Monday 30 September 2013

Attack of the ninja emotions...

Today was for the lack of a better word...weird.

I am and have always been a very emotional guy, it doesn't take much to bring out the ninja queen inside and that always leaves me with raccoon eyes! Trust me that is not a pretty sight!
My day started as normal as every other day, i post a few funny statuses on facebook or twitter, music to keep me sane and coffee to keep every one around me safe...i am not a morning person.

As most of you know you tube is filled with hidden tear jerker videos, soldier home comings, surprise proposals etc. Well today i clicked on a link to a video that wrecked me emotionally for the rest of the day.

Firstly let me tell you that it does not take much to turn me into a girl especially if its a sad story! This one was the mother of all sad videos, it combined the two things i am most afraid of. A man crying and an animal dying, basically the perfect storm for my emotional side!

The video was called "Last Minutes with ODEN"

Normally i would not even click on anything like that, i dont like sadness and i dont like seeing animals suffer and this one had both.
It was as if something wanted me to see that, i sat there waiting for it to buffer (Fate we are left to in South Africa) knowing in my mind that what i am about to watch will more than likely mess me up totally!

As i watched it, all 6 minutes and 15 seconds of it the tears ran down my face like a stream in a forest, the more i tried to stop the more i cried! I have never felt like this in my life. I dont know this man, i didn't know Oden, but why am i so affected by it then?

The answer is simple, i have been dealing with so much shit over the last year or so and i have been doing it alone that it finally caught up with me. It took this video of a man crying so much for his best friend for me to realise that i can not do this on my own. Men dont cry,...BULLSHIT! we are human and we have emotions like any other person. I was sad for him, i felt his pain, i have a cat that i love to bits, and i am to be honest scared of the day that i will have to say goodbye to him, when that day comes, a piece of me will die with him.

But it also made me realise that i am human, i cant keep things bottled up and pretend that nothing is wrong, sometimes even the best of us need to ask for help.

I will more than likely wake up tomorrow morning with puffy eyes but i know i will feel much better, all the emotions i swept away came flooding out today...and that is a good thing. I can now face the rest of my problems with an open mind and feel secure in knowing that i am not super man and that asking for help is not a weakness.
The little man that stole my heart "Gizmo"
MG.

Blast from the past!

Warning this should be played at high volume!!!

Collection of a few hits from the 80's and 90's that i personally think was released way before its time!

1) OMD - Maid Of Orleans


2) Haddaway - What Is Love 

3) Culture Beat - Mr. Vain

4) Sash! Ecuador

5) Corona - Rhythm of the Night

6) The Cranberries - Zombie

7) Sash! - Mysterious Times






A Letter From Mom And Dad.

My Child,

When I grow old, I hope you understand and have patience with me.
In case, i break a plate, or spill soup on the table because I’m losing my eye sight.
I hope you don’t yell at me.
Older people are sensitive , always having self-pity when you yell.
When my hearing gets worse and I can’t hear, what you’re saying.
I hope you don’t call me, “Deaf.”
Please repeat what you said, or write it down.
I’m sorry, my child.
I’m getting older.
When my knees get weaker, I hope you have the patience to help me get up.
Like how I used to help you while you were little, learning to walk.
Please bear with me.
When I keep repeating myself like a broken record,
I hope you just keep listening to me.
Please don’t make fun of me or, get sick of listening to me.
Do you remember when you were little and wanted a balloon?
You repeated yourself over and over, until you got what you wanted.
Please also pardon my smell.
I smell like an old person.
Please don’t force me to shower. My body is weak. Old people get sick easily when they’re cold.
I hope I don’t gross you out.
Do you remember, when you were little?
I used to chase you around because you didn’t want to shower.
I hope you can be patient with me, when I’m always cranky. Its all part of getting old.
You’ll understand when you’re older and if you have spare time, I hope we can talk, even for a few minutes.
I’m always by myself all the time, and have no one to talk to.
I know you’re busy with work.
Even if you’re not interested with my stories, please have time for me.
Do you remember, when you were little?
I used to listen to your stories about your teddy bear.
When the time comes and I get bedridden, I hope you have the patience to take care of me.
I’m sorry.
If I wet the bed or make a mess
I hope you have the patience to take care of me during the last few moments of my life.
I’m not going to last much longer, anyway when the time of my death comes, “I hope you hold my hand and give me the strength to face death and don’t worry.
When I finally meet our Creator ………………..
I’ll whisper in His ear ………………….. to bless you because you loved your mom and dad.
Thank you so much for your patience 
We love you
With much love


Mom & Dad

Thursday 19 September 2013

5 Health Benefits of Masturbation

A new survey from adult product peddler AdamandEve.com reveals that 27 percent of Americans admit to masturbating once or twice a week.
That number seems suspiciously low to us, especially since science has shown that being master of your domain can provide additional feel-great benefits. (Also because the people surveyed were browsing an adult toy website.) “Masturbation is part of a healthy sex life,” says Gloria Brame, Ph.D., a clinical sexologist. “It’s totally safe and harmless. It’s healthier than brushing your teeth every day.”

And just as brushing your teeth should be a regular occurrence, so too should be cleaning your pipes. Here are 5 reasons to take matters into your own hands right now. (You’re welcome.)

It prevents cancer. A 2003 Australian study found that men who ejaculated more than five times a week were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer. Disease-causing toxins build up in your urogenital tract and when you rub one out, you flush the bad guys out of your system, says Brame.
It makes you harder. As you age, you naturally lose muscle tone … even down there. Regular sex or masturbation works out your pelvic floor muscles to prevent erectile dysfunction and incontinence. “It keeps the angle of your dangle perky,” says Brame. Aim to (ahem) arrive 3 to 5 times a week for rock-solid results.

It helps you last longer. Taking yourself to palm prom may help you stretch your sack sessions. “[Masturbating] an hour before a date will give you more control,” says Brame. Train yourself by timing how long it takes you to orgasm, suggests Ava Cadell, Ph.D., founder of loveologyuniversity.com. If it usually takes two minutes solo, try for three next time. Or count how many strokes you need to get to your happy place. If you’re spurting after 50, shoot for 60. “Most men can double the number of strokes and the time within one month,” Cadell says. Practice makes perfect, right?

It ups your immunity. Ejaculation increases levels of the hormone cortisol, says Jennifer Landa, M.D., a specialist in hormone therapy. Cortisol, which usually gets a bad rap as a havoc-wrecking stress hormone, actually helps regulate and maintain your immunity in the small doses. “Masturbation can product the right environment for a strengthened immune system,” she says.
It boosts your mood. Masturbating releases a slew of feel-good neurochemicals like dopamine and oxytocin that lift your spirits, boost your satisfaction, and activate the reward circuits in your brain. “An orgasm is the biggest non-drug blast of dopamine available,” says Brame. “A brain scan of someone having an orgasm looks like a heroin addict’s.”

 Via MensHealth

Food For Harder Erections! You’re Welcome Guys

Kiss the Viagra goodbye!  Here are some at home remedies to please your partner.

Coffee - The caffeine kick from a cup of Java boosts your metabolism, gets your blood pumping and could also enhance endurance by releasing fat stores, giving you the energy to last all night.

