Category Archives: Random Observation
Fiji Water
According to the Fiji Water website:
FIJI Water is drawn from an artesian aquifer, located at the very edge of a primitive rainforest, hundreds of miles away from the nearest continent.
That very distance is part of what makes us so much more pure and so much healthier than other bottled waters.
Now, can someone explain to me how this water retains its “purity” after it has been processed and encased in a plastic bottle?
According to Fiji Water: Spin The Bottle (an article in Mother Jones):
Nowhere in Fiji Water’s glossy marketing materials will you find reference to the typhoid outbreaks that plague Fijians because of the island’s faulty water supplies; the corporate entities that Fiji Water has—despite the owners’ talk of financial transparency—set up in tax havens like the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg; or the fact that its signature bottle is made from Chinese plastic in a diesel-fueled plant and hauled thousands of miles to its ecoconscious consumers. And, of course, you won’t find mention of the military junta for which Fiji Water is a major source of global recognition and legitimacy.
Wait a minute…Fijians don’t have access to this pure water for themselves?
Society Club — No Homo!
Society Club wants you to know that it has a membership discount for straight families only. Now, there’s nothing “wrong” about this–the club can decide whatever discounts etc it wants to offer and to who.
It’s certainly not the first time that we’ve been told that family=straight couple. However, there is usually a little back in forth with a business before we get to the “Oh, I’m sorry, but our discount is for heterosexuals couples only–but we will still take your money!”*
Not so with Society Club! M and my Mom went inside the club to check it out. M asked if they had a family plan. The attendant confirmed that they did and in the same breath mentioned it was for husband and wife only. Which means 1) he saw my Mom’s short hair and assumed she was gay-she isn’t and 2) he assumed they were a couple. Danger lesbians!
Right away–he had to make sure they knew that Society Club did not consider same-sex couples “real” families. The 2 women could have just been friends scouting out health clubs to join with their husbands, but I’m sure it was more important to neutralize any potential lesbian threat. Whew–crisis avoided.
I just have one suggestion for Society Club–why not update your website and make it clear that the”family friendly environment” is for “husband / wife” families only?
*People always sound so regretful when they can’t recognize our civil union–but the voice always picks up/sounds optimistic again when they offer to take our money anyway.
Beware The Savage Jaw of 1984
That Amazon has the ability to delete/remove ebooks you have purchased for your Kindle is disturbing. You don’t really own a Kindle ebook–it’s just licensed to you and you have the ability to view it unlimited times, ahem, unless Amazon or a publisher changes it’s mind.
Beyond this, the fact that Amazon still has access to what’s in your Kindle has deeper implications…
Justin Gawronski, a 17-year-old from the Detroit area, was reading “1984” on his Kindle for a summer assignment and lost all his notes and annotations when the file vanished. “They didn’t just take a book back, they stole my work,” he said.
Can’t you imagine certain government security agencies asking Amazon to let them know which ebooks certain “people of interest” have bought–and hand over copies of files found on the Kindle. It would be a win-win situation, Amazon would get a chance to be patriotic and, if the POI has made any notes/annotations), the government gets to see them without needing a warrant.
Of course, the scenario wouldn’t have to play out that way. Amazon could have a backbone and demand warrants, etc.
Cleavagefield…
The special effects of Cleavagefield are pretty much on par with any Sci fi Syfy Original movie.
Cleavagefield Monster
Malibu Shark Attack
Which is kinda sad.
Don’t wait for anybody else, ain’t nobody stopping you!
To me what’s just as disappointing as the CA decision on Prop 8 are the glbt people who’s mantra seems to be: “Too bad, but I don’t agree with marriage anyway. We need to focus our attention somewhere else.”
Now, they say “we” as in the general glbt community. But what they mean is “you who were all hot for marriage need to forget that and do x,y,z because I think there are more important things in the world.”
Believe what you want to believe and fight for what you want to fight for–but what’s the deal with belittling another person’s causes/fights? Yes, I know there were/are some same sex marriage activists who have no problem telling others that theirs is the only cause worth fighting for–they are wrong, too.
You feel a calling to tackle injustice in prisons? You want to focus on health care reform? The quest for economic justice is the driving force in your life? Who is stopping you from organizing, rallying, and taking action with those who think like you?
This whole “we need to spend resources on something else” sounds like YOU are waiting around for other people to take up your cause before you do anything. Or you are frustrated because you can’t get some attention paid to your cause. You do realize that telling someone, especially after a setback, “your cause is stupid, you should really care about this” — is NOT going to entice that person to support your causes?
