The Lucky Reader for 11-14-11

[Lucky]

The Lucky Reader

The Lucky Reader is one man's idea of what makes interesting news.

Monday, November 14, 2011 in Two Sections

Section 1

Since you are one of the first people to read the first edition of the Lucky Reader, you might think that you are one of the Lucky People. Well, take a look at this short video to see what it really takes to be one of the Lucky People!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLqIfdDXJVs

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The movie J. Edgar is receiving plenty of attention. It has name stars, a big budget, and an American icon as director. J. Edgar Hoover himself was an American icon for decades, but his legacy is tarnished by revelations about him that came after his death and those afraid of him could finally speak out. The movie is entertaining. Leonardo DiCaprio as Hoover and Armie Hammer as the cute sidekick Clyde Tolson work well together. The makeup as they age is not always credible, especially for the older Tolson. But what is made believable is that they had a very close relationship. We will probably never know if they consummated it. Those things were not made public among the powerful back in that time. So what the film shows about that is all speculation, but credible. We can't imagine two lifelong bachelors being that close without acting on their hormones. Hoover's anti-homosexual policies sound a lot like those of right wing ministers who are also hiding their own proclivities in that department.

We do know that Hoover kept power for 48 years,and that he was feared. The movie shows how persuasive Hoover could be before a Congressional committee, especially once he learned what buttons to push. He could instill fear in the likes of Robert F. Kennedy and other top politicians.

The movie sparkles with its period sets and costumes. Perhaps we don't know all of the details, but the film seems to get the highlights right. Sunday's Washington Post has a column on the five myths about J. Edgar hoover that is worth a read.

Historian Kenneth Ackerman concludes: "But he (Hoover) also stands as a reminder that 48 years of power concentrated in one person is a recipe for abuse. It was mostly after his death that Hoover’s dark side became common knowledge — the covert black-bag jobs, the warrantless surveillance of civil rights leaders and Vietnam-era peace activists, the use of secret files to bully government officials, the snooping on movie stars and senators, and the rest. Hoover’s name, carved in stone at the FBI headquarters on Pennsyl­vania Avenue, should serve as a caution to the public and the dedicated professionals who work inside. The FBI’s license to intrude into people’s lives gives it a special public trust. If the daily reminder of Hoover’s excesses can help impart that message, it will be the best safeguard for the positive side of his legacy: a modern, professional, science-based and accountable detective force serving the public interest.

Kenneth D. Ackerman, a D.C.-based lawyer at OFW Law, is the author of “Young J. Edgar: Hoover and the Red Scare, 1919-1920.”

Post on Hoover

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What makes someone beautiful? It's what's inside, right? If that is so, why do some famous celebrities such as Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey pay as much as $15.000 a day for a makeup artist? And that makeup artist himself once weighed 565 pounds. Is he beautiful, or can he just create it on the faces of the rich?

Rutledge

We could discuss what makes one beautiful all day and probably not come to agreement. But this Washington Post magazine article is quite interesting, both for the look at people's need to be beautiful and the distinct talent that this man who many might not consider beautiful because of his weight and the deterioration it has caused his body at the age of 50. He has a handsome face though, or so I think. Take a look for yourself at this interesting piece:

Article on Makeup King

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Police took control of a Rio de Janeiro favela (slum) this weekend, trying to make the area safe for the 2016 Olympics. The bad guys had plenty of notice that they were coming, and I wonder what is going to keep the area safe for the next 5 years. How violent the reaction to this invasion will be is not known, but "...last November, gangs struck back with a week long spree of attacks, burning buses, robbing motorists on highways and spreading fear and chaos. At least 36 people died in the violence, mostly suspected drug traffickers fighting with police."

Totally Oz scooped me on it, so read his link in the Pub to learn more. I can provide you this:

A concerned Rio resident takes respite from the worries of poverty and crime:

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Welling

Cute actor Tom Welling, now 34, looks back at the people who influenced him the most in his ten year run as Superboy on Smallville:

The article on Welling's Influences:

Welling's Influences

[RA1]

Enjoyed the first rendition of LR. Question: Did Hoover begat McCarthy or did McCarthy begat Hoover?

I remember my school teachers being unhappy about signing a "loyalty pledge". They thought and I now agree that it was unconstitutional for sure. I was too young to have an informed opinion then.

Best regards,

RA1

[lookin]

Best thing I ever read!

It fits the bottom of the cage perfectly too.

Can't wait for the second installment.

Talented writer, this Lucky fella.

Who's Totally Oz?

Dunno, but it sure makes me homesick for Rio.

Pass me a cracker, would you?

[TampaYankee]

Impressive start on this reader. Congrats to Lucky and to us for having access to a crisply written, interesting, informative read, with pretty pics too. Now, if you could only serve it with a latte I'd be all set for my AM read. I eagerly anticipate the next issue.

Lookin, your posts are just too wonderful for words -- a masterful mix of words and supporting graphics so well matched to each other and to the subject of your post. You are nothing short of a communications artist. I would have said wordsmith but that falls far short of your combined written and graphical presentations.

[Guest EXPAT]

Good selection and great use of visual media.

