Total Eclipse from the Air

Good morning. Since you probably didn't have a chance to see it in person, here's a clip of Friday's total solar eclipse as seen from a plane at 27,000 feet over the Canadian arctic. Complete with plenty of squealing...AFTER THE JUMP...

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Richard Branson Unveils WhiteKnightTwo Space Mothership

Richard Branson today unveiled Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo, the craft that will essentially act as the launch pad for his SpaceShipTwo suborbital craft intended to be among the first civilian space tourism vehicles:

"Looking like a giant catamaran for the sky, the twin-boom, two individual fuselages are topped by a large, 140-foot (42-meter) long stretch of wing. The aircraft will straddle and carry to drop altitude (around 48,000 feet) the SpaceShipTwo — a six passenger, two pilot craft that, once released, rocket's pay-per-view passengers to some 65 miles (104 km) above the Earth. 'This is a big airplane,' said Scaled Composites founder, Burt Rutan, and Chief Technology Officer and Chairman Emeritus of the company. 'It is not an inappropriate claim to say this is the largest all-composite airplane,' he told SPACE.com. The WhiteKnightTwo could be ready to do a space launch with only 40 flights — 'if everything works,' Rutan said, 'but more than likely we'll run a few more than that.'"

It's expected that the WhiteKnightTwo will also be popular for passengers wanting to get a view of the launch of SpaceShipTwo. More shots here.

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News: Marriage Language, Jupiter, Harvey Milk, Bahrain

California marriage ballot measure language changed: "Proposition 8 on the November ballot had been described as a measure to limit marriage between a man and a woman. But the Secretary of State's office says that description was changed to reflect a May 15 California Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. The ballot title and summary now describe the initiative as a constitutional change to eliminate the right of same sex couples to marry. The revised language also says California could lose several tens of millions of dollars in sales taxes if same-sex marriage were banned. Critics of the measure say the change accurately shows the initiative would take away a current right of Californians."

Close up on Jupiter.

Bunny boiler: Tricia Walsh-Smith puts another hit out on Kathie Lee Gifford, sells husband's condoms on eBay.

SF Mayor Gavin Newsom weds in Montana.

UK Survey: 4 of 5 Protestants say gay sex is a sin.

Shia Labeouf crashes car, arrested for DUI.

'Harvey Milk Day' bill awaits action in California senate: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken no position on the bill, which awaits action in the Senate after passing the Assembly, 45-28, with most Republicans voting no. Randy Thomasson, of Campaign for California Children and Families, which opposes AB 2567, said the bill is a new tactic in a long push to portray homosexuality in a positive light to kids. 'Harvey Milk Day is the equivalent of having Gay Day at every school in the state,' he said."

Bahrain MP: No homosexuals allowed.

Play about gay Christians offered up to bishops at the Anglican Lambeth Conference.

Lucas Grabeel on shooting Milk: "No one told me how great I was. The director hardly spoke to me. I was just doing my thing and talking to these amazing actors. In the beginning of shooting, I thought, 'You guys must hate me. I must be the worst actor. I don't know what to do' and they were like, 'You were hired to do the job. That's why he hired you.' It was an amazing epiphany."

Mario Lopez immortalized in oil.

UK activist Peter Tatchell slams Northern Irish homophobic politicians: "It is particularly hypocritical for unionist politicians to play the homophobic card when their hero, William of Orange, had male lovers."

Anti-gay New Jersey group National Organization for Marriage stepping into California gay marriage battle: "NOM, a taxable political advocacy group that can raise money without contribution limits, has quickly built up some fundraising muscle. It started a California chapter in January. By March, the group had raised just over $775,000, according to campaign finance filings. Only the California umbrella group ProtectMarriage.com has raised more for the cause. While NOM's biggest chunk in California _ $250,000 _ came from the Knights of Columbus, the group has also raised smaller amounts from individuals. The group says it has now raised more than $1 million in California and more than $2 million overall."

Naked Cowboy cuffed, mocked in SF.

Matthew McConaughey takes 20-day-old son surfing.

Washington Post looks at the transgender homeless: "It's hard to explain -- just as the spectrum of gender is hard to explain. Parents' and society's rejection of children who don't fit the norm is hard to explain, too. But most confounding of all is the forbearance these young people have in the face of intolerance and cruelty. They go -- like the definition of trans-- 'across, beyond and through' preconceptions. They are unlike anyone I have encountered before."

