4) New Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

Serves: 8

o 2 lb fresh green beans, stem ends removed, beans cut in thirds (see Note)
          o stick butter
          o 1 cup thinly sliced shallots or chopped onion
          o 10 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
          o 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems twisted off and discarded, caps sliced
          o 1 box (18.3 oz) creamy portobello mushroom soup (Campbell’s Select)
          o 1 can (2.8 oz) French-fried onions

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 2-qt shallow baking dish with nonstick spray.

Bring a 4- to 5-qt pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add beans; cook 7 to 8 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and liquid from mushrooms evaporates. Add to beans. Pour on soup, toss gently to coat; transfer to baking dish.

Top with French-fried onions. Bake 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and onions are crisp.

3) Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

Serves:  8

o 2 9-ounce packages frozen French-style green beans
          o 1/3 cup chopped onion
          o 2 teaspoons margarine
          o 3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
          o 1 10-3/4-ounce can lower-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup
          o 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
          o 2 tablespoons diced pimento
          o 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Cook the green beans according to the package directions, except omit salt. Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan cook the onion in margarine until onion is tender. Stir in the bread crumbs; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl stir together the soup, yogurt, pimiento, and pepper. Stir in the beans. Transfer mixture to a 1-quart casserole. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture atop beans in casserole.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the mixture is heated through and the crumbs are golden. If desired, garnish with additional pimiento pieces. Makes 5 side-dish servings.

2) Cheesy Green Bean Casserole ~ This take on green bean casserole has a stuffing topping – two Thanksgiving sides in one!

Ingredients

Serves 14

o 2 pkg. frozen French-cut green beans
          o 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
          o 1/2 lb. VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product
          o 1-1/2 cups water
          o 1/4 cup butter
          o 1 pkg. STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

Directions

1.Combine beans and soup in 2-qt. casserole; top with VELVEETA.

2.Add water to butter in medium bowl; stir until melted. Stir in stuffing mix just until moistened. Spoon over bean mixture.

3.Bake 35 to 40 min. or until heated through.

Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole Recipes

By Megan O. Steintrager
Filed Under: Thanksgiving

#1)  ~ This traditional classic features green beans and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup topped with savory, crunchy French fried onions.

Read more: http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/green-bean-casserole-76968/#ixzz16Do8TfMr

Ingredients

Serves:  Update

o 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
          o 1/2 cup milk
          o 1 tsp. soy sauce
          o Dash ground black pepper
          o 4 cups cooked cut green beans
          o 1 1/3 cups French's French Fried Onions

Directions

MIX soup, milk, soy, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2-qt. casserole.

BAKE at 350°F. for 25 min. or until hot.

STIR . Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 min.

TIP: Use 1 bag (16 to 20 oz.) frozen green beans, 2 pkg. (9 oz. each) frozen green beans, 2 cans (about 16 oz. each) green beans or about 1 1/2 lb. fresh green beans for this recipe.

For a change of pace, substitute 4 cups cooked broccoli flowerets for the green beans.

For a creative twist, stir in 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese with soup. Omit soy sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup additional Cheddar cheese when adding the remaining onions.

For a festive touch, stir in 1/4 cup chopped red pepper with soup.

For a heartier mushroom flavor, substitute Campbell's Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup for Cream of Mushroom Soup. Omit soy sauce. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped red pepper with green beans.


A month ago, we asked Bon Appetit readers to share their craziest Thanksgiving food disaster stories. Hundreds of you wrote in, and we read every single entry about flaming turkeys, inedible gravies, ruined casseroles, and more. From the day the contest kicked off, these tales were all we could talk about around the New York offices of Bon Appetit. "Did you read the one where the woman's family arrived and she went to serve the turkey and realized she never even turned on the oven?!" "No! But did you read the one about the turkey that was left to chill in the backyard and got eaten by a raccoon?"

We'd laugh and laugh, knowing exactly how those moments feel during the holidays. And then we'd go back for more.

As we continued to read our way through the huge stack of entries, we started to see trends: a third cook left the giblets bag inside her turkey, then a fourth, then a twentieth. We had to create a whole separate stack for people whose meals were eaten by their dogs and cats.

So we decided to keep a tally of the repeat stories. Only unique stories could qualify as finalists in the contest–we had to choose a winner to receive an All-Clad turkey roasting pan, after all--but we started to think that the stories you all had in common might be more important.

Here's why: All over the country on Thursday, families and friends in every shape and size will cook the same meal. (Or try to, at least.) Many of you will break your disposal with potato peels. Many of you will cook the paper liner into the crust of a store-bought pie. And an overwhelming number of you will accidentally use powdered sugar instead of cornstarch to thicken your gravy. There's something great there. Call it a sense of commonality, community, or wax poetic about the unifying power of tradition. We're kind of in it together.

And then there were the heros: The mother-in-laws who came into the kitchen to find a crying cook, but said "Pick up that turkey off the floor, wipe it off and let's have dinner." There were dads, uncles, and grandmas who scooped out the pie filling, poured in that missing sugar or spice, and dumped it back in the crust. These stories reminded us why this holiday, including its trials and tribulations in the kitchen, is so wonderful. So this year we'd like to give thanks to our community for your willingness to share with us.

Here now, by popular request, are two lists: First, a list of the most common disasters and second, our finalists. A winner will be announced before the Thanksgiving holiday at bonappetit.com.
Here are Your 3 Most Common Thanksgiving Disasters:

3. You reached for the wrong thing. Hundreds of you sent in stories about accidentally using the wrong ingredient in your pies, gravies, casseroles and more. Our favorite iteration was a reader who accidentally used Vicks 44 instead of vanilla in her ice cream.

2. Someone (or something) else ate my turkey. Sometimes you put the bird outside to cool and found a carcass in the morning. Or sometimes your dog, cat, or pet bunnies got to do the feasting--especially when you dropped it on the floor.

1. There's something in there. This was the most common disaster by a long shot. Whether you forgot to remove the bag of innards or left a wad of paper towels in the cavity after drying the bird, hundreds of you have treated your family to a surprise stuffing.