Oysters - Yes, there is a reason for their sexy reputation. Oysters are rich in the mineral zinc and vitamin B6, both of which are vital for testosterone, without which you’d have the sex drive of a dead slug. If the thought of grey shellfish gloop sliding down your throat makes you gag, boost your testosterone with nuts and seeds instead.

Chillies - Spice up your love life with chillies. When your face flushes after eating a curry, that’s the blood vessels expanding thanks to the effect of the chillies. And it’s not just the blood vessels in your face that get the boost. Biologically speaking a hard-onis simple hydraulics – more liquid (blood) being forced into little tubes (blood vessels) in your penis – so what you need is a strong heart and smooth, healthy pipework.

Bananas - Hard men have healthy hearts, so eat bananas for potassium, which is great for your heart and circulation. Getting enough potassium helps keep your sodium levels under control, stopping your blood pressure from hitting the roof and reducing your risk of heart problems. If you eat too much salt and don’t like bananas, get your potassium from oranges or jacket potatoes (the mineral’s in the skin).

Salmon - The omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish make the blood less sticky, enhancing blood flow to the parts that matter. Eat fish like salmon, mackerel, trout and fresh tuna twice a week to keep your arteries well-oiled.

Pork - Contrary to popular belief, the penis does not have a mind of its own. To make it a fine and upstanding specimen, your neurons must be co-ordinated with military precision. You need thiamine, aka vitamin B1, for a healthy nervous system, so eat pork to help fire your swimmers in the right direction. Can’t or don’t eat pig? Get your B from beans and wholemeal bread.

Cherries - Cherries are packed full of anthocyanins, colourful plant chemicals which protect your artery walls, helping prevent the fatty plaques that lead to atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries. Don’t fancy cherries? Berries, or brightly coloured fruit such as peaches, nectarines and plums, will all keep your arteries smooth as a baby’s nether regions.

Onions - The phytochemical allicin in onions and garlic thins the blood and enhances your circulation, as well as making it less likely to clot and clog. Avoid unsexy onion-breath by chewing parsley or peppermints.

Wine - Wine – especially red wine – is a great source of the antioxidant phytochemical resveratrol, which helps open the arteries by enhancing the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide allows the blood vessels to expand, and this is how Viagra works. But while the little blue pill only works on tiny blood vessels, resveratrol helps your main arteries too. Make sure you stop at one or two glasses of wine – too much alcohol leads to the dreaded droop.

Porridge - Porridge isn’t sexy, but the soluble fibre in oatmeal mops up cholesterol, helping keep your blood vessels smooth and stretchy. So get your oats!

 Via MensHealth

Irish Yoga made easy








This series of  poses is intended to help you relax and release tension from your body and mind. It makes a great cool-down after yoga or other exercise but can also stand on its own.

Yoga seems complicated at the best of times but with this i will show you some easy to do poses that take little to no skill at all.







The Cobra



I hope you all enjoyed the introduction to yoga made easy by the irish :)

Friday 13 September 2013

Surprise wedding proposal at Home Depot in Salt Lake City includes dancing flash mob

Most of us dream of the day when we can get married, start a family and live your life with the person you love with all your heart.

For one lucky guy it happened at home depo in Salt lake City, and just like you i thought why Home depo? Have a look at this, it is so romantic i actually shed a tear!

Their names are Dustin and Spencer and the moment they became engaged has gone viral.
Dustin arrived at the Home Depot in Salt Lake City thinking he was there to help his roommate pick out some lighting for a party.
When he was taken to the lumber aisle, what he found waiting for him was a mob of friends and family as his marriage proposal unfolded to the song, Somebody Loves You by Betty Who.
Towards the end of the choreography and the music, Dustin's boyfriend Spencer emerged wearing a suit and carrying a ring.
He said to Dustin: 'I love you more than anything in the entire world and I'd be honored if you'd be by my side for the rest of my life.'
Spencer then got down on one knee and said: 'Will you marry me?'
Both men in tears, Dustin vigorously nodded yes.
Here is the video:
- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/surprise-wedding-proposal-home-depot-salt-lake-city-includes-dancing-flash-mob130913#sthash.W0PIoIW1.dpuf
 Their names are Dustin and Spencer and the moment they became engaged has gone viral.
  Dustin arrived at the Home Depot in Salt Lake City thinking he was there to help his roommate pick out some lighting for a party.  When he was taken to the lumber aisle, what he found waiting for him was a mob of friends and family as his marriage proposal unfolded to the song, Somebody Loves You by Betty Who. 
Towards the end of the choreography and the music, Dustin's boyfriend Spencer emerged wearing a suit and carrying a ring. 
He said to Dustin: 'I love you more than anything in the entire world and I'd be honored if you'd be by my side for the rest of my life.' 
Spencer then got down on one knee and said: 'Will you marry me?' 
Both men in tears, Dustin vigorously nodded yes. 

Here is the video:

A US Marine unit says goodbye to one of their own on his 'unofficial last day'

A gay Marine goes to Reddit to show how his unit feels about his sexuality
By James Withers

US Marine holding a flag his unit gave him on his 'unofficial last day' (posted on Reddit)

A gay US Marine used Reddit, a social and news website, to post a gift his unit gave him.  'Today's my unofficial last day as a Marine,' the serviceman wrote. 'This is what my unit gave me to say goodbye.'  The picture shows the service member holding a rainbow flag. In the middle is a Marine symbol, and under that is the term 'Served with Pride.'  If the photo doesn't make you choke up, check out the comments.  'Love the flag,' Trustmeimanurss wrote. 'Really, really love that I just read all the comments. And all, but a very few, were so positive, non-hateful and appreciative, of your service. High five Reddit!'  'I would up vote this ten thousand times if I could,' StumpBeefgnaw noted. 'That flag is awesome. Your unit is awesome. You are awesome.'

GSN agrees. Semper Fi. -
Via http://www.gaystarnews.com/
A gay Marine goes to Reddit to show how his unit feels about his sexuality
US Marine holding a flag his unit gave him on his  'unofficial last day' (posted on Reddit)
A gay US Marine used Reddit, a social and news website, to post a gift his unit gave him.
'Today's my unofficial last day as a Marine,' the serviceman wrote. 'This is what my unit gave me to say goodbye.'
The picture shows the service member holding a rainbow flag. In the middle is a Marine symbol, and under that is the term 'Served with Pride.'
If the photo doesn't make you choke up, check out the comments.
'Love the flag,' Trustmeimanurss wrote. 'Really, really love that I just read all the comments. And all, but a very few, were so positive, non-hateful and appreciative, of your service. High five Reddit!'
'I would up vote this ten thousand times if I could,' StumpBeefgnaw noted. 'That flag is awesome. Your unit is awesome. You are awesome.'
GSN agrees. Semper Fi.
- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/node/11695#sthash.8C0lYemR.dpuf
A gay Marine goes to Reddit to show how his unit feels about his sexuality
US Marine holding a flag his unit gave him on his  'unofficial last day' (posted on Reddit)
A gay US Marine used Reddit, a social and news website, to post a gift his unit gave him.
'Today's my unofficial last day as a Marine,' the serviceman wrote. 'This is what my unit gave me to say goodbye.'
The picture shows the service member holding a rainbow flag. In the middle is a Marine symbol, and under that is the term 'Served with Pride.'
If the photo doesn't make you choke up, check out the comments.
'Love the flag,' Trustmeimanurss wrote. 'Really, really love that I just read all the comments. And all, but a very few, were so positive, non-hateful and appreciative, of your service. High five Reddit!'
'I would up vote this ten thousand times if I could,' StumpBeefgnaw noted. 'That flag is awesome. Your unit is awesome. You are awesome.'
GSN agrees. Semper Fi.
- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/node/11695#sthash.8C0lYemR.dpuf

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Sleep well my love...

