The United States’ Department of Homeland Security has proposed finally lifting restrictions requiring same-sex couples to fill out separate customs declarations. Currently, heterosexual families are allowed to fill out one customs declaration per household, while same-sex couples are treated as if they were strangers that happen to be on the
Continue readingTag: United States
Those Emergency Blues: Fat Nurses Need Not Apply
A Texas hospital has declared war on the scourge of obese nurses: A Victoria [Texas] hospital already embroiled in a discrimination lawsuit filed by doctors of Indian descent has instituted a highly unusual hiring policy: It bans job applicants from employment for being too overweight. The Citizens Medical Center policy, instituted a
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Colonel Sanders Crosses the Delaware
Little-known to most historians, “Colonel” Harland Sanders crossed the Delaware on December 25, 1776, just after George Washington’s boat. For his help in feeding the troops and giving free soda refills during the brutal winter of 1776 he was made … Continue reading →
Continue readinggay persons of character: Video: Testimony, music by Stephen Schwartz
When I first read that the lyrics of Testimony were either taken from or inspired by the It Gets Better Project, I felt a slight repulsion in thinking that the video would be yet another simple attestation of life’s merits, post the phase of high school bullying. But, Testimony is
Continue readinggay persons of character: Video: Testimony, music by Stephen Schwartz
When I first read that the lyrics of Testimony were either taken from or inspired by the It Gets Better Project, I felt a slight repulsion in thinking that the video would be yet another simple attestation of life’s merits, post the phase of high scho…
Continue readinggay persons of character: Video: Testimony, music by Stephen Schwartz
When I first read that the lyrics of Testimony were either taken from or inspired by the It Gets Better Project, I felt a slight repulsion in thinking that the video would be yet another simple attestation of life’s merits, post the phase of high school bullying. But, Testimony is
Continue readingJoseph Lister, climate change and the arrogance of ignorance
Reading about the assassination of U.S President James Garfield recently, I encountered yet another example of the power and persistence of ignorance in the face of facts. Garfield was infamously killed not by his assailant’s bullets but by his doctors. He died not from his wounds but from the massive
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The United States and the Inequality Trap
A double-quick quiz to see if need to read this article or not – Is the following statement true? – Egalitarian societies are in general are more economically, socially and politically sound than those where inequality more pronounced. If you answered false go here and evaluate the evidence for
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Whose Strategy was on Your Front Porch?
We can’t keep letting Pierre Poutine get the credit for masterminding a national vote suppression conspiracy. Poutine is a side dish, not a main course. There’s no evidence that Poutine’s idea was the first, or the best, in an apparent illegal effort last year to benefit the Conservatives electoral chances
Continue readingAmericans primed for Iran attack
According to recent surveys, Americans are in a dovish mood on Syria and Afghanistan, but that mood is tempered by a hawkish attitude toward Iran. Two-thirds say the United States does not have a responsibility to interfere in the Syrian conflict. There is also strong opposition to bombing the Syrian
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Happy Saint Patrick’s Day
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, kids! If you’re planning on heading out to a parade—specifically the world’s largest in New York City—you likely won’t be surprised that Irish gay groups are still banned from marching (yes, in 2012). Gee, I wonder if there are places where Irish gays celebrating their heritage
Continue readingPeak oil? How about peak everything?
We are all familiar with the concept of peak oil. Oil is a non-renewable resource therefore at some point global production will reach its maximum capacity and then decline, creating an urgent need for alternate energy sources. Peak oil has already occurred in the United States, in 1970 in fact,
Continue readingFrom Orangutan: Dear Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Newt Gingrich,
Your tone is more convincing than your words.
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Nuclear Weapons, Iran, and War
With an all-too-familiar rhythm, the drums of war are sounding. The target? An authoritarian Middle Eastern regime set on acquiring exceptionally destructive weapons. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. This time around the country is Iran, and the weapons allegedly being developed are nuclear. The Israeli government (although
Continue readingIran under siege … for 2,500 years
David Cameron hoisted himself onto the world stage once again, as he is wont to do, and declared Iran an international threat. This is rich coming from a British PM. The Brits have been harassing Iran since the days of the Great Game. They invaded the country in the 1940s
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Utah Proposes Anti-Gay Censorship Bill
The Utah state senate has voted in favour of a bill forbidding discussion of homosexuality in classrooms, even if a question was posed by a student. Other jurisdictions are now reportedly considering legislation forbidding discussion of Utah.
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Here’s Why It Shouldn’t Be Up To The States
Even in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal, gay couples in the United States are paying a lot more in taxes because the federal marriage benefits available for straight couples aren’t available to gay ones. I guess that’s one strategy for paying down the debt—tax the gays instead of the
Continue readingFrom Orangutan: Dear Marc Jacobs,
Even though no law or regulation forces you to provide basic provisions for your models in the United States, would you please find the goodness in your heart to pay them with money?
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: RoboKhan And Other Images
I hope you can make use of some of these cheeky images that could help depict the RoboCon Robocalls scandal that is sweeping the nation. Hey, our democracy is a worldwide joke, so we may as well laugh a little. Beats crying. RoboKhaaaan! *Saskboy takes a quick bow for the
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