Frommer Say's 'No' To Arizona Tourism

A lot of people know and respect Arthur Frommer's opinions on world travel. Well, now they have an entire state to avoid in the U.S. according to Frommer. I read an article in the news reporting this and at first it seemed ridiculous to tell travelers to completely avoid an entire state. His opinion does hold sway with a lot of extensive travelers, so that could be damaging for the state in which his opinion is negative. Ouch, Frommer.

However, when I realized it was Arizona, I was o.k. with the idea. I remember reading about the protesters carrying semi-automatic weapons outside of President Obama's speech in Phoenix. Completely shocked and alarmed was my first reaction. How in the hell can that be allowed to happen? I understand people wanting their 'right to bear arms' but that is not an appropriate venue in which to take advantage of that 'right' that you've already managed to manipulate in order to posses those weapons in the first place! Whoa, run on sentence.

So Mr. Frommer's attention was also on this situation; he was so appalled (as any sane person should be) that he's now speaking publicly. He's telling traveler's and tourist's alike- to avoid the entire state of Arizona. His reasoning is sound. He's quoted as saying he was, 'shocked beyond measure' by the news of this American embarrassment. He was reported as thinking that Arizona's gun laws allowed 'extremists' and 'thugs' to brazenly display such weapons. Mr. Frommer also is reported as saying, 'I will cancel any plans to vacation or otherwise visit in Arizona until I learn more...and I will begin thinking about whether tourists should safeguard themselves by avoiding stays in Arizona.' I think that was well said.

In my opinion, it is completely ridiculous that Arizona authorities wouldn't deem it appropriate to have an ASSAULT RIFLE removed from an angry protester! Hello? Does anyone remember how many people have been shot at events that were as benign as a speech? Oh, that parade in 1964. That wasn't nearly as controversial as Obama's push to reform health care. It's just not wise for that kind of display of potential violence amongst a crowd of supporters and the extremist opposers. We all saw the footage of those horrible tea parties and how crazy those people looked? Yeah, that's because they're crazy.

Arizona should be embarrassed as should the mayor of Phoenix and any law enforcement offices in direct relation to this situation. Way to protect the people. At least your horrible city made the news I guess.

Stupid people bother me. I won't be spending any money in Arizona.

I'm sorry, is this news?

http://perezhilton.com/2009-08-14-finally-kate-gives-it-to-jon

This is NOT news. What is with the obsession with what reality television couple Jon and Kate Gosslin do with their lives? I get annoyed enough just seeing him on the cover of every grocery store magazine wearing Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier clothes. He looks like a tool to me, beyond that, I don't really care.

Before they started exploiting their brood of children on TLC, Kate was a chubby and pale, less-highlighted and normal. Now she's toned, tan, blonde as hell and money-hungry. I get it. They became psuedo celebrities. I don't give a flying rat's ass if she spanks her kids. If I had eight kids I'd probably lose my shit too if I had a lazy, unhelpful husband.

None of this is newsworthy! This is what happens when pop culture and reality stars have just a little too much hold on our attention. Read a frickin' book! Learn a new language! Paint! Create something! It's sad to think that so many people in this country are THAT intrigued by them that it actually is being talked about on CNN!

CNN, I loved you so. I would cruise back and forth between Fox News Facist Network and you. You seemed like the winner. Now, you both lose. I will no longer listen to or read anything else reported in a cable news network. NPR for me from now on.

If CNN wanted to do some entertainment news, they could have reviewed 'The Time Traveler's Wife' to break down how true the movie is to the book. At least that would have some intelligent undertones because it means someone actually read the book. I doubt that most people who see that movie have read the book though; that is the country I live in. People who would rather watch the movies than ever read a book.

That is why Jon and Kate Plus 8 is now a national headline. Stupidity.

Veggie Pushers

I've recently become a vegetarian, well more like a pescetarian (I still eat some fish and shell fish), and I've noticed a very negative vibe amongst some 'veggies'.

I do not appreciate holier-than-thou attitudes about being vegan or vegetarian. I can understand having adult, mature and informative conversations or correspondence about being vegetarian. Giving people information and explaining the health benefits and the environmental benefits of living a veggie lifestyle is positive.

Making people feel like you're better than them or smarter than them just because you're a veggie makes other vegetarian and vegans look like assholes. Now I don't wonder why people have this strange predisposition to dislike vegetarians. I figured it out. Some veggies, and not all of them obviously, are just rude and condescending about their lifestyle/diet choice. It's almost like discrimination; you're automatically above them because they don't live like you do.

