My thoughts on movies at the Oscars
Sometimes, because it’s topical, people will ask me…
“Did you watch the Oscars last night?”
To which I often reply.
“No, because I could find better entertainment watching lint in my belly button.”
Often the one who asked will get this offended look (I don’t know why, really, maybe it’s because I just derailed all the conversation by saying “no, I didn’t and I think it’s shit”), so to ease their imagined pain, I’ll continue on with…
“Okay, who won the big four?” The big four in question being Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Movie.
Invariably,they’ll list off the winners, pointing to the movies that the actors, actresses and directors have been involved in, and always ask this one question…
“Did you see that?”
To which I’ll more often then not answer with…
“No, it didn’t look that interesting.”
Cue being offended again.
But in all seriousness, none of the movies really stood out for me. Argo and Zero Dark Thirty. One gives Canada a slight and both make those who live in the Middle East (and for the record, Pakistan is in South Asia) look all the more foolish. ”Let’s make another movie that makes (insert foreign people here) look like idiots and makes us look good”. Are we that starved for entertainment?
Life of Pi. Now you might think “well, Canadian author, lives in Saskatoon, you might like that, Tim”. I found Life of Pi a slog when I read the book, why the hell would I want to go through that again. Only this time, it’s a visual slog.
Les Mis. No. Just no. Oh yes, I know “but it’s historical, it’s about the French revolution”. First, why glorify the French one minute, then make fun of them later by saying they were a bunch of surrender monkeys (a term I’ve heard before). Second, no, it’s not about the French Revolution, that just happens to be the back drop. It’s about a police officer who is obsessive compulsive and can’t stop thinking about this guy who stole a loaf of bread. Yeah, sure, I know there’s deeper meanings than that, but in the end, it’s about a cop that just won’t let a case die.
“Lincoln’s history, it’s about a point in history, you like that”. Yes. I like reading about historical events. Key word: READING. Lincoln was just as much made up fiction as any other movie out there. And to be honest, I’ve read my history, Lincoln didn’t give one fuck for black people. Freeing the slaves was just the end result of crushing the economic power of the south because the south had all these slaves working for nothing. So there was no “all people must be equal” because that never took place until the last few years. And even then, it still hasn’t happened. All Lincoln did was make the Confederacy’s stock market come crashing down by making it so there could be no human trafficking any more.
Django Unchained. Don’t even mention that it takes place during the Civil War “which is what you wrote about in Black Mask & Pale Rider”. Yes, the time period is the same, but there’s a major difference. My book had elves. Django Unchained was a slavery revenge movie. Also, QT has fallen out of favour with me as of late, because I’ve grown to realize he’s a bit of a dickhead. That’s right, he’s a dickhead. It’s cringe worthy watching him go on an interview show that has a panel of intervierers who are all black, and QT starts trying to sound black when he’s answering. Your white. And amazingly enough, QT, you’re white than I am. That’s a really hard thing to do, because I’m really white. And I think it’s inappropriate to try to sound black. Why? Maybe it’s because I’m not black, as I previously mentioned. Because I’m white. And shockingly, QT, so are you. It doesn’t sound cool or edgy when you do it, it just makes you sound like a twat.
Armour. No clue what it’s about. Silver Linings Playbook. Couldn’t care less. Or rather, I couldn’t care more, because as David Mitchell has said, saying couldn’t care less means there’s something that you can indeed care less about.
The only movies at the Oscars that I saw were Brave, Paranorman and Wreck-It Ralph. Because they entertained me. They took me away for a little while and made me feel good. Brave had a wonderful story, a girl who wanted to do her own thing, and it was Pixar so it had incredible visuals. Paranorman had the amazing stop motion affects, an interesting plot, and a twist where you found out the zombies were actually just wanting to chuck it all and finally rest. No brain eating for them. Wreck-It Ralph took me back to some of my old arcade playing experiences when I was younger. So there was a lot of nostalgia in that movie for me.
But those three movies removed me from reality for a brief amount of time and I was able to be entertained.
As for Beasts of the Southern Wild… I’m on the wait list at the local video rental store to watch it.
As for Seth MacFarlane… he can suck a bag of dicks. He’s crude, not funny, racist, sexist and the only thing he has going for him is that he’s a white guy, so he gets into all the best parties just for that. Which is complete bullshit.
Use of the “C” word and boobs
I had another post I was going to put up, but considering what happened last night, I felt I needed an outlet to voice my disgust for some shenanigans at last night’s Oscars.
To be blunt, I don’t really give a shit about the Oscars. Never have and I doubt I ever will.
The Oinion posted this tweet during last night’s Oscars, and completely forgetting that the Internet is forever, deleted the tweet an hour later.
But last night there was a wonderful girl up for an award, I believe it was best actress. Quvenzhané Wallis, who starred in the film Beasts of the Southern Wild. When the film was made, she was only six years old. She’s nine now, and seems to be doing well in Tinsel Town, and has even captured the lead Role in an adaptation of Annie!. Sadly, Quvenzhané did not win in her category, she lost to Jennifer Lawrence.
Whether she won or lost is not the issue. The issue is some of the disrespectful things said, in particular by one satirical news agency, called the Onion. The Onion, or at least a staffer, went onto the twitterverse last night with a tweet calling Quvenzhané a ‘cunt’. To repeat, she is a nine year old girl. She starred in a serious drama, and was six years old at the time of filming. And the Onion calls her a cunt.
Let’s go back a few years, and the movie Kick Ass is just released. People lose their shit when Chloë Grace Moretz says something along the lines of “let’s go, cunts” and proceeds to kill a bunch of adults. Last night, the satirical news agency the Onion calls a nine year old black girl a cunt, and people lose their shit trying to defend the Onion.
Here’s the problem with this. Kick Ass is a fictitious movie. Quvenzhané is a real person. Let’s face it, Hit Girl saying “cunt” wasn’t the most problematic thing in that movie, considering how much blood, torture, violence and language there was (and fortunately we’re spared a rape scene for Kick Ass 2). But there is a bigger issue here. And it can be determined easily just by looking at Chloe and Quvenzhané. Aside from age, as Chloe is a little older, the difference is skin colour. Quvenzhané is black. Which seems to always be the case in situations like these.
- white person says bad word in movie, public is offended
- white person says bad word in a news related feature, directed at person, public defends it as edgy
Which is bullshit, because it’s not edgy. It’s anything but edgy. It’s disrespectful. Which is no different than Seth MacFarlane’s cringe worthy song “We Saw Your Boobs” and then going on to list a number of actresses who have been nude on screen. The only problem, those scenes MacFarlane references happen to all have been rape scenes.
I often wonder if people ever think, really stop to think, when they’re about to post these really problematic things that maybe, just maybe it might come across as not edgy, but really offensive. The Onion was a tweet, and you’ve got time before hitting the tweet button. MacFarlane’s piece was a staged act. You’d think someone at the Oscar’s would have taken Seth aside and said “ya know, maybe this song isn’t what we’re looking for, considering how problematic it is”. And to make matters worse, the song along with MacFarlane received a lot of defense. Which neither one should have. I wonder if MacFarlane realizes that four of the actresses in four of the movies he mentioned were all scenes that were the most violent against women. That all four were rape scenes but they were all showing bare breasts, so that makes it all okay.
If you missed my sarcasm, I’m sorry.
When no one laughs in a theatre, or if you tell a joke to someone and they don’t laugh at all, then there’s a problem with the joke you told. The smallest problem is that it isn’t funny. But people, like that staffer with the Onion or Seth MacFarlane, really don’t think about things like that because hey, black people and women aren’t human after all.
Again, sarcasm.
UPDATE: The Onion CEO Steve Hannah went to Facebook posting this apology.
This is what an apology should look like. No excuses, speaks to the one who was offended, and promises to try better in the future.
