A Londoner On The New York Subway

"The city’s subway map is dense and needlessly complex. Where in London the Central line (red) is distinct from the Piccadilly (dark blue), which is markedly different from the Hammersmith and City line (pink), New York’s map has designated the same forest green to the 4, the 5 and the 6 lines. The B, D, F and M all rejoice in exactly the same shade of violent orange. And I’m almost entirely certain that the blue of the A, C, and E lines is the last thing you see before death’s sweet embrace. Why would you do this? The whole thing resembles a child’s approximation of a city transit system: it makes no sense. [snip] The signs – a mess of fonts and colours – lack the sweet primness of London Underground’s Johnston font. The inconsistency is startling. The stations are filthy, with peeling paintwork and pockets of such urine-stench that my eyes water, like a rheumy dog’s. The air-conditioning makes the trains a movable icy tundra, furnished with hard, uncomfortable seats. The MTA has forced me to become one of those Brits abroad – the kind that sighs and, with a condescending chuckle, compares everything with 'back home.' This is not the New York of my dreams. This is The Hunger Games." - Bim Adewunmi, writing for the Guardian.

STUDY: 2.7 Billion People Live In Countries Where Homosexuality Is A Crime

Via the Guardian:

More than 2.7 billion people live in countries where being gay is punishable by imprisonment, lashes or even death, new research obtained by the Guardian shows. The stark figure from the International Lesbian and Gay Association (Ilga) highlights the discrimination faced by gay people around the world; the full report shows there is not a single country where LGBT people enjoy equal legal rights with their heterosexual counterparts. Five countries – Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen – still have a statutory death penalty for homosexuality, while a further 71 countries punish same-sex couples with lesser sentences of imprisonment or corporal punishment. In total, 2.79 billion people live in countries where being gay can lead to prison or death – seven times as many as live in countries with same-sex marriage.

Now the good news: "More than 1.3 billion people live in countries with some form of legal protection against discrimination against LGBT people, while 780 million live in countries with same-sex marriage or civil unions. More than a billion people live in countries which bar workplace discrimination against LGBT people."

MAP: Via the Guardian's interactive map of LGBT rights around the world.

Tweets Of The Day

Quote Of The Day - Chris Kluwe

"What is the true price of fame? The price of fame is what you risk when you have the platform. As an athlete, a role model for society, people listen to you. As an athlete, when you make a statement, that statement is heard, no matter what that statement is. Speak up for LBGTQ rights, for human rights, for empathy? The world will pay attention, and take notice. Stay silent, keep your head down, count the money and endorsements? The world will pay attention, and take notice. Either way, you're the one who has to live with what you did or didn't do. I hope that athletes speak out at Sochi on LBGTQ issues, even knowing the possible risks that await them.

"I know that it could cost them their livelihoods, their careers, everything they've worked towards. I know that it can lead to recriminations, harsh words from a public who just wants their entertainment, no matter how much blood it's packaged in. I know that it's one of the hardest steps a person can take, and that there is no guarantee of a reward at the end, other than knowing you did the right thing at the right time with nothing to show for it but angry tweets and emails tempered by the messages of support and affection from those in whose lives you made a difference, those currently being abused by the oppressive and ignorant." - Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe, writing for the Guardian.

RELATED: In the above-linked piece, Kluwe opens by slamming Sochi's corporate sponsors. Among his suggested replacement marketing slogans: "Today's refreshing anti-gay beating brought to you by Coca-Cola!"

Unconscious Skydiver Rescued Mid-Air

The video is from the unconscious man's helmet-cam.

New York Times To Publish Documents Leaked To Guardian By Edward Snowden

Citing oppressive measures by the British government, the Guardian has partnered with the New York Times to publish documents leaked to them by Edward Snowden.

The New York Times is in the Snowden game. The paper — which NSA leaker Edward Snowden deliberately avoided over his fear that it would cooperate with the United States government — is now working with the Guardian on a series of stories based on documents that detail National Security Agency cooperation with its British counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters, known as GCHQ. “In a climate of intense pressure from the UK government, The Guardian decided to bring in a US partner to work on the GCHQ documents provided by Edward Snowden,” Guardian spokeswoman Jennifer Lindenauer said in an email. “We are continuing to work in partnership with the NYT and others to report these stories.”

Last month British officials demanded that the Guardian hand over Snowden's documents. When they refused, the officials reportedly made them destroy several hard drives in their presence. The Times and the Guardian have worked together in the past on the Wikileaks story and on the News Corp wiretapping scandal.

GRAPH: Gay Rights By State

Click over to the Guardian for their interactive pinwheel graph on the current state of LGBT rights around the nation. (Tipped by JMG reader Kevin)