Archive for January, 2007

UIUC Racism Forum

Wednesday, January 31st, 2007

Since I see folks are hitting this blog (from search engines) looking for info on tomorrow’s racism forum, here’s the mass mail from the other day. I encourage everyone to attend. I will be.

“A Forum on Racism, Power and Privilege at UIUC”
Thursday, February 1 from 4 to 6 p.m
Foellinger Auditorium

To Members of the Campus Community:

We try to minimize the number of messages we send to the campus via mass mail, but I feel strongly that the following message rises to a level of importance that it is appropriate to share through this system.

On this Thursday, February 1, “A Forum on Racism, Power and Privilege at UIUC” will be held in Foellinger Auditorium from 4 to 6 p.m. I want to thank the students who organized the event, and I invite everyone in the campus community to attend. There will be an opportunity for members of the audience to offer their thoughts, as well as to pose questions to a panel of campus and university officials.

These are important issues that merit broad discussion, and I hope you will set aside time to participate.

Sincerely,

Richard Herman
Chancellor

Worthwhile items from EFF newsletter

Wednesday, January 31st, 2007

I pulled these two items out of an Electronic Frontier Foundation newsletter. The first is just funny and the second is way over due. Maybe more states will follow.

The Right Way to Respond to Parody

Recently, Darren Barefoot posted Get a First Life, a
hysterical parody of virtual world Second Life’s website.
Linden Labs, the creators of Second Life, responded with a
letter that is so right-thinking and clever that it would
horrify the over-reaching copyright and trademark holders
whose missives litter the archives of ChillingEffects.org

Instead of a cease-and-desist letter, Linden Labs sent a
proceed-and-permit letter:
http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/archives/2007/01/ my-project-du-jour-getafirstlifecom.html#comment-75509

This letter is exactly what we would hope companies might
do when faced with a parody. Not only does it acknowledge
that the site is a fair use, it also provides an explicit
license for trademark use. Kudos to Linden Labs, and shame
on the rights holders who claim that they have to go after
anyone who makes any use of their copyrights or trademarks.

For this post and related links:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005085.php

Maine Rejects Real ID

The Real ID Act took a blow last week, when Maine became
the first state to formally declare its opposition. The
Maine legislature voted overwhelmingly to refuse to comply
with the act’s mandates, and requested that Congress repeal
the law.

The Real ID Act essentially forces states to create a
national ID. Under the law, state drivers licenses will
only be accepted for “federal purposes” — like accessing
planes, trains, national parks, and court houses — if they
conform to certain uniform standards. The law also requires
a vast national database linking all of the ID records
together. Estimated costs of $12 billion or more will be
passed on to the states and, ultimately, average citizens
in the form of increased DMV fees or taxes.

“It’s not only a huge federal mandate, but it’s a huge
mandate from the federal government asking us to do
something we don’t have any interest in doing,” said
Maine’s House Majority Leader Hanna Pingree.

Meanwhile, opposition in other states is growing. Similar
measures rejecting the Real ID Act are under consideration
in 11 states, including Montana, Georgia, Massachusetts and
Washington state.

For information about the dangers of Real ID:
http://www.eff.org/Privacy/ID/RealID/

For this post and related links:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005098.php

The Idiot Report 2006

Sunday, January 28th, 2007

A friend sent this to me. LOL.

Number One Idiot of 2006

I am a medical student currently doing a rotation in toxicology at the poison control center.

Today, this woman called in very upset because she caught her little daughter eating ants.

I quickly reassured her that the ants are not harmful and there would be no need to bring her daughter into the hospital. She calmed down and at the end of the conversation happened to mention that she gave her daughter some ant poison to eat in order to kill the ants.

I told her that she better bring her daughter into the emergency room right away.

Here’s your sign, lady. Wear it with pride.

Number Two Idiot of 2006

Early this year, some Boeing employees on the airfield decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home.
Shortly after they took it for a float on the river, they noticed a Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them.