What if after a state banned adoption by gay couples, glbt people who didn’t want to adopt said, “Too bad, but not all of us want to adopt children anyway. In fact, glbt people who adopt are just trying to fit into the hetero couple with 2.5 kids model. We should drop gay adoption as a cause…” Coldhearted, isn”t it?
The whole “you need to drop your cause” thing is also insulting because it assumes that people can’t take up multiple issues at the same time. Being an advocate for same-sex marriage doesn’t mean that you can’t rally/organize for economic justice. Newsflash–you can fight for new environmental policies to help green the ghetto and still lobby congress for prison reform.
If you’re shoulder deep in fighting for your cause but you can’t seem to get the media to pay attention, the answer is to step up your publicity game. If you need more talent, more funds, more volunteers, you need to win people to your cause–and you don’t win allies by telling people “I don’t care about what you care about, you need to be about this.”
Whew! Now back to my regularly scheduled procrastinating.
Bad Hair Day
Jersey Wife
At the end of the civil union ceremony, the officiant declared us civilly ensconced. Not wife and wife, spouses, etc. Civilly ensconced. Yeah, sounds lovely.
After we got the domestic partnership, it was easy to introduce M as my partner. Hasn’t been so easy to describe the relationship after the civil union. Partner doesn’t really do the job any more, since it may give the impression that we haven’t “upgraded” to the civil union. Unionist doesn’t work.
After a little trial and error, I think we’ve settled on the perfect phrase: Jersey Wife. Since our . . . ensconcement . . . only legally has to recognized by the state of NJ (not private employeers!), I think that pretty much sums it up.
Wake Me On 9/12
9/11 is media black out day. I have absolutely no need to replay that day over and over and over again–so no television, newspapers, etc. While I understand the need for people to tell their stories (how I escaped, how my life has changed because I lost a loved one, etc), I don’t need to bombarded with them.
Every politician has a “heartfelt” quote at the ready–key words: security, safety, terrorism, America. Want to get a politician to shut up? Ask him/her about the health problems plaguing the ground zero area. Suddenly, mouths close and fingers of blame point somewhere else. Ask who should pay for the healthcare of people who inhaled that smoke, asbestos, etc–and politicians disappear. It’s a neat trick. Maybe by 9/11/2011, they will have their quotes and speeches ready to address the problems of 9/11/2006.
On a different note, I wonder if the people who are suckered into buying the as-seen-on-tv 9/11 coin are the same people who would have bought dust from ground zero. (Remember, how people were on eBay trying to sell what was supposed to be dust/remains from the toppled towers?) The silver in the coin is supposed to come from the world trade center itself, so you can have a little piece of the tragedy in your own home!
According to an article I found in the Arizona Republic (8/24/06): “The medallion is advertised as having 15 milligrams of 24-karat gold and being 0.999 pure silver. Based on Wednesday’s closing market price, the amount of gold in them is worth 33 cents and the silver is worth one-sixth of a cent. “
For the special low price of $29.99 (not including shipping and handling), you too can own a piece of shit worth $.33
Gender In Transition
Bought some blueberries this morning from a farmers’ market. Fellow who took my money smiled all nice and cheerful–“Can I help you, sir?” Of course by the time the “sir” is coming out of his mouth, he notices that I mignt not be a sir. Without missing a beat: “Can I help you, ma’am?” Emphasis placed not on the help you, but on the ma’am.
So I pull out my wallet (I’m sure that didn’t help him figure it out) and get my berries. This afternoon, I stop by to buy more. He sees me coming back and . . . “How can I help you this time, honey?”
From sir to ma’am to honey – all in one day.
Minado
Went to a Japanese Buffet today for brunch and had a curious incident. The restaurant is great with separate areas for sushi, salads/fruits, hot food, and desserts. Now, today the line for hot food was a nightmare. We thought families will be home for Easter–wrong! They just brought all of the kids with them, so the line moved terribly slow.
Anyway, I’m standing in line and I notice an young guy trying hovering outside of the line. He was looking to cut in front of someone to grab some crab balls or something. Now, there are a couple of men in front of me in the line and we are all waiting patiently and moving along. Young guy waits until I’m in front of the food he wants and tries to break in front of me.
Of course, I don’t move. He turns to me (pissed) and says, “You aren’t going to let me in, are you?” The guy in line in front of me turns around to see what’s going on and I say to both of them, “Let you in? I believe this is a line.” The guy in front of me agreed and pissed guy fumed a little but got in the back of the line.
So, I’ve been wondering why he thought he could try that trick with me. Note: he didn’t even say excuse me–just thought he would be able to step in and get what he wanted. I wonder what made him look at that long line and think I was the weakest link.
