Pornstar crosses the line

Francois Sagat to Give Master Class At Museum Of Arts And Design (MAD) In NYC 

It's not every day a famous gay porn star offers a master class at one of New York City's esteemed museums. But that's exactly what will take place on Saturday, November 19, at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD).

French porn star and actor Francois Sagat will lead a "a rare and intimate master class," which will include insights into "his personal career experiences [and] his approaches and processes in tackling each [of his roles]." The class is part of MAD's retrospective entitled "Francois Sagat: The New Leading Man"

Sagat, who is famous for his massive muscles (among... ahem... other parts) and a distinctive full-scalp tattoo, gained a loyal following thanks to his immensely popular porn films. But in recent years he's branched out into mainstream film.

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Inspired by the life of Jamie Hubley

Professional soccer player David Testo said he made the decision to come out after being shaken by the suicide of 15-year-old Jamie Hubley in Ottawa. Hubley was teased in school in part because he was a figure skater instead of a hockey player. That teasing drove Hubley to take his own life.

“I just couldn’t get it out of my head,” Testo said. “Why not step up and show these young kids it’s okay to be who you are and be gay and be in sports? If I can help one person, why not? I’m not doing it for myself, I’m doing it to help others. I’m not getting anything out of this. I just think it’s time in our society.”

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Baroque.me

Alexander Chen has taken the iconic prelude to Bach’s Cello Suites No. 1 and made an interactive visualization you can mess around with until the tune’s completely “Baroque.”

The orbiting dots pluck the strings, like a rotating music box.

You can grab and throw the nodes off track using your pointer, then watch as they slowly regain their orbit and the tune its rhythm.

See the video at the bottom or head to Baroque.me to play with history.


Baroque.me: J.S. Bach - Cello Suite No. 1 - Prelude from Alexander Chen on Vimeo.


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Penguins in Love

A decision by the Toronto Zoo to separate a pair of male penguins, dubbed the "gay penguins," has sparked an international outcry.

The African penguins, named Buddy and Pedro, formed a close bond while part of a "bachelor flock" at Pittsburgh’s National Aviary, Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail reported.

The penguins remained close when transferred to the Toronto Zoo, and displayed courtship and mating behavior towards each other. Because of this they were dubbed the "gay penguins," although zoo keepers said their relationship was not necessarily sexual.

“It’s a complicated issue, but they seem to be in a loving relationship of some sort,’’Joe Torzsok, chair of the Toronto Zoo's board, told the Toronto Star.

The decision to separate Buddy and Pedro was taken because the zoo wanted to breed the endangered animals and spread their good genes. But the splitting up of the "gay penguins" has resulted in a backlash from around the world, the Globe and Mail said.


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Let us make it simple ...

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Shoes in more than 3D

British artist Joe Hill drew the world's largest and longest 3D anamorphic street painting in the Canary Wharf district of London.

Nice ad, Reebok!


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BE AWARE: Electronic Pickpocketing

INSIDE EDITION Investigates Electronic Pickpocketing

Flying over Earth

Amazing imagery, although I wish I was 'flying' a bit slower !

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Shooting locations in order of appearance:
1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast at Night
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night


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Believe it or not !

Rugby player has stroke… wakes up gay and becomes hairdresser

When 19-stone rugby player Chris Birch suffered a stroke during a freak training accident, his family feared it would be a life-changing injury.


Yet while his recovery certainly brought about a transformation, it seems to have been in a way no one could have expected.


For when he regained consciousness, the 26-year-old – who was engaged to his girlfriend – claimed he had become gay.

I don't know what to make of this but click below to...

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Zachary Quinto : fully human

Now I love Zachary Quinto even MORE !   TGTBT

Actor Zachary Quinto, known for portraying Spock in the 2009 blockbuster film “Star Trek,” has publicly come out as a gay man.



