Educating the Masses: London Burns

It was a rough day in London yesterday. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I know everything (or for that matter ANYTHING) about British politics. Most of my knowledge of UK politics comes from British comedians and The Bugle podcast (with one of my all time favourites, Andy Zaltzam. Check it out!).

So, this is what I gather. In the wake of a coalition government being elected (sorta) to run things, something went horribly wrong. Two completely opposing parties somehow shook hands and decided to work together. These are the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats. Okay. I'm writing this more to get things straightened out in my own mind as opposed to trying to give anyone else info. So, Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats ran on a platform of no new university fees (roughly. Please, someone correct me if I am wrong with any of this). So, this platform went down well with students, so, they voted for him. Then he became part of the grand coalition and changed his mind, thinking it wasn't such a good idea after all. Now, of course the world has been in a bit of a financial mess for the past few years and governments everywhere are trying to cut back on spending. This coalition that is running things in the UK is taking this idea to heart and going nuts with their cuts, by the looks of things.

So, yesterday, it was decided that tuition fees would rise from roughly 3000 of those pound things to somewhere around 9000 of those pound things. Now, that is one heck of a crazy increase if you ask me. Apparently this doesn't have to be paid right away. Very nice of them. This is paid back once the grad gets a job that pays enough to be able to get them deep into debt paying this cash back. At least this is what I'm garnering. Cuts to university budgets also seem to be going through which will cut the number of available seats in university classrooms by 6000. That's a whole lot of seats. Think of a game of musical chairs with 6000 seats? Less seats means less opportunity to get into a school that is getting increasingly harder to afford. This just doesn't sound very good all around for students.

And there have been protests. Oh have there been protests. Lots and lots and lots of protests by some very angry students. And rightfully so, although some of the violence that has gone along with it hasn't gone over well with the British public, understandably. Last night, when the vote went through to approve all of this stuff, things got pretty heated...literally. People lit fires. Well, mostly because they were cold. But, there were fires none the less. And vandalism. Even poor Charles and Camilla had their car dented up a bit. That wasn't overly cool. It was a nice car! Students battled with police, horses were involved and, according to angry callers in the BBC, Christmas shopping was interrupted in some places. Tragedy.

Why should these students be protesting? That's easy. Here is why, based on my knowledge as a Canadian. I am going to do a bit of assuming that there are some parallels between Britain and Canada. We are both pretty common, what with our...um...our....well, we have the same Queen. There.

My wife went through 8 years of university. Or more. I can't recall. I guess I could ask her. Anyway, we'll be paying off that education for the next 25 years (or less...or more. Again. I should ask her). Basically, a lot of money was spent and a lot of money is owed. Now, it's impossible to get a decent job WITHOUT a university education. Jobs that at one time only need secondary education now require college diplomas or university degrees. There are so many people looking for jobs, the competition is high, and without a good education, chances are pretty bleak. In addition, traditional jobs in manufacturing were shipped to countries where workers are paid far less meaning that there aren't jobs out there for those without an education, unless it is in the service industry. And what kind of future is that? If someone is living in London, Vancouver, Toronto or some other big city, how can they possibly do that on a McDonald's paycheque?? Then, add on to that, less and less companies are actually hiring people full time. They are preferring to go with contracts. That makes things pretty tough. Insecurity abounds. Education can relieve that. The more one can bring to a company, theoretically, the safer their job may be. Things have changed a lot even in the past 10 to 15 years. More and more, employers are doing what they can to circumnavigate involvement of unions and doing more and more to shed any responsibilities to their employees, and....um, I think I'm getting off on a tangent here.

Anyway, the point is that if fees go up and cuts are made to education, meaning fewer seats for students (at least those that can afford it) opportunities will dry up even faster. More unemployment or underemployment because people can't get access to education? I can see that happening, for sure. That doesn't seem like it would help the economy of a country that is looking to improve it's economy. In fact, that sounds like it would do the opposite! Why create a situation where it may be even harder for people to get decent jobs?? Education is an investment. The better educated a nation is, the better off that nation...well...is. Don't take away educational opportunities. That's like shooting yourself in the foot. Make sure people can get the education they need so that they can get to work and keep the economy going.

I'm sure I'm missing some points in here. There is plenty more to say. It seems like a very complicated and tough situation all around. I feel for the students. I support their protests. It would nice if stuff wasn't wrecked in the process, but that seems to be a small minority of people who are doing that stuff. So, keep up with it kids! Will it help. No, probably not. Sorry to end that on a negative note. Damn.  

The Double Edged Sword: 2022

Well, Qatar did it. Qatar put a bid in to FIFA to hold the 2022 World Cup, and today they were awarded the games over the US, Japan and, well, another loser who I can't remember.

I was fortunate enough to be down at the Corniche in Doha, the capital city where I am living, when the announcement was made. Well, I say fortunate, although at the time, I felt dumb. There were a few other location around the city that had giant screens for people to gather around to watch the awarding ceremony. I thought the Corniche was one of those places. I was wrong. There was no screen. So, I sat, in my car, looking out over the waters of the Persian Gulf and listened to Al Jazeera on the radio waiting for the announcement. There were very few people around. It was pretty quiet. I was going to miss all of the excitement it seemed. Not a great move. Then, two minutes after the head FIFA-er announced that Qatar had won, the Corniche suddenly filled up with cars and a whole lot of very, very excited Qataris. Boy, were they excited. Horns honking, flags waving, music playing, laughter and joy all around. I had never seen revelry in Qatar, let alone this amount. People were having a really great time. I mean, a REALLY great time, driving around, honking, waving, and being open, warm and friendly! It was impressive and fun and I'm glad I was there when it happened. I headed home as streams of people were heading in. I think the festivities will go on for an awful lot of fun.

