MP's Expenses: show me yours and I'll show you mine

There will be more weeks in which the Media will publish more allegations over the expenses claimed by MP's. Equallym our politicians will try hard to justify that all their actions were within the rules and according to the books. Fair enough!

Let's think for a second that all the claims for fixing, decorating and other indulging "needs" were justified. Now let's look at our own needs compare to those of our MP's. How much did anyone us spend in changing a light bulb? Probably nothing since we would have probably done it ourselves for nil. Well, that may be unfair to our representatives. Let's try another example. How much did you spend in laying on a marble or pure wood floor? Probably nothing in something like because most of us would be happy to even be able to afford some laminated floor.

The bottom line is that politicians are wrong not just because they claimed abusively at the taxpayer's cost but they also spend lavishly and they got blinded by their own greed. Surely many things they said were legitimate expenses according to the rules might have been so, but they were quite illegitimate to anyone who can hardly afford to call a plumber to fix a leaking tap.

Perhaps, we should think of a better democratic system in which our representatives earn the money they deserve -no frills. Don't most of us do it in that way??!! why can't they do it, too!?

Fixing roads london way

What happened to the original bricks? Perhaps, an MP claimed the money to change his/her kitchen floor.
Double standards society.

The pope and how to make a wall invisible.

A wall. Symbol of separation, of desperation, of hate and oppression. Many of us witnessed the fall of the famous one in Berlin. Many cried in tears due to the emotion they fell, it wasn't a wall, it was a symbol that fell.

Years later we have another wall being raised. The symbol stays, the meaning is the same. The people different yet the suffering shifted and the once victims are now the proud owners of the barbaric wall. Oh, yes, we are meant to learn but we never do. The Pope tried to bring to the TV sets of the world a symbol of separation and he ended up being separated from the place where he aimed to do such an act. Poor Benedict, he must feel powerless even if he is the first in the line to God. Perhaps, our divinities have some kind of understanding and they agreed which religion should suffer more at a particular period in time.

The truth is that the wall, though is obvious for those living next to it, seems invisible to the rest of the world. Many in hundred years people will follow in the wristband TV screens the news of the fall of a new wall, the one that separated Israel from parts of Palestine.

MP aka Money Please

Money, we all know what it does to people. It corrupts and creates tension, it diminishes confidence and shakes the respected institutions. Yes, money, we want it all and by all. That´s the underline message MP´s in the U.K. are giving to the masses. Let´s not be fooled by "honest" apologies or simpathy by those who are in power. They aren´t sorry, if any, they are sorry that their expenses have been revealed, that the ordinary worker who gets up early in the morning to get an already expensive public transport has finally discovered the truth.

Money makes the world around and that´s a true statement. It did make it spin when the credit crunch started and it makes heads turn around too when those who abused the system are named. Money, money, money... do we really think of how much GOOD can be done with the cost of getting 25 light bulbs changed by an electrician? Perhaps, those MP´s thought they are contributed to the bigger picture, they are providing with the so needed jobs by those who can´t claim expenses so freely. Maybe they are naive to realise that the ordinary man in the street won´t pay for more than half of the things they claimed expenses for.

Money is printed in green in some countries, surely to reflect the envy that those who has none must feel.

oh, My Google!!

Ok. Privacy may be protected according to Google, sure I can have my blurred face on display for millions of people, and never mind if my car has the registration number cover in a funny blur photoshop effect. All of these methods to justify that our privacy is protected does not end the debate about how much use Google´s Street View do for the wrong reasons.

Well, I think I came out with one that many of us may consider a matter of concern. After all, if I was someone planning to make "some visits" to private houses to "remove" items fromt the owner´s home without their permission, wouldn´t I appreciate the help provided by Google?
Thanks to Streetview I can visit the neighbouthood from the safety of my own home, I plan which patios, back streets or other access routes I could use and I can even check what you front door look like.


Or, what about councils or other private companies having a look at those cars parked in your private driveaway and checking if there are items you may have said you don´t have , or that illegal roof conversion.

There is not doubt. It might be a useful tool and it does not mean is the BigBrother everyone hates, but it raises concern and maybe for a reason.

