Before I get into the entire snickers ad thing I want to say what my beliefs are. I think my beliefs on homosexuality arn't had by many people but I could be wrong. First of all I belive that there is nothing wrong with being gay or even bi. I think that there is no real realigous base for people who say it is a sin. I belive that it is a natural state of being and that people who are gay arn't screwed up. I do belive that there are gay animals. I think that gay Marriage is fine. I also belive that there is a differance between a religous marriage in a church and by the state. I think civil unions that give all the same rights as mariage should be legal in every state. I also belive that state mariages should be legal for gays in every state. However I don't think that priests and other religous people who grant marriages in churchs should have to merry gay couples. The reason is that a state marraige and a marraige in the eyes of the lord are differant. I also belive that realigous people who only do realigous marriages can't be sued for not doing a gay mariage. I also belive that they shouldn't merry anyone who isn't doing it for love and undergod in a church. I belive people who are gay should stand up for there rights and march in parades and they shouldn't be harrased for it. But what I don't like is when someone says hello I'm gay oh yeah and my name is. If you are gay that is fine but I don't walk up to you and say I love pussy and BJ's nice to meet you.

Ok now onto my point. Today at work I heard that the snickers add that was on the superbowl where two guys kiss on acident was pulled because of complaints that is was homophobic. I didn't think it was at all. It was a play on of that scene from "lady and the Tramp" where the two dogs kiss. Granted that may have been based on something else. Below I have the article and then I will talk more about it after the article.

chicagotribune.com >> Business

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Snickers Ad Pulled After Complaints

By Associated Press
Published February 6, 2007, 4:52 PM CST


HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. -- A commercial for Snickers candy bars launched in the Super Bowl broadcast was benched after its maker got complaints that it was homophobic.

The ad showed two auto mechanics accidentally kissing while eating the same candy bar and then ripping out some chest hair to do something "manly." One of the alternate endings on the Snickers Web site showed the men attacking each other.

The Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation complained to the maker of Snickers, Hackettstown-based Masterfoods USA, a division of Mars Inc., which also makes M&M's and other candies.

The Web site also featured video of players from the Super Bowl teams reacting to the kiss.

"This type of jeering from professional sports figures at the sight of two men kissing fuels the kind of anti-gay bullying that haunts countless gay and lesbian school children on playgrounds all across the country," Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said in a statement.

GLAAD spokesman Marc McCarthy said Tuesday the group believed "this kind of prejudice was inexcusable."

Masterfoods spokeswoman Alice Nathanson issued a statement in which she said the company would stop running the ad on television and the Web site.

"As with all of our Snickers advertising, our goal was to capture the attention of our core Snickers consumer," Nathanson wrote.

"Feedback from our target consumers has been positive. In addition, many media and website commentators of this year's Super Bowl commercial line-up ranked the commercial among this year's top ten best. USA Today ranked it 9 of its top ten picks," she continued.

"We know that humor is highly subjective and understand that some people may have found the ad offensive. Clearly that was not our intent," she wrote.

Masterfoods brands include Uncle Ben's rice, Pedigree dog food and Whiskas cat food. It is part of Mars Inc., a family-owned company.

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On the Net:

Masterfoods:



Copyright © 2007, The Associated Press

I will be the first to admit that I never went to the website so I didn't see the guys attack each other. I also didn't see the reacation of the football players to the add. I can't figure out why they would have that video on their site that makes no sense and it would also make it look like no one liked their ad. Two guys attacking each other sounds like it could be offensive. To me it sounds like the web content is what got them in trouble so they should just take that down.

I will admit I thought the comerical was funny my self and it isn't the first ad to use to guys touching each other and not being happy about it. I don't remember what it is for but there is one where two guys are watching a game and there hands touch on the couch it takes them a second to notice it and then they both move to opposite ends of the couch. To me the ad had nothing to be with being gay at all. It was about how Men are men and can't kiss or hug or do anything unmanly so then to be masculine they rip off there own chest hair. That being funny points to it not being about gays at all. I think sometimes people just have to learn to have a sense of humor about things. That is kinda what all those caveman comericals are about "so easy even a caveman can do it" winds up sending him to a shirnk. I know that you don't want commericals that blantly discrimanate aganst anyone, but at the same time ads should be allowed to be funny. What if when they kissed in stead of freaking out one of the guys said oh you are not my type get away from me, or get off of me I'm not french. Ok then I could see the french getting mad but it would still be funny. When ever a comerical is funny it makes fun of someone. I don't think we should be censoring our ads what is next then.

