CBC News: Thieving squirrels par for the course for Edmonton golfers
That's Canadian news. The threat of getting your golf balls "squirrelled". We are an exciting country. But if it were in the States, there would be a War on Squirrels, and they would be detained and questioned, even if they don't even live near the course.
Does your company have a corporate song? If it does, fucking quit.
There's something disturbingly "Dear Leader" about these songs.
Oh my god. There are no words. Except "overrated, obnoxious, annoying, stick-like, ho-bag, sperm-receptacle", of course. [via]
(Article, or letter rather, can't be found online, but this sums it up.)
I want to say that I'm disgusted, that this should never have been allowed to happen. But I don't see the difference between knowing that you can't care for one child (abortion) and knowing that you can care for one, but not three (selective reduction).
The woman in question, Amy, is being villified for not wanting to give up her "upwardly mobile" middle-class life. And why should she? Don't parents have a responsibility to be able to care for their children? Upwardly mobile only means that you have some money in the bank, with the possibility of making more.
The way I see it, it's one child: private school, sane parents; triplets: public school (not that there's anything wrong with that), frazzled parents.
I don't blame this woman. I think she did the right thing for herself and her new family. Abortion is a personal choice, no matter what form it takes. Why isn't anyone getting upset at the 30-something mother of two who knows she doesn't have the financial or emotional wherewithal to care for another child?
Perhaps Amy came off too glib in her letter, but maybe she's still struggling with the choice she made? We don't know. We'll never know until we're faced with the same choice.
UPDATE: I'm not alone.
The twin daughters of Bush had a little chat with the public tonight.
One question: Is there anything you miss since your dad has been elected President?
Answer [excerpt]: Two months after September 11, when our father and our country were dealing with a huge national tragedy, he still found time to throw us a party for our 20th birthday.
Well, ain't that great.
It must be hard to respect a man whose intelligence you surpassed when you entered kindergarten.
This makes me ill.
One, because these girls obviously have no idea how to be truly in demand. It's called mystery. Look into it instead of glorifying yourselves with the 50 most beautiful lists.
Also? They're girls you date, not women you marry. They can have all the aspirations they want, but it'll be a cold day in hell before any of them manages to rise above their station in life.
Silly little girls who create clubs and think that working in politics gives them some kind of edge slay me. They're nothing but glorified secretaries and, at best, will only have affairs with the men they want to marry. [via]
Okay, so from now on I am going to try to be a bit more strict in where I make new entries. My life specifically => The Scrawl. Otherwise => here. We'll see how much this sticks.
I was looking up "useless cheap crap" in Google and I came upon a link that had to do with how Levi's was moving its last jeans production facilities out of the US. There's a subthread that I found to be really informative detailing the travils of finding clothes that fit if you are female, not matronly and not a teenie (Levi's and women's jeans in general). Rose has told me about this problem (hope she writes about it from her perspective), and Liz made a breast-oriented entry about it as well.
Perhaps women are so poorly served in terms of getting affordable and appropriate clothing that fits because they don't have that much purchasing power (but why do 16-year-old girls?) or because they simply accept useless cheap crap like everyone else in everything else. I guess it's another reason to pay more for better, but then again, doesn't that seem like you are being gouged? Ahh, but there is saying: "I can't afford to buy useless cheap crap." Or something like that.
More cheap crap: At ThemeParkAdventure.com, check out the November 30 entry (scroll down) to read about the decline of Disney under Michael Eisner and the scathing letter of resignation of Roy Disney last fall. I'm not a theme park fan, and even less a Disney fan, so I found the thing quite interesting myself. For lovers or haters of Disney, I'd say this is a must-read. For everyone else, read it just to see how badly a CEO can suck.
Oh, yes, why did I want to know about useless, cheap crap? One of the comments here. And I simply like the phrase.
Democrats say Schwarzenegger's 'girlie men' comment sexist and homophobic
"Schwarzenegger said during a rally Saturday that Democrats were delaying the budget by catering to special interests, and that the lawmakers were "girlie men" if they refused to admit it."
I fucking love this. Ahnuld actually used the term "girlie man". I wonder how much he sounded like Hans und Franz. I'd like to find a sound clip. It's funny on different levels.
Critics say that it was a sexist and homophobic comment. One of our sales reps lives in California. She's also female. I asked her what she thought of the comments. She had this to say:
"I'm not sure I like all Democrats, but I do like girlie men, so .... I say anyone who takes offense at this should just get over it. In addition, they lack a serious sense of humor - in fact, he's pretty smart, I think - referring back to his SNL skits while trying to make a point - it makes it more real for the people on the street."
Yes, she likes girlie men. (We have a pet theory around the office that she lured young, unsuspecting men back to her hotel room when she travels and drains the life energy from them, leaving their empty husks to rot in dumpsters. If you saw her, you'd agree.) But I agree with her anyway. Lighten up, you assholes. I'd be more pissed off that he came right out and called me a pussy, essentially, and made himself look better than me in doing so. I think only those special interest groups, and not the people they represent, are the only ones that have a problem with the comments. Calling him sexist and homophobic is not going to help their cause, image or anything (even if it is true).
