Rhino Escapes at Zoo in Japan, Tramples Several People

Ah, don't worry, it's only a drill. Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via boingboing)

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News: Lavender, McCain's Shoes, Barney Frank, Scrabulous

Civics Quiz — Ted Stevens vs Larry Craig: "In Congress which is worse: being corrupt or being gay? Time is up. Pencils down. If you answered being gay, you've been paying attention, class. Of the 10 Commandments, it is much better to break the one about stealing than the one about sex."

John McCain's $520 Ferragamo shoes. The Nation's Christopher Hayes: "If I were a right-wing blogger, and I found out that Barack Obama was wearing Ferragamo loafers that cost $520, I would spend about 50% of my waking hours making sure everyone knew this. I would mock him for being an out-of-touch elitist and make jokes like, 'If you think that’s a lot, you should see how much his purse costs!' I would send the link to Drudge and wait for Instapundit to pick it up, and then watch gleefully as Fox News ran segments about how Barack Obama’s $500 loafers vitiate his entire economic platform."

Guy Ritchie says Hard Candy worse than cocaine: "Sugar kills. Think of the calories in sugar. Fat kills more people than anything else. Sugar is responsible for a lot of deaths, arguably more than crack cocaine."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blames West for AIDS.

The skinny on Brideshead Revisited's Matthew Goode.

NYT: Purple ties may be the new neutral but what about lavender pants?.

Catfights underway on Sex and the City sequel.

Sound Advice: "Every Bleeding Breath" — Divide and Create.

Booted from Facebook, makers of Scrabulous launch new 'Wordscraper' game: "Developers Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla launched Wordscraper worldwide less than 48 hours after being forced to take their original creation, Scrabulous, offline in the US and Canada in response to a lawsuit from Hasbro. The brothers voluntarily closed Scrabulous to North American users on Tuesday following a claim of intellectual property infringement by games manufacturer Hasbro, which owns the online rights in the US and Canada. They have now launched Wordscraper, with significant changes to make the game less like Scrabble."

Christina Aguilera hairdo scares the pants off someone.

British men banned from football grounds over homophobic chanting.

Anime fans making pilgrimage to Japanese shrine in drag.

HORROR: One man beheads another on Greyhound bus in Canada.

Barney Frank wants an end to arrests for marijuana possession: "The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business. I don't think it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time."

Simon Lee, musical supervisor of the upcoming Toronto production of The Sound of Music fired after alleged assault and imprisonment of 24-year-old man at hotel: "Simon is a very talented person who is extremely important to us. However, on this occasion we felt it was necessary to seek the termination of his engagement on The Sound of Music in Toronto. The alleged events are subject to legal proceedings and, therefore, we can't comment further."

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News: GQ France, Breakdancing Beckham, Atlantis, Jason Statham

One of the judicial nominees Bush has been threatening a recess appointment for was recently arrested for DUI wearing a little black dress, fishnet stockings and stilletto heels: "Apparently, Federal Judge Robert Somma, rear-ended another motorist in his Mercedes-Benz after tying one on in a local gay bar. He had difficulty locating his drivers license in his purse. His wife, Wendy, says he's not interested in talking to the press right now."

Spice Girls shocked by baby breakdancing Beckham.

Wisconsin gay rights group utilizes election to raise awareness of upcoming court vacancies.

British BMW salesman forced from job by homophobic co-workers: "Ben Hamilton, 26, claims he was branded 'the nice poof', 'faggot' and 'bender Ben' by workmates at a BMW showroom. He told the hearing he was banned from wearing pink clothing and was made to change. And when he grew a beard he claimed colleagues walking past him would jeer the phrase 'Deal or No Deal?' at him after gameshow host Noel Edmonds up to 30 times a day. Mr Hamilton said a manager told him: 'It must be great to be gay. Does it mean you and your fella can go out, have a few beers, have a curry, beat each other up and still get laid?'"

