The Swedish Wiener Incident

Lars Ohly, is the former party chairman of the Swedish Left Party (Vänsterpartiet), a socialist and feminist political party in Sweden. He is also a fan and supporter of  the English Premier League football (soccer for you Yanks) club Liverpool FC and a user of Instagram.

Two days ago Ohly proudly put up a picture on Instagram of the new Liverpool tattoo on the calf, of his left leg without thoroughly checking the picture he had taken first. As it turned out the picture happened to show more than he intended. Parts of his... ehmmmm... "junk" was showing in the picture.

The censored version

The picture provoked instant reactions from some of his followers.

Carl Bildt, the Swedish Foreign Minister congratulated him on Twitter for the fact that he had "finally made his breakthrough in social media after trying so many years".

Håkan Juholt, former party chairman of The Swedish Social Democratic Party, sent a text message to Ohly informing him that he - after seeing the picture - had changed his barbeque plans "from wieners to chicken".

Comedian Al Pitcher wrote: ”I think Lars Ohly showed loads of balls to admit he supports Liverpool”.

Comedian Robin Paulsson wrote: "The Left gained 7 centimetres in the latest opinion polls thanks to Lars Ohly"

You want the uncensored picture I hear you crying, my dear readers. I think I may have spoilt you too much, but I cannot be so cruel as to deny you this small favor.

The uncensored version

Ohly has since removed the picture, but seems to take all the attention he has gotten with lots of humor noting that he has gained many new followers and that his wife has told him that she will have to check all the pictures he uploads in the future.

SCOOP: Spanki In Clothes

I am aware that I will be accused of photoshopping when I choose to publish this extremely rare expose showing hottie Spanki Moulliez actually wearing clothes.

Let me assure you, I do not have Photoshop installed and I was as surprised as ya'll are by this sight that met me at Butch Diavolo's set at Q-Lounge today.

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.

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!

"Catch 22" (Updated with Dex's response)

Its election time for the Second Pride board of 2014. The candidates have now declared themselves and have also posted their initial statements, see Second Pride website.

I was pleased to see that there was a good mix of old and experienced members and many newcomers, so it looks as if it will be a thrilling election. The candidates for chairman are of course those that usually always attract the most attention, as this position is important and essential for the overall results and efficiency of the board.

This year one of the candidates for chairman has been unlucky enough to be surrounded by rumors pertaining to his work during the previous board and he has also gained the support from an extremely vicious anonymous blogger.

Elections can be very ugly and negative campaigning if sometimes chosen by candidates. The difference this time however is that the candidate most affected has not spoken out himself on the rumors surrounding his candidacy and the support he has been getting from an infamous blogger who, under the cloak of anonymity, has launched vicious personal attacks against parts of the board of 2013 and other members of the LGBT community in SecondLife.

The rumors and the support could come from enemies or friends of this particular candidate and I kept getting stuck in a whirlwind of pro's and con's when thinking of this and considering who would or could do this or that and why, so finally I felt it would be most fair to asked the candidate himself what he had to say. This was especially necessary for me as I have not had any close personal contact with Dextrum Boucher earlier and only know him by name.

Dextrum Boucher,
courtesy of
the Second Pride website

Today I posted these questions to Dextrum, Community Relations Director on the 2013 board and now candidate for chairman on the 2014 board of Second Pride.

"Dex, 

First let me say that I welcome your candidacy to the board as I believe the members are best served by a board consisting of people with previous experience and people with new ideas.

I must however admit that your candidacy for chairman has raised some questions in my mind, that I feel would be fair to give you the opportunity to respond to before making up my mind.

1. I believe that elected officials have an obligation towards the community that have elected them into office. This obligation mean – in my opinion – that the electee should serve the full term for which they have been elected as well as do their utmost to fulfill the reasonable expectations on the office together with the other members of the board.

You were elected as a Community Relations Director for the board of 2013.

Sometimes midterm for the board of 2013 I was reached by worrying rumors that you no longer served on the board or that you had in fact stepped down for some unnamed reason. I also noticed, as a frequent visitor to the open board meetings, that you were absent from the board meetings for a good while.

a) How do you see the electees responsibilities towards the community that has elected them?

b) Were the rumors that reached me, about you not being active or that you had de facto stepped down, true?

c) If so, what were the circumstances that made you decide to take such an action?

