8 October 2003 | In Passing...

8 October 2003

Submitted by eve on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 2:31pm. Tragic

"California: The Wish We Were Kidding State."
"Did you vote?"
*silence*
"You forefited your bitching rights."
"So that's what those stickers are good for."
--Two guys at La Salsa

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Voting

Posted by marinerd on Wed, 11/05/2003 - 10:32am.

We had a record low voter turnout yesterday. I always vote, even if I don't think it'll make a difference.

I read the other day that more 18 to 49-year-olds get their news from Jon Stewart & The Daily Show than any other TV show. Interesting.

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I voted

Posted by Mike on Wed, 11/05/2003 - 8:18am.

...and it sucked. I don't like the new sticker, either: the old one with the peach on it was better. Yes, I can be quite picky about the pieces of paper I glue to my forehead once a year.

Ah, it feels good to complain! Glad I have a right to.

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I forfeited my rights

Posted by Sewicked on Wed, 11/05/2003 - 9:33am.

Until next year anyway. This cold is knocking me down & kicking me in the teeth.

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It's Tuesday, November 4th...

Posted by Mike on Tue, 11/04/2003 - 9:22am.

aka "Free Sticker Day" for most of the United States. Bleh, it's so cloudy and drizzly... should I even bother voting?

(*reads the original quote again*)

Well, I'd hate to be barred from complaining.

Where's my lucky votin' nickel?

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South vs North

Posted by Taragirl on Tue, 10/14/2003 - 6:05am.

I grew up in the North and moved to Florida while in college. What I have noticed is that the work ethic is stronger for those raised in the north than the south. It has been my experience that when I hired employees who graduated from a northern high school, they are more productive and don't use up their vacation and sick days as they accrue. And I am also gun shy here because I brought this up at a management training class and EVERYONE pounced on me and turned it into the "you mean southern people are dumb and you are better." I truly understand the frustrations of having to deal with expectations and staff turning them into something else. Maybe what we need is a "How to Manage and Avoid Expensive Employee Allegations" management class. It sure would save some of us from the experience. Just my 2 cents.

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See, this is why I'll never b

Posted by Joe Napalm on Tue, 10/14/2003 - 9:55am.

See, this is why I'll never be in management...not for long, anyway...*Grin*

I'd never be able to resist the urge to reply with something like "That's not what I said...perhaps I explain more slowly, using smaller words. Would it help if I use puppets?"

I never really took to the whole anything-nice-nothing-at-all philosophy that my parents tried so half-heartedly to instill in me, I guess. *Grin*

-Jn-
Efreeti Sophist

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Career Suicide...

Posted by ParU on Tue, 10/14/2003 - 9:05pm.

Well Joe that would be entertaining... Though perhaps not quite as nice as the time I saw a Proj. Manager try to 'throw a hand grenade' at some other managers in a meeting (with the VP right there) and have it go off 'in their own hand'. It was very quiet when the VP nailed them to the wall.

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Heh.

Posted by steff on Tue, 10/14/2003 - 10:07pm.

did anyone ELSE have to read that a few times before the quotes around 'hand grenade' became visible?

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I just figured those were typ

Posted by Joe Napalm on Tue, 10/14/2003 - 10:44pm.

I just figured those were typos...

-Jn-
Efreeti Sophist

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Hand Grenade...

Posted by ParU on Wed, 10/15/2003 - 11:30am.

Yeah, it was a metaphor. What happened was the one Project Team was owed stuff from 5 other teams and hadn't gotten it for several months. (For a variety of logical reasons). They were going to 'spring' it on them at the big meeting with the VP there to explain why they were late. But the Program Mgr. in charge of the 'coordination' (ummm... guess who) thought that was a Real Bad Idea, so he 'accidently on purpose' let the other 5 Proj. Mgrs know about it ahead of time. So the result was no 'surprise' on anybody's face except the VP who was SERIOUSLY PISSED that they'd (the originating team) let this info sit for several months and hadn't done anything about it. Suffice to say that I never saw that entire Project Team after that day. See how much fun management meetings can be? You don't often see people actually commit hari kari (well figuratively), in front of a room of their peers and their bosses.

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Office politics...

Posted by Paul on Wed, 10/15/2003 - 12:22pm.

Gah. Save us from office politics. I've been caught in the middle of that sort of shit before. Much better to defuse the situation in advance and try to work out solutions than lay blame...

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Office Politics

Posted by ParU on Wed, 10/15/2003 - 1:10pm.