LFL puts Valkyries in a bad light
Over the course of the last week, an interesting topic has circulated in the city of Saskatoon. Saskatoon has had a history of upstart sporting leagues dropping franchises into the city, and some have been successful (for a time) while others have been complete failures. The list is quite long and starts way back in the 1970s when Bill Hunter, hockey aficionado and promoter, bought the St. Louis Blues and tried moving them to Saskatoon. At the time the NHL board of governors voted against the move.
Since then there’s been the Continental Hockey League that never got off the ground. Basketball has come into the city in the form of the Saskatoon Slam, Saskatchewan Storm and the Saskatchewan Hawks. Baseball even made an appearance here, as several semi pro leagues tried starting up, all the while the Saskatoon Yellowjackets kept plugging away.
Now, the city, along with management of the Credit Union Centre which is home to the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, are trying to attract another league into the city. But this league is different than the others. While the others have all been male dominated sports, this is a female “sport”. Though many don’t want it, and others say why do we need it when we already have a proper women’s football team.
This “sport” is the Lingerie Football League. Women’s football where the players wear revealing uniforms and pads along with hockey helmets (not football helmets) with full face shields. Members of the Affiinity Credit Union, which has naming rights of the arena where the LFL team would play, are not happy.
There’s out cry that it’s nothing more than the sexualization and objectification of women. And I tend to agree with that side of things. Canadian University Press has already stated that this is the sexualization of violence, because football is, as Chris Schultz from TSN says, controlled and violent chaos.
Meanwhile, Saskatoon already has a women’s football team, and are champions of the 2011 Women’s Western Canadian Football League. The league consists of 7 teams, and other cities across the west are interested in starting teams. There has even been interest in Eastern Canada for an eastern league, and winners of east and west would play in a national championship game. To date, the teams include the afforementioned Valkyries, the Regina Riot, the Manitoba Fearless, the Winnipeg Wolf Pack, the Calgary Rage, the Lethbridge Steel, and the Edmonton Storm.
The Saskatoon Valkyries are a legitimate football team. They play full contact, observe the rules of the Canadian game (110 yard long fields, 65 yards wide, 12 players per side, three downs) and have a lot of fun doing it too. Maybe in the future development of women’s football programs can be looked at like the development of women’s hockey. Who knows, maybe in a few years there might be a women’s version of Canadian Inter-university Sport’s Vanier Cup.
But right now, any steps forward in progression thanks to groups like the Women’s Western Football League will only get set back thanks to groups like the Lingerie Football League.
Related articles
- LFL comes to Credit Union Centre (cucsk.wordpress.com)
Time now for something… a little bit serious
Trigger warning for a discussion of rape
I don’t often write more serious toned posts on this blog (I leave that for my tumblog where I can get all ragey… just kidding). But this is something that really stuck with me.
It’s a problem that has persisted for a long, long time. It’s something that comes up in conversation a lot. It’s a word that we use, without thought to it’s present day meaning. I’m talking about rape, but more specifically, the use of rape as humour.
The act of rape, the violent assault that is perpetrated upon a woman (and let’s face it, women face this in greater percentage than men do) is not a laughing matter. Murder isn’t even a laughing matter, but there are more jokes about rape than there are about murder. Over on tumblr, some users manage to toss around comments like “that bitch needs to get kneecapped and raped” without thought of how that will affect a reader.
We need to step back and really examine the use of the word. I know that in years past the word rape was more commonly associated with “rape seed” or the plant that we also call canola. That’s gone by the way side, as the word has been used more often to describe a vicious assault.
Rape victims are the only ones who face shaming, and even blame for being raped. Which is why a good number of rapes do not go reported. The victim is often accused of wearing the wrong clothing. From what I’ve read the wrong clothing is anything. It’s more that the offender couldn’t and didn’t want to stop himself. Rape is an act of control and power by the offender. They often times will know the victim.
We live in a world that has created a culture of rape. Where women are taught how not to get raped, but men are never taught to not rape.
This is related, and while may be seen as sort of light hearted, I think it’s a good idea for anyone that’s tired of rape jokes. Instead of getting into an argument about rape, simply do this. First, download this business card template. Print off on a set of Avery labels (business card sheets, ten to a sheet). Keep them on you in a small business card carrier. When someone cracks a rape joke, hand them a card.
They look like this. Here’s the front.
And here’s the back.
The wording on the back might be a bit harsh, but it also might grab attention.
Maybe it’ll also change a few minds.
This has come up a lot, and it’s important to recognize it
Image via Wikipedia
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. ~Martin Luther King Jr.
There is a great deal of truth in that statement. There is a similar quote, by Desmond Tutu, that goes like this. ”If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
We can’t be silent about things that are put in place to hurt, harm, or destroy people that are part of our society. Some say that getting rid of that section of society is morally just. But isn’t that a slap in the face of morality? By attempting to oppress the lives of people of colour, people with a different sexual orientation, people who do not identify as the gender they were born with, when doing that is that not in itself morally objectionable?
This talk of being “colour blind” or claiming “we all bleed red” is very nice to think of when we discuss matters of race or even alternative sexuality. But starting a sentence with “I’m not racist but” can usually be continued with a summary of paragraphs of information by the original speaker as “I’m now going to say something completely racist”. The same with those that say things like “I have gay friends” as though that’s supposed to give you a pass for saying something very homophobic.
We need to stop saying things like that and start listening. Then, when we have enough information, enough facts that don’t use a broad brush against an entire population of people, whatever their skin colour, sexual orientation or even religion or lack thereof, then we can start to narrowing the gap that makes those people feel like second or third class citizens. But it takes effort, and it’s not something that will just change over night. When one unjust law is changed, it doesn’t mean we’ve completely won. Because there is still a large group of oppressors out there who are working just as hard to ensure that any group that is not described as the “norm” will not have the same rights and freedoms as every single person on the planet.
CBC downsizing is a key goal for the Conservatives
From Ian Morrison, Friends of the CBC:
Image via Wikipedia
Never has our challenge to defend public broadcasting been more starkly clear.
On Friday, the National Post published Heritage Minister James Moore’s declaration that a smaller and diminished CBC is a key goal of the Harper government.
These are dark days, indeed, for our national public broadcaster. But not so dark that I have lost hope.
I truly believe that a small act taken by just one person can change the course of events, and I am writing to ask you to join me. Together we can make a difference.
It’s urgent that we succeed. For if we fail and the Conservatives cut more $100 million from CBC’s budget, the consequences for public broadcasting and all Canadians will be dire.
Image via Wikipedia
On your behalf, FRIENDS is fighting back!
On November 29, we held a news conference on Parliament Hill, where we released a major public opinion survey demonstrating that the vast majority of Canadians (including Conservative supporters) place a high value on public broadcasting and want CBC’s funding to be maintained or increased. The same day, we launched two viral videos featuring a worst-case scenario of what Prime Minister Harper might do to the CBC.
Already our campaign has delivered more than 43,000 personal messages from Canadians to Mr. Harper calling on the Prime Minister to keep his CBC election promise to maintain or increase CBC funding — and that number is growing every day.
Image via Wikipedia
But we must not rest.
During the next four crucial weeks we have a plan to mobilize support for our CBC, and we need your help to put it into action.
In January, the House of Commons is adjourned and MPs are back in their ridings, listening to and meeting constituents. This presents us with a key opportunity.
FRIENDS is planning a phone blitz to connect constituents with their Conservative MP so those politicians can hear directly that local voters care about public broadcasting and want our CBC protected and valued by the government.
We know that this kind of effort can have a dramatic impact on politicians. But this technique is expensive.
This “Keep your Promise” telephone campaign will cost $50,000. But it could make all the difference in our effort to keep our CBC strong and independent.
I urge you to join me in making a generous contribution to ensure the success of this focused campaign.
