St. Nick visits the streets

Thank you all for contributing/supporting our gifts to the Christmas open house at the coffee shop operated by the Mennonites. Photo from todays event where Jim Bridges was Santa handing out gifts to those who dropped by for some cheer.

Dick Cheney - National Embarrassment

Dick Cheney

If this miserable, sick, loathsome man is allowed to continue stoking the worst in our fellow citizens than America is definitely looking at its last days as a voice for anything-
"Dick Cheney gave an unflinching defense of he CIA's post-9/11 torture program on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, dismissing criticisms of the program's forced rectal feedings, waterboarding and deaths.
"It worked. It absolutely did work," said Cheney, a driving force behind the George W. Bush administration's use of harsh tactics in response to the 9/11 attacks.
The Senate report on the interrogation program details forced rectal feedings that were medically unnecessary. But on Sunday, Cheney said the feedings were done for "medical reasons." The former vice president showed little remorse for the dozens of prisoners who were found to have been wrongfully detained, for the man who died in the program, or for people like Khaled El-Masri -- a German citizen who was shipped off to Afghanistan and sodomized in a case of mistaken identity.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/dick-cheney-torture_n_63228…

"Jesuit Wingman"

Dan Niven

Last Friday, 12 December, Seattle actor Dan Niven rocked the house at the Eclectic Theater, Seattle, with his adaptation from "View from the Tent." 

Dan focused on the relationship between Atreus (homeless gent) and a Jesuit priest he met close to where he was living in a tent. 

Gotta say its an amazing feeling to see/hear words that existed only on paper until Dan took up his readings/adaptations. The music last night was all written/composed by Jesuits--very creative 30 minutes. 

Dan is back on stage the 18th at the Eclectic--

(P.S. The fella in Rome wearing the really cool big hat is a Jesuit!!)

Yep, sleeping in toilets.

Last Friday night, while walking around Capital Hill, before Dan Niven’s performance of "Jesuit Wingman", I became a reluctant arbitrator of who got to use this dunny for sleeping. 
I was walking along, dreaming of warm beaches, when I was confronted by a man asking if I thought it was fair that the other fella standing there got to hoard the privy. Snapping my mind back to street reality I suggested they flip a coin-simple solution that surprisingly was agreed to by both gents. I gave the loser enough to duck into the local coffee shop and tune up-
There is a stand alone dunny on Lake City at the Concrete Park, 125th and Lake City, where there has been an on-going argument about one fella sleeping in it overnight….Yep, sleeping in toilets! 
We All Deserve Better!!

Christmas thanks #1

Christmas thanks...

I'd like to thank Gary Anthony Teale & Elizabeth Ann Austin for their incredible work in Guatemala towards bettering the educational opportunities for many kids, who otherwise would be left on the very edge of survival.

Their work with Avivara is incredible!

Everyday I wish we had more finances available to support their awesome work.

Read about Avivara, and Send a donation, if you can to http://www.avivara.org