HOWEVER, tomorrow will be a new day, and Qatar is going to face a lot of scrutiny and be in the center of a very powerful spotlight. It's going to be interesting to see how this goes down. Already twitter is alive with a whole lot of interesting comments. Let's take a look, shall we...

windoverwater

#Qatar will expect all women to have shoulders and neck covered, no #tanktops ladies, sorry.

azewde

#Qatar built its track & field team by naturalizing East African runners. Now they'll build their #2022 soccer team w/ West Africans #Quatar

@danlobb FIFA representatives will be very very very rich from announcing #Russia 2018 & #Qatar 2022 world cups.#howmuchdidyoupayRoman???

girlfriday19

Seriously tho, I understand ppl want to separate sports from politics, but end of the day, human rights issues are more impt. #Qatar #FIFA

vicki_dee

Alcohol Laws of #Qatar: Public drunkenness, openly displaying alcohol in public are forbidden. ...Ummm, that #worldcup is gonna suck.

windoverwater

#Qatar apparently has no tolerance for #homosexuals. Will be jailed on sight.

dawashington

Does @FIFAcom hate gay soccer fans? (goo.gl/wajtp) #worldcup2022 #qatar

SeeDice

#Qatar? Its as big as san francisco.

bisialimi

And #2022 goes to ....... #qatar, now #fifa is a Joke, big time ... Lol

_nctrnl

Boycott #FIFA World Cup in #Qatar 2022 Sign the Petition http://twt.gs/FHWIT #WorldCup2022 #WC2022 #FIFAFail #Fail #EpicFail

msalgado

Raise your hand if you think western women want to travel to a World Cup in Qatar! #nofuckingway #qatar #wtf

MegoSalbashian

The only way for Qatar to play in the world cup is to buy the whole bid in 2022. #Qatar #Worldcup2022

jabmakepeace

#QATAR #worldcupcorruption Interesting human trafficking report on QATAR - http://bit.ly/hp01l8

nwskyles

Fifa is crooked. #Qatar #WorldCup

GarethGeorge

The 2022 #worldcup will 100% not happen in #Qatar. Not a chance, zip, zero. New vote within 5 years.

TheLazySalesman

I'd love to see the #Qatar 'bid book', an index and 500 blank pages of Rymans finest Basildon Bond I reckon

markmravic

Fiver: "the preposterously wealthy human rights- and women-abusing crackling furnace that is #Qatar." http://bit.ly/ew81lg

peterkonnecke

@insidethegames something stinks with qatar team seen congratulating each other before vote announced #fifa #qatar @worldcup

martywyss

#Qatar does not meet humans rights standards of the UN and still has a form of slavery called sponsorship ... smart move #FIFA

ZacherMediaPR

Cowherd on #Qatar: "People from Qatar vacation in Phoenix in August to cool off."

And it goes on and on and on. And, it's only four hours after the announcement has been made. Qatar isn't a fan of negative comments as it is, so I think some of the stuff that will be talked about in the media and online is going to be pretty hard for some Qataris to swallow.

As you can see by a number of the comments, already questions about migrant workers and human rights are being brought up. What more will come? Qatar is a pretty small country and it has gone largely unnoticed by much of the world. Everything is about to change, and with that change is going to come some heavy criticism, I think it is fair to say. How will Qatar handle it?

Qatar did a good job with it's bid presentation. It has the 2022 World Cup. Now it has a lot of work to do. It will be an interesting 12 years.

More Gay Hate. Oh GAWD, Spare Us From Your Followers!

My faith in humanity has once again been rocked. My trusted friend, facebook, has brought me a posting from the BBC regarding the persecution of homosexuals in Kenya. Here is the story:

A gay rights activist has criticised Kenya's prime minister for threatening a crackdown on homosexual people....

Okey, dokey. So, this piece of news has been the trigger for a flurry of comments that were posted by BBC fans the world over on BBC News' Facebook page. So, what do some of these fans from the world over have to say?

Ejike Anichebe When evil gather strength to resist the truth, then d world is heading for a ruin. Those who engage in acts that tend to extinct life rather than promote it should ask themselves if their entrance to this world was through that means. If their answer is in affirmative, go forward. If it is negative, they should take a decision to either totally be blinded by their so called crave or craze for freedom/right or seek clearer sight by embrasing the light. Enough of the deception.

Nde Denis HOMOSEXUALITY IS A CONTAGIOUS DESEASE AND MUST BE CURED JUST LIKE ANY OTHER SICKNESS!!!

Irfan Ahmad Naz Gays should be persecuted..african ppl dont let these western ppl to destroy ur society...

Frederick Otobele In Africa Gay or lesbanism are not practise openly because if you are caught you could be burnt to death. Being gay, lesbian or raping kid is a sign of mental disorder

Grace Muwaga Whatz wrong with some people who think that one is born gay, no one is born gay and that act is not right. People just decide to do the wrong things and come out and defend them. Cows, goats are even more understanding than gays. Gays you need the supernatural being to forgive you.

Osman Sacad it suprises me people who have no principles no rules , yeah dey have trrafic lights for de cars but wen it comes to human being values dey follow their guts they have no respect for human race as whole... dey out-lawed marryng more dan one woman but to be gay is allowed ...dis is insane..dat is how people do wen dey leave out their religion!!

Lazaro Prieto Cortes I'm not African but I agree that gays are acts of evils, we have seen good & evil in this world . We know Satan is real & we can't change a gay' s sick brain therefore we must keep away from Satan & his followers. Good people don't belong to Satan.

Ceasar Joseph Mcgrath hahahahaha! We will arrest all the gays u have no place in africa and mostly KENYA

Ejike Anichebe All these western pals promoting gay here, i pity ur conditions. Homosexuality is not civilization, u morons. Pls enjoy it in ur place & leave africa alone. Nobody is born gay. Go back to ur history & upbringing u will learn that u acquired it. You can still mend ur way if u believe & start thinking like human.

Donald Chibueze Madueke Need i say without equivocation,that God designed man and woman in their different but sexually complementing biological make up .aswell he endorsed sex between them by perempting them to multiply and fill the earth.be that as it is,God has never planned for man to lay with his fellow man hence he wouldn't have created the woman.therefore sodomy or homosexuality is an obvious aberration to the natural built of man.it is therefore biblicaly and moraly sinful. its partakers and practice should be refuted in its entirety.

Jamil Lahyani Homosexuality is a disgusting uncurable disease!!!

Mariusz Wiloch I would suggest makin a penalty for gays like it is in Saudia Arabia, prison is not a good choice, dead penalty would be perfect. End of topic.

