Peeping Uncle Sam
As Cam Edwards alerts us:
"The US Postal Service may soon be tracking your mail. Yep, sounds like something out of "1984", but it's the proposal in a government report."
Read his comments and the link. This is an issue I think liberals and conservatives can surely agree on? Some in government are turning security into an overriding obsession - overriding liberty and our way of life. It's exactly what the terrorists wanted. We've got to put a stop to this.
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Friday, August 08, 2003
What's Up with J.C.?
If you want to keep up with former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watt's activities just check at his website for the J.C. Watts companies. According to his webpage he's pretty busy with: "providing comprehensive public opinion research, image and brand marketing, issue advocacy and coalition building, diversity consulting, U.S. and international business development and crisis communication management." Pretty busy guy I guess.
In March he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Dillards. What is "diversity consulting" anyway?
If you want to keep up with former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watt's activities just check at his website for the J.C. Watts companies. According to his webpage he's pretty busy with: "providing comprehensive public opinion research, image and brand marketing, issue advocacy and coalition building, diversity consulting, U.S. and international business development and crisis communication management." Pretty busy guy I guess.
In March he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Dillards. What is "diversity consulting" anyway?
Bootyliciousness
it was not. I was helping a reverend load some things into his SUV today when he bent over to pick up a box. To my horror I caught sight of his big butt crack glaring me in the face. I averted my eyes but not before the vision was seared into my brain. Try as I might I can't get the image of 6 inches of hairy fat ass out of my mind. My family went out to eat tonight but I just couldn't eat.
I've been seeing too much of this sort of cleavage lately. I wouldn't mind so much if it was attractive female posteriors - but it's not. It's invariably on some ugly-ass boy or man. Around the mall and in fast food eateries I've seen a parade of inadequately covered posteriors - of teenage boys walking around with their oversized jeans hanging around their thighs with boxer shorts displayed for all to see. I don't mean the boxer waistband - I mean the whole undergarment. Usually old, dirty, boxers. Sometimes the booty is exposed as well. What is this?
Is it possible to have your butt flapping in the wind and not know it? To find out I tried this at home. No, it is not possible to be oblivious to this condition unless you have no feeling at all in your butt. My conclusion is therefore that these people must know and must be doing this to us with full knowledge. This leads me to ponder what they are trying to signal.
Do ugly-ass males think that dirty boxers and flabby cheeks are attractive to others? Is it the equivalent of a lightning bug's glowing bum? Is this the new risque' haute couture? Or are the butt people showing their disdain for me and this signal is a kind of passive flip-off? Or are these just ignorant troglodytes too stupid to pull up their pants?
I just hope I can sleep tonight.
it was not. I was helping a reverend load some things into his SUV today when he bent over to pick up a box. To my horror I caught sight of his big butt crack glaring me in the face. I averted my eyes but not before the vision was seared into my brain. Try as I might I can't get the image of 6 inches of hairy fat ass out of my mind. My family went out to eat tonight but I just couldn't eat.
I've been seeing too much of this sort of cleavage lately. I wouldn't mind so much if it was attractive female posteriors - but it's not. It's invariably on some ugly-ass boy or man. Around the mall and in fast food eateries I've seen a parade of inadequately covered posteriors - of teenage boys walking around with their oversized jeans hanging around their thighs with boxer shorts displayed for all to see. I don't mean the boxer waistband - I mean the whole undergarment. Usually old, dirty, boxers. Sometimes the booty is exposed as well. What is this?
Is it possible to have your butt flapping in the wind and not know it? To find out I tried this at home. No, it is not possible to be oblivious to this condition unless you have no feeling at all in your butt. My conclusion is therefore that these people must know and must be doing this to us with full knowledge. This leads me to ponder what they are trying to signal.
Do ugly-ass males think that dirty boxers and flabby cheeks are attractive to others? Is it the equivalent of a lightning bug's glowing bum? Is this the new risque' haute couture? Or are the butt people showing their disdain for me and this signal is a kind of passive flip-off? Or are these just ignorant troglodytes too stupid to pull up their pants?
I just hope I can sleep tonight.
Monday, August 04, 2003
Will Bush Give in Again?
