I Survived Light Rail

Yesterday was the grand opening for Valley Metro's new light rail service here in the Valley. It's a project that's been years in the making. My dad and I decided to head to downtown Phoenix to catch an exhibit at the Arizona Science Center and we figured that it would be a great opportunity to check out the new light rail system. We headed down to the Apache & Dorsey station because it was designated as a "Park & Ride" stop. We were greeted with a carnival-like atmosphere as there were a number of celebrations going on at several stations.

While I anticipated that people would come out on the first day, I hadn't realized that turnout would be as heavy as it was. While I heard reports of 2.5 hour waits, we managed to get the first train that stopped. That said, we were greeted with a train that was absolutely packed. It was a very un-Phoenix-like experience. Still, the riders seemed to be in good spirits -- the conductor would announce that he was closing the doors and would count down from 5 to 1 and the riders began counting down with him. The high point was crossing Tempe Town Lake and hearing the oohs and ahs as we glided over the water. Once we crossed into Phoenix, it became an actual clown car experience, as a clown made her way onto our already overcrowded car. I overheard a few passengers around me wishing physical violence on the wayward clown.

The trip back was a little more trying. I had hoped that perhaps things would settle down later in the day. I miscalculated. We headed for the 1st Avenue and Washington station after lunch. There were many more people than at the Apache & Dorsey station. The first train came and was full, I overheard some riders saying that they had seen several trains come and go and hadn't been able to get on. Officials at the station said that there was another train following in 5 or 10 minutes, but it ended up being around 20 minutes to the next train. Valley Metro was also running special buses along the light rail route for those who didn't want to wait, but as we saw those buses pass us by, they seemed as crowded as the light rail cars.

Fortunately, we were able to get on the second train, as I was determined to push my way on and make the trip back home. The trip back was less comfortable than the first -- the cars were more crowded on the way back, it seemed like everyone was tired and ready to get back home. I remember someone remarking that we were being herded like cattle, but I reminded him that because of a recent initiative passed, farm animals are required to have much more space for them to move.

Overall, I was very pleased with the experience. I'm glad they had so many people come out in support and I hope that people use it. I'm interested in seeing what the ridership is like once regular service starts. I'm also hoping they come to their senses and extend service on Friday and Saturday nights for people who want to hit the bars. I'm also interested in seeing how the areas around the line develop -- I'd have to believe that the land use around it is going to change quite a bit. It was a great start and I'm looking forward to seeing how things come together.

Hold Me, I'm Scared.

Its as if they're one person! Mommy, make it stop!

Huh?

Its a very simple question... Hillary Clinton, why do you want to be President?

"I think I have the best chance to win and I think I would be the best president. Whoever we nominate is going to have to be prepared to run a vigorous campaign against the full array of the Republican attack machine. I have been vetted for 15 years. You know everything about me probably including my blood type and there aren’t going to be any surprises. And I know what it takes to run against Republicans who are coming at you full bore and I know what it takes to beat them.

You know, when I ran for the Senate in 2000 I had a very vigorous campaign. I ran first against Mayor Giuliani and then he dropped out and then I ran against a young congressman who had the full force of the Republican party behind him. Between him and former Mayor Giuliani they raised and outspent me two to one. They ran ads against me accusing me of everything.

But I know what it takes to stand your ground and defeat Republicans and I have a track record that proves that. Nobody else has been through it in the way I have been through it. And I think it’s going to be important to have somebody who will be ready immediately in the campaign to stand up and fight back.

Secondly, for 35 years I have been working in the private sector, the advocacy world, as well as the public sector, on a broad range of experience that I think has given me the insight and understanding about how our country works and that will equip me to deal with the full range of problems we’re going to face.

And uniquely I have eight years of being in the White House as part of a presidential team working on issues from healthcare to welfare reform, to changing our adoption and foster care system, to representing our country around the world in more than 80 countries.

And it’s impossible to describe how difficult this job is on a daily basis because in the modern world it’s getting harder and harder because the demands are greater and you’ve got all kinds of incoming pressures every single minute of every single day.

And I have the experience now of having been on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue when I won that first race for the Senate, much to everyone’s surprise who said that I wouldn’t. And then I went to work for the people who sent me to the Senate, the people of New York, to get results for them, to bring economic development to rural areas, to work with the family farms – we have 34,000 of them in New York – to bring broadband to rural areas, to look for ways to improve the lives of the people I represented. So that when I ran again I was re-elected with 67 per cent of the vote, in Republican areas as well as Democratic areas.

