I recently received an email from David b (not me) and Brian, the hosts of "The Occasional Fag" Podcast, concerning a great work that needs your help.

Here's the letter:

Subject:* Help get the Johnson Center open -please read and foward


7/25/07



Dear Friends and Supporters:



It was close to midnight at the shelter one night when my phone rang. The voice was familiar – a young man we knew, but hadn't seen in months– and panicky. "Kate, I'm trapped, he won't let me leave!" I knew we didn't have much time, so I asked for his address. Just as he blurted it out, there was a crash as the phone was grabbed from his hand. Then came the
smooth tones of an older man, a lawyer, who had been keeping this boy captive at his apartment using drugs to keep him docile. As he tried to convince me nothing was wrong, I scribbled a note to my staff: "call the police." Luckily, the police were able to get the young man out safely and
bring him to our shelter.

Experiences like these have taught us that, for homeless LGBT youth, crises can occur at any time. Parents don't schedule an appointment to kick their kids out; young people running from violent pimps don't do it on a 9am-to-5pm schedule; and young people who need help can't wait until
Monday morning.

In order to meet these needs, we have created the Marsha P. Johnson Center, the nation's first 24-hour drop-in center for LGBT youth. At our 5,000 square foot space in Harlem, homeless youth will be able to shower, eat, wash their clothes, see medical and mental health staff and participate in a wide range of groups and activities – everything from a transgender
empowerment group to ballet class!

But we need your help – the Johnson Center is almost complete, but we are $20,000 short of being able to finish construction, including safety equipment, without which the City will not allow us to open. So we are leading the "$20 Challenge". We know that many people want to help, but
don't have $20,000 – or even $100 – to give, so we want 1,000 people to
donate $20 each.

What you can do:

1) Send your $20 (or more, if you can!) to:

MCCNY/Homeless Youth Services
446 W 36th St.
NYC NY 10018

or go online to www.homelessyouthservices.org and click the "make a donation" link. Please put "$20 challenge" in the memo line. Contributions are tax-deductible.



2) Circulate the letter – send it to everyone you know!



3) Organize your friends – collect $20 from five people and send us a check for $100.



4) Donate new or used furniture and other items – see our website:
www.homelessyouthservices.org for a list of items needed at the Johnson Center.



Thanks so much for being someone who cares about LGBT youth.



Sincerely,







Kate Barnhart
Director
MCCNY/Homeless Youth Services
446 W 36th St
NYC NY 10018

(End of letter)

I have already sent money to the Center via PayPal, and I am asking my listeners to send whatever donation you can afford. The importance of a great work like this can not be overstated. GLBT youth who have found themselves on the streets are vulnerable to...well...everything to which
any homeless person is vulnerable. Plus, they have the stigma of being gay, lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgendered on top of it. Isn't it worth a few minutes of your time and $20 of your money to ensure that this great work continues? It was for me!

Thank you for your support.

Intro and Outro Music:

"Deep Cycle Discharge" by Podsafe Music Network artists Simon James and Derek K. Miller

The NAACP's recent funeral for the "N" word and seeing Isaiah Washington on a rerun of Oprah got me thinking: why don't we have a funeral not only for all of the divisive and stereotypical language, but also for the thoughts which create those words?

This is a Unity teaching in action!

Music Today:



(Lovecraft's images are copyrighted. Check them out here.



"Love Into Love" by Podsafe Music Network artist Lovecraft (Michael Soiseth)



"It's All About Love" by Podsafe Music Nework group The Paint Sisters



(No images available for ANTIQCOOL).



"Brothers are Made This Way" by Podsafe Music Network artist

Intro Music:



"Deep Cycle Discharge" by Podsafe Music Network artists Simon James and Derek K. Miller

Outro Music:



"Power Inside" by Podsafe Music Network and PodsafeAudio.com group EL84

Contact info:

You can email me at thatbluejeansguy@gmail.com.

You can call my voicemail at 989-326-2432.

You can also contact me by Gizmo Project at Gizmo ID thatbluejeansguy.

Visit my website, where you can send me an Odeo voice mail and stick a pin on my Frappr map.

While you are there, check out the links to my favorite podcasts' home pages.

Check out my page on MySpace

Don't forget that this podcast has an alternate feed: feeds.feedburner.com/thatbluejeansguy, which will also deliver my text blog entries to your RSS reader!

Thanks for listening, and Stay Powerful!

It's official now!

Feast of Fools, the "podcast that guarantees sassafraction" and the podcast that was one of the major inspirations for me getting into the "business" has been nominated two years in a row for "Best GLBT Podcast," and in an historic first, has been nominated for "Podcast of the Year."

Yes, the "podcast that makes its own gravy" has punched a hole through the "Pink Ceiling" and has earned yet another well-deserved accolade.

