Punk Smurf pens a bilingual blog

Currently listening to A Girl Called Eddy (album: A Girl Called Eddy)

You might - or might not - have read about the outrage caused by a British “journalist” called Jan Moir. The first time I heard about it was when a British friends of mine started posting about it, clearly showing their disapproval and disgust for Moir’s total ignorance. One even went as far as calling her the C-word (and he is one of the smartest, nicest straight man I know - so for him to use that word…). Anyway, read about it here and the update here (hello, 21,000 complaints and then some). Sounds to me as if Moir has a problem with certain possible “assets” of the homosexual lifestyle. And she’s conveniently forgetting the fact that similar “assets” can be found in heterosexual lifestyles as well. She’s issued some sort of apology in the meantime, but she clearly doesn’t get it. Jan Moir may think she’s not a homophobe, she can at least pride herself in being a bigot.

Fortunately, there are still good things happening in the UK; like this Scottish LGBT-friendly soccer team who are deservedly nominated for a Stonewall Award.

AfterEllen.com reviews an interesting comic book called Dolltopia, which is really a book for all ages, and discusses diversity. I’m not a big fan of the graphics, but it serves its purpose, and it does look interesting to me. Looks like creator Abby Denson’s been promoting Dolltopia across North America.

Globe and Mail ran an interesting article about the wiring of boys’ and girls’ brains. It turns out there’s no significant difference, but it’s magnified by parents… And - surprisingly - same sex schools.

According to this article the Taliban has published a rulebook, and reading it I didn’t know whether to wince or snicker at the stupidity of it all. I mean, any educated person instinctively knows that a band of bearded men telling others to treat women badly (I’m not even sure they are considered second class citizens), what to think, how to act and how to dress cannot be for the greater good. To the advantage of the Taliban; yes. For the greater good; no.

This veteran spoke out in favor of same sex marriage. I can only say that if he’s honored with any medals I am sure he has earned each and every one of them! I’d just want to give a hug and say thank you.

In the meantime President Obama is tackling DADT, the Canadians again show they may not shout as loud as the Americans do, but they are just as great. Halifax’s Chronicle Herald published an article on Canadian forces and their inclusion of gays. A friend of mine can attest to that; she didn’t join till she was 33. And she is still serving 19 years later. Just sayin’, President Obama.

Are you on Facebook, and confused about “live feed” and “news feed”? Check out this page on how to adjust the settings to make it less confusing, and more desirable for you to read (some people seem to post every fifteen minutes - if you know what I mean)…

Charlize Theron. I like her. Vocal human rights advocate. Don’t get me wrong, but she is such a hussy! She kissed a lady for charity. Some lucky lady (she coughed up $140,000 but got a 20-second smooch)…

More Serena Ryder news. (I should get paid for this. I’d settle for a smooch with Serena. Just kidding! Or am I?) She’s currently touring the US with labelmates NeedToBreathe (Serena’s playing Chicago on Halloween!) and “Is it o.k.” will be released in the US on November 3rd - almost a year after its release in homeland Canada. Read more on it here. In the meantime Serena’s also featured in one of City Sonic’s episodes on how she started out. Watch it here.

When I found out Vertical Horizon had a new album out (”Burning the days“) I was thrilled; I wasn’t aware of the fact the band had reformed. Their album “Everything you want” was one of my favorite albums in the late ’90s. Now and then, I still play a couple songs with the singer of my band. Let’s hope they start touring again

For those who like girl with tattoos, I came across a clip at LOTL (an Australian magazine aimed at queer ladies). Check it out here.

Another lady with tattoos: Serena Ryder. Her new video to “All for love” debuted on her MySpace page earlier this week. To non-Canadians: it’s really a new version of the video to the single - this one aimed at an American (possibly a world wide) audience. I’m not sure if the suggestion of the girl-on-girl kiss is hers (probably not) but we know she’s gay friendly, eh.

You may know by now I have a thing for design (it’s eye candy to me), so when I came across pictures of the new Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, I reached for a bib to wipe off drool: HELLO! Are they still hiring?

As published in today’s Globe and Mail:

It was only a matter of time:

Indonesia - Muslim clerics are seeking ways to regulate online behavior in Indonesia, saying the exploding popularity of social networking sites like Facebook could encourage illicit sex.Around 700 clerics, or imams, gathering in the world’s most populous Muslim nation on Thursday were considering guidelines forbidding their followers from going online to flirt or engage in practices they believe could encourage extramarital affairs.