Director of Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival fires director Carol Coombes: "'Carol is British and in 60 days she might have to leave the country,' said Harvey Burstein, a festival founder and former board member. He said Coombes' visa requires she be employed in the film industry and that she was to get her permanent residency or green card in November. Coombes, fired on Friday, joined the festival in 2001 and became director a few years later. She declined to comment. 'It's a very unfortunate complication of a very heartfelt, thought-out decision,' said festival board member Mark Gilbert."

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A New Perspective

Ever wonder what a Space Shuttle launch might look like from a plane? You don't have to wonder anymore.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Apollo 14 Veteran Claims Earth Contact with Aliens

Dr. Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon and the record-holder (with Alan Shepard) for the longest moon walk, claimed on the Kerrang! radio show that Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials and that the government has engaged in a six-decade cover-up to keep it quiet:

"Dr Mitchell, 77, said during a radio interview that sources at the space agency who had had contact with aliens described the beings as 'little people who look strange to us.' He said supposedly real-life ET's were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head. Chillingly, he claimed our technology is 'not nearly as sophisticated' as theirs and 'had they been hostile', he warned 'we would be been gone by now'".

Said Mitchell: "I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomena is real. It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it. I've been in military and intelligence circles, who know that beneath the surface of what has been public knowledge, yes - we have been visited. Reading the papers recently, it's been happening quite a bit. This is really starting to open up. I think we're headed for real disclosure and some serious organisations are moving in that direction."

NASA released a statement denying Mitchell's claims: "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe. Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue."

Listen to the interview, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Clip Reveals Moon Transiting Earth from 31 Million Miles Away

This clip is pretty mind-blowing. Earth has been photographed by the Deep Impact spacecraft and the images have been woven together by NASA to create a clip that shows the Earth as seen from deep space as the moon orbits it.

Said University of Maryland astronomer Michael A’Hearn, principal investigator for the Deep Impact extended mission, called EPOXI: "Making a video of Earth from so far away helps the search for other life-bearing planets in the Universe by giving insights into how a distant, Earth-like alien world would appear to us."

Here's an explanation of the clip: "During a full Earth rotation, images obtained by Deep Impact at a 15-minute cadence have been combined to make a color video. During the video, the moon enters the frame (because of its orbital motion) and transits Earth, then leaves the frame. Other spacecraft have imaged Earth and the moon from space, but Deep Impact is the first to show a transit of Earth with enough detail to see large craters on the moon and oceans and continents on Earth. 'To image Earth in a similar fashion, an alien civilization would need technology far beyond what Earthlings can even dream of building,' said Sara Seager, a planetary theorist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., and a co-investigator on EPOXI."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

NASA says that this will help them process the observations of worlds in other galaxies: "'Nevertheless, planet-characterizing space telescopes under study by NASA would be able to observe an Earth twin as a single point of light -- a point whose total brightness changes with time as different land masses and oceans rotate in and out of view. The video will help us connect a varying point of planetary light with underlying oceans, continents, and clouds -- and finding oceans on extrasolar planets means identifying potentially habitable worlds.' said Seager."

Previous space porn...
Binary Asteroid in Earth Fly-By [tr]
Mars Phoenix Lander Finds Ice? [tr]
Mars Orbiter Photographs Phoenix Mars Lander in Descent [tr]
Third Red Spot Erupts on Jupiter [tr]
Reconnaissance Orbiter Photographs Avalanche on Mars [tr]

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News: Wicked, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mars, Mamma Mia, Ron Paul

The NYT on the potential repeal of the 1913 Massachusetts marriage law.

The Martian landscape revealed...

Cristiano Ronaldo hits L.A. on crutches and doesn't waste any time snubbing Paris Hilton.

Ron Paul's openly gay campaign chair dies of pneumonia at 49, without health insurance: "Snyder, who served as Paul’s campaign chair, died of pneumonia on June 26 after being hospitalized for about two months and after running up medical bills exceeding $400,000, according to friends and family members, who said he did not have health insurance."

A Mamma-Mia cheat sheet.

Moscow authorities ban gay picket of Iranian embassy set for July 19: "About 30 people were due to take part, Moscow gay pride parade organizer Nikolay Alexeyev told the Interfax-Religion. He said the application was submitted last Friday in strict compliance with Russian laws, but the prefecture retorted it could not guarantee the security of those taking part in the picket. 'This is a flagrant violation of the Russian constitution and laws on public actions,' Alexeyev said."

