Actual posting at my work

The company I work for has an electronic bulletin board where people can sell stuff, advertise fundraisers, etc. One of today's postings:

My wife is sewing disabled and needs a pair of pants hemmed for my son . Willing to pay. Any help from someone would be greatly appreciated.

WTF!!! His wife is sewing disabled and his wife needs a pair of pants hemmed for his son. Is he sewing disabled also? Would he like his son's pants to get hemmed? I guess it doesn't matter here, since clearly clothing his son is the responsibility of his wife.

This post isn't even that offensive, it just shows how gender roles get reinforced by the everyday little jokes that occur.

Wiiiiiiii!

OK so I haven't been doing a great job of posting on a regular basis. I'll admit it.

I bought a Nintendo Wii on the weekend and it is so fun!! The Wii Sports game that comes with it is also really fun. My arms and shoulders are sore from playing tennis and boxing. I decided it is the perfect way to get some exercise, and that completely justifies the purchase.

Of course, now our tv is too small and we need to rearrange everything so we have room to swing our arms around while playing. Hmmm, anything that gives us incentive to get things done may be a good thing! This will force a cleanup. Yay! Nintendo Wii is a good thing anyway you look at it!

Eeny Meeny Miny Moe...

Here's a headline for you:

"Contestants to vie for kidney transplant on controversial Dutch reality TV show"

It just seems so wrong. People shouldn't have to compete for life-saving procedures.

A Dutch reality show that claims to be trying to draw attention to a shortage of organ donors said Tuesday it would go ahead with a program in which a terminally ill woman will choose a contestant to receive one of her kidneys.

The program, "Big Donor Show," has been attacked as unethical and tasteless. One member of the Dutch parliament suggested the government should block Friday's broadcast.

"We know that this program is super controversial and some people will think it's tasteless, but we think the reality is even more shocking and tasteless: waiting for an organ is just like playing the lottery," Laurens Drillich, chairman of the BNN network, said in a statement.

He said waiting lists in the Netherlands are more than four years long and 200 patients die annually for lack of a donor.

The network identified the donor as "Lisa," a 37-year-old woman with an inoperable brain tumour. During the show, she will hear interviews with the three candidates, their families and friends before choosing who will get her kidney.

I understand that reality shows are not all "real". There has to be some scripting to ensure controversy, or who would watch? But this is crazy! Who wants to decide who gets to live and who dies? I know I would never want to be in the position of deciding.

That said, the shows producers raise some good points in that it is raising awareness for organ donation. The Dutch Education Minister Ronald Plasterk, addressed parliament basically saying they could not censure the show, as much as they might like to. Also:

Noting the shortage of donors, he said it was a good time for a debate on the question of what incentives to donate are ethical.

He cited the example of a Dutch funeral home that is offering discounts to the families of people who were registered as donors, and an idea presented by the country's Kidney Institute to give registered donors preference on organ waiting lists.

So let's hear it. What do you think the incentives should be for organ donation?

Have a Beer!

I just want to say have a Moosehead beer:

Steven Poirier, president of New Brunswick-based Moosehead Breweries, says a huge slice of Canada's brewing industry has been swallowed by foreign interests -- mostly U.S. brewing giants.

"Close to 90% of all beer sold in Canada today is controlled by foreign brewers," Poirier says in a speech he will deliver today in Saint John, N.B.

"This is probably the highest percentage in the world."
...
Moosehead, which traces its roots to 1867, is now the largest Canadian-owned brewery. Its products account for about 5.5% of national beer sales.

Poirier says the three fastest growing beer brands in Canada are U.S. brands that have invested millions in advertising and promotional campaigns.

He says Canadian consumers have bought into the U.S. campaigns, which often use Canadian images and themes.

From the Moosehead website:

Availability of our other brands is as follows:

Moose Light – NB, NS, PEI, NL, ON, MB, SK(cans only), AB
Moosehead Pale Ale – AB, ON, NB, NS, PEI
Moosehead Premium Dry – NB, NS, PEI, NFLD
Moosehead Dry Ice – NS, PEI
Alpine Lager - NB, NS, PEI, AB
Alpine Light – NB, PEI, NS (Wine & private specialty stores and Moosehead Cold Beer Stores only)
Clancy’s Amber Ale – NB, NS, PEI, MB
Cold Filtered Light – NB, PEI, (soon to be NS)

The Future is Upon Us

I've recently been in conversations where people have suggested the next wars will be about water and food. Think about how much of your food is imported from different countries. What would you do if imported food was no longer available? Especially consider the winter.

In Canada we kind of take the water part for granted. Yes we should all work towards conserving water. It is not an infinite resource, but for the most part, Canadians are not dying from lack of clean water. This does not mean we don't have to worry about water wars, it just puts us on the defensive. And it starts now (from Alison at Creekside):

"It's no secret that the U.S. is going to need water. ...

It's no secret that Canada is going to have an overabundance of water.
At the end of the day, there may have to be arrangements."

So says Armand Peschard-Sverdrup, director of the North American Future 2025 Project, which is wrapping up its closed-door two-day conference in Calgary today.

NAF2025 Project is the trilateral spawn of the US thinktank Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Conference Board of Canada, and CIDE, a Mexican policy institute.

Its mandate is implementing the Security and Prosperity Partnership, the deep integration deal signed by Bush, Fox, and Martin in 2005 and further expanded by Bush, Fox, and Harper in 2006.

From an outline of the conference :

"the overriding future goal of North America is to achieve joint optimum utilization of the available water."

Not bad.

'All your water are belong to us' would have been catchier.

