Sweep!

Gay-kiss uproar prompts IHOP protest
published Friday, March 23, 2007

After four lesbians were asked to leave an International House of Pancakes in Grandview, Mo., a group is organizing a demonstration against the chain restaurant.

PROMO, the Missouri LGBT equality organization, was coordinating a demonstration to take place Friday evening. Protesters plan to arrive with brooms at the restaurant to "clean up the corporate brush-off," a statement read.

"This is a clear act of discrimination, even if IHOP does not understand that it is," PROMO said in a written statement. "The couple of pecks that caused these individuals to be asked to leave, would not have been considered inappropriate if the couples were heterosexual."

The four women -- Toni and Jackie Smith, Blair Funk and Eva Sandoval -- were sharing a booth at the restaurant. There, Funk and Sandoval shared a short kiss, which attracted the manager's attention.

The manager said to the four women, "I have to tell you, we've had some complaints about public displays of affection, and we're a family restaurant. We can't accept it, and we won't accept it," Funk told Kansas City Star columnist Mike Hendricks.

While the state of Missouri does not have a law protecting the rights of gays, Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia, and University City have policies that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Marcia Nieto, guest services representative for IHOP, issued an apology, which was obtained by Queerty.com. In it, Nieto stressed that the women were not asked to leave but "were asked to refrain from bold displays of public affection as guests had found it offensive." (The Advocate)

Definitely a fine line to draw. I understand and generally agree with the “It's a Family Restaurant” defense. But being a cynical fag, I'm prone to believe that same level of effrontery displayed by a heterosexual couple would not have merited comment from the management. Were I in range, I would pick up a broom and join the protest.

Encore une fois, Je suis cassé

Found my old Nokia and managed to catch Thayne while he was still awake. So I got the birthday wish. Bit of catching up and promise of communication before Christmas. *snicker* Totally forget how he and Leonard Nimoy share the same birthday. Naturally I make a Star Trek association. Gene Roddenberry and I had the same birthday. ;)

It was late so I minimized the guilt conveniently. This is the first time I've talked to him since I've moved to Minnesota. LJ and eMail doesn't count.

I'm a pussy—that's all it is. There's still a lot of pain associated with that valley and the whole damn state. Especially in March. I know I'm a lot better but there are random moments and old songs that take me right back. Eight years since he died now. And I'm still shut down, unavailable, in so many ways.

I suppose it's no longer pain. More of a numbness. It's all boiled down to some really happy memories, some poignant regret, and vague musings. All the “What if…” bullshit. And the inevitable comparisons that are more than unrealistic. Unfair.

Sure I believe in life after love. Don't see how I have a choice. Bleh. Need to stop thinking and get some sleep.

WoW, Indeed

Analyst: Western MMOGs worth $1.5B by 2011
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
Posted Mar 21, 2007 11:31 pm GMT

British media firm predicts that after reaching $875 million in '06, revenue from European and American massively multiplayer online games will nearly double in four years.

You don't have to be a game-news junkie to know that massively multiplayer online games are big business. With more than 8 million players, World of Warcraft has become such a phenomenon that it's been sent up on South Park. The Burning Crusade, the first expansion for the game, sold more than 2.4 million copies internationally in the 24 hours after its January 17 release. (It has since gone on to top 3.5 million units worldwide.)

According to a new report from media-research firm Screen Digest, MMOGs generated roughly $1 billion in revenue worldwide in 2006. Of that sum, $299 million came from Europe and $576 million came from North America. The British company estimates that around 87 percent of the "Western" MMOG market's $875 million of revenue--roughly $761 million--was from subscription fees, the genre's traditional source of income.

While $875 is a princely sum, Screen Digest predicts the Western MMOG market will nearly double in size in the next four years to $1.5 billion. The report's authors believe that the jump will be in part due to new revenue streams that are being introduced into MMOGs, including in-game advertising and selling virtual items for real cash.

"During the past few years the Western landscape for massively multiplayer online games has become increasingly fragmented following the introduction of new genres of games including social networking, virtual pet rearing and virtual world building titles," said report author Piers Harding-Rolls. "These new games and platforms have brought with them many new gamers and also new business models that are generating revenue that is largely incremental to the incumbent subscription business."

Screen Digest believes the most growth in the MMOG market will be in Europe in general, and in France specifically. However, it believes that Germany will remain the biggest market for the genre on the continent through 2011.

Being a contributor to that fantastic sum, it still seems wild. Even the good games reach critical mass. I guess the trick will be sucking more people in.

Equivalencey

Out at corporate in Baltimore they're having a hardcore gold tournament: off-site, green fees, stupid shirts, sponsorship, charity… the works. Out in St. Paul we're having miniature golf in converted empty offices or random places around the building..

Lost twelve people quietly on Tuesday—four in Baltimore and eight elsewhere. Promotions or transfers are always announced and eMailed; half my team was pulled into a room by Tanya who gave us some names of people who won't be around anymore. The axe execs who were still in town yesterday bought pizza for everyone in IT… for no announced reason. I dubbed it the “YOU ARE NOT FIRED, HERE'S MORALE” lunch.

Was just talking to recently/consensually unemployed Colby Tuesday about middle-sized corporate life. Too funny.

Equinox

Stupid work. It's all dark and threatening outside. I stayed in bed an extra thirty minutes enjoying the warmth. Perfect first day of Spring and I'd rather be curled up with a book. Or strolling across the 3^rd street bridge getting sprinkled on. So need to marry rich and retire.

And whoa. Both Rosie O and Mathew Broderick turned forty-five today.

Permanence

MikeC caught me in the hall. He got all in my face, stared up at my forehead, and said, “Yep, that scar is gunna stay. Don't worry about it. Makes you look very manly.” My smirking reply was, “Great. That's exactly what I was going for.” It really doesn't bother me any more. There are probably still some psychological remnants, but I'm not worried about having a life right now anyway.

Out of the blue Theo IM's me: “what is the difference?” Having no clue what he's talking about, I automatically respond: “Mathematically referred to as a Delta, it is the sum of all changes from a starting state and an ending state.” While I don't think that's technically correct, it stopped him from bothering me further. *snicker*

• The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from.
  Andrew S. Tanenbaum

Unfortunate Irony

Cyndi Lauper's “Big Gay Tour” dates are starting to sell tickets and I'm annoyed. The second venue is Salt Lake with no stops in Minneapolis. I suppose Chicago is possible but I would be scared to go alone. And I'll be damned if I'm going back to Salt Lake. *snicker* Really impressed with who's going with her. Oh well! The Gay Gods are angry with me.