Martin Brandt explores male bonding, bi-sexuality and 'rising from the dead'!

In celebration of GLBT Pride 2008 celebration I'd like to bring your attention to a most unique author by the name of Martin Brandt whose website I'd come across last week.

Born on the banks of the Amazon River and raised by a Kaiapo wet-nurse while his mother conducted medical research and taught the Kaiapo children how to play the violin, Brandt studied rocket science at the University of Uganda before making his home in America.

Married to a tall blonde woman who he considers as his soul mate, Brandt's 'fictional' writings while reflecting on such taboo subject matters as 'male bonding and male sexuality' also, powerly, explores the issue of bi-sexuality.

Published in June 2006, 'FIVE MARRIED MEN', a tale for anyone intrigued by the intensity and emotions of male sexuality, explores what may cause some men to risk their career and a marriage for the magic of an intimate bond with another man. Read Chapter One and Two. Here are some reviews.

Published one year later in June 2007, THE PARTISANS takes place in France during World War II and in this time of fear and oppression, and the Holocaust, the story follows a few weeks of the lives of black American Ethan Jones and French Adrienne Follett, members of the French resistance, and German defector Jhan. Read Chapter One and Two.

First published in 2005, the revised edition of A SONG IN THE PARK scheduled for an August 2008 release, is the fictional story of renowned San Diego surgeon Michael Anderson who after losing a little girl on the operating table would cross paths with Justin Brooks, a Park Ranger at Big Bend Park, who had left his bride-to-be standing at the altar. It is a celebration of human diversity and a discovery that it is the simple things in life that matter the most.

Available in December 2008, THE STRANGE HAUTNING OF JOHNNY FEELWATER is a haunting story of a man named Johnny Feelwater who having inherited an old house on Confederate Square in historic Savannah, realized, once he stepped through the door, that his life would never be same ... when Cassandra Mott, the old DEAD lady who had left him the house ... returned FROM THE DEAD as a beautiful young seductress, to begin life again at age twenty-six. Read Chapter One and Two.

Here are some of the IMAGES and ART in Martin Brandt's collection. To learn more about Martin Brandt read his biography and this recent interview.

Click the above image to view his website and contact form.

Just Circuit Mag - June / July 2008 Issue

Since receiving a printed copy of Just Circuit Mag "Summer Heats Up" June/July 2008 Issue in the mail the other day I've wanted to bring to your attention Mickey Weems' SHUT UP AND DANCE page 30 - 33 article "It All Started On April 8, 2008" in opposition Brett Henrichsen's Masterbeat World Tour stop at Town in DC during the Cherry Weekend.

And here is a pdf of page 18 which is the first page of Entertainer Editor John Kater's DJ of the Year feature on DJ / Producer Randy Bettis.

The June through October 2008 calendar begins on page 74.

Though always available FREE ONLINE, to have your copies delivered right to your door, and receive a free Centaur Music CD valued at $20, CLICK HERE.

Upload your Pride photos & videos to Washington Blade Pride Project

Friday's Photo of the Week . 13 June 2008

Susan G. Komen's 19th Annual Race For the Cure

The Runners Race . Jefferson Drive, SW, WDC

View Runners Race / Jefferson Drive VIDEO

Saturday morning, 7 June 2008

2008 Fridays' Photos of the Week

Pride Weekend at Town Danceboutique

Town is a sponsor of Capital Pride and is hosting multiple Pride events! Proceeds from these events are going to Capital Pride!!

Celebrate WDC'S 2008 Pride Weekend w/ Susan Morabito at APEX-DC

Celebrate the 2008 Capital Pride Weekend at the APEX when America's top DJ Susan Morabito will spin on Friday and Saturday nights, 13 - 14 June.

The Friday night line-up features:

• In our East Wing Lounge - DJ tim-e
• The Apex Dancing Studs
• Second Level Comfort Lounge withVJ Steve Rosa counting down videos from the 80s, 90s and beyond
• Cover charge is only $10
• 18 to enter/21 to drink
• Afterhours dancing

While Saturday night features:

• Caliente - All Latin dance party in the East Wing Lounge
• Showtime with Kristina Kelly & Company beginning at 11pm
• VJ Steve in the Second Level Comfort Lounge continuing with the music video countdown
• Cover charge is only $10
• 18 to enter/21 to drink
• Afterhours dancing
• DJ Susan Morabito will start spinning directly after the show at midnight

For more information visit www.APEX-DC.com or myspace.com/Apex_dc.

