04.03.08 Outlook Weekly - Columbus Street Cars by Outlook Weekly

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TTING U C N FINANCIN O B G STREETCARS • IBIZA RIB

2 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY OWNERS AND PUBLISHERS Michael Daniels & Chris Hayes EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / ART DIRECTOR Chris Hayes hayes@outlookmedia.com ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR / PHOTOS Robert Trautman traut@outlookmedia.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mette Bach, Danielle Buckius, Wayne R Besen, Chris Crain, Jennifer Vanasco, Tom Moon, Regina Sewell, Leslie Robinson, Gregg Shapiro, Mick Weems, Julianne French, TF Barton, Romeo San Vicente, Jeff Fertig, Simon Sheppard, Tristan Taormino, Dennis Vanke, Mario Pinardi, Rick Kramer, Aaron Drake, Jennie Keplar, Scott Varner, Derrik Chinn, Dan Savage, Felice Newman, Tim Curran, Chris Hughes, Stephen J Fallon, Felice Newman, J. Eric Peters, Crystal Hawkins, Brent Wilder, Matthew Burlingame, Jacob Anderson-Minshall, Matthew Veritas Tsien, Cheri Meyers

SNAPSHOT Kiss Me I Might Be Irish! St Patty’s Day started at 5:30a for top o’ the morning kegs and eggs at Flannagan’s. Serious leprechauns and would be Irish lads & lassies enjoyed green beer and a free breakfast with the crew from

photos by Chris Hayes

97.9. Outlook’s Irish pirates then made their way to Fado Irish Pub at Easton, Byrne’s Pub in Grandview, Claddagh Irish Pub in the Brewery District and last but not least Thurman’s. All in all, the seventeen-hour drink fest was ar meisce!

We Got Our Pride The United Way’s pilot project Pride Leadership - a program aimed at training GLBT individual to be able to take on board positions in various organizationshad its kick off at The Capital Club downtown Mar 25. The 2008 class met and mingled over appetizers and open bar. The program will conclude in November.

BUSINESS & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Michael Daniels mdaniels@outlookmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING Rivendell Media - 212.242.6863 ADVERTISING DEADLINE Each Wednesday 8 days prior to publication. Call us at 614.268.8525. HOW TO REACH US Outlook Media, Inc. 815 N High St, Suite ii Columbus, OH 43215 614.268.8525 phone 614.261.8200 fax www.outlookweekly.net web www.outlookmedia.com business www.myspace.com/outlookweekly friends www.flickr.com/outlookweekly photos SUBSCRIPTIONS Call 614.268.8525

READERSHIP: 210,000 PEOPLE / MONTH Outlook Weekly is published and distributed by Outlook Media, Inc. every Thursday throughout Ohio. Outlook Weekly is a free publication provided solely for the use of our readers. Any person who willfully or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over copies of Outlook Weekly with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading it shall be considered guilty of the crime of theft. Violators will be prosecuted. The views expressed in Outlook Weekly are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or personal, business, or professional practices of Outlook Media, Inc. or its staff, ownership, or management. Outlook Weekly does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented. Outlook Media, Inc. does not investigate or accept responsibility for claims made in any advertisement. Outlook Media, Inc. assumes no responsibility for claims arising in connection with products and services advertised herein, nor for the content of, or reply to, any advertisement. All material is copyrighted ©2008 by Outlook Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

APR 03 - APR 09 2008 VOLUME 12 NUMBER 40

APR 03 - APR 09 2008

SNAPSHOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........2 ABOUT TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...3, 30 LETTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........4 STRAIGHT UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........6 COMMUNITY CORNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........8 OUT BUSINESS NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......11 EARTH TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......13 EXAMINED LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......15 FEATURE: STREETCARS . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .16-24 DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......20 ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......20 GALLERY HOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...22-24 MUSIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......26 BITCH SLAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......27 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......27 PUCKER UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......28 SAVAGE LOVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......29 THE LAST WORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......31 SCOPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......31 NEXT WEEK: THE HEALTH ISSUE

OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 3

ABOUT TOWN by Chris Hayes SATURDAY, APRIL 5 LIVE WELL EQUIVITA’s Living and Learning Workshops @ 1508 Hess St, 614.298.8781, www.equivita.com: A free informal class will be offered every forty-five minutes, encompassing a wide variety of life topics such as sleep and relaxation, acupuncture, home organization, and a new model of fitness. See pg 30 for more info. 1p-4p; free. HEY WHAT’S IN YOUR HAT? Miracles and Magic @ Verne Riffe Center’s Capitol Theatre, 77 S High St, 614.469.1045, www.miraclesandmagic.com: Ohio’s top variety show of comedy, magic and grand illusion is back in town. The show features award-winning illusionists and magicalcomedy acts from America and abroad and benefits Adventures for Wish Kids, a not-for-profit organization that provides year round trips, activities and events for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. 1p&5p; $8-$250. SUNDAY, APRIL 6 MOMMA WAS A ROLLING STONE Roller Derby @ Ohio Expo Center’s Lausche Building, 717 East 17th Avenue, 888.OHO.EXPO, www.ohiorollergirls.com: Come join the Ohio Roller Girls as season rolls into high gear. Other bouts are scheduled for May 11, June 8 and July 6. 5p; $10$15. CHICKEN LADY, ANYONE? The Kids In The Hall Live As We’ll Ever Be Tour @ Wexner Center Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St, 614.292.3535, wexarts.org: The most critically-acclaimed comedy troupe of our generation hits Columbus tonight. The troupe’s distinctly edgy humor broke new ground with their characterizations of secretaries, prostitutes, gays, drug users, and oddball creations like the half human Chicken Lady, the vengeful “head crusher” and the chauvinist Cabbage Head. Come see the funniest live! 8p; 25.50$35.50. I HEARD SHE CHOKED ON A DIET PILL Tabloid The Musical @ Shadowbox Cabaret, Easton Towne Center, 614.416.7625, shadowboxcabaret.com: After a ten year hiatus from self-producing original, full-length musical productions Shadowbox returns with Tabloid The Musical premiering tonight! Smart, witty, and upbeat Tabloid weaves the lives of a recently deceased starlet and her estranged family with a tabloid columnist and the paparazzi. Sundays through April 13. 7:30p, $20 / $10 students and seniors. WHEN SHE SITS AROUND THE HOUSE, SHE REALLY SITS AROUND THE HOUSE Jackie Beat @ Axis, 775 N High St, 614.291.4008, columbusnightlife.com: The once voluptuous, divineesque queen of sarcasm Jackie Beat lands in cow town for a night of skinny, biting comedy. Literally, she will bite you! This national entertainer takes the stage with a preshow by Nina West, Virginia West and Lita Mannon. Doors 8p, show 9p; $40 for table of four. EVERY THING’S COMING UP ROSES! Audition Notice: Raconteur Theatre Company @ Kafe Karouac, 2250 N High St,614.804.1695, www.rtheatre.org: Raconteur Theatre Company will hold auditions for its first annual Flex Series today at 4p & April 7 at 7p.. Bring headshot and resume if available; auditions will consist of readings from the

scripts. They are in need of 2 females and 2 males in their twenties and 1 middle-aged male. For more information visit website or call Tricia. 4p; free. MONDAY, APRIL 7 THE BOND BETWEEN WOMEN DAMES Bond Networking Event @ Surly Girl Saloon, 1126 N High St, damesbond.com: Tonight’s event host is Bea de Courtivron, Founder, MotoMedics International. MotoMedics International is a non-profit organization which works to develop and maintain support and funding for reliable delivery of health services to marginalized and remote populations in Latin America. Come network with other woman and experience the power. 6p-8p; free. TUESDAY, APRIL 8 YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPERS Volunteer Open House @ Council for Older Adults, 800 Cheshire Rd, Delaware, OH 43015, 740.363.6677, www.growingolder.org: Thinking of turning over a new leaf? Come grow through volunteering! Learn about volunteer opportunities with the Council and how you can help Delaware County become a better place to grow older! Presentations at 4, 5 and 6 p.m. followed by guided building tours. To RSVP or for more information: Amy Brown at (740) 203-2355 or amyb@growingolder.org. 4p-7p; free. KICK ‘EM IN THE NUTS BRAVO’s Self-Defense Workshops @ Pomerence Hall 306, 1760 Neil Ave, 614.294.7867, www.bravoohio.org: As much progress as the community has made in the realm of social acceptance, some people still wish us harm. That’s why BRAVO is presenting self-defense workshops for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people this April and May. Resistance to a physical attack provides a significantly greater chance of surviving. Participants will learn mental, verbal, and physical skills to help protect themselves. The class is free and open to all LGBT people and meets for 5 consecutive Tuesdays at Class dates are April 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 6. Call to register. 6p; free. BUT I’M NOT GAY! Avenue Q @ The Palace Theatre, 34 W Broad St, 614.469.9850, www.capa.com: Avenue Q is Broadway’s smash-hit 2004 Tony Award winner for best musical, best score and best book. A hilarious show, full of heart and hummable tunes, Avenue Q is about trying to make it in New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. Called “one of the funniest shows you’re ever likely to see” by Entertainment Weekly, Avenue Q features a cast of people and puppets who tell the story in a smart, risque and downright entertaining way. Tue-Fri 8p, Sat 2p & 8p, Sun 1p&6:30p; $22.50-$69.50. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 IT’S ALL IN WHO YOU KNOW Network Columbus @ Whole Foods Market, 3670 W Dublin-Granville Rd, networkcolumbus.com: Outlook presents Network Columbus, a chamber of commerce for gay-owned and allied companies and gay and allied business professionals offering networking events, educational programs, business advocacy and linkages with other business and professional organizations to lead and support economic growth within the central Ohio gay community. This month’s event is a Earth Day/Green Business special event at Whole Foods in Dublin. Relaxed business atmosphere, lots of prizes and free food. Come and network already! 6p-8p; free. APR 03 - APR 09 2008

The Reader Poll

4 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY

LETTERS

The Honeymoon Is So Over, Howard

Last week we asked:

If you could be a puppet, which puppet would you be and why?

You had us gays at hello, Governor Dean. So how did something so good go so bad? Can’t we find our way back to each other? Dear Howard, It’s us, the gay community. We need to talk. You know what about our relationship. It’s no secret we’ve been drifting apart, all that romance and excitement from the halcyon days of 2004 seems like a lifetime ago now. These days, all we do is argue, and our dirty laundry is daily fodder for the gossiphounds on the blogosphere. The name-calling. The nastiness. The pettiness. This isn’t us. We should be thick as thieves. Eight years of George W. Bush is enough to make all but the button-down Log Cabin boys swoon at the prospect of one of yours in the White House. I mean just look at our choices. The GOP is nominating a septuagenarian whose idea of a May-December romance is a gay rights record even worse than George Bush in 2000: no workplace protections, no hate crime law, no gays serving openly in the military - even the most limited domestic partnerships are a non-starter with John McCain. Your side, on the other hand, is down to two courtesans who know exactly what to say. Hillary had us practically at hello –at least since she said she wasn’t staying home serving milk and cookies. She’s already won over most of our prominent politicos, including 13 of the 21 out LGBT superdelegates. (We won’t count Donna Brazile, nudge nudge wink wink.) Despite Barack

