More Californians Support Gay Marriage Than Oppose It

In a poll conducted between May 17 and May 26 by Field Poll, it was found that more Californians now support gay marriage than oppose it.

The poll found that 51 percent of respondents backed legalizing same-sex marriage and 42 percent opposed it, DiCamillo said.

In 2006, when participants were asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of California allowing homosexuals to marry members of their own sex?" 44 percent said they approved and 50 percent objected. In 1977, the first year Field posted the question to voters, 28 percent approved and 59 percent were opposed. - The Associated Press

Way to go, fellow Californians! You're lookin' mighty progressive there!

- T

Gay Marriage Ban DISSOLVED!

It is truly unbelievable -- and unexpected to this blogger. I was not expecting ANY movement on this issue until winter, when the California public is due to vote on amending our state constitution with a BAN on gay marriage.

[Could anything be more disgusting than wishing to amend our constitution in order to DENY a minority group of CITIZENS their human rights?!? Is this the 1800s? Are we not due the same damn rights as the straight citizens of California? Can a decent, loving, straight voter in this state REALLY stand in the voting booth and morally cast his vote to deny rights to me and my beloved friends...? If you can somehow justify doing this in your mind, all I can say is SHAME ON YOU.]

And yet, perhaps temporarily, those who wish will shortly be able to join their partner in marriage. If you are at all the marrying type, and you are in a committed, loving relationship -- by all means, MARRY!

If any one thing could keep this from being a short-lived blip on the radar screen, it is a large, vocal group being threatened with having their marriages revoked by the evil majority.

- T

p.s. If you have the stomach for this kind of bile, read an LA Times article describing the kind of hateful people we will be up against this November....

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Yours, A. Einstein

... I read a great deal in the last days of your book, and thank you very much for sending it to me. What especially struck me about it was this. With regard to the factual attitude to life and to the human community we have a great deal in common.

... The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. These subtilized interpretations are highly manifold according to their nature and have almost nothing to do with the original text. For me the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are also no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them.

In general I find it painful that you claim a privileged position and try to defend it by two walls of pride, an external one as a man and an internal one as a Jew. As a man you claim, so to speak, a dispensation from causality otherwise accepted, as a Jew the privilege of monotheism. But a limited causality is no longer a causality at all, as our wonderful Spinoza recognized with all incision, probably as the first one. And the animistic interpretations of the religions of nature are in principle not annulled by monopolization. With such walls we can only attain a certain self-deception, but our moral efforts are not furthered by them. On the contrary.

Now that I have quite openly stated our differences in intellectual convictions it is still clear to me that we are quite close to each other in essential things, i.e. in our evaluations of human behavior. What separates us are only intellectual 'props' and 'rationalization' in Freud's language. Therefore I think that we would understand each other quite well if we talked about concrete things. With friendly thanks and best wishes

Yours,

A. Einstein

[Thanks to the Guardian for printing this excerpt of a letter written by Einstein in 1954.]

- T

Oh, Mrs. Beasley -- what have you become...?

Unbelievable what some kids still have to put up with in the more backwards, under-developed areas of the country....

Take a look at this blog entry and see for yourself what a PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL thinks is proper behavior based on rational judgment. This bitch, one Daphne Beasley, decided it was her place to out two gay students in her high school to not only faculty and other students -- but to the students' parents!!

Anyone who has dealt with the coming-out process knows that it has to be handled on a one-on-one basis. Some people tell their parents at an early age, others wait until they're safely away from home and not in danger of being evicted from their parents' home or even of being physically abused by their parents. And others may choose to never tell their families they are gay.

And yet here is someone supposedly educated -- and not only educated, but educated in childhood development -- who felt it was her place to tell the school, the faculty, the parents.... And why? No, not out of her sense of caring towards these students. Not because the students had caused a "scene" at the school, whatever that might mean. (They hadn't, by the way.) She outed them because she "didn't like gay people and wouldn't tolerate homosexuality at her school". Way to go, Memphis -- you sure can pick ya some damn fine principals there in the land of buck teeth and hayseeds.

And, remember -- this isn't some religious school where the students were told beforehand they couldn't reveal that they are gay, had to wear funny plaid skirts or kneel on a wooden beam before god. No -- this is a PUBLIC school, paid for with PUBLIC tax dollars -- which also pay this bitch's salary.... Again, way to go, Memphis....

Oh, if you'd like to e-mail Daph and let her know what you think of her modern education policies, you can reach her at: beasleyd@mcsk12.net

- T

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Just a few things...

Suspicions Confirmed: “All-natural” Pinkberry frozen yogurt isn’t quite, but the founder of the firm thought he could legally say it that way because the “yogurt” part was all-natural, even if the dozen-or-so additives weren’t....