We’re pulling out all the stops right now to protect our CBC because after the federal Budget, it may be too late.
Working together, I am confident we can preserve Canadian public broadcasting to serve future generations of Canadians.
Related articles
- Downsized, decentralized CBC remains key goal for Tories: Heritage Minister James Moore (news.nationalpost.com)
- Liberals appeal to supporters to help defend the CBC (ctv.ca)
- Save the CBC (stevebeckow.com)
Do you trust the news?
That is very much a loaded question.
When a large majority of the news networks today seem to have a political bias, or even a political agenda, it’s hard to find a news outlet that doesn’t pander to politicians. In the U.S. it’s Fox News. In Canada, it’s Sun Media. Those are two of the organizations that I trust the least.
It seems the only news sources that are trustworthy are at the local level. I used to work with different radio station news departments, and one of the major things we always discussed was making sure that our reporting was honest and accountable. News organizations at national levels don’t seem to care about that, leaning more toward sensationalism.
So, do I trust the news? Smaller outlets, yes. Larger, national outlets built in the west, no. I just can’t. Not when it seems sensationalism and lying is the order of the day for what they perceive to be news reporting.
The authors of the new age
Image via Wikipedia
I remember a while back I wrote about dime novels and penny dreadfuls. They were short novels, often in a serial format, published during the late 18th early 19th Centuries and continued on into the 20th Century, where they became known as pulp novels. I recently watched a documentary on H.P. Lovecraft, who’s work almost all appeared in pulp novel and serial series formats. Very much like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes and Lost World stories, the former appeared on a regular basis in the Strand Magazine, these stories would come out in regular intervals to an audience that wanted to know more and more and more about them.
Image via Wikipedia
Books like Weird Tales, Amazing Stories and much more that were all mainstays of the pulp area. Some of those styles of books lived on in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Asimov’s Science Fiction, both of which are still published and reader’s can still order subscriptions to. But they are few in a market that used to be flooded with them, which often times makes one think is the age of the pulp writer gone. Will we no longer see Penny Dreadfuls or Dime Novels?
Perhaps note in book form, though there are anthology books often published which are similar to pulp novels, but there is the new face of fiction in such a serialized format. The community is small, but it has been growing for many, many years. Unlike the penny dreadfuls and pulps of one hundred years ago, these writers aren’t trying to scratch together a living out of writing. Though, one could say that any money they receive can be equal to what many of those authors of the late 19th Century made (it’s said H. P. Lovecraft made $5 from his first story), many of these new age pulp fiction authors write for the pure joy of it.
Image via Wikipedia
Some of the work is original, some of it is fanfiction, but it’s all writing, all serialized. And they have a following.
These new authors have tastes that many fans crave, as mainstream media seems to refuse to place certain characters in certain roles. Urban Fantasy? It’s there. Gothic horror western? Look hard enough and you’ll find it. Looking for strong female characterizations? There’s lots out there. Any genre, any characterizations, any style, it’s out there for the reading public. And most of it is free.
The 21st Century authors are no different than the ones who wrote for Weird Tales or Amazing Stories. They’re filling a desire by the reading public, and with today’s technology, it’s so easy to get written work out there. Maybe, it one hundred years a lot of these online serial authors will be looked at in the same light as many of the pulp and serial authors are from the 19th Century. I guess we’ll have to see.
Until next time…
…keep ‘em flyin’!
Related articles
- Can we have better pulp fiction please? (damiengwalter.com)
- Pulp Fictions: Rocketeer Adventures from Age of Ravens (ageofravens.blogspot.com)
- Pulp Heroes: the Final Two Silver John Short Stories (glitternight.com)
- Some Rare Arkham House Titles at Miskatonic Books! (miskatonicbooks.wordpress.com)
The Emperor’s Reported on Clothing
Today I was reading the daily paper at lunch, like I am oft to do at lunch. And today, for the past few days, I’ve taken a passing interest in what William and Kate are doing on their tour of Canada.
Yesterday they were in Slave Lake, Alberta. Slave Lake hit the news earlier this year in a tragic way, as a fire ravaged the small community. As I was reading, I wanted to read, hoped to read what the newly wed Royal Couple had to say about the tragedy. At least William, because as I understand it, Kate keeps a low profile and rarely, if ever, speaks to the media. Sadly, there was no such report of thoughts on the fire from the Royals. There was a fashion report on what they were wearing, which is more of what my focus has been on for this little rant.
I honestly don’t care what the Royal Couple was wearing. I’m assuming pants and a shirt, though there are pictures, so I can guess by looking at those. What they’re wearing isn’t nearly as important as what they are doing, or what they are saying. It was mentioned while they were in Quebec how the Prince made his speech in french (albeit, not very well, but an effort was made).
This is the type of reporting that’s always done whenever it’s a member of the Royal Family. Part of the story always has to contain what they were wearing. Is that really a big deal? I know it isn’t for me. Can you imagine if the emperor from the story had to read the paper about his “clothes”, only to find out that way that he was completely naked. I can almost see it in print right now. Then again, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared in Slave Lake naked, then that would be news. But they weren’t, so what they did wear wasn’t a news item to me.
Until next time…
…keep ‘em flyin’!
Related articles
- Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Slave Lake visit an emotional stop: Royal Tour day 7 video diary (mirror.co.uk)
- Royals Visit Fire-Devastated Slave Lake (lezgetreal.com)
- Unexpected royal frenzy grips fire-ravaged Slave Lake (ctv.ca)
- William and Kate to visit fire-ravaged Slave Lake (cbc.ca)
- Prince William and Kate Middleton moved by visit to fire-hit Slave Lake during Canada tour (mirror.co.uk)
- Alberta Wildfires Cause First Nations Evacuations, Devastate Slave Lake (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
- Slave Lake fires 2nd costliest insured disaster (ctv.ca)
Green Party of Canada: We’re Sorry!
Old Wailuku Post Office Taped and Closed off due to Asbestos removal. Image via Wikipedia
On Friday, June 24, the Conservative government once again embarrassed our country on the international stage. We alone prevented the United Nations from adding chrysotile asbestos to the global list of hazardous substances.We won’t allow asbestos in our homes and offices. We are spending millions to remove it from our Parliament buildings. Here in Canada, we know asbestos is hazardous. Yet year after year our government refuses to let the world officially recognize it as hazardous, because they want to continue to export it to developing countries without even a warning label.
Our government has behaved shamefully on this issue, and when you behave badly there’s only one thing to do: apologize. Since Stephen Harper clearly won’t, the Green Party is apologizing to the rest of the world for our country’s disgraceful position on asbestos. We invite all Canadians to join us in saying “We’re sorry!”
Post a message of apology on our asbestos Facebook page.
Send your own email of apology to imsorry@greenparty.ca and we’ll forward them to the General Secretary of the United Nations.
Related articles
- With asbestos, we are the Ugly Canadians (theglobeandmail.com)
- Ex-cabinet minister Strahl urges Tories to act on asbestos (globaltvbc.com)
- Canada silent on intent ahead of meeting to limit asbestos exports (canada.com)
- Can asbestos be used “safely”? (macleans.ca)
- Canada keeping quiet at asbestos summit: activists (ctv.ca)
- Canada wins battle to keep asbestos off hazardous list (cbc.ca)
- Chrysotile Asbestos: Harper Government Defends Carcinogen Despite Rotterdam Pressure (huffingtonpost.ca)
- Shut down Canada’s asbestos industry: NDP (cbc.ca)
- Add asbestos to world harmful products list: NDP (cbc.ca)
Trend and Fads: Silly Bandz
Take a look around you and find me a kid that doesn’t have those silly bandz half way up their arms in colorful neon sleeves. Every time I see a kid with these things on the only thing that comes to mind is when I was a teenager and had an armful of jelly bracelets. I had glitter and solids, neons and standard black.