Will the knowledge that Banksy may be bourgeois make his works less valuable?

The L.A. Times profiles Paul Colichman and his growing "gay media empire": "Five years ago, Colichman and his business partner launched Here, television's only premium gay cable network. Now, with an eye toward building their empire, they recently made a $6.5-million deal to buy the popular news magazine the Advocate, style monthly Out and other sister publications. Colichman, who also owns the gay entertainment Internet portal GayWired.com, plans to expand the online presence of his new publications once the acquisition closes. 'People say, 'Why would you buy a print publication when you're really in the television business?'' said Colichman. 'But our point of view is that everything is cross-platformed now -- we are in the content business, and to generate profit you need to be everywhere.'"

Tyson shows off his tatts.

Broadway's Wicked coming to the big screen.

Chris Evans to answer questions at San Diego's Comic-Con.

First openly gay leader of a national labor union elected: "New York based United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten has been elected to succeed Edward McElroy as President of the American Federation of Teachers...Weingarten served for 10 years as UFT head and under her tenure she negotiated a 43 percent increase in educator salaries and helped organize 28,000 home childcare workers."

Andy Dick in sex and drugs arrest.

North Carolina Family Policy Council supports bullying of LGBT kids in schools...

Pew Poll: 28% say gay marriage will affect their vote. "As it did in October 2004, gay marriage ranks lowest in importance among 16 campaign issues for the average U.S. voter; overall, 28% say gay marriage will be very important to their vote, down slightly from 32% in 2004. Far more Republicans than Democrats (19 points) rate gay marriage as very important. White evangelical Protestants (49%) place the most importance on the issue. Currently, 49% of the public opposes allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally, while 38% support gay marriage."

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Binary Asteroid in Earth Fly-By

Scientists just realized that an asteroid currently speeding past our planet at six times the distance of the moon is not a single object, but two objects orbiting one another:

"It will not strike the planet. But scientists want to learn more about binary asteroids because one day they might find one headed our way. Deflecting a binary off course could be considerably more challenging than altering the path of a single rock...The objects are estimated to be 1,970 feet (600 meters) and 650 feet (200 meters) in diameter. The larger one rotates upon its axis in 3 hours or less."

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Mars Phoenix Lander Finds Ice? [tr]
Mars Orbiter Photographs Phoenix Mars Lander in Descent [tr]
Third Red Spot Erupts on Jupiter [tr]
Reconnaissance Orbiter Photographs Avalanche on Mars [tr]

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Watching

Trevor Paglen specializes in photographing subjects that are supposedly nonexistent — military sites, "torture taxis," and uniform patches from covert military operations. The University of Berkeley is currently showing an exhibition of 189 images Paglen shot of secret spy satellites:

Wired reports: "To capture his images, the researcher and 'experimental geographer' employs a motorized mount with various combinations of telescopes and digital and large-format film cameras. Paglen uses spy-satellite data compiled by Ted Molczan -- a renowned amateur astronomer profiled by Wired magazine in 2006 -- to predict where a given 'black satellite' will be in the sky. Then he decides how he wants to compose the image. 'I'll find where a star will be in the compositional plane,' he says. 'Then I'll use one telescope, which is attached to a webcam, to focus on that star.' With the help of a computer program that controls the mount of the telescope and keeps it focused on the heavenly body, Paglen says he can get the telescope to swivel with the Earth's rotation. He then uses another telescope attached to a high-end digital camera for his deep-sky shots, similar to the rig he used for his desert shots. 'I'll see the satellite in the sky, kind of know where it's going to be in the frame, then I'll open the shutter and take a long exposure of the satellite passing through.'"

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Mars Phoenix Lander Finds Ice?

Scientists acknowledged over the weekend that a slick, shiny surface discovered just beneath the Martian lander is likely the ice they have been searching for. The lander's retrorockets likely blew away a few inches of topsoil allowing the gleaming surface below to be visible:

"It's the consensus of all of us that we have found ice. It's shiny and smooth - it's absolutely astounding! It's not impossible that it's something else, but our leading interpretation is ice. We are looking at an extended table of ice."

As a result, the next set of discoveries are now possible: the building blocks of life, as well as some out-of-this-world margaritas.

