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| This manatee photo is taken from the public domain. We were too busy paddling and making smart-ass remarks to get one of our own. |
Tuesday Stan and Virg were kayaking the Orange River, searching for manatees without too much success. We paddled past an observation dock serving Manatee Park, where visitors can walk out to try and catch a glimpse of the shy, love-able hulks that ply these warm waters.
A helpful sign posted on the deck piers had an illustration of the mammoth, rounded manatee, and a number to call to report orphaned calves or "manatee harassment."
Standing directly above the sign on the dock was a youthful, very portly, round-shouldered couple looking here and there for the elusive manatee. Stan just couldn't help making this observation, albeit privately, to his kayak mate:
"Well, Virg, we may not see any manatees today, but that appears to be their first cousins standing upright on the dock." Stan said this in a voice the couple could not hear, but it was a snarky, regrettable, inappropriate comment, nonetheless. He should be ashamed.
Today, according to a wire service story, Target has apologized for its choices in the naming of colors for a new kimono maxi dress. Target regrets any embarrassment or discomfort they may have caused and promises to fix it. And well they should. The name selected for the gray regular-sized kimono is "Dark Heather Gray." The plus-sized version is offered in "Manatee Gray."
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According to Target spokesman Joshua Thomas, “Manatee Gray" is a standard color name used across Target products, plus-size and otherwise. Unfortunately there were two teams of buyers responsible for the two dresses, meaning they each chose different color names without consulting with one another.
Okay. Maybe so. But Stan still has no excuse.
