Political Correctness in the Classroom

Usually I don't read, listen or watch the CBC because the bias is nausiating. But while trying to find a link to Harper being on Corner Gas I clicked onto this article about political correctness in the classroom. I found it quite interesting, check it out!

In some provinces, according to the teachers' unions, good teachers will advocate for women's rights, abortion rights, native rights, same-sex marriage rights, secular humanism, feminism, multiculturalism, diversity, the environment, the Earth, meditation, co-operation, wild whales, wild salmon and moral relativity. If you happen to believe in the rights of the unborn, or the traditional definition of marriage, or if you dare question the joys of diversity, feminism or homosexuality, or believe anything that is not on the bandwagon of the politically correct, you should keep your mouth shut, or you may be admonished by the high priests of correct thinking.

Teachers whose views run contrary to their union's opinions hardly ever suffer censure from fellow teachers. For one thing, those contrary views seldom find their way into a classroom and never into a curriculum. Teachers are as various as individual members of any group. Their personal opinions and beliefs span the full range of thinking on any issue. This is not a problem. Most teachers know very well how to draw the line between having personal beliefs and promoting them to students.

However, when a teachers' union makes a public statement supporting abortion rights, same-sex marriage, the Kyoto accord or whatever, it is crossing a line in education and seriously inhibiting a teacher's right to differ, and (more importantly) limiting students' rights to an unbiased education.

No one argues that politically incorrect views are unbiased. Most of us have no trouble understanding that preaching the rights of the unborn, or the sanctity of traditional heterosexual marriage, or the joys of big-game hunting in the spring has no place in the public school system. But the same people who claim to see the folly of one point of view and the need to avoid promoting it in classrooms have no problem endorsing the opposite point of view and transplanting it into the curriculum.

My point here is that these issues are matters of opinion. Perfectly nice, reasonable, intelligent people have opposing ideas about things. This is good. Every one of these and many other issues are legitimate material for student debate, exploration and discovery. What is not good is how a point of view becomes a mantra that the self-declared enlightened put forward as required or even optional course content.


Read the Rest

Harper to Appear on Corner Gas

The only episode of Corner Gas I've seen is when Jann Arden made a cameo appearance. I don't often watch Corner Gas, but I will watch the episode in which Prime Minister Harper will make a cameo appearance. The CBC article doesn't indicate when the episode will air.

What I found funny aout the article is that a seemingly innocent news item of Harper being on Corner Gas was made political about what Harper is and isn't doing this week. The CBC can't even write an article without poking a jab at what Harper is doing.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in Saskatchewan this week for business and perhaps a few laughs, during shooting for a cameo appearance in the popular TV show Corner Gas.

He's also scheduled to attend a Conservative party barbecue on Tuesday evening.

So far no meetings are planned with any provincial politicians.

Premier Lorne Calvert has been pushing Harper to keep an election promise to amend the equalization formula.

Earlier this month, a letter was leaked to the media from Tory MPs in the province. It also urged Harper to keep that promise.

Meanwhile, Harper's appearance in Corner Gas isn't the first time the CTV sitcom has featured Canadian politicians in walk-on roles.

Calvert appeared in an episode that aired last December where he played himself and almost got hit by a thrown newspaper.

The show has also featured cameos by former prime minister Paul Martin and Saskatchewan MP Ralph Goodale.

Ombudsman Finds CBC Guilty of Biased Editting

If you've been following the CBC sloppy cut and paste job that Stephen Taylor exposed, and I showed his video here.

A fellow blogger, Padre, (site's down for the next few weeks) sent me this gem this morning. Need Acrobat to load.


Author's note. Vacation done, moving done, unpacking and organizing not done. Will resume regular blogging next week

Why Did The Chicken Cross the Road?

I know I know! I'm supposed to be on vacation. I leave tomorrow. But I just had to post this. I've read the comments from various blogs about this and added more Canadian replies (and credited) them. Soooo funny!! :-)

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on "THIS" side of the road before it goes after the problem on the "OTHER SIDE" of the road.What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his "CURRENT" problems before adding "NEW" problems.

OPRAH: Well I understand that the chicken is having problems,which is why he wants to cross this road so bad.So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road.We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not.The chicken is either against us, or for us.There is no middle ground here.

ANDERSON COOPER/CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to haveaccess to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions.I am for it now, and will remain against it.

JUDGE JUDY: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY!You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going.I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level.No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road?
Did he cross it with a toad?
Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay!Can't you people see the plain truth in front of your face?The chicken was going to the "other side."That's why they call it the "other side".Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay.And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too.I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like "the other side."That chicken should not be free to cross the road.It's as plain and simple as that!

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road.Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together - in peace.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2005, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet explorer is an integral part of eChicken.The Platform is much more stable and will never cra.....@&&^( C.......reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken.What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?


