Tips on How to Look Your Best Online This Summer
By Julie Spira, Online Dating Expert and CEO, Cyber Dating Expert This week marks the beginning of summer, and just like the change of every season, there always seems to be an uptick in new clients looking for love online. During the summertime, when the days are longer, and the weather is warmer, dating will […]

blog.match.com/2018/06/20/tips-on-how-to-look-your-best-online-this-summer/

Wear Your Provincetown Pride with this New Collection From Blade + Blue

Whether you’re lovin’ summer or doing some summer lovin,’ nothing beats spending the warmer months in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Now, you can wear your love for P-Town on your (metaphorical) sleeves with sexy, stylish tanks and tees from Blade + Blue.

The limited edition, handcrafted collection is equal parts chic and cheeky, celebrating Provincetown’s unique culture with designs created in a collaboration between Blade + Blue founder Peter Papas and artist Andrew Sedgwick Guth.

Papas discovered Guth after the artist tagged Blade + Blue in an Instagram post. Papas was inspired by Guth’s bright, sexy art and reached out for a collaboration.

“When Andrew and I were getting to know each other, we realized that we both had a deep connection with Provincetown, and we kept coming back to our love for this place,” Papas said.

This year marks the second collection dedicated to Provincetown. Fans of last year’s capsule will be glad to see new iterations of popular designs and more creative interpretations of life in P-Town.

Blade + Blue Founder Peter Papas with models.

One of last year’s most sought-after designs was a slice of pizza in a leather harness with the words “Pizza Fetish.” This year’s design pushes the envelope further with a pizza-themed jockstrap illustration. (The fictional brand on the tag? Meat Lovers, of course.)

“Andrew and I were insistent on having another pizza themed tee,” Papas said. “I mean, what’s a trip to P-Town without cruising in front of Spiritus after the bars close?”

Other T-shirt designs include an ode to the nude beach (“Sun’s Out Bun’s Out“), copper bicycles, a trio of whales, a sexy sail “On the Lookout,” and a celebration of tea dances and kiki-ing with your best Judys (“Spill the Tea”).

As for the tanks, guys can self-identify as (or attract) a “Beach Dad” or a “Seal Pup.”

“Andrew and I kept laughing at how we were now ‘daddies’ and the younger guys referred to themselves as ‘pups,’” Papas said. “We then drew a straight line to the little seal pups resting on Provincetown’s beaches who are so irresistible but we were not allowed to touch them … Sounds just like a lot of the boys we know, too!”

Like all Blade + Blue items, nothing is mass produced. Each of the six tees and two tanks in this year’s collection are handprinted by Guth and come hand signed and numbered. After hand carving each design, Guth creates the ink and personally pulls the ink for every garment, making each shirt even more special.

The T-shirts will retail for $50 and the tanks are $45. Plus, $2 from each tee goes to the Provincetown Library.

Towleroad readers can save 15 percent on their order using the code ‘TOWLEROAD’ at checkout.

In addition to this summer’s hottest tees and tanks, Blade + Blue offers a slew of handsomely designed and expertly tailored menswear, including a summer short-sleeve shirt collection inspired by the Hawaiian islands (“Rhythm of the Heat“) and the most luxurious, stylish men’s underwear you’ll find. (Finally, a tailored boxer short that’s easy to wear with a skinny pant!)

Check out the full line of Provincetown-inspired tees and tanks below, along with some of our favorite Blade + Blue pieces.

More from the Blade + Blue collection:

The post Wear Your Provincetown Pride with this New Collection From Blade + Blue appeared first on Towleroad.

Wear Your Provincetown Pride with this New Collection From Blade + Blue

Museum curator brings the Egyptian civilization to students via Skype

Abdelrahman Othman is curator for the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo. He was recently named best curator in Egypt for 2018. For years he’s been spreading history and culture to those who visit the museum. On top of curating he’s also found a way to bring the invaluable museum tour experience into classrooms via Skype. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about his background, the museum, and how he’s using Skype in the Classroom to share history with students around the world.

Tell us a little bit about your background and the work you do.