Ezra Rakim Corleone Gf

‎1 issue pro homosexuals neva get to talk abwt is this...procreation,& these xo called civil rights groups campaining for rights to everything including homosexuality fail on expounding on this issue..honestly is it moral or humane to a chi...ld 2 be raised in such filth were roles r reversed father & mother becomes father(dad) father(mom) & vice versa...& how about this an innocent vulnerable being(obviously adobted!) being nurtured in such an unreasonable filth that will highly likely currpt the mind making 1 end up a faggot! & how r we supposed to ensure continuity of our species if saddly th straight give in 2 ua fallacy?


Holy CRAP. What a load of hate filled garbage this is. And this was just the tip of the iceberg! These people can't be real, can they? Sadly, I think they are. How can people possibly think this way? I cannot fathom it. I cannot understand it. I cannot comprehend it. It's too crazy. It's too disgusting. It's too horrible. It's too scary.

I feel disappointed in the BBC in some ways. I don't advocate restricting free speech, but a lot of this stuff, as far as I am concerned, either borders on, or dives headlong into hate speech territory. I wish the BBC would take some action against some of the more extreme statements being made, but they don't seem to have an interest in doing that. Maybe that's good? I don't know. They are letting people speak for themselves and allowing be open for criticism. They should face criticism, as far as I am concerned. I just wish so many of these people didn't hate so much. I take it back, it's not the BBC's fault that these folks have such horrific things to say.

Neglegency. Is That A Word??

I have been rather neglectful of my blog as of late. But now is not the time to rectify that. I am awfully tired, and I am going to sleep. I will update again...one day. It will be soon. It has obviously been on my mind if I have bothered to write this post. Until then, goodbye and goodnight.

Election Day in the USA.

Dear former neighbours to the south,

You are voting today, which means the rest of the world is waiting to see what you will have in store for us in the next few years. Of course, the United States is, at the moment, the world’s sole superpower. Decisions made in Washington have a tendency to affect everyone on the planet in one way or another, and too often the effects are unfavourable. After taking a big step forward in 2008, sadly it would appear that the US is on the verge of not only taking a step back, but diving into a completely new puddle of stupidity by voting for a right wing that is getting increasingly, and scarily, farther right…and by that, I mean, WRONG. Two years ago, Barack Obama really did bring in change. After the world had to suffer through 8 years of Bush, Obama brought hope back. He has managed to rebuild bridges that were completely firebombed, bulldozed and buried by George W. He has managed to save the US from a complete financial meltdown and a major depression. He actually has some plans for getting out of Afghanistan, and has done a fairly good job of starting to get out of a badly tore up and beat down Iraq. He has at least begun to deal with Guantanamo Bay and start getting some of these guys on trial. He managed to get somewhat of a fairer health care system going in the US. He really has done an impressive job in just two years. He isn’t getting the credit he deserves and as a result, we may all end up paying the price. Please, people of the US, refrain from voting for ridiculously stupid right wingers from the Republican Party, and even worse, the Tea Party. And, worse than that, out and out Libertarians. We are counting on you America! Don’t let us down! Those on the right are bad news.

Best wishes…

A concerned citizen of the world.

Hooked on Racing.

Well, I can't seem to stop playing Dirt Track Racing 2 on my computer here. It's a highly addictive little racing game! It's preventing me from doing much else on my computer, which includes writing stuff. It's not like I actually write that much stuff anyway, but I am writing even less as I'm fish-tailing around dirt tracks all across the US with my car that I have spent thousands of virtual dollars getting in top condition. I'm working my way through a few racing series until I can get myself a late model stock car and go big time! It's sort of a new career direction for me, albeit one that isn't grounded in reality. Oh well. One must follow their dream, and my dream is to dominate in the world of Dirt Track Racing 2!

Assimilate Already!

So, what was it that the Chancellor of Germany, Ms Angela Merkel said last week? Multiculturalism has utterly failed in Germany apparently. Immigrants are not doing enough to assimilate, apparently. Then, what did she say? Wasn't it something about inviting all these people to come and work and toil for Germany a few decades ago, and now they just won't leave? Oh man, this was some disturbing talk from the Chancellor (what is a Chancellor exactly??).

First off, I've seen Germans in Doha where I live right now. I don't exactly see them converting to Islam, wearing thobes, and learning Arabic. I'm not seeing a whole lot of assimilation here by Europeans and other Westerners. We Westerners go places and we hardly assimilate. One constant worry that Westerners have here is "I can still get alcohol, right?" Another love of us Westerners is to complain about the lack of bacon. BACON! NO BACON! What kind of place has no bacon? I haven't met one Westerner here, or anywhere I have gone, who has assimilated as it were. If anything, it's the opposite. The world assimilates to us. The world is becoming a McDonald's eating, Brad Pitt loving, Nike wearing, Eminem listening, English speaking homogeneous wasteland (ironically, NONE of these things is German). We are still colonialists. We are not the victims. We are still on top. The world is bending to our needs! It makes life easy for me as a very Western, English speaking white guy who is pretty darn lazy. In fact, I guess I can't complain at all. I really can't. I got it darn good in this world. I have it better than darn good, I'm at the very top. How did I get there? Being born in the right part of the world at the right time with the right skin colour, surrounded by the right language. In other words, I did nothing! That was easy, let me tell you. It's hard to assimilate, which is probably why we just don't do it, us First World hypocrites. We want people to assimilate in our countries, although we don't actually have a clear definition of what that means. With the new fad of banning face veils worn by Muslims, it would appear that looking Muslim, or even being Muslim for that matter, means that you have not assimilated. Sometimes I think people feel that others have not assimilated when some one speaks with an accent, or has not managed to completely forget their traditional language and speak English perfectly. If being able to speak English well means you have assimilated, half of my hometown of Thunder Bay would be asked to leave, but they would have nowhere to go because that is where they were born....eh. They would all be loaded up on a boat and their selected leader would say "F off, eh? Like, we ain't goin' nowheres, eh. We're, like, from Thunder Bay, eh, and you gots no right to do this, eh."

