May 2005 Archives

   Boycotts against large companies are often a way that organizations and movements demonstrate their disapproval of those companies' policies. The most striking and recent is the latest boycott by the conservative group American Family Consortium. Several grocers are shaking their heads in disbelief. Says Joe Tonler of Food Lion, "It's not a policy - it's just business!" However, AFC members are sick of grocery stores selling to gay and lesbian folks and they have voiced their concerns with letters and protests. Since the grocers are still selling Ben and Jerry's to the queers they won't shop at any grocery store until the matter is resolved.
   Several members of the AFC are already showing signs of stress though. One man who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that his family has already been to each take out restaurant in town a dozen times, and the expense is causing some budget issues. "It's going to strain our finances, but we've pledged to continue this boycott until they stop selling to those homosexuals. I can't buy produce wondering if a queer has touched my carrot," he added.
   In response, several gay and lesbian groups have boycotted Virginia, Texas, Ohio, and about 35 other states, and will be moving to a tropical island in protest.
(source: AFakeNewsWire)

I'm so hooked! I got an iPod Shuffle for my birthday. I wasn't sure how much I would use it at first, but I've found that this thing goes with me everywhere. It's so small and light you don't even notice that it's with you. It works seamlessly with iTunes, which is yet another addiction. You see music on there that you remember from the good ol' days, and you just can't help yourself. I was thinking the other day of how I used to carry this big honkin' WalkMan with me to and from school (when I used to have to walk 5 miles through the snow) and remember how cool I thought it was that I could take my music with me. Now I can fit 1gig worth of music in my jacket pocket, which I think is enough for 12 hours of music. Just amazing...

Microsoft Dumps Anti-Gay Advisor
   I wonder if he got a pink slip or a blue screen?

   My family and I went to the restaurant Bahama Breeze on a Friday night and had a great time. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was very cool (albeit a bit loud), and the service was excellent. The one we went to was off of I271 in Orange Village, OH. It's right off the highway and easy to find. Parking was a bit of a bear, but luckily there was a nearby hotel with lots of open spaces.
   All items on the menu are a la carte, so if you want a soup or salad with your meal, you must order it seperately. I got the Cuban Black Bean Soup and Calypso Shrimp Linguine. Both were excellent. Usually when you get seafood pasta you get lots of pasta and a little seafood. This was not the case here - there was a lot of shrimp on that plate and it was delicious.
   Prices are a little on the high side, but well worth it for the great food and experience.

   I signed up with Yahoo! News Alerts back when I got my cell phone. I figured if something drastic happened while I was at work, at least then I would know. It used to send news events that were groundbreaking - when we went to war with Iraq for instance. Today I get a message telling me that some people taking Viagra are going blind. Is this really the stuff that is the news of the day? How about the fact that the review of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty failed today and most of the world blames the US? How about that Bush is still telling people we're winning the war on terror, even though we're currently stirring a big pot of crap over in the Middle East? Nah, let's report about sex and blindness. Sounds like an old wives tale anyway...
(sources: Bush tells naval grads U.S. winning war on terror; Nuke arms conference collapses without deal)

   I was watching TV late last night when a 5 minute commercial came on for the !onic Breeze from Sharper !mage. It's an annoyingly long commercial with cheesy actors who profess to love the product because it changed their lives, but it's also the kind you can laugh at. For instance, have you ever noticed when they show that thing working, the air it's cleaning is like thick black smoke? Umm.. if the air in your house is like thick smoke, you need a fire extinguisher not an Ionic Breeze! I also like the cat who represents pet dander - the look on it's face is priceless. Who me??

   I saw this a few weeks ago on the Discovery Channel and forgot to post it. I think the concept is really cool - it's an air powered car. Instead of using fossil fuels to push your pistons around, it uses compressed air. Of course they don't go quite as far or as fast as gas powered vehicles, but then again they don't pollute either. It'll do about 150 miles on a tank which is more than enough for work and city driving. And I don't usually do 90mph on the highway to work. They also have models that are hybrids, pretty much like the gas/electrics.
   I have to wonder if once this car starts to be produced how well it will go over, and if people will take notice. With sales of SUVs on the decline and gas prices on their infinite climb, it would tend to make more sense. And with fuel cell cars as far out as the next decade, air power would be a solution right now.
(for more about the air powered car visit MDI)

   I was just reading an article about how Bush has promised to veto federal funding of stem cell research again. He mentioned that he was very concerned about the cloning going on in S. Korea. The recent study was cloning cells from patients for use in repairing organs, not cloning people. Sometimes when I'm reading about this type of thing, it's like all the players are in different realities. It's like one person is talking about cells and medicine, and the other is talking about clone wars and religious doctrine. Maybe I'm just in my own reality... and it's lovely, thank you.
(sources: Bush would veto House bill on stem cells; Scientists clone human stem cells from patients)

