diff --git a/mail/extensions/newsblog/content/Feed.js b/mail/extensions/newsblog/content/Feed.js
index 73bf00559ce..5c6165a0824 100755
--- a/mail/extensions/newsblog/content/Feed.js
+++ b/mail/extensions/newsblog/content/Feed.js
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ function Feed(resource) {
   
     this.request = null;
 
+    this.downloadCallback = null;
+
     this.items = new Array();
   
     return this;
@@ -49,9 +51,7 @@ Feed.prototype.name getter = function() {
   return name;
 }
 
-Feed.prototype.download = function(async, parseItems) {
-  // Whether or not to download the feed asynchronously.
-  async = async == null ? true : async ? true : false;
+Feed.prototype.download = function(parseItems, aCallback) {
 
   // Whether or not to parse items when downloading and parsing the feed.
   // Defaults to true, but setting to false is useful for obtaining
@@ -59,17 +59,16 @@ Feed.prototype.download = function(async, parseItems) {
   this.parseItems = parseItems == null ? true : parseItems ? true : false;
 
   this.request = new XMLHttpRequest();
-  this.request.open("GET", this.url, async);
+  this.request.open("GET", this.url, true);
+
+  this.downloadCallback = aCallback; // may be null
+
+  // var loadgroup = this.request.channel.loadgroup;
   this.request.overrideMimeType("text/xml");
-  if (async) {
-    this.request.onload = Feed.onDownloaded;
-    this.request.onerror = Feed.onDownloadError;
-    gFzFeedCache[this.url] = this;
-  }
+  this.request.onload = Feed.onDownloaded;
+  this.request.onerror = Feed.onDownloadError;
+  gFzFeedCache[this.url] = this;
   this.request.send(null);
-  if (!async) {
-    this.parse();
-  }
 }
 
 Feed.onDownloaded = function(event) {
@@ -80,6 +79,9 @@ Feed.onDownloaded = function(event) {
   if (!feed)
     throw("error after downloading " + url + ": couldn't retrieve feed from request");
   feed.parse();
+
+  if (feed.downloadCallback)
+    feed.downloadCallback(feed);
 }
 
 Feed.onDownloadError = function(event) {
@@ -88,7 +90,11 @@ Feed.onDownloadError = function(event) {
   var url = request.channel.originalURI.spec;
   var feed = gFzFeedCache[url];
   if (feed)
+  {
     debug(feed.title + " download failed");
+    if (feed.downloadCallback)
+      feed.downloadCallback(nsnull);
+  }
   throw("error downloading feed " + url);
 }
 
diff --git a/mail/extensions/newsblog/content/subscriptions.js b/mail/extensions/newsblog/content/subscriptions.js
index e95895789a0..37f59918a4c 100755
--- a/mail/extensions/newsblog/content/subscriptions.js
+++ b/mail/extensions/newsblog/content/subscriptions.js
@@ -29,6 +29,39 @@ function openFeedEditor(feedProperties)
 {
     window.openDialog('feed-properties.xul', 'feedproperties', 'modal,titlebar,chrome,center', feedProperties);
     return feedProperties;
+} 
+
+function finishedDownloadingFeed(feed)
+{
+  // feed is null if our attempt to parse the feed failed
+  if (feed)
+  {
+    debug("after download, feed name = " + feed.name + "\n");
+
+    var server = getIncomingServer();
+    var folder;
+    try {
+        var folder = server.rootMsgFolder.getChildNamed(feed.name);
+    }
+    catch(e) {
+        // If we're here, it's probably because the folder doesn't exist yet,
+        // so create it.
+        debug("folder for new feed " + feed.name + " doesn't exist; creating");
+			  debug("creating " + feed.name + "as child of " + server.rootMsgFolder + "\n");
+        server.rootMsgFolder.createSubfolder(feed.name, getMessageWindow());
+        folder = server.rootMsgFolder.FindSubFolder(feed.name);
+        var msgdb = folder.getMsgDatabase(null);
+        var folderInfo = msgdb.dBFolderInfo;
+        folderInfo.setCharPtrProperty("feedUrl", feed.url);
+    }
+
+    // XXX This should be something like "subscribe to feed".
+	  debug ("feed name = " + feed.name + "\n");
+    addFeed(feed.url, feed.name, null, folder); // add feed flushes the subscription database
+
+    // download the feed items now that we have a folder
+    feed.download();
+  }
 }
 
 function doAdd() {
@@ -52,32 +85,7 @@ function doAdd() {
 
     var itemResource = rdf.GetResource(feedProperties.feedLocation);
     feed = new Feed(itemResource);
-    feed.download(false, false);
-    debug("after download, feed name = " + feed.name + "\n");
-
-    var server = getIncomingServer();
-    var folder;
-    try {
-        var folder = server.rootMsgFolder.getChildNamed(feed.name);
-    }
-    catch(e) {
-        // If we're here, it's probably because the folder doesn't exist yet,
-        // so create it.
-        debug("folder for new feed " + feed.name + " doesn't exist; creating");
-				debug("creating " + feed.name + "as child of " + server.rootMsgFolder + "\n");
-        server.rootMsgFolder.createSubfolder(feed.name, getMessageWindow());
-        folder = server.rootMsgFolder.FindSubFolder(feed.name);
-        var msgdb = folder.getMsgDatabase(null);
-        var folderInfo = msgdb.dBFolderInfo;
-        folderInfo.setCharPtrProperty("feedUrl", feedProperties.feedLocation);
-    }
-
-    // XXX This should be something like "subscribe to feed".
-		dump ("feed name = " + feed.name + "\n");
-    addFeed(feedProperties.feedLocation, feed.name, null, folder); // add feed flushes the subscription database
-
-    // now download it for real, now that we have a folder.
-    feed.download();
+    feed.download(false, finishedDownloadingFeed);
 }
 
 function doEdit() {