Space Shuttle Atlantis heads home from International Space Station in preparation for Navy shootdown of errant spy satellite.

GQ launches French edition.

Student: Goldfish aren't the peabrains you think they are.

Excavated remains identified as Sir Hugh Despenser the Younger, lover of King Edward II: "Despenser died a gruesome death, being publicly hung, drawn, quartered and disembowelled for treason in 1326 following Edward's fall. The remains, found in the 1970s on Despenser's brother-in-law's estate at Hulton Abbey, Staffordshire, bear such hallmarks, anthropologist Mary Lewis says. Lewis, from Reading University, made the link by drawing on the manner of execution, carbon-dating of the bones and the absence of several parts of the body. The skull, part of the vertebra and one leg are buried on the family estate at Tewkesbury Abbey. 'Research on the bones shows he was stabbed in the throat and probably stabbed in the stomach, but we would not have any evidence to disembowelment unless the knife had hit any bones,' Lewis said."

Writer Andrew Holleran pays a visit to Fort Lauderdale.

Ben & Jerry endorse Obama, scoop "Cherries for Change" ice cream. "Barack is showing that when you lead with your values and follow what you have inside that good things will happen. What we saw is that when you want real change it's not a marketing slogan. You have to do things differently. And that is not going to be done by someone who's been involved in the system for years and years. It needs to come from inside and Barack Obama has it."

Winehouse likes her chicken fried.

Jason Statham drops the big burly half of himself.

Japan's top court rules Mapplethorpe photos not obscene: "The verdict was hailed as a victory for artistic freedom by a Japanese publisher who filed the lawsuit. His copy of a Mapplethorpe book was seized in 1999 when he tried to bring it from the United States for personal use. Reversing a lower court ruling, the Supreme Court ordered customs to lift its ban on bringing in the book of photographs, entitled 'Robert Mapplethorpe.' In the 2003 ruling, the Tokyo High Court ruled that the book, which included images of male genitals, went 'against good sexual morality.' But Kohei Nasu, the presiding judge, said at the Supreme Court: 'The book and pictures do not fall into a category that would disturb the public,' as quoted by Jiji Press."

UK father-to-be charged in "cowardly, disgraceful" attack on homophobe mistaken for gay man: "John Edwards, prosecuting, told York Crown Court yesterday the assault happened last July when Mr Sandey was returning home along St Mary's by the riverside in York after a night out. He said the area was known to be frequented in the evening by homosexual men, and a passer-by heard one of the group shouting homophobic insults. 'When the defendant pleaded guilty he did so, acknowledging this was aggravated by homophobia. The target of their violence, quite randomly it would seem, was this complainant,' he said. A woman who saw the attackers, including Walls, described seeing Mr Sandey on the ground. The men were punching him before one - it is not known who - jumped on his leg as they shouted 'he is a pervert'. Afterwards Walls spoke to the witness, telling her his name. Forensic experts later found blood on him."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #223

LIVING IN IKEA: Comedian/Filmmaker Mark Malkoff is living in Ikea for a week. This is his first day.

REZ: Shirtless Japanese gamers "enjoy" the vibrating cult videogame Rez.

UK TORCHWOOD SPOILER: Here's the incident between Captain Jack and Captain Joe we mentioned last week (warning: SPOILER in link). I am a TV Junkie has another clip.

IMAM DAAYIEE ABDULLAH: Gay American Imam discusses his first relationship. (source: queerty)

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here

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News: Mars, Lynne Spears, Uruguay, Justin Timberlake, Magna Carta

Same-sex marriage supporters turn out to testify in Vermont: "Members of the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection heard only statements of support for moving past civil unions to same-sex marriage during the two-hour hearing at Montpelier's Statehouse. It was a startling switch from the legislative hearings on civil unions in the same building seven years ago, which attracted hundreds of divided Vermonters who passionately argued both for and against a legal recognition of same-sex couples."