   I'm reading this article on Florida's new "castle doctrine" gun law. It apparently states, as I understand it, that if someone should make you feel threatened, you can react with deadly violence. I understand laws that allow you to defend yourself, but to be able to react with deadly force in any public place without fear of consequence is astounding to me. This strikes me as scary on several levels.
   One reason is that people are only human and often make mistakes. So if someone approaches you on a day when you're feeling a little jumpy, you might just whip out your concealed gun and blast them? A bum approaches you on the street and you mistake him for a mugger, bam! Bar fights might get a little more interesting, especially when the bar owner has to clean up all the blood. Perhaps there should be another law in Florida requiring sedatives.
   Second is that I have a problem with laws that enable and encourage violent behavior. We have enough violence in our country as it is. There are more murders in this country per capita than most other developed nations. And yet people feel like we need to protect a certain type of violence? I realize this is a "self defense" law, but what about non-deadly force? There is something to be said about the person who can diffuse a situation before it becomes violent, and up until now laws have reflected that as preferred behavior. With this new law if you want to get a little up in someone's face, just provoke them until they attack you, then shoot them.
   I realize the concept behind this - people should be able to feel safe where ever they may be. However, I don't think this is the way to go. Leaving the door open to violence in any public place doesn't make me feel any better. I think it's the precipice of a slippery slope when violence of any kind is sanctioned. And what will be next after this? If you don't agree with someone's "moral values" will you be able to kill them too?
   Maybe I'll rethink a Disney trip in the near future. If someone thinks I cut in line they might feel that I'm threatening their family, and I might have to take the ultimate trip to Neverland.

(sources: Florida boosts gun rights, igniting a debate; Murders (per capita) (Top 50 Countries))

   It's official. I'm the newly elected chair of the board. It seems kinda strange to me in some ways. When I was younger I was a very passive person. Although I remember having leadership qualities, I never felt comfortable acting on things on my own. Of course as I grew up, came out, and became a little activist I grew more comfortable with being my own person, and standing up for what I think. So now I'm in this position where people will be looking to me for leadership in many ways, and while I'm comfortable that I can perform it still seems a little odd.
   I started in this group as a volunteer - I got us online and now I do the website for the group. I was elected to the board a year later. Then I became Secretary. Last year I didn't have a position but was still on the board. I started this year as Vice Chair, and now I'm Chair.
   Looking back at the road that took me to where I am today, it all seems to make sense. I had no idea I was going to where I am, but I'm happy with it. I have a chance to make a difference in a world where I think everyone needs to participate in some way to make it better for everyone else. I guess my thought now is, where to next?

   This morning I found out that I need to spend $350 to get my car fixed. That's just fantastic. After that I decided to spend some time with nature, so I weeded the garden in front of the house. I'm so happy that the weather is warm and things are green again. If I had lots of money to spend on plants and things, I'd be in the garden all day. Tonight the action continues with several meetings including a board meeting with elections. (I'm running for chair of the board - how did that happen?)
   Just caught up with The Daily Show from last week. They had a really funny segment on comparing the US and UK elections. When our president spoke with an audience, it was a hand chosen one where no one would ask difficult questions. Of course if they did they were escorted out. In England they hammered Blair with questions and outright accusations. And the interesting part is that they weren't removed from the audience right afterwards. How classy!

   Today a woman got into line, and as she was checking out she decided that she didn't want peach yogurt. I was called over so that it could be sent back to the fridge so it wouldn't spoil by sitting out. When I got there the lady told me about how she didn't want the peach yogurt, but when I looked at the container it said "Harvest Peach." I was a bit confused, but took the item. Then she asked if I would go get a different kind for her. It was kinda crazy busy at the time, but I obliged. She wanted strawberry banana instead. So I went back and brought it up for her, and she says, "I knew you'd bring that kind up!" Yeah, you're welcome. Well, she gave me one that was low fat, so brought one back that was low fat. Then she cops an attitude and tells me to go get the other one - the one with all the fat. Umm, ok. I wondered if she could see all the other people in line glaring at her. I practically ran back to get the fat for her, but I really just wanted to take the yogurt and throw it against a wall. It wouldn't have been very productive, but it would have felt good at that moment to watch it splatter.

   Sometimes life gets so strange you begin to see things unfolding like a daytime drama. I never wanted a role on Days of our Lives.

   According to my customers this weekend, my cashiers have very soft hands, smell "intoxicating," have "small minds," and should chew Strappleberry gum. Was there a full moon this weekend?