The Finalists:

"No One Will Ever Know"
At the first Thanksgiving dinner with the in laws, I was doing my best to impress everyone with my skills in the kitchen. I was given the honor of slicing up the bird. My mother-in-law positioned a cutting board over the kitchen sink, placed the turkey on it and said, "have at it." I was careful to first remove the giblets and undo the wiring holding the legs together. As my finger touched the piping hot metal, I exclaimed "ow!" and the bird went sliding into the soapy dishwater right next to it. The good mother-in-law quickly recovered the bird, rinsed it off with hot water, and encouraged me by saying, "no one will ever know." Until now I guess. - Kevin, Wheeling, IL

"The Ice Maker"
We purchased our fresh Thanksgiving turkey too far in advance and had to freeze it. Unfortunately the freezer was too small. With determination and lots of pushing, we forced the turkey in and closed the freezer door. It wasn't until we went to remove the turkey to thaw that we remembered that water expands when it freezes. The turkey was huge and solidly stuck against the ice maker. We left the freezer door open for hours but it wouldn't budge. We pulled out a hair dryer to speed up the defrosting process but the ice maker held tight. Finally in desperation, we shut off the electricity and cut the lines to the ice maker. Both the ice maker and the turkey slid out gracefully. The turkey was delicious and now we use old-fashioned ice trays. - Sharon, Friday Harbor, WA

"Casserole Soup"
A couple of years ago, my younger sister decided she was finally brave enough to join in the family tradition of everyone making a dish to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. We suggested she make a green bean casserole since it is easy (the recipe is right on the can) and inexpensive (a little condensed soup and frozen green beans). On Thanksgiving day she walked in with a huge roasting pan and set it on the counter. I asked her how it came out and she said, "okay, but it cost more money to make than I thought." She uncovered the dish to reveal a gray, gelatinous, green-specked mass sprinkled with a few fried onions on top. I calmly asked, "sweetheart, did you follow the recipe?" "Yes!" she replied, "I just can't believe how much soup it takes to make it!" I grabbed an extra can of green beans we had to see what had gone wrong and there it was: (2) 10oz cans cream of mushroom soup. Without much experience, she had thought it said 10 cans, not 10oz cans! We put the dish out on the table with everyone else's dish because she had put so much effort into it. Everyone took a big gray scoop of it, and no one in our family has thought about green bean casserole the same way again. - Kerri, Ewing, NJ

"The 'Kosher' Turkey"
One year I chose the "Kosher Turkey" recipe from Rick Rodger's cookbook, Thanksgiving 101. I purchased a kosher turkey from my butcher and didn't think about it until an hour before cooking time. I unwrapped the bird to find it completely covered in feathers. I called my butcher who laughed and said "Lady, I assumed you knew what you were in for." He told me to pick up a pair of pliers and start plucking. When the guests arrived we were still plucking. All the guests pitched in and my clean kitchen became littered with greasy, limp feathers. It turned out to be the tastiest turkey of all time. -Denise, Ridegefield, PA

"The Cutting Board"
When I was in college, my older brother and I lived in the same city. I insisted we celebrate the holiday together. I had no frame of reference for cooking Thanksgiving dinner, but preparation went remarkably well˿until the grand carving of the turkey. I had soaked the cutting board in a pine cleaner to get it spanking clean and the turkey tasted like a Christmas tree. I've since become a cooking instructor (many years later!). -Jo Ann, Delray Beach, FL

"Pomegranate Turkey"
Two years ago my sister asked me how I made my turkey so moist, so I gave her my secret recipe: Inject the turkey with a pomegranate salad dressing, cover it with a cheese cloth and baste it with a white wine-butter reduction every half hour." My mother called me on Thanksgiving to ask me what I had told my sister, because there is no way she got the instructions right. It turned out my PHd-smart sister inject the turkey with pomegranate concentrate which made the turkey meat pink. If that wasn't funny enough, my mother asked me why I told her to cover the turkey with cheese and saturate it with wine. I swear my sister can find new medicines, but she can't cook! -Marie, Sunrise, FL

"Who Needs To Read Instructions?"
I put the pumpkin straight from the can into th pie crust and put it into the oven. I didn't know you needed to add ingredients! -Natasha, Washington D.C.

"S.O.S. Please"
It was my mother's first Thanksgiving. The recipe for roast turkey began by instructing the cook to "wash and dry" the bird. My mother washed the turkey with SOS pads and dish soap, and evidently it didn't rinse very well." -Tom, New York

"The Artist"
We were in charge of all the pies for desert. My wife is known for her pie making abilities, and had made a beautiful assortment. We left the pies on the table and went to finish getting read for dinner. While we were getting dressed, our 5-year-old decided to help mom with the pie. He grabbed the salt (the one with a single hole) and processed to add whimsical designs across the pumpkin, coconut cream, cherry nut, and peanut butter swirl pies. -Scott, Philadelphia, PA

"Toupee Turkey"
In 2005, I pre-ordered an expensive fresh bone-in turkey breast for my first Thanksgiving. To my horror, there was a giant hole in the skin right at the top middle of the breastbone of what was supposed to be my first masterpiece! I brined the bird in a salt and sugar solution, but I wasn't sure if that would keep it moist with the hole there.  I cut off some excess skin around the neck area and pieced together a toupee for my bird's bald spot. When my bird emerged from the oven, I must admit, it was quite ugly. The skin had shrunk and pulled away, but otherwise it was a perfectly cooked bird! To this day, we still reminisce about my ugly but oh-so-delicious Frankenturkey! -Kim, Huntington Beach, CA

–By Andrew Knowlton, Bon Appétit

1. Turkey makes you sleepy
If you find yourself nodding off on the couch after the Thanksgiving feast, don't blame the poor old turkey. While it's true that turkey contains tryptophan--an amino acid that's a precursor to calming, feel-good serotonin--there's not enough tryptophan in roasted turkey to tire you out. In fact, there's more tryptophan in cheese and chicken breast than there is in turkey. The real reason you're sleepy? It's likely the stress of the holiday, the hours spent cooking, the wine and spirits--and all the fat and calories you just consumed.

2. Fresh pumpkin is better than canned pumpkin
"Canned" isn't a bad word. Canned tuna and canned tomatoes have a place in the pantry of any great cook. The same rule goes for pumpkin. Canned pureed pumpkin from the grocery store often produces a more reliable and consistent result--especially in baking. If you insist on using fresh pumpkin (and, let's be honest, preventing your guests from enjoying the traditional flavors of Thanksgiving) be sure to use sugar pumpkins; the pumpkins you buy to carve at Halloween are watery, mealy, and not great for recipes. But I say long live canned pumpkin--at least one day a year.

3. The bigger the turkey, the better
When I was kid, my mom took me to the supermarket a week before Thanksgiving and let me pick out the frozen turkey. I went for the one with the biggest breasts. Done laughing? Here's the thing, the ones with big breasts don't have much flavor. According to Rick Rodgers, cooking teacher and author of Thanksgiving 101, you should compare the size of the breast to the size of the rest of the bird. "Larger-breasted turkeys are new breeds that were created to produce a larger amount of meat--not a better flavor. The smaller the ratio of breast meat to whole bird, the closer the turkey is to the original model and the more old-fashioned its flavor will be," he says. My advice, go with a fresh heritage turkey or crossbreed turkey.

