Hello,

It's a glorious Saturday and it feels good to be alive. Enjoy the day, do something different and tell someone you love them. Oh, no I sound like a Hallmark card, ugh!

Ok, I'm tired of hearing reporters call Dennis Rader the so-called BTK killer. The police caught him, he admitted to the killings, he IS the BTK killer. Enough said.

Jaw dropper of the day: In Richmond, California, at least six officers were caught on a security camera helping themselves to drinks in a closed Mrs. Fields store. The police were at the Hilltop Mall after a security guard caught two burglars who were trying to open a gate to a jewelry store. The police searched for the burglars then poured themselves some beverages from the cookie store. The management caught the footage on the tape from the security camera. A lawyer representing the officers said, "A couple of them were (dehydrated) to the point of desperation."

Enjoy your day,

paul

Check out this meteor from the Leonid meteor shower in Nov. 2000. I found this rummaging through some old pics and thought it was really cool.  

Remember this classic moment? 

Hello, President Bush? Hello, yes, it's me Cindy Sheehan. I'm calling you from your front gate. I know you're on vacation and quite busy with golfing, barbecuing, and bike riding (on the occasions you can actually stay on the bike). Oh, yes, that was a bit rude but it is true. What? Oh, yes, I know the continuous playing of Holiday by Green Day and System Of A Down's B.Y.O.B. is getting quite annoying. Your neighbors did mow down our crosses. Just what kind of neighbors do you have living here? Anyway, look Mr. President, I'd really like to talk to you, just for a few minutes, about the death of my son and almost 2,000 others who have died in Iraq. Many, many of them were quite young or had families. I know you think things are going very well even though more soldiers are dying every day and the insurgents are becoming more clever in their violence, well we disagree on that point and I'm not the only one either. Ok, wait, Mr. President, don't you want one of your last acts as President, before you become a lame duck, to be one of goodwill? I mean let's face it you've had a lot of bad things during your presidency: cutting taxes during a war, letting Osama Bin Laden escape at Tora Bora, the ousting of Colin Powell, Margaret Spellings, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, appointing John Bolton to the UN.....oh, I'm sorry I got carried away. You have had some good things such as catching Saddam Hussein, bringing the country together after 9/11 (even if it was short lived), John Roberts as a US Supreme Court Justice looks promising. Many of your speeches and coining of new words has no doubt provided many hours of derision. And your facial expressions during the first Presidential debate with John Kerry were priceless. So what do you say President Bush? Won't you just take a few minutes out of your, I'm sure much deserved vacation, just to speak with me? Ok, Mr. Bush, I'll let you go now. I'll be right out here waiting and there's some Texas barbecued chicken wings for you too. Goodbye. Update: Sheehan's mother had a stroke and Cindy is leaving the ranch but she plans on being back as soon as possible.

My Oscar video pick of the week is a 1937 film that tells the story of a spoiled brat, who thinks he is entitled to everything he wants, who falls overboard while on a ship with his father. The film, Captains Courageous, is adapted from Rudyard Kipling's book and is one of the best adaptations I've ever seen. It stars Spencer Tracy as fisherman Manuel who saves Harvey, the young spoiled rich kid. This kid makes the Problem Child boy look like Mother Teresa. Most of the movie is spent out on the sea with Harvey learning what real life is like and Manuel and Harvey are soon bonding as a father and son would . One of the best scenes in the film is when Harvey tells Manuel he wants to stay with him. Another really good one is when Harvey is in the church praying to God that he wants to be with Manuel as Harvey's father listens in the back. Harvey's father, by the way, is played by Melvyn Douglas. Tracy won a much deserved Oscar, his first of two, for this film. He must have been one of the best actors of his time, his performance in the film is moving. In fact all of the acting is superb and the film is saved from melodrama and being sappy thanks to the actors. A 17-year old Mickey Rooney plays the son of the captain in the film. Check out this movie and revel in how movies used to be made.

Enjoy your day,

paul

Who says the no-fly list doesn't work? We're keeping those pesky infants who threaten the security of our country off of our planes. I can't make this stuff up. Several infants have been denied boarding on airplanes because their names have turned up on the no-fly list. Read about it yourself by checking out this link.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,165778,00.html

The weather is simply wonderful, no longer hot and humid. Ahhhhhhhhh.....enjoy.

peace,

paul

Here is the American flag made from 140 Jeep vehicles. The National Anthem Project is making an effort to re-teach Americans the words to the Star-Spangled Banner, only two out of 3 Americans know the words (I confess I'm #3). Jeep is sponsoring the effort and this flag kicked things off. It was done in Mount Pocono, Pa. The flag measured 73 ft wide and 191 ft long. 

Thank heavens the humidity has broken. It's nice and cool today but I've a feeling we haven't seen the last of that oppressive heat.

Thank you to the American public for NOT making The Dukes of Hazzard the #1 movie over the weekend. I can't imagine going to this movie and enjoying it. Why, oh, why can't Hollywood come up with original movies? Is there such a dearth of new ideas?

And in the, "I wish I could do that" department: A Douglas County judge in Nebraska has been publicly reprimanded for his rudeness while presiding over a case. Judge John Huber made one litigant cry after the case had been resolved. "Stop it. Grow up. That doesn't make me feel bad for you in any way," he told the litigant. He was also snide and impatient. He is working on correcting this but can I just say, how much fun that would be. To just tell some people to just grow up, get a life, move on already.

That's it for now.

Well enjoy your day,

paul

Another Sunday and the start of another week. Here's a question for you: Does the week start on Sunday or Monday? Interesting........

I have an additional comment for the film Heights, which I went to see yesterday. The best line in the movie came from a character at a party discussing the casting of the three witches in Macbeth. The women of choice: Laura Bush, Lynn Cheney and Martha Stewart. Can you imagine? I wonder if people would line up to see it.

There are a couple of songs out right now that I'm really enjoying. Collective Soul has a song called Better Now and it's quite happy and bouncy. I have to crank it up whenever it comes on. Another song I'm really enjoying is a Christian song called If We Are The Body by a group called Casting Crowns. I really like that name and the song is an upbeat song. Not the sort of Christian song many people may be used to.

That's all I feel like writing today. Enjoy your Sunday.

peace,

paul

Check out this catfish which was caught in the River Ebro near Barcelona. The female catfish was caught on July 6, 2005, and weighed in at 7ft 7in, the largest freshwater to be caught by a British angler. I wonder if they'll have leftovers. 

Went to see the movie Heights which stars Glenn Close and I was very disappointed in the film. It's not even original; it's adapted from a play. And despite being a Merchant/Ivory production it isn't up to par with many of their other films. It's not for lack of good performances, Glenn Close does not disappoint. I was thinking at the beginning of the film that this may be the role that wins her the Oscar and despite the fact that she gives it her all, I would like to see her win for something meatier and more commercial. This is an art film through and through and probably won't be released in the multiplexes. The film also stars James Marsden as a gay man. Marsden, of Xmen fame (he played Cyclops, the one with the cool visor on his eyes) isn't playing his first gay role. Marsden is married and has a child but I'm wondering what draws him to the role of the conflicted gay man. The story is this: A man is about to get married and an affair that he had with a famous photographer catches up with him. Other characters are thrown in for good effect and they ultimately end up converging with each other. It's a plot that is hackneyed and some good performers are wasted.

Jaw dropper of the day: Don't read this if you just ate. A Japanese man is the dumpling king. He downed 83 dumplings in just 8 mins in Hong Kong's dumpling eating contest. Why people enjoy entering these contests and downing food so fast in so little time is beyond me. I thought food was meant to enjoy and savor not cram down your throat as fast as possible. Ugh!!!!!!

Enjoy your night,

paul

It's finally Friday, thank heavens. And speaking of heaven, I just want to make one additional comment about yesterday's entry on evolution. I believe in God and I believe in Darwin's evolution theory. I don't think that's a contradiction at all.

