I complained today about Tweets showing up in my timeline from people I don’t follow, but that aren’t retweets (RTs) from the new Twitter feature. Here’s how you can tell if it’s happening to you.
Go to the main Twitter page. If you have any RTs using the new feature, [...]
This was written by Isaac Higham, who was kind enough to let me repost it here.
To the girl who sat two rows behind me in class today,
Don’t think I didn’t hear you. The professor was going along in his lecture discussing socioemotional development in early adulthood when he made [...]
Today was the start of City Weekly’s Dining Tour. Each weekday between now and next Tuesday, they will be giving away free food at local restaurants. You need to show up at the right time, and voilà! Free food!
I believe that those who so firmly oppose health care reform are driven by prejudice. Prejudiced against the idea that, by helping their fellow man, they could save some money on their own costs. These people are not willing to entertain, even for a moment, that they might benefit from [...]
We all know Gayle Ruzika has gone off her rocker, but seriously?
Apparently, Gayle Ruzika, of The Eagle Forum, is against the spirit of patriotism, of responsbility, where we all pledge to work harder, and look not only after ourselves, but each other.
You’ve got me. My heart goes pitter-patter every time I hear Rachel Maddow speak. But, this time was different. Her point is so serious, and so poignant that all I can do is give you the video of her speaking with Tom Ridge, along with part of the best quote [...]
I have always adored the story of Helen Keller. I remember reading The Story of My Lifeas a young child, and being inspired by the obstacles she overcame. They seemed so impossible, and yet she didn’t let that stop her. And so, when I watched [...]
In response to the increased public interest in town hall meetings, I have changed the location of my Salt Lake County and Fillmore meetings to a larger venue. The August 26 meeting in will now be held at Elk Ridge [...]
A group of us were invited to a special sneak preview of Smashburger today. We got to try literally everything on the menu, and I must say – it was fabulous!
I had been skeptical of the idea of them smashing the burgers when [...]
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!
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
Spring has finally arrived in Utah, after a couple of false starts. My soul needs the sun and warmth, and even the rain that it brings. One of my goals this year is to become a better photographer. My camera isn’t great, but I’m not buying a better one until [...]
I’m all for open debate, and making Representatives answer for their votes. But, this video shows that Rep. Jason Chaffetz is participating in pre-planned attacks, designed only to badger the Democrats, with no clear purpose or ability to make progress. It’s simple kindergarten bullying. From Politico:
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, lent tentative support to President Barack Obama’s war policy in Iraq after spending two days in the war-ravaged nation as part of a congressional delegation.
It’s time for another installment about how great local companies can be. This time, it’s Freshmans Jewelers, on 353 East 500 South in downtown Salt Lake City.
I was recently jabbering on Twitter about not knowing my ring sizes, and I got a message from @Freshmans1895, offering to [...]
Pardon the geek out moment. I’ve been having problems with Internet Explorer 8 crashing a lot since I installed it last week. I finally put together that it was crashing repeatedly after I access a PDF that I’m testing from Visual Studio, in a web application. When I would launch [...]
Dax and I drove up to Logan tonight for the PostSecret event at USU. We stopped first at KVNU studio to see Tyler and Jason. This part was a blast, until we got asked to detail what Dax and I fight about politically. I drew the [...]
I don’t have time to write out all of my thoughts on this, nor do I have all of the detail in either case. Regardless, my overall opinion will remain the same.
It takes acts like rioting at the G20 and Tim DeChristopher bidding on auctions for our society to [...]
So, I’m the first to admit that tackling finances gives me the hives. I’ve come a long way, though. It used to give me panic attacks. Maybe in a few years I’ll get so far as to become a miser with money, and start saving it all.
Surfing through my RSS feeds, I come upon a post from Senator Greg Bell that starts with this:
A college student wrote to ask me for her class assignment what the most pressing issue facing our society. I decided not to speak to moral issues but said the following:
Thanks to @gwarchol for alerting me via Twitter that Gov. Huntsman vetoed HB 353 (Truth in Advertising Act Amendments aka Video Games Bill) today! At the very end of this News Advisory on the Gov’s site, it’s mentioned.
Thanks to everyone who called, wrote and otherwise let the [...]
The book Where The Wild Things Are is one of my favorite books from childhood. When I heard it was being turned into a movie, I was a bit hesitant to get excited, though. Until I saw this:
Forest Whitaker
I’m positively giddy about this, and I can’t [...]
