World AIDS Day

I know that this blog needs a spiritual lift as soon as it can get one, and no I haven't abandoned my countdown (I've just been refreshing my memory of #s 68 and 69, neither of which I had seen in a while). And yes, I do still plan to see some new movies: I've cleared a massive swath in my weekend schedule of grading to see Walk the Line and Rent and Bee Season all back-to-back-to-back at the local 'plex.

But still, December 1 is World AIDS Day, and I feel it's important to acknowledge that&#151especially since your friend and mine at Queering the Apparatus wrote such a heartfelt, detailed, and eloquently angry commemoration of this grim but hopeful day. Please read it, and then consider donating money or absorbing the information at the websites for AmFAR or The ONE Campaign. Also, the Online Nursing Programs website has an AIDS-related page with terrific information and a bevy of pertinent links, including more places to donate your money and time.