November 30, 2014

This is a heart breaking story

I don't want to put a damper on anyone's day, so please only read if you are ready for a heart breaking story.

This shows how important the need is to protect the rights of gay and lesbian families.

They painted the walls in two small rooms. Black and orange for the little boys. Mint green for the girl. They pasted stickers of motorcycles and butterflies. They bought a rubber ducky for the bathtub.

And they promised each other that they would give the children all they could, kisses after bedtime stories and toys to unwrap on Christmas morning and warm arms when the past, the nightmares, crept into their little minds.

In the northernmost part of Georgia, Candice Dean and Jamie Chambliss knew that people would reflect on their Bibles when they saw them — two women in love — and scorn. But they assumed that churchgoers would turn a blind eye for the sake of the children.

Now the doors to the children’s rooms stay closed. Toys gather dust. Pictures are hidden away.

The full story is here: http://projects.timesfreepress.com/2014/11/emptyarms/index.html



Just for context, to help understand the community setting, here is a story some may remember from five years ago:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2009/10/68500275/1#.VHsusP40cQ8

August 14, 2014

Jesus Christ Ferguson

They are firing rubber bullets in to the neighborhood now into people's houses

that stream is dead. Other's here: http://www.mediaite.com/online/watch-live-ferguson-residents-protest-michael-brown-shooting/

March 16, 2014

star wars clone wars

we've been watching the sixth season (well, the 13 episodes they made before Disney bought Lucas and pulled the plug). We just finished the arc with fives and order 66. I thought that was a great story line that really added to the overall story. So I'm glad for the extra episodes. But I wish that somehow they had occured before the Ahsoka Tanno series that ended season 5. I really wish that the last episode of season 5 had been the series finale, that these episodes from season 6 had occurred before, I get the impression that Filoni wasn't sure about a season 6 and wanted to make sure that Ahsoka was wrapped up in a way to avoid order 66.

February 27, 2014

help with server conundrum

This isn't a tipping question. Let me say I always tip well. And I'm a friendly person and joke with servers and have good interactions.

And this is probably just me and it is my problem.

But it creeps me out when the server puts their thumb in my plate. Like last night we took the kids to a casual chain restaurant. I got a salad, and it came in one of those casual chain restaurant salad bowl/plates, and the server is gripping it by the edge with his thumb just hanging in my salad.

It creeps me out.

Is it just me?

Is there not another way that they can carry those things? I think it is because they are carrying so many plates all lined up on their arms.

Could they just use a tray? Put the bowl with a plate underneath?

But the conundrum is this. How can I communicate that? I tipped the guy a little over 20%. I'd be aghast to say anything. Is there a way to communicate that its creepy to me and I wish they wouldn't do it without being a jerk? Without getting the poor guy in trouble? I know he's just doing his job and I appreciate that.

Is there a way to communicate that?

February 23, 2014

I need to crow

a lot of people won't get this. Maybe no one will.

I'm 45 and have bought a new car once before in my life. A ford. We had a hard time when the economy crashed and we've been trying to get back on our feet for the past six years.

We got to a point where our family is going to need a new vehicle. I've usually had used, and honestly that makes a lot of sense to me, but my wife and I were talking about a getting a new one for reliability rather than putting money in an old one.

So we were going to try and see what we could do.

Last Saturday we were planning on going to volkswagon and trying to get a passat.

Now, this is a big deal for us. My wife has had four saturns in a row. Right now she has a plastic sided made in Springhill vue. I've had three Fords, an oldsmobile and a pontiac.

We live in Chattanooga. But we lived in Michigan for the first eight years we were married and buying an American-American car was always important to us. We see it as a part of being American. I know that people have different attitudes about that and that is great, but it is our point of view. No worries.

So, we were pretty sure that the volkswagon plant here in Chattanooga was going UAW and we were going to get a "foreign" car that was made here in Chattanooga. For us that was a statement that it was it made here locally, and I've always only wanted American cars, but since they were going UAW we were going to do our best to get one to support them.

This vehicle will mostly be my car and my last four vehicles were trucks but I was talking myself into it.

Then last Friday night they voted it down. It was a surprise because they had always been leaning pro-UAW and VW wanted them to do it.

We didn't go to the VW dealership for the test drive last week.

We talked about it and decided we didn't want one.

Today we went to the ford dealership that sold us our last two used cars. To see what we could do.

They gave us a great freaking unbelievable deal on a new car.

They sold us the ultimate F-U republicans car that I can think of.

A ford C-Max. We bought a hybrid! A tree-hugging hybrid! We bought a new hybrid. That was built in DETROIT FREAKING MICHIGAN by UNION working AMERICANS.

For the same price a base Passat would have cost.

F-U TENNESSEE GOP!!!!!!! F-U and your "look what the unions did to Detroit" BS. That's me tooling along throwing you a bird.

February 10, 2014

State incentives for Volkswagen may depend on UAW vote, legislators say

Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press

A state senator said today that future financial incentives for expanding Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant may hinge on how workers vote this week on whether to accept the United Auto Workers.

Should workers vote for UAW representation, “I believe any additional incentives from the citizens of the state of Tennessee for expansion or otherwise will have a very tough time passing the Tennessee senate,” said State Sen. Bo Watson, R-Chattanooga.

Also, state Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, urged VW workers to vote “no” on the UAW.

“The taxpapers of Tennessee reached out to Volkswagen and welcome them to our state and our community. We are glad they are here. But that is not a green light to help force a union into the workplace. That was not part of the deal,” the House majority leader said at a press conference.

Read more: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/feb/10/state-incentives-volkswagen-may-hinge-uaw-vote-leg/

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The world freaks me out sometimes. VW wants the UAW to come in so the plant can have a works council like all other VW plants do. But the right wing is freaking out hard. I guess they forget that the GM (former Saturn) plant in Springhill is a UAW shop. They must be worried about their nissan buddies. I can't help but wonder what the Germans think about this.

February 9, 2014

VW officials defend company actions over Chattanooga election

Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press

Volkswagen officials in Chattanooga today defended the company’s call for an election, saying the potential for setting up a works council labor board is a part of a proven business model.

“The Volkswagen Group is proud of its record of cooperation and co-determination between employees, management and the communities in which we live and work. Our works councils are key to our success and productivity,” said Frank Fischer, chief executive of VW’s Chattanooga operations, in a statement. “Our plant in Chattanooga has the opportunity to create a uniquely American works council, in which the company would be able to work cooperatively with our employees and ultimately their union representatives, if the employees decide they wish to be represented by a union.”

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But, some anti-union VW plant workers have complained they feel the company is colluding with the UAW to steer the election results in the union’s favor. They have said, for example, they’ve been denied the opportunity to address groups of workers at the plant, which the UAW has been able to do.

Read more: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/feb/08/vw-officials-defend-company-actions-over-chattanoo/

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I've never heard someone complain that the corporation is conspiring with the union to try and force the union on them. Right wingers are so crazy. They are. They are just nuts.