Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Parade is Coming


San Francisco's Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest LGBT gathering in the nation, taken place over the last weekend in June each year. About one million people attended the event last year in 2012. My postcard US-2246692 to Netherlands shows a group of young men climbing onto a pole in anticipation of the incoming parade on June 24, 2012. 

In less than 12 hours, the 43rd annual San Francisco Pride Parade will start marching on the Market Street at 10:30 am on June 30, 2013. More people are expected this year due to the Supreme Court rulings last week. The theme for this year is "Embrace, Encourage, Empower". House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other elected officials will be in the event.

View SF Pride Parade Route in a larger map 

 

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Welcome to Las Vegas, Powered by Solar Energy


As seen in the postcard US-1728444, the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign has been an icon at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip since 1959. It has witnessed the evolution of the Strip throughout the history. Soon, it may undergo changes itself by switching to solar power, stepping into the future.
 
According to a Las Vegas Sun article, several non-profit environmental organizations including the Clean Energy Project and Green Chips, and Bombard Electric company are proposing to install solar panels for the sign.

The Clark County commissioners will hear the proposal in their next meeting Tuesday on July 2, 2013. If approved in a subsequent meeting, solar panels will be installed to power the neon lights of the sign and the 89 light bulbs around the sign's edge.

Welcome to Las Vegas, and welcome to the future.

Friday, June 28, 2013

From Greenwich Village to Golden Gate: a Journey of 44 Years

Today is the 44th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that members of gay community protested against police raids at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village, New York City, in the early morning of June 28, 1969, It marked the beginning of the modern fight for LGBT rights in the United States.

Same-sex marriage resumed today in California after a federal appeals court lifted a hold on the lower-court ruling that struck down the state’s Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage, followed a US Supreme Court decision two days earlier.

This rainbow fist postcard symbolizes a 44-year's journey of struggle with determination, highlighted by the above bookend-like events. The postcard was purchased at Zazzle.com.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Still a Long Way to Equality

In spite of Supreme Court rulings on DOMA and Proposition 8 that advanced LGBT equality yesterday on June 26, 2013, there are only 30% population (95 million) of the country living in states where same-sex marriage is legal by August 2013.  Thirty five states explicitly prohibit same-sex marriage in their constitutions or state laws while three of those and one another state allow civil unions. In essence, it highlights that a divided America where people in one part of the country are still allowed to be discriminated against. 

CNN has an article on What's Next for the Gay Rights Movements. There is still a long way to go and much to do to achieve a true equality. 

My traveling postcard US-2277033 shows a Human Right Campaigns (HRC) logo. HRC is the largest LGBT equality-rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the United States.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

More Rainbows

Hoover Dam
I need to clarify that when I mentioned in my last post rainbows were rare seen in Las Vegas, I meant those meteorological rainbows. In fact, rainbows are easily to find in and around Las Vegas thanks to many water features and fountains. My traveling postcard sent to Turkey US-2283223 shows a rainbow formed over the mist from the Hoover Dam spillway. I have a video showing a rainbow over the famous Bellagio music fountains taken by a GoPro cam.


I generated a HTML5 WordCloud with my blog feeds. The result was interesting.


Also if you type in any text string that contains "gay" in Google's search box today, the search box will be surrounded by rainbows. It marks two separate rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down portion of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act and cleared the way for same-sex marriages banned under the Proposition 8 to resume in California.


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Over the Rainbow in Las Vegas

Rainbow over the Mirage
It seldom rains in Las Vegas. Measured at the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport between 1981 and 2010, the average annual precipitation is about 4.19 inch or 106.4 mm. In average, there are 26.5 raining days per year; even during the wettest month in February, it has only 4 days of precipitation. It is the driest month in June when the average monthly precipitation is 0.07 inch or 1.78 mm with 0.6 raining days. (Interestingly, in English, plural "days" is used with zero or a decimal version of less than one instead of singular "day"). I used to live in West Palm Beach, Florida. In comparison, the average annual precipitation during the same period there is 62.31 inch or 1,582.67 mm with 136 raining days per year.

As a result, we rarely see rainbows in Las Vegas. Therefore, when it does occur, it's beautiful and magnificent. The postcard US-2276095 is currently traveling to Moldova featuring a rainbow over the Mirage Hotel and Casino.

