Put Yourself In The Corner!

PEOPLE, we need to SIT DOWN and TALK. Why? Because this article exists: Anti-bullying bill a front for ‘sex education’ agenda, group says.

My first response: LOL. My second response: SIGH, where to begin? The crux of this article is a bunch of religious dweebs complaining that they don’t want kids to know that bullying their gay peers is wrong because learning about gay people will OMG TEACH THEM GAY PEOPLE EXIST or something? I don’t even know. But there was one particular quote that really got my beef.

There is a time and place for everything, said Rondo Thomas, of the Evangelical Association, but there is no “time and place” in an 8-year-old’s mind to try to make them conceptualize something beyond “tying their shoes.”

I can’t understand why someone would actually admit that they think kids are DUMB USELESS BABIES who CAN’T DO SHIT. It boggles the mind, especially when in fact children have a wonderful capacity to parse the world around them, much more than adults ever give them credit for. Of course they need guidance from parents and such but do people even realize how much an 8 year old understands about the world? It’s a lot yo. They’re pre-teens, not toddlers.

Where's That Flying Car I Was Promised Twenty-Five Years Ago?

I'm pretty sure the reason I do not post more often is because the only thing I have to say these days is stuff like: "I AM GOING TO NUKE THE DAMN 401 FROM OUTER SPACE." Seriously. I've been a Toronto driver for five and a half years and it just gets more and more frustrating with every passing year somehow.

Crooks And Liars

Okay, well, needless to say I’m disappointed but unsurprised that Ford is now mayor of Toronto. Politics are so disheartening. I find that what’s happening up here is very similar to how I feel about politics in America as well. I don’t want to vote for the Conservative party, so I vote for the Liberals, but the problem is that ideologies aside, both parties are corrupt as hell and drunk on power and waste no time in screwing over the people.

I was going to say that I should run for city councilor because I know that I could do a way better job than the rest of these heartless monkeys, but then I realized that I live in a city full of greedy idiots. Clearly, I need to drive around in a van all day long, passing out feminist pamphlets in the hopes that my brothers and sisters finally WAKE UP. :P

Would You Stay Mine From Dawn Till Night

I hope my neighbours aren’t sick of Alex Gaudino yet; this past weekend was only the beginning. LOL.



I also seem to be feeling a lot of Rihanna lately. I’ve discovered this new song of hers that features my man Drake, called “What’s My Name”. (Note: all the versions on YouTube are sped up or slowed down, this one is sped up.)



Finally there’s the Rihanna song that’s all over the radio right now, “Only Girl (In The World)”. I actually didn’t like the song much when I heard it on the radio, but I saw the video on the weekend and it struck me as so joyful yet frantic too, somehow sensual and innocent at the same time, like she’s created a visual interpretation of what falling in love feels like. Kudos to her, I love it.



I can’t wait to play this song on Audiosurf. Perhaps tonight. Perhaps this instant, since I have the mayoral elections results already and now know that Toronto is (as I suspected) full of GREEDY IDIOTS. *headdesk*

Welcome To My Hood

CP24 has confirmed that an arrest has been made in a sausage tampering case, which is believed to be in connection to incidents in late May and June.

An arrest was made at a Loblaws store on Dundas and Bloor Streets. Toronto police say the arrest is believed to be in connection with food tampering cases involving Piller's Polish Sausage.

AAUUGHH I SHOP AT THAT LOBLAWS ALL THE TIME. D: But thankfully I don't eat Piller's. Or polish sausage. Yay?

OH TORONTO NO

Thank god I fled the city this weekend. Good lord.

From CBC's Amber Hildebrandt, who has been in the crowds speaking to the protestors and the curious:

Beyond the masses of protesters and police and media, there is the contingent of curious onlookers, both citizens and tourists alike, who either get caught up in the madness or seek it out.

Finding it is not hard. Not only because following Twitter makes it exceedingly easy to track down the hot zones, but also because the entire downtown core has become a demonstration or standoff waiting to happen. Listen closely and you will hear the cop walkie talkies screech the latest news or you'll see a protester waving people in the "right" direction.

Among the people I have met are a 16 year old who secretly came down to the protest by the security fence and an 80 year old woman on Bay who asked the riot police to let her through to go to the pharmacy (the answer was no). She simply sat down on her walker to wait it out, unperturbed by the protesters shouting expletives at the riot police in front of her. She mumbled something about them not having money, but having too much time.

