Abracadabra ... Mormons are now gay!

Feb 16, 2012 - The discovery this week of a proposed posthumous baptism for Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel ( Romanian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, Holocaust survivor and author of 57 books ) - who is alive - has revived a longstanding controversy surrounding the Mormon Church's practice of performing "saving ordinances" on behalf of its members' non-Mormons ancestors.

After The Huffington Post broke the story, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints moved quickly to assure Wiesel that it wouldn't allow a baptism—before or after his death. But the incident had already dragged Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney into an escalating, semi-informed debate that's bobbed in and out of public consciousness for nearly two decades.

The practice of posthumous baptism has been part of the church's theology almost since its founding. But since Jewish leaders first expressed concern in 1995 that the ordinances were being performed for Holocaust victims—a perceived affront to Jewish pride and heritage—the Mormon Church has made efforts to keep those names out of their temples.

READ THE FULL STORY ...

As a response to this revelation - and in the wake of the Mormon Church funding the defeat of Prop 8 which made same-sex marriage illegal again in California - the following website now offers similar rites for Mormons!

Sadly, many Mormons throughout history have died without having known the joys of homosexuality. With your help, these poor souls can be saved. 

Simply enter the name of your favorite dead Mormon* in the form below and click Convert! Presto, they're gay for eternity. There is no undo. 

Don't know any dead Mormons? Click the "Choose-a-Mormon" button and we'll find one for you. 

You're welcome!     

CONVERT A MORMON HERE ...

Living a Gay Life

Zachary Quinto

Long rumored to be gay, the actor, most famous for his roles on "Heroes" and in the recent "Star Trek" film, came out in a October 2011 New York magazine profile, saying:

"In light of Jamey's [Rodemeyer] death -- it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it -- is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality. Our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country." 

Ottawa's first steps to be "Suicide Safer"

Hundreds of people representing more than 40 organizations gathered at Ben Franklin Place for the launch of the Community Suicide Prevention Network's three-year plan to build a "Suicide Safer Ottawa".

Billed as the city's first summit on youth suicide prevention, the event featured politicians, health care leaders, educators and young people. The goal of the event was to bring Ottawans together to talk about what was already in place and what will be needed to be in the future to help prevent youth suicide, an issue that has captured local and provincial attention in recent months.

READ MORE ...

The “Know What to Do” guide and other valuable information is available online here or at www.facebook.com/preventingsuicide.

 Copies of the guide can be ordered from the Ottawa Public Health Information Line at:   

613-580-6744, TTY: 613-580-9656,  

Toll free: 1-866-426-8885 

Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm.

No one should ever suffer alone. We’re just one call away.

24/7 Crisis Line

613-260-2360 or
1-877-377-7775 (toll free for Eastern Ontario)

Silence = Death 2.0

What would you do if you were old, disabled or ill - and the person feeding you put down the spoon and said that you are going to hell unless you change your sexual preference?       

         Sound absurd?

         Social workers around the world say  it’s happening every day.

         Gen Silent is the critically-acclaimed documentary from filmmaker Stu Maddux that asks six LGBT seniors if they will hide their friends, their spouses- their entire lives in order to survive in the care system.

Watch the Trailer here ...

Dying Regrets

Bronnie Ware, the author of this article, worked in palliative care for many years. Her patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. She was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. 

Read the whole article here ...


Based on this article, Bronnie has now released a full-length book, titled The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. It is a memoir of her own life and how it was transformed by the regrets of dying people. It may be ordered through bookstores worldwide or from Balboa Press. 

It is also available via this link

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.

We DO exist!

Photo by Semco Salehi

“Iranian queers do exist,” said Arsham Parsi, executive director of the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees. “We want to raise awareness for (their) rights.”

Arsham Parsi

Through his Toronto-based organization, Parsi has helped bring more than 50 gay, lesbian and transgendered Iranian refugees to Canada since he fled the country himself in 2005.

Homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran. Its ultra-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once proclaimed there were no gay people in the country. It’s an atmosphere that puts even relatives of gay Iranians at risk; Parsi’s family had to move to Turkey after his activism led to threats against them.

Secret Video captures Usama Bin Laden's last moments

This is the part of the story that you didn't see on Anderson Cooper! ;-)

Gay teens benefit from supportive environment

LGB-Supportive environment reduces risk by 20%, study suggests

Gay teens are much less likely to attempt suicide when they live in a supportive social environment — such as having gay and lesbian groups at school — compared with those who do not, a U.S. study suggests.

Several international studies have found higher attempted suicide rates among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth compared with heterosexuals. Overall, suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 24, researchers say.

The study in Monday's issue of the journal Pediatrics found LBG youth living in a social environment more supportive of gays and lesbians were 20 per cent less likely to attempt suicide than LGB youth living in environments that were less supportive.

The only gay in the Stone Age village

I have always ascribed to the idea that homosexuals serve an important role in human culture.

It just makes sense to me that both Hunters and Gatherers would benefit from having non-hetero Members of their community. Homosexual liaisons would have allowed Hunters to stay away from the community longer, and reduce male-male conflict. Similarly, the Gatherers would benefit from having a male's strength while not creating a sexual threat within the all-female environment.

The same principles could be applied to female homosexuals as well.

Well, 5,000 years after he died, the first known gay caveman has emerged into the daylight.

According to archaeologists, the way he was buried suggests that he was of a different sexual persuasion.


