Lucky

Why the hell aren't they posting? If you want to benefit from what people write, then contribute something yourself.

Wishful thinking, Charlie. This time it is a demographic fact that the Muslims are taking over. What happens after that remains to be seen. I doubt they are coming to Europe to be Europeans.

I was hoping that this thread would prompt at least one New Yorker to go see the movie. I will be in LA next weekend but it is not playing there as far as I can tell. I am going to see the Southern California premier of Jerry Springer: The Opera, which I saw on a large stage in London and absolutely loved. It didn't move to Broadway because of Christian protests.

Thanks for the response, Epigonos. I agree it is a hard topic to raise without being castigated. The norms we grew up with are slowly dwindling away. That may not be so bad, but to give a toehold in Europe to Islamic extremists without a fight seems folly. I'll take a look at the book you cite. There are, no doubt, no easy answers.

He and I can join hands any time! But first, he has to extend it!

Buddy, glad to see you back on the board. If you ever do get to one of those Palm Beach weekends, let me know how they compare to the one out west!

Thanks.

On thing about advances in the Muslim population of Europe. You have to count them in half as they don't let their womenfolk vote!

Hundreds of thousands of gays marched on Washington to block the right wing from stopping gay marriage and other rights. The gays are winning!

Tens of thousands of Egyptian Islamists poured into Tahrir Square on Friday calling for a state bound by strict religious law and delivering a persuasive show of force in a turbulent country showing deep divisions and growing signs of polarization. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/30/world/middleeast/30egypt.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

I think my thread has been hijacked!

Lurkerspeaks, that's an interesting trailer. I had forgotten that 1984 preceded the age of the gym bunny. But it does look like a heartfelt movie that could be enjoyed even with its look into the worst scourge in gay history. I wonder if young gay men will relate to it.

I thought Sicilian elephants were extinct, so their memories are kind of shot by now. Remember, MsGuy, you are supposed to comment on the post, not the poster. To compare me with that raging idiot of the right wing, a homophobe of distinction only when compared to mass murderers, is insulting. Not that I have any personal feelings about him, you see. Just an opinion. But I forgive you! Let's forget it all. Maybe we can join together to promote better relations!

Well, one of the posters, name of bauer, responded quite intelligently to my first post. He said: "pork, pork, pork!" and then, apparently feeling he needed to elaborate, added another post, saying: "toga,toga, toga." So you can see that these theater discussions can contain some insightful commentary by brains that see beyond the opaque walls of typical theater reviews. I only wish I had thought of it!

Opening today in New York is a movie called House of Boys. It may not be as exciting as it sounds, we'll have to wait for some New Yorkers to see it and tell us what they think. I doubt it is opening nationally. Maybe in LA. The NY Times calls it: "A gay tragedy in three acts and more than a dozen excellent songs, “House of Boys” conveys an emotional honesty that overrides its dated style." But the review concludes: "The storytelling may be heavy-handed, but the soundtrack rocks, and the director’s bittersweet nostalgia should win over the most flinty viewer. Cue Roy Orbison and pass the Kleenex, please." So, check out the review, then, if you live in New York, go see it for those of us who live in the hinterlands and tell us how many Kleenexes you used! http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/movies/house-of-boys-review.html?src=me&ref=movies

Oz, that looks just like me. How do you find these things? It's interesting that you say "Be Careful" as we are just talking about a group of gay men who post cordial thoughts on a message board, aren't we?

Last year I challenged the posters to increase their posting for the month of August. We called it the August Challenge, and it was a success. Now it's time for someone else to take up the cause...and keep after those guys who pledge to keep the challenge!

Well, when I went to New York to see some Broadway and off-Broadway shows, I posted about them here and no one responded. And I do miss the theater discussions over at Daddy's. After all, I started the theater forum there. So I made a decision to post in that forum and put my toe in the water there. But you will still see me just about everyday posting here, and hopefully getting some good conversations started, and continuing with the ones you guys have started. In order to post over there, I did look at the forums. I noticed many names that I did not recognize, but still have some good friends there. Daddy and I are in a state of détente so (see Zipperzone post) I did not have to ask or beg for the privilege of returning to the forums there. Once again, I have not left MER. We do need to boost the post count here. Can one of you come up with a new challenge like we had last August?

iThanks for your reply. I will look forward to hearing from you.

