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Ben Witherington thinks that basketball is the cleanest of the major pro sports! Yay!

"People now go to football games to watch people get knocked silly, or in other words, for the same reason  some NASCAR junkies go to the track--- to watch the spectacular crashes, and for the same reason some people go to hockey matches--- hoping a championship wrestling match will break out.  And there is something sick about the fascination with watching others get hurt.

...So what's my real beef?  After all,  I am a sports fan, especially for college basketball, and MLB baseball, and a bit of the NFL.  My real beef is that unfortunately the difference between winning and losing is money or cheating, or both, in far too many cases."

College basketball can jump in a lake for all I care. Well, actually, baseball and football can also go jump in a lake, but I just want to clarify for my dear readers that my love for pro ball does not translate into any similar feelings for the NCAA. Got it? Good.

It's a bit weird, though, that Witherington chooses this particular subject for his "One-Stop Shop for All Things Biblical and Christian." Other than players idiotically thanking Jesus for a win, doesn't religion pretty much have nothing to do with sports?

"It has been said that what finally caused the Roman Empire to come crashing to a halt is that people were spending more money on chariot races, gladiator battles, and ever popular barbecuing of Christians, or throwing them to the lions than on necessities.  Soldiers no longer wanted to fight in far flung frontiers, investors no longer wanted to invest in foreign assets, they preferred 'out sourcing' (!), and obesity had taken over the elites that controlled 96% of all the wealth. Oh yes, and the Senate couldn't decide anything because legislators were in gridlock and they were on the payroll of major investors....... does this sound familiar????"

...ah. So this is supposed to be a continuation of my last post, is it? Okay, if I must.

I don't often pull over in the middle of the work day to make a phone call, but today was an exception.  When I received an email about a potential vote on the so-called "Marriage Protection" amendment, I dialed fellow blogger Maria Lupinacci of 2 Political Junkies and asked her to help me organize a blog swarm on the topic.  Within minutes, she agreed and a few hours later, had a logo in my inbox.  See earlier post for that! 

We have a chance to "make some history" folks, according to the ACLU.  Twice this amendment has come up in the Senate and both times it was defeated by procedural maneuvers.  It has never been simply voted down. 

This year, we have a chance to get that vote down once and for all so the Senate can focus on the business of governing this Commonwealth instead of monitoring my family like we are terrorists.  Remember that 100+ day delay with last year's budget?  Should we really waste a precious moment of the months leading up to budget negotiations on an issue that has already been legislatively addressed by the Pennsylvania DOMA? 

Here's what you can do.

This is a list of the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee.  Maybe you recognize a name or two?

Who to call.  Call the Harrisburg office (use your cell phone). Email messages are not going to work on this one. 

Mary Jo White  (717) 787-9684 Butler (part), Clarion, Erie (part), Forest, Venango and Warren (part) Counties

** Special note that Senator White has spoken against this amendment in the past.  Please thank her for that and ask her to vote no.

I'd like to invite Society bloggers to participate in a blog swarm on Monday to encourage the State Senate Judiciary Committee to vote NO on the so-called "Marriage Protection" Amendment.

More here

this dog is great. black and white with a touch of pink. and she looks so friendly. like she'd just love you. but not stupidly love you cause she doesn't know any better. the way most dogs will adore a serial killer and their owner the same because they're morons. this dog would recognize you are a valuable human being and then love you for being great because you deserve it.

Back in 2008, 14 Pittsburgh blogs participated in our first Blog for Equality event to speak out against the attempt by the Pennsylvania Senate to amend our constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, the so-called "Marriage Protection" Amendment.  The "blog swarm" as it is sometimes described was successful, albeit not singlehandedly responsible for the failure of that legislation to make it out of committee. 

Still, you might like to revist what the 14 bloggers had to say in 2008.

Fast forward two years.  The Senate is once again discussing this issue and we anticipate a vote in the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 16, 2010.  More details from the ACLU of PA:

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Senate Bill 707 next Tuesday, March 16, at 11:30am.  As you know, SB 707 is the latest incarnation of a state constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage.

 

Like many controversial, close votes, this could go either way.

 

It's not hyperbole to say that we have a chance to make history.  We have never won an up-or-down vote on the marriage amendment.  We've beaten this in the past by winning procedural maneuvers.  But now we have that chance.  Let's make the most of it.

So I am announcing Blog for Equality Pittsburgh 2010.  I ask my comrade bloggers throughout the region (and the Commonwealth) to dedicate one post on Monday, March 15, 2010 to the topic of this amendment. 

