Category Archives: Books
Say No To Male Circumcision
We keep this site non-pornographic. So I hope that can see this post as educational.
Most of the world is intact (not circumcised).
In the US, I believe, it has always been about the $$$. Doctors brainwashed American mothers and fathers, that it HAD TO BE DONE. And most times, insurance companies paid for it. But who really pays? THE MAN.
Circumcision removes valuable specialized erogenous tissue. Foreskin feels REALLY good. Without the foreskin, the glans becomes dried, toughened, and less sensitive. The normal slack skin gives a man and his partner an exquisite plush frictionless rolling/gliding sensation.
Luckily we can undo some of the damage with non-surgical foreskin restoration.
It’s great to undo the damage of circumcision and the benefits of foreskin restoration are awesome, but for some the real healing comes from working to end child circumcision. Activists working to protect the right of all boys, girls, and intersex children to remain intact and free of non-therapeutic forced genital cutting are called intactivists. You can help. There is lots of information HERE. And there are numerous resources HERE I encourage you to check out.
If you know someone having a baby, PLEASE, if it’s a boy, encourage them NOT TO CIRCUMCISE. Let the boy decide later. It’s his body!
CUDDLE, love, touch, acceptance and connection
We all want love, acceptance and connection with other people. We’re social beings, and this connection with others is part of our emotional, physical and spiritual DNA.
Touch plays an important role in building these connections, increasing scientific evidence clearly shows a connection that lack of touch can lead to depression, anxiety and a myriad of heath issues, and an inability to connect with others. We will be exploring the healing power of Non Sexual, Consensual Touch in detail in upcoming posts.
Most of us don’t get enough touch in our lives.
We’re touch-deprived, and most of us don’t even know it consciously. All we know is that there’s loneliness and stress and a deep sense of missing out. We feel this because there’s a biochemical yearning for something that is missing in our lives. And there is something missing: touch and the connection with others that it fosters.
“That’s why we started Cuddlist,” says Adam Lippin, Co-founder and CEO of CUDDLIST. “Safe, non-sexual, consensual touch fills a need that’s badly neglected in our society. Cuddling relaxes us and reduces stress at the very least, and on the deeper level it nourishes our soul and helps us get in touch with our higher self. Much like yoga and meditation, non-sexual touch is healing and transformative.”
Cuddlist brings together those who need touch (and that would be just about all of us!) with Certified, professional cuddlers who are experienced, safe, well-versed in cuddling techniques and follow a code of conduct that set the conditions for a great session.
While any two people can cuddle, of course, what sets Cuddlist apart is that we are creating the marketplace for transformative cuddling, and we bring the professionalism and best practices that make it work; Cuddlist training is overseen by my co-founder, Madelon Guinazzo, and she both has years of experience as a full-time Cuddlist and knowledge of what works in practice.
While Cuddlist is something special, and fills an important gap in our world, I also want to share what it means to me personally.
I’ve been a yoga and meditation practitioner for more than 20 years. Yoga has been an animating principle in my life that has seen me through college, drug addiction, the corporate world in New York, loss and death, and the birth of my son and my relationship with my amazing spouse. I’m also a touchy-feely “hugger,” and when I go to shake someone’s hand I’m keenly aware how restricted touch is in our society.
Most would agree that touch is therapeutic, and the rush of oxytocin we produce when we cuddle is great, but in my experience cuddling also can be something deeper.
American Buddhist Jack Kornfield, in his book, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path, talks about how the simple act of being present can be a deeply spiritual practice. I think cuddling, if non-sexual and approached without expected outcomes in mind, can help us be present and raise our spiritual awareness.
So while I’m a “hugger,” and I immediately see the value that cuddling can play as a corrective in our society, I also think it contains a deeply spiritual component.
Indian civil rights leader Mohandas Gandhi said we must be the change we want to see in the world, and I want to play my part by encouraging non-sexual touch and the emergence of what might be called cuddle yoga.
