I think Google is playing with us sometimes. I took this screen shot from YouTube this afternoon …

Who knew?

Sigurdur Hjartarson is missing a human penis. But he’s not worried: four men have promised to donate theirs to him when they die.

Hjartarson is founder and owner of the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which offers visitors from around the world a close-up look at the long and the short of the male reproductive organ.

His collection, which began in 1974 with a single bull’s penis that looked something like a riding crop, now boasts 261 preserved members from 90 species.

The largest, from a sperm whale, is 70 kg (154 lb) and 1.7 meters (5.58 ft) long. The smallest, a hamster penis bone, is just 2 mm and must be viewed through a magnifying glass.

One species conspicuous by its absence is homo sapiens, but that may soon be rectified since a German, an American, an Icelander and a Briton have promised to donate their organs after death, according to certificates on display.

The American, 52-year-old Stan Underwood, supplied a written description of his penis — which he purportedly nick-named “Elmo” — for display alongside a life-size plastic mould of the member as well as his pledge to donate it.

Hjartarson said the Icelandic donor, a 93-year-old from nearby Akureyri, was a womanizer in his youth who thought having his penis in the collection might bring him eternal fame.

But vanity may make him rethink the offer.

“He has mentioned lately that his penis is shrinking as he gets older and he is worried it might not make a proper exhibit,” Hjartarson said.

The museum, originally opened in Reykjavik in 1997, has now moved to the quiet fishing village of Husavik, 480 km (298 miles) northeast of the capital.

Open from May to September, it is housed in a plain brown building, the entrance marked by a tall brown phallus near the door and a penis-shaped sign over the front porch.

A growing number of people from all over the world view the collection each year, 60 percent of them women.

“We had 6,000 visitors last summer and actually made a profit,” Hjartarson said with a smile.

The specimens, most of which were donated by fishermen, hunters and biologists, are kept in glass jars of formaldehyde or dried and mounted on the wall, creating an atmosphere that is part science lab, part trophy room.

Hjartarson has paid for only one — an elephant penis nearly 1 meter long that hangs, stuffed and mounted on a wooden board, in the museum’s “foreign section.”

He said he began collecting penises 24 years ago, when working as a school administrator, with little notion he would one day be running a museum devoted to the subject.

“It was just a hobby,” he said, adding that the collection was relegated to his office until the inception of the museum.

“They were not on display in the sitting room.”

The museum’s “folklore collection” includes a few sculptures and joke items, but no sex toys or paraphernalia. The more risque displays stay under wraps.

“Two elderly German women came in a while ago and after viewing the exhibit, they scolded me for displaying a group of figurines in Kama Sutra poses, so I put them in here,” Hjartarson said, lifting a black cloth off a glass-topped box labeled ‘Erotica’.

“This way nobody has to view them unless they want to.”

Hjartarson maintains a light-hearted approach to his delicate subject matter, saying a sense of humor and a bit of intelligence are necessary to appreciate the collection.

“I hope visitors leave the museum in a better mood than when they arrived,” he said.

Icelandic museum offers long and short of male organ

Eep!

I have me some tickets to see Kelly of YouTube fame on March 22nd. I am sooooo excited about this!

Here’s a few stories that have interested me recently, but I haven’t wrote up as individual posts. The items are in no particular order.

- LAPD enlists feral cats for rat patrol. Okay, how do you not love a story with that headline? Hey, I live near a freeway with a large embankment covered with iceplant — plenty of rodents live there. I’m sure my two cats are keeping my apartment free of rodents.

- Greater Boston PFLAG President: Hillary Clinton Fails Gay Families. Interesting piece on why a local PFLAG president finds Clinton’s statements on teaching about LGBT parents in the classroom to be troublesome. Apparently, Clinton’s view on Heather Has Two Mommies is less progressive than many of us would have expected.

- Karen Bachman found this article, noting it in a comment: Smith’s Pick Stirs Gay-Rights Controversy. Apparently, the judge who made the Oregon domestic partnership decision on Friday (H/t: Mad Professah) had confirmation difficulties over LGBT issues. Here’s a thought — should LGBT folk be calling this judge a “judicial activist?” The ruling seems to going against the concept of federalism…

- Inmate Says He Needs Thor’s Hammer, Drum. An inmate is suing the Utah Department of Corrections for denying him his right to practice an ancient Nordic religion while behind bars. Groovy!

- The Candidates On Bhutto; Candidates React To Bhutto’s Assassination; 2008 U.S. hopefuls react to Bhutto death. And, a few thousand more articles — and I do mean a few thousand articles. The candidates speak, and everyone-and-their-dog-Spot has a take on how Benazir Bhutto’s assassination is going to effect the “horse race” in Iowa and New Hampshire.

