Boris Johnson’s Aides Plotted to Oust Him as PM, Dominic Cummings Claims

Dominic Cummings suggested to Laura Kuenssberg that a new political party should be set up to ‘kill’ off the Conservatives. Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA
THE GUARDIAN: BBC interview reveals people decided Johnson was unfit to be PM within weeks of 2019 election victory

Boris Johnson’s closest aides decided he was unfit to be prime minister within weeks of his 2019 election victory and began plotting to oust him, Dominic Cummings has claimed.

In his first TV interview since quitting as one of the most senior advisers in No 10, Cummings levelled repeated criticism of his former boss, saying aides feared Johnson had no plan to run the country and was only obsessed with “stupid” infrastructure projects.

He accused the prime minister’s wife, Carrie, of trying to “appoint complete clowns to certain key jobs”, claiming she wanted to be “pulling the strings” at the heart of government instead of the old Vote Leave team, and suggested a new political party be set up to “kill” off the Conservatives. » | Aubrey Allegretti, Political correspondent | Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Dominic Cummings pulls back the curtain and declares his genius »

I have myself been saying this for a very long time! I have been stating that the Conservatives need to be replaced by a progressive, business-friendly party. My line was that the Tories need to go the way of the Whigs: into oblivion!

I have never been a big fan of Dominic Cummings, but I must say that reading this, makes the man more appealing to me.

I used to be a dyed-in-the-wool Conservative voter. That was until Cameron had the less-than-bright idea of calling a referendum on our membership of the European Union, which we all know led to the fiasco of Brexit. Because of Brexit, I shall never cast my vote for the Conservatives again. And as a result of Brexit, I have become disenfranchised.

Boris Johnson—I prefer to give him the disparaging nomenclature, BoJo, because it makes him sound like the clown he truly is—was never a committed Brexiteer; rather, it was a convenient way for him to become prime minister. Even as a child, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson wanted to be “king of the world.” Needless to say, that position is, and never has been, vacant! So he had to settle for what he considered to be second-best: he had to become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom instead. Brexit was the tool he used to get the keys to Number 10.

There’s one big problem with that, though: Brexit has rendered the once very united United Kingdom into a rather fractious disUnited Kingdom. And the Tories have caused this problem by projecting the rift that was once chronic and unhealing in their party onto the United Kingdom itself; so, the party’s problem has now become the nation's problem. Cameron’s idiocy has caused this as have the greed and fossil-like nature of the top echelons within the Conservative Party itself.

Yes! Dominic Cummings is spot-on when he says that the Conservatives need to be “killed off” and replaced by a new party. Yes! Yes! Yes! The Conservatives need to go find the dodo and keep it company!

This country needs a progressive, business-friendly, pro-European party, one that will allow business to flourish but ensure a modicum of equality for all. The wealth gap in this country is as unfair as it is immoral. There is something radically wrong and mis-managed about a country in which people poor enough to have to use food banks to help put food on the table for their children have to co-exist with squillionaires. Such a juxtaposition of extremes is obscene. A scenario brought about by the policies of the Tories. Yes, we need a party that is very business-friendly; but no, we don't need obscenities like this! – © Mark

Leyna Bloom Is Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue’s First Trans Cover Star

Leyna Bloom in 2019. Photograph: Julien de Rosa/EPA
THE GUARDIAN: Model, who is black and Filipino, is also the first ever trans woman of color to be featured in the magazine

Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue has unveiled its first ever transgender cover star, Leyna Bloom.

The model follows in the footsteps of model Valentina Sampaio, who was the first trans model to appear in the pages of the magazine last July. Bloom, who is black and Filipino, is also the first ever trans woman of color to be featured in the magazine.

Writing on Instagram, Bloom said the appearance “heals a lot of pain”. She wrote: “We deserve this moment; we have waited millions of years to show up as survivors and be seen as full humans filled with wonder.”

Bloom, who was part of New York’s ballroom scene, wrote: “This historical moment is important to #girlslikeus because it allows us to live and be seen.” » | Priya Elan | Monday, July 18, 2021

Bitcoin Price Slides amid EU Call to Make Transfers Traceable, and Rise of ‘Stablecoins’

THE GUARDIAN: European regulator want banks to hold personal details of cryptocurrency clients, while US wants swift work to establish less volatile ‘stablecoins’

Bitcoin has slipped below $30,000 as calls grew among regulators in the US, Europe and Asia for tighter checks on cryptocurrencies, and the less volatile digi-currency known as “stablecoins”.

Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency fell as much as 5% to $29,300, its lowest since 22 June, and investors said it was likely to test the $28,600 level touched last month, its lowest since early January, as it faced a variety of regulatory headwinds. Smaller cryptocurrencies such as ether and XRP also lost around 5%.

