The New Black

Be afraid, be very afraid, of what you may encounter at the "Be Our Art - Pink Edition"-party at The Holtwaye Gallery this afternoon, 2-4 PM SLT, with DJ Coop.

"The new black" is a reference to the phrase "pink is the new black", which spawned multitudes of snowclones." (Wikipedia)

Bock Among Savages

Gay activist and sex advice columnist Dan Savage should need no introduction for most of you, but those of you who need to read up on him can do so here, Wikipedia: Dan Savage.

I have admired Dan for a many years and many reasons. He and his husband Terry Miller co-founded the It Gets Better Project to remind LGBT youth that they are not alone and that it indeed does get better.  Dan also set up the website Spreading santorum in 2003 as a countermeasure against an American gay-hating politician who compared homosexual sex to bestiality and incest. What I most of all admire Dan for is his way of dealing with the bigots and gay haters of the Christian right in America. He is in their faces and comes down on them like a ton of bricks with his intelligent, humorous and no-nonsense responses against their attacks.

 Onward!

Yesterday I encountered this tweet in my Twitter-feed.

Anyone else want to shut @fakedansavage up, here is the Etsy source: https://t.co/nxVcPfiQ2J
— Bill Savage (@RogersParkMan) June 14, 2014

As I perceived it as an attack on Dan Savage, I jumped right in and shared my two bit thoughts. In hindsight I wish I had reacted to the fact that the tweet was from someone with the same last name as Dan and had taken a moment to check it out, but alas in my usual rash and impetuous manner I did not...

I would like to shut @RogersParkMan up, is there a pin for that? @fakedansavage keep up the good work!
— Bock McMillan (@BockMcMillan) June 14, 2014

A kind soul in the Twitter world took pity upon me and informed me that the two Savages are brothers and the correct situation.

@BockMcMillan FYI - Bill Savage ---> @RogersParkMan is ---> @fakedansavage's brother. He's showing the dumb button, not advocating for it.
— libsechumanist (@libsechumanist) June 14, 2014

Which lead to me realize I had jumped to the wrong conclusions. Bill Savage, however, graciously accepted my heartfelt apology.

@libsechumanist @RogersParkMan @fakedansavage Opps, sorry for the misunderstanding Bill
— Bock McMillan (@BockMcMillan) June 15, 2014

@BockMcMillan @libsechumanist @fakedansavage No worries! The Internet is all about misunderstandings.
— Bill Savage (@RogersParkMan) June 15, 2014

At this point my hero made an appearance in the feed...

@BockMcMillan @RogersParkMan @libsechumanist But there should be a "shut up!" pin for Billy too - would come on handy at family reunions.
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) June 15, 2014

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All is well that ends well, but hopefully I have - yet again - learned the lesson that I should not charge into things like an elephant into a china shop and that I sometimes need more information to make a better assessment of a situation.

In closing, I would like to thank Bill Savage for accepting my apology and @libsechumanist for seeing my predicament and taking the time to correct it.

Flying On the Wings of Love...

There I was, 100-115 meters over the Blake Sea, feeling the wind in my blond locks and how it was pulling at my mesh clothing that showed off my extraordinarily beautiful calves. I was enjoying myself wholeheartedly. The view of the water and the sims far below us was breathtaking and I felt extremely safe with my Tomais piloting the aircraft.

The blueprints for Blériot XI
Source: Wikipedia

Tomais had offered to take me on a ride in his Blériot XI which had been built in SecondLife based on the original blueprints of the aircraft used by Louis Blériot, the French aviator and inventor, on 25 July 1909 to make the first flight across the English Channel made in a heavier-than-air aircraft. The English newspaper, The Daily Express, led its story of that flight with the headline, "Britain is no longer an Island". 

The Blériot XI was produced in both single and two-seat versions... As my luck would have it, Tomais only owns the original single seat version. 

You may at this time quiet rightfully ask yourself, "If the plane is a one-seat version and Tomais is the pilot, where the f*** is Bock sitting?" 

The love of my life and the apple of my eyes, had me placed precariously, but quite securely (or so he claimed), on the left wing of the airplane. 

It is true, I did not have a seat belt handy, nor anything else to hold on to, but he had lovingly provided me with a parachute... and he did keep on speaking to me soothingly throughout the trip. 

