Scars Run Deep - UPDATED

The Atlanta man seen being viciously beaten in a harrowing viral video today called his attackers “monsters” who left him with scars that “run deeper than anyone will know.” He added that nobody should worry that they will be attacked “for just being a gay male.”

One of White’s assailants, as well as the cameraman and another onlooker, referred to him as a “faggot” on the video (WARNING: Violent content). Atlanta police are hunting for White’s attackers, while FBI agents and federal prosecutors are examining the assault to determine whether a hate crimes prosecution is warranted.

White said that the filming of the assault--and the subsequent uploading of a clip online--was his assailants’s way of trying to draw attention to their barbarism.

However, by coming forward to cooperate with authorities, White remarked, “I’m the brave one.”

FULL STORY ...


UPDATE
Seems that Police are making headway in tracking down the a-holes who attacked Mr. White.

Investigators Release Name, Photo Of Remaining Suspect Sought In Brutal Videotaped Beating Of Atlanta Man

 READ THE STORY UPDATES 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." 

Rhino escapes from Tokyo zoo !

If a rhino escaped from a zoo in Tokyo, zoo keepers would know just what to do.

The Ueno Zoo in Tokyo has been practicing what they would do in the event of an animal escape with a huge paper mache rhino. Zoo keepers and police have been taking part in the drills as coworkers are draped in the rhino costume and attempt to break free.

FULL STORY ...

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)

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.

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.

Rainbow Flags go up on Bank Street

It may not be by official decree, but rainbow flags and decals are going up at businesses along a six-block stretch of Bank Street, the efforts of a non-profit group committed to having the area gain visibility as a gay village.

"It's exciting to have real, tangible results now," said Glenn Crawford, who last year spearheaded a campaign to have the city officially recognize Bank Street between Nepean and James streets as a gay village.

article: What Montreal's Village can teach us about our own

WARNING: Men Having Sex Ahead

A park near Amsterdam has unveiled information signs pointing out spots where officials say gay men are known to have sex - so other visitors are not taken by surprise.

The signs "clearly indicate what is happening in each zone; also those where gay men are known to practice 'cruising'," municipal spokeswoman Manon Koffijberg said.

Cruising is a slang word used to describe the act of trawling for casual sex.

Follow this link to a map of the area mentioned

It's about time!

Ontario passes law to ban hand-held devices while driving

A new law that bans using hand-held devices to talk, email, or send text messages while behind the wheel has been passed by the Ontario legislature.

The new rules, which don't come into effect immediately, include a fine of up to $500 as the province joins other jurisdictions in cracking down on drivers using the devices.

The law doesn't affect the use of hands-free devices such as Bluetooths or using cellphones for 911 calls, but it does include portable video games, MP3 players and DVD players.

Global positioning systems will be allowed, as long as they're properly secured to the dashboard.

There are no demerit points attached to the bill, unlike in other provinces. But drivers who place others at risk by using one of the banned devices can also be charged under existing careless driving laws.

Ontario is the fourth province to enact such a ban, following Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

There's cold ... and then, there's Siberia

You can't help but feel bad for these poor people in Norilsk, Russia (Siberia) who are just trying to cross the road.

Spray-on latex condoms…because sex isn’t messy enough already

Warning: this post acknowledges the existence of sex, sex acts, and implies that people engage in sex

Ever been in the middle of an intimate rendezvous and wish you didn’t have to fumble with the noisy, hard-to-open packaging condoms come wrapped in? Well how about getting rid of the packaging all together and just spraying on a condom? This is the thing for you.

The Romulans have landed

Invisibility cloaks that are able to steer light around two dimensional objects have become reality in the last few years. But the first real-world application of the theories that made them possible could be in hiding vulnerable coastlines and offshore platforms from destructive tsunamis.

The first working invisibility cloak, built in 2006, guided microwaves around a small, flat copper ring as if it wasn't there. By October 2007, a device repeated the trick for harder-to-handle visible light, and some progress is reported on the yet more complex task of making cloaks to hide 3D objects.

Now Stefan Enoch at the Fresnel Institute in Marseille, France, says that established cloaking principles could be applied to ocean waves, which are essentially two-dimensional. Such techniques could be used to render vulnerable coastlines or offshore platforms invisible to damaging waves, he says.

This link will take you to an article about the first cloaking device.

How big is BIG?

If you ever thought that you were important in the univers, watch this video that show real, relative sizes ... then get back to me.

How - More amazing video clips are a click away

Traffic Cop: Have you been sending text messages, Sir?

Motorists who send text messages while driving are "significantly more impaired" than those who drive drunk, even at the minimum legal limit for alcohol, according to a British study.

The study showed that drivers' reaction times deteriorated by 35 per cent and they saw a 91 per cent decrease in steering ability.

"When texting, drivers are distracted by taking their hand off the wheel to use their phone, by trying to read small text on the phone display, and by thinking about how to write their message," said Reed.

SEE MAP of places that restrict the use of cellphones while driving

Doctors : Curb cellphone to avoid collisions

Ontario's doctors are the latest to weigh in on the risks of chatting on a cellphone while driving, saying it significantly increases the chance of an accident.

Mobile-phone use affects a driver's cognitive function, visual concentration, speed of information processing and reaction time, the Ontario Medical Association said Sunday.

'There have been studies that show when cellphones are banned, that accident rates decrease.'— OMA president Dr. Ken Arnold

The group compiled studies from around the world pointing to the dangers in a bid to get action from the Ontario government.

A fetishistic approach to security

We spend far more effort defending our countries against specific movie-plot threats, rather than the real, broad threats. In the US during the months after the 9/11 attacks, we feared terrorists with scuba gear, terrorists with crop dusters and terrorists contaminating our milk supply. Both the UK and the US fear terrorists with small bottles of liquid. Our imaginations run wild with vivid specific threats. Before long, we're envisioning an entire movie plot, without Bruce Willis saving the day. And we're scared.

Air Canada Jazz removes life vests to lighten planes

It's hard to imagine myself swimming 50 nautical miles with only a seat cushion to keep me afloat. I think I would prefer it if they got rid of the seat cushions and kept the life jackets!

TORONTO, Ontario (AP) -- An official with Air Canada's regional carrier Jazz says the airline is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight and fuel.

Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stuart said Thursday that Transport Canada regulations allow airlines to use flotation devices instead of life vests, provided the planes remain within 50 miles of shore.

The Barnes Dance comes to Toronto

One of Toronto's busiest intersections is now a test track for a new way of crossing the street. It's known as the scramble. (or the Barnes Dance: see earlier post)

What it means is that vehicle traffic stops with red lights in all four directions, followed by a pedestrian free-for-all, where people cross the intersection in any direction they choose: left, right, diagonally.

Toronto politicians decided to try out the scramble at four intersections: first up is Yonge and Dundas, followed by Yonge and Bloor, Bay and Bloor, and Bay and Dundas.

A face you can trust

Recently, behavioral scientists have begun to unravel the inner workings of trust. Their aim is to decode the subtle signals that we send out and pick up, the cues that, often without our knowledge, shape our sense of someone's reliability.
Researchers have discovered that surprisingly small factors - where we meet someone, whether their posture mimics ours, even the slope of their eyebrows or the thickness of their chin - can matter as much or more than what they say about themselves. We size up someone's trustworthiness within milliseconds of meeting them, and while we can revise our first impression, there are powerful psychological tendencies that often prevent us from doing so - tendencies that apply even more strongly if we've grown close.