On Tuesday, European regulators outlined plans to make cryptocurrencies more traceable as part of a wider crackdown on money-laundering in the bloc.

The European Commission said companies handling virtual assets, such as bitcoin, should become subject to anti-money laundering rules, along with transparency requirements for transfers of crypto assets. » | Martin Farrer | Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Phil Collins - Can't Stop Loving You (Official Music Video)

May 11, 2010 • @Genesis The Last Domino? North American Fall Tour 2021 | Views on YouTube: 34,274,747 | Tickets now on sale here |

Zärtlicher schwuler Kuß des Tages

Tender, gay kiss of the day / Bisou du jour, tendre et très gay !
Bild dank 'Google Images' und 'The Atlantic'.
The first primetime gay male kiss in Brazil's history aired in 2014 when Félix and Niko, of Globo network's popular telenovela Amor à Vida, shared a kiss in the show's final episode. Brazil Airs First Primetime Gay Male Kiss »

BBC: 'Historic' gay kiss on Brazilian TV »

Mahler Symphony No 5 Adagietto – Herbert von Karajan

Jul 25, 2013 • Slide-show of Venice with contemporary photographs and antique oil paintings. Symphony No5 /Mahler/ Adagietto/ Berlin Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan. The 1974 recording - Deutsche Grammophon

Democracy Now! Amnesty International: Julian Assange’s “Arbitrary” Detention Must End. Release Him Now.

Jul 20, 2021 • As WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces up to 175 years in prison if he is extradited to the U.S. under the Espionage Act for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard says his detention since 2010 “is arbitrary and that he should be released.” She adds that allegations made against him by the U.S. authorities “raise a large number of problems and red flags in relation to freedom of the press.”

‘Everything Is On Fire’: Siberia Hit by Unprecedented Burning

THE GUARDIAN: Locals fear for their health and property as smoke from raging forest fires shrouds an entire region of eastern Russia

Every morning and evening for the last few days, shifts of young villagers have headed out into the taiga forest around Teryut with a seemingly impossible task: to quell the raging fires that have burned closer and closer for a month, shrouding this remote eastern Siberian village in an acrid haze.

So far, little has worked. Amid the worst wildfire season in memory, locals have vowed to defend their village to the last, sending away small children for their protection from the smog while they stay on to fight back the flames.

“For a month already you can’t see anything through the smoke,” said Varvara, a 63-year-old pensioner from Teryut, a village in the Oymyakonsky district. “We have already sent the small children away. And the fires are very close, just 2km [1.2 miles] from our village.” » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Israeli PM: Ben & Jerry’s Sales Ban Will Have ‘Serious Consequences’

Naftali Bennett’s office said the Ben & Jerry’s ban would have ‘serious consequences, legal and otherwise’.Photograph: Gil Cohen-Magen/EPA
THE GUARDIAN: Naftali Bennett hits back at Unilever after subsidiary stops selling ice-cream in occupied territories

The decision by Ben & Jerry’s to stop selling its ice-cream products in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has been met with fierce criticism from the Israeli political establishment, including a warning from the prime minister, Naftali Bennett, that the decision will have “serious consequences” for Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever.

The announcement from the ice-cream maker, which has also taken political stances on the climate crisis and social justice issues such as Black Lives Matter, is one of the highest-profile rebukes of Israeli settlement building to date by a well-known brand. » | Bethan McKernan, Middle East correspondent | Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Gay Farmers Call for Help

In the UK, many LGBTQ farmers feel isolated and live a life plagued by secrecy and guilt. Their only solace is a phone number. This short documentary illuminates their experiences through reconstructive visuals over recorded telephone conversations that are both shocking and candid.

Being Gay in Nazi Germany | Full Documentary

A documentary from 2000 detailing the stories of gay people who were persecuted in Nazi Germany because of their sexuality.

Because this is age-restricted, it cannot be embedded here. This is a serious and informative documentary. It is not suitable for the squeamish or for the faint of heart. But it comes highly recommended. It gives us a chance to see how life was in Nazi Germany for persecuted homosexuals. Please click here to view this fascinating, insightful but extremely tragic documentary. It really is an excellent documentary. Extremely well done. Warning: It is absolutely NOT suitable for children! – Mark

Bitte klicken Sie hier für verwandte Artikel.