The air plane in SecondLife is built true to the original. The pilot was to start the engine by turning the propeller while first saying "Fuel on" and then, as he keeps on turning the propeller, "Contact". Once the engine is started the pilot runs around the airplane and gets into his seat, then the passenger can jump on to the wing.

I must add, that the flight was very smooth and both the takeoff and the landing were an exhibition of masterly aviation by my Tomais.

Quote of the Day (2013-12-17)

The quote of the day comes from my brother Dej, who has been spamming me with it in IM and offline messages since yesterday.

Kathy Bates as Dolores Claiborne

Dolores Claiborne is a novel by Stephen King. A film based on the novel was directed by Taylor Hackford in 1995, starring  Kathy Bates (Dolores Claiborne) and Judy Parfitt (Vera Donovan).

Judy Parfitt as Vera Donovan

"Sometimes being a bitch is the only thing a woman has to hold on to." the character Vera tells Dolores. Wikipedia: Dolores Claiborne (film)

Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude is by Wikipedia defined as the "pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. (...) It is the feeling of joy or pleasure when one sees another fail or suffer misfortune." 

In Swedish we even have a cynical proverb that goes "schadenfreude is the only true joy".

The reason I thought of this word and the Swedish expression was that I got an offline message from SecondLife in my email today. The message was from a person that I have considered a friend for the last three years, but the message and the glee in it made me wonder if the friendship is perhaps only one-sided.

My friend tells me in his message that he "supposes that (I) know what (my) choice for Second Pride (chairperson) has done?" 

He is of course referring to the recent rumors circulating in the gay section of SecondLife, especially those of us in some way affiliated to Second Pride. The rumors make the following claims:

1. Three of the Folsom-sims have been shut down recently by Linden Lab due to unpaid tier. The three sims belonged to Damian Tar, the chairperson of Second Pride.

2. Damian Tar has been collecting tier from those living on the sims during the last months, but has still failed to in turn pay tier to Linden Lab.

3. Damian Tar, who has previously claimed to be sick in pneumonia, is now believed to be abroad and is therefor not available to comment or speak up for himself in this matter.

To my friend and everyone else, I would like to say the following. I am not going to pass judgement on Damian Tar without hearing what he has to say in his defence. Admittedly, the accusations are serious and I am not at all sure any explanations will clarify things enough to remove doubts concerning his suitability to remain as chairman of Second Pride. Nonetheless, I am anxiously waiting to hear what he may have to say in this matter, if and when he returns.

So as to alleviate any doubts on why I supported Damian Tar in the election of chairperson for Second Pride let me say this. Yes its true, Damian was by no means an ideal candidate. However, truth be told, given the choice between the two available candidates for chairperson in the election I had no other option but to support Damian Tar. I have had no reason to regret my choice in anyway whatsoever. Up until this latest development I also truly believe that Damian has handled himself as well as could be expected in the difficult circumstances.

Bird's-Eye View

"A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object from above, with a perspective as though the observer were a bird, often used in the making of blueprints, floor plans and maps.

Butch, Guyke & Bock at Guyke's dock

It can be an aerial photograph, but also a drawing. Before manned flight was common, the term "bird's eye" was used to distinguish views drawn from direct observation at high locations (for example a mountain or tower), from those constructed from an imagined (bird's) perspectives. Bird's eye views as a genre have existed since classical times. The last great flourishing of them was in the mid-to-late 19th century, when bird's eye view prints were popular in the United States and Europe."

From Wikipedia 

Throwing My Pink Money Around

Pink money - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"Pink money describes the purchasing power of the gay community, often especially with respect to political donations. With the rise of the gay rights movement, pink money has gone from being a fringe or marginalized market to a thriving industry in many parts of the Western world such as the United States and United Kingdom. Many businesses now specifically cater to gay customers, including nightclubs, shops, restaurants, and even taxicabs; the demand for these services stems from commonly perceived discrimination by traditional businesses. Worldwide in 1998, pink money was valued at £350 billion ($560 billion) across a variety of sectors — especially entertainment and consumer goods. Purchasing power in 2012 in the United States is expected to increase to $790 billion.

