Podcasts about castro street

Mastering Real Estate Investments: 1031 Exchanges, REITs, & Market Trends! In this informative episode, Vito from Abitano explores the exciting world of real estate investments. He begins by discussing the autumn season and the joy it brings, then dives into converting home sale proceeds into real estate investment trusts (REITs) using the 1031 exchange process, explaining its benefits and risks. Vito also shares valuable insights on high-value properties in areas like East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Monterey, and Castro Street, analyzing current market conditions, and trends from 2019 to 2024, and offering predictions for the future. Along the way, he emphasizes the importance of consulting with tax and legal advisors before making investment decisions. Don't miss out on expert advice, property highlights, and a comprehensive view of today's real estate market! Can I Convert 1031 Proceeds into a REIT? Pros and Cons of Investing in REITs Register to vote today What Is A Good Sale Price For My Property?

"Bruce Baillie makes avant-garde films with the gifts of a painter and the objectives of a sign painter." This week, we sat down as just Tom and Mike to talk about Bruce Baillie's Castro Street. But more than that, we sat down to, in a sense, "How To Watch Experimental Films (If You Don't Like Experimental Films)". After Tom notably had no patience for Dog Star Man earlier this season, Mike was surprised to find Tom really resonated with this 10-minute avant-garde portrait of industrial California. So, if you've ever found yourself thinking experimental film is daunting, incomprehensible, or yes, even pretentious, Tom (who has thought all three at times) takes the lead on this episode to help make sense of Castro Street, and offer a pathway into the rich and diverse world of experimental cinema. Plus, we take a look at Baillie's other major work, All My Life (1966), to compare and contrast the two shorts. Follow the Show:TwitterInstagramWebsite Music by Mike Natale