My Oscar video pick of the week is not an original movie (big surprise). Stalag 17, based on the play of the same name, a 1953 movie tells the story of a group of Americans being held prisoner during WWII. I read the play years and years ago while I was in college but had never seen the movie. It stars William Holden (who won the Actor Oscar) and a 27 year old Peter Graves. The behavior of Holden's character causes the other men in the bunker to think that he is passing secret information to the Germans. The confrontation at the end when the traitor is exposed is one of those classic "yes" movie moments. That's when the viewer is watching the movie just waiting for the antagonist to get their comeuppance. When it finally comes the viewer ends up yelling out "yes!"

Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq in April of last year, has been camped out at President Bush's ranch for about a week now. The president is on vacation for five weeks but he cannot be bothered to go out and talk with one of the citizens of his country. How very sad!!!! I'm so glad other military families have joined her as it's about time Bush became accountable for something. Don't even get me started on Karl Rove. The question isn't whether Rove committed a crime but whether he acted inappropriately and the question is yes. Anyone else at any other job would have been fired already.

Here's a "stupid" jaw dropper: Three teens in Missouri sold themselves on Ebay. The teens, who start college soon, wanted some extra money and "sold" themselves to do tedious tasks for a week. The final price tag: $246.50 Haha, how pathetic. One teen said that he wouldn't do it again. Yeah, get a real job.

I'm very disappointed in the new cast of Survivor. Yes, I truly enjoy watching this show, however, out of 16 new cast members, only three are over the age of 40. Only one is over the age of 50. Talk about ageism. I quite enjoy seeing middle aged people, sometimes even more than younger people. They have more life experience, are wiser, more prepared and a lot of the men are much sexier.

Enjoy your day,

paul

My spouse thought it was going to be cooler today; it is, a few degrees anyway. Actually the humidity is not as oppressive today as it has been.

There's a fascinating article in this week's Time magazine on the debate between evolution and intelligent design. No matter which one you believe in, I highly recommend it be read. My favorite quote within the article comes from Steven Pinker, Psychology Professor at Harvard University. He says, "morality comes from a commitment to treat others as we wish to be treated which follows the realization that none of us is the sole occupant of the universe." According to the book of Genesis, God made the universe in 7 days. But, is that to be taken literally and were those actual 24 hour days as we know them today? Francis Collins, the Director of National Human Genome Research Institute views the first 2 chapters as a "poem of how God created the world."

It's an epidemic!!!!!! Peter Jennings died of lung cancer, Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie) died of the disease and now Dana Reeve (yes, Superman's widow) has the disease. What is going on here? Hello people..........this should be everyone's wake up call to take better care of themselves.

Another ridiculous item are all of the jurors from the Michael Jackson trial coming forward and saying that they think Jacko is guilty. Then why the hell didn't you convict him? Three jurors have come forward so far yet none of them voted guilty. It's a little late now, don't you think?

Ok, I've ranted enough. Enjoy your day,

paul

Thankfully the Discovery space shuttle landed safely, in California. Bad weather kept it out of Florida. They strap it to a plane and will fly it back to Florida, I think it would be cool to see that.

Natalee Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, has had a harrassment complaint filed against her. She went to Deepak Kalpoe's place of business and grilled him with questions for about 90mins. Two months later and still no sign of the teenager. Twitty is right about one thing, the whole investigation has the air of ineptitude floating around it.

Jaw dropper of the day: Talk about forgetting something important. Stop me if you've heard this one: A Macedonian man, travelling with his wife and 4-year-old daughter, stops at a service station, drives off and then remembers he forgot his wife.....SIX HOURS LATER. The family was travelling from Pesaro back to their home in Germany. When police finally traced the man he was in Milan, over 200 miles north of Pesaro. His wife had gotten out of the car to use the bathroom and the man had not noticed, especially since she usually sat in the backseat with their daughter. I guess the two of them really don't talk a lot, they must really enjoy the silence in their relationship. Six hours is a long time to go without saying SOMETHING and realizing your wife is not responding to you. Talk to your loved one today.

Enjoy your day,

paul

The Evangelical Lutheran church has their assembly in Florida starting today. The big vote will be on whether or not to ordain gays/lesbians. How wonderful it is to be in a denomination where that is not even an issue.

Peter Jennings has died of lung cancer at the age of 67. A Toronto native, Jennings had his own show at the age of 9. The announcement that he had lung cancer had only come back in April. Behind Tom Brokaw, Jennings was my 2nd favorite evening anchor.

Jaw dropper of the day: According to Los Angeles city officials the sign of a strip club is not against the law, however, Toys R Us has been contacted and they will be looking into whether the name of the strip club violates the trademark of their store name. The strip club, called the Century Lounge, has a new sign out in front of the building that says Vaginas R Us. Buoyed by the popularity of the Vagina Monologues, the owner, Howard White, says he is only advertising his business. I guess with a sign like that there's no question what his business is.

Enjoy your day,

paul

A wonderfully cool Sunday, we'd better enjoy it while we can because the heat is supposed to come back tomorrow, oy vey (I'm a Jewish wannabe).

I'm so tired of commercials playing songs that I like. There's an suv commercial out that has the song Dust In The Wind playing over the commercial. That's a classic and I don't like hearing it cheapened by a car commercial. There's a newer song that was played on HBO earlier this year. The song is called Run by a group called Snow Patrol. I know, you may not know who the hell I'm talking about, however, I like the song and they played it while previews of the HBO movie Empire Falls played. Then they played the same song during previews of David E. Kelley's tv show The Law Firm. Whatever happened to original jingles? I mean, come on, Dr. Pepper's "Be A Pepper," Nair's "We Wear Short Shorts," and even McDonalds's annoying "Ba Da Bop Bop Ba, I'm Lovin' It" jingle. These are original and don't resort to playing good radio songs to death.

Was Jimi Hendrix gay? No, but according to a new book, Room Full Of Mirrors by Charles R. Cross, Hendrix told officers he was in love with one of the mates in his unit and that he had also become addicted to masturbating. Instead of being released due to an injury, as had been reported, he was released because of homosexual tendencies. I guess this was before all of the drugs killed his brain cells.

Enjoy your day,

paul

I'm so proud to be a part of Metropolitan Community Churches. The denomination believes in being open to everyone. It's so diverse and accepting and with churches in over 20 different countries it's global as well. Below is the MCC statement of vision. This is the denomination I belong to.

