Daddy, Papa and Me

Last year, the son of a wealthy maharajah, of the royal family of Rajpipla, one of India's former princely states came out. Manvendra Singh Gohil came out to a local newspaper. He knew the consequences and in fact they came true, his family publicly disowned him and thus he lost his life of priviledge and wealth. He did it to bring light to what it means to gay men and women in India and:

For Gohil, his very public unmasking has brought him a bully pulpit from which to speak out against a law that makes him not just a pariah of noble birth but also a common criminal.

A museum in Norway has an exhibit on some of the 500 species that have well-documented observations of homosexual individuals... from swans to bonobos. It's based on a book Biological Exuberance : Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. I would never suggest that human ethics should be based on what is "natural," I mean a lot of species eat their young, or what we think is "natural" for humans either (war and murder seem "natural" since they occur in every society in all times). But, this is a great and damning rebuttal to those who say homosexuality is "against the natural order." Because, well.. it ain't (I've always found it just a bit fascinating that there are those who argue against evolutionary science then turn around and use it... in a purely simplistic/incorrect fashion... to argue against homosexuality based on reduced evolutionary advantage.. oh well).

As Bacchus points out, gay men can even make double wide trailers stylish and hip. Reminds me of that Will and Grace episode where some people in a neighborhood were vying to get Will and Jack to move there because they will up the real estate values (yikes, "gentrification"... we were accused of that personally when we moved here). Wonder if putting this double wide in a trailer park would up the values...

Oh, the recipes:

Crab Cakes (this is actually a quick recipe)

(these are "Maryland" crab cakes and are my favorite, they remind me of home...)
1 pound backfin crab meat (living in SF, I use Dugeness crab instead of Chesapeake Blue crab... I know.. it's a sin.. but it's a heck of a lot cheaper, especially since it is crab season here and if you want to really go against nature, though cheaper and more convenient, use canned crab)
1/2 cup cracker crumbs or bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I've substituted low-fat yogurt before
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or make the 'mimic')
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (I've substituted soy sauce before with good results)
1 teaspoon dry mustard (dijon mustard will work too)

Carefully remove all cartilage from crab meat. In a bowl, mix together eggs, mayonnaise, seafood seasoning, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce and dry mustard. Add crab meat, mix evenly and gently. Add cracker crumbs evenly. Shape into 6 cakes. Saute in a frying pan with a little oil (peanut oil is my favorite) for 5 minutes on each side. Crab cakes can also be broiled for a few minutes on each side until browned.

Dang do I have a lot of winter squash and apples

2 large winter squash (such as acorn squash)
2 large cooking apples (peeled and chopped)
4 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons slivered almonds (optional)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons brown sugar

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds, place cut-side down in baking pan with about 1/4 inch of water. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Mix the other ingredients. When squash is done, turn squash around, empty water and spoon mixture into cavity. Return to oven and bake another 30 minutes (this is a good time to do the crab cakes :).