His Teddy Bears

 

Ars really loved teddy bears, we had them all over the place and I got a new one for every rezday, birthday, Christmas and any other occasion.

Ars´s sister Debbie told me it was the same in his first life. When Ars father and Debbie were emptying the house where he had been living for several years, they found a room completely filled with teddy bears.

I have put out a lot of the bears at the memorial place on Southern Charm and yesterday I just felt like sitting down among them and together with them wait for his return. 

I miss him so it hurts sometimes, while other days I can think of him with joy and great pride. I guess some would call it ixiotic behavior but I just cannot let go - not yet.

Tell PayPal: Stop Supporting Hate Groups!

PayPal officially states that its users “may not use the PayPal service for activities that [...] promote hate, violence, racial intolerance” but PayPal has become a favorite payment service for anti-LGBT extremists all over the world.

Thanks to PayPal, it's easier than ever to send and receive money across currencies and continents - but it is also PayPal's responsibility to make sure this technology doesn't fall in the wrong hands. Anti-LGBT extremists all over the world are currently using PayPal to fund raise for their dangerous cause.

Not only is it against PayPal's rules to promote promote "hate, violence, [and] racial intolerance," hate groups also damage PayPal's brand and credibility.

We ask that PayPal join the fight against online hate and immediately shut down the accounts of anti-LGBT extremist groups using the service. PayPal must act immediately to shut down their accounts and ban all sites that promote anti-LGBT hate.

I would like to encourage all LGBT people, and all our heterosexually challenged friends, to sign the petition against the hate trade here PayPal, End the Online Hate Trade. You also have the possibility to tell PayPal why you are taking this action.

The Naming of A Child

Today I am invited to the first life naming ceremony of one of my grandnieces. Although Sweden is a rather secularized country most still choose to christen their children in religious ceremonies.

As the darned atheist I am, I was therefore very happy to receive an invitation to a non-religious naming ceremony for the first time.

The first thing I thought of when the invitation arrived was this mighty memory from my childhood. The clip comes from the television series "Roots", based on the novel by Alex Haley, and shows us the naming of the main character Kunta Kinte by his father Omoro. Roots was huge in Sweden in the early 1980´s.

Update on the SP 2011 Photo Contest

Photo by Bock McMillan

I have informed you about the Second Pride Festival, 1st Annual Photo Contest earlier (see post).

I got the following note card in the Second Pride group on September 15th, 2011.

"Dear Members,

We received a huge number of creative submissions for the Second Pride 2011 Festival Photo Contest.

In fact, because there were so many great pictures to choose from, we’ve decided

1/ to delay the official announcement of the winners until September 30th

2/ to give a few additional rewards 

As planned, the winner will receive L$ 3,000 and will be published on front-cover of Prism. But 2nd, 3rd and 4th best pictures will also receive L$ 1,000 and will be published in Prism.The best pictures received will be published in Prism as well. 

For those interested in seeing the photos submitted, please visit:http://www.flickr.com/groups/1698746@N21/pool/   (you will need a Flickr account and join the group) 

The pictures we received are wonderful examples of what can be done when the LGBT Community decides to work together, hand in hand. We truly enjoyed reviewing all of the contest submissions, and look forward to seeing more of your creations in the future!

We’re planning a new photo contest very soon and of course you can get ready for the Festival 2012 photo contest. 

Thank you everyone!

Sincerely! 

Pierrick Lubitsch"

---

I wish everyone taking part in the contest the best of luck!

For the Gagaists

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett shout-out to an old Sinatra-classic.

The World According to the Internet

Created by The Oxford Internet Institute (OII)

I found this interesting and thought provoking map on Joe.My.God. Click it to enlarge.

What struck me first was that I had no idea that 41-50 % of the Chinese population had access to the Internet. 41 percent would mean that at least 550 millions of the country's total population of 1,4 billions.

The second observation was that Africa has no real presence on the Internet yet, except for in the far north and the far south of the continent.

Thirdly, I wondered out loud, "Where the fuck is Norway?"

In a comment on Joe.My.God., someone said that almost all Internet users in Brazil and Venezuela are gay, so now I am wondering if that really can be true?

If it is, I sure am going there for vacations next time. This phrase may finally be useful if I decide to go, "Ei você hunk bonita de um homem, eu posso jogar com o seu Internet depois?"

We Should Also Remember

After the day of remembrance for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York, it is only fair that we also take the time to remember the casualties of the post-911 era.

We must remember all the American soldiers that have fallen in the wars on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq and all the civilian casualties in both those wars.

May they all rest in peace!