Vital Blog

The VItal Voice just got wind that barring a very unlikely "no" vote to close off the street by its City Council, Belleville will be hosting its first ever Gay Pride event on Saturday, June 21, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. It will be held on 2nd street between W. Main and A street(s) outside of Club Escapade, which is located at 133 W. Main street.

The confirmed speakers are:

The Honorable Tom Holbrook, Illinois State Rep.
Mr. Lynn Clapp, Chair, Belleville Human Relations Commission
Mr. Mark Kern, Chair, St. Clair County Board.

NARAL, the political leader of the pro-choice movement chose yesterday to endorse Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton. This has caused a firestorm of protest. NARAL let comments about the matter be voiced here.

It is sometimes helpful to assess our circumstances through quantifiable measures. It is possible to determine personal financial efficiency for the month by tracking transfers to savings account(s). In similar terms, employers can look at grade point averages and determine overall competency. While outcomes may not always be clear cut; we somehow still place unwavering trust in numbers. Perhaps, it gives us a point of reference, a place where we could examine gradual changes that are too minute and extensive to notice.

By Joan Lipkin

Matt Brazelton, co-owner of Four Muddy Paws is hosting "Canine De Mayo" on Monday May 5. Here is a reminder from his newsletter:

Mark your calendars for Monday May 5 from 4pm-7pm for our 3rd Annual Canine De Mayo event. This will be our third year for the event and first year at our new location with our great patio. Bring your dog and enjoy some Margaritas and Mexican treats for you and your dog on our huge patio.

Annual Huge Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Wide Yard Sales - Saturday, 5-03, 7:30am – 2pm. Approx. 20 different houses with treasures for sale. Pick up your map of registered homes at The Original Crusoe’s parking lot on the morning of the sale, 3152 Osceola @ So. Compton .

Saturday May 3, 7:30pm

Julie Schurr, Summer Osborne, Minions of the Moons, and more perform an acoustic show to raise funds to support Growing American Youth’s 4th Annual Out in the City prom held in July.

Location: Cummel’s Café 1627 Washington Ave.

$5 at the door. All ages show.

314-821-3524

For more information, go to:
www.growingamericanyouth.org

Via Yahoo's LGBTA listserv, The Vital Voice got wind of an attempted robbery, a shooting, and a possible death on the 2000 block of Russell on Sunday, April 27. St. Louis City Police spokesperson Schron Jackson confirmed an incident happened, sending an email that stated:

At 5:27 a.m. Sunday, detectives responded to the 2000 block of Russell for a shooting, the victim was en route to an area hospital.

The urban identity of St. Louis and its surrounding counties has been shaped in many respects by the skills, culture and political leanings of immigrants over the centuries. These new Americans had a particular impact on city neighborhoods from the Italian influences of “The Hill”, The Irish settlers of “Dogtown” or the German heritage of Benton Park.

According to data released by the Pew Research Center last September, 58% of Americans know little or nothing about the practices of Islam, a percentage that has changed very little since 2001.

When I met with Melissa Matos, director of the St. Louis chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil rights advocacy group for Muslims in North America, I started the conversation with questions that I hoped were basic, but not misguided.

“Can you clarify the terms Islamic and Muslim?” I asked.