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Life goes fast
I’m 50 years old today, but I don’t feel any older.
Gay Games 2010
The Gay Games were very visible around Cologne.
The GayGames were held this year in Cologne. The city of Cologne has a lot to offer for someone interested in history as it was founded by the Romans and has remained an important city ever since. Of course there was also parties and other cultural program. We did meet many fun people.
As usual the experience of the Games was awesome. The Gay Games were very visible in the street, which is very important as it creates a large part of the atmosphere of the Gay Games. You feel you are part of the big event. For example there was a big fair on Neumarkt in the center and the participants in the choir event went round singing at various places in the streets.
Athletes marching in at the Gay Games opening ceremony
The games opened with a magnificent ceremony when all the participants marched into the stadium. But the most important part was of course the competitors in the various events showing how they can. The Martial Arts event that I took part was extremely high level. I was judging some of the categories and I can say that even those who didn’t win were outstanding. Personally I did win a bronze medal in weapons forms.
Season’s Greetings
Happy Holidays and New Year 2010!
Gay Games Cologne
Today I have registered for the Gay Games VIII in Cologne. I am going to take part in the Martial Arts event. The Gay Games have been an awesome experience for me in the past. If you are able to take part next year I really think you should go for it!
I have also added a link to the Gay Games VIII.
Dark Room
A gay club in Helsinki has closed it’s dark room. According to my newspaper the authority that issues licour licenses had contacted the club after a newspaper story that featured the dark room. in the beginning of May. It seems that some civil servant has taken the stance that a dark room is against good manners and so has threatened the club with pulling it’s licence.
It is understandable hat a the owner of the club doesn’t want to challenge the authority. Even if the decision would be overruled it might well be a pyrrhic victory as the club would be closed meanwhile.
This is not just an isolated incident: previously a gay bar in Tampere also closed the dark room it had just opened because of the same authority. Even if I don’t think a dark room were such a big deal this case shows there is legal loophole that allows an arbitrary decision and creates an opportunity for discrimination.
Thoughts on world AIDS day
I have often wondered why guys seem to engage in unsafe sexual practises despite all the information to the contrary. Recently I heard a presentation at a congress that I thought would explain at leas some of it. It is all in how our thinking works.
Often we use simpler ways of thinking, ‘intuition’or ‘emotion’, that allow us to make decisions quickly. This can lead to disastrous outcomes when situation does not forgive error, like the decision whether to use a condom. Here emotional response to unsafe sex is often likely to be positive when there is no previous experience of negative consequenses.
My youth was in the eighties when the firs AIDS epidemic caught a lot of negative public attention and caused the death of some of my friends. Therefore I have more negative emotional response toward unsafe sex and associate more risk with it. In fact there is some reaseach into how young people can be taught to associate negative feelings to unsafe sex.