Now these bands are nothing more than cheap rubberized plastic shapes of animals, religious symbols, people, automobiles. You name it there’s probably a silly band for it.
But what is it about these things that have kids so intrigued?
When I asked around the only answer I could uncover was they were cool. It didn’t matter that you would pay six dollars for a pack of twenty-four of cheap looking bracelets. It mattered that you had the coolest thing on the market since Pogs.
I know when I was addicted to my bracelets, I would trade them for one or two of what my friends had so then I had new bracelets. The idea is the same thing, kids trading these things so they “fit in.” This is a good way for germs to spread and God knows what else.
I used to take my bracelets off weekly and clean them in hot soapy water and then spray them with lysol until they were clean enough for me to be happy. My bracelets also didn’t get tangled or tighten around my wrist.
Such isn’t the case with these silly bandz. Bands can and will become a tangled mess of rubbery plastic that looks like a melted crayon mixed with string cheese. I read a small post on Facebook that showed what could happen with these Silly Bandz. Needless to say this picture disturbed me enough to blog about it as my way to spreading the word to make sure that these alleged toys bracelets aren’t put off the market as a hazard for something that can be prevented.
This picture came with the warn that said: “ATTENTION ALL PARENTS AND ALL THOSE WHO WEAR SILLYBANDS….. There is a new rule that kids MUST take their sillybands off to sleep, swim and bathe!!! This a little boy I know who told his Dad that his wrist hurt and when he removed the sillybands, this was underneath and they were embedded in his arm!!!”
Yes this alarmed me. There were a few comments under it stating that children were made to take them off because their skin was starting to swell. This could easily be prevented. Parents, make your kids take these bands off at night time, wash them in hot soapy water at least once a week, if not more. Also make sure they don’t wear them six inches past their wrist. The last thing we need is a child losing their arm because of negligence to these potentially dangerous trinkets.
Obviously, I’m not telling anyone how to raise their kids. Just sending out a warning to those I know love those cheesy shaped bracelets (of which I own 2 of.)
As it states on the website
7. I heard Silly Bandz cut off circulation, is my arm going to fall off from wearing Silly Bandz?
If you wrap anything too tight around your arm it will cut off circulation. Most shapes of Silly Bandz are made to wear very big like a bracelet. When you put them on your wrist and you see the little bends like they are trying to take shape, that means they are loose and not cutting off anything. Silly Bandz are made larger than other brands and most of the styles wear loose on adults. But use some common sense, we don’t know the magic number but if you put too many on it is going to hurt!
So please take extra care when allowing your children to wear these playful and neat bracelets. Use common sense if it seems too tight then it could be a danger.
Keep it real and rockin’
<3
8 Years Out and It Hasn’t Changed
Honestly, when you sit back and think about high school what comes to mind? Teachers? Books? Education? Or that hot girl who wore the tightest pants that they almost looked painted on? Perhaps the well ripped abs of one of the jocks? Well that’s what I would have noticed; the clothes that students wear in the un-uniformed sections of this states.
Today for most Bloomington Indiana schools it was the first day back. I had to get up at oh my god o’clock to pick my friend up from work and then take her and her son over to the high school so she could get him enrolled for the year. As I sat in the parking lot watching the droves of teenagers flock into the school I couldn’t help but notice that they were easily defined by what they wore.
The Popular girls wore short shorts or skirts, some sort of shirt with a brand on it. Most popular was Holister and Greek style sandals or flip flops.
The Sporty guys or Jocks wore basketball shorts and a t-shirt. Flip flops with socks or sneakers. Bright, new, crisp.
The Punk Crew was anything brightly colored, even their hair. I saw one set of girls who had swapped sneakers.
It then hit me that the only difference between my high school and Bloomington North was the fact shorts were not allowed in my high school. If they haven’t uniformed up yet, I don’t think that rule has changed. I remember vividly seeing the school newspaper for one of the boys who was protesting the fact girls got to wear to capris and boys were not allowed to what is now known as manpris or short pants. The paper featured him being escorted from his class because he wore a skirt. He did make a point to hold up a sign that said he was losing out on valuable education time because of what he wore.
Suffice to say that in the last 8 years you can easily figure out who is who by what they wear. When my friend got back in the car she said she would go back to high school. I laughed and said I wouldn’t. Maybe to go back and actually pass all the classes, but only if I could skip the drama that takes place in the halls.
Keep it real and rockin’
<3
A change in tone?
I’ve been thinking about this the past few days.
Of my two current serial series that I’ve been posting, Black Mask & Pale Rider has been my adventurous romp in the far flung wild west with undertones of fantasy (okay, a lot of fantasy). Blood of the Moon has been closer to home, dealing with no fantasy but more real life situations (with the exception the main character is a superhero). It’s a romance, or at least, that’s how I wanted it to start.
Now, I’m considering changing direction.
I’ve been reading the news, watching reports and listening to what a lot of people are talking about, especially in American politics (let’s face it, unless Harper’s proroguing parliament, Canadian politics are kinda boring). There was the health reform issue, which will continue on, there’s the issue of gay marriage, and there’s always how religion is held. Especially after the recent announcement sexual harassment within the Catholic church. For Canadians, that’s not new, we went through it already once. And there will always be the issue of race.
And then I look Blood of the Moon.
Chelsea Morgan is a middle class black woman who went to a Catholic church in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She ran away from home to live with her brother in another country, and graduated high school at Loboldus High School in Regina. A Catholic high school. A highly intelligent girl with two degrees in two completely different areas, she went to school because she wanted to, not because she could or because she was bored. But she wanted to. A series of misfortunate events (which will be detailed in the future) and we find Chelsea in the employ of a law firm. And she’s a costumed vigilante. And she’s gay.
Let’s recap. Gay. Catholic. Black Woman. Costumed Vigilante working in the poor section of Ravenport, Maine (I made that up, by the way).
For the past week to two weeks, the story itself has been screaming to change directions. And it might, in time. Romance is just one part of life. So is politics. Chelsea may very well become my political soap box (and her surrounding supporting cast), but I can’t get away from the fact that the character can be so much more than just a romance character.
I’ll let Chelsea find happiness first, then I’ll worry about all the other things later.
Until next time…
…keep ‘em flyin’!
Side note: I guess this would be a self hijack, as I’m writing this after the fact. But I have learned while writing Blood of the Moon, fight scenes are easier to write than sex scenes. So, sorry everyone, but from now on any sex scene is going to have a lead up, then fade neatly to black.
You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me
This morning when I woke up not all that long ago I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, booted up my computer and logged into MSN/Windows Live Messenger. I have mine set up so that pops up the stuff that’s going on today. I get a mix of politics, world affairs, Celebs and other little tidbits that I usually read faithfully every morning. It’s how I keep myself fairly caught up on the world today.
This morning, this is what my box looked liked:
As you can see I haven’t yet finished my reading since the only two that I have read are Kick-Ass Controversy and 9/11 plans foiled.
Now the 9/11 plans that were foiled were in Iraq; they discovered plans made by al-Qaida to hi-jack and fly planes into Shiite temples. Airports were closed down, people were arrested . Way to go Iraq.
That aside this movie Kick-Ass looks pretty amusing. Who wouldn’t want to be a costumed vigilante who fights crime and defeats evil. Who doesn’t want to hang out with an 11-12 year old who swears like Tourette’s stricken sailor. Jeeze I have hard enough time just getting LGIB to tell me I’m a bitch to my face.
This whole controversy is about actress Chloe Grace Moretz dropping the C-word among other swear words. It would seem this is what really bothers people. Not the fact she’s an 11-12 year old girl who is carrying around a sword and beating the crap out of people instead of being at home or at the mall teeny boppin’ around with a black berry in her hand and running up daddy’s cellular bill.