MCC Statement of Vision
Metropolitan Community Churches are on a bold mission to transform hearts, lives, and history. We are a movement that faithfully proclaims God’s inclusive love for all people and proudly bears witness to the holy integration of spirituality and sexuality.
Just as Jesus did, we are called to:
Do justice, show kindness, and live humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)
Explore life’s questions and answers.
Raise our voices in sacred defiance against religious (and political or systemic) exclusion.
Reach out to those with no hope.
Lift up new generations of remarkable, far-reaching spiritual activists.
MCC Statement of Purpose
As God’s liberated people, we boldly . . .
Reclaim our Holy Identity.
At MCC, we believe that even in our humanness, we are holy. We are liberated from other people’s definitions of who we are. We are made both body and spirit. We believe that our sexuality is a holy gift from God so we no longer distance our bodies from our experience with God. We are a people who proudly participate in the communion of body and spirit.
Advance our call to Social Justice and Action.
At MCC, we believe that Jesus led the way in acts of compassion and acts of justice. Because we have been a people in the margins of society, we understand fully the grace that God has extended to us. We seek to distance ourselves from exclusion and draw ourselves closer to including all those who are marginalized in any way. We stand boldly with those who resist the structures of exclusion, as Jesus did, and work to insure freedom for all people. In the margins, we are blessed.
Tell the story of God’s Transforming Grace.
At MCC, we come as we are to Christ and are changed by what we find. We experience a God with open arms, inviting all to take the sacred journey of faith and transformation. We are growing in our faith and claim that our place in society has magnified our place in God’s family. We are one of the many voices of God that, until now, has been lost in the margins!
Nurture the value of Community
At MCC, we believe our ultimate ministry is in the world. We know that in order to prepare ourselves for radical service that changes lives, we must equip ourselves and others in the safety of a supportive community. We strive to live out a message that rejects the idea that any are excluded from the family of God.
Build bridges that Liberate and Unite
At MCC, we have experienced the soul destruction that comes from hate filled rhetoric. In restoring our souls, we have come to find that our voices will speak the liberation that comes through peace, compassion, love, respect and grace. As followers of Jesus, we believe in everyone’s holy privilege to work out their own salvation. While we are a Christian church who follows Jesus, we respect those of other faith traditions and work together with them to free all those who are oppressed by hate, disregard and violence.
MCC Statement of Direction
MCC has staked its claim. As one of the world’s emerging churches, we are proclaiming a spirituality that is liberating and sufficiently profound to address the issues of our chaotic and complicated world. We live out our belief that in the margins we are blessed and we are offering multiple ways for people to access our message of liberation and inclusion. Through church planting, church revitalization, alliances, the internet, and our work in acts of compassion and justice, we will expand our reach substantially over the next few years. MCC will become a name known to an increasing number of people as a place where all are welcomed and our service to those who are excluded is a primary calling. We will be leaders in the world about the union of spirituality and sexuality by articulating our message and spreading it effectively.
MCC Statement of Core Values
Inclusion
Love is our greatest moral value and resisting exclusion is a primary focus of our ministry. We want to continue to be the conduits of a faith where everyone is included in the family of God, and where all parts of our being are welcomed at God’s table.
Community
Offering a safe and open community for people to worship, learn and grow in their faith is our deep desire. We are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that God has called us to do in the world.
Spiritual Transformation
Providing a message of liberation from the oppressive religious environment of our day or to those experiencing God for the first time is what guides our ministry. We believe that when people are invited to experience God through the life and ministry of Christ, lives will be transformed.
Social Action
Working to talk less and do more, we are committed to resisting the structures that oppress people and standing with to those who suffer under the weight of oppressive systems, being guided always by our commitment to Global Human Rights.

I finally saw the film 2001:A Space Odyssey and I have to say it left me nonplussed. The first 20-25mins is just a group of gorillas sitting around, frolicking, eating, fighting, communing and then a monolith appears and they don't know what to make of it. Cut to outer space and for the next 30-35 mins there are extended scenes of space or characters performing mundane activities while classical music plays over the scene.

When HAL is introduced, the film really takes off. Hal, of course, is the evil machine. Actually he's more like a computer, a brain, of the ship. Hal decides to take over the ship and kill everyone on board. I admit for the last half hour I had no idea what the hell was going on. Maybe I'm just not very cerebral but I was scratching my head. Visually the film is stunning and was obviously meant to see on a huge screen. If you like sci fi and if you like Stanley Kubrick then rent this movie.

I can't believe I have to work tonight. Usually I have Friday nights off, however, a girl on my team wanted off tonight to attend a wedding and I agreed to work for her. The benefit to me: She'll be working for me on Sunday night. Yippee!!!!

I wrote about Six Feet Under in yesterday's posting and I just wanted to add a few more comments. Thankfully the last few episodes will not feature Nate and Brenda as a couple. Personally I think that ship ran its course a long time ago. I think they did a really nice job turning around the relationship between David and Keith and I really wish they would do something positive with Ruth, the matriarch of the family. How whiny and negative she has become!!!! I think she needs an affair with a really hot, macho, masculine and hairy Italian. One who will lay with her for hours just talking and then give her a role in the hay she won't soon forget.

One more thought for today. I'm hoping the confirmation hearings for John Roberts go smoothly. Jim has said from the beginning that he has a good feeling about the Supreme Court nominee and I tend to agree with him about Roberts. Now comes word that he once helped a gay rights group overturn a ruling in Colorado that allowed gays to be excluded from housing and jobs. I'll bet the Christian Conservatives are loving that. If one reads a record of some of his most popular cases and rulings one would see that he's not a radically right as people may think.

Enjoy your day,

paul

Yes, but is it still worth watching?: That's the question some people may be asking about the HBO program Six Feet Under. After five years the show remains arguably one of the biggest shows with characters that make one want to jump through the tv screen and start strangling. The characters make poor choices, whine, revel in self-pity and depression and complain, complain, complain. Hmmm....sounds like some people we may know in real life. Having said that, however, the show remains one of the most sharp and well written shows on tv. It can still find humor and sadness in even the most mundane situation and with only three new episodes (ever) left, the show seems to have taken a page from the "I Can't Believe They Did That" book. One of the main characters has been killed off. With the name printed on the screen (a sign that the character has expired) now the rest of the characters must deal with the loss and face their own inadequacies. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out? I sure am.

Oscar video pick of the week: My video pick of the week (Oscar of course) is a film from 1931 starring Helen Hayes and a very young Robert Young (Marcus Welby himself). Hayes stars as Madelon Claudet in the film The Sin of Madelon Claudet. It starts out as a young and vibrant Hayes running away with her lover and from there she experiences abandonment, has a child, goes to prison, loses her child, meets her child, faces life on the street, "loses" her child again, and finally comes face to face with her son again. At times it's a bit much seeing all of the misfortune face Madelon, however, Hayes (in her film debut) is radiant, even as an old and haggard woman who has lived a hard life. Hayes was only 31 when she film the movie and the makeup is wonderful as is her performance. She won the Actress Oscar (the 5th woman to do so) and the film moves along at a brisk pace.

Until next time,

paul

It's another hot one. It's going to be in the 90's today. Stay cool everyone.

Who says gays don't have more fun and aren't at the center of the social stratosphere? I don't say that and after reading this article, you can't either (nyah,nyah,nyah). Check it out.