On Youtube, you can watch "Over the Rainbow" from the 1939 movie "the Wizard of Oz", sung by actress Judy Garland.

Here are a few more postcards with rainbows over Las Vegas: US-2236311 with New York-New York Hotel and Casino to Ukraine and US-2205397 with Wynn Las Vegas to California, USA.
New York - New York Hotel and Casino

Wynn Las Vegas

Monday, June 24, 2013

Just Relax


For many people, Monday is a stressful day with accumulated emails and voice mails over the weekend. Even decades ago, Mississippi John Hurt had a amazing piece of Monday Morning Blues that summarized the feelings of working class people waking up in a Monday morning.


Michael Poh had five simple and effective ways to counter Monday blues. The number one was to "have something to look forward to on Monday nights". For me, it is opening mail box and finding out how many postcards are there. That's why it was refreshing today to receive this "Just Relax" card DE-2253813 from Germany. Usually I get more postcards on Monday than any other days in the week. So, it's not all that bad. The cat is cute.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Supermoon

Full Moon at Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas
The expired postcard US-1895485 was sent to Netherlands on October 2, 2012. It shows a full moon over the Flamingo Hotel on September 30, 2012.

On Sunday, June 23, 2013 at 4:32 am PDT (11:32 UTC / 7:32 am EDT), the moon was at its perigee point, the point in the moon orbit that is closest to the center of the earth. Whenever that happens as the moon also enters its fullest phase, it creates a coincidence called "supermoon". At its fullest and closest, the moon appears about 12% larger in the sky.


In the middle of the picture shows the supermoon in the evening of June 22, 2013 while on the right shows a full moon on September 30, 2012. The difference between the two is shown on the left.

The previous two supermoons happened on March 19, 2011 and on May 6, 2012. The next superMoon will be on August 10, 2014. 

I wish I were in Alaska so that I could see the supermoon in the midnight sun. You can see photos of the supermoon at Huffington PostBaltimore SunEarthSky.ORG and Space.COM.


Saturday, June 22, 2013

Electric Daisy Carnival

Summer Display at Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas 2013 starts a few hours ago in the evening on June 21, 2013 and will last for three days until June 23, 2013. It is an international annual electronic dance music festival that drew more than 300,000 people last year in 2012. It is held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where the organizer Insomniac has transformed this 1,000-acre race field into six areas of music, carnival rides, vendor village, interactive art installations and other festival attractions. Sirius XM channel 52 has EDC radio throughout this weekend.


Friday, June 21, 2013

International Surfing Day


According to Wikipedia: "International Surfing Day, held annually on or near the date of the summer solstice — usually June 21 (June 20  on leap years) — is an unofficial, environmentally conscious sports-centered holiday that celebrates the sport of surfing and the surfing lifestyle and the sustainability of ocean resources".

However, the summer solstice was on June 20 in 2013 although it is not a leap year. Therefore, the International Surfing Day in 2013 actually falls on June 20. Nonetheless,  The events celebrating the International Surfing Day spreads from June 17 to June 23, and onto June 30, 2013. Chances are you can probably find a location near you (except in Las Vegas, where the closest ocean is more than 270 miles / 435 km away).

Fortunately, there is a huge man-made beach at the Mandalay Bay. I bought this postcard US-2255631 at Ron Jon Surf Shop in the Shoppes at Mandalay Place.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Postcard from the 5th Annual Taiwan PostCrossing Meetup

5th Annual Taiwan PostCrossing Meetup
PostCrossers from Taiwan just had their successful 5th annual meetup in Taipei on June 8, 2013. Co-hosted by the Philatelic and Penpal Society of the National Taiwan University, there was a postcard exhibition on June 7, and June 8 at NTU's 1st Student Activity Center.

The official cancellation stamp was designed by Weital. He also designed the cancellation stamp for the 4th Annual Taiwan PostCrossing Meetup in 2012. That was the first ever official PostCrossing cancellation stamp in the world.

The postcard I received today from the event took 12 days to travel from Taiwan to USA. It was designed by Midorilee's very talented teenage daughter. 