Matthew Vaughn, the director was highly amused by this controversy as well. Stating:
I was like, ‘Does it not bother you that she killed about 53 people in this film?’” he said. “I’m like, ‘Would you rather your daughter swore, or became a masked vigilante killer?’ They’re going, ‘Yeah, I don’t know.’
I completely agree with his logic. The character Hit Girl is a pre-teen assassin. Let me say that again PRE-TEEN ASSASSIN. I’ve heard of kids getting away with murder, but damn fifty-three people in one hour and half film and people are complaining because she swears too much or drops the c-word. I can’t even begin to understand where swearing even remotely compares to murder. Oooo wait it doesn’t.
People are becoming way to uppity about the stupid things like this.
(Being Tangent) Yesterday I read something that completely made sense and it was to protect our children. Primark a popular discount store offered a padded bra bikini that was aimed towards seven year old. They pulled it from the shelves when there was an extreme outcry by parents.
I’ve seen what little girls are wearing these days and I’m disgusted with how children are being sexualized by just clothing alone. Yet we wonder why there are people who want to sexually abuse them.
Stop letting your kids dress like their big sister who is mentally and physically more mature to handle what goes along with being dressed in a handkerchief shirt and tissue skirt. There is no reason that children at the age of seven should even consider wearing a padded bra let alone one that’s inside a bikini.
Another article covering the same thing said a source claimed the store said it was to protect little girls modesty from her possible developing breasts. No. Sorry. Not buying it. I’ve seen this bra-kini thing and it makes it look like the little girl is going to have the appearance of something there.
What the fuck…(oops sorry dropped the F bomb there) is wrong with people today? Someone needs to go visit the designers for these companies and weed out the pedos. If I ever have a little girl, she’s going to dress her age. Not ten years older. (End tangent)
Now back to this movie; I’m not going to see it in theatres simply because I have far too much going on and I’m sure that it will be out on DVD with the next few months, so I’ll just rent it then. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be worth me owning but I’m going to reserve any negativity until after I see it and go into this movie with a clear mind.
Keep it real and rockin’
Mother Nature Is Mean
This is only going to be a short little thing.
I just wanted to clarify that I hate winter. I hate snow and I think that mother nature really needs to get some chocolate and a bottle of Jack, shoot father time and speed up to spring.
Keep it real and rockin’
The snowed in fangirl.
<3
Cool things to see
Here in my car…
I opened my paper this morning to find the usual advertising inserts, but this morning the Toyota insert for Best Wrapup Ever caught my attention. Not because I’m looking for a new car, I’m quite happy with my little Hyundi Accent, really. No, I flipped through it because Pearce, who has the Paper Hat Pirate blog, bought himself…
…hang on, I need to get this right…
done in a very game show host voice
A BRAND NEW CAR!
That’s right, he bought himself a new (to him) Toyota. Now, before all the domestic vehicle owners start hunting me and Pearce down for owning Japanese imports, let me clarify something here. A couple of somethings. Both Hyundi and Toyota have very good track records for reliability, dependability and service. Both companies create vehicles that are fuel efficient, and have the consumer in mind for what they need to have for a vehicle. Oh, and most importantly…
HYUNDI AND TOYOTA DIDN’T NEED A BAILOUT FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
I feel a tad justified in owning a car like this because I know for a fact it’ll be easier to get service done. “Oh, but Tim. It’s a Japanese import. It’ll be expensive, more expensive than a Ford!” No, no it won’t. I just recently had a new timing belt installed, and was a bit worried when I heard that it would be costly. But to my surprise, with an added oil and filter change, the total cost for all of that came to $446 Cdn. That’s not bad!
So, what’s all this have to do with Toyota (aside from having a snazy line of vehicles). Well, in the previously mentioned advertising insert I saw under the listings of each vehicle Job Loss insurance. What’s that? I asked myself. The obvious answer is Toyota making certain that even though you just bought a car, you won’t get screwed over a few months down the road should you lose your job. The following is direct from Toyota.
Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is pleased to introduce complimentary Job Loss Credit Protection on selected new Toyota vehicles (Yaris Hatchback, Yaris Sedan, Corolla, Matrix, Camry, Sienna and RAV4) that are leased or financed with TFS over the period of December 1, 2009 – January 4, 2010. This coverage is offered free of charge and provides up to $10,000 of credit protection should an eligible customer suffer involuntary unemployment during the term of their TFS lease or loan. For full details please contact your Dealer.
So that’s kinda cool. But what happens after January 4, 2010? Have to wait and see, because, as with everything the disclaimer states that details are subject to change without notice.
It’s the best game you can name…
So, the wait is on for the World Junior Hockey Championships. Normally, many would be talking about just Christmas plans, but Saskatchewan is hosting the IIHF WJHC this year, and tournament play begins on Saturday. That’s right! Boxing Day (there’s a hockey related joke in there). So not only will we have to get in on the deals, but we have hockey to think about. It’s become a tradition in Canada; giving gifts to loved ones, having a wonderful meal, dreaming of sugar plums, and getting ready to ROCK AT THE RINK AS CANADA GOES FOR SIX STRAIGHT GOLD MEDALS!
Sorry ’bout that. I got a little excited there.
This year, team Canada has done something kinda cool in commemoration for coming to Saskatchewan for the tournament. They’ll be wearing one jersey that is in dedication to a long and storied sports team in this province. There’s just one problem.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a football team, not a hockey team.
I can forgive a little gaff such as that, however the god awful jerseys that Team Canada will be wearing, I don’t know if I can. Fortunately, it’s around Christmas, so having green and red on them at the same time might be explained as celebrating the season. Canada’s colours are Red and White (and sometimes black for the condition we leave opponents in, which means we should add blue in the near future). Green wasn’t in the equation.
The beloved Riders (and don’t get me wrong, I am a HUGE Rider fan) are Green and White (and sometimes black and silver).
Red and Green…. just seems weird.
Granted, it was still cool of Team Canada to recognize the Riders, especially in a year when they went to the Grey Cup. Maybe next time, just a little shoulder crest is enough.
Bah. Effin. Humbug.
Yep, it’s that time of year again.
You know what I’m talking about.
Christmas.
It’s that magical time of year, when people lose their fucking minds in the name of Christmas cheer and holiday spirit.
I hate this holiday.
Why? Because things changed so much that it no longer became a fun holiday. Reason for this is simple. I grew up. Scary ain’t it?
When I was a kid, I used to get so excited about getting dressed up in my tights and shiny tip-tap shoes and the standard fancy holiday dress, then going to Grandmom’s house Christmas eve.
Grams’ place was the awesome place. She would go all out for decorating. Lights, tree, ornaments. Now Grams’ house was small, it was only her and Grampy there except on Christmas eve. Then it was Grams, Grampy, Uncle Mike, Mom, dad, Me and then later on there was my brother, Aunt Jen, and my two cousins. With everyone there, all the gifts, and all the food, plus furniture it was cramped. But we loved doing this every year.
The year I was considered no longer a kid, was kind of a shock. The living room was usually packed with the kids’ gifts. Four or five of us kids at times. When I turned 18, my gift pile got smaller, and my stuff was moved to the adult stuff. Now I loved all of my gifts that I got and was thankful them but I couldn’t help feeling like the fun of Christmas was over.
No longer was I asked for a Christmas list, I was an adult.
There was also the year my family started to fall apart. That was a painful. Thankfully there was enough of a facade of a happy family to make it through one last Christmas together. Opened up presents in the morning, Dad got to smile to see his family happy because they had things they wanted. But… when January rolled around, and the power was shut off, we knew why.
It wasn’t until recently that I explained to both my parents that I knew how much they did for us, and how much the sacrificed to make sure we had everything we wanted for Christmas. Many people see me ditzy and unobservant, but that’s just a mask. I knew what issues my parents were having, but it didn’t matter to me at the time. I was a kid, and it was Christmas. Mind you this was all after I stopped believing Santa.