NEW YORK, NY --Gays and lesbians who read the nation's top gay newspapers are more socially outgoing, travel more frequently and are more concerned about health and fitness than the general U.S. adult population. These generally held perceptions about the country's gays and lesbians are supported by statistical findings in a just-released reader survey conducted on behalf of the National Gay Newspaper Guild.
Harris Interactive conducted the Guild reader poll and posed the same questions to a statistical sample of the U.S. population. Further comparison of off-beat topics shows that compared to the general population, the gays and lesbians that were polled:
-- are twice as likely to own an iPod;
-- are half as likely to own a Chevrolet or Buick vehicle, but more than twice as likely to own a Honda;
-- are more likely to have rented a car in the past year; and
-- are three times more likely to have a personal trainer.
"The Guild's survey provides invaluable demographic information about a highly targeted cross-section of readers from the nation's leading gay and lesbian publications," said Todd Evans, CEO of Rivendell Media, the company that organized the Guild in 1982. "Over the past 20 years of doing this report, our survey has become a benchmark resource for insight into our community."
The National Gay Newspaper Guild first surveyed its readers in 1984 to provide a reader profile to prospective advertisers. The poll is noted as one of the first statistically reliable demographic marketing studies of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) market. Conducted every four years since 1984, the Guild survey has become one of the premier U.S. sources for LGBT marketing data.
"The idea for a survey began as an advertising sales tool for member newspapers, but it has evolved to become a notable statistical profile of gays and lesbians as a target consumer market," said Evans.
Technophiles
In addition to an affinity for the iPod (17% gays, lesbians vs. 8% general population), gay and lesbian respondents in the guild survey also proved to be heavily into gadgets and the latest technology.
Those that have Internet access at home are more likely than the average U.S. adult to have broadband (66% vs. 57%) instead of a dial-up service with twice as many LGBT high-speed surfers opting for Wi-Fi access at home (25% vs. 12%). Guild readers were almost twice as likely to own a PDA or Personal Digital Assistant (25% vs. 13%) or own a wireless e-mail device such as a Blackberry (7% vs. 4%).
Gay and lesbian wireless customers are more likely to have added features on their cell phone such as a camera (25% vs. 20%) or services such as text messaging (75% vs. 66%) and e-mail (39% vs. 32%).
Readers are just as likely as the average U.S. adult to own a home computer (94% vs. 95%); however, it's more likely that the computer of choice is a laptop (46% vs. 29%). While IBM compatible computer systems were most popular among both sample sets (83% vs. 84%), Guild readers are three times more likely to own a MacIntosh (15% vs. 5%).
Guild readers also are more likely to use online travel reservations sites than other U.S. adults with airline Web sites being favored by a majority of both groups (70% vs. 54%).
Healthy, Wealthy and Wise
The surveyed gays and lesbians had more than twice as many college degrees as the average U.S. adult (67% vs. 25%) with the graduating class earning more than three times as many graduate degrees (28% vs. 8%).
The gay and lesbian sample was three times as likely to belong to a health club (51% vs. 17%), with gym members three times more likely to have a personal trainer (13% vs. 4%). They also are more than twice as likely to get massages (36% vs. 14%).
Of those surveyed, the Guild readers were more likely to consume champagne (30% vs. 12%) and imported wine (43% vs. 19%) but also more likely to consumer domestic beer (76% vs. 72%). Also, readers were more likely to be brand-loyal consumers (52% vs. 38%).
Ford was an equally popular car maker among both groups (14% vs. 19%). Hondas were more than twice as popular among gays and lesbian car owners (11% vs. 5%) while there was a marked disagreement in Chevrolets (7% vs. 18%) and Buicks (1% vs. 4%).
Readers tended to have higher personal and household incomes and higher household net worth than the average U.S. adult. They were more than two times as likely to have an individual income over $50,000 (43% vs. 21%) and almost two times as likely to have a net worth over $500,000 (26% vs. 14%).
Social Creatures and World Travelers
Gay and lesbians in the poll tend to host parties at home with a clear preference for dinner parties (12% vs. 5%) and cocktail parties (10% vs. 2%) over cook-outs (7% vs. 8%).
When it comes to dining out, the gay and lesbian in the survey were half as likely to have dined out only one to five times in the past 30 days (16% vs. 37%), while twice as likely to have dined out more than 10 times (48% vs. 25%).
Guild readers also are more than three times as likely to have been to a night club (43% vs. 14%) and more than six times as likely to have been to a live theatre performance (15% vs. 2%) or museum/art gallery (13% vs. 2%) two or more times per month in the past year.
Nearly nine in ten surveyed gays and lesbians have traveled within the United Sates in the past year compared to seven in ten U.S. adults (87% vs. 70%). Readers were almost twice as like to have taken a trip outside the United States in the past three years (58% vs. 28%). Guild readers also took more than twice as many flights for personal travel in the past years (average 2.9 vs. 1.3 trips). They also were more likely to have rented a car in the past year for personal or business use (mean of 2.7 vs. 1.1 rentals).
The National Gay Newspaper Guild (www.nationalgaynewspaperguild.com) represents the top LGBT local newspapers in the nation and has a member circulation larger than the leading national LGBT magazines combined. Member publications include Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco; Bay Windows, Boston; Between the Lines, Detroit; Dallas Voice, Dallas; Frontiers, Los Angeles; Gay & Lesbian Times, San Diego; Houston Voice, Houston; New York Blade, New York; Philadelphia Gay News, Philadelphia: Southern Voice, Atlanta: Washington Blade, Washington, D.C.: The Weekly News, Miami; and Windy City Times, Chicago.
Methodology:
The 2005 NGNG Readership Survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive within the United States between October 10, 2004 and March 21, 2005. The interviewing was administered to nationwide samples of 3,801 adults (aged 18 and over) who are readers of a NGNG publication and a separate general sample of 2,731 U.S. adults (aged 18 and over).

The thought of the day: It's not premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married.

It's hard to believe it's August 1. Where does the time go to? We had a nice day yesterday at Jones Pond, a gay campground about 20 miles from where we live. Jim performed a wedding for two of the guys who have a trailer there. It was a nice ceremony and Jim used some of his shtick which included verbal participation from the audience. It was my first time there and everyone was really nice and the campground itself was pretty, relaxing, and clean. It is a clothing optional (in certain areas) camp and maybe one day I'll be comfortable enough with my own body to walk around au naturel.

Jaw dropper of the day: I wrote a couple of months ago on a procedure hospitals are using to eat away bacteria and infectious parts of the body; the use of maggots is helping get rid of infection in some cases. A woman in Bay City, Michigan, diagnosed with diabetes lost her left leg because of the disease and she also has wounds that develop on her right foot as a result of putting pressure on it. On July 6, doctors put maggots on the foot of Barbara Enser, each maggot about 2 millimeters in size. Then the wound was covered with foam, tape, and a gauze bandage. Two days later, on July 8, the maggots had swollen to about 4 millimeters and were eating away at the infection. The maggots apparently only eat infected tissue and leave healthy skin alone. They also leave an enzyme on the skin that promotes healing. When the bandages were removed on July 10, the swelling in the foot was gone, where there had been infected tissue now had healthy tissue and the maggots were removed by the use of tweezers. The skin is then rinsed with a saline solution and any remaining dead skin is cut away. How funky indeed!!!! As long as it works, but hey, no squirming.

Enjoy your day,

paul

It's a glorious Sunday morning and the start of another week (and, yes, it's back to work). It's too bad vacations can't last forever.

Jaw dropper of the day: A few years ago, in Northeastern Canada, a fisherman found a piece of Boivin cheese at the bottom of the lake. He ate the cheese and declared it to be the best cheese he had EVER eaten. With that in mind, a dairy owner threw 10 barrels of cheese into the lake (which goes down 130 feet). Now divers are trying to find the cheese. In all there are about 1700 pounds of it. Apparently depths that deep are good for cheese because it's really cold and the pressure speeds up the aging process of the cheese. Of course whether it's safe to eat is still up in the air (actually, it's below sea level, hahahaha) but we only have that lone fisherman's word on the fact that it is glorious cheese.

Enjoy your day,

paul

Both Jim and I have finished Harry Potter (Book 6). Now we anxiously (or I do anyway) await book 7, the final book in the series. We were hypothesizing about what will happen in the last book. Neither one of us thinks that the character who dies is truly dead. I won't say who it is in case someone who hasn't read it is reading this. I'm so thoughtful. Speaking of Harry Potter, a letter written by Joseph Ratzinger (before he was head honcho of the Catholic church) recently surfaced. It was in response to a letter written by a German sociologist who was criticizing J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Part of the letter states, and I quote, "It is good that you are throwing light on Harry Potter, because these are subtle seductions that work imperceptibly, and because of that deeply, and erode Christianity in the soul before it can even grow properly." Huh?!? And the whole Catholic priest abuse scandal doesn't erode Christianity. The Potter books have done a lot of good in getting young people to read. How many other books are so anxiously waited for that children all over the world stay up until midnight just to purchase theirs?

Jaw dropper of the day: Talk about a cool treat, how about fruity and spicy popsicles? These popsicles, from the Palapa Azul ice cream company, come in flavors such as sweet corn, Mexican chocolate, and goat's milk caramel (yummalicious indeed).

Enjoy your day,

paul

Fair Friday

Slowly but surely we are getting back to our "normal" lives after our big General Conference. I am excited, however, because the next conference, in two years, will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, a place I've never been to. It is in July and yes it will be hot but it should still be fabulous. I feel spiritually renewed after this conference and have a better sense of where I want to be in my church.