It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator beacon that activated when the raft was inflated.

They are no longer employed at Boeing.

Here’s your sign, guys. Don’t get it wet; the paint might run.

Number Three Idiot of 2006

A man, wanting to rob a downtown Bank of America, walked into the Branch and wrote “this. Put all your muny in this bag.”

While standing in line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he began to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the police before he reached the teller’s window.

So he left the Bank of America and crossed the street to the Wells Fa rgo Bank. After waiting a few minutes in line, he handed his note to the Wells Fargo teller. She read it and, surmising from his spelling errors that he wasn’t the brightest light in the harbor, told him that she could not accept his stickup note because it was written on a Bank of America deposit slip and that he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America.

Looking somewhat defeated, the man said, “OK” and left.
He was arrested a few minutes later, as he was waiting in line back at Bank of America.

Don’t bother with this guy’s sign. He probably couldn’t read it
anyway.

Number Four Idiot of 2006

A motorist was unknowingly caught in an automated speed trap that; measured his speed using radar and photographed his car. He later received in the mail a ticket for $40 and a photo of his car. Instead of payment, he sent the police department a photogra ph of $40.

Several days later, he received a letter from the police that contained another picture, this time of handcuffs.

He immediately mailed in his $40.

Wise guy…….. but you still get a sign.

Number Five Idiot of 2006

A guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all of the cash from the cash drawer.

After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of Scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf.

He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused and said, “Because I don’t believe you are over 21.”

The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because she didn’t believe him.

At this point, the robber took his driver’s license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk.

The clerk looked it over and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and she put the Scotch in the bag.

The robber then ran from the store with his loot.

The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license.

They arrested the robber two hours later.

This guy definitely needs a sign.

Idiot Number Six of 2006

A pair of Michigan robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers.
The first one shouted, “Nobody move!” When his partner moved, the startled first bandit shot him.

This guy doesn’t even deserve a sign

Idiot Number Seven of 2006

Arkansas: Seems this guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he’d just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run.
So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back knocking him unconscious. It seems the liquor store window was made of Plexi-Glass.

The whole event was caught on videotape.

Yep, Here’s your sign

Idiot Sighting 1

I live in a semi-rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road.
The reason:

“Too many deer are being hit by cars out here!
I don’t think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.”
From Kingman , KS .

Idiot Sighting 2

My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for “minimal lettuce.” He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg.

He was a Chef?

Yep…From Kansas City !

Idiot Sighting 3

I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked,!
“Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?
To which I replied, “If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?”
He smiled knowingly and nodded, “That’s why we ask.”

Happened in Birmingham , Ala.

Idiot Sighting 4

The stoplight on the corner buzzes when its safe to cross the street
I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine.
She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for.

I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red.
Appalled, she responded, “What on earth are blind people doing driving?!”
She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS

Idiot Sighting 5

At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to” downsizing.”

Our manager commented cheerfully, “This is fun. We should do this more often.”
Not another word was spoken.

We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.

This was a bunch at Texas Instruments.

Idiot Sighting 6

I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her own life, couldn’t understand why her system would not turn on.
A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office no less.

Idiot Sighting 7

When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the drivers side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. “Hey,” I announced to the technician, “its open!”

His reply, “I know - I already got that side.”

This was at the CHEVY dealership in Canton , Mississippi!

LGBT Related Court Briefs

Friday, January 26th, 2007

These briefs are from a selection of GLBT related court cases. My thanks to TJ Hawk for providing them

Arnold v. Arnold — Whether a child can associate with LGBT people
Bottoms v. Bottoms — Maternal grandmother sues for custody; lesbian mother found to be unfit, appealed.
MD 2006 Conway v Deane — Scientific evidence that Gay and Lesbian Parents raise children that are equally well adjusted.
Cox v. Florida, 2005 — Gay parent adoption
ARK DHS v. Howard — Gay parent foster care & adoption
Gay Straight Alliance, Fox,et al vs. Salt Lake Schools — equal access to support groups at school.
E.O v. L.M., MA 1999 — Same sex parents custody and visitation rights

NOTE: Please do not bookmark these links. The location of the files may change. Please bookmark this page instead.