The meetup organizer Dodd was recently recognized as a Postcrossing Ambassador.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Hello from Cijayana Beach, Garut, Indonesia


I received a postcard ID-60140 from Indonesia today. It shows the Cijayana beach, about 40 kilometers from Bandung city, the capital of West Java.

From the postcard, you can see beautiful waves along the the beach where you can play beach volleyballs, kites, or make sand castles. It is also a great spot for fishing where you can catch both freshwater fish and saltwater fish.

I went to Banda Aceh, Indonesia for tsunami relief in 2005, but didn't get a chance to visit other parts of the country. Now I have to add this place to my to-go list.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

MGM Opens Up

MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
According an article on Las Vegas Sun, MGM Grand will open its walls along the Las Vegas Strip so that the people who pass by can see right inside. The front facade walls from the iconic gold lion to the M&M’s World is coming down.

Casinos used to be designed as dark, closed spaces without clocks and cellphone signals so that customers inside would forget everything else but gambling. MGM's move joins the recent trend that makes casinos more open and connected to the outside world. It also represents the effort from casino and hotel operators to diversify entertainment options  to shopping and other activities other than gaming. 

Monday, June 17, 2013

The World Day to Combat Desertification


The World Day to Combat Desertification is a United Nations observance on June 17 every year since January 30, 1995 when it was proclaimed by a United Nations General Assembly resolution. The purpose has been to highlight how to prevent desertification and recover from drought.  There has a different theme each year since, and the theme for 2013 is "Drought and Water Scarcity".

My postcard US-1877904 showcases the Las Vegas Springs Preserve where you can learn how to live in the desert environment in a sustained way by taking advantage of what is available, especially the water. It is located at the original water source for Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Springs.

The Las Vegas Springs Preserve is a participant of Bank of America's Museums on Us program in 2013. If you are a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card holder, you can get one free general admission on the first full weekend of each month. The incoming dates in 2013 are July 6th and 7th, August 3rd and 4th, September 7th and 8th, October 5th and 6th, November 2nd and 3rd, December 7th and 8th.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Father's Day

Jean Sibeluis, Finnish Composer, and his Home
This Father's Day on June 16, 2013, one of the father figures I found in my postcard collection was Jean Sibelius (December 8, 1865 – September, 20 1957), a Finnish composer whose music played an important role in shaping the Finnish national identity.

According to the Wikepedia, Jean Sibelius married Aino Järnefelt (1871–1969) at Maxmo on June 10 1892. Their home, called Ainola as shown on the postcard FI-1762442, was completed at Lake Tuusula, Järvenpää in 1903. They had six daughters: Eva, Ruth, Kirsti, Katarina, Margareta and Heidi. 

My favorite piece of Sibelius is "the Swan of Tuonela".


Saturday, June 15, 2013

The High Dive: Stars in Danger

TouchNote Card Featuring 2012 London Olympics Diving Events
It reminded me that I had received this TouchNote card featuring a diver during their 2012 London Olympics promotion when I was watching the finale of Jiangsu TV's show "The High Dive: Stars in Danger" on YouTube. It turns out that it has a Fox counterpart that "puts celebrities from widely different backgrounds in peril as they take the plunge into a whole new discipline... DIVING". Similarly, the contestants in this Chinese version show have received coaching by world class divers and Olympic medalists in a short period of time. They compete in a variety of different dives for an expert judging panel and in front of a live TV audience. I like the fact that the winner was once ousted but managed a come back. And it was a challenge to turn impossibles into a reality.



Friday, June 14, 2013

Flag Day in USA

US Flag flying in front of New York New York Hotel, Las Vegas
My postcard US-1900843 would be a good candidate to commemorate the Flag Day on June 14. In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated for the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. A proclamation from President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 officially established the Flag Day. National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress in 1949.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Miranda Warning

Statue of Liberty
I will use my Statue of Liberty postcard to mark the US Supreme Court ruling in Miranda v. Arizona forty seven years ago on June 13, 1966. It requires that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them. The purpose is to ensure that the accused is aware of, and reminded of, their rights under the U.S. Constitution; and that they know they can invoke them at any time during the interrogation.