Jaw dropper of the day: Tomato stains? Just use a little club soda. You might want to use a lot of club soda for this one. Fairfield, CA, an hour south of Sacramento was to hold their annual tomato toss contest. Yes, people hurl tomatoes at each other. The event was to be sponsored by Maytag, however, they pulled their support. The event, which lasts about 15-min, will probably still go on but without the tossing of the fruit (yes, tomatoes are a fruit). Does that mean it will just be called the toss contest? Or just the contest if there is to be no tossing? Oh well!

Enjoy your day,

paul

It was only in the low 80's today but it felt like a heatwave compared to the temps in Calgary. We really don't deal with the heat very well.

It's nice to be back home although Calgary is a wonderful city.

Jaw dropper of the day will return tomorrow. I'm just too tired to try and write something. I need a vacation, oh wait, I just had one.

Enjoy your evening,

paul

O Canada: The final days

The final day of our conference in Canada (the fourth nation in the world that has equal marriage for GLBT people. The "sermon" that our new moderator gave was not really a sermon but more of an "acceptance speech." She didn't really preach but it wasn't a true acceptance speech in the way that one thinks of such a speech. It was just her talking about her life experiences and her time at the conference and memories she has throughout her years in the denomination. I feel renewed spiritually and invigorated to be a part of such an important denomination.

We left Calgary today and when we got to the Calgary airport we found out that our flight to Chicago was delayed two hours. Therefore, we would be missing our connecting flight from Chicago to Rochester. We waited in line to go through customs for about an hour and then we didn't get to go through customs because the computers were down so we had to wait and go through in Chicago. We got a later flight from Chicago to Rochester but had to spend 4 hours at the airport waiting for the flight. NEVER AGAIN CHICAGO, NEVER AGAIN!!!!!! Thank God we made it home safely and not too terribly late.

This & That: During our trip to Banff to see the majestic mountains, the mosquitoes were terrible. Jim said there must have been a sign at the bottom of the mountain that read: Blood Buffet or Human Buffet.

By the way, I really like Canadian money. It's so colorful (the bills anyway) and it looks like play money but it buys real things. It certainly doesn't spend like play money though and it goes fast.

Well we are home and safe and I hope you are too.

paul

O Canada day 5

Monday was an absolute beautiful day, not just weather wise but scenery wise as well. We took a bus into Banff and spent the day surrounded by the Canadian Rockies. For lunch, we went to an Irish pub and restaurant and sat up on the second floor of the restaurant where the patio was. We sat on the patio looking right out at the massive mountains; they are just amazing. At one point we saw an elk and we also saw a mule deer. The mule deer had antlers that made it look like a reindeer, just the way the antlers were shaped. Of course, I didn't get pics of those two animals because the batteries in my digital camera had died and the gift shop we went to at one of our stops were all sold out of double AA batteries. In fact, two of the gift shops we went to were sold out. Of course they were. We also took the gondola up one of the mountains. We climbed to well over 7,000 feet. The view was incredible. The animals were very bold as they would take food offered by people. I've got some pics taken while I was feeding one of the chipmunks and the birds weren't shy either. A couple of times I thought I might get my hand taken off. The whole day was just lovely. We crashed fairly early; before 8pm.

Today is our last day and we will once again make the most of the day, enjoying the city, attending a workshop or two and trying to just relax.

Enjoy your day,

paul

O Canada Day 4

Another fabulous day in Calgary. We got to hear Bishop Steven Charleston, President of Epicopal Divinity School, preach this morning. He likes the Catholic liturgy and preaches like a Baptist. He was wonderful and he didn't overdo the Baptist preaching style. I never used to like people calling out, Hallelujah, praise the Lord, yes, Amen, etc, during service or during the sermon. I've grown tolerant of it and maybe someday I may even do it myself. If I'm so compelled to do so.

The clergy and lay people voted in a new Moderator, Rev. Nancy Wilson, will start her 6 year term in October. Fortunately, I will also be at her installation at the National Cathedral. Three people from each church participating will be serving communion/holding the elements. I'll be holding the elements from the Open Arms church. By the way, I'm getting more and more used to my digital camera. It's really true, the more you use something, the less "afraid" of it you become.

We had dinner at an Irish restaurant and pub and I had shepherd's pie for the very first time. It was really good. Of course, I will have to order it again so I can compare but I liked it. I had wanted to try it for a long time and we were at a restaurant where it was served, so I said, "what the hell."

Tomorrow we take a bus tour up to the Canadian Rockies and ride the gondola up the mountain.

We were feeling a bit peckish for some sort of dessert so we just ordered room service and here he is now.

More tomorrow,

paul

O Canada day 3

We had another fabulous day in Calgary. Surprisingly, people are really friendly, eh? The temps have been wonderful, in the 60's, and delicious (yes, my spouse really does say that).

We got to hear Bishop V. Gene Robinson preach this morning. Jim had heard him once before and I really listened to his sermon objectively, throwing out Jim's opinion; he wasn't impressed. I liked what he said, however, he didn't say anything really profound and he was not a powerful speaker; I wanted more from him. I'm really really glad I had the chance to hear him preach and how cool that he wanted to preach at an MCC conference.

Most of the workshops I attended today were good and we had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant; we even ate outside. It wasn't as nice or classy as Hy's last night but the food was good and Jim thought our waiter was family (he thinks everyone is family).

I can't believe it's already Saturday night. Where does the time go? We are going on a day trip to Banff on Monday, I'm really looking for to it.

Well, we have to find a restaurant for dinner tomorrow night; we are taking the church's alternate lay delegate and his partner out to dinner. We may even walk to the train station at some point. Not to ride the train but just to look at the station. How queer is that? Well, duh, it's par for the course.

Have a nice evening,

paul

O Canada Day 2 Cont. and Day 3:The beginning

I forgot to mention that after our fabulous dinner last night the waiter thanked us and as we were leaving he actually shook our hands. It was strange and neat at the same time. When we returned to our hotel after dinner, Ryan, the concierge was still working and we thanked him for treating us to dessert. The view of the mountains from our hotel room is simply incredible. We're off to breakfast now and then to hear V. Gene Robinson preach.

More later,

paul

By the way, not to put a damper on the vacation but I was remembering that while we were at the airport in Chicago we did a lot of walking. People seemed to be aiming for us and acting like we were invisible. It's unbelievable how rude many people are. It got to the point where Jim DID NOT move out of anyone's way. He made them walk around him. Ok, I'm done bitching.

A fabulous first full day in Calgary. We missed the morning worship service but had a nice leisurely breakfast in the hotel. We then went to a meeting with the people from our region. We are in Region 3 which covers most of the east coast and Puerto Rico. It was interesting being there and really hearing the behind the scenes of the denomination. Tomorrow I will be sitting in listening in on one of the business forums. They will be discussing the by-laws and some possible changes.

This evening after the church service we went to a restaurant called Hy's. It was a medieval/private club themed restaurant. The waitstaff were all dressed like butchers (but without the blood all over their clothes). Jim had Butterfly Neptune filet with crab meat on top and I had gorgonzola filet mignon. The food was absolutely fabulous and the waiter treated us to dessert. Actually it was from our waiter, Richard, and the guy at the hotel that recommended the restaurant. They actually paid for our dessert and they don't even know us, how cool is that. We had asked the concierge, Ryan, to recommend a good steakhouse. That's how we happened upon Hy's. The food, once again, was just fabulous. The filet mignon practically melted in my mouth.

One of the preachers at the evening service was a guy by the name of Lance. Lance really looks like he is twelve years old. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration but he really does look young. He is the kind of preacher that I would like to see more of (up and coming preachers) for our denomination, MCC.

Tomorrow V. Gene Robinson, the Episcopal bishop will be speaking. I'm looking forward to hearing him. Jim heard him speak in Boston and was not impressed but I'm looking forward to forming my own opinion.

