• ’Where’s Our Fierce Advocate?’: American Gays and Lesbians Feel Betrayed by Obama – SPIEGEL ONLINE
  tags: obama lgbt gay queer politics

• AMERICAblog: The Choice to Defend DOMA, and Its Consequences
  Obama’s DOJ wrote a really hateful brief supporting the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act
  tags: lgbt queer gay marriage doma obama
• Why trains run slower now than they did in the 1920s. – By Tom Vanderbilt – Slate Magazine
  tags: transportation history rail economics trains usa

• Harold Norse, a Beat Poet, Dies at 92 – Obituary (Obit) – NYTimes.com
  he did his translations “with a dictionary in one hand and a Roman in the other.”
  tags: gay queer poetry beat

Carved ornamental wooden capital in the Auditorium Building, 430 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Adler & Sullivan, architects. Via Atelier Teee on flickr.

James and I headed to Chicago for a few days on an art and architecture vacation. We’re also seeing the Chicago Opera Vanguard production of “Greek” by Mark-Anthony Turnage. We’re meeting people for drinks on the 4th. E-mail for details if you would like to join us.

• Photographic Treasure Trove: What East Germany Was Really Like – SPIEGEL ONLINE
  tags: germany east-germany ddr history photography

On Saturday, May 30th a select group of artists will present Playing Through, an extensive mini golf course (and then some) at Industry City in Sunset Park, Brooklyn (55 33rd Street). From noon to midnight, the 16,000 sqft, 15ft ceilinged industrial space will be transformed into a carnival extravaganza. We are eliminating greens fees and assembling a full food court featuring many local vendors. There will be a cotton candy machine and a popcorn waterfall. The course will have roaming beverage cart service. Nightfall will see the musical stage come to life, with several bands performing. In these tough economic times we’re taking care of you with an entire day of free entertainment for everyone on the Brooklyn waterfront.

James and I hope to stop by this on Saturday. It’s an interesting group of artists, ranging from recent Hunter MFA graduates to more “established” artists like Rachel Harrison. James and I have written about quite a few of them. I was told by one of the organizers that they wanted to use an event like this to introduce the artists working there to the broader community. I particularly like the fact that they have fliers in English and Spanish!

Carrie Moyer, Mythic Being (detail), 2008, acrylic on canvas, 50 × 30 inches

Work stuff is not leaving much time for blog posts, so I’m posting images of some of my favorite things seen lately. That definitely includes Carrie Moyer excellent show of paintings at Canada, up through June 7. Do not miss it.

Angela Dufresne, Some Like it Hot, 2009, oil on canvas, 40 × 60 inches (via Monya Rowe Gallery)

Angela Dufresne, Nosforatu Street Scene with Italian Hookers (from Herzog’s ‘Nosforatu’), 2008, oil on canvas, 84 × 132 inches (via CRG Gallery)

My own photos didn’t turn out so well, so here are two images of Angela’s work from the gallery websites. I’ve been following her work for a while, and the latest paintings are my favorite work by her so far. The Monya Rowe show closes June 13, and the CRG show closes July 2.

• Open Left:: Spilling the Beans About Starbucks’ Union-Busting Tactics
  tags: efca politics labor unions starbucks
• Daily Kos: Harry Reid Embraces Republican Talking Points
  I really don’t see why anyone should help either the Dems or GOP stay in power. The “don’t vote” majority is looking less stupid.
  tags: guantanamo politics democrats

I love this part of the New York Times review of Reynold Price’s latest book.

Mr. Price applies the word “queer” and dislikes “gay” because he thinks the latter hurt homosexual men during the early years of the AIDS crisis. It fit the assumption of bigots, he writes, that “homosexuals were giddy irresponsibles, negligible creatures.” Mr. Price quotes a friend who says: “Please don’t call me gay. If you need an adjective, call me morose.”