4. Stuffing is the same as dressing
Dressing and stuffing are similar, but not the same. The difference lies in how they are prepared. Stuffing is, obviously, stuffed inside the bird, while dressing is usually cooked in a casserole dish. I've always preferred dressing since it has more surface area exposed in the oven, which means you get more crunchy, crusty bits. Stuffing is wet and soggy in my opinion. But there's another reason why you should cease stuffing your bird. Over to my friend Alton Brown for an explanation. "Lot of things could go in there (the cavity of the bird)...in fact, only one thing shouldn't: stuffing. Stuffing is evil. Stuffing adds mass, so it slows the cooking. That's evil because the longer the bird cooks, the drier it will be. And since the cavity is a perfect haven for salmonella bacteria, you have to be absolutely certain that the cavity is heated through to 165° F, which means overcooking at least part of the bird....which is evil," he says. Uhh, looks like stuffing ain't such a good idea.

5. Pop-up plastic thermometers work
This one is easy (and I'll make it quick): Pop-up thermometers are unreliable. Not only do they pierce the skin and let flavorful juices escape, but they can also malfunction, leaving you with an under- or overcooked bird. What's more, most are made to pop up at 180° F--at that point your bird is toast. Use a probe thermometer instead.

Looking for Gay or Sex-related search results in Yahoo! Clues? Forget about it.

Update: A representative from Yahoo! has responded to this article and further questions. Responses are at page bottom.

I asked, and now I’m telling: looks like Yahoo! Clues, the new keyword search and comparison tool, has a problem with the gays.

Yahoo!’s new research tool Clues appears to be part of the growing trend of search giants and their tools not reporting results or returning data on sex-related keywords. Launched this last Tuesday, the service offered a way for people to “Explore interesting patterns in what people are searching for on Yahoo! Search.” As of this writing, amazingly, there is still no data available for anyone searching for “gay,” “masturbation” or “sex“. No data available, indeed.

Methinks the lady doth protest too much. It’s just like if Google Trends had a homophobic little brother. Especially when Clues does give us results for “lesbian,” “bisexual” and “transgender.”

Yahoo! Clues and its glaring omissions of certain sexual topics is a new salvo in the growing trend of search services non-transparently serving their users with G-rated results. Google Instant took the prize for showing extreme intolerance around not only adult-related keywords, but for refusing to include certain people (disclosure: I am one of the people Google Instant disallows). But unlike Clues, Instant does allow the word “sex.”

Maybe part of the problem with Clues is that there is also no data available for “dominatrix.”

Yahoo! Clues is supposed to be for keyword research and comparison. People are strange, and having access to keyword search data helps to understand what words are being used to find web content (or not find it). Plugging words into Google Trends always yields a few surprises.

Yet Clues wants to go a bit further on the first date, and it’s entertaining enough, so we hung out for a little longer than our distaste for uncomfortably filtered results usually allows. And some of the extras are really neat. After keyword comparison, Clues provides demographics with ability to sort by age and/or gender. Searching by sex seems ironic when looking at results for “transgender” but, hey, our “no gays” Clues has already made it clear he isn’t the kind of guy to buy you flowers on the first date.

As you’d expect from a good ‘ol boy, Clues is America-centric. ” Currently, only Yahoo! Search information originating from the United States is available.” Clues’ income data is calculated “using anonymous aggregated zip code information from Yahoo! Search matched against per capita income data from the US Census Bureau.” I had hoped for more to substantiate the data, but it still looks neat — plus, the “search flow” data is super-fun to play with, where you can see what terms were put in just before and after the term you’re investigating.

If Trends offered up this data, and did so globally, it would be unstoppable. Clues comes out of the box with handicaps so severe, I can tell you already that there isn’t going to be a second date. Fun to play with, yes. But I would never, ever use Clues for making any business decisions whatsoever, nor for article research.

Mistress is displeased with Clues

Blue Moon

31 December 2009 Blue Moon with partial lunar eclipse

A blue moon can refer to the third full moon in a season with four full moons.[1] Most years have twelve full moons that occur approximately monthly. In addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains roughly eleven days more than the lunar year of 12 lunations. The extra days accumulate, so every two or three years (7 times in the 19-year Metonic cycle), there is an extra full moon. Lunisolar calendars have rules about when to insert such an intercalary of embolismic ("leap") month, and what name it is given; e.g. in the Hebrew calendar the month Adar is duplicated. The term "blue moon" comes from folklore. Different traditions and conventions place the extra "blue" full moon at different times in the year.

* In calculating the dates for Lent and Easter, the Clergy identify the Lent Moon. It is thought that historically when the moon's timing was too early, they named an earlier moon as a "betrayer moon" (belewe moon), thus the Lent moon came at its expected time.[2]
   * Folklore gave each moon a name according to its time of year. A moon that came too early had no folk name, and was called a blue moon, retaining the correct seasonal timings for future moons.
   * The Farmers' Almanac defined blue moon as an extra full moon that occurred in a season; one season was normally three full moons. If a season had four full moons, then the third full moon was named a blue moon.
   * Recent popular usage defined a blue moon as the second full moon in a calendar month, stemming from an interpretation error made in 1946 that was discovered in 1999.[1] For example, December 31, 2009 was a blue moon according to this usage.

A "blue moon" is also used colloquially to mean "a rare event", reflected in the phrase "once in a blue moon".[3]
Contents

* 1 Early English and Christian usage
   * 2 Visibly blue moon
   * 3 Farmers' Almanac blue moons
         o 3.1 Sky and Telescope calendar misinterpretation
   * 4 Blue moons between 2009 and 2016
         o 4.1 Seasonal
         o 4.2 Calendar
   * 5 See also
   * 6 References
   * 7 External links

Early English and Christian usage

The earliest recorded English usage of the term "blue moon" was in a 1528 pamphlet violently attacking the English clergy,[4] entitled "Rede Me and Be Not Wrothe" ("Read me and be not angry"; or possibly "Counsel Me and Be Not Angry" [5]): "If they say the moon is belewe / We must believe that it is true" [If they say the moon is blue, we must believe that it is true].

Another interpretation uses another Middle English meaning of belewe, which (besides "blue") can mean "betray".[2] By the 16th century, before the Gregorian calendar reform, the medieval computus was out of sync with the actual seasons and the moon, and occasionally spring would have begun and a full moon passed a month before the computus put the first spring moon.[6][7] Thus, the clergy needed to tell the people whether the full moon was the Easter moon or a false one, which they may have called a "betrayer moon" (belewe moon) after which people would have had to continue fasting for another month in accordance with the season of Lent.[8]

Modern interpretation of the term relates "blue moon" to absurdities and impossibilities,.[9]
Visibly blue moon

The most literal meaning of blue moon is when the moon (not necessarily a full moon) appears to a casual observer to be unusually bluish, which is a rare event. The effect can be caused by smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere, as has happened after forest fires in Sweden and Canada in 1950 and 1951,[10] and after the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, which caused the moon to appear blue for nearly two years. Other less potent volcanos have also turned the moon blue. People saw blue moons in 1983 after the eruption of the El Chichon volcano in Mexico, and there are reports of blue moons caused by Mt. St. Helens in 1980 and Mount Pinatubo in 1991.[11]