2. As you know there is an anonymous blogger calling himself/herself/themselves “Kharfest” who was – during the weeks immediately preceding the Second Pride Festival and afterwards – extremely busy with vicious and extremely personal attacks against members of the 2013 board and others in the LGBT community. The only one who has received praise from Kharfest is you. Kharfest has also openly supported your candidacy as chairman for the 2014 board of Second Pride.

a) What is your opinion of the attacks by Kharfest against other members of the 2013 board, especially those against Kharissa Indigo and Doc Spad?

b) How do you react to the fact that this infamous blogger so completely supports your candidacy as chairman of the 2014 board ?

—

I am sorry if you feel the questions I have asked to be unreasonable or unfair to ask you, but I truly believe that it is better to give you the opportunity to respond on these matters, which I believe can be on other peoples minds also when contemplating their position to your candidacy.

Yours sincerely 

Bock McMillan

---

DEXTRUM BOUCHERsays:July 24, 2013 at 1:08 AM

Bock,
I think I can provide easy answer to allay your concerns on these matters. Since you asked may questions and numbered them, I will, for the sake of clarity respond in the same fashion.

1a. I think board members are responsible to the community in many ways. They are entrusted with the hopes and ideas of the community at large. I think one of the largest failings of any candidate would be to use the old line “you can’t please everyone.” In doing so, they allude to the idea that it is not even worth trying. Thus I think it is important that we stay ever vigilant to make sure we are not only serving and answering the current members of the organization, but also all broader community of future potential members.

1b&c. Rumor are rumors, and most of the time they contain little truth. My attendance record is posted in the minutes. I missed fewer meetings than many others on the board. This can been seen be a review of the minutes. I was also one of the most ideologically active board members. This was important in many of the big debates that were held during the transitions that has faced our organization over the past year. I think this experience will prove valuable to me as chair. This board held together better than any in the past with all members serving out their full terms. We did what we did for the community, and we made it through it all together.

2a. As I stated in a response on the blog itself, I find the attacks to be disgusting. Rather than restate my opinion here, I will simply repost what I posted directly to Kharfest on their blog and to my facebook account in response, as I understand many may not have seen it.
The following is my statement taken from the mentioned blog:

Dextrum Boucher, June 18, 2013 at 8:06 PM

” I have long resisted responding to blogs. I have never really taken interest in what people have to say, but this blog has gone too far. Your facts are off. If you are indeed concerned Khar and Doc are ruining Second Pride, you have little to worry about, as they are term-limted out after this term. I AM a member of the pride board and I have been working with Doc and Khar throughout the year of planning this festival. We have not always agreed on everything, but at the end of the day, they have always compromised and we have found solutions together. This year’s festival has been wonderfully executed, thanks to a team of hard working people on the Second Pride Board, Doc and Khar included. Overall, they leave a great legacy for this organization and have, with the rest of the board, set the bar higher for all festivals to come.
I have often said to our critics that Second Pride is a democracy, anyone having an problem is free to come to the meetings and be heard, they are free to run for election, but democracy requires participation. I find it funny that our most ardent critics are often the least involved. Democracy also requires responsibility. Hiding behind a mask is NOT, nor will it ever be the act of a responsible member of the community, who is interested in a civil and informed discourse, rather it is the act of a coward wishing to subvert the machinery of discourse to harm others, and this is a cruel and evil act.
You may have your wish next year, Khar and Doc will indeed not be on the board, but you will find the new board will be no more sympathetic to your cause than the previous one was, and you will still be the same, pathetic coward, hiding behind a monitor.
This is not an outright condemnation, I realize that something must have hurt you badly, and I honestly do wish you a full and happy life, one that will heal the sadness and hurt that obviously drives you to such actions. You must however realize that your negative and cowardly actions toward the good people of our community are both ridiculous and without merit
Sincerely,
Dextrum Boucher
Community Relations Chair, Second Pride Festival Board ”

2b. As to the subject of his endorsement, I outright and firmly reject it. In fact it would not make sense if the person were indeed trying to help me, they have done a rather poor job, which is a point I think we could all agree on. This person is no more a friend of mine than they are of Khar and Doc. I would go further to say that this sort of shadowy discourse is the enemy of freedom of expression. I cannot speak to this person’s intent, as I do not know their identity, but I certainly cannot be held responsible for every psycho that picks up a banner and waves it. This person will receive no more sympathy or aid from me in their goals than they did from anyone else. I have for the most part kept silent on the issue as I have found that it is best to avoid feeding sad trolls. We must simply reject them and walk away, which is what I did in my post. Maybe they misread it, or they feel the need to use my name to grant the some legitimacy or to troll up more division in our organizations. But there are no consequences for those who are faceless, so scolding and arguing with them will not likely solve any problems, and blaming people without proof is never a just action.