********************

JERRY SEINFELD: Why does anyone cross a road? I mean, why doesn't anyone ever think to ask, "What the heck was this chicken doing walking around all over the place, anyway?"

JOE VOLPE: "I most gratefully accept a $5400 cheque from this chicken. It is abundantly clear this chicken typifies the feelings of the majority of Canadian chickens; it is patently obvious that this chicken is Liberal! It will courageously resist change, for change, as everyone knows, will result in Canadian chickens turning into American eagles; that could not be a good thing, as pride doth come before a fall. This chicken can strut proudly back to the side of the road from whence it came, secure in the knowledge that its financial support will be put to good use fighting the New Democrat buzzards, which could NEVER feed themselves but for our Liberal benevolence. We will also defend this chicken against the terrible excesses of the vicious Conservative lions, who do not wish to share their kill with other animals, even though 'the kill' obviously belongs to all ALL the animals."

PAUL MARTIN: "Fundamentally, the chi-chi-chicken crossed the road, because fundamentally, the pppp-polls told him he should cross the road, not because it was fundamentally necessary to cross the road, but because public opinion told him he should. And I will give him a big fat government grant if he will also vote for me."

HOMER SIMPSON: MMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Chicken.

My addition:

Mom: It doesn't matter why the chicken crossed the road. You'll understand when you're older. Now finish your peas.

50 Marathons in 50 States in 50 Days

Imagine running over 26 miles (43kms) every single day for 50 days. Wow! I couldn't believe this when I read it. I can barely run a mile. Now imagine: 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.

Absolutely incredible.

His name is Sam Thompson and he's raising money for Katrina survivors. Check out his site 50 in 50 in 50. I've checked out articles about him and this CNN article repeatedly states that the human body isn't made for this much strain and that Sam is doing irreparable damage. I was disappointed with all the negative in the article and not talking about the positive things that he's doing. Sam has an incredible story:

He was 17 when he hydroplaned on a rain-soaked road in Mississippi and another car slammed into his, leaving him with a shattered leg and pelvis, and a broken jaw and collarbone.

Doctors told the cross-country runner his left leg might heal shorter than his right and he would never run again. They placed a titanium rod in his left leg, stretching from his left knee to his ankle, to help him walk.


One thing though, I couldn't find any article or anywhere on his site that states how much he has raised.

Source: NPR

Video Summary of Photo Faking in Middle East

Check out this video. A nice summary of the photo "journalism" pictures out of the Middle East. The only thing this video misses is the green helmet dude. But a nice summary of everything else.

Toque Tip: Climbing Out of the Dark

Blogger Down

I've wrapped up my summer job and it's time for a vacation! I won't be blogging very often in the next two weeks as I will be at the cottage and moving!

~Spitfire

Harper and the AIDS Conference

I love the dramatic media. I was reading the paper yesterday and various articles cited Harper being "Slammed" for not showing up to the AIDS conference. He was also "slammed" for not showing up at the Outgames. They slam him for his leadership blah blah blah.....

But when he does show up to the evacuation of Canadian citizens in Lebanon and uses his own private jet to help, he gets slammed again.

Come on people. I'm one for saying that if someone does a good job, regardless of the political side, you give them credit for it. You can't just constantly criticize someone, even when they are doing a good job, because your criticism just lose their value. For many people Harper can do no good. But constant criticism just makes one sound like the boy who cried wolf. Eventually you tune them out and don't take what they say seriously.

Many Toronto Sun readers agree with me and put their opinions on the letters to the editors:

So Stephen Harper does not go to the AIDS conference and he is slammed big time by the media and the public (“Where was Harper?” Aug. 14). There are thousands of people who work for charities every day and we do it without any hoopla — because we care, not because Steven Harper is going to show up and say thanks. I guess if Harper was looking for votes he should have been there, the fact he wasn’t does not mean he cares any less about the AIDS epidemic. If anyone should be ashamed of themselves, it should be the celebrities and other politicians who think that because they are there for a good cause that the leader of our country should have been there to thank them. The PM cannot be at every event that celebrities put on and I for one want a strong leader running our country, not a leader who only shows up at events that have the rich and famous at them.

H. Martin
Mississauga
(When he does turn up, as he did during the Lebanon evacuation, he gets accused of grandstanding )


I’m really ticked! I had a family picnic and that insensitive Stephen Harper was a no show. His office gave me these same old worn-out excuses — other priorities, like getting Canadians out of a war zone, terrorists planning to blow up our air planes, etc.

Robert Johnston
Ottawa


So PM Harper didn’t address the AIDS conference. Can you imagine how many suffering people might have been helped if he’d spoken? About as many as were helped by the speeches of the other politicians.