The economic power of pink money has been seen as a positive force for the gay community, creating a kind of "financial self-identification" which helps gay and lesbian individuals feel like part of a community which values them. Indeed, upwards of 90% of gay people support businesses which target pink money, while actively shunning "anti-gay" companies. However, criticism has been leveled at businesses which target pink money from gay groups, arguing that this segregates the gay and lesbian community from society, and holds back gay rights.

It's been considered more often than not a market exclusive for USA, UK and some places in Europe, but its extension covers a large amount of Latin America and part of Asia, making its actual earns larger by year and giving marketing options some impulse and variety."

BuzzFeed - 36 Photos From Russia That Everyone Needs To See
Dan Savage - Why I'm Boycotting Russian Vodka
J.M.G. - 1. Dan Savage: Boycott Russian Vodkas and 2. REPORT: Russian Skinheads Use Social Media To Lure And Torture LGBT Teens

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Well, whatever the pro's and con's may be, I am not going to use my gay money on products or services owned, operated or in any way associated with Russia or Russian citizens or companies until that country's government abandons it's present official homophobic stance and continues to allow and support attacks and assaults on my Russian LGBT brothers and sisters and continues to deny them their basic human rights.

It's my money and I use it as I like, I suggest you do the same.

Swedish Snus Is Saved!

Snus, is a moist powder tobacco product originating from a variant of dry snuff in the early 19th century in Sweden. It is consumed by placing it under the upper lip for extended periods of time. The precursor of snus, the dry form of snuff inhaled through the nose, was introduced in Europe much earlier. Snus is not fermented and contains no added sugar. Although used in a manner similar to American dipping tobacco, snus does not typically result in the need for spitting and is different from naswar in that snus is steam-pasteurized. (Wikipedia)

Snus is widely consumed in Sweden by a large portion of the Swedish male population and some of the women too. It is considered a healthier way to consume nicotine and has the added benefit of not provoking spiteful comments or hateful glances like the ones smokers get for "polluting the environment".

Snus' sale is illegal in Turkmenistan and the European Union, but due to special exemptions, it is still manufactured and consumed primarily in Sweden and Norway.

The Swedish snus recently came under threat as the EU Commission in its proposed tobacco direktive wanted to regulate the flavors that could be used in snus. It was also suggesting a prohibition to add sodium carbonate, E 500, which is used in all Swedish snus to facilitate nicotine absorption. This prohibition would, according to the manufacturer Swedish Match, ultimately mean "the end of Swedish snus".

Todays meeting of the responsible EU ministers has in Swedish press been described as "a fateful day" for Swedish snus. However, the EU ministers today took Sweden's side, thereby leaving it up to Sweden to continue to determine the flavor and content of Swedish snus.

"I feel very happy", said Minister for Children and the Elderly Maria Larsson, to the waiting journalists on location in Luxembourg. "The joy is for the fact that the tobacco directive has been approved, but in particular the Swedish "victory" on snus. We actually saved the snuff to be free to decide on content, product marketing, ingredients, distinctive flavors and also sodium carbonate and the pouches can maintain their moisture."
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How's that for some first life drama?

Trailer for Pride - #2 Summer Storm (2004)

German original title "Sommersturm"

Directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner, written by.Thomas Bahmann and Marco Kreuzpaintner. Starring Robert Stadlober (Tobi), Kostja Ullmann (Achim) and Jürgen Tonkel (Hansi)

You can read more about the movie here: Wikipedia: Summer Storm

Trailer for Pride - #1 Shelter (2007)

Written and directed by Jonah Markowitz. Starring Trevor Wright (Zach) and Brad Rowe (Shaun).

Read more about this movie here Wikipedia: Shelter (2007 film)

This is my favorite gay themed movie at the moment. Enjoy!

Dear Brad, You Are Not Alone!

In a comment today on Bock in SecondLife; Eddi Haskell dropped the bomb that even Brad Pitt, the most beautiful man in the world, has problems with nasal hair.

I have touched on this irritating affliction for men, nay mankind, in a previous post, Top Ten Reasons For Being A Male Avatar. So let me just take a moment to share with Brad: You are not alone you-sexy-studeliscious-hunk-of-male-beauty-you! Indeed I myself, and most adult men (and even some women I should think), suffer with you.

