Franco-American indie-pop outfit Hold Your Horses! teamed up with L’ogre to produce a video for their hit single “70 Million” that “offers a wink at art history as band members playfully reconstruct famous paintings in an off the wall lyrical interpretation all their own.”
70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Start Hoarding Wonder Bread
Start Hoarding Wonder Bread: "
"
by Graeme Wood
The world's wheat is defenseless against a new fungus that causes stem rot. Brendan Koerner says a billion people could die:
The pathogen has already been detected in Iran and may now be headed for South Asia’s most important breadbasket, the Punjab, which nourishes hundreds of millions of Indians and Pakistanis. What’s more, Ug99 could easily make the transoceanic leap to the United States. All it would take is for a single spore, barely bigger than a red blood cell, to latch onto the shirt of an oblivious traveler. The toll from that would be ruinous; the US Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 40 million acres of wheat would be at serious risk if Ug99 came to these shores, where the grain is the third most valuable crop, trailing only corn and soybeans. The economic loss might easily exceed $10 billion; a simple loaf of bread could become a luxury.
The fungus, called Ug99 (sounds a bit like Ice 9, and acts a bit like it too), is a new strain of the same stuff that the late Norman Borlaug won the Nobel for defeating, and thereby possibly saving more lives than anyone has ever lived.
STEVE HAYES: Tired Old Queen at the Movies - #20
Basil Dearden's ground breaking VICTIM starring Dirk Bogarde, ripped the lid off the public and personal persecution of homosexuals in Great Britain. The most daring film ever seen on the subject, VICTIM helped to change the laws dealing with homosexuality, laws which had been in existence for hundreds of years and had lead to the imprisonment and eventual death not only of Oscar Wilde, but countless others. This was the first English language film to use the word "homosexual." Gay actor Dirk Bogarde along with Dennis Price and lovely Sylvia Sims, risked their careers to appear in this heart stopping and controversial production. Dealing with a gay barrister who is being blackmailed and decides to risk everything by fighting back, VICTIM paved the way for every film dealing with the subject, from THE BOYS IN THE BAND to MILK.
Border
In this animated short, Border, Lt. Lou meets an angry traffic light protecting a border. The solution is pretty cool, but I'm not entirely sure why he had it in his pocket. Plus, there's a really coolDouglas Adams shoutout.
Surprise, Surprise!
A killer whale killed someone
Popout
I for one am shocked that a killer whale imprisoned in a tiny tank and expected to twirl like a fucking clown for a bunch of screaming, horrible children actually got fed up and killed someone. Who could have possibly predicted this?
I for one am shocked that a killer whale imprisoned in a tiny tank and expected to twirl like a fucking clown for a bunch of screaming, horrible children actually got fed up and killed someone. Who could have possibly predicted this?
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Go West rest, young ban
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Democrats in the House of Delegates on Tuesday swiftly shot down Republican attempts to advance a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Gay-marriage ban fails in House [Charleston Gazette]
There's still a chance that the Senate could pass their version and keep this overwrought debate alive. But for now, this is some good stuff. Every reason to be hopeful that West Virginia, true to its history, will resist the push to adopt terms that have no long-held sustainability.
Rent History
Denham Fouts
May 1914 – December 1948
Occupation: Prostitute
Occupation: Prostitute
“…if Fouts had slept with Hitler, as Hitler wished, he could have saved the world from the Second World War…” – Ned Rorem recounting a quote by Truman Capote in George Plimpton’sTruman Capote
Denham Fouts was a socialite at best, a hanger-on at worst and undeniably the most influential hustler of the last century. He’s appeared in books by Christopher Isherwood, Gore Vidal and Truman Capote, and popped up in the memoirs of countless artists, writers and royals. He sat for famed photographer George Platt Lynes, and apparently lay down with the French actor, Jean Marais. Mr. Isherwood, one of his closest friends, referred to him as, ‘the most expensive male prostitute in the world,’ and ‘the last of the professional tapettes,’ with ‘a lean hungry-looking tanned face,’ his ‘eyes set on different levels, as in a Picasso painting…’ Mr. Vidal described him as “good looking in a cadaverous way.’ Whatever the case, no one can deny the sheer force of his ability to inspire in others what he was unable to achieve himself.