Special Announcement #1 Attend the Legendary Summer Intensive Featuring Drs. David Burns and Jill Levitt August 8 - 11. 2024 Learn Advanced TEAM-CBT skills Heal yourself, heal your patients First Intensive in 5 years! It will knock your socks off! Limited Seating--Act Fast Click for registration / more information! Sadly, this workshop is a training program which will be limited to therapists and mental health professionals and graduate students in a mental health field  Apologies, but therapists have complained when non-therapists have attended our continuing education training programs. This is partly because of the intimate nature of the small group exercises and the personal work the therapists may do during the workshop. Certified coaches and counselors are welcome to attend. Special Announcement #2 Here's some GREAT news! The Feeling Great App is now available in both app stores (IOS and Android) and is for therapists and the general public, and you can take a ride for free! Check it Today's Podcast Practical Philosophy Month Part 1, The Free Will Problem Welcome to Practical Philosophy month. For the next five weeks, we will discuss some of the most popular and challenging problems in philosophy, such as these: Do human beings have free will? Or is free will just an illusion? Do human beings have a “self?” Or is the “self” just another illusion? Is it possible to be more or less “worthwhile?” Are some humans “better” or “worse” than others? Does God exist? Is the universe “real” or “one”? What's the meaning of life? What is “self-esteem”? How does it differ from self-confidence? What's the difference between conditional and unconditional self-esteem? What's the difference between self-esteem and self-acceptance? What do you have to do to experience joy and feelings of worthwhileness? We will try to complete the list in five weeks, so some weeks we may include more than one topic, since many of these topics are related to one another. Rhonda and David will be joined by our beloved Dr. Matt May, a regular on our Ask David episodes, and for the first and second sessions we will be joined by our beloved Dr. Fabrice Nye, who created and hosted the Feeling Good Podcasts several years ago. Each week, you will also hear about the linkage between these philosophical dilemmas, and emotional problems, like depression, anxiety, and relationship conflicts. For example, nearly all depressed individuals believe that they aren't sufficiently “worthwhile.” I see my goal as a psychiatrist not as helping people feel “more worthwhile,” but rather showing people, if interested, how to give up this notion entirely and become free of certain kinds of damaging judgments of the “self” and others. You will also learn how these types of philosophical problems continue to play a large role in psychiatry and psychology, including the DSM5 diagnostic system. For example, is the diagnosis of “Generalized Anxiety Disorder” a true “mental disorder” that you could “have” or “not have?” And might some or most of the so-called “mental disorders” listed in the DSM be based on faulty philosophical / logical thinking? And if many or most of the “mental disorders” are based on goofy, faulty thinking, is there a more productive and effective way to think about most emotional problems? And how did we get into this mess in the first place? Worrying certainly exists, and we all worry at times. But how much or how often do you have to worry before you develop or have a “mental disorder” called “Generalized Anxiety Disorder” that can be diagnosed like any medical illness and treated with drugs? Or is “Generalized Anxiety Disorder” (and hundreds of other “mental disorders in the DSM” based on a certain kind of nonsensical thinking? And if so, why? What is the goofy, faulty thinking in the DSM? And are there some “mental disorders” that are valid and real? We HAVE touched on all of these themes in previous podcasts, but I thought it would be nice to put them all in one place and bring in a variety of “solutions,” controversies, and experts. I David, will often represent (hopefully, and to the best of my ability) the thinking of Ludwig Wittgenstein, as expressed in his famous book, Philosophical Investigation, published in 1950 following his death. That book consists of a series of numbered brief essays (a few paragraphs each) that were based on notes found in a metal box under his dormitory room at Cambridge University. He'd written these in preparation for his weekly seminars in his dormitory room. Wittgenstein, although now widely regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of all time, did not think he knew enough to teach in a classroom. In fact, because of his feelings of depression and self-doubt, he sadly never tried to publish anything when he was alive. Wittgenstein's philosophy also played an indirect but significant role in the evolution of several modern psychotherapies. His philosophy created new ways of thinking that gave rise to the work of Dr. Albert Ellis, the famous New York psychologist who created Rational Emotive Therapy during the 1950s. Ellis emphasized that the “Should Statements” that trigger so much guilt, shame, depression, anxiety, and rage are based on illogical thinking. He might often say, “Where is it written that people or the world “should” be the way you want them to be?” Of course, this idea actually traces back to the Greek Stoic philosophers like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Wittgenstein's thinking also seems to have played a role in the thinking of Dr. Aaron Beck, who adapted the work of Ellis and called his version of the “Cognitive Therapy.” Beck emphasized many thinking errors, like All-or-Nothing Thinking, and Overgeneralization, that trigger depression, anxiety, and more. Sadly, Wittgenstein struggled with severe depression and loneliness throughout his life, and three of his four brothers tragically died by suicide. Wittgenstein also had prolonged periods of time when he considered suicide. It is also sad that he did not know how to apply his brilliant philosophical breakthroughs to his own negative thinking, but that application of his work did not develop at the time he was still alive. Part of Wittgenstein's depression was related, I believe, to the fact that very few people, including the most famous philosophers of Europe, could understand his thinking when he was alive. From time to time, I think he glimpsed the enormous importance of his work; but I believe that he also had prolonged moments of self-doubt when he thought his work was of little value at best. To be as correct as possible, Wittgenstein did write a manuscript called Tractatus Logico Philosophicus as a young man, although he never tried to publish it. He wrote it when he was a prisoner of war. He thought this book solved all the problems of philosophy, which had plagued him since he was a child, and he felt great relief. He sent a copy of his manuscript to Bertrand Russell, who was a famous British philosopher. Bertrand Russell was incredibly impressed with the Tractatus and distributed it to many European philosophers. Bertrand Russell thought it might be the greatest book in the history of philosophy, and a number of the 20th century philosophical movements including Logical Positivism, were inspired by that book. However, Wittgenstein left the field of philosophy, thinking that his work was done, and that he'd found the solutions he was looking for. He tried teaching grammar school for a while, but was fired because he became frustrated and violent toward some of his students. He also tried to survive as a fisher in a Norwegian fishing town, but was not successful at that, either, because he didn't know much about fishing, much less supporting yourself through fishing. One day, he learned that a brilliant Swedish economics student had found a flaw in his Tractatus, and his inner turmoil about the puzzling problems of philosophy flared up again. He decided to return to the study of philosophy. He applied to be an advanced undergraduate at Cambridge University, but when someone in the admissions office spotted his application, they recognized his name and showed his application to Bertrand Russell, who had been wondering what had become of the young man who once sent him such a brilliant manuscript. Russell, who was the chair of the department of philosophy, said to being Wittgenstein to his office immediately for an interview. Russell explained that he would have to reject Wittgenstein's application to be an undergraduate at Cambridge University. Deeply disappointed, Wittgenstein asked why. Russell told him it was because he was already recognized as the greatest philosopher of the 20th century. Bertrand proposed that if Wittgenstein would agree to skip college and graduate school, they would immediately award him a PhD for the manuscript he'd sent to Russell years earlier. Russell also offered him a full professor ship in the department of philosophy. Wittgenstein protested and said he needed to study philosophy again, because of the error in Tractatus, and that he didn't know anything, and definitely could not teach in a classroom. Bertrand Russell insisted, and they finally struck a deal where Wittgenstein would agree to be a professor of philosophy but all he would have to do was to have a conversation session with anybody who wanted to talk to him at his dormitory room once a week. Wittgenstein accepted and met for years with students and famous philosophers who came from around Europe to crowd into his dormitory room for his weekly seminars, and he began to shape a radically different philosophical approach from the one he'd described earlier in his Tractatus. He was determined to find a new way to solve all the problems of philosophy. And, to my way of thinking, along with those few who really understand him, he was successful. But he was often frustrated because, so few understood him. This was unfortunate, because what he was saying was incredibly simple and basic, and it was pretty similar to, if not identical to, the thinking of the Buddha 2500 years earlier. The Buddha apparently had the same problem—almost nobody could understand what he was trying to say when he was still alive. They couldn't “get it” when he was talking about the so-called “Great Death” of the “self,” or talking about the path to enlightenment. The Buddha's frustration resulted from the exact same problem Wittgenstein encountered 2500 years later. The Buddha was saying something that was extremely simple, obvious, and basic—and yet, it was rumored that of his more than 100,000 followers when he was alive, only three actually “got it” and experienced enlightenment. When I read Philosophical Investigations my senior year in college, it was rumored that only seven people in the world understood what Wittgenstein was trying to say. Wittgenstein's dream was that philosophy students would “get” his thinking and give up philosophy when they realized that most if not all philosophical problems are sheer nonsense. He wanted them to do something practical and real in the world instead of studying philosophy. He was verry disappointed when his favorite student, Norman Malcolm (one of the seven who “got it,”) pursued an illustrious career teaching philosophy in America at Cornell University. I always wished I could have known Wittgenstein when he was alive, so I could have told him this: I loved you, too, and I got it after several months of confusion, trying to understand your Philosophical Investigations, but eventually understood it with the help of your student, Norman Malcolm. His book about you was very inspiring. And that's why I left philosophy for something more practical in the world. I decided at the last minute to go to medical school to become a psychiatrist instead of philosophy graduate school. Hopefully, I am doing something that you might be proud of! But oddly enough, your thinking has also influenced my approach to people who feel depressed and worthless. They are also under a kind of destructive “enchantment,” thinking that there is some such “thing” as a more or less worthwhile human being! And this is a major cause of depression and anxiety and feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. I wonder if you, Wittgenstein, ever felt that you weren't “good enough” when you were feeling down. hopeless and suicidal? I sure wish I could have helped you with that! If you want to understand Wittgenstein's work, the best book in my opinion is Norman Malcolm's moving and affectionate tribute to his beloved teacher, entitled “Ludwig Wittgenstein: A Memoir.” It's a short moving tribute to his beloved teacher, and tears go down my cheeks every time I read it, or even think about it. If you ever visit my office here at home, you'll find that memoir proudly sitting on my bookshelf, with a handsome photo of Wittgenstein on the cover. Toward the end of his life, Wittgenstein appears to have become more or less homeless, and he died from prostate cancer. His doctor said he could live in his home, where he was befriended by the doctor's wife in his final days. His dying words were, “Tell them that I had a wonderful life.” He died on April 29, 1951, just a few hours before my wife was born in Palo Alto, California. Surprisingly, she is the only person I've ever met who understood Wittgenstein's thinking entirely the first time I explained it to her. She “already knew” what Wittgenstein, the greatest philosophical genius of the 20th century, spent a lifetime figuring out! Reincarnation is pretty “out there,” and fairly silly, to my way of thinking, but sometimes it can be fun to think about it! Here is my understanding of how the thinking of the “later Wittgenstein” actually developed. His first book, which is nearly impossible to understand, was called the Tractatus Logico Philosophicus. It is a series of numbered propositions, which he compared to climbing up a ladder, rung by rung, as you read the book until you got to the roof at the top of the ladder. Then you could throw your ladder away and give up philosophical thinking, since he thought his book contained the solution to all the problems of philosophy that had tormented him since childhood, as mentioned previously. The philosophy of language in the Tractatus is based on the thinking of Aristotle and Plato, who thought that the function of language was to name things that exist in the real world. Plato's idea was that our real world consists of imperfect examples of a “Platonic Reality” which consisted of “perfect” representations of everything. So, for example, Plato believed there could be a perfect “table,” a perfect “lamp,” and so forth. In other words, he thought there was an ideal essence to the concept of a “table.” And, I suppose, there might also be a “perfect” version of you! The early Wittgenstein also thought that the logic inherent in our sentences reflected the logic inherent in an external reality. If that doesn't make much sense to you, join the club! But that's kind of what Plato and Aristotle were promoting, at least in my (David's) understanding. When Wittgenstein's Tractatus was debunked, he was devastated, and desperately wanted to find another way to solve the problems of philosophy, since they started tormenting him again. It was much like a relapse of OCD or some other emotional problem. In fact, he thought of philosophy as a kind of mental illness that needed treatment. Here's an example of the types of philosophical problems that tormented him. Do human beings have free will? Do we have a “self?” Is the universal “real?” Of course, we THINK we have free will, and it SEEMS like we make “free decisions” all day long, but is this just an illusion? For example, some people would argue that we cannot have “free will” because we “have to” follow the laws of science that govern everything, including how the brain works. So, since we “have to” do what we are doing at every moment of every day, we must not have free will! Here is an argument that we do NOT have “free will.” When a powerful storm or hurricane destroys a portion of a city, and people die, we see this as a tragedy, but we don't get angry at the hurricane because it does have “free will.” It is just obeying the laws of physics that govern the forces of wind, air pressure, heat and cooling, and so forth. A storm cannot behave in any other way. So, the argument goes, we are also following the laws that govern the functioning of our bodies and brains, and so we cannot do other than what we do, so we, too, have no “free will.” We THINK we are acting freely but it is an illusion, so our brains are obeying the laws of the universe at every moment! For hundreds of years philosophers have struggled with this puzzle, and many people still wrestle with this problem today. It was one of the problems that drew me to philosophy. Impractical for sure, but still tantalizing. Another way to express the free will puzzle is via religious thinking. I was taught when I was growing up that God is omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present everywhere) and omniscient (all knowing.) So, God knows the past, present, and future. And if God knows the future, then God knows what we will do at every moment of every day, and we are helpless to do otherwise. Therefore, we have no “free will,” even though we “think” we do! This free will problem can definitely be unsettling, with troubling moral consequences. If we do not “free will,” then are serial killers really responsible for, or guilty, or accountable for their actions? If we do not have free will, then wouldn't that give us license to do whatever we want whenever we want? Clever arguments for sure! We may “feel” like we have the freedom to do whatever we want at almost any moment of any day, but are we fooling ourselves and living in some gigantic hoax, or illusion? Are we total slaves with the delusion that we are actually acting “freely?” How do we resolve this problem? Well, one day Wittgenstein was walking past a soccer game at the park, and the soccer ball hit him on the head. He wasn't hurt, but had the thought, “What if the function of language is NOT to name things (like trees, or lamps, etc.) that exist in some “external reality,” like Plato and Aristotle thought? What if language actually functions as a series of “language games,” with rules, just like the game of soccer? Then the meaning of any words would simply be the many ways the word is used in different real world situations. In fact, that's what you find in the dictionary when you look up the meaning of a word. The dictionary doesn't ever give you some “correct” or ”pure” meaning, since most words have many meanings. This would be the opposite of the philosophy of Aristotle and Plato who argued that there were “true” meanings for every word, noun, or concept. What if, instead, words had NO true or essential meanings, and their meanings were simply embedded in the context in which they are used in ordinary, everyday language? If so, this might mean that philosophical problems emerge when we try to pull words out of their ordinary meanings, which are always obvious, and put them into some metaphysical realm where philosophers argue about “ultimate truth.” Let's say we wanted to find out if humans have “free will.” Well, not being sure if there is such a “thing” as “free will,” we could look up “free” and “will” in the dictionary. (I know this sounds incredibly obvious and almost ridiculous.) What does “free” mean? Well, we could talk about the many ways we use “free.” Political freedom means that in some countries you cannot contradict the leader (the dictator) without the danger of being thrown in prison or even murdered. But in other countries, you are, In fact, free to express your own ideas and opinions, without fear of punishment. Free also means getting something without having to pay for it, like a seventh bottle of soda is free at the local grocery store if you purchase a six pack. Free can also mean “available.” I am starting up my Sunday hikes again, and I might say, “If you are free this Sunday morning, meet at my front door at 9 and we'll go for a hike and have a dim sum feast afterwards at a Chinese restaurant on Castro Street in Mountain View, California, Now notice that when you talk about “free will” you have taken this word, “free,” out of the familiar contexts in which we find it, and given it some type of metaphysical “meaning.” But in this metaphysical, philosophical arena, it has no meaning. So, instead of trying to “solve” the so-called “free will” problem, we can dismiss it as nonsensical, and ignore it as having no practical meaning, and move on with our lives. We can say, “I just don't understand that problem! I don't know what you're talking about when you ask the general question of whether we have something called ‘free will.'” That either works for you, or it doesn't work for you! Your choice. It does work for me, but it took me months of thinking until I suddenly “got it.” My way of describing this philosophical error is “nounism.” You think that nouns always refer to things that could “exist” or “not-exist,” just like Plato and Aristotle thought. So, you ponder and try to figure out if this notion of “free will” exists or does not exist. But it's arguably a meaningless question. That's why I say, and Wittgenstein might say, I have no idea what you're talking about. Today we'll discuss the free will problem and how it might relate to our field of psychotherapy. Next week, we'll deal with another thorny problem: Do we have a “self?” Or is that also just some kind of illusion? I (David) wrote these show notes before the show, and we have had fairly extensive email exchanges, with a variety of points of view on whether or not we have something we can call “free will.” First, I'll put a great email by Matt, followed by a comment by Fabrice. Here's Matt's email first: Subject: Re: question Yes, that's getting very close to what I'm trying to communicate. I don't believe you are 'slow' or 'super lame', either. In fact, quite the opposite. I suspect I'm failing to do an adequate job of disarming your claims that 'free will' and 'self' are words taken out-of-context and, therefore, can't be shown to exist or not-exist. I apologize, as I am pretty excited about the potential to help people, suffering with self-blame and other-blame, by realizing that we and others don't have a 'self' or 'free will'. I believe we have a brain that makes decisions and creates experiences, including the experience of having a 'self' and 'free will'. I believe that the experience of 'making' a decision is an illusion, as is the idea of a static, unchanging 'self' that controls decision-making. I asked you to pick a movie and you said, 'Green Mile'. You acknowledged that this movie title simply 'popped into my head'. That's correct. Your 'self' didn't control what you selected, using 'free will'. Your brain just came up with that movie title. There was no 'self' that made a decision to choose that word. I agree that we have a brain which is incredibly powerful. I'm claiming that we don't have an auxiliary 'self', with extra super powers, controlling our brain. We can make decisions, but we don't have 'free will', meaning, the ability to control those decisions. I do think you have some resistance to seeing through the illusions of 'self' and 'free will', all of which say awesome things about you, e.g. morality and justice. I'm not trying to convince you, one way or another, and I don't expect to. I'm more interested in the listening audience, as many people are significantly relieved when they realize that we are more the victims of our biology and circumstance rather than defective 'selves' lacking 'willpower'. To put a slightly finer point on the subject, when people say they have 'free will', they don't mean that 'decisions are made'. Obviously, decisions are made. You decided to keep reading this email, for example. Or you didn't. I'm not sure. Either way, a decision was made. When people say they have 'free will', they are saying that they (really, their 'self') are/is free to decide whether to continue reading this email, and that this power goes above and beyond what their brain is doing, according to the laws of physics. I am claiming that this is a ridiculous and dangerous thought, for which there is no evidence. You're saying these terms haven't been defined. I'm pointing out that they already have been, intuitively, by anyone who thinks, 'I shouldn't have done that', or 'they shouldn't have done that'. These thoughts require a belief that they 'could have' done something different, that they had free will. Aside from rage and guilt, let's examine the narcissism and excessive sense of confidence a patient might have, if they believe that they can simply 'decide', through sheer 'willpower', not to beat up on themselves anymore. Or a patient who believes they can simply 'decide' to always use the 5-Secrets, rather than criticize and blame. Can they? I've never seen that happen. That's why I assign homework. I know that the goal is to rewire the brain so they can feel and perform better, later. We can't simply decide to feel good all the time. We all drift in-and-out of enlightenment. If we want to increase the likelihood that we will be able to set aside self-criticism or communicate more effectively, we have to practice new thoughts and behaviors. If we do, we will develop greater skills at defeating negative thoughts and communicating effectively. Otherwise, our brains will do, in the future, what they are programmed to do, now. It's because we lack 'free will', that we must do homework. Similarly, you couldn't simply 'decide' to be the world's best ping-pong player. You realized you would have to work hard to re-wire your brain, if you wanted to have a chance at that. Let's use the murderer/cat example: A cat tortures and kills mice for the same reasons that a murderer does: their brains are programmed to do so. Murderers don't have a defective 'self' that is failing to express 'free will' adequately, when they murder. They're doing precisely what the atomic structure of their brain caused them to do, according to the laws of physics, in that moment, when presented with those precise stimuli. We don't have to judge or punish the cat or the murderer's 'self' and insist they should have used their 'free will'. We can accept that neither creature had the ability to decide differently from what their brain decided, in that moment. That is where the therapeutic element of this realization comes into play. I think it's important on a lot of levels, to stop blaming cats for being cats and murderers for being murderers. Similarly, if a patient doesn't want to do homework, will it do any good to blame them and think they're bad and should decide differently? No, it helps to accept them where they are, and to accept ourselves where we are, with open hands. Realizing nobody has a 'self' operating their brain and making decisions that are better than their brains' decisions doesn't mean we have to let all the murderers go or trust our cat with a new mouse companion. We can still be aware that their brains are programmed to murder. We would still be motivated to do whatever is necessary to protect society and mice. The difference is the attitude towards the murderer. We aren't trying to 'punish' or 'get vengeance' but to protect and, instead of 'labeling' them as having a 'bad self' or even being a 'murderer', but someone who has murdered and, left to their own devices, likely to do so again.  Instead of judging and demanding vengeance, we would see a murderer as the victim of their biology and environment. Instead of condemning them as permanently evil and bad, we could recognize that their brain is currently wired to do bad things and they might still learn new ways to interact with others. Perhaps they're not hopeless cases, after all. From the other side, if I ever committed murder, and sentenced to death, I wouldn't want to be feeling defective, thinking what a bad self I have and guilty/ashamed for not flexing my 'free will' in the heat of the moment. Instead, I might feel a sense of relief, purpose and meaning, that I was protecting others by being put to death. Alright, enough out of me! Thanks, Matt And now, the response from Fabrice: Matt's thinking is exactly in line with mine. I don't know if the topic came up in your discussion, but some people argue that actually someone could have done something differently than they did, because there is some randomness in Nature. But that argument doesn't hold water because even if the decision “made” by their brain is different, it has nothing to do with their will but only with the Heisenberg principle. Cheers! Fabrice Nye fabrice@life.net David's wrap up comment. Matt and Fabrice have quite a different view of “free will” and the “self.” They are arguing, very thoughtfully and persuasive, that we do not “have” a “self” or “free will.” People have been involved in this debate, as I've mentioned, for hundreds of years, taking one side or another. My own thinking is different, and reflects my understanding of Wittgenstein's thinking. They have take these words out of the contexts in which they exist in everyday language, (which is a huge temptation) and involved in a debate about abstract concepts which have no meaning. Very few people, it seems, were able to grasp this idea when Wittgenstein was alive, or even today. So, if what I'm saying makes no sense to you, be comforted, since it seems likely that 99% of the people reading this, or listening to the show, will agree with you! And that's still a puzzle to me. It is not clear to me why so many people still cannot “see” or “get” this idea that words do not have any pure or essential “meaning” outside of the context of everyday use of language. The best psychotherapy example I can use is the fact that nearly all depressed individuals are trying to figure out, on some abstract or philosophical level, whether they are “worthwhile” or “good enough,” or whatever. This seems to be a “real” problem, and so they believe that they are not sufficiently worthwhile. This belief can be so convincing that many people commit suicide, out of a sense of hopelessness and self-hatred. But there is not such thing as a human being who is more or less “worthwhile.” Of course, your actions can be more or less worthwhile at any moment, and we can evaluate or judge our specific behaviors. Yesterday, we had our first recording session in a video studio we have set up for our Feeling Great App. We had a lot of fun and recorded some (hopefully) interesting stories we'll publish on our two new YouTube channels. I really appreciated the colleagues who made this possible. It was a relief for me because I tend to have performance anxiety, which impairs my ability to speak naturally and with emotion. But this time, there was no anxiety at all, so it was fun. Did this make me or my colleagues more worthwhile human beings? No! But it did show that we'd become a bit more effective and communicating messages that will trigger healing and understanding in our fans, and hope that includes you! When you “see” this, perhaps for the first time, it can be incredibly liberating, since you no longer have the need to have a “self” that's “special” or worthwhile. And, as some of you know, my beloved teacher and cat, Obie, taught me that when you no longer need to be “special,” life becomes special. When your “self” dies, you inherit the world! There's no funeral, only a celebration! Feel free to contact us with your thoughts, ideas and questions! Thank you for listening today! Rhonda, Matt, Fabrice, and David

On November 27th, 1978, former San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Dan White walked into City Hall and murdered Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. White was angry about Moscone's decision not to reappoint him to the Board after he resigned earlier that month. Harvey Milk had urged the mayor not to reappoint White. Join Mike and Gibby as they discuss Dan White. George Moscone was thought by many to be a good mayor, and Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States. Their murders were a blow to the City and its residents. Harvey Milk was revered by most in the gay community and was often referred to as the mayor of Castro Street. Harvey Milk worked hard to pass anti-discrimination ordinances and fought against all propositions that would harm the LGBTQ community.You can help support the show at patreon.com/truecrimeallthetimeVisit the show's website at truecrimeallthetime.com for contact, merchandise, and donation informationAn Emash Digital productionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hvad har amerikansk fodbold og det at være til mænd tilfælles? Det korte svar, ingenting. I San Francisco forsøger man sig dog hvert år på Manny's Bar i Castro Street at gøre det at se Super Bowl finalen til noget, som man også kan være med til, selvom man er homoseksuel. Hvilket i sig selv lyder indlysende, at man burde kunne i 2024. Men faktisk er amerikansk fodbold med til at skabe et billede af, hvad en rigtig mand er - og der er ikke just lighedstegn mellem homoseksualitet, amerikansk fodbold og "den rigtige mand". Lyt eller bli' snydt.