Obama’s own charm offensive, he has only 2. But the handsome senator from Illinois knows how to push our buttons, too. He woos us with promises to repeal all of the Defense of Marriage Act, which reminds us of the presidential playa who signed it into law in the first place. Hillary feels our pain on that, no doubt. When you see Clinton and Obama courting us, do you remember the 2004 party primaries? It was all about you, Howard — a littleknown governor from Vermont who courageously supported the nation’s first civil unions law. No matter the audience, you talked about gay rights before gay rights were cool. We swooned in response, and our dollars played a major role in putting you on the map. Later, we cheered when you parlayed your primary success into a bid to chair the Democratic National Committee. So where did it all go wrong, Howard? It was that meddling “M word,” wasn’t it? Our expectations for this relationship went sky high after we could get married in Massachusetts. We thought you’d be happy for us but instead, like most pols, you just weren’t ready to go there. We were moving too fast for you, and it put you on the defensive. Sorry about that. Then you went on Pat Robertson’s “700 Club” and said your party platform backed “one man-one woman marriage.” Ouch! We felt

doubly betrayed; you were philandering with our sworn enemies and acting like you weren’t already spoken for. Looking back, we were too sensitive. It was smart politics for you to reach out to the religious right. So many of them these days are not their grandfather’s evangelicals. But the Democratic Party platform is actually neutral on gay marriage, and it wasn’t the only time you got that wrong in public. Our suspicions grew. Where was the Howard we fell for? Maybe you were just like Bill Clinton and the rest – wham bam, thanks for the cash, man. Then came the squabbling. Some of your most loyal party gays swore you’d lost that lovin’ feeling. You nixed the “gay outreach desk,” left us out of the party’s annual grassroots report, and you wouldn’t go along with treating us like other minority groups in delegate selection. You said you had your reasons, you said you did it for us, to make our bond stronger. We said, “Talk to the hand.” What did you expect? You sacked Donald Hitchcock, your top gay liaison, and said it was strictly based on performance. But now he’s sued you alleging anti-gay bias. We don’t know who to believe, considering he got the axe just a week after his partner, longtime Dem Paul Yandura, publicly blasted you for not doing more to fight state marriage

amendments. There’s that “Mword” again. You know what happened next. Everything got personal. You called the Washington Blade “the Fox News of the gay media.” The Stonewall Dems got so riled at your chief of staff they said it was high time to “get these mother fuckin’ snakes off this mother fuckin’ plane.” A senior DNC staffer said she used gay newspapers to line her birdcage. It’s crazy, isn’t it, how nasty it’s gotten, when we were so important to each other early on. Is it too late for us? Have we gone from Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” to “D-I-V-O-R-C-E”? Actually no – that’s the “M word” again, sneaking up from behind. Still, civil union “DI-S-S-O-L-U-T-I-O-N” just doesn’t have the same ring. So what do you say, Howard? Can we give us one more try? Meet us halfway? You don’t have to bring us flowers – just get a gay rights bill or two through the Democratic-controlled Congress. Sincerely, Chris Crain Chris Crain is former editor of the Washington Blade and five other gay publications and now edits GayNewsWatch.com. He can be reached via his blog at www.citizencrain.com

• Sock puppet • Petrushka - ‘cause the music is so vivid • Lamb Chop, because it looks sweet and innocent but can turn into an instant terror! • I would totally be The Great Gonzo from The Muppet Show. His quirky one-of-a-kind outlook is admirable, he shoots himself out of cannons, and his absurd love of chickens rivals my own. • George W Bush. You get to have absolutely no responsibility for what you do and have great perks and a great pension plan. • Animal - what else can you say? • Miss Piggy, as I would love to react to being “fisted” by Jim Henson when he “puts her on.”

NEXT WEEKS QUESTIONS: Are you in favor of the proposed street car starter line for High Street? Log on to: www.outlookweekly.net to take this week’s poll.

31% SO U RC

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10 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY

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OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 11

OUT BUSINESS NEWS

WILL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR AFFECT INVESTORS? by David Cunningham, Edward Jones Financial

GCAC PRESIDENT BRYAN W. KNICELY CHOSEN AS A LEADER FOR NATIONAL ARTS ORGANIZATION Bryan W. Knicely, president of the Greater Columbus Arts Council was chosen to serve as vice president on the executive committee for the United States Urban Arts Federation (USUAF) at its winter meeting Feb. 14-16 in El Paso, TX. The USUAF is an alliance of the chief executives of arts agencies in the nation’s 60 largest cities and is affiliated with Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. The USUAF meets twice annually to discuss urban arts policy and funding. “It is both a pleasure and honor to be elected to serve my peers from around the country in this role while advancing the arts and culture both locally and nationally,” Knicely said. “I look forward to advancing critical cultural issues and conversations while continuing to raise the local profile of Greater Columbus and GCAC.” Bryan W. Knicely joined the Greater Columbus Arts Council in December 2006. Knicely has developed many national connections through his work with the National Endowment for the Arts. He served as a panelist on the NEA’s 2006 State Arts Agencies Partnership Agreement peer-review process. In addition to the NEA, Knicely has worked with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and presented at two if its national conferences, as well as playing an active role with Americans for the Arts as an Arts Action Fund Member. Knicely is currently a board member for both the Ohio Citizens for the Arts and the Columbus AIDS Task Force, and he is a member of the nominations committee for the Columbus Metropolitan Club. “Americans for the Arts congratulates Bryan and the other new officers to the United States Urban Arts Federation,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Serving as executive directors, presidents and CEOs, their work and cultural leadership will guide our 60 largest municipal arts agencies in addressing social, educational and economic development issues through the arts.”

KEGLER BROWN ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF ATTORNEY JEFF STILTNER TO FIRM The law firm of Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter (Kegler Brown) is proud to announce the addition of attorney Jeffrey W. Stiltner. Jeff Stiltner has joined the firm as a director and will practice primarily in business and corporate law, real estate law and taxation law. Prior to joining Kegler Brown, Stiltner was a partner at Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP. Stiltner spends time in the community through his involvement with several organizations, including the Central Ohio Arthritis Foundation. He has also been recognized by Business First as a Forty Under 40 award winner (2005) and by Super Lawyers magazine as an “Ohio Rising Star” (2005, 2006, 2007). Stiltner received his bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University and his Juris Doctorate and LL.M. in taxation from Capital University Law School.

ANDY CRIPPS APPOINTED NEW SENIOR ACCOUNT EXEC AT THE GROSSMAN GROUP Andrew Cripps has taken the position of Senior Account Executive with The Grossman Group [TGG] in Westerville, OH. Mr. Cripps was formerly employed as the Director of Union Recyclers in Marysville, OH and as the Central Ohio recycling representative for Rumpke of Ohio, Inc. in Columbus, OH. He is the current president of the Association of Ohio Recyclers (AOR) and has been involved in the recycling industry for 14 years in both West Virginia and Ohio. He is a graduate of Montreat-Anderson College and Belhaven College

As you are no doubt aware, 2008 is a presidential election year. As a citizen, you may well have a great deal of interest in the election. But how about as an investor? How does an election year affect the investment climate? And - again from the perspective of an investor - does it matter who wins? To begin with, let’s examine how the stock market reacted in the past to the selection of a president. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose in nine of the past 11 presidential election years, with an average gain of slightly more than nine percent. So it‘s clear that, for the most part, the market has done pretty well when America goes to the polls. Does the election or re-election of a president just make us more optimistic, leading us to invest more heavily and thereby drive up the markets? Probably not. In reality, many factors - such as corporate profits, geopolitical concerns, interest rates and inflation - drive stock prices. And this is true in all years, whether an election is held or not. Consequently, stock returns from past presidential election years, while impressive, cannot serve as a reliable predictor of what the market might do in 2008. Now, let’s turn to the next question: As an investor, how will the outcome of the election affect you? There’s not really a simple answer. In the past, the stock market has performed well - and performed poorly -under both Democrats and Republicans. Of course, candidates of both parties will have different priorities and try to enact different economic agendas, and these priorities may have some impact - although one that’s notoriously hard to predict - on different market sectors. In short, no one can accurately forecast the effect of this November’s election on the financial markets, and that won’t change even after the nominees are known. Instead of pondering the “what-ifs” involved in a presidential election, you’re much better off following some tried-and-true investment strategies. Here are a few to consider: * Keep on investing. World events may be good or bad, and the stock market may be up or down - but no matter what happens, the most successful investors stay in the market. Look for quality investments and hold them until either your needs change, or the investments themselves undergo some type of transformation. * Know your risk tolerance. If you’re losing sleep at night over your investments, you’re probably taking on more risk than the amount with which you are comfortable. At the same time, if your investments are putting you to sleep, they may be too conservative, which could mean they’re not providing the growth necessary to help you meet your goals. Strive for a balance that fits your investment personality. * Think long-term. If you’re constantly adjusting your investment mix in response to short-term events, you’ll probably rack up big commissions and you almost certainly won’t make the necessary progress toward your important objectives, such as a comfortable retirement. So, train yourself to ignore daily or weekly or monthly price fluctuations and keep your eyes on the far horizon. If you’ve chosen the right investments, they should be designed to help you work towards your goals in exchange for your patience. This November, don’t forget to vote. But before and after Election Day, cast your ballot for solid investment technique.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EMPLOYEE FINANCIAL EDUCATION by David Cunningham, Edward Jones Financial In the old days, if you worked for a company, your retirement income would likely have been in the form of a pension, with the amount based on your income level and years of service. Apart from those factors, you had little control over the size of your pension benefits. That pension model is still around, but it’s not as prevalent as it once was. Today, many employers offer 401(k) plans, which give you the responsibility of choosing the right investment mix for your risk tolerance and retirement goals. Yet, along with their 401(k)s, many employers also provide some level of financial education - so you’ll want to take full advantage of it. As you peruse your company’s financial education program and materials, however, keep one thing in mind: Your employer is not going to advise you on your investment decisions. In some cases, an employer may provide you with access to a financial advisor, but it’s your decision as to whether to use this financial advisor, find one on your own or make your own 401(k)-related investment decisions independently. Nonetheless, whichever route you choose, you may find that your employees’ financial education materials can be helpful. Pay close attention to the following: * Descriptions of investments - Your 401(k) plan might offer a dozen or more investment options, including accounts made up of stocks, bonds and money market instruments. You may also be able to invest in your company stock. Study these investment choices carefully as you put together your 401(k) portfolio, and make sure you understand exactly the potential advantages and disadvantages of each individual investment. Ideally, you’ll want to diversify your holdings. While diversification, by itself, can’t guarantee investment success, it may be able to help you reduce the effects of market volatility, which can hit investors especially hard if all their investments are tied up in just one type of asset. And, as you build and maintain your 401(k) portfolio, be aware that most 401(k) participants are probably not aggressive enough in their investment options, putting too many dollars into fixed-income vehicles and too few dollars into stock-based accounts. You will likely be investing in your 401(k) for several decades - long enough to not get caught up with the daily fluctuations of the market and give yourself a chance for a “buy-and-hold” strategy to work. * “Nuts and bolts” of your plan - 401(k) plans can vary quite a bit in how they are administered and what services they offer, so it pays to take some time to really understand how you plan works. What fees, if any are involved in your 401(k)? How often can you change your investment allocation? Can you reach live customer representatives during working hours only, or are they also available at night and on weekends? How often will you get statements? Will you have access to a Web site that provides customized information on your investments’ performance? These are the types of questions you’ll want answered as you explore your plan. Your 401(k) can be an excellent retirement-savings vehicle. Your earnings have the potential to grow on a tax-deferred basis and your pre-tax contributions can lower your annual taxable income. To get the maximum benefits from your plan, however, you’ll need to fully understand how it works - so take a close look at those employee education materials. APR 03 - APR 09 2008

12 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY

APR 03 - APR 09 2008

OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 13

EARTH TALK From the Editors of E

Dear EarthTalk:

Dairy products like yogurt always seem to come in packages of low recyclabilty (labeled “5,” which our town won’t take). Why aren’t these containers more recyclable? And isn’t there a more eco-friendly container these companies could use?

