Eight Years of Pope Francis

Eight years ago, Cardinal Bergoglio became Pope Francis. At the time (see quotations below) I was filled with Hope. Given what he has had to contend with, for me, Francis has not failed to fulfil his promise thus far. I was and am especially proud of his encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium [The Joy of the Gospel], upon which I blogged in November 2013, not for its religious commentary but rather its pragmatic approach to poverty, institutional injustice and the importance of ethical business, banking & economics. From an ethics perspective it is well worth a read, or read my blog-post for the edited highlights. I do not consider myself a religious person, but rather a spiritual one. I shall continue to pray for the Pope from time to time, as he needs all the support he can get.

[Image description: opening page to Evangelii Gaudium]

G_d bless Pope Francis! 🙏🏻

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🇬🇧🇺🇸 Pope Francis: that has to be a good omen; a humble saint; a humble man. He's certainly going to need God's help if he's to survive the machinations of the Vatican, the Mafioso and the Freemasons, let alone the gay cabal!

Pope Francis gives me hope that the church might renew itself. %D

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🇪🇸 Papa Francis: que tiene que ser un buen augurio; un santo humilde; un hombre humilde. Está seguro que él va a necesitar la ayuda de Dios si va a sobrevivir a las intrigas del Vaticano, del mafioso y de los masones (y mucho menos ¡la cábala gay!).

Papa Francis me da esperanzas de que la iglesia pueda renovarse. %)

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🇩🇪🇦🇹 Papst Francis: das muß ein gutes Omen; ein bescheidener Heiliger; ein demütiger Mensch. Es ist sicher daß er um Gottes Hilfe brauchen wird, wenn er die Machenschaften des Vatikans, der Mafioso und den Freimaurern überleben wird, und dazu die Homosexuell Kabale.

Papst Francis gibt mir Hoffnung, daß die Kirche sich zu erneuern könnte. %)

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Antonio da Silva Film-Reviews

 

I recently viewed a couple of art-house films (movies) by the Portuguese cinematographer Antonio da Silva. They contain full-frontal nudity, close-ups of genitalia and sexual acts. So, definitely NSFW! Do not read any further, and certainly do not click on the links if the reader is likely to take offence (offense).

[Image description: da Silva hiding behind a palm, © https://mubi.com/cast/antonio-da-silva]

“Julian” (2012) Review

I am queer demisexual. The vast majority of porn, indeed most people in fact do not spark in my psyche the slightest sexual frisson. I can nonetheless appreciate the homoërotic nature of the cast and the æsthetic quality of the imagery in this short. At times the dialogue (mostly monologue ?) did merge into a poëtic art-form - and I wished those moments could have been extended. However, at other points the script felt stilted and jarred within me. I did feel the oral & visual narrative form a complete entity and as such I felt satisfied at the end. I agree this short very much feels like a love-poëm to Julian. I should very much watch on another occasion.

https://antoniodasilvafilms.com/julian

“Dancers” (2014) Review

Wow - as far as I am concerned this is a masterpiece: flawless cinematography; nigh-on perfect image-sound editing; dazzling dance-movement; and (I am assuming) careful choreography.

No choreographer is credited as far as I could see: so did the director dictate the movements or was it serendipitous, improvised moments that were cleverly woven to form this pæan to free masculinity in its animistic atavism, unfettered physicality, uncensored sexuality, glorious creätivity and intense emotion?

I started at the belt whip-crack. I gasped at the young men’s beauty and talent. I laughed at the Amen. I “Ouf!”d at the ejaculations. And I wanted to hug some of them in the (seemingly) vulnerable moments when they collected up their clothing. This is probably one of the most intimate films I have ever had the pleasure and privilege to view.

Usually porn makes me feel like a voyeur, uncomfortable and thus unable to enter the fantasy proffered. This homoërotic short did not point the finger-of-blame at the viewer, but rather drew us - indeed me - into the performances. This is a veritable tête-à-tête where the watcher is thoroughly inveigled into the dance, pulled in as each performer’s very own personal dance- and ultimately sex-partner. If this is classed as porn, then I did not feel dirty for eyeing it. In fact, I came away feeling somehow refreshed and cleansed.

Masculinity is usually traduced in the media and within popular culture. In “Dancers” positive facets of our manhood are proudly displayed, for which a huge OBRIGADO to Antonio da Silva.

https://antoniodasilvafilms.com/dancers

Computer-Usage for pwME or other Chronic Illnesses

One of the M.E. Charities recently requested tips for folk using computers and other similar technology, such as smartphones and tablets. I waded in with my suggestions.

[Image description: open, working laptop]

My twelve tips for computer-usage by people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (pwME) or other chronic illnesses: medical conditions appear in parenthesis after the suggestion.

1.    turn the brightness to the lowest level at which one can still read comfortably (photophobia);

2.    some will find dark-mode is easier to read (white text on black background) (photophobia);

3.       turn on night-mode whenever needed (this filters out blue-spectrum light) or use an app that does the same thing, e.g. f.lux (photophobia);

4. avoid watching programme-streaming, videos and gifs (equilibrioception, dizziness, nausea);

5.    turn off or turn down sound to lowest needed level (hyperacuity);

6.    use services such as Feedly, which gather news and just list headlines (concentration, memory);

7.    use calendar/diary, e-post-it/stickies, spreadsheets/word-processing to create lists of to-do activities (memory);

8.    order shopping on-line, where possible, as it saves spoons (fatigue, etc.);

9.    use on-line/mobile banking to avoid telephoning or visiting banks, etc. (fatigue, etc.);

10.    use email wherever possible, as there is a written record (unlike face-to-face visits or telephone-calls) in case one forgets (memory);

11.    use speech-recognition software if physically using a keyboard is an issue (fatigue, pain);

12.    various types of stands, including some that are similar to a cushion, can be purchased/made (if one is crafty or has a good friend who is) to hold or lean one’s technology against, so negating the need to hold/grip (fatigue, pain).

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If the reader has any other good tips, please be at liberty to add them in the comments below.

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