Sunday, March 23, 2014

Out Spotlight

When today's Out Spotlight was elected mayor in 2001 he made Paris the world's largest city to have an openly gay mayor. Today's Out Spotlight is Betrand Delanoë.
Bertrand Delanoë grew up in Tunisia, a French colony at the time. His first political interest came during the Battle of Bizerte. Watching as French soldiers opened fire on Arab citizens, he felt that “an Arab should be equal to a Frenchman.” Delanoë claims it is because of colonialism that he began to identify with the left.

During his days at the Université de Toulouse, where he graduated with a degree in economics, Delanoë became involved in politics and joined the Socialist Party. At the age of 23, he was elected deputy secretary of the Aveyron Socialist Federation. Between 1973 and 2001, he held various political positions, including national secretary of the Socialist Party and member of the Paris City Council.

As mayor of Paris, Delanoë pushed an agenda for change. In an effort to reduce city traffic and pollution, Delanoë started a low-cost program that encourages Parisians to rent bikes. He worked to provide more affordable housing to encourage economically disadvantaged people to stay in the city.
In October 2002, Delanoë was stabbed. His assailant told police he targeted Delanoë because of his homosexuality.

Despite France’s political tradition of keeping one’s personal life out of the public, Delanoë came out in a French television interview in 1998. In his book, “La vie, passionnément” (“Life, Passionately”) (2004), Delanoë says he made that decision because he thought it could help, even if in a small way, “lighten the burden of secrecy borne by so many people.”

 When Delanoë was elected mayor of Paris, in 2001, the city became the world’s largest to have an openly gay mayor. In March 2008, he won reelection.

On the topic of gay marriage Delanoë writes, “In the name of what can one reject this demand for equality?”

 
Any time there are Parisians fighting for more freedom ... I’m with them.”

16 comments:

prairiegirl said...

Interesting Spotlight, enjoyed it, Special. He's also quite a dapper looking fellow.

The state of Kansas entirely bombed in the NCAA tournament yesterday. K State, KU, and Wichita State lost. I've not watched so much college hoops as I did yesterday. Just kidding, but it felt like it, lol.

Everyone have a good day!

Florida Tom said...

Villanova lost :-)

Florida is looking good....

destiny said...

So is the University of Arizona. Go Wildcats!

prairiegirl said...

It is fun to follow Twitter while a game is going on. I really got a kick out of the tweets about Roy Williams. Roy used to coach KU and boy, I never knew he was so animated. But he was a class act at the end of the game.

I'm kind of rooting for Iowa State since they are a Big 12 team. Baylor won as well. I've always liked Baylor's bear mascot, lol.

The biggest thrill to me is watching a 3 pointer go in. I don't know how those guys make those baskets but wow. When they go through the net and it puts the team ahead, it's pretty darn exciting.

prairiegirl said...

You know, it's amazing how Twitter has tremendously changed the ways agencies market their celebrity clients. It's interesting to see how a Twitter search on Jake or Austin compares to doing a Twitter search on say, Jeremy Renner, Ryan Reynolds or Matt Bomer. Very interesting to see a few differences, a few likenesses.

What one can learn by observing the same medium over a period of a couple of years. What one can learn by paying attention to rhythms, tendencies, patterns, and spikes in activity. You don't even have to had that intention in the beginning. It just happens - if you're paying any kind of attention.

prairiegirl said...

Back on the subject of 3 pointers, I have to say that at the other end of the court, it looks like our boys threw up a pretty good air ball yesterday.

Early yesterday 3/23 morning, this tweet appeared on Austin's search:



Baylee Cox (@iambaylee_c)
3/23/14, 0:39

Thank you again for taking a picture with me @AUS10NICHOLS http://twitter.com/iambaylee_c/status/447608511594127360/photo/1


Now I'm not going to bother making a hyperlink out of that twitpic because you know what, that picture is no longer on Twitter. But the picture was of Austin and a fan at what one is supposed to presume is AUS. The twitter account's profile clearly states ATX (imagine that). Now the picture was closely cropped and all you could see which indicated Austin was traveling was a piece of black strap on Austin's right shoulder.

