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Archives for January 2021

Blackbird (Gay Movie) [2014] – Movie Review

20/01/2021 By ACOMSDave

 

Blackbird (Gay Movie)

2014

Directed:  Patrik-Ian Polk

Genre:  Drama

 

Blackbird (Gay Movie) Blackbird (Gay Movie)

I have just come across this movie (Blackbird (Gay Movie)) on YouTube, as it was just been uploaded on January this year (2021) some seven years after it hit the various movie festivals and then USA TV.  It is not a blockbuster, but with the right support it should have been, for the acting and production are beautiful

Blackbird is set in a small Southern Baptist community, with the main character, ‘Randy’ Rousseau, a young singer, being played by Julian J Walker (a college student in real life at the beginning of the movie).  He is a young singer who is struggling with his sexuality and the treatment of others while coming of age.  In the role of Rousseau, he is wonderful, bringing a depth to the character beyond his acting credentials.   The independent drama centres on a deeply religious high school student in a small Mississippi town, who struggles with the fact that he may be gay.  There is love, hatred, sadness, and a storyline which to many young black youths today may well resonate.  It was rated ‘R’ due to its gay content, and a few sex scenes, but I would heartily suggest you watch this movie, and if you are a teacher of our youth in school or college consider using it as a teaching resource – it has so many themes you can follow and discuss – but most of all it is a wonderful movie,

The main actors in this movie are:

 

Mo’Nique Blackbird - Mo'Nique
Julian J. Walker

 

Blackbird - Julian J Walker
Kevin Allesee

 

Blackbird - Kevin Allesee

 

Writers: Rikki Beadle Blair, Larry Duplechan (novel)

 

Links:

    • Youtube – Blackbird

  • 365 Without 377 – Movie Review
  • The Wrap – Mo’Nique on Why Black Hollywood Actors Shunned Gay-Themed ‘Blackbird’: ‘Everyone Was Afraid of It’

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Filed Under: Community Journalist, Movie Reviews Tagged With: baptist, bare chested male, Blackbird, gay black man, gay interest, gay protagonist, gay romance, LGBT Film, religion, sexual identity, sexuality

Being Homeless

17/01/2021 By ACOMSDave

Being Homeless

Being homeless is not normally a choice, it is usually forced upon individuals and families by circumstances over which they have little or no control.

Being Homeless

Research Matters wrote in March 2018, …Homelessness is a highly emotive issue and attention on the plight of those who are homeless in Northern Ireland has gained particular momentum…Young people who are homeless can have a range of complex needs resulting from mental health difficulties, family breakdown and childhood abuse…Family rejection resulting in a loss of accommodation and support networks was the most cited reason for homelessness amongst the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community…IN a study conducted by the Rainbow Project, it recommended developing protocols to enable the assessment of LGBT social housing applicants’ individual support needs and signposting vulnerable applicants to appropriate services.

In Dec 2020 David Levesley wrote in GQ …It’s been a bad year to be black or trans and it’s been an even worse year to be black, trans and queer if you don’t have a place to call home! His article incorporates a story about Sam who ended up in Amsterdam, Manchester and Birmingham and the difficulties of settling when you don’t know anyone or the culture. Ultimately he got lucky and heard about The Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) who have been assisting queer youth at risk of homelessness since 1989.

Being Homeless - YOuth

The Simon Community in its report ‘Pathways to Youth Homelessness’ found that 82% of young people said they were straight whilst 18% identified as being gay, lesbian, bisexual or were unsure. This number is significant compared to 1.9% of the general population identifying as LGBT in a recent ONS survey (2015.

In may last year (2020) a task group was set up in Northern Ireland to help plan the regions homelessness response as it exited the Coronavius lockdown – my initial investigations have shown that the following groups would be joining this group:-

  • Depaul
  • Extern
  • First Housing
  • housing Rights
  • The Salvation Army
  • Simon Community
  • Welcome Organizations

but so far what I don’t see is any involvement of representative’s from the LGBTQ+ community, and taking into account the Simon Community figures 18% of young people who indicated they were homeless were either gay, lesbian, bisexual or were unsure, this over-sight by the organizers needs to be rectified!

Homelessness is something we can fix, along with children being hungry, we are supposedly a rich country, and if we are then how we deal with these social issues and ensure that people do not suffer is a mark of our society’s ability to be human.

 

Links

  • Five ways to help support the LGBTQ+ homeless
  • Pathways to Youth Homelessness – Simon Community
  • Northern Ireland Homelessness Task Group

 

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Filed Under: Campaigns, Community Journalist Tagged With: gay, homeless, homelessness, lesbian, LGBTQ, Northern Ireland, risk, youth

Jack Clemo – Poet

15/01/2021 By ACOMSDave

I was watching a Rick Stein program tonight and he mentioned the poet Jack Clemo – I am not really a reader of poetry, but after hearing a few lines I was drawn to find out more about this poet.