My name is Abdelrahman Othman, curator for the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and director of the Department of Community Outreach. The museum’s goal is to build bridges between the museum itself and local and international communities through museum activities, and to use cultural best practices to create a successful learning environment, to which museums contribute significantly.

On top of that, I’m project manager of an initiative called “My Museum in Your Classroom” working with other museum curators who also offer virtual tours in their museums. Our aim to provide educational activities around Egyptian museums, Egyptian archaeological sites, and educational institutions in and outside Egypt, removing borders and obstacles for education. We use Skype in the Classroom for this project.

What is your favorite aspect of connecting with classrooms over Skype?

My favorite part of this work is communicating with Egyptian and international educational institutions, where I feel like I’m a complement to a teacher’s role within the classroom. I can make an impact on the lives of students. Through the museum I can change some of the perceptions students have and provide them with valuable new information, which might even affect the way they learn.

In what way do you see your work having an impact the world?

Of course, the nature of my work can be very important to Egyptian culture both in the near term and in the long run. Through my work as director of the Department of Community Outreach, I can offer museum-goers and students alike unique insights into the Egyptian civilization spanning many historical periods—and with Skype I can bring museum experiences to anyone in the world at little cost.

On a Skype call, I can bring Egyptian history into your classroom, wherever you are, and this experience is trending in classrooms all over of the world. Even students in small villages who are studying Egypt within their curriculum can have this experience. And if, for any variety of reasons, these students cannot go to Egypt to see what they are studying, I can be that link for them, in an entertaining way.

Where did you get the idea to use Skype in your line of work?

The idea to use Skype for tours began when I joined Skype in the Classroom. I could create a virtual tour for anyone’s use within this application since it’s such a high quality virtual communication tool.

Skype allows me to create virtual tours of the halls of the museum and bring these halls to an endless number of educational institutions around the world. Additionally, this helps with marketing and promoting the museum as well as archaeological sites.

In fact, I didn’t know the importance of this wonderful application until I subscribed to the Microsoft Educator Community. It gave me the opportunity to communicate with educational institutions in and outside Egypt in a simple and easy way—without the technical difficulties that often hinder communication tools. Now that I do all my virtual tours of the museum through Skype, I feel like it’s become part of my life!

We see from your photos that you are using the latest mobile version of Skype. What features do you enjoy?

I like the image and file sharing feature. Classrooms are always asking for pictures from our virtual tours. I take snapshots during the walking tours, and I can share them with the class. The Gallery feature also makes finding the images simple and easy.

What do students around the world enjoy most about your tours?

They love seeing and recognizing elements from the Egyptian civilization they’ve studied, all the artifacts and eras. They can see the pyramids, Tutankhamun, the tomb of Ramses II, the royal mummies, and Amro Abnelass Mosque—and a lot of the Egyptian museums!

Where can people learn more about what you are doing at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization?

Microsoft offers a window into our program with Skype in the Classroom, where one can publish tours and promote them through a large database featuring millions of users from more than 145 countries around the world. You can coordinate between educators and guest speakers via the contact details they provide. This coordination ultimately helps educational tours like ours succeed.

The four largest museums in Egypt participate in this project—the National Museum for Egyptian Civilization, Egyptian Museum of Liberation, Coptic Museum, and Museum of Islamic Art (and recently the Sadat Museum, which is part of the Library of Alexandria, joined the initiative). Each museum has an activity page that tells briefly about their history (the speakers for these museums are fully accredited), and we have made virtual tours for each museum, so people can experience this project fully. We have found it’s greatly popular both in and outside Egypt.

We love hearing how you use Skype technology to spread culture and enhance knowledge and understanding. Tell us your story by tagging @Skype on social media—and we might even feature you.

Educators: Request a virtual visit to one of our partner museums from around the world to delve into stories about the museum’s collections and uncover history.

