Richard Chamberlain and Husband Split After 33 Years

And now for something completely different:

Richard Chamberlain has reportedly dumped his partner of 33 years and has moved out of the Hawaiian dream home they shared.

The Thorn Birds star, 76, and manager/producer Martin Rabbett, who wed in 1984, have split over Chamberlain's plans to dedicate the rest of his life to acting, according to U.S. publication the Globe.

A source tells the tabloid, "Martin served as Richard's manager for years, but getting older and being out in Hawaii for so long, he really didn't have the connections to make a big push for Richard."

Chamberlain reportedly moved back to Los Angeles after his new managers found him a collection of roles, including a thief in hit TV drama Leverage and a priest in a new independent movie.

But friends insist the actor will become very lonely without his longtime partner by his side.

One pal tells the Globe, "He thinks his work will make him complete, but it's never been enough for him."

starpulse.com

Bishop-elect of the Diocese of the Rio Grande

Around 1:00pm MDT today, on the third balloting, The Reverend Dr. Michael Louis Vono was elected as the new Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande. His bio from the diocesan website:

I was born in Providence, RI, the second of four children in a close-knit family. I had a clear sense of vocation from an early age, and my sixteen years of seminary formation included Catholic, Protestant and Anglican theological training. I completed my doctoral degree in Congregational Studies in 1986. My spiritual gifts are pastoral care, community building, administration, preaching and evangelism.

As Curate in an inner-city multicultural church, I lived with people in crisis, transition, conflict, and confusion. I learned how to be a shepherd, counselor, and friend, as my parishioners struggled to recognize God in their personal wildernesses. My primary responsibility was to parish and local youth, mostly African and Spanish, as well as to newly married couples and the elderly, visiting hospitals and nursing homes. I came to understand how preaching the Gospel, the sacraments, pastoral care and building community effectively changed lives and inspired hope and faithfulness.

As its Vicar, the ‘bedroom community’ of Christ Church, Leicester taught me the value of living in a spiritually intimate community. I began to concentrate on congregational development, and studied at Hartford Theological Seminary. I learned that I had the pastoral gifts to bring an economic mix of people together, enable pastoral visioning and inspire positive results in conflict management situations. I learned how to be a priest, pastor and teacher at Christ Church. In my twelve years there I learned to appreciate the uniqueness of every relationship and love the complex diversities of the Body of Christ.

Now as Rector of St. Paul’s, Rome, I live and work with people of diverse cultures and religious backgrounds. My church is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, ecumenical and interfaith community. Our ministries include the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center, a sizable Latin American community, service to the elderly poor of the city as well as displaced youth. At the center of our mission and witness is a profound ministry of radical hospitality.

My spiritual and physical disciplines include praying and studying Scripture/theology each morning and taking physical exercise each day. I meet with my spiritual director monthly, and make a monastic retreat each year. I love community gatherings, theater, music, travel and writing, and nothing invigorates me more than a challenge.

I'm pleased with this outcome, and very happy that the delegates were able to reach a valid election in a mere five hours or so. Here's the article on the national church's news website.

How De-motivational

Today was post-program measurement day for an employee fitness program i signed up for when i first started this new job. Despite increasing my physical activity for the past six+ weeks and eating healthier (and less!) all my measurements increased. Including blood pressure. How depressing.

At least the college student who did today's measuring was cute & beefy. Maybe that explains the higher BP? i assured him (and myself) that i was going to continue to increase my activity levels and eat healthy. Still, it's a bit hard to stay motivated when it seems the numbers are heading the wrong way.

The subjective truth is that i feel much better, people are saying "You look like you've lost weight," and my clothes are fitting much more comfortably. Damn the numbers. i'm not going to measure anything other than amount of physical activity and food labels for the next two months. Something objectively measurable will have to have changed for the better by then.

Join The Insurrection

God was that dog I held today

In response to the wacko right's buzz about Elena Kazan's sexuality

After first noting that this list is only pertinent when referring to some, but not all, heterosexuals, here's a worthy post from the comments section of a Huffpost article:

Note to heterosexuals – PART 1:

1) Stop assuming the myth of Compulsory Heterosexuality...right now. It's embarrassing.

2) Stop imposing the demand that all Gays come out. No homosexual owes you an explanation for, or disclosure of, anything, ever.

3) Stop equating discretion with delusion. If a Gay does not “come out” to you that lack of disclosure does not always mean a person is "Gay" and closeted. It very often means a person is avowedly "Gay" without any intention of discussing it with YOU or acknowledging your offensively suspicious, circumspect manner. The compulsion to "come out" is a heterosexual fantasy and a bigoted function of the closet...both imposed upon The Gays.

4) Stop using the phrase "openly Gay". Sexual orientation is avowed not admitted.

5) Stop speculating freely and conspiratorially on the sexuality of others. It betrays your grotesque insecurity. It is also called Sexual Harassment.

6) Admit your fear and anxiety when suspected Gays do not reveal sexual orientation.

7) Face that fear and anxiety ALONE. "The Gays" do not come out of the closet just so you can indulge your remarkably creepy need-to-know. Here's a thought: healthy people have boundaries.

8) Admit your unchallenged belief in Compulsory Heterosexuality alone is the cause of your fear and anxiety NOT your perception of ostensible, unverifiable homosexuals.

9) Stop professing you are "fine with The Gays". We're sure you have many black friends too. Please stop telling us about it.

10) Stop forcing homosexuals to tolerate your "tolerance".

11) Stop generalizing and extrapolating from personal experience.

Exhibit A: "I like The Gays so all straight people are cool like me. I'll just indulge my un-interrogated belief that homophobic bigotry is a fantasy of phrenological proportions and expect The Gays not to be offended by my narcissistic ignorance because I really am the center of the universe!"

12) Stop flattering yourself with the "Homosexual Panic Defense". Gays do not want to have sex with you. This is emphasized for straight men. Really. Look in the mirror, step on a scale, then look around.

13) Stop conflating homosexual with "Gay". Sexual orientation and cultural identity are not the same thing, especially when the cultural identity in question has never been formed outside of oppression. While all "Gays" are homosexual, not all avowed homosexuals culturally identify as "Gay".

May favorite may be #12