What are You Doing New Years?

OK, are you going out to dinner? A Party? Spending the evening with friends? Family? Do you have a New Years tradition? Will you be watching the ball drop at midnight in NYC? Are you one of the many people grateful that 2007 is almost over? I'm one of the latter.

For me, New Year's eve has always been a non holiday. Fortunately, it's the only one that contains an element of desperation. So many try too hard to have a good time, and usually at the expense of someone else. That's not for me.

I'll be thrilled when I slide beneath the sheets tonight to thank God for those who helped me get through 2007; knowing that I will sleep away the final hours of this year.

To my mind New Year's eve, like Thanksgiving, is a time to count our blessings and let go of the flotsam and jetsam that made up the ugly, the stupid, the vile, as well as the painful moments we experienced. I know. Easier said than done.

More important is to remember those moments when our behavior toward others was less than stellar. The New Year is our opportunity to change that sort of behavior.

My wish to you for 2008 is that you keep every resolution you make; that you remember the lessons learned in 2007; that you have folks in your life who will call you on your BS; that you work hard to be the person you know you can be. Give back, volunteer to help others, speak your truth, pray for the best for everyone you know (even the unfriendly) while working even harder to make your own dreams a reality.

Here's to 2008. Cheers!

"Invisible Champagne" image is from HERE.

More later.

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The 12 Days of Christmas

The best 12 days of Christmas I've heard in a long time. Done a-cappella and done very well.





If you want to see a tongue-in-cheek (cheek being the operative word here) ongoing version, go visit my friend's place. HERE.

More later.

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Benedict's Exorcist Squads

This makes one wonder what century we're in; 1507 or 2007.

The Pope has ordered his bishops to set up exorcism squads to tackle the rise of Satanism.

Vatican chiefs are concerned at what they see as an increased interest in the occult.

They have introduced courses for priests to combat what they call the most extreme form of "Godlessness."

Each bishop is to be told to have in his diocese a number of priests trained to fight demonic possession.

The initiative was revealed by 82-year-old Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican "exorcistinchief," to the online Catholic news service Petrus.

"Thanks be to God, we have a Pope who has decided to fight the Devil head-on," he said.

"Too many bishops are not taking this seriously and are not delegating their priests in the fight against the Devil. You have to hunt high and low for a properly trained exorcist.

"Thankfully, Benedict XVI believes in the existence and danger of evil - going back to the time he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith." The CDF is the oldest Vatican department and was headed by Benedict from 1982, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, until he became Pope in 2005.

Father Amorth said that during his time at the department Benedict had not lost the chance to warn humanity of the risk from the Devil.

He said the Pope wants to restore a prayer seen as protection against evil that was traditionally recited at the end of Catholic Masses. The prayer, to St Michael the Archangel, was dropped in the 1960s by Pope John XXIII.

Why don't they have classes teaching priests to keep their hands (and other things) away from children? Seems to me that Benny's been hitting the Communion wine again.

The story gets more tongue and cheek here.

More later.

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A Truly Merry Christmas. What a Surprise.

Christmas has come and gone and I have to say, mine was much better than expected. Received two phone calls from friends far away in the morning, had dinner at a friend's home in the afternoon that included the usual suspects I dined with last Sunday evening, plus 5 others. It was a four hour feast and laugh fest.

It's always a luxury for me when 11 gay guys can get together to discuss diverse topics and actually add to the narrative, rather than watch the conversation spiral downward into a bitch-fest.

Everyone was mellow and relaxed. Including myself. There was a yule log video playing on the HDTV and while we enjoyed various appetizers and conversations, the host focused on the timing of various dishes and refused many offers of kitchen help. That was probably for the best. The meal was the best I've had in long time while the company was just as grand.

As I unlocked the apartment door the phone was ringing. It was delightful to hear the voice of an old friend who had lost track of me. More laughter and joy. That call was an unexpected gift on Christmas evening. We reconnected and I slept well that night.

Only one more holiday to get through - New Year's Eve - then I am finally finished with my previous life.

Together we all say, Amen.

More later.
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City of God Appeal - Day 27

This is so amazing I am proud to post this incredible update from MadPriest over at OCICBW. Pay him a visit.

