Karma - it'll bite you in the keester.

.. but Sulu is gay.

Almost as shocking as Cheryl Swoopes...

I think it's interesting that this was such a huge story this week for the WNBA player, but with George? Not so much.

Or perhaps the mass media hasn't gotten word of it yet...

It's official - David Lee Roth is taking over for Howard Stern in many of his major markets.

Apparently, DC won't be one of them - as we're getting local radio personalities "The Junkies."  The lesser of two evils, I guess...

I have a feeling I'll be listening to the all-news station for my commute into work in 2006. Or MP3s...

Hey everybody! Want to see a picture of the newest pop music pre-teen sensations?



Those faces belong to Lynx and Lamb Gaede, thirteen year old twins from Bakersfield, California. Coincidentally, enough - just like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were! It's a remarkable ressemblance, isn't it?

Oh wait - my bad. The Olsen Twins are actually from Sherman Oaks, California. Oops.

But you know what else they have in common? The Graede Twins and the Olsen Twins are both involved in the White Supremacy movement!

Wait - my bad again. The Olsen Twins aren't actually sick racist fucks after all.

Yes. You read that correctly. Sick racist fucks. See ABC's PrimeTime story about it here.

I know that it may seem rather harsh. I mean, they're thirteen years old. And per the article, they've been homeschooled by their mom, April. Who is racist and teaches about white nationalism and preservationism. And I guess it might have something to do with her own father, an old guy who likes to display a swastika all over pretty much anything with which he comes into contact.

And, to the twins' credit, they set aside funds to donate to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The white victims, but victims nonetheless. "

Then again, they sing racist songs. They praise Nazi leaders from the Holocaust. Like their song "Sacrifice" about Rudolf Hess. I mean, Come on! Who writes songs about Rudolf Hess nowadays? (In their defense, all of the good songs about Josef Mengele have probably already been written. )

Anyhow, read the article. Do a web search on "Prussian Blue," the name of their band. (It's not the Russian band of the same name.) Read their online community forum. Except for the "Jewish Behavior" and "Revisionist History" categories which are marked "Private." At least they're marked "private" on my computer. Maybe they know I'm Jewish...

Make up your own mind about this. Should these two new racist pop sensations be held responsible for their music?

I made a mistake today.

For reasons I won't make clear at this time, I needed to go to the local "Party City" to buy an inflatable guitar today.  And I decided to go at about 5:15 when I knew that today, a Sunday, they would close at 6.

The inflatable guitar has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween.

Apparently, I was the only one in the store (aside from the employees) who wasn't in there to buy Halloween costumes, decorations, candy, props, maks or spooky paraphanalia.

The lines for the registers were long. Not as long, however, as the line for the changing room - flanked by lots of parents and kids who needed to try on the latest Spongebob costune, Or "Thing" from the Fantastic Four. I'm happy I didn't even have to venture over to that side of the store.

Where was I going with this? Oh yeah - NEW RULES:

(1) If you're in line to check out with your kids, it's fine to let them roam the store to pick up everything and anything and request funding to buy it. However - once you're actually making your transaction, that's the cut-off time for shopping.

(2) If you're a parent, BE ASSERTIVE. Kudos to the mom in front of me who turned down her son who wanted to buy a plastic bowl with an animated hand sticking out of it. "You know, Mom. For the kids getting candy."  Mom told her son that "we have plenty of bowls at home." It's as simple as that.  Parents - YOU ARE ALLOWED (expected, even!) TO SAY NO TO YOUR KIDS.  I'm talking to you, Mrs. "fine, we'll get a full-sized coffin. But that's it, kids."

(3) I know it's tough, but everything needs a UPC code attached firnly to it. Everything. Firmly.

(4) In the case where #3 cannot work, Party City Employees must know the name of the item being purchased. "Hey, Amalia? I need a price check on this - it's a plastic... um... pitchfork? I don't know. It's got three pointy, um... points at the end, you know, with spikes."

(5) To answer a question the kid standing behind me had - No, sweetie. Those "Bob the Builder" tattoos are temporary, not permanent. At least I think so...

(6) If you require an inflatable guitar, buy one off-season.

Any other rules I'm forgetting?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051020/ap_on_en_mu/people_jackson

If I could think of a joke funnier than the story I'd tell you.