Inside Facebook, an independent Palo Alto, Calif.-based blog dedicated to tracking the site, says Indonesia, a nation of 235 million, was the fastest-growing country in Southeast Asia for the site in 2008, with a 645 percent increase to 831,000 users.

It is already the most visited site in Indonesia, and with less than 0.5 percent of Indonesia’s citizens wired, there is a huge potential for growth.

“The clerics think it is necessary to set an edict on virtual networking, because this online relationship could lead to lust, which is forbidden in Islam,” said Nabil Haroen, a spokesman for the Lirboyo Islamic boarding school, which was hosting the event.

Though followers could still be members of the networking site, guidelines dealing with surfing the Web and Islamic values are urgently needed, he said.

“People are typically using Facebook to connect with their friends, family or learn about local and world issues and events,” said Debbie Frost, a Facebook spokeswoman. “We have seen many people and organizations use Facebook to advance a positive agenda.”

Ninety percent of Indonesians are Muslim and most practice a moderate form of the faith.

An edict by the clerics would not have any legal weight. But it could be endorsed by the influential Ulema Council, which recently issued rulings against smoking and yoga. Some devout Muslims adhere to the council’s rulings because ignoring a fatwa, or religious decree, is considered a sin.

Amidan, who heads the Ulema Council, said the growing number of Facebook users in Indonesia was a controversial subject among Muslim leaders and that he favored a ban because of possible sexual content.

“People using Facebook can be driven to engage in distasteful, pornographic chatting,” said Amidan, who was monitoring the two-day conference in the town of Kediri, in eastern Java.

Many clerics are concerned that “inappropriate content” on Facebook could be accessed by children, said Amidan, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name.

Facebook is the top ranked site in Indonesia, ahead of search engines Yahoo and Google, according Alexa.com, which tracks Internet traffic. Nearly 4 percent of all Facebook visitors are from Indonesia, making it the largest source of visitors after the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Italy.

The thing that really bugs me is what those clerics define as “distasteful and pornographic” things. It’s outdated, and a distorted view of how they would like to see women: submissive and covered up from head to toe.

Facebook and other social networking sites have been criticised for hosting a number of anti-Semitic, homophobic and racist web pages.

According to a report from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a Jewish human rights group named after the renowned Nazi-hunter, there has been a 25 per cent rise in the number of hate groups hosted on sites such as YouTube. Researchers found more than 10,000 websites, social networking groups, portals, blogs, chat rooms, videos and hate games that promoted racial violence, anti-Semitism, homophobia, hate music and terrorism. They found groups such as Croatian Srmt Pederima (Death to gays) and a Serbian group expressing hate towards gays and prostitutes.

It was also found that white supremacist group Stormfront was using its Facebook page to connect thousands of visitors to its main website.

Recently, Facebook was forced to remove two Holocaust-denying groups after complaints from other users.

The two groups, ‘Holocaust is a Holohoax’ and ‘Based on the facts … there was no Holocaust’ were taken down at the weekend. Along with gays and Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, women and immigrants were some of the most targeted groups.

A statement from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre said: “Every aspect of the internet is being used by extremists of every ilk to repackage old hatred, demean the ‘Enemy’, to raise funds and, since 9/11, recruit and train Jihadist terrorists. This user-generated material increases the viral spread of extremism online and aids in increasing the social acceptability of hate in mainstream discourse. By creating an environment where users are equal participants in the web, all editorial functions are removed and expressions of hate can easily flow unchallenged.”

A Facebook spokesman told The Times that “the mere statement of denying the Holocaust is not a violation of our terms”.

According to the company’s statement of rights and responsibilities, users may not “post content that is hateful, threatening, pornographic, or that contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence”.

Facebook said in a statement: “Many of the groups or pages that were shown to us by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre earlier this year as part of their study had already been removed under Facebook’s rules.

“We are committed to continuing this practice, and to working with those who fight hate like the Simon Wiesenthal Centre.”

In December, Facebook was asked by users to remove Serbian homophobic groups. The groups, “Queeria, Pederi Marš iz Srbije”and “СТОП ПЕДЕРИМА – КВИРИЈИ!” were actively promoting homophobic abuse. Users of the groups posted death threats to gay and lesbian Serbians, and called for attacks on gay people and their property.