Jack Clemo was born in Goonamarris. Jack was educated locally in the village school and concentrated on his poetry, while he lived in poverty with his widowed mother.  He lost his hearing and sight by 1955, the scenes of the Clay Country became his symbols for mystical and religious experiences.

The Clay-Tip Worker

Our clay-dumps are converging on the land:

Each day a few more flowers are killed,
A few more mossy hollows filled
With gravel. Like a clutching hand
The refuse moves against the dower,
The flaunting pride and power
Of springtide beauty menacing the sod;
And it is joy to me
To lengthen thus a finger of God
That wars with Poetry. […]

I love to see the sand I tip
Muzzle the grass and burst the daisy heads.
I watch the hard waves lapping out to still
The soil’s rhythm for ever, and I thrill
With solitary song upon my lip,
Exulting as the refuse spreads:
“Praise god, the earth is maimed,
And there will be no daisies in that field
Next spring; it will not yield
A single bloom or grass blade: I shall see
In symbol potently
Christ’s Kingdom there restored:
One patch of Poetry reclaimed
By Dogma: one more triumph for our Lord.”

 

Jack Clemo (1916–1994) | Art UK

 

The Flooded Clay-Pit

These white crags
Cup waves that rub more greedily
Now half-way up the chasm; you see
Doomed foliage hang like rags;

The whole clay-belly sags.

What scenes far
Beneath those waters: chimney-pots
That used to smoke; brown rusty clots
Of wheels still oozing tar;
Lodge doors that rot ajar.

Those iron rails
Emerge like claws cut short on the dump,
Though once they bore the waggon’s thump:
Now only toads and snails
Creep round their loosened nails.

Those thin tips
Of massive pit-bed pillars – how
They strain to scab the pool’s face now,
Pressing like famished lips
Which dread the cold eclipse.

 

Links:

  • Keeping Poets Alive: Why You Should Know About Jack Clemo
  • POETS OF THE CLAY COUNTRY: Jack Clemo
  • Belfast Book Festival 2015

 

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Filed Under: Editor to ACOMSDave, Poetry and Prose Tagged With: clay pits, Cornwall, Jack Clemo, poetry

Universal Classic Monsters

14/01/2021 By ACOMSDave

Universal to showcase Universal Classic Monsters movies for free on YouTube

January 7, 2021 by EJ Moreno

Universal Classic Monsters

For fans of the classic Universal Horror Monsters, you’ll be getting a treat in the new few weeks. In a partnership with Universal, the YouTube account Fear: The Home of Horror will be hosting some of the brand’s most iconic films of all time in a special week-long event this month.

For older fans, this is a great way of rewatching your favourites. And for newcomers, this is likely the easiest way to watch some of the most influential horror films ever. The movies that will stream for free, for a week, include Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man, and even comedy duo Abbott And Costello’s memorable crossover with the Monsters.

Check out the full schedule here…

January 15, 2021 (8pm GMT)

  • Dracula (1931)
  • The Mummy (1932)

January 16, 2021 (8pm GMT)

Universal Classic Monsters - Kill The Goblin

 

  • Frankenstein (1931)
  • Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)

January 17, 2021 (8pm GMT)

  • The Invisible Man (1933)
  • The Wolf Man (1941)
  • Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

According to NME, who broke the story, NBCUniversal is showing these seven classic films on YouTube’s ‘Fear: The Home of Horror’ channel starting on January 15th. They also note that fans will have the opportunity to add the films to their digital collection at a discounted price.

Universal Classic Monsters

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Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged With: fear, Free, horror, movie, Studio, UNiversal, YouTube

Gender-based violence and discrimination in Sport

14/01/2021 By ACOMSDave

Dear members,

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has been drawing attention to gender-based violence and discrimination for many years. The Assembly is now working on a report titled “The fight for a level playing field – ending discrimination against women in the world of sport”, which will result in a resolution to be adopted by the Assembly in 2021.

We, along with EL*C, TGEU, and OII Europe, are working to prepare a short submission on the specific needs and struggles of LBTI women in sports, and are looking for inputs to this submission.

Inputs can be:
– focused at the local, regional, or national level, or presenting a full Council of Europe perspective
– focused on LBTI women as a whole or on specific groups within the LBTI communities

The format for submissions is informal, and can include individual testimonies, statistical data, or descriptions of situations and practices affecting these communities.

Inputs are due by 31 January 2021. 