DeMaio on the deplorable state of San Francisco and the fed-up business owners.

INTRODUCTION: Martina Clark was the first openly HIV-positive person hired to work for UNAIDS in 1996. She subsequently worked for the United Nations system for 20 years, advocating globally for the rights of people living with HIV. Her collaborative work also led to a mandatory HIV In the Workplace program internal to the United Nations system, facilitating platforms for freer dialogue and a more supportive environment for all personnel, including LGBTQ, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized populations. Clark holds a BA in International Relations and an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature. Currently, she is an adjunct for LaGuardia Community College (part of CUNY) where she teaches English 101 and Critical Reading to NYC public high school students earning college credits early. Her award-winning debut book, My Unexpected Life: An International Memoir of Two Pandemics, HIV and COVID-19, was published in October 2021. INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE (But not limited to): ·      A Deep Look Into Living With HIV/AIDS·      How COVID-19 And HIV/AIDS Are Connected·      Specific Implications For Women Living With HIV/AIDS·      Castro Street In The Mid 80's·      Doctoral Disrespect·      The Benefits of HIV/AIDS·      The Importance Of Maintaining A Positive Perspective·      Implementing Changes At The United Nations·      Disease Does Not Discriminate ·      Why It's Easier To Talk To Homeless People & Children CONNECT WITH MARTINA: Website: https://martina-clark.com/homeBook: https://martina-clark.com/buy-my-bookLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-clark-2735719/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinaclarkwriter/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MartinaClarkPenFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartinaClarkWriter/YouTube: https://bit.ly/3IsGEjt CONNECT WITH DE'VANNON: Website: https://www.SexDrugsAndJesus.comWebsite: https://www.DownUnderApparel.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sexdrugsandjesusYouTube: https://bit.ly/3daTqCMFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SexDrugsAndJesus/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexdrugsandjesuspodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabooTopixLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devannonPinterest: https://www.pinterest.es/SexDrugsAndJesus/_saved/Email: DeVannon@SDJPodcast.com  DE'VANNON'S RECOMMENDATIONS: ·      Pray Away Documentary (NETFLIX)o  https://www.netflix.com/title/81040370o  TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs ·      OverviewBible (Jeffrey Kranz)o  https://overviewbible.como  https://www.youtube.com/c/OverviewBible ·      Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed (Documentary)o  https://press.discoveryplus.com/lifestyle/discovery-announces-key-participants-featured-in-upcoming-expose-of-the-hillsong-church-controversy-hillsong-a-megachurch-exposed/ ·      Leaving Hillsong Podcast With Tanya Levino  https://leavinghillsong.podbean.com  ·      Upwork: https://www.upwork.com·      FreeUp: https://freeup.net VETERAN'S SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS ·      Disabled American Veterans (DAV): https://www.dav.org·      American Legion: https://www.legion.org ·      What The World Needs Now (Dionne Warwick): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHAs9cdTqg INTERESTED IN PODCASTING OR BEING A GUEST?: ·      PodMatch is awesome! This application streamlines the process of finding guests for your show and also helps you find shows to be a guest on. The PodMatch Community is a part of this and that is where you can ask questions and get help from an entire network of people so that you save both money and time on your podcasting journey.https://podmatch.com/signup/devannon  TRANSCRIPT: Martina Clark[00:00:00]You're listening to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast, where we discuss whatever the fuck we want to! And yes, we can put sex and drugs and Jesus all in the same bed and still be all right at the end of the day. My name is De'Vannon and I'll be interviewing guests from every corner of this world as we dig into topics that are too risqué for the morning show, as we strive to help you understand what's really going on in your life.There is nothing off the table and we've got a lot to talk about. So let's dive right into this episode.De'Vannon: Martina Clark is the author of My Unexpected Life, an International Memoir of two Pandemics, h i v, and Covid, 19. Now this book goes into great detail with regard to Martina Struggle living with H I V, surviving an Abusive Marriage, and her great efforts to establish an H I V awareness culture within the United Nation.Talk about a task, right? join [00:01:00] Martina and I as we travel in time from the Castro District in San Francisco in the 1980s, all the way up to the present days. We discussed life with H I v specific implications for HIV positive women and so much more. Hello, are you beautiful souls out there? And welcome back to the Sex Drugs in Jesus podcast. I'm your host Davanon, and I have of me today the wonderful and lovely Martina Clarke and this diva here. Is a, is a woman after my own soul. She has a history of H I V. She's also overcome Covid 19, and I have had to deal with those both.She wrote a book called My Unexpected Life, an International Memoir of two Pandemics, h i v, and Covid 19. And that is what we are here to discuss today. H I v. And Covid 19. Martina, how are you my dear? Martina: I am. I am well. How are you? [00:02:00]De'Vannon: I am fan. Fucking fantastic. Awesome. You know, after having lived through two diseases, which do come to kill you, what can I possibly have to complain about?You know, I'm here, I'm queer. I've got a bright pink beard going on because it's Mardi Gra down here right now. And, you know, I'm in, I'm in the season. And you know, you know, you know, how are, how are you? I read your book and everything for fuck's sake. How are you? , ? Martina: I, you know, I think I'm kind of the same. I think we are both virus overachiever and considering all that we've been through, I, you know, I'll complain cuz sometimes it's fun, but I really can't complain.I'm here. Getting ready to turn 59 in a few weeks and never thought that would happen. And it's all good. I feel like I'm the luckiest person alive. De'Vannon: Right. And y'all, so in this, in this interview, I hope to give you some [00:03:00] deeper insight into, H I v, you know, how it affects you mentally and emotionally and everything like that.Mm-hmm. , what Martina can offer that I cannot is that she was around and dealing with this back in San Francisco, you know, when all the shit started to hit the fan. Really, you know, I got H I V like in 20, like 10 years ago, 20 11, 20 10, or some shit, a far cry from what was going on back, you know, in the nineties and eighties and things like that.So I'm super excited to talk to her. . You know, I've never had anybody on my show who came quite out of this era. Oh wow. Okay. Great. A side note before we get started, because I noticed like everything, when I was researching you and some of your images, I saw a repeat of what looked to be like dragonfly earrings.Yes. Wondering what this is . Martina: Yeah. And you I have them on right now. Exactly. . So, I thi this particular pair of [00:04:00]dragon dragonfly earrings I got in Cambodia of all places and I saw them in the hotel lobby where I was staying. And I tried to never buy stuff like in the hotel stores cause I wanna find the actual artists and support them directly.But I just fell in love with them and I thought the hell that I'm gonna buy 'em and I wear them every single day. I've had them. Probably 15 years and somebody told me that when you see a dragonfly in nature, it means that the ecosystem is in good shape. So for me, I like to wear the dragonfly is partly cuz I think they're pretty, but partly because it makes me feel like maybe my own little personal ecosystem is in good shape and I need all the help I can getSo that's what they mean to me. De'Vannon: That is so beautiful and it reminds me, I was, a couple of years ago, I was looking out my backyard and there's a stream that runs back there and there was a swarm of [00:05:00] thousands of dragon flies. Oh, wow. The, the only time I've seen is in my life. I used to catch him. You know, as a kid, but I don't catch insects anymore.I just want them to be free. Yeah. But but it was like thousands of them and they happened to, to show up as the sun was setting at a certain angle and it reflected off of all of their wings sign. Oh my god. And Martina: it . Wow. That must have been De'Vannon: amazing. It is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life.In I can imagine You're here, here for the dragonfly. Now that's the beautiful stuff. Let's get into the, the gritty part of this. So the cover of your. Absolutely titillating. I'm always interested in people's book covers, you know, and what it means. One thing that, so the cover of her book y'all, is like, it looks like a passport.Mm-hmm. her very emotionless passport photo. You know, they don't like you to smile in those photos. They want you to look like a goddamn statue. So you pulled off your statue esque look. Very [00:06:00] well. Thank you. She's got like a Covid virus. She's got like h I v Now you have Venezuela. It's the only country that I see on there.You have 18 September, 1996. Was that the day you found out you had H I V. And was that the country you were in or what is the significance of Venezuela and that date? Martina: That is an excellent question that nobody has ever asked me. So the reason for Venezuela is total random. Okay? It has nothing to do with anythingBasically I had an idea of the cover that I wanted and I sent some pictures of passport, actual pages of my passport to the woman who did the ultimate design and they came up. The, the variations on the stamps and why they selected Venezuela, I cannot tell you. I guess it just happened to [00:07:00] fit, but I actually found out that I had H I V in 1992 in may I think of 1992 for some bizarre reason.I don't know the exact date that I tested positive, which I find extremely weird. , but I haven't committed it to memory. Or maybe I blocked it, I don't know. But yeah, it was in 1992 when I found out. So I was in San Francisco and that is when that journey began for me. De'Vannon: Now she was 28 years old when she found out.Mm-hmm. . I'm gonna read a snippet. From your book, I do love story time and there are two snippets that I'm gonna read throughout this interview here. So if I may, yeah, of course. Thank you. Okay, so this snippet here, y'all, this is Martina now. She says, unnerved by my memories of the men. Who died in those years, neighbors who left for the hospital and never [00:08:00] returned the relentless funerals I found myself reliving the grief of decades past history was repeating itself again, far too many.Did not heed the warning. Now. In this snippet here, she's tidying up this book as Covid 19 is beginning and COVID 19 is causing you to be triggered about what was going on back in 1992. Right? So, and then while I'm reading this, I'm having all these poses, flashbacks, and I'm just, you know, you know, I'm right there with you in New York back in the dance hall scene and in pose it was only three seasons, but my God, it felt like years of, you know, so many funerals, so many people died, you know, watching poses.If you haven't seen pose people, I don't know what you're doing with your life. Martina: Forget on it. De'Vannon: So, yes. And, and Martina is in New York right now. That's where she lives. And so all of this is just [00:09:00] really coming together for me right now in a super emotional way. So, so tell us about how you felt when you got H I V and what was going on, and then how did C O V I D trigger this for you?Sure. Martina: So when I found out that I had H I V. , I felt like my life had just been erased. And I remember I was, I got the news on the phone, which is not how you're supposed to get it. You're supposed to get it from an intellectual person in real life. But I got the news on the phone and I was standing in a kitchen and I just stared at a cabinet and it's like a white kitchen cabinet.And I, I felt like that was my life. It was just a blank slate. And not necessarily in a good way, but that everything I had ever done. , it just didn't matter anymore cuz I had this new thing that I was gonna have to deal with. I had never seen another woman with H I v I probably had, but I didn't register that I had.And [00:10:00] despite living in San Francisco, which in the eighties and nineties was, you know, really hard hit by H I V and AIDS pandemic, I just still felt very, very alone. I knew plenty of people with H I V, but not another woman. But before all of that happened in 1992 I actually lived on Castro Street in the mid eighties.Yeah. And yeah, Castro Street. If you don't know, San Francisco is the hub of the most fabulous gay neighborhood, perhaps on the planet, I don't know. But certainly in San Francisco. And I lived there at the, really, at the height of the AIDS crisis, and there were. sirens all the time and ambulances going by and funerals, and it was just a constant state of sort of survival and grief.And yet in the midst of this extraordinary community who was always like, we're gonna be better than this. We're gonna be bigger than this. We're gonna, we're gonna still be fabulous and [00:11:00]wonderful. And when. going through the beginning of Covid. I live in Brooklyn, in New York City, which was the epicenter for this pandemic.And so it was similar in a sense that there was just a constant stream of ambulances going by and people were dying. And I'm, I'm a teacher now and my students were telling me these horror stories of one student's mom died and the family didn't even know where her body was. For like weeks and I mean, just trauma that is unbearable for anybody.And it was on such a scale that I was really triggered and I, I mean, nobody knew what to anticipate as we went into the covid epidemic, but our pandemic, I should say. But I, I was really triggered and I found myself like back on Castro Street. Seeing [00:12:00] apartments for rent, knowing that probably the person inside who had lived there before died, you know, or yard sales.There were yard sales all the time, which it was just, it was so much to handle, to know that there was so much death going on around you. And then to go through this again was was overwhelming to say the slightest least De'Vannon: bit. Two pandemics in a lifetime. . Yeah. You know, when, when Covid came out, you know, they were saying like, you know, we hadn't seen anything like this since, I think 19 you know, the early 19 hundreds when there was a Spanish flu?I believe it was right, but. But if, but if truth be told for people dealing with H I V we have seen it before . Martina: Yes, exactly. Exactly. Yeah. No, we've lived through it and, and I'm in touch with a lot of long-term survivors of H I V and we all were just like, Ugh, this feels too real. Too [00:13:00] close. Too much. Yeah.De'Vannon: And so, I hear you when you say that you found out over the phone, that is so not the way to do it. When I found out they didn't even bother to call, they left the voicemail. Oh my gosh. I re, I retrieve my positive diagnosis from a voicemail and so , so it, it is just, and this was only 10 years ago, so it's sad to see that healthcare and the way they deal with H I V has not evolved, you know?Yeah. Back in those days telling people over the phone, in my case, leaving a voice. You know, it makes me think that some doctors who deal with H I V patients just don't respect us, you know? And just don't consider us be human enough to treat with common dignity and decency. . Yeah, Martina: I agreed. De'Vannon: Totally agree.HIV people, you did it to yourself. It's all your fault. So you, you deserve what happened to you. So we'll just drop the shit on the, we'll just call you and whatever. Martina: Yeah. . Yeah. No, agree. [00:14:00] Agree. I don't understand why we haven't gotten past . De'Vannon: Yeah. Stigma. Now, when you found out, you said you, you stared at the, at the furniture, you know, and you felt like your life, everything was at that point, didn't matter.They said that they gave you five years to live. Mm-hmm. . How did it feel to hear a doctor try to, and clearly we're far past five years now, , you know, thank God for that. Yeah. And you, but how did it feel to have someone tell you, look, you got, what is it, 60 months left f ? Do with it what you will , you know?Martina: Yeah. I never thought of it in terms of months. It, it just felt, again, it, it, it definitely felt dismissive. I mean, in, in retrospect, I look back and I think, okay, this doctor was also navigating this territory and probably didn't know what to [00:15:00] say, and that was his best assessment. Right. But at the time, I, you know, I was 28 years old.I felt like, that's it, you know, my life is over. And and he kept telling me to relax and to, you know, don't stress , just, you know, be as calm as you can. Don't stress about things because stress is bad for you. So relax and try and get lots of rest. . It's like, fuck you. You know, you just told me I've got five years to live.I'm gonna maybe make it to 33 if I'm lucky. Right. And I'm not Jesus, so I don't want that end, you know? Right. I don't wanna go down that path. So I yeah, I just felt like my life was over and. because there was no treatment yet that didn't come till like 1996. I think that is what launched me into becoming an activist, cuz I felt like, you know, if I am gonna die, at least I can try and make something out of this [00:16:00] to help somebody else, or at least make myself feel better about myself, , or, I don't know make me feel like I had a purpose.and so I didn't really focus on myself as much as I think maybe I should have, but it was sort of what I needed to do. I just needed to stay in my mind, stay one step ahead of the virus cuz there was no other option at that point. De'Vannon: I think you did better than me. I was too self-absorbed and too concerned about me.I thought I was just gonna like die in a few months cuz I didn't have, they didn't tell me I had five months. They didn't tell me anything after. Forgot the voicemail. I never talked to anybody and I just went down this whole bad spiral. The only person I knew who had H I V died at like 24 ish, and I just saw him triple up into like this husk of a person covered with boils and sores.Mm-hmm. . And I thought, okay, well, you know, that's where it's headed. And so [00:17:00] but hearing you speak. You know, tells me what I should have done. You know, I should have taken the microscope off of me and had I focused on trying to heal other people than I would've gotten healed myself, you know? Which is how I usually would deal with, cuz I had a strong history of volunteerism, but I was not volunteering during this time because I had gotten kicked out of church.For not being straight. And so I had stopped all of my philanthropy and public service work, so I wasn't in that vein of operating like I usually would have been. Mm-hmm. . So I didn't even think about that. And so, So people, when we get sick, if anybody out there contracts, h i v, here you have it, , don't find a way to help somebody else.That way you don't get o overly self-absorbed with your own nightmarish fantasies about what you think are going to happen. I like to talk about this because sometimes people. Get H I v and people are [00:18:00] like, oh, there's medicine for it now you can just fix it. That that doesn't take away the mental mind fuck of being invaded by something that you can't get rid of and that, you know, desires to take your life.It doesn't matter how far technology has come, the mental health aspect of it is still is real today as it was back in the Castro days. Martina: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. No, I think that that is it's so important to, to highlight because people. , it's really not that big a deal now. You know, it's, it's so what?You take a pill every day and if you're probably fine, you'll probably have a regular lifespan. But that is so minimizing the reality, and it's just kind of bullshit because yes, there's medication and thank God it exists. And we're very lucky compared to so many people who are not here to even talk about this now.but the truth is you still have your body fighting this thing constantly. Research is showing that [00:19:00] for long-term survivors, it ages your body just because you've been fighting it for so long. So like in theory, I'm 12 years older physiologically than my actual age, and so I. 70 . So I'm now magically older than my siblings, which is kind of weird But then as you say, like all of the, the social dynamics and the mental health and the, you know, psychological, it's like you just still don't know. And the thing is, we still don't know, you know, we know that the medications are working so far so good, but we're the. Sort of cohort of people being studied to see if this medication actually works.I don't know, you know, maybe in another 10 years you're gonna be like, oops, it's as good as it gets. And that's, you know, it stopped working. Now, I don't know. And I don't know, like with Covid, you know, this is something I think about a lot was did I get c o because I have h I [00:20:00] V and I was more vulner. or when I got covid, did I not have a worse case because I'm also taking medication for H I V, which is not the same medication, but sort of in a similar family of fighting viruses.I don't know. You know? And it is a constant like just. every day. Not every day. Maybe after 31 years of living with H I V I don't think about it necessarily every single day, but I do think about it regularly, like, is something else going to go wrong tomorrow because I have H I V, you know, do I really have a full life to look forward to?Am I gonna live to 80 or 90? And of course, nobody knows how long they're gonna live, but I really, nobody knows how much h I V is actually still doing damage to. despite having the medications. Mm-hmm. like it's keeping us alive, but is it really you know, are we, are we actually still at a hundred percent?Like everybody likes to [00:21:00] pretend that you take the pill and you're good to go. You know? There's so much more to it, as you say. Yeah. De'Vannon: There's so much more to it and there's so many different medicines because everybody's body. reacts differently to different mm-hmm. things. No Doctor gives you a guarantee that medicine is going to work.They always have that same disclaimer, like, we're gonna try this. Hopefully it works. If this doesn't work, then we'll switch you to a different medicine. You hope and pray that your body doesn't grow a tolerance to whatever medicine that you are. Mm-hmm. . And you hope and pray that you don't get exposed to a different strand of it that could cause the virus within you to mutate, so mm-hmm.it's not just like a home free thing. It still has to, it still is a conscious. Yeah. I wanna give a word of caution too when people, you know, if you should happen to get H I V or hepatitis, I also, you know, have a history of Hepatitis B as well, you know, to be careful that you don't let it turn into anger.Mm-hmm. , when I was a teenager, this guy that I was. Dating, you know, he was like the same person who died of H I V or AIDS [00:22:00] was the same one. He was running around trying to intentionally give it to people. Mm. Because what happened with him is he got it and like me, I thought I was just gonna die. And I blamed myself.He got mad and he went out and tried to kill as many people as he could, you know, so, So just be careful, you know, your emotions that I like, we, we, Martina and I cannot overstate the emotional implications, you know, that can happen to people. Mm-hmm. . Now the last snippet that I have that I wanted to read talks about Different perspective on it.For, for instance, this is the panglossian outlook as you describe it in your book in the panglossian is just a very fabulous word that doesn't speak of mermaids or unicorns or the never ending story like you might think. It just means like a, a super optimistic person. . So , [00:23:00] so, so So the snippet reads, people living with the virus sometimes, say H I V, is a gift because it requires a long, hard look at yourself and your life.You take account of where you stand, it forces you to contemplate your mortality. Perhaps still, I've swapped my gift for a nice pair of shoes and so. after I settled the fuck down and realized I wasn't going to die, now we're talking what, four felonies and three trips to jail later. Because I really went off the deep end.I realized, you know, I gotta get healthy now. I have to, like, I started to like eat better, or at least think about it, you know? Mm-hmm. ways. And so for me it did turn into a gift. After I got my head back on straight . It was so funny to read. You say, you know, I'll take the pair of shoes.