So my range of experience is broader and deeper and I think well equips me for doing the tough job we have to have done starting as soon as you’re inaugurated. We’re not going to have any time to waste, we’re not going to have any margin for error and I believe that I can be the president that we need starting on January 20th 2009 and I hope you’ll look at my website and look at what I’m proposing and keep your mind open. Thank you.”

Yeah, thanks for clearing that up.

WoW Meets Politics

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned seeing this Toyota commercial to Adam:

While I've never actually played WoW, instead playing DDO and then moving on to Vanguard, I thought it was rather interesting because its an acknowledgment of just how extensive the reach of gaming has been. Overall, I gave the commercial a thumbs up and the big honking truck a thumbs down because I'm a MINI kind of guy, ya know?

Yesterday I encountered Mike Huckabee's new video:

On one hand, its somewhat refreshing to see a little humor in this incredibly overgrown political season. On the other hand, this is just very, very sad... its not as if Huckabee has any chance to secure the nomination but when lame Chuck Norris jokes start forming the basis of your appeal, you know you're scraping the bottom of the barrel. I know politics has increasingly turned toward the sound bite and bumper sticker slogans but this has to be the low point in the history of the Republic.

That said, if you're going to go for a WoW themed commercial, leave it to Coke and the Chinese to do it right:

Its Chinese Girl Power, baby!

Will You Be My Brother?

You've heard the arguments from conservatives -- "Save traditional marriage," they scream. "Its all about the children!"

Or is it? Historians have been unearthing evidence that same sex relationships have been accepted by both the Church and State in western societies in times past. “Western family structures have been much more varied than many people today seem to realize and Western legal systems have in the past made provisions for a variety of household structures,” writes Allan Tulchin, a professor at Shippensburg University.

He has uncovered legal contracts called an "affrèrement," roughly translated as brotherment. The contracts functioned like a marriage contract, sworn before a notary and witnesses and joined the property of the "brothers." While the contracts may have been used between members of the same family in some cases, his research suggests that romantic relationships also were accepted.

While Tulchin's work seems to focus on the state's acceptance of these contracts, the late John Boswell's book, Same Sex Unions in Medieval Europe, suggests that the medieval Catholic Church also recognized these "brotherment" relationships. While critics counter with the equivalent of, "they're not gay, they're just really good friends," the bigger point is that the idea that western society has always been defined by one man, one woman, a litter of kids and a dog is pure fiction. Tulchin sums it up by explaining, "I suspect that some of these relationships were sexual, while others may not have been. It is impossible to prove either way and probably also somewhat irrelevant to understanding their way of thinking. They loved each other, and the community accepted that."

Nature abounds with any number of different groupings. From hives, packs and schools to animals that couple with a partner for life. There are animals that change sexes as well as gay animals. Its time that we recognize that humans are no different.

And for the record, I'd like a big, hunky "brother" who looks hot in tight leather shorts and knows how to use his "sword," kinda like the one pictured above. (Thanks to The Daily Slab [NSFW!] for the pic!)

Incarcerex

Save Net Radio

I haven't mentioned this issue before, but its one near and dear to my heart. If you haven't already heard, the Copyright Royalty Board imposed a new royalty structure that would essentially end internet radio, including large broadcasters such as NPR, and small ones like my friends at iPartyRadio. Recently, legislation in both the House and Senate has been introduced to reverse this decision. While there has already been a lot of grass roots support, we need your help - contact your Representative or Senator and let them know that you support the Internet Radio Equality Act. You can also check out SaveNetRadio for more info.

Under The Influence

Ok, imagine you're a celebrity. You've got lots of money and generally are under the impression that you can do pretty much whatever you want. That belief runs smack dab into reality when you are arrested for being intoxicated while driving. Suddenly, you're facing the prospect of some time in the pokey and having a charming photo on websites like this. While the prospect of having to spend time around normal people is frightening, what exactly do you do?

Case No. 1: George Michael.
Found slumped over behind the wheel of his car while the car itself was blocking traffic, the singer went to court yesterday. Accused of driving while under the influence of prescription drugs, went before the court and pled guilty. "I really have been very distressed by this whole thing. I am perfectly aware that I did something very wrong and got into my car when I was unfit to drive," he said. "I was not in my normal physical state and I'm perfectly prepared to accept the correct punishment for that and I would have accepted it a long time ago."

Case No. 2: Paris Hilton.
Sentenced last Friday for she was pulled over driving at 70 mph without her headlights on in a 35 mph zone, driving on a suspended license and violating her probation by failing to enroll in a court-ordered alcohol education program within 21 days of her January probation. The judge sentenced her to 45 days in jail. She is now asking supporters to sign a petition requesting that Governor Schwarzenegger pardon her, as the whole incident is really her publicist's fault. "I feel that I was treated unfairly and that the sentence is both cruel and unwarranted and I don't deserve this," Hilton explained to reporters.

