We're kicking off something fun today.

For the next two weeks, we're going to be giving a prize a day to the best post in the Same Same Forum Fortnight!

There is more info on it here: http://www.samesame.com.au/news/loca...t_Starts_Today

The basic gist is we'll be picking the best post each day and handing over a $100 Out & About Travel voucher to use however you'd like plus the latest Housexy CD every day for the next fourteen days. At the end of the two weeks, we'll be choosing the best post of the fortnight and giving them the super sexy LG MP3 player, the FM37 (it's very drool worthy, trust us).

The posts will be judged on the most interesting, entertaining, thought provoking or just damn funny comment in the forums.

We'll be awarding the daily prizes right here in this thread, so post away and good luck!

Forum Fortnight Day 1 Winner: avoninski for his post in the thread "Gays and Lesbians - Same Same but miles apart"

Quote:

I have lesbian friends, and I enjoy hanging out with them, but we don't do so on a weekly or even regularly monthly basis. There's a bit of divide in lifestyles and weekend activities, and that makes getting together harder.

They like to camp. I'm just plain camp.

They drive Subarus. I drive F1's on PS2.

They raise children. I'm afraid of kooties.

They live in Rozelle/Leichardt/Blue Mts. I don't have a passport.

Congrats avoniski you've won a $100 Out & About Travel voucher and the latest Housexy CD and could be walking away with a hot new LG Mp3 player in two weeks.

Great post! We'll be announcing the next winner tomorrow morning of the best post of today!

^ Well deserved, I had a laugh when I read that.

Forum Fortnight Day 2 Winner: mjm078 for his thread "Is it in your blood?"

Quote:

Is it in your blood?

Okay another thought provoking post!

A friend and I were debating a few months back if homosexuality is something you are born with i.e. part of your genetic make up or alternatively a lifestyle choice.....

I think it is part of your genetic make up as though i can appreciate a fantastic looking woman..clothes hair etc...... but I have absolutely no desire to "poke" her....I actually don't even want to see her naked.....All I want to look at (and touch for that matter) are good manly bodies....

His arguement was its a lifestyle choice i.e. he chose to be this way for lifestyle he gets to live.......why you might ask well he is an identical twin......his brother is happily married with a couple of kids....they share the exact same make up yet he chooses to live a homosexual lifestyle......

So is it part of your genetic make up or do you live this lifestyle by choice....

Please discuss...

Good onya you've won a $100 Out & About Travel voucher and the latest Housexy CD.

We'll be announcing the next winner tomorrow morning of the best post of today! Keep it up fellas!

And the winner of the Forum Fortnight Day 3 is: Gruso for his great photoshop work. Nice work!



You've won a $100 travel voucher to use however you want and Housexy. Nice!

Huzzah! Thanks Tim!

And the winner of the Forum Fortnight Day 4 is: Cheyne67 for his post in the forum about sperm donors. A passionate post there.

Quote:

This is just so wrong.
I don’t care if it’s two women seeking a sperm donor or two men seeking an egg donor – to deny a child one of their biological parents is selfish and wrong. A child has the right to know both their biological parents and if you can’t put your hatred for the opposite sex, maternal/paternal needs or insecurities aside and allow this – then you shouldn’t be having children. And before you all start pontificating about how not all children have both biological parents in their lives rah rah rah – I know that already. Shit happens and sometimes one biological parent may die or some might do a runner. None of these scenarios are ideal for the child either, but the big difference is that these kids aren’t with one of their biological parents through chance or circumstance – it wasn’t planned that way before they were even born!

I’m not saying that 2 woman or 2 men cant raise a child but if you really want to do the best for your child then you’d realize that 2 mummy’s and a daddy or 2 daddy’s and a mummy could do it much better

This also applies to sperm/egg donors who just want to do their bit and walk away

Congrats!

Drum roll please.....and the winner of Forum Fortnight Day 5 is: Jody Ekert, for her post in the Sperm Donor wanted thread:

Quote:

I think the women in the ads are just fearful for what may happen with male involvment. If all men could rationally make parenting decisions with lesbians then maybe all couples would be happy with a 'Dad". But there are cases coming to light that highlight the non-bio mum's lack of recognition and rights. Like the case in Ireland at the moment where the donor is preventing the lesbian couple travelling with the child out of the country. Or where they can go a step further and seek custody or challenge a donor agreement if they change their minds about involvement.