“Touch is important, and we don’t get enough of it. I want to change that, and that’s why I, along with my Co-Founder, started Cuddlist. Will you join us?”
Find out more at CUDDLIST. Learn more; FIND a CUDDLIST and/or become a CUDDLIST!
GRACE JONES Book
Grace Jones slapped my hand in 1982 in Detroit!
I had read about Grace hobnobbing at Studio 54 in AFTER DARK Magazine. I bought her album and fell in love with the glamorous Diva.
She came to the Detroit area several times where I had the privilege of seeing her up close. The first time I saw her perform, I was in the front row.
I held my hand out to her during a song and she slapped it hard! She was fierce and presented a hard image – but then at the end, laughed!
I’ll Never Write My Memoirs
Legendary influential performer Grace Jones offers a revealing account of her spectacular career and turbulent life, charting the development of a persona that has made her one of the world’s most recognizable artists.
As a singer, model, and actress—a deluxe triple threat—Grace has consistently been an extreme, challenging presence in the entertainment world since her emergence as an international model in the 1970s. Celebrated for her audacious talent and trailblazing style, Grace became one of the most unforgettable, free-spirited characters to emerge from the historic Studio 54, recording glittering disco classics such as “I Need a Man” and “La Vie en Rose.” Her provocative shows in underground New York nightclubs saw her hailed as a disco queen, gay icon, and gender defying iconoclast.
In 1980, the always ambitious Grace escaped a crowded disco scene to pursue more experimental interests. Her music also broke free, blending house, reggae, and electronica into a timeless hybrid that led to classic hits such as “Pull Up to the Bumper” and “Slave to the Rhythm.” In the memoir she once promised never to write, Grace offers an intimate insight into her evolving style, personal philosophies, and varied career—including her roles in the 1984 fantasy-action film Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and the James Bond movie A View to a Kill.
Featuring sixteen pages of stunning full-color photographs, many from her own personal archive, I’ll Never Write My Memoirs follows this ageless creative nomad as she rejects her strict religious upbringing in Jamaica; conquers New York, Paris, and the 1980s; answers to no-one; and lives to fight again and again.
Read an excerpt at Simon and Schuster HERE
Buy the book I’ll Never Write My Memoirs
.
Warwick Rowers 2016
The world’s most famous naked athletes, the Warwick Rowers, are back with their seventh calendar for 2016.
Take a peek behind the scenes at our naked photo shoots on glamorous locations in England and Spain, while they explain why the calendar means so much to us and why they are working to challenge homophobia in sport.
And visit Warwickrowers.org, where you will be able to find calendar, bonus downloads, films, book, posters, prints and a whole lot more! It’s for everyone. WATCH THE SNEAK PEAK
Barbra Streisand Film Guide Book
The Barbra Streisand Film Guide is the ultimate tribute to the Legend’s remarkable career.
Featuring over 600 rare and amazing photographs, several of which have never been published before.
With commentary and interesting facts on her movies, one of the many highlights is the outtake sections, with never-before-seen photos of deleted scenes.
Full color paperback, 268 pages.
Available exclusively on Amazon.The Barbra Streisand Film Guide
Joey Graceffa Comes Out GAY!
YAY!!! The biggest You Tuber in the world comes out!!!
Film maker, actor, singer, youtube sensation Joey Graceffa comes out to the world!
May 16th he released his first music video DON’T WAIT.
May 18th he uploaded YES I AM GAY!
May 19th he filmed his birthday / coming out party!
And of course – the BOOK!
In Real Life: My Journey to a Pixelated World
BE PROUD
BE OPEN
CELEBRATE YOUR GAYNESS!
This Book is GAY
There is a long running joke that after “coming out”, we should get a membership card and an instruction manual! This is that manual!
James Dawson’s THIS BOOK IS GAY, provides a straightforward and witty breakdown of all things LGBT.