Until tomorrow,

Paul

O Canada: Day 1

Thursday morning started with a 4am alarm as we scrambled to shower and get ready for our trip to Calgary. We must have been in the shower when the phone rang, however, there was no message. We left the house around 5:15 and Jim saw that he had a message on his cell phone. He listened to the message and we found out our 8am flight had been cancelled.

After turning around and going back home, Jim got on the phone and we got a new flight that would leave at 11am, get into Chicago just after noon (our time) and we had a 7 hour, yes, 7 hour layover in Chicago. Our flight from Chicago to Calgary didn't leave until 7:05. Originally, we were to have left Rochester at 8, arrive in Chicago at 9ish, leave Chicago at 11 and then arrive in Calgary around 1. Now here's the thing: The time in Chicago is one hour behind Rochester and Calgary is one hour behind Chicago. And after spending 7 hours in Chicago, neither Jim nor I care if we never see Chicago again. Chicago is the reason our original flight was cancelled. There was some sort of delay in Chicago and that just threw everything off.

Humor: On our flight from Rochester to Chicago, we were served tiny bags of cheddar cheese chex-type mix. Jim tore into his bag and promptly began remarking, "These look like dog treats." I started laughing and trying to get him to be quiet because the stewardess was still standing near our seats. "They taste like cat food." Hmmmm, we all know what that tastes like don't we? "Look," he said holding a single piece up. "It looks like a piece of dried bird shit with seeds in it." I laughed and dared not turn around for fear the stewardess would be glaring at us. Isn't my spouse funny?

So, we arrived in Calgary last night around 10ish (that would be 12ish)Rochester time and we saw some other people here for the conference (Chicago didn't just mess us up). We were beat. We had to wait for the shuttle to take us to our hotel and of course we had to stop at three other hotels before the driver got to ours. We didn't get to the hotel till 11:30. We promptly went up to our room and crashed.

morning after: Despite being hungry last night, we crashed. We are both ravenous this morning and are on our way to get something to eat. Worship service starts at 10:30. We missed the opening service yesterday due to arriving late, however, it should still be a wonderful conference. We are on the 17th floor and we have a nice view of the city from our window. Calgary is a real city, not like Rochester, a faux city. We can see the Canadian Rockies in the distance and we can faintly make out a patch of white on one of them that must be snow. I'm so hoping we can make it out to see them. It's only 60miles (that's about how long it is from our house to Rochester). I'll keep you posted.

Enjoy your day,

paul

The heatwave is almost over, I think. It's supposed to cool down later today and be cool (er) tomorrow. Whew!!! Thank heavens for AC. I like it and make no bones about it. I cannot imagine not having it in this weather we've been sweating in.

My Oscar video pick of the week is a film that won 76 years ago, at the third Academy Awards. All Quiet On The Western Front tells the story of German soldiers during WWI and how the war affects them. I have to tell you I wasn't sure I'd be able to sit through this movie. The sound wasn't good (thank heavens for subtitles) and it starts out really slow, taking its time to build the story. I don't think I've got short attention span, however, I've definitely been in the fast paced world a long time. I forced myself to watch and I'm glad I did. Some highlights of the film are the scene in which the wounded soldier is being visited by some of his comrades and he realizes that one of his legs has been amputated. Another one is the scene in which one of the German soldiers kills an enemy soldier and he starts talking to the dead soldier realizing that they are both men, both human, both fighting, for what? It's a powerful film and if you can sit through a film made in the late 1920's definitely check it out. The director also won the directing award.

Enjoy your day,

paul

Another Monday.........It's no surprise that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the top movie over the weekend. It's a fun film and it moves along briskly. Johnny Depp is nothing short of brilliant as he hits another weird character out of the park. He manages to be both funny and creepy at the same time. Although I don't buy his "I modeled the character as a cross between Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers" statement. He manages to let his Willy Wonka stand apart from Gene Wilder's in the original film.

Another blow for the Bushie camp, po George Bush, his staff just can't get a break. (That spelling error in the last sentence was intentional.) Yesterday on Meet the Press Matt Cooper, the Time magazine reporter, told Tim Russert that he found out about Valerie Plame from Rove. Of course the Republicans are calling it a smear campaign by Democrats. That's code for "we are in the wrong but we'll say anything to get people to feel sorry for us." Give it up already!!!!

Jaw dropper of the day: A couple of years ago the film Calendar Girls, which was based on the calendar of the Rylstone Women's Institue in North Yorkshire, turned real life into hilarious art. Who says the men can't have their day in the nude too? They are!! In Leland, Michigan, twelve caretakers of the school gardens are posing nude, with the props put in the appropriate places of course. One of them is the school superintendent, which, to say the least, has raised a few eyebrows. Not affiliated with the Leland Public Schools, the calendar, called "The Naked Gardener," is being used to raise money for the gardens. At $20 a pop, the first 500 have sold out. The calendars went on sale July 1. There is another printing in the works and no doubt a movie just waiting to be in the can.

Enjoy your day,

paul

We just got back from the annual pride parade in Rochester and while it's no NY or Toronto parade, it's still an event. Our float this year was Grease: Broadway in the Bowl. We have a performing area at Highland Park in Rochester called Highland Bowl. The parade ended near Highland Bowl, therefore Broadway in the Bowl. There were three or four songs from the Grease soundtrack that played over and over as we went down the street and there were about a dozen people (dressed up in leather and as pink ladies of course) that rode the float. There were about a half dozen or so more people that walked near the float. It was fun being out there showing people that one can be gay and christian. Of course the conservative christians were out there. One guy brought his three golden retrievers (they too were dressed up Grease style) and one of them was yelling, "Cruelty to animals. Somebody call PETA." I guess dogs can't be gay either.

As we were leaving we walked by a lone conservative christian who had a sign saying he was an ex-gay. As we walked by he said to us (me and my spouse), "Shame on you." My spouse retorted, "Shame on YOU." And we kept walking. The c.c. kept talking and spouting his stuff but we weren't listening. It took me by surprise to have my spouse talk back but he was very angry. Jesus never condemned people the way the c.c's do.

We got the new Harry Potter book and will hopefully be deep into it very soon. I'm very excited and there will only be one more book. :(

That's it for this evening. Enjoy yours,

paul

Today is the annual gay pride parade in Rochester, NY, and the organizers must have been sleeping on the job this year. Last year the parade went for about 10 blocks on major streets; this year it's only a block and a half and it doesn't run on a major street. Hello????!!!!?? For a group that wants to be prominent, the people in charge of such events don't always step up to the plate.

Jaw dropper of the day: I thought this one was appropriate. Norwegian homosexuals in Oslo are set to launch their own brand of soda at a gastronomic festival. The aim is to promote tolerance. Norway, one of the more liberal countries, has allowed same-sex marriage since the early 90's. However, the Prime Minister has come out against the marriage law. He is a Lutheran Minister of the Christian Democratic Party. In an ironic twist of fate, the Finance Minister is an openly gay member of the Conservative Party.

The soda, which is called homo light, is pear flavored and pink. How sssspecial is that? The group will also be selling pasta salads which are, of course, rainbow colored. The festival runs from July 27-30. Book your tickets now!!!!

Enjoy your day,

paul

The Emmy nominations were announced yesterday and while I am not a fanatic about the Emmys (like I am the Oscars) I do like to know what's nominated and who wins the major awards. It's nice to see some new blood in the Emmy noms. Desperate Housewives, House, and yes, Arrested Development. Of course old stand-bys such as West Wing and Six Feet Under are still there. I really like Arrested Development and was very happy it won the Emmy for best comedy last year. I caught season one on DVD. I'm just not able to watch it on Sundays because there are too many other shows on and we don't have Tivo, yet. The most noms went to Desperate Housewives and Will & Grace; both got 15 noms. I'm sure they'll each win at least one. The awards will be presented on Sept. 18. I probably won't watch but will catch up on the winners.