The lander also left a human-looking 'footprint' in the Martian soil upon reaching out to touch it for the fist time. Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
Mars Orbiter Photographs Phoenix Mars Lander in Descent [tr]

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'Proof' of Extraterrestrial Life Shown Off in Denver!

Remember that video of the blinking alien seen outside a window that was being shown in Denver over the weekend as absolute proof that extraterrestrials exist? Well, here's the official still photo they released to the media.

The "expert" they brought in to analyze the tape, Colorado Film School instructor Jerry Hofmann, said that Stan Romanek, the Colorado native who has reported UFO sightings who filmed the video, would have had a difficult time faking it:

"He kept the camera handy, and he saw this little gray (alien) running around his house. He saw it, so he got the camera out. The thing is about 4 feet tall. The only thing that shows up in the video is his head. It pops up from underneath a window. But his eyes blink. His cheeks move. He turns his head side-to-side. This would be a very elaborate puppet."

As you can see, given the clarity of the film, it's unassailable!

I think the Brady Bunch's ghost in the attic that needed air was slightly more convincing.

(image source)

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Mars Orbiter Photographs Phoenix Mars Lander in Descent

Here's a pretty amazing photo.

It's a shot snapped by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which began circling the red planet back in March 2006, of the Phoenix Mars Lander (illustration, right), which made a successful landing over the weekend. The photo, the first-ever shot by one spacecraft of another spacecraft in the Martian atmosphere, shows the module descending by parachute on Sunday evening.

Quite a feat directed from 35 million miles away.

Images from the lander almost immediately began pouring in once it had reached the surface. The probe landed near the planet's north pole where scientists hope to find evidence of water and life.

Two informative clips describing the Martian mission, AFTER THE JUMP...

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Third Red Spot Erupts on Jupiter

A third red spot has been observed on Jupiter, joining two others:

"Jupiter's Great Red Spot is an ancient, hurricane-like storm that may have been raging for 340 years or more, based on early observations with telescopes. At three times the width of Earth, it is the largest storm in the solar system. It was recently joined by a similar, but smaller storm called Red Spot Junior. Red Spot Junior grew out of the merger of three smaller, white storms between 1998 and 2000 and turned red in 2006. It is about the size of Earth...No one knows for sure what gives the three spots their red colour. But one theory is that especially violent storms dredge up material from deeper in Jupiter's atmosphere, such as phosphorus-containing molecules, which undergo chemical reactions that turn them red when exposed to sunlight."

Nah, it's the monoliths!

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News: Mad Drag Queen, Thailand, Christian Siriano, Asteroids

San Francisco financial services firm reconsidering move to Oklahoma City because of Sally Kern's anti-gay remarks.

Drag queen who looks like Amelia Earhart targets Intimate Ideas, a lingerie store that refused to hire him — with his car!

Thailand's government ignoring surge in HIV rates among MSM: "Thai gays have essentially been left to sink or swim; and they're sinking."

Britney Spears now taking driving lessons from her kids.

Reduce your risk of prostate cancer: rub one out regularly.

Christian Siriano rips The Hills' Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port: "It’s really sad that if I didn’t win Project Runway, I probably wouldn’t have the sponsors I have now. I would have never been able to do what they have done because they all have disposable income, and yet their work still isn’t that great! I mean, it’s fun and flirty and young, but they’re not innovators. None of them will ever be an innovative designer. Buyers and editors are looking for longevity, and hopefully they will see that in me.”

AP: Same-sex couples in U.S. having trouble getting divorced. Rhode Island's Cassandra Ormison: "We all know people who have gone through divorces. At the end of that long and unhappy period, they have been able to breathe a sigh of relief. I do not see that on my horizon, that sigh of relief that it's over."

HGTV hosts in Canada Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan get married. Ryan: "After a year of living in Toronto, filming Home Heist, it became clear to us that it was time to tie the knot. Canada is such a progressive nation, so welcoming and open-mindedly liberal about gay marriage, that we felt thoroughly inspired."

One of the first Scottish couples to join in a civil partnership has been driven apart because of homophobic attacks: "Every time we went out young thugs would abuse us because of our sexuality and once we were set upon and attacked by three neds. It got worse after I moved to another house, in Irvine. For two months I was calling the police out about three times a night. Gangs of up to 15 youths were outside shouting abuse, throwing bricks and trying to break my door down."

