Please help my wife and I commemorate our mothers, both deceased for many years, who taught us that there is no excuse and no reason for anyone to go hungry in this country. We have commemorated that spirit every year when we make our end of year donation to the Oregon Food Bank. You can help us double our annual contribution this year.

Let us all work in the coming year to replace war with peace, sadness with joy, and despair with hope.

Hi Jack:

Just wanted to remind everyone to be thankful for those they love especially at this time of year. And make sure you tell them that you love them! I got your blog info from your sister Annie who has been my dearest friend for over 30 years. I know this won't be a reader favortie, but I just wanted to let you know how proud she is of what you are doing and how loved she is. Regards to Nollie and the kids.

Let us all work in the coming year to get the Welches conman at least as far as Brightwood; to help Fireman Randy find a better venue for his new, ever-flexing muscle; and to let Little Lord Paulson, daylight's dauphin, at least build a winning entry for Sand in the City.

Good on ya, Jack.

What an amazing effort!! Congrats and may you reach your 5k goal quickly!! :)

There are so many worthy charities in the world that I won't name any over any other. Just keep up the good work!

Passing this one on!

Please do -- we've got 12 hours to go, and lots of hits are still needed!

2009 was an awful year, in many ways, for many people I know. Careers have been lost, relationships have crumbled and times are tough. It's one that has left us with scars that won't soon heal. I lost my job, will soon lose the rental house I love and will be returning home to live with my parents and attend college for a post-bach since the local job market is so bleak. I hope this is decision that I won't come to regret.

If I only I knew then what I know now and could know now what I will know a few years down the road. In times like this, I'm thankful for family and friends that I can rely on. I know a lot of people have it much worse than me these days. Thanks for continuing the Buck-a-Hit tradition, Jack.

Buck a Hit Day...I'd hit that. Here's to another great year w/ mr. bog. Well done sir.

I know it's been a tough year for many of us, but thought we could use a little humor.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through Puddletown
Not a creature was stirring, no police beatdown
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that Fireman Randy would soon be there.

Sam and Nick were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of streetcars and trams danced in their heads
And Vera in her kerchief and Paulson in his cap
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
Paulson sprang from his sleep to see what was the matter
Away to the window he flew like a flash
To see if his empire had come down in a crash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave luster and meaning to all that he owned
When what to his rich eyes should appear
But a miniature fire truck and eight tiny reindeer

With a muscular driver—he’d given up candy
Paulson knew in a moment, it must be Randy
More rapid than WES, his courses they came
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name.

Now Amanda! Now Dan! Now Kenneth and Anna!
On Aaron! On Tye! On Stuart and Sara!
To the top of the Tower, to the top of Pill Hill!
Now dash away! Dash away! We have bids to fill!

As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
So to the South Waterfront they flew
With the sleigh full of bids, and Fireman Randy, too.

Then in a twinkling Paulson heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof
As he drew in his head and was turning around
Down the chimney came Randy—he’d lost some pounds.

He was dressed all in fur that he got from Ms. Storm
And his clothes were all baggy—didn’t fit on his form
A bundle of bids he had flung on his back
He looked very tired, must be all of that flack.

His eyes, how they squinted! His head was so bald.
Lord Paulson was scared, he was simply appalled
His droll little mouth was drawn straight as an arrow
Above his lip, a mustache quite narrow.

A long-handled fire axe he held in his hand
And the fire it reflected made him look nicely tanned
He had a broad face and had lost his round belly
He fought the school fire, and saved some lunchroom jelly.

He was skinny and thin, not at all his old self.
Paulson then winked when he saw him—his special elf.

Randy spoke not a word and dallied with his work
He filled all the bids, even for those who were jerks
He gave the thumbs up for all project proposed
And giving nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his truck, to his staff gave a whistle
And away they flew like a streetcar missile
But Paulson heard him exclaim ‘ere he drove out of sight
Happy Christmas to all
Remember, I’m always right!

Here's my idea for a charity to direct some funds to. I would like to see some $$ go to the guy at the bottom. No matter how far we fall (unemployment, disease, war etc.) there always seems to be someone just a little worse off. I think I have come close however to finding the bottom. The country of Nepal (famed for buddhist monks and big mountains) is trying to recover from a 10 year civil war. Currently some 65,000 refugees are squatting on the banks of the Bagmati River in the capitol Kathmandu. They do not have squat. No land, no education, no services, no health care, not electricty, no clean water... You get it. Too make matters worse they are all members of the Untouchable caste (90% of Nepali people are Hindu), meaning that people won't hire them, help them, or work to help their plight.