Do a news search through Google on the term "American Girl" and you'll find one of the latest flavors of political "non-story" stories.

Here's the gist: "American Girl" is a subsidary of Mattel, Inc. which sells dolls and children's books. They've been a long-standing American tradition.

Recently, "American Girl" has started to sell a wristband emblazened with the phrase "I CAN." It's part of an empowerment campaign for girls - in fact, proceeds are directed through to educational programs for "Girls Inc.," a national non-profit organization which describes its mission as "inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold."

"Girls Inc." used to be known as the Girls' Clubs of America. Started 141 years ago, this organization has helped girls - especially those from underpriveleged socioeconomic backgrounds - to achieve a healthy self-esteem and a healthy lifestyle. They've helped with 1.8 million dollars of college scholarships to women who have become leaders, championing the causes of equal rights for women and championing legislation for the Violence Against Women act.

So - why the news story? Because groups now want to boycott the doll company for supporting Girls Inc.

I'll be fair about this - and will quote from the websites which are advocating the boycott:

"Parents need to know that this effort to promote self-esteem among girls is not as innocent as it seems," commented League Executive Director Ann Scheidler. "While Girls Inc. has some good programs, they also support abortion, oppose abstinence-only education for girls, and condone lesbianism."

The above was taken from the front page of http://www.prolifeaction.org/. They cite the following information. The italicized emphasis is theirs:

Excerpts from the Girls Inc. advocacy statement on girls' health makes their anti-family agenda clear (emphasis added):

• "Girls Incorporated supports a woman's freedom of choice, a constitutional right established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 in Roe vs. Wade."
• "To make responsible decisions about sexuality, pregnancy and parenthood, girls need and have a right to sensitive, truthful sexuality education; convenient access to safe, effective methods of contraception and protection from disease; and referral to comprehensive information, counseling, clinical and other services that support their responsible decisions."
• "Girls have a right to positive, supportive environments and linkages to community resources for dealing with issues of sexual orientation."

The "American Family Association has their own page encouraging a boycott of "American Girl" products. There's even a boilerplate letter that you can copy and email to the head honchos of the organization. Check out http://www.afa.net/petitions/issuedetail.asp?id=154 if you feel the need. Of course, their proof is with statements they read which they find completely disgusting, as they write: They also support and offer resources encouraging lesbian and bi-sexual lifestyles, actually offering resources for girls. One of their publications states, "The emergence of a lesbian identity is an ongoing process, rather than an event." Shocking! Looks like they've caught Girls Inc. red-handed...

American Girl's response? "We are profoundly disappointed that certain groups have chosen to misconstrue American Girl's purely altruistic efforts and turn them into a broader political statement on issues that we, as a corporation, have no position."

Maybe it's just me, but the statements that these anti-abortion, so-called "pro-family"websites are taking straight from Girls Inc. appear to support empowering women to make responsible and educated decisions for themselves. Ownership of one's own life and destiny. Deserving - and getting - the truth about one's own identity, whether it be physical, psychological or sexual in nature. It's out there to help girls grow up to become strong women.

But hey - let's throw all of that away because the website mentions a frank discussion on abortion and explorations of feelings which some folks consider to be taboo. Heaven forbid you teach girls to think on their own...

The message of "I CAN" is an important one for girls to hear. And read. And believe. And it's a shame that groups out there are trying to squelch that message.

Columbus Day is such an iffy holiday.

Who gets it off? Who works?  I know that the Federal and local government, on the most part, are off. So are most schools.  But not all.

Verizon and Comcast are on a limited crew. BellSouth seems to have a full staff today. It just seems to be such a... random Monday holiday nowadays.

Okay. You know why I'm upset? Because trash pickup all over our area will be picked up this week as scheduled.  Except for our township which delays it a day because of the holiday.

And we have a lot of trash to be picked up. Not soon enough.

I wonder if Ferdinand and Isabella had our waste management services in mind when they financed Columbus's trip...

Anyone else notice that Katie Holmes' pregnancy has slipped through the media at breakneck speed?  It's as if it's already yesterday's news!

Maybe I'm the only one, but I think this is going to be a big test for her to see if she can stay sexy for her man. After all - if that figure goes by the wayside, Tom will be more inclined to... Cruise.