Hey I was trying to defuse the situation. I laid my 'neck' on the line by warning the other Proj. Mgrs. of what was coming down. I totally agree with you Paul. But there are some people who think they're soooo clever and going to be able to lay blame on others. And in this case, it blew up on them (yes steff it's a metaphor, be careful or I'll start using baseball metaphors, too. *g*)

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Posted by marinerd on Wed, 10/15/2003 - 1:54pm.

Don't make me come down there and rip the apostrophe key off your computer!

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Passions ignite...

Posted by ParU on Wed, 10/15/2003 - 3:16pm.

Let's see - marinerd's coming down to the Bay Area to rip the apostrophe key off my computer and tim's coming to throw me to the ground.
Looks like I've done a fine days work.
I live for this

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Someday, he'll learn

Posted by steff on Wed, 10/15/2003 - 12:01pm.

...not to use phrases like this: You don't often see people actually commit hari kari (well figuratively) around A) the m.g.s and B)those of the pack likely to have seen precisely that. you know, literally, and all. =P not to mention those of us with inappropriate e.a.

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Not puppets, but...

Posted by steff on Tue, 10/14/2003 - 2:20pm.

...do ya still have the greaseboard with the bunnies and ducks?

cause, you know, it dosen't help, but it's entertaining.

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Out of curiousity

Posted by Sewicked on Tue, 10/14/2003 - 6:16am.

What part of Florida? Because you do know that large parts of Florida aren't in the South, right? Well, geographically they are south, but they are not Southern.

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Posted by hypoxic on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 9:20am.

Man kitty had a rough childhood. I hope you had some counseling for that.

And please nobody move to CA infact will some of you people move out?

The ocean is to damn full as is and you're taking up to much damn space in there.

There is no life east of the 5!

HA!

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East of I5

Posted by ParU on Sat, 10/11/2003 - 10:22pm.

Well, of course, there's no life east of I5 (which for you Auslanders is the highway that runs vertically through California).

Paul and Joe and steff are all just figments of the Internet.

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We've got him, guys

Posted by steff on Mon, 10/13/2003 - 6:34am.

that's what we WANT you to think. hehehehehehehe.

...so, you thought that endless stream of californians moving to colorado was just driving off the face of the earth, huh? =&thorn

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Posted by Matt on Mon, 10/13/2003 - 8:31am.

Yeah, pretty much. I have yet to see evidence to the contrary.

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Posted by Saint on Mon, 10/13/2003 - 10:06am.

God, I wish.

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*snort*

Posted by Paul on Sun, 10/12/2003 - 5:07am.

I beg to differ. I say that you're the figment, ParU. I have a name and a face for all to see- or at least those who are in CITYBagel. I don't live in a weird place where the most powerful and wealthy people are ones who get paid for dressing up and playing make-believe. I'll take my reality over yours any day, buddy. *gryn*

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Name and Face???

Posted by ParU on Mon, 10/13/2003 - 10:47am.

Hey I've got a name and face and I've even met two IP'ers for dinner! So there! Plus I've got Eve coming to buy me dinner this weekend. So there. Take that you Virginia 'will o' the wisp', professional engineer! (Oh and congrats again Paul).

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Whateeeeever you gotta tell y

Posted by Joe Napalm on Sun, 10/12/2003 - 2:55am.

Whateeeeever you gotta tell yourself to help you sleep at night, old man.

*Grin*

-Jn-
Efreeti Sophist

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Just good guvment

Posted by Social Neanderthal on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 8:07am.

Texas can actually split up into 5 states, not 4. However, we'd rather opt out, and take all the territory we brought in with us. [but that's another election altogether]

And Arnold was elected beause the vast majority of voters ARE NOT hard core party members. The American political parties are run by extremists of one variety or another, and most Americans are just good ol' fashioned working folks who'd rather elect someone with a work ethic and a desire to do the job well, than a career political hack. [regardless of the political parties involved]

If the crowd I was running with was as single minded and herd driven as some seem to be, I'd start looking for ways to meet new people. America is a pretty diverse country, and if everyone you associate with thinks the same way I'd view that as a problem.

And I won't even get into the lazy southerner generalization, other than to say your bigotry is showing and I'd bet you vote straight party Democrat. [And the only group less tolerant of dissenting opinions than Democrats seem to be the Muslims running the middle east]

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??

Posted by Cebu on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 8:16am.

I can't for the life of me tell who you're directing your comment to. The southern one, I mean.

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Seouthern Hospitality

Posted by Penny on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 8:55am.

He's talking to Sewicked, Cebu. She makes southerner jokes. They're just jokes, for pete's sake.

*shrug*

You know, I moved to Austin and met an extremely intelligent man and married him. I used to get offended by those jokes for his sake. I realized I would spend an awful lot of (wasted) time if I didn't get over it.

Oh, and 42. Just for KtG.