Obama: 'Til election put us apart

It's obviously there is one word in most of everyone's lips today and that is Obama. The new president means different things to different groups of people but there is a community that may be looking a his future actions and way of legislate in a very close way. The LGBT community has shown support to Mr. Obaman's campaign and that support will have to be rewarded in the shape of new laws, those should give more fairness to the current living standards of many gay Americans in the U.S.

Though the new president has upset some of his supporters by appointed a bishop whose speeches are clearly homophobic, he tried to compensate it by allowing another openly gay reverend to take part in the concert that took place yesterday -today the press reports about the problems to broadcast Mr. Robinson's invocation in the the main TV channels, though.

Obama's team must be trying really hard to try to please every one and that task will become extremely difficult once he is in power. Gay marriage matter will be top of the agenda with many gay groups around the United States lobbying for its approval. Being that the main issue, it won't be the only one and Obama will have to try hard to deal with a hardened right wing support and the most liberal one.

Good luck, Mr Obama.

Eye Candy

Bilbao Firemen - Month of June Calendar - (c) Lucho Rengifo

We need heroes

There are times in our lives when we may need that strong person, that brave man or woman that represents a change, new values, a new hope in other words. The U.S. society is shouting that wish loud and clear, it showed it when voting for Barak Obama and it does it again in the spirit that surround the miracle of the landing of a plane in the river Hudson. The captain is not just a saviour, an angel or a superb skilled professional. He is a hero and everything that heroes represent: the feel-good spirit, a renassaince that anything can be possible, a romantic vision that even in the most difficult times, something good can happen.
Like in many books, the hero came to rescue those who were in suffering. Let Captain Chesley Sullenberger enjoy his well deserved hero title and let´s hope that Barak Obama may be well be the hero Americans waited for.

Dedicated to the virtuosity and brave behaviour of the captain.

Pink Pound weakness

One of the most relevant facts in this economical crisis is that nobody is free of the downturn and its effects on any business. It´s a buzz on the Gay press that one of the iconic shop chain in gay products CLONE ZONE has called administrators in. The company has several shops nationwide and a online sale service and many will recall those eye-catching window shop advertisements.
It seems that that is not enough to attract customers.

As the crisis moves forwards as Attila did on his conquest, people start considering what it is a priority when it comes to spend money. The "Pink Pound" seems to have weakened as much as the real one did against the Euro. The gay scene is not free of the economical twist in our society and people think twice when deciding whether those Aussie Bums or Calvin Klein underwear are worth the money.

In the coming months, we may see more businesses in difficult. I wonder whether drug dealers are also having a downfall (rather then the usual after-morning one)

Show me yours, I won't show you mine!!

In an interview with Chris Bryant, a labour MP, talked about how embarrassing was to see newspapers disclosing to the general public photos of his Gaydar profile and how stressful it was for his family and himself.

One of the more prominent signs of networking is how simple is to create an on-line alter-ego. We may write about ourselves , our hobbies, our likes, our dislikes and our perverted (according to some) tastes in sex. We add then photos or videos in compromising postures or gestures, with garments that out mother won't be proud of -basically because it would be too small for her- and we put all of these knowledge out there for anyone to see. And we don't care.

I remember a few years back I showed some of my Gaydar photos to my manager. We were a majority of gay men working there -girls did not have much chance to find a husband -, so it was fun to share memories of sleazy sex from the night before, run around the restaurant to check the size of a customer's crotch or talk about the sexy new runner for the kitchen. It all was fun, we were all gay, I thought. One day I spoke intentionally about my profile and I showed it to my ex-boss who took a look and had some fun at the view of my bare chest picture in a damn serious pose with crossed arms. We were all gay I thought, again.


A few days later I noticed a couple of funny faces around me, I realised something was not quite right. Soon ,I discovered it was all down to my profile. My boss have taken the liberty to show it to other people, co-workers that weren't gay at most who felt quite amused with the different look of me. I just felt naked (literally!!) right there.

I can understand Chris when he talks about being exposed, he just happened to become a target, someone newspaper could dig on his life. I am not sure if I will get to Prime Minister, but I'll try to remember to remove my Gaydar profile first, just in case.