Now I have a kid of my own and I would do anything to see him smile. Including watching my accounts go negative for the millionth time, paying the NSF fees, letting my rent and other bills lapse just so I can make sure that he has a great Christmas.
In doing this it’s made me realize I understand what it means to give up everything for someone just to make them smile. I understand why my dad never gave us a Christmas list. All I want for Christmas is to see my family smile.
However, it doesn’t make me like the holiday anymore. I’m just better at hiding it. Every year I drag out my decorations, tree, and make 3d paper snowflakes. And every year I smiles and pretend to be cheerful so my son doesn’t worry. But I know in my heart one year he’s going to know I’m faking it. I just hope by then he’ll be old enough to understand.
A big reason I dislike Christmas is the fact it cost so much money. Gifts. Now I don’t have a lot of money, I never have. So when my family sends money for their gifts, I take one and make it the to so and so; from some family member. Everything comes from Santa. Mom told me this is the way it should be, and it probably is. But really it’s more like easing my conscious for being so poor I can hardly afford gifts. Santa is a good scapegoat.
I do hope that one year I do get my Christmas spirit back, but for now, I’ll just keep wearing the mask.
Keep it real and rockin’
Fast paced and violent
Last night, the Outlook Ice Hawks played a close game to long time SVHL rivals the Conquest Merchants. Some good skating in a real back and forth tight game. The only slow down came in the second period. A Conquest player did his job and finished a check on his man while going for the puck. For the Ice Hawks player, Travis Erlandson, he lay on the ice as trainers, team mates and the crowd watched. Travis took a pretty hard hit, and he took a ride in the ambulance as a result.
Was the hit malicious? No, far from it. The hit was exactly what the Merchants player was supposed to do. Finishing his check. Travis was even doing what he was supposed to do. It’s just something zigged when it should have zagged. These things happen. Fortunately there were two nurses in the stands and they came out to assist as ambulance was called.
Hockey is a fast paced and very rough sport. There’s a reason why players wear equipment. Over the years, more and more safety features to protect players have been developed. From the goalie mask that began with Jacques Plant, right down to the skates, neck guard, shoulder and shin pads. Hockey isn’t the only sport that is that fast paced and violent. Football is as well, but it’s in short bursts. As TSN’s Chris Schultz said, it’s controlled chaos. Hockey is fast and continuous.
The good news about Travis, he’s wearing a neck brace and is up and walking around. He’s probably very sore and very stiff, but for the most part he’s alright. I make mention of this not to give argument to those who find hockey to be such a violent game that it needs to be banned (because more than likely someone has had that thought). But I mention this because these things happen. Hockey is a sport, and the players know the risks of playing. It’s a lot like the rest of us knowing the risks of living. There was no malicious intent in the hit that Travis took, it’s just a part of the game.
The good thing is, that Travis is alright.
Until next time…
…keep ‘em flyin’.
| Sask Valley Hockey League Standings : 2009/2010 | ||||||||||
| Team | GP | Points | Wins | Losses | Ties | OTL | GF | GA | Last 5 | Streak |
| Kyle Elks | 8 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 20 | 5-0-0 | 7 W |
| Elrose Aces | 8 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 23 | 4-1-0 | 1 L |
| Delisle Bruins | 8 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 32 | 5-0-0 | 5 W |
| Rosetown Redwings | 8 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 63 | 40 | 3-1-1 | 1 W |
| Lucky Lake Lakers | 6 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 28 | 4-1-0 | 2 W |
| Loreburn 19ers | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 40 | 1-4-0 | 1 L |
| Conquest Merchants | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 35 | 3-2-0 | 2 W |
| Central Butte Flyers | 9 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 48 | 1-4-0 | 4 L |
| Kenaston Blizzard | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 55 | 1-4-0 | 1 L |
| Biggar Nationals | 9 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 77 | 1-4-0 | 2 L |
| Outlook Ice Hawks | 7 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 57 | 1-4-0 | 1 L |
| GP – Games Played, OTL – Overtime Loss, GF – Goals For, GA – Goals Against | ||||||||||
Zodi Guide To Surviving Black Friday
As many of you know, I work in retail. I’ve been in retail for 11 years and have seen my fair share of Black Fridays.
Step 1. Resist the urge to do any shopping this day. Once you break a buck, you’ll want to spend more. I don’t care how tempting that Old Navy Fleece for 9 dollars is. Just walk away.
Step 2. Don’t leave your house. Upon doing so you will avoid the throngs of people and crowded places that give even the most social people claustrophobia.
Step 3. Hide under the blankets. Like the boogey man, if it can’t see you, it has to go away.
Now, those of us who unfortunately have to work black friday, if you work anywhere that is retail you will know and understand me when I say “them bitches is crazy.”
Crazy retail shoppers who make maps and have walkies talkies are the ones you can expect to give you trouble at the checkout. You’re best bet to survive these women is to steel yourself against anything they may or may not say. Things like “Are you sure this isn’t 25% off as well,” or my personal favorite is when they forget to say thank you.
I am human, you do not scream at me like I’m your red headed step child in the middle of Kmart. I’m here at my register, missing out on my own sales to make your life easier. If you show up after the coupon expires, that’s not my problem. No I will not give you the kindness of the Christmas Spirit. I am doing my job so I don’t get in trouble.
I had a customer today who screamed and I mean SCREAMED at me because of the fact there was a sign that was wrong. Even as I was in the middle of changing it to the correct price she still continued to berate me, going as low as to call me stupid. My manager was kind enough to escort her from the store when he saw I was in tears. You madam are a c-word.
The next evil customer I had decided to only speak broken English and then scold me for not giving her the best deal, even though I was trying to. Sheesh lady, but it says on the coupon “doorbuster items are not included.” Mangerman stepped in a again to save me. Oh and don’t think you get off the hook of being the pain in the ass customer by apologizing to me for giving me hell.
I hate black friday, more and more each year. Today I only had two customers out of 300 that ripped me a new one for no reason. It’s these two customers that stand out in my mind more than others because they are problem shoppers.
All in all this was probably the easiest of the 7 black fridays I’ve been apart of. I didn’t like the 5 am wake up call, nor having to be at work at 6 am. However, it was steady work for the whole eight hour shift. When I say steady I mean, I never left my register except for my breaks and even those I was late taking because of the rush of people.
Zodi arrived at work: 5:55
Clocked in at 6
Rush of people at 6:10
First break at 7:30
Rush of people from 7:45 to 9
Problem customer number 1 9:10
Zodi went to brunch 9:30
Rush of people and a mild lull 10 to 11
Zodi’s last break 11:00
Rush rush rush rush until 12
Problem customer number 2 12:15pm
Steady flow of people until 1pm
Trickle of customers 1:15
Zodi clocked out at 2
I think next year and every year here after, I am not only going to request off from work, but I’m hiding Boyfriend’s car keys. I will not be apart of this madness that has crazy turkey filled people rushing around looking for the best deals. Screw that, I’ll pay extra for convience of not getting trampled.
Keep it real and rockin’
A Taste of Fall
Well the weather this week has be crazy. Last week it did nothing but rain. I was so sick of the rain after twenty-four hours that it starting to affect my mood. Everyone noticed that it was weather. You see I suffer from SADS (Seasonal Affective Disorder,) simply put, I get depressed when it grey and cloudy for an extended period of time. Normally this doesn’t occur until winter rolls through. At times it’s a crippling disorder. Causing myself and millions of others to not want to get out of bed or do the norm for us.
So yesterday (Monday) I was excited to go to work because it was sunny outside. It was also cold and the wind had a bite to it. The previous week, the air was still warm enough for me to turn my AC on just to cool off my place enough to breathe without breathing water. Yes it was that humid.