The skeleton of the late Stone Age man, unearthed during excavations in the Czech Republic, is said to date back to between 2900 and 2500 BC.

During that period, men were traditionally buried lying on their right side with the head pointing towards the west; women on their left side with the head facing east.

In this case, the man was on his left side with his head facing west. Another clue is that men tended to be interred with weapons, hammers and flint knives as well as several portions of food and drink to accompany them to the other side.

Women would be buried with necklaces made from teeth, pets, and copper earrings, as well as domestic jugs and an egg-shaped pot placed near the feet.

The ‘gay caveman’ was buried with household jugs, and no weapons.

... just tax the STUPID people !!!

... A favourite quote from my favourite episode of Absolutely Fabulous! ~ video below ~

I was one of the first people I know to ever object to stupid people walking down the sidewalk while texting, obviously oblivious to their surroundings and the people in them.

I jumped for joy when Ontario first banned the use of cellphones while driving - although just yesterday I saw a driver on Bank St. with a phone to his ear.

Never did I dare dream that reason would eventually triumph over stupidity.

Come on cellphone users, no matter what you think, you CANNOT walk, talk, drive, or even listen when you are using your phone! WAKE UP!

Or maybe we should just let the stupid people kill themselves off by walking into traffic.

Below is a link to an audio clip from CBC Radio:

CBC News - World - AUDIO: States mull texting bans while walking

My humps

Length: 1 minute

The video was licensed to BlueVoice.org by Gene Flipse of Conscious Breath Adventures, the videographer, with whom they work. The newborn whale was videoed on the Silver Bank just north of the Dominican Republic. It is part of their campaign to end the killing of humpbacks by Greenland.


Newborn humpback whale nursing from BlueVoice.org on Vimeo.

Amazing Dolphin Facts

Stanley Cup overflows with Pride

The Stanley Cup, which has been on more adventures than perhaps any other piece of championship hardware, will make its first appearance in a gay-themed event this weekend [ Chicago Pride - June 27, 2010 ].

The Chicago Gay Hockey Association invited the Blackhawks to join Sunday's Gay Pride Parade after the team won its first Stanley Cup title since 1961 -- and the team said yes. So did the Chicago Cubs, who will have their own float in the parade for the first time.

Defenceman Brent Sopel and his wife, Kelly, will accompany the Cup on a float in the parade. Sopel, who was traded this week to Atlanta, is a 33-year-old father of three who said he volunteered to honour the late son of Toronto general manager Brian Burke, his former boss in Vancouver.

How true the last post's title was ... on so many levels

The word "Home" can mean so many things. When Mom and I boarded our plane home to Canada, neither one of us had any idea of how the next few months would unfold.

Turquoise was Mom's
favourite colour.

Mom passed away four weeks later after a systemic collapse, and a brief recovery which allowed her to visit with her entire family beforehand.


I feel proud to have done my part to make her last days as comfortable and happy as possible.


I couldn't have coped with everything without the support of my sister, Linda.

Everyone had a chance to
spend some time with her.

The rest of my extended family brought joy, flowers, kindness and strength for all of us to share.

I love you, Mom.

On our way home from seeing Mom at the hospital for the last time, stopped to watch a show of fireworks over the Ottawa River. It reminded us to celebrate Mom's long and beautiful life, and that she would be alive in our hearts forever.

... isn't that just like Life.


Since then I have moved, been overwhelmed by everything required to put another's affairs to rest, and made other dramatic changes in my life as a result.


... but,


I am ready to do something for myself again. Writing this blog was that for me - something for myself in happier times. And now, it can also serve as a record of our last time together, too ... a place to remember my last trip with Mom in a detailed way that a mere memory could never allow. I am grateful for that.

The story of the Canal

On our arrival at the Miraflores Information Centre, we watched a 15-minute film about the history of the Panama Canal followed by a tour of the 4-story museum dedicated to its story.

A fascinating story that involved the greatest aspirations and even greater losses. Many people died during it's construction from Yellow Fever, Malaria, landslides and more.


When you see the Canal for yourself, you will be in awe of the size of the achievement, and the sacrifices made by so many from so many different countries.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination

Musician Eric Woolfson, a singer and songwriter best known as co-founder of progressive rock group Alan Parsons Project, has died. He was 64.

A songwriter since the early 1960s, Woolfson created 10 albums with Alan Parsons, an engineer who had worked on the Beatles' Abbey Road and on the Pink Floyd album, Dark Side of the Moon.

Their low-key albums, recorded with a revolving cast of session musicians, had a cult following, especially in Germany and the U.S. Their biggest selling album was 1982's Eye in the Sky.

Other albums included I Robot and Tales of Mystery and Imagination, which was based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

In the 1960s, Woolfson worked alongside two then-unknown writers, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

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.

Known “murder music” artist dropped from concert

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, October 7, 2009

Toronto: In response to repeated calls from Egale Canada, Elephant Man has been pulled from the concert line-up this weekend at Downsview Park.

Elephant Man has released many “murder music” songs over his career, talking about executing, beating, and setting on fire and otherwise assaulting gays. Other lyrics have suggested raping lesbians. He continues to profit from the sale of these lyrics and has refused to denounce advocating and glorifying the violence and murder of gays and lesbians in his music.

Egale Canada welcomes the decision.

Egale Canada is Canada’s LGBT human rights organization: advancing equality, diversity, education, and justice.