Why I Won't Buy from Certain Companies

In this case it has nothing to do with exploiting workers, both in this country and others; with unfair pricing practices; with harming the environment; or even with employing people who are rude, ignorant, racist, or have piss-poor customer service skills--although those are all valid reasons (probably much more so than the one I am about to air).

The reason I won't buy from certain companies--two local ones, in fact--is because for some reason they could not find spokespeople who can pronounce the names of their companies correctly. I am referring to Wings Etc. and Kitchens Etc.--both of whom have people in their commercials mispronouncing the "Etc." part of their names as "ekcetera."

For the love of God, people--listen to what you are saying. Where anywhere in "etc."--which, if you didn't know, is an English abbreviation of the Latin term et cetera that, roughly translated, means "and so on"--do you see a "K"? Huh? Huh? Learn to enunciate if you are going to promote your company, morons! Now, repeat after me:

eT cetera....eT cetera....eT cetera....

A Beautiful Day

A heartfelt thank you to all of my friends who have expressed their care and concern over Bucky's passing. Monday we returned his body back to his true owner. Today, I was able to let his spirit fly home, too.

While I was outside at lunch, I was thinking how much he would have enjoyed sitting in one of the windows of the house, watching the birds and other critters, soaking up the sunlight. Then I realized--if it is so nice here, imagine how awesomely beautiful it is where he is now.

Bask in the sunshine of our Lord, sweet Bucky. It was our incredible privilege to be your caretaker while you were here. And I know we will see you again.

Bucky, 4/29/08-4/13/09

Today my girlfriend, Kris, and I had to put our little kitten Bucky down. He was fine all through last week, but Friday night (Good Friday--how ironic) I noticed he was having trouble breathing. We took him to the emergency clinic, and they found fluids in his lungs--blood and other stuff. They stabilized him, and he got to spend the weekend with us. Today I took him to his regular vet, and they ran some diagnostics and discovered feline leukemia, and she said there might be other cancers at play. Because he was so young, she said he would continue fighting for every breath until the last minute, rather than just lie down and go to sleep like an older cat would. So we decided to have him euthanized. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, but I know it was the right one.

Bucky was a frisky feline, always wanting to be around his people. He loved to jump on my lap when I was sitting on the desk chair here at home or on the small tower of drawers in the bathroom. And wherever he was in the house, when he heard the faucet in the upstairs bathroom running, there he was. As soon as the faucet was off, he was in the sink, trying to lick up the water that hadn't drained yet. He also loved to chew on Kris' red purse. He enjoyed antagonizing big brother Booger, and he was always in the bed at night before I got the lights shut off and was there in the morning when the alarm went off.

We will miss you, our little Bucky Bear. Rest in Peace--that cancer can't hurt you now. We will always remember you, cherish you, and love you.

Early Nominees for "Dumbass of the Year" Award

From today's South Bend Tribune:

At least two people have been scammed by a man selling sheets of plywood wrapped to look like flat-panel television sets, police say.

According to Mishawaka police, twice last week, a man in a dented white mini-van approached customers in parking lots at businesses along Grape Road and sold them what he claimed were flat-panel televisions.

Police said the man offered two stories. In one, they said, he needed the money to support his family. In the other, he couldn't return the sets because he had lost the receipts.

A man paid $300 for two sets, police said, and a woman paid $600 for one.

Not until they returned home and unwrapped the sets did they realize they were plywood.

Police said it's likely more people have been scammed but are too embarrassed to file a report.

Just like the people who got taken by Bernie Madoff--remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

A Different take on Madoff...

as put forth by Dan Ariely on his insightful blog Predictably/Irrational.

Alcohol Sales on Sundays

CNN today reported that there are only three states don't allow package sales of liquor on Sundays. I know that one of these states is Indiana, because I live here. (Of course, you can go to certain restaurants or sporting events on a Sunday, down as much alcohol as you can, and drive home, but you cannot buy it in a liquor or other store, take it home and drink it, then go to bed without endangering anyone on the roads--but that is hypocrisy on the part of Indiana's General Assembly that we won't get into today).

What caught my attention was one of the final statements of the report; it went something along the lines of this: Christian groups are against the remaining states legalizing the sales of alcohol in Sundays, viewing it as an attack on the Christian Sabbath. If this is truly the case, then I have the following questions:

1. Why haven't I heard about these Christian groups fighting to outlaw sales in the 47 states that do allow it on Sundays? I live almost on the Indiana/Michigan border, and I haven't heard anything about movements to get Michigan to change its laws.
2. If we need to protect the Christian Sabbath, do we not also need to protect the Jewish Sabbath? That would outlaw alcohol sales on Saturdays (which would also protect the Sabbath for Seventh-Day Adventists). What about the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims? Any other Sabbaths we need to protect?

I am not meaning to be mean-spirited toward Christians--I am one. However, I do tire of the far-right's unceasing attempts to force their version of morality on people who choose not to believe as they do. This is a country of multiple religions--and, if one chooses, of no religion. Let us keep that in mind when forging--and not forcing-- legislation.

It's the 200th birthday of...