There is another thing that this kind of complaining does. I think that it causes more problems. It makes in this case gays look like they have no sense of humor and that they think they are special. It also pisses off some of their supporters. I think the complaining does more harm then good in this case. If I where more sensitive or gay I might feal differantly. I think the real problem here is intent. People who are discrimanated against can sometimes assume that the intent was to hurt them (sometimes they are correct and sometmes not). The only people who really know the intent are the ones who wrote the add. People like myself see that there was no intent. Then people who think that homosexuality is wrong or who are on the fence think that the gays are going to far and that they are trying to push there agenda onto us (as they might say).

Ok I have allready wrote a post that is way to long. But what I said is true. I have no problem with anyone who is gay and I think condeeming them is wrong. I just think that in this case there may be some over reacting. That dosn't mean I like anyone who is gay anyless.

Went to the Bandits game and saw my boss there, that was interesting. I did enjoy the game but the Bandits lost. There where a lot of Penalities on the Bandits at least a few of them where bad from my viewpoint. That let Toronto get off to a good lead. Buffalo would start coming back but could never catch up. They Play again in Toronto I can't find the game on TV anywhare so Maybe I'll listen to it and watch the Sabres. The computer I use to go on line now has MSN/Verison DSL. I'm new to it but it is preaty nice. Now I can actually watch video on line. I'm sure there is more stuff that I have to look into like games and the messanger that I may use at some time, but for now it is preety nice. I wonder about downloads and uploads and if they will be much faster, in time I will play around with it. Once online firefox seems to work fine. I know there was something else I wanted to talk about that wasn't superbowl related but not sure what. Hopefully soon I will have some more pictures to upload. I still feal like going someplace to take pictures but not sure where would be a good place.

So on Friday the Bandits Play the Toronto Rock at HSBC Arena. Early on in the season it is really an important game allready. The reason it is so important is that they Play Toronto on Saturday in Toronto. If Buffalo can somehow win both games then they will have two wins and The Rock will really be behind but if the opposite happens then Toronto hopes right back into things and the Bandits will be introuble. Then the big game is Sunday. In some ads you hear the Superbowl mentioned as the big game. The reason for this is that they don't have the rights to use the Term "superbowl" in an ad. If any one can have the rights to the use of there name then there name has no power and they lose a lot of money on advertisements and sponsers. It is kinda strange but I completely get it. If it wasn't for the superbowl I might have decided to go up to Toronto for the night and see the bandits play there and then maybe partake in some nightlife of the adult kind, but not bold enough or rich enough to find the illegal stuff but one night of the bandits will be good enough. I wonder if the Toronto Game will be on TV I have heard Vs. has some Lacrosse games on, on a delay I'll have to look into that.

First of all I put up a new user pic. It isn't a new picture really but I croped one from a couple years ago (maybe). The beach is in (if memory serves me correctly) San Juan, Puerto Rico. I should admit that it is the San Juan that cruise ships go to. I have heard there are two of them from someone I know. If they where pictures from a digital camera I would put up more from that area. I remember there wasn't much access to the beach and you could see it from an overlook.

Since Thursday I have been watching the Winter X Games. I like a lot of differant sports. Not sure what event I like the best. One sport that the added that is really cool to watch is freestyle snowmobile. It isn't just one trick they follow a course of jumps and have a time limit. The only downside is that they took out a sport that I really liked for it. That was freestyle motorcross. That was really insane they had these screws in the wheels so they could get tracksion but it was really fun to watch. But in all honestly snowmobiles makes more sense, oh yeah and they can and do backflip them. Ok now I'm off to watch Prision Break, and in just over an Hour 24 and hopefully burn Heroes (great show by the way)

The pictures I'm putting up are from my "Hood". For those of you who may read this and don't know, I live on the west side of Buffalo. If you walked down Elmwood to Bryant and then down Bryant to Richmond that gets you to Conneticut(however it is spelled) st. Not that I ever do but if you went down conneticut a few blocks you would be about a block away from my house.








I took those picture today on my way to and from the bank. The strange part is that those two houses next to each other are next to the church on Richmond, what is going on there? One of them is boarded up from the outside and looks like a window is open and the other one looks like it is boarded from the inside. Why is that shop on Elmwood Boarded up? I looked in the window and it looked like there was stuff inside like they are still open and there are posters or signs in the windows, What is going on in this town? Boarded up places in my part of the "Hood" isn't so strange. The multiple porch house is verry close to me and I just noticed the boards yesterday. Is the boards a good sign that people arn't there or is it bad (I don't know enough to know)?

I mis spoke about Richmond a little bit This picture was from around the Oct. Storm near Utica I think.

