The Boy Scouts Fail to Modernize

I grew up around scouting. My father enrolled my brother and I in Cub Scouts in a suburb of Portland, Maine, and we moved on to Boy Scouts a few years later.  I went on to eventually earn my Eagle Scout rank when I was 16.

Many of the issues and things that I care about as an adult had their seeds planted during my scouting years. My appreciation for the outdoors, conservation, camping, astronomy, and dedication to hard work were all either born in or encouraged through scouting. Friendships forged half a lifetime ago have turned into lifelong relationships. I appreciate all that scouting has done for me. Yet as I stand on the cusp of marriage, I very much doubt I will encourage my future children or the children of my closest friends to participate in Boy Scouts.

The Scout Laws are...

Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.


I question the bravery of Boy Scout Leaders to act on what should be a slam dunk of a decision to include openly gay members. Postponing a decision until May not only places the organization on the wrong side of history for another 3 months, but extends this messy PR nightmare. While a few members of society have concluded that the inclusion of homosexual leaders and members would lead to more pedophilia within the ranks, the Boy Scouts in many cases have proved incapable of protecting youth from sexual abuse as their rules exist. It is sad to see an organization that has many good lessons to teach young men, struggle to join the 21st century breaking many of the groups own "laws" along the way.

WANTED: A barber

I've lived in San Francisco for more than 3 years now and it has been a struggle to find a barber. This was a surprise to me because I am picky about almost nothing. I will eat most foods. I will participate in most activities. I will drink most beers. I will talk to most people and well, you get the picture. My overriding life philosophy is to go with the flow, see where it takes me and if I don't like it, jump back into the river. Today I had one of those jump back into the river moments when my barber answered his cell phone while cutting my hair. If he wasn't half way through rocking my wig, I would have walked out.

There are a few things I look for in a barber shop...

1. They have to take a straight edge razor to the back of your neck. This defines a haircut to me. I have been getting my neck straight edged since I was a toddler and there is no feeling like the warm lather of shaving cream followed by the blade whisking the whiskers away. My memories are vivid, they harken me back to the smoke filled barber shops of my childhood. I can still hear the 1950's rock and roll playing on the radio. When I close my eyes see my father and grandfather sifting through the newspaper and talking about the day's events. The razor on the back of my neck is important because it reminds me of a time when my biggest concern was whether or not we were going to get Tony's Donuts after.

2. It can't be a big box barber. Places like Great Clips and Supercuts are okay if you are desperate. I find the service and the haircut mediocre. I can not get over their big brother data bases that store your phone number (I always give them my dad's. Sorry dad!) and address. Plus, they never give you the straight edge service because they rarely if ever employ actual barbers.

3. My barber shop can not remind me of a Hooters restaurant. I really enjoy a good female barber, so that's not the issue. In fact, I go to Clippers just about every time I return to Portland, Maine. There is not one man with scissors in his hands there, but there is at least one barber shop in San Francisco that seems to hire only women who are a little top heavy before handing them a uniform top that is 2 sizes too small. I will not participate in a haircut where you have to wonder where to put the tip afterward. Plus the food at Hooters is terrible and I can't imagine getting my hair cut there.

 4. Lastly and perhaps most importantly. If you are a barber: DO NOT ANSWER YOUR CELL PHONE WHILE CUTTING MY HAIR! Are you an idiot? That is customer service 101. It is incredibly disrespectful and in poor taste. Worse than the food at Hooters.

So for now I will wander the city scape alone in search of another barber.

Update on the Life of Brian

Every time I start to write a new blog I stop. I'm not sure why. It certainly isn't because I don't have much to say, believe me, I've got plenty to share with the world. Work is going great. I'm working less at the store, more in broadcasting. Karel is super fun, supportive, and easy to work with. I have got the man some awesome guests lately including Macy Gray, Marcia Clark, Margaret Cho, and Idina Menzel. I enjoy producing as much as working in a newsroom because getting an interview with someone who isn't always easy to reach can be quite thrilling. I feel like most elected officials, business leaders, and law enforcers are all to eager to give you their spin on just about any situation. working in a news room can be ultra exciting or just plain mundane depending on the day. The art of the hunt and the excitement of the chase never dies while producing a talk show. The variety of subjects from serious legislation and violence on the streets, to a new album and concert tour, the possibilities are endless. I also enjoy the challenges that come along with working with the other hosts. Christine Craft, Matt Ray, Maureen Langan, Peter B. Collins, and Stacy Taylor are all people I am learning from. Each host has their own way of doing things and quirks that make their show unique. I've been teaching the Teen Media Program in Marin since January. It has been a lot of work and I am looking forward to a one month break after this Thursday. When I was in High School the process of making a radio news story interested me, but I had no idea how to go about doing it until someone at WGAN stuck a microphone in my hand and said "Here kid go do some field reporting." I really like the fact that I am not only showing students how to make radio stories, but how to show their personalities through their writing and follow up on things that interest them. Yellowstone National Park awaits in just under one month. I can't wait to go! I was blown away with all that Lassen Volcanic National Park had to offer. I am sure Yellowstone will be even more spectacular! Here's to staying out of the mouth of a Grizzly. My beer production has kicked up. I created a darn good Porter with Paul in my backyard. It was so good we decided to do it again, along with an IPA and a White IPA. We are also in a brewing contest to brew a Pilsner Urquell clone. I guess we'll see how that comes out. Round one of pilsner brewing is coming soon. The winner of the contest gets to tour the PU factory in Prague. Wish us luck. My good buddy Tom recently visited San Francisco. We took a day to tour Muir Woods and wine country while he was here. The photo above is from Hook & Ladder. Who can resist hamming it up in front of a firetruck?