Secondly, the last part of what Ms. Merkel said. This whole idea of bringing people into a country to do crap jobs that no one else would take when the economy is good, and then getting mad when the economy isn't so good anymore, and they are still there. In other words, Merkel is mad about disposable people not being disposed of, and most of these are Turks it seems. Darn people and their giving their hard work, blood and sweat for Germany and it's economic growth and then not going away when they aren't needed. Shameful! So, leave now people! Get out! But leave your kebabs. They can stay. Meanwhile, while I was living in Turkey, I would shop at a large German supermarket, a large German hardware store, and almost get run over daily by many makes of German cars. So, as long as the money is coming out of Turkey to Germany, no problem! But, if those damn, dirty Turks are going to Germany, whoa, problem! Does this just sound completely horrible to you, all of this stuff? It does to me.

Road Junky Sahara Retreat: This Looks Frickin' AMAZING!

Holy jeez, check this thing out.

Here's the deal. I have been following a blog for a while now called Road Junky. It's a travel info site with country guides, advice, stories, videos and all kinds of other information for more independent travelers. I love it. There is a ton of good stuff to read. I do love to travel after all, and I do love to read what other travelers are up to. This is a great place to do it. Take a look at the site: http://www.roadjunky.com/

So, the folks at Road Junky are putting on a retreat vacation into the Sahara desert! I think this looks pretty darn cool and the price is pretty darn good, if you ask me. How good? It's just 199 Euro for five days. That's good. Face it. This includes everything, other than airfare of course. If my parents weren't coming to visit me and my family in Doha right at that exact time, I would be going. I'm looking at the breakdown of what will be going on and it sounds amazing, what with YOGA and all. Imagine, yoga, in the Sahara desert. Surreal! Read about the retreat, I think you will be impressed: http://roadjunkyretreat.com/

Want to book your spot? Why not book it HERE! Even if you don't book at this link, consider booking somehow, someway. It really does seem like an amazing experience. Why not sign up? Could be, SHOULD be, the adventure of a lifetime!

DISCLAIMER: This message has been brought to you by me. I love this road junky site and they have been really great to me. I've been enjoying interacting with them, and they have been supportive and helpful in my own writing, which I appreciate. That's why I want people to know about them, and of course this retreat.

Sick of Sick

I've been sick. Very sick. Some kind of a stomach flu. I'm not enjoying it. I would like it to go away, but it will not. It keeps following me. I'm not having fun. But, I should look on the bright side: I think I am losing weight. I must be. I have eaten very little since Friday. Today is....wait, what day is it?

My Motto

I'm not sure if my motto should be "everyone deserves respect, because we are all one in the same. We are human beings and no one is greater of lesser than anyone", or "all people suck". There are just some days when the latter seems far more appropriate.

Qataris in Their Natural Environment

It's very easy to start feeling negative about Qatar. There are a lot of things that go on here that I really dislike. The problem is, I know there are good people here. I just have to meet them, right? This is a problem. Since I have arrived here, I haven't actually met many Qataris. I wish this weren't the case. When we lived in Turkey I met a lot of Turks, but here I haven't met many Qataris. It seems that the only contact we have with Qataris is either when they try to run us off the road, or when we see them in malls. Other than that, there is no contact. It's hard to have an accurate view of people when you don't actually talk to them. The odd encounter I have had has been very good, as I have outlined in a couple of previous blog posts. But, since then, no contact with the illusive Qatari. This is stupid. I have to meet some Qataris. I have to get to know some people and get a better understanding of what Qatari culture actually is. This is my new goal. I mean, we were in Nepal for one week and I met more Nepalese than I have met Qataris in the year I have been here. For that matter, I have met more Nepalese in Qatar than I have met Qataris. This isn't right. This isn't good. This isn't the way it should be.

Carbon Dioxide is Good for YOU!

From the great state of Kentucky comes a letter from the Cadiz Record comes a scary letter from a firm believer that global climate change is a myth. Yes, there are still people who believe this, and Mr. Richard Crutchfield is one of those people.

Current heat may not be out of the ordinary for our planet

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Dear Editor:

To date, more than 31,000 American Scientists (9,029 of them with PHDs) have signed the Oregon Petition asking that Congress not waste billions of taxpayer dollars on the global warming hoax. These Scientists affirm that, “There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing, or will, in the forseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal enviroments of the Earth.”

Geological records show that there have been fluctuations in heating and cooling temperatures for thousands of years. There have been many times of temperatures such as we are experiencing today, yet the gasoline engine, which is blamed for the so-called global warming trend, was not invented until 1870 by Siegfried Marcus in Vienna.

Long before psuedo-scientist Al Gore’s “inconvenient lies” burst upon the scene, the God of heaven promised Noah that while the Earth remains, there will be seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, that these shall not cease (Genesis 8:22). When I was a teenager in the 1950s, we had days of hot weather such as we have had recently.

Richard Crutchfield

Cadiz

I'm not one hundred percent sure how extreme levels of carbon dioxide will benefit us all, but, I guess if so many (American) scientists, some with PhD's even, say it will be so we should welcome this increase in a gas that leaves humans and other animals gasping for air as we all suffocate. There doesn't appear to be any hard evidence that may have been presented by these (American) scientists, some with PhD's even, but they do tell us that the hundreds of thousands of other scientists around the world who know that climate change is happening are wrong, without actually stating how or why they are wrong. In other words, these scientists seem to have chosen just to ignore the evidence that is out there and tell us that we should all feel very assured and stop wasting our precious time and money on this whole saving 6 billion people and hundreds of thousands of species of animals and birds thing.

Where all of these scientists (some with PhD's remember) failed, Mr. Crutchfield comes through by providing some very important hands-on observational data. Apparently, he went outside one day when he was a kid and it was hot, and that means global warming is a myth. Good work, Richard! And, THEN, to top it all off, he adds in a quote from the most scientific of sources; the bible. God will make seasons, apparently. We've had those for many years, it is true. You can't deny that. I just wish god had mentioned his preferred oxygen to carbon dioxide ratio for the earth's atmosphere when he spoke to Noah, and maybe told him what we should do when the ice at the north and south pole completely disappears. It would've helped us all a great deal.

God Loves a Winner?

I don't even know how I came across this video, to be honest. I was just playing around on youtube, and there it was. So, I watched it. And, I cringed. And, now I am writing a blog about it.



