Eurovision Song Contest 2011

Well tonights the night for the finals in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 from Dusseldorf, Germany.

Most of my gay friends and about seventy percent of the rest of the population in the European countries and Israel are going to sit in front of their television sets from 21.00 - 24.00 CET, thats 12 pm (noon) - 3 pm SLT.

If you don´t have the possibility to see it in real life I am told that several places in SecondLife are also showing it. Have fun!

Contrary to many of my gay friends I cannot stand ESC, so I will be going to bed with a hopefully good book.

Man, Know Thy Balls

During May 2011 there is a campaign in Sweden to raise awareness among men about testicular and prostate cancer.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men. The vast majority of patients are cured. The earlier the disease is detected, the better. 

It's good for men themselves to regularly examine their testicles so that any changes are detected quickly.

Testicular Self-exam

Decide on a fixed date each month that you feel through the testes. Take the opportunity when you stand in the shower or a bath. Hot water will relax the skin of the scrotum and make it soft and easier to investigate. 

• Support the scrotum and testicles in the palm of your hand, to feel their weight. One testicle may be slightly larger than the other, but they should be about the same weight.
• Hold a testicle between the thumb and fingers, with your thumb on top and first and second fingers underneath. Roll the testicle gently, feeling for any hard lumps. A normal testicle is oval in shape; it feels firm but not hard and is smooth with no lumps.
• Feel the epididymis, a sausage-shaped lump at the top and back of each testicle. It will feel soft and perhaps slightly tender.
• Feel the spermatic cords which lead upwards from the epididymis and behind the testicles. They are firm, smooth tubes.
• Do the same with the other testicle. 

The symptoms of testicular cancer include:

• a painless lump or swelling in a testicle
• pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum
• any enlargement of a testicle or change in the way it feels
• a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
• a dull ache in the lower abdomen, back, or groin 
• a sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum.

Prostate Self-Exam

It's easy for a man to feel his own prostate gland. It's a walnut-sized organ at the base of the bladder. It can be felt with the tip of a finger inserted into the rectum. Its texture and firmness should be similar to that of the flesh between your thumb and the rest of the hand when you make a tight fist. If you feel anything that is as firm as the knuckle, then that needs to be brought to a physician's attention. 

Not everyone experiences symptoms of prostate cancer. Many times, signs of prostate cancer are first detected by a doctor during a routine check-up. 

Some men, however, will experience changes in urinary or sexual function that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer. These symptoms include:

• A need to urinate frequently, especially at night
• Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine
• Weak or interrupted flow of urine
• Painful or burning urination
• Difficulty in having an erection
• Painful ejaculation
• Blood in urine or semen
• Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs

You should consult with your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms above.Because these symptoms can also indicate the presence of other diseases or disorders, such as BPH or prostatitis, men will undergo a thorough work-up to determine the underlying cause.

Blogger Cockup

Well that was awful, Blogger screwed up during a scheduled maintenance, and now we are all suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

Some of my friends seem to have lost many posts also, or atleast they are not back yet. I haven´t noticed that problem on my blog though, but that could be because I have a poor memory..

Here is the explanation given by Eddie Kessler, Tech Lead/Manager at Blogger on Blogger Buzz today.

Bad things sometimes happen for no particular reason, we all know that, and sometimes when it starts happening it just piles up into a big muckheap.

Hopefully we can trust the promise that the lost posts will be restored during the next few days and that this will not happen again.

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!