Anyone see that picture and accompanying tweet yesterday morning? Raise your hand, please.

prairiegirl said...

Imagine one's surprise last night when the discovery was made that @iambaylee_c had tweeted the same tweet again? Why would one do that?

Upon a closer look, it was discovered that @iambaylee_c had taken down her original tweet and re-posted it again:



Baylee Cox (@iambaylee_c)
3/23/14, 19:06

Thanks again for taking a picture with me @AUS10NICHOLS Oh Bailey won't you fly home


Whoa, what? Now wait a sec. Why did she do that? Hmmm. **scratches head**


Well, I'm not going to speculate yet as to the why, but I am going to point out a couple of interesting differences. #1 of which is she had changed her wording just a tad.

Thank you again for taking a picture with me @AUS10NICHOLS

vs

Thanks again for taking a picture with me


hmm. Was it that important to make a wording change like that?

Oh wait. Could it have been the timing? Was @iambaylee_C afraid she might not have had the audience at 39 minutes past midnight versus at 7:06 pm? Prime time being a big factor, perhaps.

Could it be that she decided she wanted to get the sunglasses and what looks to be a boarding pass in Austin's big clutch in the shot the second time?


Considering just about everything else is the same between the two tweets and pictures, I don't know, but maybe that boarding pass was an essential nugget left out the first time? That boarding pass just really makes the picture, I reckon.

prairiegirl said...

A-game was left at home, I think, fellas.

That one was a gift.

Special K said...

I saw that tweet and picture PG.

prairiegirl said...

I didn't mean to leave off the AUS10NICHOLS in the second tweet because she did have that in the second tweet as well.

Methodical Muser said...

We've seen this movie before, PG. The tweet and pic was put up, closely cropped, hoping someone from OMG might point out that the photo could have been taken anywhere. Then the next day the full panoramic view would be posted, with Austin holding his airline ticket and the troll would come on, to say that we have sh*t for brains and that "Can't you see the ticket in his hand?"

Similar to the patchwork attempt to plug up the holes of the Tortuga tweet back in late December. But, nobody went for the bait so 24 hours later, the intern takes down the first photo and puts up the one that has Austin holding the ticket in his hand. Pretty simple and predictable.

prairiegirl said...

And that would explain why the first tweet was likely a dress rehearsal and not posted elsewhere until it was realized the desired attention wasn't forthcoming.

prairiegirl said...

I could see that, sure. smh.

So you know what's also funny about this picture which is supposed to, I guess, place Mr. Austy in his beloved Hook 'em Horns homeland, is that what just finished concluding in Austin?

SXSW, that's what.

And being the big film buff that he is, Austin doesn't show up for the big doin's until after the last tub of popcorn's been sold?

That's just kind of odd. Because Austin doesn't appear to be working, so why wasn't he at SXSW? Ice cream was calling?

Methodical Muser said...

Au contraire. Let's not forget Jake's appearance at the Chaotic Moon Party on March 7 in Austin, TX. That was at the beginning of SXSW. And, we all know that the Big Guy hates to miss a good party.

prairiegirl said...

Kind of interesting, the posting times on these 2 tweets:

AUSTIN NICHOLS ‏@AUS10NICHOLS Mar 22

Best ice cream in LA. @cvtsoftserve. My buddy Joe. Come join us. Follow him to find locations. I will be at the... http://fb.me/1lFTBZAIR
Collapse

4:43 PM - 22 Mar 2014 · Details



Chloe Bennet ‏@ChloeBennet4 Mar 22

Getting some yummy soft serve at the @CVTSoftServe truck on cursing and melrose! So yummy. So good. Come here and get some.
4:43 PM - 22 Mar 2014 · Details

Methodical Muser said...

So they were supposed to both be at the ice cream truck in Santa Monica at the same time. Were they having some kind of a tweeting competition? Trying to achieve some kind of lactose synchronicity? How do you eat ice cream and text at the same time? And, why would you want to, even if you could? And, who was the designated cone holder? So many questions. So little time. :-)