Okay there, Evander. First off, I don't think god is really on your side with this one. I'm pretty darn sure that he isn't crazy about you getting into a ring to intentionally pound the snot out of someone else while others gather around, get drunk, cheer, and make bets. It just doesn't seem like the kind of thing a good god would do. The idea that a deity would be all for this makes me a tad nervous. Is this what our grand leader who art in heaven really and truly wants from all of us?? Is this the way god intended the world to be; his incredible master plan for the human race?? If so, we are all failing him miserably by not all becoming heavy weight boxers and beating people up. No, I'm sorry Mr. Holyfield, I just can't buy that god was all pumped up about this particular card. I don't think he was on the sidelines pulling for you as much as he was walking away, his hands in the air, saying "Look, you guys are on your own with this one. I don't recall telling anyone that I was okay with this. Is it in the bible? NO. You know why? Just guess. I'll give you three guesses. Who was the genius that thought up this 'sport'? When it's all done, don't call me, I'll call you."

I Hate My Generation

I wrote this a while ago, but didn't post it. I haven't actually re-read it yet either. You think I would do that before I put it on my blog, but you would be wrong.....

We blew it. We blew it big time. Our generation could have done so much more, but we dropped the ball.

I saw Pearl Jam not long ago, on a giant stage flanked on all sides by giant adverts in front of a crowd of people who left me in total disgust. Boy did they look like a shadow of themselves up there. The band that fought ticketmaster, MTV and mainstream music is now a classic rock band made up of middle age men making millions of dollars. What the hell happened? Volvo was a big sponsor of the event for god sakes. Hard Rock Café, the main sponsor, sold at least 10 different styles of Pearl Jam t-shirts at their special merchandise stores throughout the festival site for something like 25 pounds each. This isn’t the Pearl Jam way…is it? It appears that now it is.

And the crowd? A drunken mess of frat boys and morons. This was the band of the counter culture at the end of the me, me, me 80's, or at least so I thought. They heralded in a new wave of going against the grain, the antithesis of Guns n Roses type rock bands, and slickly produced pop artists. And here were all of their devoted fans, drinking like they were still 19, perfectly happy going along with the massive mega marketing platform that is the modern mainstream music festival. And, the marketing was brilliant. You could get your hair dyed green by the main beer sponsor, you know, so you could re-live your wild youth when you would defiantly dye your hair to make a statement, even if you didn’t really know what the statement was. Now, there is a statement to be made, and that statement is beer company X is great, I like their beer, and they are radically alternative. You could go over to the Volvo exhibit and sit around strumming guitars with Volvo logos on them…giving that feeling of just making music with your friends while hanging out in a park, only this time when people watch you, they see how much you love Volvo’s!
The revolution was hijacked. Pearl Jam gave up. Now, they play their songs

and do their thing, and that’s it. They don’t inspire. They don’t stand up for anything. They are just another classic rock band with some good songs for kids to “rock out” to while trying to relive their old high school days. Jeremy is no longer a story song with a message; it’s a sing along anthem to get drunk to. And get drunk to it they did. When the night was over, Hyde Park was filled with green plastic beer bottle from the main beer sponsor, people were peeing in the bushes or passed out on the grass and everyone had severely lightened wallets. How very rock and roll. I hate my generation.

Pray Baby Pray!!! Why God Isn't Listening Anymore.

Oh, thank goodness for twitter. If it wasn't for the otherwise useless social networking site (remember when they were just called chatrooms?) I would never have seen this fine example of Sarah Palin's mental state:

@SarahPalinUSA Gulf disaster needs divine intervention as man's efforts have been futile. Gulf lawmakers designate today Day of Prayer for solution/miracle.

Wow. Okay. Well, let us presume that Sarah Palin's version of a god does exist. I hope he or she does not, because the existence of any entity as interpreted by Ms. Palin is a scary thought.

Here is what I would imagine god saying to her call for a massive pray-fest:

"Look, you morons. I purposely hid the oil under rocks, under water, under anything I could find so that you idiots wouldn't get your hands on it. I knew that if you did, all hell would break loose. But, NO, you guys had to go poking around and start taking it out of my carefully planned hiding places. And now look what you have done with it. You have burned it to the point where people can no longer breathe, the climate is changing, and the plastic bottles you made with the stuff are choking streams and rivers. On top of that, you have been fighting wars over the stuff. I kept it away from you for a reason!!! You see why now? And, to make it worse, every time something goes wrong as a result of the oil that I took great pains to hide, but you still found and started to use recklessly, you pray to me to make it better! When people get sick from pollution, you call on me. When people head off to war to fight over it, you call on me to protect them. Now, you've gone and destroyed the Gulf of Mexico, and who do you call? Me. Of course! What do you want me to do? You caused this. I hid it as deep as I could to keep it away from you. As far as I can see, I did my part. I am not listening anymore. Good luck with it all! Find some other sucker to pray to"

At least that is what god SHOULD be saying.

What is Going on Here??

I saw this report on Al Jazeera International today. It left me with a sour taste in my mouth. So, I hunted down the clip on the internet (which wasn't really that hard, to be honest). Take a look:



Now, I am not in anyway doubting that there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There clearly is. However, what worries me is that the baby being shown, who is obviously suffering from malnutrition, is being cared for by what appears to be a very healthy mother. Is there something I am missing? Am I wrong? What is the problem here? How can the mother appear to be so healthy, and the child be starving?? Maybe there is an explanation. I hope there is an explanation.

Desert Rednecks?

Now, being from Northwestern Ontario, I am very familiar with rednecks, and stories about rednecks doing stupid redneck things. I suppose one could say that this is a story of desert rednecks. It comes from the Gulf Times of Qatar .

