Tristan Da Cunha, World's Most Remote Settlement: VIDEO

This isn't gay-related at all -- it'll be a long time before there's a GLCC on Tristan Da Cunha -- but it's rather fascinating. Tristan is a small volcanic island in the southern Atlantic more than 1,500 miles from the nearest inhabited land, which happens to be South Africa. (Wikipedia says it's 1,750 miles. Anyway, it's far.) Tristan's been continually occupied since 1816 -- initially by British marines, who were gradually replaced by a population of civilian farmers. The island is now home to approximately 300 souls, all subjects of the British crown. Tristan's got one police officer, one doctor, a goodly number of goats, and no airstrip: Travel to and from the island is by boat, and even that's often impossible due to regularly inclement seas. 

It's got problems. Severely injured people must be rescued by fishing boats and brought to Cape Town. Children are educated only to the age of 15, and a decline in demand for Tristan's primary export -- crayfish -- means there's little money to improve the island's educational capacities. And the society's more-or-less closed to new members, which causes some genetic trouble.

But -- man! The island's flagrantly, ostentatiously beautiful, in that same vulcan, treeless way that Iceland is beautiful. And its people seem lovely. Andrew Evans, a "National Geographic Traveler," visited the island this month and recorded the following brief video essay, viewable AFTER THE JUMP ...

(Also worth noting: Andrew Evans has lately shot a video of baby seals being "fierce." The guy's got a fun life.)

What You See Is What You Get: VIDEO

A bit of viral marketing from Eliad Cohen's travel rental apartment venture Gay-Ville.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Irish Man Who Went Overboard on Atlantis Gay Cruise Identified: Family Seeks Answers

Last Friday I posted about a man who went overboard on the 'Allure of the Seas' Atlantis gay cruise off of Cozumel, Mexico in the Caribbean. That man has now been identified as 30-year-old Kenneth John Gemmell, a native of Bailieborough, Co Cavan, Ireland. Gemmell was a flight attendant with UAE airlines stationed in Dubai.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean indicated that Gemmell was seen going overboard at 7:10 am local time and that fact was confirmed by surveillance cameras aboard the ship.

Edward Owen at The Examiner reports that the family is seeking information to bring some closure to their situation:

They are issuing an appeal to anyone on board the ship who might have met Kenneth during the cruise, to touch base with them.  And they particularly would like to hear from the person who witnessed him going overboard.  The family has said they want nothing more than to understand what drove their son, who had just turned 30 last Tuesday, to this.

The family says that some information has already come their way.  One party told them that Kenneth may have been arguing with a ship's crew member (perhaps a bartender) in one of the bars late Thursday night or early Friday morning.  They were also told that the crew member, a man they understood was sharing a room with a Canadian citizen, left the ship in Cozumel.

Because of the lack of information, a family spokesman told examiner.com that some members of the family are finding it hard to accept that Kenneth actually went overboard.

Anyone who has information on this tragedy is asked to email Michael at  michael-at-mhynes.com.  The family says they just want to know what happened to their son.

Ireland's Daily Celt has also confirmed the man's identity.

Just a suggestion, but perhaps Royal Caribbean could share their CCTV footage with the family if, as they say, they have it.

UK Passports Update 'Mother' and 'Father' Language to Accommodate Gay Parents

Language on UK passports is being updated to accommodate same-sex couples, the BBC reports:

New forms including "parent one" and "parent two" alongside "mother" and "father" are expected to be brought in by the end of the year.

The Home Office says the additional terms will ensure passports are issued securely and safely to the right person. Gay rights groups say the current form is "discriminatory" but family values campaigners say the changes denigrate the roles of mothers and fathers.

The proposals also include sex-free passports to allow transgender people to opt out of identifying themselves as either male or female.

Christian wingnuts are predictably flipped out by it:

Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, said: "To speak of 'parent one' and 'parent two' denigrates the place of both fathers and mothers. Fathers and mothers are not interchangeable but have quite distinct roles to play in the care and nurture of their children."

Here's 2011's Gay Epic 'Burning Man' Adventure: VIDEO

Here's the best  Burning Man video we've seen this year so far, maybe ever, featuring videographer Vincent Rommelaere and his "Glam Cocks" Zac Rich and Tim Duggan.

He writes: "Watch what happens as three Burning Man virgins travel halfway around the world to take on the world's most epic festival."

Think of it as a Priscilla, Queen of the Desert-style adventure, only Alice Springs is Black Rock City in the Nevada Desert with the number of performers in the thousands. If you've never been to Burning Man, this will offer you a great taste of what it's like.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Hot Man Eats His Way Around the World, in a Minute: VIDEO

Here are parts two and three of the 'MOVE' around-the-world-in-a-minute video I posted yesterday, titled EAT, and LEARN, respectively. While not as visually resonant as the former, they do feature the same man candy, Andrew Lees, and are mighty purdy to look at.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...