Sunday, April 29, 2007

Stop the Hate, Stop the Bigotry

Jamaican Observer

Mob beats cross-dresser
Melee in Falmouth; wig, form-fitting blouse ripped off

HORACE HINES, Observer staff reporter
Saturday, April 28, 2007

FALMOUTH, Trelawny - A cross-dreser was set upon and severely beaten by a mob in Falmouth's Water Square yesterday morning.

Police who were called to the scene had to fire warning shots to disperse the stone-throwing, stick-wielding mob, which succeeded in tearing off the man's black-and-white form-fitting blouse and jet black wig....

"B***y boy fe dead," persons among the mob shouted.
The sentiments were echoed by the rest of the riled-up crowd.

"Falmouth no pet no b***y boy. We no want none a them bout here," one woman yelled.
After the mob dispersed, the victim was whisked off in a police service vehicle, much to the disapproval of the crowd who rushed upon the vehicle demanding the man's release.
"If you ever did see him. Him dress hotter than you and me," one young girl was overheard telling her friend.
"Nu worry man, we gi him a proper [beating]," one man said proudly….

Yesterday's beating was the second such in a month in western Jamaica. In the previous incident, several men alleged to be homosexuals were chased, beaten and stabbed, resulting in one of them being hospitalised, during the Supreme Ventures carnival on Gloucester Avenue, Montego Bay. The men were said to have gone onto the stage and gyrated on each other, angering the patrons.


But the newspaper had this editorial the next day, maybe there is some hope.


Barbarity has no place here
Sunday, April 29, 2007
The graphic images accompanying the lead story in yesterday's Daily Observer should be cause for great concern, not to mention evidence with which to initiate a prosecution against those pictured beating and kicking a cross-dresser in Falmouth's Water Square on Friday morning.
For the matter of mob rule seems to have become par for the course in Jamaica, and as far as this space can remember, no one has ever been brought to book for the vigilante killings of alleged offenders.
According to yesterday's story, the cross-dresser was set upon and beaten by an angry crowd that found his (or possibly her) attire offensive.
Had it not been for the intervention of the police, who escorted the victim to hospital, the incident - which in itself constitutes the common law crimes of assault and battery - could well have culminated in murder.
These considerations seemed not to have occupied the barbarian horde which stationed itself at the hospital awaiting the victim's release, presumably to pick up where it had left off.
Apart from highlighting the citizenry's callous disregard for law and order, we believe yesterday's story points to a breakdown on several other societal fronts.
Take the matter of employment. How on earth can anyone who is about making a productive contribution to society afford the sort of time described in yesterday's story to pursue the fortunes of a cross-dresser?
Is it that those who stationed themselves at the public hospital awaiting the victim's release had nothing planned for the day? No job? No children to take care of? Were they just loitering in Water Square waiting for a cause on which to expend their energies?
Then there are the matters of common sense, values, attitudes, basic education and respect for life, which myriad private and public agencies are responsible for promoting.

By the Way Sunday

~Today~


By the way...
What's the weather like today?
Mostly cloudy with a chance of a shower. Its a good day for napping.

Are there any special meal plans for today?
No, maybe spaghetti or a pizza for dinner.

What one thing do you hope to accomplish today?
Making the changes to my term paper after Cat proofread.

What are you thankful for today?
Only one more class and then the semester is over.

Saturday Six - Episode 159

Patrick Weekender

1. What’s your favorite kind of bread?
Multigrain Oatnut bread

2. As a kid, did you eat more warm sandwiches or cold ones?
Cold, baloney and cheese on white bread, no crust.

3. Which of the following side items do you most prefer with a sandwich: french fries, potato chips, or cole slaw?
Cole Slaw, next choice would be chips

4. Take the quiz: What kind of sandwich are you?

You Are a Ham Sandwich

You are quiet, understated, and a great comfort to all of your friends.
Over time, you have proven yourself as loyal and steadfast.
And you are by no means boring. You do well in any situation - from fancy to laid back.

Your best friend: The Turkey Sandwich

Your mortal enemy: The Grilled Cheese Sandwich


5. If you could only use one of the following condiments, are you more likely to use mayonnaise, ketchup or mustard on a sandwich?
Mayo on all sandwiches except ham and then it is mustard.