The post Museum curator brings the Egyptian civilization to students via Skype appeared first on Skype Blogs.

blogs.skype.com/stories/2018/06/20/museum-curator-brings-the-egyptian-civilization-to-students-around-the-world/

Lexi Maye: My First Day As a Cam Girl

The rush of the internal webcam light turning on and revealing me to a chat room full of strangers overwhelmed me. I had never been exposed in this way. Within seconds, my room flooded with compliments about my appearance. All of these people were here to see me. It was a feeling I had never experienced before. In a way, I felt powerful. All these people wanted to see me, they all wanted my attention. Every chat message I got felt like applause. These people were taking time out of their day to gaze at a woman on a screen. I was happy to be that woman.

Visit Lexi Maye’s Chat Room

www.flirt4free.com/models/bios/lexi_maye/about.php?mp_code=f48t&service=girls

HRC Marks World Refugee Day 2018 with Powerful Video of Gay Asylum Seeker Fleeing Persecution

Today, HRC commemorated World Refugee Day 2018 by releasing a powerful new video featuring Robel Hailu — a gay Ethiopian asylum seeker who had to flee his home country simply because he publicly discussed his sexual orientation. HRC will also mark the day with a Twitter takeover by Rainbow Railroad — a Canadian-based international organization that helps LGBTQ people around the world escape persecution and violence.

“On World Refugee Day — and every day — the Human Rights Campaign stands in solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom are LGBTQ,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “As the Trump-Pence administration turns away people fleeing barbaric persecution and unconscionably rips away children from their immigrant parents at the border, Americans must stand united in sending a powerful message that their cruel actions do not represent our values. We are a proud nation of immigrants, and refugees should be welcome here.”

HRC’s powerful new video features Robel Hailu, one of HRC’s 2018 Global Innovators and the co-founder and director of Ethiopian LGBTI — an organization that works to support and advocate for the LGBTQ community in a country where same-sex relationships are criminalized. Hailu participated in Mr. Gay World 2012, and became one of the first gay Ethiopian men to openly talk about his sexual orientation in public. In December 2017, he was forced to seek asylum in the United States, where he continues to advocate for the LGBTQ community back home in Ethiopia.

Today, HRC will also help to lift up the plight of LGBTQ refugees through a takeover of HRC’s Twitter account by Rainbow Railroad’s executive director Kimahli Powell. Rainbow Railroad is one of the only organizations in the world helping LGBTQ people escape persecution — such as in Chechnya, where confirmed reports reveal ongoing crimes against humanity, including abductions, detentions, forced disappearances, torture, and even murder of men suspected of being gay or bisexual. Since news of the anti-LGBTQ atrocities in Chechnya first broke more than a year ago, Rainbow Railroad has provided direct travel assistance and negotiated safe travel for more than 50 people impacted by the barbaric persecution. It has also worked with the Canadian government and other countries to help with direct assistance by way of emergency visas. In 2017, Rainbow Railroad helped more than 200 people from 14 different countries find safety. The Twitter takeover will begin at 4:00 p.m. EDT here.

Earlier this month, a gay refugee from Chechnya and Kimahli Powell joined HRC in Washington for a series of meetings with U.S. government officials on the ongoing crimes against humanity occurring in Chechnya. Since news of the atrocities first broke, HRC has repeatedly called on Donald Trump and Mike Pence to speak out and take action. In March, HRC released a letter from HRC President Chad Griffin to Donald Trump calling on him to end his deafening silence and publicly condemn the crimes against humanity. Both Donald Trump and Mike Pence continue to remain unconscionably silent.

The Trump-Pence silence on the Chechen anti-LGBTQ attrocities comes as their administration raises barriers for refugees and implements measures sparking outrage across the United States — including a widely condemned policy of ripping apart families who cross the border without documentation. As of May 31, the Trump-Pence administration has separated nearly 2,000 children from their parents at the border — an ongoing policy that is not required by law, despite such false claims used in attempts to justify the administration’s actions.

The Trump-Pence administration has also cut the number of refugees allowed into the United States by more than half. In a move universally condemned by immigration advocates, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently announced that asylum seekers trying to seek refuge in the United States due to fears of gang or domestic violence in their home country are no longer eligible to enter.