We did not receive any donations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. That is only as it should have been. There are some days on which it is right and proper to concentrate on things near to home. However, today things started to move forward again and our new total is:

$6229.51

The appeal will run until the 6th. January, 2008 at which point the PayPal facility will close. We will then wait seven days for any last minute cheques to turn up and then the money will be transferred, in full, to Christ the King in Rio. After that, any monies that turn up will be divided equally between That Kaeton Woman and myself and will be spent on riotous living.

So, time is now of the essence. If you have been considering making a donation then consider your arm well and truly twisted and make that donation while your brain is still nicely befuddled by Christmas good cheer. Or, maybe, like me, you are waiting for your pay cheque to come in at the end of this month, having blown last month's supporting western capitalism at its most grasping. If so, you will still have six full days to make your donation.

And don't forget, it's the dribs and drabs that count (even I believe that bit in the Bible). The OCICBW... Community Appeal doesn't turn away anything, not even the most meagre widow's mite (heck - we'd snatch her hand off!).

We've received an email from Father Eduardo:

Dear Revd's Jonathan and Elizabeth.

All of us here in Cidade de Deus are extremely thankful for your compassionate offering. We plan to use it primarily with our children ministry, and with infrastructure updating in order to support better classrooms, kitchen and other resources for the children and our community per se.

I'd also want to apologize for not corresponding much. My English is not as good as Luiz's and he didn't have much time recently to revise my texts, since he's just moved to the US to advance in his art and theology studies.

Have a blessed Christmas. May the birth of Jesus represent a rebirth of hope in your hearts. I hope we can stay connected after Christmastide, especially now that we will have an USPG missionary working with us, Fr. Nicholas Wheeler (Diocese of London), who will be able to communicate better in English.

Best regards,

Fr. Eduardo Costa and all of us in Cidade de Deus

The OCICBW... Community Christmas Appeal this year is raising money to help pay for the work being done by the Anglican Church of Christ the King in the City Of God district of Rio De Janeiro. Full details about the project and how to send your gifts can be found HERE.

And don't forget to

And if possible, advertise the appeal on your own sites as this belongs to all of us.

More later.
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A Merry Christmas Adam

Well, that's what I'm calling last evening, December 23, since today is, after all, Christmas EVE. I was not needed at the job yesterday, so I spent some quiet time at home wrapping up some lose ends on projects put off for the past few busy weeks, and then went out to dinner with a few friends and laughed for a few hours.

It was unseasonably warm yesterday with heavy rains and gusty winds, but that didn't deter us from our intended good time. The prime rib was delicious, as usual and way too much for one meal. I brought half of it home with me.

Driving back in the dark in heavy rain made it difficult to see the slick and shiny roadway. It was a bit scary, but I had a friend with me and we made it back OK.

There is a clear blue sky today and it's a bit cooler, though still unseasonably warm for December. There's a trip to the supermarket on my list of things to do today, and then a stop at the store for a cup of spiked eggnog before returning home.

It's turning out to be a more festive Christmas than I expected. That's always a good thing.

Merry Ho-Ho to all.

Image from HERE.

More later.

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Warm and Fuzzy Holiday Story

This is from a Washington State newspaper:

Marysville coffee drinkers pay it forward
One person's good deed begets another, and another ...
By Scott Pesznecker
Herald Writer
MARYSVILLE -- Lindsey Molstad of Stanwood was pleasantly surprised Wednesday afternoon when a man in a sports car with Texas plates paid for her vanilla latte and her daughters' hot chocolates.
She wasn't the first to receive the holiday cheer.
At the Starbucks on 116th Street NE in Marysville, a chain of more than 350 people bought coffee for the people in line behind them -- either in the drive-through or inside -- starting with a woman who first came in about 8 a.m.
"I think it's awesome," said Molstad, 28, who had just picked up her daughters on her way home from work. "I feel really bad because I ordered drinks for my kids, and the person behind me only had one."
Starbucks employee Michael Smith of Marysville was working the drive-through window when the first woman drove through and paid for the next customer.
When he explained to the next person what happened, that customer decided to pass the good will along, Starbucks shift supervisor Sarah Nix said.
Then the next person followed suit. And the next person. And the next person.
Once the chain picked up, Smith refused to leave the drive-through window. He saw it as a special trust given to him by that first customer.
"I'm really worried they're going to stop," he said Wednesday afternoon, after the chain surpassed 250 people.
During the holidays, it's not uncommon for customers to occasionally buy coffee for whomever is next in line, said Nix, who used to work at the Starbucks in Lake Stevens.
But she's never seen anything like this.
"I'm really shocked," Nix said. "This makes Christmas so much nicer, knowing people care."
Some customers went above and beyond paying for the next person, giving $15 or $20 to the coffee shop. Any extra money that isn't used to pay for drinks is planned to be used for Starbucks' holiday toy drive, Nix said.
Randy Davis, 49, of Camano Island read a newspaper at the Starbucks while sipping a cup of coffee someone else paid for. He said he's bought coffee for strangers before, but he's never heard of so many people paying it forward.
"It's a lot of people," said Davis, a science teacher at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. "It's kind of cool. It's neat to see that people still appreciate stuff like that."