On September 23, 1950, several muskeg fires that had been smoldering for several years in Alberta, Canada suddenly blew up into major—and very smoky—fires. Winds carried the smoke eastward and southward with unusual speed, and the conditions of the fire produced large quantities of oily droplets of just the right size (about 1 micrometre in diameter) to scatter red and yellow light. Wherever the smoke cleared enough so that the sun was visible, it was lavender or blue. Ontario, Canada and much of the east coast of the U.S. were affected by the following day, and two days later, observers in England reported an indigo sun in smoke-dimmed skies, followed by an equally blue moon that evening.[11]

The key to a blue moon is having lots of particles slightly wider than the wavelength of red light (0.7 micrometre)–and no other sizes present. This is rare, but volcanoes sometimes produce such clouds, as do forest fires. Ash and dust clouds thrown into the atmosphere by fires and storms usually contain a mixture of particles with a wide range of sizes, with most smaller than 1 micrometre, and they tend to scatter blue light. This kind of cloud makes the moon turn red; thus red moons are far more common than blue moons.[12]
Farmers' Almanac blue moons

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Maine Farmers' Almanac listed blue moon dates for farmers. These correspond to the third full moon in a quarter of the year when there were four full moons (normally a quarter year has three full moons). Names are given to each moon in a season: For example, the first moon of summer is called the early summer moon, the second is called the midsummer moon, and the last is called the late summer moon. When a season has four moons the third is called the blue moon so that the last can continue to be called the late moon.

The division of the year into quarters starts with the nominal vernal equinox on or around March 21.[13] This is close to the astronomical season but follows the Christian computus used for calculations of Easter, which places the equinox at a fixed date in the (Gregorian) calendar.

Some[weasel words] naming conventions[citation needed] keep the moon's seasonal name for its entire cycle, from its appearance as a new moon through the full moon to the next new moon. In this convention a blue moon starts with a new moon and continues until the next new moon starts the late season moon.
Sky and Telescope calendar misinterpretation

The March 1946 Sky and Telescope article "Once in a Blue Moon" by James Hugh Pruett misinterpreted the 1937 Maine Farmers' Almanac. "Seven times in 19 years there were — and still are — 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon." Widespread adoption of the definition of a "blue moon" as the second full moon in a month followed its use on the popular radio program StarDate on January 31, 1980.[1]
Blue moons between 2009 and 2016

The following blue moons occur between 2009 and 2016. These dates use UTC as the timezone; months vary with different timezones.
Seasonal

Using the Farmers' Almanac definition of blue moon (meaning the third full moon in a season of four full moons), blue moons occur

* November 21, 2010
   * August 21, 2013
   * May 21, 2016

Calendar

Note that, unlike the astronomical seasonal definition, these dates are dependent on the Gregorian calendar and time zones.

Two full moons in one month:[14]

* 2009: December 2, December 31 (partial lunar eclipse visible in some parts of the world), only in time zones west of UTC+05.
   * 2010: January 1 (partial lunar eclipse), January 30, only in time zones east of UTC+04:30.
   * 2010: March 1, March 30, only in time zones east of UTC+07.
   * 2012: August 2, August 31
   * 2015: July 2, July 31

The next time New Year's Eve falls on a Blue Moon (as occurred on 2009 December 31) is after one Metonic cycle, in 2028. At that time there will be a total lunar eclipse.
See also

* Black moon
   * Wet moon

References

* Oxford English Dictionary

1. ^ a b c Sinnott, Roger W., Donald W. Olson, and Richard Tresch Fienberg (May 1999). "What's a Blue Moon?". Sky & Telescope. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/3304131.html?showAll=y&c=y. Retrieved 2008-02-09. "The trendy definition of "blue Moon" as the second full Moon in a month is a mistake."
  2. ^ a b "What is a "Blue Moon"?". Farmers' Almanac. http://www.farmersalmanac.com/what-is-a-blue-moon.
  3. ^ Smith, Bridie (28 December 2009). Once in a Blue Moon. The Age. Retrieved on 3 March 2010.
  4. ^ Koelbing, Arthur, Ph.D. (1907–21). "Barclay and Skelton: German influence on English literature". The Cambridge History of English and American Literature, Volume III. Bartleby.com. http://www.bartleby.com/213/0414.html.
  5. ^ from the old English "rede" [vb.] to advise, to warn, or "rede"[n.] a warning, an injunction[citation needed])
  6. ^ http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-commissions/faith-and-order-commission/i-unity-the-church-and-its-mission/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-date-of-easter.html
  7. ^ http://astro.nmsu.edu/~lhuber/leaphist.html
  8. ^ http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/2009/08/24/what-is-a-blue-moon/
  9. ^ Hiscock, Philip (June 19, 2006). "Folklore of the "Blue Moon"". International Planetarium Society. http://www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/articles/folkloreBlueMoon.html.
 10. ^ Minnaert, M: "De natuurkunde van 't vrije veld" 5th edition Thieme 1974, part I "Licht en kleur in het landschap" par.187 ; ISBN 90-03-90844-3 (out of print); also see ISBN 0-387-97935-2
 11. ^ a b NASA http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/07jul_bluemoon.htm
 12. ^ Bowling, S. A. (1988). Blue moons and lavender suns. Alaska Science Forum, Article #861 http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF8/861.html
 13. ^ Clarke, Kevin (1999). "on blue moons". InconstantMoon.com. http://www.inconstantmoon.com/cyc_blue.htm.
 14. ^ Giesen, Jurgen. "Blue Moon". Physik und Astromonie. http://jgiesen.de/moon/BlueMoon/. Retrieved 2009-01-17.

External links

* What is a Blue Moon? by Michael Myers
   * Folklore of the Blue Moon by Philip Hiscock
   * What's a Blue Moon? by Donald W. Olson, Richard T. Fienberg, and Roger W. Sinnott – Sky & Telescope
   * Once in a Blue Moon – What is a blue moon? by Ann-Marie Imbornoni
   * Topical Words – Blue Moon
   * Blue Moon: Folklore or fakelore? by Pip Wilson
   * A Blue Moon Calculator by David Harper
   * On Blue Moons by Kevin Clarke
   * Article arguing that a blue moon is the 3rd full moon in a season of 4 full moons, not the 2nd in a month
   * Blue Moon by Irineu Gomes Varella (Portuguese)
   * 'Blue moon' coming to our skies soon
   * Blue Moon – what's the real definition? by David Harper and Lynne Marie Stockman
   * blog on lunar calendars and computing

By the time they achieve stardom, most artists have plenty of people to thank – which becomes painfully obvious during those long award acceptance speeches. But relatively few actually express gratitude through their music. Their thankful songs usually praise loved ones, deities or the "little people" -- those loyal fans whom the artists hope will express their loyalty one more time by buying the "thank you" song. But these are just our preferences. Tell us your own favorite "Thank You" songs in the comments below, with our thanks.

