Month: November 2006

  • Federal Grants Fund Abstinence Education – For Adults

    The war on pleasure continues: Now the government is targeting unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs, which include millions of dollars in federal money that will be available to the states under revised federal grant guidelines for 2007. Abstinence education programs, which have focused on preteens and teens, teach […]

  • Screw the Children

    (walking out of the gym, waiting for light at corner of  Diversey and Clark, monsoon-esque downpour) Operative holding clipboard: ‘Scuse we sir do you have 40 seconds for Save the Children? Andy: I can’t save the children today. I’m saving the environment today, impeachment tomorrow so I can’t save the children until Friday. Operative: (laughs) […]

  • San Diego Bans Wal-Mart

    (via ThinkProgress) The San Diego City Council “voted late Tuesday to ban certain giant retail stores, dealing a blow to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s potential to expand in the nation’s eighth-largest city.” Also today, WakeUpWalMart released the first ad in its “Hope For The Holidays” campaign.

  • Scalia on Global Warming: 'Whatever”

    Twelve states, led by Massachusetts and joined by the District of Columbia, are objecting to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to decline to issue emissions standards for new cars and trucks. and now the SCOTUS is deciding if the states have any legal ground to challenge the EPA: "Respectfully, Your Honor, it is not the […]

  • Little Orphan Shirley

    (Home. Shirliey Bassey’s rendition of ‘As Long as He Needs Me’ plays on iTunes. Andy sings along) Ron: You know that song? Andy: Yeah. It is from Oliver! Ron: No it is not. Andy: Yes honey. Ron: Shirley sang this song first. Andy: No she didn’t. Oliver! is about an orphan named Oliver. I know. […]

  • Perez Hilton Featured in Chicago Tribune

    Perez Hilton was featured in Chicago’s Red Eye again yesterday for his penchant for outing closeted movie stars. He sees nobility in his efforts to force celebrities to publicly announce their homosexuality. It seems vindictive to me. And in the case of someone like Anderson Cooper who is a journalist first, I think forcing him […]

  • Dame Shirley Bassey

    Did I tell you about my Shirley Bassey obsession? Repeated viewings of Bassey in a Spencer & Mark’s holiday ad (Mark & Spencers? Ron says it is like Target in the UK) where she is singing Pink’s ‘Get This Party Started’ while sleek models prep for a north pole party – along with Twiggy with […]

  • I [Heart] Rahm

    I think I have a crush on Rahm Emanuel. Ever since I heard he’s a trashmouth ex-ballet dancer. Something about him is Clooney-ish though less Cary Grant-ish. In other news: Did you know the Ann Sather on Belmont used to be a funeral home? That’s what Richie says. It explains why the dining area is […]

  • Day 3 – No CNN

    2 days without CNN and I’m doing just fine. The need to have a constant influx of the same 30 minutes of news (advanced one tick per hour) has subsided. I’m listening to Democracy Now on the stationary bike at the gym and then checking my RSS aggregator. My podcasting course starts today – I’m […]

  • Department of Agriculture Renames Hunger to ‘Food Insecurity'

    Paging Mr. Orwell: In case you missed it, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that it had erased hunger in America. It really did … erase hunger, that is. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture, "hungry" is no longer an acceptable term to describe people who are … well, hungry.  … So the […]