As a former health teacher and acclaimed young adult author, James Dawson gives an honest, humorous, and informative guide to topics including coming out, hooking up, dating, bullying and homo/transphobia, politics, religious views, and more. It includes real stories from people across gender and sexual spectrums, the smashing of myths and prejudices, and hilarious illustrations by Spike Gerrell, allowing readers to learn what it’s like growing up LGBT.
This book encourages people to realize their best self in whichever way they identify (or don’t) and whomever they love. As a comical and informative instruction manual, James Dawson tells it like it is so that the readers may go out and experience for themselves.
Whether you have recently come out or have been out – I think this book can offer something for everyone. There is great section about the bible. And how to come back at people and argue things they try to refer to to from the bible and Leviticus!
For about $10 this is a very useful book! BUY IT! This Book is Gay
After being published in Great Britain, This Book is Gay was named one of Guardian’s Best Books of the Year.
Mario Testino Taschen Book SIR
A gallery of men from photography’s maestro
— Mario Testino
(ABOVE: Carlos Bokelman, London, V Magazine, 2000)
In this Limited Edition of 1,000 numbered copies, Mario Testino presents over 300 photographs in his search to define the allure of men.
Featuring an essay by Pierre Borhan, an interview with Patrick Kinmonth, and many previously unpublished works from Testino’s archive of thousands, the book traces the evolution of male identity over the past three decades. Costume, tradition, gender play, portraiture, photojournalism, and fashion collide as Testino observes masculinity in all its modern manifestations: through the dandy and the gentleman, the macho and the fey, the world-famous face to the unknown passerby.
(ABOVE: David Beckham & Orlando Bloom, Milan, 2009)
Mario Testino. SIR
Patrick Kinmonth, Pierre Borhan
Hardcover in metallic slipcase, with Swiss binding, and Japanese cloth,
12.7 x 16.4 in., 456 pages
$ 700
TASCHEN BOOKS
Edition: English
Fifty Ways to Eat Cock
For the cook in your life!
Curious about cock?
You’re not the only one. Once revered for his virility and strength, the rooster has taken a back seat to the hen in more recent years. With healthy chicken recipes like Risotto Cock Balls and Cock-o’s, 50 Ways to Eat Cock is a fun and inventive chicken cookbook that takes a revealing look at the folklore, history, culinary culture and nutritional benefits of this well-endowed ingredient.
With tongue-in-cheek descriptions, these playful cock recipes are bulging with everything from the quintessential to the quick-and-easy to the downright quirky. You’ll learn how to tame this tough bird meat into succulent and finger-licking gourmet meals.
Mark MacKillop Photo Book RM. FOURTEEN
Mark MacKillop is a singer actor dancer. Originally from Vancouver he studied ballet in Vancouver with Li Yaming at Pacific DanceArts and spent summers training with the Boston Ballet and American Ballet Theater in New York, both on full scholarship. After three years dancing with the Atlanta Ballet Mark moved to New York to pursue musical theatre and just finished a year on tour playing Riff with the international production of West Side Story – which leads us to this story about Mark!
From Huffington Post: New York performer Mark MacKillop offers musical theater fans a provocative peek at the offstage life of a working actor in his coffee table book, Rm. XIV.
The new book comprises 80 black-and-white selfies of MacKillop in various stages of undress, shot in various hotel rooms around the world while he was in the midst of an international tour of “West Side Story” last year.
Though the steamy images will no doubt set pulses racing, MacKillop sees Rm. XIV as capturing “physicality, composition, reflection” as opposed to being intentionally scintillating.
“I had just finished a year touring all over Europe and Israel with the international production of West Side Story. During the course of my time abroad i started taking pictures of myself in each hotel room I stayed in. This quickly became a staple of my experience on tour.”
“ Surprisingly traveling around with 30 cast members and a 30 piece orchestra left me feeling incredibly isolated and at times lonely. I used the photos as a way of connecting with friends who I was separated from to give them a unique, intimate look at my life on the road,” MacKillop, who originally hails from Canada, told The Huffington Post. Noting that he shot all of the images on his iPhone with a self-timer app, he added, “I definitely wouldn’t call myself a photographer. I would just call myself an artist exploring in various mediums.”