Shepherd gets one year in jail over murder
By Nour Abuzant
Staff Reporter
A Doha court of first instance has sentenced a shepherd to a year’s imprisonment and ordered he be deported after serving the sentence for premeditated killing of a compatriot colleague, following a quarrel between them on who should ride the camel and a verbal dispute a day before the crime.
The family of the Sudanese victim had dropped their rights to blood money as well as any punishment and that can explain the “lenient” verdict that the accused got for such a serious crime, court sources told Gulf Times.
The victim was murdered on July 11, 2008 in the Shahaniya ranch where they worked. Both were in their early 20s.
According to the charge-sheet, “the accused hit the victim with an iron bar thrice in the head, back and chest.”
The court heard from witnesses that the victim cursed the defendant’s mother a day before the killing.
The defendant’s lawyer argued that his client attacked the victim ‘in a fit of rage’ and that the crime should be treated as beating to death and not premeditated murder.
However, the judge dismissed the claims, ruling that there was a time gap between the verbal dispute and the deadly assault on the next day.
The court added that the incident constituted a “classical case of premeditated murder.”
The court said that the suspect confessed to the charge during interrogations and told the police that the victim failed to apologise for his action (cursing) and that was the motivation for hitting him.
The judge ruled that the accused knew that hitting the victim with an iron bar on the sensitive parts might lead to death.
The judge said that he understood the anger of the accused on hearing someone cursing his mother, considering where he came from, “but the period between the dispute and the crime was enough to give the killer a chance to think calmly about the meaning of his action.”

Wow. Well, there you have it. I never knew that people could feel so passionate about riding a camel. I've seen plenty of camels in my time here, but haven't had an overly strong desire to ride any of them, let alone kill someone over wanting to ride one. Does that make me strange?

Giving Up on Israel and Palestine

Well, I'm completely done with the Gaza freedom flotilla story that has been so prominant in the news as of late. You probably know the one, where Israeli commandos boarded ships headed to Gaza, and the end result was a number of dead activists. I've had it. Enough is enough. There has just been too much propaganda, too much finger pointing, too much confusion, too much crap...and not enough actual information. No more. It's useless. It's frustrating. I have no clue of who or what to believe. To be honest, I almost want to give up on the region as a whole. If these folks can't make peace, what the heck can the rest of us do?? Nothing. It's just never ending. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

I feel for the people in Gaza, I really do. And I don't like the Israeli blockade that Gaza has been under for several years now, BUT, will arms be the first thing that starts flowing into Gaza if the blockade is removed? How much of the humanitarian situation in Gaza is thanks to their own government? Will Israel ever stop building settlements, using collective punishment, and using what I see as excessive force from seemingly trigger happy and overzealous soldiers? Will rockets ever stop being fired into Israel from Gaza? Will the regular people of Gaza who are just trying to survive ever get the humanitarian aid they desperately need? Will Turks who justifiably condemn the violence that happened on the Mavi Marmara, the boat in the Gaza freedom flotilla where the deaths of activists occurred, ever look at what is happening in their own country and condemn it with the same amount of vigor? Will the Turkish government even allow the kind of protests seen over Gaza happen over the plight of the Kurdish in the south east of the country? Will Israel ever come forward with the truth about nuclear weapons? Will they ever release the video and photographs taken by activists on board the freedom flotilla? Will Israel ever acknowledge their own wrong doings? Will the US ever condemn Israeli actions when they really should be condemned? Will every action that Israel take ever not be seen as unjustified by the opposing side? Will Israel ever stop playing the role of victim? At the same time, will they ever not be a victim, in some senses? Will pro-Palestinians ever not be seen and referred to as terrorists? Will the siege on Gaza ever come to an end? Will the wall being constructed around the West Bank ever come down? Will there ever be peace?

It would be nice to be optimistic, but, I'm not. I am not at all. I hate to say there is no hope, but frankly, I don't think there is any hope. There is just too much division, too much bitterness, too much hatred, too much boiling blood, too much history. This incident is just another in a LONG list of incidents. And, the rhetoric never changes. The results are seemingly all the same. And progress doesn't seem to be ever be made. It's sad, it's horrible, and it's ridiculous. But, that just seems to be the way it is.

High Seas Drama: The Slaughter of Truth by Israel, Turkey, and Pretty Much Everyone Else.

You know what I'm tired of? PR folks thinking that we are all morons.

So, you may have heard about the little incident involving Israels infamous IDF, and the Gaza Flotilla headed to, well, Gaza. Nine people were killed when things went horribly wrong. What exactly happened, we may never know. But, it sure didn't take long for the "spin" to kick in as, again, PR, representatives, politicians, etc. seemingly assured themselves that we are all complete and utter idiots who will just buy anything anyone says as long as they say it enough times.

The event that happened on the Mediterranean was bad enough, but to hear the post event rhetoric has just been excruciatingly painful, and fraught with hypocrisy, over the top exaggeration, confusion, accusations and finger pointing and, for the most part, just out and out crap. Israel says it was doing what it did in self defense, and the people that were dropped onto the ships in international waters were justified in killing 9 people. Turkey's Prime Minister has called the event Turkey's 9/11 after the killings occurred on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship. Turkey's 9/11?? The condemnation from Turkey is understandable and all, but completely hypocritical given their own dismal human rights record. So, as Turkey tries to spin this into the greatest disaster that may have ever happened, Israel is insinuating that these boats were essentially filled with terrorists, they had to act in self defense and the killings were justified. And WORSE, there are claims that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip! DAMN YOU ALL! Quit talking to us as if we are complete morons and idiots! Stop with the PR propaganda. It's INSULTING! Let the facts come out, would ya? Let us get a relatively TRUTHFUL understanding of what happened! Don't keep feeding us your well planned, well rehearsed, polished and pretty prefab pablum! Let us find out the truth. I don't believe we will ever know the complete truth, but, as long as we can get all of the PR crud out of the way, we can start to piece together something relatively CLOSE to an unbiased, impartial look at the events. Just spewing the same lines over and over and over and over and over again with the belief that people will just stop questioning and accept what is being spewed out is arrogant and disgusting.

No more propaganda! And that goes for you too, big corporations, governments and special interest groups everywhere. Every time anyone tries to push their biased crap, question it. We are constantly bombarded: The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the war on "terror" in general, the killing of Tamils civilians in Sri Lanka, the crisis in Darfur, the problems in the Gaza strip, the Catholic church sex abuse...oh, the list goes on and on and ON. Toyota has a brand new advertising campaign showing how much the people who build Toyota vehicles LOVE the product they are building and care so much about your safety! It is painful to watch. They are only saying it because they got BAD publicity when they screwed up with their cars. But, they want to turn their image around and protect their "brand". Screw the brand. Protect the people. I don't want to hear about the "brand" anymore. I'm tired of PR. I'm tired of spin. Quit treating us like idiots...you idiots!!!

Everybody Insult People Needlessly By Drawing Muhammad Day!

