AND NOW...COMPLETELY RANDOM SHIT:Quick Bits and Other Crap to Fill the Holidays

CINCY POLITICIAN LOSES FIRST BATTLE AGAINST LOCAL U.; STILL SCARED OF GAY PEOPLE WITH DENTAL..

Gay employees of the Local U. will continue to have access to same-sex "domestic partner" benefits, at least for the time being.

A lawsuit brought against the university by state Rep. Tom Brinkman (R-Cincinnati) was dismissed earlier this week in a Butler County courtroom.

Brinkman, who is also the father of two students, had sought an end to such benefits, claiming the university's policy was a direct violation of the state's 2004 Marriage Amendment.

While the suit was dismissed because Brinkman and his legal team could not provide evidence that the university's policy damaged him individually or concretely, the judge did note in his ruling that the suit may still have merit if brought by a more impacted party.

Brinkman, of course, plans to appeal the ruling.

For a previous ZenFo Pro opinion on the subject, click here.

Anywho...

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BITCH-SLAPPING THE TASTE OUTTA CELEBRITY ACTIVIST MOUTHS ...

See...this is what happens when I get back to reading my usual four or five newspapers a day...

An interesting piece appeared in the Toronto Star Nov. 19, an editorial concerning the way Western celebrities approach "supporting" the developing world.

Special correspondent Dominic Hilton hits the nail on the head perfectly:

... Unlike Sir Paul McCartney, many African countries have actually got poorer since the '60s. Why? Well, for starters, because they're locked into a cycle of dependence on Western aid. The last thing Africa needs is more celebrity - encouraged Western guilt. The world's poor are not skint because Brad Pitt is loaded. The West has poured billions into Africa and the result is a continent described by Prime Minister Tony Blair as "a scar on the world's conscience." Most celebs look at this situation and demand... more of the same...

When celebs feel they have a duty to speak out, it is always we (the West) who are blamed for the fact that the world's wretched don't live in Beverly Hills mansions. You never hear a celebrity say, "What Africa really needs is a good dose of regime change." Why don't our rock stars organize a concert demanding African property rights or the scrapping of Africa's protectionist tariffs on agriculture and drugs? And when will we see a business-suited Gwynnie in our magazines highlighting the cancer of African state corruption? ...

- FULL ARTICLE HERE -

Nothing more to add, really.

I think Hilton read my mind, actually.

As did an editorial writer for the University of Virginia's Cavalier Daily earlier this month.

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MAYBE KRAMER COULD INSULT PEOPLE IN KATHMANDU NEXT TIME...

In the last seven days, Nepal formally ended one of its bloodiest civil wars and demolished its monarchy, a former KGB whistleblower died mysteriously in London, some dude tried to blow up Northern Ireland's parliament, Ethiopia's sent troops into Somalia to protect the Somali government from yet another Islamic militia, and Lebanon's losing anti-Syrian leaders left and right.

And I'm supposed to give a shit about what some comedian from Seinfeld shouted racial slurs at an audience?

This is what draws national outrage? This draws the media attention? A friggin' comedian says something that a group of people find insensitive and racist?

Racist comments and insults from Hollywood...who'd a thunk it?

Wow.

And people at a local bar were upset that a cultural geographer and I were discussing why a good portion of the world thinks Americans are too self-absorbed to even care about the rest of the world...

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PERSONAL NOTES...

• Well, seems I have another damned local cyberstalker. It's one thing to read this blog from the confines of Oxford Fucking Ohio, to enjoy the fact that, yes, there's a local librarian who says "fuck" a lot, who admits to doing things most librarians wouldn't in regards to their personal lives. But please don't leave me notes on my fucking truck. Very creepy. Don't do that.
  

• A friend of mine recently had her car keyed, presumably by an ex-boyfriend of hers. After getting the vehicle back from the auto-body shop (we're talking deep scratch here), her windshield was keyed. Days after discussing how insane it is for an ex-lover to damage a car, the ZenFo ProMobile was also damaged - and I'm almost certain it was done by one of my own psycho exes.

• I spent part of Wednesday night explaining to a high school kid how to properly use a condom, in the middle of a friggin' Wally World. The girl had about a mile to buy the condoms, because her boyfriend was too chickenshit to buy his own. Yes, it was rather embarrassing. And no, I don't regret it one bit. The last thing Rural America needs is another teenaged single mother.

• When the students are gone, Oxford ain't half bad, actually. I'll spend at least a portion of this weekend celebrating what locals call Townie Weekend - the one break between Labor Day and December when there are virtually no drunken preppy kids stinking up some rather decent local dives.

• I've had a grand total of six people this month tell me that they've always assumed I was either part-Latino or part-Middle Eastern based on my physical features. No fucking clue why, really.
  

• Recently, I've become addicted to Justice League: Unlimited, thanks to the release of a new boxset. And I've now watched Transformers The Movie four times since I purchased the 20th Anniversary Edition a few weeks ago. Still cry when Optimus Prime dies - just like I did in the theatre back in 1986.
  

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