For kicks, here are the top referrers to Cheeseorgy in the month of June.
| Ranking | Percentage | Search String | Entry |
| 1 | 34.62% | assia weevil | LMM: Assia Weevil |
| 2 | 11.54% | ad nocendum potentes sumus | LMM |
| 3 | 11.54% | ad nocendum potentes sumus. | LMM |
| 4 | 3.85% | ad nocendum sumus | LMM |
| 5 | 3.85% | david holthouse | LMM: Abuse |
| 6 | 3.85% | do you fantasize about black | SEH: Pulp Heads or SEH: The Dangling Carrot |
| 7 | 3.85% | dog humping my leg | LMM: I got nothing |
| 8 | 3.85% | hammy hamster television | SGC: Hammy Hamster's Daddy Dies |
| 9 | 3.85% | hate my breasts | LMM: My clothing sucks |
| 10 | 3.85% | how to massage breasts | SGC: Man Hands |
| 11 | 3.85% | julie staley | SGC: Reagan Defamed |
| 12 | 3.85% | red headed stepchild expression | LMM: I'm a redhead, damnit |
| 13 | 3.85% | site:www.cheeseorgy.net simba | LMM: Simba or LMM: Happier |
| 14 | 3.85% | what does what's your damage heather mean | LMM: What's Your Damage, Heather? |
Now, I think it's clear where the love ISN'T. I haven't heard the expression in a while, and I don't expect to hear it again, right?
Students in Zimbabwe were punished by being given the choice between a caning and suckling the teacher's breasts. Some choice. And more from those crazy Japanese: A boy was told to write an apology in his own blood for sleeping in class. Fucking hardcore. I hate the Japanese.
Lastly in the Excited States, a LiveJournal guy got flipped off by the POTUS. Possibly the coolest thing W has ever done.
Or, a catchy acronym at all costs. Christ. Funny how this system with this name is used for dangerous work that certain people (also known as The Man, collectively) don't want to do. Reminds me of Operation: Human Shield.
They still use the word "yankee" in the South, and around the world. Like when we are trying to do business in Atlanta, someone occasionally says, "I don't like to do business with fast-talking Yankees." It says here that the word "yankee" originated from the Dutch "Janke", and became a term of contempt eventually.
I prefer my take on it. People from the UK refer to people as wankers sometimes, particularly wanker is another name for any British person. Literally, a wanker is someone that wanks, or masturbates. Another way of talking about masturbation is to "yank yer chain". Maybe like a Yankee. So when a Southerner called a Northerner a Yankee, they meant "wanker".
I like my theory, and I am going to spread it around.
One: Is it ethical for a judge to give a jury his opinion of a case before they have deliberated? In particular, is it all right for a judge to say, "In my legal opinion, this person is BLANK" after the jury has heard all evidence and closing remarks, but before they have been charged by the judge to deliberate?
Two: In the same case (or any other case, really), is it fair that a person can be convicted of a crime when they cannot prove that the murdered person, stolen item or smuggled goods EVER EXISTED?
Both of these things can and do happen, as I have had the misfortune to find out. I'll provide the details in my own blog.
When I saw that actor Maka Kotto, an African-Canadian, or québécois-africain who ran for the Bloc Québécois, won in the Liberal stronghold of St-Lambert, I was dumbstruck. For you non-Quebeckers out there, and in particular for you Americans, a black man voting for the Bloc is like a black man voting Conservative, or Republican, but about five times less likely. Not only did a black man run for the Bloc, but he beat a Liberal incumbent to take the riding. This is a pretty amazing feat. I should find out more about this guy.
I suppose it shouldn't be much of a surprise then, when emotions ran high and things buried deeply came to the surface. When asked to arrange an interview with Ex-MP Yolande Thibault, her adviser said:
| "Allez voir le negre que les gens viennent d'elir (Go see the nigger that the people have just elected)," Carrier told the Courrier reporter after [new Bloc MP Maka] Kotto's surprise win was confirmed. |
Yes, I'm sure it was just a case of post-loss Tourette's syndrome. During the campaign, Kotto was a respected opponent. If Thibault won, he'd be a respected defeated candidate. But Thibault lost, so now he's just a nigger that seemingly stole his boss' job. As though Kotto didn't deserve the win, although I personally would not have voted for the guy.
I don't know why this hasn't been a national story, truly, except that Canadians hate nothing worse than the fact that we have millions of racists working and living here in all levels of society. Canadians do not want to hear this story. They want to believe that we are a peaceful nation full of love and acceptance and puppydogs. To expose our faults is to undermine the projected Canadian identity with the truths of those hurt by bigotry. (I should try to find something less historical and more contemporary, because I do not want to imply that this stuff is all in the past.) And I wrote about loving this country. It's still true, but, ugh.