Together with a young man from Nepal (Mr. Xeno Acharya) who recently graduated from Reed College we have started a non-profit foundation to assist the refugees. To date we have built a small school and assisted in the development of health clinics. We need to raise about $5K to expand the school and pay the teachers for next year. Please visit our website at wwww.namastekathmandu.org. Let's help the people on the bottom.

Hark the city minions sing
Here is Sam, the council's king
Peace on the streets and cops be mild
Let the union finally stiffle their wild
Joyful all ye citizens arise
Look at that tram over SoWat's skies
While the developers proclaim
Randy is here in our domain
Hark the city dwellers sing
When can we elect a new king?

Thanks for keeping this blog around, Jack. And good luck on 5000 hits.

Here is an excerpt from my blog that seems appropriate to this wonderful act of giving that you have encouraged:

"Agape" is a greek term that refers to the kind of love that God has for us and is what I mean by love as an action verb.
Agape is a kind of love that is about giving, not about getting. God showed us what agape is by His incarnation as Jesus Christ that we celebrate at Christmas. Agape is not just a feeling, it is what God is. He acts towards us in the way that He does not because of how He feels about us, but because of who He is; because He chooses to love us with an agape love.

Each day we need to make a conscious effort to incorporate agape love into our interactions with those around us. Who is God calling you to love today? Don’t feel like it? As Nike would say, “Just do it.” After all, love as an action verb can be a blessing to others that is returned to you in even greater measure than you give.

Keep up the great blogging, Jack!

There are strange things done

In the midnight sun

By the bloggers who search for snark.

And ol' BoJack's tales

'Bout our leaders travails

Are enough to make cats bark.

But one things is sure

All of our hearts are pure:

Without wit we'll survive only by luck.

Forget Creepy and Randy

Make your credit card handy:

C'mon now and cough up a buck!

From a recent appeal in my mailbox from Oregon Food Bank: "This fall's U.S. Department of Agriculture report on food security shows Oregon at No. 2 for rate of hunger nationally, behind only Mississippi."

Is that really a list where we want to be No. 2? Can we shoot for No. 12 in 2010, No. 22 in 2011, No. 32 in 2012, and No. 42 in 2013? Let's work ourselves to the bottom of this list. It's shocking....

laurelann and LucsAdvo are in the finals!

Seventh Annual Bojack Buck-a-Hit

Joseph or Yosef -- Hebrew: יוֹסֵף ‎, Standard: Yosef, Tiberian: Yôsēp̄, Arabic: يوسف‎, Yusuf

The story of Joseph is told in Genesis, chapters 37-50 (one of the longest continuous narratives in the Bible).

Joseph is one of the best-known figures in the Torah, famous for his coat of many colors ... and for his ability to interpret dreams.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, he is known as "Joseph the all-comely", a reference not only to his physical appearance, but more importantly to the beauty of his spiritual life.

Joseph ("Yusuf") is regarded by Muslims as a prophet in the Qur'an, suras vi. 84, xl. 36, and a whole chapter (sura xii.) is devoted to him.

Pharaoh dreamt of seven lean cows which rose out of the river and devoured seven fat cows.
Pharoah dreamt again, of seven withered ears of grain which devoured seven fat ears of corn.
Pharaoh's wise men were unable to interpret these dreams, but the chief butler remembered Joseph and spoke of his skill to Pharaoh.
Joseph interpreted the dreams as foretelling that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of famine, and advised Pharaoh to store surplus grain during the years of abundance.

Comes now the Year of the Tiger, 2010, and then of the Hare, 2011, and in them chaos and realignment, yet still years (6 and 7) of abundance.

Then (2012) comes seven years of famine and the most human suffering ever known on Earth. Please, people, us, be of faith and hope and love everyone to another, sharing, and everyone of all.

Who can endure, surviving, are the fearless many, who are meek. Fear is the shadow within each of us; fear not. There are no terrorists. There are no threats abroad. Those are lies told to us by the most self-fearing ones of us, and such shall perish from our midst.

Prepare, and store abundance. The great strife shall pass in seven years' time (after 2012). Everyone must change and a total reformation, because petroleum is mostly depleted and its heedless exhaust is driving climate to severity, worldwide.

Study of these things and share. Then there is no fear among us.