He was ill mannered and a bit of a brat. One might even call him a mooch, at least in his later life, when the tools of his trade were no longer of any use. There were many lovers, mostly quite a bit older than him. However, contrary to his typical couplings, he was a bit of a pederast – taking on lovers half his age, if not younger. His life as an international party boy and prostitute to the stars started in the late 1920s or early 1930s. While at work at his father’s bakery in Jacksonville, Florida, a German Baron – a cosmetics tycoon, according to Mr. Capote – discovered the young beauty and whisked him away to Berlin. He was 16, and probably did not look anything like ‘Dorian Gray emerging from the tomb’ – a description repeated in both Mr. Isherwood’s Diaries and his autobiographical novel Down There on a Visit.
After the Baron, he snagged a Greek shipping magnate, whom he robbed with the help of a sailor. He and the seaman then shacked up at a fancy hotel on Capri, where they ran through the small fortune they lifted from the Greek. Once the money ran out, Denham was arrested, but saved by his beauty when Evan Morgan (the Lord Tredegar) took him on. He spent some time with the Lord before bedding a Prince, Prince Paul, eventually King Paul of Greece. Denham wasn’t part of the plan when the Prince became the King, but it wasn’t the end of the road for the intrepid hustler. He was soon after coupled with Peter Watson, margarine millionaire, publisher of Horizon – a literary magazine edited by Cyril Connolly – and collector of modern art. When WWII came around, Watson sent his young lover, along with Connolly’s wife, Jean, to the US for safe keeping, but not before giving him an astounding parting gift – Picasso’s Girl Reading.
Once in the US, Mrs. Connolly and her friend Tony Bower introduced the inspiring young slut to the novelist Christopher Isherwood, who took Denham on as somewhat of a pet project. The two lived in Mr. Isherwood’s home in LA in a non-sexual-tea-totaling-vegetarian-meditation-driven roommate arrangement. That lasted until Denham was sent off to a Civilian Public Service camp for draft dodging, where he picked up a dog that would later follow him to Paris. While at the camp, Denham took up the company of a group of young black workers, which somehow led to the claim that he fucked songbird Lena Horne. Around the same time he picked up a high school diploma and began studying medicine at UCLA. Relations between Denham and Mr. Isherwood subsequently cooled, as his new lover, photographer Bill Caskey, was no fan of the illustrious harlot.
It was time for Denham to move on.
Bored with the US, he returned to Paris, by way of Asia, where he studied archery – leading to the story that he once shot flaming arrows at the Champs Élysées, from the window of his room on the Rue du Bac. That room would later be described by Mr. Vidal in his short story, ‘Pages from an Abandoned Journal,’ and in George Plimpton’s biography of Mr. Capote. According to Mr. Vidal, the room was furnished only with six Venetian chairs and a bed with a ‘magnificent Tchelitchew painting hanging over it.’ This was the setting for the peculiar courtship of Mr. Capote, who was drawn to Denham’s bed-side sometime in the late 40s, after Denham, who’d fallen in love with a dust jacket photograph of the impish author, sent him a blank check, marked simply with the word ‘Come.’ He did, only to find the notorious lothario impotent and addicted to opium. As the story goes, Denham was busted for drugs soon after, and left for Rome, where he died in a bathroom from a malformed heart.
When he was finally laid to rest at the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France – the final resting place of such fantastic homosexuals as Marcel Proust – his grave showed none of the extravagances afforded him in life. Instead, according to Mr. Isherwood’s longtime lover, Don Bachardy, there stands only a simple reminder of a marvelous man – a bronze plaque that reads:
Denham Fouts
May 1914 – December 1948
As it turns out, he was an extraordinary hustler with an all too common end. He was only 34-years-old.