The members of the group also sent hate mail to LGBT activist leaders, and publicised their names, addresses and telephone numbers, raising serious concerns about security and proper use.

Aren’t we supposed to teach people HATE is WRONG?

No mint, no chocolate… Just Christina Hendricks

UPDATE: On April 27 I blogged about a movie ad banned by Facebook. Apparently, according to AfterEllen.com that’s corrected:

Facebook has reversed its earlier decision to reject the targeted advertisement for the upcoming lesbian romantic comedy And Then Came Lola, telling the filmmakers, “Your ad has now been re-reviewed and approved. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

I just got home after spending a day with my friend Julia (I’m enjoying a week off) and on AfterEllen.com I read about an ad banned by Facebook.

This is the ad:

I think it’s sexy, not offensive. Seriously Facebook: ads featuring half-naked Playboy bunny-types or photos of freshly waxed bikini lines are peachy, but  hot lesbians in tank tops are not? Is this a “gay glitch” like Amazon’s? Better get that fixed soon… Seriously.

I don’t think anyone missed the saddening news of Natasha Richardson’s passing away. May she rest in peace.

The wonderful Marnie Alton is this week’s guest at Brunch with Bridget. Watch it here. *sigh* I so want to move to Canada…

I’m finding Marnie’s toned arms a bit of a distraction :p

Earlier this week John Mayer and Ellen DeGeneres had a funny moment in a washroom stall. Check it out here. (It sounds to me as if John was really straining his vocal chords by singing his part in a falsetto voice. But it works.)

Also earlier this week:

Fast Company runs a cover story on 25-year-old Chris Hughes, the co-founder of Facebook and the whiz kid behind Barack Obama’s campaign web strategy (MyBarackObama.com), who also happens to be gay.

Indie folk duo Indigo Girls get Asian exposure through Fridae.com! Knowing the general musical taste of the avarage Asian (the cheesier the better) I hope they managed to win some new fans.

Canadian songstress Serena Ryder played Halifax, NS (with a full band) on Friday and Saturday (the latter one was sold out). I missed out, but I hope she crosses the Atlantic soon and do some shows in Europe. I’ll try and bring some friend to a show. In the meantime her latest single “All for love” is out. Watch the video here.

Whenever a Salon.com headline catches my eye I read the article that goes with it. When I saw ”The random beauty of Facebook’s 25 random things about me” (by Robert Lanham) I felt compelled to read it:

I was in the middle of typing up my “25 Random Things About Me” list on Facebook when a funny thing happened. I hit clear and decided to abandon the whole time-wasting endeavor. I’d made it through what I intended to be my sole entry before coming to my senses:

1. I like certain books and films and things that taste good. Also, kittens. Thanks for including me in this important social experiment. Now, please stop tagging me.

Over the past two weeks, I’d found my steady purr of status updates on Facebook interrupted by the ever-growing, viral cacophony of the “25 Random Things About Me” chain letter. In case you haven’t been “tagged” yet (fear not, you will be) the concept is simple. Generate a list of 25 “things, facts, habits or goals” about yourself in the notes section of your profile and hit submit. Then, annoy 25 of your Facebook friends by encouraging them to do the same. “If I tagged you,” the instructions explain, “it’s because I want to know more about you.”

The first time I encountered the new trend was about 10 days ago. An e-mail alert arrived in my in box informing me that I’d been tagged. I went about my day and assumed it was just another irritating Internet trend, like Julia Allison or that bitten by a zombie widget. It would run its narcissistic course, I reasoned, and then go away. But in the days that followed, I found myself bombarded with a tirade of mundane details about the friends I’d accumulated on Facebook. You’ve doubtless seen a few yourself — and if you haven’t, tens of thousands of people have begun reblogging them on their personal Web sites for your viewing pleasure.

Michel’s No. 2, for instance, informs us that he was born with flat feet: “When I go swimming and walk around the pool, my feet make sounds as if they were suction cups.” Jenny is “neutral to mildly negative about nutmeg.” Tammy has “treated a goat’s cantelope sized scrotum” and apparently has some difficulty spelling.

My Facebook wall was filling up with similarly compelling tidbits, which, of course, left me with one all-encompassing question: Do I really need to know that John “loves elk meat”?

What was happening? Facebook is supposed to be a safe haven for drunk teenagers who want to post pictures of themselves vomiting. An inclusive club where Obama staffers can freely grope cardboard cutouts of Hillary. A digital playground for stalking ex-girlfriends. These simple pleasures were being undermined by this solipsistic intruder, “25 Random Things About Me.”

