Now share posts on Facebook Links!

Just want to let you all know that you can now share individual posts from The Sympathetic String to your Facebook Page!! Look for the SHARE button at the bottom of each post.

Enjoy,
The Sympathetic String

"How long does this battle have to go on?"

The fallout from the blocking of three gay films at the border has reverberated across Parliament Hill. Queer MPs are universally outraged by what they see as a return to the era of Little Sister's struggles.

On Nov 20, an official with the Canada Border Services Agency flagged three films destined for Inside Out's Ottawa screenings — I Can't See Straight, Clapham Junction and Patrik, Age 1.5. The material was approved after the festival was over, and the delay left organizers scrambling to find replacement copies of the films to screen.

"It just seems so spiteful, so intolerant," says Davies. "I'm shocked that still, in this day and age, we're fighting a government who's determined to censor material for the queer community. What right do they have to do that?"

Ugandan law targeting gays is vile and hateful

The Canadian government is making its strongest defence yet of human rights for gays and lesbians, calling a proposed Ugandan law that would imprison and even execute homosexuals "vile and hateful."

The condemnation comes as Prime Minister Stephen Harper prepares to join leaders of Commonwealth countries at a meeting in Trinidad and Tobago this weekend.

The Ugandan "anti-homosexuality bill" is already spurring international calls for the country's suspension from the organization.

Peter Kent, minister of state for foreign affairs, said "Our position is that the proposed Uganda law is reprehensible, vile and hateful and it's appalling that such legislation would be brought to the parliament of a commonwealth democracy. "

... The new Chairman of the Commonwealth from Trinidad & Tobago doesn't seem much better.

CLICK HERE to read about the upcoming Commonwealth Summit.

CLICK HERE to see details about the Legal status of homosexuality worldwide as shown in the map above.

Focus on THIS family!

This movie was featured on a recent episode of In The Life, PBS's magazine show about gay, lesbian and transgendered issues.

In 1999 Reverend Greg Stewart preached about the dire need in Los Angeles County for foster and adoptive parents. Soon after, he and Stillman White, his partner of more than 20 years, opened their home to some of these children. Their priority was to keep siblings together, regardless of age, gender, or chance for success. Over the next three years, the men fostered and then adopted five children considered “at risk”and in desperate need of love and support they have never known.

CLICK HERE to visit the movie's website.

Canada Customs up to dirty tricks again

Canada's border guards are holding prints of three films destined for a gay film festival in Ottawa, and they won't release them until they've had the chance to watch them from beginning to end.

That poses a problem for Inside Out, a Toronto-based film festival with an annual Ottawa satellite program. They intended to show all three films this weekend. Without the prints, they're left scrambling to find grainy lower-quality copies to show audiences.

The gay community and the CBSA (formerly Canada Customs) have a long and checkered past. Border cops spent two decades harassing gay bookstores, with books and magazines arriving in Canada delayed by months or even shredded.

Vancouver-based bookstore Little Sister's took them to court and in 2000 won a partial victory. At the time, the Supreme Court of Canada acknowledged that material was routinely being stopped at the border because of its gay content, and ordered the government agency to stop.

Move over Cougar Town

I am a fan of the new show called Cougar Town starring Courteney Cox, but this one goes one better ... as Jimmy Kimmel explains:

Janet's new video

Despite all the hooplah around Michaels's death, Janet has released a new album that she says goes back to the upbeat, danceable, sexy stuff she did before. Watch this video and others in the Related Videos column and decide for yourself.

Battle of the Blades skates to a 2nd season

Battle of the Blades will be back for a second season, CBC Television announced Wednesday.

The series featuring world-class figure skaters coaching former NHL stars on how to figure skate will return in the fall of 2010.

The first 14-episode series was a hit with Canadians, with CBC reporting an audience of more than 1.7 million turning in for the one-hour finale on Monday. Tickets to see the skating live at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto also sold out every week.

Olympic gold medallist Jamie Salé and former Edmonton Oiler Craig Simpson won the first competition, earning $100,000 for their favourite charity, northern Alberta's Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre Society.

CLICK HERE to download the song featured in the finale as sung by Barb Underhill's daughter Sam Gaetz and Mark Masri, "Time".

"Syrup-sucking Canadian iceholes"

The city that will play host to long-track speedskating during the 2010 Winter Olympics has waded into a cross-border confrontation, offering satirical talk-show host Stephen Colbert a job for the Games — monitoring the ice time of the U.S. speedskating team.

Colbert, who recently announced he's sponsoring the cash-strapped U.S. speedskating team during the upcoming Vancouver Games, has condemned Canadians, saying they are denying the American squad ice time for training at the Olympic oval in Richmond, B.C.

On his popular TV show The Colbert Report, the comedian recently called Canadians "syrup-sucking Canadian iceholes" and urged his viewers to send in letters demanding the country cease its icehole-ish behaviour.

