Category Archives: News and Happenings
Dismaland Art Project in UK
Inside the walls of a derelict seaside swimming resort in Weston-super-Mare, UK, mysterious construction over the last month—including a dingy looking Disney-like castle and a gargantuan rainbow-colored pinwheel tangled in plastic—suggested something big was afoot. Suspicion and anticipation surrounding the unusual activity attributed to fabled artist and provocateur Banksy has reached a Willy Wonka-esque fervor. Well, if Banksy’s your bag, continue fervoring. If not, there’s more than a few reasons to continue reading.
The spectacle has since been revealed to be a pop-up art exhibition in the form of an apocalyptic theme park titled Dismaland (“The UK’s most disappointing new visitor attraction”) that will be open to the public for five weeks.
Here’s some text from the event’s official brochure:
Are you looking for an alternative to the soulless sugar-coated banality of the average family day out? Or just somewhere cheaper. Then this is the place for you—a chaotic new world where you can escape from mindless escapism. Instead of a burger stall, we have a museum. In place of a gift shop we have a library, well, we have a gift shop as well.
Bring the whole family to come and enjoy the latest addition to our chronic leisure surplus—a bemusement park. A theme park who’s big theme is: theme parks should have bigger themes…
This event contains adult themes, distressing imagery, extended use of strobe lighting, smoke effects and swearing. The following items are strictly prohibited: knives, spraycans, illegal drugs, and lawyers from the Walt Disney corporation.
A demented assortment of bizarre and beautiful artworks from no less than 58 global artists including Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, Jimmy Cauty, Bill Barminski, Caitlin Cherry, Polly Morgan, Josh Keyes, Mike Ross, David Shrigley, Bäst, and Espo. Banksy is also showing 10 artworks of his own.
Dismaland features a cavalcade of artists featured here on Colossal over the last few years including pieces by Escif, Maskull Lasserre, Kate McDowell, Paco Pomet, Dietrich Wegner, Michael Beitz, Brock Davis, Ronit Baranga, and others.
A program of 24 short films will be shown on a massive outdoor cinema that will play on a loop day and night. Films include shorts by Santiago Grasso & Patricio Plaza, Kirsten Lepore, The Mercadantes, Ze Frank, Adrien M. & Claire B., Black Sheep Films, and Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.
Tipping Tips Around the World
It’s hard enough trying to convert currency in your head while traveling – let alone, guess what kind of tip to leave someone.
Luckily we have apps for that! Know when to tip and how to present the tip in over 30 countries. Tip the right amount in restaurants, hotels, taxis, salons and more. Global Tipping App for iphones.
For Android we have Tipping Bird. This crafty accompaniment to your app collection handily helps you add a gratuity of an acceptable amount depending on what country you’re dining in. We know what you’re thinking – isn’t a 10% tip pretty customary? Nope!
In the USA the average tip is around 19% (since hospitality does not pay crap in the US) , in the Dominican Republic you’ll be disgraced if you don’t put down 10%, 6% will suffice in Norway where they make a decent hourly wage, and for the generous folk of Iceland, a tip is not necessary at all. In fact, in many locations worldwide, incorrect tipping is a topic that leads to great tension and offence. Thankfully Tipping Bird is here to guide you on what percentage of the bill is the right amount to put down.
One small piece of advice – check your bill to see if a gratuity is already included in the expected payment. Overpaying can be just as offensive in some cultures as underpaying.
Massacre Against LGBT People in Turkey
I myself, have no desire to visit countries where I have to walk on eggshells and pretend to be straight. I do not want to worry while traveling that my life could potentially be in danger.
A group calling itself the Young Islamic Defense has been canvasing the city of Ankara, Turkey with posters that call for anti-LGBT violence. The poster (pictured above) quotes a hadith, saying “If you see someone engaged in the dirty business of the tribe of Lot, kill the doer and the done both.” – Ankara is said to be “gay friendly”.
