We’ve seen Google change their logo hundreds of times to celebrate some event during the company’s history, but lately they’ve really upped the ante, changing it nearly every day.

It seems that this particular celebration will go on for a couple of days (till November 10th, Sesame Street’s actual 40th birthday). I like it; I love muppets

Taylor Mitchell, a talented 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Toronto, ON, was tragically killed while touring Nova Scotia. Taylor died in a hospital in Halifax, her death a result of a coyote attack while hiking Cape Breton’s Skyline Trail.

Read more in this article by Globe and Mail, watch the news report here (the site’s Flemish, but the report’s in English).

Then check this out!

Sharleen Spiteri led birthday tributes to her Texas bandmate Ally McErlaine at a gig last Saturday - reassuring fans he is on his way to recovery after suffering a recent brain hemorrhage.
The guitarist collapsed suddenly in September and underwent an operation in London to relieve pressure on his brain.
He spent a month in an ICU and was finally taken off a life support machine last month. His recovery is progressing even further.
Spiteri told fans the good news at a show in Scotland last the weekend and got them to sing a chorus of Happy Birthday in honor of him, who turned 41 on Saturday.
She told the crowd, “Ally is now moving his arms and legs around, which is brilliant. I’m going to see him in hospital next week. He is still as cheeky as ever. Today is his birthday and he would love it if you could all sing Happy Birthday to him.”

COC Nederland pleit voor een erfrecht dat beter is afgestemd op de wensen en leefvormen van homo- en biseksuele Nederlanders.

fotografie: Ibrahim Farah

Volgens het huidige erfrecht geldt een laag belastingtarief wanneer iemand een erfenis aan haar of zijn kind nalaat, maar is er sprake van een tarief dat tot vier maal zo hoog is als je een ander als erfgenaam wilt aanwijzen. Aangezien veel homo’s en lesbiennes geen kinderen hebben, pakt dit ook voor hen negatief uit.

‘Wij vinden dat de wet geen onderscheid moet maken,’ zegt Vera Bergkamp, vice-voorzitter van COC Nederland. ‘Het is goed dat een dierbare voor een lager belastingtarief kan erven, maar of die dierbare een kind is of een goede vriend of vriendin zou niet uit mogen maken.’

De Tweede Kamer stemt op dinsdag 3 november over een voorstel van Fatma Koşer Kaya (D66) om zélf een dierbare aan te kunnen wijzen die fiscaal voordelig kan erven. Dit zou voor veel holebi’s een aanzienlijke vooruitgang betekenen.

I really shouldn’t be surprised (although it went quicker than I thought): both Halifax shows are sold out.

Check out Serena Ryder’s MySpace page for more concert dates and to listen to her latest album “Is it o.k.” (due for release in the US shortly).

To those who got tickets to a Serena concert: don’t be surprised to see a lot of lady lovin’ ladies in the audience. Just sayin’

Currently listening to Tonic (album: Sugar)

The Russian couple who got married in Toronto, Canada, last week by Justice Harvey Brownstone (an out gay Judge) returned to Russia this week to try and force the authorities to recognize their union.

Justice Brownstone penned a wonderful book, drawing from his experiences in Toronto Family Court, called Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court (ECW Press, 2009) and was released earlier this year. I still intend on picking it up and reading it.

Trans people who legally change their names will no longer need to provide courts with a doctor’s note after a ruling from New York’s Supreme Court.

Joan Jett rocks in more ways than one: read her interview for Inked Magazine (Inked for a cause).

The ‘net is buzzing with more Lilith Fair news. I, for one, hope to attend one date (I couldn’t the last time due to financial reasons). A guy friend of mine recounts his time at Lilith Fair - read it here. Its tone differs greatly from the one on Popnography. AfterEllen also asks her readers who they would love to see - here. (Easy guess who tops my list, eh?)

SFGate ran an interesting article on chocolate farms on Hawaii.

Hottie Rena Sofer has joined CBS’ “NCIS” as a potential recurring. She will play a no-nonsense attorney with mysterious motives.

CBC is broadcasting my friend Lara’s short, called Sunfish. It’s not geo blocked, so anyone can watch it *HERE*

eurOut published my latest article on straight allies (yay! Thank you, Stacey) and a heart warming tale posted on Dorothy Snarker’s blog. Sounds like a Hollywood movie, eh?

The Dutch don’t celebrate Halloween (unfortunately) but I took birthday girl Naomi, who turned 7 on Monday, to a children’s museum - with mom and my best friend WP.

Autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire draws 18-foot mural of New York City from memory after 20 minute helicopter ride.

Chaz Bono is one of this year’s OUT 100.

OUT Editor Aaron Hicklin sent over this photo and told us the magazine’s starting to roll out this year’s honorees.

Says Hicklin of the shoot with Chaz: “He’s the first of 100 people we shot, our annual roll call of honor, which this year was photographed entirely by Jason Bell, and themed around school given that adolescence is the time when most of us start coming to terms with our sexuality and who we are. Given that Chaz is transitioning, we felt shooting him in a boys bathroom was a powerful representation of his real identity, albeit with a touch of humor. Chaz was obviously up for the concept, too.”

Chaz will be appearing on Entertainment Tonight this evening. He tells ET: “I shave about once a week now. It kind of started to come in just like peach fuzz. I always wanted to shave. It is a very natural process. For my birthday I got a lot of shaving stuff….Still not anywhere near what I will look like, but really for the first time I am feeling much more comfortable with how I look physically….The most important thing about this for me is that my outsides are finally starting to match my insides…I feel like I’m living in my body for the first time, and it feels really good.”