Personally I don't agree with the women in those ads but I do understand their protectiveness of a family they've worked hard to have and keep close. I'll be a non-bio mum one day and we plan on a known donor, who I would want around and to be known as Dad. But I am a bit scared by the idea that my partner will have legal rights, the donor will have legal rights, and I will have none. Unless things change our life could be turned upside down at any moment on the whims of a donor.

So perhaps for some women they'd prefer not to deal with that. I do believe it is possible to provide medical and family history and male role models and all that good stuff and be responsible parents, but still not want the "Dad" part.

Congratulations Jody, you've won a $100 Out&About Travel voucher, Houseexy CD and are in the running to walk away with the LG MP3 player. Bring it on!

And the winner of the Forum Fortnight daily prize yesterday is.... sydneychick69, for this post here about a cure for homesexuality.

Quote:

There is no way that i would want a qure. I love it and im proud of it. I have beautiful partner and would not want to change her for no opposite sex person in me life time. Gay and proud of it baby. Thats the way i would always want to be. And if my child turned out to be one to would say this baby follow ur heart and live life u want to as long as ur happy.

Congrats, you've won a $100 Out&About Travel voucher + Houseexy CD. Easy, huh?

I'm still waiting!!! Ggrrrrrr lol

Forum Fortnight Day 7 Winner: drmoreau for his thread Percentages and Proportions.

Quote:

The 2006 Census results have recently been published... I went looking through them (out of curiosity) to see if they had any statistics at all on the GLBT (plus whatever other capitals are added these days) population in Australia.
Strangely (or not so), there was very little mention of anything about this - all I could find is "Relationships in Households" - which covered straight and same-sex couples.

There are a few things that provoked thought for me here:
(1) What percentage of Australians identify themselves as gay these days?
I know that figures are regularly quoted anywhere between 5-50%, but is there actually any reliable data?

(2) How do you think people (including the general public) would react to marking the 'gay, lesbian, straight, other' on a census form in the future?

(3) How would you feel about having your name officially linked to your sexuality if (2) became a reality? Do you think there is a still a certain degree of resentment to the explicit identification of the gay minority?

Interested to hear your thoughts.

We're halfway through the competition now, and there are still of heap of prizes to be won!

Big congrats to the winner of the Forum Fortnight Day 8: Timmeyboy for his post in "Gays and money"

Quote:

These things are sent to try us!!!.
i've been trying to save for AGES, managed to do pretty well until my birthday came along so all savings went on me, which I don't really mind but now it's my boyfriends birthday so now all my savings are now going on him, which in an ideal world i wouldn't mind but don't ya just hate having to give presents to other people!

It's not that i'm selfish or anything but I would prefer it if I could spend all my money on me, it's my money and i don't appreciate people thinking they can help themselves to it, mainly my gripes is with the bank for that, how can they charge me for looking after my money - IT'S MY MONEY!!!!!! If it wasn't for me (not just me, everyone else as well) they wouldn't even have money to look after so I don't appreciate them charging me for the pleasure!!!
We don't have that back home in England, they tried but we stood up against them so they scrapped it!!

Sorry just needed to vent....hehehehe

Great work.

I won a prize
I am so clever
I won a prize!!!!!!!!

whats the deal with the travel voucher??
I'm not gonna have to buy a timeshare am i??

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmeyboy

whats the deal with the travel voucher??
I'm not gonna have to buy a timeshare am i??

Of course not, but if you attend this once off information session, we can also put you in the running for a new set of steak knives and XBox 360.

too funny, it's a voucher for our favoured gay and lesbian travel agent called Out and About Travel - www.outandabouttravel.com.au - you can come visit us in Sydney Timmey!

The website doesnt work, it's under construction.
it better be a magic $100 that gets me a lot of stuff!! grrrrrrrr

hehehehehe

And the winner for Day 9 of the Forum Fortnight is: charles for his post in the thread on being Orstrayan.

Quote:

ok. I'm not australian but I guess the concept of nationhood and belonging to a nationality has become rather fluid with the commodification of travel, greater ease and freedom of movement, and increasingly educated global citizens (though still very much restricted to only people in the North) amongst other factors which somehow makes the concept of nationhood, rather redundant. As an outsider, I must say Australians do have certain things to be proud of e.g. Aussie Rules, outstanding journalists like John Pilger e.t.c. Things which I would disagree with - some of the governmental policies and the way this country treats the indigenious community.