I was reading a post on twitter today that lead me to one of the sweetest letters i have ever read, its sad and so beautiful in its own special way.

Thought i would share it with you guys
Via http://www.lettersofnote.com

The following heart-rending love letter was written by American World War II veteran Brian Keith to Dave, a fellow soldier he met and fell in love with in 1943 while stationed in North Africa. It was penned on the occasion of their anniversary and reprinted in September of 1961 by ONE Magazine, a groundbreaking pro-gay magazine first published in 1953. The original letter is held, I am told, by the Library of Congress.

(Source: ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, via Carrie Kendall.)




Dear Dave,

This is in memory of an anniversary — the anniversary of October 27th, 1943, when I first heard you singing in North Africa. That song brings memories of the happiest times I’ve ever known. Memories of a GI show troop — curtains made from barrage balloons — spotlights made from cocoa cans — rehearsals that ran late into the evenings — and a handsome boy with a wonderful tenor voice. Opening night at a theatre in Canastel — perhaps a bit too much muscatel, and someone who understood. Exciting days playing in the beautiful and stately Municipal Opera House in Oran — a misunderstanding — an understanding in the wings just before opening chorus.

Drinks at "Coq d'or" — dinner at the "Auberge" — a ring and promise given. The show 1st Armoured — muscatel, scotch, wine — someone who had to be carried from the truck and put to bed in his tent. A night of pouring rain and two very soaked GIs beneath a solitary tree on an African plain. A borrowed French convertible — a warm sulphur spring, the cool Mediterranean, and a picnic of "rations" and hot cokes. Two lieutenants who were smart enough to know the score, but not smart enough to realize that we wanted to be alone. A screwball piano player — competition — miserable days and lonely nights. The cold, windy night we crawled through the window of a GI theatre and fell asleep on a cot backstage, locked in each other’s arms — the shock when we awoke and realized that miraculously we hadn't been discovered. A fast drive to a cliff above the sea — pictures taken, and a stop amid the purple grapes and cool leaves of a vineyard.

The happiness when told we were going home — and the misery when we learned that we would not be going together. Fond goodbyes on a secluded beach beneath the star-studded velvet of an African night, and the tears that would not be stopped as I stood atop the sea-wall and watched your convoy disappear over the horizon.

We vowed we’d be together again "back home," but fate knew better — you never got there. And so, Dave, I hope that where ever you are these memories are as precious to you as they are to me.

Goodnight, sleep well my love.

Brian Keith

Monday 9 September 2013

5 Bits of Advice That Don't Make Sense Until It's Too Late



A lot of what grownups say is bullshit. You figure this out in your teens, and wind up just tuning it all out. By 15 I got to where every time I was offered advice, I just nodded in mock agreement and then laughed at them behind their back. "Can you believe that pompous douchebag tried to tell me that? Christ, I'm not 14 anymore!"
So it winds up taking years to filter out the bad advice ("Son, don't ever loan your car to a negro") from the good ("That Def Leppard tattoo isn't gonna be relevant five years from now, John.") I think I heard all of the below at some point, but it would be five or ten (or more) years before I'd realize it belonged in the good advice pile.

#5. Butterflies in the Stomach is Not Love

When I was in school, I lost track of the number of couples I knew who got engaged at age 16, and went right into wedding planning after graduation. And why not? Try to talk a 17 year-old out of it, and they'll tell you that of course you don't understand -- you've never felt love like this. No human has. What they and their guy or girl has is the kind of love that freaking changes the orbits of planets. In all of the universe, there has never been a love like this, so back off, old man.
And you sure as hell can't point out to the couple that their hormones will never be at these levels again. They'll think you're dismissing what they have as teenage horniness, not realizing that those hormones also mean that every emotional impulse is piped into stadium-ready stack amplifiers and cranked to Woodstock levels. You will feel that burst of adrenaline and stomach flutters when you touch their hand or just glance at them from across the room, and think, holy shit, if this isn't love, nothing is. God knows I thought that. Over and over. The songs talk about your "heart" but the feeling kind of radiates from the gut. Close enough.
Look, love is clearly located somewhere in the torso area, that's what matters.
Photos.com
Yep. This is exactly what love looks like.
That feeling is as addictive as any drug, and once you experience it for the first time, you'll start to crave it, or think that a relationship is dead without it. The problem is that a lot of the fluttery feeling you get is a physical reaction to anxiety and the physical reaction goes away as you adjust -- that's part of the mechanism. So the longer you're in the relationship, the more comfortable you become around that person, and that rush disappears. And if you're anything like me at all, you'll mistake that for "falling out of love." It's most likely the reason only 14% of high school sweethearts make it to the marriage stage.
The difference between that rush and actual love is the difference between seeing a picture of an adorable puppy and actually owning a dog. Yes, part of the experience is its adorable brown eyes and soft fur, but it's also about you carrying its poop around in a little plastic bag. The teenager in love thinks that's cynicism from a boring old man ("He says our love is just dog shit!") but that's not it at all. The point is that love is the whole package. It's not a single emotion that can be identified and distinctively felt like anger or happiness. It's a series of connections that exists above and beyond day to day emotion or circumstance, something you feel even after you wake up to find she has grown a third arm shaped like Randy Quaid.
Why You Won't Believe it for Years:
I can harp about it all I want but the truth is, the next time those butterflies gut shot you into a drooling stupor, all of the text I just typed will evaporate. Because this relationship is the one you've been waiting for. You can feel it.
"The one." That's the key, because every single love song or romantic movie insists that you only get "one true love," one "soulmate." So you get used to the idea of a supernatural King of Emotions that bestows "true" love upon you exactly once in your life... and if you don't latch onto it when it arrives, that's it. That was your only chance. So when you're hit with that tide of emotions the first time, you think, "Well, I'm one of the lucky few to have found my 'one' on my first try. All the more proof that it was meant to be!"
Then, about the sixth or seventh time in your life that you feel this emotion, you'll realize that the idea of "one true love" is bullshit. Unfortunately, the only way to truly learn this is to experience it for yourself, to feel it come and go and come again. Just ask the dozen or so of my old classmates who had to drop out of high school to take care of a baby. Or the ones who married right after graduation and now can't say more than two sentences to each other without breaking down into a violent fit of screaming and crying.
Photos.com
Every. Fucking. Day.
Don't misunderstand the message, I'm not saying the feelings you have for your partner are just side effects of an unruly burrito. But... hold off on the wedding and the babies for a while.