I know some of us have done this in the past. Didn't it make you feel good?

More later.
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It's a Larry Craig Christmas

Enuf said:













Are you ready for the holidays? Me neither.Who cares? Just enjoy.

More later.

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Reuters: Yale Top Ten Quotes of 2007

Here they are, the top ten quotes of 2007.

10. "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history." - Jimmy Carter.

9. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man." - Sen. Joe Biden, speaking about Barack Obama.

8. "(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom." - Sen. Larry Craig.

7. "I'm not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating." Sen. Harry Reid, speaking about Dick Cheney.

6. "There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11." - Sen. Joe Biden, speaking about Rudy Giuliani.

5. "I don't recall." - Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

4. "That's some nappy-headed hos there." Don Imus.

3. "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country." - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

2. "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and the Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us." - Miss South Carolina.

1. "Don't tase me, bro!" - UF student Andrew Meyer.

You'll note that Joe Biden made the list twice. I'm just sayin'.

More later.

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A Few Seasonal Blessings

Today was an eventful and surprisingly happy one. Every errand went smoothly without hitches. With only this one day to myself, I especially appreciate when that happens.

Even an appointment with the Dentist went well. No problems so I am apparently doing most everything I’ve been told. That’s quite an accomplishment.

Then, this afternoon and evening I enjoyed the company of a friend who invited me over to use her oven to bake my grandmother’s holiday pumpkin bread. You see it’s like this, my apartment doesn’t include an oven. It’s a long story. So, when my friends and co-workers realized this I was quickly asked to come over and bake to my heart’s content. So I did.

After a hunting expedition through the storage unit to find the box containing the recipes, I went shopping and brought all the ingredients. She provided the Kitchen Aid, the oven, good conversation and assistance. It was wonderful to bake again for the holidays. Only two batches this year because there are fewer friends to receive them.

While the breads baked we wrapped a few gifts destined for her family and friends. As the loaves cooled we enjoyed cups of steaming cider with cinnamon sticks and at the same time playing with her two beautiful kitties.

By the time I left for home, to our delight her home smelled like my grandmother’s did when I was a kid. Nice memories there.

Now home for the duration I am feeling very much at peace with the season and myself. A blessing, indeed.

More later.

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Senator Dodd and the FISA Bill

Chris Dodd was the only presidential candidate to rush back to DC to fight this bill which, as it stands now would give immunity to the Telecoms rather than make them accountable. Here's what the NYT has to say:

Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the Connecticut Democrat and presidential candidate, spent much of the day attacking the idea of giving immunity to the phone companies, and he took credit for the delay.

“Today we have scored a victory for American civil liberties and sent a message to President Bush that we will not tolerate his abuse of power and veil of secrecy,” Mr. Dodd said in a statement.

“The president should not be above the rule of law, nor should the telecom companies who supported his quest to spy on American citizens,” he said. “I thank all my colleagues who joined me in fighting and winning a stay in the rush to grant retroactive immunity to the telecommunications companies who may have violated the privacy rights of millions of Americans.”

Where in hell were Hillary, Obama, and McCain? Are they OK with the bill as it reads now? Maybe someone should ask them about this. Uh huh, like that's going to happen.

More later.

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UPDATE: I just received an email from Senator Dodd thanking me for supporting his effort. In the message he included a link to a video he posted last night thanking everyone (seems Congress received more than five hundred thousand messages over the last few days).