Which trees are best to plant to help combat global warming? Tim C

John Marble The ability to recycle a plastic item rests with many factors, including its material, its usability in new products once it has been broken down into its original components, and whether or not a market is in place that can facilitate transactions of the recycled materials from sellers to buyers. Recycling polypropylene (designated with a “5”), the material used in many food containers, is technically possible. The challenge is in separating it from other plastics, including its own many variations, once it arrives at the waste station and beyond. Because of the difficulty and expense of sorting, collecting, cleaning and reprocessing plastics of all kinds, in many places it is only economically viable to recycle a few select types. These usually include polyethylene terephthalate (PETE, designated with a “1”), high-density polyethylene (HDPE, “2”), and sometimes polyvinyl chloride (PVC, “3”). According to the Society of the Plastics Industry, polypropylene is a “thermoplastic polymer,” meaning that it has the density and resins that give it a high melting point, enabling it to tolerate hot liquid without breaking down. As such, it is used in a wide range of food packaging applications in which the product initially goes into the container hot or is later microwave heated in the container. It is also used to make bottle caps, computer disks, straws and film packaging. Its toughness, strength, ability to be a barrier to moisture, and resistance to grease, oil and chemicals also make it a very attractive material for many uses. Environmentally friendly alternatives to polypropylene and other plastics are beginning

to be developed, however. NatureWorks, a division of Cargill, has developed a corn-based plastic called polylactic acid (PLA). While it looks and functions like other plastics PLA is fully biodegradable, given that it is derived from plant-based materials. Whether it is composted or landfilled, it will biodegrade into its constituent organic parts, though there are debates as to how long that process takes. Another pioneering company is Massachusetts-based Metabolix, which has partnered with corporate giant, Archer Daniels Midland, to make corn plastics that the company claims will “biodegrade benignly in a wide range of environments, including marine and wetlands.” A handful of natural foods companies and retailers, including Newman’s Own Organics, Del Monte Fresh Produce and Wild Oats Markets, are already using corn plastic for some of their packaging, though not yet to replace heat-resistant polypropylene. Analysts expect such plant-based alternatives to come on stronger and stronger in the days ahead as petroleum becomes more expensive and more politically unstable. Even Coca-Cola has started experimenting with replacing its traditional plastic soda bottles with a corn-based alternative. And last October, as part of its “green” overhaul, Wal-Mart announced it would replace 114 million plastic produce containers a year with PLA varieties, sparing about 800,000 barrels of oil annually.

Trees are important tools in the fight to stave off global warming, because they absorb and store the key greenhouse gas emitted by our cars and power plants, carbon dioxide (CO2), before it has a chance to reach the upper atmosphere where it can help trap heat around the Earth’s surface. While all living plant matter absorbs CO2 as part of photosynthesis, trees process significantly more than smaller plants due to their large size and extensive root structures. In essence, trees, as kings of the plant world, have much more “woody biomass” to store CO2 than smaller plants, and as a result are considered nature’s most efficient “carbon sinks.” According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), tree species that grow quickly and live long are ideal carbon sinks. Unfortunately, these two attributes are usually mutually exclusive. Given the choice, foresters interested in maximizing the absorption and storage of CO2 (known as “carbon sequestration”) usually favor younger trees that grow more quickly than their older cohorts. However, slower growing trees can store much more carbon over their significantly longer lives. Scientists are busy studying the carbon sequestration potential of different types of trees in various parts of the U.S., including Eucalyptus in Hawaii, loblolly pine in the Southeast, bottomland hardwoods in Mississippi, and poplars in the Great Lakes. “There are literally dozens of tree species that could be planted depending upon location, climate and soils,” says Stan Wullschleger, a researcher at Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory who specializes in the physiologi-

cal response of plants to global climate change. Dave Nowak, a researcher at the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station in Syracuse, New York has studied the use of trees for carbon sequestration in urban settings across the United States. A 2002 study he co-authored lists the Common Horsechestnut, Black Walnut, American Sweetgum, Ponderosa Pine, Red Pine, White Pine, London Plane, Hispaniolan Pine, Douglas Fir, Scarlet Oak, Red Oak, Virginia Live Oak and Bald Cypress as examples of trees especially good at absorbing and storing CO2. Nowak advises urban land managers to avoid trees that require a lot of maintenance, as the burning of fossil fuels to power equipment like trucks and chainsaws will only erase the carbon absorption gains otherwise made. Ultimately, trees of any shape, size or genetic origin help absorb CO2. Most scientists agree that the least expensive and perhaps easiest way for individuals to help offset the CO2 that they generate in their everyday lives is to plant a tree…any tree, as long as it is appropriate for the given region and climate. Those who wish to help larger tree planting efforts can donate money or time to the National Arbor Day Foundation or American Forests in the U.S., or to the Tree Canada Foundation in Canada.

CONTACTS: NatureWorks, www.natureworksllc.com; Metabolix, www.metabolix.com ; The Society of the Plastics Industry, www.plasticsindustry.org. American Forests, www.americanforests.org; National Arbor Day Foundation, www.arborday.org; Tree Canada Foundation, www.treecanada.ca. GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? E-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

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OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 15

THE EXAMINED LIFE by Tom Moon, MFT

Do Gay Men Respect Gay Men’s Relationships? Q: I wanted to introduce my new lover Marcello to my friends, so I took him to a birthday party where they were all present. Marcello is strikingly handsome, and…they were all over him like a pack of wolves. Even though I had introduced him as my other half it didn’t seem to matter. They were grabbing him, making sexual comments, and flirting with him as if I wasn’t even there. And then, as we were leaving, one of them handed him his telephone number and told him he could call him any time – right in front of me! Marcello was embarrassed, but he didn’t want to create a scene in front of my friends, so he just politely took the number. (He tore it up the minute we were outside). I was so shocked that I didn’t say anything. I think I also didn’t want to act like a possessive, jealous type of lover. But by the time we got home we were both boiling. I regard myself as married to this man, and I don’t think any of my friends showed an ounce of respect for it. Marcello got over it. He said “All men are dogs. What do you expect?” But I’m still upset my question is am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Should I talk to my friends about the way they behaved or just let the whole thing go?

This isn’t a molehill, and it’s capitulation to shrug the whole incident off with the cliché that all men are dogs. Your friends are human beings. By all means, talk about it with them. If you just ignore their trespass on the integrity of your relationship, you’ll give them implicit permission to continue the behavior. The incident you describe highlights an important emerging tension in gay culture. In the early 1970’s, the new gay liberation movement was often overtly hostile to gay relationships. Couples were practicing “couple-ism” – aping heterosexual patterns, and true gay liberation, it was argued, meant overthrowing all of these “patriarchal” forms of behavior. But since then, each new generation of gay men seems to have been more interested in traditional couple relationships than the previous one. In a study of gay couples in 1983, for instance, only 18% described themselves as monogamous, but in a study in 2000, 70% said they were monogamous. So we now have a culture in which, on the one hand, there’s a widespread assumption that every man is fair game, while at the same time increasing numbers are committing to traditional relationships. In this situation, collisions of contradictory assumptions are inevitable. A client told me a while back that when he discovered his

boyfriend had been seeing someone else behind his back, he got little support for his hurt or sense of betrayal from any of his friends. He told me, “They said, in effect, ‘Boys will be boys, what do you expect? One guy even implied that it was all my fault. He said, ‘Well, why did he have to lie to you?’ He said I should get over being jealous because only insecure people are jealous. Only my women friends had any understanding of why loyalty and commitment mattered to me. The message I got was that I should get with the program and be a sophisticated gay man who isn’t hurt by lies and betrayal.” We currently live in a culture in which gay couples can’t assume that the boundaries of their relationships will be respected or even understood by the larger gay culture, because we don’t have commonly accepted assumptions about what being a couple is supposed to mean. Many of us simply assume that it’s appropriate to hit on any other gay man, whether they’re single or not. Gay couples need to understand this, and to prepare for it by making it clear, first with each other, and then to those around them, what being a “couple” means to them. What do you mean when you say you’re “partners” or “boyfriends.”? What does it mean when you say you’re “married?” Does gay marriage have the traditional mean-

ing that you “forsake all others,” or does it mean something else? Is your relationship monogamous or open? If it’s an open relationship, what are the ground rules governing outside sex? These are questions that all too many of us avoid discussing with our partners, and the resulting clash of assumptions is often fatal. The effort to persuade America to show the same respect for our relationships that it accords to straight relationships deserves our full support. But when so many gay couples experience gay culture itself as an indifferent or even a hostile environment in which to be a couple, it’s clear that we also have some unfinished business to resolve in our own culture. It will be a great day when America finally learns to accord our relationships full recognition. Maybe this will, in turn, lead to an even more radical outcome: to the day when gay men begin to respect gay men’s relationships. Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. His website is tommoon.net.

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ENDORSEMENTS ARE IN!

16 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY

FEATURE STORY

Downtown Connectivity Vital To Visitor Experience

Streetcars that link hotels to the Greater Columbus Convention Center, downtown visitor attractions, The Ohio State University campus and entertainment districts, would do much to enhance the experience of visitors to Columbus, according to Experience Columbus, the region’s destination sales and marketing organization. “The connectivity of downtown is a vital component to a desirable and vibrant city for both leisure and convention visitors, as well as local residents” said Paul Astleford, president and CEO of Experience Columbus. “It is one of the key components we need to compete for a larger share of the convention and visitor markets and the significant economic contribution those visitors represent to our community.” Independent research documents that visitors spend more than $5.3 billion in Greater Columbus annually. Other components that are key to building the community’s competitive strength as a tourism and convention destination include 1) a full-service convention hotel near the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 2) development of more unique retail and entertainment alternatives along the downtown High Street corridor and 3) collaborative image building and marketing initiatives to address the city’s perennial struggle with its lack of recognition in the national and global marketplace. “Mayor Coleman’s plan to bring streetcars downtown represents a visionary and innovative approach to our city’s future not only as a great place to live, work and raise a family, but also as a wonderful place to visit and play,” said Astleford.

Downtown Columbus Streetcar Connects with Ohio’s Rail Plans

Mayor Coleman Unveils Streetcar Financing Plan Streetcars could be riding the rails in Columbus in 2012 under a plan outlined by Mayor Michael B. Coleman, City Councilmember Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, and a team of engineers and financial experts last week. The team brought together the Mayor’s 42-member Streetcar Working Group and residents to outline the funding scenario to pay for a $103 million starter line that would travel 2.8 miles up High Street from Mound to The Ohio State University campus. “We’ve done our homework and asked the toughest questions, and it is clear that streetcars can be good for Columbus,” said Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “A sleek, modern Streetcar system will reconnect neighborhoods and downtown, connect workers to jobs in a time of high gas prices, help build our economy, and we can do it all without a citywide tax increase.” The plan represents more than two years of study by the City, businesses, civic leaders, and most recently by HDR, a national engineering firm, and John Rosenberger, formerly of Capitol South, who developed the detailed financial scenario. An economic impact study commissioned by the Streetcar Working Group from the Danter Company estimated $300 million in private investment in new housing, jobs, commercial development and visitor activity along the first phase of the streetcar line. “Along these routes you have a lot of people – some 50,000 students, 141,000 workers at 6,000 companies and another 60,000 people who live between campus and downtown Columbus. Every year we get more than one million visitors for conferences and conventions. If we share the costs among all those who benefit from having access to streetcars, we can build a great system by our Bicentennial in 2012,” said Maryellen O’Shaughnessy, City Council Member. The funding scenario presented to the Streetcar Working Group during a public meeting held at City Hall calls for 80% of the funding to be generated from within a ‘benefit zone’ drawn approximately three blocks on either side of the Streetcar line. APR 03 - APR 09 2008

All parking revenue from the ‘benefit zone’ would be dedicated to streetcars, including an increase on metered parking, and a 4% surcharge on paid parking and ticket admissions to sporting and entertainment events. Fares and an annual funding contribution from The Ohio State University would bring ‘benefit zone’ funding to 80% of the cost needed to build and operate the starter line. “This is a funding scenario that asks a lot of people to pay a little, so that no one has to pay a lot,” said John Rosenberger, a local expert on public private partnerships and downtown development. “We have been timid too long, streetcars would be a bold, transportation option that would drive a new generation of investment.” While the majority of funds come from those who live, work and visit the ‘benefit zone’, the remaining 20% will be paid for by the greater community, which also benefits from the economic growth of the area. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has already pledged $20 million to the project. Mayor Coleman proposed an initial investment from the City Capital Budget of $2 million in 2008 to begin engineering the project. Under this scenario, the streetcars could be rolling as early as 2012, in time for the City’s Bicentennial celebration, with construction starting as early as 2010. In making its recommendation to move forward, in November 2006, the Streetcar Working Group identified several benefits that streetcars would bring the city including economic development, connectivity, help with parking, and green transportation. The streetcar also fulfills part of Mayor Coleman’s Downtown Business Plan that has already attracted two billion dollars of investment since 2002. The full report is available at www.columbus.gov, and residents can leave feedback by writing to: streetcars@downtowncolumbus

Applauding the successful efforts of Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman’s Streetcar Working Group to identify a funding plan for the proposed Downtown Streetcar, Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) Executive Director Matt Dietrich called the streetcar plan “an excellent fit with ORDC’s overall plans to move more people by rail in Ohio.” “The Columbus Downtown Streetcar is very much in keeping with ORDC’s aims to ensure improved linkages between our plans for intercity passenger rail and local mass transit”, says ORDC’s Dietrich. “With Governor Ted Strickland’s recent request to Amtrak to begin examining restoration of passenger rail service in the Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati (3-C) Corridor and now the Mayor’s streetcar plan, we are creating a 21st Century mobility for the citizens of Ohio.” “We also view Mayor Coleman’s streetcar plan as right on track with Governor Ted Strickland’s goals to create transportation options that have a direct economic benefit for Ohio’s urban areas”, Dietrich continued. “With ever increasing fuel costs, we want to create transportation options that allow our citizens and businesses to ease the financial burden that comes with being solely dependent on the automobile.