Friends:
Brion Gysin – Artist
Cecil Beaton – Photographer
Christopher Isherwood – Author
Cyril and Jean Connolly – Intellectual and literary critic and his bohemian wife
George Platt Lynes – Photographer
Glenway Wescott – Author
Gore Vidal – Author
Jane and Paul Bowles – Both authors
Truman Capote – Author
Tony Bower – Sometimes writer and friend to Jean and Cyril Connolly
Cecil Beaton – Photographer
Christopher Isherwood – Author
Cyril and Jean Connolly – Intellectual and literary critic and his bohemian wife
George Platt Lynes – Photographer
Glenway Wescott – Author
Gore Vidal – Author
Jane and Paul Bowles – Both authors
Truman Capote – Author
Tony Bower – Sometimes writer and friend to Jean and Cyril Connolly
Lovers:
Earl of Whatsit
Evan Morgan – the Lord Tredegar
German Baron (name unknown)
Greek Shipping magnate (name unknown)
Jean Marais – French actor
Lena Horne – American singer and actress
Michael Wishart – Artist
Paul of Greece – King
Paul of Yugoslavia – Prince
Peter Watson – Margarine millionaire and art collector
Shah of Iran
Earl of Whatsit
Evan Morgan – the Lord Tredegar
German Baron (name unknown)
Greek Shipping magnate (name unknown)
Jean Marais – French actor
Lena Horne – American singer and actress
Michael Wishart – Artist
Paul of Greece – King
Paul of Yugoslavia – Prince
Peter Watson – Margarine millionaire and art collector
Shah of Iran
Literary References:
Answered Prayers by Truman Capote
Cyril Connolly: A Life by Jeremy Lewis
Diaries: Volume 1, 1939-1960 by Christopher Isherwood
Down There on a Visit by Christopher Isherwood
In Touch: The Letters of Paul Bowles by Paul Bowles and Jeffrey Miller
Intimate Companion by David Leddick
Lost Years: A Memoir 1945 – 1951 by Christopher Isherwood
Norman’s Letter by Gavin Lambert
Nothing Is True – Everything Is Permitted: The Life of Brion Gysin by John Geiger
Pages from an Abandoned Journal by Gore Vidal
Palimpsest: A Memoir by Gore Vidal
Paul Bowles: A Life by Virginia Spencer Carr
Somerset Maugham: A Life by Jeffrey Meyers
Truman Capote by George Plimpton
Without Stopping: An Autobiography by Paul Bowles
Cyril Connolly: A Life by Jeremy Lewis
Diaries: Volume 1, 1939-1960 by Christopher Isherwood
Down There on a Visit by Christopher Isherwood
In Touch: The Letters of Paul Bowles by Paul Bowles and Jeffrey Miller
Intimate Companion by David Leddick
Lost Years: A Memoir 1945 – 1951 by Christopher Isherwood
Norman’s Letter by Gavin Lambert
Nothing Is True – Everything Is Permitted: The Life of Brion Gysin by John Geiger
Pages from an Abandoned Journal by Gore Vidal
Palimpsest: A Memoir by Gore Vidal
Paul Bowles: A Life by Virginia Spencer Carr
Somerset Maugham: A Life by Jeffrey Meyers
Truman Capote by George Plimpton
Without Stopping: An Autobiography by Paul Bowles
NCAA Features Right-Wing Conservative Ads
NCAA Features Right-Wing Conservative Ads: "
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is running ads on their website for the anti-gay, anti-choice 'Focus on the Family' organization.
"EXPLICIT CONTENT ONLY
This is the entire N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton album edited down into just the "explicit" content.
01. Straight_Outta_Compton.mp3
0:19 Secs, 7.3% ECR.
02. Fuck_Tha_Police.mp3
0:42 Secs, 12.1% ECR
03. Gangsta_Gangsta.mp3
0:29 Secs, 8.0% ECR
04. If_It_Aint_Ruff.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
05. Parental_Discretion_Iz_Advised.mp3
0:10 Secs, 3.1% ECR
06. 8_Ball.mp3
0:16 Secs, 5.4% ECR
07. Something_Like_That.mp3
0:13 Secs, 6.0% ECR
08. Express_Yourself.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
09. Comptons_In_The_House_EDIT.mp3
0:27 Secs, 8.4% ECR
10. I_Aint_Tha_1.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
11. Dopeman_Remix.mp3
0:19 Secs, 5.9% ECR
12. Quiet_On_Tha_Set.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
13. Something_2_Dance_2.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
*ECR = Explicit Content Ratio
0:19 Secs, 7.3% ECR.
02. Fuck_Tha_Police.mp3
0:42 Secs, 12.1% ECR
03. Gangsta_Gangsta.mp3
0:29 Secs, 8.0% ECR
04. If_It_Aint_Ruff.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
05. Parental_Discretion_Iz_Advised.mp3
0:10 Secs, 3.1% ECR
06. 8_Ball.mp3
0:16 Secs, 5.4% ECR
07. Something_Like_That.mp3
0:13 Secs, 6.0% ECR
08. Express_Yourself.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
09. Comptons_In_The_House_EDIT.mp3
0:27 Secs, 8.4% ECR
10. I_Aint_Tha_1.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
11. Dopeman_Remix.mp3
0:19 Secs, 5.9% ECR
12. Quiet_On_Tha_Set.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
13. Something_2_Dance_2.mp3
0:00 Secs, 0.0% ECR
*ECR = Explicit Content Ratio
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The growing wave of persecutions and pogroms against our brother and sisters in many African countries is about to get worse.Much worse.