Still, the message is unmistakable, isn't it?

Hmm, I'm all for sharing, but the US doesn't have a good track record for sharing nicely. Remember the softwood lumber dispute anyone?

CC from Canadian Cynic weighs in:

Got that? An "overabundance" of water. The implication is clear: somehow, it's just not right. It's just not fair. We have so much while others have so little, so we should work to somehow balance this out because, well, it's the right thing to do.

And if any of my American readers want to take that position, let me give them something to think about:

* Though accounting for only 5 percent of the world's population, Americans consume 26 percent of the world's energy. (American Almanac)

* In 1997, U.S. residents consumed an average of 12,133 kilowatt-hours of electricity each, almost nine times greater than the average for the rest of the world. (Grist Magazine)

Sure, let's talk about fair and balanced, shall we? Tell you what -- we can discuss sharing all that water equally when you folks start consuming energy equally.

Whaddya think? Is that fair? Does that work for you?

But my absolute favourite quote on the issue if from commenter North of 49 at Creekside:

I think it stems from the same mindset that demands to know what all that American oil is doing under the sands of Iraq and Iran.

Friday Random 10

1. Sky Fits Heaven - Madonna
2. Don't Lie - Black Eyed Peas
3. My baby left me - Credence Clearwater Revival
4. De Camino a la Vereda - Buena Vista Social Club
5. It Serves You Right To Suffer - John Lee Hooker
6. The Climb - No Doubt
7. Where Have All The Good People Gone? - Sam Roberts
8. Sparkling Diamonds - Moulin Rouge Cast
9. Going Under - Evanescence
10. Little Acorns - The White Stripes

The White Stripes are coming to an area near me! Yay!! I am so going.

How many squares do you use?

From Yahoo in the odd news section:

Sheryl Crow is suggesting a bottom-up solution to wipe away global warming: limit each trip to the bathroom to one piece of toilet paper, according to a statement on the US rocker's website.
...

"I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting," she explained.

"I think we are an industrious enough people that we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required."

...

Crow's spokesman was not immediately available to elaborate on the singer's proposals.

And today on her website I found:

And by the way guys, the toilet paper thing...it was a JOKE!!

So, the question of the week is: How many squares do you use? Just estimate an average, or count the next time you 'go', whatever.

For my answer, I think probably 15 for a 'number one' and way more than that for those "pesky occasions."

Friday Random 10

1. Get Up - Ciara feat. Chamillionaire
2. Keep It Comin' - House Of Pain
3. Hey Baby - No Doubt
4. Queen Of The Highway - The Doors
5. Don't Leave Me Now - Pink Floyd
6. World Go 'Round - No Doubt
7. Youth Of The Nation - P.O.D.
8. To The Rescue - Danny Elfman - The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack
9. Nightrain - Guns N' Roses
10. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes

Busy week - slow blogging. All the news is depressing anyways. Canadian soldiers are dying, some of them younger then my baby brother. Doctor's in the US are forbidden by law to perform life-saving medical procedures for women. The media and others are using the Virginia tech massacre as an excuse to make more money or further their pet projects. I don't have much to add. I hope the sun comes out soon.

Obesity Gene

Here's one blogger's take on the new study that found a "fat gene".

the instructions remain the same: “eat less and exercise more”–less and more, respectively, than your naturally thin friend needs to–because it’s still your responsibility to look like naturally thin people. WTF?
...
This article seems to be working very hard to say, “Don’t think this is any excuse, fatties! You still need to burn those pounds off!” instead of, “Everyone would benefit from eating healthy foods and exercising, regardless of whether they lose weight.”

She has some great points about the "fat is gross" viewpoint versus concern for health. Go check it out.

New Brunswick Abortion Rights

Fortunately, I haven't had to make the decision about whether abortion would be the right option for me. I have thought about abortion enough to know that every person should have the right to choose whether to carry a child inside their body or not. I believe this is a private, personal, medical issue. I don't believe the embryo is a life. It has the potential for life, but please don't make me talk about how sex is not always for procreation (What happens to the potential for life in the case of a blowjob?)

In Canada, necessary medical procedures are paid for by medicare. So my taxes pay for medical procedures of all types for all people and I don't get to decide if those people are worthy of those procedures, or what procedures should be covered. What makes people think abortion is the exception to this? Get your face out of others private, personal, medical decisions!

Here's how abortion is handled in New Brunswick. The following is excerpted from CBC [bolds mine]:

A law professor at the University of New Brunswick says it's almost impossible for women in the province to receive a medicare-funded abortion under current legislation, and that could be easily changed.

Jula Hughes, who participated in the Silent No More: Speak Out For Choice panel discussion at UNB Fredericton Wednesday evening, said the process New Brunswick women must go through to get an abortion takes too long.
...
Right now, the New Brunswick government doesn't pay for abortions past the 12th week of pregnancy. Hughes said meeting the criteria to qualify, and then getting an appointment, usually takes several weeks.
...
Abortion is the only medical procedure in New Brunswick that requires a second opinion before it can be performed, she said.
...
Because there are only two doctors in the province who perform abortions, women who get the two approvals wait another four to six weeks for the actual operation, said Hughes, who noted a lot of women don't discover their unwanted pregnancies until around the sixth week.

Hughes said changes could easily be made to a provincial regulation to reduce wait times for women.

"Specifically, we need to get rid of the schedule that makes abortions non-funded except in those very limited circumstances," she said, referring to Schedule 2(a.1) of Regulation 84-20 of the Medical Services Payment Act.