I also met a trio of tourists from Cincinnati in Toronto for three days, who had no idea the G20 was here... Until they arrived this afternoon and noticed Pearson airport was abuzz with unusual activity.

Joan Blumberg, 71, said she came down with her friend Nancy and Nancy's daughter, Martha, for a fun-filled weekend and decided to check out some of the action at Wellington Street and Simcoe, where police were evacuating folks away from the fence.

"I keep thinking about the criticism the police are gettig for not taking charge. But it doesn't look that way to me. I appreciate the restraint," said Blumberg.

Viola Baker will have a lot to tell her friends on Monday morning. The nine-year-old got to watch the action on Queen Street as riot police rushed to cordon off the streets leading north.

Standing on Beverley Street with her dad, Jeff, she said, "it's kinda scary but exciting at the same time."

Her dad, who works in film post-production, says he wanted to bring her out to show what a protest was really like. They live nearby on Grange Ave. and were just leaving a birthday party when they decided to drop by.

"(My dad) wants me to know what a real protest looks like so he's just trying to teach me," she said.

Baker, 47, said he wouldn't have brought his daughter if he felt they were in danger. "As soon as they start coming I'm outta here."

My Eyeballs Are On Fire

This is a story about my annoying neighbours.

Technically, they aren't my real neighbours. I live in a townhouse style building, so my neighbours are the family who live in the unit next to me. But my building faces an alleyway, bordered by a chain link fence. And on the other side of this chain link fence is another residential building with loft style apartments, the sort of place you find tattoo artists, mechanics, and freelance photographers living in. Cheap but functional.

In the summer, everyone from the building comes out to the alleyway, on their side of the chain link fence, to smoke and drink and talk and listen to music. Loudly. As frequently as possible. Late into the night. When the weather is warm enough, it happens every Friday and Saturday night, sometimes even on Thursdays and on Sundays if there's a long weekend involved.

When this happens, when they decide to party, I can't. sleep. at. all. Their shouts and music start at 10 PM and go well into the night, ending around 3 AM.

Last night, being a warm Friday night, was one of their louder parties. While annoying, these parties didn't bother me too much, as long as I had the ability to sleep in the next morning and make up for the fact that I wouldn't go to sleep until three in the morning. But now that I work Saturdays, it's become really fucking annoying. Like I said, last night they partied. Until 2:45 AM. And I had to wake up at 6 AM the next morning for training. Even my earplugs are not enough to block out the insane amount of noise they put out. Out here, where everything is concrete and brick and asphalt, sound just carries and echoes and amplifies to a horrible degree. It doesn't help that a couple people bring their belligerent dogs outside with them. Nothing punctures silence worse than a yappy mutt.

There is nothing, nothing, in the entire world that infuriates me more than my sleep being disturbed. It used to drive me to crazy tears when I was in undergrad, if someone else in the dorm or house was being noisy when I wanted to go to bed. Last night I was honestly considering calling the police and reporting that my lovely neighbours were disturbing the peace. Unfortunately, I'm a tragically light sleeper; I often think that what constitutes as unbearably noisy to me is a mere passing hum to most other people.

So anyway, it's Saturday night. It's warm. They're even louder than last night. I'm exhausted from only sleeping three (broken) hours last night. But there's no way in hell I could ever fall asleep with this kind of noise right outside my window. Urge to call the cops... rising.

*wearily puts in earplugs*

I've Held Out On This Topic For Long Enough

Suspect in abortion doctor death warns of violence

The man charged with murdering a high-profile abortion doctor claimed from his jail cell Sunday that similar violence was planned around the nation for as long as the procedure remained legal, a threat that comes days after a federal investigation launched into his possible accomplices.

A Justice Department spokesman said the threat was being taken seriously and additional protection had been ordered for abortion clinics last week. But a leader of the anti-abortion movement derided the accused shooter as "a fruit and a lunatic."

Nancy Keenan president of NARAL-Pro-Choice America, said Roeder's comments "continue to escalate that kind of activity, that kind of violence. Quite honestly, I think it's imperative for anti-choice groups to tone down that rhetoric and keep the more extreme elements in their movement form copying Scott Roeder."

