Marc's Midweek Chaps Beef Haiku

A Scot and his kilt:
In the same way it is with
a beef and his chaps.

The Death of Rap

I went out to the movies with Alex this weekend to see The Bridge to Terabithia. While I suppose I could comment on how I think the young Josh Hutcherson is going to be incredibly hot before long, it feels a little too Michael Jackson-esque. I felt dirty even noticing. Anyway, what I DID notice is that in the 15 minutes of previews there was a new Sony release starring Ice Cube called Are We Done Yet? For those of you who haven't heard of it, its a charming little family-oriented update of The Money Pit, and is the sequel to 2005's Are We There Yet? I know Ice Cube has done a number of movies and all, but I couldn't help but chuckle as I remembered him from his N.W.A. days and had Straight Outta Compton running through my head while the trailer ran.

When N.W.A. and Public Enemy exploded onto the scene in the late 80s, they introduced rap's gritty, edgy social critique to the masses -- where once it shocked and stirred tremendous debate, now the music industry has sucked the heart and soul out of it and Ice Cube is doing kids movies. Rap is dead. Just watch this video if you have any question about that.

The Next Big Single...

I wrote a bit ago about Fergie's remake of JJ Fad's Supersonic. I was thinking to myself, what really bad song will they remake next? My money is on my girls Tigra and Bunny of L Trimm with Cars That Go Boom.

Bodybuilding is So Gay (pt. 2)

(Thanks to MuscleBoy Video!)

What Can Brown Do For You?

Our favorite Eating Out 2 star and former UPS Driver, Marco Dapper is featured in this month's DNA Magazine. I think I may have to run out and buy me a copy because this man is just too incredibly hot.

You can check out the pics over at Towleroad. Really, there should be some kind of rule preventing guys from being this hot.

Queer Eye for the Homeless Guy

I know Queer Eye is SO 2004, but I still think Kyan Douglas is hot and this video is still pretty funny.

(Thanks to Bitter Cup of Joe!)

Toward Equality

Its easy to bitch about what's wrong with the world. Lord knows I've done enough of it. One of the things I've been working on has been shifting my attention to those ways that this world is already becoming a better place. Today's example: Wimbledon. The world's oldest and most prestigeous tennis tournament has announced that it is finally awarding equal prize money to women. Certainly Wimbledon isn't the first tournament to eliminate the pay gap -- that honor belongs to the U.S. Open, in 1998 -- nor was the gap particularly significant in recent years. "Last year’s women’s singles champion, Amelie Mauresmo, earned $1.117 million, 95 percent of the $1.17 million men’s champion Roger Federer," reports the New York Times. Still, Wimbledon overcame myriad rationalizations why it should continue the practice and instead put them all aside and is finally treating men and women equally. You can argue about their motivations or that they should have done it years ago but you can't deny that today we're a step closer to equality, and that's good for all of us.

Grr! You're a Tiger!

(Or is that a leopard?) Good kitty!

(Many thanks to Á Cause des Garçons)

Insubordination!

There's nothing quite so alarming to conservatives as the realization that their children are beginning to think for themselves. The scene: Woodburn, Indiana - in the northeastern part of the state, near the border with Ohio. Megan Chase, a sophomore at Woodlan Junior-Senior High School wrote a student editorial for her school newspaper, the Woodlan Tomahawk, urging understanding and acceptance for gays.

Her article concludes, "I don't understand why we would put so much pressure on those people, that they would feel that they have to end their lives because of their sexuality. Would it be so hard to just accept them as human beings who have feelings just like everyone else? Being homosexual doesn't make a person inhuman, it makes them just a little bit different than the rest of the world. And for living in a society that tells you to always be yourself, it's(sic) a hard price to pay."

Cue the authorities going berzerko. True to form, the school's principal, Edwin Yoder, demanded that he approve each future issue of the paper and accused the students' journalism teacher, Amy Sorrell, of insubordination, exposing her students to inappropriate materials, failing to carry out her responsibilities as a teacher and threatening to fire her if she does not comply with his orders. Sorrell explained, "I didn’t think it was going to be an issue at all. I didn’t think anybody would be upset about it."

The students, doing what students do, are appealing Yoder's decision, have petitioned the school board, requesting that the school board implement a non-discrimination policy including gays and lesbians. The school board, of course, has done its best to ignore the students as best it can.