BOMA Columbus joins Mayor Coleman’s Office in support of Downtown Streetcars BOMA Columbus recently co-sponsored, in conjunction with Mayor Coleman’s Office, a breakfast for real estate developers to learn about the benefits of bringing a streetcar system in Columbus. Developer John Carroll of Portland, Oregon stated that streetcars make good “economic sense”, because they attract millions of dollars in development as supported by a recent Danter Group study. Also, the convenience and excitement of moving many downtown office building tenants throughout the city, without using fossil fuel and adding to the already congested downtown streets, is a step in the “Go Green” direction, embraced by BOMA Columbus and the Mayor’s Office. In an effort to further advance green and sustainability practices in Columbus, BOMA has accepted the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International’s 7-Point Challenge. BOMA International recently presented its new plan and chal-

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PROPOSED STARTER ROUTE

FEATURE STORY

FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS The Starter Route - Criteria Used The figure to the right shows the aggregate line ultimately recommended by the Team as the starter route and a shaded area referred to as the Benefit Zone. The proposed starter route combines elements of previously proposed by the Streetcar Working Group and ranks highest when considering all of the following general criteria in combination: Cost per rider carried in the short term; Balance of ridership throughout day and weekend; Cost per unit of existing development served; Cost per unit of new development capacity “opened” up; Provision of adequate long-term development capacity (20 years +) relative to potential market demand; Foundation for possible route expansions; and Near term physical feasibility.

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ther assumed that approximately 70 percent of the ridership would ride under programs linked to the charges in the benefit zone for paid off-street parking and admissions. The resulting $720,000 per year expected from fare revenues equals approximately 16 percent of gross operating costs, which is in line with other transit system operating experience, where such revenues rarely exceed 20 percent of operating costs. Ohio State University Participation Students, faculty, staff and visitors to OSU will be major users and beneficiaries of the line. The University can be anticipated to participate in some degree to the ongoing funding of the line.

Charge on Paid Off-Street Parking This item is modeled on the surcharges on paid offstreet parking that are not uncommon in other major Funding Concept American cities. Examples are Cleveland at 8%, A model has been developed to fund the streetcar starter route based on the fundamental benefits and Seattle at 7.5%, Chicago at $20 on monthly parking equities discussed earlier and reflecting the analysis rates between $40 and $100 (effectively 20% to 50%) and Pittsburgh at 50%. The recommendation of each potential funding tool. Based on the above is a surcharge of four percent on paid off-street considerations, a funding mix has been identified and includes specific sources generated from activ- parking within the benefit zone. ity arising within the benefit zone and from broader community resources. The table below summarizes Paid admissions surcharge the recommended funding framework, and the sec- A surcharge of four percent is proposed on all paid tions that follow describe each source in more detail. admissions to sporting events, convention and comIn the case of each revenue source, the funds raised mercial shows in facilities that operate in the benefit zone. The holder of any surcharged ticket would be would be designated for application exclusively to able to use the ticket stub to ride the streetcar the the streetcar project. day of the event. Benefit Zone Rate increase on meter parking Based on existing levels of activity and rate strucParking rates on 2-hour meters within the benefit tures, the following sources from within the benefit zone would, upon immediate implementation, gener- zone would be raised by up to 75 cents per hour depending on the location of the meter. This is still less ate a predictable and fairly steady revenue stream approximating $10.5 million per year. The funds col- than surface lots and garages in the area for shortlected could be applied towards both operating costs term hourly parking. and/or debt service payments associated with the Meter parking capital costs. Existing annual revenues generated from all parking meters within the benefit zone would be applied toFares/Pay-to-Ride ward the streetcar project as long as necessary to Everyone who rides the streetcar will pay. Fare revenue is based on the assumption that approximately close the gap on the benefit zone side of the partner30 percent of the ridership would pay the respective ship. The amount of revenues that need to be used to fares for a one-way ticket, round-trip ticket, monthly support the project could be phased down as other pass, ten-trip coupon booklet, etc. It is believed that potential revenue sources come into play over time. this mix of fares would average $1 per ride. It is furGreater Community Sources The greater community would be called upon to cover approximately 20 percent of the starter route’s total annualized costs of $11.4 million, which equals $2.2 million per year. MORPC Presently, MORPC has programmed an allocation of $20 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds to the streetcar project, in annual payments of $2 million over the 2011-2020 period. This equates to $15 million in reduced capital costs if converted to a single check in 2010 (Net Present Value).

the stops, if allowed. It also includes revenues from short term naming rights to individual streetcar vehicles and stops on contracts that are renewable in terms as short as six months. These are order of magnitude estimates based on the operating experience of other streetcar lines and adjustments for the size of the line and expected level of patronage. Formula Federal operating funds FTA annual operating funds allocated to the region will automatically increase based on the number of vehicle hours of service provided, and other related parameters measuring availability of transit service. [Net operating costs are derived by subtracting expected offsets from fares, advertising, naming rights and formula Federal transit funds. The amounts projected shown for the latter three categories ($200,000/year) are order of magnitude estimates based on the operating experience of other streetcar lines and adjustments for the size of the line and expected level of patronage.] Other Resources State and Corporate Partners A number of state agencies and corporate entities may be a source for some capital grants. To the extent that these can be generated, they could reduce the need for City funding either directly as a member of the greater community or via the use of parking revenues from meters located in the benefit zone. City of Columbus Contributions from the City’s Capital Improvement Program may be a source of up front funds to get the streetcar project started quickly, while the other sources are being negotiated and put in place. Tax Increment District It is recommended that the City consider setting up new, or expanding existing Tax Increment Financing Districts in the near future encompassing the area approximately identified as the “benefit zone” for the starter line. While this would not produce any significant revenue in the earliest years, over time it provides the City with a tool to essentially “repay itself” in the future for any funds early advanced from the City’s broader Capital Improvement program used to get the first line started, or alternatively to decrease reliance in the future on the use of parking meter revenues.

Federal Funding It is recommended that the City take measures to preserve its options to obtain federal funding in the Advertising and short term future for extensions of the initial line. The principal naming rights point here is to at least undertake those minimum Approximately $100,000/year required procedural and documentation efforts may be derived from this needed to avoid having the starter line “disqualisource, which includes onfied” from eligibility in future funding rounds. board advertising inside the cars, and possibly some at

APR 03 - APR 09 2008

ENDORSEMENTS ARE IN! lenged members of the commercial real estate community to accept the plan as part of everyday business practice. By accepting this challenge, BOMA Columbus will work with building owners and building management firms in Columbus to reduce the use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources and waste production. Benchmarks in the 7-Point Green Challenge include: decrease energy consumption by 30 percent across portfolios by 2012, employ the ENERGY STAR® metrics to benchmark energy performance and water usage, provide education to engineers, owners and operators, perform energy audits to implement low-risk and low-cost strategies, improve operations and building maintenance systems. Finally, as part of the plan, BOMA is asking members to work to position themselves as leaders and solution providers to owners and tenants. “BOMA Columbus supports the use of streetcars because it fits perfectly in our overall efforts to accomplish these goals”, as stated by Cindy Smith, Executive Director.

Statement of Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee on Downtown Streetcar Plan: “Ohio State enthusiastically supports Mayor Coleman’s streetcar initiative. It will benefit our students, faculty and staff, as well as the people who live and work in the University District. And it will provide easy transportation to campus so that visitors can enjoy the South Campus Gateway, Wexner Center for the Arts and the many other arts, entertainment and sporting events on and around our campus. A streetcar line along the High Street corridor is a symbol of the close ties that exist between our world-class university and our world-class city.”

1000 Friends of Central Ohio Support Streetcars “We applaud the Mayor for offering transportation choices to the residents of Central Ohio,” says Doug Ervin, Chair of the only central Ohio non-profit group focused on comprehensive transportation networks and responsible land use practices. “The Mayor is being courageous”, adds Marilyn Baker, Executive Director, “in a time when only courageous steps will meet the myriad of challenges facing us today amidst fossil fuel shortages, higher than ever fuel costs, climate crises and critical community health issues.” “Transportation choices offer people the opportunity to increase their quality of life”, continues Ervin. “It gives people a pay-raise – something none of us would turn down!” Members of 1000 Friends of Central Ohio has advocated for increased networks in central Ohio’s transportation system since it was initiated in 2002. Light rail has been a focal point of it advocacy efforts because, according to Marilyn Baker, Executive Director, “Rail is a powerful engine for the economic development of the metropolitan area. A streetcar in Columbus will benefit not just citizens who live and work downtown, but all citizens in the region and all communities in central Ohio. You build transportation networks for tomorrow and you will have a tomorrow that thrives.” “Any way you look at it, from an economic standpoint, an air pollution standpoint, human health, responsible use of the land, livable community, or economic development standpoint – any way you look at it,” says Baker, “public transportation options are a tremendous benefit to a community. And, a fixed guide way – where rail lines are built into the pavement – lower investment risks because of the permanency, so citizens can expect a tremendous return that will add enormous benefit to their way of living.” “Transportation costs, for each of us, are increasing at an alarming rate - at times exceeding the cost of housing!” explains Ervin. “As we contemplate the challenges before us, we need to continue to explore all opportunities that make us less auto dependent and more focused on an integrated transportation system for Central Ohio.”

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20 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY

DEEP INSIDE HOLLYWOOD by Romeo San Vicente

CLOONEY IS THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX What’s the connection between the Coen Brothers’ dark, violent No Country for Old Men and the upcoming animated family feature The Fantastic Mr. Fox? Besides Coen collaborator George Clooney in the starring voice role, that would be gay superproducer Scott Rudin, the man whose recent Oscar acceptance speech included a loving thank you to his partner (which was then strangely excised from the Academy’s official transcript). Rudin tends to go where the hits are, and this Wes Anderson-directed, Clooney and Cate Blanchett-voiced feature, about a quick-witted fox and three unpleasant farmers trying to do him in, looks like a sure-fire holiday hit. And in this instance, “holiday” means Christmas of 2009. But not to worry, Clooney has Burn After Reading (the next one from the Coens) arriving during the interim.

LIKE STRANGERS WITH CANDY, BUT FOR KIDS Until he crossed over to the PG-13 Law and Order SVU, Chris Meloni was most notorious for gay sex scenes and full-frontal nudity on Oz. And now Meloni is set to become even more family-friendly. He’ll star in Gym Teacher: The Movie for Nickelodeon as a down-on-his-luck coach vying for the Gym Teacher of the Year award and finding an especially uncoordinated student standing in his way. But this broad family comedy won’t be another High School Musical. That’s because some people from a much stranger high school environment Paul Dinello and Amy Sedaris from Strangers with Candy - are involved, too. Dinello, who played gay art teacher Mr. Jellineck on the bizarre sitcom, is directing. Meanwhile, Sedaris will star as the school’s principal, who has a obsessive crush on Meloni’s character. The movie airs this August.

INDIE FILM WILL PULL KAREN BLACK

A METAL WEDDING FOR SIMON CALLOW

Last year, up-and-coming filmmaker Cam Archer made a small splash with his quietly beautiful, experimental first feature Wild Tigers I Have Known, about a young boy struggling with his emerging queer sexuality. And even without a traditional plot, the film turned heads. Now Archer is back, and this time with a view toward a (slightly) more mainstream audience. Pull, a dark drama about a woman with a compulsive need to pull out her own hair one strand at a time (sounds like Todd Haynes’ Safe, but creepier), will star not only the legendary Karen Black (Nashville) but also musician Rickie Lee Jones. No word yet on when the movie will be ready for an audience, but if Archer’s first feature is any indication, it will be one that audiences won’t soon forget.