[00:24:00]did you find any benefits? I mean, Martina: you know, I, I, I always say that I would clearly, I would like, I'm sure everybody would like to have had a life without h I v. I would like to have tried that one out, but I would also be a liar if I said I didn't have some benefits because, because of the fact that I had h I v and it was just, you know, sort of the timing and my particular set of skills in life and all of these things converged and I ended up having a career for more than 20 years with the United Nations, which I don't think I would ever have been able to even fantasize about.You know, it just, it all unfolded because I had H I V and through that, Traveled the world. I have met extraordinary people from all walks of life in all kinds of places, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. I have been so [00:25:00] blessed to, to be able to go places and like, be in the company of the people who actually live there, you know, not get on a, a tour and ride around in a bus and wave at the, at the locals.You know, I actually got to be with the people who live in all of these places and. a little bit understand what they were going through and know that like their journey with H I V was different for certain reasons. or despite having living, being living in different totally different countries, we actually have a lot of things in common, you know, that sort of stuff that you realize.There's so many things that connect us as human beings. And when you're dealing with something as traumatic and big as h I v, a lot of those things they become super important and it no longer matters. You know, where you're from, what language you speak, what you look like, any of that. It's just like this common shared life experience and.to have had so many of those experiences is just, I feel like I am the [00:26:00] richest person on the planet in terms of life experience. Not quite as rich in terms of money, but that's okay. . And so things like that. I definitely got a lot of great, you know, not pairs of shoes, but a lot of great other gifts,De'Vannon: hey, perspective is everything. A person can have so much in front of them and focus on a few things that they don't have and forfeit all the good stuff that they do have. Yeah. And then, you know, it's all about perspective. Millionaires kill themselves, you know? Yeah. It's not about money, you know, it's about not getting tricked into over focusing on the, on the, what you don't have, and being happy for what you do have.Agree. Yeah. Now before we dive deeper into the United Nations, the last question that I had about your more like personal life was do you ever think about like, where you got h i v from, you know, how you contracted it, who gave it to you, or [00:27:00] you got it from a needle? Like, do you ever think about that or do you have closure on that?Martina: Excellent question. I. Sort of forced closure on it. The truth is, I don't know a hundred percent where I got H I v. I am certain it was from a sexual encounter, unprotected sex. Only cuz I never did any drugs that involve needles cuz I'm afraid of needles. And we'll leave it at that. Not that I didn't try on plenty of other stuff, , , but that was not myThat was not my, my method of choice, party De'Vannon: on, party on, but . Martina: But none of none of those things would've put me at risk for h I V except for maybe not being in my best mental frame of reference to make good choices. But I don't know for sure. I have a pretty good idea of where and when I was exposed, and that's [00:28:00] as much as I'll ever know.And I, you know, I think one of my friends told me a story once, she's from Uganda, and she said that when a snake gets into your house, the first thing you think about is not, gosh, how did the snake get in the house? . Hmm. Let's ponder that. No, what you think about is how do I get that snake out of my house and get it away as far away as possible, so it's not gonna come back.Right. You're not thinking about like, how does it get in? That's sort of a, a luxury to think about in a way when you have to fight, you know, the virus is very much a real live living thing in your body. That's the thing that's more important to worry about. At least for me that has held true that I sort of, I've pondered it and probably more at the beginning, but as time has passed, like it doesn't matter.I have it. I gotta deal with it and move forward. [00:29:00]De'Vannon: Oh, to move forward. Some days it's easier. Some days it almost seems impossible, but move forward, we must move forward, we shall.No. I have one more question before we move on to the un. Okay. In your book, I was reading, and you're very, very transparent about how you, while you didn't judge like the gay men or anything like that in according to your head knowledge, you really didn't think as being like a, a straight woman, that it was something that you were at risk for, you thought.I believe in your book, you said you thought you were like immune to it or like it could not impact you. So what do you have to say to people to this day who might still be laboring under the delusion that it's, you know, a disease for those people over there? Or , you know? Martina: Yeah. Well I think I mean, we can take a lesson from Covid.A virus does not care who you are, what you look like, or you [00:30:00] know how you get it. They just want you to get it and live in your body and mess things up. So anybody can get H I V. It's has nothing to do with who you are. If you're a good person, a bad person, or you're smelly or you have green eyes or left-handed.It has nothing to do with any of that stuff. It is a virus and anybody can get it, and I think that in this country, . I mean, certainly in 2023 we barely hear about H I V at all anymore. It's my perception. And that's even as somebody who's in the world of H I V right? It's just, it's not like out there in the public discourse like it used to be.And I think that that's like on one hand you don't want to alarm people unnecessarily. Blah, blah, blah. But at the same time, I don't think that we're giving people an accurate reflection of the fact that it could be any, anybody. You know, it's a [00:31:00] virus. Anybody can contract it given the correct circumstances.And globally, more than half of the people living with H I V are women. . And I think most people don't know that either. There is a perception to this day that it is just a gay man's disease, which is complete nonsense. It is a human being's disease, and I think that's a really important thing. And again, if we can learn anything from Covid, it is that viruses do not discriminate and neither should we.De'Vannon: No, we absolutely should not. And. . So, so let's shift gears to the, to the UN here. So you were the first openly H I V positive person you worked for UN AIDS in 1996. Mm-hmm. . How does that feel? Martina: It feels like, and, and it's sort of what prompted me to write the book is that I feel like I [00:32:00] own this little teeny, tiny piece of the history of the AIDS pandemic.And if I didn't tell the story, nobody would or could, cuz it's my story. I look back at it now as an extraordinary sort of privilege to have had that, that position at the time. It felt like a nightmare cause I, you know, I was hired to have my job. NGO liaison. So I was the person who linking all of the nonprofits around the world working on h i v to our program, which is a huge job all by itself.But what I felt my job was, was to be sort of the voice of reason in-house and call everybody to task on the work and say, you're not considering the needs of people living with H I v. You're just thinking of this as a scientist, or you're thinking of this as. Communication specialist, but you're not considering What are our needs in our job at U N A S is to serve people with h i v first and foremost.And so I was sort of like the in-house [00:33:00] act up yelling and screaming all the time. And it was a, it was a crazy job. It was so hard. And I put a lot of that pressure on myself, but it was also kind of weird because as the first person, , I felt like some of my community thought that I had sort of sold out and gone to the, to the UN more as a self-serving, you know, this is a great job and it was.It was a great job. Had a nice salary. I moved to Switzerland. You know, all of these extraordinary things happened, but I was sort of alienated from my community in a way cuz I was the only person there. And it took a while to sort. Earn their trust again, that I was doing something that was actually helpful to them because I think they were also watching me seeing like, okay, is she actually gonna be there and do what she's supposed to do and stand up for all of us?Or is she just gonna sort of settle in and go, cool, [00:34:00] I like this big salary, I'm just gonna float coast, not really do the job that I could be doing. So it was, it was really. , it was a lot to take on. And this is just four years after I'd found out I had H I V and I hadn't really processed it all internally like I probably should have.But again, I just sort of like launched myself into space to take on this huge job. And it was a lot. But again, I look back at it now all these years later and I just feel like I was really lucky and. above all, hope that I did the right stuff and made sure that in those early days of unaids, which very much changed the way the UN responded to the pandemic, that I helped to keep them honest a little bit.Do De'Vannon: you feel like any of the policies you created [00:35:00] impacted not just the organization within the United Nations? Do you think any of those, any of your work filtered down? are most, you know, local communities. Martina: I, I do. And I would say not so much the work at unaids, but the next sort of big job that I had with the UN was a few, few years later with UNICEF and I was the h I V in the workplace coordinator.I don't know what my title was, but that was my job, was to make sure that UNICEF had an h i v in the workplace program for all of the countries where we work. and that means implementing programming so that all of the personnel who work in any given office were getting education around H I V. That ultimately morphed into a UN system-wide program.So the entire UN system in, you know, 160 countries where we work, and tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of [00:36:00] people ultimately were exposed to those trainings because it was a mandatory program. and that I know made a difference because the way we were approaching it was, you know, you have to go through this training and maybe you feel like you don't need this training because you're, you don't perceive you have any risk of getting H I V, but we wanna make sure that you know how to educate the other people in your life and your kids and grandkids and so on and so forth.So it trickled down in that way, into communities. . Which was amazing. I also know that it helped in the sense that our program staff, like for example, somebody who worked in the accounting office in one country, she was afraid to have people who were hired to work for us come to her office to collect their checks cuz she was just didn't want people with h I V in her office cuz she just mm-hmm.wasn't, you know, educated. [00:37:00] Right. . And so it was holding up program work and once we started doing the training, she's like, oh, okay, now I realize I have nothing to worry about. I am not at risk. They can come to my office. They're just picking up a check. It is not a big deal. It allowed the work to move forward and for her to be more comfortable and in turn other people in the office to be more comfortable.And you know, it's, it sort of sounds like a little tiny nitpicky example, but it actually ended up making a big difference for the programming in that. and it also, we were finally sort of modeling what we were supposed to do as a un. And so we were able to influence governments and local businesses and say, look, we have an H I V in the workplace program.You should too. Can we help you set one up? . And so I know that, you know, it clearly hasn't fixed everything by any means, but it made a difference, at least a small difference in lasting ways. And that program is like officially [00:38:00] doesn't have a team dedicated to it anymore cuz it's been going for so long.But I know that the work is still happening and country offices are still doing trainings and making sure that we have. Respect also for our own personnel living with H I V, and it's really changed the whole way that the UN approaches staff wellbeing. It made it easier for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer people to be out in the office, which is a huge thing.Maybe they couldn't be in their own lives, but at least in the family of the United Nation system, it's better than it was. It's still not perfect. , but all of that work like made the UN a better employee, in my opinion. De'Vannon: I think I would concur with your opinion because it sounds like your work, like you said, they don't have dedicated teams, but it's been around for so long.It's some [00:39:00] it's, it almost sounds like it's been ingrained into the subconscious culture of. In. So is it its own living organism? I mean, there's nothing more you could ask for. I mean, what an honor and a compliment . Martina: Yeah, yeah. No, no, absolutely. And it, it's, I'm really, really proud of that work. . I feel like I was so lucky to be a part of the team that did the work.And again, I was like one of the people holding everybody accountable and saying, you know, we need to have the right priorities. And it was really hard to do because the UN is such a big bureaucracy, but we did it and it's, as you say, it's, it's ingrained into the culture now and De'Vannon: Oh, beautiful. And I wanna give a shout out to unicef, who you mentioned, and they do great work for kids.Yeah. Globally. That is, that's my favorite nonprofit of all the nonprofits and all the nine realms [00:40:00] because Cause I just, I just fucking love children. And they're just so like, , it's just simple to talk to a kid. Mm-hmm. , you know, when I, when I get tired of grown up bullshit and faking this, and they feel like they have to do this, I go talk to one of two people, either homeless people or a child, because mm-hmm.they don't have a, they're, they have no motivation to be anything other than what they are. And I used homeless before, and so that's where I got this, this, this from, you know, extended. , you know, conversation with homeless people, which I used to talk to 'em before became homeless. But those two, I just go fucking find me a, a fucking seven year old to talk to, just to get some common damn sins from them.Yeah, yeah, Martina: absolutely. De'Vannon: Absolutely. And so [00:41:00] did you ever come across any like opposition that you, when you were trying to. two cuz really what you were trying to push was love and open-mindedness to an organization that's already supposed to stand for that. And we all know it doesn't matter what church somebody goes to run to or what.Nonprofit that has a big ideal that it stands for. Those bitches are there at work because they're trying to get paid primarily. Mm-hmm. completely different. If you've been somebody who has gone through something that your organization services, but your main reason is to get paid, people go to church to save their own souls, they're not going there to help you.They're gonna help themselves. Mm-hmm. . And so, so when, so when they're confronted, with somebody who has H I V or somebody who is the polar opposite of them. Then there's that gut check moment. Okay, so you work for the un, you are all about hu you know, human service, you know, helping people. Or you go to your church or whatever, supposed to be about the same thing.Now will you close the door in their face? You [00:42:00] don't wanna give them a check, you know, so you, so you know the. You know what your company stands for. You know, you recited the creeds and the core values, but when it came down to it, you couldn't deliver . So it's all great when it's an idea, but when you actually have someone in need standing in front of you, Then what the hell do you do?This person you had to help them do what they signed up to do. . Mm-hmm. . That's very, very big of you. . Cause you, you could have gone in there and cussed the bitch out, you know, and been like, what the hell is your problem? But you took the high road and you showed you shared love. I just wanted to point that out, that that's, this is a really, , you know, a stretch for you to have to do this.F E U N, of all places . Martina: So, yeah. Yeah, I mean, I I tried really [00:43:00] hard to always come at it with love and understanding that, you know, everybody, not everybody knows all the stuff that we know about H I V. . And if you're hired as an accountant, that is, you don't have a background in public health. You know, why would you know all of this stuff?Right? So I was sort of trying to be compassionate that everybody's learning this information at some point for the first time, and maybe I'm the person teaching them for the first time. But I can also tell you , had my moments . I, on my, on my very last training that I did for UNICEF before I, I left I was doing this workshop and it was in the middle.which is a tricky region to talk about anything around sex to start with. And it was specifically, we were, we had a people from countries that were in conflict. So these [00:44:00] people already are like, I have so much to think about. H I V in the workplace is really the last thing on my mind. So they were like, maybe okay to be there.They're not really against it, but at the same time they're like, why is, why do I have to do this? and then one woman. I said, we're gonna talk about how we're gonna get condoms in your offices, because that was one of the mandatory principles of our workplace program is that even if you have 'em in a basket in the kitchen, Where it's in a closet next to the, you know, to the sugar packets, and only the staff knows that they're there.They have to be somewhere, because if we don't make them available, then staff who are afraid to go to the store and buy them themselves, or they can't, for whatever reason, you know, we make sure that at least they're available and hopeful. breaking down the stigma associated with condoms, right? So I had one woman in this one training who basically said, we can't do that because it just promotes immoral [00:45:00] behavior of it, it increases the immoral behavior of bad people, basically, is what she said.I was just like, woo.I lost it and it was my last training and I had told them at the beginning that this would be my last training and I was leaving UNICEF to go on and do other things. And at that moment I took off my glasses and I said, I didn't tell you why. , I'm leaving unicef. But part of why is cuz I can't listen to people like you anymore.And everybody else in the room was just like, oh, no, she didn't. No, she didn't. Oh my God. and I, yeah. I was just like, oh Lord, what did I just do? But at the end of the day, , the other people in the room were like, thank you so much, because she is a pain in a neck and she's always fighting us on this condom issue.And you [00:46:00] have the luxury that at the end of the week you get on a plane and you leave. , you don't have to work with her anymore, but you've said to her what? We can't. And so apparently the fact that I kind of blew up on this woman ultimately was helpful. But I also, you know, I was just like, I can't, I can't make up these stories anymore.I can't pretend to be nice to you when you are being ridiculous. It's like, it's not up to you. You, we have to do this period, end of. Figure it out. And she eventually, she sort of said, okay, I morally I can't contribute to this, but I will not fight it, and I will put my energy into other parts of the work and let other people focus on that part because I, I'm not comfortable with it.And I'm like, , okay. There's a team in every office if you're not gonna take on that part, but you will not block it. I can live with that. And I had that, that was probably the worst one. But I've had, had a lot of other [00:47:00] moments where there was another guy in Venezuela who was basically blaming the H I v rates In Columbia, or no, on in ve I can't remember which direction.But in any case, he's, he was, I guess he was from Venezuela working in Colombia, and he was blaming the rates of H I V in Venezuela, on Colombians being bad, dirty people. And I also called him out and I was like, HKI, use me . And I yelled at him in a meeting and he was mortified. And I, I guess the next day he said, you know, that woman from u n a, she's short, but she's mean.And I felt like, good, I did my job . You know, he heard me and he, he heard me. That's what mattered. People De'Vannon: like them. Both of them are stupid bitches, you know? It just is what it is. And they're also. , they carry the spirit of a [00:48:00] bully. Yeah. You know, who are just, they're consumed with their own point of view and as far as they're concerned, if you don't see any given thing like them, then you are wrong.And that, and that's just the end of it for them. And they keep pushing people around and pushing people around till someone does like you. And I think our homegirl miss Elektra from Pose would. Quite impressed with the read, cuz you basically read them for Phil and nobody has ever read anybody quite like a lecture, Vo and so , you know, and they keep, they keep badgering and abusing people until somebody slaps them across the fucking face, metaphorically speaking, you know, like you did, you know, gonna.and evolve are they're gonna just lean more into it. Yeah. That you can't do. Yeah. But Godammit, sometimes shit needs to be said. This is why I had to leave the workplaces. I can't deal with dumb bitches like that and not say something. I'm like, oh, hell no. Maybe it's my P T S D or [00:49:00]whatever. But, you know, veterans, us veterans with ptsd, T S D, we not gonna take no shit off of you.You like bet you said what? Oh, no, no, no. . Like . Yeah. Martina: No, absolutely. Absolutely. And, and you know, at the end of the day, if we don't stand up and say something, you're doing a disservice to other people. You know? I think it is, like, for me, I felt like it, it is my duty. I am in a position where I can talk back to this person.because of my, you know, sort of my role in the system. The other people in this room cannot, cuz they're not in the same position. And if I don't, then I have let them all down. De'Vannon: Right. And so I think you did well. So, so, so y'all, her book is like, like you mentioned earlier, you know, you got to live. , you know, with these people we're talking about cultural infusion, you know, reading through it is kind of like a very detailed travel guide.You know, you mentioned like your Ugandan friend. I, I [00:50:00] appreciated the story you had in there. About your time. It's like you're asleep and you're thinking a hut, and they come in there, they wake you up to go look at the stars and you gotta shake your shoe out to be sure no scorpions or whatever. You gotta put your shoes on, you gotta step on any snakes.You know, it's like, it's like going from, you know, country to country and place to place, but deeper. It's not just look at all the pretty, but this is what's like, what's really going on. I did a missions trip to The Bahamas years ago. . And what struck me was that, you know, all the brochures and everything, crystal, Clearwater beaches and everything, but when we got back there into the schools where these people live and everything, abject, poverty, you know?Mm-hmm. never spoken of, you know, and all the brochures and everything like that. And I felt, I like lied to and just like, like I wasn't giving the whole truth. And like those people hadn't been marginalized cuz they're not talked about. Mm-hmm. . And so what I love about your book is that you give. , you know, the realness, you know, in all of these different places.So it's a, [00:51:00] so who, who, who is your target audience for, for your book and what do you hope people gain from it? Martina: This is a million dollar question. I. . I'm still trying to figure this out because like my initial thought was obviously people who work in the UN will find it interesting cuz they've had a similar experience.I think people with H I V will find it interesting because they have had a similar experience. Mm-hmm. . Beyond that, I feel like it's the target AR audience is probably just people who care about the world. which I would love to think was everybody, but is not actually everybody , but people who care about the world, who are curious how the UN works who have survived some other traumatic thing.It doesn't have to be h I V but dealt with another life-threatening disease or, you know, just some other traumatic event where you feel like in that moment you're not gonna get through it, but in the end you are.[00:52:00]and I guess what I really hope people take away from it, to me the most important thing is that everybody knows that they can do something to make the world better, even if it is just smiling to somebody or holding the door for somebody that you don't have to hold the door for or being kind to, you know, the person who looks like they're having a really shitty day and saying, can I help you?Do you need something, you know? Little tiny acts of kindness all add up. And if we all did more of them, then I think the world would be a better place. But but also that, you know, the little things matter, but that don't be afraid to take on bigger things too, that we can all make a difference in the world.I really, truly believe that. De'Vannon: I concur and I think like one of the opening quotes in your, in your book was from, [00:53:00] I wanna say maybe Gandhi. And it was like if you don't, if you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping, you know, next to a mosquito. Yeah. That's sad. Lama Lama. Sorry. Yeah.Yeah. So. And so, so I thought that that was very interesting. Y'all, her book, you know, the woman's been through a lot. You know, the, there's an abusive marriage, there's a fostering of a believe a teenager, you know, there's a lot more than just H I V and AIDS and traveling. It's a very, very transparent read that I feel like can touch you on many different levels.You know, whoever may be listening. So then the last two questions that we have. Mm-hmm. , turn the floor over to you for your last words. We're gonna talk about. Is there any sort of specific h I V AIDS implications just specific to women that you might like to talk about? Martina: Oh, that's a good question. So I think for women the whole issue around reproductive [00:54:00] health is a huge one that, you know, for, for many women, younger women, they wanna have children and to know.In 2023. That is something that women can do safely if they're in good care and they're very affordable treatments to, to ensure that the baby is not born with h I v. They work and in North America, Western Europe, almost no babies are born with H I V anymore. So that is really a positive thing. And obviously parenthood involves two people generally, but.For the woman carrying the child. That's a really important thing to know. I think that h I v probably impacts women throughout our lives, you know, as we go through menopause and other things as well. But there's not as much research as we'd like on all of that. But I think. Probably the most important thing for women is to think about [00:55:00] the reproductive health issues and just to make sure that they don't let their doctors say, well, this works in men.It's fine for you. Make sure that you learn as much as you can, and don't hesitate to call 'em out on it and say, but are you certain, have there been research studies involving women or has this only been tested on men? Prove to me that this is gonna work for me in a smaller body. If, like in my case, I'm, I'm five four, I'm a smaller person than a six foot man, right?So I need to have the empowerment to know that it's okay to ask my doctor, are you sure this is also going to work for me in the same way and prove it, you know, sort of like, don't just say yes, show me the data, sort of thing. I think that's really important. And I think also that the stigma is different in the sense that people still don't understand that women get H I V.And so there's a lot of like slut [00:56:00] shaming associated with the diagnosis where people assume if you've got h I v, you must be some sort of awful, terrible sexual being and how dare you and it's your fault. And I suspect that happens with everybody that gets H I V, but I know that it happens with women in a, in a very specific kind of way.And and just know if that happens, if you get H I V and you're a woman, that that's not true. You are a human being. It's a virus. and don't, don't believe the stories that people tell you about yourself. Believe your own story.De'Vannon: Like, like, Lord, help me like, like Mama RuPaul says, unless they pay in your bills, pay them bitches. No mind. Yeah. Unless they pay in your bills. Pay them bitches. No mind. Cause people always got a fucking opinion about every goddamn thing besides themselves. . And then, so then the last thing, world AIDS Day stood out to me, my research to [00:57:00] you of you, this, this, this, this has been the case since December 1st, 1988.And so is there anything you'd like to say about World AIDS Day and what that means to you? Ooh Martina: You know, it's kind of like. At this point, it's I think it is a day that we kind of do lip service to the pandemic. And while I think it's great that people do events on World AID'S Day to focus our attention, make sure that it is being talked about in our communities I think people need to remember that there are the other.What, 364 days of the year that we're all still living with H I v. And you know, I thought about this yesterday with, with Valentine's Day. I was explaining to somebody who's from another country about Valentine's Day here, and I said, you know, it's, it's sort of a cute. cheesy holiday and we like heart-shaped candy if we like candy.But it's also complete nonsense because [00:58:00] if you love somebody, you don't have to wait till February 14th to tell them that. Right. . It should be a daily thing. And I think the same for World AIDS Day that I I have a real. Love hate relationship with the day. Like part of me wants to support activities and events.Part of me hates the day and wants to just, you know, skip it and talk again on December 2nd cuz I don't wanna think about it cuz it's not a, it's not a joyful day. It is it's a day of a somber remembrance to me. You know, it's remembering all the people who aren't here to celebrate it or not to observe it.I should say, not celebrate, but that's my feeling on world eight's day. Yeah, De'Vannon: I can imagine that it would be triggering, excuse me, like triggering as hell. So, So everyone make up your own damn mind about World Aids Day? I'm kind of over like pretty much every holiday at this point. Yeah. Cause [00:59:00] they're either fake or overly commercialized or whatever the hell the case may be.So I'm just like, just fuck it all. And so in terms of holidays, but still show love to people on every day. Exactly. Whether it's Christmas or you know, and, and give a damn about Jesus. Even if it's not Easter . Yeah. Who the fuck exactly. Fucking bunnies. I don't want to get started on that. . It is almost Easter.And so, so thank you so much for coming on the show. Any last words that you have? Wait a minute, y'all. Her website is martina clark.com. I'm gonna put all this in the show. The book again, is My Unexpected Life at an international memoir of two Pandemics, h i v, and Covid. 19. She's on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, you name it, she's there.All of this will go in the show notes as always. So, Thank you for being such an incredible [01:00:00]guest. If there's any last words you'd like to say to the world, say it and then you'll close us out with that. Martina: Oh my goodness. No pressure. I would just say thank you and, and again, thank you for all that you're doing, for putting good stuff out into the world.I really appreciate you and for the listeners, you know, you can be one of those people who puts good stuff out into the world. So do it. Thank you so much.De'Vannon: Thank you all so much for taking time to listen to the Sex Drugs and Jesus podcast. It really means everything to me. Look, if you love the show, you can find more information and resources at SexDrugsAndJesus.com or wherever you listen to your podcast. Feel free to reach out to me directly at DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com and on Twitter and Facebook as well.My name is De'Vannon, and it's been wonderful being your [01:01:00] host today. And just remember that everything is gonna be all right. 