In an interview with New York Magazine published on Sunday, Quinto recalled a stage play he performed in last year, “Angels in America,” which was set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic and the toll it took on him personally.

Quinto, who rose to fame playing the evil killer Sylar on the television series “Heroes,” also mused to the magazine about gay marriage and young gay teens who have committed suicide after being bullied.

He has a recurring character on the FX series “American Horror Story,” in which he plays a gay ghost.

Quinto, 34, is promoting the upcoming film “Margin Call,” which he produced and stars in as well. He will reprise the role of Spock in the another installment of the “Star Trek“ franchise, which goes into production in January.

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How Does English Sound To non-English speakers?

TO MY NON-EFL Friends:

Now we know how you feel! LOL

Something for everyone

Turn Off Your Gag Reflex by
Squeezing Your Left Thumb(unless it's already busy!)

If you have a particularly strong gag reflex, this popular dentist's trick can help distract your brain and save you the discomfort (and embarrassment) in seconds.


This isn't a new discovery, but it's one many of us hadn't heard of before, so we thought it worth sharing. 


If you're in a situation where something is setting off your gag reflex (dentist's offices are one of the most common places), just form a fist with your left hand, squeezing your thumb. 


The folks over at Reddit's Ask Science forum deliberate as to why this is, and they point to a 2008 study that shows it to be effective—not to mention lots of anecdotal evidence on the internet—but whether it's an effect of the nerves in your hand or just a distraction, it looks like it's a pretty useful trick.

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Look Deep into My Eye ...

In this world of Photoshop and online scams, it pays to have a hearty dose of skepticism at reports of something strange — including an albino fetal shark with one eye smack in the middle of its nose like a Cyclops.


But the Cyclops shark, sliced from the belly of a pregnant mama dusky shark caught by a commercial fisherman in the Gulf of California earlier this summer, is by all reports the real thing. Shark researchers have examined the preserved creature and found that its single eye is made of functional optical tissue, they said last week. It's unlikely, however, that the malformed creature would have survived outside the womb.



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The Look of Love

Can't blame a guy for dreaming a little!

Pretend it’s Friday night, you’re in a bar and you are people-watching. It’s dim in here but what do you see? 

Strangers exchanging glances with each other from across the crowded room? 

Their eyes meeting?

Eye contact being established?

A look that is held a bit longer? 

...the game of love has begun. 

A man peers around the room and becomes suddenly intrigued by a person returning his glance. The glance turns into a gaze. Initially beautiful, now the magnetism of prolonged eye contact has amplified attractiveness.

People perceive people as more attractive when they are engaged in eye contact with us and when they shift their direction of gaze towards us [Mason et al in 2005]. 

This directed gaze signals interest so we find them even more appealing. In other words, if someone who you find attractive locks eyes with you, they automatically go up a notch on your love barometer.

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See v Observe

Sherlock Holmes isn’t what you’d call a traditional psychologist. In fact, he isn’t even real (despite the letters that to this day arrive at 221B Baker Street). But we’d be well advised, as decision makers who want to gain better insight into our minds and the processes that lie behind our choices, to take a few pages from the playbook of Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation.

Sherlock Holmes teaches us to be constantly mindful of our surroundings

If you're crazy, maybe you live in a city.

The fact is that there is a higher concentration of psychiatric illness in the city than in the country. There is increased risk for anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. 

Of course, there are lots of possible reasons for this. There is a greater socioeconomic divide in cities, and people of low socio-economic class have a higher risk for psychiatric disease. There is also better access to health care in cities, and someone who might pass as just “very odd” in the country is more likely to get diagnosed in the city. Finally, it is often easier to function in a city with a severe mental illness, with some better access to shelter, care, and emergency medicine.

But there is also some evidence that living in a city can “bring on” mental disorders. 

While many mental disorders are thought to have a genetic component to some degree, the addition of stress may be able to bring out an underlying mental illness. And of course, cities are stressful. 