We have an official Blog for Equality Pittsburgh 2010 button for you to add to your post (h/t 2pj Maria)

html is:

<p><a href="http://www.pghlesbian.com/blog/http://www.pghlesbian.com/blog/_archives/2010/3/11/4477944.html"><img src="http://www.pghlesbian.com/blog/ http://www.pghlesbian.com/B4E2010.jpg" /></a><p>

If you'll send me a link, I'll update this page with a permanent archive of bloggers speaking out against embedding discrimination into our Constitution.  The swarm is open to any and all bloggers so please spread the word.  You don't have to be gay to disapprove of discrimination and you certainly don't have to have a politial blog to participate in a day of action.

Human history - and especially recent human history - suggests that we love very few things more than a crisis. Every social institution that comes to mind has been a subject of doomsaying, from arts and religion to education and politics to society itself, and yet how many of those forgone conclusions turned out to be right? And in the small number of cultural artifacts that have faded from usage, how many do we really vitally miss?* That we persist seems to me to indicate at the least the presence of one or more cognitive biases and at most a gentle sort of compulsion towards irrational levels of fear. John Buri, professor of psychology, would presumably know more about this than me, guy with a BS in math and philosophy - but, then again, Buri is part of the problem.

According to Buri, psychology has "blur the distinctiveness of the Christian gospel" to the point that believers nowadays don't follow "a faith that revolve[s] around traditionally relevant Christian themes." If this continues, he seems to imply, Christianity will no longer be able to offer anything unique or meaningful to people and will therefore be left behind. Forgetting for the moment that this sort of grim forecast tends to be flat-out wrong, Buri appears to be the perfect person to notice such a phenomenon: sitting as he does at the intersection of psychology and Christianity, he should have a perfect vantage point from which to analyze the situation. And indeed, perhaps he does; if so, it only goes to show that having the best seat in the house won't help you understand the show.

Buri defines what he calls the theraputic schema as having four key components: it "concentrates on the internal psychological and emotional workings of the individual" in order to "provide a viable framework for the interpretation of reality"; it "emphasizes the need for men and women to be cured / healed"; it's teleologically oriented towards having "fewer blocks to personal growth, greater personal satisfaction, less personal suffering, and a greater sense of personal well-being"; and it evaluates its results on the basis of "a utilitarian view of life." These four elements, he says, eliminate "the moral excellence that can be found in suffering" because "the greatness of character that derives from habitually meeting all of one’s duties with excellence is challenged by the voice of therapeutic reason: 'This is hard. Besides, what am I going to get out of it?'" This, of course, conflicts with Christianity in various ways and you can figure out the rest from there. Such as it is, I can see two problems with Buri's argument.

Texas Drops Thomas Jefferson | Right Wing Watch

Pittsburgh City Council met on Wednesday to continue discussing the pension bailout proposal that would privately lease the assets of Pittsburgh parking garages for fifty years to make $200,000 million for the city's pension plan.

Investment firm Morgan Stanley is overseeing the lease plan for the Pittsburgh Parking Authority. They attended City Council chambers on Wednesday. On Thursday, Leslie Hairston, Alderman of the 5th Ward of Chicago attended a meeting to discuss the pros and cons of privatizing the city's parking. In Chicago, she said, different rates are used in different regions and at different hours. It has been met with mixed results by the city's residents. In Chicago officials only had a few days to decide on the plan. She encouraged council to have at least one, if not a few outside parties study the proposal.

Councilman Bruce Kraus expressed concerns that when there is a move towards a reduction in vehicles the revenue stream from the garages will lessen and the city will have sold off a valuable asset.

A good piece from studentactivism.net placing the protests of March 4th in a social and historical context. Liberal confrontational protest anxiety disorder appears to be untreatable. Yusef, in a comment to my post on Tuesday, asserts that the actions of the Obama administration mean that reformism is off the agenda. If so, liberal discomfort is going to get markedly worse, as protests, fueled by the proletarianization of the middle class and the sub-proletarianization of the working class, are going to become more and more intense.

Even mildly reformist economic measures like reducing the costs of student loans and the creation of a public health insurance option to make such insurance marginally more affordable are difficult, if not impossible, to implement. It appears that the crisis currently engulfing global capitalism is such that not a dime can be spared for anything other than capital accumulation. So, past measures, such as those associated with the New Deal and Great Society, are off the table. Greece, here we come?

No aspects, so with Friday's clear skies, we are in control of our choices and world without the heavens interfering too much (some may still feel the lingering of yesterday's Venus/Pluto square). Action-oriented Mars is direct now, and although he's busy revving up our engines, some of us may still be dragging our feet. No problemo, as we can use this time to create a brilliant plan - especially as Luna sits in strategic Aquarius. Check out my latest Tarot Affirmations on the AstroCreeps and TarotFreaks blog using The Star card for Inspiration and click on the 'Join Our Forum' button to connect with our Free Astrology & Tarot Discussion Board. Enjoy your Friday! ✩ http://www.starcana.com

In an effort to help rehabilitate his image, Tiger Woods hires... (wait for it) Ari Fleischer! Ye gods... .

