Sponsors | How $45 in gifts just became $68

Those two contributions came from readers in Canada ($5) and Florida ($40).

But under a matching gift offer from a generous Alabama reader, those contributions go even further. That reader will match 1:2 every contribution I receive up to a maximum of $400 through Saturday, the end of the quarter.

But with just four days left to reach my $4,000 quarterly -- well, you get the picture. And it ain't pretty. The breakdown so far:

• Reader donations: $721
• Advertising: $2,144

I'm trying to earn $4,000 quarterly, through donations of $5 per reader, plus advertising sales. Please use the PayPal "Donate" or "Subscribe" tools in the green rail, upper right. Or mail cash and checks payable to: Jim Hopkins, 584 Castro St. #823, San Francisco, Calif., 94114-2594.