But, wait! The story does not end here, for this is only a nomination. Winning requires some action on your part. I'm asking all of my listeners and readers to help Feast of Fools win again this year. Besides being great entertainers, Fausto, Marc, Ronnie, Amanda, Sal-E, and the rest of the crazy gang are great people who deserve every honor they get.

Voting for the actual awards opens on Saturday, July 28, 2007 and continues through Saturday, August 11, 2007. To vote, go to www.podcastawards.com and vote. You must register to vote, and you can only vote once per 24 hours. No spamming to help them win! :-)

Oh, and by the way, if you've never heard this podcast and wonder what the hell I'm talking about, then click here and listen. It's the podcast that won't touch you in the morning and then just walk away!

Listen today!

Still ready to receive: new or gently-used Windows-based PC for church's bookstore. Anybody need a tax writeoff?

Resuming the discussion of Unity's belief system!

The creative process-Unity style.

Music Today:

(no images available)

"Creative Energy" by Podsafe Music Network artist Charlie Bobus, featuring Wayne Armond on guitar



"Create Your Fate" by Podsafe Music Nework group Steadman



"Our Lives Are Shaped by What We Love" by Podsafe Music Network artist Steffen Coonan

Intro Music:



"Deep Cycle Discharge" by Podsafe Music Network artists Simon James and Derek K. Miller

Outro Music:



"Power Inside" by Podsafe Music Network and PodsafeAudio.com group EL84

Contact info:

You can email me at thatbluejeansguy@gmail.com.

You can call my voicemail at 206-202-3498.

You can also contact me by Gizmo Project at Gizmo ID thatbluejeansguy.

Visit my website, where you can send me an Odeo voice mail and stick a pin on my Frappr map.

While you are there, check out the links to my favorite podcasts' home pages.

Check out my page on MySpace

Don't forget that this podcast has an alternate feed: feeds.feedburner.com/thatbluejeansguy, which will also deliver my text blog entries to your RSS reader!

Thanks for listening, and Stay Powerful!

Still ready to receive: new or gently-used Windows-based PC for church's bookstore.

Anybody need a tax writeoff?

Due to a physically and emotionally draining week, my body has decided to give me a "slowdown" message, leaving my voice unfit for recording.

I put the recording session off until Sunday, and no improvement, so I am posting one of my classic episodes.

Since I have been discussing Unity's belief system, this episode will fit in well with the sequence.

I apologize to everybody for not being able to come through, and I will take care of myself this week, so hopefully the microphone doesn't get lonely.

Just a reminder that this episode was one of my early ones, so the sound quality is not as good, and I had not started adding in music yet, but I still liked what I was doing with the show then. Hopefully, you will too.

Until later, stay strong and powerful, and I will be talking with you soon!

*************************

I am taking a different direction with the podcast, starting with this episode.

I originally wanted to do a podcast that would share my personal beliefs without being preachy.

I will begin today by talking about the first of the five basic Unity principles, which covers Unity's concept of God.

Intro Music:



"Deep Cycle Discharge" by Podsafe Music Network artists Simon James and Derek K. Miller

Outro Music:



"Power Inside" by Podsafe Music Network and PodsafeAudio.com group EL84

Contact info:

You can email me at thatbluejeansguy@gmail.com.

You can call my voicemail at 206-202-3498.

You can also contact me by Gizmo Project at Gizmo ID thatbluejeansguy.

Visit my website, where you can send me an Odeo voice mail and stick a pin on my Frappr map.

While you are there, check out the links to my favorite podcasts' home pages.

Check out my page on MySpace

Don't forget that this podcast has an alternate feed: feeds.feedburner.com/thatbluejeansguy, which will also deliver my text blog entries to your RSS reader!

Thanks for listening, and Stay Powerful!

Still ready to receive: new or gently-used Windows-based PC for church's bookstore.
Anybody need a tax writeoff?

Still going with the discussion of Unity's belief system.

Listen in for how Unity students approach challenging life situations.

Music Today:



"Really Upbeat" by Podsafe Music Network artists The Fabrications



"Silverlining" by Podsafe Music Nework group kidbrother

And a blast from the past for GenXers in a way you never thought you'd hear it:



"Land of the Silver Birch" by Podsafe Music Network group Rockosaurus Rex

Intro Music:



"Deep Cycle Discharge" by Podsafe Music Network artists Simon James and Derek K. Miller

Outro Music:



"Power Inside" by Podsafe Music Network and PodsafeAudio.com group EL84

Contact info:

You can email me at thatbluejeansguy@gmail.com.

You can call my voicemail at 206-202-3498.

You can also contact me by Gizmo Project at Gizmo ID thatbluejeansguy.

Visit my website, where you can send me an Odeo voice mail and stick a pin on my Frappr map.

While you are there, check out the links to my favorite podcasts' home pages.

Check out my page on MySpace

Don't forget that this podcast has an alternate feed: feeds.feedburner.com/thatbluejeansguy, which will also deliver my text blog entries to your RSS reader!

Thanks for listening, and Stay Powerful!