*eyetwitch*

I swear to god, some people will just not be satisfied until women are ball-and-chained with no personal freedom. Or basic rights, for that matter.

And yes to what was said by NARAL; anti-abortionists need to work a hell of a lot harder in making sure they're delivering their message in a way that's not inflammatory and confrontational. Granted, I think their message is full of shit. :P

(Note: there's a difference between being pro-life and anti-abortion. I find pro-life people to be much more sane about a woman's rights.)

Canadian Content

Daily factoid:

The Dunning-Kruger effect is an example of cognitive bias in which people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it.

Hoo boy, I hate to paint people with the same brush but my first thought after reading this? Fox News. :P

Speaking of Fox News, not going to dwell upon the whole horrible event where the Canadian Forces were mocked on national television. The host apologized, but in a predictably smarmy way. "Misunderstood" my ass.

In other Canadian news (or should I say Torontonian news?) there's a kerfuffle going on over Karen Stintz taking public speaking lessons with the taxpayers' money.

Criticized for talking too fast and sounding "shrill" during city hall meetings, Councillor Karen Stintz decided she needed to do something about it.

So she spent $4,500 (U.S.) for public-speaking lessons last year. Then she got taxpayers to cover the costs.

The vocal opponent of Toronto Mayor David Miller used the services of Lynda Spillane, an author and vocal coach who has advised other female politicians.

Fnargh, I cannot stand the use of the adjective "shrill" when describing a woman's voice. It's a gender-coded insult; how many times are men described as shrill? Shrill is used to dismiss women, to shame them into silence. Using shrill to describe a woman's voice immediately detracts from the content of her message and focuses on its presentation. And isn't that a woman's lot in life, to have her content ignored in favour of her presentation?

And yet, women clearly recognize that to succeed in a man's world, you have to talk like one. Hence the lessons. Not saying that I approve of her using taxpayer money. There's a before and after video at the link above and frankly I think the voice lessons turned her into a lifeless automaton. When she was "shrill", she was speaking passionately and from the heart. Her voice was freaking fine the way it was and haters should have just sit down and shut up instead of criticizing a competent and successful woman's voice of all things.

(As an aside, I've been tweaking zee blog over the past few days. It's looking mighty shiny right about now. :D)

In The News, On The Radio

Ex-Montreal pastor gets five years in prison for sex with 10-year-old 'wife' Um, NEWSFLASH you cannot "have sex" with a 10-year-old. (Age of consent, blah blah of course.) But I guess using the word 'rape' in the headline was just too much for some journalist to handle. *eyeroll*

Manitoba lesbian couple says doctor refused them because of sexual orientation I was an idiot and decided to read some of the comments to the article. Helloooooo racism. I should have know it the moment I saw the phrase 'foreign-trained'. *headdesk*

Goat detained over armed robbery BWAH?! THERE ARE NO WORDS. The sad thing? I don't see much difference between those who think a robber turned into a goat to evade prosecution, and those who think hurricanes are symbols of a sky spirit's displeasure. :P

Let's put that aside and listen to some tunes. Today, I bring to thee... NON-dance music! This is the song 'The Fear' by Lily Allen.



Great song. It's fun pop music, but she actually has a message omg.
I want to be rich and I want lots of money
I don’t care about clever I don’t care about funny
I want loads of clothes and fuckloads of diamonds
I heard people die while they are trying to find them

I’ll take my clothes off and it will be shameless
‘Cuz everyone knows that’s how you get famous
I’ll look at the sun and I’ll look in the mirror
I’m on the right track yeah I’m on to a winner

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear?
‘Cuz I’m being taken over by The Fear

Life’s about film stars and less about mothers
It’s all about fast cars cussing each other
But it doesn’t matter cause I’m packing plastic
and that’s what makes my life so fucking fantastic

And I am a weapon of massive consumption
and its not my fault it’s how I’m programmed to function
I’ll look at the sun and I’ll look in the mirror
I’m on the right track yeah we're on to a winner

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear?
‘Cuz I’m being taken over by The Fear

Forget about guns and forget ammunition
Cause I’m killing them all on my own little mission
Now I’m not a saint but I’m not a sinner
Now everything's cool as long as I’m getting thinner

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear?
‘Cause I’m being taken over by The Fear
There are so many subversive elements to this song that it's pretty amazing. She talks about the pressure to be vacuous, conflict diamonds, useless tabloids (The Sun and The Mirror in the UK), and materialism to name a few. I just keep listening to this song on repeat. :)

Reaching Around The World For New Music

Conservative blogger: *in an ominous tone* "Children [these days] do not feel that they depend on the will of God but on the will of their mother." (regarding their existence)
Me: "Hell, I hope so."