American audiences remember him best as the joyfully gay heart attack victim who put the “funeral” in Four Weddings and a Funeral. But now gay Brit character actor Simon Callow gets his own wedding, even if it is something of an odd one. He’s starring in the recently wrapped Chemical Wedding, about a shy professor who manages to bring legendary occult figure Aleister Crowley back to life. And if that plot weren’t oddball enough, there’s the film’s lineage: it was co-written by Bruce Dickinson, a name metal fans will know as the leader of the hugely successful rockers Iron Maiden. The sure-to-be-destined-for-cult-status film is due for release later this year. No word yet on whether or not Iron Maiden’s songs will hog the soundtrack spotlight.

Romeo San Vicente prefers Metallica, Judas Priest, and W.A.S.P. to Iron Maiden. He can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.

ARTS by Kim Schuette

Be Changed

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How many of us can remember the exact moment that changed us? Was it the first time you stood up to a bully, the occasion you met your first love, the day your child was born or someone close to you died? Perhaps it was the very instant when you knew precisely who you were and what you wanted to do with your life. What is certain is that each of us has different visions and passions that drive us. All of us will set goals for ourselves and, somewhere down the road, will experience a relationship or an event that will leave a mark in our life and change us forever. Personally, I know it would make me a better person if I would encounter something once in a while that I had never imagined before. Whether it’s a place, a person, a belief or an incident, I want to shake up my complacent life, alter my perspective, enlarge my world and be enriched by the experience. The Ohio Historical Center in Columbus will be featuring a new exhibit opening April 25 that will do just that. Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs is the largest display of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs ever shown. In fact, the tagline for the show says it all “Be Changed.” This special exhibition, developed by the Newseum the interactive museum of news - will feature 150 award-winning images from 1942, when the Pulitzer Prize for photojournalism was established, through 2007. Of the millions of photographs seen in

newspapers each year, only two win the coveted Pulitzer Prize - one for spot or breaking news, and the other for feature photography. The award-winning images record the defining moments of our time captured by photojournalists doing their daily job - working on assignment close to home or around the globe. They were at the right place at the right time and had the skill and the daring to seize the opportunity when it presented itself. Visitors to this exhibition will see one of the most extensive and dramatic photographic displays ever mounted at the museum. The images, 20-by-30-inch and 30-by-40-inch, will be arranged chronologically on large panels, filling the main exhibit gallery. Each will be accompanied by a firsthand account of the events leading up to the photograph. Some of the photographs have become icons of their time: the flag raising on Iwo Jima, the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald, the World Trade Center attack. Others record forgotten events of the last six decades. While some images tell the stories of famous people, others portray the lives of ordinary citizens. “The pictures show the brutalities of our age, but the Pulitzer photojournalists also recorded tender and compassionate moments,” says curator Cyma Rubin. “Shown together in the exhibition the photographs make us think about the realities of world events and the intimate personal moments

for the subjects. Anyone who views the exhibition will be changed by the experience.” To tie into the 1971 Pulitzer winner “Kent State Massacre” by photographer John Paul Filo and the upcoming anniversary of the event, the Ohio Historical Center will feature It Happened in Ohio: The Kent State Shootings. Visitors will learn about the build up and reaction to the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970, through artifacts, photos and personal accounts. So, like most people, I can count on my hands the moments that changed my life and defined me. Knowing what I know about Capture the Moment and It Happened in Ohio, I fully expect these two exhibits will have a profound affect on me. I’m looking forward to it. Capture the Moment, which is sponsored by the Reinberger Foundation and The Columbus Dispatch, runs through July 25. Admission to the Ohio Historical Center is $7/adults, $3/students and free for OHS members and children 5 years of age and under. The Ohio Historical Center is located at I71 and East 17th Avenue in Columbus. Parking is $4 per vehicle and free to OHS members. For information, call 614.297.2300 or visit www.ohiohistory.org/capture. Kim Schuette is Communications and Media Relations Manager for Ohio Historical Center, a member organization of the Columbus Arts Marketing Association. For more information, visit www.camaonline.org.

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ARTS

Gallery Hop: Saturday, Apr 5

MAHAN GALLERY

TERRA GALLERY

Art Exchange, LTD, The 17 E Brickel St / 614.464.4611 Exhibit Title: Green: Landscapes and Beyond Artist(s): Featuring work of Philip Josephs, Dan Miller, Gary Bowling, Ric Snead, Peter Beckmann and more. Art Media: Painting, Sculpture and Works on Paper About the Exhibit: Mid-career & wellestablished Columbus and regional artists show a festive look at the color green and the landscapes we celebrate during the “Get Green” month of April. Echoes Art & Antiques 24 East Lincoln St / 614.291.9101 Exhibit Title: Smoky Brown Artist(s): Grandpa Smoky Brown Art Media: Acrylic on Board About the Exhibit: Collection of 11 original paintings from private collections - all for sale. His pieces have been favorites at the last three Art For Life events affiliated with the Columbus Museum of Art. East Village 630 N High St / 614.228.3546 Exhibit Title: I’m Not the Architech Artist(s): Robert Trautman Art Media: Paintings About the Exhibit: Architectural adaptations from photos to paintings. See page 30 for more info.

EAST VILLAGE

WEXNER CENTER

OHIO ART LEAGUE APR 03 - APR 09 2008

The April Gallery Hop sponsored by Outlook Weekly, kicks off the Short North’s commitment to GET GREEN. Over the coming year, many Short North businesses will begin adopting even friendlier environmental practices, including: collaborative recycling, energy audits, buying locally and spotlighting eco-friendly products. At the Hop, the District will be partnering with key green organiza-

Mahan Gallery 717 N High St / 614.294.3278 www.mahangallery.com Exhibit Title: Isn’t it Romantic? Artist(s): ): Jenny Hart, Caroline Hwang, Olivia Jeffries, Mario Madiai, Arabella Proffer-Vendetta, and Heather Willems Art Media: painting, drawing, sewing collage, embroidery, mixed media Artist Reception: Saturday, April 5 About the Exhibit: Isn’t It Romantic is a show loosely based around the book of poetry, Isn’t It Romantic: 100 Love Poems by Young American Poets. The works included exemplify that happiness and love is present, being born, redefined and reinventing all the time. Marcia Evans Gallery 8 East Lincoln St. / 614.298.8847 Exhibit Title: Spring Show Artist(s): Shawn Morin & Scott Smith Art Media: Stone & Bronze Sculpture and Assemblies & Prints Artist Reception: Friday, April 4 About the Exhibit: Shawn’s cast bronze & steel, granite, marble, wood & glass sculpture. Scott’s Assemblies with wood & metal & silkscreen etched prints.

Ohio Art League 954 N High St / 614.299.8225 Exhibit Title: I Could Swear I Saw A Light Artist(s): Brian Williams Edward Jones Art Media: Graphite 850 N High St / 614.297.1190 Artist Reception: Friday, April 4 Exhibit Title: Photos from Bexley High About the Exhibit: Williams’ drawings School are gently surreal and thoroughly realArtist(s): Students from Bexley High ized scenes which lure the viewer into School dreamlike encounters between animal Art Media: Photography and human, nature and technology, About the Exhibit: Photos by Bexley reality and possibility. All of the drawHigh School Students ings feature recognizable settings and objects but the way he has twisted Elements of Art / Art Space and reorganized meanings leads us to 507 N. High St. / 614.324.9030 rethink our relationship to these www.elementsofart.net things, and to have our sense of reality Exhibit Title: Human Forms scrambled as in a dream. Artist(s): Roman Czech Art Media: Mixed Media Rebecca Ibel Gallery About the Exhibit: Collation of original 1055 N High St / 614.291.2555 work and international artists. Exhibit Title: Dan McCleary: Etchings Artist(s): Dan McCleary The Lamp Shade Art Media: Etching 990 N High St / 614.299.6442 About the Exhibit: McCleary’s etchings Exhibit Title: Unique Wearable Art were created with master printer FerJewelry nando Sandoval at the Taller de Artist(s): Tracy Van Niel Grabado in Oaxaca City, Mexico. The Art Media: Glass and Stone Woven stillness of the portraits and still life Jewelry reward the viewer with the richness of About the Exhibit: Unique wearable art the textures of the etching and aquatjewelry made with vintage and conints. temporary glass beads, handmade lampwork glass beads, semi.precious Rivet stones and one.of.a.kind stone, glass 1200 N High St / 614.294.8697 or porcelain cabochons. Exhibit Title: Children of a Lesser Odd

tions to help get the word out and share news of ecofriendly steps we all can take in our daily lives. Though many shops are open earlier, the Gallery Hop officially starts at 4p and runs to 10p with restaurants and bars staying open considerably later. Following is a sneak preview of what’s on tap for April. See www.shortnorth.org.

Artist(s): Terribly Odd Art Media: painting, sculpture, vinyl Artist Reception: Saturday, Mar 1 About the Exhibit: Surreal to the decaying scenes of sheer horror spanning film, music, & the unconventional beauty of pop culture.

graphs, your favorite icons from the past century are displayed throughout the store as part of Take 2 Apparel’s homage to the entertainment industry. Terra Gallery 8 E Poplar Ave / 614.228.4188 www.terra.gallery.com Exhibit Title: Works by Chris James Artist(s): Chris James Art Media: Various About the Exhibit: In this exhibit, Chris studies birds through oil and acrylic painting as well as mixed media.

Roy G Biv Gallery 997 N High St / 614.297.7694 Artist(s): Annette Gaspers and Lori Kella Art Media: Installation and photography Artist Reception: Saturday, Mar 1 About the Exhibit: Large scale installa- Urban Gardener tion sculpture by Annette Gaspers and 940 N High St / 614.299.4769 photography by Lori Kella. www.ugardener.com Exhibit Title: Spring flowers bring April Sherrie Gallerie Showers 694 N High St / 614.221.8580 Artist(s): Cherie Swim www.sherriegallerie.com Art Media: Metal Exhibit Title: Russ Vogt.Garden Party Artist Reception: Saturday, April 5 Artist(s): Russ Vogt About the Exhibit: Cherie worked in an Art Media: Outdoor ceramic sculpture auto body repair shop for 10 years. She Artist Reception: Saturday, April 5 wanted to create a fountain for herself About the Exhibit: Vogt’s art is the sum made with metal and coaxed a fellow of the personal, mechanical, and cre- worker into teaching her to weld. Using ative processes he has developed and scraps from the shop, to create small enjoys. welcome signs her art blossomed into garden stakes and then flowers each Stonewall Columbus time getting into larger and larger 1160 N High St / 614.299.7764 sculptures. After 3 years she quit the www.stonewallcolumbus.org auto body work and created art full Exhibit Title: Perspectives of Space, time. Cherie creates whimsical, someTime, & Change times very colorful metal flowers and Artist(s): CCAD students other sculptures. Art Media: all Artist Reception: Friday, April 4 Wexner Center For The Arts About the Exhibit: Students from 1871 N. High St. / 614.292.3535 Michelle Lach’s class will be installing wexarts.org an all mediums art show at Center on Artist(s): Lee Lozano, Sylvia Plimack High 4th St Annex 14 E 4th Ave Mangold, Kerry James Marshall, Adi Nes Studios on High Gallery Art Media: Painting, Photography and 686 North High Street / 614.461.6487 Multimedia Exhibit Title: Introducing New MemAbout the Exhibit: Kerry James Marbers shall: Every Beat of My Heart, an exhiArtist(s): Tom Harbrecht, Eliana bition based on narrative of inner-city Calle.Saari, Marty Husted, Naichuan life, with puppet sculptures and drawPeng, Deb Johnson Packer ings. Adi Nes: Biblical Stories, a Art Media: Oil, Printmaking, Mixed poignant photographic recasting of media,Watercolor, wearable Art. Old Testament figures as a new class Artist Reception: Saturday, April 5 of “homeless.”; Solitaire: Lee Lozano, About the Exhibit: Introducing the five Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Joan Semmel, newest members who bring skill and A singular exhibition featuring the variety from florals, wearables, figura- work of three remarkable (and highly tive prints, mixed media, and oil land- individual) New York painters. Note: scapes to the collective Gallery setting. Solitaire is intended for mature audiences. Take 2 Apparel 668 N. High Street / 614.299.9820 Zeta European Emporium Exhibit Title: Hollywood Legends 751 N. High St. / 614.421.7122 Artist(s): Various Exhibit Title: Enlightened Stained Glass Art Media: Black & White and Color Artist(s): James Strickland Photographs Art Media: Stained Glass About the Exhibit: Take a trip back in About the Exhibit: Stained glass panels time with Take 2 Apparel! Presented in both Black & White and color photo-