In response, City of Richmond spokesman Ted Townsend sent a letter of his own to Colbert's studios in New York, offering the former Daily Show correspondent an olive branch.

"We have always welcomed our friends from south of the border with open arms (well, except in 1812). In fact, we've always fondly considered you as our American 'cousins' and politely tolerated you, even when you were in an imperialistic mood."

Townsend wrote in the letter that international skaters have never been barred from the Olympic oval, though they have been asked to follow rules to get on the ice.

To show there are no hard feelings, Townsend, who calls himself "chief syrup sucker," has offered Colbert a position as ombudsman of treatment for U.S. speedskaters during the 2010 Games.

Website offers free online concerts

A new website allows music lovers to watch concerts for free online, choosing from five different camera angles as they watch.

BillboardLive.com says its new concert-viewing website offers visitors different perspectives on performances by Alicia Keys, Usher, David Archuleta, Daughtry and other artists yet to be announced.

Take a picture it will last longer

A buddy of mine has just completed a self-styled project whereby he has taken a self-portrait every day for the last year. He seems to have an endless supply of fun ideas that you will get a taste of by looking through his Flickr photostream.

Congratulations, Luc!!!

The sky is falling!

Heard some of the buzz about Hollywood’s new disaster flick 2012, that is being released today? Scientists are up in arms over the silly science gaffs and fallacies the film is filled with.

The basic premise of the movie revolves around a number of converging themes: the Mayan calendar predicting an end date of Dec.12, 2012, coupled with a rare alignment of our Sun and Earth with the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, and throw in a rogue planet that has its cross hairs on Earth. Makes for a great popcorn, sci-fi movie, but not real science. Surprisingly there are many unsuspecting folks who may actually start considering some these so called doomsday predictions for real.

This page has some links to some great in-depth analysis explaining the REAL science that the movie has managed to distort.

TV Pundit Stephen Colbert's attack on ice access brushed off by Olympic officials

Vancouver Olympic officials are defending themselves after an attack by U.S. comedian Stephen Colbert, who accused Canadians of cheating by preventing U.S. athletes from getting enough ice time on the Richmond, B.C., speedskating oval.

VANOC's Renee Smith-Valade said she gets the jokes, but the American team and all other international teams are being treated fairly.

"He's just trying to push our buttons. I like Stephen Colbert, I think he's funny," said Smith-Valade.

'I'm calling on Saskatche-whiners to unclench their frosty sphincters and let Americans on to their oval.'—U.S. comedian Stephen Colbert

The Colbert Report recently signed on as the sponsor of the U.S. speedskating team after the previous sponsor, Dutch bank DSB, went bankrupt in October.

On Thursday's show, Colbert turned his attention to the team's access to the Canadian ice.

"Those syrup suckers won't let us practice at their Olympic venues.… At the Salt Lake Games, we let the Canadian luge team take 100 practice runs ... and you know how Mormons feel about two men lying down on each other," said the tongue-in-cheek night talk-show host.

Sweat lodge survivor reveals details of tragic incident

It was supposed to be a religious awakening aimed at helping people find a new vision for life. But it wasn't long before the culmination of a $9,000+ per person retreat outside Sedona, Ariz. turned into a terrifying experience.

"People were vomiting in the stifling heat, gasping for air, and lying lifeless on the sand and gravel floor beneath them," according to 43-year-old Texas resident and participant Beverley Bunn. "One man was burned when he crawled into the rocks, seemingly unaware of what he was doing", she said. Ultimately, three people would die.

When participants exhibited weakness, Ray urged them to push past it and chided those who wanted to leave, she said.

...

People were not physically forced to stay inside but highly encouraged. "It was all about mind over matter, you're stronger than your body," Bunn said.

James Ray cancels appearances because of sweat lodge deaths.

When dozens of fans and supporters for James Arthur Ray showed up for one of his events in Toronto Wednesday night, they were greeted by a handwritten sign saying the event had been canceled.

At the time no explanation was given, but one of Ray's former mentors, Bob Proctor, apparently convinced Ray to cancel the seminar just hours before it was scheduled to start, ABC News has learned.

In a post on his Web site today, Ray said he is postponing the rest of his events for the year to help "get to the bottom" of the incident in Sedona, Ariz., earlier this month in which three people died after attending one of his seminars in a sweat lodge.

Stop Japan's Dolphin slaughter!

Dolphins being killed en masse at Futo Harbor, Japan. The red is dolphin blood.

BlueVoice Executive Director Hardy Jones is a former journalist with CBS News and UPI. He has been making television documentaries about the oceans and marine mammals in particular for more than 20 years.

"The experience of forcing Japanese fishermen to release hundreds of dolphins simply by pointing a camera at them led to the original concept of BlueVoice.org," says Jones. "The advent of the internet has given us a tool of unprecedented power to end some of the brutalities committed against marine mammals and the oceans."

