Refugee

Okay, let’s hear it. What’s your gripe today?

What is the last thing you gave up, gave away, or gave in to?

This is Garth Yeaman, the 30-year-old who valiantly struggled to keep the world's greatest license plate from being destroyed by Virginia's humorless bureaucracy. He lost the battle, but he's not giving up the war. We interviewed him. Here's his story. Jalopnik first wrote about Yeaman's plates in 2008 when they popped up online. The plate shows two small red hand prints with the words "Kids First" underneath a blank space. The money for these plates goes for domestic violence and prevention, thus it was an ironic choice when Yeaman chose the letters "EAT THE" to go on his plates. "I was really bored and like any 20-year-old male I surf the Internet and I was on the DMV website and there's this place where you can through all the possible plates... and I thought 'I can do something funny with this plate," said Yeaman. After going through a variety of six-character possibilities he picked EAT THE, thinking "There's no way in hell this is going to pass." It did and he threw the plates on his car. For years Yeaman enjoyed the almost unanimous attention he received for the plate on his Volkswagen and then on his Miata when he transferred the plate, including the attention of women. However, he confirmed the plate never got him a date. "No, not one [date]." The only negative reaction he can remember was at a National Tire and Battery in South Carolina when a possibly drunk and belligerent senior wandered up to the car screaming "Eat The Kids First!" as he approached. "He was obviously upset about it," said Yeaman, who tried to explain it was a joke. "'What's the joke?' he literally yelled at me. And I was kind of just... I didn't know what to say. It's one of those things where you get it or you don't... so I just locked eyes and slowly rolled away and he just watched me leave." Most reactions were like the one from a mom in a minivan plastered with pro-Christian bumper stickers who chased him down. "I thought she was going to yell at me and tell me I'm going straight to hell, but she and her kids found it absolutely hilarious and she took pics of it with her kids next to the plate," said Yeaman. "I learned my lesson on judging people before they speak." Sadly, the Virginia DMV didn't talk to him before they judged him offensive and sent him a letter requesting the plates back immediately. With his brother's encouragement, Yeaman requested a hearing with a mediator to keep the plates, which he didn't find offensive. "My defense was 'this is ridiculous, at no point I was condoning cannibalism.' I thought they thought I was condoning cannibalism, like the actual cooking and eating of children." Representatives of the Virginia DMV had a different idea, and according to a letter denying his appeal they said a member of a "diverse" panel they gathered together to review the plate thought, beyond the obvious Swiftian undertones, it could also be sexual. "[Redacted] also noted that, as some people initially view the plate, "the vision of cannabilism of children conjures a truly horrible image. Others may view the message as being "vulgar in nature," associated "eat the kids" with oral sex." "I was dumbfounded. That never even crossed my mind and that's why they took the plate away," said Yeaman. They sent him new "Kids First" plates with a random number series, but he thought it was just strange looking that way and he didn't want to have his spirit crushed so he tried numerous other options including "FU VA DMV," which was also rejected. He finally was able to get "ohno 5oh" through and placed them on his 1994 Miata R. Despite what happened he's not actually upset with the DMV, which he says made "surreal" decisions but was never rude, short or unprofessional. As he explained to Jalopnik and to the community members of social linking site reddit, he reserves any anger he may have for the people who complained. "If you're that offended why do you even bother getting up in the morning given the stress of brushing your teeth?" The biggest irony in all of this is that Yeaman really hopes to put the kids first, by teaching them not eating them. An electrical engineer by training, he's currently a math tutor working to become certified as a math teacher.

^ LOL! I was going to say, not only Chinese mothers have this mindset, most Asians do. My mother was Japanese, she passed away in 2001. She was VERY old school. Education is a BIG deal in her culture. I was NOT allowed to bring home anything less than a "A" on my report cards. In fact, it should have read "A+". I once got an "A-" and my mom was disappointed. Because in her mind, the "A-" was closer to a "B+". It was still an "A", but not good enough for my mom. My mom also had that mindset when it came to my piano lessons, ballet, dance and anything else she could get me involved in. No such thing as practice for 1/2 hour, it was ALWAYS an hour or more, minimum. From my standpoint, especially in my teenage years, this was too overbearing. I started to rebel. I kept my grades up, was scared not too, lol. But, I gave up on piano, quit ballet and dance and decided to party with my friends. I understand where this woman is coming from and understand her viewpoint, but disagree on this formula for raising kids. Sometimes when you push too much or too hard or have too high of expectations for your child, you are asking for trouble. Some kids can handle it, others can't. I also agree with this woman that most Westerners are too easy and lenient on their children. I find most are just spoiled brats that need a good ass kicking. Find the right balance of the Asian way of thinking and Western way of thinking and I think you will have it made.

Wow, I missed this. Sorry, Nurk. Thank you so much for posting this concert. I so miss their glory days.