Ed Lenarcic
Toronto


In response to your article “Where was Harper?” (Aug. 14), he is exactly where he needs to be. Canada’s natural resources in northern Canada are now at risk of being exploited by other powers. PM Stephen Harper’s mission is to protect these resources from predators. He has nothing to apologize for. GG Michaelle Jean is the perfect representative from this country at the AIDS conference. Mr. Harper, you have my full support in protecting our natural resources. I fully respect your decision.

Mary Scobie
Grimsby


Will someone please explain the fuss over Prime Minster Harper’s failure to attend the AIDS conference in Toronto? (Aug. 14). Former PM Chretien did not attend when it was last held in Canada and I don’t recall any Liberals claiming it was embarrassing or due to some anti-gay stigma. If this was a cancer, TB or MS conference, would the PM be expected to be there?

Jeffrey W. Tighe
Toronto

(All good questions. How quickly some Liberals forgot that their own former boss failed to attend the same conference 10 years ago)

Toque Tip: Joanne's Journey

Bye Bye Pluto? Scientists Define "Planet"

I've always been interested in Astronomy. I'm very interested with the results of this conference. I couldn't fit Astronomy 100 in my schedule in first year, so I don't know a lot about this, but IMHO since Pluto is smaller than the moon, it shouldn't be considered a planet. However, there are other factors like, rotation etc... I'm sure they are considering when defining a planet.

The fate of tiny Pluto is hanging in the balance.

Astronomers from around the world are gathering in Prague over the next two weeks to come up with the first official definition of the word planet — and puny Pluto might be considered too small to make the grade.

“We have been living with Pluto as a member of the solar system for 76 years, and school children just love Pluto and we can't take it away from them or they will be broken-hearted,” conceded Owen Gingerich, who chaired an International Astronomical Union committee on the matter.

However, last year's discovery in the far fringes of the solar system of an object, nicknamed Xena after the warrior princess from a popular TV show, that is slightly bigger than Pluto has brought the issue to a head.

When Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona discovered Pluto in 1930, it was touted as being at least as big as Earth.

But by the 1970s, astronomers had figured out that it was much smaller.

It is just 2,270 kilometres in diameter, has just 1/400th the mass of Earth and is substantially smaller than the moon.

Some astronomers have been arguing that Pluto should be stripped of its planetary status. Even so, the IAU, which is responsible for naming planets and other celestial objects, has been reluctant to demote the little world.

If Pluto is big enough to be considered a planet, then the new object Xena should be considered one too, said one of its discoverers, Michael Brown, a professor at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Others insist that anointing the new find as the 10th planet would be repeating the same mistake made when Pluto was allowed into the planetary club.

What is needed is a clear definition of a planet. So, last year the IAU established a committee of 19 astronomers to do the job. But that cumbersome group became deadlocked. As a result, the organization set up a seven-member subcommittee, which met in Paris at the end of June to sort out the mess.

“We considered a lot of factors and, in the end, we came up with a unanimous recommendation,” said Prof. Gingerich, who chaired the subcommittee.

That recommendation will be officially unveiled on Wednesday(Aug. 16) in Prague at a general assembly meeting of the IAU. The astronomers will then debate the proposal and ultimately vote on it. That vote is set for the conference's final day, Aug. 24.
[...]

Source: Globe and Mail

University Choice: One of the Most Important Decisions You Will Ever Make

Where would I be today if I didn't go to Trent? My choices were Trent, Carleton, Ottawa and Western. I wished my parents had taken my University process more seriously. They never offered to drive me to take a look at other Universities, go on tours etc. Sadly I chose my University based on the publications the University put out.

If I had to do it all over again would I chose Trent?

It depends. If it means I would only meet George if I went to Trent, then I would go again. If it means I would only develop my political belief system because Trent is so one-sided, then I would do it again.

But what the publications the University and MacLeans Rankings do not tell you is the reason why a small University sucks. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed the small classes sizes, no one tells you that small class sizes/small university also means small course and professor selection. I feel that my undergraduate has not prepared me or taught me...anything.

It's been a joke really. Compared to my friends at other Universities, Trent is a dream. We get two reading weeks and we mostly have full-year credits (much easier and less stressful).

I'm studying Sociology and plan to do a Masters in Soc at Carleton. I would like to get into Stats/Research/Demographics at Stats Can or Census or perhaps market research.

Sadly, I only had one half-credit statistics course. Unlike most of my peers, I like stats. But our stats class was a joke. We spent 3 weeks on Mean, Median and Mode. I got a 90 on the 40% final in which I had another exam 10 hours before, and thus I started and finished studying for that exam in about 6 hours.

Because it's such a small school, there is no demand for an advanced statistic course. There is one cross listed course that I can take from the Psych department, but it's qualitative stats and not quanitative stats.