Despite the authorities' angry response, it seems clear that their overreaction will only serve to galvinize the students. That is, once again, what students do. Anyone who is frustrated at the slow pace of change when it comes to gay rights, here's another reminder that the battle is already won...

(via Towleroad.)

Sexy SMACK!

Ok, I know I've been a little heavy on the videos lately -- I haven't found too terribly much out there to spark my interest, so I've just been finding what works without trying to force it. Anyway, one of my BIG pet peeves, especially as a DJ, is some mainstream hits out there that are just awful. My enemy #1 - Justin Timberlake's Sexyback. I. HATE. THAT. SONG. Fortunately, I'm not the only one. Here's an amusing video response that I stumbled upon.

(Thanks to the guys at BearZone! (NSFW))

Marc's Midweek Shower Beef Haiku

Ancient wisdom say:
"To clean a beef all over,
must remove his shorts."

(Thanks to The Pretty Boys Club (sometimes NSFW) for the pic!)

I LOVE Sweaty Basketball Players!

(Thanks, Queerclick!)

I Want My Baby Back...

After talking with my friend Eric, I am SERIOUSLY jonesing for some baby back ribs.

Tuesday update: I had ribs today. SO FRAKKING GOOD!

Don't Mess With Texas!

You can't buy a dildo in Texas but you can buy an "educational model" and a butt plug. Be careful, though, you can't own more than 5 "educational models."

Marc's Valentine's Day Beef Haiku

On today, love's day
I declare with all my heart:
To beef I'll be true!

(Thanks to Bill in Exile for the pic!)

Valentine's Day Treat!

From Towleroad.

Such a Baldwin!

I swung by the library today and while picking up a couple of books from the recent additions, I noticed a notable face staring back at me... Stephen Baldwin. I thought to myself, "now there's someone who's career has really gone into the shitter. I wonder what he's been up to?" The answer? He's been finding Jesus. His new book talks about "the New Hardcore Movement of Faith." I stifled a laugh, being that I was in the library, and all. Now let me say one thing -- my impression is that celebrities generally live pretty fucked up lives and do all sorts of crazy things. On one hand, I give SB some credit for taking a look at his life and wanting to do something different. That said, I can't help but chuckle as he decides to take the role of rebel and martyr in his family by joining the born-again, evangelist preaching to the skateboard & BMX set. MUST. AVOID. THINKING. HE'S. JUST. ANOTHER. KIRK-CAMERON-EQUE. CLICHE.

Boshe Moi!

I know you've seen them. Those european porn with hot, eastern-European guys who seem to have absolutely no clue how gay sex is supposed to work and who end up hammering away robotically and making strange moaning noises at inappropriate times. Yes the guys are way hot but there's something not right about the whole setup... where do they get these guys? I have a theory: A recent BBC story reports that the Russian military is investigating allegations that soldiers were being forced into the sex trade. It would sure explain a lot, wouldn't it? Just a theory.

Thanks to Jon for pointing this out....

Stripes

Now that the new Mini is finally home, my most recent issue is that the hood is bare. The stripes are mine for the choosing. I've got several options, so I figured I'd let you guys weigh in. Here are the options:

Option 1: The standard white stripes. I think black would be a little too dark on a dark blue car.

Option 2: The triple checkerboard. A nice variation on the checkerboard theme you usually see on the top of the Cooper.

Option 3: The offset stripes. On the driver's side. Again, white.

Option 4: Lightning. White, with black accent.

There are other options - you can check them out over at MightyStripes, but those are the ones that I really like. There's also the question of whether to just stick to the hood (bonnet) or add them to the boot and top. You can take a look at how that looks at MightyStripes, but the Offset is the only one I think looks good over the length of the car. I'm going to leave that question for the time being. Anyway, feel free to vote and/or comment. I'm looking forward to what people think.

You Go Girl!

Today the Toronto Star ran a story about a philosophy professor who appears in drag once a semester to teach gender and transgender theory in his class at York University. I found several points to be incredibly valuable -- first, this isn't the campy, humorous drag of Halloween or drag shows. Rather, he asks he's simply trying to "express my womanly self, what's the big deal? " Why indeed? As he so aptly asks, "Why is this thing that I do so terrible? Half the people in the world are women." Of course, there are people out there who live the transgender experience every day as a way of life. Kudos to him for working to bring a level of acceptance to a group that is often marginalized, even by the gay and lesbian community.

