A very interesting discussion started on one of my Facebook pics tonight.. as many of you know, I am very much a critic of the direction that the game is going.. I was raised on the LA T-Birds and when I rediscovered derby in 2006, I was very impressed with the gameplay and that's what turned me on as a fan. Packs were moving, pivots lined up on the pivot line, scores were low and close and they were good games. One of my favorite bouts of all times that I covered was the 2008 TRD vs Texas bout (yes, a WFTDA bout). This was before all of this modern strategy..

Whenever I hear about a dispute between a cable, fiber or satellite provider (MVPD) and a local broadcast station over retransmission consent fees, it irks me. Mainly because I feel that the MVPD is helping the broadcaster get their channel seen by more eyes by providing a big "translator in the sky" that anyone with a DISH or DIRECTV subscription can view without having to worry about antennas and mountains.

Remember the day when the Taco Supreme had a bigger taco shell than the regular taco and they actually put BEEF in it? Here's the sad excuse of a Taco Supreme value meal I got today in Salisbury, MD. (Yes, I did order it with no sour cream)

The store manager said it was "a new policy" to put in less beef. After I complained, they made me new tacos with a little more beef. Sounds like we have a group franchise owner who is cutting corners? I wonder if this meets Yum Brands' minimum product requirements? If it does, I would be really surprised.

This week, the Baltimore County Council passed Bill 3-12, a human relations bill that adds sexual orientation and a very broad social-driven definition of "gender identity and expression" as protected classes in regards to employment, housing, public accommodations and other aspects of everyday life from discrimination.

I have been following this story throughout the day today about a film that will be showing at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

The film "Are All Men Pedophiles?" is a documentary that explores the male attraction to prepubescent children.

The poster for this film shows an adult girl dressed in the popular Japanese lolita style of fashion, specifically sweet lolita.

Regardless of the bigotry towards the transgender community, transsexuals and the Hispanic community and overall misogyny in the content of this show, the audience agreed it was a downright bad show.

Regardless, ABC affiliates (non-O&O) knew what they were getting with this show. Each affiliate has the choice not to carry a network show. Those that did carry this show have abused our public airwaves to promote hatred and put profits over responsibility to their community.

For the past few days, I have been thinking about the proposal by the Japan National Tourism Office (JNTO) about the "10,000 free flights" program. While I feel that the funding for this program could be better spent on rebuilding infrastructure in Tohoku, I would warn the JNTO to be careful on the groups of people who are selected in this program. There are many of us who have been speaking about and writing on Japan for many years through our own channels of communications. I surely hope that people like us are given the first consideration.

Those who have been following me on Facebook may have noticed I have been very quiet on the whole Chaz Bono situation. There is a reason for that.

There are many in the transgender umbrella community as well as those in the transsexual community who I associate myself with who are thinking that Chaz Bono's appearance on Dancing With The Stars is going to be the greatest thing to advance transsexuals and transgender in America. I disagree.

WFTDA, understand that these days, I have been a staunch critic of the organization lately mainly because the direction of derby has turned. As someone who was raised on the T-birds and who has most of her derby experience in Arizona, which you have to admit has been the test bed for the overall development of the sport in its different varieties, it saddens me to see the "strategies" the game is using right now. The pace is no longer there. The excitement is gone in most cases. Yes, I admit when you get two good teams in there, you will have a nailbiter.

Greetings from Tokyo. Those of you who know me know that I am a lover of many aspects of Japan, especially where it comes to popular culture and for several years, I have been advocating the expansion of DIY roller derby into Japan.

With the forfeit of Dutchland against Gotham for "strategical" purposes, the sport of women's roller derby has sunk to a whole new low and has given the middle finger to the fans.

Noticed this today when reading a story about "Third gender" student housing on the University of Georgia's student newspaper. So, AT&T gives 5-figures to GLAAD to buy their support and then dumps a ton more money indirectly into Chik-Fil-A and their sponsorship of a college football game.