Out of Iraq – Documentary Shows Gay Love and Risk in Iraq

Jun 8, 2016 • OUT OF IRAQ is a documentary about two enlisted men in Iraq – one an Iraqi soldier, the other a U.S. translator – who fall in love before being forced to flee when one becomes the target for an honor killing. Nayyef and Btoo, the subjects of the new documentary, and director Chris McKim discuss the creation of the film, homosexuality in Iraq and the humanitarian efforts of Michael Failla in this episode of BYOD hosted by Ondi Timoner.

Australia: Growing Up Gay in the Country I The Feed

Oct 6, 2014 • Ivan hasn’t been back to his rural hometown of Tumut NSW in 21 years. He left as a teenager after a childhood of bullying about his sexuality, and never looked back. Until now. | Views on YouTube: 217,972

Biden Considers Reauthorizing Remittances and Sending More Diplomats to Cuba

THE RIO TIMES: The U.S. government on Monday announced it is considering reauthorizing remittances to Cuba and also the transfer of more diplomatic officials to the island, two ex-president Donald Trump's measures that Joe Biden would reverse.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - President Biden decided to explore these measures following July 11 protests in Cuba, the largest in several decades, as reported by a U.S. official.

The package of measures includes the setting up of a "working group on remittances" intended to "identify the most effective way" for the money to "directly reach the hands of the Cuban people," among others.

In November last year Trump banned the sending of remittances to Cuba, a measure with which the U.S. rapidly increased the economic suffocation of the island and which Biden has maintained during his first six . . . » | Latin America News | Tuesday, July 20, 2021 | [ R$ ]

Subscriptions to this excellent, Brazilian English-language newspaper, The Rio Times, are available here

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — July 20, 2021

Prince Harry Is Set to Release a “Wholly Truthful” Memoir about Royal Life

REFINERY29: The Duke of Sussex will release a memoir about his life, which will hit shelves late next year. In a press release from publisher Penguin Random House, the literary house said that the book, due in late 2022, is an "intimate and heartfelt" look at the young royal's life from childhood to the present day.

It will include "his dedication to service, the military duty that twice took him to the frontlines of Afghanistan, and the joy he has found in being a husband and father." The proceeds of the book will also be donated to charity. » | Natalie Morin | Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Le prince Harry publiera ses Mémoires « intimes et sincères » fin 2022 »

Michael Lucas Shows You a Gay Israel Heaven | Gay Documentary | Israel: Gay Men in the Promised Land

L’Etat de droit, meilleure protection pour les droits LGBT en Europe

LE MONDE : Editorial. L’adoption, le 15 juin par le Parlement hongrois, d’un projet de loi assimilant de fait homosexualité, pornographie et pédophilie, et le refus de l’UEFA d’illuminer le stade de Munich aux couleurs arc-en-ciel ont mis en évidence une fracture entre les membres de l’UE.

Editorial du « Monde ». L’arc-en-ciel est dans toutes les têtes, mais l’orage n’est pas près de se dissiper. Les foudres que se sont attirées, depuis mardi 22 juin, le premier ministre hongrois, Viktor Orban, puis, par ricochet, l’UEFA, l’organisation qui supervise le championnat de football Euro 2021, à propos des droits des communautés LGBT, montrent à quel point ce sujet cristallise les fractures sociétales intra-européennes.

Le projet de loi adopté le 15 juin par le Parlement hongrois, contrôlé par le parti nationaliste de M. Orban, a provoqué un profond malaise au sein de l’Union européenne. Ce texte, qui prévoit de rendre inaccessibles aux moins de 18 ans les « contenus qui montrent ou encouragent la sexualité en elle-même, le changement de genre ou l’homosexualité », assimile de fait homosexualité, pornographie et pédophilie. » | Éditorial du « Monde » | jeudi 24 juin 2021

Life for LGBT People in Israel

'Keshet' (קשת בענן) is Hebrew for rainbow. – Mark
KESHET UK: Israel is a generally progressive country where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people live freely and openly. British laws against homosexuality were inherited when Israel was founded in 1948. These were formally repealed in 1988.

Protection against discrimination

LGBT couples in Israel have the same pension, inheritance and medical rights as heterosexual couples. This includes equal access to fertility treatment for lesbian women. Since 2005, LGBT people have been able to adopt each other’s children and enjoy full rights as parents. In 1992, employment discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation was outlawed. Inclusion of LGBT people in the Israeli military has been formally accepted since 1993. LGBT people now serve openly in the army, navy and air force, with the same rights as those in heterosexual relationships for their partners.

Same-sex marriage

There is no system of civil marriage in Israel. Marriages can only be performed under the auspices of a small number of recognised religious communities. Israel does, however, recognise those performed in other countries and since 2007 has given full legal recognition to same-sex marriages in this context. LGBT couples may not be able to marry inside Israel, but in 2012 an Israeli family court granted the first same- sex divorce in the country. In 2013, a trans- woman, Chen Arizona, married her husband in a ceremony that was broadcast on national television news. Religious attitudes » | Keshet UK | Undated

Painting the town gay: Tel Aviv prepares for Pride

Keshet UK is the forum working to champion the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and questioning people in all areas of Jewish life in the United Kingdom.

