genes and discrimination part trois - it's official, we have a new law!

finally, on may 21, 2008, w signed the genetic information nondiscrimination act! i can't believe it didn't receive any fanfare and i just heard about it this morning. this is the first civil rights legislation since the new millenium and no hoopla?

a quick search this morning on the la times and new york times did not show any news of the president making GINA the newest federal civil rights legislation.

and, a quick google search revealed that even other smaller news outlets did not report on it till, at the earliest, 4 days after the event.

at least the washington post, through reuters, reported it on the day bush signed it. but no one else outside the beltway picked up on the news?

shouldn't this be newsworthy? heck, accidents on the freeway get reported sooner.

well, i am glad it passed, lack of news coverage notwithstanding. now i hope employers and insurance companies heard the news too and will comply.

but more importantly, i hope americans who want and choose to be genetically tested for various diseases take advantage of this new law without fear of termination or higher insurance premiums or no insurance coverage. or at least, if those things happen, the courts can protect their rights.

lakers are back in the nba finals, woohoo!

i haven't been this excited about the lakers since, let me see, 2000. i guess it is because it has been a while since the lakers have been to the championship game. now if only i could score me some tickets to the first game of the nba finals... then it'll be just like 2000.

spam

no, not that annoying email. but, you know, that canned meat of questionable origin.

i have fond memories of eating a lot of spam when i was a little one (probably that is why i am no longer little).

spam burgers. spam sandwich. spam fried rice. spam musubi. fried spam. heck, even just eating spam out of the can -- as gelatinous as it could be. yep, spam.

why blog about spam? because it is making a serious comeback. primarily, because of the rising costs of food, gas, and pretty much everything else.

so let this be a lesson. eat spam so one can afford to drive those gas guzzling monsters on the road.

lakers won, quit whining

i didn't see the game last night (for reasons beyond my control). but people need to stop whining about how derek fisher didn't get called for a foul during the lakers' 93-91 win over the spurs and insinuating that david stern is behind a massive conspiracy to get the lakers and the celtics into the finals.

1. spurs knew they had to win the game
2. spurs were playing on their home court
3. spurs were down 2 points during the winding seconds
4. spurs didn't get it done

spurs lost.

even if fisher got called for a foul, it was no guarantee that spurs would have scored a point, much less two to tie or three to win.

get over it.

what about 2008?

having a new QB for 2009 is nice and all but what about fall of 2008????

to detox or not to detox

i did that once. from january 1 (not new year's eve) to january 31, 2007. during that time, i still went out to bars to hang out with people. i learned a few things.

i had "resolve." that is to say, i was not tempted to drink... even when there were college bowl games to watch, happy hours to attend and birthdays to celebrate.

drunk people were not as amusing as they previously (and subsequently) have been. seriously.

i saved lots of cash. well, maybe not "lots."

so, the dilemma is, i am going wine tasting in a couple of weeks in napa and then off to spain shortly thereafter. so as much as i would like to detox, i can't possibly detox any time soon. i don't think it is fun wine tasting without tasting wine or going tapa-hopping without drinking spanish wines. i also don't think detoxing for a week would do much help since i do that anyway.... until the weekend, that is.

the real dilemma is that by the time i get back from spain, there is a big possibility that i may change my mind about detoxing altogether... even though i know that detox is probably good for my liver.

maybe i am over thinking this.

genes and discrimination part deux

the house and senate already passed the "Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act." why hasn't bush signed it into law yet when he claims he's all for it?

sign it already!

food and basketball

so i am about to dine at bouchon (because i can't get a table at french laundry) and ran across this video of charlie rose interviewing chef/owner thomas keller (of bouchon and french laundry fame). i certainly perked up when i heard rose compare keller's legacy with that of john wooden starting at around 7:37 of the video. don't think it is apropos but when one compares two of my faves - coach wooden and food - then i pay lots of attention.

new love

ok, so j'mison morgan is not like kevin love. but morgan is a big man who will be good down low and should be a great addition to the incoming fab four -- which could be fab five. well, i am hoping that he will commit to ucla soon.