Ayr We Go Again!

Advantages: Beautiful scenery, lovely people good base to visit other cities
Disadvantages: Scottish parliament let the area down in terms of funding, despite it's heritage value

...I have always been drawn to Scotland, partly because my grandparents were Scots. We had many holidays in places like Newton Stewart when I was growing up, but when I decided to take my own family on a "pilgrimage" about seven years ago, it had to be Burns Country we visited (my Dad was born on Burns night, so it was only fair to see what all the fuss was about). We now go to Ayrshire at least once a year, occasionally twice or more. Ayr and the surrounding areas has everything you could wish for in a holiday destination. The countryside is both spectacular and soothing, but you are never far away from something to do if you wish. It is also uncannily warm at times due to the gulf currents arount the coast. The area is steeped in history, and not just the 18th century Burns period. You can go from various castles (including...

Alslad36 19.09.2006 · Read review
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Review of Ayr (Scotland)

Gay [Old] Times.

Advantages: Well-established, excellent short and feature articles, brilliant news coverage, good content mix.
Disadvantages: The usual 'gay' advertisements and shrinking directory.

...According to the publishers website, MPG's (Millivres Prowler Group Ltd.) 'Gay Times' has reached its current format via a series of business mergers and publishing shake-ups stretching way back to 1974, when Millivres Ltd. (a well-established LGBT business) was launched during the same year as the UK's first openly gay adult magazine, 'HIM'. Millivres bought HIM, together with a gay news title during my birth year in 1983, and during the following year in '84, the two titles were re-launched under their new combined format, The Gay Times. The Prowler Press which puts the 'P' into the other half of today's owner, MPG did not set up shop until 1989 with the 'Euroboy' title that is also still in circulation today. 'Diva' the lesbian equivalent, and sister magazine to Gay Times was rolled out in 1994 and the pair celebrated their 20th...

20six 31.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Gay Times

Marvin Gaye's Final Studio Project

Advantages: The timeless Sexual Healing
Disadvantages: None!

...The late Marvin Gaye remains the most definitive male voices in Soul music. He truly was an utter genius and had such a creative and artistic flair and remains one of the key influences with todays new generation of wannabe Soul/R&B singers. In October 1982, Marvin released his first (and his last) studio album for CBS Records, after fleeing from Motown Records in a bid, much like Diana Ross' exact reasons for escaping Motown, for wanting to exert total control over his career, an exercise he was most certainly capable of. The album would be the classic, Midnight Love, which though offered no social commentary or made any sort of profound political statement like much of his previous efforts had, it still stands as a compelling, solid production and a last triumph for the unbeatable legend of soul. Marvin wrote all 8 songs...

IanPhillips 28.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of Midnight Love [Remastered] - Marvin Gaye

How to be heterosexual in The Ballad of Gay Tony

Advantages: Enormous fun factor, replay potential good, brilliant new additions
Disadvantages: Over fairly quickly

...As I begin this review I can't help but feel that it's good to be back on Ciao after an extended hiatus. So too, is it, to be back in Liberty City after growing weary of playing as a cynical, mentally-tortured Eastern European citizen. I skipped The Lost and Damned for GTA4, as bikes are not my thing, but when I saw the original trailers for The Ballad of Gay Tony, I could only think "Sign me up!", and I say this with the utmost assurance that I am straight. From the first glimpse of the, dare I say it, high-octane exploits in the trailer, to the tantalising reveal at the end (I speak, of course, of the return of the parachute from San Andreas), this was a DLC I would simply have to get my hands on. Figuratively speaking. Let me start with the real review by mentioning our protagonist, in this case Luis Lopez; street-wise, connected...

oxymoron_02 15.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox 360)

Your child is gay, so what

Advantages: A much closer relationship
Disadvantages: none

...too, and often confided in her. It was then; I had a phone call from my friend to say that my daughter had been round to see her, and said she had told her something. Gosh I was thinking all sorts of things, I went through a list and each time she said ? no that?s not it? until I turned round and said, ?well she must be gay then? I have no idea why I said it but I did and the conversation went quiet. It was very hard for her because she didn?t want to break my daughter?s confidence, but in the end she didn?t have to I guessed, took me a long time but got there in the end. This for me was the hardest time because I knew but I just couldn?t say anything, I needed her to tell me when she was ready but all I wanted to do was give her a big hug and say I knew and it?s ok. Well luckily I didn?t have to wait long. I had arranged with my...