For more information visit keshet.org.uk or contact info@keshet.org.uk

Foreigner - I Want to Know What Love Is (Official Music Video)

Jan 25, 2020 • You're watching the official music video for Foreigner - "I Want to Know What Love Is" from the album 'Agent Provocateur' (1984). "I Want to Know What Love Is" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was featured on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest songs of all time. | Views on YouTube: 114,169,130

This Is the Best Place for Gay Men to Get Married | Gay Documentary | Gay Men in the Promised Land

About ‘Israel: Gay Men in the Promised Land’: A documentary written by American entrepreneur, columnist, gay activist and gay director Michael Lucas, and co-directed by Lucas and Israeli director Yariv Mozer. In his debut as a documentary filmmaker, Michael Lucas focuses on Israel’s thriving GLBT community through footage of Tel Aviv’s vibrant nightlife, a gay wedding, and candid interviews with a diverse range of local gay Israel men and women.


Why Tel Aviv Is One of the Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the World »

Virus Headwinds Hit Wall St. after Months of Smooth Sailing

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Fear jolted the financial markets on Monday as investors realized that the path to global economic recovery after the pandemic would be anything but straightforward. For months, investors had been behaving as if they expected a full, smooth rebound from the Covid crisis. From January through June, stocks rose 14 percent, one of the best first-half performances since the late 1990s.

But the virus’s potential to upend life all over again caught up with investors, as a spate of worrying news — in particular, new outbreaks involving the highly contagious Delta variant among unvaccinated people — led to a big sell-off on Monday. The S&P 500 stock-market index had its worst decline since May, sliding more than 2 percent during the day before closing down 1.6 percent. The Dow fell 2.1 percent, its biggest one-day loss this year. Europe’s Stoxx 600 fell 2.3 percent.

“The impact of Covid on the stock market isn’t over yet,” said Lori Calvasina, head of U.S. equity strategy with RBC Capital Markets in New York. “We’re not saying it’s going to derail the recovery. We don’t think that, but we do think it could cause some additional bumps.” » | Matt Phillips | Monday, July 19, 2021

The Story behind Monaco’s Relationship with the Vatican

MONACO LIFE: Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State to the Holy See, has visited the Principality to celebrate the 40th anniversary of privileged relations between the two states.

In July of 1981, the Holy See and Monaco signed a convention which stated that the Prince of Monaco was willing to renounce rights to appoint the archbishop of the local diocese, leaving it to Rome to fill the spot. This concession led Pope John Paul II to elevate Monaco to the rank of archepiscopal see.

To commemorate this occasion, Cardinal Pietro Parolin paid a three-day visit to the Principality, notably the second smallest state in the world after Vatican City, and amongst other ceremonial events, presided over a papal mass held on Sunday at the Cathedral of Monaco on the Rock.

He spent the afternoon meeting priests and parishioners, as well as celebrating the office of Vespers. » | Stephanie Horseman | Monday, July 19, 2021

REPORTAGE: Homosexuellen-Verfolgung: "Von Anfang an ohne jede Chance"

TAGESSCHAU: In Berlin wird heute an die Verfolgung von Homosexuellen in der NS-Diktatur erinnert. Unzählige Männer wurden damals drangsaliert und getötet. Eine Reportage über den Buchhändler Emil Haab aus der Pfalz.

Burkhard Jellonnek hält das Grauen in seinen Händen. An seinem Schreibtisch im saarländischen Köllerbach studiert der Historiker Akten aus der NS-Zeit. Ein Schwerpunkt seiner Forschung ist die Verfolgung von Homosexuellen durch Nationalsozialisten.

Experten schätzen, dass in dieser Zeit etwa 100.000 Menschen aufgrund ihrer sexuellen Orientierung drangsaliert wurden. Etwa 50.000 wurden verurteilt, bis zu 10.000 Menschen ermordet.

Buchhändler unter Spionageverdacht

Einer von ihnen war Emil Haab aus Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Jellonnek erforscht den Fall seit fast vier Jahrzehnten. In seiner Dissertation aus dem Jahr 1988 schrieb er über ihn: "Die Gestapo warf Herrn Haab damals - wie es offiziell hieß - 'Unzucht mit anderen Männern' vor. Er war ein gebildeter Mann, Buchhändler, sprach englisch, französisch und italienisch. Es fiel ihm offenbar leicht, auf Menschen zuzugehen. Ihn interessierten Männer."