The postcard was made using one of my photos at Walmart.com Photo Center.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Duanwu Festival


Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival, is a traditional and statutory holiday originated in China, celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Lunisolar Calendar. The date varies on the Gregorian calendar; it happens to be June 12 in 2013.

Duanwu Festival is to commemorate Qu Yuan, a great Chinese poet from 343–278 BCE. He committed ritual suicide in a river as a form of protest against the corruption of the era. Popular legends state that villagers rushed their boats to the river and tried to save him. When that was too late, they dropped rice dumplings to the river in order to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body. Gradually, it became traditions for people to eat Zongzi, rice balls wrapped in reed leaves, and to race dragon boats on the  anniversary of his death.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Occupation of Alcatraz

Alcatraz: facts and figures
I received the postcard "Alcatraz: facts and figures" as a thank-you-card. Like most people, I associate the Alcatraz with its federal prison years from 1934 to 1963 when some of the nation’s most notorious criminals were held in the island. Therefore, when I read "November 20, 1969 - June 11, 1971: Native Americans occupy Alcatraz", I became curious about what happened forty two years ago before the U.S. Government forcibly removed the last holdouts to the Native American Occupation of Alcatraz on June 11, 1971 that lasted 19 months.

Citing the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) between the U.S. and the Sioux, Indians of All Tribes (IAT) claimed the island after the Alcatraz prison was closed in 1963 and the U.S. government declared the island as surplus federal property, since the treaty returned all retired, abandoned and out-of use federal lands to the Native Americans. 

After two brief occupations on March 9, 1964 and on November 9, 1969 by different groups, American Indians again landed on Alcatraz on November 20, 1969 and issued the Alcatraz Proclamation. The stated purpose of the occupation was to re-gain Indian control over the island to building a Native American Studies Center, an American Indian Spiritual Center, an Ecology Center, and an American Indian Museum. The occupiers cited treatment under the Indian Termination policy as the reason for occupation, and accused the U.S. government of breaking numerous Indian treaties. Daily radio program broadcast started from the island in December, 1969; newsletters were published starting January 1970.

However, the occupation started to collapse after a series of incidents of an accidental death, a fire, presence of drug addicted people, presence of non-American Indian people, departure of student participants, and leadership in-fights. Meanwhile, the government had cut off all electrical power and telephone service. Public sympathy and support had eroded. On June 11, 1971, a large force of federal marshals, GSA Special Forces, Coast Guard and FBI agents removed the last 15 people - six men, four women and five children - from Alcatraz with no resistance.

In spite of the controversies, the Occupation of Alcatraz brought international spotlight on the plight of Native Americans and sparked off a wave of more than 200 civil disobedience among Native Americans. It was the dawn of the modern day Native American activism and it was the first inter-tribe event to connect young Native American activists from dozens of tribes.


Monday, June 10, 2013

Portugal Day


Portugal Day is Portugal's National Day celebrated every year on June 10. My received postcard PT-274057 can be a good example to showcase the diversity that Portugal may offer.  Piódão is a tiny village preserved in the mountains with 178 inhabitants counted in 2011. Located on a hillside of the Serra do Goshawk, the houses have traditional schist walls, tiled roofs, wooden doors, with windows painted blue which give a hue of artificial blue at night, Piódão has received a "Historic Village" recognition as national heritage due to its unique pattern of the houses. It has been experiencing the similar emigration trend elsewhere where younger generations migrate overseas or to the coastal areas in search of better opportunities. However, they do return, especially during the festival seasons, to reunite with family members, to relive the past and to search their roots. .

Sunday, June 9, 2013

The Latter Days


Thirty five years ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) opens its priesthood to "all worthy men" on June 9, 1978, ending a 148-year-old policy of excluding black men. A line in the lyrics of "the Book of Mormon" alluded above event: "I believe that in 1978 God changed his mind about black people..."

I realized that I still had a couple of the advertising cards of the movie "Latter Days" from its screening at the Gateway Theatre in Fort Lauderdale on February 20, 2004. According to IMDB, the movie is about a promiscuous gay party animal who falls for a young Mormon missionary, leading to crisis, cliché, and catastrophe. You can watch Latter Days' official trailer on Youtube.