Not Mississippi edition. Texas (again): [Texas School Board] member Cynthia Dunbar wants to change a standard having students study the impact of Enlightenment ideas on political revolutions from 1750 to the present. She wants to drop the reference to Enlightenment...

Over on the newly revamped NickMarino.net, I’m sharing some behind the scenes art from Time Log #1, an upcoming comic book by Culturology’s Pete, artist Shawn Atkins, and myself.Time Log #1 will be ready in time for the Pittsburgh Comicon and SPACE, where I’ll be setting up tables (yes, I know they’re on the same [...]

From the Hunger in America 2010 report, issued by Feeding America:

In the annual USDA survey on food insecurity, the number of Americans found to be food insecure in 2008 rose sharply to 49 million individuals (17.1 million households), a 36% increase over the prior year. The Hunger in America 2010 analysis reveals that Feeding America’s network of food banks and their partner agencies provide emergency hunger-relief services to an estimated 37 million low-income individuals (14.5 million households) in the United States annually. This represents an increase of 46% in unduplicated annual clients since the Hunger in America 2006 report. The 37 million annual client estimate falls within a 95% confidence interval ranging from 33.7 to 40.2 million unduplicated clients. Even if the true number falls at the lower end of the confidence interval, it still represents a substantial increase over 2005.

Among the key findings of the report:

Many of the client households served by Feeding America food banks report that their household incomes are inadequate to cover their basic household expenses.

--46 percent of client households served report having to choose between paying for utilities or heating fuel and food.

--39 percent of client households said they had to choose between paying for rent or a mortgage and food.

--34 percent of client households report having to choose between paying for medical bills and food.

--35 percent of client households must choose between transportation and food.

One in four client households (24 percent) do not have health insurance and nearly half of our adult clients report that they have unpaid medical and hospital bills.

It's been light posting from me this week for the simple reason that it's nearly 70º of Fahrenheit temperature and sunny. So there. .

Well it has been awhile my bloggie friends. Since my last post:

Got married.
Got laid off.
Got a new job.
Started freelancing.
Got another job.
Got another job.
Cat died.
Got 2 new cats.
Totaled the car.

That sums up my life at the moment. Working 4 jobs, still working on the house, and car shopping. Hope you stay tuned for current and recent projects both design and on our home plus some shenanigans in between.

posted by gyma For instance, debuting as #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. That's what happens when the author dumps millions of his own money into buying up copies and then giving them away for a nice donation...

Gameday update: Johnny starts, Guerin back, Kennedy out

Definition: A system of social mores that finds it not only acceptable but necessary to exact a broad array of punitive measures against an individual or individuals for heinous grievances such as defacing the Terrible Towel, stealing a parking spot saved by a parking chair, etc.

"In a clear example of yinzer justice, the car was encased in a two-inch think layer of ice, courtesy of a old lady and her garden hose after the car's owner moved an old lady's parking chair and took her parking spot. The Pittsburgh Police have thus far refused to comment on the matter."

P.D.'s Pub - Pittsburgh, PA USA (Purple Tuesdays Open Stage)

1. Join Together (The Who)
   [on Les Paul w/Sol (bass), Rich (drums), Kip (keys)]
   
   
2. Born on the Bayou (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
   [on Les Paul w/Sol (bass), Rich (drums), Kip (keys)]
   
   
3. One Single Wave (original)
   [on Les Paul w/Sol (bass), Rich (drums), Kip (keys)]
   
   

posted by gyma Sorry to generalize, but in my experience, public school districts are rife with small-minded people. Looks like Mississippi isn't immune to the disease and have decided to punish an entire school in order to prohibit two young...

It seems like every month lately, there are new shenanigans from PWSA.

In January, we had the mistaken decimal point water bills where consumers ended up with bills up to 100 times what they owed. The entirety of PWSA's customers also were notified that they were signed up for Utility Line Security.

Now, it's March. The latest twist? Probably due to the previous month's snafus, the billing period has been adjusted every month. I received my January bill on February 18. I paid it before its due date of March 10, but February's bills were sent out a scant 11 days later on March 1 and included a convenient late fee for my on-time payment. This late fee was 27 cents and was not actually itemized on my bill. You may say: Why quibble over 27 cents? I say at 83,000 customers, that's a nice $22,000 bonus for the PWSA for their poor service. If you think the PWSA deserves that extra bonus, feel free to do nothing. Or, like me, you can call (412) 255-2423 and give them a piece of your mind.

Or maybe that extra money is going to the out-sourced Malaysian company that is managing our water bills???

The $12 rain barrels at Construction Junction are starting to look mighty fine.

