The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 to pass an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would repeal the Clinton era “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, which prevents openly gay people from serving in the military.  The House also voted to pass the same measure 234-194, leaving the full Senate to vote on the measure later this summer.  If passed, the repeal wouldn’t go into effect until a military review process, as well as approval by President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Not everyone’s happy about the repeal; Senator John McCain has been circulating a letter opposing the plan, and most “no” votes similarly fell along party lines.  Both Robert Gates and Adm. Mullen, however, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February that they supported a repeal of the 1993 law, as long as they were given time to figure out how to best implement the change.  Said Mullen:

“Mr. Chairman, speaking for myself and myself only, it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do.  No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.

“For me, personally, it comes down to integrity — theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.”

What the future holds for the controversial law is, for now, in the hands of the Senate.

More than simply a long 3-day weekend (with the Indianapolis 500 auto race thrown in for good measure), Memorial Day is actually … as the name implies … a day to memorialize those who gave their lives in the military.  Given our ever-troubling world, you have to tip your cap to those who have paid the ultimate price to keep us safe. So be sure to drop by the cemetery this weekend to honor our brave soldiers.

Having said that, there’s really no reason to spend all 3 days at the cemetery. Hopefully you’ll also get a chance to get outside and enjoy the sunny weather (fingers crossed) and catch a baseball game, enjoy a BBQ or at least sleep in until you’re darn-well ready to get up. Enjoy (and remember).

If you’re a soccer fan, you know that the stoppage time is winding down. Yes, after an arduous four year wait, the 2010 FIFA World Cup finally kicks off in a couple short weeks. This year South Africa will be hosting the event – the first time it’s ever been held on the African continent.

USA plays England on the tournament’s opening day (June 11 in Rustenburg, if you’re looking to score tickets … oh, pick me up one too while you’re at it). Then it’s a month of headers, corner kicks, off-sides, handballs and (hopefully) acrobatic GOOOOOOOAAAALLLLS!!!! – with the final match on July 11.

Soccer is such a fun sport to play and watch. And it’s great how people from around the world rally around their county’s flag for international soccer matches. Even the gang from the comic strip Peanuts is a big supporter, as you’ll find by checking out Snoopy soccer gear.

I have my HDTV calibrated for soccer. Hopefully you’ll catch some of the action too, and cheer your team on to victory. So put your best cleat forward, and sport your support.

Feeling lost in a sea of paperwork and to escape isolation, CafePressers celebrated the LOST series finale with a LOST party.  The Dharma team was out in full force feeding party-goers beer, fish biscuits, island fruits and other delicious food found in the Dharma storage room.

Enjoy the photos! Namaste.

…anything that happens before that is just progress.

And so Jacob’s words become ever-so-relevant to LOST fans this Sunday, when the 2.5 hour series finale will bring a close to a slew of mystery and questions (or maybe not, who knows?) that have had fans scratching their heads for years.  What’s in store for us is still unknown, but we do know that the LOST team has managed to score an Emmy exemption despite the 2.5 hour running time that would normally disqualify the episode from such honors contention.

For those of you fretting about the final curtain, buck up.  Remember, we’ll always have The Island t-shirts… ah, memories.

Speaking of which, we’re really wondering where the heck Vincent is.

Not to suggest that Lady Ga Ga is returning to the American Idol stage for next week’s Season 9 finale, but you never know – I could certainly do worse than bustin’ a move in the living room to Poker Face or Paparazzi.

Either way, it’s going to be a great couple of shows. And one lucky CafePress fan (and her daughter) are “going to Hollywood” for the final two shows. Yes, congratulations to Lori J. – who won the CafePress American Idol Sweepstakes. Included in the winning package is a fun trip for two to the final two American Idol shows, including airfare, lodging and tickets. Not that she’s a groupie or anything, but here’s what the winner had to say when she regained consciousness:

“WOW!!! Are you kidding me!!! This is wicked unbelievable. My 14 year-old daughter is the world’s biggest Idol fan!!!”

Lori J. (sweepstakes winner and exclamation point enthusiast!)

