#dumpcoke Not just Russian vodka: Queer Nation pours Coke into Times Square gutters to protest company's 'marquee sponsorship' of DADT Sochi Olympics

McDonalds, marquee sponsor of DADT Sochi Olympics, sued a 5-year-old and banned her from its restaurants after she appeared in a Burger King ad

And the small actress was Sarah Michelle Gellar. As Buzzfeed concluded, don't mess with Ronald McDonald.

Coke issues a press release after Queer Nation rips it for appeasing the intimidation of gay athletes and Russian citizens

Also: How Sochi officials will break gay "propaganda" law each time they play U.S. national anthem during a medal ceremony; Sovietsky Sport's racist coverage of 2013 IAAF win of Russian women's 4x400 relay team over U.S. team: 'our fair-skinned girls massively beat the black-skinned ones'; Sportswriter Frank Deford: Send U.S. athletes to Sochi but keep USOC officials at home  

Coke's response included bullet points like this:

Our Global Supplier Diversity team participates in outreach events such as the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) Awards Dinner, the NGLCC Business and Leadership Conference, and the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Corporate Sponsors Reception.

     Queer Nation (whose action today in NYC's Times Square was documented here) responded with the graphic at left.
     In its press release, Coke reminded readers that it has been an Olympic Sponsor since 1928. What it did not mention specifically was its cold-blooded support of Hitler's 1936 Nazi Olympic showcase and the fact that it placed ads for Coca Cola in Hitler Youth publications.

#DumpCoke — Queer Nation will hold Times Square demonstration against Coke, a 'Marquee Sponsor' of 2014's DADT Olympics in Sochi

Also: How Sochi officials will break gay "propaganda" law each time they play U.S. national anthem during a medal ceremony; Sovietsky Sport on 2013 IAAF win of Russian women's 4x400 relay team over U.S. team: 'our fair-skinned girls massively beat the black-skinned ones'

Queer Nation, disgusted that Coke and other major Olympic sponsors (like Panasonic), along with the International Olympic Committee, did nothing to attempt to dissuade Russia from recent antigay legislation, will hold a demonstration against the soft drink company next Wednesday. From the Facebook page:

"Coke: Don't Sponsor Hate! The Coca Cola Company is sponsoring Russian government hate at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. In June, Russia enacted its anti-gay propaganda law that bans any pro-LGBT statement in public or private and on the Internet. The Russian government has made being out and proud a crime. Coke is a World Partner and a major sponsor of the Games. Join Queer Nation NY and RUSA LGBT. Hashtag: #DumpCoke"

(Via Towleroad)

Olympic sponsor Panasonic can't be bothered with any acknowledgement or support of gay athletes boxed in by threats from Russia and IOC

ALSO: Does performance of U.S. national anthem violate Russia's gay propaganda law?

Update: Panasonic extends benefits to gay couples, bars LGBT discrimination among its 250,000 worldwide employees

Today, Towleroad published a post based on Buzzfeed's survey of the reaction of Olympic sponsors to the threats Russia has made to arrest gay athletes and the International Olympic Committee's threats to disqualify athletes who self-identify as gay, which it evidently considers a political "statement."
     Olympic "marquee sponsor" Panasonic's statement on the controversy was that the company “has no involvement in, and is not in a position to comment on political and social matters related to the Olympic Games or specific governments in any country or region.”
     Contrast Panasonic's "Go screw yourselves — not only won't we defend you, we won't acknowledge that homos exist" attitude with GE's public statement: “...we expect the IOC to uphold human rights in every aspect of the Games.”
     Remember that when you go camera shopping, boys and girls.
     One more thing, shoppers: if Panasonic's "drop dead" attitude toward gay people isn't enough to make you consider other brands — i.e., if you buy solely on the merits of products — then take a look at the photos below, taken with a Panasonic Lumix GH2.

Panasonic Lumix: a poor value

     A friend of AKSARBENT's bought a Panasonic Lumix GH2 last year because of its excellent video performance — and was dismayed to discover that for $800, he really only got half a camera because of the dull, lifeless images the camera rendered in still mode. (See below.)
     The GH2's replacement, the current GH3, is also mediocre at best in still mode, and in video mode seems to have moiré issues that the GH2 didn't have.
     Pansonic's lens fabrication quality control seems to be lacking, too. Our acquaintance ordered a 14-140 zoom with his camera body, which stuck at a particular point in the zoom range so badly that it made the image bobble while zooming during videography. The seller (Sammy's of L.A. — a great dealer) immediately shipped another lens, but it eventually developed the same problem, albeit with less severity.

Lackluster, low-contrast Lumix rendering
of brilliant landscape taken at sunset

Digital enhancement to bring out vivid colors missing in lousy, original Lumix
image. Such tweaking wouldn't have been necessary with a better still-image
camera like a Nikon, Canon or Fuji.