Idaho Speaks

Okay, once again this is from PZ Myers.  We may as well just put him in the blogroll, because he’s just so prolific and his columns are funny and sensible at the same time.

He’s asking, why would you only test candidates for the priesthood for gay proclivities?  Why not any sexual proclivities?  Celibate means celibate.  Is the impression that only gay priests will violate their vows of chastity?  Or is it an approved witch hunt against those who Pope Benedict has a special fear of?

It makes no sense.

But the funny in this one is his curiosity about the testing:

I really want to know details about how these tests are going to be done. Do they hook the candidate up to a plethysmograph and then show them pictures of varying degrees of titillation to various sexual orientations? That sounds fun — they might get a flood of new prospects who are really just there for the test. Heck, if I was sufficiently bored, I might sign up … especially if the testing is done by hot novices in sexy wimples.

Tags: Catholic Church tests priests for homosexuality

At least it was some 20 years ago, when I was but a wee lass…since all other drugs have their own commercials, it seems reasonable that this would have a commercial, too.   Enjoy.

tequila

.

Tags: Tequila commercial

He got the House to pass his bill allowing pharmacists in Idaho to do what they apparently already had the legal right to do, which was refuse to dispense medication on moral grounds. 

I’m curious why he feels pharmacists should have the right to interfere in the doctor-patient relationship and meddle in the care being prescribed.

48-21, the House agreed.  5 Republicans voted against the bill and for common sense.  The bill now goes to the Senate. 

With all the budgetary economic problems we have in our state, there was time for this foolishness?  Oh, I get it!  It was because you have already cured our economic woes!  What a wonderful legislator you must be, Mr. Loertscher! 

Because if you wasted valuable legislature time on this kind of frivolity, you’d be a pretty shitty legislator, Mr. Loertscher.

Tags: pharmacists' morals, Tom Loertscher

So last night was the last of the season’s Contra Dances at the First Presbyterian Church in Idaho Falls.  Usually there would have been two more but apparently the interest is dying down, and the money isn’t there any more.  That’s too bad, I think it is fun.

What is Contra Dancing?  It’s a kind of folk dancing, derived from English and French country dancing, in which couples dance in two facing lines.

Many of the steps are similar to square dancing, but the combinations are simpler.  A caller teaches the steps and cotinues to call while the band plays music from America and Europe.

It starts up each year in the Fall/Winter season.  Check it out next time!

Tags: Contra Dancing

It’s tomorrow.  Sorry, folks, I just learned of it so it’s late notice.  From the Unitarian Universalist’s March newsletter:

March 29 Freedom Seder  6pm meal (come early at 5pm to help set up)

Tags: passover seder, Unitarian Universalist Church

A press release from the Democrats in Bonneville County.  

Truman Banquet!

The Truman Banquet will be Saturday, April 25th, this year. It will be held at the Sam Bennion Student Union Building, 1784 Science Center Drive.

The keynote speaker will be Senator Nicole LeFavour, District 19, in Boise. She is a teacher, non-profit organizer, small business owner. She sits on the Commerce and Human Resources Committee, Finance Committee, and Health and Welfare Committee.

Drinks will be at 6:00 p.m. and dinner at 7:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, or to buy tickets, please call Jackie Stephens at 552-3237

Here is the link to their website to see some items to be auctioned at the Banquet:

Tags: Bonneville Co Democrats, Nicole LeFavour, Truman Banquet

Things are tough all over (that was a GREAT Cheech and Chong film). 

The State of Idaho is giving employees an across-the-board 3% paycut, and may use mandatory furlough time (employee must take time off without pay) to make up at least another 2%, for the next fiscal year.   The Post Office was considering dropping a day or two of delivery.  The Post Register did the same, we now have no Monday edition. 

The State of Utah has moved to a 4 day workweek (10 hr days) and closes its offices on all Fridays.  That saves building and maintenance and utility costs, but they’re still paying employees for 40 hrs.  Customers lose out instead.  Canyon County (Nampa/Caldwell) is considering not paying staff for the three holidays they will take off  this summer (Memorial, July 4th, and Labor Day).