I'm applying for my Masters this year, but I'm scared that I won't be prepared. Carleton has a concentration in Quanitative methods which really has me interested. It also has a co-op, which may help me get my foot in the door in a company and some work experience!

I also want to go to Carleton because I'm bilingual and I would love to use my skills as often as possible, so I don't lose them.

Although our post-secondary system is different here in Canada. I thought this article was interesting out of TIME.

It's the summer before your senior year, and you're sweating. The college brochures are spread across the table, along with itineraries, SAT review books, downloaded copies of Web pages that let you chart the grades and scores of every kid from your high school who applied to a given college in the past five years and whether they got in or not. You're hunting for a school where the principal oboe player is graduating, or the soccer goalie, so it might be in the market for someone with your particular skills. You can be fifth-generation Princeton or the first in your family to apply to college: it's still the most important decision you've ever made, and the most confounding.

You're a parent watching your child, so proud, and so worried. Your neighbors' son was a nationally ranked swimmer, straight As, great boards, nice kid. Got rejected at his top three choices, wait-listed at two more. Who gets into Yale these days anyway? Maybe they should have sent him to Mali for the summer to dig wells, fight malaria, give him something to write about in his essay.

You're the college counselor at a public school in a hothouse ZIP code, and you wish you could grab the students, grab the parents by the shoulders and shake them. Twenty thousand dollars for a college consultant? They're paying for help getting into a school where the kid probably doesn't belong. Do they really think there are only 10 great colleges in the country? There are scores of them, hundreds even, honors colleges embedded inside public universities that offer an Ivy education at state-school prices; small liberal-arts colleges that exalt the undergraduate experience in a way that the big schools can't rival. And if they hope to go on to grad school? Getting good grades at a small school looks better than floundering at a famous one. Think they need to be able to tap into the old-boy network to get a job? Chances are, the kid is going to be doing a job that doesn't even exist now, so connections won't do much good. The rules have changed. The world has changed. You have a sign over your office door: COLLEGE IS A MATCH TO BE MADE, NOT A PRIZE TO BE WON.
[...]
The math is simple: when so many more kids are applying, a smaller percentage get in, which yields the annual headlines about COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INSANITY. Princeton turned down 4 of every 5 of the valedictorians who applied last year, and Dartmouth could have filled its freshman class with students with a perfect score in at least one SAT subject and had some to spare. But in the meantime, partly as a result, partly in response to all kinds of social and economic trends, the rest of the college universe has shifted as well. The parents may be the last ones to come around--but talk to high school teachers and guidance counselors and especially to the students themselves, and you can glimpse a new spirit, almost a liberation, when it comes to thinking about college. "Sometimes I see it with families with their second or third child, and they've learned their lesson with the first," observes Jim Conroy, a college counselor at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill. Their message: while you may not be able to get into Harvard, it also does not matter anymore. Just ask the kids who have chosen to follow a different road.

Bloggers V.S. MSM

Joseph Lavoie has a great short and to the point post about why the Blogosphere will never replace the Mainstream Media and vice-versa. Good Read!

This post is a clear example of why blogs will never have the capacity to replace MSM. I’m writing this post in response to a column by Warren Kinsella in this morning’s National Post. Kinsella, while acknowledging some recent accomplishments in the blogosphere, most notably, Stephen Taylor’s catch of CBC’s blatant spin doctoring, asserts that blogs have an important role as the ‘fact-checkers’ of the MSM. And he couldn’t be any more correct.

Yes, blogs are entertaining, sometimes insightful, and even challenging for those who pour their hearts into it. But at the end of the day, bloggers are dependent on the MSM. Think about it, 99% of the blog material you read is derived from an article, report, story, or column filed by the MSM.
[...]

Read the Rest

Pug Bowling

Wow. So normally I would be a little upset if I saw this video. Not that it's that cruel, but I felt bad for the dog. However, I watched this video going on 7 hours of sleep in the past 2 days, so I had one of those stupid laughing fits where you're laughing but only because you're super tired......I'm going to bed. I get to sleep in tomorrow. Only have to get up at 5am instead of 3am.....Yaaaaaa...........*crash*



Hat Tip: Bound by Gravity

Out of Town

Gone for a business trip out of town. Will be back Saturday. Please think good thoughts in the wee hours of the morning (in your sleep). I have to catch a plane for 6am and I'm will not be allowed to bring my coffee on the plane. Just my luck I never take a plane....

God must be mad at me.

Breastfeeding vs. Breast baring

Are you offended by this photo? Does it make you uncomfortable? Apparently it offended 5,000 people enough for them to write letters to the magazine. I read the article on Sara's blog first before I saw the photo. I was reading what people were saying about it and wondering what the picture looked like. I was disappointed when I saw it. Hell, I saw more breast in a music video and this is natural way to feed your child. I can't understand why anyone would be offended in the 21st century American society.

