"I always say it was great for God to send his only son, but I'm waiting for him to send his only daughter. Then things will be really great."
-- Candace Pert
Whatever happens with the federal election on May 2nd, please God send more women to the House of Commons and whichever Party "wins", please let us have more women represented in Cabinet.
Amen.
Personally, I will be voting Green this year. I am so tired of the same old goons, loons, and buffoons that have populated Parliament during the last decade. It is completely dysfunctional. If, after all is said and done, we end up right back where we started then we are insane and deserve the government we get.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
So sue me! Oh, she did.
Yahoo News alert from April 14th:
US woman sues Internet dating site, saying man she met sexually assaulted her
The woman is apparently an "entertainment executive" identified only as Jane Doe. After her second date with the man, he allegedly followed her home and attacked her.
Now as much as I feel bad for what happened to this woman, to me this is a case of "buyer beware." (Make that "dater beware.") I can see laying charges against her attacker, but suing the Internet dating site is kind of like suing Superstore because you burned yourself while cooking the bacon you bought there. Or suing the car dealership because you got a speeding ticket in the vehicle you purchased there.
And, really, if anyone should be "heads up" about potential stalkers it's an "entertainment executive." (Is this code for something?)
US woman sues Internet dating site, saying man she met sexually assaulted her
The woman is apparently an "entertainment executive" identified only as Jane Doe. After her second date with the man, he allegedly followed her home and attacked her.
Now as much as I feel bad for what happened to this woman, to me this is a case of "buyer beware." (Make that "dater beware.") I can see laying charges against her attacker, but suing the Internet dating site is kind of like suing Superstore because you burned yourself while cooking the bacon you bought there. Or suing the car dealership because you got a speeding ticket in the vehicle you purchased there.
And, really, if anyone should be "heads up" about potential stalkers it's an "entertainment executive." (Is this code for something?)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Misanthropic Message of the Day
"I find low self-esteem incomprehensible. Why hate yourself, when you can hate others?"
- Amy Ashton
By the way, there is a Misanthropic Society but they don't have any meetings because they can't stand each other.
- Amy Ashton
By the way, there is a Misanthropic Society but they don't have any meetings because they can't stand each other.
Censorship and Revisionist History
I heard on the news yesterday that a special revised edition of Mark Twain's classics "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" will be published in which occurrences of the word "nigger" will be replaced by the more politically correct word "slave."
Yes, "nigger" is a terrible, hateful word that harkens back to a dark period of American history. But I cannot condone changing the text of these classic works of fiction in an attempt to hide, sanitize, or avoid this history. The fact is it existed, and we are better or worse (better, I hope) for having lived through it. Hiding evil in dark places only serves to nurture it. Better to examine it under the full light of truth.
Mark Twain did not include the word "nigger" in his books because he was racist. He included it because use of this word was a reality of the time and place. According to the news story, Twain was married to an abolitionist and firmly supported it's principles.
I am a rabid opponent of any kind of censorship in any media. To me, revising Mark Twain's books is a form of censorship. My mother taught me a very important quote which I follow to this day:
"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
I hope schools will continue to read, study and discuss the original versions of his books.
Yes, "nigger" is a terrible, hateful word that harkens back to a dark period of American history. But I cannot condone changing the text of these classic works of fiction in an attempt to hide, sanitize, or avoid this history. The fact is it existed, and we are better or worse (better, I hope) for having lived through it. Hiding evil in dark places only serves to nurture it. Better to examine it under the full light of truth.
Mark Twain did not include the word "nigger" in his books because he was racist. He included it because use of this word was a reality of the time and place. According to the news story, Twain was married to an abolitionist and firmly supported it's principles.
I am a rabid opponent of any kind of censorship in any media. To me, revising Mark Twain's books is a form of censorship. My mother taught me a very important quote which I follow to this day:
"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
I hope schools will continue to read, study and discuss the original versions of his books.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Scrooge Really Wasn't Such a Bad Guy
Okay, so I am one of those people (and maybe the only one) who have always felt that Ebenezer Scrooge, from Dicken's classic "A Christmas Carol", got a bad rap. Sure he was miserly with his money, but where would ineffectual Bob Crachit and his needy family be at the end of the story if Scrooge had not stockpiled his hard-earned savings instead of spending them like a wanton profligate?