Tempe, Ariz., motorist David Lopez grabbed his gun to threaten an allegedly lousy driver in a Road Rage Moment, but then, while waving it around, Lopez accidentally shot himself.

[News of the Weird, Thursday, April 24, 2008]

Man, I love this kind of stuff.... We have SO much horrible news in the world -- food prices rising so quickly that it may lead to famine, war (Iraq, the threat of war with Iran, other conflicts going on around the world), that poor messed-up family in Austria and the even worse events south of San Angelo, TX. It is nice to know someone is still tracking the News of the Weird.

Thank you, Chuck Shepherd!

In other news: I've been playin' around this week with using Flickr instead of/along with Picasa for photo upload and sharing.... Many of my friends use Flickr, the interaction with others is really nice, the organization tools are great and easy to use (even after the photos have been uploaded).... And yet, I somehow think things will get complicated posting some photos in one spot, others in another.... Who else has used both products? What kind of suggestions do you have?

- T

Tag - You're It!

My days off went by too quickly. We went to a friend's 40th birthday party on Saturday. It was a great party but I wasn't really feeling it. I think my mind was elsewhere....

I worked part of the day Sunday (my day off) -- but made up for my diligence at work by partying quite a bit at the Hole later that afternoon! I definitely enjoyed my evening with Bill, Tj. and the gang at the Hole.

And today was a HOT one -- close to 95°. I spent most of the day sitting at home, staying cool, browsing the web, checking out friends' Flickr pix.... Not very productive -- until around 3 p.m., when a buddy came by and we went biking for 2+ hours. (With a much-needed pizza stop and a more needed Gatorade stop along the way.) Has anyone of you ever ridden your bike up/down the huge hill on Juniper St in South Park? I am way too much of a wuss and always get off and walk it.

This was posted on a blog I've taken to reading on a regular basis. The girl seems so cool -- and so very different from me. Nonetheless, she seems like someone I'd take a liking to. Hi, Ehu!

******************************
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Hmmm, my memory's not the best at [cough] 39.... Let's see, 1998.... I was living with Tj. in San Francisco! We were having a great time living on Hermann St behind the Safeway (although the other tenants in the building SUCKED!) and working downtown. That March, I moved from a job as Asst Front Office Mgr at a high-end, Japanese-run hotel just off Market St to a fun, smaller hotel near Union Square where I was Front Office Manager. Weekends were a blast and were spent exploring the city during the day and having a beer at the Eagle, Lonestar, Daddy's or the Edge at night. We also got out of town occasionally and went to Guerneville and the whole Russian River area. Fort Ross was as far north up the California coast as we ever made it.

5 things on my to do list:
1. Ship my uncle's birthday gift. I heard he was fond of one of my photos (see above) and I had a huge print (15 x 45) made for him.
2. Start my upper-body and abs workout. I've been successfully losing weight (about 8 lbs in 2 months) and getting out biking, hiking, walking.... BUT, I'm not happy with the lack of arm/chest definition I have right now. (I have to brag, though, that my calves and legs look damn good lately!)
3. Clean my desk at home. My desk at work is neat and clean -- can not say the same about the one at home. (Or the storage shelves behind it, either.)
4. Find out if my sister was able to download the QuickTime video I sent my nephew. It was kinda big -- I might have to load it to a server and send her the link.
5. Finally learn more about KPBS's Reading for the Blind service. I've been meaning to check into volunteering my time, but never seem to find the time to apply. This week at the latest!

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Trail mix -- prefer it to have yogurt-covered raisins or M&Ms, please
2. Wheat Thins
3. Chocolate -- of any kind
4. Marzipan
5. Baby carrots -- gotta put SOMETHING healthy on here!

5 places I've lived:
1. Chicago, IL
2. Monterey, CA
3. San Angelo, TX
4. Augsburg, Germany
5. Hamburg, Germany (I could keep going -- guess I'll stop at 5)

5 jobs I've had:
1. Busy Bee Bakery (one day and I was outta there)
2. Arboretum View Animal Hospital - all-around clean-up and surgery prep guy. One of the best jobs I've ever had
3. 98C1L-RU/GE
4. Night auditor at the Holiday Inn Munich-Schwabing where I had a lecherous boss
5. English teacher at Inlingua in Augsburg (excellent job, great co-workers, fun students -- one of my favorite jobs!)
******************************

- T

Apologies to Warhol

I am now the proud owner of a new MacBook. My PowerBook was beginning to show its age. It had seen me through thick and thin: being carted around town in my backpack and a move from San Diego to Hamburg and back again.

Five years of pretty much daily use had taken its toll. Recently I had the hard drive replaced after it kicked the big one. (A recent backup made that less of a major heartache than it could have been.)