Via the internet, the Young Islamic Defense has defended its call to action, saying:
in order to show that Islam absolutely does not allow this situation, we have shared this hadith… Our wish is to learn the attitude Islam demands from us in light of the Qu’ran and the Sunnah, instead of the hodjas who cannot shout out what is rightful on television.
This news comes on the heels of recent violence against LGBT people in Turkey — when in late June Istanbul police attacked the city’s pride march with water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets.
[Story and Image via LGBTI News in Turkey]
Gay Marriage in The Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, and form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Politically, the eastern islands form the British Virgin Islands and the western ones form the Virgin Islands of the United States. The British Virgin Islands is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom comprising approximately 60 islands and cays including Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, and Anegada.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is one of five inhabited insular areas of the United States, along with American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. The territory comprises a number of islands including St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas and Water Island.
Previously, Virgin Islands Senate President Neville James raised eyebrows for his statement issued after the SCOTUS ruling saying “I’ve always known marriage to be an act between a man and a woman. Notwithstanding the Supreme Court decision, that is how it will remain. Call me old-fashioned, but it is what it is.”
Seems the islands have had a change of heart….St Croix Source reports….Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp on Thursday signed an executive order bringing Virgin Island’s law into conformance with the Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality, Government House announced. The measure now awaits the signature of Senate President Neville James, who is acting lieutenant governor while Lt. Gov. Osbert Potter is out of the territory.
Mapp announced June 30 the Virgin Islands law defining marriage as only a union between a man and woman was null and void, and promised to issue an executive order to the effect.
“This ruling does not require any minister or person of faith to marry anyone they do not wish to marry or to change any religious documents in any way,” the governor said. “But the ruling does affect the behavior of civil society and, as governor of the Virgin Islands, I am responsible for the conduct and behavior of the public sector.”
“Accordingly I will be issuing an executive order which will set forth the parameters that will allow any and all legitimate marriage licenses in the nation to be recognized in the Virgin Islands.”
Gay Days at Disneyland Anaheim
About 12 weeks away!
It’ll be here before you know it!
GAY DAYS ANAHEIM @ Disneyland!
This is one of our favorite parties – and favorite cities!
Gay Days Anaheim 2015
October 2 – 4
The schedule is awesome this year and you can pick and choose which parties and events you wish to attend. Coco Peru will be back this year and the fabulous WILLAM from Ru Pauls drag race fame. The parties run Friday thru Sunday but I encourage you stay a few more days. There is SO MUCH to see and do in Anaheim and Orange county. CHECK OUT THESE PAST ARTICLES! Shopping, dining, fresh air, art galleries and ocean waves. The historic Packing District showcases culinary offerings and events in a communal gathering space in the heart of downtown Anaheim, and celebrates their one year anniversary next month. You could spend an entire day here.
Discounted Park Tickets Available Now! Click here
Check out the Schedule of Gay Days Anaheim events HERE
Introducing the Gay Days Anaheim Concierge! Click for more information
If you’re not already on the Private Email List, sign up now!
Gay Prague Pride 2015
The fifth edition of the Prague Pride festival will be held from Monday 10 August till Sunday 16 August 2015.
This years slogan will be “We all have a rainbow inside”, visualized by thermal camera pictures. With this theme Prague Pride invites everybody, straight and gay, to join the festival and support that we are all equal. The full festival program is just coming together and looks better than ever before.
The Pride Village will be the main meeting point of the festival, located on the beautiful Strelecky island in the middle of the Vltava river right next to the famous Charles Bridge. The Pride Village is not just a community place, where you can get general information about the festival and meet Czech LGBT organizations, but it is also a place where you can watch LGBT movies, play sports, relax and enjoy various performances.
Of course Prague Pride would not be complete without its famous parties. Dirty Dirty Dancing on Friday 14 August will welcome London’s top DJs Josh Caffe and Borja Peňa. The official After Party on Saturday 15 August in club Roxy will host Hoxton Whores from the UK, Marcelo de Lazari from Brazil, Jonty Skrufff & Fidelity Kastrow from Berlin, Michael Burian from Prague and many, many more.
