Funny, cute, and silly airport codes in the USA

• BET (Bethel, AK) – Seems this should have been the one for Las Vegas or Reno.
• BFL (Bakersfield, CA) – I am “baffled” why this is so funny.
• BUF (Buffalo, NY) – Hopefully, you do not have to arrive in the buff.
• BUR (Burbank,, CA) – This code would be good for someplace cold.
• FAT (Fresno, CA) – I realize this stands for Fresno Air Terminal, but talk about bad public relations.
• GGG (Longview, TX) – You’d get better internet service if it was 4Gs.
• IRK (Kirksville, MO) – I would be “irked” too if I had to fly there.
• KOA ( Kona, HA) – Who want to fly into a campground?
• LAX (Los Angeles, CA) – I hope this does not signify their attention to details. It also sounds like the abbreviation for Laxative International Airport.
• MOB (Mobile, AL) – self-explanatory.
• PIE (St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL) – I have no idea why it is PIE.
• PUB (Pueblo, CO) – Now this is my kind of airport! Beer for everyone.
• ROW (Roswell, NM) – I hope we don’t have to – flap maybe, but not row.
• RUT (Rutland, VT) – No one wants to be in one, particularly in an airplane.
• SUX (Sioux City, IA) – If I were the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce or Tourism Bureau, I would ask for a new code designation and fast!
• UTO (Utopia Creek, AK) – Who wants to hear anything remotely close to “uh-oh” or “ut-oh” when flying?

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A disturbing example of role reversal

In 2010, the Supreme Court decided in the Citizen United case that corporations are “people.” More recently, I have seen and heard references to people as something other than “people.”  I have heard “units” utilized on a television commercial for Colonial Penn Life Insurance and “giving units” at two different churches to describe people who donate to the church. While this may be accounting lingo, I find it very disturbing that corporations are being called “people” while people are being described as “units.”

This may seem innocent to some, but my concern is these subtle alterations slowly but surely dehumanize people into something other than human beings, while raising corporations up to a standard of perception that frankly, they do not deserve.  When you dehumanize people, it can be the start of a very slippery slope towards mistreating and disrespecting them. It is much easier to dispose of a “unit” than a “person.” We all know history is littered with the corpses of those poor souls who were dehumanized by their enemies.

To keep humankind from repeating some of history’s lowest moments, it is high time for all of us to re-emphasize our love and respect for ALL of humanity, whether they are our friends, family, neighbors, fellow citizens, or our enemies. Love is life’s greatest gift. It is time for each and every one of us on the planet to start behaving like we appreciate this generous blessing.

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Inconsistent right to life advocacy

I am really quite tired of those taking pious attitudes and talking in puritanical ways about the right to life for the unborn while bluntly neglecting those who are already populating the planet.

Right to life advocates fight tooth and nail to protect the unborn, but virtually disappear the moment the child arrives. From that point on they turn their backs. Why? If protecting life is their goal, then it should pertain to all life. We can disagree on when “life” begin, but their should be no disagreement on protecting life after birth. Where is their advocacy for the following:

• women’s health
• child nutrition funding
• women-infant-children programs wellchild programs
• elementary and secondary education funding
• adoption programs
• preventing war and social injustice
• homeless assistance
• protection for the abused
• opposition to capital punishment
• care for the poor, needy, and indigent
• care for the elderly

Right to life zealots seem to be only concerned about the unborn. Once you come into this world, their attitude appears to be “tough luck and go fend for yourself.” If that is their idea of protecting life, then it is awfully selective, self-aggrandizing, and woefully inconsistent.

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Not your tele-version of “21 Jump Street”

I saw the movie 21 Jump Street this past Saturday night. While there were a number of very funny scenes and a believable plot, to this viewer the foul language was unnecessarily overdone and in some ways even detracted from the quality of the film.

According to one of my sons, he had read that the “f” word was used more than 120 times in the film. After seeing the movie, I would say that is a gross underestimate. Frankly, the word was used nearly as often as “the.”

I did like the lead characters and enjoyed their banter. And, I have got to admit that the chase scene in the movie provides some laugh-out-loud visual and slapstick comedy, a la The Naked Gun.

Probably, the most surprising thing to me was the theater was complete full even though the film was released several weeks ago. I walked in thinking we were going to be the only five people in the room - boy was I surprised. I also enjoyed the appearances by many of the original television series cast, including a current male movie superstar who will remain nameless, but everyone will immediately recognize.