#4. Learn How to do Stuff Around the House, You'll Need It


"Chores." That's the word they use to mean the tedious, bullshit tasks Mom and Dad make you do around the house before you're allowed to have fun.
Chores suck seven shapes of dick. And most of you do them, begrudgingly. Or you split them with a sibling, or whatever the system is to make sure they interfere with what you really want to do as little as possible. But much, much sooner than you think, you're going to be responsible for all of that shit, from top to bottom. And if I could go back in time, I'd grab my teenage self by the shoulders and say, "Go learn how to do all of that shit Mom is doing. And I mean all of it."
Bed, clothes, food, dishes, floors, bathroom... everything. Pretend that you're the only one living there, and just completely take over the things your parents normally do for you, for a week, or a month. Because in just a few short years, you're going to be living on your own, you will be fucking shocked at how fast your living space turns into an unlivable shithole. God help you if you get stuck with roommates who treated "chores" the same way. Hey, did you know if you leave dirty dishes out long enough, flies lay eggs on them and then you have maggots on your dishes? You will! Ever wonder how those people on Hoarders can live with garbage piled on every piece of furniture? Just live with some dudes who refuse to take out the trash, you'll see -- that shit piles up in the blink of an eye.
Photos.com
The scratch 'n sniff version would make you vomit your own soul.
For several years after moving out on my own, I treated doing dishes as a task on the same level as painting a house. So I found the majority of my sustenance coming from The Dollar Menu and little frozen boxes that are prepared with a microwave and the ability to push "4," "0," "0," (which is not only an expensive way to eat, but will kill your ass eventually).
If you haven't already, learn to use the washer and dryer. There's nothing sadder than sitting in a laundromat and watching a newly divorced husband stare at a washing machine like it was a nuclear reactor. And I'm telling you, go to a laundromat right now and you'll see this guy, with every single piece of clothing packed up in trash bags because he wore literally everything he owned over and over until his neighbors sniffed the air and asked him if he was cooking mushrooms.
Photos.com
"Mom, I've bought a new outfit every day for a month. I need help."
Why You Won't Believe it for Years:
Because you can put this shit off for years without being judged for it. You can haul a bunch of laundry home over Labor Day weekend and Mom will do it. And let's face it, when you're in college, you're not going to be rejected for sex because your bathroom is dirty. All dorm bathrooms are dirty. But after you're out in the "real world," with your own job and apartment, the rules change. If you're 25 and your date smells the stagnant rot of week old dishes and strewn garbage, she's thinking, "What a lazy fucking slob. I'm not doing the whole 'date a teenager' thing again. Just tell him you're on your period and then change your phone number."
Photos.com
"No, Rob, it's disgusting because it hasn't been cooked yet.
I know guys who are older than me who still can't take care of their place, and every one of them is alone. Their houses are so bad that I can't visit because the smell gives me a headache. I helped one of them clean once, and we found dead birds and mice under the garbage on his living room floor. And the frightening part is that it's easy to get into that mode because if you live in it long enough, it becomes normal. And they can't break out of that idea of basic cleaning and maintenance are just lame "chores."

#3. Pay Attention in Writing Classes, It Turns Out You Need Them


Several years ago, when I was working at a low-level manual labor job, I was tasked with picking out a few applications for potential hires. Keep in mind, we weren't hiring fucking lawyers here. We just needed people who could do a job without somebody standing over their shoulder every second of the shift.
I came across an application from a 21 year-old man who had a high school diploma and two years of college. Half of the application was filled out in blue ink -- large, loopy, pretty writing. His girlfriend's writing, in other words. The other half (personal information -- the stuff that his co-author didn't know) was in black ink, and written in a way that suggested he may have been filling it out while being attacked by bees during a gang related drive-by. Nothing was in the disability section, so we assumed it was not a physical or mental problem.
But what made me put the application in the "Not a Chance in Hell" pile was when I saw his response to, "Why would you like to work for our company?"
2 C some $$$ 4 a chng!!!
Getty
"ME WANT JOB GOOD FOR PLAY ON FUN BALL!"
I don't have to tell you that this is an online world, and I've touched on this subject before in a past column. So I won't repeat the same point beyond stressing how important it is that you learn to type in your native language better than the average 12 year old.
I swear that some schools still treat the subject of writing the way they did in 1911, when only a select few people would actually need to be able to write eloquently and all the rest just needed to know how to fill out a check at the feed store. Hell, when I was in high school, typing class was optional -- and that was in the 90s. Today, you can't function without a PC and every job makes you write.
If you're working in the warehouse at Cockrings International, odds are that every day, you have to send out at least one email -- maybe you have to file some kind of report, or send a request for forklift repairs, or maybe you'll be in charge of ordering, whatever. And I don't care how uneducated the guys in the buttplug department may be, if your messages are full of typos and jumbled words, they are going to make assumptions about your intelligence.
Getty
"Ok, let's all point and laugh at Bob's rampant fucking idiocy!"
Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying you have to be Hemingway by any means. You don't need to know how to write descriptions that touch the human soul. But you need to learn to be concise and clear in print, or it will be coming back to bite you in the ass over and over.
Why You Won't Believe it for Years:
I'm not going to bullshit you -- if you're still in school, a significant portion of what you're learning right now will be absolutely useless once you settle into your adult life. No, I don't use my Algebra, and I've yet to encounter a decision that hinged on me knowing what year the Battle of Crunchfist Fuck-Knuckle took place.
Getty
"Fuck you, we use Algebra all the time and we live under a mountain of panties."
Writing is one of those that gets thrown into the "useless bullshit" pile because so much of English class is spent on obscure grammar rules and categorizing words. It comes off like another boring, arcane and ultimately useless subject. "Why do I need to know what a dangling participle is?" You don't, but you do need to learn how to not accidentally type the opposite of what you meant. In an online world, your writing is going to form a shell around you, and most of the people who interact with you will only see the shell.
But again, until you're in the break room and you overhear a coworker talking about how unfixably stupid you are and questioning whose dick you sucked to get your job, it's not going to hit home. No amount of intelligence or degrees or life experience can make up for the fact that the majority of her contact with you is in the form of emails and memos -- so the person she knows isn't the educated, loyal employee and cool guy. She pictures you as a slobbering four year old, slamming his palms across a keyboard and hoping it forms a thought. Because to her, this is shit that should have been learned in elementary school.
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"Screw you, I'm going to be a princess when I grow up!"

#2. Going to a Counselor Doesn't Mean You're Crazy


I tend to harp on this a lot, and I'm about to do it again -- your teens and early 20s are one of the most dangerous periods of your life. Those same hormones I mentioned earlier don't just amplify the "feel good" emotions -- they also work for the Dark Side. This means it's also harder to tell the difference between what the grownups dismiss as being a "moody teenager" and a life-threatening problem.
For many, many years, I found myself getting irritable, sad, tired, angry, and even suicidal for no discernible reason, without provocation or warning. I'd lay in bed for hours, fantasizing about ways to just end it all because nobody understood, and there was nothing anyone could do to help me. If I was gone, the world would be a better place.

