“Are you doing this for a boy?” was the reaction of one of my shrewder friends.

I stalled. “Well—”

And this friend, whose Bulgarian origins lend a delightfully cynical Old World wisdom to her girl talk, was frank: “Don’t worry about it. I know his type, and he doesn’t care how smart you are; he just loves to hear himself talk.”

But then she added, “Read Anna Karenina first.”

Photo: Andy Dittrich/Gaywhistler.com

The Olympics are coming out of the closet.

The 2010 Games will have the first ever Pride House. Two of them, actually: one opened February 5 in a Whistler, British Columbia cocktail lounge, and the other opened in the heart of Vancouver's West End last Thursday. And people are saying, in short, it will be the gayest Olympics ever.

"I would say it was very emotional at the beginning," said Charley Walters, of the opening speeches at the Whistler Pride House, where there were people from cultures where being gay is not only "unacceptable but criminal." He and his reporting partner Tyler Duckworth, from Olympics or Bust, shoot independent Olympic videos for outlets such as MTV. It's the fifth Games they've covered, and while Walters doesn't want to place too much importance on it, he said today he had a sense of history being made, "the birth of something that's bound to be an Olympic staple." Then the party started.

Why Vancouver? Why now? According to those involved, Vancouver just happens to be the right city at the right time, with a lucky coincidence to start it all off.

"Nearly two years ago we started carrying more gluten-free products after receiving a number of customer requests," said Rob Henry, assistant manager of Westborn Market's Berkley store. Gluten is the protein part of wheat, rye, barley, and other related grains.

Henry also shared his own increased awareness about gluten-free foods since a family member had been diagnosed with a medical condition that requires a gluten-free diet.

To help consumers on a gluten-free diet, Westborn Market recently created a "Gluten-Free Shopping Guide" that is available in an easy-to-download and print format in the Grocery section of the store's Web site, www.WestbornMarket.com. Free shopping-guide brochures are also available near the entrance and check-out areas of the store.

"For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots" premiers on most Public Broadcasting System stations nationwide throughout the month. Presented by Maryland Public Television, this is a powerful documentary television series that salutes our African-American service men and women and reveres their dedicated allegiance to the United States military. The four-hour HD film will air in two parts on PBS stations across the country.

"We are honored to partner with PBS on a film that not only chronicles a story that had yet to be told, but does so with so much passion," said Crystal Worthem, Multicultural Marketing Manager, Ford Motor Company.

1. This year’s game in Miami is the 10^th time the south Florida hotspot has played host to the big game.
2. Although this is the New Orleans Saints’ first trip to the Super Bowl, their city has hosted it nine times.

PCRM dietitians examined food served at 17 of the nation’s busiest airports and found that 79 percent of airport restaurants now offer at least one low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian entrée. In the nine-year history of the Airport Food Review, this is the first time an airport—Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County—has scored 100 percent. San Francisco is this year’s most improved airport, rising to 94 percent from 77 percent last year.

“Greasy airport food is often as big a pain for travelers as long lines or baggage fees,” says Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition education for PCRM. “Low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian meals can help prevent many common health problems, and healthy eating can even make passengers feel less frazzled.”

Ford Rouge Plant, UAW Local 600

It’s an embarrassment for management and union leadership alike when the members reject the contract terms tentatively agreed upon. That was the position of Ford executives and the president of the United Auto Workers this month when enough locals elected not to ratify a contract that included more labor cuts on top of what they settled for earlier this year, with the threat of the collapse of the Big Three carmakers looming.

When the news hit, there was the expected speculation that the workers’ resistance to tighten their belts in these tough times will hurt Ford’s ability to recover and prosper. Days later, the company reported whopping third quarter profits.

Joe got his start like many poker players these days: playing online. His site of choice is PokerStars.net and he plays under the name 'jcada99.' With his recent Vegas victory, he joins the family of previous PokerStars World Champions: Peter Eastgate (2008), Joe Hachem (2005), Greg Raymer (2004), Chris Moneymaker (2003), Tom McEvoy (1983) and world renowned players like Daniel Negreanu, Vanessa Rousso and Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier.

"Even though we are going through challenging times, it's important to make this investment in our store and in the Dearborn community," said Mark Anusbigian, president of Westborn Market. He and his brothers Jeff and Anthony now manage the independent gourmet grocer, whose original store was founded by their parents George and Janette Anusbigian in 1963.

In 1988, in response to its strong customer base, the family expanded the Dearborn store across the street to its current location on the southeast corner of Michigan and Oakwood Boulevard, providing a 12,000 square foot open air market to house the freshest of produce and meats. In 2004, another 8,000 square feet were added and parking access was increased.

When Clinton was asked why he did not originally support gay marriage, he said, “I grew up in a different time…and I was hung up about it.” Clinton was raised in a time when gays and lesbians did not come out, instead living their love lives in secret. But now, people are coming out in record numbers, and TV shows like Will and Grace, The Real World, Ellen, Ugly Betty, The L Word, Survivor, and The Amazing Race have all prominently featured gay and lesbian characters, giving the average American a chance to see gays and lesbians as regular people.

The c-word is enjoying a rebirth. Doubly appropriate, given one of its main functions.

There've been a few decades' of feminist effort to reclaim derogatory words -- much like with "queer" or the n-word -- including by uber feminist Germaine Greer, and by Inga Muscio, who wrote a whole book about it. But the word has only recently started surfacing tentatively, naughtily and giddily in ordinary North American conversation.

It's questionable whether it's about feminism, the bored tendencies of pop culture denizens, always looking for new ways to impress and shock, or the sexualization of culture. Nonetheless, men and women I know are trying it out, of late. Dropping the c-bomb, then furtively glancing around to gauge impact and collateral damage. Trying to appear casual when they feel anything but. Magazines and newspapers are starting to use it, but still in hangman code (c---), or through hints and verbal gymnastics, similar to "He Who Should Not Be Named" in Harry Potter.

Could it be that being childfree will ever be as legit as being a parent? That breeding could be seen as a choice: zero, one, two or even eight kids. Or even, like being gay, be seen as a matter of brain wiring, and not a sign of deviance or bad judgment.

Why does it matter? I get asked at least once a week whether I'm having kids. (My male friends don't, but that's another story). Other childless friends, who also get asked, say that when they answer that they can't have kids, that they've tried, that they've spent their retirement savings and house down payments on fertility treatments (and subjected themselves to hormone treatments, torturous procedures and endless needle jabs) people respond with awkwardness and pity, and emphatically tell them what else they must try.

But that's nothing like the friends who say they don't want to have kids. They're openly judged, even derided, then subjected to intense lobbying efforts and proselytizing.

When the thing is, even though there are great reasons to have kids, there are arguably far more reasons not to. In fact, it might be a better idea to be cautious towards people who want to breed, and actually grateful to the people who abstain (even though the desire to breed is understandable, of course). If childlessness (or "childfreeness," as it's now often referred to) were seen as a positive choice, and not an expected act or an essential part of female identity, everyone (including parents) would benefit.