Save on Advance Tickets for NYC Pride's DANCE ON THE PIER and the (Saint-At-Large) CHAMPIONS After Party

Lenore Nolan Ryan's Summer Kids Kook Kamp / Lauderdale-By-The Sea

It has long been a dream of Lenore Nolan Ryan to open her door, kitchen, and heart to aspiring wee “chefs". And this summer it is happening in a place called KIDS KOOK KAMP at Lenore Nolan Ryan Cooking School & Catering in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL.

Click image for details and registration information.

Friday's Photo of the Week . 6 June 2008

Pasha Bistro . 1523 17th Street, NW, WDC

Sunday Photo Walk, 1 June 2008

See photo at Yelp

2008 Fridays' Photos of the Week

Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation eNewsletter dated Thursday, 5 June 2008

click image for AEHBF 5 June 2008 E-Newsletter

WDC's 3rd Annual NAKED BIKE RIDE this Saturday, 7 June 2008

In March and June 2008, in cities around the world, people will ride bikes naked to celebrate cycling and the human body. The ride demonstrates the vulnerability of cyclists on the road and is a protest against car culture.

While most Northern Hemisphere rides will take place this Saturday, 7 June 2008, most Southern Hemisphere rides took place on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 March 2008.

At 3pm on Saturday afternoon, 7 June 2008, the WDC 3rd Annual Naked Bike Ride will assemble at McPherson which located at 15th and I Streets, NW, is just across the street from the WMATA McPherson Square Metro Station.

Snacks will be served in a screened off area before step-off. Here are some bike decorating and body art and body painting ideas.

Stepping-off from McPherson Square, WDC's 3rd annual NAKED BIKE RIDE will proceed to the White House and, then, down to the US Capitol Building ... "to protest against oil dependency".

To learn more visit the WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE - WDC and WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE - WDC / Wiki sites.

Talk is cheap. Spread the word by clicking onto this jpg flyer and then, download, print, distribute and post flyers throughout the city. And at your blog.

Direct media inquiries to naturerunner@yahoo.com.

Michael-Christopher's UNSPEAKABLE book release event at Jin Lounge on Sunday, 8 June

Hosted by Brian Evans, join The Series and The Brother's Network as they celebrate the release of UNSPEAKABLE, the follow up to his best seller, From Top to Bottom by Michael-Christopher.

Purchase a book, mix & mingle, and enjoy drink specials with music by SoulBounce.com.

The book signing and reading event will begin at 6 pm on Sunday evening, 8 June 2008 at the Jin Lounge which is located on the historic "U" Street corridor at 2017 14th Street in NW Washington DC.

For more about UNSPEAKABLE visit www.michael-christopher.com.

Please RSVP to ensure you get your copy then pass this evite along to your contact lists. This event is going to be the talk of the town!

Ultimate Call for Content Contest Starts at 9am Today ONLY

Don't miss your chance to win $5000 for only 500 words!

Held in conjunction with Internet Week New York, here's the assignment:

Choose a topic you have enthusiasm or expertise in -- a person, a place, a technology, a trend or even a "how-to". Then, project ahead to next year, and why that topic will be relevant. We are accepting text, video and audio entries.

All entries will be reviewed by our Content Managers and a panel of expert judges. Content must be submitted on June 3rd before midnight through our contest area.

The best piece of content will win $5,000. All other entries will earn Performance Payments. Good luck!

For more information visit The Ultimate Call for Content website.

DC Residents No Longer Have To Register Bicycles With City

When I captured this bicyclist at Thomas Circle this evening I was not aware that effective TODAY, 1 June 2008, DC residents will no longer be required to register their bicycles with the city. Nor did I know that DC residents were required to register their bikes.

Transportation officials and police instead are encouraging residents to register their bikes by serial number with the National Bicycle Registry.

The national database is accessible by police anywhere in the United States.

To register with NBR, bike owners can purchase a kit for $10 at local bike shops or go online. Or call 800-848-BIKE.

It was when I was uploading this bicyclists photos that I heard the news on Fox 10 News. But since I could not locate the link from MyFoxDC.com, for the purpose of this posting, I'm referencing the news item from WRC 4 NBC News. Which I located when searching the internet.

Click image to view my ongoing Thomas Circle and Bicyclists 2008 photo sets.

EXPOSURE Photography Competition

Friday's Photo of the Week - 30 May 2008

Memorial Day Weekend . The Couple . Dupont Circle . WDC

Sunday afternoon, 25 May 2008

2008 Fridays' Photos of the Week

Colorlines Magazine Wins Investigative Journalism Award

The Chicago Headline Club has awarded ColorLines and The Chicago Reporter their 2008 Watchdog Award for Excellence in Public Interest Reporting for the "Killed by the Cops" cover story in the November/December 2007 magazine.