6. A question of deli etiquette: do you eat the dill pickle spear before, with or after your sandwich?
I eat a dill pickle spear in between halves.

Friday 5 for April 27

The Outsiders


1. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
Hiking

2. Are you outdoors not often enough, too often, or just often enough?
No, I would like to go out hiking for two or three times a week.

3. When was the last time you slept in a tent?
Oh, a very long, long time ago. Something like 20 years.

4. Where is your favorite beach?
Out the back door of our cottage on the lake in New Hampshire.

5a. In what social, academic, or professional group are you on the outer fringes of?
My group of older friends from high school, I do not think that they understand me. time will tell if I get invited to any more parties.

5b. In what social, academic, or professional group are you right in the middle of?
In the trans-community I am very active.

Spring has Sprung

When I went to get the mail yesterday, I saw that my Japanese Cherry tree was in full bloom. So I took some time off from cleaning to take these photographs.







In the wetlands (a.k.a. swamp) behind my house I have these flowers growing and someone told me that they were swamp marigolds. But I have no idea if they are or not.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Iowa Legislature Passes Non-Discrimination Bill

Now, if on the Connecticut Legislature can get their act together and pass the amendments for Gender Identity and Expression to the Connecticut’s Anti-Discrimination bill SB1044.

247gay.com

Iowa Legislature Passes Non-Discrimination Bill
04.27.07

On Wednesday, members of the Iowa House of Representatives voted 59 to 37 to approve a bill outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, public accommodations, housing, education and credit practices. The bill passed with bipartisan support, with nine Republicans voting in favor of the bill.

This legislation, which passed the Iowa Senate on March 26, 2007, by a 32-17 vote, must be sent back to the Iowa Senate for concurrence with the House version. If the bill is signed into law, Iowa will become the 19th U.S. state to ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and the 10th to ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

Such a result would please many of the state’s business leaders, according to recent reports from The Des Moines Register.

In an article that appeared in the newspaper earlier this month, Marvin Pomerantz of Mid-America Group, whose businesses have already adopted policies protecting their employees, said, "As employers, we believe all Iowans should be able to live and work without fear based on their race, gender, religion, ability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic.”

Likewise, W. Kim Austen, president of Allied Insurance, said, "As we continue to grow our operations in Iowa, we are focused on keeping and attracting workers to our state. The proposed changes in the civil rights code will assist in attracting workers to come to and stay in Iowa."

Leaders from Bankers Trust, Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Business Publications Corp., Principal Financial Group, Aviva, Meredith Corp., and other businesses also have aired their support for the bill in the last few weeks.

On a national level, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese praised the Iowa Legislature yesterday for their work up to this point.

“Legislators in Iowa have taken historic action to advance the cause of equality for all Iowans. Once this bill is signed, Iowa will be a freer and fairer place for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents,” he said in a release. “We applaud the many legislators who voted for fairness and equality; Governor Culver, who has pledged to sign this bill; our friends at One Iowa, the Interfaith Alliance Action Fund, the Iowa Safe Schools Task Force and the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, as well as all the HRC members in Iowa who worked hard to pass this important legislation.”

© 2007 GayBusinessWorld.com; All Rights Reserved.



Connecticut has been dragging along, passing the bill from one committee to another, doing anything to delay the bill. You would think that it would be a no brainier, but a certain organization has a problem with the bill. They are afraid that their kids might have to see someone who is different they are afraid that the kids will see a man in a dress. In another new article about the Iowa law there was a comment made by the president of the Iowa Family Policy Center that stated their concerns:
Chuck Hurley, president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, called the proposal "legislative malpractice." Under the proposal, an elementary teacher, "Mr. Jones," could dress like "Mrs. Jones" and "shock the conscious of students" without repercussions, he said.

Iowa state legislature had enough guts to pass this bill why cannot the Connecticut legislature?

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

I came Out to My Boss.