As Salon reports, Bush is thinking of cutting a little bit off the billions the US sends Israel every year. Why? Because Israel's Sharon refuses to stop building the giant fence meant to wall off the Palistinians from Israelis. The wall has been widely critized as a new Berlin Wall of the Middle East. It has also been criticized because its construction is more permanently cutting Palestinians off from land that has been taken from them by illegal expansionist Jewish settlements that the US has been calling for a stop to for years.
As intensely pro-Israel a president as we've ever had, President Bush has called on Sharon on a number of occassions to stop his aggressive tactics towards the Palistinians. Sharon and Israel have repeatedly thumbed their noses at the requests of their best friend. Each time Bush has been embarrassed by Sharon's brush-off Bush has quickly caved in and dropped his demands. Meanwhile, we have continued to pour billions in our tax money into Israel.
It's high time the US cut our subsidy of Israel while they ignore our requests. Let's not be surprised however if Bush caves in on this matter as well.
As Salon reports, Bush is thinking of cutting a little bit off the billions the US sends Israel every year. Why? Because Israel's Sharon refuses to stop building the giant fence meant to wall off the Palistinians from Israelis. The wall has been widely critized as a new Berlin Wall of the Middle East. It has also been criticized because its construction is more permanently cutting Palestinians off from land that has been taken from them by illegal expansionist Jewish settlements that the US has been calling for a stop to for years.
As intensely pro-Israel a president as we've ever had, President Bush has called on Sharon on a number of occassions to stop his aggressive tactics towards the Palistinians. Sharon and Israel have repeatedly thumbed their noses at the requests of their best friend. Each time Bush has been embarrassed by Sharon's brush-off Bush has quickly caved in and dropped his demands. Meanwhile, we have continued to pour billions in our tax money into Israel.
It's high time the US cut our subsidy of Israel while they ignore our requests. Let's not be surprised however if Bush caves in on this matter as well.
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Tourist Info Centers in Oklahoma
During a recent cross-country drive I noticed that other states have placed their tourist information centers next to the highway - with easy on-off access for drivers. What a brilliant idea!! This is a tactic that the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation must have discarded if they ever even considered it in the first place. Our tourist info centers are invariably located off the highway in impossibly difficult-to-get-to locations that even locals can't get to.
Take the relatively new and expensive Oklahoma tourist info stop in Oklahoma City at the junction of I-35 and the Turner Turnpike. To stop, a tourist has to get off the highway completely, go around a loop and down a street and into a parking lot. Just for fun, next time you pass this area try to get to it. If you do blunder into it with luck you'll notice that the parking lot is empty. There are several of these new centers around the state - everyone of them impossible to get to.
We have many controlled access turnpikes in Oklahoma yet do you think the Tourism Dept. would put the tourist info centers on the turnpikes with easy on-off access? Nooooooo!! That would make too much friggin sense.
During a recent cross-country drive I noticed that other states have placed their tourist information centers next to the highway - with easy on-off access for drivers. What a brilliant idea!! This is a tactic that the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation must have discarded if they ever even considered it in the first place. Our tourist info centers are invariably located off the highway in impossibly difficult-to-get-to locations that even locals can't get to.
Take the relatively new and expensive Oklahoma tourist info stop in Oklahoma City at the junction of I-35 and the Turner Turnpike. To stop, a tourist has to get off the highway completely, go around a loop and down a street and into a parking lot. Just for fun, next time you pass this area try to get to it. If you do blunder into it with luck you'll notice that the parking lot is empty. There are several of these new centers around the state - everyone of them impossible to get to.
We have many controlled access turnpikes in Oklahoma yet do you think the Tourism Dept. would put the tourist info centers on the turnpikes with easy on-off access? Nooooooo!! That would make too much friggin sense.
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
An Impression of Oklahoma
On Wednesday, May 28, Sue Nahm and Alex Tsai set out from Cleveland, Ohio for Santa Monica, California. They documented their trip, including Oklahoma, in their weblog. This is part of what they had to say about Oklahoma:
Once we crossed the border into Oklahoma, the flat lands and blue skies beckoned, while Tom Petty sang 'Into the Great Wide Open' on the stereo. The speed limit hit 75 miles per hour, which meant that we could drive 82 miles per hour without any fear of harassment from the 5-0. We stopped briefly in Vinita, OK for blue raspberry ice shavings and to order French fries at the world's largest McDonald's just outside the town of Vinita.