But let's put that aside. I have something much more pleasant to share with y'all. I have discovered, quite randomly, the existence of a three member techno-pop girl group called Perfume. Their music sounds like Kylie Minogue's music with intense influence from Daft Punk, all with that good ole Japanese flavour. Their songs are so ridiculously catchy and I must say their videos are tres fun to watch. Perfume's USP (Unique Selling Point, for those who don't know) has got to be their dancing, which the girls have down to a tee. The video below demonstrates this point, as well as showing that, no, you don't have to dress a girl group up in skimpy clothes for people to take them seriously.



I kinda wish Bollywood videos would copy something like this; they're into shamelessly stealing from other cultures, after all. ;P

The Conservatives Are Freaking Me Out

A certain article was brought to my attention and it scared and angered me.

These are real quotes from real people, expressing eliminationism against liberals, which is "a desire or a demand for extermination, removal, or infliction of harm; identification of opponents with national enemies; identification of opponents as a target for retaliation or incarceration; expressing a desire for or approval of genocide or murder; identification with vermin or disease." It’s all America-related quotes, but we all know Canada, for all its socialist predilections, harbors people who feel exactly the same way.

Excerpts:

Lee Rogers: “[T]he day will come when unpleasant things are going to happen to a bunch of stupid liberals and it’s going to be very amusing to watch.”

Rush Limbaugh: “I tell people don’t kill all the liberals. Leave enough so we can have two on every campus—living fossils—so we will never forget what these people stood for.”

RedState contributor “Thomas Crown”: I repeat: Should the entire American Left fall over dead tomorrow, I would rejoice, and order pizza to celebrate. They are not my countrymen; they are animals who happen to walk upright and make noises that approximate speech. They are below human. I look forward to seeing each and every one in Hell.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin: There were, and are, “two incompatible moral visions for this country. We had to settle it then. We’re going to have to settle it now. I hope not with blood, not with guns, but we’re going to have to settle it nonetheless. The good news is that I think our side is finally ready to settle it. Roll up its sleeves, take off its jacket, and get a little bloody. Spill a little blood. We’ll settle it. And we’ll win. And then there’s no holding us back.

Ann Coulter: ”We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed too.”

Joe M. Richardson, letter to Editor and Publisher: I say start executing the leftists in our country, soon.

Rep. Peter King: And Joe Wilson has no right to complain. And I think people like Tim Russert and the others, who gave this guy such a free ride and all the media, they’re the ones to be shot, not Karl Rove.

“Sock" Sokolowski, to Stephanie Miller: As with Cindy Sheehan the best thing that could happen to you would be seeing some WONDERFUL activist sticking an AK-47 up your Glory Holes and sending you into eternity… I would gather my 1st amendment rights permit me to HOPE (!) and PRAY (!) that someone decides you’re better off as statistics. Honestly, should I hear of either you leaving this earth prematurely I would initiate a personal celebration that would make Animal House appear to be just another quiet Sunday in church.

Melanie Morgan: “We’ve got a bull’s-eye painted on [Nancy Pelosi’s] big, wide laughing eyes.”

Kathleen Parker: Here’s a note I got recently from a friend and former Delta Force member, who has been observing American politics from the trenches: “These bastards like Clark and Kerry and that incipient ass, Dean, and Gephardt and Kucinich and that absolute mental midget Sharpton, race baiter, should all be lined up and shot.”

John Shelley: All verminous, hate-America, liberal-socialist-commie filth should be contained and selectively eliminated.

Paul Cameron: “Unless we get medically lucky, in three or four years, one of the options discussed will be the extermination of homosexuals.”

All this makes me scared because these people are spewing hate against me, not just my beliefs. And then I saw the quote that says Kucinich should be shot and I got really pissed off. Anyone who badmouths Kucinich is not in his/her right mind. :P

*sigh* It’s times like this I wish I had a friend who was a leftist feminist to discuss issues with.