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Driving in the rain
Apr. 10th, 2012 09:29 amAround here (SF Bay area), why is it that so many people see two raindrops and slow down by 15-20mph? C'mon, you still have miles of visibility and it's not much more than a drizzle, anyway. Half of us are transplants from places where it really rains, this stuff from the sky should not be a surprise, especially since on rare occasions it does rain rather heavily here. I guess it's the short attention span of the general public. (Hint- if you can't see through the windshield, got off highway, clean said windshield, and replace wiper blades. Better? Or maybe, just get off the highway all together.)
Prop. 8 goes down, but not in flames
Feb. 7th, 2012 10:18 amJust in from the 9th Circuit Appeals court- California's Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Sure to be appealed (again), the proponents are sore losers).
http://www.mercurynews.com/
http://www.mercurynews.com/
Karma recharge?
Aug. 7th, 2011 11:32 pmStopped at the hardware store for some paint and when I got back to the car, there was a guy futzing around with his BMW bike. Mentioned that it's a good day for riding and he agreed, but said that he wasn't sure his bike would start. I have cables in the car so I offered him a jump start. We got the bike running, joked about mechanical things, then went on our ways. Total time, less than 10 minutes, and we both went away happier than we started.
Just what I need, another hobby
Jul. 24th, 2011 09:51 pmI survived my first kiteboarding lesson- slightly sore, very damp, but not at all astonished. The people I see out on the water really do make it look easy. It isn't. It's especially not easy when the wind keeps changing and the kits just drops like a stone (on strings), but that was happening to everyone. The instructor was Not Happy with it. Didn't quite get up on the board, but it was a good day anyway, and way too much to cram into 5 hours. Will likely have another go at it next weekend. One of the catches, other than wind and time, is that you can rent everything but the kite, so you either buy a kite or take lessons. It's also very tiring.
Did learn that the bay water is significantly warmer than the ocean, it was almost 70 degrees! (the coast was about 58...) But I'll stick with the wet suit anyway, hypothermia not being a good thing.
Did learn that the bay water is significantly warmer than the ocean, it was almost 70 degrees! (the coast was about 58...) But I'll stick with the wet suit anyway, hypothermia not being a good thing.
NY approves same sex marriage
Jun. 25th, 2011 10:18 amGovernor signed the bill last last night. And now we are seven.
Now comes the all the griping and whinging-
should have been done by the courts (if it had been, the same people would have said that it should have been done by the legislature), that the people should have had a vote on it (they've not heard of representative democracy), and of course What about the children?!?!? Anyone complaining about the last should read Judge Walker's Findings of Fact from the Prop. 8 trial, it knocks down every argument about that directly.
Get over it, NY, it's done. The sky hasn't fallen on Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and DC. It didn't fall on California before Prop 8 came around. AFAIK no churches have been required to perform a marriage that they didn't agree with. AFAIK they have never been required to. The divorce rates are unchanged. Life continues as it had, but with more happily married people.
A friend pointed to this on another journal: The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps talks to the troops (http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/06/
Sgt. Maj. Barrett also tackled questions on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s ban on gays serving openly in uniform. The Department of Defense is preparing to implement repeal, and Sgt. Maj. Barrett addressed that issue directly.
“Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution is pretty simple,” he told a group of Marines at a base in South Korea. “It says, ‘Raise an army.’ It says absolutely nothing about race, color, creed, sexual orientation.
“You all joined for a reason: to serve,” he continued. “To protect our nation, right?”
“Yes, sergeant major,” Marines replied.
“How dare we, then, exclude a group of people who want to do the same thing you do right now, something that is honorable and noble?” Sgt. Maj. Barrett continued, raising his voice just a notch. “Right?”
Sgt. Maj. Barrett then described conversations with U.K. troops, who saw a similar ban lifted a decade ago, with little disruption. And to drive the point home, he produced a pocket copy of the Constitution.
“Get over it,” he said. “We’re magnificent, we’re going to continue to be. … Let’s just move on, treat everybody with firmness, fairness, dignity, compassion and respect. Let’s be Marines.”
That's the right attitude, "treat everybody with firmness, fairness, dignity, compassion and respect". Now maybe it will happen more.