If you decide to go see 21 Jump Street, do not take any children under the age of 16, because the language is raw, the topics are raw, and some of the imagery is quite violent. Otherwise, you will laugh, but I think it could have been even funnier by using less raw language and being more clever with the dialogue.

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Our beautiful “Blue Boat Home”

Since joining my church family at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing in 2011, there is a song by Peter Mayer, entitled “Blue Boat Home” that we sing now and then, that I love every time I hear it/sing it. The melody comes from an old hymn, but the lyrics were written to emphasize the fragile and timeless beauty of our lovely planet.

While Mr. Mayer’s original version is wonderful, there is something about singing “Blue Boat Home”  in unison with fellow UU members in church that is even more uplifting and inspiring. As an environmentalist, I have found there are few songs which express the loveliness of our planet more than Mr. Mayer’s tune. The lyrics are provided below, as is a terrific music video of the song showing the vast array of sea life off the coast of Catalina Island, California. Enjoy!

Blue Boat Home

By Peter Mayer

Though below me, I feel no motion 
Standing on these mountains and plains 
Far away from the rolling ocean 
Still my dry land heart can say 
I’ve been sailing all my life now 
Never harbor or port have I known 
The wide universe is the ocean I travel 
And the earth is my blue boat home

Sun, my sail, and moon my rudder 
As I ply the starry sea 
Leaning over the edge in wonder 
Casting questions into the deep 
Drifting here with my ship’s companions 
All we kindred pilgrim souls 
Making our way by the lights of the heavens 
In our beautiful blue boat home

I give thanks to the waves upholding me 
Hail the great winds urging me on 
Greet the infinite sea before me 
Sing the sky my sailor’s song 
I was born upon the fathoms 
Never harbor or port have I known 
The wide universe is the ocean I travel 
And the earth is my blue boat home.

 

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English words that defy description – NSFW

In every language there seems to be some words that defy description beyond being just plain goofy. Here are some of the goofy words of the English language that I like with some definitional and spelling help from the Urban Dictionary, though the list is nearly endless and expanding all the time.

• bass-ackwards – a nicer way of saying ass backwards
• cadiwompus – not quite right or ass backwards
• diddlysquat – do not give a shit or don’t care
• dohickey – same as a whatchamacallit or a thingamabob
• dorkshit – an idiot
• dweeb – a nerd
• kitty-corner and catty-corner – diagonally opposite you (how felines got into this equation is beyond me)
• perdiddle – car with one headlight out
• pondscum- someone who does not respect women or a lowlife
• scrumpdilicious – thank you Dairy Queen for this one meaning “yummy”
• thingamabob – an item whose name you cannot recall
• thingamajig – same as above
• turdbrain – same as birdbrain, only more assertive
• whatchamacallit- when you don’t know the name of something and a name of a candy bar
• whippersnapper – a young know it all
• whosawhatsit – when you can’t recall an item or someone’s name

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A weekend filled with diverse delights

There are not many weekends where you have the opportunity to sample the cultures of eight nations in a matter of hours, but this past weekend proved to be one.

On Saturday, I enjoyed a delicious Scottish scone from The Purple Carrot food truck and volunteered as a bicycle and stroller parking valet during the Old Town Oktoberfest in Lansing, Michigan. Immediately afterwards, I had a terrific dinner at Pablo’s restaurant across the street from the festival venue.

Then, on Sunday evening, I attended a superb concert at the Pump House in East Lansing. The headlining musician, Ember Swift was born in Canada, but now lives in Beijing, China. Her set included English, Chinese, and French song lyrics, often intertwined with each other in the same song. If you have an opportunity to see Ember or her opening act and fellow singer/songwriter, Kelly Zullo perform, please do – they’re both terrific. You will not be disappointed.

So…in alphabetical order I list American, Canadian, Chinese, French, German, Mexican, Polish, and Scottish cultures. when including the Polish dancers at the Oktoberfest.  The total doesn’t include the Czech, Indian, and Middle Eastern baked good vendors at the Farmers Market whose tasty treats I didn’t get to sample this time.

All I know, is the wonderful diversity of cultures made for a fun-filled and entertaining weekend. They also make Greater Lansing a richer place to live.

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A credit card’s definition of “some”

Got a letter in the mail on Friday from one of my credit card issuers. The letter said that they have made “some” changes to the cardholder agreement. Six pages later, I was done reading the changes. Are they kidding? Six pages does not qualify as “some” to me. Two-three pages perhaps, but six pages of changes is like a wholesale set of new rules and regulations.