I pictured my funeral full of these things.
I had heard of depression, and I knew the definition, but I didn't really know what it was. It wasn't until years later when I started taking psychology classes that I began to get a deeper insight as to what was making me involuntarily goth out for most of my life. And as it turned out, it's pretty hard to fight a monster if you don't know that one is there in the first place. Recognizing depression when it hits is half the battle.
Luckily, the Internet now exists, so access to that information doesn't require any other action than clicking this link.
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Or if it's easier, these boobs.
Why You Won't Believe it for Years:
Unfortunately, even if I had the internet back then, and the link was handed to me, and someone was there to click it, and another person held my eyes open, and another read the page to me through a megaphone, I still wouldn't have absorbed the information. Depression has a way of doing that to a person, it tricks you into defending it against all attacks. You will feed and protect your misery like it's your first born baby.
But the odds are that nobody would have given me the link anyway. Society was -- and still is -- in the dark ages when it comes to any kind of mental or emotional problems. Practical advice on dealing with your own emotional swings is not a subject you'll find being taught at schools or home or... pretty much anywhere. To this day, if you need physical therapy on a knee you sprained playing football, you're a badass. But if you need mental therapy, even simple counseling, you're crazy. Damaged. All talk of it is awkward, the subject of jokes to be made when they're well out of earshot. So the stigma keeps us at home, quietly accepting that there's something wrong with us. Something shameful.
The reality is that seeing somebody about depression (or anxiety, or anything else) is no harder than going to see a doctor about that rash on your ass. Yeah, it's awkward and intrusive but you get over it, you don't just fucking let it spread until you're bedridden. You call, you make an appointment, you see what needs done. Shake off that shame you feel about needing help before it fucking murders you.
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Wanna know a secret? You are completely normal. It happens to all of us.
But understand this (and if you're in the age group I'm talking about, I hope to God that I'm wrong about you not getting this for years): You have more people who care about you than you think. Back when I was fighting that demon (I like to picture myself using a giant anime sword that's on fire), I swore on my soul that not a single person in the world gave a shit whether I lived or died. As I got older and that smothering black veil lifted, I realized how incredibly wrong I was. There were dozens of people who would have been negatively affected by my early check-out.
You'll find the same. Even if it turns out that number is two, that should mean something to you because it translates to this: Those two people live in a better world simply because you draw breath.
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Even if those two people are complete douchebags.

#1. Stop and Figure Out How Much Partying You Can Handle


Statistically, almost every teenager reading this article will try booze or drugs before they graduate. I'm the last guy in the world who is going to burst through the doors and break up the party -- I've drank enough alcohol and done enough drugs in a single night to put any random four of you in a grave. And this is the last thing you want to hear, because the whole point of partying is that for one night you don't have to worry about a bunch of shit. So I'm not going to be the asshole who starts preaching about childhood obesity to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. I had my fun, you should have yours.
But, there's a huge yet invisible difference between innocent experimentation and addiction, and when it decides to blindside you, it happens so hard and so fast that, in the words of Warden Samuel Norton: "You'll think you've been fucked by a train". It's important that you recognize it before that happens. And, just like with the mental health example, society isn't great about giving you the tools because parents prefer to just tell you to never touch the stuff instead. You're probably not going to listen to that, so you wind up with no help at all.
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It never looks like an after school special. It looks more like a call to 911.
My advice isn't complicated, and if you respect yourself or anyone you know at all, I ask you this one simple favor that will take five minutes per month. It's as easy as reading a grocery list. Bookmark that link, and once a month, visit it. Mentally check off any of those things that apply to you. If you have even one, it's not a good sign. But as you check things off, if you find that your mental pen is starting to run out of ink, it's time to take some serious steps towards finding an adult to talk to.
This wasn't a "find out five years later" case for me. It ate a third of my total lifespan, and I let it.
As I always point out with this issue, there are millions of people out there who can party with the best of them and then walk away unscathed. They can forget about it the next day and not come back to it for months or years at a time. Maybe you're one of those people, and I won't be the guy who points a finger in your face and tells you that you're wrong. All I'm asking is to visit that site. Give it an honest read... and if you find yourself checking off more and more of those points, come to terms with the idea that unless you put a stop to it, it's going to hurt you and everyone you love.
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There's no shame in saying, "This isn't where I want to be. Can you help me?"
Why You Won't Believe it for Years:
You spend years in school listening to D.A.R.E. programs (or whatever anti-drug stuff they do where you live) telling you that one hit off a joint will put you in a coma. Then you actually try the stuff and realize that's bullshit, so you immediately ignore all other warnings, too. It's all the same shit -- puritanical adults clutching their pearls at the thought of spending Friday night ingesting anything other than Bible verses. Right? It's hard to imagine that your parents were in college too, at one point, and may have owned more than one bong. So trying to separate the anti-drug propaganda from the useful warnings becomes next to impossible. Especially when you're young and healthy and invincible, and your hangovers are over after breakfast.
And hell, once you're in college, that's all about drinking, right? That's the stereotype. The weird kids are the ones who aren't getting wasted.
And in the years after, you don't take kindly to words like "alcoholic" and "addict" because they're not a diagnosis - they're insults. They're terms used to describe selfish, weak people who ruin families. Nobody wants to be that. Even if you find that you are addicted, you sure as fuck can't admit it.
So you'll ignore it -- I ignored mine for 22 years before I finally swallowed my pride and admitted that I had a problem. You'll make excuses like, "I have a job. I'm a good mother/father. I pay my bills. I'm not hurting a damn thing -- I'm an adult, and this is my decision."
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Totally your decision.
via http://www.cracked.com/

Steve Grand wants you to ‘STAY’


Proudly gay American country singing hunk Steve Grand has released a video for his second single, Stay.


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The video confirms that Grand is continuing to unrepentantly express himself as a gay man through his music and videos, in a genre of music not known for being gay-affirming.
The upbeat Stay clip shows Grand having fun with friends, male and female, but his attention is clearly focused on one particular guy in the group.

They hold hands and kiss as Grand sings: “You know, my old man’s out of town for a couple days; I think that you should stay with me all summer, stay with me under the covers, stay with me and be my lover…”

Grand, who was also an underwear model, was rejected by the music industry because of his overtly gay lyrics and was forced to self-produce his music, recording vocals in his parents’ basement.
The impressive self-financed video for his soulful debut single All-American Boy has been viewed over 2 million times on YouTube and made him an overnight sensation around the world.

There are reports that Grand will be touring South Africa in December.

Via http://www.mambaonline.com/

The 30 Sexiest Gay Scenes In Movies

Brutality and tenderness. Recklessness and wisdom. Lust and love. It's all here.
Whatever the catalysts that spark sexual reaction, we find them here, in the 30 sexiest gay film scenes—all of which, though wildly different, capture the raw and visceral experience of passion, leaving viewers feeling both deeply aroused and self-consciously voyeuristic.
From the over-the-top hilarity of Wet Hot American Summer's gay romp to the pugnacious fervor that drives the titular anti-hero of Querelle; the quiet longing in Bent to the bacchanal hunger that destroys Caravaggio; the affirming naïveté of My Own Private Idaho to the boundary-pushing world-weariness of Edward II.
It's all here, eager for your eyes, waiting for you to watch:

1. Plata Quemada (Burnt Money) - Dir. Marcelo Piñeyro, 2000
Leave the translator on the bedside table. You won’t need it to understand this sensual Argentine drama based on a true story of bank-robbing lovers on the lam. Though protagonists El Nene and Angel are constantly imperiled, they steal a final tender moment during a gunfight, burning up the screen with a desperate grab at love.

2. Wet Hot American Summer - Dir. David Wain, 2001
Sweat and saliva aren’t essential to sexiness—sometimes it just takes a funny bone. Another cult classic, found its heart in a furtive love affair between two camp counselors, played by Bradley Cooper and Michael Ian Black, in identical tube socks, stolen in a dim shed.
3. Weekend - Dir. Andrew Haigh, 2011
There’s little romance involved when it comes to the encounter that starts Glen and Russell’s isolated two-night stand. It’s raw passion and yearning, straightforward and frank, and that’s what energizes this touching and haunting indie hit about what happens when a casual hook-up turns into something more.