Readers of a US parenting magazine are crying foul over the publication's latest cover depicting a woman breastfeeding, with some calling the photo offensive and disgusting.

"I was SHOCKED to see a giant breast on the cover of your magazine," one woman from Kansas wrote in reaction to the picture in Babytalk, a free magazine that caters to young mothers. "I was offended and it made my husband very uncomfortable when I left the magazine on the coffee table."

Her reaction was part of some 5,000 letters the magazine has received in response to a poll to gage reader sentiment about Babytalk's August cover photo, which shows a baby nursing.

Several readers said they were "embarrassed" or "offended" by the Babytalk photo and one woman from Nevada said she "immediately turned the magazine face down" when she saw the photo.

"Gross, I am sick of seeing a baby attached to a boob," the mother of a four-month-old said.

Another reader said she was "horrified" when she received the magazine and hoped that her husband hadn't laid eyes on it.

"I had to rip off the cover since I didn't want it laying around the house," she said.

A national television program also ran a segment on the controversy, interviewing several people in New York who expressed disgust over the cover photo.
[...]
"There is a real puritanical streak in America," Moran told AFP. "You see celebrities practically baring their breasts all the time and no one seems to mind in this sort of sexual context.

"But in this very natural context of feeding your child, a lot of Americans are very uncomfortable with it."

Toque Tip: Choice for Childcare

UK/USA Airline Terrorist Plot Foiled

UPDATED 12.50PM [GMT]: A major terrorist plot to blow up multiple aircraft in mid flight from London to America has been stopped and 21 people arrested, police have said.
[...]
The planned explosions may have been simultaneous on as many as nine aircraft, possibly over the Atlantic as to minimise forensic evidence, according to reports.

CNN reported that the plot involved hiding masked liquid explosives in carry-on luggage.
[...]
No hand luggage is being allowed on UK planes, apart from a few exceptions like wallets and keys. These can be carried in a transparent plastic bag.

All other items, including laptops, mobile phones, iPods, books and newspapers, have to be searched and checked in along with normal luggage. Baby milk and food can be carried on board, but must be tasted in front of airport staff.
[...]

I'm flying domestic on Friday morning. I wonder if this "no liquid" rule will be in place. Dammit I need my water and hand sanitizer!!

This is just silly though. They make exceptions for women with babies. duh, what do you think the terrorists are going to disguise their new devoted members to be?

Source: This is Local London

BIZARRE HUMAN CUSTOM: Cheerleaders

Ship Log Entry # 92364 Observation of Culture.
Subsection: Custom Questions--Cheerleading

As aliens visiting the planet P3X 638, also known as Earth, we are learning much about the human species. Some customs at this time puzzle us. We do not understand a custom that we have come to learn as “cheerleading”. We have observed the female species taking part in the male sporting spectacles, but do not have a direct involvement in the sport itself. The women dress in a uniform costume and they use their vocal cords and bodies to demonstrate their involvement. Sometimes these cheerleaders involve the spectators and use their voices to demand the spectators to repeat words, or parts of ‘cheers’ back to them.

The costumes are always matching and often in bright colours. However, it would seem that these cheerleaders are volunteers or are not given enough monetary awards for their display of talents as they often lack enough clothing to cover their bodies. In addition, Commander Thor, head of our research team has hypothesized, that a certain physique is desired to be a part of the cheerleading group, or what the humans call, “squad”. Commander Thor believes this to be true because all of the cheerleaders have tiny bodies and they desire to show them to the spectators and players them by prominently displaying parts of their bodies. Bodies parts favoured are the belly button, legs and chest area.

Women who have excessive growth in their chest areas are also deemed to be the most favoured among the men. Our other scientists believe this to be true for the following reason. The human species is made up of two sexes, male and female. The female species grow two bumps of skin and tissue out of their chest area (also known as “breasts” and “boobies”). The males rarely grow breasts (only when their bodies have grown in excess overweight). It appears that the male species are quite envious of the female sex who possess these “breasts”. The larger the chest on the woman, the more a man finds her to be desirable. We have observed and believe this to be because the male species is unable to produce such body parts and thus seek this out in a mate.

We have observed that the majority of cheerleaders possess large chests. The male species of the human race is very attracted to these ‘cheerleaders’. We probed one of the minds of the male species and learned that they also fantasize about these women. These fantasy thoughts can occur at the spectacle game, but also can occur when they are alone in their bedroom doing their private inventory of their body parts.

What puzzles our scientists is why women of such attractiveness and beauty would be used as entertainment as we have determined them to be most distracting. The human culture takes sporting spectacles very seriously, and thus, we cannot understand how these females are not distracting to the players or the spectacles.