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Posted by Saint on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 9:26am.

I'm pretty sure Arlene was anticipating that angry reaction...which is why she pointed out that she's a native southerner. Guess it didn't work, though.

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Double standard

Posted by Social Neanderthal on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 9:25am.

So if I make a joke about women or blacks or the French, it will be just a joke and I won't be considered a hate filled racist simply because I'm a white man from the south?

How gracious of you.

You will have to forvive me for being a little bitter. Due to personal circumstance, these kind of comments strike a very exposed nerve. 5 years of personal slander and lawsuits [simply because I held a minortity to the same employment stadards as everyone else] will do that to you, and I hope nobody on this board has to experience anything close to that.

Maybe I just shouldn't post when I'm sleep deprived and running on caffiene.

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Double standard

Posted by Social Neanderthal on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 9:18am.

So why is it when someone makes jokes about white's in general or white southerners, it's just a joke, but if a white man makes the same kind of joke about one minority or another it is automatically assumed he is a hate filled racist?

You will have to forgive my sensitivity to these kind of comments. After years and years of having to prove I'm not a racist simply because I'm a white male from the south, it all gets a little old.

And frankly, I may be more than a little bitter due to things that have happened to me personally. I sincerely hope none of the good people on this board [hypo and sewicked included] have to endure 5 years of slander and lawsuits simply because a minority decided they didn't like being held to the same employment standards as everyone else.

Come to think of it, I AM more than a little bitter. [maybe tomorrow I'll feel better, it's been a long week and I probably shouldn't post when I'm sleep deprived and caffiene powered]

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Social Neanderthal,

Posted by Sewicked on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 10:12am.

I'm sorry that you had/are having those experiences. It is wrong to be called racist for holding a minority (of whatever kind) to the same standards as everyone else. My uncle was once sued but he was lucky in that there were other minority employees who stood up for him & testified that the fired employee was a lazy (insert expletive of choice).

And it's just a joke 'cause I am white & Southern. My favorite jokes are those that target my own, um demographic is the best word that comes to mind. And knowing that you can't see my voice or hear my tone of voice, plus knowing that I don't always make clear my joking intentions with words alone, I tried to make it clear that I was joking & that I wasn't making fun of them but of us.

I hope that things improve for you & that justice prevails. Good luck.

FYI, I vote Independant, Democrat & Libertarian (depending on who they've got running). I've never actually voted for a Republican but it could conceivably happen.

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Humor

Posted by ChristyMC on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 1:51pm.

See, it's exchanges like these that make me strongly opposed to having taboo topics for jokes. There is no better way to get to know a person than to see how they react to a joke, whether they laugh, do nothing, or get up and walk away. See, now I know more about both Sewicked and Social Neanderthal than I did before.

Of course, I'm not advocating telling horrendously offensive jokes and then watching people to see what they do, but having blanket rules about what topics are acceptable for the expression of humor prevents people from expressing very important aspects of their personalities.

On a side note, as the Northern offshoot of a Southern family, I have to say that the South really is pretty funny. Only in the South does "Golly" become a four syllable word.

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Cartoon

Posted by Kris the Girl on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 2:24pm.

Anybody else here Goofy in their head now?
Thanks, Christy. *grin*

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No Double Standard

Posted by Penny on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 9:29am.

Oh, no. See, I think EVERYONE should chill. No double standard here. Nosiree!
Basically, if I am offended by a joke, I don't laugh at it. Hard to do on a message board I guess.

There's no problem with you speaking your mind if you're offended. Just like there shouldn't be a problem with me thinking that jokes are just jokes, right?

I'm sorry for any personal experiences you have with bigotry of any kind and I hope you do feel better soon.

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Kris the Girl

Posted by marinerd on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 8:01am.

I think you should register to vote anyway, even if you don't spend much time at home. Then, you can become an Absentee voter. I think you just go online and got a form to fill out that you then mail in.

That way, even though you can skip the local stuff you're uninformed about (though there are often propositions you can figure out for yourself) you can still vote for (or against) people for President.

I'm an Absentee voter even though I live a block from my polling place. It's the greatest thing in the world, and I recommend it for everyone. No lines! No trying to fit it into your busy schedule! It's easy and fun. As they say: Vote early, Vote often.

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Registered voter

Posted by Kris the Girl on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 10:03am.

I am registered. There's only been one presidential election since I came of age.
I could be wrong, but I think absentee ballots are only counted if there's a close call, or something. At least, that's what I heard.

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Posted by Saint on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 10:08am.

I think that's only in Florida.

Absenee ballots are counted like any others, so long as they arrive by the deadline.

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Haha

Posted by Dragonfly on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 5:12am.