I’m happy to host other court briefs. Feel free to send them to me at reames@uiuc.edu.

Camping.OUT goes national

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

The summer camp I staffed last August has gone national. I was a cabin counselor last year, and have every intention of going back this year. I strongly recommend the camp for anyone who might be interested.

Also if you notice, two of the press photos posted were mine. Cool!

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2007

Triangle Foundation Announces National Summer Camp for GLBT Youth

DETROIT – Straight kids aren’t the only ones who get to go to camp anymore. Triangle Foundation, in cooperation with national supporting organizations National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; the National Youth Advocacy Coalition; Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; and the National Center for Transgender Equality, has announced that the second annual Camping.OUT will be open to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and allied youth from across the United States.

“Camping.OUT was the one place where I didn’t have to worry about what I said and if people were going to like me. For once I was accepted for who I was” said Robert Proffer, a participant at Camping.OUT 2006.

This year’s camp, which will be held in Michigan from Aug. 14 – 19, will build upon the success of last years Camping.OUT, according to coordinator Greg Varnum.

“Our camp offers campers the opportunity to decide what programs they want to participate in each day,” said Varnum. “They may decide to go swimming or canoeing in the morning, for example, and then have a group conversation about leadership facilitated by a nationally-known GLBT activist in the afternoon. The young people who attended last year’s camp loved the format—but most importantly they loved the freedom to be open and out—to play, to think out loud together, to relax and be themselves. We’re looking forward to offering the Camping.OUT experience to even more youth from around the country this year.”

The camp will be open to youth aged 13 - 17 and will provide a welcoming, accepting place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied youth to have fun, make friends and expand their leadership and activism skills. The camp is running an Early Bird Registration special of $475 through March 1 – but no young person will be turned away for lack of funds, said Varnum.

“Triangle is currently raising funds for Camping.OUT to make sure that any young person who wants to come, can,” Varnum said.

For more information on Camping.OUT, or to make a donation to allow a young GLBT or allied youth to come to the camp, visit www.campingout.org or contact Greg Varnum at greg@tri.org or (313) 537-3323, ext. 108.

—-

2006 Camping.OUT press photos are available for download on our web site at: www.campingout.org
2007 Camping.OUT updates will also be posted to the site.

For more information contact:
Greg Varnum - Triangle Foundation - (313) 537-3323, ext. 108 or greg@tri.org
Roberta Sklar - National Gay and Lesbian Task Force - (646) 358-1465 or rsklar@thetaskforce.org
Jean-Marie Navetta - Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) - (202) 467-8180 ext. 213 or jnavetta@pflag.org

Hybrid Virtualization

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

I’ve been working on my senior thesis again and it has me thinking once more about virtualization. We’re starting to see what I think is the future of virtualization: pure-virtualized guests with para-virtualized drivers. The reason I expect this hybrid scheme to dominate is that it shares most of the strongest advantages of the two competing virtualization schemes. Loading the para-virtualized drivers allows the guests to exploit the performance advantages, without having to relinquish hardware compatibility. A scheme like this is being adopted by VMware, Xen, & KVM.

A whole new look at space

Saturday, January 20th, 2007

A little over a week ago, China launched the first ever anti-satellite missile. The test destroyed an old weather satellite. It is likely that other countries (including the United States) have similar technology, but no other country has demonstrated the ability yet. While it is no surprise that a satellite can be easily destroyed, no one has ever done so before.

To understand the effect this might have, image what would happen if someone took out the GPS or telecomm satellites for example. Or as one of the articles below mentions, what if China were to take out Taiwan’s single satellite monitoring Chinese missile launches?