The two-doctor certification and the limitation on where government-funded abortions can be performed are stipulated in the schedule.

Hughes said the changes to the act could be made through caucus, without going through the legislature.

"It could be done by next Thursday, if the politicians were so inclined."

So, this medical procedure is only available for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, most people don't know they're pregnant until the 6th week, then they have to get 2 doctor's approvals (can you say waiting times? It can take 4 weeks to get in and see the doctor, if you even have one. If you don't have a doctor, and you don't have an emergency, you're screwed) and then wait for 1 of the 2 doctor's who can perform the procedure to have time to fit you in. I don't see how it's possible to get it done before 12 weeks! Talk about setting up the system for failure.

There is another option - "Women can also go to a private abortion clinic in Fredericton and pay up to $750 for the procedure." There's a good chance most people don't have this kind of money sitting around under the mattress. Of course, this also brings up the two-tier health-care system, where rich people pay for health-care and poor people die waiting, but that's not the topic of this post. The point is that the people who need this procedure are most likely unable to access it, and unable to change the system. Who is looking out for the teenagers, the abused, the homeless, the students who are the future generation? It is up to the middle-class people with the fairly cushy jobs to ensure that the system works for everyone. I don't want my rights to be slowly eroded, starting with the people who aren't heard. I want my society to look after our children, our disabled and our sick.

When I read this, I thought "here's a way I can make a difference. I'm going to call someone." Next I thought "Who do I call?" This brings to light that I really don't know much about how our provincial government works. Caucus and legislature? Huh??? So, you can start looking forward to elementary school level overviews of our government system.


Note: I used the words people and person throughout this post instead of women and woman on purpose. It was a little weird at first but guess what! Women are people!

Friday Random 10

1. Is This Me? - Coolio
2. Dance With You - Live
3. Tell All The People - The Doors
4. Interlude - Jay-Z
5. I Can't Quit You Baby - Led Zeppelin
6. I Got Money Now - Pink
7. All You Want - Dido
8. Spider Web - Joan Osbourne
9. Hyacinth House - The Doors
10. Goodbye Cruel World - Pink Floyd

There always seems to be a lot of Doors songs on my Friday Random 10 lists. I gotta say though that Tell All The People is at the bottom of my favourites list.

Phone Company Deregulation

Hmm, I can't wait to see how this turns out:

Phone companies flood CRTC with deregulation filings

....

Aliant filed for deregulation of markets in the Halifax area.

The flood of applications followed the announcement April 4 by Industry Minister Maxime Bernier that he would open competition in local phone markets where there are at least three different carriers in operation, including cellphone providers.

That overruled a CRTC policy that said the existing phone companies would continue to face restrictions in the local phone market unless their competitors had a 25 per cent share of the market.

Bernier said the new policy, which takes effect April 18, would lead to more choice for consumers and lower prices.

That's certainly what the incumbent phone companies were saying Thursday.

"Local service deregulation in Vancouver and Edmonton will bring the full benefits of competition to these cities," said Telus executive vice-president Janet Yale in a statement.

Aliant said its customers "will experience the full benefits of competition, with greater value through increased choice and flexible offers that can be delivered in a more timely manner."

No really, I can't wait to experience greater value and flexible offers from Aliant. Of course, I don't live in Halifax so I guess this doesn't really apply to me. I just want to reiterate how much I think we are getting shafted by the phone companies.

Ramble's Favourite Store

This one's for Ramble. The Consumerist has posts categorized with a Walmart label. Here's a few tidbits to get you started:

Over a week since a national pet food recall involving over 80 name brands, recalled pet food can still be found on Walmart shelves. The pet food has been linked to several pet deaths, and can cause kidney failure.

Walmart refuses to address the plight of Jason Page, whose hand is paralyzed after a bite from a 1.5 foot-long pygmy rattlesnake. Page is the seventh known victim to suffer a snake bite at a Walmart.

12 weeks after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite initial promises to do so within days.

Here's the real deal on why there was Japaneses cartoon porn on Walmart.com, much of it of the homosexual male, or, as its known to connoisseurs,"yaoi" variety.

Seal Hunt Rant

I want to respond to a comment I received on my Newfoundland post. Here's the entire comment:

Anonymous said...

It's too bad that Canada still allows the annual clubbing of baby seals for their fur. The Humane Society of the U.S. and Humane Society International is currently in Newfoundland to report on this cruel hunt.

www.protectseals.org

~Tyler

April 2, 2007 11:33 AM

The seal hunt is highly regulated and monitored by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. It does not allow clubbing of baby seals. It allows killing seals that have lost their 'whitecoat" (baby fur), which happens at about 14 days. Most seals are killed when they are 25 days to 3 months old.

And I have to disagree with the words "cruel hunt". What makes this hunt cruel, as opposed to other (deer, moose, duck, pheasant) hunting? Beef and chicken slaughterhouses? Fishing and allowing the fish to suffocate to death? Humans hunt and kill all kinds of animals for food and for the fur. I just love it when people call hunting cruel and then go to the grocery store to buy meat that is all sanitarily wrapped in white and clear plastic with a pad absorbing all the blood, so it doesn't look too gory. Where do they think that meat is coming from? I hope they never end up in a situation where they need to obtain their own food. Even the idiots on Survivor can kill rats and fish. I guess hunger is a good teacher.