These actions come as the Trump-Pence administration abandons U.S. leadership on human rights around the globe, exacerbating problems for many who face persecution and emboldening those who wish the LGBTQ community harm. 2017 marked the most serious crisis for international human rights and democracy in decades, according to the nonpartisan watchdog Freedom House, due in large part to the Trump-Pence Administration’s failure to maintain the United States’ long held international status “as both a champion and an exemplar of democracy.”

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-marks-world-refugee-day-2018-with-powerful-video-of-gay-asylum-seeker-f?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

First Dates: The Awkward Moments and How to Navigate Them

Raise your hand and say “I” if you’ve ever experienced an awkward moment on a first date? Guarantee, you just put up your hand, or at least cringed with the thought of your last groan inducing date moment. But that’s the beauty of first dates isn’t it? Both parties are excited, nervous and perhaps a […]

The post First Dates: The Awkward Moments and How to Navigate Them appeared first on PlentyOfFish Blog.

First Dates: The Awkward Moments and How to Navigate Them

U.S. Withdraws from U.N. Human Rights Council: WATCH

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley announced this afternoon that the U.S. will withdraw from the U.N. Human Rights Council, citing bias against Israel.

NPR reports: ‘The move comes as little surprise from an administration that frequently has lambasted the 47-member body for a gamut of perceived failures — particularly the dubious rights records of many of its member countries, as well as what Haley has repeatedly called the council’s “chronic bias against Israel.” Haley harked back to a speech she delivered to the council one year ago this month, in which she laid down something of an ultimatum. At that point, she told members that they must stop singling out Israel for condemnation and must clean up their roster — which includes Venezuela, China and Saudi Arabia, among others — or the council could bid the U.S. farewell.’

Said Haley: “I want to make it crystal clear that this step is not a retreat from human rights commitments. On the contrary, we take this step because our commitment does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organization that makes a mockery of human rights.”

Some, like DNC chairman Tom Perez, found it ironic that the U.S. should make a move as thousands of children sit in cages at the U.S. border, separated from their parents, who are fleeing persecution.

Perez released a statement:

“The United States should be leading the world on human rights, not retreating into isolation and separating young children from their families. Because of our seat at the table, we’ve been able to give voice to the voiceless around the world while fighting for the council’s fair treatment of our allies like Israel. Today, President Trump is sending a signal to the world that we’re too weak to lead and too cowardly to fight for our foundational values.

“Trump’s withdrawal is especially disturbing given his persistent praise for despots and dictators with abysmal human rights records, not to mention his administration’s cruel mistreatment of immigrant families seeking asylum. His blatant disregard for basic human rights will have dire and tragic consequences for marginalized people across the globe for years to come. We must all condemn Trump for his failure to lead, and we should work together to hold him accountable immediately.”

The post U.S. Withdraws from U.N. Human Rights Council: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

U.S. Withdraws from U.N. Human Rights Council: WATCH

INTERVIEW: Joe Stephenson on His Must-See Documentary ‘McKellen: Playing the Part’

Ian McKellen as a rising star of the British theater in the early 1970s

Tonight at various theaters across the US the documentary MCKELLEN: PLAYING THE PART will be screening. It’s a heartfelt and fascinating account of Sir Ian McKellen’s life and career. The movie star has  been an integral part of the film and theater industries and a tireless activist for the LGBT community. If one of the screenings is happening near you tonight, drop what you’re doing and go!

The film was directed by British filmmaker Joe Stephenson. He counts himself lucky to be among Sir Ian’s circle of friends and admits that the documentary would be a totally different film if the director didn’t have such easy access to the legend. We think it would also be a poorer one.

McKellen is candid and thoughtful throughout this fascinating retrospective. It’s a must-see and will hopefully have a long future life on various streaming services. We sat down a few days ago for a chat with the film’s young director.

NATHANIEL R: McKellen says early on in the documentary that he’s been interviewed countless times. And, given his fame, there is of an enormous amount of footage of him. This really could have gone in any direction so how did you even begin?

JOE STEPHENSON: I’ve not made a documentary before and hadn’t anticipated making one. But his story is inspiring and I know him. He’s a very good man. And I thought, ‘This is what we need right now. There are a lot of bad men and it’d be nice to tell the story of a good one.’