Now I love fall, between all of the seasons spring and fall are my favorite. Fall more than spring because there is more color. The rich browns, golds, and red, the warm earthy colors that tell you snow is coming. I enjoy the crisp mornings and standing outside to smell the seasons. That’s right I said smell the seasons. Try it some time.
Winter has a cold, crisp smell. Everything smells fresh and new. It also looks pretty when the snow is piled up and still coming down. Yes I know the dangers of the roads I grew up in Philadelphia, and have seen what a blizzard can do to a city that large. But it doesn’t fail to impress me.
Spring has that fresh, wet dirt smell. New flowers filling the air with their fragrance. Life of all sorts waking up or in some cases being born. I remember the first spring I had when I was out of high school. I saw the world in a whole new light. Everything looked brighter and green. It was amazing to watch the yearly flowers coming into bloom seeing them start out as little bulbs and becoming a hyacinth, daffodil, tulip and even lilies. I was lucky enough to live where I could see new life beginning. It was truly a cool thing.
Summer smells like heat, that musky dry smell with a spice kicker. Summer is a great season too but not a favorite only because it’s too stinkin’ hot at times. Humidity kills me, but it’s a sign of great things coming. Like cookouts, outdoor activities, swimming and for kids it’s a mark that school is over for several months. The other good thing about the summer is everyone in my immediate family has a birthday in the summer. Dad is July 8, Brother is July 16, mine is July 23. I’m older by five years and fifty-one weeks. Finally there’s Mom, she celebrates her birthday the 26 of August.
Now on to fall. Fall has that earthy smell without spice. It’s more of a mellow decay smell. My favorite smell is that sun baked leaf smell. Just after it rains and the sun dries the leaves. The leaves falling, while messy, looks amazing . Sure it’s a closing of warmer months, but it a kind reminder that family celebrations are coming. Halloween, Thanksgiving. My only thoughts when the month of November hits is ohemgee where’s my turkey! I love Thanksgiving, not so much the family part but the food part, oh yeah all over that.
So as I was saying, last week my AC was on, this week I open my windows and put the fan in. It’s cool enough that it requires a warm coat to step outside in. I’m sad to see the vacationing season close, but excited that my fall is just as busy as my summer. It will bring about a new set of things for Rhys and I to do. Like collecting leaves. This year, we’ll be able to save those leaves that finds and press them.
It’s also a time to head to the apple orchard for some fresh cider, apple butter and of course apples. Then there’s hay rides and my favorite holiday. Halloween. It’s become cooler since I’ve had Rhys because I still technically get to go trick or treating. It brings up a lot of good memories and helps to make many more.
Keep it real and rockin’
<3
New Plottings of the Epic Kind
I’ll ask for patience while Tim and I seem to be rather sketchy on posting. We are both working lots and lots and don’t have much time for anything. We are planning several things. This will consist of new stories, edits for older ones, edits and writing for Black Mask and Pale Rider, several new Zodiviews on some movies and even some music and books, interviews with podcast authors, Zodi Files and much much more.
We love the fact we have so many readers, it excites us. Please keep checking back frequently for new content and forgive us if we seem lacking. Trust me in due time it will be well worth the wait. I personally am planning a post a day in October even if it’s just to say hi and tell everyone about my day.
*hugs*
Keep it real and rockin’
<3
luv the fangirl
The Way I See It: Religion and the Law
I read an article recently on the continued problem that both Canada and the United States is facing. One law maker in the U.S. called the problem, which stemmed from an organization that has a faith that is over 100 years old in both countries, North America’s Taliban.
Utah Attourney General Mark Shurtleff wasn’t refering to the attacks of September 11, 2001. He wasn’t refering to the terrorist actions caused by the Taliban. He was speaking of the treatment that the Taliban commits against women and children in Afghanistan. Limiting women in what jobs they try to attain. Education is something that they often never see. Women are stripped of their basic rights as human beings. Here in Canada, and in the United States, Shurtleff was speaking of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
By now, we’ve all heard about Warren Jeffs, the spiritual leader of the FLDS in Utah and Arizona. How he was charged and convicted of rape, and associate to rape, in relation to several instances where he or those he knew had sexual relations with a child (under the age of 16). And that is still going on. Not from Warren Jeff’s camp, but from another.
Winston Blackmore is Canada’s most well known polygamist. Blackmore is the spiritual leader of the community of Bountiful, British Columbia. He has even gone on record that he has had relations with a girl aged 15 years. Once was in an interview with CNN’s Larry King.
To get the full history of what has happened, Homemakers.com has the full story here.
In the article, it states that both Canada and the United States outlawed polygamy in 1890. The FLDS has admitted they are a polygamist religion, and lean on the Freedom of Religion in both Canada and the U.S. constitutions. Admittedly, neither nation has a right to stop an individual or a group from worshipping what or how they wish. If that were the case, then we would more than likely see Muslims being forced to worship in line with the Queen of England (Canada is still ruled under a monarchy, and the Queen is often called the Queen of Canada as well as Queen of England). But where do you draw the line at Freedom of Religion and the law? It’s a similar line as Freedom of Speech. Anybody can say anything they want, but when that begins to become hate, then it’s a matter of the law to step in. Secretly in our own homes and sometimes on coffee row with friends, we’ll say something that may not be taken as kind about a specific minority or a group, but I believe that most of us feel the sting of guilt when we say it. It’s when that freedom becomes printed in pamphlets and an attempt to distribute it comes into question.
So to is the practicing of faith.
Does faith supercede the laws of a nation? Our laws were put in place to protect all people, no matter the race, creed or language. As the article states, the question was asked over a century ago about practises of religion. That if a religion practised human sacrifice, does the nation have a right to stop such actions? Yes they do. The B.C. Courts even superceded in a case against the Jehovah Witnesses when a child needed a blood transfusion to save their life. Jehovah Witnesses, as a group that practises a faith, do not condone the transfusion of blood, nor do they believe in the submition of blood tests. Yet, while the courts did that, they have done nothing against Blackmore and his polygamist group in Bountiful, British Columbia.
Does Blackmore feel that by divine right, his faith supercedes the law, effectively making himself above the law? It’s not in so much as the practise of polygamy, but what is being carried out against young boys and girls within the community as a whole. Boys are driven off and out of the community to make room for more wives for the older members of the community. Girls as young as 14 and 15 are forced into marriage with men as old or older than their own fathers. Education is withheld. Basic health care. This isn’t a case of a group that is wanting to practise a faith anymore. It’s a case of a group endangering the lives of the people within it.
So why are the British Columbia courts so afraid?
Finally, after years of debate and years of standing on the sidelines, the B.C. Courts will have their day. In January of this year, RCMP arrested Winston Blackmore on the charge of polygamy. As of June 2009, Blackmore has been married 25 times, and reportedly has 101 children.
Newspapers and Zombies
Brent Hamilton has a good point in his most recent rant on the differences between East and West, and to an extent between daily and weekly newspapers and even the internet. I present to you his argument. Now, just watch out for Zombies. Brent Hamilton, by the way, is a Saskatchewan based columnist and baseball expert. He can dissect a game on the diamond with precision and knows the ins and outs of the history of the grand ol’ game. From the White Sox to the Red Sox, Bull Duram and the Jays and everything in between.
Who needs newspapers anyway? Today I have read that if Zombies attack Canada we have no possible chance of survival and that our digested flesh will fertilize the ground for zombie plants to flourish. I always had heard that protein was the worst thing that you could compost with? Eggshells and plant clippings but not livers poisoned with six decades of single malt scotch abuse…but are these new Zombies?
