Stupid dumbsh*t godd*mn motherf*cking MN GOVT

I'm just a little P.O'ed that our MN representatives have so utterly failed to represent MN this session. Being the nerd that I am, I am staying up late tonight to watch the TV coverage of the house session on Channel 17. As I listen to the various house reps from across that state, I have found myself swearing, cheering, booing, and who-whoo'ing the reps and their speeches. I feel like I am watching a bunch of selfish no-good kindergardeners fight over who-called-who-a-what. Moreover, I have been emailing reps with my opinions after each makes a speech to address the Members.
I am, however, very saddened and dissapointed that such a day has come. The core function of goverment is to represent the people, and represent them efficiently and fairly. This session has turned into an utter failure of goverment. Never in state history have we come to this point. Unfourtuatly, this evening will set a precedent and open the locked door of special sessions and state goverment shutdown to future sessions.
Nine times out of the past 11 years, MN has had to go into special session to resolve the differences of the representatives in running our state. Unfourtunatly, each year that our legislative year overflows into a special session we have allowed our legistlators and representatives too much leniancy and have esentially given them the permission to test our limits. What has all this come to? Does this prove that as a state, the people of MN have no limits?
While we cannot reverse the decisions that have been made this session, we can at least put in our damn best efforts to prevent such failure of government in the future. During this evening I have come to learn that it is not, in fact, the representatives of the people of MN but the PEOPLE themselves that have the power and the responsibility to prevent such utter failure in the future.
I passionatley plead you to excersise the muscle of your citizenship and show our state representatives what is truly important to the state of MN.

Hang in there. It can only get better from here on out....

My Ode to the Internet

If you don't know a lot about the history of the internet, check out this article that CNN posted today on their website.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/06/23/evolution.main/index.html
When you stop to think about it, it really is quite amazing how much life has changed in the past 10 years because of the internet becoming wide-stream. Do you remember life without email, online news and weather, chat rooms, blogs, and E-bay? People have developed hobbies, friendships, relationships, even MARRIAGES, careers, education,new vocabulary, and so much more, all due to the internet in the past 10 years.
I remember my personal introduction to the internet: my parents bought a computer when I was in 8th grade. Shortly afterward, we connected to America Online. I discovered email, chat rooms, and online encyclopedias (great for those high school research papers!)
Before college I bought my own computer and discovered music downloads. I went off to college and developed my daily habit of reading news online, checking the weather, tracking my finances, and viewing my friend's websites. Soon I was shopping online and even created my own webpage. Today, I spend a large amount of my time online. I email for work and for personal use, and use an online-based database for my work, I search the internet for information, and I blog.
Happy surfing!

A loss for property owners

The Supreme Court today ruled that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will in the name of private economic development. The ruling came with a narrow margin of support of 5-4. The ruling comes as a defeat for homeowners and private business owners. At the center of the issue is the Fifth Amendment, which allows governments to take private property if the land will be put to use for public interest. The question at hand, however, is whether or not private economic development can be considered the act of "serving a public purpose." Among the Justices in opposition to the ruling is Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
I found Justice O'Connor's dissent very mindful: "Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random," O'Connor wrote. "The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms."
In my opinion, the ruling is a loss for American land-owners. Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent of favoring private economic interests at the cost of the greater American public, and is justified through overly-loose and inaccurate interpretation of the Constitution.

Ikea will ruin your marriage!

If you're looking for a laugh, check out these two articles at the Star Tribune.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/104/5468750.html

There hasn't been a more amusing interactive robot than Ikea's Anna since the Ok-Soda hotline!
http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/5468756.html

AFI's top 100 movie quotes of all time

Last night the American Film Institute released it's list of the top 100 movie quotes of all time.
Curious what they are? Go to the AFI's website at www.afi.com, or to CNN's reprint of the list at http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/22/film.moviequotes.list.ap/index.html.
I'm curious what your favorite movie quotes are! Post a comment!
You didn't think you'd get away without reading a list of MY favorites, did you? :)
Here are some of them, as if it's not obvious enough already!