[Lucky]

Section 2 of The Lucky Reader for 11/14/11

I had to delete some pics to fit the requirements of MER, but I think it works okay.

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Andy Towle, prominent gay blogger calls this video of a 15 year old Korean boy playing Michael Jackson's "Beat It" both "gorgeous" and "astounding." I liked it too!

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Last month marked the 50th anniversary of the film West Side Story, so the other day, a very well choreographed "flash mob" gathered at the plaza by the Times Square TKTS booth to perform a dance from the show. I saw the video at towleroad.com. A few dancers start performing, and are soon joined by many others. Can't be spontaneous, of course, since the choreography is just too good. It's worth a watch:

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Did disgraced football coach Jerry Sandusky abuse his own adopted children? A Patriot-News report indicates that Sandusky's alleged deviant behavior could be traced back even further, and may have involved one of his six adopted children, Matt Sandusky.

In the Patriot-News report, it reveals that Matt Sandusky's adoption file contains letters written by Matt's biological mother, Debra Long, which depict Long's concern for Matt living with the Sandusky family.

Matt began living at Sandusky's State College home in 1995. The Patriot-News report says Long was only able to visit her son a half day per month.Sandusky Probe

The report also says Matt Sandusky attempted suicide a few months after moving into the Sandusky home and that a probation officer assigned to Matt Sandusky, Terry Trude, later wrote a letter to Centre County Judge David Grine stating that the probation department was concerned for Matt Sandusky's "safety and his current progress" in the Sandusky family's care.

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Want to be the proud owner of Justin Bieber’s snake?

Never say never.

The 17-year-old heartthrob is auctioning off Johnson, the baby boa constrictor he brought with him to the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, to raise money for charity. If you have the highest bid, you could be playing with the Bieber snake right in your own home!

Read more: Bieber Link

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The Daily Beast lists 11 movies that became the most "unintentional gay movies ever.

See them all: 11 Gayer movies

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Last week, Rick Warren sent this message to the nearly 500,000 people who follow him on Twitter: “Husbands & wives should satisfy each other’s sexual needs. 1 Cor 7:3.”

His Twitter feed lit up with amens and retweets. “Oh gosh,” exclaimed one follower. Evangelical Christians want to talk about sex. And not in the same old punitive way. They want to talk about hot sex — as long as it’s between a man and a woman who are husband and wife. (Washingtonpost.com) The Christian magazine Relevant revealed that 80% of Christians have sex before marriage,compared to 88% of the general population.

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Want to see what some known straight folks have to say about gays? Stuff like: "'I'm Clint F------ Eastwood, and this is what I have to say about gay marriage.' BRAVO." Huffingtonpost.com has 11 quotes that you might like. See 11 Straight Allies

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Huffington Post also takes a harder look at the case of the D.A. Ray Gricar who declined to prosecute Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky in 1998. He went missing in 2005 and has never been found. Take a look, it's quite a mystery: Missing D.A.

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For readers, two book reviews in the NY Times Book review interest me. I just bought Stephen King's 11/22/63, which, at 848 pages is too long to read in a library's two week time frame. The book lists at $35, is available at WalMart for $25, and at Costco for $20. It's about a guy who time travels back to try to stop the Kennedy assassination, but is apparently much more than that. He starts in 1958. The Kennedys and the Fifties were enough to get me to buy the book despite not being a King fan. (It's sure heavy to hold. Maybe the Kindle is better for these long books!)

The other novel is The Sense of An Ending, the winner of the Man Booker Prize, by Julian Barnes. It's a feather in comparison to the size of the King book. In it, a man in his 60's (like me!) gets an unexpected bequest (unlike me) causing him to question his understanding of the past. Well, I do that all the time.

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We need a picture for the Reader, so here it is:

Jaron Brandon, a sophomore at the University of California, Merced, studying in the Jacuzzi of his six-bedroom house.

This comes from a front page article in the Sunday times about how college students are using foreclosed homes as student housing. This student lives in one in Merced, CA, with 6 bedrooms, and, of course, the jacuzzi.

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Nicolas Kristof is the Times resident bleeding heart liberal, and today he takes us on a raid in Camboida of a brothel with several underage girls. It's sad, but they seem to be plentiful. I wonder about those young boys in Thailand who seem to be available at certain venues. Are they forced into this? After all, what ten year old willingly enters the sex trade? And how common is it? I personally witnessed it once in the Sunnee Plaza area of Pattaya Thailand. Later, Totally Oz took me on a tour of the area bars to show me that a cleanup had occurred. But what is the market for this? Who really wants a pre-pubescent boy for sex? I just can't understand it.

Kristof Article article:

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Not that I go out much to gay bars here, but the Barracks Bar in Cathedral City, the "in" place to go on a Sunday afternoon, was raided yesterday. Leatherati reports: Barracks Bar Shut Down

Breaking news...we just received a text indicating the Barracks Bar in Cathedral City, CA was shut down this afternoon by the local police department for "capacity" issues. The closure came during one of the busiest Sunday beer busts of the year with the town crowded with attendees to Palm Springs Leather Pride. The Barracks has had ongoing difficulties with the Cathedral City police department over capacity issues and displayIng porn in the bar."