4. Shelter - Dir. Jonah Markowitz, 2007
Lust provides the thrust of Zach and Shaun’s long-anticipated night of passion, an explosion of atavistic attraction — pull at the belt; get the fly; untangle the legs — but it’s love that wins the day in this movie about a young man coming to terms with his sexuality. The men can’t resist one another, and we can’t resist hitting rewind.


5. The Bubble - Dir. Eytan Fox, 2006
"It would have to be when Noam (Ohad Knoller) and Ashraf (Yousef Sweid) first have sex in Eytan Fox's The Bubble. The scene's great for two reasons: first, because it dares to show an Israeli Jewish man and a Palestinian man making love, and second, because it eschews the spit-and-smile approach to movies like Brokeback Mountain to give viewers a more realistic version of what happens when someone loses his anal cherry—it's a little awkard, a little painful, but also irresistble and tender and ineffably pleasurable. And no, it doesn't hurt that Knoller and Sweid are totally cute, too."
—Dale Peck, novelist, 'Sprout'

6. Querelle - Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982
From start to finish, this adaptation of Jean Genet’s novel about a dangerously handsome murderer plays like the love child of Pierre et Gilles and Tom of Finland. Fetishes abound (soldiers, sailors, cops, criminals), yet of all the rendezvous and caresses, it’s Querelle and killer construction worker Gil’s long-anticipated embrace that lingers with viewers longest.


7. Shortbus - Dir. John Cameron Mitchell, 2006
Shortbus stands out for its evocative, at times confrontational portrayal of real-life sex—largely because the actors were actually having sex. But it’s the scene in which actress Sook-Yin Lee’s Sofia Lin, a sex therapist who has never had an orgasm, gets to enjoy her first orgy that is this flick’s sexiest. The participants aren’t crude or bacchanal or drugged out; they’re simply uninhibited and having fun.



8. Bent - Dir. Sean Mathias, 1997
“I never thought we’d do it without touching.” But they did: Max (Clive Owen) and Horst (Lothaire Bluteau) bring each other to ecstasy without ever making a single move in Bent, about gay men who fall in love in a Nazi concentration camp. The scene in question—where the two stand side by side, never looking at or touching each other while reaching silent climax—leaves the viewer reeling.


9. Un Chant D'Amour (A Song of Love) dir. Jean Genet, 1950
"My favorite movie male-on-male love scene is one in which the male couple are separated by a cell wall but brought together by a straw and a shared lungful of smoke. Is this is a bad sign? Jean Genet's Un Chant D'Amour, his only movie, is set, of course, in a prison. A middle-aged prisoner knocks on his cell wall, frantically trying to attract the attention of his younger neighbor, who is dancing with himself in a dirty vest with a face as tender as it is tough. The old lag lights a cigarette, inserts a straw through a tiny hole, and blows smoke through it into the next cell. After studiously feigning disinterest, the young brute finally kneels at the wall, closed-eyed and open-mouthed, and receives the billowingn white smoke. It's a great, exquisitely poetic representation of the impossibility of romance—and even desire itself. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, I've looked at glory holes from both sides now, from blower and inhaler, from younger and older, and still it's glory holes' illusions I recall."
—Mark Simpson, writer, Metrosexy

10. Maurice - Dir. James Ivory, 1987
Confused and traumatized by an unconsummated love, Maurice (James Wilby) finally gets some relief when he succumbs to gamekeeper Scudder’s (Rupert Graves) nocturnal advances in this Merchant Ivory adaptation of E.M. Forster’s posthumous novel. Though Maurice is initially dismayed when Scudder offers himself up, he comes to his senses and together the men find their happy ending.

11. Caravaggio - Dir. Derek Jarman, 1986
Brutal and violent, artist Caravaggio’s doomed affair with street fighter Ranuccio is sexuality at its most unrestrained. The men, played by Nigel Terry and Sean Bean, know perfectly well they can’t come out of their dalliance unscathed—nor do they—but it’s those elements of danger that make this story so combustible.

12. My Own Private Idaho - Dir. Gus Van Sant, 1991
It’s tenderness that fuels the sexuality in this pick, Van Sant’s beloved tale of a gay narcoleptic street hustler (River Phoenix) who is desperately in love with his best friend, Scott (Keanu Reeves). The realistic portrayal of platonic, symbiotic intimacy sticks with the viewer longer than the image of Phoenix and Reeves cuddling up by a campfire.

13. Bound - Dirs. Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1996
“Here…touch it.” Jennifer Tilly’s domineering Violet knows exactly what she’s doing when she demands Corky’s attention. Encouraged, Gina Gershon’s butch Corky goes at it with gusto. She pushes all the right buttons, leaving viewers wondering where the line between fiction and reality really lies.

14. Cruel Intentions - Dir. Roger Kumble, 1999
A strand of saliva suspended between two lithe, eager lips. That was all, yet Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair’s lip-lock rocked the world when this teenage take on Dangerous Liaisons hit theaters. The reviews were less than kind, but for an entire generation, The Kiss proved that sexuality can be fluid.

15. Gia - Dir. Michael Cristofer, 1998
Angelina Jolie and Elizabeth Mitchell’s chemistry in this biopic provided what could’ve been a tacky sex scene with real heart, making the consummation of famously doomed model Gia and lover Linda’s relationship one of the most brave, candid, and erotic explorations of lesbian desire in cinema.

16. The Hunger - Dir. Tony Scott, 1983
Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon) gives herself over to absolute pleasure when she allows vampiric seductress Miriam (Catherine Deneuve) to draw blood in Scott’s drama. These women gave vampires their gay bite onscreen long before True Blood or even Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, and the iconic actresses did it with a sensuality newer blood suckers can only hope to top.
17. Henry & June - Dir. Philip Kaufman, 1990
Anaïs Nin didn’t make it into the title, but Maria de Medeiros’ portrayal of the erotica author made this 1990 indie flick sizzle, especially her encounters with June Miller, played by an always smoldering Uma Thurman. One scene in particular, the women’s trip to a lesbian speakeasy, stands out for its carefree bohemian spirit, nonchalant elegance, and Anaïs and June’s scene-stealing kiss.



18. Taxi zum Klo (Taxi to the Toilet) - Dir. Frank Ripplah, 1980
"There's an encounter in Taxi zum Klo between director-star Frank Ripploh and his real-life lover, Bernd Broaderup. It was the first sex scene I'd ever seen that combined hotness, narrative necessity, a dom/sub dynamic, and the ineffable sweetness that comes only from a real relationship. It as the seed for Shortbus."
—John Cameron Mitchell, filmmaker, 'Shortbus' and 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch'
 
19. Contracorriente (Undertow) - Dir. Javier Fuentes-León, 2009
A complex tale of acceptance and rejection, this Peruvian film contains a plethora of sex scenes between fisherman Miguel and artist Santiago, who pursue a forbidden relationship that blurs the line between life and death. Of all those moments, it’s their encounter in an oceanside cave that marks the film’s sexiest scene.