This morning I told my boss that I was trans and of course he was surprised but other than that he took the information very well. I decided to tell him because of my activism since I might be “Outed” accidentaly and I also thought with all the time I have been and will be taking off he should know the reason.
So anyhow, it is done.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Another Busy Week

I have been busy working on my other term paper this week and I have not had time to update my blog. I also got my grade in my other class and I wasn’t all that happy with the grade, it was a “B-“. My term paper would have been a “B+” but he marked me down a grade because of grammar. I picked up my term paper from the professor Thursday night and I had a talk with him and he said that he liked my work, it just that I have to work on my grammar. He also said don’t get discouraged and that if I increased my grade point average, he would write a recommendation for me to graduate school. He teaches Community Organizing and is the Director of Urban and Community Studies at Uconn. So of course he tried to talk me into have my Masters concentration in Community Organizing but I want to have my concentration in Policy Practice.
So now this weekend and next is devoted to writing my term paper for the other class which is due May 1st. And also find someone to proofread my paper.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Brunch and a Play

I went out to brunch at the Pond House in West Hartford with two couples before the play today. The restaurant is located in West Hartford but it is a Hartford park (Elizabeth park). The Pond House Cafe was very crowded when we got there at noon and we had to wait before they had our reservation ready, once we ordered we had a long wait for the food. We got there two hours before the play but we barely made it on time to the theater and I had also to stop by a friend’s apartment to pick him up for the play.
It was the first time we went there for brunch and in the past we alway had good food there, this time was no exception. I had Pond House Benedict, which is two eggs Benedict over a crab cake and corn bread.
The play was at the Hartford Stage Company and it was “I am My Own Wife” a true story about a transvestite who survived the Nazi and Communist in Germany. The play was a one person play and he played all forty parts. I give it a 3 ½ to 4 stars, the play was good and I enjoyed, but it is nothing to write home about.
After the play we all went over to Tisane, a tea/coffee house in Hartford, for drinks and to talk over the play. They finally got a decaf black tea, the last time I was there they only had herbal decaf teas.
So all in all it was a good weekend; Saturday the TransHealth Conference and Sunday the play.

After Eight Months of Work, Success!

The TransHealth and Law conference was a great hit, we had over ninety attendees and for the first conference; that was fantastic. I won’t say it went off without a hitch, but so far all the comments I heard were good. I got there at 7:15 to help set up for the conference and then I helped at the presenters registration table. I also attended two of the fifteen workshops. Both of the workshops that I attended were about legal trans-issues. One of the workshops was by a lawyer from Connecticut Human Rights and Opportunity Commission on what is the definition of discrimination and how to file a complaint with the CHRO. The other workshop was also on legal issues and was given by the Senior Staff Counsel for GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders), Jennifer Levi, who was one of the co-counsels that argued to case that allowed marriage equality in Massachusetts.

By the Way Sunday

By the Way...

1. April, May, or June? May, the flowers are just starting to come out.
2. Birthday, Christmas, other? Fourth of July, Fireworks!
3. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Dinner, to sit back and enjoy a good meal over a glass of wine, reflecting on the day.
4. Car, truck/SUV, or van? Car, more practical and economical.
5. Lounging, shopping, or sightseeing? Sightseeing, I like see something new and photographing it.

Saturday Six - Episode 157

Patrick’s Weekender

1. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #90 from Remo: In the event of a disaster or act of disorder, are you currently prepared to remain self-sufficient for a day, a week, or a month until measures could be taken to restore order and services?
I have a week’s worth of food in the house; more of you count the frozen food. As for water I have a 20 gallon water heater.

2. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #91 from Frida: Feng shui: Totally serious, totally crapola, or just another cool way to get redecorating ideas?
Just a way of some one making money with a hare brain idea.

3. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #92 from Call Me Betty: Do you feel comfortable being yourself in public or do you feel you have to hide certain aspects of your personality?
I think so. See if you can guess; hint read the introduction to my blog.

4. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #93 from Wil: Name your favorite flower to appear in the Spring around you?
Crocus, they are just starting to pop up around my yard.

5. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #94 from Cat.: From this list, are there any places you would never travel.
It is easier to list the countries I would like to visit; Canada and Europe. All the other countries are not to friendly to the Trans-community.

6. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #95 from Kathy: Who is your favorite [motion picture] director?
Alfred Hitchcock, I love his type of mysteries.

