They call it Facebook for a reason.

Man, I’ve been seeing all these stories on the news telling people to be careful about what they post on websites like Facebook and My Space, and I always thought, “This is news? To whom? Shouldn’t people already know that a site designed to connect people is a place where you are choosy about how much you let them connect with?” I thought this until…

I actually had a friend tell me he did something that you just shouldn’t do on these websites.

Ok, he works for a company. He’s not particularly fond of his job, but it pays the bills, so what the hell? He joins Facebook, and finds a group entitled “I hate xxx company but I still work there anyway.” Just so we’re clear, xxx company is *his* place of employment. Feeling happy that he’s found comrades who share his hatred of this company, and I guess feeling relatively secure, he posts a rant which I wish I could read, but I think I have to join Facebook to see it, and I won’t do that. His supervisor finds his choice words, and he gets a swift meeting with his bosses saying that he’d better shape up or he’s gone.

Helloooo! First of all, Facebook isn’t as anonymous a place as the rest of the internet. You have a username, and since it is Facebook, they usually encourage you to put your picture up there. So if your name is John Smith, you pick a username like jsmith, something my poor friend might have done since he’s not the most creative with his usernames, and your ugly mug is up on the site, I don’t think your boss will have too much trouble finding out who said he could shove his performance quotas where the sun doesn’t shine.

Second, Facebook is a social networking site designed to help people find each other. Ranting about work is not something that you want your coworkers to find. So as much as I look at my friend and go “Why?! why?! why?!” I also think the person who set up the group is doubly stupid, especially putting the company’s name in the group title! Way to bring flames.

I can hear people now, saying I have a blog with references to people on it, so I’m just as stupid. I don’t think so. I only put people’s full names on the blog if they’re already in the newspaper. To know who other people are, you’d have to know me personally. Plus, my whole name isn’t up on this site. If you google my name, all you know is that I’m a bit of a geek. I try from time to time to see what comes up. Plus, I think I know what is safe to put up on the blog and what should stay off the net. I may be proven wrong some day, but so far, so good.

I will never join Facebook. Or, if I must for some reason or another, I will only put up the barest of details. Why? Read this post, and I think you’ll understand. Some people might love it, but for me, I think it’s a recipe for disaster.

DO NOT YELL AT BLIND PEOPLE and Other Common Sense Tips

I know I’ve said this stuff before, but somebody sent me a funny version of it, with some new and interesting twists on it, so I figured it should go up. I figure you can never repeat this stuff enough.

Ten tips for interacting with people who are blind

By: Shelley Johns
Shreveport Times, Louisiana, April 19, 2007

Shelley Johns lives in Bossier City.

My father is blind, as are both of my uncles, so growing up with blind people has given me some insight (no pun intended) into how not to treat blind people.

First, when out in public, if you happen to see a blind person, do not stare! Although, the blind person cannot see you, the family members of the blind person can and speaking from personal experience, it can send a sighted family member into a rage where you will be verbally abused and/or made an example of.

Second, when a blind person is ready to order at a restaurant, please do not assume that they are not of mental capacity to place the order for themselves. Nothing makes a blind person angrier than when a waiter or waitress asks the person sitting with the blind person what the blind person wants to eat.

Third, speaking loudly to the blind person is not going to make him or her see you. This may be shocking, but sight is not triggered by loud noise and yelling at a blind person will only result in a bloody nose, and/or cane whop, because no one likes to be yelled at.

Fourth, offering help to a blind person is OK but only if the blind person asks for it. There are some exceptions to the rule. For example, if you see a blind person about to run directly into a wall, then stopping them is acceptable. However, a blind person doesn’t normally run into walls because they are normally armed with a cane, escort or seeing-eye dog.

Fifth, moving furniture in the path of a blind person is completely unacceptable – well, unless you are the blind person’s spouse, son or daughter and they have just made you mad. It is not recommended though because the blind person has acute hearing and anything you are doing sneaky can be heard from a blind person several rooms away.