Do they not only chew on us like Vibank beef jerky but also soak up some unknown super powers from the soil that is overflowing with our defiled corpses and then draw strength from the rotting process that is somehow likened to an osmosis style of fermentation that fuels their lust for zombie munchies? Sympatico is like the info from the Walkerton News – only more current and not so heavily edited by a narcissistic editor with a mind too focused on his own lust for a journalistic junk pile and his version of “real news”. How terribly unfair of Sympatico to suggest such a travesty? Let alone the vaunted Walkerton News?? The bottom line is that we are indeed very removed from the rest of the confederacy-until we shut off the oil. When they come weeping for gasoline we can discuss what it is to be a nation and when they whine about their Leafs we can tell them about Balsillie and how Hamilton happens to rhyme with my own mane.
How foolish of this rag’s news boss to not intervene what with his famed genius? Help me. Help him. He always made me think of Stephen Hawking. It might be time to adjust my Internet home page to steer clear of such doom and simply read the infantile ramblings of the Walkerton paper for the definitive coverage on flesh eating monsters from the realm of the un-dead. I defer to the experts on dead news. Here’s to the head zombie. You know who you are. In the words of all of us uninformed Western nitwits, we pray for Walkerton to save us. In other words we are doomed to the words of these fools. I say “these fools”: in a general sense because I KNOW that the enterprise is crammed full of talent and character. You would have hoped that such a prominent editor would be in tune with the invasion of the walking dead?
It has come to my attention that the news from the desks of our supposed brethren from Upper Canada contains all of the critical information that not only defies the Tsunami of Internet bulletins but also organizes it into legible journalism that even us Western hillbillies can disseminate. We should line up to thank them in person except for the obvious exposure to attacking Zombies. I personally would die to get my point across.
Despite all of my hero worship of our glorious National media coverage- what in the love of the baby Jesus do they know about Zombies or the fact that the West has been laid to waste by bleary eyed pancreas eating monsters? Do they know or ever care about the voting process involved in the award of the Hank Aaron Trophy and more importantly, do they even comprehend what this precious accolade might involve? Get focused people. Ontario is not the Universe and today-for me-it has become a black hole. Do you know about sports or just the laughable Jays and Leafs? Of course this is not about brain dead zombies-unless we are speaking about a certain someone. We know about the issue.
It’s not about Zombies or baseball-it’s about the Internet and the self promoting high profile publications that deny the input of the local scribe that digs out the dirt that matters to YOUR community. It often occurs to me that the Nation’s daily publications simply defer to the Associated Press or Reuters or the devil Internet to fill their pages in a shortcut to providing the real news. It’s a terminal disease folks. Without writers that care about your town and then take the time to research the values and concerns of what affects your day to day life, then we are all doomed to a pitiful existence of tabloid garbage that we can buy for less loot than the Walkerton News for instance. It turns out the only zombie is in Walkerton and is employed as an egomaniac described to me directly as the voice of reason for Ontario journalism. Poor Ontario.
In almost every case, talented local columnists are very hard working dedicated and creative writers that are hamstrung by editors that are too often corporate lackeys and sycophants that serve and protect their own positions to supply what you think that you want to read. It is my first hand experience to unfold the truth to you valuable readers that out here in the Wild West, the truth-the news and the sports will be told whether the East likes it or not. There is no denying that our local editors and publishers must accommodate news that pertains to their local interests and anything beyond those parameters only wastes ink. But in the end we are one- and we defy the voice of a specific Eastern editor that considers us to be irrelevant and unworthy. We are not the Internet or the computer replica of the Associated Press and we belong on your kitchen table while we heat our homes with the rest of the papers from the likes of the waste of paper from the likes of the Walkerton Press. Our news is what counts and the rest of what we truly need to know we can easily garner from better sources than folks that consider us beneath them. We learn what we need to know and we discard the rest. The marvelous and talented of my mentors and editors of the weekly papers that indulge my thoughts only do so to satisfy your deserving tastes of the world’s news and sports as you need to know it. Nothing more, nothing less and only what is worthy news.
From Fort Murray to Indian Head and everywhere in between we thank our local publications for their efforts and honest reporting.
Brent Hamilton
A Comment Worth Posting
Last night, my mom responded to my other blog post. After sleeping on it, I decided that yes I am going to post, because if I can’t allow the readers to see the full side of the story and allow my mother to get her say then I’m not much of a blogger. Even though yes, it paints us, both she and I in a pretty shitty color of WTF is going on.
There is a reason I blog the way I do. I blog as my mind thinks, it just so happens that I blog in paragraphs. I also blog the way I do to flesh out without giving a complete insight to my entire life. This is the internet, there’s enough dirty laundry on here and I don’t need to add to it.
Firstly I would like to point at at the time I sent this text message I was already on the verge of tears and was trying to be brave and strong. I failed here. I sent a text message because of the fact I felt the need to let my mom know. Okay so I failed at conversational skills as well. I should have called and told her. I’ve never been great at talking on the phone especially when my emotions are sky high. It was the latter part that should have told you I needed my mom.
Yep, you did correct me. So what if my wording was off, my mistake, again emotions were high, by this point I was crying and things were coherent in my head. As for everything being thrown in my face, that’s exactly what you did. You asked me why I broke up with Zach, then when I told you, you threw in my face that it was me who walked out my marriage. I admitted that. I have my reasons and I don’t need to explain them to anyone. After that you proceeded to tell ask me about my sleeping arrangements. Then when you found out Zach wasn’t moving out, and TJ was living over at his friends, you then asked me what TJ was doing for a job and what my father thought about all of this. It was at this point, I told you I didn’t want to speak to you if you were going to throw things in my face.
I didn’t want you to sit there tell me what was wrong with my life, I want you tell me that I would be okay, that I’m strong, that I’ve got Mitchell blood and I would survive. YOU DIDN’T DO THIS.
Yep, fair you have been, always. It had nothing to do with misquoting . In fact that didn’t even bother me. And yeah I did show my father the nasty text you sent me. Also notice I didn’t show the world. Dad did speak to me about it, however, I was still very angry so I wasn’t hearing any of it.
I believe I said in the previous blog that I should call more. But there have been times, even after you weren’t with Mr. Undesirable, that I was push on the back burner. However I wasn’t talking about these times, I was talking about the almost two years that I nearly forgot I had a mother because when I called at whatever time I would, I got voicemail. I used to call your phone sometimes knowing I was going to get voicemail just to hear your voice. You can’t even tell me that while you were Mr. Undesirable, that you were in anyway shape or form allowed to have any contact with your child in Indiana, your mother, and half the time your son, who lived with you. That is why I stopped calling in general.
I’m also sorry but I don’t feel a daughter should ever have to pick a time to have a conversation with her mother. I get “penciled” in for a 6 pm phone call once a week. How often do you speak to Grams? Last I heard, every day at lunch time. You call her every single day at least to my knowledge. So why can’t I call my mom every single day?
You call me once in a while. If you want to call to talk to me and get a hold of me call the cell phone. Recently acquired, but still I answer that more than I will ever answer my house phone. As for my voicemail, which I’d like to add, you only got once; it was a joke between a friend and me. Someone who used to send me to voicemail just to get rise out of me. You are the only person who got bent out of shape over my voicemail. Dad thought it was funny because he’ll call me at 6:45 and know full well I’m sleeping, but knows I have to get up. Doesn’t mean I’m going to be willing. Doesn’t mean I’m going to answer. Get over it. It’s a voicemail not a personal insult to you. Just leave a message and I will eventually call you back. Sheesh.
As I stated previously, it would be unfair not to let you have your say in matters between us. I didn’t go into extreme details of what happened with our phone conversation. But I think between the two of us, we covered everything there for the fifteen minute conversation that ended hatefully.
We’ll get past this, we always do. We’ve had worse than this. My mom is honestly my best friend ever. But like all friends, we fight, ours just go to a more personal level. It what happens when the daughter is too much like the mother.
Keep it real and rockin’
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January 5, 2010 | Categories: Family, Life, Opinion | Tags: arguing, comments, Family, parents | 2 Comments »