"Consent" For Dummies

(via Upworthy)

So, how difficult can it be to understand?

This video was inspired by an excellent post by Tumblr user RockstarDinosaurPiratePrincess.

Katie Melua Says It Best

This is for my hubby!

There are nine million bicycles in Beijing
That's a fact,
It's a thing we can't deny
Like the fact that I will love you till I die.

We are twelve billion light years from the edge,
That's a guess,
No-one can ever say it's true
But I know that I will always be with you.

I'm warmed by the fire of your love everyday
So don't call me a liar,
Just believe everything that I say

There are six billion people in the world
More or less
and it makes me feel quite small
But you're the one I love the most of all

[INTERLUDE]
We're high on the wire
With the world in our sight
And I'll never tire,
Of the love that you give me every night

There are nine million bicycles in Beijing
That's a Fact,
it's a thing we can't deny
Like the fact that I will love you till I die

And there are nine million bicycles in Beijing
And you know that I will love you till I die!

Faces - Can You See Beyond the Label?

(via J.M.G.)

Clip info

""Lesbian", "gay", "bisexual", "transgender", "intersex", "queer": can you see past the labels?

This video from the United Nations Free & Equal campaign celebrates the contributions that millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people make to families and local communities around the world. The cast features "real people" (not actors), filmed in their workplaces and homes -- among them, a firefighter, a police officer, a teacher, an electrician, a doctor and a volunteer, as well as prominent straight ally and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon."

A Modest & Cheap Defense Proposal

The Swedish Peace & Arbitration Society proposes a new and more effective (?) way to keep the homophobic Russians and their submarines or other naval forces out of Swedish territorial waters. 

"Stay" - Steve Grand

A Cup Of Coffee

(via J.M.G.)

"A Cup Of Coffee" from Julian Moon's debut album 'Good Girl' on Warner Bros. Records to be released March 24th 2015.

Shake It Off

This police in Dover County in Delaware was really shaking it all off on Taylor Swift's No 1 hit single.

A dash-cam filmed policeman Jeff Davies, 19-year veteran miming along, shaking his head and even breaking with the rules to move his hands from between the 10 and 2 o'clock position. 

Jeff is a 48-year-old father of four know's Swift's hit tune so well because of his 10-year-old daughter.

25,136,573 hits on YouTube and counting...

Can We?

"I pledge to create a short film titled 'Going Home', in which we visualize a utopia for women, where, unlike today, mistrust and fear don’t dictate actions and decisions,” says director Vikas Bahl.

"This video shows a utopia where a woman can do what she did with no problem, a place where men are always helpful and polite, and a woman is always safe. It does a good job of showing why women feel scared even when guys are trying to be helpful. Not all men are like the men in the video, and women know that, but a woman doesn't know a man's intentions when she first encounters them.

If you watched this video and kept thinking, "Why is she talking to them!? Why didn't she just call her mom!? Why did she let them give her a ride!?!?" the way you're feeling is how victim-blaming happens. She had no choice, really, but to accept help from these men. And if they hadn't been helpful, it would not have been her fault. Remember that."

Matthew Shepard In Memoriam

Matthew Wayne "Matt" Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998) was an American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming on the night of October 6, 1998, and died six days later at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, on October 12, from severe head injuries.

On the night of October 6, 1998, Shepard met Aaron McKinney (then 22), and Russell Henderson (then 21), at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie, Wyoming. It was decided that McKinney and Henderson would give Shepard a ride home. McKinney and Henderson subsequently drove the car to a remote, rural area, and proceeded to rob, pistol-whip, and torture Shepard, tie him to a fence, and leave him to die. According to their court testimony, McKinney and Henderson discovered Shepard's address and intended to steal from his home, as well. Still tied to the fence, Shepard, who was in a coma, was discovered 18 hours later by Aaron Kreifels, a cyclist who initially mistook Shepard for a scarecrow.

The parents of Matthew Shepard talk about the painful memories of their son's death following a vicious gay bashing in October, 1998. He died October 12, 1998.

Judy and Dennis Shepard have become tireless fighters against hate crime. They also reveal why they decided not to pursue the death penalty for the men who murdered their son.

(Sources: Wikipedia & YouTube)

The 1st King & Queen Pageant at Second Pride - The Movie

(via Second Pride)

"I Want to Marry a Lighthouse Keeper"

Yesterday Tomais told me we were going to take part in the shooting of a video by JN Studios (Joseph Nussbaum's film company). To prepare me for the part we had to get me a raincoat, a rain hat and some boots at Deco.

Besides Joe, Tomais and myself the other three lighthouse keepers were played by Boris Twist, Sabor Skytower and Holter Rez.

Here is the final result of our fun and frolicking, Josephs video "I Want to Marry a Lighthouse Keeper". And if you are wondering why we turned into frogs at the end, please don't ask me. Perhaps it was "just because we could" and we all had the outfits and it was hilariously funny.

Don't forget to like the video at YouTube after you have watched it!

#liveandletlove

(via J.M.G.)

About the clip

2,000 people of the city of Stockholm gathered at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium to show their support to the LGBT people of Russia and to sing the most beautiful national anthem in the world.

You can do the same, make your own rainbow version of the song and upload under the hashtag #liveandletlove. You'll find sheet music and lyrics on www.liveandletlove.se.
...

Watch, like on YouTube and share! Show Little Father Putin, the Olympic Committee that we will not forget their homophobia and the Russian LGBT community that we support them in their struggles against the horrendous and discriminating "Gay Propaganda" laws. Gay Rights are Human Rights!