According to the LA Times, the petition begs for a pardon for Hilton because she provides "beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives." Apparently, our friends and Ginch Gonch models, Ethan Reynolds and Benjamin Bradley are among those who can't live without the "beauty and excitement" of Paris Hilton, as the two have already begun selling their own "Free Paris" t-shirts. Personally, I'm old school and prefer the "Free Winona" t-shirts that came out a few years ago after our favorite Girl Interrupted was caught shoplifting.

I suppose I could rant about the absurdity of it all, or criticize Ethan and Ben for their stand -- apparently I'd have to get in line as the comments to their entry have been almost uniformly negative. At the same time, I know there are times I've driven when I shouldn't have and I've had friends who've been popped with some DUIs as well. The moral of this story, I suppose is that our actions have consequences and not all of us have charming male models selling t-shirts on our behalf when its time for us to deal with those consequences.

Turn Back The Clock

Okay, okay, I know I've said that I'm going to reduce my bitching on this blog but I was raised Catholic so I can't help but marvel at the Pope's recent statements. Its been clear for a while that that the Catholic Church's prime effort is to try to turn back the hands of time.

Pope Benedict recently released the Apostolic Exhortation, which, among other things, attempts to exert Church control over Catholic politicians, especially on "moral" issues such as abortion and gay marriage (but perhaps not on war and the death penalty?) -- it reads in part, "Catholic politicians and legislators, conscious of their grave responsibility before society, must feel particularly bound, on the basis of a properly formed conscience, to introduce laws inspired by values grounded in human nature..."

Yes, Benedict isn't even trying to hide it anymore, he's expecting strict obedience from politicians and even the laity on the very issues where a person's conscience is most likely to cause him to disagree with the Vatican -- case in point, a lesbian couple in Wyoming was just informed that they are no longer permitted to receive communion... now here's the kicker -- its not because they're lesbians. No, they've been denied communion because they publicly opposed a bill that would deny Wyoming from recognizing gay marriages. Yes, dare to oppose the Vatican and be punished.

But wait, there's more! Along with the staples of any papal missive, railing against divorce and gay marriage and referring to priestly celibacy as "a priceless treasure," Benedict is championing the return of Latin and Gregorian Chant. Turn back the clock, indeed. Holy 1400s!

Whip It!

Something about El Salvador made him feel dirty. Not "I need to take a shower" dirty, but "I need someone to tie me up and treat me like a farm animal" dirty. Some say that working for the government involves a necessary amount of whoring yourself out, but life at the Embassy was starting to get under his skin. One might think that life as an Ambassador might be all anyone could ask for -- a life of luxury and comfort. Surely, this is the pinnacle of your career.

Perhaps it was the comfort and luxury that brought out this side of him -- all that refinement made him uneasy. Finally, he couldn't help himself. Just one cocktail as he thought about his life back in Israel. Oh my, wouldn't my leather harness feel wonderful right now? Let's have another drink while we put it on. Before you know it, you find yourself out on the street stinking drunk, bound, gagged and dressed in full S&M regalia. Could happen to anyone.

Gee, Israeli officials need to lighten up. Everyone feels a little kinky from time to time.

(Israeli Ambassador recalled - from Raw Story.)

Don't Mess With Texas!

You can't buy a dildo in Texas but you can buy an "educational model" and a butt plug. Be careful, though, you can't own more than 5 "educational models."

Twist!

By now we've all heard of the Ted Haggard scandal - the leader of the Colorado evangelical megachurch who was having the affair with a gay hustler escort. We've also seen the Mark Foley/Congressional page scandal. So, hidden gayness leads to public figure's downfall, that's just how it goes, right? Not if you're Canadian, apparently. In recent elections in Repentigny, Quebec, located just north of Montreal, someone has just hit the oddest trifecta I've ever heard of -- from gay hustler, to Roman Catholic priest, to member of Parliament. Nice to know that this world can always come up with things to surprise you.

One Percent

According to a recent government study, around "1 percent of Web sites indexed by Google and Microsoft are sexually explicit..." The study, part of the federal government's attempt to revive the 1998 Child Online Protection Act that was struck down by the US Supreme Court in 2004, after having struck down another Congressional attempt to restrict internet porn in 1997. Despite the fact that filtering software can block over 90% of explicit material from minors, the government is still trying to limit what we adults can view... because, as we can see from the government's adult abstinance programs, adults are just kids... only a little older... and therefore we should all be treated as children, right?

This study leads me to the inevitable question... just what is this mythical 99% of non-porn internet content? And does anyone really look at it?