We have theorized the purpose of the existence of these cheerleaders. They are worshiping through intimidating previous goddesses of their culture. The spirits of the sporting spectacle work through these cheerleaders providing them with the words, luck and spiritual guidance for the sporting team they represent, to win. We also believe this theory is true because of how the cheerleaders all seem to be possessed as they repeat and move in the same way when they enact their “routine” and “cheers”.

We have concluded and may never fully understand the human custom of “cheerleaders”. We will file this entry under : Bizarre Human Custom.

Reuters Photoshops Middle East Photos

I know this was breaking news on the weekend, and likely is old news by now, but I was out of town and have discovered the stories about Reuters editting photos to make Beirut look like it was burning and smoking more than it actually was.



This type of "journalism" war propaganda makes me sick with disgust.

After reading over at Gay and Right I see that Reuters has now admitted to doctoring a second photo, after bloggers caught the first one.

Reuters withdraws photograph of Beirut after Air Force attack after US blogs, photographers point out 'blatant evidence of manipulation.' Reuters' head of PR says in response, 'Reuters has suspended photographer until investigations are completed into changes made to photograph.' Photographer who sent altered image is same Reuters photographer behind many of images from Qana, which have also been subject of suspicions for being staged.

Michelle Malkin has both photos for you to compare:

Doctored Photo

"Correct" Photo.









UPDATE: Little Green Footballs was the blog that exposed the Reuters photoshop job. LGF was given a death threat: "I look forward to the day when you pigs get your throats cut." Awww how nice. For someone of such high intellect and tact they must have ensured when sending this email to Charles that they would write the email from a computer with no links back to the person. OOoops. They wrote the email from a Reuters server:

In the threat, the Reuters staff member, who has not been named, left his email address as "zionistpig" at hotmail.com.

Reporting the message to his readers, [Charles] Johnson wrote on his website: "This particular death threat is a bit different from the run of the mill hate mail we get around here, because an IP lookup on the sender reveals that he/she/it was using an account at none other than Reuters News."

Speaking to Ynetnews, Johnson said: "I was surprised to receive a threat from a Reuters IP, but only because it was so careless of this person to use a traceable work account to do it."

He added: "I think it's more than fair to say that Reuters has a big problem."

There are more twists and turns with this soap opera saga, read this entire article to see the ties that this person may have in Britain.

THIS Media Bias

I've been out of town, since Friday, so this is old news, but thought it was pretty good. Check out how our "fair" and "balanced" "public" broadcasting system manipulates and distorts a press conference with Harper and takes his comments completely out of context to promote their anti-Bush/Harper/Right-wing/Conservative views....



Hat Tip: Stephen Taylor

Canadian Power Couple Turn in Their Liberal Cards

Was surprised to see this headline in my inbox this morning.

OTTAWA — Liberal power couple Heather Reisman and Gerry Schwartz have publicly broken with the Liberal Party line on the Middle East crisis and are turning to Prime Minister Stephen Harper because of his support of Israel.

Mr. Schwartz, a confidante of former prime minister Paul Martin and one of Canada's most influential businessmen as the head of Onex Corp., is one of the eight signatories of an advertisement placed in a newspaper in Cornwall, Ont., where the Conservatives are holding caucus meetings.

The ad welcomes the caucus to Cornwall and expresses appreciation to Mr. Harper, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay and Conservative MPs for "standing by" Israel. It also lauds other G8 leaders and Australian Prime Minister John Howard for their stands on the war.

Mr. Schwartz's wife, Ms. Reisman, says she is leaving the party to support the Conservatives under Stephen Harper.

Mr. Harper has expressed firm support for Israel during the Middle East war. It's not clear whether Mr. Schwartz is also leaving the Liberals for the Conservatives.

In an e-mail to friends, Ms. Reisman applauded film producer Robert Lantos's statement at a weekend rally that he would "hereby take off [his] life-long federal Liberal hat."

"I [am] right there alongside Robert. . . . after a lifetime of being a Liberal, I have made the switch," Ms. Reisman wrote. "Feels strange, but totally and unequivocally right."

Read the Rest

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Stupid Girls

This post was written November 5th 2005

Melissa and I got together last night and we played a really cool game that asks moral questions. Melissa and I are pretty similar in our answers. I wasn’t surprised by George’s responses. After we dropped Melissa off we were coming down London and George and there were these two girls that looked about 16 years old, on their way towards downtown. It was 12:15am. They were crossing the street in front of us and my jaw dropped with what one of the girls was wearing. She had on the smallest skirt I think I have ever seen in my life. Then she had on these 5” heels too. I roll down the window when we turn on to George and yelled out: “I think you forgot to buy the rest of that skirt.” Ugh. I was disgusting. It was midnight and these girls were definitely NOT of age. I realized that it was Friday night and the Vibe was the only all-ages place. Thinking about it afterwards I should have yelled out the window, how much she cost per hour. She really looked like a hooker. My first comment would likely not offend her all that much, but I think the prostitute comment would hopefully hit her to realize, omg people think I’m a hooker!

