Spout

This site is full of ideas. Some of them might make you cringe. They may not align with your worldview, perspectives, or experiences. That’s a great thing.

Island of misfit professionals

We can debate whether things are getting better or worse as a society. But one thing we can all agree on: people are becoming more charitable with their time and money than ever before. With school systems and some colleges requiring community service hours, and corporations getting more involved, it’s becoming part of the culture. The Bubbler is doing our part by announcing the Bubbler Home for Bad Businesspeople House (BHBBH). We’ve all experienced it. We’ve all worked in places where there was plenty of talent, but just a few key people who’s presence insured that the company would…

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The circle of public union life

Unions were created to keep businesses from exploiting and mistreating the workforce. The unions took off because there were not effective laws in place to prevent poor labor practices. The first public union in the US, the Post Office, formed about 10 years after private sector unions started taking off. The first teacher’s union, the American Federation of Teachers, formed about 10 years after the postal workers. The government finally stepped up and started creating laws protecting workers in the late 30’s with the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Since then, there have been plenty of laws and…

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Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

Yesterday was Gay Pride Parade day across many cities in the U.S., and I got to wondering. I remember attending a few Pride parades in San Francisco. Back in the day, Pride parades were mainly men wearing only chaps, tiny speedo’s, drag, burlesque-wear, or nothing at all. People would come from the surrounding cities to catch the spectacle (or a few naked people). To middle America, it seemed an in-your-face showcase of the perceived deviance and perversion that always made them reluctant to accept gays in the first place. Which got me thinking… If the purposes of the Pride…

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Was there murder before guns?

Have you ever thought about how people used to kill each other before guns? Thinking about the people who are seeking gun control, there seems to be a uniting thought that murder (or at least mass murder) wouldn’t happen if there weren’t guns. Yet, people have been killing each other since there have been people. (Which really seems to legitimize the old saw, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”) But how did people do it before guns? Heck, how do they do it now without guns? Plowing into crowds of people with your vehicle seems to be the…

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Show up

My kid’s high school coach has been making himself available for Summer practices and trainings for the past month, and is doing so for the next. About a third of the kids from last year’s teams, or those who want to move up on this year’s teams, have been attending. He recently had a tournament in which he needed to call upon three members of the incoming freshmen class to play with the varsity kids. Consider that: you’re an incoming freshmen to a high school, and the varsity coach is already asking you to play with the varsity team….

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Misophonia: the not-so-silent killer

Today is National Misophonia Awareness Day. Misophonia is often described as the hatred of sound. But those who have it know it as far more debilitating. Misophonia sufferers experience negative emotions, thoughts, or physical rage triggered by specific, outstanding noises. According to WebMD, sound can trigger “a desire to kill or stop whatever is making the noise.” What none of the articles I’ve seen online addresses is the specificity of the rage that accompanies the disease. It’s not just a raw, unidentifiable hatred of sound. When you have misophonia, you quickly identify repetitive, staccato-like sounds that don’t belong. As…

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Driving with a live animal on your lap

States and municipalities are adopting variations of “distracted driver” laws in an attempt to reduce accidents caused by texting, talking on the phone, and looking at your GPS. Police are now standing by to pull you over if you’re holding a phone or, in some cases, using your headphones to have a phone conversation. Yet somehow, it’s not a danger driving around with a live animal on your lap. I have two neighbors who own small dogs, and both routinely hop in the car, put the dog in their lap, and drive to wherever they’re going. What could go…

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Stand clear for the bike ambulance

All over the country, cities are taking out car lanes and turning them into bike lanes. Based on the changes we’re making, you’d think the city streets were running red with the blood of mangled bikers. Partly motivated by creating safer conditions for bikers, partly motivated by reducing the incentive to drive your car, local politicians are deciding that’s what’s best for their towns and cities. But I think we’re losing sight of the politician/citizen dynamic. Lest anyone forget, politicians are hired by citizens. They report to us. We are the boss. Under our republican form of government, we…

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Do people still bob for apples?

When’s the last time you were invited to go bobbing for apples? I haven’t even heard the phrase “bobbing for apples,” in years, much less been invited to participate. Given all the food allergies and sensitivities (and concerns for food waste and composting), is bobbing for apples even acceptable anymore? I didn’t look too deeply, but it’s entirely possible the CDC or WHO shut it down years ago. Oh, well… I guess we still have pin the tail on the ass.

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