1. "No.......Yeeesss!" - Night at the Roxbury
2. "Friggin IDIOT!" - Napolean Dynamite
3. "Whats Up? ......2, 3, 4. Whats Up? ... 2, 3, 4." - Night at the Roxbury
4. "Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane." - The Shawshank Redemption
5. "I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up DOES rejoice. Still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I guess I just miss my friend. " - The Shawshank Redemption
6. "Rock stars have kidnapped my son!" - Almost Famous
7. "Say 'ello to my little friend!" - Scarface
8. "You must be the Red Dragon!" - Made
9. "My name is...Gladiator!"
10. "Dear Mr. Vernon: We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it is we did wrong, but we think you're crazy for making us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club. "
11. "Last week, Japanese scientists explaced... placed explosive detonators at the bottom of Lake Loch Ness to blow Nessie out of the water. Sir Godfrey of the Nessie Alliance summoned the help of Scotland's local wizards to cast a protective spell over the lake and its local residents and all those who seek for the peaceful existence of our underwater ally. " - Napoleon Dynamite


That's my list so far.
Toodelz~

Proposed funding cuts for public broadcasting!

Recently two U.S. House subcommittes have voted to cut funding to, and eventually eliminate, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This could have a huge impact on PBS television and MPR radio (including the new awesome station, The Current!) Federal funding accounts for about 10% of MPR's budget. If the cuts go through, huge changes could be in place which could affect the quality and variety of public broadcasting.
The vote is scheduled to take place on the floor of the House of Rep's on June 22nd. If you are a fan of public broadcasting and would like to see it continue, please contact your legistlators. For more information, go to www.mpr.org

Below are some message points I copied from the MPR website.

Message Points

The following message points may be helpful as you draft an e-mail or prepare for a phone call to your Senators and Representatives:

• Support restoration of funding for FY 2006 that is equal to current funding.
  
  
• Support reinstatement of two-year advance funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a funding mechanism that protects program creation from political influence.
  
  
• Oppose the rescission of advanced funding already earmarked for stations by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
  
  
• Oppose the elimination of the vitally important Public Telecommunications Facilities Program.
  
  
• Oppose the elimination of funding for public broadcasting's digital transition.
  
  
• Oppose the elimination of irreplaceable early-learning initiatives, such as public television's Ready to Learn.
  
  
• Oppose the elimination of funds to renew and replace public television's satellite interconnection system.
  
  
• These proposed funding cuts will have a severe impact on public radio and public television stations, especially those serving rural and minority audiences.
  
  
• Many of these stations are the primary sources of news, information, public safety and cultural programming to their communities.

Teddy Ruxpin is Back!

Remember the cute little talking teddy bear, Teddy Ruxpin? He's making a comeback! Teddy debuted in the 1980's as a teddy bear that played cassette tapes of stories and songs while he would move his mouth along with the words as if he was reading or singing to you. Now, Teddy has been upgraded and welcomed into the digital world with new technology. Whoo-hoo! Welcome back, Teddy! I missed you! Where have you BEEN all my life? heehee.
Check out the article: http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/16/news/midcaps/teddy_ruxpin/index.htm?cnn=yes

Guantanamo Bay Prison scandals

Reports describing questionable treatment of prisoners and the debate about whether to shut down Gitmo have been all over the news the past few days. Sadly enough, a story in the Washington Post today claims that, "Americans do not appear too concerned about allegations of abuse, according to the latest poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. The poll found half of those surveyed had heard about reports of prisoner abuse, but only one in three considered the allegations more than isolated instances."
We, as Americans, are obligated to open our eyes and review the image that we are projecting on the world. Being the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world comes with responsibility. If we are to be the model and inspiration for freedom and democracy for the world over, perhaps we should value the cruciality of a positive image in the field of international politics. I question how much more needs to be "leaked" before we, as a nation, address such matters with responsibility and maturity.