Specifically, cities produce social stress, the stress of living around and being seen (or feeling you’re being seen) by lots of people, constantly.

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Is it just my eyes?

Yes ... it IS just your eyes!

 This image is not actually moving

Be forewarned if you are subject to severe visual motion sickness! (Linda)

The apparent movement in this static image is called the 

Fraser-Wilcox Illusion, 

and you can see more examples of it 

H E R E

Fire from ICE

This guy will teach you how to start a fire with just clear ice. Think of it as Basic Wilderness Survival Bushcraft

Stunning data visualization

This video ... and the technology it describes ... is
Blow-Your-Mind COOL !

Dive into the brain, feel electron spin, hear the music of the elements ... and detect previously unseen patterns that could lead to new discoveries.

... to bring together arts. science and engineering into a new age of math, science and art.

JoAnn Kuchera-Morin demos the AlloSphere, a new way to see, hear and interpret scientific data. 

 

GoogleTrike rides into Canada

Jonathan Chang, 27, rides the Google Street View trike around
Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto. (Amber Hildebrandt/CBC News)

After photographing cities around the world with its fleet of camera-mounted cars for Google Street View, it is now deploying tricycles to tackle locations otherwise inaccessible.

"Basically this gets us off the roads and onto trails, university campuses, hopefully theme parks, places like that, that let people experience and really get inside those places on Google Maps," says Mike Pegg, a senior product marketing manager with Google.

Unlike the cars traversing publicly accessible streets, the harder-to-reach locations targeted by the trike are often located on private property and require special permission to photograph.

Google didn't immediately reveal specific locations photographed by the camera-mounted trike in Canada, saying it was still awaiting permission to release details about the private locations.

The company later released a list of 17 locations visited in Toronto and in nearby areas, including Toronto Island, Canada's Wonderland, Hamilton's McMaster University and a number of conservation areas.

Guitar Oscillations Captured with iPhone 4

There are a few theories as to why we see this effect, but the most sensible seems to be interaction between the vibrations and the 'shutter speed' of the iPhone's camera. Whatever causes it, it's really cool!

OPEN LETTER TO STEPHEN COLBERT

The following letter was posted by me today in the community forum of The Colbert Nation website today:

TV Pundit and Class Clown Stephen Colbert proudly flies the
LGBT Community's Pride Flag UPSIDE-DOWN!

UPSIDE-DOWN Gay Pride Flag ?!? ... SCURRILOUSSSSS
(Colbert Report: July 21, 2011)

Dear Mr. Colbert,

I have watched your show since its inception (ie. idea was planted in the sleeping American Public's mind) for no other reason than to get mad at you for the heterosexist War you continue to wage against the LGBT/Gay community.

You have pissed me off in the past with your turgid tirades against gay rights and the losing battle (Ha Ha!) against gay marriage, but THIS TAKES THE (beautifully decorated) CAKE!

HOW DARE YOU display the LGBT flag upside-down in your recent piece about/against teaching gay history in schools?!? (See the episo)

I cannot believe that this was merely an oversight on the part of your Graphics team. No, rather, I am now convinced that such deep-seated disdain for the LGBT Community are really just pathetic attempts to obfuscate your own same-sex attractions.
Come out of the closet Stephen and stop looking at the Gay Pride Flag as if you were hanging upside-down in a kinky restraint device in your basement!

If you don't stop disrespecting the LGBT Community, we may be forced to organize a fun and colourful march to protest you, your medieval attitudes and perverse propaganda, STEPHEN!

Truculently Yours,
iDouglas
(Ottawa, Canada)


FOLLOW THIS LINK to the correct version of the Internationally accepted LGBT Community Flag

OR HERE FOR THE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE

VIEW THE OFFENDING EPISODE IN CANADA HERE

This is how the LBGT Pride Flag SHOULD appear!

The True North GAY and Free!!!