I really don’t understand young girls these days. I see so many smoking, wearing the sluttiest clothes (I blame Britney and Christina). Here's another story about stupid girls:

In September, George and I were driving down Landsdowne Street and there were these two girls around 17 driving right beside us. All of a sudden, the one in the passenger seat was rolling down the window with her ass hanging out the window and a camera taking a picture of our faces. I was disgusted. Of course the light turns red and we’re stuck next to them. I yell out the window too them, “how about you get some self respect”. The girl yells back, “you’re just jealous.” LMAO. Right…I’m jealous lol. Unfortunately I didn’t have a good come back to yell back, they kept taking pictures of us until finally we turned off at the Sobey’s.

What is wrong with young people today? Oh god. I’m old. At least, that comment made me feel really old. Even tonight, after seeing prosti-tots going by, there was a party at Aylmer and Sherbrooke and about 40 people outside of the house. People were plastered, people were just pushing each other around and a girl fell over into the street, and hit her head on the pavement. If she would have fallen 3 more feet she would be in the middle of the street and gotten hit by a car. I was just disgusted with my peers that I actually wanted to call the cops. Not just to break up the party but I was genuinely concerned that if there weren’t any sober ppl looking out for others, someone was going to get hurt.

I’m 21 and I want to call the cops on a party….what’s wrong with me? Or am I the problem? Maybe people should just grow up because in my opinion getting smashed (and being hungover) every weekend is not my idea of a good time.

The Buffalo are Coming! The Buffalo are Coming!

August 2, 2006—Residents of Fort Providence in Canada's Northwest Territories are having a cow about their latest pest-control problem.

Several wild buffalo have invaded the small northern town (Canada map), rubbing siding off houses, head-butting trucks, and even scaring kids off the playground.

The nuisance bovines have been roaming Fort Providence since May, according to a report from the AFP news service. Officials believe the buffalo, which are part of a wild herd of about 2,400, were drawn to the town's manicured lawns and lack of predators.

"You're sure to run into one when you walk to the corner store for milk," the town's resource officer Darren Campbell told AFP.

"One of them kicked a vehicle. Try and get an insurance claim done after your car was kicked by a buffalo," Campbell said. "The adjustor will just laugh at you."

At least one buffalo in Canada discovered the ease of suburban living a few years back. This photo from April 2004 shows a trained buffalo named Bailey eating a meal with rancher Jim Sautner at his home in Spruce Grove near Edmonton, Alberta.

Meanwhile, most of Fort Providence's pesky critters have started moving back into the surrounding forests to search for mates. But two "trouble" buffalo were shot in mid-July for refusing to vacate. The town is now seeking buffalo-control officers to gently encourage the rest of the animals to leave


Source: National Geographic

How Can You Make Time Stop in London?

What happens when the temperature is 36o (48oC with the Humidex) and gas prices are at $1.13? People get a little cranky.

Ok, so what happens when they put gas prices down to $0.944 and most gas stations in the vincinity follow suit?

Time stops.

I was driving home last night in London and I saw gas prices at $1.13 and gas stations empty. Closer to home I saw that prices dropped to $0.944 and it was chaos and madness.

If you want cheap gas prices in London, you're best bet is to get to Flying J, but it's not uncommon to see long line ups. However, these long line ups at Flying J and coordinated, organized and managed perfectly. There is one way direction of traffic, and enough pumps to keep the cars moving.

When your local Petro/Shell/Sunoco/Esso puts their prices at 20 cents cheaper than the rest people stop whatever they are doing to get gas. Problem is, people are coming from all different directions, there are line ups spilling out to the street. People also getting a little irritable because some jerk in a sunfire or a miata jumped the line because they came in from the other direction, when clearly the unwritten rule was we were all going to line up in one direction.

I'm an organize (and sometimes control) freak, so I was a little miffed that there was a small number of attendants on duty and no staff trying to organize the masses (Ie. blocking one entrance off, so that all can line up without causing accidents, blocking one lane of traffic).

Unfortunately I had 3/4 of a tank and could only fit 10$ in. Most people were pretty light hearted. I joked to the person pumping next to me, "you'd think the gas was free or something."

UPDATE: London Free Press article about it.

The price of gas in London jumped a stunning 17 cents yesterday -- only to fall again by nearly 18 cents at some city stations late last night -- even though the wholesale price paid by gas stations barely changed.