A funny story, unconfirmed but reprinted here: When Olivia Chow, former Toronto city councillor and current wife of Jack Layton, was deciding whether to run for the NDP or not, CTV Newsnet's closed captioning of the story ran with this embarrassing typo: "Chow is chinking of running." Chow is of Chinese heritage. And she lost.
In the absolutely-ridiculous-Canadian-bullshit category is the story of Yvon Tessier and his seeing-eye dog, Pavot (Poppy, in English).
The University of New Brunswick denied entry to Tessier for an English-immersion program because his dog only understands guiding commands in French.
The school said that it needs more time for the dog to familiarize itself with the campus, and that means learning English. Can someone tell me why the dog needs to understand English for his master to attend school there? It's a fucking dog for Christ's sake.
Before I begin, I would like to point out that this is neither well researched nor well written. I am typing this off quickly before I go to Ottawa to celebrate Canada Day.
Rose and I had a discussion about the Bloc Québécois last night. She had mentioned that Monday's election results in Quebec, the fact that a regional separatist party got 54 out of 308 seats was not a vote for separation, but rather it was the Quebec way of sending a message to the Liberals that they were pissed off.
Fair enough, the whole country has reason to be pissed off at them, (except the cowards in Ontario, apparently, but I'll get to them later) and the alternatives here were not that appealing. You could choose a party that is corrupt (the Liberals), the wacko New Democrats (who are not that wacko, but are too novel and alternative to really consider, which is a shame), the Green Party (which appear to be even wackier and more alternative, but whose policies actually make sense and therefore are not a serious choice anywhere), the Marijuana Party ('nuff said), the Conservative Party, (which didn't stand a chance here due to the spectre of becoming Bush's French-speaking wing) and various other little nothing parties. Or you could choose the Bloc, which promises to stand up to the Liberals and look after Quebec interests at the federal level above anything and everything else.
Being a typical anglophone and proud Canadian, I feel that Quebec separation would seriously hurt the rest of Canada, and the rest of Canada (ROC) means quite a bit to me. It's my country, and the residents are my countrymen. That may mean little to some people, but it matters to me. And I am not a flag-waving overly-patriotic nut by any means. A vote for the Bloc, or the Parti Québécois, their provincial counterpart, would mean that I do not care about any sort of national unity, or Canada's perception as a world-class country in any way. We have hardly any people in this country as it is, I don't enjoy the thought of becoming second or third rate in terms of population, economy, society or anything.
Quebec separatists are serious people. They actually want their own country. But they are not the only Canadian separatists out there. The Separation Party of Alberta is something I consider a serious threat to the fabric of our nation, and not some hokey and silly idea from some crackpots. The SPA actually seems to have some real numbers to back up their assertions that they are being fucked over. Well, one, really.
Alberta has, on a per capita basis, been Ottawa’s largest single contributor. For example, between 1961 and 1992, Alberta paid $139 billion more to Ottawa than it received back from Ottawa. That is what it cost Albertans to be Canadian. *
And where did the money go? During that time frame, the province of Quebec, despite its large population and vibrant economy, was a net recipient of over $ 168 billion from Ottawa. Alberta was paying Quebec to be Canadian.
The rest of the gripes that Alberta has with Ottawa are ones that everyone else has as well. I suppose that there should be ten new countries. No! Why not 30? 50? They say that Alberta is also distinct, like Quebec. They are against what most of the rest of the country prides itself on: multiculturalism and bilingualism, although I don't think that minorities or French communities would appreciate policies removing their status or protection. It seems to me as though removing these policies would whitewash the province and force a lot of people into a cowboy culture that may not be theirs. But I guess this new Albertan Republic would simply tell those people to move to fucking Canada.
The whole "distinct society" thing is far, FAR too vague for me to put much credence in anyway. So far, no one at any level of parliament has been able to satisfactorily tell me what a distinct society is. The only thing I can see that really makes a distinction is when a society, or a province, has a distinct language and civil/criminal laws. But this is another series of entries. I'll start with some research here and in other sources and report back later.
If Alberta were to go, British Columbia would go pretty damned quickly, as it has reasons to leave that are similar to Alberta's. BC interests not being protected. This is not hard to understand, since most of the country lives in Quebec and Ontario. But that is what provincial leaders are for. The premiers mandate are not only to run the provinces, but to protect the interests of those provinces on the federal level. I am a province booster, politically and socially speaking, as much as I love the whole country. I believe that the ones best able to serve the interests of a region are the ones from that region. What is needed are more and better ways for the provinces to interface with Ottawa. I wish I had some ideas on that, but I don't right now.
I think that it is important to realize how fortunate we are to live in a country where a (former) secessionist can become a Member of the Order of Canada. Culturally, we have a lot of flexibility and wiggle room. These regional parties such as the SPA or the Bloc Québécois cannot responsibly help govern a diverse nation. but I suppose, that's exactly the point. Diversity is exactly what they do not want.
Well, I do want this. I want to experience difference ways of doing things right in my own country. My home. Happy Canada Day.
