The locker room closet

You would think with all sorts of gay leagues in various sports these days, from rugby to the Gay Games, being gay in your sport isn't a big deal. But apparently it is, since it has taken 18 years for Gareth Thomas to come out to his sport and fans.
Not being a sportsperson myself I have no idea how hard the pressure is in teams to conform to the current macho norm, which in fashion terms is as much a variable feast as a catwalk is: the yesteryear imagery of a top sportsman can look very camp now. Will you just look a those short shorts in 1970s American basketball compared to the bloomers they wear today. And then there were the mullets and blow dry hairdos on an assortment of rugby and soccer players, eagerly adopted these days by retrosexuals.

The one thing that struck me about his story were his visits to London gay clubs when on tour. The fact that no-one on the scene sold their kiss-and-tell story to the tabloid newspapers is a credit to the gay community. I'm not sure whether that is because there is no interest in outing gay rugby players (unlike when they actually come out themselves), or that no gay man who picked him up actually recognised him or knew who he was. I suspect it would be a very different story had he been a premier league football player, judging by the even bigger closet and homophobia in soccer (despite its nancy-kissy-touchy-feely antics on the field).

But anyway, Gareth, welcome home.

Naked panelbeater hides behind one shoe

More South Island naked news:

A Gore man who ran naked through a Warehouse store in Central Otago was yesterday fined in the Alexandra District Court.
Judge Paul Kellar fined Jay Harley Katon, 19, panelbeater, $350 for offensive behaviour at the Alexandra store on October 25.
The police summary of facts says Katon was grossly intoxicated and entered the store wearing a pair of socks and using a shoe to cover his genitals.
A "large number of people", including mothers and young children, were shopping when Katon ran around the clothing section before being asked to leave.
He bought some clothes before leaving and was found by police in a vehicle in the town centre, the court was told.
Katon admitted being in the store but said he had a shoe over his genitals "the whole time", the summary of facts says.
He told police he had been drinking at the Ettrick Tavern an hour before the incident and someone had stolen his clothes.

I think the "summary of the facts" left much to be desired: Why did the 19 year old panelbeater (hmmmmmmm!!) only need one shoe to cover his manhood? Was the shoe pointing up or down? Where did he put his cash to pay for new clothes at the checkout? Was he wearing his new outfit when nabbed by the cops? Did the cops have to strip him to recognise his profile on the security footage?
And even more pointedly: is naked drinking at the Ettrick Tavern a common occurrence? Was he engaged as a male stripper at the panelbeaters' pub lunch break? I understand it can get quite hot in Alexandra, so I surmise he was only wearing his panelbeater overalls at the pub - easy to get off!

Again, if I were the judge and had recovered from rofling after that case in my court room, my sentence would be publication of Warehouse security footage on the internet. And he can buy me a drink at his next pub show appearance.

Waiheke support of anti-gay law in Uganda?

Letter to the editors of Waiheke Marketplace and Gulf News:

I would urge the sponsors of the Project T Shirt for a school in Uganda, reported in the Marketplace and the Gulf News, to reconsider their cause.
The Ugandan parliament in the midst of enacting a law that would make homosexuality in Uganda punishable by death. The law makers cite as reason for this a pushback against western values in their society.
Clearly the Ugandan Government has too much time on its hands - time and resources that could better be spent on actually building schools instead of relying on foreign donors such as Waihekeans.
Surely our money is a pernicious western influence too, so it should be better spent in countries with a more Christian and charitable view of their population instead of propping up a bigoted regime?

Yours truly,

UPDATE: both newspapers published the letter in its entirety.

Carbon footprint

As it's the season for atonement of lifestyle sins, especially the climate changing ones, you can find out how much you need to do to reduce your carbon footprint in the Ecological Footprint Quiz.
I would need 2.08 earths to allow everybody in the world to live my lifestyle. Clearly unsustainable but then I'm much better than my country's average.
So what did they recommend I do more?

Reduce your Carbon Footprint
Use cleaner transport

* Walk, bike, or take public transit whenever possible.
* Avoid allowing your car to idle. If you'll be waiting for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine (except in traffic). And don't take the drive-through-park the car and walk inside instead.
* Have your vehicle serviced regularly to keep the emission control systems operating at peak efficiency. Check your car's air filter monthly, and keep the tires adequately inflated to maximize gas mileage.
* Avoid short airplane trips-take a bus or train instead.

The traffic questions were a bit too rudimentary. I always take public transport except in some circumstances when there is none available (and you know Auckland's PT system is dire). I don't have a driver's licence. I only fly when it's impractical to go by any other means, living in an isolated archipelago does that to you

Add energy-saving features to your home

* Install compact fluorescent bulbs in all your home light fixtures-but remember, compact fluorescents contain mercury, so look for low-mercury models and be sure to dispose of old bulbs safely through your local hazardous waste program.
* Weatherproof your home. Make sure your walls and ceilings are insulated, and consider double-pane windows. Eliminate drafts with caulking, weather strips, and storm windows and doors.
* Insulate your water heater. Even better, switch to a tank less water heater, so your water will be heated only as you use it.
* Choose energy efficient appliances.