Bravo's Step it Up and Dance has a contestant with a gay porn past (warning: NSFW)

First seniors home for gays and lesbians in Canada is proposed in Vancouver: "So far, the project is nothing more than a proposal, but already more than 30 people have plunked down a $1,000 deposit since it was first advertised two weeks ago, according to the U.S. developer. The plan is for a condo development featuring living units, a communal dining room, a fitness centre, a lounge and cabaret."

13-year-old German schoolboy corrects NASA on path of errant asteroid: "Nico Marquardt used telescopic findings from the Institute of Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP) to calculate that there was a 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth, the Potsdamer Neuerster Nachrichten reported. NASA had previously estimated the chances at only 1 in 45,000 but told its sister organisation, the European Space Agency (ESA), that the young whizzkid had got it right." (UPDATE: Hoax!)

American Idol's Michael Johns prefers to be an alert drunk.

Last week I posted about gay rights activist John Corvino, who had his appearance canceled by Michigan's Aquinas College, because he's gay. Students found a new, larger venue for him to speak at, which was donated for free.

South Africans reach out to gays in Zimbabwe: "The South African Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP), formerly known as the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (NCGLE), is concerned about the deepening political, economic and social crises in Zimbabwe. We express our full solidarity with the lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, women, workers and all the people of Zimbabwe. We add our voice in condemning the unjustified delay in the release of the 29 March elections. As Zimbabwean Independence Day approaches on 18 April 2008, Zimbabweans have nothing to celebrate in honour of their heroic liberation struggle and historic achievement of freedom and democracy."

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #274

BILL O'REILLY: Media Matters comes down hard on the homophobic fear-mongering.

GEORGE TAKEI: Sings "On the Road Again" on Secret Talents of the Stars.

BURAN SPACE SHUTTLE: Space Shuttle of the Soviet era which never reached orbit gets its own funeral procession on the way down the Rhine River to the Technik Museum Speyer in Mannheim, Germany, where it will sit forever.

THOMAS BEATIE: Red Eye "apologizes" for last week's ugly trashing of the pregnant transgender man.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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News: Elizabeth Taylor, Old Trees, Heatherette, 'Ex-Gay' Protests

Protest as hundreds gather in Mountain View, California to 'pray the gay away': " A traveling national conference billed as an event 'to provide help for those struggling - and those whose loved ones struggle - with unwanted same-sex attractions,' drew about 700 people to a Mountain View church on Saturday. The gathering at the evangelical Christian church, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, also drew a small protest by members of the Bay Area's gay and lesbian community incensed by the conference topic, the longstanding controversy on whether gays can be 'converted' - or turned into so-called 'ex-gays' through a Christian 'step out' program."

Details beats up Ashton Kutcher.

Marilyn Monroe sex tape unearthed, sold for $1.5 million.

Hundreds protest marriage equality in Norway: "The protesters included immigrants and native Norwegians, and they came from the villages and the cities. All were firmly against marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples."

Royal blackmailers Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan head to court to face charges.

Search on for Hollywood actor to play first man on the Moon, Neil Armstrong.

Gay fashion duo Heatherette out of business. "The demise of Heatherette has been months in the making. The label actually canceled their fashion week show in February, though founder Traver Rains claimed at the time that he and partner Richie Rich were simply reorganizing the company and would be back in time for next fashion week. The reorganization was supposed to involve finding a new financial backer after Rich and Rains burned through the $6 million given to them by the Weisfeld Group, owner of urban streetwear outfit FUBU; a source tells Radar that the duo's efforts were unsuccessful, and that Rains and Travers have now amicably parted ways."

Have scientists found the oldest living trees?

With opening of Chaps II, leather scene returning to San Francisco's SoMA district: "On Friday, David Morgan threw open the doors to Chaps II, the most recent indication that leather is making a comeback in SoMa. 'There's a resurgence happening,' said Morgan, 39. 'A lot of people have been saying the leather scene was dead, but there just wasn't a place for people to meet up. ... Gearing up in leather and going to a bar where you're the only one dressed is kind of like a woman going to a bar in a ball gown while everyone else is in T-shirts.' Chaps II, at 1225 Folsom St., is named for Chaps, a bar that operated from 1983-85 on 11th Street, where the DNA Lounge is now located. Appropriately enough, Chaps II hosted a meet-and-greet to open the 30th anniversary Mr. San Francisco Leather contest, which concluded Sunday. Next year, one of the contest's events might take place at another leather bar, Hole in the Wall, which Morgan says plans to reopen soon."