20. Y Tu Mamá También - Dir. Alfonso Cuarón, 2001
Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna capture the potent curiosity of two men questioning their sexual allegiances in Cuarón’s skin-filled, Oscar-nominated film. The pinnacle of their ambiguous relationship, a halting, yet charged, drunken kiss, changes them forever.

21. Yossi & Jagger - Dir. Eytan Fox, 2002
Two Israeli soldiers are marching through the snow. They wrestle to the ground. One reveals he’s naked beneath his army-issued jumper. The other accepts the implicit invitation and they go at it as a rabbit watches. This scene from the tense Israeli military love story is pure slice of fantasy, heightened by its forbidden nature.

22. Velvet Goldmine - Dir. Todd Haynes, 1998
Glam rock drama Velvet Goldmine is rife with sex, including Ewan McGregor locking lips with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and engaging Christian Bale in an out-of-this-world romp in a moon crater. There’s no one sexiest scene here; just unadulterated exploration and its climactic consequences.

23. La Ley del Deseo (Law of Desire) - Dir. Pedro Almodóvar, 1987
"The last five minutes of Pedro Almodovar's Law of Desire with the unbelievably sweet and sexy, pre-Hollywood Antonio Banderas is one of the reasons I became a film director and big believer in true love."
—Eytan Fox, filmmaker, 'Yossi & Jagger and 'The Bubble'

24. The Outsider - Dir. Delbert Mann, 1961
"Tony Curtis's 1961 The Outsider, about an American Indian who was a hero of Iwo Jima, told the heartbreaking story of a soldier who mourned his buddy, missing in action. He shed tears drunkenly as the soundtrack played Where are you? You went away without me. I thought you cared bout me. In those homophobic days, it seemed like a great male-male love story."
—Edmund White, novelist, 'A Boy's Own Story'

25. J’ai Tué Ma Mère (I Killed My Mother) - Dir. Xavier Dolan, 2009
Hubert and Antonin seal their supple love in a paint-soaked encounter that’s sexy not just for the skin and kisses but for the rollicking enthusiasm the pair exudes. They’re trying to create an artistic kingdom for themselves, and they seem to be on the right track in French–Canadian director Dolan’s 2009 biographical

26. Le Temps Qui Reste (Time to Leave) - Dir. François Ozon, 2005
Living with terminal cancer, Romain (Melvil Poupaud), a fashion photographer who shoots subjects during orgasm, decides to fill what little time he’s left with as much sex as possible. While Romain and lover Sasha’s impetuous passion alone is reason enough to see this film, the taut narrative about life, death, and sexuality imbues it with existential gravity.


27. Edward II - Dir. Derek Jarman, 1991
Gay-leaning Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe would appreciate Jarman’s adaptation of his work about King Edward II’s love affair with debaucherous nobleman Piers Gaveston. Controversial for its frank depiction of man-on-man action, this entry drips with sensuality from the get-go; the scene of Edward and Gaveston chatting as young squires cavort behind them is among the movie’s most gripping.


28. Presque Rien (Come Undone) - Dir. Sébastien Lifshitz, 2000
The viewer knows from the get-go there’s no happy ending for the young men at the center of this drama, but that doesn’t detract from Mathieu and Cédric’s many joyful romps together while on holiday at the beach in coastal France. They’re playful and free and very, very nude—an unbeatably sexy, and European, combination.

29. My Beautiful Laundrette - Dir. Stephen Frears, 1985
Race, sexuality, and class provide the backdrop for Omar and Johnny’s attraction, on that explodes at the titular laundrette in a scene as sexy and lustful as it is symbolic and artful. The film is essential viewing, full of unadulterated passion, instinctive longing, and, most importantly, a young, bare-chested Daniel Day-Lewis.

30. Happy Together - Dir. Wong Kar-wai, 1997
The despair and self-destruction of a doomed relationship saturates this film by Hong Kong–based filmmaker Wong. From the opening scene featuring Ho Po-wing and Lai Yiu-fai reenacting their post-breakup ritual of a roll in the sheets, the viewer is given a wide, grainy view of romance at its most toxic and passion at its most irresistible. The cinematography here adds an extra layer of allure, adding a gritty vintage quality that only heightens the experience.

Friday 6 September 2013

LGBT and the G20 - Where do we stand?

I live in a country where the LGBT rights is basically covered by all aspects of the law with the one or two issues  not covered yet being written into law at the moment. I have done a few posts regarding this topic already so i will not be going into them again with this post.

Today http://www.pinknews.co.uk/ did i summary about where the G20 stand with regards to LGBT rights and i found it shocking considering that the G20 summit is being held in Russia this year where it is basically illegal to be gay even though its not said in as many words.

Below PinkNews outlines the records of the G20 countries when it comes to LGBT rights.

Argentina
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LGBT Rights Record – Good

The recognition of LGBT rights in Argentina are among some of the most advanced in Latin America. Argentina legalised same-sex marriage in 2010 becoming the first country in Latin America to do so. The country also provides full adoption rights to same-sex couples and as of 2012 people can legally change their gender. Currently no national laws are in place to provide discrimination protections however such laws do exist in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s largest city as well as the heavily populated city of Rosario. In 2012 senators approved a Gender Identity law that allows for adults to legally change gender and status on legal documents without the approval of a doctor or a judge.

Australia
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LGBT Rights Record – Good

Same-sex sexual activity has been legal nationwide in Australia since 1997 with gradual strides forward being made in terms of LGBT rights. While same-sex marriage is not recognised in Australia there is recognition of same sex relationships with options of registered partnerships available or unregistered cohabitation rights available. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who is currently in the middle of an election campaign has come out in support of same-sex marriage rights and in recent weeks criticised his opponent Tony Abbot who remains opposed to equal marriage.

Brazil
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LGBT Rights Record – Very Good

Same-sex marriage has been available nationwide in Brazil since May 2013. Many states have laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Earlier this year over 1 million people turned out for the Sao Paulo pride event, Brazil provides gender reassignment operations free as part of public healthcare but a person has to be 21 years of age and doctors need to approve the operation.

Canada
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LGBT Rights Record – Very Good

Canada was the third nation in the world where same-sex marriages were legally performed and has sexual orientation discrimination protections nationwide. Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper the Government has been very vocal in the stand they have taken for LGBT rights around the world. The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has strongly criticised Russia as well as other countries that have poor records on LGBT rights. He described the gay propaganda law in Russia as a “hateful” piece of legislation.

China
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LGBT Rights Record – Poor

Same sex sexual activity is legal in China and in 2001 homosexuality was removed from the Ministry’s of Health list of mental disorders. However no recognition of same-sex relationships exist, same-sex couples cannot adopt children and no discrimination protections exist for LGBT people. On the whole the human rights record of China is considered poor with various organisations and governments raising concerns over freedom of speech and expression in the country.

France
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LGBT Rights Record – Very Good

Under the socially liberal Francois Hollande, equal marriage and adoption rights have been extended to same-sex couples. France has both sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination protections in place and is generally considered one of the most gay friendly places in the world. Trans people are able to legally change their gender and in 2009 France became the first country in the world to remove gender dysphoria from its list of diseases. French officials have expressed concern over Russia’s anti gay legislation in the run up to the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Germany
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LGBT Rights Record – Good

Since reunification in 1990 Germany has progressed well on LGBT issues. Equal marriage is not available in the country but registered partnerships have been available since 2001. Discrimination protections exist to LGBT people in the workplace and the public are generally supportive of equal rights. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle strongly criticised Russia over its gay propaganda law calling the treatment of LGBT people in the country “unacceptable.”