The sun started disappearing as we rolled into Tulsa, OK. All of the radio stations are playing country music, which isn't half bad. We picked up dinner at a local cookie-cutter Tex-Mex chain restaurant, ate dinner in the hotel room while watching the news intently for more details on the Laci Peterson case, and slept for 9 hours.
America's heartland is a strange place. Billboards reading JESUS IS LORD and PORNOGRAPHY DESTROYS EVERYONE are common. Across the street from Oral Roberts University, the monstrous Victory Christian Fellowship Center (advertising the 'Word Explosion 2003' conference) sits in all of its triumphalistic glory. That was the largest church building we spotted on our cross-country tour, unfortunately. We didn't get to see any of the megachurches that are said to populate the landscape of the south and midwest.
Not too far off the mark except that elsewhere they describe Eastern Oklahoma as full of red dirt and wheat fields. So they mixed up Western Oklahoma with Eastern Oklahoma - most people "from away" can't even locate the central states of the USA on a labeled map.
On Wednesday, May 28, Sue Nahm and Alex Tsai set out from Cleveland, Ohio for Santa Monica, California. They documented their trip, including Oklahoma, in their weblog. This is part of what they had to say about Oklahoma:
Once we crossed the border into Oklahoma, the flat lands and blue skies beckoned, while Tom Petty sang 'Into the Great Wide Open' on the stereo. The speed limit hit 75 miles per hour, which meant that we could drive 82 miles per hour without any fear of harassment from the 5-0. We stopped briefly in Vinita, OK for blue raspberry ice shavings and to order French fries at the world's largest McDonald's just outside the town of Vinita.
The sun started disappearing as we rolled into Tulsa, OK. All of the radio stations are playing country music, which isn't half bad. We picked up dinner at a local cookie-cutter Tex-Mex chain restaurant, ate dinner in the hotel room while watching the news intently for more details on the Laci Peterson case, and slept for 9 hours.
America's heartland is a strange place. Billboards reading JESUS IS LORD and PORNOGRAPHY DESTROYS EVERYONE are common. Across the street from Oral Roberts University, the monstrous Victory Christian Fellowship Center (advertising the 'Word Explosion 2003' conference) sits in all of its triumphalistic glory. That was the largest church building we spotted on our cross-country tour, unfortunately. We didn't get to see any of the megachurches that are said to populate the landscape of the south and midwest.
Not too far off the mark except that elsewhere they describe Eastern Oklahoma as full of red dirt and wheat fields. So they mixed up Western Oklahoma with Eastern Oklahoma - most people "from away" can't even locate the central states of the USA on a labeled map.
Monday, July 21, 2003
Cam Edwards on Bush and Democrats
You can count me among those disappointed in Bush policies like the USA Patriot Act, the lack of control over deficit spending, and even the No Child Left Behind Act (an attempt to appease the NEA while trying to improve public schools). That being said, I look at the current crop of Democratic presidential candidates and don't see one I would feel comfortable supporting.
I too fear the choices don't look too good at this point. I hope a hero emerges. I know it won't happen but I wish Colin Powell would give it a try. Will we ever find a wise pragmatist with vision?
You can count me among those disappointed in Bush policies like the USA Patriot Act, the lack of control over deficit spending, and even the No Child Left Behind Act (an attempt to appease the NEA while trying to improve public schools). That being said, I look at the current crop of Democratic presidential candidates and don't see one I would feel comfortable supporting.
I too fear the choices don't look too good at this point. I hope a hero emerges. I know it won't happen but I wish Colin Powell would give it a try. Will we ever find a wise pragmatist with vision?
Safe Medicines' Misleading Ads hit Oklahoma
In the last week on Oklahoma radio stations I've heard advertisements sponsored by a group called "Safe Medicines". The ads warn consumers of the danger of imported medicines and urges them to use local, American pharmacies. The ad I heard urges Oklahomans to call Oklahoma Congressman Brad Carson to ask him to protect American consumers from questionable imported medicines. Only if you know what's behind this ad would you know how outrageous it is.
Nowhere in the ad does "Safe Medicines" mention Canada - but the importation or re-importation of American, Canadian and British drugs from Canada is what "Safe Medicines" is trying to stop. Millions of Americans are buying their medicines from Canada for the simple reason that the price they pay for a drug from Canada is much lower than the price we pay for the same drug in the USA. Canada puts caps on drug prices - we don't. US pharmacies and drug companies do not like this trend - and rather than lower their prices in the US their greedy solution is to cut off Americans' access to drugs from Canada.