In conclusion, I do not feel your questions are out of line. To tie into a point made earlier, as board members, we are responsible to answer to those who elect us.
- Dex 

7/22 Remember the Victims

"Utøya, 20110726. Kveldsutsikt"
Photo courtesy of Eirik Helland Urke / Dagbladet

"If one man can show so much hate, imagine how much love we all can show together." 
Helle Gannestad in a tweet on July 23, 2011.

Two years have today passed since a single, determined, right-wing extremist with delusions of grandeur killed 8 people in Oslo city centre and 69 adults and children on the island of Utøya in Norway.

If you are able, please take the time to visit the Stavkirken (SLurl) (updated) in Second Norway to honor the memory of the victims.

Another Pet Peeve: Tinting Skin

Let me start this post by posting a (somewhat shortened) conversation I had with my dear friend Starlight Gentil today. The conversation reminded me of how long I have had this pet peeve.

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: Hey Bock ! thank you for the invite ....  I'll be there ! yay !! hugs Star

Bock McMillan: YAY! You're so welcome sweetie, so happy we will see each other  again!

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: :)))

Bock McMillan: Now begone please, I have to fit a bulge on my swimsuit and get the skin color  on the penis bit right... LOL

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: OMG !! haha ...I'm picturing that !!

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: Enjoy!!

Bock McMillan: ROFL - I cannot understand why the stores don't hand out cards with the RGB of the skins: Would that be so damned difficult?

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: Haha... you do make me smile :)))

Bock McMillan: It's pet peeve of mine, drat the merchants

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: Can you imagine telling peeps at work on Monday what you did on Sunday >?

Bock McMillan: LOL nooooooooooooo

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: Exactlyyyy .haha. But these are such important issues here

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: OK I'll be gone and let you start tinting ^^

Bock McMillan: It's a crazy world we are living in sweetie, can you believe we are here by choice?

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: We're all weirdos .. who cares ..just enjoy

Bock McMillan: Haha will do! See you soon! Ohhh by the way this conversation is going on the blog....

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: Oops ! ;D

Bock McMillan: ROFL

s ţ α rℓ ίg ђ ţ: grinz

No, it's not my own "attachment"

Ever since I rezzed in SecondLife some 6 + years ago I have had a problem with tinting the skin of penises, or rather six days after I rezzed. Before that I was hanging around at the arrival place trying to get myself to look half-decent.

Can you imagine what the first thing I looked for in Inventory was once I had seen myself naked? Yup, you got it - a penis. I couldn't for the life of me understand the cruelty of people letting a male avatar rez without having a penis handy, not even a flaccid one. "Damn holier-than-thou Yanks" I thought and then calmed myself with the thought that surely there must be a solution to this major malfunction.

Well, within an hour of venturing out of the arrival place, I had been handed three atrocious penises by male avatars who wanted me to service them. The penises were absolutely ugly, both in shape and especially coloring.  Is there really anything uglier in the whole world than a mismatched penile-attachment?

This problem has remained all through my SecondLife. While Ars lived he would help me with tinting, but since he passed away I am on my own with this and not doing great I am not afraid to tell you.

One of the earliest skins I bought in SecondLife was the Dante skin, I think it was sold by something called Naughty Designs. That skin came with a flaccid penis matched to the skin tone, but other than that I have only encountered  one more merchant that supplied skins with penises and that is The Fallen Gods, who supply penile-attachments free of charge in the correct tints.

The skin tinting problem used to be only a problem for male avatars, women did not have similar appendages - as we all knew long before we took Biology 101. That was true until mesh came along, with mesh feet and shoes that need to be matched with the skin the problem is now one that both genders struggle with.

Skin-merchants, when will you take responsibility and realize that it is a serious problem for residents because it is so difficult to properly match the skin of the body with the skin of the penis and other attachments? Why the hell can't you supply us with a card telling us the RGB of the skin  or a texture so that we can tint our penises and other attachments with some ease?