According to the Trib, Gov. Jon Huntsman signed 97 new bills into law yesterday, after having signed 103 of them last Friday. It makes my head spin just trying to keep up with them.
Ok, maybe Sego Lily Spa doesn’t love me yet, but they are going to absolutely adore me, after they choose me to be the Sego Lily Blogger. I can’t quite count this in my Local First series though, since I haven’t yet had the pleasure of visiting their [...]
I’ve been meaning to write this blog for a while now, and now seems to be the perfect time. I adore the Play N Trade in Sugar House. Really, truly adore them. I’ve been a customer for at least a couple of years.
So, awhile back, you’ll probably remember that the Utah Senate invited all of us blogger types over for a “blogger presser”. Or if you don’t, you can look back through some of the #utpol tweets to see several people’s twitters about it (look for the ones on March 11), [...]
I recently met Utah Senate President Michael Waddoups at a citizen lunch. He’s my Senator, and happens to be President of the Senate. That experience didn’t go so well, and this is part of what I wrote about it:
The entire conversation was so fast that it was a relief when [...]
Generates Revenue for remodeling and enforcement training by removing state stamp on alcohol packages and permitting alcohol sales at state stores and package agencies on election days
Yay! No more rush to buy celebratory booze on Monday before election!
Word went out a few days ago that Wednesday evening would be a blogger presser from the Utah Senate. Although I live in a state where I often have felt that my voice doesn’t count much in politics, especially on the state-wide scene, and where I often disagree with what [...]
This morning, the Senate Site streamed live video for the Alcohol Policy Press Conference. Kudos to them for keeping those of us at home in the loop! Plenty of us Twittered this live, you can find it under the hashtag #UTAP.
S.B. 79 - Health Reform - Medical Malpractice Amendments is misleading in it’s title. Health reform is generally thought of as something that improves the quality or availability of health care. In this case, it’s just the opposite.
The general summary is that it will grant immunity to Emergency Room [...]
We have just learned that Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) is expected to attack Planned Parenthood. He will offer an amendment to the Appropriations Act this afternoon that would block Planned Parenthood health centers from receiving federal funds from Title X, the nation’s family planning [...]
According to ABC 4 News, the LDS Church released the following statement:
From the outset, the Church’s position has always been to engage in civil and respectful dialogue on this issue. Senator Buttars does not speak for the Church.
Given President Waddoups obvious reluctance at disagreeing with or censuring Buttars, I [...]
This is being reposted with permission from the lovely Dominique Storni:
2-20-2009
10:05am
(feel free to post & repost)
Dominique Storni
I’d like to say a little something about Senator Chris Buttars, the President of the Utah State Senate, Michael Waddoups, and what took place at the Utah State [...]
After President Waddoups ended the press conference about Buttars, Troy Williams pressed him to speak to the gay community. My impression was that he was looking for some sort of apology or empathy from Waddoups, [...]
I’m sitting in a room off of the Utah Senate Chambers, awaiting the press conference regarding Senator Chris Buttars to begin. KSL is broadcasting this live. I recognize many people here - Troy Williams, Glen Warchol, Michael Aaron, as well as tv news personalities.
Reed Cowan is the guy producing the documentary from which we briefly saw video of Senator Chris Buttars accuse gay people of using feces for sexual pleasure. Buttars then posted a blog saying that Reed lied to him:
Sometime in January, I talked with Reed Cowan for over an hour. [...]
Local blogger Marie LeBaron writes the MakeAndTakes blog. As a craft junkie, or at least wannabe craft junkie. I do some crafts, and I read about 15 craft blogs and dream about making the projects. Or, sometimes I buy everything I need for a craft project, and then never do [...]
I just watched the video of Senator Buttars accusing gay men and women of smearing feces on each other, and read the quotes of him comparing gays [...]
Warning: this video is highly offensive. Senator Buttars spews garbage from his mouth, and it will make your stomach turn.
ABC 4 covered the story last night, and couldn’t even find this fit to quote, because it was beyond just bad taste. They were willing to provide these quotes from [...]
I thought I had come to the Utah State Capitol prepared, today. However, it turned out to be a lesson I needed to learn. I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t have the full text of the bill I was lobbying for, the name of the sponsor, or even the bill number. [...]
I went to Democracy Day at the Utah State Capitol today. Lunch was the big event. As I mentioned previously, I confirmed with both Senator Wauddups and Representative Holdaway, and both did attend.