Second, he's straight, married, as well as a father and grandfather. He's been "out" as a crossdresser to his family since 1994. More kudos to him for being willing to be open, honest and willing to live his life in the open.

Third, what really struck me was the relatively mild reaction he elicited, both from his students and in the story in general. His students apparently are overwhelmingly supporting and rate him highly. Further, the story didn't include any sort of the type of polarization that you'd expect here in the U.S. -- no students who feel that he's violating their religious or moral rights, no groups who are protesting him, etc. Is that a function of the difference between American and Canadian society or that the Canadian media isn't covering it the way American media does? That's not clear at all. Still, I was surprised by the complete lack of a sense of scandal that you'd expect if something like that happened here.

Speaking of a lack of scandal, former NBA player John Amaechi came out on ESPN's Outside the Lines over the weekend. For the most part, the announcement so far seems to be a collective yawn, both from within the NBA and from media I've seen. Again, its refreshing to have a reaction that is so completely humdrum -- it makes me feel like we've made much more progress than we generally recognize.

Orgazmo!

I know this isn't a new movie or anything... but this is some funny shit. I also think it'd be hot to see Trey Parker and Matt Stone go at it.

I. LOVE. GALACTICA.

(Thanks, Alex!)

A Bottom In Training?

Well, a French figure skater, at least.

(From Bill in Exile.)

Cooper, pt. 2

Please say hello to the new Cooper, as of yet unnamed. A 2005, no less. If you have to get into an accident, its nice to wind up with a replacement car that's 3 years younger than the car you lost. Hopefully I won't have to go through that process again anytime soon!

So, what's the difference between the old one and the new one? Well, Anderson was a 2002, had manual transmission. This one is a 2005, automatic transition and a sunroof, which is quite nice. The only thing missing is the seat warmers, which are nice for a few weeks, but not a big deal. The color has a bit of a purple hue to it, though I'd still call it blue, rather than full on purple. Feel free to leave suggestions for the name.

Marc's Midweek Jockstrap Beef Haiku

Praise to faithful strips,
your stretchy threads drenched in sweat.
Who will sniff my strap?

Bing Bing!

What's Good For The Goose...

Although I'm not completely convinced that we, as the gay community, should focus solely on the marriage issue, a group in Washington State has taken the gloves off and is going to put people to the test. The Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance, in response to the Washington Supreme Court's ruling that the state has a legitimate interest in limiting marriage because of procreation, has filed an initiative that would limit marriage to couples who are able to procreate and automatically annul marriages that do not result in children within three years. Absolutely brilliant! The group is also planning on sponsoring initiatives that would eliminate divorce and separation for married couples and another that would treat procreation as the equivalent of a marriage ceremony.

Of course, none of these initiatives have a chance of passage, assuming they make the ballot, I'd wager. But the point of the effort is to point out the hypocrisy of the whole "marriage is about procreation and children" argument. If that's true, then these measures are logical extensions of that justification and should be imposed, right? What's good for the gays should be applied to the rest of society. If its gonna be about "the children" then lets make it about the children.

(via Towleroad)

Woof!

I went out for coffee with Jake and Matt the other day and one of the interesting topics of conversation was about a client of Jake's janitorial business in (*city deleted*). At some point Jake came over to the client's house, who apparently was some very important member of the community -- maybe a (*position deleted*) or something, to find the guy at home, on the floor barking like a dog. His partner was also there and upon realizing that Jake was there, he ordered Fido into his room, allowing Jake and his crew to do their work. Now I know what you're thinking -- what exactly is noteworthy about this situation? Doesn't everybody spend their time imitating their favorite pet and eating kibble from a bowl? My point exactly. I've recently come across a company that specializes in products that can accomodate the need for a handmade leather hood that makes Fido look like the dog he really is and also has a zipper for the mouth for those cases where you have to feed him or have some other bright ideas about what he can do with his mouth. Personally, I prefer the hood that makes the guy look like a pony.

Condaleezma!

And now a little something on the lighter side from Shirley Q. and Betty.