Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the US and just Thursday for the rest of the world.  I would like to take the time to say I am thankful for all of you out there that stop by on a regular basis to check out my humble offerings of Music and Men.  Coincidentally, it is also the first day of the eight day Jewish Festival of Lights known as Hanukkah.  The last time Thanksgiving Day and Hanukkah coincided on the same day was way back in 1888.  Professional Jewish a cappella group Six13 are the originators of today's Jewish a cappella sound.  Six13 is: Mike Boxer, Eric Dinowitz, Robert Operman, Craig Resmovits, Jacob Spadaro and Mordy Weinstein and they have put together a rather humorous look at this day calling it Thanksgivakkah.  Take a listen:

Another thing I am thankful for is the courage of two same-sex couples who yesterday filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Texas' eight-year-old constitutional amendment that bars gay marriage.  Arguments could be heard as early as January in a federal court in San Antonio in the case trying to nullify the 2005 amendment.  The case is Cleopatra De Leon, Nicole Dimetman, Victor Holmes and Mark Phariss versus Rick Perry, Greg Abbott, Gerard Rickhoff and David Lakey (all in their official capacities), No. 5:13-CV-00982-OLG.  Of course current Governor Rick Perry "believes in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, regarding it as the linchpin of the family unit and, thus, society as a whole."  The rabidly xenophobic Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican and a defendant in the case, is the front-runner in next year's race for governor who is on record as a supporter of the amendment.  So I am also thankful for Texas Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth)  who opposes Abbot in the race to supplant Governor Perry.  Senator Davis, you will recall, is the Senator who ran the long and successful filibuster against the new abortion regulations last summer.  Unfortunately, Governor Perry called a Special Session to pass the new regulations which has caused the closure of all but 5 locations available to Texas women who seek their services.  The Governor's race should produce a lot of fireworks between now and next November.  

Thanksgiving Day is of course traditionally a time for reflection, feasting and football with the family gathered together to celebrate the day.  We all know how stressful that can be whether or not you are out to your family, especially if there is some relative that takes an archaic view on the subject who is not shy about negatively blathering on about it.  So I thought I would give you a heaping helping of Mellow Cello to play in the background to help soothe all the savage beasts and frayed nerves you may find surrounding you today.  The video is comprised of the complete set of concerti written for the cello by Luigi Boccherini performed beautifully by Julius Berger.

Finally for this Thanksgiving Day, I have a sexy collection of denim dynamite in this week's edition of Men In Jeans.  There are definitely no turkeys in this bunch, but there is a lot of beauty for which to be thankful.  Thanks for spending part your holiday with me, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!