Ins Visier der Gestapo geriet Haab zunächst, weil man ihn für einen Spion hielt. Haab hatte zahlreiche Kontakte zu französischen Soldaten an der Grenze. Dort war er offenbar auf der Suche nach Liebhabern. Bei einer Hausdurchsuchung entdeckte die Geheimpolizei dann zahlreiche Fotos von Männern. Außerdem hatte Haab Ende der 1920er-Jahre für die Homosexuellen-Zeitung "Der Eigene" einen Artikel verfasst. Der Gestapo reichte das. Homosexuelle wurden als "Staatsfeinde" gebrandmarkt » | Von Axel John, SWR | Samstag, 25. Juli 2021

Der lange Kampf gegen §175 »

Der "Schwulen-Paragraf" musste weg »

‘I Have Sacrificed a Lot’: Growing Up LGBTQ+ in India

[Illustration by Jawahir Al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]
AL JAZEERA: LGBTQ+ Indians who battle family expectations and social pressures to live their authentic lives share their stories.

Like most parents, Sourav’s would like to see him “settled”. In India, however, this is a loaded concept. Being happy, healthy and financially secure are all important, but making a good marriage is the cornerstone of “settling down”. Indeed, 26-year-old Sourav, an IT professional in one of India’s metro cities, would make a wonderful husband to a man of his choice. But that is the problem.

In 2017, when he told his parents he was gay, their illusion of him as the perfect son shattered. He recalled how his mother cried so much, she required emergency hospitalisation for dehydration and low blood pressure. His father did not speak to him for three months.

Unlike Sourav, who confidently asserts himself as a gay man despite the pushback from his loved ones, back in the 1980s and 1990s, I had no terminology to describe what I was. Even growing up in a family that considered itself progressive, I was continually shamed for being non-gender conforming, and coerced to correct myself – forced into feminine clothes, told off for “wanting to be a boy”. It is no surprise, then, that I was convinced I was broken by the time I reached my teens.

Decades of self-hate, low self-esteem and confusion followed. I had zero understanding of sexualities and genders, apart from the fact that to deviate was abnormal and shameful. But just as I paid the price for keeping my inner demons locked inside and pretending to be “normal” – at least “normal enough” – Sourav, who asked that his surname not be used in this article, paid for being honest. » | Payal Dhar | Monday, June 21, 2021

Pedro Castillo Makes Unity Plea after Finally Being Named Peru’s Next President

Former school teacher Pedro Castillo raises his arms from the balcony of the Peru Libre party headquarters in Lima, following the official proclamation of him as Perus president-elect. Photograph: Gian Masko/AFP/Getty Images
THE GUARDIAN: One-time teacher asks for ‘effort and sacrifice’ in first remarks after being confirmed as president-elect

Pedro Castillo, a rural teacher turned political novice, has become the winner of Peru’s presidential election after the country’s longest electoral count in 40 years.

In his first comments as president-elect, he called for national unity. “I ask for effort and sacrifice in the struggle to make this a just and sovereign country,” he said.

Castillo, whose supporters included Peru’s poor and rural citizens, defeated right-wing politician Keiko Fujimori by just 44,000 votes. Electoral authorities released the final official result on Monday in a televised ceremony, more than a month after the runoff election took place in the South American nation.

On Monday night, TV images showed Castillo’s supporters pouring out on to the streets, chanting, “Yes, we could.”

Castillo is set to take office on 28 July for a five-year term as leader of the world’s second largest copper-producing nation. » | Staff and agencies | Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Peru's First Lesbian Lawmaker Vows 'Strong Battle' to Boost LGBT+ Rights. Read all about it here

LGBT Rights in Peru here

Pedro Castillo remporte officiellement l’élection présidentielle au Pérou »

La Belgique se recueille ce mardi en hommage aux victimes des inondations

Selon un bilan encore provisoire, lundi soir, les fortes crues dues à des pluies diluviennes, qui ont provoqué l'effondrement de dizaines de maisons, ont coûté la vie à 31 personnes en Belgique.FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS / AFP
LE FIGARO : Après les inondations des 14 et 15 juillet qui ont coûté la vie à au moins 31 personnes, le pays observe ce mardi une journée de «deuil national» marquée par une minute de silence à midi.

La Belgique rend hommage mardi aux victimes des inondations d'une ampleur inédite qui ont dévasté la région de Liège les 14 et 15 juillet, avec une journée de «deuil national» marquée par une minute de silence que tout le pays est appelé à observer à midi.