For a great read, pick up "Why do people hate America?" by Ziauddin Sardar, Merryl Wyn Davies. The book gives a clear and insightful view into the history of America's foreign policy and how it is interpreted by other nations.

Anyone shop at Kowalski's?

Anyone shop at Kowalski's? If so, next time you stop in to make a purchase, be sure to put your reciept in the "Grocieries for Good Causes" bin of your choice. Kowalski's makes donations to local non-profits based on the number and monetary value of reciepts placed in the bins. Organizations that benefit include the Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity, Hope for the City, and many others. The bins are located at the front of the store near the check-out lanes.

Free Stuff! Twin Cities Free Market

A local non-profit, Eureka Recycling, has a webpage devoted to the listing of unwanted, reusable items that are up-for-grabs. The organization works to combat excessive waste by promoting recycling and re-use of materials. It's like an e-bay of free and exchangable items.
To read the feature article in the Star Trib, go to: http://www.startribune.com/stories/789/5453193.html
To visit the Twin Cities Free Market webpage, go to: http://www.twincitiesfreemarket.org/
For more about Eureka Recycling, go to: http://www.eurekarecycling.org/

Stolen Road Signs - 420 Street

Below is a copy of an article from today's Star Trib. Hmm....stolen road signs.....reminds me of some people I know ...ahem ahem.

Cannabis connotation makes some rural road signs vanish
Chuck Haga, Star Tribune
June 7, 2005 POT0607

Far out from Minneapolis, along country lanes in southern Minnesota, there are signs of a drug problem.
Well, the thing is, the signs are gone. That's the problem. And it's because of weed.
Not weeds. Weed. Or maybe you call it grass, or pot, or Mary Jane, or reefer.
Or 420.
In several southern Minnesota counties where rural street grids use big numbers, remote road signs marking 420th Avenue or 420th Street have gone missing. Same with 420th Lane. County crews replace them -- at $80 or more a shot -- and the new signs disappear.
"They put them up on Friday and by Monday they're gone," said Brad Milbrath, chief deputy for the Waseca County Sheriff's Office. "It costs quite a bit of money and a lot of time."
The number 420 has been slang for marijuana at least since the 1970s, but even regular pot smokers offer only hazy explanations for its origins.
The number is not police code for a marijuana arrest, a sociologist who researched it told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2001, as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws began its annual conference on April 20.
It isn't the number of chemical compounds in marijuana, or a Grateful Dead address in San Francisco, or the time of day when guitarist Jerry Garcia died. It doesn't represent a passage from the Bible "or tea time in Amsterdam, where pot is legal," the Inquirer reported.
Whatever, Waseca County said, and renamed 420th to 42Xth. The new signs have stayed put for a week, Milbrath said, and yes, he's holding his breath.
Other counties using similar street grids -- and facing similar losses -- also are weighing responses.
Despite the many losses, "we haven't recovered any," an exasperated Milbrath said. "That surprises us. We just haven't found the right places where people have taken them and put them on their walls."

New atlas shows mankind's stamp on the environment

An article on CNN's website today discusses a new atlas that shows pictures of the global devastation over a period of 40 years cause by human activities. It's an interesting article with some great pictures as examples. Check it out.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/06/04/un.atlas.reut/index.html

Happy Friday

Below is a copy of the Human Rights Campaign's recent email alert. One of the highly controversial issues that I address quite often is society's treatment, recognition, and inclusion of same-sex couples and families. I like to promote companies and organizations that take fair-minded and progressive approaches. On the flip side, that means that I usually badmouth and boycott companies that implement discriminatory and unjust policies. Ford has taken a fair-minded and progressive approach in recognizing and supporting ALL of it's employees, regardless of sexual orientation. I understand and respect that everybody has different views, opinions, and values. However, no matter what your stance is on issues such as same-sex unions, it is important to promote and support those organizations and companies that have implemented policies that pledge not to discriminate (in any form) against their employees.