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmeyboy

The website doesnt work, it's under construction.
it better be a magic $100 that gets me a lot of stuff!! grrrrrrrr

hehehehehe

You are such the demanding UK princess!

And the winner of the post of the day yesterday is: Jimjazz, for his post in the thread on being an Aussie:

Quote:

sorry robbie, but your "i really support multi-culturalism but...." smacks of the same line homophobes trot out: "i don't discriminate against homosexuals, I just don't believe they deserve the same rights as everyone else". however you dress it, its still fear of others by association.

this whole aussie debate gives me the shits. firstly, can i remind everyone that ALL people who are not Aboriginal are living in a nation state that was built on British Imperialism and a belief that: as Aboriginals were uncivilised savages therefore the British were entitled to take the land.

but moving on.

today, more and more countries are multi cultural. there is greater travel and cross breeding within our species than at any previous time in history. to build nation states on the lines of a single cultural reference, ie: aussie-ness is parochial and leads to dangerous ideas about what is and isn't acceptable. i don't give a shit if someone doesn't speak the language. who cares? their grandson might grow up to be the prime minister!

this is a land of opportunity still for many. if there is a sliver of decency about us collectively as australians, it is that we should welcome people of all persuasions to this land and encourage them to make the most of it.

i love when people attack ethnic minorities for not integrating. what the f+uck do you do? share your world with a vast ethnic mix? we assemble with our own kind because that is about where we belong and it makes us feel content as a member of a social species. it is ludicrous to demean people because they woin't file in behind your group or order. my god, you might actually learn something from them.

and as for this "we will decide who comes to this country and the manner in which they come." yeah, and then we'll chuck him in detention centres for YEARS because it takes YEARS for a bureaucrat to determine what the hell should happen to people whose only crime is being a refugee and having to contend with draconian laws which defile their human rights.

i choke on what it means to be aussie if it means supporting anything which homogenises me as part of one large group and reduces me to one version of acceptability. i may as well go back to the school yard and throw sticks at someone because they look different. please.

encourging diversity in what it means to be aussie is the platform upon which any collective identity should be built. re-inforcing the white, anglo saxon, paul hoganesque version of history which reduces us to cultural shells that hang thinly against awhite history that is yet to be truly revealed.

our right to claim some kind of aussie identity will come when reconciliation with the original inhabitants of this land is made and we can feel proud of owning up to the past, inhabit the present without superifical identities and proceed to the future finally with a right to be a proud aussie. an aussie who is forgiving, brave, compassionate, apologetic, forthright, joyous and strong.

then this idea of aussie might mean something real.

That told you Robbie, Didn't it eh!

yes, well I did respond accordingly..

Wow. So many great posts yesterday we've been split here in the Same Same offices trying to pick the post of the day. After much deliberation, and with notable mentions to Ambience77 and Nevarro, the winner of Forum Fortnight for Day 11 is: Cobra.

Quote:

Okay Tim, I want to win a prize, so here's my funny story.

My first proper date with a fellow whose name starts with a "P" and ends with "eter Polites" was a portent. He thought it would be a great idea to take me to his ex's place for a dinner. On our first date. To his ex's. Date. Ex. And his ex looked a lot like me, only taller and skinnier with more angles on his face.

After being almost immediately abandoned on arrival by Peter, I had an awkward conversation with the ex's brother about his depression. Another guest was a weedy little man the ex had met on the Internet (or he might have lived on the Internet; the details were hazy). We will call this man 'Palm Pilot' for reasons that will become obvious.

Palm Pilot was fairly quiet throughout the night. Finally, while I drew a breath after regaling the others with a series of amusing tales – each more amusing and wittier than the last – Palm Pilot told some inane story about his current internship as a doctor-in-training. This was met with silence. As the conversation around the dinner table picked up again, I noticed that Palm Pilot had his back turned and was scribbling away furiously at some electronic device in his lap. With the courage that only belongs to the bravely drunk, I asked "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Oh," he said in his monotone voice, " My anecdote did not receive any laughs, so I am making notes for the future."

Right.

The night came to an end and Peter offered Palm Pilot a lift to a train station in the city. At this point Palm Pilot became far more animated, patting us on the shoulders assuring us both that we were "great guys." He then quickly became sullen, telling us, without any solicitation on our part, how lonely he was and that he was still a virgin. Then he said the creepiest sentence I have ever heard: "The only time I get to touch someone is when I am examining a patient."