Now comes the all the griping and whinging-
should have been done by the courts (if it had been, the same people would have said that it should have been done by the legislature), that the people should have had a vote on it (they've not heard of representative democracy), and of course What about the children?!?!? Anyone complaining about the last should read Judge Walker's Findings of Fact from the Prop. 8 trial, it knocks down every argument about that directly.
Get over it, NY, it's done. The sky hasn't fallen on Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and DC. It didn't fall on California before Prop 8 came around. AFAIK no churches have been required to perform a marriage that they didn't agree with. AFAIK they have never been required to. The divorce rates are unchanged. Life continues as it had, but with more happily married people.
A friend pointed to this on another journal: The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps talks to the troops (http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/06/
Sgt. Maj. Barrett also tackled questions on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s ban on gays serving openly in uniform. The Department of Defense is preparing to implement repeal, and Sgt. Maj. Barrett addressed that issue directly.
“Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution is pretty simple,” he told a group of Marines at a base in South Korea. “It says, ‘Raise an army.’ It says absolutely nothing about race, color, creed, sexual orientation.
“You all joined for a reason: to serve,” he continued. “To protect our nation, right?”
“Yes, sergeant major,” Marines replied.
“How dare we, then, exclude a group of people who want to do the same thing you do right now, something that is honorable and noble?” Sgt. Maj. Barrett continued, raising his voice just a notch. “Right?”
Sgt. Maj. Barrett then described conversations with U.K. troops, who saw a similar ban lifted a decade ago, with little disruption. And to drive the point home, he produced a pocket copy of the Constitution.
“Get over it,” he said. “We’re magnificent, we’re going to continue to be. … Let’s just move on, treat everybody with firmness, fairness, dignity, compassion and respect. Let’s be Marines.”
That's the right attitude, "treat everybody with firmness, fairness, dignity, compassion and respect". Now maybe it will happen more.
(no subject)
Apr. 20th, 2011 12:48 pmSome heathen put a couple bottles of decent red wine in the office drinks cooler, right next to the beer. I have nothing against either red wine or beer, I rather like them both. But you really should serve them at their proper temperature, and 40 deg is not right for a decent red.
For some reason, I'm not surprised
Feb. 23rd, 2011 04:42 pmAccording to a CNN story, a recent Pew Research Center survey tells us:
White evangelical Protestants are roughly five times more likely to agree with the Tea Party movement than to disagree with it, Pew found. American Jews, meanwhile, are nearly three times as likely to disagree with the movement than agree with it.
and
Among black Protestants, those who disagree with the Tea Party outnumber those who agree with it by more than five to one, though 56% say they have no opinion or have not heard of the movement. About two-thirds of atheists and agnostics disagree with the movement, Pew found
White evangelical Protestants are roughly five times more likely to agree with the Tea Party movement than to disagree with it, Pew found. American Jews, meanwhile, are nearly three times as likely to disagree with the movement than agree with it.
and
Among black Protestants, those who disagree with the Tea Party outnumber those who agree with it by more than five to one, though 56% say they have no opinion or have not heard of the movement. About two-thirds of atheists and agnostics disagree with the movement, Pew found
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California's Prop. 8 goes down in flames
Aug. 4th, 2010 02:17 pmFinally, a decision:
http://www.mercurynews.com/
A San Francisco federal judge today struck down California's ban on same-sex marriage, concluding that it tramples on the equal rights of gay and lesbian couples and setting the stage for an appeal that appears destined for the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Moral disapproval alone is an improper basis on which to deny rights to gay men and lesbians," the judge wrote. "The evidence shows conclusively that Proposition 8 enacts, without reason, a private moral view that same-sex couples are inferior to opposite sex couples.
"California is able to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples," Walker wrote, "as it has already issued 18,000 marriage licenses to same-sex couples and has not suffered any demonstrated harm as a result."
( From the decision (I just skipped to the end): )
http://www.mercurynews.com/
A San Francisco federal judge today struck down California's ban on same-sex marriage, concluding that it tramples on the equal rights of gay and lesbian couples and setting the stage for an appeal that appears destined for the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Moral disapproval alone is an improper basis on which to deny rights to gay men and lesbians," the judge wrote. "The evidence shows conclusively that Proposition 8 enacts, without reason, a private moral view that same-sex couples are inferior to opposite sex couples.
