This is Geek Week on the Rachel Maddow show, so in honor of that, and of the recent STS-132 mission, here’s a picture of Atlantis docked at the International Space Station as it transits across the Sun!
Picture from “Bad Astronomy”.
In Honor of Geek Week
May 26, 2010
News, Pictures Atlantis, Geek Week, International Space Station transits sun, ISS, NASA, Rachel Maddow Show Leave a comment
QueerVisalia’s Pride In The Park hits the newspaper
May 24, 2010
Gay, News, Personal gay pride, Harvey Milk Day, PITP, Pride in the Park, Queer Visalia Leave a comment
Monday’s Visalia Times Delta contains a short article about Saturday’s Pride in the Park celebration put on by QueerVisalia. Although I thought the usage of “alternate lifestyle” was a bit odd, overall I’m happy with the article. I was mentioned by name in the article, so there’s that. 😉
Attendance was less than the previous two years, and we’re still trying to decide just why that might have been. We’ll be kicking around ideas for next year’s event during the next weeks and months. If you have any suggestions, be sure to send them along.
In the meantime, keep checking back at the online article, the comments are sure to get interesting, and probably maddening!
Busy Saturday! PITP, SFGMC, more!
May 23, 2010
Gay, News, Personal, Pictures Harvey Milk Day, Pride in the Park, San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus 2 Comments
Katie, Kristeen, Amanda help kick off Pride in the Park 3
One of the big problems with working swing shifts forever, is that your body is trained, and firm in it’s patterns, about going to bed late, and rising late. When something requires an early start, the body (mine anyway) doesn’t really see the need to cooperate. I’m not one who can change my pattern on short notice, so I didn’t get much sleep the day before the festivities. We had a fun 5 hours in Plaza Park, at Queer Visalia’s third annual Pride in the Park picnic and BBQ. The weather was wonderful (a tad chilly for skinny guys like me whenever the sun went behind one of the cottonball looking clouds blowing overhead) but sunshiny and warm. We avoided the 95+ degree temperatures of PitP’s of the past, and enjoyed a great afternoon of burgers, hotdogs, volleyball, and socializing. Jesse brought his new puppy, and of course was the center of attention showing him off! I neglected to get a picture, sorry!
After Pride in the Park, I went to Fresno to see the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus at the Tower Theater.
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
They came, they sang, they wore pink cowboy hats! (in one song) Such a powerful and moving performance, having the audience in tears one moment, and roaring in laughter the next. The Fresno Gay Men’s Chorus also performed, doing several songs, my favorite which was “Color in Colorado”… very good!
Dinner afterwards at Livingstone’s, then home. A busy day celebrating Visalia Pride and Harvey Milk Day! This is the first annual Harvey Milk Day in California, as passed by the state legislature and signed by Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger. Harvy would have turned 80 yesterday.
More pics of the day after the jump.
Some Old Signs Remain
May 20, 2010
commentary, News Civil Rights Act of 1964, Rachel Maddow, racial discrimination, Rand Paul Leave a comment
Photo by Sarah Goodyear, on Rachel Maddow's Blog
In a conversation with Republican Senate candidate from Kentucky, Rand Paul, Rachel Maddow asked about recent comments he made regarding the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Rather than give a direct answer, Mr. Paul danced around the question, leaving the impression that he was fine with the idea that a private businessman should have the right to discriminate against anyone he wants, and that the government didn’t have the right to tell him he could not. Mr. Paul defended the law as it applies to government, but would not come right out and say either businesses had a right to discriminate against anyone they liked, or they do not. He may have just handed the election to his Democratic rival.
No, You Can’t. Don’t Hold Your Breath
May 15, 2010
News DADT, Defense Authorization Request FY 2011, President Obama Leave a comment
For the second year in a row, the National Defense Authorization Act request sent by the White House to Congress does not include language to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue”. After repeated assurances to gay rights groups and activists by President Obama that he wanted to repeal the rule, and that they were “working” on it, the budget request for FY 2011 is silent on DADT. Read the Service Members Legal Defense Network’s press release after the fold.