[Genital reassignment surgery the same as amputating a leg? ; Who counts in the LGBT community? ; Doc took a cell-phone pic of penis tattoo and shared it - the patient isn't happy about that ; and more This and That after the break]

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, I mailed off a deposit today. With The Learning Channel (TLC) rolling cameras, I’m tentatively scheduled to get a tattoo at the LA Ink studio during the second or third week in January. If/when TLC broadcasts the show, it will be sometime “next season” — whenever that might begin.

Sooooo, let me back up a little bit. I had a twenty-year Navy career, and believe it or not I never succumbed to getting a tattoo. Don’t get me wrong — I wasn’t against getting a tattoo, but I had no idea what I wanted to put on my body that I’d be happy to wear for the rest of my life. However, since I retired from the Navy — and since I’ve transitioned — I’ve thought long and hard about what kind of tattoo I might want.

And, what I decided I wanted a few years ago was that I really wanted a tattoo of the Norse goddess Freya. My family name — Sandeen — is an Americanized spelling of the Swedish Sandin, so I wanted a tattoo related to my Swedish ancestry. And, I wanted a tattoo that reflected that I’d always had a female soul. Since Freya is roughly the equivalent goddess in the Norse pantheon as the goddess Venus is in the Greco-Roman pantheon, a tattoo of Freya seemed to fit the bill.

After deciding, I just hadn’t found the right tattoo parlor or artist to do the tattoo. But then I watched LA Ink. There they were: Female tattoo artists in a studio that wasn’t bathed in testosterone.

And then, I saw in November I saw an episode that included a casting call commercial for the show. So, I went online and submitted an entry, never figuring they’d ever get back to me.

But, they called me in for a casting interview. I guess they liked my narrative for the tattoo and my performance on the casting interview video — this week they called and asked me if I wanted to come in for a tattoo this January. I said yes, and then…well, we’re back to me sending the deposit for the tattoo this morning.

[Painting that will be the starting point for the tattoo after the break]

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve had enough “conservative penetration” in the past 28 years or so … so I can’t say I was exactly receptive to this bit of spam mail I received today …

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM MKM KNOCKOUT PROMOTIONS & WORLD SHIN DO KUMATE ASSN.

MKM Knockout Promotions and World Shin Do Kumate Association would like to extend warm holidays wishes to you and your family. 2007 was a prosperous year and 2008 will only bring better tidings. Many good developements have taken place for both companies and we would like to take a few minutes to share these with you.

2007 saw MKM Knockout Promotions put on the most exciting stand-up striking event ever on North American soil. Shin Do Kumate “The Way of the Fighting Spirit,” has been bringing male and female fighters from around the world to honor the sport/art and do battle against one another for 6 years. Long regarded as the number one promoter of stand-up striking in North America, MKM has now set their sights on the global stage. With Live PPV and Video On Demand Events carried by Viewer’s Choice, Shaw PPV, Verizon FiOS, TVN, Sky TV New Zealand & Ananey Network Isreal, as well as TV syndication with The Fight Network, Ananey Networks Isreal and are alsoin negotiations with Star TV Asia. By the end of 2008, Shin Do Kumate will become a household name and conservatively penetrate into over 50 markets worldwide.

Sure, shin do happen.  Chop phooey, y’all. 

Here’s this weekend’s This And That:

~~~~~

Oops! Costume flap imperils immigration post:

Just when it appeared Julie Myers had cleared every hurdle in her quest to officially become the nation’s top immigration official, a dreadlocked wig and a prisoner’s outfit could cost her the job.

Myers, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE], ran into trouble earlier this month after she and two other agency managers gave the “most original” costume award to a white employee who came to the agency’s Halloween party dressed as an escaped prisoner with dreadlocks and darkened skin.

The incident drew complaints of racial insensitivity and an apology from Myers. It also cast doubt on whether she’ll get a confirmation vote before the end of the year, when her original appointment expires.

And ICE was doing so well with managing stuff like healthcare at those darn detention facilities before that darn costume contest!

~~~~~

The HRC and transgender people/transgender people’s allies don’t look to be getting along too well this coming week, and much of it has to do with symbolism involving Tuesday’s Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR). Everything from the the HRC and protestors due to clash at the Stonewall Inn in part because the HRC scheduled a networking meeting in New York on the TDoR, to the HRC quietly cancelling their scheduled Day of Remembrance event at the HRC Headquarters (cache from November 11th’s webpage and today’s webpage, and not related to TDoR — the ENDA debate spicing up Dallas’s Black Tie event (former trans HRC boardmember Donna Rose calls on HRC president Joe Solmonese to apologize — both will be in attendance at tonight’s Black Tie).