References:
Aviation Week
Gadget Lab Blog
WXXA-DT/TV Albany, NY

GLBT Youth Host Home Program

Friday, January 19th, 2007

This sounds like a program with a lot of potential. Homelessness is a huge problem in the LGBT youth community and this is one of the most revolutionary programs I’ve heard of. Studies have shown that as much as 45% of the homeless youth population is LGBT.

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Raquel (Rocki) Simões
hosthome@avenuesforyouth.org
612-522-1690, ext. 110

GLBT Host Home Program, a national model, is back
Senator Scott Dibble hosts a January 25, 2007 House Party to celebrate its relaunch

After a three year hiatus, the GLBT Host Home Program will again start matching homeless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth with adult community volunteers who will provide a roof over their heads and the support that comes from living together. Avenues for Homeless Youth, a youth shelter in north Minneapolis, has taken on stewardship for this very important community-based program. “This was an easy decision,” explains Wendi Heuermann, Executive Director of Avenues, “The GLBT Host Home Program only strengthens our ability to provide housing for homeless young people. It’s an honor to be involved with this program.”

Through community conversations in 1995-1996, a GLBT host home model was identified as one of the potential responses to GLBT youth homelessness. YouthLink, a nonprofit organization serving homeless and at-risk youth in Minneapolis, led the way by creating and supporting the program from 1998-2003. During that time, 50 youth secured host homes throughout the Twin Cities. For many of these young people, the GLBT Host Home Program provided an opportunity to build healthy and nurturing relationships with caring adults and to transition out of homelessness.

With the support of YouthLink and other community members, Avenues for Homeless Youth has now become the new home of the GLBT Host Home Program.

On January 25, 2007, State Senator Scott Dibble will host a community house party in support of the Program’s relaunch. “We will be celebrating a new begining for this important effort.,” says Sen. Dibble, “It is a vital component in our goal to end long term homelessness in Minnesota.” This community house party is for individuals interested in learning more about the program – either as potential hosts, donors or just as members of the caring public. From 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm, individuals are invited to come to the Grant Park Fireplace Room at the Grant Park Apartments, 500 E Grant Street in downtown Minneapolis.

The GLBT Host Home Program has long had a significant impact on those involved with it. According to Michelle Chalmers, who together with her partner welcomed several youth into their home, “Getting involved with this program was one of the best things that ever happened to us. Sometimes we had to look really hard, but we could see that we were making a positive difference.” Started in Minneapolis, it has also been a model for organizations in other cities that want to create something similar, such as the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit, Michigan.

According to a new national report released by The Task Force, of the estimated 1.6 million homeless American youth, 42 percent are GLBT. “If you have an extra room in your house and an open heart, give us a call”, says Raquel Simões, GLBT Host Home Program Manager.

Contact information: Raquel (Rocki) Simões
hosthome@avenuesforyouth.org
612-522-1690, ext. 110

Event information: Thursday, January 25, 2007, 5:00pm – 7:00 pm.
Grant Park Fireplace Room at the Grant Park Apartments, 500 E Grant Street in downtown Minneapolis.

Parking on Portland Ave between 9th St and Grant St. Cash and credit cards accepted. Meters also available on Portland and Grant.

Enjoying Technology’s Conveniences But Not Escaping Its Watchful Eyes

Friday, January 19th, 2007

This article is a good illustration of how technology is recording our daily lives in minute detail. With all the technology around UIUC it makes you wonder doesn’t it?

Enjoying Technology’s Conveniences But Not Escaping Its Watchful Eyes

By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 16, 2007; A01

Oath of office amended to protest state gay-marriage ban

Friday, January 19th, 2007

This is certianly a new take on things. While it will likely have no real effect, at least they’re making a public statement of their beliefs.

Oath of office amended to protest state gay-marriage ban
By Ryan J. Foley
Associated Press
Published January 18, 2007