Saintless

My company chose Hogle Zoo for our Annual Family Breakfast this year. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the American Express Event Pavillion with coworkers before heading out into the zoo. Our friends met us there, so we had quite the group – 9 of us in all!

I’d like to shout out to @Hogle_Zoo for some tips on things to do at the zoo, including the Meet The Keepers events.

The one thing I really, really hoped for at the zoo was to pet a snake. I didn’t think that was going to happen, but we got lucky! After we left the Madagascar exhibit, there were two guys with a boa constrictor talking about it, and they let us touch it’s back. I adore snakes, and will probably add one to my own zoo eventually.

The other thrill for me was the Elephant Encounter. I knew that Christie was pregnant, and due soon, so when they brought her out I was pretty happy. I get my love of elephants from my grandmother, who also loves them. And I have fond memories of being scared to death as I rode the elephant at Dickerson Park Zoo in Missouri as a child.

Speaking of elephants, a while back I discovered a site selling paintings by elephants. You read that right – paintings by elephants (not just of them)! There is even video explaining how they do it, and why. The whole thing was very fascinating!

So, while we were at the Elephant Encounter, I discovered that Christie the elephant also paints, and they had pieces of her paintings for sale in the gift shop. Preston, my 9 year old son, really wanted one. We didn’t get one while we were there this time, but I’m hoping to go back soon and purchase one. I wish that Hogle Zoo would put out a video of the elephants painting! I bet that would greatly increase the demand for a “Christie Original” painting!

I asked my sons to write about the visit to the zoo, so I could post it here. First up is Preston’s:

What I like about the zoo are the two babies, the Madagascar exhibit, the conservation carousel, the train ride, the beastro, wild zootique, the big marble, flavor burst cone, Christie, the animals, and the elephant’s paintings. Because of the two babies were so cute. The big marble wouldn’t stop. The flavor burst cone has lots of flavor in it and tastes good. And the elephant’s paintings are cool.

For the uninitiated, the big marble is a giant round marble floating on water, and the kids get to go spin it and get very wet!

And here’s what Drake, my 11 year old, had to say:

When we went to the zoo we got some T-shirts from my mom’s work and tickets for the zoo. We ate breakfast at the zoo because my mom’s work gave breakfast too. After we ate breakfast we waited for my mom’s friends. We went to the new Madagascar and saw cool turtles and when we went out to go to the primate forest we saw two people holding a snake not venomous thank the lord we got to touch it and it was slimy and scaly. We went to the primate forest and got to see the same species as Dexter from the Night at the Museum and we saw a new born monkey that was born May 1st 2009. then we saw kangaroos jumping on each other it was funny. Then we went to the small animal room and it had reptiles in there to. Then we went to the primate building and then we ate lunch at the Bear Grotto. The great apes building then we went to the conservation carousel. Then we saw Giraffes. Then the last thing the zoofari express. It was fun till we had to leave.

I should also mention that right next to the kangaroos jumping on each other were two turtles, mating rather loudly:

Here’s Preston petting the snake:

Oh, and this little guy, which I think was the Brown Tufted Capuchin Monkey, was pretty fun! He crawled down and made some pretty creepy faces at us!

Tags: Hogle Zoo

A few days ago, Clarity Sanderson and I started the “Draft Peter Corroon for Governor in 2010” group on Facebook. The group has already grown to over 300 people!

We are asking supporters to invite 4 more friends to the group, and to write an endorsement of Mayor Corroon. When we have 1,000 members, we will present these endorsements to Mayor Corroon, and ask how he feels about running.

We have a hint already, though. Clarity posted this button to the group:

Mayor Corroon made a comment on the image, saying it was very patriotic looking. So, hopefully, we can take that as a sign that he’s at least open to the idea!

Here is the endorsement that I posted to the group:

I feel that Mayor Peter Corroon should run for Utah Governor in 2010 because he’s made intelligent decisions for the county as Mayor, and that his dependable and trustworthy temperament would make him a very popular Governor across the entire state of Utah.