Oneika Raymond walks Castro Street with filmmaker and drag performer Joshua Grannell (he/him) on their way to opening night of Frameline, the largest and longest running queer film festival in the world.The Castro is a historic San Francisco neighborhood which first became known as a hub for the Gay Civil Rights Movement of the 1970s. Oneika meets up with Joshua, or Peaches Christ, outside Queer A.F., a queer arts space dedicated to keeping LGBTQ+ artists in the Bay Area. It's also the site of  Castro Camera, the former headquarters of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Joshua takes Oneika on a tour down memory lane as they stroll Castro Street's Rainbow Honor Walk, pointing out notable figures like disco singer Sylvester along the way. He reflects on how the neighborhood has changed since he moved to the enclave as an aspiring filmmaker in 1996, and points out one institution that continues to be a gathering place for the queer community: the famed Castro Theatre. Oneika and Joshua continue their conversation at Orphan Andy's, a rainbow-themed greasy spoon that has been serving up late night eats since 1977. There, she learns more of the lesser-told history behind the city's queer neighborhoods, like the newly designated Transgender District in the Tenderloin. Joshua also shares how he got his start as a drag queen, and why the Castro was the perfect neighborhood for him to foster that self-expression and launch his drag show, Midnight Mass. Of course, there are countless drag performances to choose from across the city, be it brunch at El Toro, cabaret at the Oasis, or seasonal shows at W San Francisco. They'll wrap up the day by heading to the red carpet at Castro Theatre for Frameline and witness that cinematic magic come to life in the audience

