Well the store is coming along rather nicely. I have finished all of the zodiac symbols and added in my first gay/lesbian themed item with a shirt that says "Token Lesbian." Coming up tonight is Token Gay Man and Token heterosexual. I am shooting for a July 1 formal launch of the store. You can go ahead and buy items now even though we haven't had a grand opening...the minions and I are busting our butts off to get stuff done. There are about 30 - 40 additional graphics I need to add to shirts and stuff so I really have my work cut out for me.

Later today I will weigh in on some things that have been on my mind as of late. There is a woman at Credit Lyonnais with whom I have been having some wonderful conversations about regional differences in the country (North vs. South) and it has really made me take a look at my heritage. But that's for later today....for now..

Question of the day

Everyone hears discussions they consider boring. What topic can put you to sleep more quickly than any other?"

Science. Most science subjects just bore me to tears. Now, there are some topics in forensic science that do intrigue me. I read a book about how they found the bones of the Romanov family but they had to do DNA testing to prove that the bones actually were the Romanov's. Then they did DNA testing on Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed for YEARS to be Anastasia, the daughter of Czar Nicholas and Alexandra. It was a truly fascinating read. But for the most part...biology, chemistry, physics....YAWN.

News Story of the Day

Helene Bahn, Terry Bahn v. A.J. McLean, Backstreet Boys Inc.

Looks like the Backstreet Boys showed one fan the meaning of being mauled by a horde of teenage girls.

The question, however, is: Did they know these rabid Backstreet fans would tweak a woman's neck in the process?

That's the gist of a lawsuit filed by an Orange County, Florida, woman, who claims she was seriously injured when Backstreeter A.J. McLean stripped off a Tampa Bay Devil Rays jersey during a concert and tossed it into the crowd, hitting her and sparking a near riot among the fans around her.

Helene Bahn, 44, was with her teenage daughter at the February 24, 2000, concert when McLean's jersey somehow became wrapped around her neck. A teenybopper tug-of-war ensued, causing Bahn to suffer a hurt disc. The injury purportedly required surgery, which she underwent last April.

"It ended up causing substantial injury to her neck," says Bahn's lawyer, David Heil. "She's had surgery to repair the damage. She's doing better, but she's still having problems."

Those problems include "bodily injury...pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of the capacity for the enjoyment of life, extensive hospitalization, medical and nursing care and treatment and the loss of earnings past and future," according to Bahn's lawsuit (available for viewing at The Smoking Gun).

The multiplatinum popsters, she claims, "knew or should have known that the throwing of an object such as a jersey would result in a melee breaking out over the jersey and injuries [would] occur." Bahn is seeking $15,000 in damages from McLean and Backstreet Boys Inc.

A rep for the band, meanwhile, calls the claim "meritless."

Photo of the Day

This picture comes from the Colombia University website. Here are two members of their swim team who, apparently, are very comfortable with each other.