The animal rights groups use pictures that are inflammatory, even if they know those pictures are misleading. For instance you will often see pictures of whitecoat seals being killed. This has been illegal since 1987. The International Fund for Animal Welfare released a video that shows extreme cruelty during the 1996 sealing season. The methods on the video are illegal and charges were laid in that case. Here's a link to a pdf the International Fund for Animal Welfare has produced, if you'd like to see the opposing view. Be warned, it contains cute white baby seals, and carcasses of seals that have been skinned. http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/dimages/custom/2_Publications/Seals/sealsandsealing2005.pdf

The Fisheries and Oceans Canada website has some good info. The following is an excerpt:

Myth #1: The Canadian government allows sealers to kill whitecoat seals.

Reality: The image of the whitecoat harp seal is used prominently by seal hunt opponents. This image gives the false impression that vulnerable seal pups are targeted by sealers during the commercial hunt.

The hunting of harp seal pups (whitecoats) and hooded seal pups (bluebacks) is illegal – and has been since 1987. Marine Mammal Regulations prohibit the trade, sale or barter of the fur of these pups. The seals that are hunted are self-reliant, independent animals.

---

Myth #2: Seals are being skinned alive.

Reality: A 2002 independent veterinarians’ report published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal and numerous reports mentioned by the Malouf Commission (1987) indicate that this is not true.

Sometimes a seal may appear to be moving after it has been killed; however seals have a swimming reflex that is active – even after death. This reflex gives the false impression that the animal is still alive when it is clearly dead – similar to the reflex in chickens.

---

Myth #3: The club – or hakapik – is a barbaric and inhumane tool that has no place in today’s world.

Reality: Hunting methods were studied by the Royal Commission on Seals and Sealing in Canada and it found that the clubbing of seals, when properly performed, is at least as humane as, and often more humane than, the killing methods used in commercial slaughterhouses, which are accepted by the majority of the public.

A 2002 report published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal found that the club or hakapik is an efficient tool designed to kill the animal quickly and humanely.

Sealers in the Magdalen Islands (Gulf of St. Lawrence) and on Quebec's Lower North Shore, where about 25% of the hunt occurs, use both rifles and hakapiks while sealers on the ice floes on the Front (in the waters east of Newfoundland), where 75% of the hunt occurs, primarily use rifles.

---

Myth #4: The Canadian government is allowing sealers to kill thousands of seals to help with the recovery of cod stocks.

Reality: Several factors have contributed to the lack of recovery of Atlantic cod stocks, such as fishing effort, poor growth and physical condition of the fish, and environmental changes.

In addition, there are many uncertainties in the estimates of the amount of fish consumed by seals. The commercial quota is established on sound conservation principles, not an attempt to assist in the recovery of groundfish stocks.

---

Myth #5: The hunt is unsustainable and is endangering the harp seal population.

Reality: Since the 1960s, environmental groups have been saying the seal hunt is unsustainable. In fact, the harp seal population is healthy and abundant. A 2004 survey estimated the Northwest Atlantic harp seal population at approximately 5.8 million animals, nearly triple what it was in the 1970s.

DFO sets quotas at levels that ensure the health and abundance of seal herds. In no way are seals - and harp seals in particular – an “endangered species”.

Friday Random 10 - alot late

1. Oogie Boogie's Song - Danny Elfman - The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack
2. What Would U Do - Tha Dogg Pound - Natural Born Killers soundtrack
3. Something To Say - George Michael
4. El Cuarto de Tula - Buena Vista Social Club
5. Dolphin's Cry - Live
6. Crawling King Snake - The Doors
7. What's New - Chris Botti
8. See Right Through Me - Mobile
9. The Rock Show - Blink-182
10. Mr. Vain - Culture Beat

WTF?! - Texas Edition

Actual headline at Yahoo "Blind hunters in Texas to use laser sights".

Hunting with any type of light was previously forbidden in Texas but there have never been any restrictions on giving hunting licenses to the blind.

The story goes on to say that the blind hunter must be accompanied by a sighted hunter. I just have something against blind people with guns. I'm sure it must be terrible to be losing your sight and having to give up a hobby/sport that you love, but I can't see how that justifies the danger here. We take away the driving licenses of blind people, don't we?

Then and Now - WTF?!

I saw the TMNT movie yesterday. My brother and I were big fans when we were kids so we went together. The artistic style/animation was really good. The characters were good. Story was kind of weak. Overall, not a bad movie. But something in it did really bother me.

Here's April O'Neil then:

and now:











I'm pretty sure her arms are too skinny to lift that sword, not to mention her bust/waist ratio.

It reminds me of another makeover. Here's Strawberry Shortcake then:


and now:












Not quite as bad, I guess.

Transportation to Newfoundland

This would be so cool:

A St. John's MP persuaded fellow parliamentarians to support consideration of a
fixed link that would connect northern Newfoundland to the Canadian
mainland.
"I think it would be good for national unity as well," St. John's
East MP Norm Doyle told the House of Commons during a Tuesday night debate.

Of course they are thinking of the economic reasons, but I'm thinking of the touristy reasons.

Last summer I traveled to Newfoundland for the first time and it was awesome. Thankfully I slept through the 6-7 hour ferry trip. We camped in Gros Morne National park and it was beautiful. So much wildlife and the scenery was amazing. Would you like to see some pictures? Here ya go:


















And, of course, the requisite moose and beaver:

Friday's Random 10

1. Serious - Gwen Stefani
2. Scram - DJ Jazzy Jeff feat. Freddie Foxxx
3. Addicted - Linkin Park
4. Stoned - Dido
5. Sex is Violent - Jane's Addiction and Diamanda Galas
6. Dear Mr. President - Pink
7. Lump - The Presidents of The United States of America
8. Dos Gardenias - Buena Vista Social Club
9. Dolly Dagger - Jimi Hendrix
10. Anthem - Gabriel Yared (Cold Mountain Soundtrack)
    

The High Cost of Laziness

Here's a post from Echidne that really makes me mad:

Do you remember the big fuss the media made over the 1999 study by Kawachi and others which found that greater gender equality appeared to be correlated with better health for both sexes in the United States? How about the even bigger media fuss caused by the 2005 study by Chen and others which found that gender equality appeared to be correlated with better mental health for women? And surely you remember the excitement in the media last year when we all learned about the Swedish study which showed that both men and women have better health when roles are shared more equally at home?