Friday, April 13, 2007

One More Step Closer to Writing My Term Paper

I just conducted my second interview for my term paper and have just one more interview to go. The interview was with a lawyer who brought a famous case before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The interview was very interesting and now I just have to figure out how to work it into my term paper. She started out on cases that involved gender discrimination by accident, before she even started to transition, before anyone even knew she was trans. She was asked by a client to ask the CHRO if transsexuals were covered by the existing laws. The CHRO ruled that transsexuals were covered and not only them but also all other transgenderd persons.
The first interview was with a transactivist who is the head of Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition of which I am on the Board of Directors and I talked to her about how she built up CTAC. How she went to Washington DC to a Transgender Lobby Day and came back to Connecticut and form “It’s` Time America” which later became CTAC.
The third interview that I am doing is that of a friend who was homeless. She moved to Connecticut from Virginia to avoid persecution and discrimination. She was thrown out of her parent’s house because the father found out she was trangenderd, she was beaten up by the police in Virginia and fled to Connecticut where she lived in shelters. She just recently got her own apartment.
Somehow I have to weave these three stories into my paper on the Anti-Discrimination legislation that is before the state Senate right now.
You know seven years ago I would have NEVER in my wildest dream ever imagined that I would be interviewing wonderful people like these people, let alone being an “Out” transsexual. Nor would I have thought I would be going for my Masters degree in Social Work. I was so deeply closeted that I wouldn’t even go outside in fear of being found out.

How Much of a Feminist Are You?

Well you just had to know that I couldn't resist this....

You Are 100% Feminist

You are a total feminist. This doesn't mean you're a man hater (in fact, you may be a man).
You just think that men and women should be treated equally. It's a simple idea but somehow complicated for the world to put into action.

Friday 5 for April 13

Cutting Costs

1. When money’s a bit tight, how do you cut costs in keeping yourself fed?Start eating cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and TV Dinners for diner.

2. When money’s a bit tight, how do you cut costs in keeping yourself entertained?Read book from the library.

3. When money’s a bit tight, how do you cut costs in other areas of your life?By not going out to diners or to plays.

4. When money’s a bit tight, what do you do to keep your spirits up?It is hard to say because I have never really have been in a spot like that. Since I have been employed as an engineer or a supervisor all my life, I have never had that problem. Maybe when I retire this year it might be a little hard living on a fixed income.

5. When money’s a bit tight, what are some things you refuse to sacrifice?My high speed internet connection.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Kurt Vonnegut Dies

He was one of my favorite authors back when I was in college and his best seller just came out; “Slaughter House 5”. The book was about the bombing of Dresden where he was held as a prisoner of war when the city was firebombed by the allies. More civilian were killed that night then from the atomic bomb at Hiroshima, Vonnegut was one of a handful of survivors that night.
But my favorite book of his was the book he wrote in 1952 called “Player Piano” which was about the affects of automation and big business and their corporate values. The book dealt with unemployment, corporate cutback and greed, I think it is more fitting today’s world then it was written back in ’52.
For more details about his life read the Guardian article about him.

Getting to Know You Day

The Conversation Piece

1. question #255 - If you had to change your first name, what would you choose as your new name? Actually I am going to change my name from Don to Diana and I am still trying to figure out a middle name. My middle name begins with “R”, anyone know of a middle name (Other than Robin) that might go with Diana and an Italian last name?

2. question #158 - What is your favorite saying, quote, or expression?
See my blog “I Have Been Tagged" for a list of quotes.

3. question #49 - If you could buy any rare collection in the world, which would you choose? Why? I think a collection of “The Beatle’s” master copies of their records because I think the value would always increase.

4. question #1 - If you could fly in a hot-air balloon over any city in the world, what city would you choose? Why that city? If it can be something other than a city, I would like to balloon over the Grand Canyon because I think the view would be breathtaking.

5. question #221 - What is an item you own that has a minimal monetary value but has such sentimental value that you would not sell it for $5,000?My mother’s necklace, its nothing fancy but it is one that she wore often for special occasions.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Easter Sunday

For Easter the clan met up at the family cottage in New Hampshire. My brother went up Thursday to turn on the water and heat before everyone else came up. My sister-in-law, nephew, his wife and their three kids went up Friday. My niece went up Saturday with her son. And I went up there on Sunday morning and as did my cousin and his wife.
Since there was snow on the ground and the kids couldn’t go outside and play, I was glad that I went up on Sunday. In the cottage there were six adults and four kids ages; six (2), four and one, so it was a little crowded. But driving up for the day makes for a long day, I left at eight in the morning and I didn’t get home until nine at night (Its a three hour drive to the cottage.).
I arrived about a half an hour before my cousin and his wife got there. When they came in we greeted one another and my cousin did something that no man did ever before, he kissed me on the cheek like he did my sister-in-law and my niece. It was something I was not prepared for or never thought about. It was a totally new experience that I do not know yet if I like, I have to give this a lot of thought.
Well anyhow here are a couple of pictures of the lake house, as you can see there is still a lot of snow up there…


