Politics

Today I went out to run errands I have been putting off: mailing a package, bringing "stuff" to the women's center, going to the pet store for cat food, etc. This would have been just normal, boring tasks except for the political discussion at one of the businesses. Nothing new or out of the ordinary was said--we all have heard it all before--it's just the fact it was said in a place of business that rather startled me. It's been said you should never discuss religion or politics, because people are so passionate about their beliefs in either subject, and hard feelings can occur. Hearing this business person speak, AND in such a way that I am POSITIVE this person is a conservative and will be voting as such, was something I don't recall ever having experienced before. Interesting.

The other thing that I found fascinating was the age of the person in question: younger than me. As a member of the "sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll" generation, I don't see many of my age group as particularly conservative in their views. I always thought of conservatives as the "older folks" and it always surprises me to find someone my age or younger as a staunch conservative/Republican. If the "younger generation" is becoming more conservative in their politics, could more conservative morality be far behind? I really don't hold out much hope for the morality issue. Oh, well.

So Sad

"...my breasts are so versatile now. I can wear them down, up, or side to side."
--Cybill Shepherd

It is really so sad...she could be talking about me! :(

Cat

Just finished feeding the cat--and considering she weighs about 15 pounds, that is no little task! Actually, she gets fed only once a day, so her weight can only be attributed to: 1) she comes from a family of big cats (brother weighs 20+ pounds), 2) she has a lot of very heavy fur, 3) she has been weight training--and we all know muscle weighs more than fat! The real reason, though, is that she is a cat couch potato. Her only reason for breathing is so she can eat, sleep, use the litter, and run through the house, once a day, like the hounds of hell are after her. Considering she sheds a pound of fur every day and hacks up fur balls on a regular basis, it isn't always easy to understand why she still takes up space in our home. Even though she isn't always a joy to have around, we still love her. We have had her for over ten years and consider her a member of the family. As she has gotten older, she is actually becoming more of a people cat--she will stay with us most of the time we are awake. She vocalizes more than she ever did and will come to be pet. She still isn't a lap baby, but with her weight that probably is a good thing.

Anyway, back to my original idea for writing. Most of the time I try to feed the cat on the sly--if she is in the kitchen when I do the job of feeding her, she is always in the way. It doesn't matter which way I turn, where I walk, how I move, she is ALWAYS under my feet. One of these days I am not going to notice her (not easy to not notice a 15 pound cat) and will trip, fall, and break my leg. Hopefully I won't fall on her because then, surely, she will be dead. So, I try to wash, dry, fill, and place her food and water dishes without her in the room. And this is something I can't accomplish. I only wish I had the hearing ability she does--I could have a brass band playing "76 Trombones" as loudly as possible and she would hear me lift her dishes off of the floor and come running. It is truly amazing to me.

Scrinch

Martha Stewart asked to be sent to prison to serve her 5 month sentence, as soon as possible. That is one way to get out of having to celebrate the holidays! Something I never thought of, that's for sure! If you haven't noticed, I hate the holidays. I'm a cross between Scrooge and the Grinch--a total Scrinch.

Nothing Much

"The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out of your glass."
---Comedian Martin Mull

Just a Chuckle

"The reason I'm not losing any weight is that every time I complete an exercise, my personal trainer gives me a treat."
----dog talking to friends (Cats With Hands)

Important Stuff

There is legislation in a Senate committee that can have a devastating impact on technology and it is called the Inducing Infringements of Copyright Act (formerly the INDUCE Act). Whether you are technologically challenged or a total geek, this is legislation we all must urge our representatives to oppose. Following is an article written for The Computer & Communications Industry Association and it explains, far better than I can, the possible consequences if this becomes law—we ALL will be affected.

The following is taken from The Computer & Communications Industry Association website:

“The Computer & Communications Industry Association (June 24, 2004)

A bill introduced Wednesday in the name of stopping illegal duplication of copyrighted works in fact, threatens fundamental civil liberties, The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) said today. SB 2560 (The Inducement Devolves into Unlawful Child Exploitation Act of 2004) - being rushed through the Senate by Senator Hatch - is an overreaching bill that will have profound effects far beyond its original intentions. The measure is being supported by the leadership of both parties, including Senators Patrick Leahy, Bill Frist, Tom Daschle, Lindsey Graham, and Barbara Boxer. This new bill could make illegal any technology that might infringe a copyright, even if it is routinely used for legitimate purposes.

The Induce Act would kill innovation by giving the entertainment industry an effective veto over many new technologies. Under this bill, even the financial backers of a new technology could be held accountable for infringing activity they have no knowledge of, even for activity they could not foresee. It seems almost unthinkable that in a time of economic recovery, the Senate would cast a shadow of uncertainty over an industry central to our economic growth.

Had this measure been enacted twenty-five years ago, the following technologies might not exist:

· VCR
· DVD Players
· Tivo
· iPod
· Instant messaging
· Online media players
· Compression technology
· Search engines
· Camcorders
· Home video editing software
· Internet service providers

The Induce Act reaches into the heart of our Constitution by calling fundamental First Amendment rights into question. Even a journalist or website author discussing ways in which a technology might be used to infringe copyrights could be liable under this poorly worded act. The bill would likely restrict technology users’ access to legal counsel.