Selon un bilan encore provisoire, lundi soir, les fortes crues dues à des pluies diluviennes, qui ont provoqué l'effondrement de dizaines de maisons, ont coûté la vie à 31 personnes. Et 70 autres étaient «toujours portées disparues ou injoignables», selon le centre de crise, un chiffre qui a diminué ces dernières 48 heures au fur et à mesure du rétablissement des contacts téléphoniques. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mardi 20 juillet 2021

Votre abonnement numérique Le Figaro est disponible ici

Bisou du jour, tendre et gay

Image grâce à Google Images et Morandini.
Le bisou très gay de Christophe Najdovski, candidat écologiste à la mairie de Paris »

Morandini : Cliquez ici

Foreigner - I Don't Want to Live Without You (Official Music Video)

You're watching the official music video for Foreigner - "I Don't Want to Live Without You" from the album 'Inside Information' (1987)

Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love (Official Music Video)

Views on YouTube: 8,892,459

Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (Official Music Video)

Views on YouTube: 136,421,891

Yotam Ottolenghi Visits Crete

Dec 12, 2013 • Channel 4 (More4), the TV station in the UK, presents the series "Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Island Feast". In this episode (first broadcast 21 November 2013) Yotam Ottolenghi visits Crete and explores its rich and complex culinary history.

In the ancient capital of Heraklion, Yotam makes a variation of the Cretan meze dakos, a marriage of tomatoes, crumbled feta, olives and oregano. In the fishing port of Agios Nikolaos, he marries octopus marinaded in wine with tender baby squid, stuffed with tomatoes and okra. On a trip inland, Yotam uses feta for a cheesecake with a ripe cherry compote. He also prepares a feast of spit-roasted pork souvlaki, served with his twist on tzatziki.

Mat George, Podcast Host, Killed in Hit-and-Run at 26

Mat George shared his takes on dating, pop culture, mental health and other topics as a co-host of the podcast “She Rates Dogs.” Credit...Mat George
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. George, the co-host of “She Rates Dogs,” was struck as he crossed a street early on Saturday morning in Los Angeles, the authorities said.

Mat George, the 26-year-old co-host of the podcast “She Rates Dogs” known for his humorous takes on dating, pop culture and his identity as a gay man, was struck and killed by a car in Los Angeles on Saturday in what the authorities called a hit-and-run.

The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that the hit-and-run occurred in the Beverly Grove neighborhood of Los Angeles around 2:20 a.m.

A pedestrian had been walking in an unmarked crosswalk when a white BMW struck him and drove away. The pedestrian died at the scene, the police said. » | Alyssa Lukpat and Neil Vigdor | Sunday, July 18, 2021

Madonna - Don't Cry for Me Argentina [Official Music Video]

You're watching the official music video for "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from Madonna's soundtrack album for the motion picture 'Evita' released on Warner Bros. in 1996. Views on YouTube: 19,901,552

Tucker Carlson Went on the Record with Reporter. Here's What She Learned

Ball Gowns Galore! And Other Cannes Film Festival Fashion Statements

At the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, the larger the ball gown, the better. Here, Sharon Stone in Dolce & Gabbana.Credit...Brynn Anderson/Associated Press
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Forget comfort clothing. Seriously, forget it. The year of the nontraveling sweatpants has come to an end.

The Cannes Film Festival that just ended was notable for a number of things (besides simply being the first Cannes Film Festival since 2019): That a female director won the Palme d’Or for the first time since 1993; Jodie Foster’s special award; Adam Driver’s singing in “Annette.” And the fact that it was proof positive, if anyone was in doubt, that the year of the nontraveling sweatpants has well and truly come to a close.

Like, put a stiletto in that one and stick it to the wall-of-history close.

If the Oscars kicked off the Return of the Red Carpet, Cannes took it to a whole other level. For 10 days the plumage was out: tulle and tuxedos, glitter and glamour, as if to make up for dressing down of the last, lost year. This film festival, of all film festivals, has become the greatest real life — or real life-ish — runway of the year, other than the Met Gala. Perhaps even more than the Met Gala, which can be handicapped by sometimes silly theme. » | Vanessa Friedman | Monday, July 19, 2021

Johnsons Wette

Öffnungen in Großbritannien
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: In Großbritannien schießen die Infektionszahlen wieder in die Höhe – und trotzdem sind fast alle Corona-Maßnahmen gefallen. Das Risiko, das Boris Johnson damit eingeht, ist hoch.