On a more serious matter Prague Pride will offer space for debates and culture in the Pride House and Pride Theatre. It will bring some top artistic events to the city. Prague Pride visitors are given an extra week of the exhibition of the contemporary British artist Roger Hiorns at the Rudolfinum gallery . The Wenceslas Square will host the photo exhibition “Homophobia in Russia” by the World Press Photo 2015 winner Mads Nissen. On Friday 14 August the London Gay Men’s Chorus will perform at the National Theatre, while on that same day the Pride Village will see the world premiere of the dance Dogtown by Israeli choreographer Nadar Rosano.
One of the highlights of Prague Pride will be the Pride Voices event on Wednesday 12 August, when inspirational speakers will share their personal stories. This year Prague Pride is proud to announce that among the guests will be former Icelandic prime minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Dutch olympic medal winner Johan Kenkhuis, World Press Photo 2014 winner Jana Ašenbrennerová, Palestinian protagonist of the documentary ‘The invisible men’ Abdul Rawashda and Mr. Gay World Klaus Burkart from Germany. On Thursday 13 August the Business Forum welcomes BBC economics anchor, Evan Davis and Lord Browne, former BP CEO and author of “The Glass Closet”.
The main event of the Prague Pride festival will be the parade on Saturday 15 August. The march will start on the famous Wenceslas Square in the heart of Prague and then proceed through the historical city center all the way to Letna park where a big outdoor party with several DJ stages and an information market will be held.
The complete program will soon be released on our website www.praguepride.com. You can also find information about the Parade on our main Facebook Event Page here.
Gay Travel for Southern Decadence
GAY TRAVEL HOT DEAL!
Hosted every Labor Weekend, Southern Decadence is the 5th largest event in the city following Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Essence Fest, and French Quarter Fest. 2014 brought in over 160,000 participants.
It’s not to early to start planning for the giant 44th Southern Decadence celebration of LGBT life, music and culture. CALL David now FOR THE BEST DEALS! 1-800-942-1280!
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SUMMER $99 SPECIAL
(not available during holiday weekends).
No Travel Warnings for Puerto Vallarta
The May 5th 2015 update to the US Department’s Travel Warning and the June 1st Travel Advisory by the Canadian Government to Mexico do not include a warning to the city of Puerto Vallarta.
There is no travel warning to Puerto Vallarta. The U.S. Department’s Travel Warning as it pertains to the State of Jalisco highlights rural highways and areas that border states to the south, almost 250 miles from Puerto Vallarta or the distance between New York and Boston; or Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
Similarly, Canada’s Travel Advisory asks that visitors to the State of Jalisco “Stay in tourist areas and follow local media closely. If you do venture outside urban areas, exercise extreme caution, including on major highways. Avoid traveling at night. It is not safe to travel near the border with Michoacán.”
Read more here.
Airlines Discount Gay Pride Travel
Airlines offering discount flights to gay people!
An airline has infuriated Republicans – by offering to fly gay people to Pride events across the US for a discount.
Alaska Airlines – which carries the name of the state known more for being the home of anti-gay politician Sarah Palin than for inclusiveness – made the offer as part of an ‘LGBT travel’ stunt.
Though it doesn’t exclusively apply to LGBT people, the airline has discounted flights to Pride events in a number of cities across the US.
It offers flights at a discount to Pride events including LA, New Orleans and Boston – in a move that has infuriated conservatives in the country.
Alaska Air said: “At Alaska, we have been longtime supporters of the LGBT community and remain committed to a more equitable society. We were elated when the State of Washington expressed the same commitment by legalizing marriage for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
“To show our continued support we are encouraging the LGBT community to travel, not only to Seattle, but to Pride events and gay friendly destinations all over the country.
“With that aim, we have put together this section of our site to highlight destinations that support marriage equality, Pride celebrations, and other things of interest to the LGBT community.”