Londoners who went to bed Tuesday night with prices as low as 95.9 cents a litre were shocked to find prices had reached $1.124 by yesterday morning.

But by late last night, some pumps in north and east London boasted even lower prices than they did Tuesday night, at 94.9 cents a litre.

What's So Fabulous About the Out Games?

That's what Rachel Marsden asks in her article in the Toronto Sun today. A sample:

Despite rocking a tight leather cowboy outfit at last year's Calgary Stampede, Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn't have very many fans in the Outgames crowd. While an international war was raging in the Mideast, he was attacked for not visiting the Outgames, and sending Public Works Minister Michael Fortier instead.

During the opening ceremonies, the Conservative minister was booed by many of the beacons of acceptance, diversity, and equality in attendance. I guess these values don't extend to people of different ideologies.


Read the entire thing here

On Sunday, I commented on the Out Games and the K.D. Lang comments against the PM.

Hat Tip: Neale News

Teen Angst Poety

I was reading a post over at Diogenes Borealis and Eric was talking about teen angst poetry.

I am not much of a poet, but I've written a few in my day. It's funny when you look back on it years later and see how much you've change, how naive you were, and how life is so much better now. I remember my cousin, Steph, once told me that the teenage years are the best years of your life, but I am much happier where I am right now in my 20s. Although there's still a lot I don't know, I feel a lot less confused and have a lot more freedom and independence.

I found two of my old poems and thought I would share.T he first one is light, but the second one is pretty dark.

Still I Am

Wondering why I’m here,
Searching for a meaning deep.
Answers I do not have;
So quietly I sit and weep.

Could you ever understand
Why I hold this so dear?
Pupose in life is what I want;
Yet it’s exactly what I fear.

Where will my life lead,
On this dimly lit path,
For I smile through the shadows
With a half-hearted laugh.

Still I am the fearful child.
Still I am the quiet one,
Despite what you see from the mask,
I’m actually scared of the sun.


I wrote this next one at 16 after being dumped. I read over it now and think how silly I was. But you live and learn.

Sorrow

My heart is now black.
No more will it be,
Tender and affectionate,
Like it once was.
Since the day you said,
You wanted no more of me,
Gut wrenching sobs
Continuously
Seep and escape
Through my body.

No more will I feel
The profound feeling of love
That has now left my soul
And left mud prints.
“I will love you forever”
That’s what you said.
“I will love you to the very end”
All were lies
A joke,
A sick, disturbing joke.
That I can’t comprehend.
What is my purpose in life now?
Since you are not in it
God, can you answer that?
My melancholy and gloomy days
Get longer now,
Without you.
Will you come back
And free my soul
From this downward spiral?
I’m trying to grasp on to something
To prevent me from falling
But they snap like twigs

No more will my heart leap
When I think if you.
My mind and soul
Are now drenched
With feelings of anguish
Pouring out endlessly
Will it ever stop?

Now,
All I seek for is a lid
To stop all of this from
Coming out.
Gotta keep my feelings hidden
So I can hold my head up high
Down these crowded halls

I smile as though all is okay
When inside I’m falling apart.
The tears still fall
The pain is still there and
At this point
I’m not sure if
The pain will ever stop
My heart hurts right now
But there will still be
A place for you there if you want

I miss you.
I miss having your
Strong arms around me
Making me feel safe.
Every time I turn on the radio
All the songs remind me of you
I still weep at night
Clutching my teddy bear
And your shirt

I can’t handle it
Don’t make me throw myself
Into that dark tunnel again please.
I didn’t like that tunnel
Alcohol and drugs
To ease through the pain of hurt
From family, friends and loves.

Saw the light
At the end of the tunnel
But it’s getting dark again
Someone pass me a flashlight
Before it’s too late!

I didn’t know ‘eternally’
Was only two months.


I submitted both of these poems to the annual poet lauriet contest in my high school and never won anything, but I still like them.

Hat Tip: Diogenes Borealis

BIZARRE HUMAN CUSTOM: Brand Named Clothing

Tuesday's Bizarre Human Custom section has returned by popular demand

A common element of human culture is the need for clothing. A first the need for clothing was to protect our bodies from the elements: sun, rain, heat, and cold. Modern uses for clothing are more for style and covering parts of the body deemed inappropriate to show to others. Currently, we have industries like fashion that tell us what we should be wearing. A bizarre human custom is brand-name clothing.

Shakespeare once asked, “What is in a name?” According to the fashion industry, a lot. Humans have come to hold great value to names placed on the clothing they wear. We not only pay more money to have a white shirt that has the symbol of this “valued” name, but also we are essentially advertising for the company. Yet, we are the ones who pay for this ‘service’. Yup, that’s one bizarre human custom.