Tin Foil Soldier

Eventually she returned to their hiding place and found Anne’s diary, its pages scattered over the floor.
She intended to return it to its author, knowing how important the diary had been to her, and locked it away without reading a word. Nearly a year later, [...]

Daily Rotten: Weird News
Dec 25 272First official public celebration of Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, a pagan Roman holiday that was later co-opted by Christians to celebrate the birth of their favorite Jew. Turning the holiday into “Christmas” in 336 AD was part of a pattern of the church stealing various pagan festivals and feast days.

- Sen. Adams: “I have never been more nervous than I am today.” Read off names of states that sold Blacks into slavery: “Because a numerical majority is in one place. It does not mean they are in the right place.” … “You don’t have to be gay to respect the rights of those who [...]

This is how an American soldier is made.
For 27 months, Ian Fisher, his parents and friends, and the U.S. Army allowed Denver Post reporters and a photographer to watch and chronicle his recruitment, induction, training, deployment, and, finally, his return from combat. A selection of photos from Ian’s journey are posted below.
via Captured Photo Collection [...]

The Senate today passed a historic expansion of federal hate crimes statutes to include sexual orientation. The chamber voted to approve the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act also known as the Matthew Shepard Act by a vote of 68-29, sending the first civil rights legislation protecting gays and lesbians to President Obama for [...]

June 25th, 2009
Farrah Fawcett, who soared to fame as a national sex symbol in the late 1970s on television’s campy “Charlie’s Angels” and in a swimsuit poster that showcased her feathery mane and made her a generation’s favorite pinup, died Thursday. She was 62.
via Pop culture icon Farrah Fawcett dies at 62 – Los Angeles [...]

YouTube – ACLU Responds to Prop 8 Loss.

via JMG and Towleroad.
The only way to win this fight is through education (and also, waiting for all the bigots to die, but that takes longer) and Empire State Pride Agenda has a new video calling for equal treatment for all families featuring more real live gay people [...]

Currently At 9:20AM: 52°F
RealFeel®: 44°F
Winds: WNW at 9mph
Rain
Humidity: 100%
Dew Point: 52° F
Pressure: 29.76 in
Visibility: 1 Miles
via AccuWeather.com – Rochester, NY – Weather Forecast – Local Weather Forecasts.
It’s not really raining outside, but it is misting.  I didn’t watch the news this morning (paying attention to the weather is more of Kevin’s thing) so I didn’t [...]

The Vermont Senate and House voted today to override a veto by Governor Jim Douglas of the state’s same-sex marriage bill.
The Senate voted 23-5, overriding the veto by a wide margin, while the House squeaked through with a 2/3 majority with a 100-49 vote.
via Same-Sex Marriage Approved in Vermont as Legislature Overrides Veto – Towleroad, [...]

“The Iowa Supreme Court this morning struck down a 1998 state law that limits marriage to one man and one woman. The ruling is viewed as a victory for the gay rights movement in Iowa and elsewhere, and a setback for social conservatives who wanted to protect traditional families. The decision makes Iowa the first [...]

Mar 16
St. Urho’s Day, Patron saint of Finnish vineyard workers. Attributed to him is the miracle of banishing grasshoppers from Finland which he accomplished with a few choice Finnish phrases, thereby saving the season’s grape crop. But in reality a bunch of very drunk people made this up in 1956.
via Daily Rotten: Weird News.
Crap, I [...]

Feb 11 2006
During a quail hunting trip, Vice-President Dick Cheney takes aim at a small bird but instead manages to shoot his friend Harry Whittington in the face. As a result of being peppered with birdshot, Whittington has a minor heart attack but lives to apologize to his friend.
via Daily Rotten: Weird News.
“Sweet googly moogly [...]

Making my sweet sweet vacation just a tiny bit longer, a whole extra second will be inserted into the space time continuum in less than an hour.
On December 31, 2008 a “leap second” will be added to the world’s clocks at 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This corresponds to [...]

High Court Grants Marriage Rights For Same-Sex Couples — Courant.com
The state Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry swept through the state with the force of a cultural tidal wave.
…
The Supreme Court released its historic ruling at 11:30 a.m. Citing the equal protection clause of the state constitution, the [...]

SOS: the signal that has saved thousands turns 100 – Times Online
In the past century, “SOS” has become a firm part of popular culture used in everything from DIY programme titles to Abba hits. But it began life in a far more serious setting after being adopted by the international community on July 1, 1908, [...]