In defiance of all our foes (as if we have any) --- and even our own predictions on dark days --- today is the 8th anniversary of The BRAD BLOG! We're still here. Get used to it!

Someday I'll have to stop to look back on all of our extraordinary accomplishments during this tremendous journey, but we've got an election to keep an eye on and a collapsing native and burning world to save, so no time for much more than a quick moment to mark the occasion, and keep moving forward.

As I noted briefly over the weekend, none of what we do here can be done without your help. While others claim independence, we truly are independent. No corporate or foundational help here (not that I'd say no to any of it --- we could really use it!), but that means we really do rely on the kindness and generous support of our readers.

To that end, as much as I hate it, here comes my usual annual plea...

Please consider supporting The BRAD BLOG with a "birthday gift" of any amount you'd like. The larger, the better, naturally, if you are able to afford it and still take care of more pressing priorities. On the day we learn that Mitt Romney makes some $33k a day --- simply by doing nothing --- while paying a lower tax rate than most of you and me, we'll be happy just to make this month's rent and put some gas in the tank (both literally and figuratively).

One-time donations are, as ever, tremendously appreciated. Even more so are sustaining, automated, monthly contributions of any amount you can comfortably afford. For the latter, please see the form in the light blue box mid-way down our right sidebar. Monthly sustaining support is a quick and easy matter to create, via credit card or PayPal, as you prefer, and will hopefully take you less than three minutes or so to set up. My great thanks to the handful of you who have been monthly supporters for so long. It truly means the world!

One-time donations, also via credit card or PayPal, can be made right here. Snail mail support to "Brad Friedman, 7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594 Los Angeles, CA 90028" is always very welcome and greatly appreciated!

But most of all, my greatest of thanks for reading The BRAD BLOG, sharing what you've learned here by passing it on, through email, through word of mouth, through letters to the editor, through clicks of the REDDIT and RE-TWEET buttons, etc. For that, and more, I thank you, along with the other frequent contributors here, like Desi Doyen and Ernie Canning, as well as those behind the scenes who help moderate comments and correct my terrible spelling errors and everyone else who has ever helped to keep our campfire burning.