The National Federation for the Blind is currently suing Target because their website isn’t user friendly for blind people. Apparently, a software program called Jaws enables blind people to surf the Internet, but Target’s website is not compatible with the software. Because of this, the NFB decided to sue Target.

A judge in Northern California decided that the website is not in compliance with the American Disablities Act, and is therefore allowing the trial to proceed. (It is currently in the discovery phase in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California.) The problem with this is that the act, enabled in 1990, mentions nothing of blind-friendly websites.

Give me a break! (To borrow a line from John Stossel.) I can understand that blind users of the Internet may, perhaps, be frustrated with websites that are not as user friendly as others, but frivilous lawsuits only end up costing other customers money. When Target settles the case, which inevitably they will do, they will pass the costs on to the other customers, who have done nothing wrong, yet they will be punished for it. If the NFB really wanted to make a difference, they would shame Target and other companies into creating websites that cater more to blind users. Give them bad publicity, or challenge them to make positive changes. Suing only creates more expensive products for other shoppers. Besides, there are many companies that have taken it upon themselves to create sites that are as user-friendly as possible for the blind in order to attract their business. (Best Buy is one such company.)

I get so tired of frivolous lawsuits, and I am certainly tired of the ADA bullying companies around, threatening lawsuits if the bathrooms in businesses are one inch too narrow (yet still wheelchair compatible). The ADA was created for a good purpose, and that was to be sure Americans with disabilities will be taken care of, and not discriminated against. Instead, with all of the lawsuits they file, they end up costing other taxpayers and consumers money, just to prove a point. I hope this case is dropped, because I’m tired of rising costs of goods because someone wants to make a point. If Target doesn’t want to create a website that is user friendly for blind people, let them suffer the natural consequences of losing customers. Suing only punishes the innocent in cases such as this.

Tonight my mother-in-law and I were in Orem, waiting at a restaurant to be seated, when someone wearing BYU warm-ups sat down next to us with his wife. People all around were staring, and one guy came up and asked for an autograph. My mother-in-law asked him if he played football for BYU, to which he answered in the affirmative. She then asked if he played in the game that day at all, and if he was any good. He smiled and responded that he played a little bit. My mother-in-law then asked if he was the star, and he laughed. His wife said he was, with a smile. It turns out the football player we were sitting next to was Curtis Brown, and he is the star running back for BYU.

I was so impressed with this football player as both kids and adults came up to him to ask for his autograph, and congratulate him on a great game. (BYU beat UNLV 52-7, with Brown rushing for 148 yards.) Brown was very friendly, and thanked everyone for coming to the game, and for their support. He was very nice, as was his beautiful wife. It was great to see such a talented athlete be so down to earth and kind to his fans. A great article about Brown can be found here.

I recently purchased the book Running with Scissors, thinking it would be an uplifting book to read. As I understood it, it was about a boy that went to live with his mother’s psychologist, who happened to be quite crazy, and the experiences the boy had there.

Well, that part was correct. What I didn’t realize was that the book graphically described some pedophillic scenes between the boy at age 13 and a 20-something year old man. I was so completely disturbed by the scenes described in the book that I put it in the garbage. I have never, ever thrown a book away before. I was an English major, graduating with a BA in English and an emphaisis in Technical Writing. During my course studies, I read plenty of books I didn’t enjoy. I never once threw one away.

Running with Scissors is such a disgusting book that I didn’t even want to give it away. I think one less copy in the world makes it a better place. I guess I was just so disappointed because the book was a best-seller, and had so many great reviews. I’m sure it has a great moral, such as the young man was able to overcome his hardships to be able to live a successful life. That’s great…but there is no reason to include scenes in the book that would make a pedophile want to read it.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not encouraging governmental censorship. What I think should happen is self-censorship. Augustin Burrows (author) should not have graphically described these scenes from his life. But he does have that right, which he exercised. My real issue is with all the people that read and recommended this book. I cannot imagine why anyone would recommend this to anyone else. It is so dusturbing and disgusting. The new movie is coming out, and I know it is rated R. I’m sure it had to tone down the book, because what was described in it was essentially child pornography, and that is not legal.

I hope anyone interested in reading this book will think twice, as it is one of the most disgusting books I have read (and I only read a small part of it).

In the wake of the tragic shooting at an Amish schoolhouse, the Amish community has shown that they live up to their beliefs, even in the midst of a tragedy beyond what any community should ever have to deal with.

Gunman Charles Carl Roberts IV took 10 young girls hostage on October 2, 2006, shooting them all, and killing five. One more young girl is not expected to survive. Roberts then took his own life, taking the cowardly way out. Of course he was a coward – he shot ten young girls under the age 14. Reportedly, the older girls volunteered to be shot, if he would simply let the younger girls go.

The Amish community has received over $700,000 in donations from around the country from people wishing to help them out. They are planning to use the money to help the young survivors, some of whom will need medical assistance for the rest of their lives. They are also using part of the money as a fund for the family of the gunman.

The Amish are an example for people around the world. Despite the fact that their children were brutally attacked and killed, they have forgiven the perpetrator, and are making plans to help his surviving family members. If the rest of us could strive to be half as Christian as them, the world would be a better place. May God bless them.

Wow…it will be interesting to see how this turns out. Hopefully Google will make a good return on its investment. Apparently, this is their most expensive acquisition since the inception of Google.

YouTube is a site where people can download and watch video clips. Just the other day, I came across a video clip of a guy cleaning out an elephant’s pen. He was on his hands and knees, scrubbing the floor, when suddenly, the elephant backs up, and the guy’s head gets stuck in a cavern of dark stinkiness. If you don’t believe me, watch this clip.

So yes, I think Google was very smart to buy out YouTube. After all, there are tons of teenage boys that LOVE this kind of stuff! Good luck to you, Google!