There’s no joy in this at all — this ongoing rift between the HRC and transgender people/transgender people’s allies can’t be good, long term, for LGBT community, nor can it be good for LGBT civil rights issues.

~~~~~

Coffee is never far from our minds, here at The Blend. That’s why it’s a shocker that Starbucks has lowered its profit and sales forecasts following a first-ever decline in U.S. customer visits.

The world’s dominant coffee retailer launched a national television advertising campaign Friday called “Pass the Cheer.”

Some Starbucks watchers said it would have been better to go with “Lower the Prices.”

The Seattle-based company began the campaign one day after revealing that customer visits to U.S. outlets fell — something that had never happened before — in the quarter ended Sept. 30. Starbucks said there was no connection.

Reasons cited for the decline in U.S. customer visits?

Coming four months after Starbucks raised its prices by an average of 9 cents a drink, the ad campaign coincides with a credit crunch that has crimped some spending styles — at a time when the company’s stock has been depressed. Shares of Starbucks, which fell 90 cents Friday to $23.20 , have dropped 41% in the last year.

Many Americans are cutting back on affordable luxuries such as fancy coffee beverages, said Howard Penney, an analyst with Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. And as customers curtail their visits, Penney and others said, Starbucks should be offering promotions.

A touchy-feely ad with a winter theme won’t lure people back, they said, because it doesn’t offer any incentive.

“People are becoming very price-conscious,” said Alan Siegel, chairman and chief executive of branding strategy firm Siegel & Gale. “Without making any kind of an offer, I’m not sure Starbucks is addressing the problem.”

Yeah, if it’s between buying food that costs 5.5% more last year, heating the house that looks like it’s going to cost 9% more than last winter if a home uses natural gas, and 147% more than last winter if a home uses heating oil, filling up the car at 87¢ more a gallon than last year, or buying a cup of Starbucks Coffee that averages 9¢ more a cup … well, it’s an easy choice.

~~~~~

As if the Catholic Church doesn’t have enough image problems, a nun who taught at St. Patrick’s Elementary School in Wisconsin plead no contest to sexually abusing schoolboys in 1960s.

Not only can you not make this stuff up, no one in their right mind would want to make this stuff up.

~~~~~

I ruminate over getting a story horribly wrong early this week over at The View From (Ab)Normal Heights.

*sigh*

GodBlogCon 2007 will equip you with a working knowledge of new media technologies and its impact on society, empowering your ministry to employ quickly and easily new media technologies to engage culture for the cause of Christ.

And CitizenLink (Focus On The Family) tells us, regarding GodBlogCon 2007, Conference Challenges Christian Bloggers to Reach Out; New media can be an effective evangelism tool.

Eek.

For Christians, new media technologies such as podcasts, social-networking sites and blogs present innovative evangelistic opportunities. Last weekend, Christian bloggers from across the country gathered in Las Vegas for GodblogCon, the third annual conference to assist them in taking advantage of new media, understanding its impact on society and engaging the culture for Christ.

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a keynote speaker of the event, encouraged Christian bloggers to be intentional, effective communicators.

“We are here not merely as Christians but as Christian communicators with the two words being inextricably related to each other, because to be a Christian is to bear a responsibility to communicate and to communicate in a way that befits the Christian Gospel and Christian Truth,” he said. “My concern … is that we speak of new media in terms of our stewardship of these things for the glory of God and for the pre-eminence of Christ.”

A “Godblogger” himself, Mohler explained that because today’s youth are the most unevangelized generation since the early 20th century, blogs present the perfect opportunity to reach young people.

Here’s Dr. Mohler talking about Christian blogging at the convention:

Does anyone else besides me feel like God and Jesus are being repackaged and marketed for the 18 to 34 demographic? Are these folk trying to save souls, or are they developing a web enterprise system for soul acquisitions?

Lord knows they seem to be angling for a hostile takeover of civil liberties for non-Christians — especially homosexuals and transsexuals.

Columnist and human rights attorney Joanne Mariner of FindLaw reports on what she calls A Guantanamo Index.

The FindLaw teaser says the following about the article:

[She] offers an index, much like the famous Harper’s Magazine “Harper’s Index,” that provides a quantitative perspective on the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and the fates of the detainees there. The figures she compiles range from the shocking (the total days of the longest detentions without charge; the age of the youngest prisoner), to the deeply upsetting (number of apparent and attempted suicides; estimated number of detentions of farmers, aid workers, missionaries, and refugees totally unconnected to terrorism), to the appalling (hours for which, according to an FBI agent, two detainees were left chained in a fetal position). 

The article is worth the read.

Yeah, the Bush Administration doesn’t torture … it also believes we spread freedom, provide an example of the rule of law … *sigh*