I gave the helpful reply of "Jesus fucking Christ."

Your story had us in stitches yesterday, so you've won!

And the winner of yesterday's prize is: Ambience77 (it was a hard one to judge, special mention must be given to Michaelbourke as well). Here is the post:

Quote:

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, tastes, likes and dislikes and preferences. Of course we judge others in public and gossip or bitch about your friends with another, but whether you say it out loud and be heard or do it among yourselves is completely different. There's backstabbing, at least it's not heard (if eventually it comes back to you, ah well I guess that's back luck) but then there's confrontation. I agree with Nevarro that this thread does go beyond the race issues, it is about bully in general and the level of tolerance.

The other week a girl was talking to another workmate about me, she thought she whispered it, but when she barks it’s usually heard. I paused my itune to hear what she was bitching, I thought to myself “Pffft, you’re just a loud cow who gossip about everyone”. It is common courtesy that you shouldn’t gossip about others in an office or when the person you are talking about is present. I have a high level of tolerance these days, I used to be sensitive but I have learnt that if you react then you are probably just as bad as the person who talks about you.

I am sure that most people just type whatever they want on the gay chat or dating sites, because usually they run out of crap to say about themselves or what they like. Unless you are writing a biography, you wouldn’t go back and correct yourself to make it serious. But unfortunately, some people have neglected to see the bigger picture of what type of emotion, distress it might cause others. Some people take it like a grain of salt, but some people are sensitive and they can’t handle it when it’s being directed at them. It’s the lack of compassion in that regard and it is a big part when people communicate and it depends how smart the person is when he or she tries to deliver the message across.

Violence begets violence. Any form of bullying is a form of violence, whether verbal or
action. World leaders in the form of entertainers, certain politicians, activists are trying hard to bring people together from different backgrounds, races or sexualities. They sing about it, write about it, publicise it and have been doing it for years since slice bread.

Just think if you were not gay, would you (or the general public, except those of Pauline Hanson tribe) choose friends, clients, workmates by their colours? I surely don’t think so, it has not happened to me or to any of my friends who are of different race. People just don’t do that these days, it’s of no harm to get to know someone. You eat their food, go to their restaurants, visit their countries so how hard is it to get to know the people.

If the message of acceptance and tolerance can past onto one person then there’s one less chance of violence in the world. You help one person which helps the next. We should all take responsibilities of our own actions.

Personally I like or dislikes someone according to their individual, personalities or attitudes and not to their race. I do admit that I have more Aussie friends in general than Asians even from school til working, it’s not by choice but by chance – the types of course that I studied and the type of work that I am doing.

I’m sure there are other ways around saying “what you don’t like”. And I'm saying this from any race towards each other.

And the winners of Forum Fortnight for Saturday and Sunday were coastboy and cronker - well done, for these respective posts:

Quote:

Here's a chance to ask anti-gay Howard a few questions or let him know some of our concerns, The tosser is on Yahoo answers pretending to care, he also states he will get back to us with responses: http://au.answers.yahoo.com

Have fun guys !!!

Quote:

I'm reluctant, but willing to now weigh in on this one.

I was a dj at the mars bar for 10 yrs (dj petey, anyone?)
I played Friday nights, and my format was to play new, cutting edge and harder music. It worked.
Fridays were more club-core, and Beejay on Saturdays had the top 40 and pop crowd.
Problem was, no one actually supported Fridays or me. So stop whinging about the current state of the music. If people actually voted with their feet, things would change. but it doesn't. the reason beejay plays that style is because it WORKS!

I would love Pete Forrester or Josh to add their thoughts here, because I'm sure they would support what I'm saying. The idea of putting Mars back into contention for playing the best, latest, most modern music has been tried and failed. When I was playing the best, most out there UK house, I used to get asked to play Kylie.
When I was playing some groovy underground noise from Chicago, I got requests for the fucking Vengabus.

Mars Bar will play the music that keeps people on the dancefloor and spending their money over the bar. It's called Business.

If you want something different, rather than spend pointless typing skills on online chatrooms, maybe try asking the management.

Petey

The winner is announced....

http://www.samesame.com.au/news/loca...tnight_Is_Over

Congrats to everyone!

Congrats to Ambience - Fella wont be happy, he wanted the mp3 player
hahahah Oh well

Well done to everyone!!! We're so cool!!! hehehehe

Congradulations Ambience 77 hope there are more to com