Wikipedia has this to inform on the subject:

"Nasal hair or nose hair is the hair in the nose. Adult humans have hairs in the anterior nasal passage. Its function may be to keep insects and foreign particles from entering the nasal cavity." (...) "A number of devices have been sold to trim nasal hair, including miniature rotary clippers, and attachments for electric shavers. The trimmers shorten the hair to such lengths so that they do not appear outside of the nasal passage. A pair of tweezers can be used which facilitates removal and an antiseptic cream applied after treatment on the end of a cotton-bud to reduce the risk of infection and soreness."

Not much help there, huh?

I first started noticing my nasal hairs when I had turned thirty, before that age I cannot remember ever being bothered by them. Since then I have tried a range of methods to remove them, all rather tedious, painful and/or unsuccessful.

1. Pulling
This procedure is extremely painful and takes a long time because you have to pull out each strand of hair individually. It is also a sorry sight to watch yourself weeping from the pain it causes.

Pulling can be done either with fingers or with tweezers. In both cases it is difficult to get a firm hold of the hairs and my nostrils aren't wide enough to allow two fingers to reach the the hairs that don't protrude and those that are too far inside the nasal cavity.

2. Cutting
This procedure can be done with scissors or a knife. I firmly recommend using a nail scissor.

This method allows you to shorten the hairs and you can take several of them out in one clipping. Alas you usually do not cut low enough and there is still the problem with the ones that are deep inside the cavities. There is also a risk of clipping into the membranes which is extremely painful and takes forever to heal. Besides can you imagine how much a cut inside the nose bleeds?

3. Nose trimmers (various models)
These are mostly ineffective, take too long and do not cut short enough anyhow. You still cannot reach the deeper set hairs. Pain occurs if you happen to get the apparatus in a bad angle and it cuts into the membrane.

I have not tried waxing or hair removal yet, because both those methods seem harmful to use on membranes.

As a child living in Pakistan I can remember the barbershops using a method that I have later seen used in Turkey and Greece also, It seemed fast, efficient and painless as far as I could observe, alas it is not practiced in Sweden.

This method consists of singeing the nasal hairs. The barber catches a cotton swab in a pair of tweezers and then dips it into a liquid. He then proceeds to light the swab with a match and passes it under the nose while the customer is careful not to inhale. I would use this method if I could but my problem is I do not know what liquid the swab is dipped in. I should think it could be ether or alcohol, but I am not at all certain.

Come to think of it, why hasn't a modernized version of the age-old singeing method been invented using electricity I wonder? One would (meaning I, me and myself) think that it cannot be that difficult for all the talented scientist and technicians in the world to help mankind with this important issue. Anyone may use my suggestion here royalty free!

A Purity Ball for My Buddies

I thought I knew everything there was to know about the American lifestyle - but apparently I did not - because when I was driving to work yesterday I heard about something I had never heard of before. The radio was reporting about a Swedish photographer who had an exhibition of photographs taken at "purity balls" in the United States.

According to Wikipedia a "purity ball is a formal dance event attended by fathers and their daughters which promotes virginity until marriage for teenage girls. Typically, daughters who attend make a virginity pledge to remain sexually abstinent until marriage. Fathers who attend promise to protect their young daughters' "purity of mind, body, and soul." Proponents of these events contend that they encourage close and deeply affectionate relationships between fathers and daughters, thereby avoiding the premarital sexual activity that allegedly results when young women seek love through relationships with young men Critics assert that the balls promulgate messages encroaching upon women's freedom, promote anti-feminist ideals, and ignore homosexuality.(...) The girls can range in age from their college years to 4 years old, however the majority of girls are “just old enough… [to] have begun menstruating” as purity ball guidelines advise. (...) Participants are described as "dates", and, according to Glamour magazine, could be mistaken for heterosexual romantic partners in the absence of information about their consanguinity." The first event of this kind took place in Colorado Springs in 1998.

I was totally amazed and baffled when I heard about this newfangled custom. The first thing that struck me was that it was an extremely male chauvinist concept whereby the father seeks to control the sexual drives of the female members of his family. It also gave me a creepy sense of being sligtly incestuos, I am not quite clear on why this happened, but possibly it was because of my feeling that these fathers were meddling with their daughters sexuality.

