Yellow Dog/Bleeding Heart

Yes, my last two posts were pretty boring, but some of you have asked what is keeping me so busy, so I offered a couple of short examples of my academic writing. Sort of. I actually tried to un - academize the papers in many ways to make them more interesting, while still maintaining the thesis. Boring? Yeah, but I am such a nerd I find that sort of writing to be kinda fun. Okay, so today Bojo sent me some information on a local social service organization for teens that seems to be doing some great work. She is very passionate about becoming involved with them and I support her (and the organisation) wholeheartedly. While pointing out the wide range of programs, however , she mentioned something that gave me pause for thought. The organisation offers programs for " GLTQ " teens. G and L I have no problem with, though technically "gay" and "lesbian" are kind of redundant. Transgendered? Okay, I understand the inclusion. But "Questioning"?...

I try really hard to say only what I mean. As an armchair (or at least academic) Linguist , I take language very seriously. Therefore I do not ever claim to " hate " something. In fact, I cannot think of anything worth expending the negative energy to hate. Even RB. I also do not say, "I cannot stand" or "I will not tolerate" because time and experience has taught me I can stand quite a bit of adversity and I have tolerated some things that surprised even me. I have, however, realised that I say " stupid " a lot when referring to something that has annoyed me. Not so much people, as while there are some ignorant people, I would rarely consider someone stupid . Okay, so I abuse the term stupid. It was a really long week last week, and I am pretty stressed these days due to overwhelming work at the firm and my current finals. (Thesis? What thesis?) When things are this busy I do not have the time to properly meditate, and after a while it really s...

Prejudices found in the community are often acted out in the workplace. In George Henderson’s book, Cultural Diversity in the Workplace, prejudice is defined as “a conclusion drawn without adequate knowledge or evidence”. [1] While there are laws to prevent discrimination in the workplace, as pointed out in the text, there are no laws against having a prejudicial attitude. This raises the question: is anyone without prejudice? I have heard the statement that we should “embrace diversity” rather than merely practice tolerance. I consider myself an open minded individual, but I am neither sure I agree with embracing diversity, nor am I sure that to truly do so is possible. Certainly I respect diversity. If diversity can be loosely defined as “differences”, then isn’t the acknowledgment of said differences without judgment an acceptable goal? Take religious views for example. A Christian’s view of Jesus as the son of God is the foundation of their faith – their religious truth. A Buddhis...

How on earth is there anyone out there in this day and age who doesn't know that typing in all caps is wrong?! It is wrong. It is a flagrant violation of long-standing netiquette. It is annoying. It is painful to read. And did I mention it is WRONG ?! See what I did there? I used all caps on the word "wrong" to emphasise it ; to make it appear as if I am yelling the word . That's what the caps key is for: Emphasis (well, that and proper nouns.) It makes me absolutely crazy to receive an e-mail typed in all caps. All lower case bugs too, but I can overlook that. All caps, however, turns me into a sort of Cujo type monster and I want to seek that person out to tell them what a fucking idiot they are. Sadly, the offender is usually not an extremely educated person. So, can I still get mad at them? Hell yes I can, because you don't even have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to know that all caps is wrong. It goes beyond just the fact that you are yelling at me. I m...

Words are worth exactly the thought and the sentiment put into them. I’m not sure if it is because I was an English Major or because etymology is my hobby or even because I think the art of rhetoric is fascinating. I am just not hung up on the individual words themselves. I generally say exactly what I mean and mean exactly what I say. It’s all about context. This is why Chris Rock can call Kanye West a " niggah " but George Bush can't. This is also why I have never had a problem with Little Dog using words which many (or most) consider to be inappropriate. He can say shit, damn, piss, and even fuck. I truly do not care. I do, however, care about words and phrases like: “Shut up!” or “Hate” or “Retarded.” I mean, words can hurt, and the damage can extend further than to just the person you are saying them to. Using certain words can perpetuate stereotypes; dissuade compassion and even waste energy. Have you ever though of the energy it takes to “hate?” Yup. Hate is a mig...

These days Furry walks into a room and announces, "Hi!" for all to hear. His eyes are wide and his smile is big, so of course we can't help but acknowledge his greeting with a resounding, "Hi!" back to him. Therein lies the problem. See, he doesn't get that he can just let it go at that point. He answers your "Hi" with yet another, " Hiiiiiiiiiiiii ," though this time in a more breathy and excited voice. The cycle repeats until you distract him with the cat or a cookie. But imagine what a big word those two letters must be to him. It's a word filled with expectation. It can mean, "Hi! I'm here now. Adore me!" Or, it can mean "Hi! What do you wanna do now?" How about, "Hi! Wow I can't believea minute ago you weren't here and now you are!" And even, "Hi! Right now you are my most favourite person in the world!" The word gets everyone's attention. It puts smiles on people's fa...

There is a new commercial airing which shows Santa giving Mrs. Claus a gift of jewelry. She opens the box and purrs, "Oh Nick, thank you!." Little dog watched this and asked, "Who's Nick?" "Santa Claus, " I replied, "Saint Nicholas." "But Santa's name isn't Nick. It's Kris. You know, Kris Kringle." Hmmmmmm.........