The cults in Africa are relatively unchecked because only a few nations developed a leftist leadership who led successful political and armed struggles. The Algerian FLN, Jabhat al-Taḩrīr al-Waţanī, or Front de Libération Nationale, the Angolan Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola and SA's African National Congress are examples. For the most part African states lack the anticlerical history of the French and later revolutions, particularly the widespread use of the guillotine educate obstinate priests and bishops.
Colonialism and Homohating.
The Brits and French 'granted' independence to many African states who remain neo-colonial as opposed to post-colonial. Scientific American defines neo-colonialism as "A policy whereby a major power uses economic and political means to perpetuate or extend its influence over underdeveloped nations or areas. Strong elements of neocolonialism persist in the economic relations of the rich and poor countries"
The net effect of neo-colonialism is the creation of states that are over- exploited, not, as they are sometimes mistakenly described, under-developed. By and large anti-GLBT laws and other European or islamist laws were imposed on African cultures by slavers and colonialists to bolster their divide and rule strategy. The goal was to change the rules and make it easier to steal land and resources and engage in slavery and promote low wages via various apartheid schemes. As Desmond Tutu noted " When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land."
In a recent Guardian article Peter Tatchell, a leader of the LGBT movement in England says "In many cases, these countries are using laws imposed by the British in colonial times. Before that, homosexuality was actually tolerated or accepted in the traditional cultures."http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/13/death-penalty-uganda-homosexuals
Two days ago Tatchell, passed along a YouTube video that lays out in the clearest way the Ugandan christers intent to murder every GLBT person they can.
It's a must see look at how mass murder begins.
The new Ugandan law is the fruit of a global assault that includes the christer right in the US led by ex-gay scum and their ringmaster Rick Warren, who used Obama to defeat prop 8 in California. Vicious pogroms are underway in neighboring Kenya and other nearby nations like Zimbabwe and in islamist nations like Iran and US occupied Iraq and Afghanistan. The Ugandan bill will almost certainly be copied. The new Ugandan laws are much more comprehensive and violent than islamist Sharia law.
Protest in London.
The pogrom spreads to Kenya.
Turn off the Olympics and watch this video as if your life depended on it. Certainly the lives of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Uganda and other counties do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fuEsRJp2nU
What can we do?
1. We should demand that the UN prohibit member countries from having any relations - except trade or aid in food, medical, sanitary and other humanitarian necessities - with Uganda if this bill passes.
2. We should demand that the World Court issue arrest warrants for any legislators who vote for this bill or officials who enforce it.
3. We should demand that the EU and US offer an open ended asylum, immigrant status and social services to any LGBT folks fleeing countries where christers and islamists are conducting pogroms or state sponsored mass murder campaigns against LGBT folks.
US law already permits asylum applications in these cases (http://www.lambdalegal.org/issues/immigration-asylum/ ) but unless the White House and State Department and their peers in the EU robustly organize and publicize an asylum campaign the number of victims will be higher.
..............
I can't think of any law potentially dangerous since Hitler's Enabling Acts of 1933, particularly if other countries imitate it. This law makes DOMA and DADT seem tame in comparison. Here is Tatchell's summary:
Under the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, the crime of "serial offender" is punishable by execution. A serial offender is a person who has "previous convictions" for "homosexuality OR RELATED OFFENCES." Under the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, the crime of "serial offender" is punishable by execution.
"Related offences" in the Bill, which can result in a death sentence for serial offenders, include non-sexual acts such as:
· aiding and abetting homosexuality
· advocating same-sex relationships or LGBT rights
· having a same-sex marriage
· publicizing or funding pro-LGBT organizations
· using the internet or a mobile phone for the purpose of
homosexuality or its promotion
· being a person in authority who fails to report an offender to
the police within 24 hours
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Catholic Charities pull out of DC because of same-sex marriage
Catholic Charities pull out of DC because of same-sex marriage:
It doesn't count as an empty threat if they pull the trigger:
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has ended its 80-year-old foster-care program in the District rather than license same-sex couples, the first fallout from a bitter debate over the city's move to legalize same-sex marriage.[...]
The church and some experts said the city's measure has narrower exemptions for religious groups than other same-sex marriage laws across the country, particularly when it comes to requiring benefits for the same-sex partners of employees.
City officials knew of no other faith-based groups that said their city contracts were in jeopardy.
I do have to say I'm surprised - I thought they were just bluffing back when they threatened to pull out of so-called charity programs (it doesn't strike me as all that charitable to get a government contract to perform a task and then to perform it in exchange for money. Most people call that contracting). Not that it matters; their caseload (and district funding) was transferred to a Baptist charity that doesn't seem to have a problem with providing those benefits:
Continue reading 'Catholic Charities pull out of DC because of same-sex marriage'...