Well, yesterday was the big day....Everyone Draw Muhammad Day. And, as I do, I scoured the internet to see what was going on and what people were saying. You know, I was rather surprised. There actually WAS some good debate. And frankly SOME of the pictures were actually very well done and...*gasp*, even somewhat respectful. The majority, however, were just insanely stupid, horribly racist, and disgustingly bigoted. So were many comments left around the internet. Here is just a sampling, copied and pasted directly as they appeared on their original sites:

"***** Mohammed! This is a free country!!!!! and, I will say what I want. Censor South Park? Are you kidding me???????? This is going way to far!!!!"

Notice the stars? Ya...whatever word was there, and I presume it was fuck, was censored (not by me).

"Hahaha, I love it. Say, egc52556, were you not aware that almost EVERYTHING "sticks a finger in the eye of Muslims"? It's not like a cartoons of Mohammed can be stopped. I mean why not? the whole demeanor of the guy, the history of his antics, literally begs to be made a cartoon of, marrying a 9 year old, calling for the murder of Jews behind every rock, "No pictures of me", as if he was hiding from the "paparazzi" of the day, and then there's his promise of the "12 virgins", are you kidding me? this is a religion?. Let's hope Muslims finally get over themselves, if not, well maybe the rest of the civilized world will finally get it that Islam is a whackjob religion, as bad if not worse than Catholicism."

"Can you be a good Muslim and a good American? I doubt it."

"I'm sick of the Muslims getting preferential treatment....ooooo comedians can't mock you, but everyone else is open game."

I will now refer you to my previous posting on this blog.

"Welcome to America, stand up and take it, or LEAVE, it is that simple...take your extremest friends and go back to whatever country you came from....that is the essence of what we call "freedom of speech"."

"If anything happens to the creators of South Park, the world should go after all muslims...I'm sorry if you can't keep your extremest representatives in line, than all should pay the price..."

"Mohammed was a murderer, child molester, rapist, thief and liar, among his more notable achievements. He should be cartooned as a pig, a snake, some pestiferous vermin. He is, at present, undoubtedly much more concerned with the agonies he is suffering in Hell than with verbal or written insults. Islam is a religion of ignorance. Who in his right mind would follow a mohammedlike varmint anywhere, except to shoot it and claim the bounty?"

"The hysterical vapid extremists will scream no matter what. Let the cartoons begin."

"I think I'll draw Mohammed tomrrow... maybe I'll use some bacon as the medium."

"I think they are foolish for even suggesting they would kill anyone who drew their "god". Why? I know two things for fact. First, there are only 55,000 cops in Canada. Second, their are 33,000,000 Canadians, of which 3,700,000 are like me, a hunter; with lots of guns with scopes. You decide for yourself if killing one infidel is worth the fall out. Just a little food for thought."

"Good on you Molly Norris. Reveal through art the Muslim goat shagging wankers following the delusional ravings of yet another pediophile from a dark age. My check is in the mail."

"pbuh stands for poopy be upon him"

"I figure if the savages ever do take over, I’ll just keep my head down and continue on pretty much as I do now. It’s the gays, ecofreaks, multiculti demanders and vociferous atheists who are going to discover how the brave new world really works."

Oh GOOD, not only going after Muslims, but also adding in some gay bashing, and general hate against liberals.

"Generations of culturally proscribed first-cousin marriages have not served them well. It's like 'Deliverance', but with nuclear weapons instead of banjos. This will not end well."

"I’d draw something to show my support, but I’m not really sure I could draw a pedophile sodomite without violating some site more."

"Draw his head on a pig’s body. That will get the IslamoFascists riled up."

"Filthy ragheads should be burned for the way they think"

Isn't that sort of a veiled threat?? Isn't this what the whole day was AGAINST??

"those people can kiss my ****. go bleed all over something else liberal scum. muahahaha"

Wow, and it comes back to us darn liberals once again.

"Screw Islam. Oh, and here is a txt pic of Muhammad:

=8)

It's a pig faced Muhammad...get it?!?! Turn your head to the left...

Mulsims: Take that!!!
Rest of the world: You are welcome!!!"

"i submit that it is worth drawing muhammad ******* a pig while eating bacon and drinking vodka while watching middle eastern burka ****, LOOK OUT they're showing their wrists! what ***** "

"The beast that Islam has become will be defanged and declawed!"

yo champs...islam *****.....get real go fish...also have a BBG sandwich ******* delicious.

"mooslame lol"

"They are the scum of the earth. But I'm not the least bit surprised that Christians are running to their defense, after all, they share the same vulnerabilities and expect us to respect their bronze-age myths."

Huh?

"Islam means submission. Islam and Western Civilization are incompatible.
The time is fast approaching to decide if we will submit or fight."

"I have no respect for mooselimbs."

"Next time you read someone writing that pbuh crap, try substituting the onomatopoeia for spit in your mind. It makes it more palatable."

"In the words of the cave dwellers: “Let it be so.”"

"After saying “Mohammed”, I sometimes add “PBUH”. The “P” stands for a word that sounds similar to “peace”, but has a completely different meaning."

"Bees Piss Upon Him."

"Those with talent please draw the cartoons-mine is but a stick figure (with a goat)- and enjoy. But draw a bead on the American Leftist, traitor and Dhimmitude and show courage to our weaker brothers that they can rise to the challenge. When Mohamed and his demon worshiping hords swarmed out of the desert they swept MOST everyone out their way but only MOST. On every front the moon god ran into strong opposition from great leaders who stopped them-sometimes permanantly sometimes only for awhile. But they were often stopped.Now we need to roll them back, first sweeping the American Traitors, Dhimmitude and such out of the way. Draw a bead.

What is this even about??? I also love the persons posting signature:

"Let your sidearm be like Master Card:
Don’t Leave home without it."

"Come on, if the KKK is protected under the first amendment then stupid-ass Mohammed is *definitely* fair game."

"I wrote to the Muslim Terrorist living in our white house and told him that his silly little allah is nothing more than a figment of someone's imagination. I told him that when he will stand before the only true God, (it is written that every human being will be required to do this), his silly little allah won't be there to help him. The blood dripping from his hands for all of the innocent murdered babies will be one topic God will take up with him. What a lonely, anguished spot he will be in."