And, with his low-paying clerical job, where does Bob Crachit get off having six kids without first having the means to support them? Isn't this just a tad irresponsible? Maybe he and Mrs. Crachit should have practiced a little birth control before poor little Tiny Tim came along. At least Scrooge was self-sufficient, which is more than can be said for Bob Crachit.
The problem with Scrooge isn't that he made a lot of money or even the manner in which he amassed his fortune (primarily through money lending.) Scrooge's big sin is that he hoarded his money and didn't spread it around. Money must be shared and spent to keep the economy and society happy. I'm sure Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg would agree.
And, with his low-paying clerical job, where does Bob Crachit get off having six kids without first having the means to support them? Isn't this just a tad irresponsible? Maybe he and Mrs. Crachit should have practiced a little birth control before poor little Tiny Tim came along. At least Scrooge was self-sufficient, which is more than can be said for Bob Crachit.
The problem with Scrooge isn't that he made a lot of money or even the manner in which he amassed his fortune (primarily through money lending.) Scrooge's big sin is that he hoarded his money and didn't spread it around. Money must be shared and spent to keep the economy and society happy. I'm sure Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg would agree.
Fuck You, Bob Saget!
So, a few nights ago a forty-something friend and I went to see Bob Saget. I mention our age only because I think it might have been relevant to our level of enjoyment of his show. (That and our relative level of intelligence.)
When my friend phoned to invite me, my first thought was Bob Saget? You mean the guy from "Full House" and "America's Funniest Home Videos"? That Bob Saget? He does stand up comedy? I was to learn that yes, indeed, Bob Saget does stand up comedy and he is in fact quite raunchy and filthy while doing it.
That's not why I didn't really enjoy the show. I like raunch and filth as much as the next person. I enjoy no-holds-barred, irreverant, politically-incorrect comedy. Bring it on! But it still has to be clever comedy. Sadly, this was not.
I should have had an inkling from the audience demographic. It was overwhelming young and male. There was a lot of beer and testosterone in the room.
For those uninitiated in the ritual that is Bob Saget comedy, basically it involves a lot of audience interaction, most of it quite unpleasant. I would categorize it as "humour by humiliation." And it seems to be an accepted two-way street judging by the guy sitting behind me who, in the middle of the show, yelled out at the top of his voice: "Fuck You, Bob Saget!", followed by much laughter and cheering from the audience. Bob apparently doesn't mind and will tell you to "shut the fuck up", too when he's not telling rambling stories about his Dad.
I think I laughed once -- maybe twice -- during the whole show when a girl in the audience said her name was "Hailey, like the comet." Bob's witty comeback: "Does that mean you only come every 22 years."
Okay, that was clever. But not worth the price of the ticket. Thank God we didn't pay other than in the wasted time we will never get back.
When my friend phoned to invite me, my first thought was Bob Saget? You mean the guy from "Full House" and "America's Funniest Home Videos"? That Bob Saget? He does stand up comedy? I was to learn that yes, indeed, Bob Saget does stand up comedy and he is in fact quite raunchy and filthy while doing it.
That's not why I didn't really enjoy the show. I like raunch and filth as much as the next person. I enjoy no-holds-barred, irreverant, politically-incorrect comedy. Bring it on! But it still has to be clever comedy. Sadly, this was not.
I should have had an inkling from the audience demographic. It was overwhelming young and male. There was a lot of beer and testosterone in the room.
For those uninitiated in the ritual that is Bob Saget comedy, basically it involves a lot of audience interaction, most of it quite unpleasant. I would categorize it as "humour by humiliation." And it seems to be an accepted two-way street judging by the guy sitting behind me who, in the middle of the show, yelled out at the top of his voice: "Fuck You, Bob Saget!", followed by much laughter and cheering from the audience. Bob apparently doesn't mind and will tell you to "shut the fuck up", too when he's not telling rambling stories about his Dad.
I think I laughed once -- maybe twice -- during the whole show when a girl in the audience said her name was "Hailey, like the comet." Bob's witty comeback: "Does that mean you only come every 22 years."
Okay, that was clever. But not worth the price of the ticket. Thank God we didn't pay other than in the wasted time we will never get back.
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