MacKillop, who is openly gay, said the photos also represent a very personal journey, and were partly inspired by Tom of Finland in addition to his own ballet and modern dance training.
A very successful kickstarter campaign was launched and the book was printed!
(Photo Right : is from one of the MANY fashion shoots Mark has done. Photographer Walter Kurtz Emporio Armani Underwear. See more on Pinterest.)
Having performed in the 2014 installment of “Broadway Bares,” MacKillop will donate a portion of the proceeds from Rm. XIV to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). In addition, the book will feature an introduction by Tony Award-winning “Kinky Boots” star Billy Porter and a foreword authored by New York artist Robert W. Richards.
You can read more about Rm. XIV here. BUY THE BOOK!
Sneak Peak Video on YouTube
Instagram @markmackillop
Twitter @mark_mackillop
markmackillop.net
Neil Patrick Harris Book and Video
Sick of deeply personal accounts written in the first person? Seeking an exciting, interactive read that puts the “u” back in “aUtobiography”? Then look no further than NEIL PATRICK HARRIS: CHOOSE YOUR OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY! In this revolutionary, Joycean experiment in light celebrity narrative.
To promote his new book, Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography, the recently married actor released a trailer to give you a taste of what his ‘choose your own adventure’ style bio will be like, as BuzzFeed points out. In the video, a host of Neil Patrick Harrises proliferate onscreen, looking like a very NPH Brady Bunch.
In each separate window Neil offers an entertaining alternative from hearing him talk about his new book. Our favorite definitely has to be the “romantical” moment in the upper left hand corner where Harris and husband David Burtka share a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, recreating the iconic first kiss scene from Disney’s Lady and the Tramp.
WATCH
BUY THE BOOK Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography
OWN IT by Tabatha Coffey
Fans know Tabatha Coffey as the celebrity hairstylist who’s tough, talented, and always ready to take over.
But while promoting her new book, “Own It: Be the Boss of Your Life — at Home and in the Workplace,” the 44-year-old star of Bravo’s “Tabatha Takes Over” shed some light on how her unconventional childhood drove her to become the strong, successful businesswoman she is today.
Raised mostly by her single mother, Coffey spent much of her free time at her family’s strip club where she quickly learned the power of hair and beauty. “I was at the club all the time,” she told Yahoo. “I would sit back and take a good look at how [the models] got their makeup, costumes, and wigs on and they put me to work. Even as a little kid, I just saw the transformation it did to them.”
READ MORE HERE
I personally loved her swag and attitude event before she came out (publically)! Now I have even more respect for this out and proud lesbian woman who is strong and empowering. She gives a GREAT INTERVIEW HERE with Lesbian Life.
IN HER NEW BOOK, Own It!: Be the Boss of Your Life–at Home and in the WorkplaceTabatha is back to share her secrets of business success . . .
With her characteristic savvy expertise and no-nonsense advice, the perfectly coiffed celebrity hairstylist, Tabatha Coffey, returns with her second book, teaching readers that the secret of success is taking charge—of your priorities, your future, and your life. Fans of her hit show, Tabatha Takes Over, value Tabatha’s sound approach to overhauling failing businesses, and now, in Own It!, she takes to the page to reach out to anyone with a dream: whether you’re just beginning, revamping your career, or starting your own enterprise.
Sharing her blunt but rock-solid wisdom, Tabatha provides tips for every aspect of business—from entrepreneurship, to customer service, to management—as well as on the home front, to help women seeking to balance their family lives with their careers. Filled with stories about real people who have faced challenging transitions, in addition to anecdotes from Tabatha’s own experiences, this book reveals, through her unflinching honesty, Tabatha’s commitment to the dreams and goals of her readers, and her never-say-never attitude when it comes to bringing them to life.
Success is the result when you Own It! in all aspects of your life, and Tabatha breaks it down step-by-step as your straight-shooting personal coach to show you how it’s done.