People who love meat make fun of vegetarians because most of them are ignorant. Those people will probably also die of heart attack due to high cholesterol; but isn't that what Social Darwinism is all about? Be happy and comfortable with your choice and be comfortable with theirs as well; they're worse for it and the only way they'll change is when they start to CARE.

Veggies don't need to behave like Jehovah's Witnesses and spread the message of the lifestyle like it's a religion. What is wonderful for one person isn't always the same for another. It's basic. Veggies aren't better than Carnivores. Carnivores aren't better than Veggies.

If you can be polite and informative when speaking to a non-veggie about vegetarianism or veganism than you have a much better shot at getting them to think about the benefits. If you can only preach and condescend in these situations, you should know that you're pretty much damaging the reputation of others like you.

I'm off to eat my dill and lime potato wedges. Mmm.

Exxon Feeling the Pain of Eco-Friendliness? Good for 'Green' People!

Well I know that people who push the Green lifestyle on others, or… ahem, suggest the Green lifestyle can’t take all the credit for Exxon’s plummet in earnings this year. However, we can help keep it going down.

A lot of people criticized Exxon for making such high profits last year when American’s were struggling with the high gas prices. Why is this company making so much money and charging us so much for our gas? American’s were very put off. Exxon sent an army of public relations people to cable news networks to reassure the American people that it was simply a matter of supply-and-demand, not greed and high prices.

Well, personally, I feel a little vindicated. I didn’t have a car for six months and realized, you don’t really NEED a car. People don’t HAVE to be slaves to the car or oil industry, or any industry for that matter. Public transit isn’t what the ‘entitled elite’ think it is. Hell, the upper classes are the worst for the environment!

The rich people in America are the ones spending the most money on private planes (horrible waste of resources) because they’re ‘too good’ to just fly with the little people; they’re driving the least efficient cars (hello, Louis Vitton printed Cadillac Escalade… that makes me want to barf), they have these million square foot homes that suck up ungodly amounts of energy (could you IMAGINE that electricity bill?). Does anyone REALLY need thirty bedrooms Candy Spelling? I think the ‘wrapping paper room’ is just a little ridiculous. I digress.

Exxon took such a big hit because people are only driving to and from work, pretty much. No one wants to waste the small amount of money they are earning on gas. Who wants to fill the coiffures of a Texas oil man? Not I. People are driving less, spending less on oil, and the environment is better for it. Everyone is better for it. Well, except big oil fat cats.

Now, imagine, if people started riding bikes or even scooters to the grocery store; if people began buying hybrid, electric or Prius-type cars? The Exxon’s out there would finally be forced to produce less. There would be so much less tar on the once beautiful beaches of Texas that’s for sure! I went to South Padre last summer and never will again. It’s just far too depressing. You can literally see the oil rigs not too far off of the coast and you can feel the tar that gets stuck to your feet and I can only imagine what the poor marine life is like around there. I don’t even want to investigate that.

American’s can do SO MUCH that isn’t exactly difficult to do. Do something. Just do one small thing. It’s so disgusting how resistant some people are to Green living. They say ‘Green living’ with a look on their face like they ate a lemon rind and all. Is it annoying that there are individuals in this world who want to make sure that the Earth is livable for their grandchildren? I don’t think so. Is it off-putting that people are holding corporations responsible for the amount of waste they put into our environment? No way in hell. Unless, of course, you're a wasteful company like the makers of Red Bull that just got fined a pretty penny for not adhering to the UK government's waste regulations. Idiots.

I’m loving Greenpeace more and more. People can attack them all they want for being ‘radicals’ but what would this world be like WITHOUT radicals for positive change? It would be a hell of a lot more different, and worse.

Let’s put Exxon in the history books. I can’t WAIT for the Nissan Leaf to be released and watch how many people decide to ‘go green’ and buy one. It’s 100% electric and obviously zero emission-causing. It’s a cool looking little car and when people realize that they’ll save a lot of money and the environment by driving it, Exxon and the likes are going to be PISSED. I can’t wait. I can only imagine CEO’s and COO’s scrambling to start saving money and telling their wives to stop planning the $500,000 vacation. I want to see those oil rigs off of the coast of South Padre to be broken down and the steel repurposed for building something for the betterment of humanity.