Sixth, do not treat blind people like they are stupid. Asking stupid questions or dumbing-down a conversation is completely ridiculous. In most cases, the blind person is highly educated and conversation with a blind person can be a learning experience.

Seventh, do not offer to “carry” a blind person somewhere unless you have a really strong back and fully intend to lug the blind person on your back. Leading them somewhere is OK; however, carrying them is not suggested.

Eighth, when helping a blind person descend a flight of stairs, do not grab underneath their arm, lifting half their body, forcing them to hop down the stairs on one leg. This is hazardous to the blind person, as well as yourself.

Ninth, give them the respect that you would give anyone else and don’t treat them differently. While stupidity may be contagious, blindness is not.

Tenth, and finally, if you are going to ask a blind person about their blindness, for goodness sake, just ask. In most cases, they do not mind answering your questions, however, wording it in a way that is insulting to their intelligence is not recommended.

In conclusion, I believe that I have covered the most important bases on how not to treat a blind person so please use this guide wisely.

Some of those surprised me. I’ve never been made to hop down stairs, and no one has offered to carry me somewhere and I’m not even five feet tall!! I can’t imagine having someone offering to carry me, and being a fully-grown man.

And in the leading a blind person part, I would have added, do not try to lead them by the end of their cane, by their dog’s leash, and if you can avoid it, don’t herd them like a cow. Let them grab your elbo if possible. If their hands are full of stuff, or there is some other reason why this is not possible, then other ways of leading are cool.

Hope you enjoyed that. It made me chuckle, so I thought it might be fun to post. Plus, I hadn’t posted since Friday! What’s that? Something not cool, that’s what it is.

Should They Keep their Little Girl Little?

This is just scary, and something about it rubs me the wrong way.

Parents of a 9-year-old girl named Ashley, who refuse to be identified but have no problem putting Ashley’s picture everywhere, have decided that she shouldn’t grow anymore, so have started pumping her full of hormones and putting her through surgeries to prevent her from getting any bigger than 4 feet five inches and 75 pounds.

This is their story. She has a condition called static encephalopathy. This means she is severely mentally handicapped and can’t walk or talk, or keep her head up, roll over or sit up by herself. So this will make it easier for them to take her on outings if she’s easier to carry.

This is what has been done to her. She has had a hysterectomy, surgery to prevent breast growth and subsequent high doses of estrogen to slow her growth.

Ok, I get that it would be hard to care for her if she can’t sit up or do anything on her own, but what I’m worried about is what all this estrogen and hormone therapy will do to her in the long term. They may be able to carry her, but she may end up with cancer or who knows what else? Wouldn’t it just be simpler to have a little more care in the house than to completely and utterly mess with her body? I’m sure the expense would equal out to be about the same.

I just don’t like their attitude. Like I said before, they have pictures of her and they black out everyone else, they refuse to have an interview, but they’ll send emails to reporters, they have a website where they only have material that supports their side of things, and there’s something that just doesn’t sit right with me. Maybe they’re the most loving couple in the world, but they look like publicity hounds who like to give us the appearance that they care for their daughter so people will see them as heroes. It reminds me of another kid I knew. She was deaf and blind, couldn’t talk and was in a wheelchair. Her parents would go on TV talking about how much they loved her and would do anything for her, but send her to school dirty, in crappy clothes and tell her caregivers they were employed to make their tea. We could only imagine that the reason they kept her around was so they could profit from a settlement she got since her condition was due to a car accident.

Let’s just hope Ashley, their “pillow angel” as they call her because she never moves from where they put her, usually on a pillow, doesn’t develop any unexpected side-effects from these body modifications they’ve done to her. I just feel kinda sick now.

The Bad Idea Fairy Visited Me Again

If you’re like us and enjoy reading about goofy or downright stupid things that people have invented, then you’ll probably get a kick out of
this piece from Wired Magazine
about some of the dumbest things ever created.