Interesting article. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

My husband's Christmas party.

This One's For Me with I Don't Wanna' Fight a very close second

(CNN) -- A winter storm that covered much of the Southeast with snow and ice will move up the East Coast on Tuesday, forecasters said. Winter storm warnings were in effect Tuesday morning in parts of the East Coast, CNN meteorologist Jennifer Delgado said, including areas in the Carolinas, Delaware and New Jersey. The National Weather Service predicted 5 to 8 inches of snow in the Philadelphia area, 4 inches or more in northern New Jersey and 2 to 6 inches in southern Delaware from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning. Light to moderate sleet and ice accumulations are expected across parts of the Carolinas, according to the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Maryland. Although most of the wintry precipitation had left much of the South by Monday night, parts of the region are likely to see snow on the ground until the weekend as an Arctic low slides in, bringing low temperatures in the teens. And a snow storm surging over the Plains and into the Ohio Valley promises to merge with the storm from the Southeast Tuesday night and slam into the Mid-Atlantic Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The storm brought treacherous travel conditions across the Southeast Monday, with schools and government offices shut down from Arkansas to the Atlantic. Those conditions weren't expected to change overnight as temperatures remain below freezing, making morning commutes on Tuesday no better. In Atlanta, airlines canceled hundreds of flights Monday -- and plan to cancel more on Tuesday. AirTran spokesman Christopher White said the airline would begin operation "with a greatly reduced flight schedule" and warned that flights heading to the Northeast would likely be affected at least through Wednesday. Delta, which canceled almost a third of its flights across the country Monday, said it planned at least 1,400 cancellations on Tuesday. Spokesman Anthony Black said the airline was keeping a close eye on the Northeast for late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Both airlines were offering one-time flight changes with no fees for a limited period. And if air travel was limited, road travel was nearly non-existent. Impassable roads were the norm across the region, although that didn't keep everyone at home -- particularly truckers trying to keep their schedules. And some of those truckers caused some of the problems. Georgia emergency officials warned people to stay off the roads if at all possible from central Georgia north. Atlanta police were dealing with so many accidents that the department announced it would only work accidents with injuries and provided an online form for drivers to report others. In Alabama, traffic wrecks claimed two lives, one in Lowndes County and the other in Tuscaloosa County. Parts of the northern part of the state got 6 inches to 10 inches of snow, according to state Emergency Management spokeswoman Yasmie Richardson, and three-fourths of the state received snow or ice. North Carolina and South Carolina both expected freezing rain and sleet into Tuesday morning. Mountainous areas have already seen up to 18 inches of snowfall. The Tennessee Department of Transportation reported extremely hazardous conditions in the mountainous east, but ice and snow was also causing problems in other parts of the state. About 2,300 homes in Louisiana and 4,000 in Mississippi had lost power, according to authorities in those states, and power had been restored to most of them. Nearly 2,000 Georgia customers were out of power, according Georgia Electric Membership Corp, and Georgia Power reported 3,000 customers out. But the snow brought out some revelers, too. In tiny Pine Lake, Georgia, east of Atlanta, the city closed its steepest street to vehicular traffic -- but left it open for sledding. It drew dozens of kids (and adults) for a slippery ride down the street, a long trudge back up -- to an open fire pit, s'mores and hot chocolate. Most school districts near Birmingham, Alabama; Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Charlotte, North Carolina, will be closed Tuesday, local media reported Monday. In the Southeast, the National Weather Service expected a high approaching 40 on Tuesday -- but the Arctic front currently bringing snow into the Midwest would sink into the south, without the precipitation but with frigid temperatures. While the snowstorm was a headache to drivers and businesses, it proved to be a help to police in one Georgia town. Officers investigating a pre-dawn burglary at a liquor store in Dalton, Georgia, simply followed a set of tracks in the otherwise undisturbed snow from the store to a nearby apartment complex. There, after knocking on the door where the footprints led, they found a pair of teenagers along with a backpack full of liquor bottles carrying stickers that matched bottles in the burglarized store. Two young men were arrested and charged with burglary and criminal destruction of property.

Kashi

I can't wait to go to the DMV and get this shit taken care of! :095:

I wish she didn't need back surgery.

I love both, but favor the cast iron. Food tastes so much better. Swimming or biking?

I don't drink wine, they trigger migraines. List 3 things you do to try and stay awake -

I should have known he would end up acting like this. Whatever.

TIL, that she shouldn't be manager.

Dancing In The Street - Mick Jagger and David Bowie

I wonder what it will feel like when that baby is launched.

Janis

Snow here? HAHAHAHA! How many slices of pizza can you eat at one sitting?

^ I'm sorry to read that, HM. I hope he gets home soon. I hate when my manager does not use her head!!!!! :095:

Please Remove Your Shoes

I confess, he has really hurt me. :085:

I love this cd, it was so sweet of him to make it. :heart: