heehee!!!

This guy's really funny.

Signs of improvement

The economy must be improving, because last week I started receiving credit card offers again. Also I got checks to use the cards I already have. That hasn't happened in about a year.

Those funny republicans

Did you see this? How about these? And this? Aren't they funny, those republicans? Know what they all had in common? Apologies. Oh, they are so sorry. They never meant to offend anyone. They just thought they were being humorous. They didn't see anything overtly racist! They don't think of things in terms of black and white!
Know what? How about when you idiots do stuff like this, you keep your self-serving apology? How about instead, you grow a pair and say that those thoughts should not be crossing your mind IN THE FIRST PLACE? How about if you say that you understand you did something racist, and that you are going to try to change your thought processes? At least, for the love of pete, stop trying to convince us that you're not really racist. YOU ARE.

The Patriarchy

We are approaching the official Celebration of the Patriarchy, otherwise known as Father's Day. I have been hearing the most vile commercial on the radio, trying to convince people to shop for Father's Day at the Foothills Mall here in Tucson. In the commercial, someone is listing great things about dads. I can't remember the exact wording or voices until the part where someone says, "To his own special way of dealing with the ladies." This is followed by a wolf whistle, then a boy's voice says, "Dad, stop staring!" After that there is the sound of a slap, and a male voice says, "Ow!"
Really?
Are you kidding me?
This is a quality of a "great dad?" A great dad is someone whistling at a woman who is clearly not the child's mother, in front of his child? Someone who stares at random women in front of his son? Really? It's sexist and awful. VILE.
So, I wrote a letter to the management. If you want to write a letter, the email addresses are at the link above.

Update: Got this today from the marketing director:
Hello,
I just wanted to let you know that the Marketing Director has been instructed to pull the commercial immediately.
Thank you again.

Victory

Historic anti-smoking legislation sped to final congressional passage on Friday — after a bitter fight lasting nearly a half-century — and lawmakers and the White House quickly declared it would save the lives of thousands of smokers of all ages. Even more important, they said, the measure could keep countless young people from starting in the first place.
_ Cigarette packages will have warning labels that cover 50 percent of the front and rear. The word "warning" must be included in capital letters.

_ Any remaining tobacco-related sponsorships of sports and entertainment events will be banned, as will giveaways of non-tobacco items with the purchase of a tobacco product. A federal ban will be imposed on all outdoor tobacco advertising within 1,000 feet of schools and playgrounds.

_ Point-of-sale advertising will be limited to adults-only facilities, and remaining vending machines will disappear except in places restricted to adults. Retailers who sell to minors will be subject to federal enforcement and penalties.

_ Smokers, particularly the younger crowd, will find they can no longer buy cigarettes sweetened by candy flavors or any herb or spices such as strawberry, grape, orange, clove, cinnamon or vanilla. Cigarettes advertised as "light" or "mild," giving the impression that they aren't as harmful to health, will no longer be found on store shelves.

The FDA tried to exert authority over tobacco products in the 1990s, but the industry fought back and the Supreme Court in 2000 ruled, in a 5-4 decision, that the agency did not have regulatory powers over tobacco under then-existing law. Several efforts by lawmakers since then had fallen short, victims of industry lobbying and opposition from the Bush White House.

This NEVER would have happened without the election of Barack Obama.

DOH!!!

I started a math class for my master's degree on Monday. We adjusted the schedule that day so that we could be done before July 4th weekend. As a class, we voted to begin class at 8:30 and end at noon, instead of going 9:00 - 11:45, which was the original scheduled time. Well, I went home and didn't look at my notes, and put 9:00 in my calendar. So for the last 2 days in a row, I have been 1/2 hour late for class. Both days when I have come in, there has been discussion about classroom issues going on. Things like, "This division algorithm seems really complicated to me. How would I explain it to 7th graders?" Things that aren't math. So I didn't realize I was coming in late, because it seemed to me class hadn't started yet.
The teacher for this class is also my thesis advisor. I had spent some hours on my thesis problem and wasn't sure about how I was doing, so I emailed him asking if he could stay after class to read what I had and tell me if I was on the right track. He didn't respond to my email. So yesterday after class I asked if he received my email. He said yes, but he was acting very strangely... he wouldn't look me in the eye, and his words were terse. He said we could talk about it and we both sat down. Then he says, "The thing is, you have to start showing up on time." I said I thought I was on time. He told me class started at 8:30. I'm quite certain my horror was obvious on my face. I apologized, and his response to my apology was, "You voted on the time change." I said I put the wrong time in my calendar, and I would make sure to be on time. I've been in this master's program for 2 years now. I've rarely been late or absent for any of my classes. It seems to me this is a forgivable offense. Anyway, I got out my thesis notebook and showed him what I had been doing. I said, "This is my restatement of the problem, and this is what I have so far." Bear in mind, I had told him in the email that I needed to know if I was on the right track, and he said he received my email. So he looks at what I have on the first page, and without bothering to turn the page and see the rest of it, he says, "So what is your question?" And he didn't say it nicely. I said, "I just need to know whether I am on the right track." I turned the page so he could see what I had written about how to solve the problem, and this is what he says to me: "Why did you write all this stuff?" Well, I was done with him at that point. I can't remember the time when I felt more stupid than at that moment. I said, "That is what I was thinking when I was trying to figure out how the problem was constructed." I must have conveyed my anger and desire to flee, because he finally lightened up and started talking to me about how to approach the problem. I listened to what he said, offered no more of my own thoughts, and thanked him. I got up and apologized again for my mistake with the starting time, and again my apology went unacknowledged.
So, even though I really love the things we are doing in class, I don't want to go. My feelings are hurt. I made a mistake... I see no reason why he should be possessed to be so rude and unkind to me. All I can do is apologize and fix the mistake. The worst part is that the next time I need help with my thesis problem, it will be exceedingly difficult to approach him. I doubt I will be able to bring myself to do it. I want nothing to do with him. Maybe given some time, I will feel better about the situation... I hope so... because it's a fucking THESIS and I might need some fucking HELP.

I found it!!!

I found it!! My perfect job.

I wish I hadn't clicked the link

Now that I have, however, I must share it with you.
Everybody knows that the Old Boy's Club hates Sotomayor. What is there to like about her? First of all, she has a vagina. Strike one. Second, she is other than Caucasian. Strike two. Third of all, she has the audacity to think that strikes one and two allow her some kind of BENEFIT when it comes to her ability to judge people, things, and situations. Think of it! Being other than a white male, in this, the U.S. of A., and thinking there's some kind of ADVANTAGE to this fact!
Obama's decision to nominate a Hispanic female to the Supreme Court is just the latest in a long sequence of attempts to de-white-cockify our government. We can't stand for it! Before long, women and coloreds will have more influence than the long-suffering white American male! People, take action!
It just struck me yesterday the reason for the super-abundance of hate-filled, racist verbal diarrhea regarding Sotomayor that is spewing from the predominately white, male talking heads on the news networks. The past White House positions that Obama has filled with other than white males have all been appointments. There's no debate about those. This, however, is a nomination. (I'm a little slow, I know.) The point is that finally, the talking heads feel they have some say in the matter. The hatred and bigotry that they have been forced to stifle in the first 100 days is all coming out at once, with a vengeance, and is all directed at the same woman. And what exactly can they say about her? See strikes one, two, and three above.
Turns out that's enough.

Listen up, Dickheads

The only thing you have going for you now is money. And that's temporary.