What?

Well, there you have it! Another successful day of promoting widespread Muslim bashing (and, of course, liberal bashing). So, was the day a success? Well, like I said, there was some good debate. A suprising number of comments I read on blogs and news stories were from people who didn't support the drawing of Muhammad as a protest, a sentiment I agree with. And, there was a good number of people who made very civil, very well worded posts of support for the protest.

Apparently, this is going to be an annual event. Great. We get to revisit all of this in a year! Oh GAWD!

Family Guy Fun! This Time, it's Veterans.

Well, well, well. What do we have here. A fresh bit of controversy around an animated program. This time the offending show was Family Guy! It appears that Family Guy, during their 150th show, ran a clip that is considered VERY offensive to Vietnam Vets (which I can see and understand). Grab your popcorn and get comfortable! Here is the offending clip.



Wow. Okay then. So what have some been saying about you might ask? Thank you for asking! Here are a few choice words I found posted in some blogs on the subject, posted in a fine array of colour to reflect the equally colourful language:

"The creator of Family Guy Seth MacFarlane deserves a swift kick to the face"

"Veterans, from 1776 on, have giving Seth MacFuckface and his ilk the freedom to push trash like Family Guy on the public. Piss on the graves of veterans, you pathetic piece of shit. Judgment Day will come for you sooner or later, see how that works out for you. Anybody on WZ know the sponsors of this little, crappy, non-funny show? I feel it is my right to boycott the sponsors."

"Please give us a phone number, email address, something as I am not going to let this go.I am sick and tired of these little, hate-filled punks spewing their crap under the guise of “comedy” and getting away with it."

"It wasn’t even a joke. It was a verbal diarrhea – the very stinky one. I don’t know who’s watching FG. And you know what? I almost wish ill to the creators of this crap. I wish them the most grotesque scenario in their own life, when it’s too late to regret."

"Mcfarlane is just one more piece of crap to clean up when the revolution starts."

"This dirt bag goes on the pile. I hope he finds himself in the wrong place with the right people and he gives that little ‘peter’ laugh as some right thinking American vets kick the life out of him…..opps just crap wouldn’t want to be accused of inciting anything RIIIIIGHT."

"With the great job our government is doing for the economy and with the SHTF right around the corner, us veterans are going to know what to do. Libtards like McFarlane are going to be screaming like little girls when the gangs are approaching his neighborhoods to rape and rob everyone. Since libtards hate guns, they will have nothing but a dust mop to protect themselves. Yes, McFarlane is going to die a pussies death for sure!"

"Certain sacrifices are not to be made fun of for any purpose. Not suggesting censorship, but self restraint considering that if you happened to be human, you might understand how many families are still feeling the tragic loss of the Vietnam War. There is nothing funny about a war that cost 50,000 American lives. Of course, Jane Fonda, Walter Cronkite, and every other NewYork/Hollywood media Commie actively worked to raise that US casualty total by directly aiding and comforting the enemy. What a shame the same community sees fit to mock the lives their predecessors helped to destroy. Go to Hell after a painful, protracted illness, unfunny-Family-Guy-writer moron."

"Now, if they really wanted to be funny,“Vietnam! Undefeated!” Vet pulls .45. “BANG!” That’s how South Park would do it."

"Damn Shame McFarlands mother was not Pro Abortion. I want him to do a Mohammed show, so I can Post HIS Address all over the Internet…"

"Well then they’re free to speak out with an episode about the pedophile mohammed (peices of shit be upon him)...Yeah right.."

"Wouldn’t it be ‘funny’ to see Seth McFarland die just like Daniel Pearl did?"

Response: "No. It would be funny to see him water boarded with burning kerosene."

"One of these days the marxist-sociopaths will be burning in hell."

"It would have been fine if the Vietnam Vet punched the Vietnamese guy in the face while he was gloating."

"If this doesn't wake up people to what these lefty loons feel about this memorial Day represents to them,you deserve whats coming next.They are taking this country down a very slippery slop!!"

"That was rude and lacks empathy. The sociopaths that wrote & others that allowed this to air, probably don't care about my families good friends who is etched on that wall. I will have to pray to God to give me the strenght to forgive their sorry backsides. Hollywood elites are among the most per verse of the anti-American progressive movement.
Progressives are a serious cancer in America in need of a serious cure. God Save America!"

"Systemic in this sick,sick,sick,over the top sick culture we have allowed to flourish."

"We have all heard the libs and far left screech about how much they love the troops, so it couldnt be them right?"

"Whoever did this should be hung from the nearest tree."

"I wonder what if they would repeat the joke Memorial Day weekend when the Nam Knights and other motorcycle groups show up to honor the Wall and all the names on it they call a "scoreboard!""

"Crap like this is very much like burning the American Flag. Yeah, it’s first amendment protected speech but you better not do it in front of me. Or my 2 tour Vietnam Vet father-in-law."

"When someone has the gall to disrespect even one vet, they disrespect all vets! I too, did my time in the military having served a combat tour myself over in Iraq, and I’ll tell you what Mr. McFar-lame…come down to my VFW post and crack your jokes about any of our great past generations of veterans. Or better yet, if you truly have a set of cajones, take your punk ass up to the VA Hospital and show off your bulls*** to the Vietnam vets, or and other number of vets your despicable display of utter contempt for those who served.

I guarantee you wouldn’t last five minutes after we got our hands on you and had a little ‘wall-to-wall’ counseling session with you, to explain the errors of your ways. Can anyone say pitchforks?…torches?…tar-and-feathering? Mawaahahahahaaaaaaa!!!!!"

"As a proud Veteran — and of that era — I can’t quite make up my mind whether the man should be hanged by his testicles until dead or pitied for his ignorance and insults of the highest order.

Right now I’m leaning toward the former."

"If Seth had the stones to act that scene out at my local VFW and then stick around for the feedback, I'd give him some respect.

"I'd like to see the Family Guy cast part of one of those "punked" shows where the whole cast thinks they're getting an award and the limo pulls up to a VFW.

The inside of that limo would smell like a public restroom."

Wow. Well, what can I say? There you have it folks! Remember the one veiled threat to Comedy Central about South Park? Seems rather tame now, no?