Those new light bulbs are hideous, I hate them and the light they give off. I'd rather go to bed than try to read by them.

Adopt energy-saving habits

* Keep thermostat relatively low in winter and ease up on the air conditioning in summer. Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended to keep the A/C operating at peak efficiency.
* Unplug your electronics when not in use. To make it easier, use a power strip. Even when turned off, items like your television, computer, and cellphone charger still sip power.
* Dry your clothes outside whenever possible.
* Make minimal use of power equipment when landscaping.
* Defrost your refrigerator and freezer regularly.
* Choose green electricity. Many utilities give you the option to purchase electricity generated by wind and solar power for a small rate surcharge.
* Purchase carbon offsets to make up for the energy use you can't eliminate.

We do all that already. Our power bill is minimal, which makes installing solar power still too expensive.

Reduce your Food Footprint

* Eat more local, organic, in-season foods.
* Plant a garden-it doesn't get more local than that.
* Shop at your local farmer's market or natural foods store. Look for local, in-season foods that haven't traveled long distances to reach you.
* Choose foods with less packaging to reduce waste.
* Eat lower on the food chain-going meatless for just one meal a week can make a difference. Globally, it has been estimated that 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions are associated with meat consumption.

I haven't eaten farmed animals since 1976. We have a vegetable and herb garden. We compost and recycle.

Reduce your Housing Footprint

* Choose sustainable building materials, furnishings, and cleaning products.
* Explore green design features for your building, like passive solar heating, a rainwater catchment or grey water recycling system, and recycled materials.
* Choose efficient appliances, including low flow shower heads, faucets, and toilets.
* Choose furnishings that are second-hand, recycled, or sustainably produced.
* Plant drought tolerant plants in your garden and yard.
* Use biodegradable, non-toxic cleaning products.

All check mostly. We have no water reticulation. All water is collected from our roof and all waste water is recycled in the garden. We like it when it rains.

Adopt water-saving habits

* Take shorter, less frequent showers-this not only saves water, but the energy necessary to heat it.
* Don't use the garbage disposal. Compost instead.
* Run the dishwasher and the laundry machine only when full.
* Wash cars rarely, or better yet, take them to a car wash. Commercial car washes use less water per wash than home washers, and they are also required to drain used water into the sewage system, rather than storm drains, which protects aquatic life.
* Avoid hosing down or power-washing your deck, walkways, or driveway.
* Regularly look for and fix leaks.

Our car is dirty most of the time. We haven't got the water spare to waste it on things like gardens, decks or sprinklers. I always take military showers (shame there are no other troops available to share them with)

Reduce your Goods and Services Footprint

* Buy less! Replace items only when you really need to.
* Recycle all your paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic. Don't forget electronics!
* Compost food waste for the garden. Garbage that is not contaminated with degradable (biological) waste can be more easily recycled and sorted, and doesn't produce methane gases (a significant greenhouse gas contributor) when stored in a landfill.
* Buy recycled products, particularly those labeled "post-consumer waste."

It's hard to do the recycling and waste minimalisation when your Council actively sabotages community projects and well-working systems by awarding contracts to the most polluting, least efficient, least recycling and thus most inexpensive (for the Council) waste contractor.

But the most efficient carbon footprint reducing option didn't get a mention: don't breed.

Naked news from Christchurch

From the Herald:

A two-storey house in central Christchurch caught fire yesterday prompting a hasty exit by its intoxicated occupants, including one man who did not even pause to grab clothes.
The naked man, aged in his 50s, was seen scrambling down a fire escape shortly after smoke began pouring from the house about 4pm.
Assistant area fire commander Greg Crawford said the five were in various states of drunkenness but all managed to escape.
"St John is looking after some, some have disappeared," he told The Press.
"They are in no state to look after themselves."
The fire's cause was not yet known.

Creating some background to this story could be fun: what were five men doing in the house on a weekday afternoon of drinking, not wearing any clothes and causing a fire to start? Discuss.

For when I'm 64 (again)

A gay lobby group in the Netherlands is launching a Quality Mark scheme for resthome operators so they can check whether they are providing a good service to their "pink pensioner" residents.
Apparently gay residents are not as well regarded in resthomes by the other residents as social status is determined by the number of visitors a resident gets, such as by children and grandchildren, the report says (in Dutch only, unfortunately).
I would be all for gay-only resthomes and this may well become commercially feasible in the future. Belgium is already getting one. A few hunky nurses to help you bathe, feed and entertain you sounds like a fabulous way to ease out of this life even if it costs 60 to 90 euros a day.