Suicidal Tendencies or homosexual ones?

Orlando Bloom loves New York.

Elizabeth Taylor recently O.D.ed on prescription drugs and booze.

Lesbian couple told to "act straight" in UK pub: “We were told to make our sexuality less obvious. The landlord said there were complaints that the pub had too many dykes.”

POLL: Parents find men kissing more offensive than severed heads in video games.

Gay man arrested for using gay slur towards a police officer: "A gay man has been accused of homophobic breach of the peace - for allegedly calling an ex-police officer a p**f. Marc Sneddon, 38, clashed with former detective Stephen Whelehan while walking their dogs. He was charged and his partner Graham Spence - a police IT worker - was later arrested over claims he also shouted homophobic abuse on another occasion. The couple deny the claims and say neighbour Whelehan and his parents, James and Bridget, launched a vendetta of malicious complaints about them. Graham, 40, said: 'His dog attacked ours. Marc asked him to put it on a lead and got a torrent of abuse. Whelehan started calling him a 'wee f*****g p*****r'. Marc was provoked and asked whether he had a problem with his sexuality and did his wife know he was in the closet. Marc reported it to police but we were stunned when HE was charged."

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News: Hubble, Ian Thorpe, South Park, Sean Hayes, Poland

New York Post theater columnist Michael Riedel questions whether Sean Hayes is "virile enough" to play romantic lead to Anne Hathaway in revival of Promises, Promises.

Britney goes to South Park to escape the paparazzi.

The NYT talks to gay New Yorker Brendan Fay about the Polish President's use of his wedding video: "[Krzysztof W. Kasprzyk, Poland’s consul general in New York] said he did not know why President Kaczynski’s staff members used Mr. Fay’s image. 'Probably they were just looking for a useful picture,' Mr. Karkowski said, 'a visible sign of what he and his followers are against and what, supposedly, his political opponents are for.'"

Huffington Post's Barbara Ehrenreich on Hillary's nasty pastorate: "You can find all about it in a widely under-read article in the September 2007 issue of Mother Jones, in which Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet reported that 'through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the 'Fellowship,' aka The Family.' Sean Hannity has called Obama's church a 'cult,' but that term applies far more aptly to Clinton's 'Family,' which is organized into 'cells' -- their term -- and operates sex-segregated group homes for young people in northern Virginia. In 2002, writer Jeff Sharlet joined the Family's home for young men, foreswearing sex, drugs, and alcohol, and participating in endless discussions of Jesus and power.

There's a new wolfman in town.

Australian Olympian Ian Thorpe against boycott of Beijing Olympics over Tibet crackdown.

The gay divide in doctor's advice: " Gay men are much more likely than straights to consult a medical specialist, while lesbians are more reluctant than heterosexual women to go to a family doctor -- if they even have one. The study for Statistics Canada found 29% of gay men consulted a medical specialist in a one-year period compared with 19% of heterosexual men."

Barack Obama gets his own plushy doll.

Ted Haggard escort Mike Jones told to keep his pants on in Naked B4 God: "In sharing his story, Jones drops tidbits about not just Haggard, but Paula Woodward, the TV reporter he first talked to (and who was in the audience at the premiere) and Peter Boyles, on whose radio show he went public. And on opening night, he also dropped his shorts around his sneakers — showing his jones as he demonstrated how he would massage Art. But that was before someone suggested to director Michael Dempsey that the full-frontal nudity that had been part of the play when it debuted in California might violate Denver ordinances."

Hubble telescope detects first-ever organic molecule on a planet orbiting another star: "Hubble found the tell-tale signature of methane in the atmosphere of the Jupiter-sized extrasolar planet HD 189733b. Under the right circumstances, methane can play a key role in prebiotic chemistry – the chemical reactions considered necessary to form life as we know it. Although methane has been detected on most of the planets in our Solar System, this is the first time any organic molecule has been detected on a world orbiting another star."

Hugh Jackman isn't the only X-Men cast member enjoying the beach in Sydney.

The Daily Mail looks back on Sir John Gielgud's men's room arrest: "And so, despite his brand-new knighthood, one of the most celebrated men of the times found himself that October in a Chelsea lavatory well-known as one of London's favourite pick-up joints, looking for his usual evening's entertainment. But this time, his eye lighted not on a fellow member of the underground homosexual community, but on a plain-clothes policeman."