Jaw dropper of the day: Here's one for the stupid criminals record book: A woman in Brussels was arrested for shoplifting in a sports clothing shop. The woman was apprehended by police and was found to be wearing more than 10 pieces of stolen clothing. As summer temps soared into the high 80's, the woman kind of stuck out like a sore thumb with her bulk. Doesn't she know one is supposed to look bulky in the winter not the summer.

Enjoy your day,

paul

Eeeeeek it's Emily. Dennis is barely a memory and now Emily is pounding on the door of the US. A prayer for our brothers and sisters in the South.

I'm disappointed that Discovery did not launch yesterday, however, better safe than sorry. It may not be too much of a setback though if NASA can get it up in the air on Saturday.

My video pick of the week is a comedy-drama from 1978. California Suite, a movie adapted from Neil Simon's play, follows several different storylines set at a California hotel. There are some funny moments in the movie, the funniest being when Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, and their spouses suffer one pratfall after another. It's absurdly hilarious. The best vignette is the one with Maggie Smith and Michael Caine. Smith plays an actress up for an Academy Award. She is considered the dark horse. Caine plays her husband who uses his status as her accessory to his advantage. He's also bisexual. Yes, that's the future Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies sparring with Michael Caine. When Smith's character tells Caine's character she saw him hitting on a hot young stud Caine replies, "We shared a butter plate." "How spreadably cozy," Smith replies. Then she tells him, "You did everything but lick his artichoke." How deliciously campy indeed!!!! In an ironic twist, Maggie Smith actually got nominated for her role in the movie; and she won (her second Oscar). I can't help but think that Smith herself was a dark horse in the real Oscar race. The movie featured players such as Jane Fonda, Alan Alda, Walter Matthau, Elaine May, and Michael Caine. Smith got the only acting nod; the film wasn't even nominated. Smith was up against actresses such as Dyan Cannon, Meryl Streep, and Maureen Stapleton. She is fabulous, she deserved to win.

I'm also raving about Word Wars: The Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Game Circuit. It follows four players as they lead up to the 2002 National Scrabble Championship. These people are the ultimate nerds and have an amazing knowledge of the game scrabble and the words that can be played. These guys will put a bingo on my ass: Using all the tiles in one turn.

Well, I've rambled enough today. Enjoy your day wherever you are.

paul

Today is the big launch of the space shuttle Discovery, two and a half years after the explosion of Columbia. I remember it was February 1 (my birthday) and my spouse and I were at Indiatlantic Beach waiting for the shuttle to land. We knew we wouldn't be able to see it (Cape Canaveral was 50miles away) but we were told that we would feel the rumble as the shuttle came back into the earth's atmosphere and that we would be able to see the flash as it landed. We waited and waited and then got a call from my spouse's niece (who lives in Florida) that we should get back to the house because the shuttle exploded. It was all very surreal. Let's hope last night's fiasco during the test run (a window cover fell off and damaged some tiles which is exactly what happened to Columbia, except with Columbia a piece of foam hit the tiles). God speed to the crew of Discovery and may they have a safe return.

Jaw dropper of the day: A nice house in Washington, only a mile from George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, manicured lawn, pretty flowers adorned the lawn, picture perfect; only what was found inside was anything but pretty. A woman, her husband and daughter in Washington were told to leave their house and it was condemned after authorities found more than 300 cats in the house. The cats, many of which were sick, feral, or unhealthy, had the run of the house. Almost half of them were dead or dying and many of them were found in plastic bags (dead) around the house. Neighbors had complained of the stench coming from the house and the woman was charged with animal neglect and disposing of the animals improperly. Disgusting!!!! The house had feces and urine all over the place and many of the cats will have to be put down. Talk about the cat lady who lives down the street!!! What happened to having one or two nice cats?

Enjoy your day,

paul

It's gonna be another scorcher today. This is not the kind of weather I think of when I think of summer. I think of 70's-80's, cool, sunny, comfortable. Ahhhhhhh, wait where do I find that weather? Oh, in my head. I'm sure it's like that somewhere even though I didn't grow up with that kind of summer. I grew up in Texas where it was nice if the temps didn't reach the 100 mark.

Someone in Canada sure was excited about the 6th Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. They were so excited, in fact, that it was put on display last week at Raincoast Books Ltd. near Vancouver. The book isn't due out for another four days but several copies were sold. The customers had to be tracked down and the books returned and they also had to sign gag orders not to reveal the plot. Sounds like a spy mystery or something.

Jaw dropper of the day: There are about 10,000 prostitutes in Berlin and 63-year-old grandmother and wife Renate Dolle is one of them. She's been prostituting for 49years and plans to retire next year when she turns 64. Her husband drops her off every night (how open minded of him) and on a good night she can have as many as 5 clients at $36 each. Wow!!!! The prostitutes in our country would never make it on that.

Wherever you are today, be safe.

paul

Another Monday and another long hurricane season ahead. We are really lucky to live in a part of the world that doesn't get hurricanes. We only have to deal with snowstorms, ice storms, and mud. Seriously though, when looking around at other parts of the country and the weather they have to deal with (mudslides, tornadoes, etc) we really should count our blessings.

Jaw dropper of the day: If you are afraid of the dark this is one restaurant you don't want to go to. Dans Le Noir (In The Dark) is a restaurant in Paris that serves people in the dark. It's the third such restaurant in Europe where customers order and eat their food in the dark. To make their way to the bathroom they must rely on staff, many of whom are actually blind. The restaurants were opened with the help of the charity, Action For Blind People. It's meant to give people a taste of what it's like to be blind. It's a real restaurant only there are no lights. I think the idea of not being able to see what is being eaten is freaky. And I'd want to know if the cooks are blind too. Can THEY see what they are cooking? It's a family friendly restaurant and kids are welcome too. Just remember to be respectful of the other people eating and keep your voice down.

Wherever you are today, enjoy it.
paul

Today is the annual pride worship and picnic and next week is the pride parade. I enjoy marching in the parade. It's nice to be able to express oneself without hurting someone else. Of course the more I see and hear about what goes on in our world, the more I realize that many people in our country are not civilized. Many people are very ignorant and so quick to hurt and shame others. It's really sad.

Tonight is the premiere of Hogan Knows Best, a reality show that focuses on Hulk Hogan and his clan in the same vein as The Osbournes. Just what we need-another reality show.

Jaw dropper of the day: A man in Oregon sure knows how to get a girl's attention. 38-year-old Todd Grannis decided to propose to his girlfriend but not before performing a dangerous stunt. He put on a gasoline soaked cape, climbed a 10 foot scaffold, was set on fire and then plunged into a swimming pool. Afterwards Grannis got on his knee and proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes but was allegedly a little angry for his stunt. He reportedly told her, "Honey, you make me hot." Now there's an original line.

Enjoy your day,

paul

Well the cat's out of the bag, Jim now knows that I'm smitten with the laptop. However, before I used the laptop this morning, I could not for the life of me figure out how to turn it on. I told you I was technically challenged. That's ok, in the past I've also had trouble figuring out how to turn on a shower. At least I can tie my own shoe.

Enjoy your evening,

paul

It's an overcast Saturday here in Western, NY. Jim volunteered to man an information booth for the hospice company he works for, unfortunately, for him, it turned out to be a Saturday morning. So we're in Rochester and he's helping to run an information booth at the Camp Good Days. I'm sitting here writing my blog on a laptop. I've never been technically inclined (that's Jim's area of expertise, one of them anyway) and while I know how to surf the web and basically use a computer, that's been the extent of my interest in computers. However, sitting here working on this laptop, I feel differently. I think I want one; they are very cool and convenient. The one I'm working on right now isn't huge, in fact, for my size it fits me. Hmmm.... now to start dropping hints that I may want one for Christmas.