Anyway, here's the link to the video

More later.
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Author Allen Berube Dies

He wrote "Coming Out Under Fire" about gays in the military during the WW II. I had the great pleasure of meeting him at a book signing when the book was first published. So sad. From the NYT"

Allan Bérubé, a MacArthur Award-winning independent scholar whose history of gay men and lesbians in the military in World War II is widely considered the definitive book on the subject, died on Tuesday in Liberty, N.Y. He was 61. A former resident of Manhattan, Mr. Bérubé had lived in Liberty in recent years.

The cause was complications of stomach ulcers, a friend, Wayne Hoffman, said.

“Coming Out Under Fire” (Free Press), published in 1990, explores the uneasy but at times surprisingly benign relationship between the United States military and its gay members.

Mr. Bérubé’s book was invoked frequently during the debate that simmered in the 1990s around President Bill Clinton’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which officially allowed gay people to serve in the military if they kept their sexual orientation secret.

“Coming Out Under Fire” was also the basis for a documentary film of that name, released in 1994.

The book sprang from a box of letters. One day in the 1970s, a friend of one of Mr. Bérubé’s neighbors salvaged from a Dumpster a cache of correspondence exchanged by a dozen gay G.I.’s during the war. The men, who had met at an Army base in Missouri, were posted to different spots, but they continued to write — in particular about what it was like to be gay wherever they had fetched up.

The letters found their way to Mr. Bérubé. “I sorted them out and had a good cry,” he told the University of Chicago alumni magazine in 1997. “It really captured my heart and raised a lot of questions, so I started doing research.”

“Coming Out Under Fire” draws on interviews with dozens of men and women from all branches of the service. It argues that although gays were specifically barred from the armed forces from 1942 onward, homosexuality and military service, at least early on, were not as incompatible as they might seem.

At the start of World War II, the military, desperate to meet enlistment quotas, quietly admitted gay people with the tacit understanding that they would be discreet about their sexuality. For many gay men and lesbians, Mr. Bérubé wrote, military service was actually a godsend: It took them away from small-town life and gave them their first opportunity to meet other gay people.

On the whole, Mr. Bérubé found, gay service people who did their jobs ably were treated well by comrades and superiors. (Conditions worsened toward the end of the war, when the military stepped up its purges of homosexuals.) But those early war years, Mr. Bérubé concluded, were the wellspring of the gay-rights movement of the late 1960s and beyond.

Reviewing “Coming Out Under Fire” in The New York Times Book Review, Doris Kearns Goodwin called it “a timely and valuable perspective,” adding: “Mr. Bérubé tells his story with a clear and remarkably evenhanded voice.”

Read the rest here.

More later.
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Olbermann and Moyers

Two of my favourite people. This interview is just plain wonderful. I don't have access to PBS so I found it online and it's a breath of fresh air.

Treat yourself to this insightful interview. We all deserve this kind of journalism.

Go to the site and watch it for yourself. HERE.

More later.

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Levees.org Video Reposted on YouTube

YouTube was forced to removed this video produced by NOLA high school students after being threatened with a law suit. Glad to find out today that the video is back.

I love this.....from the Times Picayune:

Levees.org on Friday reposted to YouTube a satirical video filmed by high school students that is critical of the relationship between the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Army Corps of Engineers, after the group was promised free representation by two local law firms in the event it is sued.

"We have something to say today to the president of the American Society of Civil Engineers," said Levees.org President Sandy Rosenthal during a news conference in a restored Lakeview home a few blocks from the 17th Street Canal. "We reject your threats and we will not stop publicizing our video." (my emphasis)

In a letter to ASCE general Counsel Thomas Smith III, one of the attorneys for Levees.org warned that any lawsuit against the organization might trigger Louisiana's "Anti-SLAPP" statute, which allows courts to weed out lawsuits designed to chill public participation on matters of public significance.

Here is the video now available at YouTube.... Take a look.

More later.

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Jody Foster Comes Out

Even though we've all known for years...

After guarding her private life fiercely for 15 years, Hollywood actress Jodie Foster has publicly acknowledged her lesbian partner.

The Oscar-winning actress thanked "my beautiful Cydney" after winning an award at the Women in Entertainment Power 100 breakfast in Los Angeles.

She went on to praise Cydney Bernard, saying the film producer "sticks with me through all the rotten and the bliss".

Despite more than a decade of speculation, questions over the paternity of her two sons and critics calling for her be “out and proud”, Foster has refused to discuss her sexuality.

Read more here.

More later.
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Gay Marriage: Obstacle to World Peace?