KCBS Radio's Foodie Chap returns to break down everything you need to know about the final weekend of September in the Bay Area. Highlights include the movie "Bros," the annual Strictly Bluegrass music festival and the Castro Street Fair.

Politics is a dirty business. Bringing about change requires fighting tooth and nail and that can make you enemies, something Harvey Milk, San Francisco Supervisor and America's first openly gay politican, knew all too well. On a cold November morning in 1978, ex-supervisor Dan White, who felt the so-called ‘Mayor of Castro Street' had played a key role in the premature demise of his own political career, shot and killed his former friend in San Francisco City Hall.Crosshairs is a podcast from What's The Story - the leaders in premium true-crime content.For ad-free listening to this series - sign up to Crime Corner - brought to you by What's The Story.Crime Corner is your home for brilliant true-crime story-telling. Subscribers can get early access to new series of Crosshairs, with all episodes from every series completely ad-free.PLUS - your subscription helps to ensure we can keep bringing the show back season after season.AND - there's a collection of other shows which you can only find on Crime Corner - all designed for fans of Crosshairs.Signing up to Crime Corner is quick and simple.If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, just search for the Crime Corner Channel, sign up, and all the exclusive content will be in your Apple Podcasts app.If you're listening on Spotify, Amazon, Castbox, Pocketcasts, or any other player - you can sign up directly here : CRIME CORNERWith a couple of clicks, you'll receive all the exclusive content in your chosen platform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Sah welcomes Devendra Banhart and Noah Georgeson. Devendra is an acclaimed singer/songwriter with 10 albums in his catalog. Noah Georgeson is a Grammy winning engineer, producer and musician. Devendra and Noah met on the night of Halloween 1999 during festivities on San Francisco's Castro Street. Due to the holiday, their first encounter was in costume and Devendra mistook Noah's Bjorn Borg outfit as something suggesting a French drug dealer. Having established that he was not, in fact, a French drug dealer, they became fast friends. Noah, whose production and mixing credits include Joanna Newsom and The Strokes, came on board as co-producer of Devendra's 2005 album Cripple Crow and they've been working together ever since.http://devendrabanhart.com/In this episode, Sah, Devendra and Noah discuss...Buddha natureForgivenessThe perception of sufferingThe album RefugeShared Buddhist journeys✨✨✨This episode is brought to you by Pildora, a brand that offers sustainable wellness, beauty, and fashion products that better our lives. . As a Spiritually Sassy Show listener, Pildora is offering an exclusive 20% off your first orders using DISCOUNT CODE sah20 at Pildora.com. ✨✨✨

How did San Francisco's property values get so high? This week we cover the life and times of the eclectic Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the history of California, progressive activist and "the unofficial mayor of Castro Street."

Mountain View is known for its breathtaking views of the Santa Cruz Mountains and is birthplace of the Silicon Valley, but did you know there are other plenty of iconic must-sees that any native will tell you to be true? Besides being home to successful tech companies like Mozilla Foundation, Intuit, NASA Ames Research Center, Synopsys, Microsoft, etc, you may want to check out some of its outdoor natural beauty, like Shoreline Amphitheatre and Park. If sitting outside enjoying life while dining on something tasty is more your style then Castro Street will be a treat for you. What's number three on the list? Well, you're going to have to find out here! If you or anyone you know is looking to move to Mountain View or the Bay Area itself, please reach out to me with the contact details below! The market is hot! #YourTechRealtor

We snuck aboard a streetcar and cruised down Castro Street to catch the Bay Area’s finest Creative Director and Pitch 100 Superwoman, Laurel Stark Akman, this week. Laurel leads creative marketing efforts for The Sims at EA and is the mind (and heart) behind “world changing” and “industry bettering” work, including mental health initiative, Our Silent Partner, and diversity boosting portfolio competition, Next Creative Leaders. She adds smarts and sass to tons of topics including going to ad school to make her right-brained parents happy, why thrashing in the undergrowth makes you a better creative, her own mental health journey, finding her voice, creating a space for the parts of her the industry didn’t celebrate, mentorship matchmaking and lots more.///// Follow Laurel on Twitter and Instagram Check out her website Sign up for Mentorship Matchmaking And go support Laurel’s brilliant initiatives, Our Silent Partner and Next Creative Leaders Laurel kindly dedicates this episode to Niki Selken  If you are interested in shadow work, have a look at:Laurel’s article for The Rosie Report This program and this bookLaurel’s book recommendations are: Pick Me by Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin  Darling, You Can’t Do Both by Janet Kestin and Nancy Vonk   Herding Tigers by Todd Henry  Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May /////

San Francisco's Rainbow Honor Walk serves to acknowledge and memorialize Great men and women of the LGBTQ Community.  44  large bronze plaques have been laid along Castro Street and Market Street sidewalks to memorialize people like James Baldwin, Frida Kahlo, Tennessee Williams, Virginia Woolf to cite but a few. The plan is to eventually place 500 plaques to memorialize luminaries of the LGBTQ community.  As the rest of the country witnesses statues being torn down and monuments being defaced, San Francisco's LGBTQ community is quietly acknowledging its' history. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