India
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LGBT Rights Record – Very Poor

In 2009 the Delhi High Court struck down a law that criminalised homosexual intercourse on the basis that it violated fundamental rights provided by the Indian Constitution. Currently however no legal protections exist for LGBT people, there are no discrimination protections and there are no laws to protect against discrimination in the workplace. Transgender people gained legal recognition in 1994 but discrimination is widespread and the country does not provide safe medical facilities to allow people to change their gender.

Indonesia
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LGBT Rights Record – Very Poor

On a national level homosexual activity is not illegal in Indonesia but discrimination and violence is a very real issue for people living in the country. In 2002, the Indonesian Government gave Aceh province the right to introduce Islamic sharia law. Fifty-two regions have since enacted sharia from the Koran which criminalizes homosexuality. Earlier this year Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal labelled homosexuality “a social disease that should be eradicated” and went onto propose a law that would make homosexuality punishable by up 100 public lashes.

Italy
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LGBT Rights Record – Poor

Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Italy, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. Since 2002 there have been several attempts to legislate to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including one bill that is currently in progress.

Japan
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LGBT Rights Record – Poor

In Japan, there are currently no laws against homosexuality, but there is no legal recognition of same-sex relationships or legal protection against discrimination. Japanese culture and the major religions in Japan, however, do not have a history of hostility towards LGBT individuals.

Mexico
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LGBT Rights Record – Good

LGBT rights vary upon region in Mexico but many positive changes have taken place since 2001. Same sex marriage is legal in Mexico City and Quintana with civil unions available in other cities across the country. Since 2003 discrimination protections have existed to protect people from discrimination in the workplace. Conservative attitudes do still exist in areas of the country, recently a Mexican Congresswoman came under fire when she argued against equal marriage because “gay people do not look each other in the eye during sex.”

Russia
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LGBT Rights Record – Very Poor

International attention has focused on Russia over the past few months over increasingly anti-gay measures taken by the government. While same-sex activity is legal in Russia recently passed laws make illegal for people to positively promote “non traditional” relationships and Russia has banned same-sex couples (where they live in Russia or abroad) from adopting children. Russia has faced international backlash for their stance due to the Winter Olympics set to take place there next year. In a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Russia defended its anti-gay laws by claiming that they were not homophobic because they targeted all people regardless of sexual orientation. Russia has been further criticised for human rights violations over the signing of a law that bans protests and demonstrations throughout the duration of the Winter Olympics.
The laws enacted by the Russian Government will apply to both Russians and Foreigners raising concerns that athletes and tourist visiting Russia shall not be safe during the Games. President Putin has sought to allay fears despite the fact that lawmakers say that the laws cannot be suspended.

Saudi Arabia
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LGBT Rights Record – Extremely Poor

Under strict sharia law LGBT rights are completely unrecognised in Saudi Arabia. Homosexuality is punished with imprisonment, corporal punishment and capital punishment. Saudi Arabia has harshly cracked down on homosexuality and those who politically advocate for LGBT rights. Last year the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia despite already punishing homosexuality with the death penalty in some cases banned gays from attending any of its schools.

South Africa
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LGBT Rights Record – Very Good

Since the fall of the Apartheid Government, South Africa has allowed the advancement of LGBT rights. It became the first country to write up a constitution that outlawed discrimination against gay people. It became the fifth country in the world and the first country in Africa to legalise equal marriage. It was announced earlier this week that South Africa was going to enact new hate crime legislation to protect LGBT people from hate speech and verbal attacks. People have had the legal right to legally change gender since 2003 and while discrimination protections do exist it has been reported that trans people are discriminated against in the workplace.

South Korea
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LGBT Rights Record – Poor

Same sex relations are legal in South Korea but recognition of LGBT citizens are limited. Efforts to include protection of sexual orientation in the Anti-Discrimination Act have been controversial and thus far unsuccessful. General awareness of homosexuality remained low among the Korean public until recently, with increased awareness and debate coming to the issue, as well as gay-themed entertainment in mass media and recognizable figures and celebrities coming out in public. But Korean gays and lesbians still face difficulties, and many prefer not to reveal their gay identity to their family, friends or co-workers.

Turkey
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LGBT Rights Record – Poor

Homosexual relations are legal in the Republic of Turkey since 1858, but the law does not include sexual orientation or gender identity in its civil rights laws and there is no legal recognition for same-sex couples currently. The situation in regard to LGBT rights in Turkey has been improving in the 21st century, with proposals to introduce legislation against anti-LGBT hate crimes and discrimination, as well as to constitutionally allow the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. On 12th August 2013 the commission which is drafting the new constitution has agreed to provide constitutional protection against discrimination of LGBT people.

United Kingdom
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LGBT Rights Record – Good

LGBT rights have been greatly enhanced since 1997 with laws equalising the age of consent, servicemen and women being able to serve openly in the military, discrimination protections, adoption rights for same-sex couples in England, Wales and Scotland and same-sex marriage as of 2013 in England and Wales with Scotland expected to soon follow suit. In Northern Ireland however there is no sign that same-sex marriage will soon be available and same-sex couples are not eligible to adopt children. People have been able to legally change their gender since 2004 with trans people having to provide evidence to Gender Recognition Panel which is provided for both on the NHS and private healthcare. Activist have expressed concern that those seeking to legally change their gender any marriages they are apart of are annulled. With the passage of equal marriage this issue has still not been resolved.
Prime Minister David Cameron has been a strong advocate of LGBT rights pushing through equal marriage despite opposition from within his own party as well as warning countries that receive foreign aid that it would be subject to how they treat LGBT people. David Cameron has become the first leader to confirm that he will raise the issue of LGBT rights with President Putin while at the G20. He has expressed concerns about the treatment of LGBT people in Russia and in regard to the Sochi Olympics has said that the best way to challenge the homophobia is to attend the Games and make a stand.

United States of America
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LGBT Rights Record – Good

LGBT rights in the United States vary greatly on a state-by-state basis. Sexual activity between consenting adults has been legal nationwide since 2003.
Under President Barack Obama the United States has seen a shift both politically and culturally when it comes to LGBT rights. As of 2013, thirteen of the 50 US states recognise equal marriage with several counties in New Mexico now doing the same. President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have both publicly gone on record to say that they support same-sex marriage. It has been reported that President Obama is set to meet gay rights leaders in Russia while attending the G20. In August the Obama administration cancelled a meeting in Moscow citing the recent passage of anti-gay legislation as part of the reason for the cancellation.
Despite strong equal marriage laws, there is still a lack of federal anti-discrimination legislation. The Employment Non Discrimination Act is still pending in the US Senate, which would protect against discrimination in the workplace based on gender identity or sexuality.

The European Union
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LGBT Rights Record – Good

LGBT rights in the European Union are protected under its treaties and law. Homosexuality is legal in all EU states and discrimination in employment has been banned since 2000. However EU states have different laws when it comes to any greater protection, same-sex marriage and LGBT adoption.
Acceptance of homosexuality by society is high in European Union countries, with Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic being the top three countries among the studied countries in a global Pew Research Center study.

Country ratings courtesy of Out4Russia. which launched last week and allows users to lobby G20 governments into action against the Russian law.