Tags: Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon

I bought an electric lawn mower, the Grass Hog, yesterday. And today my older son, Drake, and I went to work on the backyard. This is about what it looked like before:

The before picture

Those giant sticky weeds you see were about 3 1/2 or 4 feet high by the time I got to it today. Most of the “lawn” was about waist high. I tackled it with the weedeater first, and then went over it with the lawnmower on mulch mode. I am thoroughly impressed with this lawnmower. Some of the stems of the weeds were thinker around than a half dollar coin, and the lawnmower ate right through them. I ended up letting Drake use the weedeater and the lawnmower. He was pretty thrilled about that, but he did wear out pretty quickly. As did I! My arms are shaky from all of the work!

I still have a long way to go before I have a decent backyard, but at least it’s tolerable, now:

After

In a couple of days, I’ll sprinkle Scott’s Turf Builder on it, and see if I can get rid of the weeds, and get grass to grow in the bare spots.

The front lawn looks fairly good, but I put Turf Builder on it today anyway. I also put a tomato plant in a pot on my front porch. Preston planted some flowers in small pots that are lining the steps of the front porch. I’m looking forward to planting more tomatoes after the Farmer’s Market opens and I can purchase some plants from there.

My neighbor, Ray, commented that I’m doing a lot of work for this just being a rental. But, I don’t look at it that way. For me, it’s a matter of being able to enjoy my yard, and my kids being able to play in it!

Tags: gardening

Empty landscape island

So, I’ve never really had to do much more than mow a lawn anywhere I have lived. I did try to grow some tulips, along with some veggies last year. It didn’t really turn out. Except the tulips, which Kaiser promptly ate as they bloomed.

However, I’m now in this wonderful neighborhood, with a giant back yard, and so much potential! The last person who lived here paid a service to mow the front lawn, but didn’t give it much more love than that. So, spring took me by surprise, with an overgrown lawn, and pretty much nothing in the front part of the island.

Unless you count the weeds!

Rose Bush 1

There are 5 rose bushes along the fence, but they hadn’t been trimmed back in years. I have no knowledge of how to care for rosebushes, but after getting some advice from my neighbor, and verifying it online, I was able to gain enough courage to trim the bushes way back. I’ve done 4 of them so far, and there’s one left to go.

Rose Bush 2 (Untrimmed)

I’d love to know what type of roses each of these are, so that I can research a little more to see if any of them need special care. But, until then, I’ll just cross my fingers, and hope I see some blooms this year.

In the meantime, I need to figure out what I’m going to do with all of the trimmings. They would take weeks, if not months, to dispose of using my trash can. Currently, they are piled in the RV parking area behind the fence. And as you’ll see, there’s more to come!

I have considered letting Kaiser gnaw them into nothingness, and he’s been very eager to help. But, I think that will take even longer!

Cumberland Raspberries

The island in the front curves around to the side of the yard, and surrounds the rosebushes. There’s also another island right up next to the front porch, with weeds and a tree in  it. Years ago, someone laid down weed barrier in all of it. I managed to remove the old weed barrier (and the weeds!) in about half of the front portion of the island, and planted 2 Cumberland (black) raspberry bushes in it. I’m guessing that I probably won’t get to eat any raspberries from this bush this year, but I can live with that. I do need to get some supports for them. I also plan to put marigolds around the edges, in hopes that they will keep other bugs away. And since slugs are attracted to marigolds, I’ll put copper pennies (or maybe copper strips, if they don’t get too expensive) around the very edge.

On the far side, I’d like to put something else, preferably something flowery. I considered sunflowers, but I don’t think they would get enough sun. So, I’m still thinking about what I want there.

Getting the weed barrier up wasn’t too bad, in and of itself. The difficult part was that much of the weeds were difficult, and tedious to remove. I moved the bark mulch off to the side and just kind of kept moving it as I went. There’s a ton of dirt mixed in with the bark, but I think it will settle to the bottom, and it doesn’t look bad.

The other bad part was that there used to be a tree in there, which had been cut down. The trees roots were all over underneath, and I had to pull them out.

Now, I’m still working on the front, and I don’t want to minimize the work that needs to be done. However, it’s nothing in comparison to the back yard.