Some have decried it as “discrimination” in favour of LGBT people, with one right-wing blogger claiming: “The establishment campaign to promote disease-spreading and culture-corroding perversity has reached the point that Alaska Airlines now implies discounts for homosexuals.
ALASKA AIR
Gay Travel With a Dildo Lawsuit
A gay couple is accused United Continental of “extreme and outrageous” conduct over an alleged incident involving a sex toy taped to their luggage, which the men say caused them severe emotional trauma. Back in 2011.
Christopher Bridgeman and Martin Borger of Norfolk, Va., are seeking damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and negligence in a lawsuit filed in 2012.
The incident allegedly happened on May 21, 2011, as Bridgeman and Borger were returning from a vacation in Costa Rica. The men — who have been together for almost nine years — were flying back to Norfolk on Continental with a 90-minute layover at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. (Continental merged with United in 2010.)
Once they landed in Houston, the men collected their checked bags, went through customs, rechecked their luggage and boarded their flight to Virginia without incident.
But when they arrived in Norfolk and went to the baggage claim area, the couple discovered a sex toy had been taken from one of their bags, covered in a “greasy foul-smelling substance” and “taped prominently” to the top of the bag, according to the lawsuit.
United countered that it has conducted a thorough investigation and determined that there is no support for the allegations, spokeswoman Christen David said in a statement.
A district judge initially dismissed the case, but it was reinstated by an appeals court. Continental’s new parent company — United Continental Holdings — has continued to unsuccessfully attempt to get it thrown out. So now it goes to trial!
Symbolic Gay Ceremony in Cuba
Cuban gay rights activists led by the daughter of President Raul Castro planned a mass symbolic wedding TODAY to promote acceptance of gay and transgender Cubans in a country once notoriously hostile toward them.
The ceremony was part of an annual gay pride parade and will be symbolic because same-sex marriage is illegal in Cuba, Mariela Castro told reporters. She had said it would also be low key because Cuban society is still uneasy about full rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
“We can’t do a wedding, but we wanted to have a very modest celebration of love with some religious leaders,” said Castro, head of the National Sex Education Center and a member of Cuba’s National Assembly. “In the future we’ll see what more we can do.”
The ceremony was inspired by the mass wedding of more than 100 couples at the World Pride event in Toronto last June, Castro said.
VIDEO FOOTAGE HERE
Snoring Will Not be Tolerated
SERIOUSLY?
A woman aboard a Southwest Airlines flight Thursday afternoon couldn’t stand the snoring of a man sitting nearby, so she stabbed him with a pen.
Passengers aboard the already delayed Flight 577 out of Chicago’s Midway Airport were perturbed when the pilot was forced to circle back to the gate where Chicago Police escorted the woman off the plane. Other passengers tweeted their experience, noting the woman was “just smirking” as the flight was stalled.
The snoring passenger who suffered the hard poke, named Lenny, suffered ”deep bruise marks” but no blood, according to a friend via Twitter, who said he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Southwest gave Lenny free gin-and-tonics for his troubles.
TSA Scheme to Pat Down Attractive Men
Two Transportation Security Administration employees have been fired and two others reassigned after they allegedly set up a system to allow a male screener to pat down attractive men going through security at Denver International Airport, authorities said.
The employees were not identified, and there will be no criminal charges because no victims have come forward, according to a police report.
The male screener would give a signal to a female employee when a male passenger arrived that he thought was attractive, and she would falsely enter the sex of the passenger as female, so the machine would report an anomaly that triggered a pat down of a passenger’s groin, police said in a report.
She told the TSA investigators she did this for the other officer at least 10 times in the past, according to the report.
A TSA investigator observed the scheme in action at 9:25 a.m. on Feb. 9, when he saw a screener give a signal to another and then pat down the passenger’s groin and buttocks using the palms of his hands, which is forbidden by TSA rules, according to the police report.
More @ MSNBC
Black Flamingo Seen Twice
This black flamingo is one in several million—and perhaps, the only one in the world.