BUY THE BOOK!
Own It!: Be the Boss of Your Life–at Home and in the Workplace
Christopher Rice Gets Naked
Accomplished gay horror author Christopher Rice (son of Anne) has made good on his word. If he didn’t win the Bram Stoker Award for his best-seller The Heavens rice, then he had planned to award his fans.
“If I don’t win the Bram Stoker Award tonight expect mad shirtless selfie action in a desperate clawing bid for validation,” Chris promised on Facebook.
Come May 10, after Chris was robbed and lost out on this year’s award, he posted a nearly naked selfie to make sure his fans were winners of the whole situation. Thanks for not winning (?) Chris!
(Via Facebook)
Hero Cop is Really Child Molester
Actor writer Jesse Archer blogged today about a new book, Pee-Shy.
In his poignant memoir, Pee Shy, Frank Spinelli writes about an important topic so many are reluctant to talk about. He was abused by his boy scout leader as a child and what was unresolved back then he daringly confronts thirty years later and ultimately finds justice.
After confessing the abuse he suffered as an 11 year old at the hands of a boy scout leader, who was also a cop, his parents did not prosecute but let it go and pretended it never happened. Later in life, he discovered his abuser, Bill Fox, had talked a suicidal teen boy from a ledge and then adopted him and wrote a book about it, portraying himself as a hero-cop. When he discovered that Fox had also taken in fifteen other young boys, Spinelli knew he had to take action and he becomes a one-man predator catcher.
The book is a slow burner, carefully setting the stage to show how a Catholic Italian family from Staten Island became convinced that the boy scouts would make a macho man out of their son, while ignoring all the troubling signs of a storm brewing.
Jesse interviews Frank HERE.
Everyone Wants to Be Me or Do Me by Tom and Lorenzo
Tom and Lorenzo began blogging in 2006 with a fansite for the show
Project Runway. In response to demand from their readers, they expanded
to cover celebrity fashion, couture, red carpet commentary and other TV
shows and TLo (as their “bitter kittens” call them) has become a
household name, reaching more than 7 million visitors a month.
Thanks to their biting, insightful commentary on celebrity style,
they started getting sweet missives from pear-shaped ladies who needed a
boost of confidence more than fashion advice. “Every day, before you
leave the house,” they instructed Lady Pear, after giving her some
standard style recommendations, “look in the mirror and tell yourself,
‘Everyone wants to be me or do me.’”
In this book, they explore the
celebrity image and style culture with their trademark acerbic wit, from
starlet meltdowns to publicity seeking pregnancies to red carpet
disasters, along the way offering readers funny but inspiring takeaways
and advice on understanding what constitutes great style and confident
self-image: Know the venue, know the image you want to project, and sell
it, sell it, sell it.
Brimming with insight, humor, and
takedowns of the myths of the celebrity culture, this book offers the
best of the friends readers want picking out their clothes every morning
and gossiping over the newest issue of Vogue.
The bloggers behind the massively popular site Tom and Lorenzo, Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez
offer their unique take on all things fashion and pop culture-related
every day to an audience of over 7 million readers a month and over
100,000 Twitter followers.
They’ve appeared three times on the Sundance
Channel’s “All on the Line, with Joe Zee,” in which Joe called them “two
of the most important fashion bloggers today,” made a dozen-plus
appearances on Sirius XM Radio’s “The Derek & Romaine Show,” and
have been profiled, quoted or interviewed by EVERYONE! They live in Philadelphia.
Male Model and former Escort Justin Hernandez Takes you into his World!
cover-ups, and secrecy?
process?
reflects upon his existence. From his upbringing in New York to a
cross-country move to Los Angeles for a dance career, every tumultuous
episode of his life is examined in this confessional memoir. Inside the Vortex is
the story of one man’s journey that is filled with deception, abuse,
addiction, sex, and stripping. At times, all the elements intersect.