~~~~~

From the Los Angeles Times comes the story China Bans Exports of Drug-Tainted Toy:

China’s government has suspended exports of toys covered with a toxic chemical that have been subject to recalls from Australia to the United States after sickening children, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

China’s move came as seven more U.S. children were reported ailing after ingesting Chinese-made toy beads because of the toxic chemical coating, bringing the total of U.S. children sickened to nine, according to a spokeswoman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Chinese government’s quality control administration issued the export ban, sealed the toys at the sites where they were produced and ordered an investigation, Xinhua said in a brief report.

Millions of units of the popular toys, which are sold as Aqua Dots in the United States and as Bindeez in Australia, were recalled in those countries as well as in Britain, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere this past week after children began falling sick from swallowing the toy’s bead-like parts.

Tests showed they were coated with the industrial chemical 1,4-butanediol. When ingested the chemical metabolizes into the “date-rape” drug gamma hydroxy butyrate, and may cause breathing problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death. In addition to the nine in the U.S., three children in Australia have taken sick.

Wow.

Thank goodness our Consumer Product Safety Commission has been keeping us safe from dangerous, cheap Chinese toys! … Well, not really, but we can engage in playing pretend and wish it were so.

~~~~~

Montgomery County Council acts to quell protests over transgender bill;
Protests prompt committee to remove public accommodations section of the antidiscrimination bill; a vote is set for Tuesday:

After a vigorous e-mail campaign attacking the public accommodations section of a bill designed to protect transgender people from discrimination, a Montgomery County Council committee has decided to remove that portion of the bill.

Critics have inundated the council and local news media for weeks over their concerns that women and girls would have be confronted by male nakedness in locker rooms and bathrooms if the bill is passed. They argue that the bill would put girls and women at risk.

The committee’s decision came late Thursday evening and was not announced publicly. The Gazette learned of the change on Friday.

The bill as amended would prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, cable television service and taxi service.

A vote on the bill, which is expected to pass, is set for Tuesday.

‘‘The committee decided it was simpler not to include the public accommodations part. At this point, the purpose is to provide equal rights for transgender individuals,” said Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, who proposed the bill in September and wrote it with the help of an aide who is a transgender woman. ‘‘I think it’s unfortunate that a small group of individuals sought to create a campaign of fear about the legislation.”

Activism works. The religious right scare tactics involved over the nonexistent threat of cross-dressing rapists won the day.

Related:
* We Have A Weiner — I mean A “Winner”
* Latest Attacks Of Teh HomoSEXual Agenda’s Transgenderededs’s Bullet Points

~~~~~

My City Councilwoman, Toni Atkins, sent out her monthly Toni Times. As you can imagine, as a local e-blast it has a lot of boring stuff in it about renaming parks, street lighting wiring, and community thank you’s. This week’s letter had water saving tips — California is also experiencing serious drought:

WATER CONSERVATION TIPS
Water is our most valuable resource. California’s main water sources have been severely impacted by dry record dry conditions. In San Diego, we need to be prepared should these weather conditions continue. As part of a region-wide effort to step up voluntary water conservation, the City of San Diego Water Department, in conjunction with the San Diego County Water Authority, is issuing a 20-Gallon Challenge. San Diegans are each being asked to conserve 20-gallons of water a day.

There are many ways that businesses and residents can voluntarily conserve water. Here are a few of the some simple things you can do to conserve 20 gallons per day:

INDOOR
* Save 2.5 gallons per minute by shortening showers
* Save 2 gallons per minute by turning off water when brushing teeth
* Save 15-50 gallons per load by washing only full loads of clothes
* Save 100 gallons per week by hand washing dishes at least once a day, using less detergent to cut down on rinsing

LANDSCAPE IIRRIGATION
* Save 20-25 gallons per day by watering before 6 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
* Save 15-25 gallons per minute by not over watering—cut irrigation cycles by 1-3 minutes
* Save 15-25 per day gallons by adjusting sprinklers to prevent overspray