Take a look at Safe Medicines' website. Who are their sponsors? The National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. While these may be fine organizations they are not people who stay up late at night worrying if your Grandmother can afford her medicine.
This is a classic case of businesses masquerading as a consumer group and using misleading advertising to scare consumers into doing the businesses' bidding. Rather than call Brad Carson and ask him to help cut off our access to medicines call him at (918) 341-9336 and ask him to protect your right to buy drugs from Canada - or whereever you want to.
Shame on the American drug industry for their greediness and their dishonest tactics. See what AARP has to say here.
In the last week on Oklahoma radio stations I've heard advertisements sponsored by a group called "Safe Medicines". The ads warn consumers of the danger of imported medicines and urges them to use local, American pharmacies. The ad I heard urges Oklahomans to call Oklahoma Congressman Brad Carson to ask him to protect American consumers from questionable imported medicines. Only if you know what's behind this ad would you know how outrageous it is.
Nowhere in the ad does "Safe Medicines" mention Canada - but the importation or re-importation of American, Canadian and British drugs from Canada is what "Safe Medicines" is trying to stop. Millions of Americans are buying their medicines from Canada for the simple reason that the price they pay for a drug from Canada is much lower than the price we pay for the same drug in the USA. Canada puts caps on drug prices - we don't. US pharmacies and drug companies do not like this trend - and rather than lower their prices in the US their greedy solution is to cut off Americans' access to drugs from Canada.
Take a look at Safe Medicines' website. Who are their sponsors? The National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. While these may be fine organizations they are not people who stay up late at night worrying if your Grandmother can afford her medicine.
This is a classic case of businesses masquerading as a consumer group and using misleading advertising to scare consumers into doing the businesses' bidding. Rather than call Brad Carson and ask him to help cut off our access to medicines call him at (918) 341-9336 and ask him to protect your right to buy drugs from Canada - or whereever you want to.
Shame on the American drug industry for their greediness and their dishonest tactics. See what AARP has to say here.
Saturday, July 19, 2003
Oklahoma Iraqis
Many Iraqis got their education in Oklahoma. A recent story in the Washington Post qoutes one of those Iraqis who was helping the Post reporter with his story on hunting down bad guys in Iraq:
Eventually I ask my translator what he thinks. A former Iraqi Airways flight engineer who studied in Oklahoma, Naseer Nori has at this point assisted me with more than 15 hours of interviews with Azzawi. We have visited the ex-cop's family twice.
Many Iraqis got their education in Oklahoma. A recent story in the Washington Post qoutes one of those Iraqis who was helping the Post reporter with his story on hunting down bad guys in Iraq:
Eventually I ask my translator what he thinks. A former Iraqi Airways flight engineer who studied in Oklahoma, Naseer Nori has at this point assisted me with more than 15 hours of interviews with Azzawi. We have visited the ex-cop's family twice.
Dish vs Cable
I have to laugh when I see those Cox Cable ads that feature disgruntled dish subscribers whose programming connection fails when "the dog wags his tail". I have Cox cable service and the outages are so frequent I'm afraid I've missed many of their anti-dish ads. Channels are so frequently unavailable I'm wondering is satellite dish could be any less reliable.
I have to laugh when I see those Cox Cable ads that feature disgruntled dish subscribers whose programming connection fails when "the dog wags his tail". I have Cox cable service and the outages are so frequent I'm afraid I've missed many of their anti-dish ads. Channels are so frequently unavailable I'm wondering is satellite dish could be any less reliable.
Thursday, July 17, 2003
Tony Blair for President
Did you catch UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's appearance on Capitol Hill today? What a class act. Watching him debate in Parliament is even more fun. Blair is incredibly articulate - even if I didn't like most of his policies I would wish him as our President. Can you imagine a debate between Bush and Blair?
What pains me is how awfully bad Bush and Rumsfeld have treated Blair - their best foreign friend.
Did you catch UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's appearance on Capitol Hill today? What a class act. Watching him debate in Parliament is even more fun. Blair is incredibly articulate - even if I didn't like most of his policies I would wish him as our President. Can you imagine a debate between Bush and Blair?