gcursor, your remark confuses me. You say that you "fantasized" about going to one of the Palm Springs parties, but people had told you "too many stories" that apparently destroyed your fantasy. Since both of the hosts of the party post here,why did you not simply ask us about the things you had heard? We have noticed that some stories seem to go around suggesting that the Weekend is some kind of sex party. Oliver and I, among others, did our best to deter those stories from spreading because the event is not a "sex party." It's true that there is a pool party and that some escorts have chosen to swim naked, but they don't walk around naked in the house or at the dinner and theater on Saturday night. The event is not sponsored by the websites. It is hosted by the poster Oliver, and, in past years, Oliver and I shared hosting duties. We would have been happy to answer any questions you have about the event. I did look at your profile wherein you describe your self as shy and anxious. Meeting a large number of your fellow posters at one time would probably not be good in that case. I would suggest that you do meet fellow posters, as you may make some good friends, as I have. We want the event to be for the people who post regularly, either here or at Daddy's website. In the last two years, we have not kept to that, and as a result had one or two who did not fit in because they did not know what they were coming to or anything about the event, its history, or the guests in attendance. That's one thing that needs to be changed and is why regular posters will be invited, and not people who think they are coming to an orgy or sex party.

Here in Southern California, I sometimes feel that I am living in Mexico. Signs are in both English and Spanish. We see people of Mexican heritage everywhere. The older people tend to speak Spanish and adhere to the old customs. The younger ones maintain a lot of their heritage, but do learn English and want to be able to get the jobs that whites get. After all, though, this area used to belong to Mexico. We've invited multitudes of Mexicans to come in and pick our berries, treating them badly as they did so, and making them unwelcome in our lives. Here in Palm Springs there is almost an apartheid as the whites and Mexicans do not mingle unless it is to discuss labor issues. I like Mexicans. I enjoy their company and their culture. I have visited many places in Mexico and speak a bit of the language. Mexicans, however, are not trying to overthrow the US government and establish a form of law that dates back centuries, allows stonings, ostracisms, religious police squads, or makes women third class citizens. That form of life is something that we as people who respect human rights must stand up to. Even if it means that MsGuy will insult me!

Well, that's quite an insult. I would oppose a TeaParty takeover of America just as much as I would oppose a Muslim take over of Europe. Unfortunately, as the Telegraph article shows, it's almost a foregone conclusion on Europe. I like Muslims as individual people. I think the moderates do not do enough to oppose the extremists. If the TeaParty were to try to take over the US, moderates would be far more vocal. Sharia law is an abomination, as is Muslim treatment of women. By your post above, I take it that's okay with you.

You believe correctly, at least in regard to the original question.

I was hoping to get a discussion going. I guess that is hard to do. Anyway: Britain and the rest of the European Union are ignoring a demographic time bomb: a recent rush into the EU by migrants, including millions of Muslims, will change the continent beyond recognition over the next two decades, and almost no policy-makers are talking about it. The numbers are startling. Only 3.2 per cent of Spain's population was foreign-born in 1998. In 2007 it was 13.4 per cent. Europe's Muslim population has more than doubled in the past 30 years and will have doubled again by 2015. In Brussels, the top seven baby boys' names recently were Mohamed, Adam, Rayan, Ayoub, Mehdi, Amine and Hamza. Europe's low white birth rate, coupled with faster multiplying migrants, will change fundamentally what we take to mean by European culture and society. The altered population mix has far-reaching implications for education, housing, welfare, labour, the arts and everything in between. It could have a critical impact on foreign policy: a study was submitted to the US Air Force on how America's relationship with Europe might evolve. Yet EU officials admit that these issues are not receiving the attention they deserve. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/5994047/Muslim-Europe-the-demographic-time-bomb-transforming-our-continent.html

Not that I favor actions like the one taken by the Norwegian mass murderer, but there is an issue there that is going to come to the forefront in the very near future. And that is the increasingly large influx of Muslims into traditional European countries. Many argue that Muslims will soon be the majority in countries like France, and that sharia law is not far behind. Is this alarmist thinking? No, it is based on fact and the statements of Muslim leaders. Paris, for example, is surrounded by Muslim slums. Many Muslims take advantage of loose immigration policies to take advantage of loose welfare policies in the countries to which they immigrate. France, guilt-ridden by its history in Algeria, is one such country. Norway is another, although I don't see the history of abuse of Muslims. But Norway is a welfare-seekers paradise. Having liked France (and much of Europe) just as it is, I don't want to see it become a Muslim ruled country. I believe that Muslims are a mostly peaceful people, but they do not actively oppose the leaders who want sharia law or want to terrorize their way to power. (Recent activity in the Middle East may prove me wrong.) Tighter immigration laws would seem necessary, and tighter welfare policies are almost required for any number of reasons having nothing to do with Muslims. Muslim Europe may be the future, but I wouldn't like to see it just handed over. However, the French have a history of giving away their country without a fight...