'Thank You'

Dido

Dido is said to have written this 2000 song as a tribute to a boyfriend, but she probably owes more gratitude to Eminem. The London-born singer had worked in a series of low-paying clerical jobs when Eminem asked if he could sample this song -- which Dido wrote on soggy paper while taking a bath -- for his tune 'Stan.' Both 'Stan' and 'Thank You' would become hits, and clerical work would become a thing of the past.

'I Thank You'

Sam & Dave

We assume the soulful Stax duo thanked Issac Hayes and David Porter for writing this appreciative love song with a not-so-lovey ending, which became a US Top 10 hit in 1968. ZZ Top fans were thankful when the Texas trio put a bearded spin on the tune in 1980.
Sam & Dave

'Thank U'

Alanis Morissette

After the huge success of her album 'Jagged Little Pill,' the former Canadian TV child star was having difficulty dealing with the sudden onslaught of fame. So Alanis did what we all do to cope with stress -- she went to India. In this 1998 song, she actually thanks the entire country, which she said provided her with balance and-- ommmmm -- spiritual calm.

'Thank You'

Led Zeppelin

When Zep singer Robert Plant was a struggling musician, his wife, Maureen, helped him through tough times. Financially strapped, Plant even worked for Maureen's father in a steel factory. But once he got on with Zep, he quickly paid tribute to his wife with this 1969 song, the first Zeppelin tune for which he wrote all the lyrics. The marriage didn't last, but they're thankful for their ongoing friendship.

'Gratitude'

Paul McCartney

After his marriage to Heather Mills crumbled, McCartney released this 2007 song, with lines that include 'I should stop loving you/Think what you put me through/But I don't." While that seems to fit the Mills tabloid story line, some fans assumed it might be for his first wife, the late Linda McCartney. But then Sir Paul himself told the New York Times it was for neither: "'Gratitude' is just me being grateful for the good stuff in my life, past and present." Thanks for the clarification.

'Thank You for Hearing Me'

Sinéad O'Connor

After O'Connor ripped up a photo of the pope during a performance on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1992, many people weren't especially thankful for the controversy-courting Irish singer. Madonna publicly criticized her. Joe Pesci said she needed a smack. And Frank Sinatra suggested he might "kick her ass." A nervous breakdown and a suicide attempt would follow. And in 1994, she released this song offering thanks to -- well, we're not really sure. But probably not Joe Pesci.

'Kind and Generous'

Natalie Merchant

Merchant considers this track from her 1998 album 'Ophelia' to be her most important song. It's also her most-licensed song. Numerous nonprofit organizations use the tune -- which concludes with six mentions of "thank you" -- in commercials to show appreciation to supporters. It has also been played at the Women's Soccer Championship, Major League Baseball's World Series and pro hockey's Stanley Cup, even though Merchant has never expressed any thankfulness for sports.

'Thank You'

Jay-Z

Throughout his 2009 'Blueprint 3' album, the hip-hop megastar was rather -- how shall we say -- fond of his achievements, which garnered him expensive cars and a place on the Forbes.com Celebrity 100 list of highest-paid entertainers. But material rewards can only go so far. Jay-Z, who credits hip-hop with saving his life, offers thanks in this song, though he also uses the 9/11 plane crashes as a metaphor for his foes' careers, which causes us to question his sincerity.

'Thank You for Loving Me'

Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi can thank Brad Pitt for this one. The New Jersey singer was watching 'Meet Joe Black,' when he heard Pitt's character tell his lover, "Thank you for loving me." Bon Jovi immediately left the theater, went straight home and wrote the chorus. It makes us wonder, though: What if he'd seen 'Fight Club' that day?

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Thankful Songs: Our 10 Favorite Musical Thank Yous

* Posted  by Pat Pemberton
    * Comments (11)

Print this page|EmailShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on DiggShare on Lifestream
By the time they achieve stardom, most artists have plenty of people to thank -- which becomes painfully obvious during those long award acceptance speeches. But relatively few actually express gratitude through their music. Their thankful songs usually praise loved ones, deities or the "little people" -- those loyal fans whom the artists hope will express their loyalty one more time by buying the "thank you" song. But these are just our preferences. Tell us your own favorite "Thank You" songs in the comments below, with our thanks.
'Thank You'
Dido
Dido is said to have written this 2000 song as a tribute to a boyfriend, but she probably owes more gratitude to Eminem. The London-born singer had worked in a series of low-paying clerical jobs when Eminem asked if he could sample this song -- which Dido wrote on soggy paper while taking a bath -- for his tune 'Stan.' Both 'Stan' and 'Thank You' would become hits, and clerical work would become a thing of the past.
Read the Lyrics
Dido
Roberta Parkin., Redferns
'I Thank You'
Sam & Dave
We assume the soulful Stax duo thanked Issac Hayes and David Porter for writing this appreciative love song with a not-so-lovey ending, which became a US Top 10 hit in 1968. ZZ Top fans were thankful when the Texas trio put a bearded spin on the tune in 1980.
Sam & Dave
Redferns
'Thank U'
Alanis Morissette
After the huge success of her album 'Jagged Little Pill,' the former Canadian TV child star was having difficulty dealing with the sudden onslaught of fame. So Alanis did what we all do to cope with stress -- she went to India. In this 1998 song, she actually thanks the entire country, which she said provided her with balance and-- ommmmm -- spiritual calm.
Read the Lyrics
Alanis Morissette
Diana Scrimgeour, Redferns
'Thank You'
Led Zeppelin
When Zep singer Robert Plant was a struggling musician, his wife, Maureen, helped him through tough times. Financially strapped, Plant even worked for Maureen's father in a steel factory. But once he got on with Zep, he quickly paid tribute to his wife with this 1969 song, the first Zeppelin tune for which he wrote all the lyrics. The marriage didn't last, but they're thankful for their ongoing friendship.
Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin
Chris Walter, WireImage
'Gratitude'
Paul McCartney
After his marriage to Heather Mills crumbled, McCartney released this 2007 song, with lines that include 'I should stop loving you/Think what you put me through/But I don't." While that seems to fit the Mills tabloid story line, some fans assumed it might be for his first wife, the late Linda McCartney. But then Sir Paul himself told the New York Times it was for neither: "'Gratitude' is just me being grateful for the good stuff in my life, past and present." Thanks for the clarification.
Read the Lyrics
Paul McCartney
Kevin Mazur, WireImage
'Thank You for Hearing Me'
Sinéad O'Connor
After O'Connor ripped up a photo of the pope during a performance on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1992, many people weren't especially thankful for the controversy-courting Irish singer. Madonna publicly criticized her. Joe Pesci said she needed a smack. And Frank Sinatra suggested he might "kick her ass." A nervous breakdown and a suicide attempt would follow. And in 1994, she released this song offering thanks to -- well, we're not really sure. But probably not Joe Pesci.
Read the Lyrics
Sinead O'Connor
Patrick Ford, Redferns
'Kind and Generous'
Natalie Merchant
Merchant considers this track from her 1998 album 'Ophelia' to be her most important song. It's also her most-licensed song. Numerous nonprofit organizations use the tune -- which concludes with six mentions of "thank you" -- in commercials to show appreciation to supporters. It has also been played at the Women's Soccer Championship, Major League Baseball's World Series and pro hockey's Stanley Cup, even though Merchant has never expressed any thankfulness for sports.
Read the Lyrics
Natalie Merchant
Nicky J. Sims, Redferns
'Thank You'
Jay-Z
Throughout his 2009 'Blueprint 3' album, the hip-hop megastar was rather -- how shall we say -- fond of his achievements, which garnered him expensive cars and a place on the Forbes.com Celebrity 100 list of highest-paid entertainers. But material rewards can only go so far. Jay-Z, who credits hip-hop with saving his life, offers thanks in this song, though he also uses the 9/11 plane crashes as a metaphor for his foes' careers, which causes us to question his sincerity.
Read the Lyrics
Jay-Z
Lester Cohen, WireImage
'Thank You for Loving Me'
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    * Cinema Music Geeks
    * College Songs
    * Rock's College Rankings
    * Sad Songs
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Thankful Songs: Our 10 Favorite Musical Thank Yous