Anderson Cooper taking suggestions for AC360 voiceover intro personalities. Coop: "While we have not made a final decision, I thought I'd let you know about our four finalists, and if there is anyone else you think should be considered, please let us know. In no particular order, the four people we are considering hiring to introduce 360 everynight are: Fran Drescher, Clint Eastwood, Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman), Cher. Personally, I'm arguing for Fran Drescher, but I'm keeping an open mind." (via popnography)

With Britney Spears a bigger mess than ever, and her younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears now knocked up, their mother Lynne Spears makes the family's ONLY recent wise decision and decides to put the parenting book she wrote on hold — indefinitely.

< 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta sold at auction for $21.3 million by David Rubenstein, of The Carlyle Group: "Bearing the seal of King Edward I and dated 1297, it is one of 17 known copies of the historic tract that defined human rights as the foundation for liberty and democracy as it is known today. It is one of two that exist outside Britain; the other is in Australia."

New Zealand warehouse worker fired for posting note on social networking site Bebo that said "work sux" and working until midnight was "gay like the management". Sux for her.

Justin Timberlake shows off his helium heels for Super Bowl ad.

American Gladiator Alex Castro has a gay porn past: "Before he joined the cast of NBC's recently relaunched American Gladiators and began wielding gigantic Q-tip shaped battle thingies, Alex Castro, the drop-dead gorgeous massive mound of muscle, was wielding more "personal" and impressive clubs as a highly-paid gay porn model."

Mars closest to Earth and brightest in recent and coming days: "In addition to being at its closest to Earth December 18, Mars will be more-or-less at its brightest on Christmas Eve. December 24, Mars will be at opposition (perfectly opposite the Sun, with the Earth on the other side). December 23, Mars will likely attract the most attention, as it rises extremely close to the Moon, and will even be occulted (or blocked-out) for viewers in the West - A prime digital camera opportunity, either way."

Japan's top government spokesman: UFOs exist.

Gay cops on both coasts embroiled in lawsuits. In L.A., a jury is set to hear closing remarks in a suit alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation, and in New York, an officer acquitted after being targeted in an undercover sting by the NYPD has been fired by the city. Asked his lawyer: "Why does the NYPD want to humiliate and embarrass themselves in front of a jury about what they did to him? All the 12 jurors who found him not guilty were livid and outraged at what the New York City Police Department did to one of their own."

Augusten Burrough's new book cover revealed.

Last month I reported that Uruguay was set to legalize civil unions. Now, with the Senate's approval, it has been done: "Under the new law, gay and straight couples will be eligible to form civil unions after living together for five years. They will have rights similar to those granted to married couples on such matters as inheritance, pensions and child custody. Uruguay's Senate passed the bill unanimously after the lower house approved it last month, a congressional spokesman said. The country's center-left president is expected to sign it into law. Several cities, including Buenos Aires and Mexico City, already have gay civil union laws on the books. Uruguay's law would be the first nationwide measure in Latin America, which is home to about half the world's Roman Catholics."

Ryan White's former attorneys publish letter responding to Huckabee's statements on AIDS.

Larry Craig secures $1.6 million earmark for dude ranch.

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News: Heath Ledger, King Lear, Thailand, Jodie Foster, Beefeater

New York magazine talks to Keith Olbermann, who believes Elizabeth Edwards should be our next president.

As the historic Hawthorne School of Art risks death by development, artists are fighting for their way of life in Provincetown: "Generations of artists flocked there each summer to study with Hawthorne and the artists who later taught in his hilltop barn, including the influential modernist painter Hans Hofmann. Illustrator Norman Rockwell and abstract expressionists Franz Kline and Lee Krasner were among those shaped by lessons in the blazing light of the dunes."

Condom Nations: Some interesting findings from a recent Durex Global Sex Survey.