The questions on your email address and inclusion of reference to you or your organisation in the survey are mandatory; all other questions may be skipped if you choose.

Click here to share your inputs via an online form.

Sincerely,

Cianán B. Russell, Ph.D. (EN: they/them, ES: elle/le/*e)
Senior Policy Officer
ILGA-Europe
Mobile/WhatsApp: +32 478 12 0076
Rue du Trône 60, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 609 54 10 • Fax: +32 2 609 54 19 •  www.ilga-europe.org

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Filed Under: Anti-Bullying & Homophobia, Campaigns Tagged With: Council of Europe, discrimination, gender, homophobia, sport, survey, violence

The Roads Are Dangerous

12/01/2021 By ACOMSDave

A while ago, I wrote about driving on the roads and how both cyclists and motorists seem to be disregarding the ‘Highway Code’ the aim of The Highway Code is to make the roads safer for everyone because the roads are danerous. It gives guidance as to how you are to use the road in conjunction with fellow users (whether they be motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, or even riders of horses).
For motorists, they are cocooned in a metal box of some type which seems to make them think they are invincible, for the other users (who should be thinking of visibility) most seem to think that wearing dark clothes night and day is perfectly acceptable – of course, everyone will see them!

 

The Roads Are Dangerous

 

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Get Up To Speed – The Roads Are Dangerous

So why am I writing again about the dismal use of the Highway Code on our roads; well Belfast Live decided to also run an article on the use of our roads.

‘Belfast the most dangerous city for cyclists in the UK, new research suggests’

The statistics they gathered are staggering:

⦁ 71% of those who took part in the survey had been involved in some kind of accident while on their bike
⦁ At least 51% cannot correctly identity Highway Code rules related to cycling and that four out of ten cyclists (38%) quizzed don’t agree that cycle helmets should be compulsory on UK roads (sic doesn’t this remind you about the argument about seatbelts?)

 

The Roads Are Dangerous

Photo by Matteus Silva de Oliveira from Pexels

Lockdown

Lockdown - The Roads Are Dangerous

Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

With lockdown, the usage of bikes has gone up, but it would the majority of cyclists are not aware of many of the current rules put in place for their own protection! For example, over two-thirds of those surveyed (69%) wrong believe cyclists are able to ride more than two abreast on the road…59% of those surveyed did not think they were required to obey all traffic signs and traffic light signals.

However, the problem is not all one-sided. Motorists are equally as blind to the Highway Code, but they are more likely to get stopped and advised by the police, whilst the police do not have cyclists high enough on their radar.

It is a matter for all of us; in today’s society where we are handling a pandemic of global concern, and where our NHS is under so much pressure, surely we can all take a little bit more care, dress appropriately and act safely to ensure we don’t become the next statistic in the hospital waiting list.

 

Link:

  • Safety First – Wear Something bright At Night
  • Belfast the most dangerous city for cyclists in the UK, new research suggests

 

 

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Filed Under: Campaigns, Community Journalist Tagged With: Belfast Live, cyclists, dangerous, Highway Code, motorists, roads, safety, survey, visibility

The Bookseller by Mark Pryor – a book review

11/01/2021 By ACOMSDave

Title:  The Bookseller

Author:  Mark Pryor

Publisher:  Seventh Street Books

Current Price:   £8.74 (PB)

ISBN:   9781616147082

The Bookseller

Link in Amazon:  The Bookseller

The Bookseller harks back to the days of crisis being low key, it brings in World War 2 and collaborators but only as an aside, almost as a ‘red herring’.

The main character, Hugo Marston, fulfils the general characteristics of the hard-baked ex-cop, with a broken marriage; but here it departs from that genre, and develops the character.  Yes, he is an ex-cop, but actually ex-FBI, now he is head of security at a US Embassy in Paris, speaks excellent French (something I have only just started to learn) and has a hobby of collecting books and visiting second-hand book shops and the booksellers in Paris, but in particular Max who is located about a quarter of a mile from Quai Saint Michel.  He has friends in these places and feels at a lost when one of them (Max) is hustled away under threat!

There are a couple of side streams developed along with the main one; that of securing the release of Max.  A mysterious feminine reporter, who has an equally mysterious past, and a policeman who seems to not want to do anything about the ‘kidnapping’ – indeed seems to be blocking anything from happening.

Hugo brings into use his contacts in the USA (Tom a spook for the CIA) and through a lot of misadventures and stumbling, not to say many side entries, the story comes to a resolvement.

However, the book is anything but predictable, and the many side trips, in conjunction, make for a very interesting, well written, and enticing book.