CLICK HERE to let Ford know you appreciate their support of fairness in the workplace! On the heels of ending a failed boycott against the Walt Disney Company, an anti-gay lobbying group called the American Family Association has called for a boycott of Ford Motor Company because of its family-friendly policies. Among AFA's complaints: that Ford's corporate policies pledge not to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, and that Ford provides equal benefits for all its employees. This is just another example of the AFA being out of touch with reality. Ford knows that treating employees fairly is good business - both for employees and for the company.
	Ford Knows Fairness is Good Business See Ford's Corporate Equality Index Profile

Ford is under attack in part because of its partnership with HRC. Volvo, a Ford Motor brand and sponsor of HRC, donates $500 to HRC for new purchases or leases made in 2005 using the HRC promotion. Click here for more information on this offer. Search for other employer policies online: http://www.hrc.org/employersearch Visit the following URL to take action: http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/supportford

Think Global 2005

A few weeks ago MPR aired "Think Global 2005," a series of documentaries, commentaries, and specials focusing on globalilzation, world poverty, and international economic trends. There were a number of great programs included in the series, and most can be downloaded in MP3 format from the website www.thinkglobal2005.org.
One of the especially interesting features of the series was a speech by Thomas Friedman called "Globalization and the World's Poor." He discussed many of the points in his new book, The World is Flat. Check it out if you have a chance.

MN Constitutional Marriage Amendment Re-Introduced

If you haven't already figured it out, I am very passionate about GLBT rights and issues. The Human Rights Campaign and Outfront MN are two organizations that I highly support.

Below is a copy of Outfront MN's recent action alert email. The House of Reps just re-introduced the marriage amendment bill. It may not be likely that it will actually be voted on, considering the plethora of other pressing issues that needs to be resolved in the special session, but it is still important to voice our opinions to our legistlators.

For more info on Outfront MN, go to www.outfront.org


Constitutional Amendment Re-introduced in Special Session

On Thursday, May 26th, the Minnesota House of Representatives re-introduced the constitutional amendment to bar all legal recognition of same-sex couples. Bills from the regular session that do not pass in both the House and Senate do not carry over into special session. Any bill to be considered during the special session must be reintroduced. The supporters re-introduced the anti-marriage amendment to ensure that the constitutional amendment is included in the debate as the House, Senate, and Governor attempt to reach conclusion on a number of pressing issues.

Two different authors introduced bills containing the same language on Thursday: House File (HF) 8 and HF12. The language and scope of HF8 and HF12 are identical to the anti-marriage amendment that passed the House on March 31st by a 77 to 56 vote. The amendments being discussed would deny all legal recognition to same-sex couples and their families, including marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships.

Once again, legislators need to hear from Minnesotans who are opposed to discrimination and believe that the Constitution should never be used to enshrine second-class status for GLBT people or anyone else.

Take Action!!
Call or email your legislators with the following message: "Please oppose the constitutional amendment to ban civil unions, marriage, and all other forms of legal protection for same-sex couples. This amendment mandates discrimination for some of Minnesota families and it distracts legislators from reaching resolution on pressing issues that affect the quality of life for all of our state's families."
Help us get the word out to others. Forward this message to your friends.
.
The HF 8 authors:
Rep. Mike Beard (R-Shakopee)
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano)
Rep. Sondra Erickson (R-Princeton)
Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville)
Rep. Dan Severson (R-Sauk Rapids)
Rep. Judy Soderstrom (R-Mora)
Rep. Lynn Wardlow (R-Eagan)


HF 12 authors:
Rep. Larry Howes (R-Walker)
Rep. Jim Knoblach (R-St. Cloud)
Rep. Phil Krinkie (R-Shorview)
Rep. Andy Westerberg (R-Blaine)

All for now, Toodelz!