Then, just a few weeks ago, the superdrive (CD/DVD burner) failed on me. I think I wanted to rip some Jamiroquai songs into iTunes [don't laugh!] when, instead of calmly taking the CD and opening iTunes, my PowerBook took the disc and spit it right back out again. How rude! Our relationship was never to be the same again.

I began looking at replacement options and felt the MacBook Pros were too big to be very portable. (They come in 15 and 17-inch sizes.) I was used to the carry-in-one-hand-while-juggling-a-Starbucks-and-a-pastry-in-the-other 12-inch size of my PowerBook. Also, at nearly double the clamshells, price became a factor, too.

But white? I'm just not really a bright colors, everything white kinda guy.... Luckily, the MacBook also comes in a great matte black.... You know which one I got!

And, once it arrived and I tested it out -- it was all over. The speed, the brightness of the new glossy 13.3-inch screen, the amazingly quick reaction times -- and the features in the new OS X Leopard. I haven't looked back.

The PowerBook got a good home, though. Tj. had been eyeing up my PowerBook for a while -- he'd been wanting to experiment with GarageBand, iPhoto, maybe even purchase Aperture.... So, along with his many other PCs, Unix boxes and Sun machine, he now has a Mac to hack away on.

- T

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Palomar Mountain - Take Two!

Took another drive out to Palomar Mountain today. I met a buddy at IHOP in Escondido and, after breakfast, we drove out to Love Valley and got a short, easy hike in there.

Then we headed up to the State Park. We chose what we thought was a medium hike from Doane Pond to Scott's Cabin -- but the map didn't really tell us it was up the side of a large hill/small mountain! (That on top of the 5500-ft elevation left me panting a bit. But, I adjusted to the slightly thinner air fairly quickly.) And, at the end of the trail called Scott's Cabin, it turns out there is no cabin.... False advertising? :-)

The missing cabin notwithstanding, I got to enjoy a great day out on a mountain, a good workout (man, my calves are tight tonight!) and some damn funny conversation!

- T

"Hey! Preachers! Leave them kids alone!"

OK, I've said it before (and fairly recently) and I apparently have to say it again -- LEAVE THE KIDS OUT OF IT! We all have heard and read about the FLDS cult in Texas that has been in the news the past week or two. (And we've certainly all seen the crazy 1800s garb and hair-don'ts that the women wear....)

More important than what the adults do in their big white barn/church, how bad their fashion sense is, what kind of damn bread they bake or how many men or women or cows they each screw around with and how often - - - HOW MANY CHILDREN HAVE THEY BRAINWASHED AND HAD SEX WITH?!

"The custody case is one of the largest in U.S. history and involves children from 6 months to 17 years in age. Roughly 100 of the children are under age 4.

State officials contend the children were being physically and sexually abused or were in imminent danger of such abuse. In initial court filings, they said girls were forced into spiritual marriages — relationships ordained by the church but not legally recognized — with adult men and that boys were conditioned to be abusers as they grew up." - The Associated Press

Do you know that some of these kids can NOT identify their own parents? Some of them have never left the compound -- and some of them are having sex with men IN THEIR FIFTIES AND SIXTIES?!?!

So, once again: do what you please. Wear whatever weird polyester farm dresses you like, go for the full-body underwear, wear a beanie or a necklace made of flower petals. Pray to Jehovah, Jah/Yah, Yahweh, Allah, Zeus, Satan, Thor or even some kook tax accountant from Utah (photo above) or his loopy rapist son - - - go right ahead. But leave the children out of it. (Again, I refer to my previous post.)

Thank you and good night.

- T

GraphJam

From the guys who brought you icanhascheezburger.com, it's self-proclaimed " pop culture for people in cubicles".

There are too many charts and graphs relating to rap lyrics, but the ones I actually understood I thought were at least clever and sometimes even damn funny!

- T

Disneyland and Record Heat

Yesterday (Sunday) broke temperature records for this date in Anaheim, CA -- 102°F!! Disney was tied for the highest temperature in the US yesterday -- and it was truly baking.

I slathered on the 30 SPF and got through the day without a sunburn. What I did manage to have, though, was a very good time.

View the pix, if you'd like.

- T

Disneyland Fireworks

We're joining a bunch o' guys at Disney tomorrow. And, we're in luck -- the
weather should be hot and sunny. (Hurray! Water rides!)

Tonight, though, we had a quiet evening. Dinner at CPK and the fireworks from
our hotel balcony.

- T

Heh heh heh heh

Thanks, xkcd, for a little bit of laughter before bed.

- T

Wisconsin Pix

You've read blog entries about the trip, you've seen shots of the Chicago part of the journey -- now be astounded by the actual photos taken in Door County, Wisconsin!

Took me long enough, I know. And what you see is actually only the first part. There's another batch of Easter pictures to come soon.

(You know the drill: click the pic, the post title above or worm your way through the web by clicking the Picasa link on the right.)

- T