Yeah, that's what Benny said. We wield more power than we know, apparently.

Presenting the nuclear family as the "first and indispensable teacher of peace" and the "primary agency of peace," the 15-page document links sexual and medical ethics to international relations.

"Everything that serves to weaken the family based on the marriage of a man and woman, everything that directly or indirectly stands in the way of its openness to the responsible acceptance of new life ... constitutes an objective obstacle on the road to peace," Benedict writes.

Read it all here.

More later.

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Month Five - Still No Check

I received an email from someone who found the anonymous site last year and passed the info along to a male friend who was, unfortunately, going through a similar life upheaval and was in an emotional meltdown. I know the feeling. He’s doing better now. We stay in touch.

Anyway, she’s been following the story of my phantom rent refund and asked if I had received it yet.

The answer, again unfortunately, is NO. But I still have hope. I know that he’s still in his house because he refused mail sent to me at his address, which was forwarded to my new address. The handwriting matches that of the original note promising the refund. Remember the note?

The email friend was not pleased as she replied, “it’s not the amount of money at stake that pisses me off, it’s that he would promise anything to get you out knowing what you were dealing with emotionally and financially and didn't really intend to follow through. What a dick! You know, there is always Small Claims court.”

That is a possibility in the back of my mind, but I will wait this out for a while longer because frankly, right now I have enough on my plate and the holidays to get through. Somehow I still hope that he will make good on his promise. After all, he considers himself a Christian.

Yes, I know, I know.

That said, in spite of everything I am pleased that he has his house.

More later.

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Help Save NOLA Public Housing

Watch this video:

From Facing South...

Next Monday, Dec. 10, is international Human Rights Day. It's also the day when activists in New Orleans are calling for actions opposing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to tear down more than 4,600 public housing units in four complexes across the city -- while replacing them with private, mixed-income developments that will set aside only 744 apartments for low-income people.
The decision to demolish these public complexes, which suffered only relatively minor damage [PDF] during Hurricane Katrina, comes as rents across the city have doubled since the storm -- as has the homeless population.

The activists are asking concerned citizens across the country to join the actions in New Orleans or to take action at home. According to a statement from Kali Akuno, director of the Stop the Demolition Coalition:

What is at stake with the demolition of public housing in New Orleans is more than just the loss of housing units: it destroys any possibility for affordable housing in New Orleans for the foreseeable future. Without access to affordable housing, thousands of working class New Orleanians will be denied their human right to return.

Although this situation is unique and urgent in the city of New Orleans, it does not occur in isolation. The plans for redevelopment here are part of a national assault on public housing, in which tens of thousands of homes have been demolished in the past decade.

Organizers are asking supporters from across the country to organize demonstrations at local HUD offices and other government buildings. They are also asking them to make calls to government officials demanding the reopening of public housing in New Orleans. Among those leaders they are asking people to call:

* New Orleans City Council Member Stacy Head, who has been a leading force in pushing for the tear-downs. Her number is 504-658-1020.

* New Orleans City Council Member Shelley Midura, who is being asked to oppose the demolitions and support the reopening of public housing. Her number is 504-658-1010.

* D.H. Griffin, the North Carolina-based contractor hired to demolish the Lafitte complex. For locations of the company's offices across the South, click here. The toll-free number is 888-336-3366.

* U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), who's blocking passage of the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act (Senate Bill 1668). Sponsored by his colleague, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), the measure would require any demolished public housing units to be replaced by other units available to low-income residents. Vitter can be reached in Washington at 202-224-4623 and New Orleans at 504-589-2753.

* Members of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, where SB 1668 is currently stuck. They are Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) at 202-224-6361, Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) at 202- 224-5941, Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) at 202-224-5623, Robert Bennett (R-Utah) at 202-224-5444, Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) at 202-224-2315, Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) at 202-224-4343, Tom Carper (D-Del.) at 202-224-2441, Robert Casey (D-Pa.) at 202-224-6324, Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) at 202-224-6142, Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) at 202-224-2823, Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) at 202-224-6342, Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) at 202-224-3424, Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) at 202-224-4224, Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) at 202-224-1638, Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) at 202-224-3041, Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) at 202-224-4744, Jack Reed (D-R.I.) at 202-224-4642, Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) at 202-224-0420, Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) at 202-224-5744, John Sununu (R-N.H.) at 202-224-2841 and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) at 202-224-2644.