A Success Story

Here is a tale of one woman’s success in Electrical Engineering. I first stumbled across her story when I was looking up the history of the old computers (IBM 1620 & IBM 360) from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s that I had used in college to learn different programming languages on. (Some of this it technical, but you will not need to know the terms to get the gist of what it is about.)
Conway's innovations at Xerox PARC [Palo Verde Research Center] in the 1970s simplified and demystified a once extremely complex process of silicon-chip design, laying the foundation for much of the modern-day silicon-chip design and design-tool revolution in the 1980s. Many chip designers did their first VLSI design projects using the government's MOSIS prototyping system based on Conway's work at PARC. High-tech companies and computing methods worldwide now are grounded in her work.[1]

Because of her you are able to read this on your computer and every other device that uses a microprocessor uses one of her inventions. The text book that she co-authored became the standard that thousands of engineering used, over 70,000 copies were printed.
But she didn’t stop there…
Some may more accurately describe her as a pioneer in microelectronic chip design. Most of today's chip designers learned their craft from the textbook Introduction to VLSI Systems, co-authored by Lynn Conway and Prof. Carver Mead of Caltech. It foreshadowed today's still-evolving SoC design methodologies. [1]

But that is not the only major research that she did. She was involved in research for the Department of Defense.
In the early 1980s, Conway was a key technical architect and leader for the Defense Department's Strategic Computing Initiative (SCI) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). SCI was a major research program in high-performance computing, autonomous systems technology, and intelligent weapons technology. Working under Dr. Robert Cooper, Director of DARPA and Assistant Secretary of Defense, Conway led the effort that produced the Strategic Computing Plan published in November 1983.
More recently, Conway has focused on visual communications and control probing for basic system and user-interface concepts as applicable to hybridized internet/broadband-cable communications. She has five U.S. patents for her visual communications inventions [1]

She didn’t stop here either…
I joined the University of Michigan as Associate Dean of Engineering and Professor of EECS in 1985. Partly this was a move to break out of the Bay Area, and "get a life", which I finally managed to do. I've just stepped down from active faculty status here at Michigan, as Professor Emerita of EECS. [2]

But where her career began is even more amazing…
Until recently, many in her field didn't know another facet of Conway's life. They didn't know that in 1965, at IBM, she invented dynamic instruction scheduling (DIS), a powerful method for issuing multiple out-of-order instructions per machine cycle in supercomputers. By solving this fundamental computer architecture problem, she made possible the creation of the first true superscalar computer, the IBM ACS-1. Although that superscalar computer was eventually cancelled, her DIS invention survived and is now a classic hardware method for enhancing the performance of VLSI superscalar processors, such as those made by Compaq, HP, Intel, MIPS, and Sun. [1]

Her spans over three decades and at each point in her career she was in the fore front of her profession and for that leadership she received many honors.
Lynn's won many awards for her work, including the Electronics Award for Achievement, the Wetherill Medal of the Franklin Institute, the Pender Award of the Univ. of Pennsylvania, SWE's National Achievement Award, the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Achievement Award, recognition as Xerox Research Fellow, an honorary doctorate from Trinity College, election as a Fellow of the IEEE and election to the National Academy of Engineering. [2]

To see what made her career even more remarkable read her autobiography http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/RetrospectiveT.html


1: Electronic Design, Doris Kilbane, Lynn Conway: A Trailblazer On Professional, Personal Levels; Retrieved April 11, 2007, http://www.elecdesign.com/Articles/Index.cfm?AD=1&ArticleID=5833
2: People Involved with ACS, Mark Smotherman, Retrieved April 11, 2007, http://www.cs.clemson.edu/~mark/acs_people.html

Manic Monday

Manic Monday for April 9, 2007


What flavor of ice cream best describes your personality?
Rocky Road, that is the story of my life.