The idea was to sit down and talk about everything over five days or so. Part of the conversation we’d had was about how we’re always acting, we’re always performing, and presenting ourselves. We’re only ever showing people a side of ourselves. That was fascinating to me. That ended up becoming the backbone of the documentary itself.

You’re quite young and this is just your second film. The movie becomes so much about looking back on a full life. McKellen even talks about his death — even planning his funeral in quite a fabulous way! Was that hard for you to relate to? 

It was quite eye opening, really. He says in the documentary that nobody tells you when you’re young that you think about death all the time at his age. It certainly makes you think about how you’re living your life and what you want to see when you start looking back. But whether a movie is fiction or documentary, as a filmmaker you’re always coming from a place of empathy. You work hard to understand the character’s perspectives and life experiences.  It was no different here. Even now — I feel like I was a different person at 17 then I am today so, you know, imagine that five-fold! [Laughs] It’s something I was very conscious of but it didn’t intimidate me.

Playing the Part has a few recreations of childhood and teenage memories. Was it fun to cast two young “Ians”?

It was. The Ian in the university years, Scott Chambers, was the lead of my first film so that was easy. And Milo Parker [the child Ian] was in Mr Holmes (2015) with Ian. When I saw that film it occurred to me how much he looked like Ian!

What did he think of seeing young actors play him?

I kept the recreations secret from Ian! Most of the people in those scenes are actually friends of Ian’s. So it was a surprise that all his friends were in the film. It felt like coming full circle. People in his life today playing people from his past.

So how did he react?

Initially he was a bit thrown off! He said ‘cast and crew screening? I don’t know why. I’m the only cast member.’

[Laughs]

He came to the first screening and he was annoyed that his friends were going to be there and I hadn’t told him. And then he watched the film and was completely moved. It went down well but initially he was quite grumpy! [Laughs]

Milo Parker plays his Mr Holmes co-star as a child in “Sir Ian McKellen: Playing the Part”

My favorite thing about the movie might be the way that it’s not just his life story but it doubles as two historical documents: a history of theater and film as well as queer history and the politics surrounding that. Did he want the movie to be political?

Coming out was and has been a big part of his life. The importance of what he’s done was, I felt, educational. There are lots of people who don’t know about Stonewall, about the Age of Consent argument, about Clause 28. I felt that younger generations shouldn’t just know him for Gandalf or Magneto. They should know his effect on society. He’s been a large part of things changing for the better. His three passions are theater, equality, and gay rights.

That archival clip of him being interviewed about Clause 28 in the 1980s is something else. Basically what he’s saying is ‘We’re Here! We’re queer! Get used to it!” but it sounds so much more refined and nuanced. 

[Laughs] When I found that interview — people do want to cheer when they see it!

How has the reception been so far?

Very satisfying. It’s been great and he deserves the attention. He’s never won an Oscar…

Don’t get me started!

…So now his life story can get out there. He’s a good guy and I hope that it finds an audience.

I hope it will spur the Academy on to think about the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at least.

That would be fantastic!

[https://youtu.be/Q1TwP57YyHs]

McKellen: Playing the Part will screen tonight, Tuesday June 19 in selected movie theaters. Find your local screening at mckellenfilm.com.

The post INTERVIEW: Joe Stephenson on His Must-See Documentary ‘McKellen: Playing the Part’ appeared first on Towleroad.

INTERVIEW: Joe Stephenson on His Must-See Documentary ‘McKellen: Playing the Part’

Pride Goes Live: Hannah Hart and GLAAD to Host Livestream Variety Program, ‘Pride Live,’ for LGBTQ Youth

www.glaad.org/blog/pride-goes-live-hannah-hart-and-glaad-host-livestream-variety-program-pride-live-lgbtq-youth

‘Love, Simon’ won MTV’s Best Kiss & Keiynan Lonsdale delivered a beautifully queer af acceptance
“You can live your dreams and wear dresses; you can live your dreams and kiss the one that you love no matter what gender they are.”

www.queerty.com/love-simon-won-mtvs-best-kiss-keiynan-lonsdale-delivered-beautifully-queer-af-acceptance-20180619?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29