OTHER OUTDOOR
* Save 8-18 gallons per minute by using a broom instead of a hose to clean driveway & sidewalks
* Save 15-20 gallons per day per leak by repairing leaking hose bibs
* Save 30 gallons per day by installing covers on pools and spas

~~~~~

HOLY COW! A bovine falls 200 feet off a cliff and lands on a minivan in Manson, Wash.

Charles and Linda Everson were driving back to their hotel when their minivan was struck by a falling object — a 600-pound cow. The Eversons were unhurt but the cow, which had fallen off a cliff, had to be euthanized.

The year-old cow fell about 200 feet from the cliff and landed on the hood of the couple’s minivan, causing heavy damage.

A Chelan County fire chief, Arnold Baker, said the couple missed being killed by a matter of inches in the accident Sunday on a highway near Manson.

The Eversons, visiting the area from their home in Westland, Mich., to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, were checked at Lake Chelan Community Hospital as a precaution.

Everson, 49, said he didn’t see the cow falling and didn’t know what happened until afterward.

He said he kept repeating: “I don’t believe this. I don’t believe this.”

I’m the rather “large faced woman” talking after my friend Christine talks. It was at an NCTE gathering at Southern Comfort, last September. (Christine let me know the video was up on YouTube / Donna Rose’s website.)

Can’t wait can’t wait can’t wait can’t wait! Sucks it’s a promo and not the actual new vid, but the 17th of this month (when the new video is coming out) isn’t that far away! Yea!!

—————

Kelly’s Let Me Borrow That Top Promo
—————

Btw, the video isn’t work friendly — four letter language.

Too funny about the cameos just in the promo: I recognized Amanda (she’s the singer/keyboard player for the Dresden Dolls) shopping with Kelly/throwing a top at the camera, and Dave Navarro (played guitar with Jane’s Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) giving Kelly a tatoo of a stiletto heeled shoe.

Btw, Kelly’s Laim Sullivan’s website is here. The liamkylesullivan YouTube channel is here (where you can watch the sketch comedy/music videos of Liam Sullivan/Kelly).

~~~~~
Related posts:
* Did Somebody Say Shoes?
* Liam Sullivan (Kelly of “Shoes”) On SpreadEntertainment

Reuters, via Stuff.co.nz , has shown us what Charlie Brown would look like as a modern woman.

Specifically, Isaac Mizrahi shows us the transgender Charlie as a fashionista who’d rather wear a shiny gold mini dress with a zig-zaggy stripe than the old yellow sweater and black shorts playsuit.

[Isaac Mizrahi] was among more than a dozen top designers, including Betsey Johnson, Pamella Roland and Heatherette, as well as celebrities like Kristin Chenoweth and Whoopi Goldberg, who gave the beloved “Peanuts” comic strip characters a total makeover at the MetLife Snoopy in Fashion show in Manhattan’s Bryant Park.

The designers’ creations will be auctioned on eBay in October to raise money for the nonprofit organization Dress for Success, which provides low-income women with career clothes and support to help them thrive in the workplace.

We can only hope that some of the outfit designs find their way in to local department stores.

From Yahoo! Health:

Consumers, not just factory workers, may be in danger from fumes from buttery flavoring in microwave popcorn, according to a warning letter to federal regulators from a doctor at a leading lung research hospital.

A pulmonary specialist at Denver’s National Jewish Medical and Research Center has written to federal agencies to say doctors there believe they have the first case of a consumer who developed lung disease from the fumes of microwaving popcorn several times a day for years.

“We cannot be sure that this patient’s exposure to butter flavored microwave popcorn from daily heavy preparation has caused his lung disease,” cautioned Dr. Cecile Rose. “However, we have no other plausible explanation.”

Fortunately for me, I cook my popcorn in canola oil in a pan.  (Go Orville in a pan!! )

The best headline I’ve seen this week was over at YourHub.com, with this title:

Broomfield gal shows ladies how to pee like a man

The article begins:

When I was seeking out a list of all the woman-owned businesses involved in the Boulder Farmers’ Market (which by the way — who knew there were nearly 30 of them?), Katie Bauer, Boulder Market Manager, wrote back. She suggested I also get in touch with the BCFM’s accounts receivable lady, Karen Diamond, who owns her own business called Go Your Way.

Of course, I immediately sought her out to learn more. When I clicked on her Web site, goyourway.net, it hit me: This Broomfield gal promotes a device that allows women to pee standing up. Not sure if you caught my blog on the Magic Cone, but my perceptions of this kind of device are forever changed, thanks to this lengthy yet eye-opening interview with Diamond.

From there, interviewer Brit Horvat talks to the product distributer Karen Diamond about how her business is growing.  She says in the interview:

On a serious note, they are useful for transgendered people.

So, even after the funny headline, there is a serious side to this story.  I can imagine at least a few of her customers are transmen, and I can imagine a post-op transwoman or two would find the product useful as well — it’s not just bio-women who may find this device useful.