Two Metro Stations to Get New Artwork
Two Metro Stations to Get New Artwork: " 
An abstract tile mosaic by artist Sam Gilliam will be installed in the underpass of the Takoma Metro station.
D.C. artist Michael Sirvet will create a series of aluminum and light sculptures for the Farragut West Metro station.
"
An abstract tile mosaic by artist Sam Gilliam will be installed in the underpass of the Takoma Metro station.
Metro has unveiled sketches of plans for new artwork to be installed at the Farragut West and Takoma stations. The Board of Directors approved the designs at their weekly meeting today.
An abstract mosaic tile mural by renowned Washington Color School artist Sam Gilliam will be installed in the underpass of the Takoma station entrance. The project is being funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
At the Farragus West station, a series of low-relief, botanically-inspired aluminum and light sculptures by local artist Michael Sirvet will be added to the entrance at 17th and I streets NW. The Golden Triangle BID and the DC Arts Commission are both paying for that project.
Both installations will be supervised by Metro’s Art in Transit Program.
D.C. artist Michael Sirvet will create a series of aluminum and light sculptures for the Farragut West Metro station.
"
Google Voice, Explained
Google Voice, Explained: "Google Voice is about giving you more control over your communications, through dozens of features — ranging from call screening to voicemail transcription to the ability to send and receive SMS by email.
While we've heard from users that they love our growing list of features, we're conscious of the fact that Google Voice can seem overwhelming to people trying it for the first time.
So we've created a short video that gives an overview of what Google Voice can do:
In addition, we've created a set of short videos that dive into more detail about ten features of Google Voice:
Finally, we just launched our own YouTube channel at youtube.com/googlevoice. You can view all of the videos mentioned above in a custom video gadget we built for this channel, which will help you keep track of which videos you've already watched.
We hope these videos help you get the most out of Google Voice.
Posted by Jason Toff, Associate Product Marketing Manager
"
While we've heard from users that they love our growing list of features, we're conscious of the fact that Google Voice can seem overwhelming to people trying it for the first time.
So we've created a short video that gives an overview of what Google Voice can do:
In addition, we've created a set of short videos that dive into more detail about ten features of Google Voice:
- Voicemail transcription
- One number
- Personalized greetings
- International calling
- SMS to email
- Share voicemails
- Block callers
- Screen callers
- Mobile app
- Conference calls
Finally, we just launched our own YouTube channel at youtube.com/googlevoice. You can view all of the videos mentioned above in a custom video gadget we built for this channel, which will help you keep track of which videos you've already watched.
We hope these videos help you get the most out of Google Voice.
Posted by Jason Toff, Associate Product Marketing Manager
"
INTERNET SHORTHAND AS IF WRITTEN BY A PROPER ENGLISHMAN
hah!
I found your last comment humorous, good sir!
hahaha
My jubilant utterance could be heard in the next room!
lol - laugh out loud
I did laugh merrily in an out loud fashion.
rofl - rolling on floor laughing
I dare say I fell onto the ground, and proceeded to roll about as if I were swine of some sort.
lmao - laughing my ass off
I laughed so intensely that my buttocks nearly disconnected from my flesh.
pmsl - pissed myself laughing
My guttural emission of joy caused me to urinate my trousers.
omg - oh my god
Gordon Bennett!
zomg - oh my god with a z at the beginning
zGordon Bennett!
w/e - whatever
Right. Would you like some tea?
stfu - shut the fuck up
If you were drinking tea right now, you would not be speaking.
ily - I love you
I dare say, if I weren’t a proper Englishman and my heart was not a cold dark place, I suspect I would feel quite passionate about you.
roflcopter - rolling on the floor laughing…copter
As I was rolling about on the floor, emitting sounds of jubilance, I did see a strange flying machine.
gtfo - get the fuck out
I must request that you depart hastily.
tits or gtfo - tits or get the fuck out
Madam, I ask that you reveal your bosom to me, for if you do not, I must request that you depart hastily.
imho - in my humble opinion
Tis fact.
j/k - just kidding
An Englishman never kids.
afk - away from keyboard
I will be absent from this typing device for the time being.
rtfm - read the fucking manual
Jeeves, would you please look over these instructions?
milf - mother I’d like to fuck
Even though that gentlewoman has bred offspring, I cannot deny that I still have the desire to fornicate with her.
smd - suck my dick
Would you be so kind as to fellate my little Englishman?
idk - i don’t know
I know, but I’d rather not say.
pos - parent over shoulder
The nanny is about.
ftw - for the win
Victory!
ftl - for the lose
Defeat? I do not believe that is so. We have clearly planted the flag of our nation. Do you not see the flag? Victory!
roflwaffles
roflcrumpets
mofo - mother fucker
You have coital relations with your mother, sir! I suspect you to be royalty and I humbly bow at your feet.