It was a dewy January morning, just two days before the Bay Area would host its first Super Bowl, right in Mountain View's backyard at Stanford Stadium.When a man picking through the trash comes across a body while hoping to find some cans to earn a few extra bucks, the police are called. The story starts like this: A young woman, strangled to death, seemingly without any identity whatsoever. Her case baffles detectives.As they slowly learn about who the woman was, and where she came from -- her story spanning continents and major global moments that led to massive aid movements -- another pressing question begins to enter their minds: who would want to harm her? Who would discard her behind a grocery store, in a sleepy Silicon Valley town, and more importantly, why?Could a murder really happen in the home of high tech?This is the first episode of our special edition podcast series, Silicon Valley Beat: Major Crimes._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________For those in need of audio assistance, or who are hard of hearing, we have included a transcript of this podcast for you here. Please see below.[[Disclaimer: The Silicon Valley Beat, Major Crimes, is a podcast that deep-dives into major cases investigated by the Mountain View Police Department. Because this podcast covers investigations including critical incidents and homicides, what we discuss here may contain material that is not suitable for all listeners. Names and other sensitive information may be changed to protect the identity of the innocent.]] [[Opening bumper]]Episode 1: The Body in the Dumpster Saul Jaeger: He started the morning like he had others before – shuffling through dumpsters behind the Safeway on Stierlin Road, looking for any cans for which he could get maybe a couple bucks. It was early still, just before 7:30 a.m. on what witnesses, and police reports, described as a dewy January morning. He may get lucky. As he leaned over to pluck through the trash, the man startled. Amongst the cardboard boxes and the discarded fruits and vegetables, a leg poked out from one of the dumpster bins, dark in color. The man wasn't sure if it was a mannequin, or worse, a body. He ducked back to the rear of the store, and alerted a manager. Something wasn't right. [[steps on gravel]] The manager, and a few employees, walked back outside to the open dumpster, lids thrown back well before the man looking for cans arrived. Dew dusted the discarded waste, and as soon as the manager leaned over to inspect what was within, he turned around and went inside to call the police. [[Siren blaring]] A two-man fire crew were first on scene. Leaning into the bin, one firefighter reached out for a pulse, putting his two fingers to a wrist. The wrist was cold -- too cold. He stepped back and waited for the police to arrive. It was January 18, 1985. [[”Careless Whisper” by Wham! begins to play, newscasts of time overlap as reports are read]] Katie Nelson: That January was known as a “one of the most intense arctic outbreaks,” according to the National Weather Service. Wayne Gretsky scored his 400th career goal that month. VH1 debuted, and Madonna owned the radio waves with her “Like a Virgin.” Two days later, the first Super Bowl hosted in the Bay Area, at Stanford Stadium, would be televised across the US on three major networks. More locally, Silicon Valley was in its “Golden Age,” where tech was booming and we began to see the first iterations of the lore that this section of the Bay Area holds for modern day entrepreneurs. The CD-ROM had recently been introduced by Sony and Philips, revolutionizing the way in which we would come to share information and entertainment in the coming years. Apple had introduced the Macintosh just one year before in January 1984. And, the first “Windows” operating system was released by Microsoft. Mountain View, though, smack in the middle of all this growth, was still very much a suburb. Homes were ranch-style, and the local dump had closed not two years before to help restore the beloved shoreline and wetlands. Could a murder really happen in the home of high tech? This is Doug Johnson, longtime resident and historian of the Mountain View Police Department.Doug Johnson: I wondered what brought somebody to Mountain View back in 1985 because there wasn't really a lot of reasons to come to this town. Shoreline was still landfill. The downtown was -- it hadn't changed much since the 40s. Castro Street was two lanes in each direction and was basically empty. You could stand on the railroad tracks and you could look down at El Camino and see cars going by because there wasn't really much going on, going on downtown. And, um, there was no club scene or anything like that. The only reason, the only regional draw if you will in Mountain View at the time, was probably St. James' Infirmary. And it was kind of fun saloon with a ten-foot statue of Wonder Woman as you walked in the door and peanut shells all over the floor. Katie Nelson: In 1985, Mountain View certainly wasn't the town that we know it today, with a bustling downtown and multi-billion dollar corporations. But again, could a city, now home to tech giants, and once thought of as a quaint corner of Silicon Valley, really be the place where someone could be murdered? Saul Jaeger: On that cold, winter morning, that's exactly what Officers Schlarb and Barcelona were trying to find out when they made their way over to the Stierlin Road Safeway. As the men peered inside the dumpster, they saw a woman, lying face down, wearing a striped, long-sleeved shirt, a green sock still on her right foot. A gold and brown high-heeled shoe dangled from her covered foot. She was petite and thin, a little over five feet, with a cropped haircut. Her head was turned just so. Gently looking around her body, officers saw nothing obvious to indicate what had happened to this Jane Doe. But could there be a clue somewhere, among her clothes, perhaps in the bags surrounding her body, that could point the officers to the killer? Would the police find the killer in the man who was walking back and forth to his car on Vaquero Drive late the night before? Could the suspect be the person who drove by a home late at night on the same road with a loud muffler, stop near the Safeway, and drive off? Katie Nelson: A Stierlin Road resident noted his daughter had been studying late at night on January 17, hours before the body was discovered in the dumpster, and heard a car peel out in the driveway adjacent to their home. A Hackett Street resident told police he had heard from a mechanic at the Union 76 gas station, just down the road from where the body was discovered, that he had seen two men arguing with a black woman in their car. Any one of these clues could lead to something more. Door by door, police searched for answers. More than a dozen cards were left, requesting help, to call if anyone remembered anything that could possibly help. At least six of the requests went unanswered. [[Interlude]] Almost immediately, officers on scene that morning encountered a complication – the woman had no identification on her. The red, faded stamp on her left hand, typically indicative of a visit to a bar at that time, was of no use – the only local bar at the time that stamped red did not do so the night of the murder, according to the police report. The shoe that dangled from Jane Doe's foot, while manufactured in Santa Maria, could not be narrowed down to a particular purchase area as the shoes were sold across the United States. The investigative technique of simply tracking purchases via a credit card was still nearly a decade away. Saul Jaeger: The watch that was still fastened on her left wrist had no engraving, no personalization to possibly guide the detectives to a family member or loved one. The ring on her left ring finger too, did nothing to help the mystery. Jane Doe could be anyone, from anywhere. Her family, her friends would have no idea what had happened to her. But this much was certain -- something bad had happened to Jane Doe. Here's Don McKay, a retired sergeant with the Mountain View Police Department, who back in 1985 was the sergeant in charge of investigations. Don McKay: Um, they discovered this early in the morning. It was still dark when I got the call, about finding a body in the dumpster behind Safeway, just sort of scattered, like she was just dumped there. This Safeway was on the corner of Bailey and Montecito. Well, there were several police cars there. It was very isolated back there. There's some apartments that back up to that dumpster and there was nobody there so it was just sort of all us. Brought some lights and stuff and tried to work the scene. We didn't have a lot to go on.It took us a while to ID this person. We could tell she was missing a shoe, we figured maybe we'd find that. From what we remembered, she was fully clothed, but I remember thinking: “Here we are, the week of the Super Bowl, and Super Bowl's at Stanford. And I'm thinking, ‘I got a hundred thousand extra suspects' that I wasn't planning on. It looked like she had been strangled, but we weren't for sure. We didn't find that out until we got to the autopsy. Katie Nelson: By 3 p.m. on January 18, 1985, Jane Doe had been brought to the coroner with the hopes that he would have a better idea of who she may be. The coroner on duty that Friday afternoon at Valley Medical Center began his methodical examination. The first sentence of the autopsy reportnnotes just how petite the victim was. The coroner noted she weighed just 95 pounds. She measured only 4 feet, 8 inches tall. On the right side of her forehead, a small cut was noted. A front tooth, chipped. She was otherwise healthy, with the coroner noting most inspections yielded “unremarkable” results. As he went about his work, the coroner clipped fingernails and took other samples from the body, some potentially for use to determine what had led to that fateful discovery that morning behind the Safeway. But neither of those samples would ultimately point to what exactly had led to Jane Doe's death. No. On just the second page of the report, under the section noted “External Evidence of Injury,” the coroner noted the following: “On the front and ride side of the neck are multiple contusions which vary from ⅛ to ¼ inch in greatest dimension.” “The strap muscles of the neck as well as the other pretracheal soft tissues exhibit a moderate degree of contusion with hemmorhage. The tongue … shows multiple hemorrhages on the anterior third as well as in the middle third.” Jane Doe had been manually strangled to death. This was not a quick death. It was slow. It was hard. Chris Kikuchi: It's a very violent crime, but to be able to squeeze you know, someone's neck in that manner and so tightly and so violently that the person dies, there's a tremendous amount of force. Katie Nelson: We'd like to introduce you to veteran police detective Chris Kikuchi. He served as the primary investigator on this case later on. Chris Kikuchi: At any point, you can realize that person is losing air obviously and that person is struggling and to continue doing that, until the person dies, I can't even imagine. Even at 100 pounds, you wrap your hands around anyone's neck, they're going to struggle. They're going to do whatever they can to get out of that. It's not easy. Katie Nelson: That knowledge alone makes this investigation all that much more devastating. It also makes us wonder – was this murder personal? Was this a crime of passion? Or was this an instance where total rage took control and ultimately cost one young woman her life? Was this a targeted incident or, God forbid, was this random, and the start of something far more sinister? Here again is Detective Sergeant Don McKay.Don McKay: The most frustrating part was just ID'ing her, finding out who she was, where she came from, where she lived, so we had a base to start with. We had no place to start the investigation. Normally, when you know the person, you know where they live, you know where they hang out, you know her associates. We had no idea on anything for three weeks. All we could do was collect the evidence, freeze what we could collect. We didn't have a DNA database at the time. Nothing. Katie Nelson: But even though less than 24 hours had passed since Jane Doe's body was found, the cause of death was still only half of the puzzle solved. It would take two more weeks before Jane Doe had a name. [[Interlude]] Saul Jaeger: She was Saba Girmai. She had just turned 21. Born in Mekele, Ethiopia in 1964, Saba had immigrated with her family to the United States when she was 17. [[Clip from British broadcast on the famine in Ethiopia]] Saba's family was part of a growing number of Ethiopians who had come to the United States to seek refuge, many of whom were able to utilize new changes enacted through the passage of the 1980 Refugee Act, which was created to help fine-tune immigration procedure for refugees, particularly of humanitarian concern, seeking admission to the United States. Ethiopia, during the time that Saba's family came to America, was in the throes of upheaval. Before they arrived on US soil, Saba's family had lived through the overthrow of the government by the Ethiopian army. In 1974, when Saba had just begun her teen years, an interim military government had been put in place to create some kind of control at a government level. But, their efforts were swiftly replaced by a Marxist regime. Katie Nelson: By 1981, a civil war had erupted, and a crippling drought plagued the country. That drought would be the catalyst for what many remember as the famine that sparked the first Live Aid concert in 1985.[[1985 commercial for Live Aid]]The 16-hour musical marathon that catapulted Queen back into the spotlight, the one that was projected to raise about 10 million pounds for famine relief, but in fact raised triple that amount. The funds would be put towards helping the roughly 160 million people impacted by famine across northeastern Africa. In Ethiopia, reports were surfacing that aid groups that came to the country to help couldn't access certain villages and towns, exacerbating the crisis. Mekele, Saba's home, was hit especially hard. Saba's family arrived in the United States just two years before the peak of the conflicts that would plague Ethiopia until the early 1990s. Mekele, during the height of the famine in the mid 1980s, unfortunately became known for its hunger camps that surrounded the city, which housed nearly 100,000 refugees. Estimates today suggest that in 1985, nearly 100 people died in these camps every day, waiting for some kind of reprieve. Saul Jaeger: As her family began to settle down roots in America, Saba was enrolled at Monroe High School in Rochester, New York, a large, brown-bricked building with Greek columns in the picturesque upstate area that had opened its doors to students nearly 60 years before Saba stepped onto campus. But her time there was short. Saba was not involved in any clubs or sports, according to her family, nor did she actually finish high school. She dabbled in cosmetology school for a while after dropping out of high school, but that didn't hold her interest for long. By the time Saba traveled to California with her sister in 1984, she was ready for something different. She had been in California only seven months when she was killed. Once in California, Saba was known to flit from home to home, between cities like Palo Alto, Santa Clara, and San Jose, couch-surfing with friends or acquaintances, enjoying the local club scene. She had an alleged boyfriend, but she had never been married. Katie Nelson: Where Mountain View fell on her radar was a bit of a mystery. She was not known to neighbors who lived near where her body was found. Saba was known to go out, sometimes to the chagrin of those who knew her. She drank and smoked marijuana, practices that today are not noteworthy, but back in the mid-1980s still carried somewhat of a social taboo. Saba was also not known to stay in one place for long. She was social, described by at least one person as “feisty” and an “Ethiopian princess.” Most notably, though, despite her ease with being out and about, no one had admittedly seen her the day before her death. Saba had essentially vanished. But now, word of Saba's death had begun to spread, particularly within the Ethiopian community. Recently, we found a copy of the 1985 report of Saba's death in the police blotter section of a local paper. Wedged at the bottom of the page, between a Super Bowl robbery crime spree and a rape arrest, the local paper highlighted in just eight short sentences the totality of the crime. Headline: Murder victim apparently strangeled. A young woman whose body was discovered last week in a Mountain View dumpster apparently died from strangulation, a spokesman from the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office said Monday. “It was a homicide,” said the spokesman, who declined to be identified. There were some other minor injuries to the body, but nothing of any significance, he said. The results of the autopsy performed late Friday were to be turned over to Mountain View police this week. Police lieutenant Brown Taylor said the woman has yet to be identified. The partially-clad body of the woman, whom police believe was in her late teens or early 20s, was discovered shortly before 8 a.m. Friday by employees of Safeway, 570 Stierlin Road. “Apparently she had been killed and left in the dumpster sometime Thursday night,” Taylor said. Police said the woman was black, weighed about 95 pounds, and was about 5 feet tall. And with the news spreading, friends and acquaintances began to come forward. A friend, we'll call “Taka,” said Saba had been in San Jose on January 12, when she broke a window of an apartment that belonged to a man she had been staying with at the time. It was the longest period of time detectives knew of Saba's whereabouts. According to the man at the home, she had been staying with him practically since she had arrived in California the previous June. She'd celebrated her 21st birthday three days before the window episode. Saul Jaeger: Finally, someone who could maybe give a little more insight into who Saba was, where she may have been, and what may have happened to her. Leads like this are important, not just because they offer some semblance of direction with a case, but because when investigations slow, they bring about some hope and some much-needed feeling of movement. We knew little about Saba at the time. And, for those in her community who knew of her, or for those who actually knew her, even they could not pinpoint exact dates or times that they had last seen her within a few days of her death. So, this was something, right? But as was becoming a growing trend with this case, with each hope for a new lead, things quickly fizzled. On January 12, when the police were called to address the broken window at the man's apartment, we know that they did ultimately escort Saba away. But, from what the boyfriend knew, she was out and about by the next morning. The last time he, and probably anyone else, had heard from her was on January 14, when she called him to let him know she was in Palo Alto. Specifically where, though, he could not say. Katie Nelson: Interviews and gathering witnesses for Saba's whereabouts could be described as tricky at best. Saba had also been seen maybe in a pickup truck with a white man at some point, but exactly when, the interviewee could not be sure. He was quoted as saying, “The last time he saw Saba she was with an unknown black male; he thinks it was either on January 11 or 12.” Another said: “He knew of Saba, but had only heard her name since she had been killed.”A third person said: “She stayed at the house about one month ago, but he had not seen her since.” One interviewee surmised that it was possible Saba was killed because while she was social, was willing to drink and smoke, she refused to sleep with men. Another interviewee said Saba had been seen with a woman three weeks before, begging for money, but that person didn't know the woman's name. Nearly one month after Saba was killed, on February 8, an Ethiopian man came into the police department and told investigators that he had seen Saba maybe on the 14th or 15thof January, three days before she died, in a van with an unknown white man heading northbound on Third Street in San Jose. The reason this was so important, he said, was because he remembered something he did not tell detectives at the time he was initially interviewed – Saba was wearing some type of hat. This pattern of rough guesstimates on when people had seen Saba continued throughout much of the initial investigation, bleeding well into the second month after Saba was killed. By the end of March, 1985, nearly all potential connections to Saba had been interviewed, and there had been hardly any headway in the case. Saul Jaeger: Again, retired Detective Sergeant Don McKay.Don McKay: Well, we started going through the apartments behind the thing to see if someone heard the car because we didn't know what she was dropped off in, in a car or whatever. And, we got a couple of people who thought they heard something back there around four in the morning, but nothing that could put anything to it. What it affected was trying to locate where we thought she was probably picked up at a party in Palo Alto somewhere, where there were a lot of Super Bowl parties going on and stuff. We had no idea where she came from, but we didn't realize she was of Ethiopian descent until we talked to her sister. That's the first time we even had an idea of where she was from, what she was doing, where she lived. And her sister didn't know where she lived for the last three weeks prior to the murder. And we had no idea where she had been. We went into numerous locations, places we had to try to find out where all the parties were, and nobody knew. No witnesses at all. We never did come up with a witness. We did a lot of footwork. [[interlude]] Saul Jaeger: That ever-lingering question still loomed large -- With the vast network of people who seemingly knew Saba, or knew of her, who would have had a motive to kill her? And even more so, who would have discarded her body in that dumpster at that Safeway? By April 2, detectives decided to use their trump card – they brought in Saba's alledged boyfriend for a polygraph examination. He was seemingly the last person known to have talked to Saba. Some had identified him as her boyfriend. He disputed that though. There was no question however, that he was close to her. So he must know something, right? Was it possible a fight had gone awry? Was he possibly mad at Saba because of her drinking, and smoking, and moving from place to place? Had Saba done something that caused him to snap?The following is an excerpt from the polygraph examination. Type of Case: MurderRequesting Agency: Mountain View Police DepartmentDate: April 2, 1985 Q: Do you know for sure who caused Saba's death?A: No. Q: Did you strangle Saba during January 1985?A: No. Q: Were you physically present in the vehicle that took Saba to the dumpster where she was found?A: No. Q: Did you last see Saba on 13 January when you left her in front of that shop in San Jose?A: Yes. Q: Did you see Saba between 14 and 18 January 1985?A: No. Q: Did Saba call you on 14 January and tell you she was in Palo Alto?A: Yes. On April 11, 1985 the results of the polygraph exam were returned to detectives. They read: After analysis of the charts produced during this examination, it is the opinion of this examiner that the boyfriend was deceptive in his answers to the relevant questions. Results: Deception indicated[[End Episode 1]] Thank you for listening to this episode of The Silicon Valley Beat: Major Crimes. For more details and for credit for the music and other source material used throughout our podcast, please visit the episode's website at pippa.io.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Source material utilized in this podcastResearch sourcing:https://www.weather.gov/ilm/January1985coldhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VH1#Early_history_(1985–1994)https://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1985/hot-100https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XIXhttps://www.gcis.co.uk/a-history-of-the-cd-rom.htmlhttps://www.archivesfoundation.org/documents/refugee-act-1980/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Civil_Warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Civil_Warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983–1985_famine_in_Ethiopiahttp://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/13/newsid_2502000/2502735.stmhttps://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/politics-famine-ethiopiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekellehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MekelleMusic Sourcing:Interlude/interview background music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAyFXPDUoPQ – MorningLightMusichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjoqx7wYbVw – MorningLightMusichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OnJidcj2CU – FesliyanStudios Background MusicTheme Music:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVl9frUzHsE – Over Time by Audionautixhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjh0OGDt58I – AshamaluevMusicInsert Music for Time Period:George Michael – Careless WhisperInsert for News of Time Period: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkLPx8mQ-t0&pbjreload=10 – BBC News Report for Ethiopian famine 1984https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y82B-dWyuAw – Live Aid Concert TV Commercial from 1985 Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. 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Harvey Milk is known for being the first openly gay public official in California and one of the first in the United States. A hero of the gay rights movement, many credit Milk with normalizing homosexuality in public life and giving many young, closeted gay Americans a beacon of hope to look for. Milk was born in 1930 in Woodmere, New York to a middle class, Jewish family. After his time in the Navy serving in the Korean War, Milk worked in finance. After living in New York for several years, he decided to move to San Francisco in 1972, where he opened Castro Camera on Castro Street. As Milk gained popularity within the community, he became a gay rights activist in the heart of an emerging gay rights movement. There, he became known as the “Mayor of Castro Street.” After several attempts in previous elections, Milk won a seat on the San Francisco City-Community Board in 1977. While in office, Milk advocated for civil rights for marginalized communities. Additionally, he worked to established daycare centers for working mothers and supported several initiates for affordable housing and improving the safety of the city. Milk’s term was tragically cut short when he was assassinated by fellow Board member, Dan White. White had resigned from office because he did not agree with the progressive changes being made by the city. Following court proceedings, White was charged with manslaughter rather than murder, which was attributed to the defense’s claims that White’s rage was caused by an unhealthy lifestyle and “junk food.” Milk’s assassination in combination with White’s lowered sentence caused demonstrations organized by gay rights activists to turn violent. Today, Milk is remembered by many and his life is depicted in several books and movies. Recently, Milk’s service in the Navy was recognized by the commission of the US Navy ship, the USNS Harvey Milk.