What pains me is how awfully bad Bush and Rumsfeld have treated Blair - their best foreign friend.
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Unwanted Spam Faxes
It's bad enough getting all the unwanted spam in our mailboxes but can you believe the lowlifes that send advertisements to your fax machine? I don't know how these creeps get people's personal fax numbers but I know I don't give my fax number to ANYONE but family - still, I get an average of one unsolicited ad by fax at home every day. Today I recieved one advertising a "Rapid Weight Loss program by "Dr. Michael Bouchard". There is no address or no way to get off their fax list - at least the sender does not identify how to. They do give an 800 number to call to order their junk but I'm too wary of calling to tell them to stop sending me this stuff - I've heard too many stories of people unwittingly getting charged telephones fees by calling certain numbers.
This is worse than spam because it uses up expensive ink and paper. It should clearly be illegal.
But, I did file a complaint with the FCC. You can easily do this in about 3 minutes at the FCC's online complaint center.
It's bad enough getting all the unwanted spam in our mailboxes but can you believe the lowlifes that send advertisements to your fax machine? I don't know how these creeps get people's personal fax numbers but I know I don't give my fax number to ANYONE but family - still, I get an average of one unsolicited ad by fax at home every day. Today I recieved one advertising a "Rapid Weight Loss program by "Dr. Michael Bouchard". There is no address or no way to get off their fax list - at least the sender does not identify how to. They do give an 800 number to call to order their junk but I'm too wary of calling to tell them to stop sending me this stuff - I've heard too many stories of people unwittingly getting charged telephones fees by calling certain numbers.
This is worse than spam because it uses up expensive ink and paper. It should clearly be illegal.
But, I did file a complaint with the FCC. You can easily do this in about 3 minutes at the FCC's online complaint center.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
A Lieberman in Tulsa
I received a postcard announcing the appearance of Hadassah Lieberman at the Teamster's Local 523 in Tulsa on July 22nd. Apparently, Jose Geise is the state director for Lieberman. Is Hadassah Joe's wife? Lieberman's sister lives in Norman, Oklahoma.
Lieberman seems to be a principled man but I'm not sure I care for some of his policies. His dedication to the crucial American principle of the separation of church and state is very shakey and at times he seems at least as interested in the welfare of Israel as he does in America's - and the interests of the two are often not the same.
I received a postcard announcing the appearance of Hadassah Lieberman at the Teamster's Local 523 in Tulsa on July 22nd. Apparently, Jose Geise is the state director for Lieberman. Is Hadassah Joe's wife? Lieberman's sister lives in Norman, Oklahoma.
Lieberman seems to be a principled man but I'm not sure I care for some of his policies. His dedication to the crucial American principle of the separation of church and state is very shakey and at times he seems at least as interested in the welfare of Israel as he does in America's - and the interests of the two are often not the same.
Monday, July 14, 2003
JC Watts in Nigeria
Former Oklahoma Congressman JC Watts showed up in Nigeria when President Bush visited the country last week. Watts just had to be there with the President so he could impress his Nigerian business contacts that he still has stroke with the Prez. Even while Watts was traveling to Nigeria as a Congressman (at gov't expense) the word is that he was trying to negotiate business deals there with, or on behalf of, a Tulsa-based energy company. As a private person Watts is free to do business where he can - the question is, did he do it while he was travelling in an official capacity for the people of the United States? The next question is, can you do business in Nigeria without paying illegal bribes to Nigerian officials? I don't think so.
Former Oklahoma Congressman JC Watts showed up in Nigeria when President Bush visited the country last week. Watts just had to be there with the President so he could impress his Nigerian business contacts that he still has stroke with the Prez. Even while Watts was traveling to Nigeria as a Congressman (at gov't expense) the word is that he was trying to negotiate business deals there with, or on behalf of, a Tulsa-based energy company. As a private person Watts is free to do business where he can - the question is, did he do it while he was travelling in an official capacity for the people of the United States? The next question is, can you do business in Nigeria without paying illegal bribes to Nigerian officials? I don't think so.
Tulsa's No-Nicks Get Early Start
The Tulsa version of Oklahoma City's MAPS project is finally ready to go to the ballot in September. It took forever to get the package ready, partly because the Mayor LaFortune was so dis-engaged and partly because it was a grassroots effort. But the anti-tax Ludites got an early start in putting out their "Vote No" signs. I doubt they even know what's in the package Tulsans will be voting on.