From what I have seen in the pictures on Google Images the girls at these events are mostly dressed in all white ball gowns, while the fathers are in their tired tuxedos. That made me think about what my male family members and buddies would wear if I threw a purity party for them in SecondLife 

I hope none of the guys take offence, but this is only me making - sometimes - completely uninformed guesses on their love life in SecondLife for a bit of semi-innocent fun. No harm or malice is intended. (If you object please tell me so and I will remove my remark about you.)

Apmel "The Six Year Old Virgin" Goosson

sirhc "The One Woman Man" DeSantis

Dejerrity "One At A Time" Mycron

Butch "Mr. Discretion Personified" Diavolo

Eddi "I Am Never Telling" Haskell

Guyke "It's Great For My Complexion" Lundquist

Kahvy "Boys Just Wanna Have Fun" Sands

Ziggy "The Eternal Bad Boy" Starsmith

Ryse "Mr. Professional Actor" Skytower

The Mushroom in SecondLife

The inauguration of "The Mushroom" (Svampen in Swedish) in SecondLife takes place tonight. The replica in SecondLife has been built by Iga Clawtooth.

Landmark for "The Mushroom in SecondLife".

I had actually never heard about this particular building before, so I looked it up on Wikipedia.

The Mushroom is a water tower in the town of Örebro in Sweden. The tower was designed by Sune Lindström and is 58 meters high and holds 9 million gallons of water. It was inaugurated (in first life) in May 1958. In the first life version of the tower there is a water exhibition, a cafeteria and a conference center.

A previous copy of The Mushroom (but 33 percent larger) can be found in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Thanks to my pal Apmel Goosson and his blog "My Avatar´s Name is Apmel" I can now reprint the note card which I have received but have not yet logged in to read.

WELCOME TO SVAMPEN/THE MUSHROOM IN SECOND LIFE!

Svampen is a building in Örebro, Sweden, and the great designer in Second Life, Iga Clawtooth, has created this replica of the first life building.

Our specialty at Svampen will be FOOD! In the beginning we will change the menu once a month. We have a special table where you can take your love for a romantic dinner or go for a dinner with your friends.

Once a month there'll be events, and even spontaneous parties. The best way to be updated on what's happening at Svampen, is to join our group "Svampen/Mushroom". Just click on my profile (rultan Zeplin) and join the group :)

OUR FIRST MENU IS - FAST FOOD:

• Tomato Bisque Soup
• Quiche with Ham, Caramelized Onions and Gruyere
• BBQ Chicken
• Hot dogs
• Cheese and Crackers Platter

At the inauguration we will of course serve champagne :))

WELCOME TO A NEW ADVENTURE IN SECOND LIFE - SVAMPEN/THE MUSHROOM!

Tableaux Vivants, Lag & Sim Crashes

"Lag is a state of mind" a wise, semi-old but still extremely hot and sexy avatar once said, who´s name escapes me at the moment.

That is of course very true but sometimes SecondLife tries it´s very best to destroy a good party. Terrible lag, a sim crash and a sim restart almost succeeded at Kandinsky Beaumont´s and Apmel Goosson´s party at Solace Island yesterday. Luckily most of us who were there were old troopers at dealing with such misfortunes and we came back as soon as it was possible every time.

Tableaux vivants means "living pictures". The term describes a group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move. The approach thus marries the art forms of the stage with those of painting/photography. (Wikipedia).

"The Extraordinary Adventures of Kikas and Marmaduke" give SecondLife a humorous and modern day interpretation of this 19th century art form. No show is ever the same because of the interaction with the audience at each performance.

Due to the delay caused by the misfortunes I unfortunately could not stay through the whole show and the party afterwards but had to log off at midnight, but as long as I was there I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Without further ado, here are some pictures from the show. Please note that I am only showing a few of the pictures and not in the order the tableaux were presented.

Enthralled audience; Bock, Emarald, Mid, Ziga, Blanche, Kandi & Apmel

Besides myself, the sim was full of all the avantgarde art elite in SecondLife. Here are a few more shots of the audience.

SaveMe Oh trying to catch the eye of some rough trade

DJ Eifach

Misandry and Zlatan

It´s been an exciting morning.

First of all, I learned a new word, misandry. (Take the link to Wikipedia to learn the meaning of the word.)