So the winter X games are on TV just under 2 hours at 9pm and that got me thinking about photography. I thought it would be really cool to be someone who takes sports pictures. I don't mean where the camera does all the work but where you know about lighting and film speed and shutter speed and all that stuff. Granted unless you work for a specific mag or publication it might be tough to sell your photos. I wonder how that works. That got me to thinking another cool job would be to travel to differant cities and take pictures of the place or maybe even events. Say for example to fly out to San Fran for their gay pride perade or to somewhare to take pictures of one of the New Years day parades or even just the city itself. Granted I don't drive and don't really want all the hassles that come with a car. But it would be kinda cool to just say " I wonder what Phildelphia looks like" and then drive there and take photographs.

First of all Happy Birthday Paul you are now moving into your 30's, there isn't much of a change really. Things change becuase you do something differant or relook at where you are and where you want to be. But Just a day or the number of years you have been here dosn't change that.

Also On my previous post I didn't really finish it Like I would have liked to but it is good enough, except I forgot to say that the Bandits won I forget the final score but it was in the low twenties like maybe 22 to something in the teens.

For those of you who like Snowboarding, sking, or even snowmobile racing you should check out www.expn.com for more info about Winter X Games they will be start on TV on Thursday Night and be on throughout the weekend. I belive all the events will be on live and there is a way you can watch stuff on line to, I don't think every event is on TV.

About 2 hours till 24. I will be watching and taping it. At the same time I will be taping Heroes on NBC. I did start watching that last year towards maybe the midway of the season and it is verry good. If you like comics you would enjoy it. It is a drama but also is an acation show to. But before I can watch 24 I will be watching Prison Break, I don't think it is as good as 24 but it is still a preaty good show.

I was also Hoping to talk a little bit about Adult Swim last night (taped it) but they moved stuff around again so I only saw two shows. Robot Chicken is a show that the few times I have seen it really like but don't find funny they had a great take with G.I Joes figures that was preaty cool. Then I also watched Smoking Gun. That is interesting they take real stories that they have files from on "The Smoking Gun" dot come and they animate them out", I think that is preaty interesting.

First of all if anyone is interested in the pictures from Paul's 30th Birthday they are the journal below this one.

Before I get into the Bandits game there is one picture I have to post. I saw this at the bus stop on my way home from downtown Buffalo. Until I publish this I won't know how readable it is but there is one thing I find odd that she is 15 and Has a lower back Tattoo. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that but if you had parents that would let you do that then that could be a bad sign or maybe they where really cool. I guess I shouldn't really judge. But the second thing that I have never understood is why are most missing photos in Black and white. I understand the making the copies and them being black and white but you would think it would be better to spend a little bit more and have them in color, again not judging.



HSBC Arena



There where a couple of fights here is the one that I got on camera









Pictures of The Bandettes (sp?) throughout the game and warmups.




























I was planning on putting up pictures of rax and some game shots but I gotta go off line so someone can use the phone maybe I will update this or maybe this is good enough.

Happy Birthday Paul!!!

I had A nice time at the party. A couple quick notes the grape vodka was really cool. In the pictures somewhere this is a picture of (e:lilho)'s boots and the pictures I took don't really do her outfit justice, I'm sure if you compare my pictures to some that get posted you will see what I mean. Again I should have been a little more social but I had a good time. It was nice to see (e:liberated). I hope everyone likes there pictures, again I know these won't be in the exact order. Oh yeah that Pinata was Preaty interesting. It seemed people where more interested in breaiking it open then what was inside of it. So when I woke up this morning I saw the end of a cartoon called Viva Pinatas where the characters are pinatas of course not dirty ones with huge cocks or any sex shapes but I could be wrong I only saw the last five minutes of it, but kinda ironic.




























































































Oh if anyone is looking for anything to do tonight I have a few sugestions. First of all I belive it is all sold out but maybe there are scaplers not sure for sheas or not but the band Supernova is there. I would love to have gone. I almost bought a ticket months ago but before I did I checked to see if the Bandits where playing that day and they are Tonight at HSBC Arena Vs. The Minosotta Swarm. The Sabres are also playing so you could go out to a bar or someonehouse and watch that. I was talking with (e:dragonlady) last night and it remindend me of an event tonight that looks like it might be preaty cool, I also saw a poster for it on Elmwood today. She didn't ask me to post it and neither did anyone else I just thought some of you might like it.

Well tonight is Paul's Birthday Party so Happy Birthday. I have to go home shower try to find someting to change into, I think I need to find cash buy something to drink at the party. For those not going or going later there is a Sabres Game on Tonight and another one on Saturday. I will miss both of them since I will Be at the Bandits game Vs. the swarm at HSBC Area. I think there is a wake or at least a viewing that I'm going to with the family on saturday but I have no idea at what time it is. Then on Sunday there are two Football games (Assuming we don't lose fox) to watch both could be amazing games. Then back to work on Monday I have a fealing this weekend is going to fly by way to fast.