The Hustle and Flow goes on and on...

Talk about fast and furious...the 24/7 news cycle is in overdrive with shoes dropping at every turn. The mea culpas and resignations are flying off the shelves like Hannah Montanna stuff from the nearest WalMart. Gearldine Ferraro, Elliot Spitzer, Boy, what's a guy to do, as he tries to keep it all straight in 08! It's a TGIF and the hustle a flow goes on and on....

AIDS in Arkansas/an update: In an effort to get it out there, the imperfect "me" missed a typo and listed the meeting at the ADH as 10:00 a.m. instead of 1:00 p.m. per the e-blast. Oops, my bad, as the younger set tend to say. Nevertheless, as I've learned and humbly appreciate your readership, I stand corrected. Thank you intrepid readers whom keep us on our toes and then some. Also in that posting I alluded to the fact that the meeting was an "open opportunity," however, some quip that this may not be the case. With that said, the actual wording from the e-blast(dated 3.8.08) stated the following in reference to this meeting...

"...I would enjoy to also have available seating for anyone else that might like to join me in discussing and hearing options."

"Anyone..?" My reliable Websters Dictionary classifies this as "Any person: ANYBODY". If there's been a change in verbiage, boundaries or what have you.. so be it. If this is the case and you want to attend, yet are unsure you will be welcomed contact Mr. Smith at ADH 661-2408. (As a FYI, this post made the cut Thursday evening for an early Friday release.)

Pink Specturm-a No go: Recently, I got an update from the publishers of the defunct local Alternative mag, Pink Spectrum, on their impending plans to revive the tabloid. According to Editor/ Owner, S. DeArmon, "I just don't think I can do it, despite advertisers still contacting me about it." He cited many other reasons for his decision not to resume printing including the "intense scrutiny" and his lack of support perception which finalized his decision. I concur that the publication was soundly criticized and often savagely but, the Editors admitted their lack of expertise and was seeking to improve the content including using items from this forum. I was called out by some readers who felt that their use of my content which was anti-SQL and their choice to advertise for Shirley Q was mixed signals. I countered that even though our views differed, opposing viewpoints are necessary to facilitate dialouge. Furthermore, putting out any type of publication whether in digital form such as this or print can be an awesome task when working on shoestring budgets or independently. However, I've continued despite a local ad base but I'm not oppose to having any local ads. If you want to advertise here, let me know with a quickness. In the meantime, we use Googles Adsense which offers "ads" that are semi-related to our content and allow readers a direct link to items in sync to our target audience. Also, in the near future I will pursue other funding methods such as products, affiliate programs and widgets to support us. Don't forget your dollar support is vital within the GLBTQ community and out here in cyberspace. Therefore, it's Que, Sera, Sera.. or something like that.

Calling all Walkers!

Judge Alice Lightle welcomes your company and needs your support to tell the people of Little Rock about her campaign for District Judge, Position 1. She has begun walking already, knocking on doors and getting a great reception from voters, but the more people we can have knocking on doors distributing literature, the more people will know why she is running for this position. They will understand her broad experience practicing law, and will be sure, after meeting her, that she's the best candidate to represent the people of Little Rock as District Judge in the Criminal Courtroom. Our city deserves to be represented by judges who are fair, reasonable and respectful to all people. Judge Lightle has proven her ability to make sound decisions and has earned the respect of those who have entered her courtroom. Therefore, we need her to stay on the bench, and we need your help to keep her there!

Can you volunteer a few hours of your time Saturday afternoon to walk with Judge Lightle? Here is when she will be walking:

Saturday, March 15
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

To meet her goals of knocking on several hundred doors, we'll need at least 8 volunteers to walk with Judge Lightle.

Volunteer walkers will meet in the parking lot at Kavanaugh and Spruce (beside the building that houses Acadia Restaurant) at 1:45 p.m.

Please let me know if you are willing or able to help Judge Lightle for a few hours this weekend. If this weekend does not work for your schedule, Judge Lightle will be walking in different parts of town every weekend between now and Election Day, May 20th.

Need Training: For our readers in Northeast Arkansas, here's a announcement about applications that are now being accepted for the Leadership in Advocacy and Planning (LEAP) training in the Memphis region. The LEAP training is designed to enhance the leadership abilities of people who are living with HIV/ AIDS and would like to be better equipped to participate in the various opportunities for community planning of HIV services. Conceived, developed, and directed by people living with HIV and AIDS, the LEAP training is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) through a cooperative agreement with the Academy for Educational Development (AED). This two and a half day training will be held May 6-8, 2008 at Memphis Inter-FaithAssociation (MIFA) at 910 Vance Avenue. Any interested individuals from Shelby, Tipton, Fayette (TN), Desoto, Marshall, Tate, Tunica (MS) and Crittenden (AR) counties are encouraged to apply. If you or anyone you know are interested in participating in LEAP, please fill out the attached application or contact:
Scott Thompson at 202-884-8895
or sthompso@aed.org.
Applications for the Memphis, TN LEAP training to be held at the MetropolitanInter-Faith Association (MIFA) are due by April 18. Application to LEAP does not guarantee participation because space is limited. You will be notified after your application has been received and it has been reviewed. Please mail, fax, or email completed application forms to: Scott Thompson Academy for Educational Development 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NWWashington, D.C. 20009Fax: 202-884-8474 Email: sthompso@aed.org