Secondly, I read a comment directed at me on a Swedish blog where the blogger herself referred to me as "the Zlatan of self-pitying". The selfsame blogger also honored me with a blogroll of my own, with the reason given that she didn't read my blog herself but that she wished to perform a public service to her readers.

For those of you who do not know of Zlatan Ibrahimović let me tell you he is the best Swedish professional soccer player ever. (Again, if you wish to learn more about Zlatan take the Wiki-link)

Even if I know I should have ignored her baiting, I could not resist so I dropped her a reply (here translated to English):

Well, (bloggers first name), it is normally not considered pleasant to kick on someone who is already down on the ground, but perhaps there are other standards on the West Coast? No for sure, I know that there aren´t, because I have lived there myself for five years.

If you are tired of my self-pitying, I can honestly say that it most likely is a slight breeze compared to how I feel myself. Unlike me, however, you have the privilege to surf on with a snort; I have to live my way through the crap.

When I began blogging, I promised myself that the blog would be a true, honest and open account of my experiences or else I should not do it. Of course I do not write about everything concerning my dealings with others, but in regard to myself, I am completely open. If this does not suit you obviously you should not read it - and most definitely not give it a blogroll of it´s own on your blog.

December 31, 2011 14:42

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Enough of this bullshit, now I am getting ready for this evening. Have fun everyone! 

Movember

Movember is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of mustaches during the month of November. The event was conceived in 1999 by a group of Australian men from Adelaide.

Since 2004, the Movember Foundation charity has run Movember events to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues, such as prostate or testicular cancer and depression.

Rules
1. On "Shadowe'en" (October 31), the complete moustache region, including the entire upper lip and handlebar zones, must be completely shaved.
2. For the entire duration of Movember [November 1–30], no hair shall be allowed to grow in the goatee zone (any facial area below the bottom lip).
3. There is to be no joining of the moustache to sideburns.

(Source of the above is more or less Wikipedia but there are lots of other sites)
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So start growing them mo´s now, boys and girls, it´s for a good cause!

I don´t mind facial hair on other men, but I really. really hate it on myself, so this will be a big sacrifice. My facial hair is a light ratty blond like the rest of my hair. The first couple of days I will just look unshaven in a disgusting sort of way, after that the scratching and itching will start... 

Coming Out

Tomorrow is the National Coming Out Day.

"The National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an internationally observed civil awareness day for coming out and discussion about people that are gay, lesbian, bisexual,transgender (LGBT), etc. It is observed by members of the LGBT communities and their supporters (often referred to as "allies") on October 11 every year (or October 12 in the United Kingdom).

Despite its name, National Coming Out Day (so called because it originated as an event in the United States) is in fact observed in many countries, including Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Croatia, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (in the UK it is celebrated on October 12)."

All the above is excerpts from an article about the event on Wikipedia.

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I am one of the few fortunate - or perhaps unfortunate - gay men I know who never had to deal with a coming out process. Both my parents and my older sibling actually seemed to be aware of the fact before I even knew what the word meant.

There was a short period in Kindergarten that I sometimes would fall in love with women also, other than that I have almost exclusively had boys or men as objects of my affection or desire. To be quite honest there was a period between the ages of 12 to 17 that I sometimes could get sexually aroused by women also, but hell I was turned on by just about anything with a temperature and a pulse then so I am not sure that really counts.

The last phase was cured when I saw the movie "Amacord" by Federico Fellini at a film club. Do any of you remember the scene where the young Federico meets an older woman in a blue or green Angora sweater with humongous bouncing boobs that she presses against his face? Well, that scene permanently turned me off boobs forever and crushed any hopes my father my have had for my inclinations changing at puberty.

So as I was accepted and loved for what I was by my immediate family there was never anything dramatic about it, much the same as it is for most heterosexuals I believe. Of course I have also encountered bigotry but never in a way that made me question my self-worth. 

The only thing that I was sad about when I accepted my own sexuality was that I would never have children, but even that has changed nowadays.

Ask and Tell

Photography by David Goldenberg

The United States has ended the military´s shameful and discriminatory “Don´t Ask, Don´t Tell” (DADT) policy.

DADT was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. 

From Wikipedia: The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. The restrictions were mandated by United States federal law. 

The policy prohibited people who "demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because their presence "would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability."