ASL - age/sex/location
I would like to inquire the number of years you have spent on this earth, the specifics of what genitalia you possess, as well as the geographic area you occupy.
bff - best friends forever
eternal acquaintance
l8r g8r - later gator
I bid you adieu, american reptile.
omgwtfbbq - oh my god, what the fuck, barbecue
Great deity in heaven, what in the queen’s name is that? That makes less sense than an outdoor cooking apparatus.
fml - fuck my life
I am British.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Cat Piano
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1401657/
QUOTE
A city of singing cats is preyed upon by a shadowy figure intent on performing a twisted feline symphony.
Streaming link:
http://www.divxden.com/lufzwd3ow1dd/cat.flv.html
PUTTING THE RAM IN RAMMSTEIN
PUTTING THE RAM IN RAMMSTEIN: "Rammstein wanted to out-do their previous work this time around. The German industrial metal band created a porn-fused music video for their latest single. The uncut version, which is banned in the US, contains footage of foreplay progressing to full-on intercourse. The band members play six stereotypical porn characters, as each of them engages in sex to completion by the completion of the song. Not since 'Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle' have we seen such an intricate fusion of music and hardcore pornography. Brought to you by the people of Russia, here's Rammstein's newest hit in Europe. (NSFW)"
Righting Past Wrongs
Righting Past Wrongs: "
"
The first story is older, more high-profile and also largely symbolic for LGBT people in England. The modern component of the saga began last September when a petition for a formal apology from the British government gained sudden popularity:
A petition calling for a government apology to gay mathematician Alan Turing has reached 17,900 signatures.
It is now the eighth most popular petition on the Downing Street website. Only 500 signatures are needed for a government response.
For those rusty on both their English and mathematical histories (I’m guilty on both counts) Turing was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist who is credited as being a major force in the creation of the modern computer. He was also the inventor the Turing machine, which helped to crack the German Enigma code during World War II. Oh, and he was also gay. When his sexual orientation was discovered in 1952, when it was still a crime in the UK, he “chose” treatment with female hormones, aka chemical castration, to keep himself out of prison. In 1954, Turing took his own life by ingesting a deadly dose of cyanide.
The formal petition read, in part: “The British Government should apologize to Alan Turing for his treatment and recognize that his work created much of the world we live in and saved us from Nazi Germany. And an apology would recognize the tragic consequences of prejudice that ended this man’s life and career.” The outpouring of support, which gained the support of renowned individuals such as Richard Dawkins, Ian McEwan, Peter Tachell and Stephen Fry and ultimately 30,805 signatories, resulted in Prime Minister Gordon Brown making an official statement a few weeks later:
Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can’t put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. Alan and the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted as he was convicted under homophobic laws were treated terribly. Over the years millions more lived in fear of conviction.
I am proud that those days are gone and that in the last 12 years this government has done so much to make life fairer and more equal for our LGBT community. This recognition of Alan’s status as one of Britain’s most famous victims of homophobia is another step towards equality and long overdue… So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan’s work I am very proud to say: we’re sorry, you deserved so much better.
While many have felt that the apology was too little too late, history appears to be repeating itself today, except that the man in question is very much alive and is still suffering for past injustices:
John Crawford, a retired butler from London, was convicted in 1959 aged 19 for having consensual sex with another man. He told the Guardian he made a confession to the crime after being held in a cell and beaten for a week.
Mr. Crawford said he discovered the conviction remained on the police national computer (PNC) when he applied for a job as volunteer at Wormwood Scrubs prison eight years ago. He told the newspaper: “I saw John Crawford. 1959. Charged on two counts of buggery. Since then, I’ve analysed my life and found out the amount of my jobs that I’ve lost because I’ve got a criminal record.”
Now Crawford, with the help of a lawyer and a London-based LGBT charity, are going to court to fight so that other men won’t have to continue to be discriminated against the way he has been.
I am, much to my parents’ disappointment, no legal expert and I do not know if their crusade will be successful in court, but for those in the international community working towards true and holistic equality for queer individuals around the world this serves as an important lesson: Change doesn’t happen in a day – it has to happen every day.
"
What's More Important: The Rights Of an Unborn Fetus, or the Rights of a Living Homosexual?
