by ROBERT LA BUA

Once one of the wealthiest cities in the world thanks to the trade of henequén (commonly known as sisal in English) in the time before nylon replaced it as the fibre of choice in the world's ropes, Mérida, capital of Yucatán, today is a quiet city with a rich past, a place where history, culture, and the arts are universally revered and passionately supported.

Registrations for several sports for next year’s Asia Pacific Outgames Melbourne 2008 officially open Thursday September 6. These sports include: rowing, squash, volleyball, dancesport, swimming and lawn bowls. Other sports will come online before September over the coming weeks as event details including financial and management details with venues are resolved.

The Emerald Warrior gay rugby team is the subject of the documentary Queering the Pitch. The story is about a group of guys who overcome all the obstacles, physical and psychological, of a rugby tournament. Since then, the team has represented Ireland internationally and recently won its bid to host the 2008 Gay World Rugby Championship known as the Bingham Cup.

by CATHY ANDERSON

Never make the mistake of calling the Sydney Convicts all-gay rugby union team a ‘novelty’ – you might find yourself at the bottom of one of their scrums. “We are not trying to take the nightclub to the football field,” says club founder Andrew Purchas

by CATHY ANDERSON

Sydney/Melbourne rivalry hit the hockey field last weekend as the newly-formed Melbourne Bentstix took on their Sydney Bentstix rivals at Albert Park – and won. In a ‘friendly’ game designed to give the new team some practice in the lead-up to next year’s Outgames, the Melbourne boys solidly thrashed the Sydney side by five goals to one.

Don't be mistaken by the title: this hard core gay porn flick contains no water sports. John Travis (who also directed Power Tool with gay porn icon, Jeff Stryker) made lots of gay skin flicks in the 1980 and 1990s is the director of Pistons. He brings with him a talent for the obvious – which is just fine by me.

The AFL season has had its share of controversy this year. Here are the top ten moments that made Melbourne talk.

1. Players boycott Channel Seven
A cone of silence threatens to engulf Channel Seven’s football coverage with the AFL Players’ Association announcing a boycott following disclosure of players’ confidential medical records.

by NICK BOND

Boyd Parry and Shandor Gancs are bracing themselves for a busy Spring Fashion Week. The gay designers behind ultra-suave menswear label Leopold will unveil their new spring collection as part of the Hot in the City parade, alongside lines by Bettina Liano and swimwear designer Clemente Talarico.

by CATHY ANDERSON

At Noosa Heads, you can take your pick from waves, wildlife or window shopping, all with a hint of celebrity. It’s a busy pocket of the Sunshine Coast which prides itself on its national parks, inviting beaches and European-esque feel. A strange combination of the best nature can offer and man-made holiday luxuries, it attracts more than 1.5 million visitors a year.