It sure must have been a mess as this place is packed on any Sunday, not to mention during leather weekend. So, as a gay man, should I be upset? Or, knowing how tight they pack the place, did the cops do us a favor on the big safety issues?

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[Guest hitoallusa]

Excellent! I love you Lucky.

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

Kudos Lucky on your weekly reader...To be honest, the first section didn't do a whole lot for me, but I really enjoyed the second section. It was short, concise paragraphs..links provided if I wanted to read more..and interesting topics.. Keep up the good work..

[Lucky]

Lurker, what I would be interested in is to hear what items you (and others) liked and which ones did not work for you. The middle ground can be left out. Also, you can give us your review of J.Edgar now, since you were waiting for mine.

If I posted these items separately, people would comment on what they thought of them. I hope that the sheer number of items doesn't discourage people from posting their reactions to the various items.

The need to post in two sections is now alleviated as Oz has increased the number of pix and media items to 25 from 10. That should make the Lucky Reader a one section post should there be another one.

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

I guess the easiest way to put it into words--I prefered the second part because it was "lighter, more "fluff" type stories imho.. I am more a fan of People magazine over the New Yorker. Give me light, fluffy entertainment that is fun, easy to digest, and if it is gaythemed or features cute boys, even better..

[Guest ez2plz]

Am I the only one amusing myself thinking, did Justin Bieber think of his snake as "my Johnson"

[Guest CharliePS]

My god! I found out the news about the Barracks raid here. I didn't see anything about it in the Desert Sun this morning.

[Guest hitoallusa]

So is this going to be a weekly thing?

[TotallyOz]

Loved the post Lucky. Thanks so much. I was also surprised at the Bieber's snake. I had not heard this.

The flash mob video was great.

How can I find a 6 bedroom house with a Jacuzzi?

[Lucky]

Oz, you would probably have to live in Vegas or Merced, CA to get one of those big houses. They are foreclosure capitols, not that Palm Springs is far behind.

Hitoall, I don't think it will be weekly. It may never reappear. FourAces has been giving me lessons

behind the scenes, including showing me what the Lucky Reader could have looked like had I been better schooled. I appreciate that.

The other thing is that few of the items I posted got responses. We all will admit, even if only to our spouses in the dark of the bedroom, that what we post we want to be read.

But I did hope to get at least 100 views,so that goal was reached.

[eeyore]

I always enjoy reading your book and movie reviews/recommendations. I also enjoy reading about what's going on in Palm Springs from the local perspective.

[Guest hitoallusa]

Lucky I did really enjoy Lucky Reader. I hope you can at least do it monthly or yearly. Whatever you write I can see yourself and honesty. I value that very much and appreciate it. By the way, I think it has passed the 100 mark and continuing so congratulations on your first Lucky Reader!

[lookin]

Lucky, I think it's really good. There wasn't a single article that wasn't of interest and your writing style is very pleasant to read: light, friendly, and with a wink.

No doubt it took some major effort to put together and I thank you. I suspect The Lucky Reader won't be coming out twice a week.

Must admit, I haven't read all the pieces yet. I've had company and, even if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't finish it in one sitting. For me, any comments will probably be spaced out over time. (This is only fitting, as I myself am often spaced out over time. ) If others read it the same way, you may find that responses aren't as plentiful and immediate as they would be if the content were spread out over multiple posts. But, however you serve it up, I'm looking forward to the next edition.

Well, off I go. I want to check out that little Johnson article. Thanks again!

[Guest hitoallusa]

Lookin who's that hot guy with you! Spill! Just kidding..

I've had company and, even if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't finish it in one sitting.

[Lucky]

Thanks, Lookin, and hitoallusa. I did enjoy finding the items for the Reader. I did edit some out,and shortened others. Four Aces did a mockup of the Reader to show me what I could do make it look sharper. He did a really fine job. It encourages me to try again.

So maybe it could be a monthly thing if people are interested. It does add something different here, even if a minor change. I do appreciate the encouragement.

(Am I the only one who worried that that college student in the hot tub might electrocute himself?)

[MsGuy]

(Am I the only one who worried that that college student in the hot tub might electrocute himself?)

hahahahahaha...I wondered about that myself.

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By the way, I really enjoyed The Lucky Reader.

I'm saving a pristine copy of the 1st edition for auction on E-Bay in 20 years to pay my nephew's college tuition.

[Guest hitoallusa]

Ha! I got you this time MsGuy! If you have a nephew who needs to go to college after 20 years then... You must be pretty young! You can't run away from me with your age thing again:)

Glad Lucky is going to write another reader. I'm so excited about it. It's a great creative activity and it tells a lot about people on here. Love you all!

[MsGuy]

Ha! I got you this time MsGuy! If you have a nephew who needs to go to college after 20 years then... You must be pretty young! You can't run away from me with your age thing again:)

Nice try, hito, close but no cigar.

The breeders in my family tend to pop out offspring long after most folks are content to rest on their laurels. I have a baby brother 16+ years my junior and he just added another one to his already too large brood last year.

Birthday presents, xmas presents, graduation presents, wedding presents; it's an unending assault on my retirement account.