Boycott the Salvation Army Holiday Bell Ringers

Please don't give your change to the Salvation Army bell ringers...

The Bilerico Project reminds us that the Salvation Army is anti-Gay.

That's right, complete bigotry... intolerance, and discrimination... reports the activist blogger in his annual post.

Sez Bil Browning:

The Salvation Army has a history of active discrimination against gays and lesbians. While you might think you're helping the hungry and homeless by dropping a few dollars in the bright red buckets, not everyone can share in the donations. Many LGBT people are rejected by the evangelical church charity because they're "sexually impure."

The church claims it holds "a positive view of human sexuality," but then clarifies that "sexual intimacy is understood as a gift of God to be enjoyed within the context of heterosexual marriage." The Salvation Army doesn't believe that gays and lesbians should ever know the intimacy of any loving relationship, instead teaching that "Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life."

(Image above from MyOutSpirit.org) 


If you wish to donate to some inclusive organizations, Postcards from Hell's Kitchen blog recommends:

The Clinton Foundation

Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS

Wikimedia Foundation

Doctors Without Borders

Habitat for Humanity

Amnesty International

Put your holiday cheer where it can do the most good...

Love and joy come to you... etc.

PSA: Don't Go Phishing For the Holidays

I received this email at work and thought I would share it with my readers...

Don't be fooled...!!!

As the holidays approach we want to make you aware of possible e-mail scams that can be directed to your work or personal email accounts. This is an opportune time for such activity. One such scam is known as phishing. Phishing is an attempt by individuals or groups to fraudulently obtain your personal information by tricking you into providing it. They may appear as:

· Electronic greeting cards

· Requests from charitable organizations

· Holiday chain-letters or screensavers

· Online shopping confirmations

· Credit card applications

In general:

· Do not respond to emails requesting personal information including "please verify your information" or "confirm your user-id and password."

· Avoid providing personal information on social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Set your privacy and security settings at the most restrictive levels. This will help limit the information scammers can gather about you and can use against you in a phishing attack.

· Exercise caution with all emails you receive as they can be fake. This includes email from friends and sources you normally trust. Do not open attachments contained in suspicious emails.

· Beware of emails that reference any consequences should you not "verify your information".

Phishers are crafty and known to send very official looking correspondence. Generally no legitimate organization will ever solicit sensitive personal information through the internet. If you receive a phishing email through your personal email account just delete it.

Image from Texas State

Public Service Announcement: Blood Pressure Monitor

A friend who is a school nurse insists that the best blood pressure monitor is the old fashioned kind... With the velcro cuff and the little bulb thing that you pump by hand.

I once tried an electronic version and the results were so wildly inconsistent that we declared it unreliable and it went right back for a refund....

CVS has one on sale today (I don't know how long the sale is in effect, or if that is the regular price)...

So I picked up Blood Pressure Monitor: Self Taking for $16.99.

Model #BPAG1-20CVS
CVS Item # 800232

They are behind the pharmacist's counter...

I recommend you get one to keep around the house... For yourself or a dizzy friend, relative or neighbor...