You don't recall? Neither do I, because there was no such fuss at all. Studies with those findings are not mentioned in the popular media at all or only fleetingly. But when a Swedish study in 2007 suggests that greater gender equality leads to less health for both sexes, what happens? You guessed it. The media is on the study right away:

Warning: feminism is bad for your health

By Roger Dobson Published: 25 March 2007

I am, in fact, quite lazy. I want my information spoon fed to me. Nice succinct headlines are nice. The problem is that when I rely on headlines and news media I am not getting all the information. I am getting whatever they feel like spoon feeding me that day. I am willingly letting them have a major say in any of my decisions and thoughts, because I base my decisions and thoughts on the info available to me.

If we are interested in knowledge and truthiness, we must make an effort to dig for all the relevant information. I know this sounds like hard work. Perhaps, when we make the effort to feed ourselves, we can choose to eat something other than baby-food.

A Quote

From my favourite book ever, The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee. This is not my favourite part, just kind of a random part that I thought was funny.

"I'm not coming to get you, do you understand? Go down to the taxi-park. Get a cab and come here. If you're not here in ten minutes I'll worry. Jane?"

"Yes?"

"Can you do it?"

"Clovis! Oh, Clovis, black water's coming out of my eyes!"

"Your mascara is running."

"Oh - yes. I forgot I had any on." I laughed.

"Pull yourself together and get a taxi," he said.

Frustration - not dealing with it

Well, I spent all my time last weekend searching for a specific paragraph in a book, because I wanted to post my favourite Tanith Lee excerpt. Unfortunately, I couldn't find that paragraph, which made me so frustrated I haven't posted anything. But I have been thinking about posts.

I have a few things to take care of at home tonight, then I should be back on track. I may settle for an excerpt that is not my favouritist evuh.

Friday Random 10

1. Not Too Late - Norah Jones
2. I Like the Way - Bodyrockers
3. Cold Hard Bitch - JET
4. Army Ants - The Tea Party
5. They Don't Want Music - Black Eyed Peas
6. Stupid Girls - Pink
7. See You When You're 40 - Dido
8. In The Flesh - Pink Floyd
9. Let There Be Love - Chris Botti feat. Michael Buble
10. Simple Kind Of Life - No Doubt
    

Global Warming - do you believe?

A headline from CBC states "Almost 4 out of 5 Canadians believe in global warming: poll".

...
In Alberta, 69 per cent of respondents said they believed in global warming, while in Quebec, the number soared to 83 per cent.
...
The online survey of about 3,600 people found many Canadians — 30 per cent — believed global warming was the top issue for politicians to address, almost as many as the 31 per cent of Canadians who put health care as the top priority.
...
Only 12 per cent of those surveyed viewed global warming as "junk science" and only two per cent believed global warming isn't happening at all.

This headline caught my eye because it makes global warming sound like a religion, 4 out 5 believe in global warming. I don't think global warming is a matter of faith. Either the ozone layer has a hole in it, or it doesn't. Either the ice caps are melting faster, or they're not.

Fortunately, we can measure these things. We don't have to just pick a random opinion to believe in.

Update:
Also found this at the CBC [bolds mine]:

While former U.S. vice-president Al Gore was in Washington on Wednesday, speaking about the need for action on world climate change, one of his disciples was in Saint John spreading the same message to high school students.

Peter Corbyn, a Fredericton-based professional engineer who was the only Atlantic Canadian out of 500 people trained by Gore as a "Global Warming Messenger," told students at St. Malachy's High School "we dump about 25 million tonnes a day of carbon dioxide into the oceans."

Disciples!?!

Congrats to Peter Corbyn for "spreading the word" in our corner of the world.

What do fashion ads tell us?

Some designer has chosen 12 year old Dakota Fanning to model his latest women's line. A few people have blogged about it, some here, here and here. They have done a god job of covering the whole 'sexualization of a child thing' so I'll just excerpt Reverse Paranoia:

...while society doesn’t condone pedophilia in practice, media mavens the world around would nevertheless like the idea of fucking a child to get the Masturbation Pedestal Treatment. Specifically, a girl child, since I haven’t seen anyone try to sell women on the idea of rubbing one out to the vapid image of a pre-pubescent boy in tailor-made Versace pants.
...
But conflating the womanly ideal of beauty with actual childhood is something else. Ads are meant to evoke desire: desire to be, or to be with, depending on the viewer. The object of desire, in this case, is a little girl.
...
Thumbsucking, after all, is only 4,764 steps removed from cocksucking. Which is what us women girls do best.

Strong words. I wanted to see the pic's for myself before forming an opinion, and found them here. Yeah, they're bit weird. What I can't figure out is why I would want to buy some clothes that I see on a 12-year-old.