So, I hope some day the LDS church will recognize LGBT members are belong to "all worthy men", not someones who have mental diseases to be cured. Indeed, changes are in the air. Stephanie Mencimer from MotherJones had a pair articles on Mormon Church Abandons Its Crusade Against Gay Marriage, and How the Mormons Ensured Victory for Gay Marriage. Recently, LDS Church accepted new Boy Scout policy on gay members.

I bought a copy of the Latter Days movie when it was out in DVDs. I feel It still resonate with anyone who has ever fallen in love when I watched it again after all these years. Now you can own a copy in Blu-ray from Amazon. 

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Colline du Parlement, "The Hill"
One hundred and forty seven years ago, the Canadian Parliament met for the first time in Ottawa, Ontario. It was the fifth session of the eighth Parliament of Canada; and the last session as the Province of Canada. Before that, the sites of the parliament had been in Kingston, Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City. The modern-day parliament of Canada came into existence in 1867 when the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick united into the Dominion of Canada with the Province of Canada split into two provinces Quebec and Ontario.

Parliament Hill is the home of the Parliament of Canada on the south bank of the Ottawa River and on the west bank of the Rideau Canal. The Legislature of the Province of Canada met there for the first time on June 8, 1866, and the new Parliament of the Dominion of Canada began its first session there on November 6, 1867. 

My postcard US-1888769 was made of a photo from my trip to Canada in 1994, taken from the Major's Hill Park across the Rideau Canal. In the foreground shows the East Block, built in two stages in 1867 and 1910, hosting senators' offices and preserved Confederation-era rooms. The Peace Tower (the Tower of Victory and Peace), 92.2 meter-tall and on the central axis of the Centre Block, can be seen in the background.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Elephant Stables in Hampi, India

Elephant Stables, Hampi, India
I received a postcard IN-54195 from India today. It shows a long building with a row of domed chambers where the ancient royal family housed their ceremonial elephants. Hampi, once the capital of Vijaynagar Empire from 1336 and 1565, is a ruined city. However, the elephant stables are among the few least damaged structures.  The ground in the front was a parade place for the elephants and troops. The domes and the arched gateways indicated the Islamic influences on the structure. Hampi is now listed as a "threatened" UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to heavy vehicular traffic and constructions nearby.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

D Day Invasion

50th Anniversary of D Day Celebration in Ottawa, Canada in 1994
This postcard documented the 50th anniversary celebration of the Normandy landings in Ottawa, Canada on June 6, 1994. The landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy in France commenced 69 years ago on Tuesday, June 6,  1944 during World War II.  D-Day was a term used in planning for the day of the actual landing, which was dependent on final approval.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Ronald Reagon and DCA

Ronald Reagon Washington National Airport (DCA)
Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, passed away 9 years ago on June 5, 2004,  after having suffered from Alzheimer's disease for nearly a decade. I received a card US-2060886 showing Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) that was renamed from Washington National in 1998 to honor the former U.S. President. 

In the same year of 1998, Florida's Turnpike was designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway, by the Florida Legislature. There is a List of Things named after Ronald Reagan on Wikipedia.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Untitled

Untitled
I am featuring my untitled card US-1915804 for today, June 4, 2013. The photo was of a carpet pattern in a Barneys New York store at NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas on July 11, 2010. The store was closed in 2012.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Goddess of Democracy and Statue of Liberty