Representative Holdaway was the first to show. This was the first time for me to meet either [...]
The Utah Community Action Partnership Association is hosting Democracy Day this coming Monday, February 2, on Utah’s Capitol Hill. I’ve RSVP’d, and it looks like it might not be too late for you to RSVP, also. Registration begins at 8:30, and the forum begins at 9 am. Donald Mathic, [...]
I had the opportunity to sit down with Salt Lake City Ralph Becker for breakfast this morning, along with several fellow bloggers. It was a relaxed atmosphere, for the most part. My trusty little notebook is now full, and requiring a replacement, though.
Last night was a gathering of Twitter users in Park City, UT, during the Sundance Film Festival. It was arranged through Twitter, and we all chipped in $5 or more, and at the end of the evening voted on which charity got the money that had [...]
Because voting for things on the web make you feel like your voice counts, right? Some of my favorite authors are up for awards on Urban Fantasy Land’s web site. I voted for Neil Gaiman and Laurell K. Hamilton and Jim Butcher in several of the categories, along [...]
This was from an email that I received, and I am not finding the original source and it turns out that it came from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart - video below. I’ll be happy to credit the author if anyone knows.
AARP has caught my eye recently with their “Divided We Fail” campaign. If you missed that, it’s worth checking out. They caught my eye again with their “U@50″ contest.
”The aim of this contest was to create a dialogue between the generations and to gain an understanding of what concerns [...]
I recently posted my thoughts about the upcoming booze-battle in the Utah Legislature. After all of the many comments on the Senate Site’s “Alcohol Policy Tutorial”, it looks like there’s a new twist on this.
I just got the email below from Tim DeChristopher. For anyone unfamiliar with this man, he is the hero who has been accused of commiting acts of civil disobedience by bidding on BLM land that was being illegally auctioned off. One Utah has more.
So, I think I’m well on my way to sucessfully quitting smoking. Granted, it’s not been very long. But, the hardest part for me has always been the act of picking up the cigarette. I’m not sure how to convey what I mean by that. I like to smoke when [...]
If you live in Utah, you can register your child’s cell phone, email, fax and instant messenger addresses from adult oriented solicitations. According to the web site:
The Utah Child Protection Registry is a free program provided by the State of Utah that helps you stop adult-oriented solicitations from being [...]
Today I dropped $100+ on three two-week boxes of patches. Thankfully, that came from my Flexible Spending Account, and not my pocket. I bought 3 stages - 21mg, 14mg and 7 mg.
I’ve been using the patches occasionally for social situations as of late, and they’ve worked really well. I still [...]
It’s obvious that Rebecca Chavez-Houck is committed to the concept of social justice, and very concerned with issues affecting childen in Utah. I’d say she deserved a huge pat on the back right now, though.
Last year Rebecca submitted the bill titled “Forever Homes For Every Child”, but it died before it [...]
I’m sure that Bush didn’t actually mean to, but he did something good Tuesday. W signed into law a requirement that employers allow couples (including teh gay!) to roll a retirement plan over to their non-spouse partners.
Over on the Wired Danger Room blog, Nathan Hodge has an article about how the U.S. and Georgia* will be signing a “Strategic Partnership Treaty” on January 4.
I can’t help but wonder what the impact of this will be. I’m all in favor of the idea, and I think [...]
Eartha Kitt was an amazing woman and performer. I just found out that she passed away yesterday, Christmas Day, through One Utah. Miss Kitt was known for her role as Catwoman, as well as the above song, Santa Baby. Her story is amazing.
I’ve had people try to tell me that my outrage over Obama choosing Warren is divisive. That Obama is trying to bring us all together, and that I “shouldn’t be angry” over this.
Except that my anger isn’t the cause of the divisiveness, if that’s what it is. Obama’s choice is. [...]
Rick Warren is a horrible choice to give the invocation at the Innauguation. He’s a homophobe, he is against women’s rights, and even stem cell research. This decision feels like a slap in the face to LGBTQ people across America. And Barack just made this much worse:
So, a certain well known woman walked into the Utah Democratic Headquarters last week, and asked Todd Taylor if he’d “heard what that blog bitch did”. Of course well all know she must have meant me! I’m Utah’s only female political “blog bitch”, right?
I could run out into the street and jump for joy over this!
