Hat tip: Towleroad
VOICE OF AMERICA -- Same Sex Weddings Bring Gay Couples and Business to the Nation's Capital
VOICE OF AMERICA -- Same Sex Weddings Bring Gay Couples and Business to the Nation's Capital
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
It Will Never End
And, it really has been the Republican Party that has worked against teachers and the funding of Public Education................... jerks.
"Punching Bags"
"Punching Bags"
Monday, April 26, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Will Apple Make A Free App For This?
This would make a great app for the new iPad.
From the BBC:
From the BBC:
Son's autism leads to innovation
His eleven-year-old son, Callum, is non-verbal and uses his father's invention to speak.
Speaks4Me was on show at Naidex 2010 - the annual disability exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham.
Mr Lodge's system runs on any device that can run the Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating system.
It uses the concept of dragging and dropping images from one area of the screen to another to form sentences.
The user then presses a speech button to "verbalise" the sentence.
"Callum has been using Speaks4Me for some time now and he has already been able to create some very expressive sentences," Mr Lodge told the BBC.
Examples include, "I want a drink of juice", "I want to go outside", and "I feel tired".
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Photo of the Day
I took this photograph on the northwest corner of our block. I stepped into the service drive along Ajijic's main street just so I could capture the Jamaica blossoms along with the plumeria and bugambilia. These plants are just daily reminders of why we live in paradise.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sonoma County, California --- A Place for Hate
I've been watching this story progress through the blogosphere for several days. I am more than horrified that the legal rights of an elderly gay couple have been violated. I think that Dan Savage over at the Slog had the headline just right:
This video/audio presentation has a summary. (Video -- Hat tip: Joe.My.God.)
Elderly Gay Couple Forcibly Separated, Abused, Robbed By County Officials in California
I've written about my fear of having this same thing happen with Bill and I. We have Powers of Attorney for each other. We have Wills that leave everything to the other. We have Medical Powers of Attorney so that we may honor the wishes of one another. We even contacted our State Representative in Michigan to solicit the opinion of Michigan's Attorney General to be certain that the anti-gay marriage amendment passed in Michigan a few years back would not invalidate the legal documents that we spent good money obtaining from a respected Port Huron lawyer. We can't get married to otherwise institutionalize those legal rights.......and all the other special rights given to married couples.......
And, folks wonder why we still fear that some lame-ass county administrator could make our final days miserable.
From the NCLR:
Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place—wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health.
One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives alone, Clay should have been consulted in Harold’s care from the first moment. Tragically, county and health care workers instead refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county then ultimately went one step further by isolating the couple from each other, placing the men in separate nursing homes.
Ignoring Clay’s significant role in Harold’s life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold’s “roommate.” The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold’s bank accounts to pay for his care.
What happened next is even more chilling: without authority, without determining the value of Clay and Harold’s possessions accumulated over the course of their 20 years together or making any effort to determine which items belonged to whom, the county took everything Harold and Clay owned and auctioned off all of their belongings. Adding further insult to grave injury, the county removed Clay from his home and confined him to a nursing home against his will. The county workers then terminated Clay and Harold's lease and surrendered the home they had shared for many years to the landlord.
Three months after he was hospitalized, Harold died in the nursing home. Because of the county’s actions, Clay missed the final months he should have had with his partner of 20 years. Compounding this tragedy, Clay has literally nothing left of the home he had shared with Harold or the life he was living up until the day that Harold fell, because he has been unable to recover any of his property. The only memento Clay has is a photo album that Harold painstakingly put together for Clay during the last three months of his life.
This video/audio presentation has a summary. (Video -- Hat tip: Joe.My.God.)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Photo of the Day
After a breathtaking 20 kilometer Sunday drive from Ajijic to Jocotepec we had lunch at La Carreta. They have the best arrachera in the Lake Chapala region. Following lunch, we stopped at Jocotepec's boardwalk. I took several pictures of the lake and the surrounding mountains. Another beautiful wondrous day in paradise.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Fox And Friends Just Wanted To See Her Boobies Bounce
Sunday, April 11, 2010
It's A Snarky Job, But Somebody's Gotta Do It
The good folk over at Joe.My.God. sponsor a regular blog feature called "This Week in Holy Crime". The evil doings of the men and women "of God" are exposed, in a manner of speaking. It is never fun to read. The victims deserve our concern and good thoughts. The rapists and thieves and those that shield them from justice here on earth deserve...... less.
This week's "winner" is from Germany:
I'm sorry -- but somebody from the Diocese of Erfurt needs to join that priest in prison. Failing to report a crime against children -- the RAPE of children -- should be a felony and punished severely. The person or persons responsible for the so-called "incorrect decision" should be booted out of the Church and their jobs, at the least, and at most serve some time behind bars.
And, please, could we change the conversation about the various churches and church leaders at fault for protecting priests and ministers from civil and criminal prosecutions? The Pope, the hierarchy of various churches, and other conspirators are guilty of covering-up the RAPE of girls and boys. The fact that many of the rapists were SERIAL RAPISTS should give us all pause as we contemplate the fate of the so-called Christian and Catholic churches and their leaders. Here is where we need a little intervention from the State -- for all you who yearn for a country that doesn't believe in the separation of Church and State, pay attention -- it should be a very serious crime to not report the RAPE of a child. Screw anyone's belief in the sanctity of the confessional or the alleged privilege of a minister not to break a ministerial confidence -- the men and women that RAPE children must be reported to the State's authorities. And, who gives a rat's rear end what the press and others want to label the criminal offenders -- they are RAPISTS and that is all that anyone needs to know about their sexuality or gender. End of Sermon.