Jaw dropper of the day: Furniture movers in Selma, Alabama, got a shock while they were moving a couch from the home of a deceased woman. They found an active grenade stuck in the bottom of the couch. The ATF, FBI and the Bomb Squad were called in (do you think they should have also called in the National Guard?) and they had to use a robot with a camera to get to the grenade. They could not tell from the camera, however, if the pin was still in the grenade so one of the members of the bomb squad had to look. Yup, it was still in. Jeez, Louise, if it wasn't still in and the grenade was active, I would imagine that it would have exploded long ago. The woman's son, who is also deceased, had been in the military but it's not known for sure how it got there.

Wherever you are today, enjoy.

paul

Multiple explosions have rocked London and created chaos in that country. This a day after the announcement that London will host the 2012 Olympic games and the start of the G8 summit. Coincidence? I don't think so. The terrorists continue to create turmoil and cause death.

Nature appreciation: There is a stretch of road in Henrietta, a town in Rochester, which is lined with the mall and a Wegman's and multiple other stores. It's a very busy stretch of road. Each spring and summer there is always a flock of Canada geese that literally stop traffic while they cross the road. It's sometimes amusing, sometimes frustrating (if one is in a hurry), but it always makes me stop and think I need to appreciate life and what's in it more. I even recently noticed a flock of geese that frolic on the lawn outside the building in which I work. They are out there every morning as I'm leaving.

Jaw dropper of the day: In Berlin, a driver who was racing in a Porsche at the airport with other members of a local Porsche club, got a surprise when a plane landed on his roof. The plane, a single engine plane, landed on the roof of the Porsche as it was travelling 100mph. There was a lot of damage done to both the plane and the car but neither pilot nor driver were hurt. The plane was steady on top of the roof at first then the driver slammed on the brakes and sent the plane crashing to the ground.

Enjoy your day,

paul

It's another sultry day. It was in the 90's here yesterday and we're supposed to get some rain (finally) today and tomorrow. Well Independence Day is over for another year yet we should continue to remember those who died while fighting.

Jaw dropper of the day: Many of you know that NASA fired at a comet. The size of the projectile was the size of a refrigerator. Damn, I guess that means they can't film Armageddon Part II. Anyway, one woman in Moscow is calling the explosion an attack on the "holy of the holies." Yes, Marina Bai is suing NASA for about 8.7 billion rubles (that's 300 million US dollars). Bai, an astrologist, claims that the explosion of the comet will upset her horoscope and that it violates her spiritual rights. She originally tried to stop NASA from shooting at the comet but the court would not hear her case. A higher court did intervene but by then it was too late. I guess it just goes to show you, anyone can be sued, even NASA.

Enjoy your day,

paul

Happy Independence Day!!! Many of you probably have the day off; I don't. I had to work last night and again tonight but I get paid double time and a half for every holiday I work. That's nothing to sneeze at. Although I have been sneezing a lot lately, sinuses & allergies are not pretty.

Jaw dropper of the day: Guess which country usually ranks as one of the lowest in the poll of international lovers: Hong Kong. Apparently many in Hong Kong don't know their body parts or how to use them for sexual purposes. The inquiries to the Family Planning Association on how to have sex went up by 50% last year. Many men in Hong Kong would rather go to work than have sex and on average people in Hong Kong have sex 79 times a year. The French by contrast have it 137 times. That's one area I don't have a problem with.

Enjoy your day,

paul

An absolutely wonderful and mildly temperatured day. It's not humid, it's not cold, it's just right. This must be what Goldilocks felt like eating Baby Bear's porridge, sitting in his chair, and sleeping in his bed.

My classic video pick of the week this week is a 1945 Billy Wilder movie titled The Lost Weekend. It stars Ray Milland (who deservedly won the Oscar) as an alcoholic who goes on a weekend bender. Milland captures the desperation and ugliness of alcoholism including the hallucinations he experiences as a result. Jane Wyman stars as his codependent, oops, I mean his loyal and devoted girlfriend. Why she didn't leave him a long time ago is beyond me but then again why does anyone stay with someone unhealthy....it must be love. The film is a bit much at times such as when Milland falls down some stairs and the ending is just too pat. Suddenly he realizes he needs help. All in all a good film and is highly recommended. I'm surprised Hollywood hasn't remade this film yet. I'm seeing Tom Hanks or Sean Penn in the remake. Speaking of actors why is it that so many actors/entertainers from the 50's and 60's were once so svelte and now that are so heavy? Elizabeth Taylor used to be stunning as did Shelly Winters, yes even Ms. Winters was once thin. And believe it or not Burl Ives was not always overweight and the same goes for Della Reese. What happened????

Jaw dropper of the day: A 14-year-old girl in New Hampshire got a shock when she went to use the outhouse at a log cabin rest stop near Albany. The girl was going to use the outhouse at the Kancamagus Scenic Byway when she noticed something in the waste tank in the outhouse; a man's face looking up at her. Police think the man crawled in through the toilet seat and did not know how long he had been there. He's been charged with criminal trespass and goes to court on July 19th. Now that's just so disgusting.

Take a moment of silence today for the passing of Luther Vandross and the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor.

Enjoy your day,

paul

The end of the week is finally here and the heat wave has subsided. It's a bit cooler on this Friday evening, the weekend before Independence Day. One of my favorite things about living in the country is seeing all of the fireflies during the summer. At night I can go out, stand in the middle of the road, and see hundreds of fireflies. If I stand still long enough I'll see them very close to me. It's something I never seem to tire of.

I for one am tired of hearing about Tom Cruise. Yes, I'm going to see "his" movie this weekend, however, that's because it's Steven Spielberg and I like Spielberg and I think the film might be good. I've never been a fan of Tom Cruise. While I've seen his movies, I don't think he's a great actor. Has he had some good roles, yes. I've only seen a couple of movies with him in which I thought HE was really good. The films he's been in have been good but very rarely have I singled him out. Anyway, I think he has some good points about psychiatry and medication, they can be dangerous. At the same time I think he is extreme in his thinking. With many other things in life those things can be helpful or dangerous. I for one found psychiatry very beneficial. And anyone who goes on any drug should know what the side effects are, that's just being smart. I wish he would just give it a rest already. I myself am done.

Jaw dropper of the day: I'm taking this on faith that this is real but the ugly dog contest was held in Santa Barbara, CA and the winner is truly hideous. The 14 year old Chinese crested dog has now won the contest three years in a row. Sam, as he's called, is so ugly that the judges allegedly recoiled when the dog was placed on the judge's table. The only hair Sam has is a yellowish-white patch on his head, he's blind and his eyes look like alien eyes, and he has Austin Powers teeth. Last year after Sam won a large crowd of people gathered for him at a local parade. His meals include cheese balls, sirloin steak, roasted chicken and for dessert some flan (which hides his pills). Susie Lockheed, the owner, shocks people when she kisses him. You can look at the pic for yourself and see how truly ugly this poor dog is.

Check out this pic of a 646 pound catfish that was caught in Northern Thailand in the Mekong River. It holds the record of the largest freshwater fish. Government officials and environmentalists tried negotiating for the fish's release but the male died and was of course eaten. Now that would have fed an army and then some.

War of the Worlds opened yesterday and personally I think Brooke Shields was right. Tom Cruise should stick to saving the world from aliens and leave the psycho babble to people who know what they are talking about. I'm beginning to wonder if Cruise is on drugs. And of course now comes news that his relationship with Katie Holmes is a contract. He also had a contract with Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz and once he's done with the women, the contract is done too. While he's with them, however, they get money and boosts in their careers (after Batman Begins Katie Holmes will need all the help she can get). This just fuels the speculation even more that Tom Cruise leads an alternative lifestyle (is he gay or isn't he?). Lest you think, 'But he has children' the children he has with Nicole Kidman are adopted. Hmmmmmmm

Enjoy your day,

paul