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ARTS

Out Artist and Outlook Homeboy Robert Trautman Opens at East Village Outlook’s own Robert Trautman (Traut if you’re nasty) has another art show launching this weekend at East Village during Gallery Hop. Traut is best know for his 44boards show he did at Mahan Gallery in ‘06. Since then he has had a variety of shows within Columbus and other cities. His latest venture is large-scale paintings. OLW: What’s your new show called? What’s it about? Traut: This show is entitled ‘i’m not the architect’. The source material behind these paintings was found while going through my massive photo archive and I realized just how many photos of buildings and other architectural elements I have from all the cities I’ve been to. So I started to digitally cut up the photos into photographic collages, I was quickly drawn to the shapes the cutup bits of architecture were creating. I then began to erase all of the distinct architectural elements of the images and what was then created has turned into these paintings. OLW: How is this show different from your other shows here in town? Traut: This is my first step back into doing works of this size and also this will be my first show in a venue such as this. Most of my other shows have been in more of a gallery or retail setting. With East Village being more of a bar / club atmosphere it will be interesting to see how the work is received. OLW: You work in a lot of different mediums, which do you like the best? Traut: With a background in graphic design and an ever-growing photographer, the digital medium is where I spend the most of my time doing design work, editing photography, and doing digital illustrations. Having a strong digital background has effected how I approach traditional work. More often than not, I now do digital mockups to see how the composition will work and I can easily go back to the computer and play with the layout until I’m happy with it. That process saves a huge amount time for when I actually sit down with a canvas and start to paint. OLW: You’ve been know to say that you want people to buy your work because they like it, not because they think in ten years you’ll be famous and

that the piece they bought will have appreciated exponentially. Do you have a standard then for who you sell your art to? Traut: That’s somewhat true, often people buy artwork for the wrong reason. If you see something that touches you or your just naturally drawn to a piece of art, buy it. I think it would be very difficult to really appreciate a piece of art if your more worried about its appreciation value rather than its beauty. And I do not have a ‘standard’ of who I sell my work to, if

someone likes my work and want to buy something all the better. I’ve also had people like something about a piece and had me create work similar a personalized piece just for them. And I’ve also opened up my portfolio for specialized sets of photographic prints for people who saw something they loved and really wanted to own it. And though deep down I would love to be a famous designer or artist someday, I wouldn’t want someone to buy something just in the hopes of being rich later in life off of one of my works, they’ll probably be waiting quite some time. J OLW: What if someone hated your work, but

wanted to buy it, would you sell it to them? Traut: The answer to that would probably be no. It would depend on there reasoning behind buying it if they truly hated the work. OLW: What do you find the purpose of art to be in the world? Traut: To make people think, question, and to evoke emotions in people. I can walk into a museum and see a piece of artwork that makes me smile and feel happy and I can turn the corner and see another piece of work that makes me sad for humanity. Artwork is often a direct link to something emotional to the artist. My love of architecture

is directly interpreted into the paintings I have just finished. OLW: What do you think validates someone as an artist? Traut: In which sense do you mean? Personal validation for the artist or validation from others that the someone is a valid artist? I think personal validation comes from just being able to create work that you enjoy. From there, being able to show your work to the world, people appreciating and people buying it is an added bonus. Validation of an artist

in the other sense is a null point, some artists are lucky to receive the validation of being famous and selling out every show, but so many brilliant artists will never have that validation until after they are no longer with us. OLW: We know you’re constantly busy with another project. What are you working on next? Traut: There are actually two projects that have been looming on the horizon for a while now, one longer than the other. The first is the Erotica themed show I’ve curated appropriately entitled ‘The Hot Wetness’ which will have a carefully selected group of artists from around the globe doing erotic themed works. That show is scheduled to open August 22nd at the Chop Chop Gallery. The other is artwork for the local band ‘Flotation Walls’ I’ve been working closely with them on concepts for the album art and plan to complete this over the summer, as they plan to go on tour in the fall. OLW: What other GLBT artist in town do you find to be inspiring? Any collaboration planned? Traut: There are so many artists that inspire me as well as local artists. As far as local GLBT artists, a few that I’m always interested to see what there up to are: Adam Crum, Brian Reaume, Nicole Simmons, Paul Richmond,Devon Palmer. Traut’s current show, ‘i’m not the architect’, opens with an artist reception Thursday, April 3rd at East Village (630 N High St, 614.228.3546) from 6p-8p. The show will remain on display through the month. For more info on Traut visit thehotwetness.com and digestivedesign.com. You can contact Traut here in our office at 614.268.8525 or traut@outlookmedia.com.

Governor Ted Strickland To Launch Ibiza on High Ohio’s 68th Governor will cut the ribbon to launch construction of Ibiza, the $45 million, 11story, first-of-its-kind condominium venture to be built in the heart of the Short North Arts & Entertainment District. Ibiza and its adjoining 250-space Short North Parking Deck will be celebrated from 5p-10p during the Saturday, April 5th Short North Gallery Hop by more than 300 guests comprising a Who’s Who of Central Ohio. The Governor will cut the proverbial ribbon at 5:30p on the Ibiza site at the Northeast corner of N High St and Hubbard Avenue. The Ibiza is boasting to be a place of many firsts: • The first massive economic development initiative in the Short North: A $45 million injection APR 03 - APR 09 2008

into the local economy creating 200 new jobs (100 full time permanent jobs in 23,000 sq. feet of commercial space) and sustaining 250+ construction jobs during Ibiza’s two-year building phase. • The first public / private partnership to bring desperately needed parking to the Short North. • The first-of-its-kind Short North investment: Ibiza is a unique and positive example of a city creatively assisting by implementing a TIF so the neighborhood can pay for development with its own tax dollars. • The first official application of the HybridHome™ concept: Ibiza manages to merge the best and the brightest of downtown urban living with the kind of convenience once available only

in suburbia. Urban living, suburban conveniences and “green” friendly design. Ibiza, developed by ARMS Properties and built by Ruscilli Construction and Dugan & Meyers is currently reporting $18.5 million in pre-sales during one of the most challenging periods in Ohio’s real estate market history. That being said, they still have more to sell and so any units placed in hard contract at the launch party will be entered to win a smart car. Winners will be announced at the June 14th City Hop. For more information contact Rajesh Lahoti, ARMS Properties, 614.298.2767 (ARMS), rajesh@ibizaonhigh.com, www.ibizaonhigh.com.

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MUSIC by Gregg Shapiro

A TAL E OF TWO DIVAS

Released just a week apart during the winter of 2008, the new albums by Sheryl Crow and Idina Menzel speak volumes about modern pop music, particularly by female vocalists. Even before you listen to a note, the titles of both discs say an earful.

Calling her sixth studio album in 15 years Detours (A&M) was a wise move on Crow’s part. Not only a descriptive word to depict the course her life has taken over the past few years, which includes both a health crisis and a failed romance, but also to express the compelling musical variety on the disc. Potentially the best and most varied album of her career, which echoes her stellar second disc, Detours opens with “God Bless This Mess.” It’s a Mary Gauthier-style story song performed in a bare-bones acoustic guitar and vocal mode, with muffled production to suggest a vintage quality, while the lyrics, which reflect the impact of the current war “mess,” are undeniably contemporary. The song is also a clue as to the deeply political nature of the album. “Shine Over Babylon” is another unabashedly political statement featuring some of Crow and Bill Bottrell’s most deft wordplay, as is the case with “Love Is Free,” which addresses New Orleans. Featuring Ahmed Al Himi, “Peace Be Upon Us” contains lyrics in Arabic and an exotic Middle Eastern influence that adds a spiritual quality to the proceedings. Managing to be both political and a party – a political party, so to speak– “Gasoline” looks to the future – a time when one could say “Way back in the year of 2017” – to tell a tale of riot and revolution when “the black gold started flowing/Just like Boston tea” following years of what one gathers to be increased suffering and abuse at the hands of the petrol companies. A Crow track begging to be remixed (a la “Soak Up The Sun”), “Out of Her Heads” continues both the political and spiritual theme with an irresistible beat. It is at this point, that the album detours, if you will, into somewhat more personal territory. The title track finds Crow trying to figure out how “to love/with a paper-thin heart.” “Now That You’re Gone,” in which Crow skirts the vintage soul territory that Amy Winehouse revived, is one of her most, well, soulful songs, while “Drunk With the Thought of You” is the kind of song that Winehouse could get behind. The raw “Diamond Ring” is the kind of revealing tune that is also extremely universal and to which many listeners are bound to relate. Crow also takes listeners into confidential cancer territory “Make It Go Away (Radiation Song),” which has a Sam Phillips feel to it. To her credit, Crow wraps things up on the hopeful notes of “Love Is All There Is” and the comfort of “Lullaby For Wyatt,” written for her young son, to whom the disc is dedicated.

I Stand (Warner Brothers) by Menzel is a good example of the ongoing issue of Broadway divas who struggle to find a place for themselves in the modern pop world. More than 40 years ago, Barbra Streisand set the bar so high that everyone who followed – including Betty Buckley, Jennifer Holiday, Elizabeth Willis, Linda Eder, Heather Headley and even Menzel’s Wicked co-star Kristin Chenoweth – have yet to make an impact on her level. Menzel might be vertical on I Stand but the songs, many of which she co-wrote with pop producer/songwriter Glen Ballard (of Alanis Morissette fame) may have listeners going horizontal. Essentially the material never ventures into the world in the same way that Crow’s does and for that reason, the disc suffers from too much “I”dina. This wouldn’t be an issue if she was, frankly, more interesting. Anyone hoping for anything gravity defying here will be somewhat disappointed, although “Brave” comes closest, allowing Menzel to break loose in a dramatic and theatrical “this is the moment” fashion. The title track is a pleasant enough declaration of Idina’s identity (in case you were wondering) and “Better To Have Loved” is a modern soul tune that could potentially make Mary J. Blige salivate. “Gorgeous” is a shallow rock number while “Where Do I Begin” is the kind of tune one can expect to make its way into wedding reception music repertory. The fragrant “Perfume and Promises” returns Menzel to a theatrical, but restrained, space where she naturally excels. APR 03 - APR 09 2008

OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 27

BITCH SLAP

CLASSIFIEDS

by You ADULT CONNECTIONS

We heard your cries and responded good readers! Here is our new column where you get to “Bitch Slap” whatever or whoever needs it. Got something in your crawl? Tell us about it in 100 words or less via email hayes@outlookmedia.com. It’s called a Swiffer! What’s with “high-end” restaurants that don’t know the word dust? I mean really, if I have to sit at a bar and have shit fall from the ceiling into my drink one more time because someone doesn’t know how to clean their duct work or staple their ceiling back together. I’m not sure how it’s at all attractive to paint a ceiling black only to have it coated in a substance that is mostly human skin. Why am I paying $8 a martini to look at/drink that? – Cbus Fine Diner What No Party in the Back? What’s with this trend of Lesbians without mullets? How else am I able to tell who you are? – Straight Adam Fat people enjoy roller coasters too! Ok so back in the day when I was a mere slip of a girl I could ride every ride at Cedar Point all day long and still beg for more. But in the past few years, thanks to double stuffed Oreos, mama has put on a few pounds and in the process made a shocking realization last year. Cedar Point does not make rides to fit ample people. When America is the fattest Nation in the world, how is it new rides are being made with seats that only fit size 0 models?? I tried to get on the Top Thrill Dragster whatever it’s called and my voluptuous hips got caught, leaving me to slink off the side in an embarrassed state. All I could think was damn you Cedar Point, damn you to hell! Can we please get some seats for girls with the Apple bottoms? – Alexis Stevens