Obama officially ends ban on gays in military

United States Marines attend a training session to familiarize them with the military's new position regarding gay and lesbian service members and the repeal of the don't ask, don't tell policy at Camp Pendleton. (Lenny Ignelzi/The Associated Press)

Last Friday, President Barack Obama fulfilled a 2008 campaign pledge and formally ended the ban on gays in the military. 

After meeting with Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the president certified to Congress that repealing the ban would not jeopardize the military's ability to fight.

"As commander in chief, I have always been confident that our dedicated men and women in uniform would transition to a new policy in an orderly manner that preserves unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness," Obama said in a statement. "Service members will no longer be forced to hide who they are in order to serve our country."

Obama's action means that effective Sept. 20, gay service members will be able to openly acknowledge their sexual orientation. And it opens the door for those discharged over the past 17 years under Clinton's policy to re-apply to the military and possibly serve again.

Public Health, Private Lives

I watched this show on CBC yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see the story of Dr. Jeff Myers, his work and the depiction of his same-sex relationship.

• WATCH THE VIDEO

Dr. Jeff Myers (left) with palliative care patient Donald Burnett.(CBC)Jeff Myers runs the palliative care program at Sunnybrook and is a driving force behind palliative care in Canada. He passionately believes in a dignified end of life, and that how we treat the chronically ill and dying reflects on all of us.

He is a strong believer that every Canadian should have access to outstanding pain symptom management. He sees his role as that of an advocate in the field of palliative care — to make it more visible, credible and understood. He's worked in palliative care since 1999.

Myers admits that there is an emotional toll to his job. He never allows himself to "lose it" in front of his patients but when alone or with his husband — Jeremy — he allows himself to grieve. However, what keeps him going is the chance to witness moments of amazing humanity.

Myers is also an assistant professor and the newly appointed associate head of the University of Toronto's Division of Palliative Care.

OutGames 2011 in Vancouver this week

2nd GLISA North America Outgames
Vancouver 2011 | July 25th - July 31st

This continental event will include multi-sport elements supported by the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association [ GLISA ]. 

A key component to the games is the Human Rights Conference with workshops on diversity, and an awards ceremony recognizing individuals and corporations that have influenced LGBT rights. Additional elements include Cultural Activities and Opening and Closing ceremonies. 

Come enjoy one of the many events taking place during Pride Week! 

Don’t miss being part of one of the largest events happening in Vancouver this summer. With upwards of 1,000 athletes and participants expected in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, this is definitely going to be a week to remember!

OutGames

OutGames bring together lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) athletes from around the world in unprecedented numbers for a celebration of sport, culture and human rights. In the spirit of true inclusiveness, the OutGames are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation. 

OutGames Core Elements

Sport
Each OutGames has a sport component offering 8-10 sport disciplines at the Continental level and 30-35 sport disciplines at a World OutGames level. OutGames include events for everyone, from seasoned athletes to recreational participants. Which sports are included in an OutGames, is determined by both the Host City and GLISA and can be flexible to include sports that are regional or continental favourites.

Culture/Celebrations
Cultural activities include music, dance and social activities, such as country and western dance, marching bands, concert bands, big bands, colour guard, cheerleading, choral festivals and leather events to name a few. The events range from participatory to observatory and judged and non judged. All OutGames also include Opening and Closing Celebrations featuring dance, music, song, choreography and athleticism.

Human Rights Conference
World OutGames will play host to an International Conference on LGBT Human Rights, where delegates from every continent will come together for workshops and discussions led by internationally respected leaders in human rights, researchers, legal scholars and trade organisations.

Although the specific components of each OutGames vary slightly to reflect the priorities of the Host City’s region or continent, there are similar components to each set of OutGames. We provided a general overview here of the core elements of World and Continental OutGames, to see the specific components of any of the upcoming OutGames we encourage you to view the links on either the World or Continental OutGames pages under OutGames on the menu.

Manly Men + Balls

Here are a couple of funny videos extolling the virtues of Rugby - the manliest of all sports.

