my dad

A story about concerning my dad and the closing of his gallery.

He's always been a painter, even when he's held other jobs. It had been his dream for years to have a gallery again, but it hasn't worked out well this time. Retail space is expensive, and the economy is bad.

Now he's going to add onto his garage, for a print shop and "gallery" space.

X2 and Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper was doing an X-Men promotion. It was putting the pictures of characters from the movie on the cans. Apparently Patrick Stewart got a cameo because I saw him on one can. And the only other character in the movie was that hot chick, Rogue. I haven't seen anyone else on the cans.

WTO

A coworker mentioned the protests at the World Trade Organization meetings in Montreal. He thought those protestors should "grow up and get a life." "Don't they have jobs?" he asked.

I explained some of the reasons that those people are protesting the WTO. Like the following:

If any local, state, or federal law of a WTO member country is found to violate the organization's trade rules, the law must be changed, or that nation could face economic sanctions.

In the United States, a broad coalition of environmental, food safety, family farm, labor, and religious groups opposed the establishment of the WTO, citing, among other reasons, the threat that the WTO would pose to U.S. environmental and consumer protection laws.

Since it was created in 1995, the WTO has ruled that every environmental, health, or safety policy it has reviewed is an illegal trade barrier.


Later in the day I saw a picture in the newspaper of a guy throwing a trashcan at a window. So now I wonder if my coworker was only commenting on that aspect.

Interesting, though that the only mention of the whole thing in my paper was said picture. Nothing about the WTO (bad or good). Nothing about the protesters or their message.