"Der Hammer" Comes Out

International professional football (soccer) player Thomas Hitzlsperger, 31, has come out publicly as gay in an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit.

“I am declaring my homosexuality because I want the question of homosexuality in the world of professional sport to be out in the open.”, the German midfielder declared in the interview while also admitting that the decision to come out publicly had been “a long and difficult process”.

Hitzlsperger, has played 52 times on the German national team and has worked in Germany, England and Italy with Aston Villa, Everton, Wolfsburg and Lazio among others before retiring from football six months ago. He gained the nickname Der Hammer (The Hammer) due to his powerful left-foot shot from long-range.

Hitzlsperger said he had decided to come out because he wanted to promote the discussion of homosexuality in professional sport. “I've never been ashamed of the way I am,” he added, although it had not always been easy to cope with some of the homophobic comments dished out.

Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby (Giorgio Moroder & Chris Cox Remix)

(via Joe Jervis@http://joemygod.blogspot.com/)

Enjoy this cool remix of an old classic, and remember this is the last day to vote in my poll concerning which of the two versions of my ass you think is better (url). Vote, vote, vote, if you haven't done so already!

Meanwhile, at The Red Square in Moscow...

Pyotr Pavlensky, a Russian performance artist, today stripped naked and nailed his scrotum to a Red Square cobblestone. The performance is called "Freeze".

The artist sitting naked outside Lenin's Mausoleum in
Moscow, Russia, before police covered him with a blanket.

The Saint Petersburg-based artist said in a statement posted on the Grani.ru website that he was trying to draw attention to Russian society's development into a 'police state'.

Update 11/12/13: The video is taken down by YouTube with a peculiar statement of reasons.

Pyotr now faces up to 15 days of administrative arrest for disorderly conduct.

Lovers

If you don't understand Spanish it may be a great idea to turn on the the English translation in Captions.

The Barilla Boycott (Updated)

Poor Guido Barilla, he has had a hell of a long weekend due to his big mouth and airing his thoughtless bigotry.

One would think that chairpersons of large International companies had staffers to coach them and guide them at every step, especially when meeting the media, but somehow it is refreshing to sometimes actually hear one of them speak his honest opinion, even if it is to the detriment of his family and their business.

The guardian.com.uk has this brilliant summary of how it all started going sour for poor Guido on Thursday:

Guido Barilla, who controls the fourth-generation Barilla Group family business with his two brothers, sparked outrage among activists, consumers and some politicians when he said he would not consider using a gay family to advertise Barilla pasta.

"For us the concept of the sacred family remains one of the basic values of the company," he told Italian radio on Wednesday evening. "I would not do it but not out of a lack of respect for homosexuals who have the right to do what they want without bothering others … [but] I don't see things like they do and I think the family that we speak to is a classic family."

Asked what effect he thought his attitude would have on gay consumers of pasta, Barilla said: "Well, if they like our pasta and our message they will eat it; if they don't like it and they don't like what we say they will … eat another."

In response, Aurelio Mancuso, chairman of Equality Italia, accused Barilla of being deliberately provocative. "Accepting the invitation of Barilla's owner to not eat his pasta, we are launching a boycott campaign against all his products," he added.

Although poor Guido, his family and the company have since worked tirelessly trying to rectify his faux pas with a written statement and a video of poor Guido being forced to read the statement (both posted prominently on the company website), these attempts however don't have the same honest ring to them as when he spoke from his heart. They therefore fail miserably in convincing anyone.

Bock in SecondLife recommends all its readers (gays and straight allies) to follow the recommendation of poor Guido Barilla himself and refrain from purchasing any products belonging to that particular group of bigoted misogynists and homophobes. I am joining the Barilla boycott and will certainly not be forcing my pink money on products from a company that doesn't accept me and my kind. The thing I will miss most due to this decision is actually not the pasta, but my preferred "knäckebröd" (the Swedish hard-rye crisp bread) from Wasa.

The brands in the Barilla Group are
Barilla,
Mulino Bianco,
Voiello,
Pavesi,
Academia Barilla,
Wasa,
Harry’s (France and Russia),
Misko (Greece), 

Filiz (Turkey),
Yemina and 

Vesta (Mexico)
---

Update September 30, 2013
Josh Rimer, a Canadian YouTube Marketer, has made a parody of poor Guido's insincere apology. My thanks to Anonymous for informing me about it in the comments to this post.

"The Black Hole of the 80's" - The Movie

Picture of Ms X removed at her request

It turns out that Ms X, whom I met at the 80's party and referred to as "The Black Hole of the 80's" in my post The 80's@"Q"-Lounge made a video of the party and has now posted it on YouTube.

Arcangelo "Dj Arcy" Hellman was the DJ and its of course good old Madge singing "Like A Virgin"

Enjoy!

Picture and video removed at the request of Ms X.

"Stay"

Singer and songwriter Steve Grand posted this music video on YouTube today, it's about time for happy and uncomplicated songs about gay love.

Believe it or not, but I actually had this music video lined up and scheduled for posting today, before one of my main sources of inspiration +Joe Jervis  over at J.M.G.

Well, thats another lesson in blogging, I shouldn't have waited because when I woke up after my nap, Joe had already posted it.  *sigh*

One Direction - Best Song Ever

(via Qx.se)

12.4 million hits during the first 24 hours on YouTube cannot be wrong... or can it? The laird is not impressed!