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Science Fiction Visionary Arthur C. Clarke Dies at 90

The science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke died early Wednesday at 90 in Sri Lanka after experiencing breathing problems.

Roger Ebert wrote that he once viewed 2001: A Space Odyssey (which Clarke co-created with director Stanley Kubrick) "at Cyberfest 1997, a birthday celebration for HAL 9000, who reveals in the film that he was born in 1997 at the university's computer lab." Wrote Ebert: "(There was a panel discussion featuring Arthur C. Clarke, live from Sri Lanka, on a huge screen over the stage; told by a panelist that HAL "sounded gay," Sir Arthur said, "I think you'll have to ask HAL about that.")"

People speculated over the years about Clarke's sexuality. In 2000, The Guardian wrote: "Clarke's private life remains a mystery. He was married briefly to an American, Marilyn Mayfield, now dead, whom he met while diving in Florida in the 50s. Asked whether he is gay, Clarke always gives the same puckish pro forma answer: 'No, merely cheerful.'"

Here's the NYT obit. For those of you who wish he had come out of the closet, here's an alternative one.

AFTER THE JUMP, watch a video clip recorded in December 2007, A Last Message from Arthur C. Clarke.

(image wooster collective)

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News: Eric Bana, Puddle, Steve-O, 90210, John Gibson, Jamaica

International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association condemns Jamaica: “We call immediately on Jamaica’s community leaders to cease their oppression. We will continue to speak up and to spotlight these cruel and bigoted actions before tourism and business leaders everywhere. IGLTA is in complete solidarity with Jamaica’s own LGBT leadership, J-FLAG. Therefore, like J-flag, it is not our intention to provoke reprisals or political condemnation in Jamaica by supporting a global tourism boycott. We understand this step could be counter-productive to making true progress in that Caribbean nation, and instead we will focus on education, publicity and market competition to highlight and help curb these terrible abuses."

A sweet little blog about a puddle.

Steve-O from Jackass has really gone off the deep end.

John Gibson, the FOX radio host who mocked Heath Ledger following the actor's death, has lost his TV spot: "The network confirmed this week that 'America’s Election HQ,' a program that displaced 'The Big Story' temporarily last month, would continue indefinitely. The program’s hosts, Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly, also anchor the network’s mid-morning newscast and are seen as rising stars on the channel. The change was first reported by the blog TVNewser.com. John Gibson, the longtime host of 'The Big Story,' will continue to have a role on television, the network said, although it appears that his future for now lies mostly on radio. For two years Mr. Gibson, a conservative commentator, has been the host of a three-hour program for Fox News Radio immediately following his television show."

The case for another Earth-sized planet in our solar system, beyond the orbit of Neptune: "A newly released paper shows that may very well be the case. A team of scientists ran a whole mess of simulations, and found that a small planet (in this case, around half the size of the Earth) could have formed inside Neptune’s orbit (where there was plenty of material in the early solar system), gotten tossed into a bigger orbit by Neptune, and then knocked around the orbits of the iceballs, distorting their orbits and creating the Kuiper Cliff."

Noosa mayor rejects claims that his town is the "gay capital" of Australia: "Let me answer the question Joe, let me answer the question, I am not the champion of the gay capital of Australia. Noosa is not the gay capital of Australia. Noosa gets many gay visitors after the mardi gras, they are welcome like every other Australian, Joe. I am not a bigot and I am not closed of mind."

Tom Brady and Eli Manning: no hard feelings.

Obama oral sex and drugs accuser Larry Sinclair files $3 million defamation lawsuit against TubeSockTedD, mzmolly and OWNINGLIARS for calling him a liar.

Spin off of Beverly Hills 90210 in development.

A whole bunch of photography firsts.

MoveOn.org has launched Obama in 30 Seconds, a contest for supporters interested in producing their own ads for the candidate: "We're counting on you to make amazing ads in the next three weeks. Then, MoveOn members and the public will rate the ads, and a panel of top artists, netroots heroes, and filmmaking professionals will pick the winner from among top ads. We'll air the winning ad nationally, and the winner will receive a gift certificate for $20,000 in video equipment." MoveOn has collected a gaggle of celebrities to judge the spots, including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, John Legend, Moby, James Schamus, Rory Kennedy, and Michael Franti.

Eric Bana is the king of codpieces.

The tale of Spitzer's call girl Kristen.