Remember how the (Un)Patriot Act placed a gag order on recipients of the National Security Letters (NSL)? This meant, as an example, that if an ISP received an NSL regarding one of their customers, they had to turn [...]
While the typical political and occasional funny or geeky posts will continue to be the focus of this blog, I plan to chronicle my transition from smoker to non-smoker here. Sorry to anyone bored by this, and for the rest of you…please feel free to add your thoughts to the [...]
I should have blogged this one earlier, but well...I've been too busy planning the damn thing to tell anyone about it.
So, Utah for Obama is taking part in the 50-state Voter Registration Drive on May 10. Since the date happens to correspond with Utah's Democratic State Convention, Wayne Holland has [...]
I'm absolutely appalled that America is just standing by and watching as the children and parents of the FLDS are treated as criminals. Here's what I know of the situation (please enlighten me on anything I might be missing):
A woman calls in and lies about who she is, saying she's [...]
The Utah for Obama group is looking for as many Obama lawn signs as possible. We need to borrow them for the SL County Convention this Saturday.
If you can loan yours to us, please put your name and phone number inside the sign, so we can return it to you.
You [...]
Dimitri recently organized a group of Utahns who support Senator Obama to participate in the MS Walk. Nikki took her camera down and got a really good interview with him, and another supporter, Brooke.
Listen to Dimitri, and tell me that you can continue ignoring healthcare issues in this country. I [...]
Michael Moore made some excellent points in his endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President. My favorites are in bold:
My Vote's for Obama (if I could vote) ...by Michael Moore
April 21st, 2008
Friends,
I don't get to vote for President this primary season. I live in Michigan The party leaders (both here [...]
I just got this email from Pete Ashdown:
I will be joining Congressman Chris Cannon to discuss his proposal for
nationwide free wireless Internet tonight at 8:00 PM on KSL Nightside.
KSL is broadcast in Utah on 102.7FM and 1160AM.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3118044 [...]
First up is a CD case I recently bought:
Geez, how is it I'm supposed to carry this CD case around again?
Next is the Dyson vacuum head.
Look close, and tell me exactly how these instructions are supposed to translate? I won't even start with the amazingly difficult instructions, where we're told [...]
If the Super Delegates don't follow the advice from Howard Dean mentioned in my previous post, we still have the opportunity to wrap up the Democratic Presidential Primary next Tuesday, in Pennsylvania.
You can help by making phone calls to Pennsylvania undecided voters. The first opportunity is to join Utah for [...]
I'm proud of our future president, Barack Obama.
In this surprise appearance on The Colbert Report, Senator Obama asks Colbert to officially put Manufactured Political Distractions "on notice". We're not putting up with them anymore! Do you hear that, ABC? We want more substance, and your pathetic attempt at a debate [...]
I can't help but be impressed every time I've heard Michelle Obama speak. I love seeing this side of her. It will a great thing when she becomes our next First Lady. Class, style, honesty and concern for everyday people. I love it! [...]
Jimmy Carter may be meeting with leaders of Hamas.
Carter is on the third day of a nine-day "study mission" to the Middle East, as part of his "ongoing effort to support peace, democracy, and human rights in the region," according to the Carter Center Web site.
During a visit to the [...]
I'm proud to admit that I've joined Wing Coop's Hall of Shame. Recently recommended by City Weekly, my sister and I set out to prove that we are "not chicken".
We went to the Olympus Hills location Saturday afternoon, along with Jacob, and ordered the "11 in 11", which consists of [...]
Barack Obama spoke to Advocate Magazine recently, and made a point that I feel compelled to share. When being questioned about why he hadn't spoken to more GLBT press, as Hillary apparently has, he gave the subject a broader context:
I guess my point would be that the fact that I’m [...]
According to Dan Harrie, Utah Delegates to the DNC this August will be staying at the Warwick Hotel, which is right behind the State Capitol and a mile away from the convention. As long as that mile is mostly horizontal, rather than vertical, I'd say we got it pretty good.
It [...]
I didn't realize it's been weeks since I posted anything. I hope everyone doesn't give up on me.
I'm in the middle of moving. Well, I'm not quite to the middle, actually. I'm at the part where I'm staying with my sister, and looking for a new place. So, if anyone [...]
Note: I'd love to make this "about" Obama, which I will admit to doing when emailing a similar message to the Utah for Obama group earlier this evening. However, even if you're a Hillary supporter, the information below will benefit Democrats at every level, from the bottom, all the way [...]