Nicole Kidman reveals to Vanity Fair that she miscarried Tom Cruise's baby when she was 23: "From the minute Tom and I were married, I wanted to have babies. And we lost a baby early on, so that was really very traumatic. And that's when it came that we would adopt Bella. There's a complicated background to that, given that I never speak much about many things. One day maybe that story will be told. My mother has an adopted sister, so it's been part of our family, and I knew it would probably play out somewhere in mine. I didn't think it would happen so early, but it did."

Ian McKellen brings his naked, buff King Lear to New York.

"Gay war" reportedly erupts in Pattaya, Thailand over sex trade: "Police arrested two young men after one bar was set ablaze and another was completely ransacked in the Thailand resort of Pattaya. Foreigners including British tourists fled the area, 100 miles east of Bangkok."

The oldest photograph ever taken of Tokyo, Japan.

Brokeback break-up: Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams find they can quit each other.

AmericaBlog's John Aravosis recently went visiting his family in Greece, and shot some fascinating footage of destruction from the recent fires that burned for miles and miles, threatening ancient ruins and creating smoke plumes that coule be seen from space.

Karl Rove advised Bush against picking Cheney as VP, new book reports: "The Washington Post reported Monday that in the book -- 'Dead Certain: The Presidency of George Bush' -- journalist Robert Draper reveals that Bush was intent on picking Cheney as his running mate, despite his warnings against it. 'Selecting Daddy's top foreign-policy guru ran counter to message. It was worse than a safe pick -- it was needy,' Draper quotes Rove as saying. Once he took office, the president 'saw no harm in giving his VP unprecedented run of the place,' Draper wrote."

22-year-old Indian man confesses to murder of gay partner and partner's grandmother: "Arun Prasad Dora, a resident of Dhenkal town and a Master's student at an institute in the city, told the police he killed his friend Debabrata Pani, 22, for forcing him into a homosexual relationship for the past one year. On Monday night Debabrata, who lived in the staff quarters of Orissa University Of Agriculture Technology (OUAT), tried to force Arun to sleep with him when Debabrata's parents were away. 'The youth protested and in a sudden rage stabbed Debabrata to death,' Inspector-in-charge of Khandagiri police station, S.P. Satpathy told IANS. Arun also killed Debabrata's grandmother, Suna Pani, 78, as she witnessed Debabrata's murder, Satpathy said."

First female Beefeater takes her spot at the Tower of London.

50 marchers wrap up Atlanta Black Gay Pride weekend with march from the King Center to the state Capitol: "People are here, and they are proud of who they are. It gives us a chance to show people what's happening with us."

Jodie Foster declines to respond to OUT magazine treatment on closeted celebrities to Entertainment Weekly: "Over the next two hours, there's only one subject that she firmly swats away. A recent Out magazine cover featured two models holding up pictures of her and Anderson Cooper's faces in front of their own, under the headline 'The Glass Closet: Why the Stars Won't Come Out and Play.' When asked if she has any response, Foster says, 'Was that the one with the Popsicle sticks?' Her thin lips tighten into a calm half smile of reproach: 'No, I have no response.'"

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News: Camilla Parker-Bowles, Reggae, Whale, Keith Olbermann

The Rev. D. James Kennedy, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, which hosted the "Love Won Out" "ex-gay" conference in 2006, has retired.

Japanese "eco-tourists" hoping to catch glimpse of majestic whale in its natural habitat instead witness whale's slaughter at the hands of fishermen.

Camilla Parker-Bowles says she won't attend memorial service marking the 10th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana this week.

Keith Olbermann names Mike McConnell, Bill O'Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh the "World's Worst" in network debut.

Janice Dickinson's models just can't stop getting naked.

Ron Paul on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': "If a heterosexual or homosexual sins, that to me is the category of dealing with their own soul. Since we cannot have only perfect people going in the military I want to separate the two because I don't want to know the heterosexual flaws, nor the homosexual flaws and that's why I got in some trouble with some of the civil libertarians because I don't have any problem with Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Because I don't think that, for the practicality of running a military, I'd just as soon not know every serious thing that any heterosexual or homosexual did, and those flaws have to do with all our flaws because each and everyone one of us has those imperfections."