* Posted  by Pat Pemberton
    * Comments (11)

Print this page|EmailShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on DiggShare on Lifestream
By the time they achieve stardom, most artists have plenty of people to thank -- which becomes painfully obvious during those long award acceptance speeches. But relatively few actually express gratitude through their music. Their thankful songs usually praise loved ones, deities or the "little people" -- those loyal fans whom the artists hope will express their loyalty one more time by buying the "thank you" song. But these are just our preferences. Tell us your own favorite "Thank You" songs in the comments below, with our thanks.
'Thank You'
Dido
Dido is said to have written this 2000 song as a tribute to a boyfriend, but she probably owes more gratitude to Eminem. The London-born singer had worked in a series of low-paying clerical jobs when Eminem asked if he could sample this song -- which Dido wrote on soggy paper while taking a bath -- for his tune 'Stan.' Both 'Stan' and 'Thank You' would become hits, and clerical work would become a thing of the past.
Read the Lyrics
Dido
Roberta Parkin., Redferns
'I Thank You'
Sam & Dave
We assume the soulful Stax duo thanked Issac Hayes and David Porter for writing this appreciative love song with a not-so-lovey ending, which became a US Top 10 hit in 1968. ZZ Top fans were thankful when the Texas trio put a bearded spin on the tune in 1980.
Sam & Dave
Redferns
'Thank U'
Alanis Morissette
After the huge success of her album 'Jagged Little Pill,' the former Canadian TV child star was having difficulty dealing with the sudden onslaught of fame. So Alanis did what we all do to cope with stress -- she went to India. In this 1998 song, she actually thanks the entire country, which she said provided her with balance and-- ommmmm -- spiritual calm.
Read the Lyrics
Alanis Morissette
Diana Scrimgeour, Redferns
'Thank You'
Led Zeppelin
When Zep singer Robert Plant was a struggling musician, his wife, Maureen, helped him through tough times. Financially strapped, Plant even worked for Maureen's father in a steel factory. But once he got on with Zep, he quickly paid tribute to his wife with this 1969 song, the first Zeppelin tune for which he wrote all the lyrics. The marriage didn't last, but they're thankful for their ongoing friendship.
Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin
Chris Walter, WireImage
'Gratitude'
Paul McCartney
After his marriage to Heather Mills crumbled, McCartney released this 2007 song, with lines that include 'I should stop loving you/Think what you put me through/But I don't." While that seems to fit the Mills tabloid story line, some fans assumed it might be for his first wife, the late Linda McCartney. But then Sir Paul himself told the New York Times it was for neither: "'Gratitude' is just me being grateful for the good stuff in my life, past and present." Thanks for the clarification.
Read the Lyrics
Paul McCartney
Kevin Mazur, WireImage
'Thank You for Hearing Me'
Sinéad O'Connor
After O'Connor ripped up a photo of the pope during a performance on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1992, many people weren't especially thankful for the controversy-courting Irish singer. Madonna publicly criticized her. Joe Pesci said she needed a smack. And Frank Sinatra suggested he might "kick her ass." A nervous breakdown and a suicide attempt would follow. And in 1994, she released this song offering thanks to -- well, we're not really sure. But probably not Joe Pesci.
Read the Lyrics
Sinead O'Connor
Patrick Ford, Redferns
'Kind and Generous'
Natalie Merchant
Merchant considers this track from her 1998 album 'Ophelia' to be her most important song. It's also her most-licensed song. Numerous nonprofit organizations use the tune -- which concludes with six mentions of "thank you" -- in commercials to show appreciation to supporters. It has also been played at the Women's Soccer Championship, Major League Baseball's World Series and pro hockey's Stanley Cup, even though Merchant has never expressed any thankfulness for sports.
Read the Lyrics
Natalie Merchant
Nicky J. Sims, Redferns
'Thank You'
Jay-Z
Throughout his 2009 'Blueprint 3' album, the hip-hop megastar was rather -- how shall we say -- fond of his achievements, which garnered him expensive cars and a place on the Forbes.com Celebrity 100 list of highest-paid entertainers. But material rewards can only go so far. Jay-Z, who credits hip-hop with saving his life, offers thanks in this song, though he also uses the 9/11 plane crashes as a metaphor for his foes' careers, which causes us to question his sincerity.

'Thank You for Loving Me'

Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi can thank Brad Pitt for this one. The New Jersey singer was watching 'Meet Joe Black,' when he heard Pitt's character tell his lover, "Thank you for loving me." Bon Jovi immediately left the theater, went straight home and wrote the chorus. It makes us wonder, though: What if he'd seen 'Fight Club' that day?

'Give Thanks and Praises'

Bob Marley

The reggae legend was never one to shy away from his belief in Rastafari. In fact, Marley's music -- with its Jah-heavy lyrics -- is credited with moving Rastafari from obscurity to becoming an internationally recognized religious movement. Here he gives Jah thanks and praises -- and never once mentions weed.
'Give Thanks and Praises'
Bob Marley
The reggae legend was never one to shy away from his belief in Rastafari. In fact, Marley's music -- with its Jah-heavy lyrics -- is credited with moving Rastafari from obscurity to becoming an internationally recognized religious movement. Here he gives Jah thanks and praises -- and never once mentions weed.

I love the name!!