Ladies and Gentleman It truly a pleasure to bring you Sister Dominia of the Immaculate Corrosion, If you have been living under a rock well let me bring you up to speed. So you are wondering what are the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence well you are in for a real treat. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence made their first appearance on Castro Street in San Francisco in 1979. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an order of nuns of all genders, sexualities, and spiritualties; who take vows to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt. In this episode Sister Dominia blesses us with her journey, knowledge and a little prayer for abundance and pleasure. Listen you can read this long explanation but instead turn the volume up to eleven and get ready to fall in love with Sister Domina. About Sister Dominia of the Immaculate Corrosion The short version – Been a sister for nearly 10 years now, last year I was elected Abbess aka head of the LA House and president of the corporate board. I'm the resident 80s gender-fuck gothic sister, got into charity work out of boredom/need to do more with my life. Instagram @sisterdominia Twitter @ladragnuns Website: lasisters.org FB – Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

In this episode Abby Dees and Wenzel Jones spill some Honest Tea. Also... We return to our roots with the IMRU origins story Share of first "scoop" a 1977 interview with newly elected San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk in his camera shop on Castro Street Please Subscribe and Share! Thank you! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/imruradio/message

San Francisco ist das LGBT Mekka. Die Stadt von Gay Pride und Character wie José Sarria und Harvey Milk -- vor Allem in der Castro Street, und die Nachbarschaft um Castro. Was auch für die Geschichte der LGBTQ+ Community in der USA wichtig ist: die AIDS Epidemie der 80er, und Ellen Degeneres in den 90er bis Heute. Americana für Euch, aber #EhefürAlleEine podcastnik.com Produktion. Siehe die Seite für alle Projekte. ☞ Wir haben eine neue Show (auf englisch), Past Access! (YouTube Link) ☜ Twitter @Travis J Dow | @Podcastnik | @americanapod — Facebook Podcastnik Page— Instagram @podcastnik (Englisch) Podcastnik YouTube | Podcastnik Audio Podcast ★ Unterstützung: PayPal | Patreon | Podcastnik Shop ★Music by Bensound  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's always nice to take a step back and reflect with those who you love. In this awesome episode, we hang with Paige's mother, Elizabeth, and talk about her story around Endo, and the care and support she has been giving to Paige for years. Elizabeth was the first person to believe Paige that she has Endo, and has been a loving and supportive presence in Paige's life around health care and emotional support. Yeah, and then we talk about some nerd stuff. Big surprise right? To connect with Nik & Paige: www.uterusduderus.com Nik@uterusduderus.com Paige@uterusduderus.com To send them an envelope filled with feathers: ATTN: Nik Bartunek The Highway Community 201 Castro Street, 3rd Floor Mountain View, CA 94041

Baby Geisha by Dalton (Two Dollar Radio); Damascus by Mohr (Two Dollar Radio); boneyard by Beachy (Verse Chorus) Three great writers -- Trinie Dalton, Joshua Mohr, and Stephen Beachy -- will read and sign their latest books! Praise for Baby Geisha: "Trinie Dalton's Baby Geisha is a travelogue. Her stories speak volumes of lostness about a world full of riveting features and no map. Things just kind of dead-end in a macho way that feels like porn that didn't happen - the dirty scene I mean. Trinie's writing absolutely unfeminine work. Which feels unique to me. In her hands, gender, like a new kind of western, is just moving across a landscape, the salutary effect of which is that it requires that Trinie write this beautiful stuff of which I can't get enough. Like a desert, her work refuses to give us even a drop more, is full of strange animals, is enduring and glittery." --Eileen Myles Praise for Damascus: "At once gripping, lucid and fierce, Damascus is the mature effort of an artist devoted to personal growth and as such contains the glints of real gold." --San Francisco Chronicle Praise for boneyard: "In this sly, endlessly surprising collaboration with a troubled Amish persona and his skeptical (self?)-editor, Beachy exalts and simultaneously deconstructs the tradition of the literary hoax. The result is mythic, manic, and amazing." --Michael Lowenthal Joshua Mohr is the author of Some Things That Meant the World to Me (a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller and one of Oprah Magazine's "10 Terrific Reads of 2009"), Termite Parade (a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice selection), and Damascus. He lives in San Francisco and teaches fiction writing. Trinie Dalton is the author of the story collection Baby Geisha. She has authored and/or edited five other books. Wide Eyed, Sweet Tomb, and A Unicorn Is Born are works of fiction. Dear New Girl or Whatever Your Name Is and Mythtym are art compilations. She writes articles and reviews about books, art, and music, somewhat collected on sweettomb.com . Stephen Beachy is the author of the novel boneyard, in collaboration with the disturbed and elusive Amish boy, Jake Yoder.  Beachy's other novels are The Whistling Song (1991) and Distortion (2000) and the novellas Some Phantom/No Time Flat (2006).  His fiction has appeared in BOMB, The Chicago Review, Best Gay American Fiction, Blithe House Quarterly, SHADE, and elsewhere.  His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, New York magazine, the anthology Love, Castro Street, and elsewhere.  He is a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop (1990) and a recipient of the James Michener Award.  A native Iowan, he now lives in California and teaches in the University of San Francisco's MFA in Writing program. Photo of Trinie Dalton by Jason Frank Rothberg. Photo of Joshua Mohr by Kevin Irby. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS FEBRUARY 8, 2012.

Harvey Milk was a San Francisco supervisor (like a city councilor) and gay rights activist who was killed in 1978 in City Hall, along with Mayor George Moscone. This tour is about Milk and the rise of gay power in 1970s San Francisco. It goes from the site of Harvey's old camera shop at 575 Castro Street, to San Francisco City Hall, and features original interviews with Harvey’s friends and colleagues, as well as archival audio to transport the listener to a time of dramatic political upheaval. The route is a mostly flat 1.75 miles, makes several stops along the way, and takes about 70 minutes. If you only have time or energy for an abbreviated tour, start at the northeast corner of Market St. and Van Ness Ave., at 50:20 on the audio program. If you don't live in San Francisco or can't get there to take the tour, try listening on a route to your own City Hall, or at home. More info at www.InsideStoriesOnline.com.

Daniel Nicoletta worked in Harvey Milk's camera store in San Francisco from 1975-1978 and was present for the events depicted in the film 'Milk.' He is one of the founders of the Frameline Film Festival and has been a photographer since the 70s and his work has been essential in the visual documentation of the LGBT movement in San Francisco.Michael Flanagan is a librarian, archivist and writer who has lived in the bay area since 1980 and has known Dan Nicoletta since the early 1990s.In this podcast they discuss issues raised by both the film 'Milk' and the book 'The Mayor of Castro Street' involving Harvey Milk and the era in which he was supervisor.Recorded by John Trudell on Feb 15, 2009 in San Francisco, CA