Es klingt paradox: In Großbritannien schießen die Infektionszahlen wegen Delta wieder in die Höhe, und der geimpfte Gesundheitsminister Sajid Javid ist an Covid erkrankt, weshalb sich jetzt auch Premierminister Boris Johnson in die Selbstisolation begeben hat. Trotzdem sollen von diesem Montag an fast alle Corona-Maßnahmen aufgehoben werden. Das Argument lautet: Die Impfquote ist hoch, die Hospitalisierungsrate niedrig, es wird also schon gehen. » | Ein Kommentar von Oliver Georgi | Montag, 19. Juli 2021

« Nous sommes entrés dans une quatrième vague », affirme Gabriel Attal

L’OBS : Le porte-parole du gouvernement a mis en garde ce lundi contre la dynamique « extrêmement forte » de l’épidémie. Dans des dizaines de départements, la hausse des contaminations est extrêmement rapide.

« Nous sommes entrés dans une quatrième vague du virus », a prévenu le porte-parole du gouvernement Gabriel Attal à la sortie du conseil des ministres ce lundi 19 juillet.

« La dynamique de l’épidémie est extrêmement forte, nous constatons une vague plus rapide, une pente plus raide que toutes les précédentes », a-t-il mis en garde, notant le nombre de nouveaux cas détectés avait doublé en une semaine. « Nous avons franchi le seuil des 10 000 cas positifs chaque jour », a-t-il précisé, tandis que le taux d’incidence a augmenté de près de 125 % en une semaine. » | Par L’Obs | lundi 19 juillet 2021

Un abonnement à L'Obs est disponible pour 3 mois pour 1€ , sans engagement, ici

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — July 19, 2021

Alone Out Here: A Gay Farmer on Love, Isolation, and Disrupting the Meat Industry in Australia | The New Yorker

Jun 9, 2021 • In “Alone Out Here,” by Philip Busfield and Luke Cornish, an Australian rancher who is openly gay in a conservative industry fights to reduce carbon emissions through his cattle farming.

Friendships That Saved Lives during the Holocaust

Jul 30, 2020 • When Pennsylvanian teen Jane Bomberger and American exchange student Robert Harlan learned about Nazi persecution of Jews, they wanted to take action. They were able to help their friends flee Nazi Germany and Austria. Assistance from abroad was vital because few people could obtain the necessary paperwork and permissions needed to emigrate from Nazi-occupied Europe in the 1930s. On the United Nations International Day of Friendship, join Museum experts to learn about individuals who helped their Jewish friends find refuge. Speaker Susan Goldstein Snyder, Curator, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Moderator Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Not A Still Life | Gay Jewish Documentary Portrait

Aug 13, 2018 • In this documentary portrait, a charismatic older, gay, Jewish man undergoes an evolution of awareness amid the joys and sorrows of his wild and fully lived life. In revealing his “naked truth,” he offers viewers an opportunity for reflection about the complexity of human identity.

In the words of the film’s spirited subject, “This is the story of a gay, Jewish, animal rights, vegetarian, recovering alcoholic ... individual.” Steve Stone is an ebullient, extroverted character and an engaging storyteller with a life full of captivating tales. He is also not unlike many gay men of a certain age who were almost brought to extinction with the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s. In that sense, this film, a portrait of a man, is also a chronicle of a time that was.

This one man’s story, his struggles with sexual orientation and various addictions, love and loss, taps into themes that encompass all our lives. His quirky and entertaining reflections come from a unique perspective. We cannot help but see ourselves in, and be inspired by, his distinctive outlook because for all the ways that we may not share his “outside the box” personality, his evolution, his journey through life and his deep desires are ours. They exemplify the conflicts and complexities in every human heart.

Not a Still Life punctuates the stories of Steve’s personal journey through the decades with a judicious use of title graphics to reflect key aspects of gay social history in America. His is the tale of a man who, in the homophobic period of the 50s, was ridiculed and dismissed as a child which led his irreverence, hyperactivity and rebelliousness. Determined to be himself rather than conform to social mores that made him uncomfortable, he came out to everyone in the early 60’s at the age of 17. Eight years before the Stonewall Rebellion, this was a brave move. Steve Stone has been openly gay for fifty years!


Viewer discretion is advised. Warning: Not suitable for children! – Mark

Brazil’s Homosexual Couples May Be Prioritized in Housing Program

THE RIO TIMES: Bill 1947/21 includes homosexual couples with their union recognized by the State among the groups to be prioritized in the selection and ranking of beneficiaries for the 'Casa Verde e Amarela' housing program.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - Under analysis by the Chamber of Deputies, the draft amends Law 14.118/21 which deals with the program and currently provides that priority is granted to families in a risk or vulnerable situation, where a woman is the head of the household or that include disabled or elderly people.

"In practice there is pure veiled discrimination, whereby LGBT families have tremendous difficulties in being selected," says the bill's author deputy Rafafá (PSDB-PB).

