Little things can expose serious injustice. For example, this story about two women being thrown out of a restaurant for a kiss…we need reminders like this that discrimination is real, and it hurts people.

There is no federal law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Neither Kansas nor Missouri are among the few states that protect gay people from being discriminated against in areas of employment, housing and public accommodations.

Kansas City does have an ordinance protecting gays, as do St. Louis, Columbia and University City. But if you’re anywhere else in Missouri and you’re gay, you can legally be denied service in restaurant. Landlords can refuse to rent you a place to live.

You can even be canned from your job on the suspicion that you’re romantically inclined toward members of your own sex.

(via Daily Irreverence)

Today is Craig McClain’s birthday, and all anyone got him for a present was some magic sea water quackery. Somebody should go say happy birthday without trying to restore his cellular homeostasis by selling him overpriced salt water.

Wilkins has a good introductory video to the concept of biodiversity—why isn’t that post in your basic concepts list, John?

That’s one interpretation, at least. Shelley finds a new item in a disturbing PETA ad campaign. I really don’t understand what they’re doing; putting up all these ads to associate meat and butchery and experimentation with sex seems counterproductive. What if the ads work, and everybody starts getting horny every time they go by the meat counter at the grocery? I really don’t want to have to waste my time fending off mobs of randy young men and women whenever I whip out a scalpel, either.^*

The ad also makes a ridiculous scientific claim—par for the course for PETA—that “the cognitive abilities of a chicken rival that of cats, dogs, and even young humans.” I think the only way they could get that answer is if their baseline was a measurement of the cognitive abilities of PETA publicists.

^*The alternative is even worse; what if every time you had sex you couldn’t get dead chickens out of your mind?

So I lack tact. I would have been pleased if the fellow had left it there, but suggesting I get tips from Dilbert? Bad form.

What a great story—a Japanese whaling ship is disabled and begging for help, and guess who is available to rescue them? A Greenpeace vessel.

Seriously, John, you
shouldn’t watch this video.

Greg Laden was there, and has a nice blurry picture of me picking my nose.

So Scott Adams shouldn’t be too irritated at this amusing depiction of his mental state.

Zeke is gone.