HOUSING/FOR RENT BRYDEN ROAD MEN. CONNECT. EASY. Gorgeous, huge, luxury 3+ bdrm, Gay, str8, curious, bi. Instant, live fin. attic. Beautiful wood floors, action. Get on & off @ large gourmet kitchen, dish1800GAYLIVE. Call now washer, pantry, tile island. Ex614.410.1555. Free Trial. posed brick, central air, sec. system. Great location: Easy BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY on/off 70/71. Close to everything. FLORAL BUSINESS Washer/dryer negotiable. $1,000 70-year-old family-run floral busi- plus security. Call 202.360.7790 ness for sale. Established clients, or visit the web tour: great location. Please call Mary http://inthecityliving.com. McCarthy at Sunbelt Business Brokers, 614.734.8338, for more OLDE TOWNE EAST information. 1096 & 1104 Bryden Rd, 1 BR apartments availHELP WANTED able, new kitchen, wd flrs, vaulted ceiling, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT $450/mo. More OTE Predominantly GLBT church seeks rentals available. Call part time AA. Ten hours per week, Beacon Property Mgmt. $10/hr, daytime availability a at 614.228.6700. must. Contact Rev. Margaret Hawk at New Creation MCC. OLDE TOWNE EAST 614.409.9610 or 3-bedroom house in revmhawk@newcreationmcc.org. Olde Towne East. $900/month Quiet. gay DENTIST friendly street. Fenced in We seek personable, quality-oriyard with deck. Garage ented associate for busy family parking. Land contract practice. Daily salary. Dr. Michael option. If you have been Mann, 7043 Pearl Rd, Ste 210, to a bird bash party, this Cleveland, OH 44130. is the house. Call Jaybird for more information. 614.975.5569

It’s a crosswalk not leisure time! I generally am an impatient driver. I feel that I am trying to get from Point A to point B in as little time as possible. (Especially with gas prices going, up who wants to waste fuel?) So why is it that I constantly can’t make turns at a stoplight because “Mary” thinks that this is her time to “do a Naomi Campbell walk”? I mean really it seems that people, when they hit a crosswalk, seem to lose momentum, train of thought, or just their simple minds! Pick up the pace people some of us have lives! – Move It Mark Bitch is the new black! I’m tired of women who tell you that they are “such a bitch.” It always just means they are boring and easily offended. – Bored Back Tip or No Request So, I’m a local DJ. I play the hottest jams 3-5 times a week. Now, when you go up to the bar and request the bar tender make you another Bacardi & coke, you pay them right? Most of the time (unless your a dick) you tip. So, why is it that every damn time you come up to my table and request the shittiest-down-your-throatpop song do you not tip me? And when I ask for a tip you scoff at me like I’m below you?!?! Word to the wise music listening public: if you request a song from a DJ, do them the common courtesy you do your bar tender...Fuckin’ Tip!!!!! ...We’re not rich you know... we’re the reason you’re having a damn good time!! - dj moxy APR 03 - APR 09 2008

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PUCKER UP by Tristan Taormino

In (Partial) Defense of Eliot Spitzer Is it cheating if it’s with a sex worker? Is it preferable to a full-blown affair? When news of Eliot Spitzer’s link to a prostitution agency first broke, “Why Do Powerful Men Cheat?” stories sprang up all around us, from morning shows to the nightly news. Within the framework of the cheating-husband narrative, no one made the distinction between employing a sex worker and having an affair with a “civilian,” except to emphasize that Spitzer cheated and broke the law. I think a distinction should be made about his choice of sex partner. When someone cheats with a civilian, he usually spends more time on courtship than between the sheets: There are text messages, e-mails, phone calls, secret rendezvous, whispered sweet nothings, gifts, even romantic dates. When someone hooks up with a sex worker, while some of those elements may be in play, they are a lot less likely to be part of the equation. Melissa Gira Grant (melissagira.com), a reporter, sex worker, and sex-workers’ rights activist, says: “Some men go to sex workers for closeness and intimacy - they want to cuddle, and that’s what they are not getting at home. But for others, it’s not emotionally therapeutic at all, it’s the same as getting a deep sports massage.” In Spitzer’s case, according to court documents, his dates seemed pretty businesslike. When he got on the phone, he talked not to “Kristen,” the sex worker, but to the agency, and the details of the call were about payment and logistics. According to the transcript, it appears that he may have seen her before, but not regularly, since he needed to be reminded of what she looked like. For the record, Kristen is not the “woman who brought down the governor” - she’s simply the one they have on the wiretap. We don’t know how often he saw the same escorts or what emotional attachment he had to any of them, but I’m betting Spitzer wasn’t into one particular woman, otherwise he would have requested her. This tells me that he wasn’t after romantic companionship, but a sexual relationship. To me, his lack of emotional investment (which often accompanies affairs) should soften the blow to Silda Spitzer, although I am pretty sure it hasn’t. I’m not denying that he lied to his family, or that he spent time, money, and energy on other women. I’m not glossing over the irony and hypocrisy of it all, especially considering his hardcharging prostitution prosecutions in the past; it wasn’t like he was a big advocate for sex-workers’ rights who then got caught with his pants down. However, I think when he chose to have sex with someone other than his spouse, Spitzer chose wisely. People often seek out sex workers as sexual partners precisely because the relationship - and both people’s expectations - are clear from the get-go. Successful sex workers, especially highend escorts, pride themselves on having good work boundaries: They won’t call someone late at night or stalk them like a civilian could. They are invested in privacy and discretion, and don‘t have to be wined, dined, or otherwise manipulated to have sex with you. Marcus has been a sex worker in the Washington, D.C., area for six years; he sees both men and women, and counts a senator - as well as several other high-profile politicians among his clients. “Privacy and discretion are my APR 03 - APR 09 2008

highest priority,” he told me. He says that a few clients have expressed nervousness over the Spitzer scandal, but it hasn’t slowed down business for him. Sex workers’ attitudes about sex, monogamy, and relationships vary wildly. Some make a clear distinction between “work sex” and “non-work sex,” rigidly defining both. To some, work sex is a job, an economic exchange, a performance devoid of physical and emotional intimacy; non-work sex is about love, desire, commitment, and physical and emotional intimacy. It’s real. Others draw a distinction between the two, but have a more complex view of work sex versus nonwork sex. They allow themselves to enjoy pleasure, experience intimacy, and express themselves authentically during their sex work when possible. Yet they still distinguish their work from the sex they have outside work - while there may be friendship and fun at work, there isn’t romance, commitment, or deep intimacy. Says Grant: “For me, sex with clients is very different from sex with people I am in a relationship with. In fact, I had to cut loose a client who was becoming too close and relying too much on me.” For others, both the definitions and the lines between sex and work sex are much more nuanced. These folks may be swingers, sexually adventurous, and/or exhibitionists, and for them, their work is ideally (although not always) an extension of their sexuality. One cannot be easily separated from the other. It seems like Kristen had clear boundaries and harbored no romantic notions about her work - in one of the wiretapped phone calls, discussing her date with Spitzer, she said: “I’m here for a purpose, I know what my purpose is.” Rather than continue to criminalize and stigmatize sex work, we need to see sex workers as people performing needed sexual services in our society. Let’s say a husband has desires, fantasies, or kinks that his wife doesn’t share. Maybe his sex drive is higher than hers (or maybe hers is higher than his). Instead of feeling bad about themselves, each other, and their relationship, why not agree that he can seek out a sex worker as an additional partner? We need to let go of the fairy-tale notion that spouses will be 100 percent sexually compatible with one another and fulfill all of the other’s needs at every stage of their relationship. For some, a relationship where money changes hands can make the boundaries feel very clear and the interactions less threatening for several reasons: Both sex worker and client have distinct roles; there’s no romance or dating; it’s assumed that the sex worker doesn’t have a hidden agenda to break up a client’s relationship; and sex workers have experience managing their feelings and the feelings of clients. Grant says that the majority of her clients are married, and none of their wives know about (or would agree to) their seeing a sex worker. Marcus, however, has clients whose spouses do know, and will sometimes even join them for three-ways. Will there ever come a time when seeing a sex worker will be a viable option for consensual, nonmonogamous relationships? For more about Tristan Taormino, please visit Puckerup.com

OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 29

SAVAGE LOVE by Dan Savage

When I was in my teens to mid-20s, I fought a burgeoning weight problem. My heaviest was 235 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. Now I watch what I eat and I work out. I have a six-pack. And here’s my problem: I get too much attention from women. When I was out of shape, women paid attention, but not as much. Now, if I wanted to, I could get all the pussy I wanted. Single pussy, married pussy, all-different-color pussy. Is it normal for a guy to turn down so much of the pussy that gets pitched at him? I am a tall Asian guy, six foot one, 165 pounds, cut and lean, 32 but look 28. But I like to go after the hard-to-get pussy. The easy pussy that gets thrown at me, I’m not interested in. What’s wrong with me? Lost In Pussy Land Besides not enclosing a few dozen pictures with your e-mail, there’s nothing wrong with you that I can tell, LIPL. More pussy gets tossed your way than gets tossed into a Dumpster behind a vet’s office - good for you. Why isn’t that slow-pitch pussy turning you on? Maybe you like to work harder for your pussy, LIPL, or maybe you’re not a catcher (as the gays say), or maybe you’re an arrogant douchebag who likes to brag to gay sex-advice columnists about all the pussy he isn’t banging for whatever reason. Or, geez, maybe you’re just turned off by sexually aggressive women - and that’s fine. No one is obligated to be into sexually aggressive women (they certainly leave me cold). But you might want to look into your heart - it’s that tiny, undeveloped muscle beneath your left pec - to make sure you’re not a dumbassmotherfucker turned off by sexually aggressive women because he believes “good” women don’t or shouldn’t have sexual desires or agency. Oh, and speaking of sexually aggressive women: Did you catch Abigail Van Buren’s advice column last Monday? (That woman - she’s the Johan Fucking Santana of pussy pitchers.) Now, I generally try to avoid policing the work of other advice professionals - life’s too short to read Jamie “Get Naked” Bufalino - but I’m going to make an exception. In her March 17 column, Abby responded to a man whose wife was seduced, in the middle of the night, by one of his three brothers. The man’s wife doesn’t know she had sex with one of her brothers-inlaw, and the husband doesn’t know what to do about it. Abby suggested that his wife may have had an “inkling that it wasn’t [her husband] that crept into her bed” that night, and recommended that her correspondent demand

