I am a thirty something married gay boy living in Sydney, almost on top of the gay scene but not in it!
Why Sometimes blue?, because I love blue, but also I am sometimes blue :)
more about drew
I was reading that a man in the UK and detonated a bomb in a restaurant I have been to The restaurant int he South West in a small city in Exeter near where I used to love in the UK.
That is so random that this sort of stuff would happen in of all places Exeter!
The City of Sydney is planning to give Oxford St back to gays, artists and older people after endorsing a new cultural strategy for the strip this week.
New branding around Taylor Square to reinforce the gay and lesbian cultural heritage and ownership of the area was one recommendation of the report by Urban Cultures Ltd’s Dr John Montgomery.
He also called for GLBTQ organisations lost to the inner-west to be returned and co-located in a building in the precinct.
“As many of the area’s distinctive characteristics result from its association with the GLBTQ communities, the report supports reinforcing that connection,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
The strategy covers not just the largely defunct Golden Mile but all the way to Centennial Park, and claims the name “Oxford Street” is too vague.
The area from Taylor Square to Victoria Barracks could be given a new name and also become home to a new cinema cluster or contemporary art gallery.
Sydney councillor Shayne Mallard welcomed the strategy, calling it long overdue.
“One of the failings of the Oxford St upgrade was it morphed away a sense of the unique strip. We need to do more than just putting up the rainbow flags on the banner poles,” he said.
Mallard had previously campaigned for a gay and lesbian art and media gallery and was pleased to see those ideas back in consideration.
But he said it was also important for community institutions like Twenty10, Pride and even ACON to have access to rent-controlled council property on Oxford St.
“Over time the council put everyone under commercial rates, which is a lot higher than the commercial rate in Newtown [where they moved to save money],” he said.
“These are culturally important organisations which we should be giving more subsidy to than just upping to full-on commercial rates.”
Twenty10 executive officer Meredith Turnbull said reduced rents would be attractive, but the service had built a positive relationship with Marrickville Council since its departure from Darlinghurst in the 1980s.
“To decide to move again may have big implications for our service users and our community standing,” she said.
The vision for a harmonious, thriving Oxford St by 2015 took aim at the precinct’s nightlife, saying 24-hour hotels and clubs playing loud music are damaging the strip’s reputation.
A key priority was to “develop an evening economy that appeals to older people and art lovers as opposed to 18- to 25-year-old club and pub goers”.
Echoing Moore’s frequent statements, the report called for a promenade where people might simply stroll about.
“This route should be well-lit in the evenings, and have good evening activity along its frontages: a café, bar or restaurant at least every 20 metres to generate natural surveillance,” it read.
If some of this sounds familiar, that’s because the City already has many outstanding plans for the area: Taylor Square South redesign, Taylor Square North adaptive re-use project, Oxford St Retail Strategy, Oxford St Safety Strategy, event programming for Mardi Gras, and supporting the Darlinghurst Business Partnership’s business strategy.
The City will now seek public comment on the implementation, to be budgeted for the next financial year.
Moore also achieved a win with the passing of new liquor laws through Parliament last week, which she claims will encourage smaller, safer bars.
I have been Missing in Action on this blog for well over a week. In fact I think it's closer to ten days really or maybe even two weeks, but I am back (sort of). Work has been going crazy and I have accepting new projects and clients left right and center! IN between all of this I have consistently been back at the gym five times a week focusing on cardio to quickly strip the excess fat around my mid section.
In between all of this we have been doing some social stuff and I have been keeping up with the news of the world! I thought I mighthighlight some of my current annoyances and features.
Catholic Cardinal threatens NSW Politicians over Stem Cell Debate - If they vote to approve stem cell research he has indicated that they should not do communion and has implied that they may even be ex communicated from the Church. Personally I think the cross dressing bigot should pray for forgiveness of his own bigotry.
Alan Jones gets sacked from channel nine - This had me wooping with delight yesterday when I read this in the newspaper. Apparently the new management of Channel Nine and Australian TV station has sacked the right wing John Howard Apologist Radio broadcaster. He has had a spot on morning television for the last twenty years, but since the Packer family has sold the controlling interest, Jones's acerbic right wing dribble is no longer required.
Will and Tobys - We stepped out last week for a late supper to the newest and hottest club / supper club on the strip. Will and Toby's has taken up residence in the newly refurbished Lewis the Dalmatian - my sister in law has bought the cutest little new dalmatian and has called him Lewis (lou Dog or bear). he's only seventeen weeks old and he is already almost as large as Lucy, so I can only imagine how large he is going to end up.
Creationism Museum Opens in Ohio - A museum which promotes 'intelligent design' and suggests the world was created 6000 years ago when people roamed the earth with dinosaurs has opened its doors. This museum will only server to confuse kids and make sure American bible bashers kids are more disadvantaged in the future!
Bush Nominates anti-gay Dr for Surgeon General - And finally Bush is trying to nominate the next Surgeon General. JohnHolsinger is a religious nutcase who in the past has started an ex-gay ministry and said that his study of biology prevents equality for gays and lesbians. He sounds as bad as the idiot Surgeon generals in the eighties who were pretending AIDS did not exist!