Natalie’s free speech rights. The group has given the Ramona Unified School District five days to respond or face a possible lawsuit.”

Said Jones’ mother: “This whole thing is unbelievable – first my daughter got called into the principal’s office as if she were in some kind of trouble, and then they treated her presentation like it was something icky. Harvey Milk was an elected official in this state and an important person in history. To say my daughter’s presentation is ‘sex education’ because Harvey Milk happened to be gay is completely wrong.”

The Mt. Woodson Elementary School student reportedly learned of Milk after seeing the Gus van Sant-directed film.

In the meantime a A group of parents are suing Castro Valley High School in California because it allowed this lesbian pastor to speak on the school’s “diversity day”.  Apparently the parents were never taught the meaning of diversity so they won’t allow their kids to learn it either. Watch it here.

I was watching “Bridge to Terebithia” with my mom yesterday, were the main character was taught that keeping one’s mind wide open is a good thing