“chapter and verse” from his wife before packing her off to the docs for an STI screening. Feminist bloggers were outraged - a highly unusual occurrence - because the only correct response, according to Jezebel.com, was something along the lines of, “Your wife was raped! Kill your brothers - all three of them! Now! NOW!!!” The problem with Jezebel’s reaction is this: That woman wasn’t raped, because that woman doesn’t exist. Regular Savage Love readers are schooled in the art of spotting bullshit letters. So here’s the letter, kids - let’s see if you can spot the clues: “I am 27, and my wife, ‘Marybeth,’ is 26. We recently went to my folks’ house for supper. That evening, a heavy snowstorm was starting and… we decided to stay overnight. My old bedroom is upstairs, as are the rooms of my brothers, ages 25, 24, and 22. The guest room is downstairs. [Because] Marybeth said she felt a cold coming on; we decided I’d sleep in my old room. The next day, while we were driving home, Marybeth told me she was glad I had come to her room after all and made love to her. Abby, it wasn’t me! She had mistaken one of my brothers for me in the darkness. We are all about the same size and build.” Okaaaay, Savage Love readers, let’s pause here. How do we know this is a fake? Well, for starters, there are the ages of the protagonists: 27 and 26. Not 37 and 36, not 67 and 66, but 27 and 26 - which just so happen to be, for most folks, the years of maximum hotness. Fake letters about sexual scenarios always involve the young and presumably hot, never the old and presumably average. Next, there’s the cascading set of circumstances that are, as is typical with fakes, utterly beyond the control of the letter’s author: a snowstorm, a cold coming on, a far-off guest room. And all of his brothers were at Mom and Dad’s for dinner that night, too. Or they all still live at home. And they’re all in their 20s. Now back to the letter: “I have talked to each of my brothers (they all know about this), but they won’t say who it was for fear of causing a rift… I told them that unless I find out who it was, there will be a permanent rift between all of us. (Marybeth still doesn’t know it wasn’t me.) How do I handle this?” How does he handle this? With his right hand wrapped around his cock, that’s how. And how does an advice professional handle this? With the delete key, Abby. Huge numbers of straight men - those lovable sickos - fantasize about their wives cheating on them with coworkers, siblings,

sports teams, governors of New York, etc. Any advice columnist who runs letters that touch on sexual issues has to be cognizant of that. And when someone seeking advice spins out an improbable set of circumstances - including, in this case, a wife who can’t recognize her husband in the dark - that literally climaxes with the realization of a thoroughly common male fantasy (cuckolding), well, that should set an advice professional’s bullshit sensors flashing. So, Jezebel, let’s not get too worked up about the “rape” of this man’s wife. Repeat after me: She wasn’t raped, because she doesn’t exist. That letter in Dear Abby was the work of a cuckold fetishist or cuckold wannabe. Yes, yes: Abby took the letter seriously, accepted its premise, and her answer was a bit clueless. (As was your credulousness, Jezebel.) But calling for Abby’s resignation while Jamie Bufalino still has a column? Puh-leeze. I just wanted to respond to the letters in your column from TALI and CPAC, gay teenagers being mistreated at home and school. While I loved your response, I think it’s very important to let your young gay readers know that there is support out there - even if they’re stuck in small towns. The Trevor Project (www.thetrevorproject.org) has a hotline (1-866-4-U-TREVOR) for kids contemplating suicide or who just need someone to talk to. The GLBT National Help Center (www.glnh.org) has a large database of gay and lesbian organizations. And finally, your readers can check out the National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth (www.outproud.org). And to TALI and CPAC and all the other gay and lesbian youth out there who feel like they are alone, remember that this is temporary. My brother came out in high school and went through hell. I never expected him to make it past his teens. He’s in his 30s now, he has two degrees, he’s traveled all over the world, and he has many friends and loved ones. Proud Of My Baby Brother Thanks for sharing, POMBB, and give my best to your baby brother. There’s a lot more advice from Savage Love readers for TALI and CPAC and other gay teenagers at www.thestranger.com/savage/gayteens. Download Savage Lovecast (my weekly podcast) every Tuesday at www.thestranger.com/savage. mail@savagelove.net

APR 03 - APR 09 2008

30 • OUTLOOK WEEKLY

ABOUT TOWN

The Dayton Art Institute Exhibits Contemporary American Prints Works in former Dayton corporate collection come out of storage The Dayton Art Institute displays Limited Editions: Inc. (1968 -1987). Established in the late 1960s, Pon20th-Century Prints from the Ponderosa Collection. derosa grew quickly, built modern headquarters in Works by such renowned artists as Jasper Johns, Dayton, and began collecting art. The company foRobert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine, Julian Schnabel, cused on contemporary American art; especially art Susan Rothenberg and David Salle are among those that might be considered cutting edge. While Ponfeatured in the collection of more than 100 limited edi- derosa CEO Gerald Office provided the inspiration for tion prints – a collection with a history unique to Day- the collection, Cincinnati gallery owner Carl Solway ton itself. supplied the artistic vision. In 1987, The Dayton Art Institute made a bold and The Ponderosa Collection might have remained a unprecedented move: in less than a week, the mufootnote in Dayton history if not for Solway and the inseum’s director and board of trustees secured a $1.5 spired work and contributions of The Dayton Art Instimillion loan to purchase the contemporary art collectute’s leadership in 1987. That was the year Ponderosa tion of Ponderosa, Inc, the Dayton-based chain of was the target of a leveraged buyout by a New York insteak restaurants. The corporate collection, which en- vestor who quickly sought to “liquidate” all “non-escompassed more than 300 paintings, sculptures, sential assets.” It was Solway who called then prints, drawings, and photographs, offered a virtual museum director Bruce Evans about the impending survey of American art in the second half of the 20th sale of the art at auction. By this time, the collection – century. which had been accessible for tours throughout the Due to their sensitivity to light, most of the prints in years – had come to be viewed as an essential part of the Ponderosa Collection have remained in storage at community cultural life. The Dayton Art Institute since they were purchased in The purchase of the Ponderosa collection was lauded 1987. Some prints have never before been on public by the community and supported by a fundraising display, while others have not been seen in years. campaign entitled “The Art of Our Time.” While the art “Limited Editions features some of the most imporis no longer exactly “of our time,” it is still timely, tant examples of the flourishing of American printfresh, and representative of some of the best work making from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s and from the period. testifies to the enthusiasm of the Dayton citizens in Limited Editions: 20th-Century Prints from the Ponassuring that this outstanding collection stayed in the derosa Collection is on view at The Dayton Art Institute community,” said Janice Driesbach, Director and CEO through April 27. Steve R. Rauch, Inc. is the exhibition of The Dayton Art Institute. “The exhibition promises to sponsor. Admission is $11 for adults, $9 for seniors be visually exciting and a celebration of community (60+) and students (19+ with valid student ID), and support for the arts.” $5 for youth (7-18). Children 6 and under and Dayton The period of time represented by the prints in LimArt Institute members are free. ited Editions mirrors the collecting years of Ponderosa,

COLUMBUS NEXT MEETING: APR 9, 6P-8P; LOCATION: WHOLE FOODS MARKET (3670 W DUBLIN-GRANVILLE RD) • WWW.NETWORKCOLUMBUS.COM

APR 03 - APR 09 2008

OUTLOOK WEEKLY • 31

fin

THE LAST WORD by Mickey Weems

So? For the longest time, many Americans have wanted to relegate Gays to second-class status, all the while failing to realize that most Americans have already been given second-class status by their government. Civil liberties have taken a severe beating in the name of national security. The US has now become a three-tiered society, with celebrities, the rich, and government officials at the top, the not-so-filthy rich in the middle, and the rest of us at the bottom. If you don’t believe me, just go to the airport. First-class ticket holders do not have to stand in line with the rest of us in the security checkpoints. And have you ever seen a celeb of any standing in either line recently? They move in their own circles. And do you honestly think Condy has to remove her shoes and go through security like the rest of us? By the way, her recent apology as Secretary of State to Obama, Clinton and McCain for illegally accessing their personal information was not based on a breach of their rights as Americans. Our government has made it abundantly clear that personal info of American citizens belongs to the state, to do with as it will, the law be damned. What Rice apologized for was treating the 3 of them like Americans rather than members of the Uber-American elite. The rationale for our collective demotion from citizens to possible criminals who need to be watched at all times was expressed quite eloquently by Dick Cheney. When asked about the two-thirds of the population that thinks the war in Iraq is a mistake, his answer was, “So?” He could honestly give a shit what we think.

Cheney has been a mystery man for years, but no more. He has now revealed the basic neo-con mantra for national and international issues. Let’s apply the golden word “So?” to any number of puzzles in Cheney’s life. Imagine, if you will, the following fantasy interview where Cheney uses the magic answer and clears up everything: 1) You were the chair of the committee to choose Bush’s running mate when he ran in 2000, and you chose yourself. So? 2) You and Bush disappeared for hours during the attacks on 9/11. When your country needed you the most, you cut and ran. So? 3) You shot a man in the face and chest. So? He apologized for getting in my way, once he got out of intensive care. 4) You did it while participating in a cowardly animal slaughter called a “canned hunt,” paid for by US tax dollars. So? 5) You don’t have to put your toiletries in little plastic bags when you travel, neither do you have to remove your shoes, belt, etc. But you expect the rest of us to deal with some rather silly rituals, including what is slowly becoming a strip-search. So? 6) For years, you have destroyed or hidden email correspondence that, by law, was supposed to be available for review. So? 7) There were no weapons of mass destruction

found in Iraq, and you were told this beforehand by your own agencies. So? 8) There was no collaborative connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Quaeda, but you said there was, knowing full well you were lying. So? 9) You have to sneak into Iraq every time you visit, but President Ahmedinejad of Iran was welcomed to visit (unlike you; you just show up like a thief in the night or a poor relative). He announced his visit well in advance and had less social upheaval during his stay than you do during yours. So? 10) Your daughter Mary Cheney is a Lesbian, yet you speak out against Gay rights. So? 11) During the 2004 Republican Convention, Mary Cheney and her wife were not invited to stand with you and the rest of your family on stage. So? 12) Some Christian nutcase bad-mouthed that same daughter in public when she bore your grandson. So? Of course, the interview is purely a fantasy on my part because ol’ Dick doesn’t feel like he is accountable to anybody except the Saudi king, one of the world’s greatest haters of democracy, at whose feet Cheney groveled a short time ago. Perhaps this is why Dick Cheney is not an American. Like the king, he is much better than that. He is superior to the rest of us, not subject to the same laws under which we must follow.

I suppose that, if second-class status has replaced citizenship in this country, then Gay folks are really, really American. Except for Mary Cheney. She only pretends to be an American. You’d best believe, out of the public eye, Daddy’s Little Girl is given the royal treatment accorded to others of her exalted station. I’m sure that she and her “friend” Heather cry all the way to the bank for the way they’ve been mistreated by their own kind, weeping into their fine silk hankies while huddling together in their limo.

HOROSCOPES by Jack Fertig

ARIES (Mar 20 - Apr 19): Venus is in your sign, and it’s a great time for a makeover. Looking good professionally is more important than just looking gorgeous, so freshen up your work as well as your appearance. Looking good in lieu of accomplishment will fool no one.

CANCER (Jun 21 - Jul 22): Making useful connections may feel cynical. The truth is, you tend to be a little too romantic and shouldn’t be shy about basing relationships on something practical. Focus your urge to edit on yourself; others rarely appreciate it.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): Nice people can argue nicely. Assert your points respectfully and hear your partner - or your opponent - out. Be open to new perspectives on cherished traditions. Some long-accepted history also needs a fresh look.

CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 19): Suddenly focusing on what you value about your home and tribe, you can become very assertive and defensive. Try to take a longer view, asserting the value of your clan as part of a larger community or humanity, not distinct from it.

TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 20): Allow yourself time to be alone. Recharge your batteries; take time to think about important issues, to organize hobbies or crafts, or to look more critically at some of your creative efforts. When you need fresh air, do some volunteer work.

LEO (July23 - Aug 22): You’re suddenly impatient to make your mark in a new territory. Stop and think. Rather than wasting this energy in some egoistic indulgence, you can apply your skills to present your most valued ideas and talents.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): You’re itching to make some much-needed innovations at work. As good as your ideas are, be sure to discuss any plans with colleagues, and not just for diplomacy’s sake. You can learn from their ideas and improve upon your own improvements.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb18): To become even more comfortable with your deepest, most private feelings about sex and/or death, you need to challenge yourself to examine these most irrational mysteries with some logic. Find someone with whom you can discuss your secret feelings.

GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 20): Throwing yourself into some community efforts will bring you to unanticipated challenges. You can overcome them, but will have to re-evaluate how you network with others, and how you support and use community structures.

VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 22): Be bold and daring. Traits you’ve experienced as liabilities can prove very advantageous if you try playing with them - perhaps in dark, subversive ways. Erotic role play can unlock power where you thought you were weak.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 20): You could accomplish a great deal, earning fame and fortune. The creative impulse that should feed such progress is more likely to be a distraction. Harnessing that power productively is challenging. Don’t give in to impulse. Structure and discipline are now your best bet.

PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 19): The fault is probably not with your partner and friends, but in what you imagine - wrongly - to be their chief assets. Try to see what they offer and what you offer to them in a new light, one that will improve all your relationships.

Jack Fertig, a professional astrologer since 1977, is a founding member of the Association for Astrological Networking. He can be reached for consultations at 415.864.8302, www.starjack.com, and by e-mail at QScopes@qsyndicate.com.

APR 03 - APR 09 2008