This week's "winner" is from Germany:
Father Ernst W. charged with multiple counts of molesting boys. The Diocese of Erfurt admits that although they knew of the accusations, they continued to allow the priest to work at a male juvenile detention facility but never told authorities about the allegations. The diocese says it accepts responsibility for the "incorrect decision."
I'm sorry -- but somebody from the Diocese of Erfurt needs to join that priest in prison. Failing to report a crime against children -- the RAPE of children -- should be a felony and punished severely. The person or persons responsible for the so-called "incorrect decision" should be booted out of the Church and their jobs, at the least, and at most serve some time behind bars.
And, please, could we change the conversation about the various churches and church leaders at fault for protecting priests and ministers from civil and criminal prosecutions? The Pope, the hierarchy of various churches, and other conspirators are guilty of covering-up the RAPE of girls and boys. The fact that many of the rapists were SERIAL RAPISTS should give us all pause as we contemplate the fate of the so-called Christian and Catholic churches and their leaders. Here is where we need a little intervention from the State -- for all you who yearn for a country that doesn't believe in the separation of Church and State, pay attention -- it should be a very serious crime to not report the RAPE of a child. Screw anyone's belief in the sanctity of the confessional or the alleged privilege of a minister not to break a ministerial confidence -- the men and women that RAPE children must be reported to the State's authorities. And, who gives a rat's rear end what the press and others want to label the criminal offenders -- they are RAPISTS and that is all that anyone needs to know about their sexuality or gender. End of Sermon.
Photos of the Day
Our amigo tapatio, Christian, came for a visit today. As we left the house and began our walk to the Plaza for lunch we encountered the local fire department readying to blast a swarm of suspected "Africanized" bees with a water hose. We didn't stick around to see what the bees would do after their "shower". I took the photographs and we skedaddled out of there. I've had enough bee stings recently. That's the back of our mirador seen behind the firefighter standing on the cab of the fire truck.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Photo of the Day
Friday. Every Friday, we try to have breakfast with "the boys". After breakfast we sit on the plaza and watch the world go by until it is time for "the boys" to fetch their "strong Mexican woman" to clean their house. Today, as happens often, we got a ride to Wal*Mart. After a brief store visit we walked home.
This photograph was taken on our walk home today. I was impressed with the beauty of the flowering vine growing up into the purple jacaranda tree. Many many plants and trees are in bloom right now. This is a great time to visit México.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
We Lived Right There
Michiganders are among the few folks in the world that travel with our own maps of our beloved State of Michigan. Hat tip: Strange Maps
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Headline of the Day
From the Box Turtle Bulletin: "Fulton MS: The World's Cruelest Town"
How very very sad for the town and how utterly shameful this story of hate and bigotry has become....... It is 1965 in Fulton -- not 2010.
How very very sad for the town and how utterly shameful this story of hate and bigotry has become....... It is 1965 in Fulton -- not 2010.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Photos of the Day
When we moved in to our rental we cut down the Mexican peach tree. It had become quite overgrown and was literally sending a branch into the back of the house. We decided not to kill the stump and over the course of the last two years we have watched a new tree grow. A few weeks back the tree shed all of its leaves. For the first time since we butchered the tree it has sprouted some peach blossoms. Mmmmm. A few fresh duraznos to go with the mangoes now growing on our other fruit tree sounds great.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Photos of the Day
Our street, Guadalupe Victoria, runs roughly east and west with Lake Chapala situated to our south and on the other side of the mountains to the north is Guadalajara, México. The photograph of the street was shot from the east end of our block. The purple blossomed jacaranda tree is directly in front of our house where a blue and white van may be seen parked.
The second photograph shows some of the blooms on a vine seen hanging on a tree in the first photograph.
Our town is so very beautiful right now.......
R.I.P. Daz and Chip
Together forever: Heartbroken otters who were best friends die within hours of each other
This IS Obscene
From the Detroit News -- Engler paid more than $1M as head of manufacturing group
Wow! Is this the type of job promised to Candice Miller (R-MI) for her years of lock-step Republican partisanship? I really wanna find out soon.........
Is Bart Stupak Ethically Challenged?
Tell us, Representative Stupak (D-MI), who paid your rent?
From the Detroit Free Press -- "Group probing ethics of Stupak's former residence"
And, from Crooks and Liars -- "CREW Files Ethics Complaint Against Congressmen Who Lived In C Street House"
From the Detroit Free Press -- "Group probing ethics of Stupak's former residence"
And, from Crooks and Liars -- "CREW Files Ethics Complaint Against Congressmen Who Lived In C Street House"
The Party of NO NO NO
As a teacher, I refuse to reinvent the wheel when I see something worth using to teach a lesson. Good teachers "borrow" a lot of other teachers' good ideas. Democratic Candidate Henry Yanez should pay attention to this political advertisement from the State of Washington. This campaign ad could be a template for a Henry Yanez ad pointing out the obstructionism of our very own Candice Miller (R-10).
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Photo of the Day
This is a mosaico on the side of a house that is across the street from the Casa del Sol, a Bed & Breakfast, here in Ajijic. Impressive, eh?
Marco Rubio: Is ONLY A Teenager That Borrowed His Father's Suit
From the Palm Beach Post NEWS --
I agree with Keith Olbermann on this one. Marco Rubio, my great-grandparents were trying to get away from people like you, as well.
Jerk.
"There are millions of people in America that hate our country, so why can't we just do a trade?" Rubio said. "We'll send you Sean Penn, Janeane Garofalo and Keith Olbermann, and you can send us people that actually love this country and want to help us build it." -- Marco Rubio
I agree with Keith Olbermann on this one. Marco Rubio, my great-grandparents were trying to get away from people like you, as well.
Jerk.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)