Goddess of Democracy (middle), Statue of Liberty (left) and its replica (right)
I made this 5"x7" postcard to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Student Protest. The picture in the middle, taken before dawn in the Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, on June 3, 1989, features the Goddess of Democracy. The 10-meter-tall (33 ft) statue was built by students of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in China (中央美术学院) using foam and papier-mâché over a metal armature. It was placed at Tiananmen Square on May 30, 1989. Also known as the Goddess of Democracy and Freedom, the Spirit of Democracy, and the Goddess of Liberty, it became a rally point after the martial law was declared on May 20, 1989.
The statue was crashed down by tanks and destroyed by soldiers entering the Tiananmen Square to clear out protesters pre-dawn on June 4, 1989, less than 24 hours after this photo was taken. 
Although the sculptors of the statue played down the speculation that it was modeled after the Statue of Liberty, for fears of being labeled as "pro-western", there is no denial of their resemblance. However, when memories fade along with the elapsed time, we tend to forget what really happened. Ironically, now we see the erosion of the civil liberties in the U. S as well. We thought freedom and civil liberties can and should be sacrificed in the name of security. When we pass by the replica of the Statue of Liberty in front of the New York New York Hotel and Casino, how many of us will pause for a second to ponder what freedom and civil liberties mean in current time, rather than just treat it as an imitated attraction in front of an amusement park ride? 
I found Stephen Foster's song Gentle Annie on Youtube, performed by the National Taiwan University Chorus. For the lost or hurt during and after the Tiananmen Square Protest, you will not be forgotten.
Several replicas of the Goddess of Democracy have been erected worldwide permanently or temporarily to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square Student Protest. I am collecting postcards and photos of those replicas. I will appreciate it if you can send me a copy.
Photos on this postcard:
  • Goddess of Democracy: Beijing, China, June 3, 1989
  • Replica of Statue of Liberty: Las Vegas, Nevada, June 4, 2011
  • Statue of Liberty: New York City, New York, November 21, 2011



Sunday, June 2, 2013

Paintbrush Gateway


This card US-2168207, with a dimension of 5.5 inch x 8.6 inch , is an informational card about a public art project located in the 18b Las Vegas Arts District in Downtown Las Vegas. The Paintbrush Gateway consists two brushes that located on the intersections of Casino Center @ Charleston Blvd and Fourth Street @ Charleston. The brushes lean toward each other so that the searchlight beams from each brush cross paths. "The Paintbrush Gateway projects a stroke, 2,000 feet log, going into darkness, thus echoing an artist's excursion into the unknown", as Dennis Oppenheim, the artist who designed it, explained. The search light beam was produced by an 850 watt HD lamp while the aluminum brush bristles are decorated by flexible LED color-changing string lights with 144 nodes. There are 20 color changing spots inside the steel brush handle as well.

The Paintbrush Gateway was dedicated two years ago on June 2, 2011.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Gay Day in Disney World

Main Street Parade at Magic Kingdom on June 7, 2008
My postcard US-1749242 shows Micky Mouse and Minnie Mouse on top of a float in the "Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade" at the Walter Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida on June 7, 2008. The card was made of one of my photos from my trip to Orlando for the 2008 Gay Day at Walter Disney World.

Gay Day at Walter Disney World started in 1991 as a weekend outing for the local LGBT members from a central Florida bulletin board system (BBS). The date was set to the first Saturday in June as it was the last weekend available to the Florida resident seasonal pass holders before the summer block out dates. (The summer block out dates for the 2013 seasonal pass run from June 8 to August 15.) It was also decided that the participants wearing red shirts so they could recognize each other. By 1995, the event had grown to 10,000 LGBT travelers from all over the world for the gay day at Disney. By 2010, it had been transformed into a week long celebration as Gay Days Orlando that includes pool parties, conventions, festivals, and a business expo at other venues in addition to Walter Disney World. Over the years, the tradition of wearing red shirts continues to make the presence more visible. The highlight is still the gathering in front the Cinderella Castle and along the Main Street to watch the parade on Saturday at Magic Kingdom.


It should note that the Gay Day is not a Disney event. It is just like any other summer day. Indeed, during my visit, there were all kinds of people there and we were all having fun. One of my favorite rides was the Walter Disney World Railroad at Magic Kingdom:


The other one was the Splash Mountain based on the theme from the 1946 Disney movie "Song of the South". The ride stars with a peaceful outdoor float-through, and continues into indoor dark ride segments, with a climactic finale of a 53 ft (16 m) drop.


In 2013, the Gay Day at Walter Disney World  is June 1st, while the Gay Days Orlando runs from May 28 to June 3. If you are in Orlando this weekend, please send me a post card or a photo or a video of your celebration.

Yet, Walt Disney World's unofficial "Gay Days" tradition is under fire again from a conservative and notoriously anti-gay group. We need to remind them the previous 8-year boycott by the Southern Baptist Convention boycotted ended in 2005 with a big failure. Get a life, will you?

Related Story: Rainbow souvenirs come out for Gay Day at Disney World

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/31/2931241/rainbow-souvenirs-come-out-for.html#storylink=cpy