Robert Lamb and Julie Douglas, of the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast, recently squirted out a two-part series on the penis.

But they didn't stop at humans, who, by the way, have the largest members in regard to body proportion, thank you very much. From scary two-headed monsters to freaky detachable insect schlongs, these episodes are both insightful and frightening. 

Unfortunately, the How Stuff Works podcasts don't offer the ability to embed episodes, so if you're engorged with interest, you can listen to both parts of "The Penis Episode" via their iTunes page. 

The 12th annual celebration of local artists kicks off Saturday, Aug 11 in Strathcona Park.

Fittingly dubbed Art in Strathcona Park, the collaborative event is organized by the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario (SSO). Artists and vendors taking part will each donate a piece to a silent auction, with proceeds acquired from the auction benefiting the SSO.

Cynthia Clark, the SSO's family and community coordinator for the Ottawa region, says the event was born when a SSO member's friend passed away and the member wanted to create a project that would raise the visibility of the disease while also acting as an outlet for Ottawa's artistic community.

"What is so special about this event is the focus isn't on illness. The focus is on creativity. It's about being different and being accepted as different," Clark says.

"It's very rewarding to see the outpouring of support for people who are living with schizophrenia and their families. The talent that you'll find there is very representative of Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley. And there is a broad spectrum of artists and artisans on display every year. The quality of work is there, and there is something for everyone. There's not just very expensive works of art; there's also smaller pieces that the average person can afford to buy."

Local crafter Chelsey Wall, of Little Chickie's Crafts, will be vending her handmade wares and says her participation at Art in Strathcona Park is more than just an opportunity to move her merchandise. 

"One of my very close friends has schizophrenia, so the cause is very close to my heart. I'm selling a couple of her items because she cannot attend the event herself."

The artsy attraction begins at 10am, rain or shine. 

Art in Strathcona Park

Sat, Aug 11, 10am-5pm

Strathcona Park is bordered by Somerset Ave E and Laurier Ave E in Ottawa's Sandy Hill neighbourhood. 

An example of Wall's jewellery.

Australian trampoline gymnast Ji Wallace has not only come out as gay- but has also revealed that he is HIV-positive. 

Wallace won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and told The Star Observer that he was inspired to disclose his HIV status after watching an interview with Greg Louganis, who came out as HIV-positive in 1995, and the recent coming out of Anderson Cooper.

"I have never publicly disclosed this before but felt inspired by [the] interview and by Anderson Cooper's coming out letter last month describing 'value in being seen and heard' in the face of disturbing violence, bullying, persecution and condemnation by peers, colleagues, government officials and worst of all my family and friends."

Wallace went on to say, "Being seen does have value. A voice does have value. I have the support of my boyfriend, my great friends and my loving parents. Many do not and this is, in part, for them." 

Wallace is currently in London to cheer on his Aussie teammates.

Interview on Gaydar radio

The members of Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot are inching ever closer to a date with a labour camp for the crime of performing a song critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They were charged in March after performing "Punk Prayer" (watch below).

In a surprising statement, Putin himself said, "There is nothing good in what they did; I don't think they should be judged too severely."

According to Amnesty International, the three young women face sexual and physical abuse at the labour camp if they are sentenced to the three-year term Russian prosecutors are seeking.

The US State Department released a country report in 2011 stating that Russia continues to consistently suppress freedom of expression and assembly.  

High-profile bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Franz Ferdinand have spoken out in support of the persecuted trio.  

Sign Amnesty International's petiton to free Pussy Riot.  

In Lois Banner's new biography Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, the professor of history and gender studies at the University of Southern California writes that the blonde bombshell worried she might have been a lesbian, or at least bisexual. It's old news that Monroe, who died Aug 5, 1962, may have had a sexual relationship with acting coach Natasha Lytess. In her book, Banner proposes that Monroe, born Norma Jean Baker, was a sex addict and this affliction manifested itself as Monroe sleeping around with individuals of both genders.

"She desired women, had affairs with them, and worried that she might be a lesbian by nature," Banner says.

Banner's book alleges Monroe was much more than a ditzy flake and was instead one of the first examples of a protofeminist.  

For more on Monroe 50 years after her death, read about Jeffrey Round's visit to her grave.

Bookworms and brainy bisexuals everywhere were saddened yesterday when it was announced writer Gore Vidal had passed away at age 86.

His third novel, The City and the Pillar, was published in 1948 and outraged conservatives due to its depiction of a same-sex relationship.

Vidal eventually branched out to screenwriting, penning Suddenly Last Summer and Is Paris Burning?

His uncredited work on the script for Ben Hur would later generate controversy when Vidal analyzed the homoerotic subtext of his writing in the documentary The Celluloid Closet.

Another Vidal project that will live on in infamy is the semi-pornographic 1979 film Caligula. Co-financed by Penthouse founder Bob Guccione, Caligula detailed the fall of the Roman emperor and featured A-list actors along with unsimulated sex. After the film was rewritten numerous times and more sex scenes were added, Vidal and director Tinto Brass publicly disowned the final product.

In 2005, Vidal was approached by artist Francesco Vezzoli to take part in a faux trailer for a non-existent remake of Caligula. Vidal agreed and delivers the introduction to the fake film. The trailer stars Courtney Love as Caligula, Milla Jovovich, Benicio Del Toro and the star of the original, Helen Mirren. Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula is engagingly absurd, but it was a hit and had a screening at New York City's Whitney Museum in 2006. The trailer serves as a teaser for what could have been had Vidal's original script been produced unedited.

For more on this trailblazer, Read Matthew Hays' obituary and his 2011 interview with Vidal.