3' Tall Sticky Weeds

Yeah, that’s my back yard. There are a few places where I think there is grass. But, it hasn’t been cared for in years, according to my neighbors. So, it will be quite the chore to get rid of this stuff, and get grass to grow.

So far, the plan is to use the weedeater to cut it down, then rake it over into the pile of rose and tree trimmings that are sitting beside the house, for disposal at a later time.

After that, I’m going to use Scott’s Turf Builder with weed killer and fertilizer. And pray.

Once the jungle is gone, I’m going to check into whether the vinyl siding is dead, or if it can be put back up.

I think that’s enough work to keep me busy in the evenings and on weekends for quite a while. So, I probably won’t be planting a vegetable garden anywhere. But, if I can keep this part under control, a veggie garden is definitely doable for next year. As a bonus, I now have a ton of chores for the munchkins!

Tags: gardening

Children across this country are being bullied at school, being called gay, and harassed for it. Not all of these children are gay. But, they are being tormented over it. So far this year, at least 2 children have killed themselves because of it. 11 year-old Carl Walker-Hoover felt so tormented by other children at school that he hung himself just a couple of weeks ago. Last week, Jaheem Herrera followed that same path.

On Thursday afternoon, after returning home from school, fifth-grader Jaheem quietly went into his room and hanged himself. His 10-year-old sister, Yerralis, also a fifth-grader, discovered Jaheem’s dead body.

“His sister was screaming, ‘Get him down, get him down,’” said Norman Keene, who helped raise Jaheem since the boy was two years old.

When Keene got to the room, he saw Yerralis holding her brother, trying to remove the pressure of the noose her brother had fashioned with a fabric belt.

Jaheem was bullied relentlessly, his family said. Keene said the family knew the boy was a target, but until his death they didn’t understand the scope.

“We’d ask him, ‘Jaheem, what’s wrong with you?’” Keene recalled. “He’d never tell us.”

He didn’t want his sister to tell, either. She witnessed much of the bullying, and many times rose to her brother’s defense, Keene said.

“They called him gay and a snitch,” his stepfather said. “All the time they’d call him this.”

This should not be happening to our children. It just shouldn’t. These people calling themselves Christians who spread the idea that it’s ok to hate and harass people for being gay must have read about a different Christ than I did. It makes me think of what Mahatma Gandhi said:

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

Being so mean to an 11 year old boy that he commits suicide is just something I cannot fathom. Each of these boys had endured this enough that their parents were trying to get the school to help. This wasn’t a one time thing for either of them. This was ongoing, and so hurtful that they each took their own lives. My heart is broken, I am sitting at my desk in tears.

And then I find this atrocity, by the Illinois Family Institute, a group pretending to spread the ideas of Christ:

If you cannot bring yourself to watch all of it, here is part of what I took away from it. The music in the background is a bit ominous, and it seems to be aimed at children. The purpose is for them to not participate in the Day of Silence, which was April 16, and was intended to bring attention anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.

The video is titled Dare to Stand: Rethinking the Day of Silence.

It tells children that “schools are being …coerced…to bring attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender name calling, bullying, and harassment.”

So, it’s telling children that bullying and harassing other children for being gay is ok.

It goes on to say “Hiding beneath this glossy veneer is the truth than in nearly every study it is the homosexual who is more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, to accept abusive relationships,  to acquire and spread sexually transmitted diseases, to suffer in depression and doubt, even to view suicide as a solution.”

My jaw dropped at this. It’s almost as if they’re trying to tell these kids that if they bully another kid for being gay, and that kid commits suicide, it’s just because the kid was gay, and the harassment had nothing to do with it.

The video portrays this teacher with a ruler slapping a child for reading a bible, and then throwing it away. The child goes on to “stand up” for the bible and for the idea that homosexuality is wrong.

This video made me sick. The video is seriously defending bullies. It’s a response to the Day of Silence, and a response to these 11 year old boys who took their own lives as a result of anti-gay bullying. It’s just so wrong I want to scream. This is NOT CHRISTIAN. Jesus Christ would NEVER have done this, or condoned this. You take your beliefs that being gay is wrong and believe whatever you want, but the moment it hurts someone else, even if it’s just their feelings, you become the worst kind of hypocrite imaginable.

