 network on its second tier of programming so folks like me will subscribe to more than the basics. And ESPNU was born.
Last season, one KU game was on ESPNU. We all just went to a bar and had a rockin' good time, foiling the evil plot. So this year, they put at least 3 KU games on the fledgling network. The puppet masters got their wish today as I gave in and called the cable company this afternoon. Consequently, I am happily sitting on my couch wrapped in a blanket, with my laptop, a glass of wine, and my pup while the Jayhawks have a double-digit lead over Kent State. I have also enjoyed surfing through all the new channels that come with my new tier of programming. Who's heard of Chill? I don't even know what that network is, but I found an episode of Twin Peaks on it, so I think I'm gonna like it.
The other thing I have discovered is the commercials that come with this new tier. The Hallmark Movie Channel and the Game Show Network don't have the car and fast food commercials we're used to from the big networks. They don't even have the commercials for local businesses and restaurants we see on basic cable. Instead, we get 30 second infomercials.
And, of course, if you call RIGHT NOW, we'll throw in this other, slightly less impressive but still amazing product for free. But wait, there's more! We'll throw in a second set for free! You'll get two ultra amazing doohickeys and two merely amazing thingamabobs for the price of one! That's a gazillion dollar value for the amazing low price of $19.95 (plus shipping and processing for each item...). We're practically giving them away! It's ridiculous and we're surely losing money, but this product is just so AMAZING, we wouldn't feel right not sharing it with the whole world.
Doesn't it seem that if these products are really that amazingly amazing, the manufacturers ought to be able to get more money for them?  But the voice the announcer uses (is it the same announcer in each commercial) is so hypnotic and he sounds so sure of the amazingness of the product, I find myself wanting the Perfect Pull-up gadget. 
The Portabook was impressive. A cheap, plastic thingie to prop up your laptop. I don't quite know how I've managed to use a laptop all these years without one. I also like the sound amplifier thing and I really respect the fact that the commercial blatantly recognizes that one of the ideal uses for the amplifier is to listen in on private conversations going on across the room.
But my personal favorite so far has been the snuggie. (www.getsnuggie.com) It's a fleece blanket with arms. Ideal for lying on the couch watching t.v. 'cause your arm can be under the blanket, but your hand still free to use the remote! Or you can wear it like a backwards bathrobe or take it to outdoor sporting events. (Ok, so it wouldn't really cover your backside then and the people all look like some weird kind of suburban monk, but their front sides and arms must be warm.) I think I need one. And if I call right now, I'll also get the amazing mini book light. Plus, a second snuggie and book light for free. I definitely need one. It would keep me so warm as I flip between SoapNet, Style, and WE.
Crazed shoppers at a Wal-Mart on Long Island trampled a worker to death as he tried to stop the unruly crowd from entering in a mob. Good lord.  Apparently a pregnant woman also got knocked to the floor. (Though there are conflicting reports, I believe the accurate report is that she is fine and still pregnant.) And when emergency responders tried to help the dying man, they were also pushed and shoved by the jackasses who cared more about saving a few dollars on a dvd player than the lives of their fellow humans.
Black Friday has never been more aptly named. And it needs to stop. Today should be the last day after Thanksgiving ever of ridiculous sales and early morning openings and lines of rabid crowds competing to get one of the 20 Wiis inside. I always thought it was an ugly display that brought out the worst of people's stinginess and greed, but this is so beyond that, there are no words. It's despicable, barbaric, heinous, atrocious, and cruel.
When the shopping on Black Friday stops being about spreading holiday cheer and buying nice gifts for people but instead becomes a mob scene, it's time to rethink Black Friday. How about stores go back to opening at their regular times, offering sales that will go on all weekend? People can show up at the store when they want, no one has to wait in lines, and maybe no one will wind up dead.
Thanksgiving really gets the shaft. Tonight, the local news is airing a Christmas-tree lighting. Snowflake labels and snowmen are on everything. Technically, that's not Christmas-related, but everyone knows the natural objects associated with Thanksgiving are leaves and pumpkins. The pumpkin spice lattes are off the board in early November to make room for the ginger and eggnog lattes. (Side note: Starbuck's new gingersnap latte is NOT the same as the old gingerbread latte. And it is definitely not as good.) Those lattes are served in the Christmas red cups.
It's not fair. Thanksgiving rocks. It is easily my favorite holiday. It's got fall, football, pumpkin pie, and that greatest of all foods, dressing. More than that, I love what it stands for. Maybe it's a bit idealized to think of newcomers to this continent and native Americans dining together in thanks of their mutual survival, but it sure makes for a nice story. It's a holiday that fully includes all Americans, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or anything else that can be used as a divider. It's all about unity and giving thanks.
But every year the stores and the news and the t.v. shows rush right past turkey day and go straight for the bigger pay day of Christmas. I refuse to play along. I will not break out any Christmas decorations before this coming weekend. I will not do any Christmas shopping, either. I stick to the pumpkin spice lattes. (Ok, I cracked and have had one or two ginger lattes, but I felt guilty.) I will not bake any Christmas foods or listen to any Christmas music.
This is Thanksgiving season and I intend to honor it. At least until all the left-overs are gone.
Well, that's just offensive. I know they don't have any credible medical research to back that up. Even if they do have some highly suspect research on their side, I know the majority of credible research refutes this claim. And even if it were true, it is not a justification for an all-out ban on gay adoptions. I would assume that the Florida Department of Children & Families already has a screening program in place to weed out potential foster and adoptive parents who have mental health issues.
The two young boys in this case, ages 4 and 8, have lived with Frank Gill and his partner for almost four years. Now I'm no math expert, but seems like that means the younger one doesn't know any other parents. According to the judge, it's uncontroverted that these two boys are thriving. What possible motivation could DCF have for wanting to remove these boys from a loving home in which they are thriving? What trauma would it do to the little one to take him away from the only home he's ever known? And what trauma would it do to the older boy, who sadly probably does remember something of his earlier life? How would that boy ever feel secure again if we take him away from the safe, loving home we put him in? It would just be cruel. Bravo to the judge for reaching the right decision. I do think it is not just the morally correct decision, but the legally correct decision. I don't think the state can even pass the rational basis test for this ban. There is no rational reason for the state to have a blanket prohibition against gays and lesbians adopting.  Is there a "straight lifestyle?") is not a reason for denying all gays and lesbians in the state the chance to adopt.
This is only a district court ruling, so there will be appeals. Here's hoping this will be the case that will get up to the Florida Supreme Court so they can finally get rid of this terrible ban that certainly is not in the best interests of Florida children.
Farting. Yep. A 13 year-old junior high student should absolutely be placed under arrest for passing gas and generally disrupting his classroom through non-violent means.
Here is the story of this kid who was charged with disruption of school function. This is what happens when we as a matter of course have "school resources officers" otherwise known as cops whose beats are public schools. We're reaching a point of turning any and every conflict or behavioral problem over to the cops. Here I wrote about a mentally ill client of mine who was referred to the cops by the very psychiatric ward who had taken responsibility for getting him through his violent, schizophrenic episode.
 A child disrupting a classroom should be dealt with through discipline or be made to see a counselor or both. Parents should be called and made to be more involved in addressing the child's behavior. If parents can't or won't get involved, then maybe protective services should get involved. But arresting the kid and charging him with a crime just shouldn't factor into