"California is able to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples," Walker wrote, "as it has already issued 18,000 marriage licenses to same-sex couples and has not suffered any demonstrated harm as a result."
( From the decision (I just skipped to the end): )
Anne Rice leaves Christianity- updated
Jul. 31st, 2010 09:07 amNow, I'm not the greatest Ann Rice fan, although I have enjoyed some of her work. This appeared yesterday-
http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/
In 2008 Rice wrote, “For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian ... It's simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”
and updates it with this:
“My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me," Rice wrote. "But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.”
Well said. It's too bad that more of the followers can't, don't, or won't understand any of this.
http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/
In 2008 Rice wrote, “For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian ... It's simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”
and updates it with this:
“My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me," Rice wrote. "But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.”
Well said. It's too bad that more of the followers can't, don't, or won't understand any of this.
When small things mean a lot
Jul. 4th, 2010 08:50 amDid a small fireworks show last night, maybe 250 pieces. One of the greatest things to hear- "don't take the racks apart, we'll use them like that tomorrow." Saved our crew half an hour at the end of a long day, and saves today's crew the same. Got home before 1am, instead of after :).
Otherwise, it was a great show. With one of the senior pyros, we did all the fuse chaining and delays bits in the finale. And actually got to watch some of it. (and now... off to another show, on an expected 95 deg sunny day, on a jetty in the Sacramento river.)
Otherwise, it was a great show. With one of the senior pyros, we did all the fuse chaining and delays bits in the finale. And actually got to watch some of it. (and now... off to another show, on an expected 95 deg sunny day, on a jetty in the Sacramento river.)
Thus year's Bulwer-lytton contest
Jun. 29th, 2010 12:05 pmOh, my. It's the Bulwer-Lytton contest again:
The grand prize winner:
For the first month of Ricardo and Felicity's affair, they greeted one another at every stolen rendezvous with a kiss--a lengthy, ravenous kiss, Ricardo lapping and sucking at Felicity's mouth as if she were a giant cage-mounted water bottle and he were the world's thirstiest gerbil.
Molly Ringle
Seattle, WA
See all the fun at http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/.
The grand prize winner:
For the first month of Ricardo and Felicity's affair, they greeted one another at every stolen rendezvous with a kiss--a lengthy, ravenous kiss, Ricardo lapping and sucking at Felicity's mouth as if she were a giant cage-mounted water bottle and he were the world's thirstiest gerbil.
Molly Ringle
Seattle, WA
See all the fun at http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/.
Now this is outside of enough
Jun. 15th, 2010 06:15 pmProp. 8 forces target 18,000 same-sex marriages
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.
(06-15) 17:47 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- As the trial over California's prohibition on same-sex marriage enters its final stage Wednesday, the ban's sponsors are urging the judge to go a step further and revoke state recognition of the marriages of 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who wed before voters passed Proposition 8.
[...]
Andrew Pugno, an attorney for Prop. 8's backers, said in an interview that the sponsors aren't asking Walker to nullify the 18,000 marriages, but only to rule that government agencies, courts and businesses no longer have to recognize the couples as married.
[or "we can't say you should nullify them, we'd like you to, of course, we just want them to have no value"]
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.
(06-15) 17:47 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- As the trial over California's prohibition on same-sex marriage enters its final stage Wednesday, the ban's sponsors are urging the judge to go a step further and revoke state recognition of the marriages of 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who wed before voters passed Proposition 8.
[...]
Andrew Pugno, an attorney for Prop. 8's backers, said in an interview that the sponsors aren't asking Walker to nullify the 18,000 marriages, but only to rule that government agencies, courts and businesses no longer have to recognize the couples as married.
[or "we can't say you should nullify them, we'd like you to, of course, we just want them to have no value"]
Click-jacking on LJ
Apr. 24th, 2010 11:02 amA couple of days ago, clicking on links in LJ stopped working. Oh, I could cut-n-paste them, but clicking didn't work. The answer? LJ made a(nother) change to log links though something called "outboundlink", which noscript.org nicely blocks. There are instructions to get around this at http://caffeinepuppy.livejournal.com/