Here's the funny thing (and by funny I mean totally unhumorous)...I have NO idea who Ventura is, but I wanted to be part of the political babble...I really should read more, so as not to be ignorant. But um...if you ask me how many words the english language has as opposed to the french language I can tell you. SO I'm not fully stupid. Cuz I go to college, and theres a minimum smart you have to be in order to attend to it. Yep.

-----------------------
Karma Police

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Ventura

Posted by Saint on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 9:33am.

Jesse "the Body" Ventura is a former pro wrestler and occasional action-flick actor--he was in Predator and Running Man with his good friend, Arnold Schwarzenegger. I believe he managed to get himself elected governor mainly because people were so sick of career politicians who would promise everything to the voters, and deliver nothing.

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U.S. gives California its walking papers

Posted by pilferkitty on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 1:59am.

I say we just give California to Canada, teach it a lesson. I mean, we wouldn't let Canada keep it, just kinda scare California a bit. Kinda like when you're little, and you're being bad so your mom tells you she's gonna give you away to the wierd neighbors next door...she pretends to call them, negotiating prices and such. "Well, she's been behaving pretty badly lately, so I'll give you a discount." Then she walks you over there and leaves, while you're crying and begging her to come back b/c you're sorry and you'll never do it again, promise! Then an hour later she comes back b/c she really only went grocery shopping.
We should do that to California.

------------------------------------
"Si vous ne voulez pas du terrorisme,
n'y participez pas." -Noam Chomsky
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Canadian =/= bad

Posted by Pizza Delivery Guy on Sun, 10/12/2003 - 12:19am.

I mean, c'mon. They've got Universal Health Care. How can the U.S. health system compare to that? Oh wait . . . we have to pay for our own. and those who can't afford? T.S.

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Now why

Posted by Sewicked on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 5:28am.

Now, Pilferkitty, why do you want to terrorize the Canadians? What did they ever do to you?
*smirk*

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So you had

Posted by tim on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 5:24am.

a wonderful childhood except for the occasional moments you spent in abject terror of being shipped off to the crazy neighbors house by a vindictive mom when you misbehaved?
Sounds strangely like Catholicism.

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I

Posted by pilferkitty on Fri, 10/10/2003 - 11:02pm.

hahaa! tim, you hit the nail on the head w/ that one!!! i'm cracking up over here, that comment just made my day! :)

while my post was completely sarcastic, it's quite possible there are some underlying issues of emotional strife, seeing as i am in fact the product of your typical Irish & Italian Catholic family ;)

***disclaimer: canadians rock, and i only tease them b/c i really have a huge crush on them, and this is my way of flirting :0)

------------------------------------
"Si vous ne voulez pas du terrorisme,
n'y participez pas." -Noam Chomsky
------------------------------------

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Irish Catholic

Posted by tim on Sat, 10/11/2003 - 1:54am.

Well.... I was raised Irish catholic too pilfer That's why it sounded so familiar to me.
: ) I wasn't threatened with crazy neighbors...I was told that I'd be given to the Gypsies next time they passed through town. Which somehow seemed worse. And could also explain why I'm no longer a practicing catholic.
What does that mean anyway? :-/
I'd practice everyday...but the hours were long and the songs were boring and all my friends said that it was a waste of time and only old people did it...so I switched to guitar. : D

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My favorite English teacher

Posted by Sewicked on Tue, 10/14/2003 - 5:50am.

Heh, my favorite English teacher in high school (she was also in charge of the yearbook) ran away & joined the gypsies when she was a kid. They brought her back though (she'd made it two towns away from home by jumping on a train). Every time they came through town after that, they'd stop by & visit her. She was one of the coolest teachers ever.

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Awwww, dang it!

Posted by steff on Mon, 10/13/2003 - 6:43am.

you got GYPSIES? *pout* mom never even ONCE threatened to give me to the gypsies. hmph.

...of course, she probably knew i'd have my pillowcase packed and be standing on the porch demanding my earrings, pony and cute gypsy boy before she could turn her back. and i'd promise to write, but i never would. pretty smart, my mom was. heh.

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I got threatened with the gyp

Posted by Joe Napalm on Tue, 10/14/2003 - 12:59am.

I got threatened with the gypsy thing, but it kinda lost it's edge what with the gypsies backing away, making those warding signs, muttering about the Evil Eye and all...

*shrug*

-Jn-
Efreeti Sophist

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And could also explain why I'

Posted by Joe Napalm on Sat, 10/11/2003 - 10:17am.

And could also explain why I'm no longer a practicing catholic. What does that mean anyway? Must...control...urge...to...comment! Gah! -Jn- Efreeti Sophist

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