Today's Mighty Oak


Written: 12/13/2012

Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world has stopped giving money to the BSA, once again, citing their discriminatory policies.

This comes on the heels of UPS and Intel.

Hopefully more companies continue this trend.  For the BSA to change their policies, they have to see it will hurt them more to discriminate than to embrace equality.  This is one half of the equation, the other side is membership.  That to also has to show that they lose more due to discrimination than equality.

All my best,

The King of Spades



Written: 12/13/2012

Just a quick note to share a touching wedding video…that includes readings from Harry Potter.

I love nerds (being one myself, of course)!

All my best,

The King of Spades



Written: 12/13/2012

I’m really nervous.  And I’m going to be for the next seven months or so.  The Supreme Court is taking up the DOMA and Prop 8 cases.  A lot is at stake.

And yes, anti-sodomy laws were once ruled constitutional, to be later overturned, so it’s not the end of the battle.  And most legal scholars, and even a lot on the right are predicting that equality will win.

And if equality doesn’t win, we’ll keep fighting.  We have for so long, and we will keep at it.  These are our rights we’re fighting for (and yes, it’s absolutely absurd that we have to fight for our basic civil rights in 2012).

So until the decision comes down in June, I’ll be a nervous wreck.  Not because I need the Supreme Court to validate my existence, but because I believe in fairness and equality, and the security that comes from full marriage equality.

And if they do decide for equality, there is still more work to be done.  But just think of how exciting Pride 2013 is going to be.

All my best,

The King of Spades



Written: 12/13/2012

It’s so sad, because The Onion is always so spot on, it’s painful.  Case in point:

Supreme Court To Hear Cases Determining Whether Human Beings Deserve Equal Rights

And the follow-up:

I Get To Determine Whether Gay People Can Marry, By Clarence Thomas

All my best,

The King of Spades



Today, Google posted its third annual zeitgeist video.  I like last year’s a bit better, but this one is touching, amazing and the art direction is pretty cool:

There aren’t many end of the year lists/movies/projects that I post, but I always look forward to this.



Let’s see what we have today.  First up, Earth is so pretty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL8puJMUDpk

Another reminder, the far-right doesn’t want you to vote, they want to remove your democracy, because it makes it easier for them to win.  Keep that in mind.

A new trailer for Neverwinter.  I’m very excited.  Also, how often do you hear a woman narrator?  Pretty cool.

So, a giant rubber duck went through London:

The karma Wi-Fi hotstop.  When you share, you get more data free.  Pretty cool, although I wish it was more than 100MB of free data.  But still, I love the idea.

And if you didn’t see it, you can purchase Pittsburgh Dad DVDs.

That’s it for now, have a great one!



Alright, let’s see what we have today.  First up, check out this amazingly scary decorative plate:

Next up, check out this cool short movie about the Pixar lamp.

Scientists are working on making strides to make phones that can be charged by shaking (or even voice).

And finally, you would think that the Republicans would have gotten some sense after the last election.  Now the right-wing members of the House (to be fair, the Republicans in the Senate passed it without any issue) are refusing to pass the Violence Against Women act…because it’s “too supportive of immigrants, the LGBT community and Native Americans.”

So yeah, they certainly couldn’t support those communities.  According to the far right, immigrants are just here to steal resources, the LGBT community is icky and going to hell, and well, I’m not sure why they don’t like Native Americans, it seems very strange and out or right field.

And on another note, why is this something that has to be reapproved?  I think we can all agree that we should be concerned about domestic violence and we can cut through the bullshit of having to reapprove it every year (or however frequently it needs to be).

So, please, please, please, just remember.  Unless you’re a straight, white, male millionaire, the Republican party doesn’t care about you.  But I do, however feel, that you can support conservative principles, but the Republican party, in its current form, doesn’t care about you.

That’s it for now, I’ll be back soon, have a great one!



Written: 12/06/2012

I love the AP Styleguide.  I’m a writer, so of course I do.

This seems strange however:

Last week the Associated Press declared war on the word “homophobia,” deciding its new stylebook would ban it (and “Islamophobia”) because a “phobia” is an “illness” and connotes a “mental disability.” Therefore, says the AP, it is not accurate and should not be used in a “political or social” context.

I’m not sure I completely understand where they are coming from, but I think that homophobia is recognizable to use.

Granted, many organizations use their own styleguide, or take the AP, or Chicago, MLA or what have you, and modify it a bit to be their own.

All my best,

The King of Spades



Written: 12/06/2012

UPS has decided to stop funding the BSA, until their discriminatory policies end.

This however, is not a rational reaction:

For example, a day after the Human Rights Campaign repeated the charge that the Family Research Council was a “hate group,” an employee of another LGBT organization walked in to the headquarters of the Family Research Council, armed with 50 rounds of ammunition and a bagful of Chick-fil-A sandwiches, and began shooting the “haters” who worked there. According to Thomas Strobhar, President of the Corporate Morality Action Center, “UPS should be careful whom they support with money that belongs to all the shareholders. The Boys Scouts are a national treasure with legitimate interests regarding the safety of the scouts, while the Human Rights Campaign has contributed greatly to a lack of civility in public discourse.”

All my best,

The King of Spades



Alright, let’s see what we have today.  First up, from Jimmy Fallon and The Roots:

Staples is looking to provide 3D printing in stores, pretty awesome!

HuffPo reports on the gene that predicts what time of day you’ll die.  Creepy.

Want a tour of the ISS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doN4t5NKW

And finally, some politics.  The far-right is convinced that immigrants are socialists and just want to steal your wealth:

The GOP will authorize wars without paying for them, but they won’t spend a dime to help those affected by Sandy unless they get tax and program cuts.

Florida, like Pennsylvania, admits that voter suppression is the goal of voter ID laws.

And here’s a look at the diversity of the 113th congress.  Holy crap, people born in the 1980’s are being elected (click for bigger):

That’s it for now, have a great one!

 

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