The anti-tax and anti-investment crowd in Tulsa has defeated the last two bond issues brought to the citizens and have, as a group, caused the downward spiral of Tulsa over the past decade. Tulsa used to be the proud and progressive city that Oklahoma City envied. But Oklahoma City has invested heavily in itself over the same decade and has blown Tulsa away. If Tulsa doesn't overcome these selfish anti-communitarians in September the city might as well give up hope of ever pulling itself up by its bootstraps.
A Tulsa friend of mine told me last week she's determined to leave for Dallas if the bond issues are voted down this time. As more and more young professionals leave Tulsa for more progressive cities the negative nabobs comprise an ever greater percentage of what remains of Tulsa.
The Tulsa version of Oklahoma City's MAPS project is finally ready to go to the ballot in September. It took forever to get the package ready, partly because the Mayor LaFortune was so dis-engaged and partly because it was a grassroots effort. But the anti-tax Ludites got an early start in putting out their "Vote No" signs. I doubt they even know what's in the package Tulsans will be voting on.
The anti-tax and anti-investment crowd in Tulsa has defeated the last two bond issues brought to the citizens and have, as a group, caused the downward spiral of Tulsa over the past decade. Tulsa used to be the proud and progressive city that Oklahoma City envied. But Oklahoma City has invested heavily in itself over the same decade and has blown Tulsa away. If Tulsa doesn't overcome these selfish anti-communitarians in September the city might as well give up hope of ever pulling itself up by its bootstraps.
A Tulsa friend of mine told me last week she's determined to leave for Dallas if the bond issues are voted down this time. As more and more young professionals leave Tulsa for more progressive cities the negative nabobs comprise an ever greater percentage of what remains of Tulsa.
The Great Wall of Tulsa
Last year, the state Transportation Department bought and demolished dozens of houses along I-44 between Yale and Sheridan in Tulsa. The reason for demolishing all these very nice homes at taxpayer's expense was supposedly to widen I-44. In the neighborhood today I see that rather than widen the highway they built a wall where the houses used to be, landscaped the area, planted trees and built a walkway to nowhere. The area that used to have beautiful homes and many families in it is now occupied by homeless people and, judging by the graffiti on the wall, gangs. The highway can't be widened unless they tear out the wall and trees they planted. The question is, why are we paying for this kind of idiotic expenditure? I see no beneficial aspects of this expensive boondoogle at all. Was this a case of a contractor needing some business at state expense?
Last year, the state Transportation Department bought and demolished dozens of houses along I-44 between Yale and Sheridan in Tulsa. The reason for demolishing all these very nice homes at taxpayer's expense was supposedly to widen I-44. In the neighborhood today I see that rather than widen the highway they built a wall where the houses used to be, landscaped the area, planted trees and built a walkway to nowhere. The area that used to have beautiful homes and many families in it is now occupied by homeless people and, judging by the graffiti on the wall, gangs. The highway can't be widened unless they tear out the wall and trees they planted. The question is, why are we paying for this kind of idiotic expenditure? I see no beneficial aspects of this expensive boondoogle at all. Was this a case of a contractor needing some business at state expense?
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Tours for "People of Color"
Is this niche marketing or racial divisiveness? I was surprised to receive an e-mail inviting me to subscribe to the "Ethnic Traveler" newsletter - an online publication that "caters to the dynamic (travel) tastes of people of color". Maybe this is something I just missed, but I didn't know that "people of color" (why not just say "non-white" if that's the artificial and exclusionary concept you have in mind) traveled differently than Caucasians. Do Asians have special Asian travel things to do? Do Africans do special Africany things when they travel? Do whites take different airlines than others? What happens if someone advertises a newsletter for white travelers? Isn't this sort of nonsense just racism?
Is this niche marketing or racial divisiveness? I was surprised to receive an e-mail inviting me to subscribe to the "Ethnic Traveler" newsletter - an online publication that "caters to the dynamic (travel) tastes of people of color". Maybe this is something I just missed, but I didn't know that "people of color" (why not just say "non-white" if that's the artificial and exclusionary concept you have in mind) traveled differently than Caucasians. Do Asians have special Asian travel things to do? Do Africans do special Africany things when they travel? Do whites take different airlines than others? What happens if someone advertises a newsletter for white travelers? Isn't this sort of nonsense just racism?