Not another child should ever die for a reason like this. Ever.

Tags: Christianity, Day of Silence, suicide

Before I get into this endorsement, I would like to say that I have the utmost respect for current Utah State Democratic Party Chair Wayne Holland. I loved working with him over the past couple of years, and I believe he is a great person, and has done some good things for the Utah State Democratic Party.

However, I feel compelled to endorse JM (Jeff) Bell for Utah State Democratic Party Chair. One of the biggest reasons is that I believe Bell has a fundamental understanding of technology and how to harness it. The current party leadership has missed the mark on this issue, and we absolutely cannot let that continue.

I’ve seen recent improvements in the area of technology with the UT Democrats, however, I think it’s too little, too late.

Vote for Jeff Bell for Utah State Democratic Party Chair

I also believe the the current party leadership has a fundamental belief that most races in this state can only be won by either a conservative, or someone who compromises on basic Democratic Party ideals to become more like a conservative. I understand that there’s no “perfect Democrat”, nor should anyone running under the Democratic banner be forced, or even try, to be a complete liberal on every issue. However, we need better candidates who don’t compromise with the conservatives to try to win against them. It’s just silly to think that people in this state will vote for that type of candidate.

We need energized Democratic candidates who stick to their own values, and who have support from the State Democratic Party.

During the last election, I also felt that the State Party was more interested in supporting a “higher visibility” candidate for Governor, who was obviously going to lose, than they were in supporting other candidates who had a true shot at winning, but for a lower office. Or maybe it was because they weren’t able to harness the huge amounts of grassroots volunteer energy, because they hadn’t seen such a thing in recent history.

I think I could even sum it up this way: Buttars won the last election. I don’t think that would have happened if Jeff was Chair. Not that I blame the current Chair for this in any sort of direct way. However, I think Jeff Bell will take the Utah State Democratic Party in the direction we need, not just to elect more Democrats, but to elect the right Democrats, and send the right message about our party to the people of Utah. I also believe that Bell will be far more in touch with the average Utahn, and get them involved.

As Bell himself says:

It is time for the Party to educate Utah voters about who we are, what we stand for, and deliver the message that Democrats are more than a watered down alternative to the empty, harmful policies of the Utah GOP – We are the best choice for Utah voters.

As your Party Chair I will work to bring that message to the people of Utah, and in doing so will help us return to a position of strength where, defining ourselves once more as Democrats, we can bring real, progressive leadership to the great state of Utah

Read the rest of his Letter to Utah Democrats, and see if you don’t agree with me.

And on a personal note, Jeff Bell was already a well known Utah blogger and all around political guru when I came on the scene a few years ago. I think we’ve probably disagreed on a few things, but overall, Jeff and his blog have been a huge inspiration for my own blog. In addition, while I was Chair of the Utah for Obama group, Jeff was an amazing mentor, even though I was a political nobody. I had jumped into the middle of this political arena that I knew little about, but felt determined to get Utah to vote for Obama, and become aware of him. I didn’t know any of the elected officials, party officials, or really anyone else when I started. Jeff has always answered my silly questions without making (too much) fun of me for them. He’s good natured, well informed, and believes that we all need to be involved. The Utah State Democratic Party isn’t about one or two people making decisions for the rest of us. Jeff understands that, and I think with him as Chair of the Party that the entire process will be far more open, far more effective, and far more Democratic.

So, please vote for Jeff Bell this June 20 at the Utah State Democratic Convention. Stop by and talk with him at his booth if you’re attending the Salt Lake County Democratic Convention this Saturday, April 18.

Tags: JM Bell, Utah State Democratic Party

I’ve known Curtis Haring for a couple of years, now. Not only is a really good guy, he’s really impressed me with his dedication to the Democratic Party, and making it better. He’s been knowledgeable on every subject I’ve discussed with him, and he’s put a lot of effort into understanding the how’s and why’s of Utah politics. During the recent Legislative Session, anytime a bill came up that I needed to know more about, I almost always found a wonderful overview of it on his blog. He covered hundreds of bills, with very details analysis. I can’t begin tell you how impressed I was with that, because I know how much effort had to have gone into it. He’s also been on the Board of the Young Democrats of Utah for 5 years. This position of responsibility isn’t new to him, and he’s going to rock once he’s elected!