The 13 Funniest Help Wanted Signs Ever (PHOTOS)

Ode To Tomatoes

by Pablo Neruda

The street
filled with tomatoes,
midday,
summer,
light is
halved
like
a
tomato,
its juice
runs
through the streets.
In December,
unabated,
the tomato
invades
the kitchen,
it enters at lunchtime,
takes
its ease
on countertops,
among glasses,
butter dishes,
blue saltcellars.
It sheds
its own light,
benign majesty.
Unfortunately, we must
murder it:
the knife
sinks
into living flesh,
red
viscera
a cool
sun,
profound,
inexhaustible,
populates the salads
of Chile,
happily, it is wed
to the clear onion,
and to celebrate the union
we
pour
oil,
essential
child of the olive,
onto its halved hemispheres,
pepper
adds
its fragrance,
salt, its magnetism;
it is the wedding
of the day,
parsley
hoists
its flag,
potatoes
bubble vigorously,
the aroma
of the roast
knocks
at the door,
it's time!
come on!
and, on
the table, at the midpoint
of summer,
the tomato,
star of earth, recurrent
and fertile
star,
displays
its convolutions,
its canals,
its remarkable amplitude
and abundance,
no pit,
no husk,
no leaves or thorns,
the tomato offers
its gift
of fiery color
and cool completeness.

a miscellany:

1. Got coffee this morning at a Dunkin Donuts near my house. Apparently their policy is to call customers "guests." I was tempted to feign shock that they were charging a "guest" for his coffee. Paging Miss Manners and George Orwell to the conference room.

2. While drinking said coffee, I read the March 15, 2010 issue of The Nation. Jon Wiener's cover story "Big Tobacco and the Historicans: A Tale of Seduction and Intimidation" proved to be more about intimidation than seduction. Like everything in The Nation these days, unbelievable (and not in a good way). (Check out the article after that one: Greg Kaufmann, "Friedmanism at the Fed.")
We live in Chelm, folks.

3. Last week on a plane trip, I read through the first issue of The Jewish Review of Books Have you ever read a magazine in which every single article was interesting? Actually, I can't really say this about the first JRB but I would say that I found 20 out of 22 pieces fascinating--which is a pretty high percentage for me. (I won't say which 2 were uninteresting to me--you'll have to guess.)

4. I summoned my strength this morning to rip up an offer from the Wall Street Journal to subscribe for 10 dollars a month. I am trying to fight my addiction to subscribing to print periodicals.

Currently arriving at the house and the office (not including journals that come with memberships in professional organizations, alumni magazines, or house organs of museums, public TV stations, synagogues, and the like):

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (7 days a week) (since 2002)
New York Times (Saturday and Sunday) (since I don't know, forever)
Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle (since 2002)
The New Republic (since mid-1990s; dropped for a while but resumed circa 2003)
The Jewish Quarterly Review (since mid-2000s)

A group of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh say they have made a breakthrough in understanding how damaged DNA is repaired. PhD. Bennett Van Houten is with the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the lead author of the paper published in today’s issue of Molecular Cell. Van Houten says they attached “quantum dots” to DNA-Repair proteins in an effort to watch them work. The dots shine brightly when exposed to light and this allowed the researchers to track their movement along strands of DNA that had been unraveled and stretched around a bead. In a normal cell the proteins search out damaged sections of DNA and then call in other proteins to make repairs. Van Houten says they went into the research wondering how the relatively small numbers of these special protein molecules were able to check so much DNA. Some theorized that the proteins would make random hops around the DNA strand while others believed the protein would slide up and down the DNA. Critics of the jumping theory said it was too inefficient but critics of sliding noted that DNA in a cell is crumpled up into a ball and the slider’s path would be blocked from time to time. Van Houten says what they found was that both methods are used. The proteins slide down the DNA for about seven seconds and then hop to another area of the strand. With the DNA on the surface of a bead and the quantum dots attached Van Houten and his team were able to get video of the movement.

All cells have these proteins and if they stop working the cells cannot survive. Van Houten says, “Everyone is constantly bombarded with environmental toxins that inflict small errors in the DNA code, so a rapid repair system is essential to maintain the integrity of the sequences for proper cell function.” Now that they have a better understanding of the movement of these repair proteins, Van Houten says scientists can start to use the knowledge to begin new efforts to prevent cancer and mak

the hospital is sending my brother-in-law home today.
i know he wants to go home but it scares me a little. it's only been a week.

The Hermit: true guidance comes from within. That is where your wisdom lies, where spirit speaks, & where we are connected to all things.

Baihu
www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

Yep. If I didn't say it before, Tiger will undoubtedly be back in action even before the Masters this April. The Golf Channel is reporting that the Woods entourage has added a brand new member: Ari Fleischer - otherwise known as the Press Secretary to George W. Bush from 2001-2003.