Tattoos

"The palest ink is better than the sharpest memory."
Chinese Proverb

10.jpg
11.jpg

"Show me a man with a tattoo
and I'll show you a man with
an interesting past."
Jack London (1876 - 1916)

[[center]Pope Benedict XVI

By VICTOR L. SIMPSON and NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Victor L. Simpson And Nicole Winfield, Associated Press – 7 mins ago

VATICAN CITY – In a seismic shift on one of the most profound — and profoundly contentious — Roman Catholic teachings, the Vatican said Tuesday that condoms are the lesser of two evils when used to curb the spread of AIDS, even if their use prevents a pregnancy.

The position was an acknowledgment that the church's long-held anti-birth control stance against condoms doesn't justify putting lives at risk.

"This is a game-changer," declared the Rev. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit writer and editor.

The new stance was staked out as the Vatican explained Pope Benedict XVI's comments on condoms and HIV in a book that came out Tuesday based on his interview with a German journalist.

The Vatican still holds that condom use is immoral and that church doctrine forbidding artificial birth control remains unchanged. Still, the reassessment on condom use to help prevent disease carries profound significance, particularly in Africa where AIDS is rampant.

"By acknowledging that condoms help prevent the spread of HIV between people in sexual relationships, the pope has completely changed the Catholic discussion on condoms," said Martin, a liberal-leaning author of several books about spirituality and Catholic teaching.

The development came on a day when U.N. AIDS officials announced that the number of new HIV cases has fallen significantly — thanks to condom use — and a U.S. medical journal published a study showing that a daily pill could help prevent spread of the virus among gay men.

"This is a great day in the fight against AIDS … a major milestone," said Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.

Theologians have debated for years whether it could be morally acceptable for HIV-infected people to use condoms to avoid infecting their partners. The Vatican years ago was reportedly preparing a document on the subject, but it never came out.

The groundbreaking shift, coming as it does from the deeply conservative pontiff, would appear likely to restrain any public criticism from Catholic conservatives, who insisted Tuesday that the pope was merely reaffirming the church's moral teaching.

Conservatives have feared that a comment like this would give support to Catholics who want to challenge the church's ban on artificial contraception in an environment where they feel they are under siege from a secular, anti-Catholic culture.

George Weigel, a conservative Catholic writer, said the Vatican was by no means endorsing condom use as a method of contraception or a means of AIDS prevention.

"This is admittedly a difficult distinction to grasp," he told The Associated Press in an e-mail. What the pontiff is saying is "that someone determined to do something wrong may be showing a glimmer of moral common sense by not doing that wrong thing in the worst possible way — which is not an endorsement of anything."

Benedict's comments come at a time when bishops in the United States are intensely focused on upholding the strictest views of Catholic orthodoxy, emphasizing traditional marriage, natural family planning based on a woman's menstrual cycle and making abortion the most important issue.

In the book, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times," Benedict was quoted as saying that condom use by people such as male prostitutes indicated they were moving toward a more moral and responsible sexuality by aiming to protect their partner from a deadly infection.

His comments implied that he was referring primarily to homosexual sex, when condoms aren't being used as a form of contraception.

However, questions arose immediately about the pope's intent because the Italian translation of the book used the feminine for prostitute, whereas the original German used the masculine.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters Tuesday that he asked the pope whether he intended his comments to apply only to men. Benedict replied that it really didn't matter, the important thing was that the person took into consideration the life of another.

"I personally asked the pope if there was a serious, important problem in the choice of the masculine over the feminine," Lombardi said. "He told me no. The problem is this: ... It's the first step of taking responsibility, of taking into consideration the risk of the life of another with whom you have a relationship."

"This is if you're a man, a woman, or a transsexual. ... The point is it's a first step of taking responsibility, of avoiding passing a grave risk onto another," Lombardi said.

Those comments concluded the press conference, and Lombardi took no further questions about how broadly this interpretation could be applied.

The clarification is significant.

UNAIDS estimates that 22.4 million people in Africa are infected with HIV, and that 54 percent — or 12.1 million — are women. Heterosexual transmission of HIV and multiple, heterosexual partners are believed to be the major cause of the high infection rates.

Benedict drew harsh criticism when, en route to Africa in 2009, he told reporters that the AIDS problem couldn't be resolved by distributing condoms. "On the contrary, it increases the problem," he said then.

In Africa on Tuesday, AIDS activists, clerics and ordinary Africans applauded the pope's revised comments.

"I say, hurrah for Pope Benedict," exclaimed Linda-Gail Bekker, chief executive of South Africa's Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation. She said the pope's statement may prompt many people to "adopt a simple lifestyle strategy to protect themselves."

In Sierra Leone, the director of the National AIDS Secretariat predicted condom use would now increase, lowering the number of new infections.

"Once the pope has made a pronouncement, his priests will be in the forefront in advocating for their perceived use of condoms," said the official, Dr. Brima Kargbo.

Lombardi said Benedict knew full well that his comments would provoke intense debate. Conservative Catholics have been trying to minimize what he said since excerpts were published this weekend in the Vatican newspaper.

The Rev. Tim Finnegan, a conservative British blogger, said he thought the pope's comments were unwise. "I'm sorry. I love the Holy Father very much; he is a deeply holy man and has done a great deal for the church," Finnegan said on his blog. "On this particular issue, I disagree with him."

Lombardi praised Benedict for his "courage" in confronting the problem.

"He did it because he believed that it was a serious, important question in the world of today," Lombardi said, adding that the pope wanted to give his perspective on the need for greater humanized, responsible sexuality.

Luigi Accatoli, a veteran Vatican journalist who was on the Vatican panel that launched the book, put it this way:

"He spoke with caution and courage of a pragmatic way through which missionaries and other ecclesial workers can help to defeat the pandemic of AIDS without approving, but also without excluding — in particular cases — the use of a condom," Accatoli said.

The launch of the book, which includes wide-ranging comments on subjects from the sex abuse crisis to Benedict's belief that popes should resign if physically unable to carry out their mission, drew a packed audience. Making a rare appearance, Benedict's secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, sat in the front row — an indication of the event's significance.

In the book, the pope reaffirms Vatican opposition to homosexual acts and artificial contraception, as well as the inviolability of marriage between man and woman.

But by broadening the condom comments to also apply to women, the pope was saying that condom use is a lesser evil than passing HIV onto a partner, even when pregnancy is possible.

"We're not just talking about an encounter between two men, which has little to do with procreation. We're now introducing relationships that could lead to childbirth," Martin said.

Individual bishops and theologians have applied the lesser evil theory to the condom-HIV issue, but it had previously been rejected at the highest levels of the Vatican, Martin said.

Monsignor Jacques Suaudeau, an expert on the Vatican's bioethics advisory board, said the pope was articulating the theological idea that there are degrees of evil.

"Contraception is not the worst evil. The church does not see it as good, but the church does not see it as the worst," he told the AP. "Abortion is far worse. Passing on HIV is criminal. That is absolute irresponsibility."

