12 Hours to Stop Uganda´s Anti-Gay Bill - Update May 13

In 12 hours, the Ugandan Parliament may vote on a brutal new law that carries the death penalty for homosexuality. Thousands of Ugandans could face execution -- just for being gay.

We've helped stop this bill before, and we can do it again. After a massive global outcry last year, Ugandan President Museveni blocked the bill's progress. But political unrest is mounting in Uganda, and religious extremists in Parliament are hoping confusion and violence in the streets will distract the international community from a second push to pass this hate-filled law. We can show them that the world is still watching. If we block the vote for two more days until Parliament closes, the bill will expire forever.

We have no time to lose.

SIGN PETITION HERE :
http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_homophobia_petition/?cl=1054574191&v=9041

JUST DO IT!

Update: May 13, 2011, from Avaaz
Great news -- the bill has has been shelved! Together, we've won a major fight for equality and justice. Over 1.6 million of us signed the petition opposing the anti-gay bill, tens of thousands of us called our heads of state, and we helped make the attack on gay rights in Uganda a major international news story -- and it worked.


Today, under intense global pressure, the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament blocked the anti-gay bill from coming to a vote in the emergency session. Now Parliament has closed and the bill has been wiped from the books. It's not necessarily gone for good, but to be considered again, it would have to be reintroduced as a new bill and go through the whole Parliamentary process -- which took 18 months last time.

Our global outcry made it clear that the world is watching, and demanding that human rights be respected everywhere. Today, we can join our friends in Uganda in celebration of a victory that could save thousands of lives

Too Hard and Too Thick

This is not a picture of the traumatizing bedding

...and no, don´t you even go there, this post is about nothing other than hotel pillows, but you are otherwise correct in assuming that those two specific objections were never going to come from me.

The primatar of the Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm and CEO of the BMcM Corporation, spent last night in a substandard hotel bed in real life.

In the hotels that he usually frequents guests are always offered a selection of at least three different types of pillows, not so in the one he stayed in last night. There were two pillows, but both where the same - way too hard and too thick. The laird - as any other gentleman - prefers flat, soft and downy pillows.

After some anguish, pain and rolling around half the night he finally fell asleep, only too wake up in the morning feeling like he had broken his neck.

The laird is now seriously contemplating turning over this matter to his legal staff for possible action against the hotel, but perhaps a good nights sleep on his own pillows may make him reconsider.

It´s A Boy

Here we see the beautiful Kicki Springflower with her newborn son in her arms and her dazed hubby Hercules.

Poor Hercules had to be there while the baby boy was born, thats what you get for being a modern man.

According to all reports the mother and child are doing well. It is more uncertain if the father will ever recuperate fully from this traumatic experience. The doctors seem to avoid questions about this matter!

The newborn son is named Simon.

Sweet Memories - UPDATED

YMCA-dance 2007 (Jerrod 1st from left, Drizz 3rd, me 4th, the female DJ 5th and Andrey 6th)

Today I read an interview with Jerrod Rodenberger which was published on the Gay Archipelago Blogs yesterday. You can read the full interview here: VIP Interview Jerrod Rodenberger by Hunter.

Jerrod is an old friend from my earliest days in SecondLife. We met on the friendly and caring Boots Gay Beach which was a safe haven and school for everyone, but gay noobs in particular.

At Boots Beach we partied, but we were also thought the basics of how SecondLife works and all the do´s and dont´s; What settings to use to get a more beautiful life. Where to shop for anything you needed. How to build. How to fit clothes and hair. How to script (advanced classes which I did not take I am sorry to admit today) and yes a few also got lessons in good manners and etiquette if it was needed. In short we got a run through everything that is needed for any fashion conscious gay man or boy in-world. I should think the closest comparison to what Boots Beach did for us would be to say it was like a Swiss Finishing School for young women.

Jerrod Rodenberger

In the interview Jerrod reminds me of a wonderful and funny evening we shared once when we were following Ars around the gay clubs of SecondLife.

That was way back in the days when people still talked in local chat, so suddenly someone commented on that a few of us looked like different characters in the Village People. Then someone said we should do the YMCA-dance and handed out the dance animation. I do not remember who the female DJ was but she started playing the song for us over and over again until we finally gave a reasonably synced rendition (it was my fault of course that it took awhile, but they were all very patient with me).

I laughed so hard my stomach ached and we all had a wonderful time. It was one of those truly magical moments in SecondLife when everything sort of connects, everyone is included and love of mankind reigns supreme.

Sadly I could not find the pictures when I did a quick search of my Inventory, but I have probably just not labeled them correctly.

Thanks for reminding me, Jerrod, and thanks so much for that great picture, I will treasure it!

Shit happens

Ohh the terrible tricks that SecondLife plays with it´s residents sometimes! This is how I saw one of my bosom buddies at Ewa Aska´s party yesterday...

A cute ass and great boobs that any woman would be proud of huh? The only thing is that Apmel is a hunky "heterosexually challenged" man.

The absolutely worst thing about being "ruthed" is that one usually doesn't see it oneself - but everyone else does.

I Am Going To a Monastery

Well only for a party and only for tonight... the theme is RED I am told.

Landmark to the nunnery at Alvastra.

Will The Last Elves Emigrate?

I leave SecondLife for real life a few days and it seems like all hell breaks loose.

The big story is of course the decision of ElvenMyst, presumably the last Elf clan in SecondLife with over 2 000 members, to leave for a lesser virtual world.

I was really sorry to read that news. I have never had any dealings with the elves of SecondLife - not that I know of - but my Ars always spoke with great admiration of their talent, creativity and skillfulness. As I understand it there were many elves in the earliest days of SecondLife, but they had for some reason or other moved on to other worlds in the course of time.

This last emigration seems to have been brought on by a hiccup in the Linden Lab billing system, which started when one of the Eldars of The ElvenMyst clan got an automatic e-mail from the billing system about being late in paying tier, which he then actually tried to do several times but the system did not accept the payments. The Eldar then filed a ticket with customer support, when it did not get an immediate response or solution the four Eldars decided to pull up stakes and move to InWorldz (of all ghastly places).

Although they have now, according to the clans blog, - a day after the ticket was filed and after direct involvement by Rod Humble (the cute new CEO of Linden Lab, a k a Rodvik Linden) - already been given an both an excuse and a very generous offer of compensation although the Eldars want more.

As I understand it the Eldars are now in communication with the membership to find out what they wish to do in the present situation.

I must say I would be very sad to see the last elves leave, but I cannot help thinking that the decision to leave was an overreaction which was too hastily made. We cannot presume that the people working at customer service know who we are and our standing in-world. Most of those working there probably only visit in-world for work purposes and are not involved in any of the communities.

In my own experience the people at Linden Labs customer service are mostly benevolent and helpful, even if they are not always able to solve your problem fast but then again neither technical nor legal problems can usually be solved by snapping one´s fingers, no matter how huge the customers business is.

I am hoping the elves choose to stay in heaven!