Do we have an unhealthy obsession with the end of the world?

The short answer is YES! It didn't take me long to put together my E'o'W playlist on Grooveshark from Three Dog Night and R.E.M., to Danzig and Britney Spears; musical performers have tried to cash in on impending doom at least since my parents were enjoying their adolescent years.

Perhaps even more troubling is the ridiculous amount of media attention given to Harold Camping and his followers leading up to the latest so-called "Rapture". All of the major networks from Fox to MSNBC, NPR, even the Daily Show are expending valuable time and resources "promoting" the misguided hypothesis that God's true believers will be swept to the heavens within 36 hours. The only actual news story that will emerge from Camping's rubble of dishonesty is what his former followers will do when nothing happens on May 21st. I can't wait to be around for that.

The Official Pelletier Guide to Naming Babies

I sent the following e-mail to the mother of my very first nephew or niece, who is due in July. Apologies go out to people named Richard, Sylvio/a, Harold, Lucy, Alfonso, or Alceme and anyone else who may lack a sense of humor.

With the start of the next generation of our families just months away, I thought I would put together a helpful guide to find a proper name for your new little bundle of joy...

The Pelletier formula for finding a name is as follows...

1.) Make it simple. My mom (bless her soul) wanted single-syllable names, like Steven or Brian. Ones that couldn't easily be turned into nick names which she saw as inferior versions of actual names (see Steve or Bri).

2.) Look to the past to avoid errors of the future. My mom's brother was named Richard, some people called him "Richie" others called him "Dick". If you name a child Richard, you might as well name him Ass-face because no matter how nice and cute he is people will be thinking "Dick" in the back of their heads.

3.) A name that brings balance with it. My dad's brother was named Sylvio after my Grandfather, they were notorious for two things drinking and smoking. My Dad's sister was named Sylvia, she was a nun who never touched "the sauce" or smoked a cigarette in her entire life. So unless you want your child to be at one extreme or the other stay away from Sylvia/o.

4.) There's no place like home. My mom's name was Dorothy. My grandmother's (her mom's) name was Dorothy. If you had a girl Dorothy might make a fine 1st or middle name. Also the names Tin Man, Scare Crow, and Cowardly Lion do not run in our family, but traditions must start somewhere.

5.) J's that won't fill you up and never let you down. Joseph and Joel are names that have run in our family for centuries (I think that's how old my dad is anyway). His name is Joel, that's also Steven's middle name. Joseph is from my mom's side of the family her dad and oldest brother shared the name and it is my middle name. I say throw everyone for a loop and go with just Joe.

6.) To hell with Harold. We have a cousin named Harold, my mom's uncle was also named Harold. They are both referred to as Harry. It may be cute as a child (see Potter), but as an adult it is downright creepy (see the latest episode of Law and Order).

7.) Lucy is a cousin of ours. I think she tends bars in Portland. Lucy is a terrible girls' name because once she hits puberty and the kids start calling her "loose". If however, Lucy is short for Lucifer, it instantly becomes bad-ass! Buy her a motorcycle and get her a tatoo the day she is born if you go with that one.

8.) My mother's maiden name is Jordan. That might make a really cool name for a boy or a girl. If you choose this name, please don't use the names Varney and Pelletier as a first or middle name as a child with 3 last names will bring about the apocalypse. I think I saw that in a movie one time.

9.) An F for using A's. Alfonso and Alceme (pronounced Al-seem) were names that ran in the Pelletier family generations back and then suddenly and mysteriously they disappeared. I gotta say I'm glad my forefathers put the cement boots on those 2 names.

10.) Brian is best. I know Brian and Brianna are really your top 2 choices. What you might not know is that my name is trademarked so every time the child signs its name it will have to pay me a royalty fee. That could get expensive unless I agree to let you use my name. The good news is I will let you use Brian or Brianna if you make "is the best uncle ever" your child's middle name.

New Facebook Messaging System

Palo Alto based Facebook held a news conference in San Francisco today to announce its new messaging system. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the new system is designed to combine chat, e-mail, SMS, and Facebook messaging services to produce a less formal and more seamless form of communication.

The new system will allow users to have a Facebook.com e-mail address and will use information from your Facebook friends list to filter messages. Users will be able to read and save threads of important conversations from chat, text messages, e-mail, and Facebook messages all in one place.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg says “this is not an e-mail killer. In fact, e-mail is one component of the new service.“ He expects e-mail to become a less popular as new, easier, and more immediate ways to communicate with friends and family online are developed.

SF Supervisors order Happy Meals to go for good

On Tuesday the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 8-3 to place new nutritional standards on food that comes with free toys, like Happy Meals. The ordinance would, outlaw Happy Meals and other fast food kids meals in their current form, within San Francisco limits. Mayor Gavin Newsom has promised to veto the measure, but Supervisors have enough votes to override the veto.

The measure is drawing fire from all over the country from people who don't like to be told what they can eat, or feed their kids. An opinion piece for the Philadelphia Libertarian Examiner has an interesting take. The author went as far as to call the people in charge of the Democratic Party "food fascists". McDonald's website says it serves "food to feel good about".

So what's the big deal? Supervisor and ordinance proposer Eric Mar wrote an op-ed piece for the U-S-A Today. The piece talks about the extreme calorie count found in fast food kids meals. It also says some of the "healthier options" aren't really healthy. He points to high sodium and sugar content as adding to the larger problem of this country's obesity epidemic.

Could the country's growing problem with fat kids be solely placed on the shoulders of Happy Meals? How much responsibility and control do parents have when it comes to controlling their kid's diets? Should the government focus on making healthy food more affordable and available to low income families? Will the new ordinance have any effect on what people feed their kids?