On April 8, it was spotted during a flamingo count along a salt lake at the Akrotiri environmental center on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This same flamingo may have also been seen in Israel in 2014, when a 70-year-old man captured what could be the world’s “the one and only black flamingo” on camera, the photographer told the Monterey Herald. Read more @ Audubon
Gay Palm Springs Events and Deal
FOUR Reasons why you should go to Palm Springs Spring/Summer….
GAY RODEO
April 30 – May 4, 2015
BLATINO OASIS
April 30 – May 4, 2015
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
May 20 – May 26, 2015
$99 room deals!
INNdulgeReservations@gmail.com
Gay Wine Weekend California
GAY WINE WEEKEND 2015
Come Out In The Vineyard at GAY WINE WEEKEND 2015, a weekend of wine & celebration in California Wine Country – Featuring TWILIGHT T Dance & Gay Wine Auction benefiting Face to Face, Sonoma County AIDS Network.
Enjoy 3 Full Days of LGBT events in Northern California’s magnificent Sonoma Valley – home to some of the world’s most prestigious wines and wineries. Celebrate with world class wine and culinary delights, music and dancing in a private estate vineyard, VIP Receptions, wine tasting excursions, passport wine tasting, champagne brunch, wine auction and pool party in one of the most famous luxury wine destinations in the world.
Located only 45 minutes north of San Francisco it is truly an amazingly breathtaking place to gather and show your Pride, Out In The Vineyard.
Will the Euro Stop Dropping?
For US Travelers, Europe is a great DEAL! For the last 10 years, I avoided countries that are on the Euro. Instead, I would go to Prague, Budapest and Croatia – it was always a better deal. But now with the Euro dropping…..
A few years ago 1 Euro = $1.50. This week, 1 Euro = $1.08
Analysts say, The euro is going down because several of the key economies of Europe are heading into deflation, which is always a greater fear than average inflation. European leaders are planning to apply quantitative easing strategies in March that will probably work to reverse the deflation but will likely not strengthen the euro relative to the dollar as QE increases the supply of euros. The fact is that a weak euro will hurt the USA more than it will hurt Europe as it impacts tourism from Europe and lowers the cost of imported products and services from Europe.
It’s a “Catch 22” I guess; Americans are expected to pour millions of dollars into the Old World as the value of goods and services decreases overseas. But there is only so much money to go around…U.S. could see a shortfall of tourists, which could wreak havoc on cities that depend on income from their vacations. Among those metropolises is New York City, which could experience a drop off of up to $30 billion in tourism dollars in the next year, or 50 percent of the current total, according to the New York Post.
Who knows?!
Mexico Tourism Launches New Gay App
MEXICO’S Federal Secretary of Tourism is promoting new gay travel app MéxicoGayde (@MexicoGayde), reports SDPnoticias.com.
The app promises to list all gay-friendly destinations in Mexico including bars, restaurants, theaters, spas, exhibitions and NGOs. MéxicoGayde will also allow you to review and rate venues.
Download MéxicoGayde here.
Green Flash at Sunset
Have you ever seen a GREEN FLASH at Sunset?
I heard about this for the first time last year in a movie that mentioned it.
Green flashes and green rays are optical phenomena that sometimes occur right after sunset or right before sunrise. When the conditions are right, a green spot is visible above the upper rim of the disk of the sun. The green appearance usually lasts for no more than a second or two. Rarely, the green flash can resemble a green ray shooting up from the sunset (or sunrise) point. Green flashes occur because the atmosphere can cause the light from the sun to separate out into different colors. Green flashes are a group of phenomena which stem from slightly different causes, and therefore some types of green flashes are more common than others.
Green flashes are enhanced by mirage, which increase refraction. A green flash is more likely to be seen in stable, clear air, when more of the light from the setting sun reaches the observer without being scattered. One might expect to see a blue flash, since blue light is refracted most of all, and the blue component of the sun’s light is therefore the very last to disappear below the horizon, but the blue is preferentially scattered out of the line of sight, and the remaining light ends up appearing green.