If your life was a weather vane, which direction would it be pointing right now?
Northeast, that is where our worst weather comes from here in Connecticut.

What is one field or profession that you have never pursued, but that you think you would most likely have been quite good at?
Actually, I am going to change fields and try getting my Masters in Social Work

Saturday Six - Episode 156

Patrick’s Weekender

1. Do you believe that there is some form of intelligent life on a planet other than Earth?
Yes, with all the solar systems out there, there has to be at least one other planet with intelligent life.

2. If there was, and we were to encounter it, which do you think would do more harm to the other: the Earthlings or the Extra Terrestrials?
The Earthlings

3. If a close friend or family member told you that they had been kidnapped by aliens, how likely are you to believe them if they can offer no physical evidence?
I know of a good psychologist that I can recommend.

4. Take the quiz: How likely is it that you would be abducted by Extra Terrestrials?


You have a 11% chance of being abducted





You don’t really believe in extra-terrestrials, but you should! The chances that another intelligent life form exists is far greater than the chance that it doesn’t.


Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com


5. If you could fly in a spaceship to get a close look at any of the planets besides Earth, which would you choose and why?
Mars, because it is most Earth like and may support human life.

6. If you had the chance to live on a fully-developed colony on Mars, would you do so?
Yes, at the drop of a hat. I think we build colony first on the moon and then on Mars.

Friday 5 for April 6

A Method to this Madness

1. What’s your routine when you sit down to read a newspaper?
I start off with the front page and work my way to the last page of the last section, but I skip over the sports section. That has no interest to me.

2. When you fire up your web-browser on a typical day, what’s your browsing routine?
I check my emails, visit friends’ blogs and then go to Google News for the headlines.

3. It’s time to tidy up your living space! In what order do you normally tackle things?
I start with the kitchen and work my way back to my bedroom.

4. Holy cow! It’s time to start thinking about Christmas shopping! How do approach this annual, sometimes-daunting task?
Wow! It’s December 20th already? I usually start my shopping just before Christmas; it makes it easier with nothing left on the shelves, you just buy what’s on the shelves and get a return slip.

5. What’s your method for paying bills?
The old fashion way by snail mail.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

BINGO!!!

I went to a fund raiser Bingo last night for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective and I won! I won the last game and the prize was $115. I always have fun when I go Bingo (even if I don't win), usually I go with a group of friends to dinner before Bingo and it makes it a fun night out, its even better when I win.

Transgender Health and Law Conference

I was busy most of the nights after work this past week volunteering to help set-up for the Transgender Health and Law Conference. This will be the conclusion of nine months of work that began with the first steering committee meeting back in August and it has been a good learning experience for me. Here is the email that I sent out the other day to the area support groups.

Next Saturday April 14th there is a transgender health and law conference at Uconn Health Center in Farmington which is the first transgender conference of its kind here in Connecticut. I am impressed with all the different agencies that have come together to give this conference; the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Planned Parenthood, Connecticut Women Education and Legal Fund, Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health
Collective, the University of Connecticut and also the Connecticut
TransAdvocacy Coalition.

There are over fifteen workshops being offered, some of the presenters are; from True Colors, a Sex Therapist from the University of Hartford, the Senior Counsel for GLAAD and many more. Connecticut Outreach Society is also going to have an informational table there at the conference.

The registration fee is $25 and $15 for volunteers (I need someone to help me at the table registering the presenters), but the fee can be waived in cases of hardship. The conference is worth it; besides the workshops they are providing a continental breakfast, lunch and a reception after the conference.

For more information and to register on-line go to their web-site:
http://conference. transadvocacy. com/

Monday, April 02, 2007

Manic Monday

Manic Monday

Which of the seven dwarfs best personifies you?
Happy

If you could change the custom of shaking hands, what would you replace it with?
Tipping your hat or curtsy.

If you had to describe your disposition with meteorological terms, what would a typical forecast be like?
Cloudy and drizzly in the morning, sunny and bright in the afternoon.

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Bigotry and Hatred is Still Alive

Back in February a 72 year old man on the bus in Detroit was murdered because he was gay. The HRC reports….

