INTERESTING TIMES

Marc Gunther's post about this ad is right on:
http://www.marcgunther.com/2011/11/27/maybe-the-best-retail-ad-ever/.

From the Human Rights Campaign, a list of businesses rated according to their support of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. They also deal to some degree with racism and other sorts of intolerance. Which to me is absolutely necessary. Some "human rights" organizations get myopically focussed on one group of people, but human rights is about ALL people.

Here is HRC's info on which businesses are most tolerant with regard to variation in sexuality and gender identity. I thank them for their research. I would like to see this info cross referenced with an environmentalist/non-consumer perspective and see how many are left in the "green" category.

from www.3trillion.com

Looks like you really can go shopping for desert islands, if you like.

This link takes you to a wonderful big picture explanation by Annie Leonard of what is happening on planet earth today, and how we participate. Thanks to one of my classmates who posted the link. It contained no surprises for me, so you may not have any great "Ah-ha!" yourself. For anyone who isn't convinced that our current way of life is unsustainable, this might help them understand just how urgently unsustainable our economy is. One factoid from the presentation that I hadn't previously absorbed: American happiness has been declining since the 1950's, which Annie says is about when we started "consuming". Anyway, check it out if you haven't, and pass it on to anyone who needs a straightforward explanation of what's going on.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Guess where Citgo gasoline comes from???

Venezuela. Citgo Petroleum is wholly owned by the Venezuelan national oil consortium. Apparently a fair number of Americans are boycotting Citgo to get back at Hugo Chavez for calling our presidente satanic... Is there a Citgo in Flagstaff? I'm buying all my gas there from now on. Citgo says they're committed to "the general public throughout the United States" in addition to a few other interests:
http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=Citgo&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=103343&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=True&SubMenu=Releases

Also, another tidbit that I didn't hear at first: Apparently the United Nations audience gave a "resounding" round of applause to Chavez's remarks about Bush. And people in Harlem cheered... I don't know which people, but I cheered too.

I am fascinated by the heaps of insults piled upon Chavez, even by democrats in this nation. For example, Nancy Pelosi called him a "thug". OK. He's a thug that the U.N. agrees with. And considering how Bush has treated the U.N., they have every reason.

Chavez called a spade a spade, and because that spade happens to be a PRESIDENT of a powerful nation it is not acceptable in "polite" conversation.....but isn't it time that we stopped being so polite and got the thieves and murders out of the Whitehouse? There's all this commentary about how Chavez should have a civilized discourse with Bush--but discourse is impossible because Bush (et al) speaks only doublespeak. Bush will stick to his script because he is not smart enough to take on Chavez. Even if Chavez IS a barbarian thug.