Maxlarndison 20.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Finding out your child is Gay

One for Gaye lovers...erm what

Advantages: Lyrical perfection
Disadvantages: none

...“Hey…what’s happnin’…what’s up…this is a kinda party that a brother digs…” are the opening lyrics to possibly one of the greatest soul albums ever produced. Now that is a HUGE statement, however it is one that I will always maintain. It is fitting to open this op with the line- What’s going on? So what is going on then. The answer is thirty-five minutes of blissful near perfection. This is a case of extreme quality rather than needless quantity. Marvin Gaye is a 60s soul icon. He stood for a black America- similar to that of the superbad Curtis Mayfield, only without his finger in so many pies! He was a superslick mutha of a man- just look at the album sleeve for an example of his individual style and vogue. His image was a representation of the quality of the music that he...

tom_knowles 04.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of What's Going On - Marvin Gaye

A gay mens best friend

Advantages: fast, loads of features, good gay men's health information
Disadvantages: mostly used for x-rated chats and hook-ups

...Gay.com is available as a variety of sites with content links to different countries. By far the largest being the USA site. But there is also the choice of Argentina, Brasil, Italy, France, UK, Mexico and Spain equivalent of the site. Since the last reviews posted in this section, the site as a whole has undergone a major revamp. New layout and better, more visitor friendly layouts have given the site a new lease of life. Whilst surfers from the above countries can have their own site access portal, most choose to use the USA site, due to the huge number of online members. Over 1.6 million members profiles are available througout the USA site. Registration is free and only a few personal details, such as name, location, d.o.b and password are required, if you want to use he members areas for personal email, viewing member...

GermanGuy 28.01.2003 · Read review
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Review of gay.com

Gay clubs are great for girls

Advantages: Friendly
Disadvantages: Quite expensive

...- or at least, that's always been my experience. It makes such a nice change to be able to go clubbing, wear outrageous clothes and jump up and down all you want without getting any unwanted male attention. No guys on the pull (or not ones interested in you anyhow) equals one hassle free evening, in which you can throw yourself around the dancefloor all night and not have someone try to stick their hand down your top. Plus - and any girl who's ever been to a club will know what a bonus this is - THERE ARE NO QUEUES FOR THE LADIES! Straight into the loo and straight out - an absolute first in my experience. And there's no doubt that all of the above is one reason I had a great time at GAY last night. Not somewhere I'd normally go, I have to admit, since many of my gay friends are decidedly sniffy about it, but the trip was organised...

ImogenW 21.01.2001 (22.01.2001) · Read review
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Review of g.a.y (London)

Marvin Gaye's lost jazz masterpiece

Advantages: One of the greatest posthmous releases of all time
Disadvantages: a little too stringy

...To anyone who has listened to any part of his body of work, it isn't a surprise that Marvin Gaye was a huge jazz fan. Take his vocals, for instance. It was his love of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Frank Sinatra along with the stirring orchestras of vocal harmonies that surrounded him as a member of the doo wop group The Moonglows and his Hebrew Pentecostal background that served as his vocal influences. And for his first twenty years as a performer he thrilled audiences by forging an artistic style that combined exquisite phrasing and intensely personal vocal interpretations along with the ritual of discovery and submission through extravagant praise that he heard as a boy: that need to reach and be reached, to touch and be touched, to heal and be healed through majestic prayer to one's maker. You could hear that...

brotherman 19.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Vulnerable - Marvin Gaye

No more G-A-Ys at the Astoria

Advantages: A new venue has been found!
Disadvantages: The loss of a great venue and club night

...decided to review this place for one reason - G-A-Y is no longer! Well, not at the Astoria anyway. The sad news came a few years ago that the Astoria building was being sold off for offices/accommodation meaning that one of the most gig/club venues in London was disappearing forever. Add to that the fact that the club synonymous with the gay community would have to go too and the sadness was felt all around! The club finally played its plast night at the Astoria in July of 2008. Rather unsurprisingly, G-A-Y has found a new venue under the arches at Charing Cross Railway Station where Heaven (another gay club) lives - or lived! Its unclear at the moment what exactly is happening to Heaven as it would be a shame to lose this place as well. Having been to Heaven a number of times, its difficult to imagine how G-A-Y will retain...

jonescraiga 30.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of g.a.y (London)