The article features among other things a human powered helicopter pogo stick, underwear with airbags in them, and glasses for people who only have one eye that will try to make it look as though the person actually has 2.

Have fun.

Ooo! Look at the Doggy!

God it’s nice to be home, and settling back in with the pooch. She’s so fast, and people are always startled at how fast we can motor. Somebody asked me if she had a slow button. That made me laugh, because at the time she asked, I didn’t even think we were zooming that quickly. But I notice that what used to take me 10 minutes now takes me 3.

But it’s always a bit of an adjustment to deal with the public and the querky things they do as soon as there’s a dog involved. I swear, just bring a dog into the room and you could conduct a study on social behaviour. Then you find out who in the group are the mature ones, and who are easy to turn into little children.

Where should I begin? I guess with the way conversation shifts as soon as people see us, er, actually, as soon as people see Trixie. As I’m getting on the bus, I notice that the general conversation changes from “nice weather…look at that guy with the weird hair…so did you hear that story on the news..” to “dog…dog…dog…doggy!…what a nice dog…labs are so cute…etc. I always know it’s coming, it can just be a little overwhelming sometimes.

Then there are the strange people that seem to be drawn to me. I used to get on a bus and sit down and not much would be said to me, except for the usual stuff, and occasionally someone would ask me a million questions about blindness. Now people work to sit beside me just so they can be close to the pooch. Sometimes, it’s an average joe, but most times, it’s the world’s biggest freak! I had one guy sit down beside me and then tell me his age and start to flirt with me and tell me all about how he got married, got divorced six years later, and how girls don’t seem to stay around…and how old might I be? Yuckers. Come on bus, either dump me or him off!

Another goof sat down beside me and decided to talk to me about all the different TV shows that had dogs in them. We had to talk about the Littlest Hobo, Lassie, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Rin Tin Tin, Scooby Doo, anything with a dog in it. I know the dog can be a conversation piece, but…this is a little much!

Now let’s jump straight to the concept of not petting the guide dog when it’s working. Ok, I get that some people, through some bizarre chain of events or the fact that they’re three years old, don’t know that this is a standard thing. I have no problem educating them on this. I tell them that the dog has to focus, and if it’s trying to earn pets from random passers-by, that will likely overrule what the dog is supposed to do, i.e. make sure I don’t do a face-plant into a planter or have a not so nice collision with traffic. They usually understand and apologize. If I’m lucky, people will ask *before* they start malling Trixie.

But here’s something to really get me steamed. A guy, while talking to me, plants his hand squarely on Trixie and starts petting her. To stop him, I reach down and put my hand over his and ask him nicely to stop. This is his response. “I know we’re not supposed to pet them while they’re working, but…” But what? Please tell me what the but is. But they’re too cute? show some self-control! Do you walk up to a cute baby and start patting its head? What other possible reasons could there be? But they don’t get enough attention and I think it’s cruel? Does this dog look miserable? I’ve been told she even wags her tail while working. Trust me, she gets lots of attention. I’ve always loved Trixie, I love dogs, otherwise I wouldn’t have done this, and every time I go on a walk with her, I love her more and more, so on top of the praise she gets while she’s working, she gets oodles of attention when we’re home. These people have to realize that they’re slowly putting me in danger by petting the cute puppy.

Then some people, while trying to direct me where to go, try and grab Trixie’s leash and use it like a bridle and bit. No, although that looks like the easy way, it’s not the way to go. she’s not a horse, give me the directions and I’ll tell the dog. Or, they go, “Here Trixie, here doggy!” I know they mean well and think this is good, but that’s about as dangerous as petting the dog because it distracts the poor dog from leading me and listening to me. And I don’t want her to start coming to random people who walk by and say, “here, puppy.”

