MORE Straight Man Love

WHAT is going on in the world? Whatever it is, I like it. PLATONIC SAME-SEX man friends and PRO GAY MARRIAGE advocates Justin Long and Dax Shepard showed some public displays of affection by holding hands as they left a Starbucks yesterday...

More Friends With Benefits

University students now see nothing wrong with showing friendship to another man through a kiss on the lips.

Heterosexual male students are more comfortable kissing their friends than ever before, researchers say.

Researchers at the University of Bath found that 89 per cent of white undergraduate men at two UK universities and one sixth form college said they were happy to kiss another man on the lips through friendship.

They found that 36 per cent of respondents had also engaged in sustained kissing, initially for shock value, but now they occurred just for "a laugh".

Daniel Eagles, an undergraduate at University of Bath, said he did not have a problem with kissing his male friends.

He said: "I am comfortable to kiss my friends in situations such as their birthday or when someone scored a goal or just if we are having a laugh.

"Physical contact with your friends helps to bring you closer. I have been in a relationship with my girlfriend for more than a year and she doesn't think anything of it when I kiss my guy friends."

Dr Eric Anderson, from the university's department of education, said: "Heterosexual men kissing each other in friendship is an offshoot of what happens when homophobia is reduced.

"At these universities, overt homophobia has reduced to near extinction, permitting those men to engage in behaviour that was once taboo.

"Men are kissing each other in university clubs and pubs, in front of their peers, and for many it serves as an occasional, exuberant greeting or banter when partying.

"The kiss is a sign of affection in student social spaces, a sign of victory on the pitch, or celebration at a nightclub but it does not have a sexual connotation in any of these spaces.

"It seems generally younger people are becoming more and more open minded with each generation."

PhD sociology student Adi Adams, who helped Dr Anderson with the research, said: "We noticed that more and more men were kissing each other in clubs or after scoring a goal as a form of celebration, and many would put pictures of themselves kissing their friends on Facebook.

"We then began our research and realised that the way men tell each other that one has made it into their circle of close friends is to kiss.

"In this respect, men are catching up with women who regularly use a kiss as a sign of affection to a female friend."

Adi, who is heterosexual, added: "My first experience of kissing a man was at uni and I was a bit taken aback, but now it feels like a normal act of friendship.

"It doesn't feel that it threatens my masculinity or heterosexuality - instead it is becoming part of acceptable masculinity and heterosexuality."

Dr Anderson's research is published online in the journal, Archives of Sexual Behaviour.

He is now expanding his research to see how these attitudes are affected by race and social class.

Straight Brit Boys Can't Stop Kissing Each Other

In a new study done by a sociologist at Bath University,

89% of straight-identifying high school and university boys said they had kissed male friends. 37% had experienced "sustained" kissing with male friends. What the bloody 'ell is going on?

Well, oddly enough, credit sport for inciting the trend.

The trend toward male same-sex smooches has skyrocketed in recent years, [researcher Eric] Anderson said. It began on the professional soccer field, where players often share exuberate kisses after goals. That made kissing between men acceptable for college and high-school players, Anderson said. Then the players took the same behaviors to nights out in pubs, spreading the trend to non-athletes.

Despite stereotypes of the homophobic jock, athletes were more likely to have kissed another man than non-athletes. Just over 80 percent of non-athletes had kissed a man, compared with 95 percent of athletes.

Of the guys in the study who hadn't shared a same-sex kiss, all found the practice acceptable. One student who had never kissed another lad joked with the researchers that when he told his friends about the study, they'd probably ensure that his classification changed. That night, Anderson received a text from the student reading, "I'm in the majority now."

Awwww.

So here's the deal, gay teen boys living in America. You know where it apparently gets better, really quickly? Britain. Tell your dad to take that job transfer! Find a summer school in London! Do something! Anything that will get your kiss-starved little self to Britain. It's like the Russian field trip episode of Skins come to life up in that bitch.

Meanwhile, here in the States, the gays are increasingly allowed to kiss. On TV's saddest show, Glee, gay Kurt will receive a gay kiss on the next episode. Progress! It paves the way for Corey Monteith and Chord Overstreet to make out for an hour next season, right? Talk about sustained.

CEBU PLUS

"We are all connected in ways we can only imagine. One person's actions and decisions affect another person's quality of life. Let's be a positive social agents of change and make this world a loving, safe, healthy and a better place to live in." ~ Humphrey Gorriceta

Greater and meaningful engagement of people living with HIV, their affected families and significant others towards wellness and quality of life in a supportive environment. ~ CPAI Vision Statement

True Fall Love Change

My great mate Chris Dustin is a 'F'avourite photographer of mine hands down. Chris never fails to catch the flash turn of the season perfectly as it changes before eventually passing us all for yet another year. His pictures truly inspire not only my deep love and appreciation for photography but also my organic passion for all things nature. Canada is so spectacular during these final weeks leading up to the snow and I'm thankful that people like Chris can capture it so beautifully.