A few things I decided I’m going to start doing to ‘save the world’:

1. Recycle. It isn’t difficult to do people, stop being so lazy. Some cities in America are implanting chips into people’s recycling bins. Sounds a little creepy but the environmentalist in me doesn’t mind. They’ll know who’s recycling and who isn’t. Those who aren’t, are going to get a lot of annoying phone calls and pamphlets on recycling until they either start doing it or have a nervous breakdown, I’m OK with that.
2. Pee in the shower. Sounds gross, I know, but do you know how much water would be saved if people started peeing when they were in the shower? I’m not saying drop a deuce in your tub, that’s just nasty. There are actual ads being run in other countries (can’t think of which ones right now) that promote peeing in the shower. Besides the water being saved, recent studies have shown that birth control hormones aren’t completely filtered out of our tap water. Notice all the young boys with boobs? How about the 8-10 year old girls that already have a full bra and have to have their mom’s buy tampons? Yeah, that’s why. There are actual trends of boy’s testicles taking longer to drop due to this. Think about how horrible they’re adolescence must be.
3. Buying a Nature Mill Home Compost Machine. These things are only $299 and they are absolutely ingenious! Having a problem with your ‘green thumb’? Well, not after you buy this thing. You put almost ALL of your food waste in this thing (no citrus, no peach pits) and it churns it and heats it just slightly so that it becomes compost faster. It takes two weeks and you have organic compost. It pays for itself. If you’re wondering about the stink of having a compost machine in your kitchen, don’t. There are carbon filters that take care of that; oh, and they last 5 years. Not too shabby. You prevent waste in landfills (food is the most commonly wasted material on Earth), you feel good that you’re doing something for the environment; you also get wonderful compost to grow the best flowers or food-producing plants. Go to www.naturemill.com. Check it out.

You don’t have to do much. You don’t need to join Greenpeace or go Vegetarian (although it is wonderful for your health). You don’t have to ride public transit all the time. You just have to DO something. Stop being careless with the Earth or it’s going to turn on everyone and the environment will stop being something people enjoy on a sunny day and it will become something people fear.

To People in Grocery Stores Who...

...write checks: Why the hell are you still using checks? Do you realize that you can fill everything but the price out while you're waiting to be checked out RATHER than have everyone behind you wait while you struggle to find a pen and THEN fill it out. We're all burning a hole in the back of your head with our eyes. You are being inconsiderate. Get with the times. At least use cash if you're too stupid to manage a Visa Check Card. You can balance your checkbook the exact same way with a debit card, here's the difference: it's FASTER and no one has to wait for your dumb ass to fill out a check. Oh yeah, even YOU old people

.... don't have enough money to pay: It's called a list. Use them. Know how much money you have BEFORE you go to check out and make sure you have enough to pay for what you picked up. I keep a mental tally in my head of how much I've spent while I'm shopping at the grocery store. If you're not intelligent enough to handle that EVERYONE has a calculator on their cell phone, try it. You could even use a tip calculator (most new models have them) to figure out what the tax will be. We're all waiting for you to figure out what you want to return after it's all been bagged. You're wasting every one's time and frustrating the poor check-out people. You look embarrassed, you should be. You look stupid, you probably are.

... don't pay attention to where they're going: Why the hell aren't you watching where you're going with a cart filled to the brim that weighs over 100 pounds? Do you realize that if you knocked someone over and they fell and injured themselves on a shelf, box, etc. you could be sued? I would sue you. I have a back injury and no insurance, I'll get a lawyer that could figure out how to make sure you pay for my medical bills for the rest of my life. All because you were too busy chatting on your cell phone, pushing the cart with one hand and not looking forward as you practically speed-walk through the crowded store. Please pay attention to where you're going.

... can't control their children: Leave your bratty children at home. The crying is bad enough. I can't count the number of times I've seen a child spanked or slapped in the middle of a grocery store or even thrown over a shoulder (well, that's fine because at least they were being taken OUT OF THE STORE). If your child is well-behaved then they'll get comments like, 'Your little girl is so cute!' from strangers rather than eye-rolls, guffaws and sideways glances while they're questioning your parenting capabilities. The way your child behaves in public is most DEFINITELY a reflection on how you are raising them. If they tear around the store, knocking things over and bumping into people- you're obviously not doing the best job. The crying and screaming about how they want something is just as bad. Why is it when your child throws themselves on the floor, kicking and screaming and crying, you don't have the consideration for the people around you to TELL THEM TO STOP rather than ignoring them? That whole, 'Ignore them and they'll stop.' Theory doesn't always work. Oh, and by the way, you could always just NOT take your kids to the grocery store. That is an option. I'm just saying.