And who are you pulling for to take it all on Wednesday night? Lee or Crystal? Don’t forget to show your support with American Idol T-shirts and other merchandise. Remember, American Idol gear is a great way to strike up a conversation with people who can’t carry a tune (like me … and that guy with his pants on the ground).

Nope. Put your industrial-strength welding goggles away (the next total lunar eclipse isn’t until later this winter … if, that is, you don’t mind traveling a few thousand miles to view it). Better yet, go star gazing right at your local cineplex – sporting that cool pair of shades and equally-cool Eclipse-themed T-shirts.

In case you forgot (yea, right), the next chapter of The Twilight Saga hits the big screen on June 30 (a Wednesday). And chances are, you or someone you know is gonna really appreciate some fun Twilight gear to celebrate its release. The new film promised to be another blockbuster, with Edward, Jacob and Bella continuing their story of forbidden love. Plus this whole “newborn” stuff adds a creepy and interesting twist.

Don’t worry, we won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t read the books. But suffice to say, the vampires are going to be throwing it down. So go see the movie. In the meantime, you can find lots of fan-designed Eclipse gear right here, right now. You can also make your own Eclipse-themed designs on T-shirts, SIGG™ bottles, undies and more.

See you in the popcorn line.

Thanks to everyone who entered our CafePress/iVillage Earth Day Photo Contest!  We received over 1,600 entries from green thinkers around the globe. Each eco-themed photo (and touching caption of how they’re helping to save our earth ) was a source of inspiration for people everywhere.  Now (drum roll please), we’re  excited to announce the Grand Prize winner…

Stephanie wins an eco-trip for four to St. Thomas, USVI  (and other great prizes ). Also, congratulations to the runner up winners, who also won great prizes.  Job well done everyone!

With the Louisiana oil spill still growing, the Coast Guard has officially declared the spill to be “catastrophic.”  While financial analysts conjecture about the cost of cleanup and the companies involved in the rig (Halliburton, Transocean and BP) jump to point fingers at each other and Congress argues over liability caps as a partisan issue and tarballs are washing up on the beaches and the well is still leaking 200,000 gallons a day while nobody seems to have a solid plan to stanch it, it’s easy to see why both the President and the American public are frustrated and feeling, maybe, a little helpless.

Turns out, though, that there is a way for you to help out – and hey, helping out always helps folks feel a little better.  Matter of Trust is an organization that collects hair – human, dog, alpaca, you name it – and, combined with nylons (yep, the ones that ladies wear – well, them and your occasional armed suspect), they create “hair booms” that absorb the oil.

It makes sense, really; hair collects oil.  That’s why we wash it.  In this way, Matter of Trust’s booms are not only able to help absorb the oil spill, but also to provide an important use for recycled materials that most of us have laying around.  Matter of Trust’s site has more information on how to donate, and if you’re follically-challeneged you can also shop their CafePress fundraising store to help.

So if you’ve been putting off that haircut, give your salon a ring and make sure that they know how they can donate their clippings.  Hey, even your dog can get in on the action.

Kenny’s back (and we must say, looking tan & relaxed). Yes, our grand prize winner of the CafePress LOST Design Contest has returned safely to the eastern 48 (he didn’t even lose his luggage, let alone three-plus years of his life).

If you’ll remember, Kenny took off to Hawaii on the fun trip he won for submitting the contest’s top design (as chosen by the producers of LOST!). We want to share with everyone a few words from Kenny, and a picture from his trip:

“We had an incredible time!  We stayed at the Outrigger Reef right on the beach in Waikiki, and loved every day of it. One of the highlights of our trip was a LOST Hummer Tour, where they took us to various filming locations for LOST and various movies.” –Kenny

Thanks for sharing Kenny… and back just in time to tune in to this week’s (very revealing) episode!  Now one more episode to go before the big 2.5 hour finale on May 23 (7/6c on ABC so tune in!), as LOSTies will be on the edge of their seats.  As new answers are revealed, don’t forget to keep checking our LOST fan page for new LOST t-shirts.

Here’s a photo of Kenny and his wife at the location where “the man in black” was filmed (when he broke the wine bottle from this season’s LOST).  And look, he’s wearing the winning LOST t-shirt!