Rugby - by Dead Cat Bounce

The Gay Who Wasn't Gay Enough   

Here is a link to Ottawa's Gay Rugby Team The Ottawa Wolves Rugby Football Club.

I'm So Straight

Thought this video was hilarious!

Life imitates Apple

It’s an Apple store!
Or is it? 

They looked like Apple products. It looked like an Apple store. It had the classic Apple store winding staircase and weird upstairs sitting area. 

The employees were even wearing those blue t-shirts with the chunky Apple name tags around their necks.

This story has been propelled into the online world from the moment it first appeared by the original blog (post title link) - it has been only a couple of days and this story has been covered on BBC, Wall Street Journal, and even the Toronto Star.

Someone in Kunming, China has created this store to an exacting degree. Apple doesn't recognize them or the products they are selling. Will be interesting to see what happens.

Hand-Drawn Holograms

This is a really cool effect that I find rather baffling.

Reading the site's explanation : chatoyant holography : helped me get a better understanding, though.

CHANCE FAVORS THE *CURIOUS, PLAYFUL* MIND

Sports stars show their support

OUT magazine has gathered together a beautiful series of images "of straight sports stars who have stood up for fairness and tolerance, shoulder-to-shoulder with their LGBT peers."

Ben Cohen, Hudson Taylor, Michael Irvin, Mike Chabala, and Nick Youngquest

The world of pro sports is notoriously unwelcoming to out athletes, one of the last bastions of homophobia. From hate-filled fans to teammates who won’t share the showers to bigoted sportscasters, the toxic environment can ruin a career or even end a life. But at the vanguard of a move to change that is a small band of straight sports stars who have stood up for fairness and tolerance, shoulder-to-shoulder with their LGBT peers. Here, we salute them.

CLICK ON THE POST TITLE to see the whole series.

My favourite books set to music

The Tales of the City series are my favourite books of all time! They capture a time that many people who survived the 70's look back at fondly. I loved the PBS mini-series [ IMDB ] as well, so I hope and pray that this musical does it justice.

---

Tales of the City refers to a series of eight novels written by American author Armistead Maupin. The stories from Tales were originally serialized prior to their novelization, with the first four titles appearing as regular installments in the San Francisco Chronicle, while the fifth appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. The last three titles were never serialized, but were instead originally written as novels.

Now, three decades after Armistead Maupin mesmerized millions with his daily column in the city's newspapers, his iconic San Francisco saga comes home as a momentous new musical. Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City unleashes an exuberant celebration of the irrepressible spirit that continues to define our City by the Bay.

The series opens with the arrival of Mary Ann Singleton, a naive young woman from Cleveland, Ohio, who went on vacation to San Francisco and impulsively decides to stay. She finds an apartment at 28 Barbary Lane, the domain of the eccentric marijuana-growing landlady Anna Madrigal. Mary Ann becomes friends with other tenants of the building: the hippyish bisexual Mona Ramsey; heterosexual lothario Brian Hawkins; the sinister and cagey roof tenant Norman Neal Williams; and Michael Tolliver, a sweet and personable gay man known to friends as Mouse (as in Mickey Mouse).

Beyond the house, lovers and friends guide Mary Ann through her San Franciscan adventures: Edgar Halcyon, Mary Ann's and Mona's boss; Edgar's socialite daughter DeDe Halcyon-Day; and DeDe's scheming bisexual husband Beauchamp Day all provide a glimpse into a more affluent Californian class, while Mrs. Madrigal's mother and owner of the Blue Moon Lodge brothel, Mother Mucca, brings mystery and comic relief. Mona's ex-lover, D'orothea Wilson, returns from a modelling assignment in New York, while Michael's lover and DeDe's gynecologist, Jon Fielding, becomes part of the social group. Michael's lovers later in the series include Thack Sweeney and the significantly younger Ben.

Here is the first part of the PBS series on YouTube