Gays in Polish media distance themselves from recently-published list of homophobic politicians: "[This] is a private initiative of the authors, reflects private opinions of the authors and their friends, and by no means represents an opinion of sexual minorities’ organisations or gay people in general. We do not accept placing names of politicians known for their actions for rights of sexual minorities close to those whose homophobia is apparent."

Great White Shark under observation in pen off coast of Malibu.

Whistleblowers on contractor fraud in Iraq face stiff penalties: "If you do it, you will be destroyed."

Florida Rep. Bob Allen to appear in court today on blowjob charges: "Judge Oscar Hotusing will decide whether the evidence presented in the case constitutes a crime. Police say in a Titusville park restroom July 11, Allen agreed to pay $20 to perform oral sex on an undercover officer, a charge the seven-year lawmaker has vehemently denied. Whether Allen testifies in the 2:30 p.m. hearing depends on what the state attorney's office presents, said Greg Eisenmenger, one of his attorneys."

Reggae Carifest goes on despite protests from GLAAD.

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To Dream, Perchance to Build

Japan is usually remarkable for its ability to cram lots into tiny spaces, but the most recent architectural unveiling shows they know how to think big as well.

The Taisei Construction Corporation has unveiled some utopian plans for the world's largest building.

Inhabit writes: "Looking eerily like Mt. Doom in the above rendering, the mountain-like X-Seed 4000 represents a utopian eco-vision for a self-contained high-rise city in the Tokyo harbor - powered mainly by solar energy. Aesthetically inspired by nearby Mt. Fuji, the behemoth building would measure 13,123 feet tall with a 6 square-kilometer footprint, and could accommodate five hundred thousand to one million inhabitants. Designed by Taisei Construction Corporation as an 'intelligent building,' the futuristically-named X-Seed 4000 would maintain light, temperature, and air pressure in response to changing external weather conditions. Unlike conventional skyscrapers, the X-Seed 4000 would be required to actively protect its occupants from considerable air pressure gradations and weather fluctuations along its massive elevation. Its design calls for the use of solar power to maintain internal environmental conditions. Some estimate that the cost to construct the X-Seed 4000 structure may be somewhere between US$300-900 billion."

I doubt that such a monstrosity would be built within our lifetimes, but imagine the penthouse.

(via slog)

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Japanese Lesbian Kanako Otsuji Loses Bid for Seat in Parliament

Kanako Otsuji, who came out in 2005 and said her political aspirations were "inspired by the pain and isolation of the five years it took her to accept that she was a lesbian," lost her election bid for a seat in Japan's upper house on Monday.

Reuters reports: "Kanako Otsuji, 32, backed by the main opposition Democratic Party, had campaigned in front of rainbow-coloured flags, with loudspeakers declaring to passers-by she was a lesbian...She had vowed to promote a more diverse society and seek laws to prohibit discrimination, including against sexual minorities, and had planned to introduce a bill legalising same-sex marriage."

Said Otsuji to supporters: "I hope to continue until I see the day that we look back and say, 'This is a historic day in the history of sexual minorities.'We will remember this day because it is the day we grew stronger."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube: #108

GREG & FERNANDO: Two openly gay morning radio hosts in San Francisco chat about their gig and their lives at home.

BOY BUTTER AD: To be the first gay personal lubricant ad on TV, airing in New York and L.A. Was rejected in San Francisco. Spoofs campaign from the early 90's.

SURVIVOR FIJI: Michelle doesn't survive the platform. From last night's episode.

DEEP-FRIED GOLDFISH: Goldfish actually live in the deep fryer of a restaurant in Japan. Because oil floats on water, they are not harmed although the temp. is 163 celsius. They feed on the fried crumbs that float through the water below, until, of course, they die of congestive heart failure. Much more here...

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here!

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