XKCD

A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language? This is so geeky!

and this…

O Canada

Security level 2

The security level here has been increased to Level 2 – now the base is protected by the Navy, the Army and a green porta-potty…

DND orders budget cuts

In a move designed to free up cash for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s election campaign, the Department of National Defence has been directed to cut 3.6 billion dollars from the 2008/2009 budget. Public Affairs Officer Boat-Major Katherine Bickford detailed some of the immediate cuts that the Canadian Air Force was making.

“Effective as of midnight 10 September 2008, the operational budget for the Canadian Armed Forces aerial demonstration team Snow Birds has been reduced by 50%. As part of the  mandated budget reduction the Snowbirds have cut 56 of the 112 scheduled shows, will achieve decreased fuel consumption during shows by means of lowering flying speeds from 500 knots to 250 knots and the maximum show altitude from 10,000 feet to 5,000 feet. Further cuts will include reducing the number of aircraft in each show and cutting the airplanes in half.”

Something about Miriam

There’s Something About Miriam is a reality television show filmed in 2003 and originally aired in the United Kingdom on Sky One in February 2004. Hosted by Tim Vincent, it featured six men wooing 21-year-old Mexican model Miriam without revealing that she was a transwoman until the final episode.

Responses from critics were generally unfavorable, calling it “the cruellest reality show idea yet” and part of a trend in shows that exploit unwitting contestants. A British reviewer noted, “The whole premise of There’s Something About Miriam was not a celebration of transgendered life. It was designed to elicit horror from the winning contestant discovering that his dream date had a penis.”  The show was also criticized by transsexual groups, who feared a backlash of public opinion. When the show aired in Australia, reviews were critical of both the premise and Miriam.

When the show aired in the United States on the 2007 Transgender Day of Remembrance, trans author Julia Serano noted, “Programs like ‘There’s Something About Miriam’ not only reinforce the stereotype that trans people’s birth sex is ‘real’ and our identified/lived sex is ‘fake,’ but they perpetuate the myth of deception and thus enable violence against us.

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Part 6

She’s my son

Indrani Kopal’s short documentary is an excellent video of a mother’s unconditional love that has seen her son transition into a woman.

She’s my son (Part 1)

She’s my son (Part 2)

Star Trek?

A bit of fun at the expense of people who don’t exist.

Gay Mac Store

Steven Blum, author of the wildly popular blog “Oh My God Seattle” viciously outed the Seattle Apple store in his post entitled, “The Apple Store at University Village Is So Gay”. Blum wasn’t fingering the pop culture version of ‘gay’ used to describe something stupid or unfortunate either. According to Blum, who calls himself a gay white Jewish male, “The University Village Apple Store is the best place to meet gay people in all of Seattle.”

That’s a hard one to swallow if you’ve ever been to Purr Cocktail Lounge in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle on a Friday night.

It’s located near the corner of 11th and bathhouse flush with dude-on-dude cruising and five guys for every guy in a sea of hair gel.

Don’t ask me why I know that.

Blum described the Seattle Apple store saying; “The salesmen are gay, the customers are gay and the advertising on the wall is gay. The store might as well just put a gigantic upside down pink triangle under it’s Apple logo.”

I visited that Seattle location after performing a serious calibration on my gaydar device but I could not confirm Blum’s assertions. It’s clear since Apple did away with their rainbow logo they’ve distanced their brand from any hint of gay pride.

After reading the rest of his rant it became as obvious as leather hot pants that Mr. Blum has a stylish flair for the dramatic. It’s possible that I may have stumbled upon an Apple basher in denial who needs a coming out party. Read his post and come out with your own conclusion. If you’re gay, go there. NOW.