The Watchdog Award is sponsored by the Richard H. Dreihaus Foundation.

In a joint national investigation, ColorLines and The Chicago Reporter found that Blacks are overrepresented and Latinos are a rising number of those fatally shot by police. The report raises serious issues about whether police departments across America are doing enough to identify and weed out bad cops. Read the award-winning story.

The Watchdog Award honors Chicago area news reporting that calls attention to situations in which the public is being harmed or poorly served, and award is explicitly designed to encourage stories that stick up for the everyday person. The award was presented to ARC on April 25, 2008, at the Intercontinental Hotel during the Chicago Headline Club's annual Peter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, which honors the best Chicago-area reporting in print, broadcast and online media.

Old Convention Center site to be redevelopment as City Center DC

My interest in the redevelopment of the Old Convention Center site dates back to December 2004 when out taken pictures on New Years Ever, 31 December 2004, that I observed that the site was in its early stages of demolition.

Since then I have visited and photographed the 10 acre lot on many occasions. One year later, in December 2005, to photograph the First Downtown Holiday Market. Four months later, I returned in April 2006 to document the first installation of the 10th Street Art entitled Metamorphosis.

In July 2007 I'd capture the 10th Street Art Walk second installation entitled Drift. Most of those images have not yet been uploaded to my Drift photoset.

And then after observing photos of a 10th Street Art Walk installation at Bullneck's photostream on 7 May 2008 I'd visit the Emerge installation. In the process of research for a video production that would highlight each artists and each piece of work, it was then that wold I learned that Emerge is the third and final installment.

And on the same that I had completed the Emerge 'Outdoor' Art Installation - 10th Street Art Walk- NW WDC - 7 M ay 2008 video, TV news reported that Mayor Adrian M. Fenty had announced that the District had reached a deal with Hines/Archstone to lease the so-called B parcel to the development team.

The Old Convention Center Site will be redeveloped as CityCenterDC.

To learn more about CityCenterDC visit its website.

Josh Wood Productions newly re-constructed website is now LIVE!

The newly reconstructed website for JOSH WOOD PRODUCTIONS is now LIVE! To get nightlife, cultural and political information hosted by JOSH WOOD PRODUCTIONS ... sign up for the weekly mailing list.

Spend your weekend at the Hotels. Hosted by Josh Wood, Matt Tratner and Nick Van Bremen ... Star Fridays at The Chelsea Hotel features DJ Corey Craig while this Sunday Nights series at the Garden of ONO at the Hotel Gansevoort features the music by Brenda Black.

In celebration of the NYC Pride 2008 season, on Thursday evening 26 June, Wood's PRODUCTIONS series will present JOHN WATERS at The Concert Hall at the NY Society for Ethical Culture. A portion of proceeds will benefit The Stonewall Community Foundation.

And under POLITICS, Wood has listed several sites to send relief to Myanmar.

To keep abreast of Josh Wood Productions ... sign up for the mailing list. Contact Josh Wood by email at info@joshwoodproductions.com.

Bi-Partisan Tour Company 'Open-Air' Roadster: Either Side Can Ride!

Though I've never seen one until when departing from the National World War II Memorial on Friday evening, 23 May 2008, that a Bi-Partisan Tour open-air roadster would head north on 17th Street, when later the same evening that I happened upon the same Bi-Partisan Tour roadster on 19th Street at Dupont Circle South the driver, Bryan, would inform me that Bi-Partisan Tour Company, based at Union Station, has been in the nation's capital since April of 2007.

Here is a pdf of page 50 of the March / April 2007 issue of the Arrive Magazine which features a brief feature announcing Bi-Partisan Tour's arrival in DC.

Washington DC will come ALIVE when you cruise the landmarks and landscapes of the nation’s capital in an open-air electric roadster. Guided by a state-of-the-art GPS system, the unique narration reveals hidden history, drama, and excitement at every turn.

Bi-Partisan Tour Company truly giving a locals look into DC's past and present history and the figures involved by using audio-based GPS units installed in electric cars. For those that know the city or want to explore on their own, rentals of the classic roadster are also available.

Electric car rentals, from Bi-Partisan Tour Company, are the ultimate way to discover DC. There is no other tour in DC that offers so much freedom and flexibility in personalizing each guest’s tour.

In addition to electric car rentals, Bi-Partisan Tour Company, also offers mobile and walking tours. And here is driving and policies information. Make reservations here.

Located at Union Station, here is the pertinent contact info.

Click above image by Elvert Barnes to view Bi-Partisan Tour Company photoset.