What's More Important: The Rights Of an Unborn Fetus, or the Rights of a Living Homosexual?: "
"
THE SHOT — Of course, you could argue the right to life doesn't include the right to equality, but hey, we're just in this for the flair.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Peaches stopped from performing Jesus Christ Superstar
Raunchy electro-rapper refused permission to stage a 'stripped-down' homage to Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical.
Judas! ... Peaches prevented from going electro with Jesus Christ Superstar. Photograph: Getty
Peaches' "stripped-down" performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar has been "crucified before opening night", the electro-rapper declared yesterday. The concert, which was to take place at Berlin's Hebbel theatre, was cancelled after German rights-holders allegedly refused to license the songs.
"To perform Jesus Christ Superstar as a one-woman-song is a crazy enterprise," Peaches admitted in her initial press release. Citing her teenage affection for the musical, the singer announced plans to sing the entire show, "from entering Jerusalem until the crucifixion", in performances from 25-27 March. Accompanied by pianist Chilly Gonzales, "Peaches will sing all roles including: Jesus, Maria Magdalena, the disciples and the pharisees," organisers said.
Unfortunately, Sir Andrew's German colleagues were not enthusiastic. In a flurry of posts to Twitter, Peaches revealed that the musical's rights-holders had refused to grant her permission to use the material. "[They] claim that this project is of no interest to them due to its unconventional form," she wrote. "It's a shame that the authorities feel threatened by this fresh approach. I know a lot of people who really love the music and would appreciate this stripped-down solo performance. I have so much respect for the music and lyrics from the original score and this was my way of honouring that."
Earlier, Peaches framed the Jesus Christ Superstar production in the same terms as her previous concert performances, many of which were provocative or sexually explicit. "I'm a performer," she said, "my concerts are extravagant and play with exaggerations. This project allows me to do without all this. I want to confront this task totally exposed, because it is a possibility. It's a question of stamina." There's still time for rights-holders to turn the other cheek.
There is no top.
A Handy Guide to All Gay Men
The gay world is often represented as some sort of monolithic whole that has the same culture. That is a lie. It is actually broken down into a handful of substrata to which each gay belongs. Here they are.Just like the world at large may stereotype gays as mincing wrist flippers with great taste bent on giving everyone they meet a make over. A queer will tell you that we are all individuals and that those stereotypes are false and horrible. That said, when the gays see a fellow homosexual in the public sphere, we try to plug them into the convenient taxonomy the community has made for itself. That's right, we have our own stereotypes for each other, and they're much more specific than you can ever imagine. They may not be very familiar to the world at large, but they are certainly familiar to the brothers in butt fucking.
To say that each gay person belongs to one of these types is a bit deceptive. It's like saying that every woman is either a Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, or Samantha. There are plenty that fit the mold for each squarely, but most are really a combination of the types, or like to think of themselves as individuals, even though they still have many of the traits from one of the pre-selected identities. These aren't the stereotypes of the world at large, they are the ones we have invented for ourselves, and they are just as reductive. Each of the groups tend to hang around only with members of the same groups, and they all have their own bars, parties, music, customs, ways of dress, and intricate mating rituals. Please, meet the homosexuals.
TwinksBody Type: Thin, smooth, often blond, usually with longish bangs and often with highlights.
Description: This young breed of gays is never over 30 and tends to be on the queeny side and hews closely to the conventional stereotypes of gay man. Wild, ornery, and still getting over their coming out issues, the twink is the gay gone wild, and is bait to older men who are into trying to suck off their youthful energy.
Subcategories: The Twunk, the Gay-sian, the A&F boy.
New York City Hang Out: Rush, Campus Thursdays at Splash
Diva of Choice: Lady Gaga
Preoccupations: Fashion, drama, partying, hooking up, college, coming out
Top or Bottom: Bottom
Celebrity Example: Zac Efron
BearsBody Type: Large, hairy, often with facial hair
Description: The bigger, generally older subset of the population is new but increasingly popular both in the community and pop culture. They have their own social calendar that is well populated with events to support the flannel-clad butch lifestyle of beards and beer guts.
Subcategories: Cubs, Otters, Wolfs, Gorillas
New York City Hang Out: Woof!, Snaxx, Nowhere
Diva of Choice: Cyndi Lauper
Preoccupations: Food, hair, coming up with silly bear puns, Tom Colicchio
Top or Bottom: Bottom
Celebrity Example: Kevin Smith
Gay JocksBody Type: Athletic, muscular, possibly gone-to-seed
Description: This guy prides himself on the fact that no one thinks he is gay until he tells them. His love of sports is just about the only unaffected aspect of his masculinity. He wears T-shirts and ball caps with his favorite team logo, and likes guys who are "non-scene," unless the scene is a gay sports team.