"The delays in getting answers expose the subtle and perverse discrimination to which these citizens have been submitted," he points out . . . » | The Rio Times | Monday, July 19, 2021

Subscriptions to ‘The Rio Times’ are available here

P&O Australia to Launch First Ever LGBT+ Pride Cruise, And It Sounds Fabulous

The P&O LGBT+ Pride cruise will set sail in November, 2022. (Twitter/ QScreen)
PINK NEWS: P&O Australia has announced that its first ever LGBT+ Pride cruise will set sail next year, including lectures, educational and spiritual events, same-sex weddings and… sequins.

The three-night cruise, which will depart from Sydney on 4 November, 2022, will be a “celebratory weekend” for the LGBT+ community and their friends, families and allies, and will “honour pride in self, the diversity of the community and the endless variety of talented artists, entertainers and educators in it”.

Australian LGBT+ organisations will be onboard, including the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, Australia’s longest-running HIV charity, and Queer Screen, which will be putting on its first Queer Screen @ Sea Film Festival.

The cruise will also feature a queer entertainment line-up “with plenty of feathers, sequins and flamboyance”, featuring America’s Got Talent star and self-described “international superstar, sex symbol, accordionist and Berlin boy-wonder” Hans the German. » | Lily Wakefield | Saturday, April 24, 2021

Mini-Serie über lesbische Liebe: «Ich wäre so gern verliebt geblieben»

In der neuen Mini-Serie durchlebt man mit Hanna all ihre vergangenen Liebschaften. Foto: Screenshot ZDFneo
TAGES ANZEIGER: Die ZDFneo-Serie «Loving her» erzählt leicht und gefühlvoll aus der Perspektive einer jungen lesbischen Frau. Das ist selten im Fernsehen.

Hanna fühlt sich ausgebremst. Sie hat das Literaturstudium abgeschlossen, aber keinen Job in Aussicht. Der Pandemie-Alltag nervt, Liebeskummer auch und dann wirft der Vermieter ihre WG aus der schönen Berliner Altbauwohnung.

Jetzt kehrt sie zurück nach Bielefeld zu ihren Eltern, bis sich etwas Neues ergibt. Als sie mitten im Umzug Pizza holt, trifft sie ihre Schulliebe Franzi. Die Begegnung wirft die 25-Jährige in der Zeit zurück. » | Lena Reuters | Dienstag, 6. Juli 2021

Homosexuels et lesbiennes dans l’Europe nazie : les déportés oubliés

Insigne et matricule de Josef Kohout, déporté homosexuel autrichien. (Coll. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington DC))
L’OBS : Le Mémorial de la Shoah, à Paris, éclaire le sort des gays et lesbiennes, victimes de la répression nazie. Le musée retrace les multiples aspects de la persécution, en s’appuyant sur des parcours de vie saisissants, des documents et des témoignages inédits. Retour sur une page d’Histoire méconnue.

C’est une première en France. Après plusieurs mois de minutieuse récolte de documents et de témoignages inédits, le Mémorial de la Shoah, revient sur la persécution des populations homosexuelles sous le Troisième Reich.

L’exposition s’inscrit dans le temps long. « Il faut comprendre que la période nazie n’est pas une parenthèse incompréhensible mais qu’elle s’inscrit dans une longue histoire de répression de l’homosexualité en Europe » explique Florence Tamagne, commissaire de l’exposition. Le parcours débute à l’aube des premières revendications politiques des homosexuels, incarnées par le militant Magnus Hirschfeld, qui meurt en exil à Nice, en 1935. Leur bête noire : le paragraphe 175 du Code pénal allemand, introduit en 1871 et qui condamnera les homosexuels jusqu’en 1994. » | Par Paul Lonceint | dimanche 27 juin 2021

Mitch Lowe, Co-founder of Netflix: “American Series Are So Predictable”

MONACO TRIBUNE: We talked to the co-founder of Netflix about European cinema, the future of the industry, and why he thinks the Monaco Streaming Festival is a sign of the times.

The industry had come a long way since Netflix was mailing DVDs to its clients. Yet, twenty years later, Mitch Lowe is still at the forefront of innovation. “I think this is a period of Renaissance for the arts,” he says when we meet before the start of the Monaco Streaming Film Festival, of which he is the co-director. The festival is dedicated entirely to streamed content – a first for the industry. “Because the tools to create art, media, literature are all so easily accessible.”

A high-school dropout, after leaving Netflix Mitch Lowe continued his run as a film start-up founder, developing the likes of Redbox and MoviePass, a movie theatre subscription service. » | Francesca German | Sunday, July 11, 2021