Other times, they collide.
very interesting road to arrive at his writing career. After years of
holding down office jobs, he decided at the age of 27 to enter the
entertainment industry. Originally setting his sights on acting, he
switched gears after being offered a dance job while taking class at
Broadway Dance Center. He soon found himself performing on stage as a
back-up dancer for club music diva, Reina. Other opportunities followed
such as dancing for freestyle legend, Safire, as well as appearing in
episodes of MTV’s show, Global Groove.
He went to LA for a while and ended up back in NY. He started writing a
blog about his search for love as a gay man in his late 30s. Still an
optimist, Justin wanted to chronicle his experiences in the hopes of
providing inspiration to others who question if old-fashioned romance is
still worth believing in. He named his blog Naked in New York City to reflect his writing style, which he considers to be emotionally naked. Although it began as a dating blog, Naked in New York City
has evolved over time to incorporate commentaries about gay culture
that Justin finds intriguing. He also continues the self-exploration he
began on the West Coast by blogging introspective pieces about himself.
Justin alluded to his past in a few entries, but hadn’t really gone
into full detail since he felt his blog wasn’t the appropriate place for
those stories. During a vacation in London in July of 2011, Justin
wrote the first chapter of what would become his memoir, Inside the Vortex.
It is an emotional, and at times dark story, but the end result makes
it a journey that was worth the trip. Originally released on June 15,
2012, the memoir was reissued and received a wider distribution as an
expanded second edition on March 4, 2013. Justin currently resides in
Westchester County.
Inside the Vortex: 2nd Edition
MAN UP with Out, Loud and Proud Ross Mathews
As
a young kid growing up in a farm town, Ross Mathews might as well have
wished for a pet unicorn or a magical calorie-free cookie tree to grow
in his front yard.
probably been more likely to come true than his real dream: Working on
television in Hollywood, California. I mean, seriously, that stuff just
doesn’t happen to people like Ross. But guess what. It totally did.
Ross Mathews, is now one of the most in-demand television personalities today. Ross
has traveled the world as a Tonight Show correspondent,interviewing everyone from Oscar winners to British royalty, quickly
becoming a late-night television staple and a favorite of the
public.
Ross recently signed a book deal and the book will out May 7th.
The book, Man Up!: Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence , willbe Mathews’ first and include a humorous collection of observations and
personal stories and takes readers inside Mathews’ personal journey as a
super fan, revealing the most embarrassing and hilarious moments of his
small town life and big city adventures, and how he managed to turn an
obsession with pop culture into one on one interactions with celebrities
like Paltrow, Tiffani-Amber Theissen, Madonna, and Michelle Kwan [to
name a few] without ever having a single restraining order issued
against him. It also will feature a foreword by actress Gwyneth Paltrow and an afterword by late-night host Chelsea Handler.
“Ross has been a friend of mine for 10 years, and this book is
hilariously sad, hilariously naïve and hilariously gay. I love this
book,” Handler said.
“The book is about my experiences, thus far, in
life. Growing up in a small town and then navigating Hollywood. The
theme that’s been running through that is something I talk about on
Chelsea a lot; what I’ve coined as “man-up.” I think I always try to
man-up,” explains Ross.
“What I mean by that is, understanding you are what you are and
you’re going to have your flaws, but rather than heaping a lot of
negativity on whatever makes you different or whatever makes you unique,
really shine the light on that and use it to make you stand out, I
think that’s just something innately that I’ve done my entire life,
totally on accident. I probably owe it to my mother, because she was
effusive with her compliments, even when they were undeserved. I would
love to spread that message. Like, come on, life is short you gotta love
yourself. Get over it and let’s keep movin’ on to make a difference in
the world.“
Mathews
currently lives in Los Angeles with his partner, Salvador, and their
two rescue dogs, Louise and Mijo. When not working on his many projects,
Mathews is a strong supporter of the Human Rights Campaign, speaking at
many of their nationwide events and he received their Visibility Award
in 2011.
When once asked, Why do you think visibility is so important for our community?