Private industries are using layoffs and mandatory furloughs to get by.  A local TV station is mandating 40 hours off without pay for its staff, and zero raises.  A local spud company laid people off in two stages.  Unemployment benefits claims hit record highs in Idaho this year.

I think as an employee I’d prefer the furlough or holiday w/o pay option.  The reason for that is I have the time off to do things if I wanted, or find another way to work for pay those days.  Whereas, if I have to take a cut in pay, I’m still working 40 hours but now it’s for less money, and it’s a long term option (unless they specify it’s for one year only…) that will take me several prosperous (and therefore raise-yielding) years to recover from, if that’s even possible.

Is your employer downsizing, or cutting back in other ways?  Which type of cost-cutting measure works better for you?

Tags: economic hard times, Employees impacted by cutbacks, Post Office cutbacks

Darren Palmer is all the rage these days online in this area, where rich folks, greedy for more and more, helped him live lavishly and willingly kissed their money goodbye.

But as many people who prey on the rich folks, there are hordes more whose favorite targets are those who already have almost nothing.  From the dawn of history we’ve had hucksters galore, and PT Barnum was happy to employ all of them.

I know someone who works at the State Office Building on Shoup.  In that building is the State Tax Commission, and the Regional EMT folks, but everyone else is Health and Welfare, from the actual Welfare office to the Mental Health and Family Services.  The people who come to that building for help have a mix of varying social and economic status.  Not everyone is poor (although it’s a reasonable bet that most of the people applying for Welfare are probably poorer than most).

So what was stuck to everyone’s driver side windows today in the employee parking lot?  (She wasn’t sure, they could have been stuck to the visitor’s cars, too).  A PayDay Loans advertisement.

So, are you poor?  You know, so poor you can’t get loans, you probably have a sucky job, and you have no credit or money in the bank?  Then have we got a deal for YOU!  Come in to see us, get yourself a payday loan, and we’ll only charge you about a thousand percent interest!  Because Idaho statute allows us to!  Because if you’re so damned dumb as to go for it, we’re happy to take your money!  And your pride, your dignity, and your future!  Because Darren Palmer doesn’t want to know you, but we do!  Come be our friend and we’ll screw you twice as fast as he would have!  Guaranteed!

Okay, well, that’s not what it said.  But that’s what it meant.  Payday loans.  Title loans.  Legalized loansharking.  I’m almost happy that they were so dumb as to waste their money by putting the ads on the employee’s cars.  However, maybe after the Legislature is done with them, the employees will be poor enough to succumb to those ads, so maybe the business was just being proactive! 

It’s a damned shame.

Tags: legalized loansharking, payday loans

Always liked this guy, especially when he played Stu Redman in the mini series “The Stand”.  Yum.  But lately I have been noticing all the things he tries to do for veterans.

He is currently promoting a film that a man made about his brothers who are serving in Iraq.  CNN has a good commentary column that Gary wrote, explaining why this is important to him.

I know he has been on tours over there.  My niece was there as a Marine, and she got her picture taken with him (funny story, she says he recognized her from Idaho Falls because he bought cotton candy from her at Tautphaus Park the year before).

The Kid and the Loot

Tags: Gary Sinise, US Veterans

There are many people at my school and we all get put into cliques, whether we like it or not.  Cliques are an exclusive group of peole who share interests, purposes, and patterns of behavior.  Members of a clique will try to exclude others from the group and can be seen as bullies.  The cliques at my school are:

The Populars:

They think only of themselves and think you have to do whatever they say.  They usually have money.

The Gothies/Emos:

They wear black all the time, have cuts on their wrists and are usually sad.  They look hungry.

The Jocks:

They love to play sports all the time and can tell you all about their sport, in season or off season.  They don’t pay attention to anyone else unless you can talk sports.

The Geeks/Nerds:

The smart ones love to study, and don’t usually get the girls/guys.  You think of the guys as wearing trousers and short sleeve dress shirts, and having a calcuator in their pocket.  The girls dress modestly and don’t make eye contact.  The ones who are not smart are almost invisible, unless one of the above groups needs someone to pick on.

Which one am I?

Tags: cliques, high school social scene