Clearly, I wasn’t the only person who was frustrated. Just days into the fad, a growing number of Facebook groups protesting “25 Random Things About Me” had already begun to spring up. Thus far, I’ve spotted close to a dozen including:

I’m Tired of Learning 25 Random Things About People

Screw you, I’m not gonna tell you 25 Random things about myself

Stop Tagging Me in 25 Random Things Posts You Tards

Make a 50 random things about me note and suffer the wrath

I bet I can find 1,000,000 people now tired of the note “25 Random Things”

Oddly, even the people who were submitting their own “25 Random Things About Me” lists seemed confused by their own participation. In addition to an inordinate number of posts about bacon, nearly every list I encountered included a disclaimer. Amber writes, “I have been tagged multiple times and resisted doing this meme.” My friend Pete asserts at the top of his list, “I never respond to these types of things” — which was my sentiment exactly, when I began to type up my snarky, one-item response to the trend.

That’s when I noticed a new Facebook update on my wall. It was another list, submitted by a woman I’d worked with at a handful of different jobs. I’d known her for years, but somehow never really gotten to know much about her personally. I read her list, and “25 Things About Me” fatigue be damned, I was intrigued. Somehow moved. No. 18 even managed to break my heart. I immediately deleted my own cynical entry with a click of the mouse. This is what she’d written:

2. My mom was and still is a very famous actress in Romania. Her movies and plays are featured on TV all the time. When I was a kid I would beg her to bring me the flowers she received from the audience. She typically gave them to the ladies behind the scenes. I wish she would write a book about her life.

14. As a 6 year old in Bucuresti, I was a passenger in a car that was chased by the police. My dad was in the backseat with me. He covered my ears so the siren would not freak me out. The driver, my dad’s friend, ran a red light and since he was somewhat drunk he decided to speed off. We got away just fine. The guy changed his license plate later on that night. My mom was very angry after we arrived home and she found out what had happened.

18. I still miss my dad tremendously, whenever I think of him. He died on Sept. 13, 1999 at home in Florida. He held my moms’ hand and my hand in his as he died. I heard his last breath and it was a gentle, beautiful death - nothing like what I expected it to be from TV and the movies. He glowed for a long time after he died. He was a beautiful and wonderful man and I was his little girl.

Over the next couple of days, I began paying closer attention. I discovered that dozens of my friends had actually been posting things that were quite meaningful, witty, smart and sometimes poetic.

My friend Matt tended toward the cerebral:

8. While I’ve known some extraordinary women and men of faith in my lifetime, and goodness knows many favorite authors and musicians were believers, I strongly suspect that religion has long outlasted its usefulness to the species. I, without hesitation, call myself an atheist not so much to claim that I understand a thing about the whys and wherefores of the infinite universe in which we live, but to declare emphatically that no single religion on Earth does either.

Bret made me laugh with his hilarious randomness:

6. I own the URL fuckrock.com, but feel like I haven’t fully realized its potential.

And my sister reminded me how important she is to me:

2. My parents have not spoken to me in over two years because I am gay.

9. I am extremely proud of my brother, Robbie and my sister-in-law, Amy.

And sure, there were the utterly ridiculous lists that wasted my time as well, and dozens that simply made me laugh. But even the most mundane entries tended to contain a few gems, minimalist narratives I could attach to the blur of faces I’d accumulated in this often paradoxically antisocial networking world we call Facebook.

That’s the thing about “25 Random Things About Me”: Once you stop being annoyed you realize that, at its best, it’s one of the more compelling — and, yes, even oddly inspiring — wastes of time to hit the Web in years. And let’s cut to the chase. Should we really be complaining about the inanity of this new trend? We’re a nation entertained by lolcats.

So, accuse me of oversharing. Say I’m adding to the problem. But I’ve decided to stop sneering at those who’ve taken the time to share something about their lives. In fact, I’ve decided to post a list of my own. I didn’t join Facebook, after all, to be anonymous, incurious or left alone.

The writer hit the proverbial nail on the head: those are exactly my thoughts! I’d been tagged a couple of times - and at first I didn’t pay much attention. Until the list started popping up all around me. I couldn’t ignore it any longer, so I started reading on my friends’ randomness. And like the writer I sometimes discovered interesting facts, which in turn inspired me enough to write a list, too  :D