He said the pope broached the topic because questions about condoms and AIDS persisted, and the church's teaching hadn't been clear. There is no official Vatican policy about condoms and HIV, and Vatican officials in the past have insisted that condoms not only don't help fight HIV transmission but make it worse because it gives users a false sense of security.

"This pope gave this interview. He was not foolish. It was intentional," Suaudeau said. "He thought that this was a way of bringing up many questions. Why? Because it's true that the church sometimes has not been too clear."

Lombardi said the pope didn't use the technical terminology "lesser evil" in his comments because he wanted his words to be understood by the general public. Vatican officials, however, said that was what he meant.

"The contribution the pope wanted to give is not a technical discussion with scientific language on moral problems," Lombardi said. "This is not the job of a book of this type."

---

Associated Press reporters Rachel Zoll in New York, Jason Straziuso in Nairobi and AP Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione contributed to this report.

In a May 2006 file photo, Gilead Sciences Inc. Chief Executive John Martin holds a Truvada pill …

Scientists have an exciting breakthrough in the fight against AIDS. A pill already used to treat HIV infection turns out to be a powerful weapon in protecting healthy gay men from catching the virus, a global study found.

Daily doses of Truvada cut the risk of infection by 44 percent when given with condoms, counseling and other prevention services. Men who took their pills most faithfully had even more protection, up to 73 percent.

Researchers had feared the pills might give a false sense of security and make men less likely to use condoms or to limit their partners, but the opposite happened — risky sex declined.

The results are "a major advance" that can help curb the epidemic in gay men, said Dr. Kevin Fenton, AIDS prevention chief at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But he warned they may not apply to people exposed to HIV through male-female sex, drug use or other ways. Studies in those groups are under way now.

The news came as UNAIDS announced that the global epidemic was slowing — new cases dropped nearly 20 percent over the last decade and about 33 million people are living with HIV now. Health officials credit part of the decline to wider condom use, and on Tuesday the Vatican said that using a condom is a lesser evil than infecting a sexual partner with HIV — further expanding what some see as Pope Benedict XVI's softening stance on this issue.

"This is a great day in the fight against AIDS … a major milestone," said a statement from Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit group that works on HIV prevention.

Because Truvada is already on the market, the CDC is rushing to develop guidelines for doctors using it for HIV prevention, and urged people to wait until those are ready.

"It's not time for gay and bisexual men to throw out their condoms," Fenton said. The pill "should never be seen as a first line of defense against HIV."

As a practical matter, price could limit use. The pills cost from $5,000 to $14,000 a year in the United States, but only 39 cents a day in some poor countries where they are sold in generic form.

Whether insurers or government health programs should pay for them is one of the tough issues to be sorted out, and cost-effectiveness analyses should help, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"This is an exciting finding," but it "is only one study in one specific study population," so its impact on others is unknown, Fauci said.

His institute sponsored the study with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Results were reported at a news conference Tuesday and published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

It is the third AIDS prevention victory in about a year. In September 2009, scientists announced that a vaccine they are now trying to improve had protected one in 3 people from getting HIV in a study in Thailand. In July, research in South Africa showed that a vaginal gel spiked with an AIDS drug could cut nearly in half a woman's chances of getting HIV from an infected partner.

Gay and bisexual men account for nearly half of the more than 1 million Americans living with HIV. Worldwide, more than 7,000 new infections occur each day. Unlike in the U.S., only 5 to 10 percent of global cases involve sex between men.

"The condom is still the first line of defense," because it also prevents other sexually spread diseases and unwanted pregnancies, said the study leader, Dr. Robert M. Grant of the Gladstone Institutes, a private foundation affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco.

But many men don't or won't use condoms all the time, so researchers have been testing other prevention tools.

AIDS drugs already are used to prevent infection in health care workers accidentally exposed to HIV, and in babies whose pregnant mothers are on the medication. Taking these drugs before exposure to the virus may keep it from taking hold, just as taking malaria pills in advance can prevent that disease when someone is bitten by an infected mosquito.

The strategy showed great promise in monkey studies using tenofovir (brand name Viread) and emtricitabine, or FTC (Emtriva), sold in combination as Truvada by California-based Gilead Sciences Inc.

The company donated Truvada for the study, which involved about 2,500 men at high risk of HIV infection in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand and the United States (San Francisco and Boston). The foreign sites were chosen because of high rates of HIV infection and diverse populations.

More than 40 percent of participants had taken money for sex at least once. At the start of the study, they had 18 partners on average; that dropped to around 6 by the end.

The men were given either Truvada or dummy pills. All had monthly visits to get HIV testing, more pills and counseling. Every six months, they were tested for other sexually spread diseases and treated as needed.

After a median followup of just over a year, there were 64 HIV infections among the 1,248 men on dummy pills, and only 36 among the 1,251 on Truvada.

Among men who took their pills at least half the time, determined through interviews and pill counts, the risk of infection fell by 50 percent. For those who took pills on 90 percent or more days, risk fell 73 percent. Tests of drug levels in the blood confirmed that more consistent pill-taking gave better protection.

The treatment was safe. Side effects were similar in both groups except for nausea, which was more common in the drug group for the first month but not after that. Unintended weight loss also was more common in the drug group, but it occurred in very few. Further study is needed on possible long-term risks.

What's next?

All participants will get a chance to take Truvada in an 18-month extension of the study. Researchers want to see whether men will take the pill more faithfully if they know it helps, and whether that provides better protection. About 20,000 people are enrolled in other studies testing Truvada or its component drugs around the world.

The government also will review all ongoing prevention studies, such as those of vaccines or anti-AIDS gels, and consider whether any people currently assigned to get dummy medicines should now get Truvada since it has proved effective in gay men.

Gilead also will discuss with public health and regulatory agencies the possibility and wisdom of seeking approval to market Truvada for prevention. The company has made no decision on that, said Dr. Howard Jaffe, president of Gilead Foundation, the company's philanthropic arm. Doctors can prescribe it for this purpose now if patients are willing to pay for it, and some already do.

Some people have speculated that could expose Gilead to new liability concerns, if someone took the pill and then sued if it did not protect against infection.

"The potential for having an intervention like this that has never been broadly available before raises new questions. It is something we would have to discuss internally and externally," Jaffe said.

Until the CDC's detailed advice is available, the agency said gay and bisexual men should:

_Use condoms consistently and correctly.

_Get tested to know their HIV status and that of their partners, and get tested and treated for syphilis, gonorrhea and other infections that raise the risk of HIV.

_Get counseling to reduce drug use and risky sex.

_Reduce their number of sexual partners.

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Online:

CDC advice: hXXp://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom

AIDS information: hXXp://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov

and hXXp://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/HIVAIDS/

Pill study: hXXp://www.iprexnews.com

Journal: hXXp://www.nejm.org

UNAIDS: hXXp://tinyurl.com/krq7kr

Prevention efforts: hXXp://www.avac.org