Leave it to a credit card company to re-define “some” in an completely different manner than the rest of us do on a day-to-day basis. I  cannot wait to see what “a few” means to them. They might need an entire semi-truck and trailer to deliver that letter. :  )

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The power and privilege of words

I had my second celebrity encounter on Twitter recently. (I mentioned in my What color is ‘flesh’? post that I got a message from Sophia Bush.) My latest reply was from Seamus Dever, who plays Detective Kevin Ryan on ABC’s “Castle.” He tweeted “Counting the trannies on Santa Monica Blvd. Working on those night moves.” When I read it I was very disappointed that someone who espoused liberal causes did not know that “trannies” is a slur and an offensive word to call someone who is transsexual or transgender. I replied telling him that and asked him not to use it. Then he responded, saying, “so what do you call a transsexual prostitute?”

It sounded like the set-up to a joke, but it wasn’t funny to me at all. One of my first thoughts was, “Why do you have to call them anything? They’re human beings. They’re sex workers. What’s wrong with ‘transsexual prostitute’? Why do you have to shorten that to anything?” That wasn’t what I said to him, but I might have if I’d had more than 140 characters. Instead I said that “trans man” and “trans woman” were the preferred terms, and pointed him to a blog post about why “tranny” is considered hateful. I also thanked him for asking what the proper term is, and told him I’d pointed it out in the first place because I know that he knows the power words can hold. As an actor, Dever knows how changing one or two words can completely alter a scene.

I often see and hear people use words that I wish they wouldn’t — “retarded,” “gay” as a pejorative, etc. I myself have trouble finding words to describe something that’s out there without using a word like “crazy” or “nuts.” And of course I don’t point out to everyone that their language is offensive, but I did to Seamus and Sophia because they both seem like people who wouldn’t knowingly use hurtful words. And a lot of the time, people don’t know that their words are offensive. But if I were carelessly throwing around language that furthered the oppression of a marginalized group, I’d want someone to call me on it. Really, the only reason you need to omit a particular word from your vocabulary is that someone asks you to.

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The slut-shaming starts young these days

I find the most interesting articles thanks to Twitter. One I read recently was called “Slut-Shaming on the Playground,” and it was by a mother, Airial Clark, who was trying to deal with her 11-year-old son wanting to have his first kiss. He starts talking about a girl he knows who has kissed three people already, and Clark doesn’t like his attitude: “I’m concerned that you are judging someone for doing something that you yourself wish you were doing, and I’m also a little upset that you’re making this about her being a girl.”

They talk a little more, and Clark reaches the conclusion:

It would have been easy for me to  demonize this girl’s behavior in order to make him feel better and also to try to control his future sexual behavior. Slut-shaming is a time tested tool in our culture. We use it under the guises of keeping kids from doing some sexually inappropriate thing. But does that work? No. Does it cause a lot more harm than good? Yes. I don’t want to raise a hypocritical judgmental misogynist. Which means I have to have these conversations with him NOW, not when he’s 21 and in college.

I wanted to cheer Clark on for being an awesome parent, because this type of behavior does start young, and we need to nip it in the bud. I can remember when I was in fifth grade, one of my best friends called me a slut. For no reason. I definitely hadn’t been kissing any boys, but as Clark points out, even if I had, it wouldn’t make me a slut. But my friend knew even at that age that it was a insulting name to call a girl. It certainly hurt me enough that I remember it years and years later.

One of the many reasons slut-shaming should be avoided is because it’s so subjective. Who decides how many people a girl has to kiss — or have sex with — before she’s labeled a slut? Is it her enemies? Her peers? Society? Are two kisses too many? Five? 10? One, if the person she’s kissing has a jealous ex? What it boils down to is we should refrain from judging other people for their choices if all activity is consensual.

And we might like to pretend kids don’t know anything about sex and don’t need to, but that’s not true. Many kids have started puberty by 11 or 12 and we need to make sure they are learning about sex in a healthy way from their parents or trusted adults and not from outside influences — I highly doubt my friend heard her parents call anyone a slut. Comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education in schools is a good way to start. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Barbara Lee have introduced legislation that would repeal funding for abstinence-only programs, which study after study has shown doesn’t work. The bill probably won’t get very far, but it’s refreshing to see leaders in Congress take a proactive stance for once.

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