... work there and are incompetent: I get that working at a grocery store isn't exactly some one's first pick or career goal in life. However, if you're going to work there, maybe you should know what it is that you're doing. I'm sure there is training to some degree involved in working at a grocery store. So why is it that the employees are complete morons? I get that you hate your job and you have to deal with stupid people and your self-important managers all day (I mean really, why are grocery store managers so arrogant?) but when I smile and say, 'hello' to you when it's my turn to be checked out, do you HAVE to make a total bitch-face and completely disregard me? You know how you have to offer those things at the end of the line that are on sale? Well, you know if you DON'T offer them to me I get one free? I'm going to do that to every shithead grocery store clerk. You're rude to me and don't offer me whatever is on sale I will be asking for it for free. And when you ask why or if you act irritated that I did that, I'm going to tell you why. Then I'm going to leave with my free toothpaste or batteries.

And finally...

To people in grocery stores who think they can talk to me in line: I am not by any means an affable person. I don't look like the kind of person you'd want to strike up a random conversation with. Tell me WHY every time I go to the grocery store the person behind or in front of me starts chatting with me? I politely smiled and nodded at the first and second thing you said, that doesn't mean 'keep going, I'm interested' that means 'I don't know you and I don't want to talk to you, that's why I f-ing turned around.' I don't want to talk to you about Michael Jackson dying because you saw the cover and think it's awful. I wish all the child molesters in the world would die so he's just another one down to me. I don't even like his music. Never have. I don't want to hear about how expensive you think milk has gotten. I buy organic, hormone-free milk and pay a whole lot more than you do buying that unhealthy store brand shit pumped full of chemicals and hormones. That's why your kid has man-tits by the way. Way to be a good mom. You should worry a little more about what you're feeding your kids instead of how much milk costs.

I can't help that I notice how everyone around me seems to lack common sense. It frustrates me. I'm surrounded by idiots. Blame my parents, they taught me all about common sense and consideration for people around me, those assholes (it's a joke mom).

That is all.

Ricin Threats at Seattle Gay Bars

11 gay bars in the Seattle, W.A. area have been sent anonymous threat letters stating that one Saturday this month they will be attacked with Ricin.

Ricin: a protein toxin that is extracted from the castor bean. The lethal amount of this is about one grain of salt for a person. Ricin is poisonous if inhaled or ingested. There is no known antidote.

Chemical warfare against gays? Really?! Who in Seattle thinks that they're Hitler? Why is it that these nutjobs want to kill gay people with a lethal chemical weapon?

Spanking Kids

So I was watching my local news and saw that Massachusetts want to make spanking kids ILLEGAL. They want it to be illegal to spank your own child in your own home. Ridiculous.

The lawmakers apparently don't understand that there are already laws about child abuse. Child abuse is punching, burning, sexually assaulting, drowning or pulling children's hair to punish them, not spanking them on the butt. MAYBE if local governments took care of the children that were abused after the FIRST time, people wouldn't have children to abuse. Repeat offenders are being given custody of their children after beating them, that's a little more important than spanking isn't it? Maybe these people should be more concerned with keeping those children safe.

I got spanked with my mom and dad's hand and I also got spanked with a red patent leather belt, I never whined about child abuse. I was a bad little child sometimes and bad children need to be spanked. It's not like parents hit their kids that hard anyhow. These people are touchy-feely hippies. Some lady in the news report said, "I have never spanked my children and they turned out fine... I think that spanking leads to other crimes against children." She's an idiot. Her children are just going to grow up to be passive aggressive nutcases like her.

I don't condone hitting children, but a smack on the butt never killed or dramatically traumatized anyone. People have the right to discipline their children how they sit fit. Discipline, not abuse.

Christmas "Naughty and Nice" List

Whoever came up with this list, is an idiot. Some Christians are banding together to boycott stores that don't advertise the holiday season as Christmas.

Some stores on the "Naughty" list are: Banana Republic, Bloomingdale's, GAP, Home Depot, K-Mart, Nordstrom, Sears.

Some stores on the "Nice" list are: Bath and Bodyworks, Big Lots, Dillards, Dollar Tree, JCPenny, KB Toys, Lord and Taylor, Macy's, Sam's Club, Target, Toys-R-Us, Walmart.

I'm so sure that the big wigs at GAP or Bloomingdale's are just SHAKING in their boots over this list. These Christians are getting a little big-headed aren't they? Do they really think that they have that much sway? If they want stores to advertise to Christians they should start a Christian advertising firm, otherwise, they should just shut up.