He says, “Oh my gosh, it’s like crazy, super, big time important!
I grew up in a teeny farm town in Mount Vernon, Washington, and I was a
little gay kid and I didn’t know what it meant to grow up to be a big
gay grown-up. I didn’t know any gay people and back then I didn’t see
any gay people on TV. I didn’t learn until I went to college that I
could be a totally happy grown up, loud, proud, out gay person. It’s a
different world now, in part, not to toot my tooter, partly because
people like me are on TV, out, loud and proud for a decade now!”
Check our Ross’s Blog and grab all of his social media links!
Matthew Mitcham TWISTS AND TURNS Autographed Book
Matthew Mitcham :
the first openly gay man in modern history to win an Olympic GOLD medal.
Gay men and women had medaled before, but they had done so while
keeping their sexuality secret, only coming out afterwards. Openly gay
athletes had won bronze and silver medals before but not gold.
“People kept remarking on how they were surprised that a gold
medal and fame hadn’t changed me. I always responded, ‘Why would I
change? Being me is the easiest person to be.’ I was lying. It wasn’t.”
At
the Beijing Olympic Games, he made history with an unforgettable dive,
the first to ever score perfect tens from all four judges, and won gold
for Australia. Grinning with pride from front pages around the world,
there was no hint of the personal demons that had led this supremely
talented young dynamo to quit diving less than two years before.
Joyously out and proud, Matthew was a role model for his courage both in
and out of the pool. Yet the crippling self-doubt and shadow of
depression that had plagued him all his life forced him into premature
retirement, at one point reduced to circus diving to earn money.
Even
after Beijing and being ranked number 1 in the world, those closest to
Matthew could not guess that beneath that cheeky, fun-loving exterior,
he was painfully aware of how easily it could unravel.
In the lead-up to
the London Olympics, when injury threatened his hopes, he will have to
find the strength again to balance his striving for perfectionism with
the fear of his self-doubt taking hold again.
Matthew was addicted to crystal meth in 2011 that almost
derailed his career. He had treated it with rehab, hypnotherapy and help
from friends, he writes in his new book, “Twists and Turns,”.
Told with the honesty and
courage he is admired for, Twists and Turns is an inspiring story of a true champion, in and out of the pool.
THE BOOK SHOP has a limited number of the books right now, autographed, and at a special price!! ORDER YOURS TODAY!!
Lance Armstrong Being Sued By Readers of his Book
Sometimes, maybe it is better to keep your mouth shut? The truth may set you free….but this guys life is being destroyed.
California this week accuses cyclist Lance Armstrong and his book
publishers of peddling fiction as fact.
The lawsuit mentions two of Armstrong’s books, “Every Second Counts”
and “It’s Not About the Bike.” It accuses the cyclist and his publishers
of fraud and false advertising.
The suit says the books were sold “based upon the false belief that
they were true and honest works of nonfiction when, in fact, Defendants
knew or should have known that these books were works of fiction.”
After years of vehemently denying that he used drugs to boost his
performance during his record seven Tour de France wins, Armstrong
confessed to Oprah Winfrey last week that he lied.
READ MORE at CNN
Taschen Books As Investments
“TASCHEN books are almost designed to be collectible.
It’s very common for a TASCHEN book to gain value almost instantly.”
Since the TASCHEN adventure began in 1980, it has been our goal to make
the greatest books in the world. Whatever the subject and whatever the
retail price—from $10 to $10,000—we strive to produce, design, and
package each of our books beautifully, with a great deal of care and
attention to detail. The collectors who buy a limited edition book early
on will have, in addition to a rare and exceptional book, the added
benefit of seeing their asset appreciate; our collector’s editions have
been known to have their value multiply, in some cases reaching ten
times their original price.
book. Of course, it was just a regular edition. Nothing super collectible. But I loved the titles and topics they published.
