As has been mentioned at Lew's, the BeerAdvocate and elsewhere, it has been announced at The Beer Hunter that a national toast will be held in the US at then end of the month in honour of the late Michael Jackson. The event is being held as a fund raiser for the US National Parkinson Foundation, a research foundation fighting the condition which he had and about which he was planning to write more.

I suggested this afternoon to Stonch that the a simpler version of something similar can be done by beer fans everywhere for many other foundations and associations undertaking the research worldwide - even in your country, blog reader. Please do get to a participating pub and support the US National Toast on September 30th by giving to the National Parkinson Foundation. You may also consider giving to and even organizing a local drive - especially if you can't get to a pub holding an event. Here are a few of the national charitable organizations you may choose to support locally as part of global support for this tribute to MJ:

• The Parkinson Society of Canada.
• The Parkinson's Disease Foundation of the UK.
• The Parkinson's Association of Ireland.
• Parkinson's Australia.
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research - Michael's a Canadian after all, you know.
• The Associaçäo Brasil Parkinson even! I've read the referral logs, guys - I know that there are Brazilians out there.

No doubt there are many, many more ways to contribute in your country or your town - wherever that is. Wherever you are on the 30th, I say toast and give in a good cause. And stay tuned. This great idea of the National Toast has a lot of wheels turning in a in a lot of brains in a lot of places and there are 18 days to go in which we can figure out what can be done for this good cause wherever you are. Stick up a poster or five in Helsinki? Have a good beer party at your cottage in the Ontario backwoods? Invite your fellow Spanish beer lovers to give? Hold a home brewing get together in Tonga and pass the hat? Have a parade in Kenya leading to a participating pub that includes a keg on wheels pulled by a clangy-belled goat? A lot can be done with just 18 days and one whole planet of good beer and good beer lovers.

So if you, the international jet setting reader of A Good Beer Blog that you are, are planning to something, let us all know so that we can share your good idea.