In the bigger picture, what is the purpose of models? Cat Lady from Reverse Paranoia says "to evoke the desire to be". I agree, but in my mind I phrase it as "I will look like and be like that person if I buy this product." So models should be people we want to look like or be like. I like Dakota. I think she's a good actress. But I do not want to look like a 12-year-old, or be like a 12-year-old. I am a bit upset about being 31, but I would settle for 27 :)

When I look in fashion magazines lately (it doesn't happen too often), I see creepy starving girls, with sunken eyes. What the hell is with heroin chic? I understand goth, but I don't want to be starving, or drug addicted. I'm not sure how these ads are supposed to inspire me to buy the clothes they are selling.

Maybe if I'm skinny with a drug addiction I won't need to worry about paying the bills, or going to work, or what to feed the kids for supper, or how to lose 30 pounds. I guess that sounds attractive. If I'm hopeless and helpless and skinny, I can find some man to take care of me (and own me and use me up and throw me out.)

No, I'm pretty sure I want to buy clothes that will look good on my 31-year-old body.

Funny!

This open letter at McSweeney's is hilarious! Here's an excerpt:

I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core™ or Dri-Weave™ absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.
....
Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period."

Are you fucking kidding me?

tee hee hee. Go read it all.

We Still Have Work To Do

Just in case there is anyone out there who thinks we shouldn't be working for change for the equality of women:

In Canada, "women represent almost half the labour force, own 800,000 companies that contribute more than $18 billion to the economy. Women are responsible for 80% of all household consumption decisions, they contribute more than 50% of tax revenues, retirement savings plans and a variety of mutual funds, they make up half of all the graduates in law, administration, and accounting. More than twice as many women as men are in university. We have the most women entrepreneurs per capita in the industrialized world
(Financial Women's Association of Quebec)."

What proportion of women sit in the House of Commons where important decisions are made directly impacting the quality of life for women and their families? The answer is 20.8%.

Is this what equality looks like?

The above was taken from Equal Voice, a website "devoted to the still-bold idea that more women must be elected to every level of government in Canada." I would also recommend reading their talking points.

I'm not suggesting we all need to run out and sign up to run for office, although I do believe more women should be thinking about it. I would like it if we could all agree (men and women) that gender inequality exists, and that we should all (men and women) be working to change it.

When I talk about change, I think everyone can do something. It doesn't have to be a large change. For me, I'll be starting by calling people on it when they say something sexist. Sexism is so ingrained in our society, and so taken for granted, that we often don't recognise it. We all need to be on our toes about our personal comments and actions. And when someone says something that is obviously sexist, even when it's the status quo, I'll be questioning them. "Do you really feel that way?" I don't intend to be bitchy about it. It's possible they haven't really thought about the implications of what they are saying. It's very easy to just let these comments pass, because I don't like arguing with people, but from now on, nobody gets a free pass.

In what other small ways can we combat gender inequality? or medium or large :)

Gun Registry

A CBC article about the Dawson College shootings last year has some of the victims calling to keep the federal gun registry:

On Sept. 13, Kimveer Gill, a death-obsessed gun club member, burst into the college with three firearms, including a Beretta Cx4 Storm semi-automatic carbine, and opened fire.

An 18-year-old business student, Anastasia De Sousa, was killed and 19 others were wounded before Gill, whose weapons were legally registered, shot himself.

(bolds mine)

One of the victims (Hayder Kadhim) is quoted:

"Back in the spring, they [the Conservative party] argued that the gun registry was useless because criminals don't buy their guns legally. Now the Harper government argues that the registry is ineffective because the shooter's firearms were totally legal. There's an obvious contradiction in their arguments.

"I don't understand why the Conservative government wants to dismantle the gun registry, which costs next to nothing to maintain.

Umm, the shooter's firearms were registered and he shot people. Some other murders are committed with unregistered guns. Either way, the registry does not help solve the problem.

And it "costs next to nothing to maintain"? Come on, this is the government we're talking about. In my opinion, the registry is a huge waste of money already. Let's not keep pouring money into it.

I do feel for the victims and their families, who have to recover from this horrific incident. How about calling for more police services and more mental health services, so we can actually prevent some crime?

It's not guns who kill people, it's people who kill people.

Friday Random 10 - a bit early

Posting this a day early because I'm going to Halifax to watch the CIS basketball tourney. For live updates of the games see the CIS website.

1. Superstar - Sheryl Crow
2. Super Sex Swirl ?
3. Life - Artists for War Child
4. Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
5. I Don't Love You - My Chemical Romance
6. Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd
7. Nobody Knows - Pink
8. Psychopomp - The Tea Party
9. Walk Idiot Walk - The Hives
10. New - No Doubt
    

My New Library

Just when I thought we were done with the library, I discover I have more books then bookshelves. So I was back at Canadian Tire tonight to pick up another bookcase. This should be it! Here's my before and after pics.

The before pic on the left shows the white stripe where the chair rail used to be, the white stripe near the ceiling where it used to have a baby Mickey border, but it doesn't quite portray the blinding brightness of the yellow.


The after pic on the right shows the new "creamy orange" colour, the new lamps and the new bookcases. I'm a happy camper right now.

More Cellphone Service Rant

Looks like when the CBC says "most Canadians", they really mean people who live in the big provinces with money (from the CRTC, bolds mine ):

By March 14, 2007 Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and the mobility division of TELUS Communications Inc. will be required to provide WNP to their customers in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Québec. This means that customers in any of these provinces will be able to switch to any service provider in that province (wireline or wireless) and keep their phone number.

Throughout Canada, all wireless carriers will, by the same date, be required to release a phone number to another carrier (port-out customers) and by no later than September 12, 2007, to accept a phone number from another carrier (port-in customers).