The act prohibited any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation or from speaking about any homosexual relationships, including marriages or other familial attributes, while serving in the United States armed forces.

The act specified that service members who disclose that they are homosexual or engage in homosexual conduct should be separated (discharged) except when a service member's conduct was "for the purpose of avoiding or terminating military service" or when it "would not be in the best interest of the armed forces".

The "don't ask" part of the DADT policy specified that superiors should not initiate investigation of a service member's orientation without witnessing disallowed behaviors, though credible evidence of homosexual behavior could be used initiate an investigation.
Yesterday the law repealing that shameful policy - signed by president Obama in July - went into effect, and the United States of America joined the other democratic nations of the world that allow Gay and Lesbians to serve openly and honestly in their armed forces.

This is a great victory for the LGBT movement as the Unite States government embraces equality over the policies of hatred and division, thereby putting an end to institutionalized homophobia in the United States military.

It also means that gay and lesbian servicemen now can talk about their lives and loves with other servicemen without lying or withholding information.

Watch this touching video of a young soldier telling his father he is gay.

Real Life Hunk - Koji

My friend Eddi Haskell does a post about "a real life hunk" on his blog Eddi Haskell´s Second Life every week. I have done one earlier about Tom Ford, but when my attention was directed towards this handsome Japanese athlete by an Anonymous reader (who is a sports-geek) I felt the need to share. 


It´s strange how this person could know my taste in men, isn't it?

Dr.Koji Alexander Murofushi (室伏 アレクサンダー 広治 Murofushi Arekusandā Kōji, born October 8, 1974, in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture) is a Japanese hammer thrower. He has been among the world elite since the 2001 World Championships, where he won the silver medal, and he also won the gold medal in Athens Olympics.

Koji Murofushi comes from a hammer throwing family, as his father Shigenobu Murofushi is a former Olympian and held the Japanese record for 23 years until his son broke it, and his sister, Yuka Murofushi, throws both hammer and discus. Murofushi's Romanian-born mother, Serafina Moritz, was a javelin thrower for Romania, European Junior champion in 1968, and Romanian senior champion in 1970. She is now a glass painter, and lives in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. 


All the information above is from the article about Koji on Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia.

On Snus (a.k.a. Swedish Moist Snuff)

This is a guy putting in a sachet of snus under his upper lip
(from an article in the Finnish online news-site HBL.fi)

I thought the mention of Swedish moist snuff in the previous post might need some clarification for non-Scandinavians.

Snus is - next to smoking - one of the major ways to consume tobacco in Sweden. I should perhaps also mention that the most macho men and some very butch women don´t use the sachet-variety but digest snus in it´s "loose" form:

This is parts of the article on "snus" from Wikipedia: 

Snus (pronounced /ˈsnuːs/, Swedish pronunciation: [snʉːs]) or Swedish snuff, is a moist powder tobacco product originated from a variant of dry snuff in the early 19th century in Sweden, consumed by placing it under the lip for extended periods of time. The precursor of snus, the dry form of snuff inhaled through the nose, was introduced in Europe much earlier. Snus is a form of snuff that is used in a manner similar to American dipping tobacco, but typically does not result in the need for spitting. Snus is also unique in that it is steam-pasteurized rather than fire-cured, is not fermented and contains no added sugar. The sale of snus is illegal in the European Union, but due to exemptions, it is still manufactured and consumed primarily in Norway and Sweden. 

Its popularity is growing in the United States as an alternative to smoking and traditional "chewing" tobacco. In Sweden, snus is often used to quit smoking, which has lead to a significant decrease in the prevalence of smoking among men. In fact, Sweden has the lowest male smoking rate in the European Union. Females in Sweden, who are less likely to use snus, have similar smoking rates to neighboring countries.

Previously, Swedish snus was only available by mail order within the United States; however, an increasing number of tobacco retailers have begun to stock popular Swedish snus products. While it's packaged in much the same way (moist tobacco in a small pouch), production methods vary considerably from traditional Scandinavian methods. Additionally, differences in the way American snus is formulated may also diminish some of the possible benefits. 

Swedish Match, the leading manufacturer of Swedish snus, is currently test-marketing snus in Canada, Russia and several regions throughout the United States.

Watch the video "Swedish Snus - from seed to can"