Sunday, July 06, 2003
Steak and Potatoes Radio
Commercial radio in Oklahoma is awful. Commercial radio in America is awful. That is unless you like hip-hop, country, Christian, or a narrow spectrum of talk radio. Awful in choice and diversity that is. It's the steak and potatoes of the airwaves.
Just as an experiment I scanned the radio spectrum a few minutes ago and before I gave up I found a choice of several hip-hop or "urban" music stations (gag), a couple of country and western music options (ugh), three channels with preachers hollering at me (who listens to this?), two Christian music stations, four very conservative talk show stations, and several stations playing OLD rock and popular music. Only National Public Radio (NPR) had something to interest me. No cutting-edge music available at all. No politically moderate and in-depth talk shows to listen to. Certainly nothing from the political left on talk radio - not that I'd like that much more than the far right stuff.
I'm glad hip-hop lovers and rightwing folks have their thing to listen to but - What is a politically-moderate person interested in cutting edge music supposed to do? Don't look for help from Clear Channel Radio. Either listen to NPR for synaptic stimulation or go to the Internet. I go to Spinner.com - where you can find everything from Reggae to New Age to Europop to Electronica to listen to. When I can afford it I'll get one of those satellite radios for my car so I can have some choices. I just hope that Clear Channel doesn't buy it and homogenize it before I can experience it.
Commercial radio in Oklahoma is awful. Commercial radio in America is awful. That is unless you like hip-hop, country, Christian, or a narrow spectrum of talk radio. Awful in choice and diversity that is. It's the steak and potatoes of the airwaves.
Just as an experiment I scanned the radio spectrum a few minutes ago and before I gave up I found a choice of several hip-hop or "urban" music stations (gag), a couple of country and western music options (ugh), three channels with preachers hollering at me (who listens to this?), two Christian music stations, four very conservative talk show stations, and several stations playing OLD rock and popular music. Only National Public Radio (NPR) had something to interest me. No cutting-edge music available at all. No politically moderate and in-depth talk shows to listen to. Certainly nothing from the political left on talk radio - not that I'd like that much more than the far right stuff.
I'm glad hip-hop lovers and rightwing folks have their thing to listen to but - What is a politically-moderate person interested in cutting edge music supposed to do? Don't look for help from Clear Channel Radio. Either listen to NPR for synaptic stimulation or go to the Internet. I go to Spinner.com - where you can find everything from Reggae to New Age to Europop to Electronica to listen to. When I can afford it I'll get one of those satellite radios for my car so I can have some choices. I just hope that Clear Channel doesn't buy it and homogenize it before I can experience it.
Easy to be spoiled
I bought a simple bamboo steamer recently. It was made in China. It's hard to find a "Made in USA" bamboo steamer. In reading the instructions on the side of the box it came in I was puzzled by the following English:
"The bamboo steam-cooker can acheieve (sic) better cooking by electric apparature. This steam-cooker set includes a pot for boiling water so that the pot can be heated by gas stove, or magnetice stove."
The operation instructions further advised:
"This steam-cooker made of nature bamboo. In 1st time. Boiling water remains light-brown water color due nature bamboo, no harm health." "If no clean, it will easy to be spoiled."
I was spoiled long ago but I just love reading instructions in English obviously written by non-English speakers. As more and more foreign companies get savvy and have their prose checked by native English speakers it's more difficult to find these gems.
I bought a simple bamboo steamer recently. It was made in China. It's hard to find a "Made in USA" bamboo steamer. In reading the instructions on the side of the box it came in I was puzzled by the following English:
"The bamboo steam-cooker can acheieve (sic) better cooking by electric apparature. This steam-cooker set includes a pot for boiling water so that the pot can be heated by gas stove, or magnetice stove."
The operation instructions further advised:
"This steam-cooker made of nature bamboo. In 1st time. Boiling water remains light-brown water color due nature bamboo, no harm health." "If no clean, it will easy to be spoiled."
I was spoiled long ago but I just love reading instructions in English obviously written by non-English speakers. As more and more foreign companies get savvy and have their prose checked by native English speakers it's more difficult to find these gems.