Last Flight of the Shuttle Atlantis
May 14, 2010
commentary, News, Personal Atlantis, flying car, Mars, moon base, NASA, Space Shuttle Leave a comment
Space Shuttle Atlantis Photo Credit NASA
As of this writing, the Space Shuttle Atlantis sits on the pad at Kennedy Space Center Florida, ready for today’s liftoff on a mission to the International Space Station. Barring any last-minute reprieves, this will be Atlantis’ last flight. After this mission, Orbiter OV-104, first flown in 1985, will be removed from service as NASA retires the Shuttle fleet. There are only a few more flights remaining in the construction of the International Space Station, and once those flights are done, the shuttle program will be ended. The orbiters will be safed, and shipped off to various museums and institutions for display.
Once the last Space Shuttle lands sometime in 2011, the United States will have no manned access to space. While there is an impressive list of rockets in NASA’s fleet, once the Shuttles are retired, American astronauts will only be able to go into space on the rockets of other nations, primarily Russia.
Essentially, the only way for the United States to access it’s Space Station is to hail a cab.
Homosexual Families Don’t Count
May 10, 2010
commentary, Gay, News, Personal gay rights stuggle, Iowa camping regulations, Merlin Bartz Leave a comment
Merlin Bartz, Iowa State Senator
This man does not believe your family should be treated the same as other families.
Merlin Bartz, a state Senator in Iowa, is trying to block the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from changing the wording of regulations regarding camping sites at state parks. The regulations in question refer to the ability of a family group to pitch more than one tent in a campsite. In one part of the regulations, a reference is made to “mother, father, children”. “They’re citing the Supreme Court case and changing, you know, ‘husband and wife’ language to ’spouse,’ ” Bartz is quoted at RadioIowa. (He’s not even getting the regulation he doesn’t want changed correct! It’s clear it’s not well functioning state campsites he’s worried about!)
Iowa’s Supreme Court ruled in April 2009 that denying same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The court overturned the Iowa Defense of Marriage Act, in effect legalizing same sex marriage. The ruling was unanimous. As government agencies move to make their regulations reflect the law, right wing forces have tried to prevent those changes.
Even after we’ve won, we can’t relax our vigilance. The forces of hate will still be out there, and they’ll still think we’re evil.
BoobQuake Results In – Earth Shrugs At Immodest Women
April 29, 2010
commentary, Humor, News, Personal atheist, boobquake, earthquakes, Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedigh, Jen McCreight, science Leave a comment
Photo by David Collins
What happens when a self-proclaimed “liberal, geeky, nerdy, scientific, perverted atheist feminist trapped in Indiana” dashes off a snarky response to Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi’s comments that immodest women corrupt men and cause earthquakes? BOOBQUAKE!
On April 19, 2010, Jen McCreight dashed off some comments on her blog, Blag Hag, before running off to watch one of her favorite TV shows. Little did she suspect what her little spur of the moment missive would become!
On Monday, April 26th, I will wear the most cleavage-showing shirt I own. Yes, the one usually reserved for a night on the town. I encourage other female skeptics to join me and embrace the supposed supernatural power of their breasts. Or short shorts, if that’s your preferred form of immodesty. With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake. If not, I’m sure Sedighi can come up with a rational explanation for why the ground didn’t rumble. And if we really get through to him, maybe it’ll be one involving plate tectonics.
Well, the internet being what it is, and the general response by straight males (and plenty of women, as well) to anything to do with boobs, it took off. Read the initial blog post by Jen here. The BOOBQUAKE event took place, and the results are in!
Jen has been interviewed by media around the world, including the BBC and CNN. Quite the subject for her 15 minutes of fame, huh? Even though I can only appreciate boobs from a purely aesthetic point of view, all I can say is, you go girl!
JimmieJoe / KC6YRU 
An Act Of God? Or Just Incompetence?
June 4, 2010
Jim Reeves commentary, News, Personal, Pictures Beyond Petroleum, BP, British Petroleum, Gulf of Mexico, oil spill Leave a comment
“Drill, baby, drill!” – Sarah Palin, John McCain, Fox News, et al
“Government isn’t the solution, government’s the problem!” – Ronald Reagan
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