I don't think the Christians understand what they're asking for so let me shine a little light on the issue with their halo's; if you expect every store to advertise to Christians then all the other religions are going to want to be advertised to as well. GAP doesn't give a flying rat's ass about what religion is buying their fleece-lined outerwear or over-priced cotton sweaters for relatives that they don't really even like. Target is more concerned with selling crap-upon-crap that people don't really need than targeting YOU just because you worship Jesus. Next thing you know the Muslims and the Jews will be demanding we advertise for all of their holidays, does anyone realize how many that would be?

Stores generally advertise for "Holidays" because there is more than one event during December. Steer past your ignorance for just a second and realize that these stores are selling gifts for the other holidays as well. Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are holidays in December where people give and receive gifts you know? Weird. So "Christmas" advertising wouldn't be relateable for them would it? No. The word "Holiday" (as politically correct as it is, and I HATE PC crap) is a more all-encompassing word so that everyone feels comfortable buying crap from these stores.

So don't shop at GAP or Target Christians, or at least make sure you sound self-righteous enough when you tell all your friends that you're not going to shop at those stores, and then do anyway because Target has great deals and GAP has cute PJ's that make PERFECT gifts for people you don't know that well.

Vaccines Vs. Common Sense

So parents in Prince George's county, Maryland were all up in arms about being required to have their children vaccinated or child protective services would be called on them or they would be serving 10-30 days in jail.

Well, I guess it just makes sense to have your child vaccinated doesn't it? Do these parent's really want their child to die from a childhood illness that could have been prevented with vaccination? Some stupid hippies and government conspiracy theorists are trying to raise eyebrows with a theory that vaccines cause autism and the government is trying to cover it up. The government doesn't care enough about children to provide them with proper healthcare why would they spend that much time and energy covering up something like that?

Stop being hippies and get your damn kids vaccinated. I wouldn't even allow children that didn't have updated vaccination records into any school. If you want your kid to be sickly then my children shouldn't have to be forced to be around them. Homeschooling people, that's what the hippie kids need. I've gotten tons of vaccinations thanks to government medical insurance and so have hundreds of people I know and not a single one of them is autistic. So there goes that theory.

On the point of whether delaying or stopping vaccinations all together is child abuse, my personal opinion is, absolutely. Vaccinations provide children with barriers against horrible and possibly deadly illnesses. If you are denying your child the things that provide health, you are abusing them. It's like a lie by omission, if you omit these shots you are apathetically abusing your children. The chance of a child getting sick from a vaccination is so slim but people still feel the need to "raise awareness" about the "evils" of vaccines. Get a life, raise awareness about STD's in public schools.

Where to start?

So being bored at work as I usually am, I decided to take out my frustrations involving current events on this here blog.

Today's topic is going to be Eco-Terror. That sounds really boring but this is hilarious.

Gareth Groves of Northwest Washington buys a brand-spanking-new Hummer and brings it home to his neighborhood full of environmentally aware people. Northwest Washington, yeah, they like trees and stuff.

Well he parks it for all of the tree-huggers to see and loath. This guy seems suprised that someone vandalized the hunk-of-junk-display-of-stupidity-and-wealth. Seriously, buying a Hummer is like wearing a big sandwich board that says, "I'm stupid and I have money that I don't know what to do with." I digress.

The Eco-minded vandals keyed "FOR THE ENVIRON" on the side of the Hummer after slashing the tires and smashing all the windows. The Fox News report said that they were "two masked men". No one in the whole neighborhood can manage to think up who could do such a thing. Yeah, right. They aren't turning in one of their own. On the flipside, they should teach their vandals how to spell or finish words if they're going to vandalize. Spelling errors muddle your message vandals!

When this Gareth guy (what kind of name is that anyway?) was interviewed he said that he was "...in shock..." and one of his buddies, Andy Sexton said, "I'd say one in five people who come by have that 'you-got-what-you-deserve' look." Well, yeah because that's EXACTLY what they're thinking.

The people in this neighborhood are riding their bikes to the store and driving Prius', they don't want to look at a gas-sucking idiotmobile and imagine what it's doing to their precious environment.

It looks like this guy has a 40 thousand dollar lawn ornament until he can afford to get it fixed. My advice, get it fixed and trade it in for something that doesn't make you look like a huge douchebag. I mean, this guy KNEW that his neighbors would hate it, he deserved it. He probably just bought the thing to get a rise out of the community. 12 miles to the gallon, seriously? Paying for gas that often is more stupid than the fact that it's an off-road vehicle that will never see anything but paved roads and maybe the occasional gravel driveway.

So, Gareth Groves, either find out who did it and make them pay to get your moron-car fixed (you've already alienated all of your neighbors anyway), or move somewhere where people care less about how you're contributing to destroying the Earth.