I see what you're saying

These two ads are part of a campaign for a radio program which presents a rather creepy but unforgettable concept.

Do you see spots?

I thought this ad was clever. Open it full-size by clicking on it, then focus on the pink bottle for 30 sec. or so. Hopefully the product works as well!

Scores of scores ... and recordings

Internet Music Score Library Project has thousands of classical scores

A young Canadian composer studying law at Harvard University has created an online music score library for thousands of pieces of classical music.

Edward Guo is revolutionizing how sheet music is distributed with the Internet Music Score Library Project (IMSLP).

Guo was 18 years old, studying law and composing music on the side, when he first got the idea. He recalls how little sheet music was available when he was a boy first studying music in China.

The IMSLP makes it possible to download classical scores, from Mozart to Beethoven to Tchaikovsky, for free. About 100,000 works are available online on wiki media software.

Guo has made no money from the IMSLP project and says he is just one of a team that makes the scores available. He said he gets personal satisfaction from the thought that so many people have access to beautiful music.

The best place to live in Canada

Capital region gets top spot second year in a row

For the second year in a row, Ottawa-Gatineau has been named the best place to live in Canada by MoneySense magazine.

The magazine ranks 180 Canadian cities and towns by factors such as house prices, crime rates, employment, climate and health care. It includes all municipalities with populations of more than 10,000.

"I am delighted that we have again been confirmed as the best city to live in Canada by an independent third party," said Mayor Jim Watson.

"As a beautiful G8 capital, we’re are not only a safe, clean and vibrant community with an excellent quality of life, we are rich in culture and heritage and surrounded by a beautiful natural setting offering many recreational opportunities," he said.

Several provincial capitals also scored well in the survey. Victoria, B.C., came second, Fredericton, N.B., sixth and Winnipeg, Man., 10th.

Suburbs near big cities also did well with Burlington, Ont., coming third and Repentigny, Que., ninth.

Big cities finished in the middle of the list, with Toronto ranked 88th and Montreal 123rd out of 180 surveyed.

The top 10 on the list are:

• Ottawa-Gatineau.
• Kingston, Ont.
• Burlington, Ont.
• Fredericton, N.B.
• Moncton, N.B.
• Repentigny, Que.
• Brandon, Man.
• Victoria, B.C.
• Winnipeg, Man.
• Lévis, Que.

For your next party, rent Liechtenstein !

You've heard of renting a palace, renting a mega yacht, even renting an island. How about renting a country? For $70,000 a night with a two-night minimum and a very strict cancellation policy, you can rent Liechtenstein. Yes, the entire country.  You can rent the country for a conference, a party - whatever you drum up for you and your 900 closest friends.

Now, if you're forgetting your high school geography, Liechtenstein is a tiny Alpine country - population 35,000 - tucked between Austria and Switzerland.

So what to do with your own nation? Well, how about starting with a wine tasting at the prince's estate while watching your own fireworks show. You want to make this a very personal experience? You can rename the city streets and town squares as you wish and even print your own temporary currency with your face on it.

Now, if you do decide Liechtenstein is the perfect place for your party, please don't cause too much of a ruckus. The nation has only a handful of police officers and no military.

Monument to the Misunderstood

Barcelona just got even gayer, joining a handful of international gay destinations with dedicated memorials. Mayor Jordi Hereu dedicated the LGBT memorial at Ciutadella Park. The triangular-shaped granite slab is framed in pink and bears the inscription, “In memory of the gays, lesbians and transexual persons who have suffered persecution and repression throughout history” in Catalan.

Similar monuments have been erected in Los Angeles (The Wall Las Memorias), New York (Christopher Park), Berlin (Tiergarten Park) and Amsterdam (Homomonument).

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.

Incredible Floats From Rio's Carnival 2011

Although Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) is celebrated in towns and villages throughout Brazil and other Catholic countries, Rio de Janeiro has long been regarded as the Carnival Capital of the World. The Rio Carnaval is not only the biggest Carnival, it as also a benchmark against which every other carnival is compared and one of the most interesting artistic events on the Globe. Almost everyone has heard of the Rio Carnaval. Foreign visitors to it alone number around 500,000 every year.

Have a look at some of the floats that were at this year's celebration! Click on this post's title.

And find more at the Official Carnival website.

BC gives us this year's Mr Gay Canada

Rob Goddard is Mr. Gay Canada 2011

A Vancouver bartender from Smithers B.C. has won the title of Mr Gay Canada and will represent the nation at the third annual Mr. Gay World competition on March 9 in the Philippines.

Rob Goddard, who says he moved to the city so he would be more readily accepted as a gay man, released a statement calling the win, "an incredible opportunity to meet courageous men from around the world who all have a unique story, and who want to make a difference in improving the human rights conditions that they face in their home country and around the world."

"It is a great honour to use the platform of 'Mr. Gay World' to share my experiences as a gay man privileged to come from a far less discriminating nation such as Canada - a country that borders a 'free' super-power country that is STILL divided over the rights and acceptance of non-straights," he continued.

Online voting for My Gay World begins on February 21, 2011. Representatives of 24 countries will take part in the event.

You can follow Rob on the Mr. Gay Canada Facebook page

What Is Your Talent? ( Qual É O Seu Talento? )

These two gents recently appeared on Brazil's Qual É O Seu Talento? (What Is Your Talent?). 

 Sure, there were gasps in the audience (and a noticeable "Uhhhh!" from the show's Ryan Seacrest) when the pair smooched at the end, and while I don't speak Portuguese, I think the judges liked it.

Queerty reader Luc Santos says this is the first gay kiss on Brazilian television — or at least the first "more than a peck" kiss.