Looks like us poor folk in Atlantic Canada are just chopped liver.

Cellphone Service Providers

Over at CBC we learn that we can now keep our cell phone number when switching carriers.

When most Canadians wake up on March 14, they'll be able to do something that at least some of them have been longing for: give their cellphone service provider the boot — without changing their phone numbers.

On that day, major wireless telecommunications carriers across the country will flip the switch on wireless number portability (WNP), which will allow cellphone users to do something that has been possible with traditional land lines for years.

What's more, number portability will extend across the wired-wireless divide. It will be possible to move a cellphone number to a fixed-line phone, or vice versa.

Wow. This actually is something I've been longing for. But I think there is also another problem and it's something that makes me really angry. In order to get a new cellphone for free (or discounted), you have to be a new customer. This means that the company you have been paying for 3 years (because of your contract) does not really value your business anymore. They had you hooked because most people don't want to change their phone number. New customers get a free phone, but loyal customers do not. Oh, Aliant (Bell) will let you have an "upgrade" credit, but it does not cover the price of a phone.

For the last 10 years, I have been switching service providers whenever my contract is up, meaning that my number changed every 2-3 years. This is a real pain in the ass. I wonder what the phone companies will be doing now to screw us over... Oh the article also mentions this:

"That's why you're starting to see Bell-to-Bell and Rogers-to-Rogers calling packages," Wong said.

There ya go.

Awesome Used-Book Store

Just want to give a shout-out to the Seaside Book and Stamp used bookstore that I visited while in Halifax (actually the store is in Dartmouth). This store carries only science-fiction/fantasy second-hand books, so it's the best place for me to shop. I don't have to wade through the romance novels and other fluff to get to the ones I'm interested in. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Visit them online if you are not in the area.

They also have a huge stamp selection. ( Not the kind for scrapbooking, the postage stamp collecting kind ). Whenever I go in there are 3 or 4 people sitting at the tables looking at stamps, or cataloging them, or something. I'm just not sure what you do with stamps all day long.

Friday Random 10 - a little late

Hi guys. Sorry for not posting for a few days, but I've been working on my new library!!! Also, went to Halifax to watch my brother play in the AUS Basketball Championships. They placed second and will be playing in the nationals next weekend!!!

1. I Looked At You - The Doors
2. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - The Beatles
3. Damned For All Time-Blood Money - Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack
4. Walk Right In - Rooftop Singers - Forrest Gump soundtrack
5. Waiting For The Sun - The Doors
6. On The Road Again - Willie Nelson - Forrest Gump soundtrack
7. Smashing Young Man - Collective Soul
8. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill - The Beatles
9. Stupify - Disturbed
10. Hey Baby - No Doubt

I'll be posting pics of the new library soon, but right now I need to go buy another bookcase!

My First Love

I love books. I love reading. I have as far back as I can remember. I always had a bedtime story read to me. After that, my mom starting me on the Nancy Drew books. We read the first 2 together, but after that there was no stopping me. Mom bought me every single Nancy Drew book (Thanks Mom). My babysitters now joke I was an angel to sit because I was really quiet after going to bed, until they discovered I had a flashlight under the covers, reading a book.

I went to a very small school in elementary. We had one stand of books we could borrow from. After I had read them all, the teacher asked for funding for more books.

Books were always sacred for me. I never, ever bent the corners to mark my place. I didn't get them wet, or dirty. I didn't lose them. Each book held a story, an alternate universe, and characters, people with feelings and fears. They deserved to be treated with care.

It's just now that I'm starting to understand. When I'm reading about another time, another place, I can forget my life for a moment. I can slip into the fantasy world, and my problems and hurt feelings and frustration and anger and disappointments are put aside, at least for awhile.

Sometime in junior high I stumbled onto my first Tanith Lee book, I think it was "East of Midnight". It had sheep with fangs on the back cover. I haven't read it since, but I remember it as melancholy and meandering. I totally loved it. I think that's what started me on fantasy and science fiction books. The normal rules don't apply. Sheep can have fangs.

Tanith Lee has been my favourite author ever since. My absolute favourite book is "The Silver Metal Lover." It is the saddest story, and that is why I love it. Life does not always have happy endings, so why should the stories and characters I read about have happy endings?

Well, I am going to go read my bedtime story and go to sleep now...

Friday Random 10

1. Hello May Lou - Credence Clearwater Revival
2. Time to Build - The Beastie Boys
3. Children of the Revolution - Moulin Rouge soundtrack
4. Born Bad - Natural Born Killers soundtrack
5. Pagan Baby - Credence Clearwater Revival
6. Anxiety - Black Eyed Peas
7. All You Need is Love - The Beatles
8. Lumina - Joan Osborne
9. Proud Mary - Credence Clearwater Revival (again!?!)
10. The End. - My Chemical Romance
    

International Polar Year

It's International Polar Year! A year for conducting scientific research at both poles. Did you know this happens every 50 years?

This pic is of the Elephant Foot Glacier. Is that a cool name or what? Check out the IPY website for more very cool pics.

Ultra-violence in Halifax

Halifax is "the big city" in Atlantic Canada, and I have a brother who lives there. He personally knows people who have been "swarmed", very nice people who've had to spend time in the hospital recovering. It's just too reminiscent of "A Clockwork Orange" for a region that is supposed to have the friendliest people.

