I'm taking a day off

I'm taking a day off today. Actually, my car is in the shop for service and I'm stuck at home. So, I thought I'd spend the day reading through my new books I got yesterday and catching up on the news. Here's a couple of interesting tidbits I found out there:

Gay Arrests Continue In Egypt. Now, I have really no desire to go to Egypt, but if you are going to travel, just be aware that we can't go just anywhere in the world. In a lot of places, being gay is just plain illegal and you could end up finding yourself in prison, especially if you are a foreigner.
Man Terrorized Over Gay Sticker. Makes me re-think my bumper sticker. Of course, this took place in Georgia, but I suppose it could happen anywhere.
Conservative Christians Call For Boycott Of 'Pro Gay' Big Brother. This is actually a really cool story. The Big Brothers of America has put out a policy in all of it's 490 chapters that applicants should not be excluded on the basis of race, religion, disability and other factors including sexual orientation. The policy of course is not going unchallenged. It's a welcome change to see that some parts of society are no longer seeing gays as sexual predators.
Autopsy Planned for Transplant Victim. Unbelievable story. How could a transplant recipient receive organs from someone of a different blood type? One would think that would be primary. Following that, many other tests to determine suitability of the organs. A second transplant was done to replace the organs which matched the recipient's body, but it was too late. She died two days later after the second operation.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wrote to Yasser Arafat deploring public bombings, at least when the bomb is delivered (as one was on Jan. 26 in Jerusalem) on a donkey. (Said a PETA official, "It's not my business to (comment on) human wars.") And to help the U.S. military, a Las Vegas porno distributor offered 500 videos free of charge (except for postage) to servicemen as thanks for their sacrifice. And in Cebu, Philippines, in February, a German man, Frank Oesterle, was detained by police after knifing an American tourist at a bar; they were arguing over their respective countries' views on imminent war in Iraq (i.e., U.S., fight; Germany, don't fight). [Washington Post, 2-5-03] [PRNewswire, 1-29-03] [(Philippine) Daily Inquirer, 2-3-03]
Allison Adams, 23, a veterinary technician for Wildlife Rescue in Austin, Texas, warms up traumatized baby animals (squirrels, kittens, rabbits, etc.) by putting them in her bra (while she's wearing it), according to a profile in the Austin American-Statesman in January. Her report: Squirrels are the hardest; possums the easiest; she's done it about 75 times; no, they don't itch; her fiance is OK with it (even though he was deprived of a hug once because of "hissing possums"). [Austin American-Statesman, 1-7-03]