And what is with people’s compulsion to call the dog a he even though I’ve said she’s a she several times? Next time a girl says “isn’t he cute?” after I’ve said “her name is Trixie” or “she’s wonderful,” I’m going to call the girl “sir” to get the point across.

It’s also funny to watch people’s first reaction when they see her. They either start jibbering at us, even if we’re crossing a street, or you hear them take a breath in and watch in silence as we go by. It’s kind of cute to watch.

Three common questions I get, and their answers:

1. “Did you get her from the CNIB?” No. I know that it would make sense that the CNIB would do the guide dog thing, but they don’t. They like to stay neutral and not affiliate with guide dog schools. So no one gets their dog from the CNIB.

2. “Doesn’t the dog interpret the traffic lights and read the street signs?” Nope, knowing when it’s safe to cross and knowing where I’m going are my parts of the deal. She just tries to make sure I don’t become road pizza or slam into poles on the way there.

3. “How old is she? She must be only six months old!” Nope, she’s 2. She’s small, but so am I. That’s as big as she’s going to get.

I think that’s it. I’m sure I’ll have more stories as we go. One thing about having a guide woofer, life is never dull.

Now, There are Telescreens!

*rumble rumble rumble*. What’s that sound? I’m not sure, but I think it’s originating from George Orwell’s grave. Yes, george Orwell is rolling over, and over, and over again! Why? Because in the UK, the CCTV’s that Big Brother, er, police can use to watch and listen to you as you go down the street can now yell at disorderly passers-by. It is, it is, 1984. Everyone, stay away from the UK!

All I Wanna Do Is Wipe My Bum

Let me start this off by saying that if it weren’t for ideas that sounded crazy but actually worked, our world would be a much different place than it is today. But that said, not every crazy idea turns out to be a good one, and as much as some may want to argue, sometimes you can spot a bad one from miles away.

Such is the case with a recent suggestion
put forward
by Sheryl Crow, who on a recent climate change awareness tour proposed that toilet paper use be limited to 1 square per visit. No, I’m not making this up.

“I have spent the better part of this tour trying to come up with easy ways for us all to become a part of the solution to global warming. Although my ideas are in the earliest stages of development, they are, in my mind, worth investigating,” she writes.

“One of my favorites is in the area of conserving trees, which we heavily rely on for oxygen.

“I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting.… We can make it work with only one square per restroom visit.”

Crow acknowledges there could be occasions when the one-square limit might not suffice, such as “on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required.”

She writes that when she presented the idea to her younger brother, he went a step further, suggesting that people could “just wash the one square out.”

I wonder if it ever dawned on her that her brother might have been making fun of her like brothers tend to do from time to time. I get the sense that he’s not though, and if that’s so, I might have to curl up in a ball and sob until I dehydrate.

There are so many flaws in this plan that I’m not sure where to begin. Perhaps the 1-square limit would be a good place to start. Who wipes with only one square, and how? Those squares are so small and flimsy that they’re barely good enough to stand up to a single pass let alone the 3 or 4 it usually takes to sufficiently clear the debris. And what about the ladies? Isn’t wiping out 2 places with the same shit ticket a bit of an infection risk even if you do try to wash out the square? Speaking of which, is there a lot of drug use in the Crow family or am I just using the wrong kind of toilet paper? In case you haven’t noticed, liquid and butt wipe go together about as well as Sheryl Crow and a decent song after the mid 1990’s.

Not all of her ideas are bad. I kind of like the one about the detachable sleeve that you can use as a napkin when you eat so you don’t have to use paper towels. But I know dumb when I see it, and until there’s a good alternative to toilet paper, this is dumb.

How Long Until People Start Getting Addicted To The Shower?

Soap gives caffeine kick

Here’s a free piece of advice. If you regularly feel so rushed that you find yourself having to choose between having a coffee or having a shower, and if you think even for a minute that Caffeinated soap might just be the answer to your problems, it might be time to slow things down a tad.