Lovers of beautiful books adore Taschen. A publisher of art books, Taschen
was created by Benedikt Taschen in 1980 in Cologne, Germany. It was
originally centered on comics only, when the then-18-year-old Taschen
found himself with an enormous collection of new, rare and collectible
comics, and decided to set up a (25 meters square) shop to display and
sell them. It went so well that by the end of the 1980s, Taschen titles
could be found in multiple languages at prices reasonable enough to make
art more accessible to everyone.
Now, 39 years after its inception, the company’s mission has long
been to publish innovative, beautifully designed art books at prices
that don’t alienate or limit the audience, and they have seven offices
employing over 150 staff. Taschen is well known for its abundant,
gorgeous coffee-table art books, its impressive selection of comics and
graphic novels, and for never shying away from potentially controversial
subject matter, sexuality in particular. While many of their
publications run to design, décor and artist profiles, many taboo or
underground artistic subjects like sexual fetishism and erotica have
been brought more into mainstream notice and availability thanks to
Taschen.
INNdulge Palm Springs
Naked Men in the Desert
Straight Christian Timothy Kurek Walks in Gay Shoes for 1 Year
Timothy Kurek’s motivation to spend a year pretending to be gay can be boiled down to a simple conviction: it takes drastic change to alter deeply held religious beliefs.
He was quickly disgusted by his own feelings, more pious than humane.
In fact, Kurek was so disgusted by his response to his friend that he
decided to do something drastic. Living in Nashville, Tennessee, he
would pretend to be gay for a year. The experiment began on the first
day of 2009; Kurek came out to his family, got a job as a barista at a
gay café and enlisted the help of a friend to act as his boyfriend in
public.
The experience – which stopped short of Kurek getting physically
intimate with other men – is documented in Kurek’s recent book “The Cross in the Closet
” which has received international attention, landed
him on ABC’s “The View” and elicited some biting criticism.
BRAINWASHING OUR CHILDREN –
For years, Kurek says, the only life he had was “his church life.” Being an evangelical Christian was his identity.
He was home-schooled until seventh grade, almost all of his friends
were from church and his social life was a nightly string of faith-based
events, from church sports to a Christian Cub Scout troop. “It was the
only thing I was used to doing,” said Kurek, who attended Liberty
University, the largest evangelical university in the world, before
dropping out after freshman year.
Kurek grew up in an “independent Baptist church.” “We were
evangelical,” he said, “but we were more conservative than evangelical,
too.”
His churchy lifestyle led to some deeply held views about
homosexuality. Most evangelical churches condemn homosexuality as
sinful. Many rail against certain gay rights, like gay marriage.
It’s no surprise that the “The Cross in the Closet,” has spurred strong reaction, especially from the LGBT community.
“I feel for the gay community of Nashville, and for every person who
trusted Kurek enough to flirt with him, hang out with him, and confide
in him about their lives,” wrote Amy Lieberman on the blog Feministing. “If I were in that community, I would feel so betrayed right now.”
In a Huffington Post blog post titled “Pretending To Be Gay Isn’t The Answer,”
Emily Timbol, a religion blogger, expressed a similar opinion: “What’s
sad is that every interaction Timothy had during his year pretending was
fake.”
But we are missing the bigger picture here! Kurek says that that was not his aim. “This isn’t a book about
being gay, I could not write that book, I am not qualified,” he writes.
“What this is about is the label of gay and how that label affected me
personally.”
Throughout the book, Kurek emphasizes that distinction. While much of
“The Cross in the Closet” is about the struggle to understand the gay
community, which he tries to address by enlisting a friend to act as his
boyfriend, much of it addresses how his former church’s community – and
family – reacted to his new lifestyle.
As for his original goal, to radically change who he was, Kurek says
mission accomplished. He says he has conquered his prejudices of the
LGBT community and is happy with the person he has become.
“If anybody had told me back then who I would be or what I would
believe now,” Kurek said, “I would have thought they were completely
insane.”
For example, Kurek now thinks homosexuality is completely acceptable.
BUY THE BOOK The Cross in the Closet