I'm getting ready for 2011.

Change is great.

Click HERE to view more photography from Chris Dustin

Facebook Tackles Hate Speech and Homophobia

NEW YORK — Facebook is working with a gay-advocacy group to reduce the amount of hate speech and bullying on the online social hub.

Anti-gay bullying has been in the spotlight recently after the suicides of several gay teenagers, including Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, garnered national attention. According to police, the 19-year-old jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate secretly recorded him with another male student and distributed video online.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it reached out to Facebook last week after Internet bullies flooded a page set up to honor teens who recently killed themselves in response to anti-gay hate. - HP

Florence and the Machine

I love this music.

Kitty Dishes Litter on BB

Part 1/3

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

About a BBBoy

No one wants to be seen as a poor judge of character so why didn't anyone in the fashion media bother to research? We are lucky to live in a time when Google has replaced the Dewey Decimal System yet when someone from the fashionable set (Marc Jacobs, are you there?) deems someone or something cool, no one checks.

The fashion pack is indeed a herd. Take the shearling aviator jacket this season--an 'investment buy' even if it makes you look like Quasimodo in an Elizabethan collar made of carpet remnants.

Enough ranting. Now for my story....

Before this fashion blogger from the Philippines was hosted by fashion brands and had a Marc Jacobs bag named after him, he had to position himself in cyberspace society and shop until his friends dropped him.

Like Bernie Madoff and Ken Starr, he used other people's money. Maybe he still does!!!

Like many of us, the Boy doesn't carry cash and always uses credit cards but the cards are not (quite) his. They could be yours, though.
He manages to use numerous credit cards under different names and has even blackmailed someone into paying for his first trip to Australian Fashion Week because the organizers weren't willing to fork over the cost for him to go down under.

He is a member of creditboards.com, a site for people with bad credit or those who want to acquire credit without collateral or a job. Or rich parents. He was active in one forum on "Getting a Sears credit card..." Last time I checked, there ain't no Lanvin at Sears. Maybe HnM.

Like Bernie Madoff and Ken Starr at the height of their popularity and wealth, he is sought after.

BBbbut things didn't start off that way...
He anonymously started a local Philippine gossip site called chikatime.com, got caught and had to close it down due to insistent public demand, insults and lawsuits that were hurled at him. Also "due to insistent public demand," Nokia pulled out of an advertising campaign. He was removed from the Philippine edition of Project Runway before its first season was ovah!

If that's not last season enough....

Unlike Bernie Madoff and Ken Starr, he is not smart enough to manipulate funds to finance multiple homes, yachts, art, jewels and dodgy investments. He merely spends on bags, shoes and incidental travel. Okay, small time. (If you steal, wouldn't you have to steal big 'because you're worth it?" How you gonna "sweat glitter?")

You would think he would want a lot more because of where he came from. I guess his Momma didn't teach him that you have to reach for the moon because if you miss it, at least you'll end up with stars.
(Mind you, I admire people who have no education and manage to go from rags to riches through hard work and not credit card scamming. After all, it is the success story of many immigrant familes)

He may have Globe Trotter luggage but a globe trotter and fashion connoisseur he is not.

His family is so far from rich that they not only live in the outskirts of Manila but in one of the poorest outskirts of the Philippine capital--think close to homeless, probably without a proper address. The Philippines is 80% poor and he falls into that category. And this is not 'a good look.'

The Boy is so poor that he lives in a shack made of aluminum siding (if it has not been washed away by recent floods) near the national maximum security prison.

His sister was so happy when she got an internship at a local radio station because they had a food allowance. Apparently, in their household, they have no money for food.

But they have LOTS of handbags. So how does he finance la vida nada?

Wait for my next post.

Baboosh

Click HERE to read Part 2/3

True Urban Dance

Wow, I'm impressed.

The Journey of Ismael

Dear Readers,

His name is Ismael Khalif Abdulle.

He's 18 years old.

And his story...is both harrowing and inspiring.

Hole in One Body

G G G G GRRRRRRRRRR

A professional golfer can look like this?

Camilo Villegas is quite frankly a body triumph!

His leg extension makes me cry because I work my legs so hard and they still resemble chop sticks.

Camilos' body is my new spring body bench mark.

Off to the gym.

Reach out and Help