Send information about any solidarity actions to action@peopleshurricane.org with "Solidarity" in the subject line. If you have any questions, contact the Stop the Demolition Coalition at action@peopleshurricane.org or call 504-458-3494. For more information on the issues at stake and planned protest actions, visit the websites of Defend New Orleans Public Housing, Justice for New Orleans and the People's Hurricane Relief Fund.

More later.
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Huckabee is an AIDSphobic Bigot

No wonder he's the darling of the religious right today.

Shorter Huckabee on Fox News Sunday: "I didn't say we should quarantine people with AIDS, I just thought it was a bad thing that we hadn't done it. And I still agree with myself."

Mind you, he suggested this in 1992, a decade into the epidemic and he was still this stupid. And as the quote above clearly states, he'd be ready to do it today. What an ignorant bigot. I feel sick!

Follow the link and watch the video over at Think Progress.

More later.

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War on Greed

Just received an email from film maker Robert Greenwald of "Outfoxed" fame and this is one of his new projects. The film opened in NYC recently and he is sending out this short clip.



Go over to the War On Greed site to find out more.

More later.
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Snowy Update

The snow ended sometime overnight after dumping 2.5 to 3 inches here. Yes, much more than expected. Local schools are closed, businesses are opening late, and blah blah. Too many accidents overnight and this morning caused by people who have no clue how to drive in show or ice.

Temps got down to 24' overnight and today's forecast, mentioned in yesterday's post, changed during that time, as well. High expected in the low 30s, not the 50s, but the sun is back and there is a clear blue sky, as promised.

Now it's time to go out and clear the snow and ice off the car. Oh Joy!

More later.
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It's Snow!

On the radio this morning the weather critter announced that there was a good chance of snow today, but no accumulation until tonight when, we were told to, 'expect about an inch'. Well, the snow began about 2 hours ago.

I snapped this image about an hour ago (from the front door) and now there is about a half inch of "no accumulation" on the ground and it's still coming down. I am told that the sun is still shining about 40 miles north of here.

Fortunately, I did the chores and ran all errands before the snowfall, so no reason to tackle the roads again today.

Tomorrow's forecast (if we are to believe it!) calls for sunny skies with a high in the low 50s. We shall see.

More later.

Christmas City of God Appeal

I'm late to the party, and sorry to be so, but please read this and give as you feel led. This is truly one of the best things about blogtopia. And yes, skippy coined the phrase.
MadPriest:

My goodness, what can I say? I'm flabbergasted. After just three days we have already raised $1950 and we know there are cheques in the post on top of this, so I'm pretty certain we've smashed through the $2000 ceiling already.

I will leave the hyperbole to my American associate because she's so much better at it than me. Suffice to say: WELL DONE, YOU CHAPS!

The OCICBW... Community Christmas Appeal this year is raising money to help pay for the work being done by the Anglican Church of Christ the King in the City Of God district of Rio De Janeiro. Full details about the project and how to send your gifts can be found HERE.

And don't forget to

And if possible, advertise the appeal on your own sites as this belongs to all of us.

The whole story can be found HERE.

And visit MadPriest at OCICBW. If you feel that you don't belong, you belong at that site.

More later.
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Just in Time for Christmas

With today's revealing story the ongoing sad saga of Larry Craig in the Statesman, where they finally write the results of their months long investigation. Four men have come forward and the article includes audio files containing graphic descriptions of the sex acts. NSFW.

So, Stupid dot com has come up with the perfect, timely gift for the GOP closet case in your life. The Larry Craig Action Figure. No joke. The figure comes with a tee shirt, has bendable limbs for recreating his infamous "wide stance" and if that isn't enough when you press a button he talks!

More later.
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World Aids Day 2007

What’s happening where you are? Here’s what’s going on here.

Dec 1 • 6:15-6:30 pm Pre-Walk gathering and candle lighting at the Bandstand and the Boardwalk

Dec 1 • 6:30 pm Candlelight Walk of Remembrance and Hope begins at the Bandstand and the Boardwalk and snakes through the streets of town.

Dec 1 • 7:00 pm (or when the walk ends) Program continues at local Church. Program includes reading of names of friends/family members lost to the epidemic.

Dec 1 • 7:45 pm (or when the service ends) Light supper in the church hall, provided by a local Restaurant.

But most of all, remember those we have lost.

More later.

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