…the death of 72-year old Detroit resident Andrew Anthos who was attacked last week outside of his apartment and subsequently died of his injuries.
…the attack occurred last week on Feb. 13, when Anthos was riding on a city bus and was asked by a fellow passenger if he was gay. The man then followed Anthos off the bus which stopped in front of Anthos’ building where the assailant then beat him with a metal pipe.


The police closed the investigation saying he wasn’t murder because the blow to his head didn’t cause his death. This from March 30th Lansing State Journal…

Anthos' Cousin Won't Give Up Search for Answers

Athena Fedenis said she was stunned to learn Detroit police have closed their probe into last month's death of Andrew Anthos after the department was unable to find witnesses to a beating. It also stopped the investigation after the Wayne County medical examiner's office ruled Anthos fell because he had an arthritic neck, not because he was struck by an assailant during a hate-fueled attack.
According to Fedenis and other family members, Anthos said he was riding a city bus home from the library on Feb. 13 when a young man asked him if he was gay and called him a "faggot."

"If you want to say he wasn't murdered, OK. But you can't say he wasn't attacked, that it wasn't a hate crime," Fedenis said.

"Could (Anthos) have been wrong about the pipe? Probably. It could have been the guy's fist," Fedenis said. "But what was the size of a softball behind his left ear? It was a cut, a gash. ... If he was never struck, this wouldn't have happened."

A Midland-based conservative group, in a statement, called on Detroit police to investigate who may have been involved in the filing of what the American Family Association of Michigan called "the filing of a false police report."

Can you imagine the audacity of the AFA!

It is time to stop the hate! It is time to stop the bigotry!

Last night's COS Banquet.

Last night was the Connecticut Outreach Societies annual banquet, after months of planning it finally came off without a hitch. For the last couple of weeks I have been biting my nails worrying if we would get enough reservation to meet the minimum number of diners for it. Two weeks ago we were ten diners short and that meant that we would lose money on the banquet because we priced the dinner to break even at fifty.
But we had fifty-six reservations and five walk-ins. Whew!
It think everyone had a good time from the feedback that I got and they liked the guest speaker that we had. She teaches psychology and sociology courses on Human Sexuality at a local college, she also had a radio talk show. She gave an excellence talk on gender and transgenderism. Before her talk, I had to give out awards to our a few of our members so I had to get up in front of everyone and handout the awards. Compared to three years when I did that for the first time I have really improved my public speaking.
Here is a picture that a friend took while I was giving out the awards. You can see what I meant about in the meme below about being addicted to food. Gaining weight is so easy, loosing weight is so hard.
I had a problem with my camera last night, the flash wouldn’t go off. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong so I didn’t get to take as many photos of the banquet as I wanted. It wasn’t until this morning when I figured out what was wrong, I had the autofocus set for macro and that disables the flash and it also explains why some of my photographs were out of focus. I was using my camera at work to photograph some small defects on a printed circuit board and I forgot to set the autofocus back to its normal setting. Ugh…

By the Way Sunday



By the way...
Miami or Honolulu?

Honolulu, it is more exotic and has that South Pacific allure.

Nashville or Dallas?
Nashville. Dallas has too much hate and bigotry.

Chicago or Denver?
Denver, the gateway to the Rockies

New York City or Los Angeles?
New York City, it’s only fifty miles from home.

Washington D.C. or Boston?
Boston, it has class and it is only hours away from the prime vacations spots on Cape Cod, in New Hampshire or Maine.

Last but not least....Paris or London?
London, I don’t speak French.

Saturday Six - Episode 155

Patrick’s Weekender

1. PC or Mac? (You must choose one or the other.)
I would like to use a Mac, but we live in a PC World

2. How much do you like one over the other, and what's the main reason?
PC is so filled with bugs that it looks like Swiss cheese. How often do you hear Apple put out a security patch, compared to MS one a day.

3. What would be easier to do without for a week: your cell phone, your television, or your computer?
My television

4. Take the quiz: Are You a Computer Geek?


My computer geek score is greater than 80% of all people in the world! How do you compare? Click here to find out!


5. What things do you feel more addicted to than your computer?
I refuse to answer because it might get me arrested! Just kidding, food is addicting to me.

6. If your computer has to go in for service and you're without it for a week, and you have the chance to log on at a different computer, which are you most likely to do first: check news headlines, check email, or update your blog?
1. Check email
2. Update my blog
3. Check news headlines