That being said, Curtis is running for the 2nd Vice Chair of the Salt Lake County Democrats. I will be voting for him this Saturday at the Salt Lake County Democratic Convention, and I hope you will, as well. Take a look around his blog, Blue in Red Zion, and I know you’ll be impressed. I believe his past experience is perfect, and that he has the perfect organizational skills that the SL County Democratic Party needs!

If you need a little more reason to vote for Curtis Haring, check out Bob Aagard’s endorsement, or JM Bell’s.

Tags: Curtis Haring, endorsement, Salt Lake County Democrats

This is priceless. You may remember Jack Thompson as the disbarred lawyer and figure behind the recent video game bill that Gov. Huntsman vetoed. Thompson himself showed up here in the comments, apparently hoping to debate me and/or spread some more of his lies.

Anyway, even though Utah Senate President Waddoups supported the video game bill, Thompson is apparently harassing him:

In an e-mail sent out earlier today, Thompson claimed that Utah State Senate President Michael Waddoups (R, at left) has threatened to have him prosecuted if the disbarred attorney doesn’t stop sending him e-mails.

Waddoups, who presided over the Utah Senate as it overwhelmingly passed Thompson’s video game bill earlier this month, apparently became upset by an Easter Sunday e-mail in which Thompson attacked Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

[...]

To back up his point, Thompson included a large screenshot of a pair of strippers giving GTA IV protagonist Nico Bellic a lap dance. Why Waddoups reacted so strongly is not entirely clear, although it is possible that he was offended by the picture. Or perhaps he has grown weary of Thompson’s persistent attacks on Gov. Huntsman and A.G. Shurtleff, both fellow Republicans. GamePolitics contacted Waddoups for comment, but the Senate President did not return our call.

GamePolitics has plenty more, including excerpts from emails flying back and forth between Waddoups and Thompson. I’m looking forward to the article in the Salt Lake Tribune tomorrow morning, as alluded to by Thompson.

My guess is, whatever the outcome, that video game bill won’t see resurrection next session.

Update: The Salt Lake Tribune already has their article out.

Waddoups, on Tuesday, confirmed he would attempt to pursue legal action under the federal CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.

While that law carries a punishment of up to $11,000 in fines, it covers “e-mail whose primary purpose is advertising or promoting a commercial product or service,” according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The Attorney General’s Office has not looked into the validity of using that or any other law to prosecute Thompson because Waddoups has not yet filed a complaint.

Tags: Jack Thompson, President Michael Waddoups, video game bill

I adore Rachel Maddow, and this is an example of why. But, then I have no intention of participating in public teabagging, either.

To all the teabaggers, I have a few things to say to you.

First, you keep talking about taxes. Except your taxes just got cut. Unless you’re rich, and make over $250K a year, President Obama just gave you a tax cut. I’m guessing there won’t be many people at these “parties” that didn’t get a tax break.

Second, I hate to try to redirect your failed anger, but I think your problem is the spending, rather than the taxes. But, see, your party (or at least the party of most of the teabaggers) is the one behind the problem we’re facing right now. The GOP, with Bush at the helm, drove our country into the ground. When Bush got into office, the Democratic Party (with Clinton at the helm) had managed to give our country a surplus. Bush took that surplus away, and put us back into deficit spending. Obama walked into a huge mess, and he has no choice but to fix it. And now, it seems convenient for Republicans to blame Obama and the Democrats.

But blaming Obama and the Democrats is wrong. Obama is doing what is necessary to fix this mess. It’s not pleasant, but it has to be done. And I don’t think any of you are considering the big picture. You’re in this narrow little alley that says the other party must be wrong, and that’s as much consideration as you’re willing to give it.

And finally: All of you are coming of like a bunch of two year olds throwing a tantrum. If you can quit the partisan whining, maybe we can go back to having a real conversation.

Just a little update: Teablogging.net. ’nuff said.

Tags: Rachel Maddow, teabagging

I really needed to watch something funny tonight. This little bit has entertained me and friends at my parties for years now. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.