The CBC is doing an indepth series on crime in the Halifax region. It could be interesting. Here's an excerpt from the comments:

Halifax is a violent city and it is simply not safe to be in certain areas of downtown at night. I lived in Montreal for 12 years and visit there frequently and never felt the fear you sense here at night. The disturbing thing here is the random nature of the violence; this is not gangs attacking gangs but rather groups of hooligans attacking innocent people randomly because they may happen to walk in front of the City Library after 10:00 PM.

Passports

I've been hearing people complaining about having to get a passport to travel to the US. Even the government seems to think it will be bad for trade:

Canadian officials continue to press for a reprieve from the original January 2008 implementation date, but U.S. Homeland Security and State Department officials want to bring the rule into effect sooner rather than later.

I think people should stop whining and get a friggin' passport. The US is a different country with different laws. It has become increasingly dangerous for Canadians to travel there, risking imprisonment (even for Canadian children) and deportation and torture. Yes it is good to have a good relationship with your neighbours but "good fences make good neighbours".

Canada is an amazing country and I would rather vacation (and spend my money) here.

Congrats to NB Power!

NB Power has announced a plan to buy power from an Alberta company that has promised to build New Brunswick's first wind farm on the Kent Hills in Albert County.

It may be a small, slow step but at least it's a start.

Smile - You're on Candid Camera

Amanda at Pandagon writes about a study about how smiling may indicate social status and women smile more then men and are expected to be smiling all the time.

Specifically, lower status individuals appear to smile more than higher status individuals.

This is an interesting thought that hadn't occurred to me before. I smile alot. I thought I was just being friendly.

I am always smiling at customer service people in an attempt to get better service (some bank tellers can be so uppity), following the old "You get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar". Of course I'm not trying to attract flies but anyhoo. What peeves me is that I have to smile to get pleasant service, or to accomplish what I need to do.

Another example of this is at work. I am in Application Development (IT, programming, whatever you want to call it). In the company I work for, the application developers rely on other technical teams for stuff like test environments, database administration, networking, storage etc etc. My female coworkers have discussed how much easier it is to get services from those teams if you bring cookies, or some other treat, in order to get the work you need done. I have to bring these guys (almost all of them men) presents and make nice for 15 minutes before carefully convincing them my request is valid. I'm wondering if my male collegues need to go to these lengths to get their requests completed. I doubt it. I can't see them bringing treats to other men.

To be fair, I have to consider that technical service teams are notorious for having a 'god-complex' becaue they have the secret passwords to control the hardware, and I have seen that attitude towards male developers as well.

She also writes:

In recent years, I’ve discovered that if I stifle the urge to smile all the time at people, I get more respect. I highly suggest to women experimenting with this themselves.

I am definitely going to try this out. Also consider how you react to people who are smiling vs. with neutral expressions.

Jello Shots!

Via feministe we find an awesome site, which tells us how to make the perfect jello shot. The last time I made jello shots was for our annual Hallowe'en party in 2003 when the theme was Pirates. Excellent costumes and excellent party. Not so excellent jello shots. I think they were a bit too chewy. But hey, we ate them anyway :)

I'll will try to upload a party pic later on...

No means...

From Yahoo we read about a t-shirt at Bluenotes that reads "No means have aNOther drink" that is being pulled from stores after complaints from anti-violence groups.

What's weird about this is I remember seeing that t-shirt at the store and having 2 simultaneous thoughts: "ha-ha, that's a funny play on words" and "hmm, it's not funny to joke about a serious subject like rape. This shirt could encourage someone to take a 'No' less then seriously."

I'm a bit confused about which thought disturbs me more. I normally would recommend free speech regardless of how offensive the speech is. But does this message teach young boys/men that this concept is ok? Then again, we shouldn't rely on t-shirt logos to educate our children on serious subjects.

I'm not sure where to draw the line. I do know that I like this idea:

The retailer is proposing to create a line of T-shirts in collaboration with the Canadian Federation of Students and donate a portion of the proceeds to the federation.

What are your thoughts?

A Little Batty

Well, I forgot to google the name of my blog before creating it, to see what else was out there. But today it led me to the coolest artwork here. The artist is Jasmine Becket-Griffith and you should go check out her fairy, gothic and fantasy artwork. All her fairies look you directly in the eye. I love it!

This is her A Little Batty.

Housework Divided

Check out this post from zuzu at feministe about splitting up the housework.

Tracy Clark-Flory at Broadsheet writes about a BBC report of a study showing that single women who live alone clean less than women who live with a male partner — and that men who live with a female partner clean less than they did when they lived alone.

I believe I have a partner who does more housework then I observe in other relationships and tv,etc. But there are still "discussions" about whether the division of work is equal. It's difficult since I think you also have to take into account the traditionally male tasks such as mowing the lawn, taking the trash out, and painting the deck (of course women are doing these tasks too).

In my case I know for sure the following applies:

I was much neater, at least in common areas, when I had a roommate,

When Ramble is away for weeks at a time I definitely let things pile up, and do a mad cleanup before he comes home.

My first post!

I've been lurking on some very funny and thought-provoking blogs for awhile now and decided to join in the fun with my very own blog!

I'm interested in having some discussions on different topics, so leave some comments if you have an opinion on something I'm writing about.

I have to admit I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. What if I don't have anything interesting to write about? What if I start neglecting the blog, like I have with other endeavors I've started and not finished? I was convinced I could devote myself to learning the guitar, but that only lasted until I worked up the nerve to play in front of my brother and he laughed at me (about 6 months). Talk about a fragile ego! I think I will start working on playing guitar again sometime, now that I have such a gorgeous instrument. Her name is Sabella and she was a gift.

OK, I think I'll have to add a few more posts before I share my blog with my friends!