For me as a reader, I love a book which is subtle, one that does not throw guns at you at every corner, one that makes you think.  It reminds me of Conan Doyle’s stories, off John Creasey’s stories about the Toff, or even of John le Carré’s stories with George Smiley.

Mark Pryor has written  nine books with the main character of Hugo Marston, I will be looking to read the rest in the series in the coming year, I hope you will do so as well:

 

  1. The Bookseller(2012)
    2. The Crypt Thief (2013)
    3. The Blood Promise (2014)
    4. The Button Man (2014)
    5. The Reluctant Matador (2015)
    6. The Paris Librarian (2016)
    7. The Sorbonne Affair (2017)
    8. The Book Artist (2019)
    9. The French Widow (2020)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: collaborators, colloration, drugs, Mark Pryor, Max, Nazi Germany, Paris, The Bookseller

Love Is

11/01/2021 By ACOMSDave

Love is a memory

In the 1960s Kim Grove started a craze by drawing personal cartoons (Love is) for her future husband, Roberto Casali.  Then over time they were published both in booklets and later in strip form in a newspaper in 1970, under the pen name “Kim”.

Her most memorable one was “Love is…being able to say you are sorry.”

Love is

 

The series hit something in everyone, and it gained an international following.  However, in 1975, Kim stopped working on the cartoon because her husband Roberto was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

At this time Kim commissioned London-based British cartoonist Bill Asprey to take over the writing and drawing of the cartoon series., which he is still doing.

What was also very poignant was that in 1970 the movie ‘Love Story’ and it had the signature line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

 

Links:

  • Love is website
  • Bill Asprey website

 

What does love mean?

And now I have come across this lovely posting on Facebook.

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, ‘What does love mean?’ The answers they got were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined!

‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore… So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.’ Rebecca – age 8

‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’ Billy – age 4

‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’ Karl – age 5

‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’ Chrissy – age 6

‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’ Terri – age 4

‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’ Danny – age 8

‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and just listen.’ Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)

‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.’ Nikka – age 6

(we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)

‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.’ Noelle – age 7

‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’ Tommy – age 6

‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’ Cindy – age 8

‘My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.’ Clare – age 6

‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’ Elaine – age 5

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.’ Chris – age 7

‘Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’ Mary Ann – age 4

‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’ Lauren – age 4

‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’ (what an image!) Karen – age 7

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross…’ Mark – age 6

‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’ Jessica – age 8

And the final one: The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, ‘Nothing, I just helped him cry.’

Now, take 60 seconds and post this for other to see. And then be a child again today

 

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Filed Under: Editor to ACOMSDave Tagged With: Andy Williams, Bill Asprey, cartoons, Kim Grove, love is, Roberto Casali

Inoculation Passport

03/01/2021 By ACOMSDave

ON December 1st, 2020 Michael Gove stated ‘that there are no plans to introduce a “vaccine passport” to give people access to places such as pubs and restaurants once a coronavirus jab becomes available.’

14 days later, Ana Beduschi, an Associate law professor at the University of Exeter said ‘

Digital health passports may contribute to the long-term management of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they pose essential questions for the protection of data privacy and human rights.

However the  International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline trade association that represents 290 airlines worldwide, announced on that it was in the final stages of developing a digital vaccine passport for travelers.

Currently with several coronavirus vaccines now in circulation, some travelers can’t stop talking about the Yellow Card.

So what is the Yellow Card, or Carte Jaune,; it is a medical passport issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). It’s an official record that some countries require for entrance, and it can document vaccination against diseases ranging from cholera and yellow fever to such childhood illnesses as rubella.

So is it possible that this doucment will soon also have entries for the COVID-19 – the short answer is maybe – only time will tell, but I believe the probability is a resounding YES.

COV?ID-19 is a global pandemic, and as such governments have to protect the people in their countries, whilst still allowing freedom of movmement and trade.  To enable these two areas to occur, there will have to be some mechamism of control and protection, whether that be two week lockdowns upon arrival or proof that you have been vacinated.  Of course if you don’t want to travel then you won’t be required to either have a vaccination passport or to be lockdowned on arrival.

You make your choice!

External links:

  • The Washington Post – What you need to know about vaccine passports
  • Healthline – Will Airlines Require Vaccine Passports in 2021?
  • Medscape – Could Immunity Passports Follow COVID-19 Vaccinations?
  • 7 News – Should a ‘vaccine passport’ be required? Experts weigh in on future of eating out, boarding flights, and more
  • BBC News – Covid-19: No plans for ‘vaccine passport’ – Michael Gove
Inoculation Passport
Inoculation Passport

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

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Filed Under: Community Journalist Tagged With: covid-19, government, inoculation passport, Lockdown, medical, politics

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