Coco will fill your heart When Pixar isn’t making movies about toys, fish, cars, emotions or monsters, you can say their human characters have been pretty… white. Hoping to rectify that situation and add a bit more diversity to their films, the studio has put together their first movie featuring a full cast of Mexican characters and set the story during one of the biggest holidays in the country, Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. If you’re unfamiliar with the holiday, or just know about it from the cute decorated skeletons you see around Halloween, it is […]
A Cure For Holiday Cynicism
The holiday season can be a tricky time of the year. Yes, it’s a season of giving and togetherness, of sharing good times, good food, and gifts with those we care about, and these are all wonderful things. But all this comes at a price. It takes planning, organizing, budgeting, and usually some amount of baking to successfully navigate the holidays. It’s enough to stress out even the most “perfect” Martha Stewarts among us. Even if you don’t observe the holidays, all this is happening around you and usually demands some sort of participation – or worse, an explanation of […]
Awesome • Osaka
Japan’s 3rd biggest city boasts stunning architecture & unique eats Traveling from Tokyo to Osaka by bullet train is about three hours and the train ride takes you through Japan’s beautiful countryside. Osaka is a large port city located in the southern center of Japan. It’s Japan’s third most populated city and is a major economic area. Although it was heavily destroyed during World War II, it was rebuilt and recovered quickly. Osaka’s nickname is Tenka no Daidokoro (nation’s kitchen) because of its reputation as a foodie’s paradise and its food exports to other countries and to other cities in […]
Thanksgiving and Survival
These days everything’s political, including Thanksgiving. It doesn’t take much research or study to know that there’s more to the Thanksgiving story than we were taught as children. A condensed history would suggest that the Pilgrims were terrible guests in a new land, stealing from and even slaughtering the Native Americans whose lands the Pilgrims claimed for themselves. As such, modern day Thanksgiving can bring with it an icky sense of guilt that makes some wonder if we should still be celebrating a holiday with such a sordid past.
The Magic of Jane Goodall at the Kennedy Center
The girlhood of famous primate researcher brought to song & stage Before she was a renowned humanitarian, conservationist, and animal activist, Dr. Jane Goodall was a little girl with a very special toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. Together, Jane and Jubilee went on outdoor adventures and observed all the miracles of nature around them. As they learned more and more on their expeditions, Jane dreamed of spending the rest of her life living with and helping animals. And one day, she would go on to do just that. Me… Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall, the brand new […]
A Wowser? No, Just Okay
Justice League doesn’t stun It’s finally here, the long-awaited joining together of some of DC Comics’ most iconic superheroes – Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg and… spoiler alert… Superman. And after some not very kind reviews for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Man of Steel and more glowing reviews for Wonder Woman, the question is can Justice League ever live up, or down, to anyone’s expectations, especially coming so closely on the heels of the almost universally loved Thor: Ragnarok? The answer is probably no.
Human-Rights Blackout
Much has been made of the lack of attention to human rights by President Trump on his recent excursion to Asia. This, by and of itself, represents the US giving up the mantel on this subject since we first gained prominence on the issue during the Jimmy Carter administration in the 1970s. We were the international leader for this proud cause, and president after president – regardless of being a Democrat or a Republican – raised it on foreign trips. We are told that Trump mentioned the topic of human rights only in passing to the president of the Philippines […]
Providence • Party On
At any good party, no man’s an island. Neither is Rhode Island! Traveling to Providence, Rhode Island, from Baltimore is easy and very affordable. Several discount airlines fly to Boston, and from Boston’s airport the Silver Line (public bus that runs partly underground like a subway) goes to South Station, a train station, where Amtrak offers tickets to Providence for as little as $14. Providence is the capital of Rhode Island, the smallest state. Providence is geographically very compact because it was developed prior to the automobile. It is a densely populated city with a beautiful river walkway in the […]
Lost River, West Virginia
A fall getaway that ‘found’ Kevin Willner and his partner 18 years ago As the autumn leaves begin their tawny transformations, it may be the perfect time for a fall weekend getaway to recharge before the frenzied buzz of the holidays. Lost River, West Virginia, the fabulous jewel nestled in West Virginia’s Hardy County, has steadily grown to become the unofficial rural LGBT area in recent years. Baltimore OUTloud exclusively sat down with Kevin Willner, co- owner of Lost River Grill, Motel, and Bed & Breakfast to find out what draws many LGBT vacationers to the area.
Risky Business
Project T407 and Tori Amos I spend a lot of time and energy avoiding risky situations. I always look both ways before crossing the street; I don’t drive fast; I wear sensible shoes. Maybe this makes me boring, but it also keeps me safe and, for the most part, happy. I think a lot of us fall into this pattern as we get older, which is why when we do anything out of the ordinary it’s a cause for celebration. On these occasions we remember that in trying to keep things consistent by avoiding lows, we also sometimes miss out […]