Subcategories: Gay football players, gay soccer plays, gay rugby players, etc.
New York City Hang Out: Gym Bar
Diva of Choice: The guy who sings "Are You Ready for some Football."
Preoccupations: Passing, talking tough, locker rooms, fantasy football
Top or Bottom: Bottom
Celebrity Example: Esera Tualo
Circuit BoysBody Type: Muscular, waxed, preened, most usually with tribal tattoos
Description: This subset rose to prominence in the '90s around the drug-fueled, all-night dance parties that were in different cities around the country. While it has few new recruits, its core population is die-hard and aging quickly. Many of the parties have died off, but they're still dancing to bad tribal house wherever they can.
Subcategories: Tweekers, muscle Marys, those queens who twirl flags at dance parties
New York City Hang Out: Alegria
Diva of Choice: Debra Cox remixed by Junior Vasquez
Preoccuptions: Pecs, ecstasy, house music, conformity, backne, the afterparty
Top or Bottom: Bottom
Celebrity Example: This is such a specific type it doesn't really exists in the world at large, but the Platonic ideal of a circuit boy is DJ Brett Henrichsen
Gay-ListersBody Type: Body toned by the personal trainer, hair done by celebrity stylist, wardrobe picked out at Barneys
Description: These are the uppity homos live the good life, and are generally too good for you. They only like to talk to each other. They usually work in advertising, PR, marketing, or the entertainment industry and make a ton of cash which they use to have perfect apartments, fantastic wardrobes, and summer homes near all the other gay-listers. You can try to get invited to their parties, but you will never belong.
Subcategories: Power gays, the velvet mafia
New York City Hang Out: Beige
Diva of Choice: They're probably friends with Madonna
Preoccuptions: Looking good, work, HRC dinners, summering as a verb, what everyone else is doing, hooking up with each other, the steam room at the gym
Top or Bottom: Bottom
Celebrity Example: Andy Cohen
Show QueensBody Type: They come in all shapes and sizes, from the young, spry dancer to the balding, pudgy critic.
Description: These are the kids who are so gay they could never fit in during high school and sought refuge in the music department. They have devoted their lives to performing, show tunes, and learning all the words to very obscure songs. They often work in theater or the arts in one way or another, be it on the Great White Way or as a high school drama teacher.
Subcategories: They are only defined by which diva they love most.
New York City Hang Out: Marie's Crisis
Diva of Choice: Liza, Judy, Barbra, Elaine Stritch, Patti LuPone, Ethel Merman, Sutton Foster, Bernadette Peters
Preoccuptions: Original cast recordings, collecting Playbills, karaoke, out of town previews, Puck on Glee's abs, outing Hugh Jackman
Top or Bottom: Bottom
Celebrity Example: Neil Patrick Harris
Art FagsBody Type: Emaciated, tattooed, usually with some sort of ironic facial hair and an enormous coif.
Description: The art fag is cooler than you. He's also cooler than all your friends, and he is not afraid to show it. He is usually an artist (duh), photographer, fashion designer, band member, or something that requires a degree from RISD, FIT, or some other art school that is an acronym. He dresses either in the most current prissy fashions or a like a homo version of Terry Richardson, in big glasses, flannels, and jeans that looks so thrown together that it took him hours to put together. You're more likely to find them at a gallery opening or model party, but every so often they'll be at a gay bar to rub elbows, and other parts, with the other homos.
Subcategories: Alternaqueers, gipsters
New York City Hang Out: The Cock
Diva of Choice: Peaches
Preoccuptions: The hottest club, looking down on things, cheap coke, being bohemian, the outer boroughs
Top or Bottom: Bottom
Celebrity Example: Marc Jacobs
Drag QueensBody Type: Either big, buxom Divine style or svelte and RuPaul-esque.
Description: This is a very small but very powerful contingent of the gay population. The drag queens are not only the court jesters of the gay community, dressing up like clowns for our entertainment, but they are also a bridge to the straight world. As much as gay men appreciate the queens for their looks, wit, and shade, straight people love a drag show even more than the queers do. Somehow they manage to be the most outrageous segment of the population and the most embraced, making the rest of us look positively boring by comparison.
Subcategories: Club kids, trannies.
New York City Hang Out: Pick a bar, any bar.
Diva of Choice: Oh, honey. They are each their own diva.
Preoccuptions: Shade, wigs, annoying jerks who ask for too many drink tickets, other queens biting off their look, lip syncing, straight guys
Top or Bottom: Bottom
Celebrity Example: RuPaul
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