Legitimate academic research could also be chilled. For example, any researcher wishing to study hacker culture may not be able to mention where the hackers exchange their wares o­nline. This could be seen as abetting infringement.

“The purpose of this bill is clear - to give copyright holders complete control over the development and distribution of technology in the United States,” said Dan Johnson, CCIA Technology Counsel. He continued, “Under the bill, copyright holders have the ability to accuse anyone of infringement at any time - without proof. This will obviously chill innovation as technology companies will be forced to have lawyers guide their technology through development, or not release new technology at all.”

Mr. Johnson concluded, “We are alarmed by the speed at which this bill is being forced through the Senate. A bill that creates such undue burdens and has such far-reaching effects deserves a full public discussion. We call o­n Senators Hatch, Leahy, Boxer, Graham, Daschle, and Frist to hold public hearings immediately so the full effect of this bill can be examined."

###

CCIA is an international, nonprofit association of computer and communications industry firms, representing a broad cross-section of the industry. CCIA is dedicated to preserving full, free and open competition throughout its industry. Our members employ over half a million workers and generate annual revenues in excess of $200 billion.”

More can be learned about the IICA at Public Knowledge.

Playing Catch-up

Last weekend I realized that I pretty much know how I will die. I will perish in a car accident: that is why I sleep whenever we travel. Now, I don't just take naps, I am asleep by the time we get to the stop sign at the end of our street and I wake up when K. nudges me as we get within two blocks of our destination. I have often wondered why I do this and it became clear to me that I don't want to see my death approaching. Increasingly over the years, I have become more nervous by the way K. drives: too fast, passes too often, etc. He doesn't drive foolishly or recklessly, it is just that as I get older I feel as if slow and steady is the safest way to get anywhere. If I am awake, I find myself "putting on the brakes," gasping, cringing, and just making an annoyance of myself, so I sleep. One day in the (hopefully, distant) future, I will wake up outside the "gates" and know we were in a car accident--even before St. Peter tells me.


Some questions came to mind during last weekends wedding festivities:

1) Is it proper to ask the bride when the baby is due? When, exactly, is an appropriate time to do this? Obviously, it is not good to ask while in the receiving line after the wedding. (And this applies only to unmistakably pregnant brides.)

2) Is it actually proper to have the baby ultrasound pictures at the rehearsal dinner?

3) Do baby items really make a proper or appropriate wedding gift?

I guess I will just have to write and ask Miss Manners.


Watched Joey the other night and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I never was a fan of Friends, but I always liked the Joey character, so I had hopes for the new show. I found myself chuckling over 50%+ of the jokes--sometimes right out loud. They still have some fixing-up to do with it, but there is a good chance this show could be a hit. The next door neighbor/married woman character was rather lame--they have to come up with something more than having her show up every-so-often. And the character of Joey's agent is just BAD. I don't know if it is the way the character is written, or the actress who plays her, but I found it painful to even look at the screen while she was on. The actress looked like she was suffering from collagen/Botox overload and as if she was reading cue cards instead of acting. She didn't look at Joey while talking to him--just looked like a news-anchor reading the teleprompter, and doing that badly.

Don't know yet how I will feel about this year's The Apprentice. I am just more than a bit tired of Donald Trump patting himself on the back, tooting his own horn, bragging himself up, etc., etc. Hopefully the candidates won't be "playing to the camera" and will just be their selves (themselves?), otherwise I won't watch too many episodes.

I'm Baaaaack!

Yes, we got home from our little trip. Actually, we got home on Sunday already and it has taken me this long to get back into my routine! I could never be a REAL traveler! The wedding went well and we had a good time being with K.'s family. Even though the weather was hot, it didn't seem to effect me as badly as it usually does--hmmm, wonder why?

I will write more about the weekend later--just wanted to check in and let everyone know we are alive and well!

Why Me?

I know, I know, I'm awfully paranoid, but I think there is a conspiracy to make sure I can never completely enjoy myself. Case in point: we will be out of town this weekend for a family wedding and the weather is supposed to be in the 80s! Now, anyone who knows me knows that I find 68 to be the absolute tops in temperature for me to be comfortable. So, wedding, lots of people, possibly no air conditioning, warm temperatures, equals my not being nearly as happy as I could be if the temp didn't go above 64! Such is life. But, I'm sure a good time will be had by all--me included!

Hurricane

I feel so badly for the people of Florida having to deal with another hurricane so soon after the last. (I know, it hasn't reached them yet, but it is supposed to by the weekend.) I can't imagine how devastating weather disasters are--and can't help feeling so grateful for the lack there-of that we have. Granted, we have blizzards and massive amounts of snowfall and the occasional ice storm, but they seem so minor compared to tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, etc. I guess that is one of the reasons I have never really wanted to leave here and move to another part of the country: I don't know if I could cope elsewhere. But, I guess you learn to accept what you live with, in so many things.