While on assignment in Japan, Hardy Jones discovered and documented the ritual slaughter of wild dolphins. Watch this painful video, then visit the website to learn what you can do to help.

Europe's Real Borders

This is an interesting map. It shows the boundaries between distinct languages in Europe. Although there may be some discrepancies in it, it is easy to see how political boundaries are so different from linguistic ones.

Taming Light

What happens when a beam of light travels through transparent textured materials? If you are Alan Jaras (or Reciprocity on Flickr), you can make it refract into a gorgeous array of colors. Bridging the gap between art and science, Jaras bends, twists and turns light...like you've never seen.

These are analogue images of the refraction patterns of a beam of light passing through various transparent objects (in this case a piece of textured glass). The image is captured directly on to 35mm film, no camera lens is used ( this is a photogram using film instead of photographic paper), the transparent object replaces the lens. Colour is introduced by placing specially prepared coloured filters directly in the light beam. This is an analogue image and has not been computer generated or colour treated. The colours you see are a faithful reproduction of those captured on film.

There are several webpages with more pics:
• flickr.com
• mymodernmet.com
• neublack.com

Cool and Cooler!

Inventor/engineer James Dyson, famous for his cyclonic vacuum cleaners (you may have seen his commercials with his vacuum that can round corners), and for his uphill water fountain introduces his latest product, the bladeless air multiplier fan. It uses a system of low pressure area and suction device in the bottom to create a smooth, continuous flow of air.

Maine voters reject same-sex marriage law

Minority rights once again trampled by the majority!

Voters in the northeastern state of Maine repealed a state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed, dealing the gay rights movement a heartbreaking defeat in the corner of the country most supportive of gay marriage.

Gay marriage has now lost in every single state — 31 in all — in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gay-rights activists had hoped to buck that trend in Maine — known for its moderate, independent-minded electorate — and mounted an energetic, well-financed campaign.

With 87 per cent of the precincts reporting, gay-marriage foes had 53 per cent of the votes.

"The institution of marriage has been preserved in Maine and across the nation," declared Frank Schubert, chief organizer for the winning side.

Kissing, hugging, and touching are reasons to kill gay men and lesbians in Jamaica

Today (Oct. 30th) has been proclaimed 'Gay Eradication Day' by residents of the McGregor Gully community in East Kingston. Residents say that they will be taking action as a two-week notice given to all gays and lesbians to flee the community has now expired.

The Jamaica Star is reporting that two weeks ago, residents of McGregor Gully declared they were fed up with gay behavior, and ordered all gays to leave by today. Those who did not leave would "suffer the consequences" Those residents who are willing to admit that they are taking part in the gay rousting say they are doing it to protect their families and in an effort to keep their community from falling into disrepute. According to the residents, the main problem is a local hangout that is frequented by lesbians who "kiss, hug, and even touch each other." And the community's anger is directed mostly at those lesbians, though any gay men who reside in the area are also expected to leave. The residents say they will not stop until their community is "gay free" and are not afraid of resorting to extreme measures, though they would not explicitly say what those measures might be.

Dad will be the last one to know!

If you haven't been watching this season of The Amazing Race, you are missing out on a couple of hotties who managed finish first this week. Sam and Dan are gay, christian brothers who have just come out to the other players even before telling some members of their family.

Here are Sam and Dan:


Here is one of the competing teams on Sam and Dan coming out:

Measure for Measure

This is a clever one by Carl Mitsch of Fred Studio: a set of measuring cups shaped like matryoshka (babushka or Russian nesting dolls). They’re cute and functional! And perhaps best of all, they nest inside of one another so they don’t take up much cabinet space. At $11.95 each, they’re the perfect gift for those who love to cook … and who knows, maybe you’ll get dinner out of it, too.

Look Ma, No Hands!!!

Bicycle maker Gyrobike has invented the “Gyrowheel” — a wheel with a motor-driven gyroscope inside that helps keep it upright. The manufacturer hopes to market it as a replacement for traditional training wheels on kids’ bicycles. Nathan Barry of GeekDad writes:

It aims to replace traditional training wheels or stabilizers and to eradicate the bad habits that they teach kids when learning to ride a bike – leaning away from a turn and constantly putting a foot down at the first sign of a wobble when they’re eventually taken off. The Gyrowheel uses the “gyroscopic precession” of the independently spinning disk inside it to stabilize the bike. The force created when the disk is turned – via a rechargeable battery – is powerful enough to hold a wheel upright at very low speeds (i.e. virtually stopped), and can actually make a bike look like it has a “Ghost Rider” as the videos below show (and there are plenty more on the Gyrobike site).

Hairlairious shop names from around the world

I was lead to this site by Neatorama. There are some very punny shop names here - have a look!