Northern Irish councillor calls opening of gay bar 'foolish': "A veteran Strabane councillor has said he believes there is 'not a need' for a gay bar in the town. James O'Kane, an Independent member of Strabane District Council, claimed it would be 'very foolish.' The North West gay community has widely welcomed the annoucement of Strabane's first gay bar. However, speaking to the 'Journal,' Councillor O'Kane said: 'My own assumption is that it would be very very foolish to open it, it wouldn't be welcome. I'm a pioneer myself so I would not be frequenting these places anyway but I couldn't see it operating in the town. In this day and age we are all liberal but I can't see a need for it, I suppose only time will tell,' Colr. O'Kane said."

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Reconnaissance Orbiter Photographs Avalanche on Mars

NASA has released some interesting rare shots taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter last month, of an avalanche occurring off a 2,300 foot cliff at the planet's north pole.

NASA writes: "Cameras orbiting Mars have taken thousands of images that have enabled scientists to put together pieces of Mars' geologic history. However, most of them reveal landscapes that haven't changed much in millions of years. Some images taken at different times of year do show seasonal changes from one image to the next, however, it is extremely rare to catch such a dramatic event in action. (Another, unrelated, active process that has been captured by Mars cameras are dust devils.) Observing currently active processes is often a useful tool in unlocking puzzles of the past for scientists studying the Earth."

These images offer a better picture of the context of the slide, "with white boxes indicating the locations of the more detailed image portions shown to the right."

I sincerely hope the Mars alien was not skiing at the time.

Recent space oddities...
This Week's Alien Theories Debunked...or Not! [tr]
This Week's Lunar Eclipse [tr]
Navy Missile Strikes Spy Satellite - Video [tr]
Virgin Galactic Spacecraft Unveiled in New York [tr]
Messenger from Earth Reveals Mercury for First Time [tr]

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This Week's Lunar Eclipse

NASA published this photo as their 'Astronomy Picture of the Day' today. Of 'astroimager' Jerry Lodriguss' shot they write: "The engaging composite picture was made by combining a filtered, telephoto image of the Moon and surrounding starfield with a telescopic exposure. The combination dramatizes the reddened moonlight while clearly showing the variation of brightness and color in Earth's not-so-dark shadow across the lunar surface."

Recent outer space happenings...
Navy Missile Strikes Spy Satellite - Video [tr]
Abisko Ark Hotel: Few Amenities But a Great View [tr]
This Week's Alien Theories Debunked...or Not! [tr]
Virgin Galactic Spacecraft Unveiled in New York [tr]
The Eye of Ivan [tr]

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Navy Missile Strikes Spy Satellite - Video

As you may have heard, last night the Navy was successful in intercepting an errant spy satellite that was spinning out of control and was scheduled to re-enter Earth's atmosphere during the first week of March. The satellite was filled with toxic rocket fuel and might have posed a threat to civilians on the ground had it been allowed to crash.

Several nations expressed concern that the move by the U.S. was simply a military test intended to demonstrate its anti-satellite capabilities and would threaten security in outer space.

Following the event, fireballs were reportedly seen over western Canada as fragments of the satellite entered the atmosphere. With last night's lunar eclipse, it must have been some show.

Here's the first video of the strike.

Video of the Pentagon briefing AFTER THE JUMP...

Pentagon Says It’s Confident Missile Hit Satellite Tank [nyt]

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Abisko Ark Hotel: Few Amenities But a Great View

This is part of the latest hotel to open in northern Sweden, the Abisko Ark hotel. It's made up of a few huts in the middle of Lake Tornetrask, three kilometers out where the ice is a meter and a half thick. The main purpose of the hotel? To view the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights as some call it.

"Guests are expected to bring essentials such as thermal underwear, fleeces and woolly hats, but the hotel provides thick outerwear and heavy snowmobile boots. From a distance the huts look anything but substantial. With a pitched roof, a small window and narrow door, they squat on the snow-covered ice like dark blemishes. But they are more than a match for the elements, constructed of double-skinned pine and plywood with a thick layer of insulation in between, and kept warm with propane heaters. Each is about six metres square and sleeps three comfortably on single beds. The best part is that by each bed is a resealable hole in the wooden floor, allowing guests to fish from the comfort of their down-filled sleeping bags."

The writer of this piece took on the lights completely naked. For those like him, there's a sauna and hot tub waiting.

(Gallery)

Ice, Fire, and a Free Light Show [the observer]
(via bldg blog)

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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.