...yes, of course, Abraham Lincoln--but it is also the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin (coincidence?). CNN today reported that fewer than 50 percent of Americans surveyed thought that the theory of evolution was factual. Of course, as they also reported, most of the people who didn't think it was true (or factual) were, well, to put it bluntly, ignorant--as in having lower levels of education than those who accepted it.

Most of those who refute it use--also, of course--the Bible as their basis to do so, saying humans were created in God's image. One caller from Kentucky (again, surprise, surprise) said something to the effect that "God doesn't look like a monkey...." My immediate thought to that was, "How the hell does she know? Has she actually seen God? And if God is all powerful, can't He make Himself in any image He so desires?"

My thought is this--yes, we were created by God...but I don't believe it was in full form as we are now. I believe God started the universe off, and things have happened as they should, including the creation of Earth and the evolution of all life on it.

Thoughts on Michael Phelps and A-Rod

The recent photographs of Michael Phelps holding a bong—a marijuana pipe—has created a lot of buzz, both on TV and over the internet. And now Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he used performance-enhancing substances for thee years in the early part of this decade has the sports world buzzing yet again.

But it’s not just sportscasters and sports blogs—regular news shows, entertainment programs, even politicians have been weighing in on what this means to the American society: “How will this affect our children?” “How will this affect endorsements?” “What kind of role model are they?” On the other hand, many people are asking, “Why should we care? They are just athletes. What he does in his spare time is nobody’s business but his own and probably no different than what anyone else his age is doing.” “Everyone else was doing it and it wasn’t against the rules at the time.” I believe at the heart of the matter is this simple question, “Is it wrong to look at athletes as role models?” My response is, to put it bluntly, it is not.

America has long prided itself on being the land of opportunity—where everyone has a fair chance at their piece of the American Dream. From the days of Thomas Jefferson (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness), through Horace Greeley (Go West, young man—that is where you will find your fortune), and right up to Emma Lazarus (your huddled masses yearning to breathe free), America has been about making it to the top. Once someone has made it there, we celebrate their accomplishments and hold them up as an example as to what each of us can not only aspire to but, through hard work and dedication, what each of us can achieve. So if our society is based on individual success, then certainly we cannot be wrong in looking at those who have become successful as role models.

So the question becomes, then…what defines success? Money? Power? Instant recognition? One’s face on a Wheaties box? For better or for worse (I will let you make that call), the answer to all of the above is “yes.” In a society that is based on fame and fortune, in a society where one’s achievements bring certain privileges—owning a large home in an exclusive community; having access to people and places most other can only dream about; being the object of everyone’s attention—being successful does make one a role model, whether one wishes to be or not. And as been quoted many times, most recently in Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

In America, success brings power: the power to draw attention to oneself wherever one goes; the power to fill a theater, a stadium, a concert hall, a restaurant; the power to motivate people to buy something, to vote for someone or donate money to a cause. Among the people who are among the most visible are sports stars. Now whether we place too much emphasis on sports in our society is a whole other matter for discussion; the fact is that it does play a tremendous role (who didn’t know the Super Bowl was Sunday before last?). And top athletes are among the most celebrated in society. So is Michael Phelps taking a bong hit a big deal? Does the fact that A-Rod used PEDs really matter? Right here, right now, in the America of 2009—you bet it is.

Maybe I am just not "with it"....

...but I did not like Jennifer Hudson's rendition of The Star Spangled Banner prior to the Super Bowl. I'm just not into "interpretations" of it, as if it is a jazz tune or a Broadway standard, which this evening's rendition reminded me of. I think it should be sung straitforward, quickly, and with dignity. But what the hell do I know?

RIP John Updike

One of my favorite writers, John Updike, passed away on January 27 at the age of 76. I remember being introduced to Updike in a sophomore English class at MSU--one of the assignments was Rabbit, Run. Since then, Updike has ranked among my three of four favorite authors.

A truly unique American voice is now silent.

Quick Bitch Session

It was -19F last night in South Bend...if I wanted to freeze my ass and one remaining testicle off, I would have moved to flippin' Barrow, Alaska. Hell, it was probably warmer in Barrow than it was here. At least I wasn't in Minnesota, where it was much colder--but those crazy Scandinavians Lutherans just say, "What the hell, eh?" and dig into another hot, steaming fish casserole. As Mr. Buffett sings...."I gotta go where it's warm."

End of (this) bitch session.

Another Sign I am Getting (More) Jaded

So I am watching the local Fox affiliate this morning, and they run this story about an Atlanta woman who just celebrated her 107th birthday. And I think to myself...you know, 10 years ago, I would have thought, "How cool!" But today, I didn't...and I got to wondering why.

Then it hit me. She may be 107 years old, but she was born in the same century as I was. Back in the late 20th century, it seemed....fascinating, I guess...to know that someone had lived in the century previous to yours (as my great grandmother, who was born in 1893 and died in 1979, did). But now, for some reason, it doesn't seem all that unique. After all, my late maternal grandparents were born in 1911 and 1917...

She has seen a lot of things in her 107 years, to be sure, bt she didn't see the turn of the prior century; maybe that's why it didn't seem so fascinating to me. Either way, I hope she lives to see the turn of another decade, at least.